Cholle Rajma Aur Lal Masoor / Chickpeas, Red Kidney Beans And Red Lentils Curry

                                                                                                                                                     

I was flipping through my recipe books the other day and came across this recipe which I had almost forgotten. I had discovered this unusual recipe by chance couple of years back. It had piqued my interest and I had tried it out on a whim, not really sure how it would turn out. To my complete surprise, the recipe was absolutely incredible. A sure shot winner, hands down!! I made it several times in quick succession, for entertaining as also for regular meals. I am so excited to share this recipe today with all of you out there who love to try out delicious new recipes.

This recipe varies from other chickpeas or red kidney beans curries. Not just because it combines chickpeas, red kidney beans and red lentils, but because it does away with onions, which is a vital part of most curries. The thickness of the curry comes not from onions but the lentils, thereby increasing the nutritive value of the dish and also making it a healthier option. For the many in India who do not eat onion and garlic this is an ideal recipe. Although I have added garlic, one can do without it too. One can serve this dish with rice, chapati (Indian flatbread) or just on it's own.  How you choose to enjoy it is your choice!

Ingredients: 

1/2 cup kabuli chana ( chickpeas)
1/2 cup rajma ( red kidney beans)
1/4 cup lal masoor dal (red lentils)
1 tea spoon ginger garlic paste (optional)
1 tomato, finely chopped
2 table spoon tomato puree
1 tea spoon tamarind paste
Salt to taste
1/2 tea spoon red chilly powder
1/2 tea spoon cumin powder
1/2 tea spoon dried ginger powder
2 table spoon oil
1 onion, chopped fine, for garnish
coriander and mint leaves, chopped fine, for garnish
Lemon slices, for garnish

Method:   Soak chickpeas and red kidney beans overnight in plenty of water.  Soak red lentils in water for 30 minutes.  Wash well and put to boil with 2-3 cups of fresh water...enough to cover the chickpeas and beans. If cooking in pressure cooker, lower flame after first whistle and let it cook on low flame for 5 minutes. If cooking in pan, let it cook till soft but not mushy. Keep aside. Chop tomatoes, onions, coriander and mint leaves. Cut slices of lemon.

In a heavy bottom pan heat oil and add tomato and ginger garlic paste. Stir for about a minute. Add tomato puree and the spice powders: red chilly powder, cumin powder, ginger powder and salt. Saute till tomato is completely mashed and mixture leaves oil. Invert the boiled chickpeas, red kidney beans and red lentils with the water they were boiled in. Also add the tamarind paste. Simmer for a few minutes on low flame till right consistency of curry is reached. Switch off flame. Serve hot garnished with finely chopped onion, mint and coriander leaves and lemon slices.

If you like you can add Chana Masala Powder or Garam Masala ( whole spices) Powder to make it spicier.

Sheer Khurma / Dates and Vermicelli Pudding

                                                                           

Sheer Khurma  or Sheer Korma, as it is sometimes called,  is a traditional Indian dessert made during the  Eid ul Fitr festivities.  The name itself has originated from the  Persian word Sheer meaning  milk and Khurma which means dates.

There are many, many variations to this popular dessert, with every family having it's own favourite version of it. The recipe I am sharing is extremely easy and can be made by anyone. Fine Vermicelli  is roasted in ghee and set aside. Meanwhile  milk is put to boil and  simmered for a while  till it is slightly reduced. The roasted vermicelli, cardamom powder, dates and sugar are then added and  cooked for a few minutes till vermicelli softens. Finally  dry fruits are added and our delicious dessert is ready.

Ingredients: 

5 cups milk
2 table spoon sugar
1 cup sewai ( vermicelli)
1/2 cup dates, chopped
2 table spoon ghee
1/2 tea spoon green cardamon powder
3 cloves
2 table spoon almonds, sliced
2 table spoon raisins
Few strands of saffron ( optional)

Method:  Wash and chop dates and soak in little warm milk. If using saffron, soak strands in little milk.  In a pan heat ghee and saute almonds and raisins. Remove. In the same pan add vermicelli  and stir till lightly roasted. Remove from pan and keep aside.

