Pearl Barley, Kale, Lentil Salad

Now that summer is here, (sort of), meals are getting easier and lazier. Chilled or room temperature salads, fresh vegetables and fruits, quick smoothies, and no-fuss sandwiches are becoming the staples. Not much baking or slaving over the stove most days.

This quick salad just feels so nutritious, even if I am no nutritionist or an expert of any sort. My favorite way to serve/eat this is on a "bowl" of Boston Lettuce leaf: scoop some into a crisp Boston lettuce leaf, either roll it up for easy no-spillage eating, or gather up the edges like a taco and munch on.

Of course, any combination of salad ingredients like carrot sticks, olives, chickpeas, pumpkin seeds, feta, bell peppers taste wonderful when served on a leaf of lettuce.

Ingredients
Pearl barley cooked al dente
Green or brown lentil, cooked al dente
Kale, chopped, and wilted
cooked chick peas
feta
Kalamata olives
sun-dried tomatoes
finely chopped carrots
finely chopped red onion (optional)
toasted pine nuts  and dried cranberries (optional)
Dressing: lemon juice, olive oil, black pepper, plus salt if needed

Combine the salad ingredients, adjust dressing to taste, serve at room temperature or chilled

Barley, Lentil, Chickpea, Spinach Stew

Four simple powerhouse ingredients - chickpea, lentils, barley and spinach, plus some onions, garlic and tomatoes come together for this flavorful, hearty winter stew.

I cook barley in a rice cooker: 1 part barley to about 3 parts water or stock. I like to stock up on dry beans, soak and pressure cook them in batches and freeze them for later use. so, there is usually about 3 or 4 varieties of cooked beans in the freezer, ready to be used.

Brown or green lentils have a full-bodied flavor and don't get too mushy when pressure cooked, which adds to the texture of the stew.

I like the nutty crunch that the cooked barley adds as well.

Sometimes, I use Kale in addition to (or instead of) spinach in this recipe.

Ingredients
1 cup cooked barley
2 cups cooked brown or green lentils
1 cup cooked chick peas
10 oz frozen chopped spinach
3 cups fresh kale, chopped finely
2 cups vegetable stock or water

3 to 4 dry red chilies
1 medium onion diced
1 cup canned diced tomatoes
1 cup tomato sauce
1 Tbsp chopped garlic

2-inch piece of Indian Cinnamon bark
1 black cardamom
2 medium bay leaves

1 tsp turmeric powder
1 Tbsp paprika powder
1 Tbsp coriander powder (optional)
salt to taste

Preparation

Combine the ingredients in a pressure cooker and cook till first whistle, turn off and allow to cool and release pressure a bit.

Open the lid when safe and simmer the stew in the pressure cooker for a few minutes till desired consistency.

Adjust flavors, garnish and serve with home-made herb dampers or Indian flatbreads.

Hearty Lentil Soup

Brown lentils, onions, carrots, turnip greens, tomatoes and some Indian spices come together for this warm staple. As a boost, a handful of sprouted brown lentils are used for garnish in this Hearty Lentil Soup with Turnip Greens.

When possible, if I can plan ahead, I soak the lentils overnight, pressure cook in bulk and then freeze them in 1 cup portions for ease of use later. Thaw overnight in the fridge before use if preferred.

Ingredients
2 cups cooked brown lentils
2 carrots, chopped
1 medium onion, diced
1 cup chopped turnip leaves (or more)
1 cup diced tomatoes (canned, if not in season)
1 Tbsp Coriander Powder
1 Tbsp Cumin Powder
1 tsp hot chili powder (or cayenne pepper powder)
1 tbsp brown sugar (or agave nectar)
2 or 3 bay leaves
4 to 6 cloves, crushed or whole (if preferred, remove before serving)
1 star anise, whole
1 3-inch piece of Indian/Chinese cinnamon bark
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp canola oil
4 cups water or stock
salt to taste

Preparation

1. Heat oil in a pan, add the onions and spices, sauté
2. Add the lentils, tomatoes, carrots and greens, salt to taste, stock or water, cover and simmer till carrots are tender
3. Stir in lemon juice, taste and adjust flavors
4. If preferred, fish out the star anise, cloves, bay leaves, Indian Cinnamon before serving
5. Garnish with spring onions and sprouted brown lentils

snake gourd and brown lentils

Snake gourd (Trichosanthes cucumerina) intrigued me as a child - its shape and color, its soft spongy core, its hollow inside, its resemblance to bitter gourd... the only other vegetable that intrigued me equally when I was growing up was the Moringa (aka drumstick, murungakai).

My mom usually made koottu, molagoottal, or poduthuval out of snake gourd. It struck me as bland and tasteless, almost watery. And if not picked tender and cooked right away, they tend to become woody/chewy and rather unpalatable. The seeds and pulp inside are bitter. And, many a times, the flesh also happens to be bitter.

If buying fresh snake gourd, I usually try to taste a tiny bit before cooking and serving. They are also available frozen. So far, the frozen ones have turned out better tasting than the fresh ones I have used. Possibly because they are picked tender and frozen right away whereas the fresh ones travel a long way to reach my local produce market...

My preferred way to cook snake gourd so far has been to sauté it with some salt and turmeric powder, add some tempering and some grated coconut, and serve it light and simple with some rice and rasam or sambar. Every once in a while, I like to throw in some lentils to up the nutritional value, as in this recipe.

Ingredients
1 pkt frozen, sliced snake gourd
1 cup brown lentils, soaked overnight
¼ cup grated coconut
1-2 green chilies
½ tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp Madras curry powder
salt to taste
Tempering: 1 Tbsp canola oil, 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp urad dal, 3-4 curry leaves

Preparation

cook the brown lentils till soft and tender but not mushy

coarsely blend the coconut and green chilies and keep handy

tempering: heat oil in a pan, when shimmering add the urad dal, when it turns golden brown, add the mustard seeds and when they pop add the cumin seeds and curry leaves, then add the turmeric powder and curry powder, stir a little to let the spices bloom

add the frozen snake gourd, cooked brown lentils, salt to taste, sauté a bit, cover and let the snake gourd cook till tender but not mushy; stir in the coconut-green-chili mixture

This Snake Gourd & Brown Lentils is my 'S' dish for lovely Nupur's A to Z of Indian Vegetables event.