Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Raungi ki Rasewali Subzi - Black Eye Peas cooked in gravy & Earth Day


The smallest action is a million times better than the noblest of thoughts!

My little contribution towards mother nature for Earth Day, being celebrated today :)
I like to carry bags from home for quick shopping trips, this way I do not have to use plastic bags for the grocery etc. I got mine from TJ's at about $1.99 a piece.
I like to tear & use only the amount of paper towel needed for a cleanup rather than the whole sheet, no shame in that! I've gotten stares for that, truth be told I used to feel a bit embarrassed at first, now I pity those who stare ;)

I've set up my heater/AC such that it consumes least electricity during daytime by simple use of a regulator timer.
I hardly ever switch on the AC in my car, believe me our bodies can take a little heat....lol.
I try to avoid plastic cups/boxes whenever I can, glass/steel works the best.
I think it needs a little conscious planning, but once you get used to it, it's a breeze!

Please feel free to leave your tips in comments section, would like to learn more from you!
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Now, lets look at the recipe of the day!


Raungi ki Rasewali Subzi - Black Eye Peas in gravy
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1 cup raungi/lobia/black eye peas/chawli/karamani boiled
(I pressure cook it for 3 whistles, make sure it does not get mushy)
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp jeera/cumin seeds
a small piece of Cinnamon
1 dry red chili
1 medium onion finely chopped
2 big cloves garlic grated/paste
1" piece ginger grated/paste
1/2 tsp chili powder (as per taste)
1/4 tsp turmeric powder/haldi
1 tsp dhania powder/coriander seed powder
1/4 tsp garam masala pwd ( more if it is store bought)
1/2 cup yogurt OR 3 tbsp sour cream
salt to taste
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1. Heat oil.
2. Add jeera, let splutter.
3. Add cinnamon, red chili and stir. Add finely chopped onion and saute till it turns brown.
4. Add ginger/garlic paste & saute till it gets incorporated in the onions.
5. Reduce heat, add all spices and stir a few seconds.
6. Add yogurt, little at a time and keep stirring well.
7. Add boiled raungi, salt and simmer on low for 10 minutes. Adjust consistency as per your taste.
8. Enjoy this healthy dish with rice or roti and maybe some Gulab Jamoon ;)

My contribution to Meeta's Monthly Mingle.
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As we know, Taste Of India has been experiencing problems in receiving feeds, you can subscribe to my blog by clicking on the top left corner of this screen! This way you will not miss any of my posts!

A few other beany posts on my blog:

Double beans & Gujarati Kadhi

Black Eye Peas Patties

58 comments:

Anonymous said...

Its indeed very nutritious.... but I was drooling more on the gulab jamuns :)

sra said...

I always shut down and switch off the computer when I don't need to use it. I try to thaw food before I MW it. I use the gas stove in simmer mode so that gas doesn't get wasted unnecessarily - but the downside of this is that I needed to change my cylinder only after six months, and when I went to book a refill, they said my connection had 'expired' as I didn't order one for 6 months!!! I had to run around a lot to revive it. That's what I get for conserving energy!

indosungod said...

Richa, the curry looks great, those black eyed peas pack a punch.
The bags I got from Whole Foods were a dollar. Reduce the water pressure in the faucets and shower, you can't tell the difference and less water gets used.

bee said...

happy earth day to you, dear richa!

Deepa Kuber said...

sabzi looks great...gulab jamuns look so delicious.. i miss them a lot :(

Richa said...

thanks cinnamon!
come on over for some gj :)

thanks sra!
six months!!!! do u ever cook at home....lol

thanks isg!
water pressure tip is good, also there is something similar for the water temp, hv set it to moderate rather than hot.

thanks bee!

thanks anjali!
yup, gj did turn out so good :) try making it, u can even use the mix if u miss it so much ;)

Cham said...