In the same greased pan add cloves and allow to crackle. Pour milk into the pan and let it come to boil. Lower heat and allow to simmer for ten to fifteen minutes till milk reduces a little.  Add the roasted vermicelli.  Also add sugar, cardamom powder, dates and saffron. Allow to cook for a few minutes on low flame till  vermicelli softens.Switch off flame and transfer to serving bowl. Garnish with the fried almonds and raisins. Can be served warm or chilled.

The addition of dates gives the dish a lovely golden colour and a nice flavour too. The amount of sugar is kept to a minimum in this recipe as dates add sweetness of their own. Do not thicken milk too much as vermicelli is very absorbent. It will absorb milk when added and will continue to thicken further even after flame has been switched off. Adjust consistency by adding more milk later, if needed.


                                                                    

Baingan Bharta / Indian Style Smoked Eggplant Mash

                                                                         

I have found, for reasons I have yet to understand, that baingan ( eggplant) evokes strong emotions in most people...either they love it or they detest it with a vengeance.  I guess we come in the former category for, in my family, baingan has always been a well loved vegetable. Even when they were small, I  never had any problem making my kids eat baingan. They loved all the different recipes of baingan but the most favourite by far was baingan bharta!

Baingan Bharta is at heart a rustic North Indian recipe that has now found wide acceptance. The best baingan bharta I have had was not in any classy restaurant but in my native village where the baingan was placed in a bed of wood stove embers and turned from time to time till it's skin was burnt and it was tender. The smoky flavour that infused the dish was beyond amazing. Epic baingan bharta!!

It is hard to replicate that in a normal kitchen! But, here is what I do.... roast the baingan  on the gas stove flame till it softens..... peel off the charred skin.... stir fry the mashed baingan pulp with very few, minimal ingredients, to retain the essence of the dish. Fairly easy, right? And it tastes pretty awesome too!!

Ingredients: 

250 gm or 1 large baingan ( eggplant, brinjal, aubergine)
1 cup onions, finely chopped
1 tea spoon garlic, finely chopped
1 tea spoon ginger, finely chopped
2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped
1 green chilly, finely chopped (optional)
1/2 tea spoon red chilly powder
Salt to taste
2 table spoon oil
1/4 cup coriander leaves, finely chopped

Method:  Finely chop onion,ginger, garlic, green chilly( if using),tomatoes and coriander leaves.

                                                                          

Smear a little oil on the eggplant and place directly on the gas flame.  Keep turning gently so that all sides get roasted. When the eggplant is evenly roasted and  has softened, remove from the flame and place in a dish. Cover and leave aside. The steam generated in the closed dish will soften the eggplant further.

                                                                         

Using a knife, cut off the eggplant stem and peel the skin of the roasted eggplant.  Mash the eggplant  to a smooth pulp.

                                                                             

Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan and add ginger and garlic. Stir. Add onions and green chilly. Saute till onions turn translucent. Do not brown the onions!  Add tomato, salt and red chilly powder. Continue to stir till mixture leaves oil. Add the mashed eggplant. Mix it in well and stir fry for a couple of minutes. Close flame and add plenty of chopped coriander leaves. The coriander leaves are not just a garnish here. They are an integral part of the dish.

The key to making good baingan bharta is choosing the right eggplant. Select an eggplant that is light, which indicates that it has few seeds. An excess of  seeds spoils the texture of the dish, which should be soft and creamy. Also, choose a fresh looking eggplant. An aged/ withered eggplant will not roast properly as all it's natural water content would have dried up. Make sure there are no scars on the eggplant and it is free of holes which points to worms in the eggplant.

Gatte Ki Sabzi / Gram Flour Dumplings Curry

                                                                            

I called my daughter on her way back from work last week and asked her to run me through this recipe. She was taken aback and, instead of sharing the recipe with me, she demanded," Have you forgotten how to make my favourite recipe Mom!!?!!" Her tone indicating that I was guilty of a major crime!!  She was a little mollified when I reassured her that I hadn't forgotten it but, as she made it far more regularly these days than I did, I wanted her to refresh my memory before I made it. As I was making it for company I really wanted it to come out well.

