Dal Baati

Khama ghani & hello from Rajasthan. Today I bring Dal Baati, a somewhat staple diet of Rajasthan & Malwa region in Madhya Pradesh. Had made this weeks ago, but finally posting the recipe now!!


Gather the following for the dal:


* 3/4 cups tuvar dal (soaked overnight with a pinch of soda bicarb)
* 3 finely chopped onions
* 2 finely chopped tomatoes
* 2 tsp garam masala
* 2 tsp chili powder
* 1 tsp turmeric powder
* 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
* 2 green chilies, slit lengthwise
* 2 tbsp cream
* 4 tbsp ghee (there goes my weight loss plan) :|
* 1 cup finely chopped coriander leaves
* Oil
* Salt to taste


You'll need the following for the baati:


* 5 cups aata
* 1 cup melted ghee
* 2 tbsp curd
* Salt to taste


Let's get started:


1. We'll take care of the dal first - pressure cook the tuvar dal till it becomes soft. Then, in a kadhai, heat 4 tbsp of oil, add the onions & fry them till they turn brown.


2. Then, add the ginger garlic paste & tomatoes and fry for a bit. Follow this by adding the garam masala, turmeric powder, tuvar dal & finally salt. Simmer this till all blend well, and ensure that the dal's consistency is thick.


3. Finally, pour the cream & garnish with green chilies & coriander leaves. But this you can do right before serving also :)


4. Now, for the baati - knead a dough with the aata, ghee, curd, salt & water. Key word - soft!


5. Then, make lemon-sized balls :| out of it. Cover & keep for an hour.


6. Here's the tricky part - see if you can get an angeethi; baatis taste best when roasted on coals. If not, you can use a microwave, too. That's what I did. Just place the baatis on a rotisserie grill till they begin to puff up & turn golden :)


7. Voila - DB done!! You can serve them with rice or pudina chutney or mango chutney or chaas or churma laddoo, whose recipe I posted a few months ago ;)


Tip to Eat: In typical Rajasthani fashion, people normally prick a hole with their thumbs in the middle of the baati, pour ghee into it, then dip the baati in the dal & finally sink their teeth in it :D

Mooli Paratha

Today, for the 1st time, I cooked something in someone else's kitchen - my masi's, to be precise. And I was even more nervous, because like most women  in my family  (me not included) ;) my masi too is an excellent cook!!

Anyway, I didn't want to do anything complicated (& then eventually ruin it) :P So I made something very basic - mooli paratha. Don't you dare make any flatulence jokes :P

Here's what you'll require:

For the stuffing -

- 3 radishes 

- Salt to taste

- 1/2 tsp red chili powder

- 1/2 tsp coriander powder

- 2 finely chopped green chilies (in case the red chili powder hasn't upped the spice quotient for you)

- 2 tbsp coriander leaves

- Cooking oil to fry the radishes

For the dough -

- 2 cups wheat flour

- Salt to taste

- Water (as per the need)

- Cooking oil to make the parathas

And here's the recipe!!

1. First of, sieve the flour & salt. Add water & knead, till you get a stiff dough. If you want, you can knead it soft, too; no issues. Once done, cover & keep aside.

2. Now, peel & grate the radish. Make sure to drain out the excess water.

3. Then, in a kadhai, add the cooking oil & fry the radishes till they turn a light brown. Then add salt, red chili powder, green chilies & coriander powder & mix well. And then set to cool.

4. Once the stuffing has cooled, take some dough make a small roundel out of it (no am not going to use the word ball here) :P In the center of the roundel, put 2 tsp of the stuffing & close and cover from all sides.

5. Once sealed, roll it out into a paratha. Do the same for the remaining of the dough & stuffing.

6. Now, heat a tava & place each paratha one by one on it. Add cooking oil to both sides & let cook evenly. Tip: I like my parathas crispy, so I tend to add a tad more oil while cooking, and keep the flame on high.

7. Voila! Mooli parathas are done. You can serve them with curd, raita, pickle or my favorite paratha buddy - salsa!! ;)

Dala Khechidi

Sorry sorry SORRY about the 2 month absence!! Just drifted away, I guess. Anyway, am back now. So please expect a little more action ;)

Tonight, I bring you Dala Khechidi - dal khichdi Orissa style. Yes, I've made khichdi in the past - but this one's a smidge different than my Bihari version :)

Really REALLY simple & quick to make. Precisely 30 min!

You'll need:

* 250 gm rice
* 200 gm moong dal
* 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
* 1 tbsp cumin seeds
* 100 gm pure ghee
* 4 red chilies
* 2 bay leaves
* 2 inches cinnamon
* 6 cardamoms
* Salt to taste

1. First of, was the rice & dal (2-3 times with fresh water each time). Then, add 2 tsp of ghee & the turmeric powder. Mix this well with a spatula & spread it on a place. Let dry for 10 min.

2. In the meantime, crush the cinnamon & cardamoms to make a powder. Damn this can be quite a task if you don't have a pestle & mortar! I actually crushed these with a rolling pin :P

3. Now, heat a pressure cooker. And add 1 tsp of ghee, followed by the cumin seeds. Top this with the red chilies, bay leaves & a pinch of turmeric powder.

4. As this starts to crackle, add the rice-dal-ghee-turmeric powder mix to the cooker. And stir for a minute.

5. Now, add water. Keep in mind that the quantity of the water should be double of the quantity of the rice-dal mix.

6. Put some salt, as per your taste. Followed by the cinnamon-cardamom powder. Now, close the lid of the cooker & turn the flame to medium.

7. After the cooker blows 1 whistle, turn off the flame. And open the lid of the cooker after 2 min. At this point, you may want to add more ghee to it (unless you want to burst at the seams) :P

DK is now done. Please pretty please have it hot!

P.S.

At the moment you open the lid of the cooker, if your kitchen (and eventually your house) don't smell of ghee (in a good way), please feel free to change my name :D

P.P.S.

And to those (like me) who didn't add enough salt, there's always a backup called mango pickle :)