Dhingri Dolma

Hi,

When I first read this name Dhingri at a restaurant, I was confused as to whether this means Mushroom or Kunduri(Ivy Gourd). I did confirm before ordering this dish that its actually Mushroom. Then while searching this unusual name, I got an interesting Awadhi recipe, that used both Paneer and Mushroom. Awadhi cuisine developed during the reign of Mughul ruler's in Lucknow.

Now, this dish Dhingri Dolma, is basically Mushroom prepared in Paneer based gravy. Now, lets get to the recipe.

Ingredients:- 
200 gms of button mushrooms
175 gms paneer (cottage cheese)
½ tsp shahjeera (black cumin seeds/caraway seeds)
1 onion
1 tomato
½ inch ginger (adrak)
1 or 2 tsp ginger garlic paste (adrak lahsun ka paste)
½ tsp white pepper powder ( as an alternative you can use black pepper powder as I have done)
¼ tsp red chili powder (lal mirch powder)
¼ tsp garam masala powder
¼ cup coriander leaves/cilantro leaves
2 tbsp ghee or oil
salt

Method:-
Wash the mushrooms and slice them.
Dice the onions, dice the tomatoes. You can even see garlic in the pic. Thats for making the ginger garlic paste.
Grate the paneer coarsely.
Crush both ginger and garlic freshly in a mortar pestle to make the paste.
Chop the coriander and julienne the ginger.
Heat ghee or oil in a kadhai. Add the black cumin and fry till till it crackles.
Add onions.
Saute the onions until light brown.
Add the ginger garlic paste and saute till the raw smell of the paste disappears.
Add mushrooms and stir. Saute for 2 minutes.
Add the red chili powder, pepper powder and salt. Saute for 2-3 minutes more till the mushrooms are cooked.
Now add the paneer. Mix the paneer with the rest of the mixture and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring in between.
Add the tomatoes and saute for 4-5 minutes more. You just want to cook the tomatoes and not make it mushy.
Towards the end sprinkle garam masala and stir.
Add some chopped coriander leaves and julienned ginger keep the remaining to be used for garnish later.Adjust the seasoning. Remove in a bowl or a dish and garnish with the remaining ginger and coriander.
Serve Dhingri Dolma hot or warm with phulkas. This Dhingri Dolma recipe even goes well with breads.

Makkai Di Roti

Makkai Di Roti is a authentic Punjabi dish. It is quiet famous as a combination of Makkai di Roti and Sarso da saag. Well, getting Sarso Saag(mustard green leafs) in Hyderabad is bit difficult. But, yes getting Makkai ka aatta is bit easy. The first time, I had the wonderful combination of Punjabi cuisine is a popular Punjabi Restaurant in Bangalore. This weekend I tried making Makkai di Roti. Having different varieties of roti's & paratha's is something that my husband appreciates and I love experimenting for him. I had served this with corn and panneer gravy. Do give it a try.

Ingredients:-
•Cornmeal (makki ka atta) 1 1/2 cups
•Whole wheat flour (atta) optional 1/4 cup
•Salt to taste
•Unsalted butter as required

Method:- 
Add salt and whole-wheat flour to the cornmeal and mix well. Add warm water and knead to make a medium soft dough. Divide into eight equal portions and shape into balls. Pat each ball between dampened palms to make a roti of medium thickness. Alternatively, roll out each ball between the folds of a greased plastic sheet. Heat a tawa and place a roti on it. Cook on moderate heat till one side is half-done. Turn over and spread some white butter over the surface. Turn over and spread some more butter on the other side. Cook till both sides are golden brown. Serve hot with a dollop of white butter.

Achaari Bhindi

Hi Readers,

Here is another dish made from Bhindi. This is a good one, is easy to make and has a distinct flavor of Achaar. Therefore, it is called Achaari Bhindi. Some people, do add in tamarind or achaar to get this flavor, but here I have added Kalanji, Fennel and Amchur powder that gives a Achaar like taste. It has more tomato content to give that tingling sour taste.

