Methi, carrot, and moong dhal stir fry/ poriyal

Every time I take a break from blogging for just a couple of days, it usually ends up for more than a week. Things have been pretty busy and interesting in the home front. The kids have started going to a new Montessori school nearby and I am still getting adjusted to their new routine, which is waking up early and packing up lunch boxes and snack boxes as well. We also had a wildfire, which was pretty close to our community with nearly 1000 acres getting destroyed and forcing more than 1000 evacuations. It was very close that we were able to see the fire and smoke in the mountains as soon as we got to the streets. The smoke stench was a very bad one and forced us to stay indoors for a day. With a couple of earthquakes that we have experienced over the last 2 years, life in California has definitely been interesting.

Coming on to the recipe, this is a  side dish that my mom makes routinely during the weekdays. This time I just added some methi leaves from my patio garden. I like the complex flavors for the stir fry. This goes very well as a side dish for rice and any kind of gravies and also with chapathis. If you want to spice up things a bit, use it as a tortilla or pita wrap filling  with a drizzle of ketchup and sprinkled cheddar cheese and some diced onions and green chilies. 


Ingredients:
1. Methi leaves, 1 small bunch, cleaned, washed, and cut into finely.
2. Carrot, 2 large ones, peeled and diced into small pieces (can also be grated).
3. Onion, 1, medium size, diced finely.
4. Moong dhal, 1/4 cup, washed and parboiled and still has a little crunch in. This can be done using a microwave or cooked over stove top.
5. Ginger-garlic paste, 1/2 teaspoon.
6. Green chili, 1-2, slit into 2.
7. Chili powder or sambar powder, 1/4 teaspoon.
8. Turmeric powder, a pinch.
9. Hing, a pinch.
10. Mustard seeds, 1/4 teaspoon.
11. Cumin seeds, 1/4 teaspoon.
12. Curry leaves and chopped cilantro for garnishing.
13. Salt as per taste.

Preparation:
Heat a pan with a tablespoon of oil. Add the mustard seeds and let it splutter once the oil turns hot. Then add the cumin seeds and fry for a few seconds. Add the diced onions now and sauté for a few minutes until the onions turn tender. Add the green chilies and ginger-garlic paste and sauté for a minute. Add the diced carrots, turmeric powder, chili powder, salt, and mix everything well. Sprinkle some water and cook closed under very low flame for 5-7 minutes until the carrots are cooked. Once the carrots are done, add the methi leaves, cooked moong dhal, and hing and mix everything well. Let it sit under low flame for 2 more minutes until the leaves are wilted. Garnish with curry leaves and chopped cilantro and serve as a side dish for rice or chapathis.