01 June, 2007

Raw Mango & Spinach Dal

Luscious, succulent mango fruit!
How do we guard you from the brute?

King of fruits, without dispute

To you we all humbly salute!


Ripe, and unripe in forms many,

Enjoyed universally by all and any!

Ah., delicious and sweet as sugar cane,

Protecting you can be wildly insane!


Your name derives from the word "mAngaai"

You are linked to the legend of Surya Bai!

Food of the gods! How you enchant!

O’ tangy Drupe! Wishes you grant!


Akin to Maya - you are the fruit of gold,

That sages in Arunachala have extolled;

Witness to battle and thunder storm

You let Soorapadman take your form!


O’ earthy, ripe "Sappattai" delight,

Envy of the "Alphonso" this starry night!
Gazing at onlookers from the compound wall,

How gracefully you sway amidst trees tall!


Then, in the quiet afternoon Chennai sun,

When the siesta of ladies has just begun,

Fearless street urchin and vagabond alike

Gear up towards you to aim and strike.


Alas! Shouting to protect is of no avail,

For the wily ones on the prowl prevail;

As adroitly they grab and you will snatch
Pray,
can any match a more princely catch?


A well directed stone at you they throw

Following victory cries of "kokku"* ru kO!

Ah.. heavenly "kokku" sweet as cane,

Yes, protecting you is indeed in vain!


Mango mania… I just need to take a quick peek at food blogs and my heart goes mmmm….Mango. This is the magic of the “food of the Gods”. Ask any Indian child to share his/her childhood memories and mangoes will be golden part of his/her childhood. I remember the mango orchard in my grandma’s home, where hundreds of mango trees laden with beautiful shades of green and gold would lure me and turn me into mischievous brat. My mango memories match the vibrant golden colour of mangoes. We cousins a bunch of monkeys, loved eating mangoes the way monkeys eat them:) Raw or ripe, just bite and suck the whole mango and enjoy that sweet, sticky juice squirting all over our chin, arms and cloths. Pure bliss… Although eating mangoes from our orchard was fun, aiming a slingshot at our neighbour’s tree felt more appropriate ;) When confronted by our elders, we would innocently deny the fact that we stole mangoes from our neighbour’s tree. Staying in Pardes I can imagine the fruit markets in India with the bewildering array of mangoes, heaped lustily on straw baskets or placed in hay to ripen evenly from cool green to hot yellow. Most of my childhood memory strings are attached to the king of fruits and hence there is no question of I am getting tired of mangoes, be it rambling or eating. We Indians have been talking excitedly about the fruit for 3000, yes 3000 years, where as the western world has savoured it for only 300 years!!! More reasons to celebrate the mango season.
One particular dish I always liked was Amma’s Raw Mango and Spinach Dal. Everyday boring dal would dazzle with the addition of sour and tangy mangoes. The combination of mixed dals with power packed spinach and mango is a marriage made in heaven. Just few pieces of mangoes not only enhances the flavour but gives the much needed anti-oxidant supply to the body. Sweet, spicy and tangy dal will be ready to serve in no time.

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Raw Mango & Spinach Dal


Raw Mango & Spinach Dal
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 25-30 mins
Serves: 4-5
Ingredients:
1 cup Raw Mango, diced into 1 cm cubes
2 cups Spinach, finely chopped
1 large Tomato, finely chopped
1 small Onion, finely chopped
½ cup Masoor Dal/Red Lentils
½ cup Split Moong Dal
½ cup Split Channa Dal
½ tsp Turmeric Powder
½ inch Ginger, crushed
½ tbsp Jaggary
3-4 Green Chillies, slit
½ tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
½ tsp Coriander Powder
2-3 tbsp Coriander Leaves, finely chopped
1-2 tbsp Fresh Lime/Lemon Juice (optional, use them if the mangoes are not sour)
1 tbsp Oil/Ghee
Salt to taste

For Tempering:
1 tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
1 tsp Mustard seeds
1-2 Dry Red Chilli
Few Curry Leaves
¼ tsp Hing/Asafoetida
½ tbsp Ghee/Oil