Ok, if u ve started to tear little amount of tissue paper, why not use a terry towel or kitchen towel for cleaning and wiping ur countertop or stove top. well i started doing it with towel, i pleased to make this huge change. After use, clean with little soap and dry it.
Well, it will be hard 4 me without AC in my car, i will try my best to save energy...
Great collection of food Richa! Happy Earth Day!

Cham said...

One more info, i forgot, check out the local home depot, they are distributing free earth friendly tote today!

Sagari said...

mouth watering food richa

Sig said...

Happy Earth day Richa and great tips too... As as soon as I got here I was staring at the gulab jamoons :) That gravy looks thick and creamy.

Uma said...

the black eyed peas subzi and the gulab jamoons look so mouth-watering, Richa!

You've given me so many tips to save the earth. Ofcourse, I follow some of your tips like the paper towel, not wasting electricity. Let the people stare when we are doing that for some good cause! Happy earth day to you.

Siri said...

those are really some lovely tips to share Richa and we the *paper towel* one in common.. even I do the same.

Happy Earth day to u too and the goodies look great. Black eye beans are my fav of all and guess what, today I posted the same stuffed in bell peppers.. nice coincidence na..
take care

Siri

Medhaa said...

lovely recipe, thanks for sharing.

evolvingtastes said...

LOVE blackeyed peas any which way (yeah, I know, I don't have a post on it yet). You made those g-jams too?

One of our cars is a hybrid. And I too carry my own shopping bags wherever I go, but interestingly the strangest looks I get are usually in desi stores. (!)

TBC said...

We switched(for the most part) from old incandescent light bulbs to the CFL bulbs a long time back. Also small things like turning off the lights when leaving a room, hand-washing dishes(I have other reasons though for this one.;-), using cold water for washing clothes and doing only full loads etc are some things I do.

Those gulab jamuns look fabulous!:)

zlamushka said...

Lovely pictures. Not always does a healthy and nutritious food look this good :-)

TheCooker said...

Those beans swimming in that gravy look delicious.
You made the g.jams?

Vanamala Hebbar said...

healthy wonderful recipes...nice pics

Mansi said...

That looks awesome Richa ben! hun aavi jau khaava??:)

musical said...

I am coming over for lunch, sweetie :). Raungi and then gulab jaumuns, that's a yummy thaali yaar! Raungi da na sunke moonh vich paani aa jaanda e ;). And happy Earth Day to you too :).

hugs,
musical.

Unknown said...

Even I carry my own bags while I go shoppin..U preserve a huge amount of plastic doing this..Love ur curry and pics..Happy Earth Day!

Kalai said...

Wish you a happy earth day, Richa! I totally agree with you about being more enviromentally conscious. I payed about a dollar for each of my reusable grocery bags. Every little thing counts!! Awesome curry, too. :)

Namratha said...

You set a very good example Richa:) The curry looks delish and so do those gulab jamuns!! Yummy!

Bong Mom said...

Happy Earth Day Richa
Ok maybe every one has switched to the CFLs and you get ones with warm yellow light too.
Washer at full load, use the cold water option for washing unless you really think you need the warm water option

I can't see the pics :(

Madhavi said...

Love this recipe, looks delicious!!!!

Priyanka said...

i hardly ever turn on the AC in my car too Richa despite being in sunny florida:) i use the paper towels the same way as u.

Rachna said...

hmmmm im just looking at the gulab jamuns.....happy earth day to u

amna said...

my fave way of eating black eye peas is in salads. maybe i shud try in a gravy sometime :)

Tee said...

I love black eyed peas and your recipe is making my mouth water! tujhi recipe nakki try karin.

We have been very particular of carrying our own bags to the grocery store. We got 3 huge bags from Costco at a very reasonable 3.99 or something. Works out great and an incentive for using these bags...we get 12 cents off on our grocery bill for each bag that we use.

bha said...

black eyes peas curry looks nice and the pics are great......happy earth day, though a little belated

Richa said...

thank you ladies for dropping by & for ur comments! nice to get your tips for earth day as well! sorry for not replying individually this time, a bit tied up! hv a great wknd!