Ingredients:- 
500 gm lady fingers (bhindi)
1 tsp ginger paste, ½ tsp red chilli powder
1 Onion finely chopped
3 to 4 flakes of garlic finely chopped
1/2 inch ginger finely chopped
1 tsp dhania powder
½ tsp amchoor, ½ tsp garam masala
¾ tsp salt, or to taste
2 tomatoes - chopped finely
1 tsp lemon juice
ACHAARI SPICES
a pinch of asafoetida (hing)
1 tsp fennel (saunf)
½ tsp mustard seeds (rai)
½ tsp onion seeds (kalonji), 2 tbsp oil

Method :- 
Wash bhindi and wipe dry. Now cut the bhindi lengthwise from the middle making 2 thin pieces.
Grease the non stick tawa. Place the bhindi pieces on it. Sprinkle 1 tbsp oil and mix well. Fry the bhindi till it is almost done, keeping the color intact. Remove and keep aside.In another pan put 2 tbsp oil,  and all the achaari spices, followed by onion,garlic and ginger cook till raw smell is removed. Add tomatoes and other dry powders and cook till it starts to separate oil. Add the bhindi, to achari spices .Mix well. Cook till bhindi is done, serve hot with roti or chapati.

Phool Makhane ki sabzi

Hi Readers,

This is a common traditional curry prepared with Phool Makhane(puffed lotus seeds). Usually, Makhane is used to prepare Makane ki kheer during fasting. This is a easy to make curry that turns out be tasty and different. I had tried to make this for the first time, when My Dad was here. He got a packet of Makhane, thinking it is similar to pop-corn. That day for dinner I made this curry along with Chapati. It turned out to be a tasty and different dish. My Dad liked it. So, here goes the recipe for your use.

Ingredients :- 

Makhana  1 1/2 cups 

Matar or Green Peas 1 cup

Tomatoes  2 or 3 Chopped 

Onions 2 medium size chopped

Dhania Powder 1/2 tbsp

Ginger-Garlic Paste         1/2 tbsp

Red Chili Powder

Green chilies 3 or 4

Garam Masala 1/2 tea spoon

Cashew Nuts  10 t0 12 pieces

Resins     10 to 12 pieces

Cumin seeds  1 tbsp

Dhania leaves

Vegetable oil

Salt

Method :- 

Put two spoons of vegetable oil in a kadai and heat on medium fire.

When the oil becomes hot, add makhana and saute till the makhanas become a little brittle.

Remove from fire and allow it to cool. Add cumin seeds to remaining oil. When it starts to splutter, add chopped onions and fry till it turns pink. Add ginger-garlic paste and cook for 5 mins till the raw smell is removed. Add chopped tomatoes and cook for another 2 to 3 mins. Add green peas, cover and cook till peas are half cooked. Add coriander powder, red chili powder and little water.

Add makhanas, split cashew nuts, resins, green chilies slit length-wise,  stir and  cook till all the ingredients get properly mixed. 

Add water and cook till done.

Add garam masala powder and remove from fire.

Pour in a serving bowl. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves. When finished the curry should be thick.

Gatte ki kadhi

Hi Readers,

I am back again with more recipes from my kitchen. My dad was here, and I just gave all my time to him. I was literally away from all sorts of social sites, just checked and did my office work. Now, that he returned back, .I am back to my normal schedule. Well, in the meanwhile I had been trying new recipes, I have taken pictures but yes sis not get time to blog.

Today, I will start with a Rajasthani dish, Gatte ki Kadhi. Kadhi is made in same way as I had described in Dahi Kadhi Pakora. Kadhi is a thick gravy made by blending gram flour with curd and simmering it gently. Here, I have added Besan Gatte one of the Rajasthani food, that is made of gram flour dough.

Ingredients :- 

Gatte :- 

1 1/2 cup gram flour(besan) 

1 tbsp curd

a pinch of baking soda

3/4 tbsp carom seeds(ajwain)

3/4 tbsp coriander seeds( dhania)

1 tbsp anardana

2 tbsp oil

1 green chilli chopped

1 tbsp green coriander finely chopped

1 tbsp salt to taste

Kadhi :- 

2 cups curd

2 tbsp gram flour(besan)

1 tbsp cumin seeds

1 tbsp mustard seeds

1/2 tbsp fennel

a pich asafoetida

5 to 6 Curry leaves

1 tbsp turmeric powder

2 tbsp red chili powder

1 tbsp coriander powder

salt to taste

2 tbsp oil

Method :- 

Mix all ingredients for gatte together and knead a hard dough using about 4 to 5 tbsp water. Shape the dough into long cylinders. Boil water in a thick bottpmed vessel. When water starts to boil, add gatte cylinders and boil till they turn yellowish white. Remove and keep them aside. Cut them into 1 inch long pieces. For Kadhi mix the curd and besan. Add turmeric and salt. Simmer this and keep stirring so that curd does not separate water. When this liquid thickens and starts boiling add the Gatte pieces. Now, in a tampering vessel, take 2 tbsp oil and heat it. When its sufficiently hot, add cumin seeds, mustard seeds, fennel and wait till it starts to splutter. Add asafoetida, curry leaves , red chili and remove from heat. Add this tampering mixture to Kadhi and serve with rice or roti.  

