Leftover Dal Paratha / Leftover Recipes

Leftover Dal Paratha as the name suggests uses left over dal to make the paratha dough. This is one of the best ways to use up the last night's left over dal , and making a hearty breakfast or brunch with it and trust me, know one will make out even . Basic Indian spices, whole wheat flour and cooked dal is what you need to make this delicious dal paratha. Serve it with plain curd or raita and some pickle and a delicious breakfast is ready under 30 minutes. Here i have used the leftover dal tadka ( cooked and tempered pigeon pea/ Arhar ki dal) , you may use any left over dal (not more than 1 day old) in this recipe.

I usually cook fresh everyday and there is hardly any leftovers in my kitchen. But when you have guests , some leftover food is common. In our Indian culture, we are taught to respect every morsel of food. Food is one of the basic necessities of life and so it is rightly said "Anna He Purna Bramha" We cannot throw away leftover food. If there is any leftover food, i reheat it and give it to my domestic help. If the food has spoilt and is unfit for human consumption i dig a small pit in my kitchen garden and add the leftover food there and cover it so that it becomes manure.

Leftovers are common in many households. Reheating the leftover food and consuming it again can be boring and then only one person of the house, which is almost always mother has to finish it up . There are many innovative ways in which leftover food can be used up in making something new and healthy for the whole family. You can mke many types of fried rice dishes using leftover rice, like Soybean chunk fried rice , Schezwan fried rice, Pineapple Fried Rice etc. Leftover chapati can be shredded and stir fried with spices, onions and capsicum to make the lip smacking Chili paratha or simply pulsed with little ghee and jaggery to make Instant Chapati ladoo .Even the leftover sugar syrup from Gulab Jamun or Rasgulla can be addedto whole wheat flour and made into sweet deep fried fritters, Gulgule. Many times i end up using my leftover khichadi in vegetable cutlets or in multigrain pancakes and believe me no one in the house can make out that i have used leftover food in the dish. This is the thought behind the theme for #142 nd #FoodieMondayBloghop and it is #Cooking with the Leftovers . And these delicious dal paratha is my contribution towards the theme . Do check out my fellow bloggers posts as well for some innovative ideas on this theme. 

 Preparation time: 10 minutes

 Cooking time: 15 minutes

 Serves: 6

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup left over dal ( here i have used cooked pigeon pea/ Arhar Dal)
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds / Til
• 1/4 teaspoon carom seeds / Ajwain
• 1/2 - 1 teaspoon red chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garam masala
• 1/4 teaspoon dried mango powder / amchur powder
• 1 tablespoon oil + extra for roasting the paratha
• 2 tablespoon finely chopped fresh coriander leaves
• Salt to taste

  Method:

1. In a bowl take whole wheat flour. Add sesame seeds, carom seeds, oil , salt and spice powders ( turmeric powder, red chili powder, amchur powder, garam masala). Mix well .

2. Add left over dal, coriander leaves and knead into a dough. You may add little water if required while doing so. I added just 2 tablespoon water and could make a semi soft dough from this mixture.

3. Cover the dough and allow it to rest for 10 minutes at room temperature.

4. Make 6 equal portions of the dough and roll out each dough ball separately into a medium size paratha with a rolling pin. Dust little flour on the working surface while rolling out the dough ball.

 5. Roast the paratha on a heated skillet from both the sides until light brown spots appear on the paratha. Apply little ghee or oil while doing so.

  6. Make all the paratha in the similar way. Serve with curd and some pickle of your choice. I have served the dal paratha with instant lemon pickle.

  Recipe Notes:

• Any leftover dal ( not more than 1 day old) can be used to make this recipe. 
• It is not compulsory that you require the above mentioned quantity of dal to make this paratha. If you have less the amount of dal, add more quantity of water to make the dough. If the dal is more , increase the amount of wheat flour and spices accordingly.
• Be careful while adding salt to the paratha dough , as  the cooked dal already has salt in it.
• The dal paratha can be served at breakfast or for lunch with plain curd or raita and some pickle of your choice.
• Finely chopped onions, green chilies , grated ginger can also be used in this recipe for variation in taste.

 So next time you have some left over dal with you, do try out bthis recipe.  If  you do so , feel free to share your feed back with us. Follow us on #Facebook , #Instagram , #Twitter   and #Google+ for more recipes and new updates. 

