Let it snow, let it snow...!

Happy New Year to all! We brought in the new year watching "3 Idiots" and a fun movie it was! Much as I'd have liked to watch the London Eye light up when the clock struck twelve, it wasn't a great idea to expose a baby to freezing weather! So we went to the theatre, with fingers crossed that the little one would behave well and also braced ourselves for the eventuality that she may scream the place down and we'd have to leave the movie mid-way! But the sweet little lady was at her best behaviour and slept five minutes before the movie began, all through to the next morning!

Chhole

Chhole is white chickpeas cooked in a spiced onion-tomato gravy. It is another classic dish for cold winters and can be served with parathas, puris, tikkis, pattice or chaat .

You need:

250 gms white chickpeas/chhole soaked overnight
2 sticks of cinnamon
4 cloves
4 cardamoms
4 green chillies slit
1 large onion chopped
3 large tomatoes pureed
a few slices of ginger
1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
1/2 tsp amchur/mango powder
1/2 tsp anardhana powder
coriander leaves finely chopped

Pressure cook the chickpeas/chhole with plenty of water, salt and ginger slices. Keep aside. Heat oil in a pan, add the onion and fry till it turns golden brown. Add the ginger-garlic paste and stir fry for a minute. Add the whole spices and spice powders and fry for a minute. Add the tomato puree and green chillies and fry till oil leaves the sides. Now add the cooked chhole/chickpeas along with the water and simmer for 15-20 minutes till the right consistency is achieved and the chhole soaks in the spice from the gravy. Alternatively you can pressure cook the gravy for two whistles. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with puris or parathas with sliced onions, tomatoes and pickles on the side.

Balle, balle....it's Dahi Bhalle with Date-Tamarind Chutney

Dahi bhalle or dahi wadas are always the best item on any menu. Soft lentil dumplings covered with creamy yoghurt and sprinkled with spices, these beauties are served with lunch or dinner or even for brunch! The wadas freeze well, so one can make large batches and freeze them in airtight containers or ziploc bags. They also form a good base for chaats like Delhi chaat or Jaipuri chaat.

You'll need:

1 cup urad dal
1/2 inch piece ginger
2 green chillies
Oil for frying
Salt/sugar to taste
Whipped yoghurt

Jeera powder
Red chilli powder
Coriander leaves for garnish

Soak the urad dal for 2-3 hours in plenty of water. Drain and grind with ginger and chillies to a fine batter using very little water. Add salt and whip with hands till fluffy. Heat oil in a pan and drop small lemon sized balls of the batter. Fry on medium flame till golden brown. Remove on to paper towels and cool. Freeze till needed.

Variation: you can add 1/4 cup channa dal to the soaked urad dal for softer wadas.

Before serving, soak the wadas in hot water for 10 minutes to make them soft and moist. This also removes the excess oil from the wadas. Squeeze the wadas slightly (you may flatten them if you like) and place them on the serving bowl. Beat the yoghurt with salt/sugar and pour over the wadas. Sprinkle red chilli powder, jeera powder and coriander leaves over it. Chill the wadas for 10-15 minutes. Just before serving, garnish with chopped coriander leaves and date-tamarind chutney.

For date-tamarind chutney:

250 gms dates

250gms jaggery
100gms tamarind
2 tbsp jeera powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
a pinch of garam masala powder
1 heaped tsp black salt
salt to taste

Pressure cook the tamarind, dates and jaggery for 2 whistles. Cool, grind and seive the mixture. Add the seasonings, adjust consistency and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes stirring continuously. Cool completely and refridgerate in sterilized glass jars.

This recipe makes chutney on a large scale - the chutney keep well refridgerated. You can cut down the measurements to make a small quantity.

Dahi-bhalle with date-tamarind chutney is my entry to Siri's Frozen Yoghurt event and Sig's JFI-Tamarind - just made it!!