Palak Paneer

Hi Readers,

This is a traditional north Indian cottage cheese gravy. The main ingredients as per the name are cottage cheese and spinach. Cottage cheese is cooked in a spinach based gravy. Since, Spinach and cottage cheese both are very nutritious, this dish is one of the healthiest gravy. It uses much less spices unlike other Indian gravies. In most of the north Indian states spinach is not cooked with Onion, but garlic is a most. However, in Odisha we do cook spinach and other green leafy vegetables with Onion. In this recipe also I have used Onion. Yes, this is optional and you can skip adding it.

Lets now have a look at the recipe.

Ingredients :- 

Spinach 2 large bunches

Paneer (cottage cheese) 200 grams

Green chillies 2-3

Garlic 8-10 cloves chopped

Onion 1 medium chopped (optional)

Oil 3 tablespoons

Cumin seeds 1/2 teaspoon

Salt to taste

Fresh cream 4 tablespoons

Method:-

Remove stems, wash spinach thoroughly in running water. Blanch in boiling water for two minutes. Refresh in chilled water.Squeeze out excess water. Remove stems, wash and roughly chop green chillies. Grind spinach into a fine paste along with green chillies. Dice paneer into one inch cubes.  Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds. When they begin to change colour, add chopped onion and garlic and saute for half a minute. Add the spinach puree and stir. Check seasoning & add salt. Add water if required. When the gravy comes to a boil, add the paneer and mix well.  Finally add fresh cream. Serve hot.

Turai Punjabi masala (Ridge gourd Punjabi curry)

Hi Readers,

This is a recipe inspired by Punjabi style cooking. Punjabi cusine uses lots of Ghee, here I have not used any ghee and have replaced that with refine sunflower oil. Though it might sound like a heavy curry with lots of time required to cook, it does not take that amount of time. You can also use pressure cooker to cook and reduce the time required in cooking.

So, here is the recipe for your use.

Ingredients :- 

 2 Ridge gourds(Turai or Janhi) peeled and chopped into thick slices.

1 potato cut into cubes

2 tomatoes chopped 

1 medium size onion chopped

1 tbsp garlic

1 tbsp ginger

1 green chili chopped

2 tbsp oil

1/2 tbsp cumin seeds

1/2 tbsp mustard seeds

1/4 tbsp turmeric powder

1/2 tbsp coriander powder

1/2 tbsp amchur powder

1/2 tbsp garam masala

salt to taste

1/2 tbsp red chili powder

1/2 cup water

1 1/2 tbsp oil

Method :-

 Heat Tawa and add oil, when oil is hot, add cumin and mustard seeds. Once the seeds starts to splutter, add green chili, ginger paste, garlic paste and onion. Fry till onion turns pink. Add tomatoes, and all powdered masala. Fry till tomato is cooked. Add potatoes and little water, cover and cook till potato is half done. Add the Turai or ridge gourd, cover and cook for another 2 mins. Serve hot garnished with coriander leaves. 

Note:- You can use pressure cooker to cook this, all you have to do is, add potatoes and turai mix well, add water if required and cook in medium flame till 1 whistle. 

I have removed the outer peel of Turai or Janhi completely, you might like to keep the peel intact. I have cut it into thick roundels, you can otherwise cut it into thick pieces cut into half of round. 

Yam and Pumpkin Curry

Hi Friends,

This dish comes from Chattishgarh. I learned about it from my friend Deepa who hails from Chattishgarh. Madhya Pradesh is famous for Yam(Desi alu) and Arvi(Saru). Combining Yam and Pumpkin and making it into a complete dish is something that she taught me. Well, after my marriage when I prepared this dish, my husband was happy. Now a days, he demands to have this dish prepared.

Lets now have a look at the recipe.

