Mulo Bata (Radish Chutney - Bengali Style)

          A far cry from all the restaurant style food, this humble veggie can be made into a lip smacking yummy side dish. It is almost a lost and a forgotten recipe that the new generation is not much aware of. It is an extremely easy, simple and a quick recipe that consists of all the flavours infused in it. 

          This homemade delicacy has minimum of spices and is sautéed in mustard oil for that authentic touch. It tastes simply awesome with steamed rice. But you may also try it with chapatti or as a spread on parathas.

• 3-4 radish, roughly chopped
• 2 green chilies
• 3-4 garlic cloves
• handful of coriander roots (opt)
• 2 tbsp. + 1 tsp. mustard oil
• 1 tsp. nigella seeds (kalonji)
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder

          Blend the radish, green chilies, garlic and coriander roots into a fine paste. Heat 2 tbsp. oil in a pan and temper with the nigella seeds. Sauté for a few seconds. 

          Add the ground paste, salt and turmeric powder. Sauté on a low flame till all the moisture is dried up. 

          Switch off the flame and add the remaining mustard oil. Give it a stir and serve with plain steamed rice or as a side dish with chapatti. 

Radish Thoran - Kerala Style

          Thoran is a traditional Kerala delicacy that is not only nutritious, but very delicious and easy to prepare. It is a common item in a sadya meal. It is a quick recipe, is mildly spiced and has a lot of fresh grated coconut. Don't forget to cook it in coconut oil for an authentic touch. 

          I have Thoran made out of carrots, beans, raw banana and cabbage in my blog. So today I would like to share my version of radish thoran. It can be relished as a side dish with either plain steamed rice, curd rice or any Indian bread. So check out an easy step by step pictorial recipe to prepare it.

• 500 gms. radish, grated
• 2 tbsp. oil
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1-2 whole red chilies, broken into half
• 1 tsp. urad dal (split black gram)
• 1-2 sprig curry leaves
• 1-2 green chilies, slit
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tsp. garlic, chopped
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1 tbsp. coriander powder
• 1 tsp. cumin powder 
• 1 tsp. red chili flakes (opt)
• 1/2 fresh grated coconut
• 2-3 tbsp. coriander leaves, chopped

       
           Heat oil in a pan and temper with mustard seeds. After it stops spluttering, add the cumin seeds, urad dal, red chilies, green chilies and curry leaves. Sauté for a few seconds.

  Then add the onion and garlic. Fry on a medium flame till it turns light brown. Add the grated radish, salt, turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and chili flakes.

          Mix everything well and continue to stir fry till the moisture dries up. Lastly add the coconut and give it a toss. 

          Switch off the flame and add the coriander leaves. Serve as a side dish with either rice or chapattis.

                Heat oil & temper with mustard seeds. Then add cumin seeds, urad dal, red 
                chilies, green chilies & curry leaves. Sauté for a few seconds.

                              Add onion & garlic. Fry on med. flame till it turns light brown. 

                       Add grated radish, salt, turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin
                       powder & chili flakes.

                                 Mix well & stir fry till the moisture dries up. 

                                  Lastly add coconut & give it a toss. Switch off the flame.
           

                                  Add coriander leaves & give it a stir.

                                  Serve as a side dish with either rice or chapattis.

Cholar Dal diye Mulo Chechki (Radish-Bengal Gram Curry - Bengali Style)

          This is a traditional homemade style raddish stir fry. There are many versions to this simple side dish. It is at times cooked with vadi / dried lentil dumplings or with prawns for a non-veg. version. 

          Today I prepared this delicious dish with some boiled chana dal (Bengal Gram Lentil). I gave a tempering of kalonji (nigella seeds) and fresh red chilies and finished it off with lots of chopped coriander leaves to the end product. You can enjoy this stir fry with plain steamed rice or chapattis. So check out the step by step pictorial recipe to prepare it. 

