Barley Lentil Soup

The moment I saw this recipe, something told me I had to try it out. It looked delicious, healthy and simple to make. Today, I made it and I was extremely satisfied. My son ate it without a fuss. Me and my husband also liked it a lot. I am sure I will be making this more often.

I followed the recipe quiet a bit, but changed it a little. The ingredients are almost the same, but the quantities differ. The way I cooked it is also different. With due credit to Siri, I am rewriting the recipe for reference.

Ingredients:
1 Cup Green Lentils - washed and soaked for atleast 6 hours
1 Cup Pearl Barley - washed and soaked for atleast 6 hours
1 Onion - finely chopped
1 big Carrot - cubed
5 cubes of frozen Spinach
1 tsp Garlic Paste
2 cubes Vegetable Stock (I used very low salt one)
1 tsp Cumin Powder
1 tsp Coriander Powder
200gm (1/2 tin) Chopped Tomatoes
2 tbsp Oil
Salt to taste (I used 1.5 tsp)

Method

1. Heat oil in a pressure cooker. Once the oil is hot, add the onions and fry for 5 mins till the onions are translucent.
2. Now add the carrots and saute for another 5 mins.
3. Then add the garlic paste and saute for 2 mins.
4. Now add the lentils & barley and mix well.
5. Add the cubes of vegetable stock and mix well.
6. Now add the tomatoes, cumin powder, coriander powder and spinach cubes and mix well.
7. Add 5 cups of water (I added 3.5) and pressure cook for 4 to 5 whistles. I left it for 5 whistles as my son likes his food soft.
8. Once the pressure comes down, add salt, mix and serve.
9. As Siri pointed out, it tastes really good with curd.

PS: My soup turned out to be a curry as I added less water. I will be adding 5 cups next time.

This is going to Winter Warmers started and hosted by The Veggie Hut

This also goes to Soup Recipes hosted by My Culinary Creations.

This is also going to Priya's bookmarked recipes

Oats Upma

Oats... They are commonly used to make porridge for breakfast. But one can use it for so many other kinds of food.

You can eat it instead of rice. It goes extremely well with most of the curries. Especially the spicy non vegetarian ones. Apparently, you are supposed to lactate more if you eat oats. So when I was nursing V, I used to eat oats instead of rice every day. That's when I fell in love with it.

You can make Oats Dosa which is an instant dosa that doesn't require fermentation. You can also make Oats Idli, Oats Dhokla, Oats Chapati etc. I am sure a cookbook can be written on how to use Oats in different foods.

But today, I want to share a recipe that P, V and me like. Its Oats Upma. Its pretty simple, cooks fast (if you dont use too many vegetables).

You do get instant Oats. But the Old fashioned rolled oats are the healthier ones to use.

Ingredients:
1 cup Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
1 tsp Chana Dal
1 Onion finely chopped
1 Chilli slit length wise (adjust)
1 tsp Ginger
1 cup Chopped Mixed Vegetables (I used Carrots, Potatoes and Green Peas)
2 tbsp Oil
2 to 3 cups water
Chopped Coriander to Garnish

Method

1. Heat Oil in a pan. Once the oil is hot, add the Mustard Seeds.
2. Once the Mustard Seeds splutter, add the Cumin Seeds and let them crackle.
3. Now add the Chana Dal and fry till they turn golden taking care not to burn them.
4. Now add the Chilli and fry for a minute or two.
5. Add the chopped Onion and fry till it browns.
6. Add the Ginger and fry for a minute.
7. Now add the Vegetables and cook till they are almost done. You might want to add a bit of water here.
8. Next add the Oats, mix every thing, pour 2 cups of water and let it cook.
9. Check the consistency of the Upma and keep adding water as required. I like my upma to be a little watery, so I use the full 3 cups.
10. Garnish with Coriander leaves and serve with chutney or on its own.

You can also grate the vegetables to enable them to cook faster.

This goes to Priya's Cooking With Whole Foods - Oats that was started by Kiran.