Ingredients :- 

150 gms Yam

150 gms Pumpkin

2 tbsp Cumin seeds

2 Onions chopped

4 to 5 flakes garlic

1 inch ginger chopped

4 tbsp oil

1/2 tbsp turmeric powder

2 green chili

1 tbsp coriander powder

1 tbsp garam masala

2 tomatoes

salt to taste

Method :-

 Wash, peel and cut the Yam into medium size pieces. Cut Pumpkin into same size. Heat a pan, add about 1 tbsp oil and fry the Yam till it turns golden brown. Remove and keep aside, fry the pumpkins till brown spots appear on it sides.  Remove and keep aside. In same pan add 1 tbsp cumin seeds, when it starts to splutter add green chili, onion, garlic and ginger. Fry till onion turns pink. Remove and using a blender, blend the mixture along with tomatoes to make a thick paste. Now, heat the pan again. Add little oil. Add cumin seeds and let it splutter. Add the paste, turmeric powder, coriander powder , garam masala and salt . Add little water if it turns to be thick. When the gravy starts to boil add the Yam and pumpkin. Cook for 3 to 4 mins. You can make the gravy as you like, if you want more gravy add water. I have reduced the gravy and have made to just coat each Yam and Pumpkin pieces. 

Serve hot garnished with coriander leaves. This goes well with rice and chapati.

Black Chana Aloo masala( Black Chickpea potato gravy)

Hi Readers,

This is quiet a common dish that is prepared in India. It has many variations, this can be prepared without onion garlic , can be dry or with gravy. Adding potato is also optional. Generally, we the people of Odisha like curry with Potato, but in South potato is not liked. So, the choice is all yours. I like it with hot Poori's or paratha. Here, is a recipe for you.

 Ingredients

1 cup Black chickpeas - (kala chana)

salt

1  Medium-sized onion - peeled and chopped

1  Fresh ginger about 1 inch - peeled and chopped

3  tablespoons Vegetable oil

A generous pinch ground asafetida or tiny lump asafetida

1/4 teaspoon Whole cumin seeds

4 Medium-sized potatoes - peeled and quartered

1 teaspoon Ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon Ground turmeric

1 teaspoon Garam masala

1/4 teaspoon Cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon chaat masala

Method

Sort and clean the chickpeas and wash them under cold water. Drain. Soak for 8 hours in a bowl . Place chopped onion, garlic, and ginger in the container of a blender with 3 tablespoons of water. Blend at high speed until you have a smooth paste. In a 4-quart pot, heat the oil over a medium-high flame.

When hot, put in the asafoetida and cumin seeds. After a few seconds, when the asafoetida expands and the cumin darkens, put in the paste from the blender, keeping face averted. Fry, stirring, for about 5 minutes. Now drain the chickpeas and add them to the pot. Also put in the potatoes, coriander, turmeric, garam masala, salt,chat masala, the cayenne pepper, and 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Cover, and allow to simmer gently.Serve hot garnished with coriander leaf. To serve: This dish tastes very good with hot pooris or parathas. Some kind of relish-perhaps cucumber and tomato with lemon juice-should be served with it. For a complete meal add a green vegetable dish.

Aloo Tikki

Hi Readers,

Today, is the first day of Navaratri and I wish all my blog readers, a very happy Navaratri. This is the first day/night of saradiyo durga Puja. May Maa Durga bless everyone with happiness and prosperity. People in many parts of India observe fast during these nine days and break there fast after the evening prayer to Maa Durga. The food prepared for the people is generally with very few spices and oil. It is light for the stomach and is rich in minerals and vitamins. Eating lots of fruits and water is recommended. I have a common Indian snack that is prepared widely during these festive season. Its Aloo Tikki, normally Aloo ki tikki can have onions, garlic and ginger etc added to it, but during Navaratri, onion & garlic is not used. So, here is a simple recipe of it, that you can prepare and enjoy.

Ingredients :-

 1 large potato - boiled

 1 green chili

2 tbsp coriander leaves chopped

Sendha namak/salt as per taste

Method :- 

Smash boil potatoes, add coriander leaves, salt, chili and form small small balls. Heat a non-stick tava/griddle. Place these potato roundels and let is cook in medium flame. Add little oil and turn it. Keep turning and cooking tillboth sides turn brown. Serve hot with coriander chutney.

Paneer Jalfrezi

Hi Readers,

I tried Paneer Jalfrezi for Lunch yesterday. It is quite easy dish compared to other Paneer dishes. It is basically a stir fry of vegetables with Paneer and the main distinguishing factor is the manner in which vegetables are cut. All of them are chopped into finger like strips. Lets now have a look at the recipe.