Meera said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Lobiya looks great loved Gulabjamun too.

My tips -
1. I use pressure cooker for cooking, using all the three containers.
2. i use cold water for washer.
3. I fill gas in cars only in mornings - read somewhere it's good for earth - not sure.

Happy Earth day, dear Richa!!

Meera of Enjoy Indian Food. (I lost my connection to blogger!)

Vaishali said...

What a gorgeous subzi, Richa, and it sounds very nutritious. Nice thoughts on Earth Day.

Cynthia said...

That black-eye in gravy looks perfectly cooked.

Pravs said...

yummy food out here...eye catching pics.

Anonymous said...

I love black eyes peas, but just don't eat enough of it! Cooking it in this gravy looks so delicious and satisfying!

Suganya said...

WOW!.... Lovely subzi... Looks delish!....gulab jamuns looks YUM!...

Susan said...

I was very resistant to the totes offered by my supermarkets (yet another thing to buy), but now I have eight of them ready in the back seat of my car. They really do balance the loads, especially when you have to haul upstairs.

Beautiful recipe. Could use a bowl of comfort on a ratty, rainy today.

FH said...

WOW!! Richa, that is one Earthy dish girl, how beautiful. Gulab Jamuns are my ave, although I don't like most sweets!:)

J said...

I add tomatoes to mine, though the gravy sounds nice...can't see the pics :(

Shilpa said...

I am going to make this gravy soon. I am an ardent fan of black eyed peas. Love love them. Gorgeous pictures Richa.

Prema Sundar said...

nice tips for earth day Richa..
Blackeye peas curry looks yumm...I do it in a different way by adding coconut . It goes well with rice but not with chapathis.
Your gravy would be very tasty with chapathis. thanks for sharing.

Anonymous said...

Hello Richa,

A wonderful blog u have here ! :)

I made this curry today and it came out very well... hubby dear is quite happy gobbling it all down ! :)

Thanks so much for the post !

Cheers !

M

Richa said...

thanks M!
glad to know that u n ur family enjoyed raungi :) thanks for the feedback, appreciate it! 'see ya' around :)

Meeta K said...

oh my mum used to make something similar and i used to love it. gorgeous!

Priyanka said...

Aga mi gawar, papdi ani olya kandyat owa takte pan navryala nahi avdat- hes too fussy abt what goes into the food before eating it- manun tyachya shivay banvava lagta:(

Shravan Vijayaprasad said...

Richa... looks great!! Do you mind guest blogging?? I would love you to blog for me, a single post of a Indian recipe!

Siri said...

Dear Richa, Thanks for dropping by my blog and am glad that u liked the boccadillos.. do try them and let me know how they turned out. Reg the ricotta cheese, I drained it completely, mixed with flour and added very little water so that it has a consistency good for making small balls for frying..:D.. Hope this helps..

take care,
Siri

Meera said...

I have a surprise for you at my blog. Come on over when you can!

Srivalli said...

richa..lovely dishes..not sure how I missed this..but everything looks excellent..and those are some valid tips..

Sia said...

richa, this is what i am cooking on this weekend:)

Susan said...

Richa - just sent you an email re: Middle-Eastern restaurants. Please check your spam filter; could be it winds up there. ; ) Let me know if you don't receive, and I'll resend. Have a great weekend!

Dori said...

YUMMY! I would love this for lunch! I like the post on conservation too, the more people talk about it the more people will think to do it themselves and it won't feel so strange anymore.

Kribha said...

Aww... The jamuns look gorgeous. I know that the post is about the black eye peas. But I couldn't help drooling over your jamuns. The gravy looks delicious too.

Laavanya said...

Hey Richa, I'm with you on the tissue.. :)
The gravy looks very good and i have some black-eyed peas I've been wanting to use up.

Vani said...

Love the curry, Richa! The gulab jamuns look delicious too!

Shilpa said...

Tried this yesterday. It was yummm...my hubby who does not like any peas, asked for second helping and also took in lunchbox today. Thanks for posting this Richa....