Protein Packed Power - Paruppu Usili

Broccoli Usili with Chappati

I am a self proclaimed "Freezer Queen". I LOVE freezing food! I experiment all the time with freezing cooked food, semi-cooked food, raw food - well, you get the idea.

I especially like freezing semi-prepared food. Keep it handy in the freezer, pop it out, finish cooking it and voila! dinner-in-a-jiffy. Also very handy when unexpected guests drop in.

One semi-prepared food that freezes very well is "Paruppu Usili Mix". "Paruppu" is lentils in Tamil and I think "Usili" is mix, so there's a little redundancy in my terminology there!

I make the basic mix and freeze in small single-serve containers. When I want to make any kind of paruppu usili (beans, cabbage, broccoli, spring onions, leeks etc), I pop out a container, thaw in the microwave and add to the sauted vegetables. No one can tell it's been frozen!

I also make and freeze batches of chappatis and parathas and they really come in handy on "crazy" days.

Getting the RDA of protein can be really challenging for vegetarians. Protein packed Paruppu Usili is one yummy way of getting a mega dose of protein. It also gives the much-maligned Broccoli a chance to shine :-) :-)

Enjoy!

Usili mix, ready for the freezer

stack of chappatis

Ingredients:

For the Usili Mix:
1 cup of tur dal
1 cup of chana dal
handful of dried red chillies
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp mustard seeds
1 tbsp jeera seeds
2 tsp udal dal
1 tsp asafoetida
salt to taste

For the Subji:
1 small onion
2 green chillies
1 cup broccoli (or vegetable of your choice)
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp jeera seeds
1/4 tsp asafoetida
a few curry leaves
salt to taste

Method:

For the Usili Mix:
Soak the dals and chillies for 2 hours. Grind to a smooth paste. Add turmeric powder and salt to taste. I use a microwave egg poacher to steam 2 "idlis" of this dough at a time. Prepare all the "idlis" this way. Crumble with your fingers and keep aside.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a non-stick frying pan. Add the asafoetida, mustard and jeera. When they sizzle and pop, add the udad dal. When the udal dal gets golden and roasted, add the crumbled dal mixture. Fry well till the mixture gets roasted and become a lovely orange/golden brown color.

Cool completely. Pack into freezer containers and store away :-)

For Making Usili Subji:
Chop the onions and vegetables. Heat 1 tsp oil in a frying pan. Add the asafoetida, mustard seeds, jeera and udad dal. When that is roasted, add the onions, green chillies and curry leaves. Saute lightly. Add the broccoli and fry till it is cooked. I like it quite crunchy. Then add the thawed Usili Mix . Adjust the salt to taste and serve garnished with chopped cilantro.

Yummy with rice and sambhar or rasam. Less carbs with chappatis :-)