Spiced and Pureed Chard with Red Beans - Chard Saag with Beans - Chard Masiyal with Beans

Growing Chard in the cooler months should be easy but for some reason Chard is picky. I sow them late winter in the high-tunnel hoping to harvest in Spring but they seem to wait till the next winter to bear good quality leaves. The heat and the summer bugs don't seem to agree with them. This is the time when there are no local fresh vegetables so I do not complain much. I have used chard to saute as a poriyal/stir fry, with addition of coconut, in sambhar or in a simple dal.

You get the idea, chard leaves can be used just like spinach leaves. My brother on the other hand thinks that to taste the real vegetable you have to cook it by itself so this recipe was born because of that. Nothing exotic just a recipe that has been used with other kinds of greens. Having tried it realization hit that this way of cooking indeed makes chard tastes fantastic.

While just the spiced and pureed chard can be eaten as is, the addition of beans makes it a fancy side dish. Paneer, potates are all good additions. They make a great side dish for any kind of soft Indian breads.

I grew shelling beans because I am fond of fresh shelled beans. I picked up Jacob Turtle Beans one summer and have been in love them ever since. I collect seeds and plant them every year. Hoping to grow a bit more this year. But I have never been disappointed. I prefer to shell them fresh and freeze but some of them which dry out are saved as dried beans. Both taste the same when cooked but with the fresh ones being a bit more special.

I cook the chard in a pressure cooker to speed up the process but it can be cooked on a stove top as well.
Here is the recipe in pictures,

Cook the bean for about 6-10 minutes till fully cooked.
Cut the chard leaves, onions and green chilies.
In a pressure add oil and when hot add cumin powder and pepper powder, onions and green chilies. Saute till the onions start to turn brown. Add tomatoes and saute till it gets soft.
Add chard leaves, salt and saute till it becomes soft.
Puree the chard leaves. Add in the cooked beans and let it cook with the puree for a few minutes.

Goes well with rice or any kind of bread.

Spiced and Pureed Chard with Beans
Preparation Time:10 minutes
Cooking Time:25 minutes
Ingredients

1. 1 cup of fresh or 1/2 cup of dried beans(I used Jacobs Turtle Beans)
2. 3-4 cups of chopped chard leaves (more or less is ok)
3. 1/2 cup of chopped red onions
4. 2-3 green chilies
5. 1 chopped garlic (optional)
6. 2-3 small tomatoes chopped
7. 1/2 tsp of cumin powder
8. 1 tsp of pepper powder
9. salt to taste
10. 2 tsp of oil

Method

1. Set the beans to cook while you get the chard ready. Remove the stems if a bit mature and then cut the leaves into strips.
2. In a pressure cooker heat oil add the cumin and pepper powders and immediately add the onion, garlic if using and green chilies.
3. Saute the onions till it starts to brown ad bit and add the chopped tomatoes and cook till it turns mushy.
4. Now add the chopped chard, mix it in well, add a couple of tbsp of water, salt and cook for 2 whistles or about 10-15 minutes if not using pressure cooker.
5. Once the pressure is released puree the cooked chard. Turn on the heat, now drain the cooked beans and add it to the chard puree. Check for salt and turn off the heat.

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"Cheater's" Tandoori Raw Banana Roast - Vazhakkai Roast

The thing about Tandoori Masala is the bright red color. That bright red color is what I don't like. Why add some useless color with all the other good spices. So I skip the color and use the spices that I have on hand like my friend did. She is the one who introduced me to this quick Tandoori recipe. She made it with chicken but I pretty much use it for fish, chicken, paneer and now this recipe with raw bananas.

Read in the paper today that this month marks the 100th anniversary of Reader's Digest. I guess I started subscribing to it because my dad did when we were growing up. I also learned that Alex Hailey the author of Roots, the book that kept me engrossed for hours together during the summer holidays when there was practically nothing else to do. No internships just summer fun with absolutely nothing to do :) I digress, apparently Alex Hailey worked at Reader's Digest when he wrote Roots. Did not know that. Thought that was interesting because that book changed a whole lot of people's minds about what it means to be brought to a country unwillingly and so brutally.

With that tidbit, let's move on to this recipe which is beautiful in its simplicity. Here's the recipe in pictures,

Steam raw banana with a couple of tbsp of yogurt.
Peel and slice the raw banana and add the powdered spices.
Mix the banana pieces with the spices with the addtion of some oil.
Roast the spice coated raw banana pieces till they are nice and roasted.

These are tasty enough to be eaten as is or can be eaten as a side with rice.

Tandoori Banana Roast
Preparation Time:10 minutes
Cooking Time:15 minutes
Ingredients

1. 3 medium sized Indian raw bananas or 2 raw plantains
2. 1 tbsp of yogurt or buttermilk
3. 1/2 tbsp ginger powder
4. 2 tbsp garlic powder
5. 1 tsp turmeric powder
6. 1/2 tbsp chili powder
7. 1 tsp pepper powder
8. 1/2 tsp cumin powder
9. salt to taste
10. 2 tsp + 1/2 tbsp oil

Method

1. Cut the tips of the banana off and cut in half, steam tne raw bananas in a steamer (I used a pressure cooker) by sprinling the yogurt on them to avoid discoloration.
2. Once cool peel the skin and cut the into 1/4 inch thick rounds. Take them in a bowl.
3. Add all the powders, salt and the 2 tsp of oil and mix well so the raw banana pieces are all coated.
4. In a wide mouthed cast iron pan add enough oil to coat the pan, when the pan and oil get hot add the banana pieces.
5. Let fry for a couple of minutes and then flip around and cook for another couple of minutes. Trun off the heat. Do not overcook the banana becomes hard.

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