Doodhi Koftas

Growing up, most of the vegetables found on this planet fell into the category of vegetables I disliked. I can imagine how hard it was for my mother to come up with ideas to make me relish the ones on my "dislike" list. Much has changed since I've had to cook myself. The discovery of the fact that my husband too had a similar "dislike" list and the sheer lack of innovative ideas to come up with varieties with the veggies we liked, pushed me into experimenting with the ones we both disliked earlier. Doodhi/lauki/bottle gourd is one such vegetable that found acceptance rather quickly. The fact that it is tasteless by itself helps, as it absorbs flavours of the spices in which it is cooked. Our favourite way of consuming doodhi is making koftas which disguises the doodhi itself and whoever says no to koftas!

You'll need:

For the koftas:
1 cup grated bottlegourd
1/2 cup besan/chickpea flour
1 tsp garlic paste
1 green chilli chopped finely
3 tbsp coriander leaves chopped finely
1/4 tsp amchur/mango powder
a pinch of black pepper powder
salt to taste
oil for frying

Peel and grate the doodhi, keep aside for 15 minutes and squeeze out the excess water. (The water can be used to knead roti dough.) Add the remaining ingredients to the grated doodhi and mix well. Form tiny balls or koftas and deep fry in oil till done. Keep aside.

Koftas can be stored in the freezer for a month.

For the gravy:

1 cup tomato puree
1 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp cumin seeds
3 tsp coriander powder
2 tsp chilli powder
a pinch of turmeric
1 tsp garam masala powder
salt to taste

For the garnish: (optional)
finely chopped coriander leaves
cream

Heat oil in a pan, add the cumin seeds and let it splutter. Add the ginger-garlic paste and fry for a minute. Add the spices and tomato puree and cook till the oil separates. Add sufficient water, bring it to a boil and simmer to get the consistency you like.

Just before serving, add the koftas to the gravy and simmer for a few minutes. garnish with cream and coriander leaves and serve.

Methi Aloo

Methi alu is a dry side accompanying rice or rotis, combing the benefits of methi with the ever popular potatoes, mildly seasoned with turmeric, chilli and garlic. Fenugreek or methi has been used in ancient Indian and Chinese medicine to treat a number of ailments from bronchitis and arthritis to inflammations, rashes and digestive disorders and promoting healthy metabolism. Recent studies have shown that fenugreek lowers blood glucose and cholestrol levels and are hence used in treating diabetes and cardiovascular problems. Read more about benefits of methi here and here. Turmeric, popularly used in Indian cooking is considered a cleanser, blood purifyer, antiseptic and most importantly for it anti-cancer properties. Read about the benefits of turmeric here and here. This healthy combination of fenugreek and turmeric in the form of methi aloo makes an appearence on our table whenever fresh methi is available at the wholesale market. Methi aloo is clearly not a favourite due to the bitterness of methi. Sauteing the methi leaves till they wilt lightly removes the bitter taste. This post goes to Barbara for her LiveSTRONG with a Taste of Yellow event.

You need:

1 onion finely chopped
1 tomato finely chopped
2 large potatoes boiled and chopped
2 cups fenugreek leaves/methi
1 green chilli minced
1 tsp cumin seeds/jeera
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp chilli powder
salt to taste

Heat a pan and add the fenugreek leaves/methi to it. Stir till it wilts slightly. This removes the bitter taste of the leaves. Remove the leaves from the pan. Now add some oil to the pan and throw in the cumin seeds and allow it to splutter. Add the onion and garlic and stir-fry. Add the potatoes, green chilli and tomato and cok till the tomato turns soft. Add the fenugreek leaves, salt, red chilli powder and turmeric and cook for 5 minutes till the flavours blend. Serve hot with rice or rotis.

Dalwali Roti/Dal Parathas

Attending weddings and all the ceremonies that accompany them are a whole lot of fun - the family gatherings, dance and music, dressing up in finery, the gossip and merry-making and most importantly, the lavish variety of cuisines that Indian weddings offer. Gorging on the rich, feasty spread day after day for almost two weeks, my tastebuds died and my senses could no longer take in the sight or smell of typical wedding food! All my hungry stomach craved for was some warm dal and rice. Back home in Dubai, I promptly made, what else, dal-chawal for the dil!!