• 500 gms, radish, sliced finely
• 1/2 cup chana dal, soaked for 30 minutes
• 1 tbs. mustard oil
• 1 tsp. kalonji (nigella seeds)
• 2 fresh red chilies, slit
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1 tsp. roasted coriander-cumin powder
• 1 cup coriander leaves, chopped

          Pressure cook the chana dal in 1 cup water for 1 whistle. Drain and keep aside. Heat oil in a pan and temper with kalonji and chilies. Sauté for a few seconds.

          Add the radish, boiled chana dal, salt, turmeric powder and coriander-cumin powder. Cover and cook on low flame till it is soft and done. 

          Sprinkle water at intervals. Just before taking off the fire, add the coriander leaves. Mix well and serve as a side dish either with rice or chapattis.

                          Heat oil & temper with kalonji (nigella seeds) & fresh red chilies.

                          Add radish, salt, turmeric powder & coriander-cumin powder.

                     Mix well & add boiled chana dal. Cover & cook on low flame till done, 

                                 Add coriander leaves & take off the fire.

                                  Serve as a side dish with either rice or any Indian bread.

Mulo Shaag Diye Bhaja Muger Dal (Lentils cooked with Radish Leaves - Bong style)

         This is a traditional Bengali delicacy of roasted Moong Dal which is commonly prepared in almost every Bengali household. It is sometimes combined with any veggie for a wholesome and nutritious meal. 

         Here in this recipe I combined it with radish leaves and few pieces of radish too. I tempered it with whole garam masala and finished it off with some ghee. This gives this dal a very good flavor. It is best relished with steamed rice. The quantity of water needs to be adjusted if having with chapattis. So check out the step by step pictorial recipe to prepare it. 

• 1/2 cup moong dal (split green gram), soaked for 30 minutes
• 3-4 bunches mooli saag (radish leaves), chopped finely
• 1 cup radish, chopped
• 2 tbsp. mustard oil
• 2 green cardamoms
• 1" cinnamon stick
• 4 cloves
• 1/2 tsp. kalonji (nigella seeds)
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 tsp. ginger, chopped
• 2-3 fresh chilies, slit
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1 tsp. roasted cumin powder
• 1 tsp. ghee

          Boil the dal and the chopped radish in 1 cup water for 4-5 whistles. When cool, add salt and turmeric powder and keep aside.

          Heat oil in a pan and temper with cardamoms, cinnamon, cloves and kalonji. Sauté for a few seconds.

         Add the onion, slit chilies and ginger and sauté till light brown. Add the chopped greens and continue to fry on low flame till dry.

          Now add the boiled dal and cumin powder. Add 1/2 cup water if required. Simmer for a minute and when done, add ghee and mix well. Serve hot with steamed rice or chapattis.

                                 Chop leaves & radish. Keep aside.

                                 Boil dal with chopped radish in 1 cup water.

                                 Add salt & turmeric powder to the boiled dal & keep aside.

                            Heat oil & temper with kalonji, cardamoms, cinnamon & cloves.

                                  Add onion, ginger & slit chilies. Sauté till light brown.

                                  Add chopped greens & fry till dry.

                Add boiled dal & cumin powder. Simmer for a minute. Add ghee & mix well.

                        Serve, garnished with coriander leaves, lemon wedges & fresh chilies.

Mooli-Rajma Sabzi (Raddish Stir Fry with Kidney Beans)

          Mooli (Radish) in general is a low calorie root vegetable and is a good source of vitamin C to some extent. It is advised to include it in our daily diet. There are many ways of cooking radish and it differs from one region to the other. 

           So today I combined Mooli and Rajma and cooked in an easy stir fry method which can be served as a side dish with chapatis. I used mustard oil but any oil is okay. It is a simple nutritious homemade style recipe with very little spices. So check out the step by step pictorial recipe to prepare it.

          

• 2 radish, chopped into small cubes
• 1/2 cup rajma (kidney beans), soaked overnight 
• 2 tbsp. mustard oil
• 1 tsp. kalonji (nigella seeds)
• 2-3 green chilies, slit
• 1/4 tsp. asafoetida (hing)
• 1 tsp. garlic, chopped
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1/2 cup coriander leaves, chopped

          Boil the rajma in enough water for 25-30 minutes on low flame after the first whistle. Drain the water (which can be used later) and keep aside.

