Hello again from Guzu land!! :P
After the successful Dal Parathas, am back with one more dal dish - Dal Dhokli!! I first had DD when I went to Rajdhani for dinner one night, and fell in love with it. It just...melts...in your mouth. So, sharing the recipe of this delectable baby with you :)
Don't get bogged down by the long list of ingredients - trust me, it is worth the effort!!
You'll need:
* 250 gm tuvar dal
* 200 gm flour
* 3 green chilies
* 50 gm groundnuts
* 25 gm cashew nuts
* 1 tbsp turmeric powder
* 1 tbsp mustard seeds
* 4 cloves
* 2 cinnamon sticks
* 2 tomatoes (pulp)
* 1 tbsp tamarind
* 100 gm brown sugar
* 1 tbsp garam masala
* 5 tbsp cooking oil
* 2 tbsp red chili powder
* 1/2 cup cilantro leaves
* 4 tbsp ghee
* Salt
* Heeng
* Cloves
* Curry leaves
1. Take the flour, and add salt, 1/2 tbsp turmeric powder, heeng & 1 tbsp red chili powder. Mix them well, add 2 tbsp oil & knead it for roti-like consistency.
2. Now, wash the tuvar dal, and pressure cook it for 3 whistles. Let it cool and then remove.
3. Then, heat 3 tbsp oil & the ghee in a pot, followed by cloves, cinnamon sticks & mustard seeds. When this begins to crackle, add the curry leaves, green chilies & asfoetida. Then pour the tuvar dal.
4. Now, add the tamarind, brown sugar, cashew nuts, ground nuts, garam masala, 1 tbsp red chili powder, water & mix well.
5. Then, add the tomato pulps, 1/2 tbsp turmeric powder, salt & 2 cups of water, and bring to a boil.
6. After this, roll out big rotis from the dough, cut them into diamond-shaped pieces & add to the dal. Boil for 10 min & remove from flame.
DD done. Sprinkle with cilantro leaves, and serve warm, with love :)
One of my abso-fav desserts, from the <3 of Goa :) And, contrary to popular belief, rather simple to make. Let's get going!!
Gather:
- 1/2 liter milk
- 100 gm sugar
- 150 gm sugar for caramelizing
- 6 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
1. Start with caramelizing the 150 gm of sugar in a pan, then keep aside.
2. Now, take the milk, 100 gm sugar, eggs & vanilla essence, and beat.
3. Finally, pour the caramelized sugar in a mould, followed by the milk-sugar-eggs-vanilla essence mixture.
4. Steam this till ready.
Tip: The best way to enjoy CC is to store it in a fridge once it has cooled, and enjoy it thanda from the fridge!! :D
Yes I know the recipe of chole should also be here. But am too lazy for that right now :P
Anyway, you'll need:
* 2 cups maida
* 1 cup curd
* 1 sachet yeast
* 1 tsp ajwain seeds
* 2 tbsp cooking oil
* Salt to taste
1. First, soak the yeast in warm water for 10 min. Then, take the maida, curd, ajwain & oil, and mix thoroughly.
2. Now add the yeast to it, and knead the dough. If need be, you can also add a little water. Once done, set aside for 5 hours.
3. Finally, roll out the dough like puris, and fry in hot cooking oil.
Note: But make sure the thickness of the bhatura is more than that of a puri.
4. Drain out each bhatura on a plate of tissues, and serve hot with chole!! (whose recipe is not featured here - yet) :P
Khichdi. Khichri. Khichdee. Khichadi. Khichuri. Khichari. Kitcheree. Kitchree. Khicri. (derived from Sanskrit word khicca - meaning a dish of rice & pulses) Phew!!
Apparently, khichdi was the inspiration for the Anglo-Indian dish Kedgeree? (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kedgeree)
And no, this isn't the sick child's food :| Not till you've tried my Bihari version :D
For the khichdi, gather:
- 200 gm basmati rice
- 100 gm masoor dal
- 100 gm moong dal
- 1/4 cup peas
- 5 flowerettes of cauliflower
- 4 tbsp desi ghee (there goes my weight loss regime) :| not like there was one in the first place :P
- 1/4 tsp sugar
- Salt to taste
For the tadka, gather:
- 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
- 3 dried red chilies
- 3 bay leaves
- 1/2 tsp jeera
- Whole garam masala (2 green cardamoms - peeled & mashed, 4 cloves, 1 black cardamom - peeled & mashed, 1 inch cinnamon stick)
- Powdered masala (1 tsp red chili powder, 1 tsp jeera powder, 1 tsp dhaniya powder, 1 tsp garam masala powder, 1/2 tsp turmeric powder)
Let's begin!!