I often end up with left-over dal which are converted into dal parathas or dalwali rotis, which are easy to make and perfect for a filling breakfast. I used leftover toovar dal which tastes the best in the roti/paratha but moong/masoor dals will also work fine. If the dal is too watery, heat it to evaporate the liquid as much as you can, allow it to cool and keep it in the fridge to thicken, before using it for the rotis.

Depending on the consistency of the dal, add atta/whole wheat flour to it, sufficient to make it into a dough. To give the rotis a crunch, add 1 minced onion, 2 minced green chillies and a handful of finely chopped coriander leaves even if the dal already has these ingredients. Add salt if necessary and knead into a dough in the same way as for rotis. Divide the dough into small balls. Roll out a ball into a circle and apply some ghee. Bring the edges together and twist into a ball again. Roll out the stuffed ball into a roti and roast evenly on both sides on a skillet till orange spots appear. Apply ghee on the roti and roast again till it is slightly crisp on the outside but soft inside. Serve hot with a dollop of butter, yoghurt and pickle.

What you do with left over dal? Let me know through your comments.

Aloo Anardhana

What do you think of the painting and sculpture? Read more about it later in this post.

Aloo Anardhana

Recipe adapted from an old issue of Living in the Gulf

10 baby potatoes (I used regular ones in this picture)
1 tsp cumin
1 large onion chopped
1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
2 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp garam masala
2 tbsp anardhana/dry pomegranate seeds
butter/oil for frying
chopped coriander for garnish

Peel and wash the potatoes. Place the potatoes in a MW safe bowl, add a little water, salt and turmeric to it and microwave on high till parboiled. Remove and drain the water.

Blend pomegranate seeds with a little water. Heat oil/butter in a wok and add the cumin. When it splutters, add onions and fry till they turn golden-brown. Add the ginger-garlic paste and fry. Then add the pomegranate seeds paste, red chilli powder and garam masala. Add the potatoes and fry on low flame till the potatoes are cooked and the flavours are absorbed. All the moisture will be absorbed by the potatoes. Garnish with coriander leaves, check seasoning and serve with naans.

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The legend of Wilhelm Tell

Wilhelm Tell, who lived in Altdorf, is regarded the national hero of Switzerland whose picture graces the 5-franc coin. Switzerland was once ruled by the Austrians. Bailiff Gessler, the Austrian representative would place his hat on a pole in Altdorf so that every passer-by would pay their respects by greeting the hat. Wilhelm Tell and his son passed by without revering the hat. This disobedience warranted their arrest and Gessler offered to free them if Wilhelm Tell shot an arrow through an apple placed on his son's head. Read more of the story here and here.

The painting and sculpture at the top of this post are made of chocolate, we saw how at Schuh. And so are these.

Don't you agree a holiday is a welcome break from the routine? Walking miles exploring the countryside and tucking into all the healthy C's like colas, chips, crackers, cookies, cheese, cakes, chocolates......... and all that sum up to the big C = calories, is perfectly my kind of holiday! ;) What's yours? :-)

Microwave Bhindi/Okra

Express cooking idea # 3

Rotis

Bhindi/Okra ki subzi

Masur-Moong Dal

Rotis – I'll not elaborate on this. It should suffice to say I make only designer rotis.

Bhindi/Okra

Chop one large onion finely. Chop ½ kg of bhindi/okra finely. Take a large MW vessel and put in the onion and okra. Add 1/4 tsp of each of salt, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, amchur/mango powder, garam masala, jeera powder, hing/asafoetida, pepper. Add a tsp of oil and sprinkle 2 tsp of water over it. Mix well and microwave on high for 4 minutes. It should be done. If not, cook for one minute at a time. It should not take more than 5 minutes. A masaledhar, almost oil-free okra ready in minutes!

Masur-moong dal – Recipe will follow.

