16 Pulses/Bean Dal

This recipe is from my elder sis. Full of the goodness of 16 different types of beans and lentils, this dish is easy to make and tastes really good. You can add any variety to beans and lentils, but to make life easier, you get this in all the grocery stores.

Beans soaked overnight in warm water

1 cup beans-pulses, soaked overnight in warm water
2 green chillies, finely chopped
1 large onion, chopped

1 medium tomato, chopped

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp garam masala powder

Salt to taste

Oil

Coriander leaves, for garnish

In a pressure cooker, add the soaked dal, salt, 1/2 tsp oil, salt and water and cook for 1whistle. Remove from heat and let it cool down.

Heat oil in a pan and add the chopped onion. Cook till the onion turns golden brown. Add the green chillies, tomato, turmeric powder, garam masala powder and cook till the oil separates and the masala-tomato mix is well cooked. Add the dal to the pan and let it simmer on medium low heat for 5-7 minutes.

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with Rice or Roti. Enjoy !!

Asparagus-Mushroom-Peas Bhujiya

I had half a packet each of Peas and Asparagus and some fresh white Mushrooms. I decided to combine all three and make a dish and it came out really good :) Even K gave this dish his sign of approval :)


1/2 red onion, chopped
1/2 packet frozen Asparagus
10-12 white mushrooms, sliced
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
Salt to taste
Oil

Heat oil in a pan. Add the onions and cook till the onion begins to turn brown. Add the sliced mushrooms and cook till the water in the mushrooms dries up. Now add the peas, asparagus, pepper and salt. Cook for 5-7 minutes or till the veggies are cooked and the asparagus retains a slight crunch. Serve with Rice / Roti. Enjoy.

Pizza

Tired after a long day of running errands and household chores, I wasn't really in a mood to cook dinner. K, bless him, took over the kitchen and made this simple and delicious Pizza. I had the Pizza dough and the Pizza sauce from Trader Joe's, so assembling the pizza with the rest of the ingredients from the pantry was easy.

The final Product

Assembling the Pizza - look at all that cheese - Yummy :)

Paneer / Tofu Bhujiya

My brother calls this dish the Vegetarian version of scrambled eggs. It is easy to make and tastes wonderful.


1 packet Paneer / Tofu
2 green chillies, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
Salt to taste
Oil
Chopped coriander leaves, for garnish (optional)


Heat oil in a pan and add the chopped onions. Cook till it turns light brown. Add the green chillies, chopped tomatoes, salt, cumin powder and coriander powder. Cook till the oil separates. Crumble the paneer / tofu and add to the pan. Mix well and cook for 5-7 minutes. Garnish with chopped coriander and serve hot with Roti / Paratha. Enjoy !!

Peas Asparagus Pulao

Both K and I wanted to have a light lunch since Thanksgiving dinner was going to be huge. I had half packet of frozen peas and Asparagus ... pefect for making a light pulao. We had this with Paneer Bhurji (recipe will be posted later) and Masoor Dal.

1 cup Basmati Rice
1/2 red Onion, sliced thinly
1/2 cup Peas
1/2 cup Asparagus
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
1 tsp Oil
2 cups Water
Salt to taste


Wash and soak the basmati rice.
Heat oil in a pan and add the cumin seeds. When they begin to sizzle add the sliced onions and cook till it turns light brown. Add the peas, asparagus and salt and cook for 1-2 minutes.
Drain the water from the rice and add to the pan. Mix well. Add 2 cups water, cover the pan and cook on medium-low heat till rice is done. Remove from heat, stir once, cover and keep aside for 5 minutes. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves (optional) and serve hot.

Happy Thanksgiving

To all my friends and family, Happy Thanksgiving

Dhaba Dal

My brother and his friends would go to one of the many Dhabas on the outskirts of the city and get dinner from there home once a week. It would give my Ma and the cook a break from cooking for a bunch of ever hungry young adults. Food from the Dhaba was something my Dad also enjoyed. We were unanimous in our love for the Dhaba Dal. I present to you our version of this delicious Dal. Enjoy it with steaming rice or Naan.

