Sailaja's Recipes: Lentils with Swiss Chard

I never heard nor tasted swiss chard when I was in India. In India we usually cook lentils with spinach, gongura(red spinach), fenugreek leaves, Amaranth leaves, tender tamarind leaves etc. After coming to USA learned different greens (kale, swiss chard, collards, arugula etc, . Out of those greens I love the taste of Swiss chard and Kale. Research shows that Swiss chard is one of the best greens with full of antioxidants. I do cook regularly swiss chard and kale either salad form or lentil soups. Yesterday's lunch was swiss chard lentil soup. Thought of sharing this healthy recipe with all of you so here is the recipe

More information about Swiss Chard : Source WHFoods..

Link

Few lines from that page: " Swiss chard is not only one of the most popular vegetables along the Mediterranean but it is one of the most nutritious vegetables around and ranks second only to spinach following our analysis of the total nutrient-richness of the World's Healthiest vegetables."

Rooster near our house: My daughter took this pic : Loved the way she captured the colors and the rooster.

Ingredients

1 cup of tur dal/red gram
1 bunch of swiss chard (remove the stem and chop the leaves since colored stems are very hard.)
1 pinch of haldi/turmeric powder
1/2 medium sized onion - chopped
2 garlic pods crushed
2-3 green chillies (split length wise)
Salt to taste
red chili powder (optional)
2 tsp lemon juice

for tempering/popu/tadka:

1-2 red chillies
1/2tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp jeera/ cumin seeds
Hing/ Asafoetida
1tbsp Oil

Preparation:

Cook lentils in a cooker for 4-5 whistles, keep it aside. (Note: 1 cup of lentils needs 2 cups of water to cook.)
In a seperate vessel heat oil add tempering items, once mustard seeds start splattering add chopped onions, crushed garlic and cook till raw smell of onion and garlic goes away. Now add chopped swiss chard, green chillies and cook for 5- 6 mts once the greens are cooked add the cooked dal, salt and pinch of haldi/pasupu/turmeric powder (You can add red chili powder/ black pepper if you want little spicy). Let it cook for 5-6 mts on medium heat and adjust spices. Once lentils cooked with all the spices, add lemon juice and mix well and turn off the heat. Garnish it with fresh coriander leaves.(optional)