Ingredients :- 

2 tablespoons sunflower oil

1 teaspoon cumin seed

1 large onion, halved and finely sliced

1/2 tablespoon ginger paste

1/2 tablespoon garlic paste

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon coriander powder

salt

1 small green pepper, quartered, de-seeded and sliced (150g)

2 ripe Tomatoes, quartered and sliced

150 g paneer, cubed

3 tablespoons fresh coriander, chopped (=cilantro)

Method:-

Heat oil in a skillet and fry cumin seeds for one minute.

Add onion and fry on low heat until soft. Add more oil if necessary.

Add ginger and garlic paste and fry for a few seconds until well blended.

Sprinkle in the spice powders and some salt and cook on low heat until the oil begins to separate in about 3 minutes. Stir frequently to prevent scorching.

Add the sliced pepper pieces, stir and simmer gently until they are nearly done but still hold their shape, for about 8 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and paneer and cook for about 2 minutes until soft but not mushy; the tomatoes will begin to soften at once because of the salt that has already been added.

Check the seasoning (you may need to add a little bit more salt, take off the heat and serve hot, sprinkled with fresh coriander. 

This is a part of main course that served with rice preparations or with roti, chapati or paratha. 

Besan ka Cheela

Besan ka cheela or gram flour based salty pancakes are sure to satisfy your rumbling appetite and demanding taste buds. A simple pancake recipe with besan combined with onions, tomato and chillies and then spread on a pan with little oil. I have used cucumber in this recipe just to make it a little different.

Ingredients

2 cups besan (bengal gram flour)

1/2 cup chopped onions

1 tsp chopped green chillies

1/2 cup chopped coriander (dhania)

1 tsp carom seeds (ajwain)

1/2 cup grated cucumber

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper powder

1/2 tsp chilli powder

1 tsp chaat masala

1 tsp coriander (dhania) powder

salt to taste

oil for cooking

Method

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and gradually add (approx 1 1/2 cup) water to get smooth and dropping consistency batter.

Heat a non-stick tava on a high flame then turn the flame to medium.

Add little oil and spread it evenly, pour a spoonfull of batter and rotate the pan clock wise to spread the batter evenly in the pan.

Cover it with the lid and allow to cook for 4 to 5 minutes on a medium flame or till it turns to brown in colour and crisp.

Open the lid, drizzle some oil and turn it upside down and cook the other side till it turns to brown in colour and crispy.

Repeat the same process with the remaining batter.

Serve hot with green chutney or tomato sauce.

Bharwa Lauki /Stuffed Bottle gourd

Hi Readers,

This is another Rajasthani dish, that I tried this weekend. This is a nice dish for all those who do not like Lauki(bottle gourd) much. Well, this is a nice dish made of Lauki but I like Lauki ke kofte over this dish. Next time, I get Lauki at home, I will prepare Kofte and share with you the recipe that I learnt from my mom. Now, talking about this stuffed lauki gravy, it is no doubt a better curry over the normal lauki curry, it has nice flavours, but I felt the stuffing over powering Lauki. Though, my husband liked it very much. now, let me share the recipe.

For The Lauki

peeled ash gourd

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp oil

Stuffing 

1/2 cup grated low fat paneer (cottage cheese)

1/4 cup finely chopped onions

1 tsp ginger green-chilli paste

2 tbsp chopped coriander (dhania)

1/2 tsp dried mango powder (amchur)

1/2 tsp coriander (dhania) powder

1/2 tsp chilli powder

1 tbsp finely chopped mixed dry fruits

1 tsp cornflour

salt to taste

Mix the ingredients and keep aside.

For The Gravy

2 tsp oil

1 small stick cinnamon (dalchini)

3 cloves (laung / lavang)

3 Tomatoes puried

1/2 tbsp ginger and chili paste

1 tbsp garam Masala

turmeric powder

salt as per taste

1/2 tbsp red chili powder

sugar (optional)

I have added the scooped out lauki in gravy.(optional)

Method :- 

For the lauki

Combine the white pumpkin, salt and 1 cup of water in a pressure cooker and pressure cook for 1 whistle.

Allow the steam to escape before opening the lid.

Cut the white pumpkin horizontally into 2 equal portions.