2 cup urad dal, picked and cleaned
3/4th cup chana dal, picked and cleaned
2 tbsp chopped ginger
2 tbsp chopped garlic
1 tbsp butter
2 medium sized onions, chopped
6 green chillies, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
Oil
Salt to taste
Handful of mint/coriander leaves, chopped to garnish
2 eggs (optional)

Cook the lentils in a pressure cooker with salt, 1 1/2 tbsp ginger, 1 1/2 tbsp garlic and butter. Once the cooker cools down, mash the Dals against the side of the pan. Keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan. Add onions and fry till golden. Add the remaining ginger and garlic and cook for a couple of seconds. Add the green chillies and tomatoes and cook till the tomatoes are almost cooked and mushy. Add the dal to this and mix well. Add the coriander / mint leaves. If using eggs, make scrambled eggs and add to the dal. Mix well and serve hot with naan or Rice. ENJOY :)

Easy Shrimp Curry

Both K and I love shrimp. This is an easy breezy recipe with loads of flavor.

1 lb uncooked shrimp, cleaned and deveined (I used the frozen ones for this)
2 potatoes, boiled, and cut into pieces
1 large onion, chopped
1 tomato
2 cloves garlic, minced
1" ginger, minced
1 large tomato, chopped
1/2 tsp jeera
1/2 tsp red chilli pwdr
1 tsp coriander pwdr
1/2 tsp jeera pwdr
1/2 tsp garam masala
Salt to taste
1 cup Water
Oil
Chopped coriander leaves, for garnish

Heat oil in a pan and fry the shrimp till light pink. Remove and keep aside. In the same pan, add more oil, if necessary and add the jeera. When it begins to sizzle, add the chopped onion. Cook till onion begins to turn brown. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute. Now add all the powder masalas, salt and tomato and cook till the masala gets cooked and oil separates. Add the boiled potatoes, shrimp and 1 cup water. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with Rice / Paratha. Enjoy !!

Onion Pakoras / Pyaaz Pakora / Pyaaji

Rain, piping hot Tea and Pakoras go hand in hand. The weather here today was just right for this combination. Dull dreary gray skies plus K had come home tired after a day long trip to SFO ... the pakoras with tea was my idea of a perfect pick me up. I like all kinds of pakoras but one of my favorites is the Onion Pakoras or Pyaaji as we called it back home in Orissa. Many a evening during Monsoon in India would be spent sitting on the patio, having tea and pyaaji, watching the rain do their pitter-patter dance

1 onion, sliced thin
1 cup besan ( chickpea flour-available at any Indian grocery store)
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying
Heat oil in a deep bottomed pan. In the meantime mix the first 4 ingredients with a little water to make a batter. (The batter shouldn't be too thick or thin). Take tablespoons of the batter and drop it into the oil. Fry on medium heat till golden brown on both sides. Serve hot with Chutney/ Ketchup and a piping cup of tea. :)

Dahi Vada

I enjoy dahi vadas. Back home, my Ma and her friend Aunty N would make the vadas with a filling - it was so good. I still haven't mastered how to make a whole in the center of the Vadas - believe me it is a learning in progress.

My recipe for the Dahi vadas has been adapted in part from my Ma's version and my elder sis D's version.



1 cup urad dal, picked, washed and soaked overnight in warm water
2 green chilli, finely chopped
4 cups yogurt + 1 cup
1 tsp red chilli powder
A pinch of Hing (Asafoetida)
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp sugar
3 tbsp Tamarind-Date chutney (available in the Indian grocery stores)
1 tbsp each of chopped coriander and mint leaves
Oil

Grind the urad dal with little water to a smooth paste. Add the chopped green chillies, hing and salt and mix.

Heat oil in a pan. Take about a tbsp of batter in your palm and roll it into a ball. Flatten it slightly and drop the batter carefully into the hot oil. Fry till golden. Remove and keep on Paper towel to drain off the extra oil.

Fill a pan with water and soak the vadas in it for about 2-3 minutes. In another pan, mix 1 cup yogurt with water to make a mix that is thinner or almost of buttermilk consistency. Squeeze the vadas gently to drain out the water and put them in this yogurt-water mix for a minute. Squeeze gently to remove water.



Whisk yogurt, salt, sugar and red chilli powder together till smotth. If the consistency is thick and just a little water. Now place the vadas carefully, covering them with yogurt. Garnish with a little red chilli powder, a little tamarind-date chutney and the coriander-mint leaves. Enjoy !!