1. Roast the moong dal in a dry kadhai for 5 min on a medium flame. Once done, wash this & the masoor dal. Then wash the rice and keep aside.
2. In a pressure cooker, heat 2 tbsp ghee & add the jeera. When this begins to sputter, add the ginger-garlic paste & whole garam masala. Saute this for a minute & add the powdered masala.
3. Now, add the peas & cauliflower, and saute for 2 min on a low flame. Then, add the dals & rice to the cooker. Followed by water, salt, sugar and the remaining of the ghee.
4. Then, close the lid of the cooker & bring to full pressure on high flame. When you hear the 1st whistle, reduce to flame to medium and cook for 4 min.
Khichdi done. Please serve with the 4 Yaars of Khichdi - curd, papad, ghee & pickle!! :D
Yet another dish from Andhra, HBK makes the perfect accompaniment of cocktails :D And P.S. am not about to post recipes of cocktails here; this is a wholesome, family blog. Eh, who am I kidding; will try and post some here some time :P
Anyway, you'll need:
* 1/2 cup spinach leaves
* 1/2 cup fenugreek (methi) leaves
* 1/2 cup chickpea (kabuli chana) flour
* 2 tsp ginger, finely chopped
* 2 tsp green chilies, finely chopped
* 1/2 tsp chili powder
* 2 tbsp ghee
* 1.5 tsp salt
Let's get started.
1. First of, wash and blanch the spinach & methi. If you have a colander, leave it in this to drain. Else, any other bowl will also do.
2. Now, squeeze out the excess liquid & grind the greens to a paste. Then, mix this with the chickpea flour, green chilies, ginger & chili powder. Let this be for 15 min.
3. You can now start shaping this mixture in whatever structure you like - balls :P or squared or even triangles!! But just make sure that whatever shape you give it, you flatten it out a bit.
4. Now for the frying. To a non-stick frying pan, add a thin layer of the ghee, and fry the kababs on a high flame. Turn them over regularly, till both sides begin to turn brown.
HBK done!! Enjoy them hot, with barbecue sauce and few cocktails, and a few friends :)
Dessert recipe after ages...say hello to the Bong mush - Sandesh!! :D
Did you know in Bangladesh, Sandesh (aka Shondesh) is often termed as Pranahara? (literally meaning something/someone who steals your heart). Obvious si baat hai :) Taste hai hi itna awesome!!
Not only this, Sandesh has other yum variants like:
- Parijat
- Rose
- Cream
- Dilkhush
- Abar Khabo
- Chocolate Talsansh
- Makha
Note: I don't know the references of any of these (except rose, cream & chocolate), so don't ask & embarrass me :P
Anyway, let's gather the following first:
- 150 gm paneer
- 1/2 cup grated khoya
- 6 tbsp sugar/jaggery or gur
Note: You can use either sugar or gur. And if you ask me, gur sandesh melts into your mouth quicker than the sugar one ;)
- 8 almonds, shredded lengthwise
- 6 cardamoms, crushed
- 7 strands of saffron/kesar
Note: The above-mentioned ingredients will make 8 pieces. If you want to make more, double the quantity of each ingredient.
1. Sabse pehle, blend the paneer, khoya & sugar/gur, till they become smooth. You can do this either in a blender, or use the back of a katori to mash the mixture.
2. Then, mix the cardamoms to this, and make sure that the layer is 1/2 inch thick. Refrigerate till this sets in.
3. Finally, decorate with almonds & kesar, cut into squares or diamonds or balls :P or any other shape you fancy, and then serve!!
Hey hey hey yet another potato dish!! :P But this one, believe you me, passes for soul food. With rice, of course :D
Gather:
* 250gm potatoes, pealed & chopped
* 50gm chopped onions
* 100gm chopped tomatoes
* 2cm piece of ginger, finely chopped
* 5 cloves of garlic
* 1tsp red chili powder
* 1/2tsp turmeric powder
* 1/2tsp garam masala powder
* 1/2tsp fenugreek seeds (methi)
* 1tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
* 1tbsp chopped coriander leaves
* 1/4 tea cup ghee
Here's how:
1. Heat a kadhai on a moderate flame. Then, pour the ghee into it & let it heat.
2. Now, add the methi & jeera to this. Once it begins to sputter, add the garlic & ginger.
3. Stir fry this till they ginger & garlic begin to turn brown. Now, add the onions to this, and fry till it becomes tender.
4. Now, add the tomatoes, red chili powder & turmeric powder, and fry till the tomatoes turn soft.
5. The, add a cup of water, the potatoes & garam masala, and cook for 10 min.
6. Finally, add 2 more cups of water, followed by salt, and then cook for another 10 min.
7. Once done, remove from flame, sprinkle the coriander leaves, and belt with steamed rice!!
