Spinach and Masoor Sprouts Kichidi with pan fried Brinjal and Tomato Slices, Fit for a queen

Piping hot kichdi lifts the moods on any rainy day. Sprouts add the protein factor and spinach for the green. The ginger along with the pepper spices the dish perfectly and lifts up the spirits. Minimal preparation for the main dish. The brinjals and the bright red tomatoes, well, those too do not take much time. The sauteed tomato actually is done in 2 minutes. Recipe for the colorful plate follows.

Recipe for the Kichidi and the Brinjal/Tomato

3 Medium Servings

  

Rice	Rinsed and soaked for half hour. Soaking optional
Masoor Sprouts	2 cups
Spinach/Palak	3 cups - more or less depends on your preference. I generally use the stems here, saving the leaves for other preparations
Green Chilli	2 diced Optional (We are a chilli loving family)
Ginger	1 inch grated Optional
Black Pepper	¼ tsp or less depending on preference
Curry Leaves	1 strand
Oil	1 tsp
Cumin	¼ tsp

Directions

• Pressure cook rice with double the water and 1/4 tsp turmeric to 2 whistles on medium heat
• Once the pressure subsides, add the spinach and masoor sprouts along with 1/4 tsp of turmeric. Add half a cup of water or more depending on the consistency you like. You can also skip this step and cook everything together in the first step itself. The sprouts and spinach are tender and I did not want them to be overcooked.

• Cook for 1 whistle again on medium.

• Heat 1 tsp of oil in a pan and add the cumin, curry leaves, grated ginger, chillies,  let them sizzle and add it on to the kichidi.

• Add the required salt and pepper powder, combine and serve.

Ingredients for the Sides

Tomato	3 medium (1 per peson)
Brinjal	3 medium (1 per person)
Rice flour	3 tsp ( can be substituted with gram flour)
Oil	2 tsp

Directions

• There is no recipe for the tomatoes really. Slice them half cm thick. Grease a pan and sear the tomatoes or half a minute on each side on high heat. Sprinkle salt and pepper and serve. The only requirement is that the tomato is fresh and not overly ripe and the variety is Roma tomatoes. The local variety that you get in Bangalore are too sour and have many seeds which does not make it the right candidate for pan frying.

• For the brinjal, make a thick paste of of rice flour, salt, pinch of chilli powder and turmeric. Slice the brinjal into 1/4 cm rounds. Not too thin or too thick. Smear the slices with the paste and let them marinate for about 5 minutes if you have time. Otherwise they can be cooked immediately.

• Grease the pan and spread the brinjal slices in a single layer. On medium high leave the slices to cook for about 2-3 minutes. Flip and cook for another 3 minutes. If required add some oil when you flip them.

I buy my organic vegetables from Lumiere among many other places. This is not a sponsored post, but I wanted to let people know where they can get them in Bangalore. I like that they deliver home and loved the quality, especially the greens.