Rongi / Lobhia / Black Eyed Beans Curry

Black eyed beans curry ( or rongi or lobhia or ravaan as it is called) is again a simple, protein packed dish suited for everyday cooking. This is my second entry to RCI Punjab, initiated by Lakshmi and hosted by Richa.

3 cups of black eyed beans/ rongi / lobhia / ravaan
3 onions
5 tomatoes
2 green chillies
1 ½ tbsp ginger-garlic paste
a pinch of asafoetida
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp garam masala powder
Salt as per taste
Coriander for garnish

Wash the black eyed beans well and soak for 2 hours. Drain the soaked water and pressure cook the beans with salt and slices of ginger till they are soft. While the beans are cooking, chop the onions and puree the tomatoes. Heat oil in a pan, add the asafoetida and sauté the onions till brownish red in colour. Add the ginger-garlic paste and slit green chillies and fry. Then pour the tomato puree, add the red chilli powder, turmeric powder and coriander powder. Cook the puree well till the raw smell disappears and the oil separates. Then add the cooked beans, mashing it slightly with the spoon. Add the garam masala and stir through well. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve with rotis or parathas.

Here are some more Punjabi specialities – take a sneak peak!

Makki di roti and Sarson da saag

Amritsari Fish Fry

Rajma

Mushroom Mattar Paneer

Green Moong Dal

Arbi ki sabzi

Boondi Raita

Pinnie

Carrot Halva

Makki di roti and sarson da saag

Lush yellow mustard fields, girls dressed in brightly coloured salwar kameezes singing "Ghar aaja pardesi tera des bulaye….." a scene straight from Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge. The very mention of Punjab can conjure up the rich flavours of its renowned cuisine and the first thing that springs to your mind is makki di roti and sarson da saag. Typically prepared in winter when mustard leaves are abundantly available sarson da saag is a gravy prepared out of mustard leaves. Makki di roti is an Indian bread made from maize flour. I was quite newly married when I was introduced to this seasonal speciality. My inlaws and husband's grandma, who is affectionately called Pabiji were visiting us here. Apart from the gifts, pickles and sweets, they brought with them huge white radishes, spinach, mustard leaves, maize flour etc. "We thought you don't get any Indian things here," they said when we jokingly remarked that they had carried a grocer's shop with them! I was totally bowled over by Pabiji's zeal and affection, (she's way past 80) as she sat cross legged on the floor grating the radishes and kneading the dough as my mother in law prepared the saag. Needless to say the lunch was divine!

For Sarson ka saag you need:
3 bunches sarson/mustard leaves
1 bunch palak/spinach
1 bunch bathua/ Chenopodium album, (a small leafed winter green supposed to have medicinal properties, usually used in making parathas in North India)
4 onions chopped
2 tomatoes chopped
3 green chillies minced
1 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp wheat flour
2 tbsp pure ghee
Salt and red chilli powder to taste

Remove stems and wash the mustard leaves, spinach and bathua well. Chop finely and pressure cook them on slow flame for half an hour. Cool and grind coarsely.

Heat oil in a pan and sauté the onion till golden brown. Add garlic, green chillies and stir fry. Add the tomato and cook till tender. Add the coarse sarson mixture, salt and cook for about 20 minutes. Add wheat flour diluted in 2 tbsp water and for for a minute or two. Temper with red chilli powder and ghee and serve hot.

Here I do not get mustard leaves or bathua, so I use spinach and follow the same method to cook the saag. Tastes great!

For makki di roti you need :
2 ½ cups maize flour
1 cup grated radish
1 cup methi/fenugreek leaves
3 tbsp coriander leaves
2 green chillies
salt to taste

Chop the fenugreek leaves, coriander leaves and green chillies finely. In a bowl add all the ingredients and mix well. Knead into a dough adding just sufficient water. Now take a small lump of the dough, roll into a ball and flatten between the palms to make thick small rotis. Roast on both sides on a hot tava, applying ghee on both sides. This takes time to cook, so keep the flame medium/slow. Serve hot, smearing white butter/makhan on the roti with sarson da saag, dahi/curds and pickle.