With my daughter's inputs and by jogging my own memory I did finally manage to make Gatte Ki Sabzi  and it turned out pretty good. Phew!! But, lest I forget again, am posting the recipe pronto, complete with step by step pictures.

Gatte Ki Sabzi, is a very popular recipe in Rajasthan, Haryana,Western UP and parts of MP. Gatte, refers to steamed gram flour dumplings, which are cooked in a spicy gravy, to make this mouth watering curry. An amazing dish, it can be served with rice or chapati ( Indian flat bread) and will complement any meal.

This recipe was a regular at my parents place and I loved it as a kid. Somehow I never learned how to make it then. You know how it is, you think you can learn it any time, and then don't get around to it.  With my mom passing away very early I missed that chance. So, it wasn't  till several years after my marriage, that I picked up this recipe from our neighbour in Ahmedabad, Sushma Bhabhi.  A wonderful person, who is not only a fabulous cook, but also an amazing hostess. She could rustle up an artful looking and delicious meal at short notice with seemingly little effort. I used to be totally in awe of her culinary skills. After sampling this dish at her place a couple of times I ventured to mention to Bhabhi that I would love to have this recipe. Next thing I knew, she very kindly came home, and showed me how to prepare it, in my own kitchen! So indebted to her for teaching me, as I have followed her recipe and made this dish many, many times.

Ingredients: 

For Gatte:
2 cup besan ( gram flour)
4 table spoon oil
salt to taste
Pinch of hing
1/4 tea spoon red chilly powder
Water as required, to knead

For Gravy
1 cup onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup onion, blended
2 tea spoon garlic paste
1 tea spoon ginger paste
1 large tomato, pureed
1/2 cup yoghurt
Salt to taste
4 table spoon oil
1/2 tea spoon turmeric powder
1/2 tea spoon red chilly powder
1 tea spoon coriander powder
1/2 tea spoon cumin powder
1 tea spoon kasoori methi 
1 tea spoon whole spice powder
Whole spices: 1/2 tea spoon cumin, 1 bay leaf, 1 inch cinnamon, 3-4 cloves, 1 black cardamom, 2 green cardamom
Coriander leaves to garnish, finely chopped

Method:  To make Gatte:  Sieve besan. Add salt, red chilly powder, oil and hing. 
Mix well so that the oil is nicely incorporated.

                                                                         

Gradually add water and knead to make a firm dough. The dough should be tight, yet slightly pliable, so that it  does not break when forming cylindrical shapes.

                                                                             

                                                                       
Pinch off lemon sized balls from dough and, using palms, form cylindrical shapes ( as shown in above picture). Make medium length cylindrical shapes, to avoid breakage while boiling.
                                                                           

Heat sufficient water in a heavy bottom, wide pan and, when water starts boiling, gently drop the cylindrical shapes into the pan. Let it simmer on medium heat for about ten minutes. The gatte will gradually change colour and become lighter. Do not over boil. To check if the gatte are of right softness, take a knife and chip off a small piece. If it is easy to cut through and is tender inside, switch off the flame. Drain water gently and transfer the cooked pieces to a plate. Reserve the water to use while making gravy.

                                                                         

Allow to cool and then cut into one inch pieces.  Keep aside.

                                                                             

To make the gravy:  Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan and add whole spices. Once they crackle add the chopped onion. When onions begin to turn golden add the onion paste, tomato puree, ginger and garlic paste. Also add the spice powders - turmeric powder, red chilly powder, coriander powder and cumin powder. Stir till water dries out. Then add yoghurt  and cook till oil separates from mixture. Add  the reserved water ( from boiling gatte). Once the gravy comes to boil, lower heat and  add the gatte, salt, kasoori methi and whole spice powder.

                                                                               

Simmer, covered with a lid, for few minutes. Close flame and and serve hot garnished with coriander leaves.