For more recipe with leftover food, do check out my following blog posts

• Chili Paratha - Leftover Paratha / Roti Recipe

                                   

• Instant Chapati Ladoo / Leftover chapati recipe

                                

• Gulgule / Sweet fritters from leftover sugar syrup

                                

• Pineapple fried rice / Leftover rice recipe

                          

• Schezwan Fried Rice / Leftover rice recipe

                                   

• Soybean chunk fried rice / Leftover rice recipe

                                   

Aloo Chutney Pulao

Aloo chutney pulao is a flavorful one pot meal where rice is cooked with baby potatoes and Green Chutney. The spicy coriander and mint chutney adds both taste and an appealing color to the rice dish while whole spices give a nice aroma . Aloo chutney pulao is a typical rice dish from Indian state of Haryana. This filling rice dish with a simple and easy to follow recipe can be served at lunch with some raita or plain curd. Goes well in lunch box too ! It is a best option when you are short of veggies in your kitchen pantry and also on those lazy summer afternoons where you are no where in a mood to cook elaborate meals.

Haryanvi Cuisine is simple and flavorful. The food here is wholesome and uncomplicated or fuss free. Rightly called as the 'Land of Rotis' people in Haryana are fond of eating different kinds of rotis. Wheat and Bajra roti being common. There is also abundance of milk and milk products in the Haryanvi Cuisine. People make butter and ghee at home and use it liberally in their daily diet.

Haryanvi Cuisine is the theme for the month of April on the Shhhhhh Cooking Secretly Challenge facebook group and i am paired with Sasmita Sahoo who blogs at Firsttimercook. Do check out her blog for some wonderful recipes. She gave me two secret ingredients , green chilly and bay leaves and i made this flavorful aloo chutney pulao using these ingredients. In return i gave her besan (chickpea flour) and coriander powder and she made besan ki masala roti using it.

                                                 

                             

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Serves: 3-4

Ingredients for Chutney:

• 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh coriander leaves
• 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh mint leaves
• 2-3 green chilies
• 1/2 inch ginger piece
• 4-5 cloves of garlic
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• Salt to taste
• 1 teaspoon dried pomegranate seeds (anardana) (optional)
• 2-3 tablespoon water

                              

Ingredients for the Pulao:

• 3/4 cup basmati or any long grain rice of your choice
• 5-7 baby potatoes
• 1 large onion finely chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 inch cinnamon stick
• 2 green cardamom pods
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 2-3 cloves
• 2-3 black pepper corn
• 2 tablespoon ghee
• 1 1/2 cup water

                      

                           

Method:

1. Rinse the rice 2-3 times and soak it in clean water for 10-15 minutes.

2. Meanwhile we will make the green chutney. For that add all the ingredients under the list chutney in a grinder jar and adding little water make a fine paste from it. I did not have anardana at home so i added 1/4 teaspoon amchur powder (dried mango powder) instead.

3. Peel and wash the baby potatoes and prick them with fork. Add half of the green chutney to them in a bowl and marinate the potatoes until use. If you do not have baby potatoes. Use the regular potatoes and cut them in 4 pieces.

4. Heat ghee in a pressure cooker. Add the whole spices ( bay leaf , cloves, black pepper corn, cumin seeds , cinnamon and cardamom ) and let them sizzle and infuse their flavors in the ghee for few seconds.

5. Next add sliced onions and saute for 1-2 minutes. Now add the marinated potatoes and the remaining chutney and stir fry for another 1-2 minutes on low to medium flame.

6. Drain the rice and add it to the sauteed onions and potatoes and stir fry for another 1 minute. Add 1 1/2 cup water and do a taste test. Add salt if needed (we have added salt to the chutney, so add it in rice accordingly).

7. Put the lid on and pressure cook the rice for 2-3 whistles and put off the flame. Open the lid once all the pressure has escaped. Fluff the rice with a fork and serve with some curd or raita of your choice.

  8. I have served the aloo chutney pulao with Cucumber Raita

 Recipe Notes:

• If you do not have anardana , you may replace it with amchur powder.
• Do not add more water while making chutney. Also add only double the amount of water to rice quantity or else you would end up in a mushy and sticky rice.
• The amount of green chilies can be adjusted as per taste.
• If you do not have baby potatoes, you may use the regular potatoes and cut them into 4 pieces and use in the recipe.

 I hope you would love to treat yourself with this flavorful one pot meal . If  you do so , feel free to share your feed back with us. Follow us on #Facebook , #Instagram , #Twitter   and #Google+ for more recipes and new updates. 