This is my entry to RCI – Punjabi guest hosted by Richa of As Dear As Salt. RCI is the brainchild of LakshmiK of Veggie Cuisine.

Updates :

1. You may also add suva/dill to the saag - it imparts a great flavour.

2. Ready to eat, canned sarson ka saag ( I forget the brand) is also available in the market. For those who have never tasted sarson ka saag, this is a good option.

3. Other ways to make rotis: press the ball on a flat surface and flatten to make a roti OR roll the ball between two plastic sheets to form a roti.

4. If any of you know what bathua is called in any other language, please let me know too. :)

Amritsari Fish Fry

Having lived in Mumbai all my life until three years ago, traveling in and around Mumbai was a breeze. All short distances were covered on foot. For longer distances there were autos, cabs, BEST buses and of course the local trains. Life then was commandeered by local train timings. One had to be ready by 8.45a.m., dash out of the house by 8.48, reach the station by 8.58 to catch the local at 9.02. Everything was clock-work. Road travel meant luxury, the rare taxi ride a treat! My family never felt the need to own a car; there were plenty of auto rickshaws to take you anywhere. Staying in the UAE has however, changed my perspective of “travel”. Here travel is by car or cabs. My recent vacation to Mumbai gave me a real feel of the city – again.

The taxi from the airport to home was a good (?) old fiat which offered no leg space for short people like me. Wonder how tall guys fit in…The luggage is tied to the cab – literally – since the CNG cylinders take up most of the boot space. My entire vacation was punctuated with plenty of travel through my dear old city and the traffic was a marvel. Very talented drivers skillfully maneuver around potholes, whiz from the left and exit from the right without warning. Motorists are unaware of lanes, seatbelts are unheard of (unless a policeman is watching at the highway), indicators are never used and side mirrors are for show only. I doubt if they watch rear view mirrors either. Traffic signals are amazing places – you can buy fresh bunch of roses, newspapers, peanuts, dusters and so on or get bullied by beggars, eunuchs and the like. It is alright if two wheelers and auto-rickshaws bump softly into cars - at the slow speeds they crawl, the bump is barely felt. Motorists can honk anywhere, anytime; overtake from the left or right as they please without as much an indication. A one-way road can fit in atleast six vehicles across its diameter, by-passers not withstanding. Maximum space utilization, you see. Animal lovers may sight a cow seated right in the middle of the road, blissfully unmindful of the traffic passing by or barking stray dogs running after your rickshaw. Pavements are hollow cavities with mud piled up on either side. Freshly tarred roads are as good as roads with potholes. Autos by far were the most amazing means of transport. They squeeze into the tiniest of spaces, drive effortlessly through oncoming traffic, graze against buses and yet don’t throw you out or topple over. Everyone who has traveled with me in an auto laughs at the way I hold on to it in fright. Travel by train is another story altogether. How I managed to find an edge and hold onto to something before the train pulled away is a mystery. To be honest, the Mumbai traffic is far better behaved than in other places. It's weird - I spent 20 odd years of my life traveling in Mumbai without a care, and within a short span of staying away I find that traffic crazy! I do love Mumbai – it's the city I grew up in, the place where my loved ones live and the place I'll return to – hopefully someday soon….

Well, I am trying to pour out my homesickness, nostalgia, depression and all crazy thoughts of being lonely after a wonderful vacation surrounded by family, catching up with friends and being pampered silly when I was unwell. It took some effort to write this post - phew it's finally out. And now, some spicy fish fry to elevate my spirits!

You need :

1 kg pomfret – cleaned
Juice of 4 limes
4 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tbsp red chilli paste
1 cup besan/chickpea flour
1 tsp pepper powder
1 ½ tsp chat masala
A pinch of orange colour (optional)
1 big onion sliced
Oil for frying

Method:

Mix the lime juice, ginger-garlic paste, red chilli paste, pepper powder, chat masala and colour to form a smooth paste. Make slits on the fish. Apply the marinade on the fish nicely and leave it in the fridge for 2 hours. Pan fry the fish for about 3 mins a side till the fish is cooked. I prefer it crisp outside and moist inside. Add some salt to the sliced onions and serve along with the fish.