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Raw Mango & Spinach Dal

Method:
Wash all three dals in water and add about 2½ cups of water.
Cook these dals in a pressure cooker with turmeric powder and few drop of oil for about 10 minutes or one whistle.
Cool the cooker before opening the lid.
Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan and add chopped onion.
Sauté the onion till it turns transparent for about 2 minutes and add slit chilli, crushed ginger, cumin and coriander powder.
Sauté it in a medium flame for a minute till nice aroma comes and then add finely chopped tomatoes, cooked dal, spinach and about 2 cups of water. Adjust the amount of water based on the consistency of dal.
Cook this on a medium flame for 5 minutes until the spinach leaves are half cooked.
Now add diced mangoes, jaggary and salt to taste and cover and cook for another 5-10 minutes till the mangoes become tender and all flavours blend well.
Just before switching off the gas, add chopped coriander leaves and lime/lemon juice. Omit lime/lemon juice if the mangoes are sour.
In a tadka pan, heat oil and add jeera, mustard, red chilli, hing and curry leaves.
When mustard starts to pop and splutter transfer this to dal and mix well.
Serve this hot and delicious mango-spinach dal with Chapatti or with Jeera Rice or with plain rice and papad.

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Raw Mango & Spinach Dal


Did You Know?
The name mango comes from Tamil. From man-kay or man-gay, it changed to manga.
The people who gave it the name manga or mango were the Portuguese. They first came to India, across the oceans, about 500 years ago. As they settled down in parts of India, they discovered the mango.
It was Portuguese who started experimenting with new varieties of mango -- the famous Alphonso or Mulgoa that we cherish today, is the result of their hard work.
Down the ages, several qualities have got attached to the mango. It is seen as a symbol of good luck and in many parts of west and south India, mango leaves are put up at the front door.
It is a belief that the mango tree has the power to make wishes come true.
The mango tree is also associated with the god of love "Manmatha'; its blossoms are considered to be the god's arrows.
It is said that the Buddha created a white mango tree which was later worshipped by his followers.
(Source:www.pitara.com)


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Raw Mango & Spinach Dal

PS: This is one funny Indian rap I recieved as forward. Click on the play button, play the song and enjoy!!! And no, I am not the composer!!! ;) Have a gr8 weekend:)


55 comments:

  1. I love how you stir my old memories....thank you. I remember "stealing" the baby mangoes from the wacky neighbor's tree and getting told off by mom for it...it was SO worth it. ;)
    That is a divine looking plate of food, Sia...and good god, what IS that rap about??
    you need to see this:

    www.makkadman.com

    have a lovely weekend,
    trupti

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  2. hey sia, the dal looks yum, u r tempting me with those drool worthy pics of the dal! the bright yellow color looks so good! cute poem there :)
    have a fun wknd sweetie!

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  3. sia,

    Lovely recipe, mouthwatering, I think we all have a special attachment to mangoes especially since they were such a part of growing up and are quite missed now.

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  4. IIII HAAAVVEEE AAA GREEEEN MAAAANGO!!!!YAY!!!!!!!
    Thought you turned a poetess looking at all the mangoes!!;D
    Maavinkai saaru looks yum-O!I will try this,but with half a mango,bcos I have only one left!!;P
    I got my Sumeet today from Canada within 5 days of ordering!Can't wait to use although jars are thinner than my old Sumeet.
    Any big plans for weekend? Trisha has SAT(college prep exam) on Sat.,so staying home most of the day.Have a good one Sups:))

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  5. Sia,I keep my Laptop volume to mute bcos I don't want to hear the music from the blogs.I clicked on play on that rap,listened for exactly for 2 secs. and turned it off again!! Couldn't stand hearing the "RRRRRRR" pronounciation!!!:D:D

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  6. okay, what was that rap about? lol. lol. lol.

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  7. Adding tomato to mango dal is very new to me. Dish looks lovely.

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  8. Sia!!
    Love u'r simple mango and spinach dal!!!
    It looks really delicious!!!
    Oh yes i do remember my childhood days throwing stones on those mango trees to get the mangoes down, climbing and doing what not to get a raw mango!! woh!!! amazing memories!!!
    Nice walk through the memory lane!!!
    have a nice weekend

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  9. I can imagine how good it tasted, looking at the pictures!!! I had bought a few mangoes last week and I tried making something similar, but it didnt turn out that great as the mangoes weren't tangy enough :(( will bring some more this weekend and try again! thanx for the recipe :)

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  10. Mango Dal looks lovely. Yes childhood and summer is intertwined with memories of mango. That dal and rice with the Mor Milagai, Man looks mouth watering.