                                                                               

Sookhi Moong Dal

                                                                       

When I was younger I was more concerned with trying out new recipes that would be suitable for entertaining. While I still enjoy trying out fancy recipes I am now equally happy when I come across a recipe that I can include in my everyday cooking. This recipe is really, really easy but very different.  Unlike most lentils recipes this is not of soupy consistency and is almost dry. Further, there is no use of onion, garlic or tomatoes in this recipe. Yet it is not bland ...the lemon juice gives a slight tartness  to the dish and the tempering of ginger and cumin gives a nice flavour. 

In India dhuli moong dal ( split and dehusked green gram lentils) is known to be the lightest among the lentils family. It is traditionally the lentils of choice for invalids, aged or those with digestion issues.  Sometime back, when my mother in law was not keeping well, I used to cook this lentils every day for her.... I would combine it with rice to make khichri ( a simple dish in which rice and lentils are cooked together) or serve it like a soup. It was light and easily digestible and at the same time provided much needed nutrition.


Ingredients: 

1/2 cup dhuli moong dal ( split and dehusked green gram lentils)
1/2 inch ginger, finely chopped
1 green chilly ( optional), finely chopped
Salt to taste
1/4 tea spoon turmeric powder
1/2 tea spoon cumin
Pinch of hing ( asafoetida)
1/2 tea spoon red chilly powder
1 tea spoon lemon juice
1 table spoon ghee
Coriander leaves to garnish

Method:  Wash the lentils well and soak in water for thirty minutes. Boil  lentils in about 2 cups of water ( in a pressure cooker or a pan) with turmeric powder and salt till it is cooked but not mushy. Drain excess water, transfer to a serving dish and mix in the lemon juice.

In  a small pan heat ghee and add ginger, green chilly and cumin. Once the cumin starts changing colour add red chilly powder and hing. Pour immediately over the lentils. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve.

Shahi Tukda / Indian Style Bread Pudding

                                                                         
                                                                             

This is a traditional Indian dessert that used to be hugely popular when I was young. It used to often feature at  parties,  functions and even at weddings. Shahi Tukda literally translated  means a " royal piece"as Shahi  means royal in Hindi and Tukda  means piece or portion. And  indeed it lives up to it's name as it is a sublime regal treat. Thankfully though, preparing it  is fairly simple. Milk is simmered on a low flame till slightly thick and then sugar and cardamom powder is added and it is  poured over fried pieces of bread. Easy right?

I mastered this recipe along with a few others when I started taking an interest in cooking in my high school days. I remember the  elation I felt when occasionally I would be allowed to cook, not just for our family, but for guests.  The sense of accomplishment and the praise that was generously given  used to encourage me in my culinary adventures. This recipe never failed to score a big hit ...so very comforting and delicious....a perfect finale to a good meal.

Ingredients: 

2 1/2 cup milk
2  slices of bread
1/4 cup nuts and raisins
1/2 tea spoon elaichi powder ( green cardamom)
2 table spoon sugar
Oil to deep fry

Method: Cut each bread slice into four triangles. Heat oil in a pan and deep fry the bread slices. Fry till crisp and golden. Remove and keep aside on an absorbent paper.  Put the milk to boil in a heavy bottom pan. When it starts boiling lower the flame and let it simmer for ten to fifteen minutes. Once the milk thickens, switch off flame and allow to cool a little.  Add sugar and cardamom powder.

Take a serving dish and  place the fried bread pieces in it. Sprinkle part of the nuts and raisins. Cover with the thickened milk and spread the remaining nuts  and raisins on top. Chill in the refrigerator for a few hours and serve.

Vegetable Makhanwala

                                                                           

I have had so many different versions of this recipe, Vegetable Makhanwala, at various restaurants across India and abroad!! At home however, the recipe I have consistently stuck to is this one that I got from a Tarla Dalal cookbook way back. Vegetable Makhanwala  basically means vegetables cooked in butter as makhan in Hindi is butter.  It is a simple recipe in which boiled vegetables are gently simmered in a creamy tomato sauce. This is an excellent dish to serve at dinner parties  and ideal for those occasions when you are in the mood for a restaurant style dish in the comfort of your home.

