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 :)

Sheera

Sheera is a Maharashtrian dish, usually made for Satyanarayan puja. I only made it coz I was craving something sweet :P Nothing religious there!! :D

Gather:

- 1 1/4 cups of semolina (sooji)
- 1 1/4 cups of sugar
- 1 1/4 cups of ghee
- 1 1/4 cups of milk
- 2 tbsp raisins (soaked in water for 2 hrs)
- 2 tbsp chopped cashew nuts
- 2 tbsp chopped almonds
- 1/2 tsp cardamom powder

1. First, roast the sooji with ghee, till it begins to give a nice aroma.

2. Then, heath the milk & then lower the flame. And add the sooji & sugar. Key words: mix well.

3. Finally, add the raisins, cashew nuts & almonds, and sprinkle with cardamom powder. Sheera done!!

Dal Makhni

Dal is the staple food of Indian, especially vegetarians. Apparently, DM became popular in India post partition, when many people from Punjab migrated to the north.  As the Punjabi clan migrated across India and internationally, the dish was introduced to locals by Punjabis who opened restaurants.

The traditional preparation of DM involves a series of time-consuming procedures, which can take up to 24hours to complete! DM recipes are reputedly kept a closely guarded secret within Punjabi families, and are passed from generation to generation.

Don't worry, my recipe won't take too long, am not a Punjabi and my recipe is not a secret :D

You'll need:

* 1 cup whole black dal

* 2 tsp chana dal

* 2 tsp rajma

* 1 cup tomato puree

* 1 inch ginger

* 4 cloves of garlic

* 2 red chilies (soaked for 15 min)

* 4 tsp ghee

* 2 tsp coriander powder

* 1/2 tsp garam masala

* 1 tsp butter

* 1/4 cup fresh cream beaten well & mixed with 1/4 cup milk

* Salt to taste

1. Soak the black dal, chana dal & rajma in a pressure cooker for 6 hours.

2. Grind the ginger, garlic & red chilies to a paste.

3. Now, drain out all the water from the black dal, chana dal & rajma, and add 6 cups of water. Then add 1 tbsp ghee, salt, half of the ginger-garlic-red chili paste, and pressure cook.

4. After the 1st whistle, reduce the flame & cook for 45 min. Then remove from flame. And open the lid of the cooker & mash the contents.

5. Now for the tadka. In a tempering karchi, add the tomato puree, remaining of the ginger-garlic-chili paste, garam masala & coriander powder. Then, add this to the dal.

6. Then, add the butter & simmer on low flame for 25 min. Remember to stir & mash the dal occasionally with a ladle against the sides of the cooker.

7. Finally, add the cream-milk mixture, simmer for 20 min & serve piping hot!!

Kashmiri Pulao

Yet another one from the hills, KP is a staple diet for J&K baashinde. Makes for a perfect Sunday lunch buddy, along with gravy & TV :D


You'll need:


- 500 gm basmati rice (Since am a rice freak, I've started using Arise from Saffola. This rice brand is apparently lighter than most regular rices. They have some 3-4 variants. Just pick any) :)
- 2 cups milk (avoid skimmed milk; taste won't be as wonderful) :P
- 1/2 cup cream
- 1 cup chopped dry fruits (cashew nuts, raisins & sweetened cherries)
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tsp ghee
- 4 cloves
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 inch cinnamon stick
- 4 green cardamoms
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- Rose water
- Salt to taste
- Pinch of saffron


1. Start by gently washing the rice. Keep in mind to rinse it several times, till you see clear water coming out of the container. This basically removes any starch & other residue, else the rice will be sticky while cooking. Once done, soak the rice in clean water for 15 min.


2. Now, heat the ghee in a pan. Add the cloves, cinnamon, cumin seeds, bay leaves & cardamoms. Then, add the soaked rice to it & fry for 2 min.


3. Follow this by adding the cream, milk, sugar, salt & 1/2 a cup of water. Then bring to a boil. Cover it with a lid, bring the flame to a sim level & cook till done.


4. Once cooked, toss in the chopped mixed fruits, and mix it in. Finally, sprinkle few drops of the rose water. Topped by saffron, for a wonderful color.


KP done!!


Tip to Taste: Along with dry fruits, a lot of people also add fresh fruits & vegetables like apples, pomegranates, carrots, beans, peas, corn & even paneer!! I feel it will taste even more yum :D

Aloo Paratha

Purrfect breakfast for a lazy lazy Saturday :)


You'll need:


* 6 medium-sized potatoes, boiled
* 2 finely chopped onions
* 2 finely chopped green chilies
* 1/2 cup chopped coriander leaves
* 1 tsp amchur powder
* 1 tsp ajwain powder
* 1 tsp grated ginger
* Paste of 4 cloves of garlic
* Pinch of garam masala
* Salt as per taste
* Kneaded dough
* Cooking oil


1. First of, peal the potatoes & mash them. Make sure there are no lumps. No one likes lumps in their parathas :P


2. Now, add all the ingredients, and mix them WELL. The color should be even.


The stuffing is done.


3. For the parathas, roll out the dough, and put 1 serving spoon of the stuffing in each, ball.


4. Now, with the help of dry atta, roll out each ball, like a chapati.


5. Finally, cook it on a tava with the oil.
Note: I like my parathas crispy, so I add a little more oil, and I leave it on the tava a tad longer :D


Voila! AP done. Serve hot with white butter, lassi & love!!