          Heat oil in a pan and temper with the kalonji. Saute for a few seconds. Add the salt chilies and garlic. Saute till it changes colour.

          Add the asafoetida, chopped radish, salt and turmeric powder. Fry on low flame till they turn soft. Sprinkle water if necessary.

          When done, add the boiled rajma and the coriander leaves and give it a mix. Serve as a side dish with chapati or rice.

Heat oil & temper with kalonji.

Add garlic green chilies. Saute till garlic changes colour.

Add chopped radish, asafoetida, salt & turmeric powder.

Cook, covered on low flame. Sprinkle water if necessary.

When done, add boiled rajma and ......

coriander leaves. Mix well.

Serve  as a side dish with chapati or rice.

Mooli Paratha (Raddish Flat Bread - Punjabi Style)

         These stuffed radish parathas are an integral part of a menu in any Punjabi household. The best place to relish all these delicacies is in a dhaba, where they are served along with some pickle, yoghurt, raita or with lots of butter.

          Now these yummy and delicious parathas can be easily prepared at home in a nutritious way. I gave it a slight Bong touch by adding some panch phoron powder. You can also temper it with kalonji (nigella seeds) for a more authentic Bong flavour. 

          They are an ideal breakfast menu and a hot favorite as a lunch box meal for young and old alike. As they are wholesome and filling, it can be had any time of the day for a healthy meal. So check out the step by step pictorial recipe to prepare it.

• 1 cup atta (wheat flour)
• 1 cup radish, tightly packed, grated
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp. red chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds / kalonji
• 2 green chilies, chopped finely
• 2 tbsp. coriander leaves, chopped
• 1 tbsp. roasted panch phoron powder (equal quantities of fennel, mustard, cumin, fenugreek & nigella seeds)
• oil to shallow fry

          Add 1 tsp. salt to the grated radish and keep aside for 15 minutes. Then squeeze out the water from it twice. Reserve the strained liquid aside.

         Heat 1 tbsp. oil in a non-stick pan and temper with cumin seeds. After it stops sizzling, add the grated radish, green chilies, coriander leaves, salt, chili powder, turmeric powder and panch phoron powder. Sauté for 2 minutes on low to medium flame. Set aside to cool.

         Meanwhile knead a dough with atta, salt, 1 tbsp. oil and required quantity of the reserved liquid. Set aside for 30 minutes.

         Divide the dough into 10 equal portions and the stuffing into 5 portions. Roll out each of the dough portions into a small circle, just like poori and keep aside.

          Now take 2 rolled pooris. On one poori, spread evenly one portion of the radish stuffing and place another poori over it and seal all the edges firmly. Roll out into a bigger circle by dusting some flour.

          Make similar stuffed parathas in the same way and keep them aside. Heat a tawa / griddle and shallow fry them one at a time by drizzling a tsp. of oil over it. When one side is done, flip it over and fry the other side by drizzling some more oil.

          Shallow fry the rest of the parathas in the same manner. Serve hot with some butter, chutney, yoghurt or pickle.

                    Add 1 tsp. salt to grated radish & keep aside for 15 minutes. Squeeze out
                    water from it twice. Reserve strained liquid aside.

                    Heat 1 tbsp. oil in a non-stick pan & temper with cumin seeds. Add 
                    grated radish, green chilies, coriander leaves, salt, chili powder, turmeric 
                    powder & panch phoron powder. Sauté for 2 minutes. Set aside to cool.

                  Meanwhile knead a dough with atta, salt, 1 tbsp. oil & some of the reserved
                  liquid. Set aside for 30 minutes. 

                    Divide dough into 10 equal portions & the stuffing into 5 equal portions. 

                 Roll out each dough portions into a small circle. Now take 2 rolled pooris.
                 On one poori, spread evenly a portion of the radish stuffing.....

                               ........and place another poori over it.

                                 Seal all the edges firmly. 

                               Roll out into a bigger circle by dusting some flour.

                     Heat a tawa & shallow fry them by drizzling a tsp. of oil over it. When 
                     one side is done, flip it over & fry other side by adding more oil.

                               Serve hot with some butter, chutney, yoghurt or pickle.