I have reached a landmark of sorts with this recipe as this is my 200th post!! Honestly, when I started this blog I had thought I would post just a few basic, simple recipes that would be of use to my kids and others new to cooking. Gradually I began to enjoy the whole process and kept adding more recipes. I  didn't realise it initially but it has begun to dawn on my that slowly many of my dear recipes are coming together in one place....some of which were in tattered recipe books, cook books, scraps of paper and some in the deep recesses of my memory.  There were other recipes I used to make by instinct which, for the purpose of sharing, I have had to carefully observe, measure and note down. It has made my life simpler as I find myself  now referring to my blog, without depending on my errant memory or instinct. So, though I set out to help others and share what I knew I have gained a lot too.

Ingredients: 

1 cup cauliflower florets
1/2 cup french beans
1/2 cup carrots
1/4 cup green peas
2  potatoes
3 onions
1 tea cup fresh cream
2 table spoon flour
1 tea cup milk
4 table spoon tomato ketchup
2 table spoon butter
1/2 tea spoon red chilly powder
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying

Method:   Finely chop onions. Cut the cauliflower in florets. Chop the french beans into one inch pieces. Shell green peas. Scrape carrot and cut into rounds and then cut them in  half. Boil the cauliflower florets, french beans, carrot and green peas in salted water for a few minutes. Drain and keep aside. Do not over boil or let them get mushy.  Peel potatoes, cut in long strips ( like french fries) and deep fry.  Mix the ingredients for the sauce - flour, cream, milk and tomato ketchup.

Heat butter in a non stick pan, add the onions and stir till translucent. Add the vegetables, the prepared sauce, salt and red chilly powder. Cook on very low flame for about ten minutes. The sauce will gradually thicken, colour will darken and butter will separate and come on top (see pic below). Serve hot, garnished with a dash of butter.

                                                                         

Tomato And Peanut Chutney

                                                                                 

If you like the taste of peanuts then you will love this chutney! The combination of tomato and peanuts is truly sensational.  It is easy to make and needs very few ingredients. It is currently my favourite chutney.

I have to thank my friend and neighbour Purnima for this lovely recipe.  I had this amazing chutney at her place sometime back.  She had invited me, along with several other ladies, to a puja (prayer gathering) at her place. This chutney was served, as also a whole array of dishes, after the function concluded. At first I thought it was  the Tomato Onion Chutney that I am so fond of, ( I have shared the recipe of that earlier), but then I realised it was vastly different. That day of course I could not bother Purnima as she had other guests to attend but, the very next day I visited her and she gave me the recipe.
                                                                       

Ingredients:

3 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup peanuts, roasted
1 green chilly, chopped
Salt to taste
3 tea spoon oil
1/2 tea spoon mustard seeds
Pinch of hing (asafoetida)
Few curry leaves

Method:    Chop tomatoes and green chilly. Dry roast the peanuts and when slightly cool, pry off the skin.

In a pan heat 2 tea spoon oil and add the chopped tomatoes and green chilly. Stir till tomatoes are tender. Allow to cool. Meanwhile, grind the roasted peanuts to a powder, in a mixer. Add the cooled tomatoes and blend again till smooth. Transfer to a serving dish. Add salt and mix. Now prepare the tempering by heating a tea spoon of oil in a small pan. Add mustard seeds and when they start spluttering add curry leaves and asafoetida. Pour over the prepared Tomato And Peanut Chutney. I love to have it with Idli or Dosa but it goes well with just about everything.

Instead of green chilly you can use whole dry red chilly. Grind it with the peanuts and then add tomatoes. If you like it really hot then you can use both red and green chilly! If the tomatoes are not sour, add a tea spoon or two of tamarind paste.

Matthe Ke Aloo

                                                                         
                                                                         

This would be a very familiar recipe to most people from UP and other parts of North India. Although we still tend to call this dish Matthe Ke Aloo, it is mostly made with dahi ( yoghurt) these days rather than mattha. It is one of those quickie dishes that comes handy when there are no veggies in the house or one is not in the mood to make anything elaborate or time taking.