Scoop out the inside pulp, discard it and keep the white pumpkin shell aside.

Stuff both the scooped out white pumpkin shells with the prepared filling and keep aside.

Heat the oil in a non-stick pan and shallow-fry both the stuffed pumpkins till brown spots appear on both the sides. Remove and keep aside.

For the gravy

Heat the oil in a non-stick kadhai, add the cinnamon and cloves and sauté on a medium flame for 30 seconds.

Add the tomato purée, ginger-green chilli paste, coriander powder, chilli powder, garam masala, sugar and salt and cook stirring continuously till the mixture leaves oil from the sides.

Add 1/4 cup of water and bring to boil. Keep aside.

To serve

Cut the stuffed white pumpkins into 25 mm. (1") thick slices and place them on a serving dish.

Pour the hot gravy over the stuffed white pumpkin slices.

Serve hot garnished with coriander.

Baigan Bharta

Char-grilled brinjals cooked with a simple combination of spices and herbs. Every region in India has their own version of baingan bharta. In Odisha the char-grilled brinjal is just mashed with raw onion,garlic , green chili,salt and mustard oil.Sometimes, potato and urad dal badi is mixed with it.There are many versions and ways to make the same dish and every version has its unique taste and smell. This is one that's special to the north. Select large brinjals with a shiny smooth surface as these are more likely to be without many seeds. You can also microwave these brinjals instead of cooking them over the flame at step1.

Ingredients

1 large (750 grams) brinjal (baingan / eggplant)

1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)

1/2 cup onions

1 1/2 tsp grated ginger (adrak)

1 tsp grated garlic (lehsun)

1 tsp green chillies , finely chopped

1/2 cup finely chopped tomatoes

1/2 tsp turmeric powder (haldi)

1 tbsp coriander-cumin seeds (dhania-jeera) powder

1/2 tsp garam masala

1 tbsp oil

salt to taste

For The Garnish

2 tbsp chopped coriander (dhania)

Method

Grease the brinjal with a little oil, make slits all over the surface and cook over an open flame till it is soft.

Cool and peel the skin. Mash the pulp thoroughly and keep aside.

Heat oil and add the cumin seeds. When they crackle add the onions and sauté for a few minutes.

Add the ginger, garlic and green chillies and fry again for a few seconds.

Add the tomato, turmeric powder, coriander-cumin seed powder and cook till the oil separates from the masala.

Add the mashed brinjal, garam masala and salt and mix well.

Serve hot garnished with the coriander.

Laukiwali Chana ki dal

This is the recipe that I learnt from my friend Preeti. I had never tasted this before. In Odisha I just had tasted Chana dal with potato, and frankly speaking I am not quiet fond of it. Yes, Lauki in Chana dal tastes better and considering health this is definitely better, especially for diabetic. As such Lauki has many medicinal properties. It is a good source of carbohydrates, Vitamin A, C and minerals. Lauki helps in maintaining blood pressure and cholestrol; helps controlling diabetes, reduces fats; also useful in weight loss. It is a rich source of vitamins, minerals, and fiber. It enhances growth of WBC and increases immunity. 

Moreover, Lauki(Lau in Odia)has only a handful of good dishes to name. I like the way my Mom prepares Lauki Kofta curry and Lauki aloo rai. My husband also likes the Kofta curry. Next time, I will prepare the Kofta curry and post you the recipe. I am also yet to experiment on Rajasthani style Bharwa Lauki. So, many dishes for me to prepare and blog. Here, goes the recipe for you.

Ingredients

•Bottle gourd (lauki/doodhi),cut into small pieces

•Split Bengal gram (chana dal) 1/2 cup

•Salt to taste

•Turmeric powder 1/2 teaspoon

•Oil 1 tablespoon

•Cumin seeds 1/2 teaspoon

•Green chillies,chopped 2

•Asafoetida 1 pinch

•Red chilli powder 1/2 teaspoon

•Coriander powder 2 teaspoons

•Tomatoes,chopped 2 medium

•Garam masala powder 1/2 teaspoon

•Sugar 1/4 teaspoon(optional)

•Lemon juice 2 teaspoons

•Fresh coriander leaves,chopped 2 tablespoons

Method :-

Soak chana dal in one and half cups of water for an hour. Drain. Boil chana dal and lauki with salt, turmeric powder and one cup of water till done. Mash slightly with back of round spoon and mix well. Keep aside. Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds, green chillies and asafoetida and cook for a minute. Add red chilli powder, coriander power and cook till fragrant. Add tomatoes and cook till they soften. Add cooked chana dal and lauki and stir. Add garam masala powder, sugar and adjust salt. Simmer for two minutes. Add lemon juice and stir. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot. 