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  11. @trupti,
    LOL... u bet;) stolen mangoes would always taste better;)
    what rap? he he he... i am keeping my mouth shut;) and i have seen than indian spiderman, oops makkadman;)

    @richa,
    thanks dear:) drool worthy pic? i am blushing here:) but do try the dal. tastes too good with or with out spinach:)

    @ashakka,
    yayyyyyyyyyy... only half mango? nah... u will need that full mango for 4 ppl:)
    and yayyyyyyyyyyyyyy for getting ur sumeet mixy. oh wow, now are we gonna get to see more recipes? i have panasonic mixy and it works like magic for all dosa, idli and chutney:)
    shopping and looooooooong drives... just bk from loooooooong drive in country road... weather was too good, so thought of enjoying it the fullest:)
    good luck to trisha... i am sure she will make u proud:)

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  12. @ashakka,
    may be i should put a warning sign there;) LOL...

    @bee,
    LOL... dont ask me...thought i will torture each n everyone with it;)

    @shivapriya,
    we like very tangy dal so amma used to add tomatoes to dal...makes it more rich and tasty:) if u dont like tomatoes then u can omit them:)

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  13. @sreelu,
    oh!! hw did i miss ur comment! thanks dear and what u said is so true... things which we took it for granted are the one's which we miss the most:) but mango is one exception :)

    @padmaja,
    oh!!! another monkey like me who liked to climb tree;) LOL... given a chance i wouldn't mind climbing the tree even now if i get to eat mangoes;) thanks sweetie:)

    @ramya,
    its quite difficult to get sour mangoes here. and most of the times they will be half ripe. i was lucky to get some good sour mangoes last week. usually i add amchur or lime juice if the mangoes are not tangy enough. beggers cant be choosers;) so we try to satisfy ourself with the fact that we at least get to eat some raw mangoes;)
    hope u get some good tangy mangoes this weekend... have fun girl:)

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  14. Beautiful poem, nice write-up about mangoes that brought back many memories and a feast for my eyes with your nice presentation. Is that mor milagai (fried chilli) on the side? Yum Yum....Have a nice weekend Sia.

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  15. Sup I am tired of saying how good your pictures look... And mangoes... yeah u always make me nostalgic talking about the past... :)

    That rap was too funny :D

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  16. Hail Mangoes! Mango + Spinach is a nice combo..

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  17. Supriya, did I ever tell you I'm a travel consultant? I am going to book a ticket and show up on your doorstep one of these days!! Lovely photos of delicious dal are too tempting :)

    I finally found a shop with real sour mangoes, so this goes straight to the top of my list to try. Have a wonderful weekend! :)

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  18. First I thought you wrote the "Ode to Mangoes" :) A great way to start a beautiful post. The dal looks yumm, like the idea of spinach with mangoes

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  19. You stir my memories gal!!!!!! You bet!!!! All those mango eating sessions......... I am into the lala land now ;)

    Great combo and awesome pics as usual. :)

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  20. I just made something with spinach. Wish I had read ur post earlier.
    Will try out soon becoz the very thought of mango in dal is making my mouth water. The dal is looking delicious :)
    By the way I did not understand head or tail of that rap,but that cartoon is cute.

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  21. We make a version with amaranth and toor dal. Where did you find the mango poem?

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  22. Sia, it is mouthwatering. Viji

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  23. hey supriya.. this is too yummy and im gonna try it this weekend and let u know. thnx for the recipe..

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  24. Nice poem..nice read about mangoes and your memories :)
    So that's how the name manga came about...interesting :D

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  25. Hmm.. mangoes. My cousin used to live in Salem in India - a place very famous for its mango variety. God, how we used to fight over mangoes.. BTW, I tried your okra fry in yogurt, followed every bit of detail from ur recipe.. It turned out to be yummo !! Hubby loved it too. Thanks for the awesome recipe.