Kadhai Subzi

A lot of events took place during my month long hiatus from blogging – the most important one being shifting into a new apartment, which we are trying to make into a home. Well, we have mostly settled into our new place, but the hiatus is still on as I'm flying to Mumbai for a two week long vacation. Will be back soon with interesting posts. There are two posts today – separate for easier indexing, do leave your comments on either or both, as you like.

I came across this colourful recipe for Kadhai Subzi is in an old issue of Living in the Gulf. I liked this recipe for not only the taste of the dish but also for the fact that very little oil goes into the preparation. Here it goes:

1 cup coloured bell peppers cut into juliennes
1 cup carrots and beans
½ cup baby corn cut in half
1 cup of shelled peas
1 cup cauliflower cut into florets

Blanch each of these vegetables individually and reserve.

1 tsp each of cumin, peppercorns, coriander seeds.

Roast individually, cool and crush coarsely.

A handful of red chillies
1 large onion sliced
1 tbsp each of ginger-garlic paste
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp turmeric powder


1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp garam masala
Salt to taste
1 ½ large tomatoes pureed
A handful of coriander leaves

Heat oil in a pan. Throw in the red chillies. When they begin to change colour, add the sliced onion and sauté. Then add the ginger-garlic paste and sauté. Add turmeric and cook for some more time. Add the pureed tomatoes, salt and red chilli powder and sauté till the oil separates. Add all the blanched vegetables, sprinkle a little water and cook for 5 minutes. Add the crushed cumin, coriander and peppercorns, garam masala and chopped coriander leaves, mix well and serve hot with rotis/naans.

Rajma/Red Kidney beans in Tomato Gravy

First a reminder : Please send in your contribution to the Safety Moment before March 31. The theme for the month is General Safety.

Rajma or kidney beans are high in starch, protein and dietary fibre and is an excellent source of iron, potassium, selnium, thaiamine, vitamin B6, and folic acid.(Wiki) Rajma-chawal, an absolute comfort food is a part of Punjabi cuisine from North India. Kidney beans are of different types, the once I use are white kidney beans or Jammu rajma. In this recipe, I've used Jammu rajma which looks like this.

Red Kidney Beans in Tomato Gravy or Rajma is my entry to JFI – Tomatoes, hosted by RP of My Workshop. Rajma won't be rajma without all those tomatoes in it!! I use tomatoes every single day, but I didn't find anything picturesque enough to post for JFI. Then I realized I'm running out of time. So here's my rajma which I prepared when I had guests over for lunch last week. They were happy to see a spread different from their own home cuisine, they loved the rajma and they clicked pictures – yay, I got a picture too so my work was easy!

You need:
3 cups of rajma
3 onions
5-6 large tomatoes
2 green chillies
1 ½ tbsp ginger-garlic paste
a pinch of asafoetida
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp garam masala powder
Salt as per taste
Coriander for garnish

Wash the rajma well and soak overnight. Drain the soaked water and pressure cook the rajma till soft with salt and slices of ginger. While the rajma is cooking, crush onions in a crusher and puree the tomatoes separately. Heat oil in a pan, add the asafoetida and sauté the onions till brownish red in colour. Add the ginger garlic paste and slit green chillies and fry. Then pour the tomato puree, add the red chilli powder and coriander powder. Cook the puree well till the raw smell disappears and the oil separates. Then add the cooked rajma, little by little mashing with the spoon. There are 2 ways now.

A} Add the coriander leaves and check for seasoning. Add the garam masala and stir through well. This is sukhe rajma, which go well with rotis or parathas.

B} For more gravy, add sufficient water and salt. Allow the rajma to boil and simmer a bit. Add the garam masala and coriander leaves for garnish. Serve hot with jeera rice.