For more baby potato recipe, do check my posts on

• Achari Aloo

                                    

• Kashmiri Dum Aloo

                                    

 For more Haryanvi Recipes, do check my posts on

• Malpua

                                   

• Bajra Khichdi

                                   

Curd Quinoa Recipe

Curd Quinoa is a protein rich vegetarian dish inspired by South Indian Thayir Sadam / curd rice. Cooked quinoa replaces rice in this simple and easy recipe. Addition of cucumber and pomegranates make the dish refreshing and appealing. Peanuts add a lovely crunch and nutty flavor to the other wise soft and creamy dish. The curd quinoa mix is furthered tempered with ghee and other Indian spices to make a delicious and nutritious dish. Serve it as a gluten free healthy breakfast or lunch with some lemon pickle and papadam if you are craving for some comfort and guilt free food. If you have cooked quinoa ready at hand , the dish can be made in a jiffy. Curd quinoa also serves as a great baby and toddler recipe as it is easy to digest.

Quinoa(Keen-wah) is one of the world's most popular health foods and often referred to as super grain. It is gluten-free, high in protein and fiber and one of the few plant foods that contain all nine essential amino acids. It is also high in magnesium, B-vitamins, iron, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, vitamin E and various beneficial antioxidant. 

Quinoa cooks up like rice , is versatile and has a mild, nutty flavor and a light , fluffy texture. You can check out Quinoa Summer Salad from my blog if you are looking for more quinoa recipes. 

#Yogurt Recipes is the theme for #141th #FoodieMondayBloghop and this delicious and nutritious curd quinoa is my contribution towards the theme. Check out my fellow bloggers post as well for some yummy recipes on this theme.

                           

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Serves: 2

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Quinoa ( i have used organic)
• 1 cup Curd
• 1/4 cup finely chopped cucumber
• 1/4 cup finely chopped pomegranate arils
• 2 tablespoon peanuts
• Fresh coriander leaves for garnishing
• Salt to taste

To Temper :

• 1-2 tablespoon ghee
• 1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
• 1 teaspoon split and skinned black gram
• 2 dry red chilies
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
• Method:

1. Place 1 cup quinoa in a fine mesh strainer and rinse thoroughly under cold running water to remove the bitterness.  Drain and keep aside. Heat 2 cups water in a sauce pan . ( Ratio is 2 cup water to 1 cup raw quinoa) Add drained quinoa to it with a dash of salt and bring to a rolling boil. 

2. Reduce to a simmer , cover and cook for about 10-12 minutes or until the quinoa turns tender and all the water gets absorbed. Let the sauce pan remain covered for 5 minutes after putting off the flame.

3. On cooking the quinoa turns slightly translucent and we can see tiny spirals / germ ( appear like small tails) coming out from the quinoa seed . Fluff it gently with a fork and allow to cool down at room temperature. 

4. In a mixing bowl, take cooked quinoa and add curd to it. Blend well. Now add chopped cucumber, pomegranate arils , salt and sugar. Mix well.

 5. Next heat ghee in a small pan. Add peanuts to it and fry until crunchy. Remove the fried peanuts with a slotted spoon and add to the curd quinoa. In the same pan with remaining ghee, add the ingredients under 'to temper' list. First add the mustard seeds. Once they splutter add the black gram, let it fry until it changes it turns pinkish, next add curry leaves, followed by broken dry red chilies. Put off the flame after few seconds. Pour this tempering over the curd quinoa.

6. Lastly garnish with finely chopped fresh coriander leaves. Keep the curd quinoa refrigerated until serving time.

Recipe Notes:

• Grated carrots can also be added along with cucumber in this recipe.
• If making curd quinoa for babies, grate the veggies well and skip red chilies in the tempering.
• Let the cooked quinoa cool down completely before adding curd to it.
• If you do not want to refrigerate the dish, at least sit it for 1/2 an hour before it is served, so that the flavors blend well.

 I hope you would love to try out this delicious and healthy curd quinoa to treat yourself this summer. If you do so , feel free to share your feed back with us. Follow us on #Facebook , #Instagram , #Twitter   and #Google+ for more recipes and new updates. 

For more yogurt based recipes, do check my post on

• Fruit and Yogurt Parfait

                                   

• Dahi Papdi Chaat

                                    

• Strawberry Shrikhand

                                    

• Amrakhand- Mango Shrikhand

                                    

• Rose Lassi Popsicle

                                    

• Curd Rice