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  26. sia wow edu rashi chalo kandtu, enage soppu jothe mango made ille, edu kandita try madthe. last week just bought a dozen of alphonso mangoes but to great dissapointment there are sour the color looks yellowish i believe its due to the chemicals they used for coloring the skins. The mangoes are very small in size gojju mavina hannu tara iddu! my h warned me but yet due to the craze of indian mangoes i bought them sasve madthe ivathu addakaru sari irthu anisthu. Bye dear now i am feeling far better have a great sunday :)

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  27. Guess what I made today? Spinach dal and curried green (raw mangi) :) Your meals looks yummy.

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  28. Hi Sia,
    Mango dal with spinach is new to me. Looks nice. Thanks for sharing.

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  29. hello dear... thanks for checking on me while i was on holiday.. :) have been back for a week and seeing recipes like yours today is very daunting! not sure whether i remember what cooking is! haha!! missed you! *hugs*

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  30. Sia dear....I am trying to imagine that innocent look on your face when the elders were interrogating you all 'monkeys' :))) Nice to see you getting all excited when dusting your memory strings....and as usual beautiful pics and a plate of comfort meal!

    Shn

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  31. @ISG,
    i knew i will tickle everyone's childhood memories:) glad to know u liked it indo:)

    @kribha,
    thanks girl... i was looking for some mango poem and luckily stumbled on this beautiful poem by Rajeshwari Iyer... and yeah...it is mor milagai

    @sig,
    u made me pink with ur comment girl:) and i knew u will like that rap;)

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  32. @suganya,
    thanks girl:) ~bows her head~

    @linda,
    LOL... dear, u r always welcome to my home:) it would be my pleasure to have u here:)
    girl, lucky u to get real sour mangoes... i have got some more raw mangoes this weekend and donno if they r sour ones... enjoy them while it lasts:)

    @sandeepa,
    its so sweet of u to come and chek my blog inspite of u being very busy san:) i appreciate it a lot:) hugs to u...

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  33. @coffee,
    thanks girl... hope u r back from lala land now;)

    @archana,
    u can make this dal w/o spinach too... or add methi leaves or amarnath if u have... any greens will do.
    listen to that rap carefully and u will understand;)

    @sra,
    i dont get amarnath here:( lucky u...
    i have given a link there...this poem is by Rajeshwari Iyer.

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  34. @viji,
    thank u dear:)

    @smn,
    thanks girl and i hope u did like it:)

    @pravs,
    thanks dear:) do u know manga in kannada means monkey? ;)

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  35. @meena,
    i have not tried salem manhoes meena... looking at ur excitement i belive it is a yummoo...
    i am glad to know u liked my accidental diva;) thanks girl for letting me know:)

    @roopa,
    thats sad to know those alphanso were not that good. we get very good alphansoes here and this week we got our 4th box of alphanso(in 3 weeks;)
    gojju and sasive sounds really good... i like wild mangoes for that. mmm...my mouth is watering while writing this:) hope to see ur recipe pretty soon:)

    @cynthia,
    cooooooooool:) gr8 mins think alike;)

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  36. @MT,
    thank u dear:) hope u do try it someday...

    @shilpa,
    hey girl, glad to see u back... haven't checked any blogs during weekend:) hope u had gr8 time:)
    LOL... girl, hope u do remember to cook. or else it will be difficult to blog;)

    @shn,
    it was not that easy to lie when everyone could see those yellow stain on ur mouth and cloths;) but we did manage it some how;)

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  37. No wounder Picts are excellent.Raw Mango and Spinach ,Nice combo,I am looking for something new in vegetarian dishes..I will try this...Enjoyed the Indian Rap too..

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  38. Suppi,
    Beautiful writeup girl. Oh!!! you reminded me of all those old naughty days....ayyo gopalajjana mane hathra hogi eshtu mavinahannu kallu hidki hengaru thindidalda navu...Miss all those wonderful childhood days. I guess we were lucky to enjoy that unlike suhas and souji alda... Anude madule iddu soppu and mavinahai haki dal but yeah i must admit that mangoes here are not tangy at all so nimbehulide bekavthu sari. Hope you had a lovely weekend.
    hugs
    Seema

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  39. Hi Sia!

