alu sem matar ki subzi recipe | soya wali dal recipe or red lentil soup with dill leaves | making low fat high fiber meals

Winter greens and variety of vegetables are a boon to vegetarians.  There is so much to choose from a variety of beans, variety of greens, herbs are so fresh and in season, the root vegetables and the crucifers all tempting with new flavours of the season. 

Sem or flat beans are one such variety of beans that I love. When they are in season they are packed with maximum flavor and they are tender too. I like all kinds of beans and keep using them whichever is in season, even guar and bakla which many people hate with full vigour are favorites of mine. Having said that I am thinking if there is a veggie I do not like. I don't remember any.

The only thing is, each vegetable needs a different treatment and seasoning. Once you master that you never hate any vegetable on earth. Cooking is a life skill.

This post intends to suggest how the dal roti subzi meal can be low on fat and high on fiber even when you want to satiate your hunger to the fullest, making the dal a bit thinner than usual is a trick and adding some greens improves the fiber content. We like multigrain roti and a glass of thin buttermilk. 

I must add here that everyday I make a large bowl of salad, mostly without any dressing and keep that on the dining table, about half of that is consumed with lunch and the rest is munched away during the day afterward. It can be just anything. Like it was just radish n some iceberg lettuce yesterday and some radish, sprouted black gram and grapefruit segments today. It works for me as it keeps me away from mindless snacking. These radish slices dipped into Akhrot ki chutny is something you will love to snack on.

ingredients for alu sem matar ki subzi ...
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(2-3 servings, eating a lot of this subzi is good)

flat beans or sem chopped 2 cups

potatoes chopped in small cubes 1/2 cup
shelled tender peas 1/2 cup
ginger chopped 1 tbsp
garlic chopped 1/2 tbsp
green chillies chopped finely 1 tbsp
green coriander leaves chopped 1 cup (optional)
cumin n black pepper powder 1 tsp each
turmeric powder 1 tsp
salt to taste
mustard oil 2 tsp

procedure for the subzi...

Heat oil in a kadai and throw in the ginger garlic n green chillies, let them fry for a few seconds and not to change the color, dunk in all the chopped vegetables and peas together, salt n pepper, cumin and turmeric powders in that order while stirring to mix, cover and cook on low heat till done.

The vegetables have to be cooked for about 4-5 minutes and they should be just cooked and not mushed up...

Throw in the chopped coriander leaves if using, mix well and put off the heat, keep covered for a minute and serve hot with dal roti or dal chawal or as a side dish for any meal combination.

The garlic in this dish is not fried much and remains soft and mushy till the end, this lends a very delicate flavor along with the tender peas (if you do not get tender green peas avoid using them for this recipe).

The generous amount of chopped coriander takes this subzi to another level and even if the subzi looks so simple it has a lot of flavors infused into it. With other types of beans it will taste very different and this recipe is a traditional eastern UP specialty and many families find it as an absolute winter favorite.

Sometimes a few brinjal cubes are added and that is a nice variation for this subzi. Adding more green coriander is the only tweak I have done and I find it really very good.

This soya or dill and red lentil preparation makes a very light n flavorful combination, almost like a soup. This is a traditional recipe too but I do not add a generous ghee tadka to it as I like the fresh dill flavor a lot so don't feel the need to add anymore flavors (or ghee) to it.

ingredients for the soya dal or red lentil and dill soup
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red lentils or masoor dal 2 tbsp
soya or dill leaves chopped 1.5 cup
garlic chopped 1 tsp
green chillies chopped 2 tsp
lemon juice 1/2 tsp or whipped curd 2 tbsp
turmeric powder 1 tsp
salt to taste..
water 1.5 cup

procedure for the dal..

Dunk everything together in a pressure cooker (except the lemon juice) and pressure cook for 5 minutes after the first whistle blows.

Let the pressure release on it's own, open the cooker and add lemon juice to finish. The dal is ready without any trace of oil or ghee and it's so fresh and flavorful with dill leaves that I like it as a standalone soup sometimes.

Any greens can be added to the dals and it can be made tasty by addition of spices or herbs, just think about your favorite flavors of the season and you will get a yummy dal to go with your lunch or as a standalone dinner soup.

Never compromise on the flavours and drop the 'cooking' fat a few times, add a little dab of butter or ghee on top for flavour and to balance the meal too. It works wonders.

I know for sure a few people will be happy to see this...