Mushroom Mutter Paneer

Mushroom is a fungus, we learnt in school - how can you eat fungus, I asked my mushroom-loving hubby. I enjoy it, he replied. I'm still to figure out what attracts him to mushrooms! All the same I use mushrooms in various dishes. Commonly believed to have little nutritional value, many varieties of mushrooms are high in fibre and protein, provide various vitamins, and minerals like iron, selenium, potassium and phosphorus. Mushrooms are also being researched for medicinal properties. For more on mushrooms, read here.

For mushroom, mutter paneer you need:

8-10 mushrooms chopped
½ cup onion sautéed and ground to a paste
1 cup boiled green peas
100 gm paneer lightly sautéed
½ tbsp ginger paste
½ tbsp garlic paste
½ cup tomato puree
3 tbsp curd
Whole garam masalas – bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, peppercorns
3 tbsp milk
½ tsp turmeric powder
½ tsp coriander powder
½ tsp garam masala powder
½ tsp jeera powder
Red chilli powder and salt as per taste

Heat ghee/oil in a pan. Add whole garam masalas and sauté. Add onions, ginger- garlic paste and fry to a golden colour. Add the tomato puree, curds, salt and spices and fry till the oil separates. Add the mushrooms and peas and fry for 5 minutes. Add milk , paneer and 2 cups of water and cook till the vegetables are done. Adjust the consistency as per your liking. Serve hot with palak puris, rotis or naans.

Green Moong Dal

A powerhouse of nutrition and good health, green moong dal (whole) finds a place practically in all kitchen shelves. Consuming dal with rice or rotis which supplement essential amino acids, enhance the intake of proteins contained in dals. It is easy to digest and also contain traces of vitamins, fibre and minerals.

Finding its place in everyday cooking, this dish is simple to prepare and served with roti.

Ingredients:
1 cup green moong dal whole
1 onion chopped finely
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp garlic paste
1 small piece of ginger
2 green chillies slit
1 large tomato pureed
1 tsp jeera
½ tsp red chilly powder
½ tsp turmeric powder
½ tsp dhania powder
2 tsp oil
Salt as per taste
Chopped coriander for garnishing
½ tsp garam masala powder
Ghee for tempering

Soak dal in sufficient water for ½ an hour. Pressure cook dal with salt, red chilly powder, turmeric and ginger piece till well cooked. In a pan, heat oil and sauté onions and ginger-garlic paste. Add dhania powder, slit green chilly and tomato puree and sauté till the oil separates. Add the cooked dal and adjust spices, salt and consistency. Heat ghee in a pan, add jeera and let it splutter. Add red chilly powder to this and pour over the dal. Garnish with garam masala powder and coriander leaves.

A twist to the tale : If this dal is left over, heat the dal till it is thick and the water evaporates. On a plate, keep a slice of bread, spread some dal over it, add chopped onions and amchur/mango powder over it. Place one more slice of bread over it to sandwich it and enjoy!!

My entry to My Dhaba's VCC:VCC Q4-2006:FAHC:FAHC-campaign

Arbi ki sabzi

Arbi/ arvi/ colocassia/ chembu/ alu is a potato like tuber. Like potato it can be peled and boiled, roasted, mashed, fried in slices or cooked in a stew. The very sight of arbi makes my fingers itch! Its more psychological than real!! But as arbi happens to be one of my husband's fave veggies, I do make it once in a while.


Some people are allergic to arbi, so be sure to rub some oil into your hands before touching the arbi.


Ingredients:

1 big onion sliced
¼ kg arvi/ colocassia
1 tsp jeera
1 tsp red chilly powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp dhania powder
½ tsp amchur/ mango powder
2 tsp oil
Salt as per taste
Chopped coriander for garnishing

Wash and peel the arbi thoroughly. Cut the arbi into long slices. Peel and cut onion into slices. In a wok, heat some oil and add the arbi and onion and sautee for a minute. Add all the spices and cover and cook on a slow flame. It will be done in 5-8 minutes. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with rotis.

My entry to My Dhaba's VCC: VCC Q4-2006: FAHC: FAHC-campaign