    I got your comment about the blogroll...can you get to me your email address? I can't seem to find it. I am so sorry!

    I absolutely love your blog it is so beautiful and the mango and spinach dal looks incredible! WOW!

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  40. @kitchen fairy,
    thanks girl... he he...so enjoyed the rap too;)

    @seema,
    LOL... i do remember them seema... stealing mangoes from gopalajja's house was better than punarpuli juice;) LOL... enage adara bagge yochisidare igalu nege battu... ~sighs~ wonderful time of our life:) and yup, suhas and souji are missing out so many things:)

    @jenn,
    i just left comment in ur blog and thanks for taking time and dropping a line in between ur hectic schedule:) i appreciate it a lot dear:)

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  41. Hi Dear Sups,

    I think Youa re enjoying this summer with Mango recipes..huh:))

    This is really a new but intersting combo.....Thanks for sharing...Has Queen arrived your office?

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  42. Spinach and mango dal. I just love it. But my dear hubby has not shown much intrest. So I never prepared after marriage. But this used be my fav at my mom's home. Thanx fro sharing dear:-))

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  43. Lovely pictures. I usually cook greens and mango with toor dal. Next time, will try your way.

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  44. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  45. hey Sia Please delete the komchili part. I always forget to logout of that id.:(.
    And I repeat, the mango dal is great girl.

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  46. Hi Sia,
    I think your writing is absolutely perfect about mango.
    I share all my moment of childhood with you. When my all cushions together in vacation and we all eating mango and after that we making laugh bcoz every body want more and more.........One tree in my grandfather house and we cut mango before they ripe when every body is sleeping in afternoon then we go and cut and eat it before any body come there....When my grandmother is know then every body........bhagam bhag.....Thanks for sharing your Raw mango and spinach dal my dear.
    It looks yummy....so I taste without asking you.:)

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  47. hmm, never thought about spinach and mango combo. A new receipe for me. Will definitely try this. The poem on mango is lovely.

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  48. Great post sia..Can imagine the sweet and tangy taste of the dish..Thanx for sharing those wonderful Mango facts too..

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  49. @usha,
    u bet:) its mangoes and mangoes and more mangoes:) and best thing is we r getting very delicious alphansoes here. so i am having the mango blast:)
    yes, queen had come here 2 weeks before and she looked gr8 in red dress and red hat:) and she asked me to say hi to u on her behalf;)

    @meena,
    dont tell me ur hubby dont like mangoes!!! u can omit spinach and prepare this with just mangoes or u can add some other greens like methi or amarnath greens if u get.

    @suma,
    addition of channa dal gives that extra bite as they retain their shape. do let me know how u like it dear:)

    @sharmi,
    by mistake i hit the publish button and then deleted ur comment:) no worries girl...it happens to me all the time.

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  50. @kajal,
    ha ha ha... i know the stolen mango would always taste much better;) and as u said afternoon's were the best time for all these pranks as our elder's took some nap. oh!!1 i do miss those fun. and girl, u can have mango-spinach dal any time u want;)

    @lakshmi,
    thank u. its one of my fav dal. do let me know hw u like it:)

    @bharathy,
    thanks girl:) are u done with all ur yummy and cool posts of paris and swiss or there r more to come? :)

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  51. That looks yum! Mangoes zindabad!! :) What was that rap about!!!

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  52. @jyo,
    thanks dear:) he he he...mangoes zinadabad!!!
    thats some silly rap... it was just fun to listen to it and thought i will share with u all:)

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  53. Sups,is there any leftover for me?:)love that picture too with the fresh tadka on the dal.I usually add raw mango to spinach and make curry out of it but this will make a complete meal!you just need a bowlful of steaming hot rice to go with it.

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  54. Love your mango spinach dal, Sup! THe thalipeeth with okra raita looks delicious! I've not had raitha with okra in it. Must taste yum! Will try that one soon!

    Hope you're doing well, Sup. I've been a little lazy in posting recently but hope to catch up soon! Take care, sweetie!

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  55. @vini and vani,
    thank u ladies... i will cook fresh batch of this dal send u girls:)

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