Kadhai Paneer

Kadhai Paneer was one of my favorite dishes during winter back in India. The rest of the year we would have Paneer in Parathas, as Paneer Bhurjee, Paneer Aloo .... The taste of ground spices coupled with the mellow flavor of green bell peppers, fresh Methi leaves and paneer was as close to gastronomical heaven as I could get.

I found a pack of red bell peppers at Trader Joe's and I had a green bell pepper at home with a pack of paneer. K loves this dish, so I decided to make this and surprise him at lunch :)

1 packet paneer (you can substitute Tofu), cut into finger sized strips
2 bell peppers, cut the same size as the Paneer
2 tsp whole coriander seeds
2 green chillies, finely chopped
1 tsp kasoori methi
4 dry red chilli
4 garlic cloves
4 small tomoatoes or 2 large tomatoes, chopped
1" ginger, chopped fine
Salt to taste
Oil
Chopped coriander, to garnish

Grind the garlic, dry red chilli and coriander seeds coarsely.

Heat oil in a pan. Add the garlic-chilli paste. Cook for a minute and then add the bell pepper, ginger and green chilli. Cook for a minute and then add the chopped tomatoes. Cook till the tomatoes are done and the oil separates.



Add Kasoori methi and salt and cook for 1 minute. Add the paneer slices, lower heat and cook for abt 5 to 7 minutes. Garnish with chopped corander leaves and serve hot with Paratha. Enjoy !! :)

Guguni

As kids and even now, street food is something all of us enjoy. One of my all time favorite was Guguni. Ma used to serve this with Aloo Tikki's and some Sunday's Poori and Guguni used to be our brunch. Loved it then, love it now :)

1 cup dried yellow peas
2 potatoes
1 large tomato, chopped
1 medium onion
1" ginger
2 cloves garlic
4 green chillies
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
Chopped coriander leaves to garnish
Salt to taste
4 cups water
1 tbsp oil

Soak the dried peas overnight in warm water. Peel the potatoes and cut into 1 1/2" pieces. In a pressure cooker, cook the peas and the potato with 4 cups of water.

Grind the onion, garlic, ginger to a fine paste with a little water.


Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds. when the seeds begin to sizzle, add the onion-garlic paste. Add the green chillies and cook till the onion turns a light brown. Add the cumin pwdr, coriander pwdr, red chilli pwdr, turmeric pwdr, salt and tomatoes and cook till the masalas are cooked and the oil separates. Add the boiled peas and potato mix and cook for 10 mts till all the flavors have blended. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with Aloo Tikki (recipe on this blog) or with Pooris. Enjoy.

Besan Chillah

After a long day at work, I just did not have the energy to cook anything that required more than 15 minutes from start to finish. Unfortunately I was out of eggs, so K suggested Besan Chillah- the North Indian version of the Dosa :) or like K says "It is the vegetarian's omlette" :)

1 cup Besan (Gram Flour)
1/4 cup non fat/low fat yogurt (optional)
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
1 green chilli chopped (you can increase the quantity depending upon your heat tolerance)
1 tomato, finely chopped
2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
Salt to taste
Cooking spray
Water

In a bowl mix the gram flour and yogurt till smooth and there are no lumps. Add the onion, tomato, green chilli, salt and coriander leaves. Add water and mix well. The consistency should be thinner than that of Dosa batter - similar to the consistency of beaten eggs.

Heat a flat bottomed pan and spray it lightly with the cooking spray. Take the batter in a ladle and pour it into the pan. Turn the pan in clockwise - anti clockwise direction till the batter spreads. Cook till the bottom turns light brown. Flip the Chillah over and cook for a minute or two. Serve with Chutney/ Ketchup or have it plain :) Enjoy !!