makhane ki Kheer

Hi Readers,

This time on the eve of Ganesha Chaturthi, I made this dessert. It was a fasting day for us as this time, Ganesha Chaturthy was on Monday. Thankfully, I had a holiday, but I could not make use of it like previous years, my Grandmom-in-law expired one month back and it is a mourning year for us. No big celebration, only Puja. One interesting incident happened yesterday. Since, we never used to get Ganesha Chaturthy holidays, I did not check my holiday calender. In fact on this 3 days long weekend I was quite occupied with official work. Still, I managed to make wonderful new experiments with various dishes. Yesterday morning my husband went to office and then he realized it was a holiday.

When he returned home, I thought let me check my calender and then make a move. Hurrey, it was a holiday for me too. Past two days was very hectic so I didn't wanted to go to office. I was so very happy. At that point, I just wanted to make something wonderful. We both went shopping for groceries so that I can make this new experiment. Well, this turned to be a tasty dish. Makhane(puffed lotus seeds) do not have any flavor of its own. However, this absorbs the taste of Ghee, milk, khoya to give a nice texture and taste.

Ingredients

•Puffed lotus seeds (makhanas) 1 cup

•Milk 1/2 litre

•Pure ghee 2 tablespoons

•Khoya/mawa 3 tablespoons

•Green cardamom powder 1/4 teaspoon

•Almonds,chopped 1 tablespoon

•Pistachios,chopped 1 tablespoon

•Kismis 1 tablespoon.

Method

Heat ghee in a non-stick pan. Pour the milk into a deep non-stick pan and let it come to a boil. Add the makhane to the first pan and sauté lightly.

 Take it off the heat. Add khoya and powdered sugar to the milk and let it boil on low heat.  Crush the makane , (I crushed half and left others as it is).Add the makhane and mix lightly. Add green cardamom powder, almonds and pistachios, kismis. Mix well and take it off the heat. Let it cool to room temperature and then keep in the refrigerator to chill. Serve chilled.

This is one of the dessert that is prepared during Navaratra's as this does not use any cereal or pulses in it. One good dessert for fasting.

Kumbh Matar Miloni

This recipe I got from Nita Mehta's  Great Indian cooking. I like the way she comes up with different spices to give different aroma. In this particular recipe the spices, fennel with cloves and cardamom is used. It gives a very pleasant and different aroma thus making the gravy different from other masala gravies. It does not have Cumin seeds that almost goes with every north Indian gravy. Me and my husband loved the aroma and gravy.

Ingredients:

• Mushroom -200 gms
• Green Peas – 1 cup
• Ginger – garlic paste – 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
• Kasoori methi powder – 1 tbsp
• Garam masala powder – 1/2 tsp
• Kashmiri red chilly powder – 1/2 tsp
• Onion -2
• Tomato – 3
• Curd – 1/2 cup
• Cashewnuts – 2 tbsp
• Cloves -2
• Cardamom -2
• Fennel seeds – 1 tsp
• Salt – as per taste
• Oil – 3 tbsp
• Coriander leaves

Paste 1 :- Onion, fennel, cloves and cardamom grind it to paste.

Paste 2 :- Tomato, curd, cashew grind to paste.

Preparation:

• Boil green peas and keep aside.
• wash and clean mushrooms.trim stalks of mushrooms and cut each into 4 pieces.
• Make a smooth paste of onions,cloves,cardamom,and fennel seeds.
• Blanch tomatoes , peel off the skin and cut into 4 pieces.Grind it into a fine paste with curd and cashewnuts.
• In a kadai,heat 2 tbsp of oil.Saute mushrooms for 5 mins.keep them spaced out while sauteing.
• Add ginger – garlic paste and cook for a minute and remove from fire.
• In the remaining oil, add onion paste,turmeric powder and cook till light brown in color.
• Then add the tomato paste and stir well till oil separates.Add kasoori methi powder,red chilly powder,garam masala,salt,boiled peas,fried mushrooms and mix well.
• Add water and cook till mushrooms are well cooked.
• Remove from fire. Serve hot with steamed rice or chapati.