Sarson Saag

Indira of Mahanandi had posted such a lovely picture of the Mustard leaves, I knew I had to share this wonderful, super delicious Sarson Saag recipe that my friend T had shared with me. Her Mom Aunty C would always make this when I visited their home. Before that I wasn't a big fan of this dish but in Aunty's hands, the taste would be awesome. Served with the traditional Makki Di Roti, it was a gourmet delight. At the end of that stupendous meal, we would have a glass of tall cool Lassi ... Mmmm Mmmm good. :)

1 1/2 bunch Sarson Saag (mustard greens), washed and chopped
1 bunch Palak (Spinach), washed and chopped
1 medium Mooli (radish) with leaves, washed and chopped
2 medium sized onion, chopped
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1" ginger, finely chopped
1 green chilli, minced
1/2 cup water
Salt to taste

For the tadka
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp ghee

In a pressure cooker cook all the ingredients (except the ones for the tadka) for 2 whistles, with 1/2 cup of water.
Let it cool and then grind to a smooth paste.

Heat the ghee in a small pan and add the garlic. When the garlic turns light brown, add the Saag. Cook for a minute and serve hot with Makki Di Roti/ Roti/Paratha. Enjoy !

Dal

Tur dal on a bed of Basmati rice, with Aloo Gobhi sabzi

For our everyday meals, Ma used to make Tur/Arhar dal. Sometimes plain dal, sometimes Tur dal with Spinach or Khatti Dal (with Gongura leaves). I still do not know what Gongura is called in Bihar or for that matter in Orissa, I just call it Khatti (sour) dal. This recipe is for the simple, no frills Dal. Just tempered with ghee, cumin seeds and dry red chilli, the dish was a gastronomic delight.

1 cup tur dal, picked and washed
2 1/2 cups of water
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp ghee
1/2 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
Salt to taste
2 dry red chilli, broken into two
Chopped coriander leaves, to garnish

Pressure cook the dal with 2 1/2 cups of water, turmeric and salt. When the dal is cooked, whisk it once to make the dal mix semi smooth.

In a small pan, heat ghee. When it heats up, add the broken dry red chilli and jeera. When the jeera begins to sizzle, add the tadka to the dal. Mix well, garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with rice. As Rachel Ray would say, Yummo !! :)

Kabuli Chana

Garbanzo beans figured quite often in our meals back home. From Pani Puri's to Hummus, the versatile chickpea was to be found everywhere. When I was in school a bowl of rice and chickpeas with Spinach was a staple meal.
You can soak the garbanzo beans overnight and cook it in a pressure cooker, but I generally use the canned ones and they taste good too.

2 cans garbanzo beans, drained and washed
1 large onion, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1" ginger, minced
2 green chillies, finely chopped
1/2 tsp jeera
1/2 tsp jeera powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp garam masala powder
1 tsp coriander powder
2 tbsp kasoori methi
Salt to taste
2 cups water
Oil
Coriander leaves to garnish (optional). I love this herb so add it generously to all the cooking I do :)

Heat oil in a pan and add the jeera seeds. When they begin to sizzle, add the chopped onions. Cook till the onion turns golden. Now add the green chillies, minced garlic and ginger. Cook for a minute. Add jeera pwdr, coriander pwdr, turmeric pwdr, salt and tomatoes. Cook till the tomatoes and the masalas are done. Add the drained chickpeas and saute for a minute. Add 2 cups water and bring to boil. Now add the kasoori methi, lower heat and cook for 5 minutes. Using the back of the cooking spoon, mash some of the beans to make a thicker gravy. Remove from heat, garnish with coriander leaves and serve with Rice/Roti/Paratha. Enjoy !!

Saboot Masoor Dal

This recipe has been adapted from Nita Mehta's cookbook. it was one of the first cookbooks I had brought when I started cooking and this dish always came out tops. It is an easy to make dish and delightful to taste.

1 cup Saboot (whole) masoor Dal
1 large onion - half onion chopped and the other half finely sliced
2 tomatoes, chopped
4-5 cloves garlic
2 tbsp whole coriander
1 1/2" ginger
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 dry red chillies
Salt to taste
Oil
Chopped coriander leaves to garnish

Pick and wash the Masoor dal. Pressure cook it for 3 whistles with 5 cups water and the chopped onions.
Make a paste of the garlic cloves, ginger, dry red chillies, cumin seeds and whole coriander seeds.
Heat oil in a pan. Add the sliced onion and cook till onion turns light golden brown. Add the ginger-garlic-chilli paste. Add the tomatoes and salt and cook till the tomatoes are mushy and cooked. Add this mix to the dal and on low flame cook for 10 minutes. garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with rice/ paratha. Enjoy !