Mattha, is what one gets after churning butter. Fresh cream collected from milk is set with  a starter of yoghurt and then churned to make butter.  The sour residue left, after removing butter, is what is called mattha. Butter of course is heated to make ghee.

Till some years back, when our family was still fairly large, with children and parents living with us, our daily milk consumption used to be a lot. We had a milkman, coming on a bicycle from a nearby village, who used to supply milk to us. The fresh milk was boiled and when it cooled, the thick cream that set on top was collected and stored in a container in the refrigerator. When the container was full, it was gently heated and set with a little yoghurt and later churned to make butter. So every few days there was mattha on hand that was utilized in various recipes like kadhi, jeera lassi etc or this perennial favourite, matthe ke aloo.

Ingredients: 

3 medium size potatoes, boiled
1 cup mattha or dahi (yoghurt)
1 tea spoon garlic, finely chopped or crushed
1 green chilly, finely chopped ( optional)
1/2 tea spoon cumin
1/2 tea spoon mustard seeds
Pinch of  hing (asafoetida)
1/2 tea spoon red chilly powder
1/2 tea spoon turmeric powder
1 tea spoon coriander powder
1 table spoon gur (jaggery)
Salt to taste
2 table spoon oil
Coriander leaves to garnish

Method:    Boil and peel potatoes. Keep one potato aside. Using your palms, break up the remaining two potatoes or cut roughly. Finely chop or crush garlic.  Whip mattha  or dahi (yoghurt). Chop green chilly and coriander leaves.

Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan and add cumin, mustard seeds and asafoetida. As it begins to crackle add garlic and green chilly ( optional). Stir. Add the cut potatoes and stir fry for a couple of minutes. Add turmeric powder, red chilly powder and coriander powder. Add 1/4 cup water and when it comes to boil, grate the whole potato kept aside and add. Cook for a few minutes and then add mattha or dahi. Can also add gur at this point. Stir continuously till mixture starts boiling and then lower flame and allow to simmer for a little while. Add salt, mix it in and close flame. Serve hot garnished with coriander leaves.

I like this dish to be of soupy consistency, not thick. If you like it thicker add a tablespoon of besan ( gram flour) dissolved in little water. The grated potato too helps to thicken the gravy. Just let it cook for longer till you get the consistency you want. Alternately, add warm water, if desired, to dilute the gravy. The gur  doesn't sweeten the dish, it just balances the flavours nicely, toning down the sourness.

                                                                         

Chocolate Barfi

                                                                         

If you are looking for a great but super easy mithai (Indian sweet) recipe, then this is as good as it gets!!  All you need is good quality khoya and a few minutes of your precious time and you can make this delicious Chocolate Barfi at home. Seriously, it looks and tastes just like what you would get in a mithai shop. Maybe even better:)

In an earlier post, while sharing the recipe for Kesar Peda, I had mentioned my excitement and joy at the discovery of  khoya here in Dar es Salaam. That led to my trying out various recipes that use Khoya as a vital ingredient. This is one of them which I have now made several times with success.

Home made sweets are integral to festivals in India and with  Holi,( festival of colours) just a few weeks away, it would be a good time to make this lovely sweet and impress your family and friends.

Ingredients:

2 cups khoya  ( dried milk), crumbled
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar, powdered
2 table spoon cocoa powder
2 table spoon almond slivers
1/2 tea spoon cardamom powder

Method:  In case the khoya is frozen, let it come to room temperature and then crumble it.  Powder sugar. Finely slice almonds.

                                                                         

In a heavy bottom pan  heat the crumbled khoya on low flame.

                                                                   

When the  khoya softens add milk and sugar.


                                                                       

Continue to stir until the mixture thickens and leaves sides. Add cardamom powder.

                                                                       

Pour half the mixture in a dish lined with baking paper.

                                                                           

Add cocoa powder to the remaining part and mix it in.

                                                                               

 Gently spread the cocoa mixture over the white mixture.

                                                                         

Sprinkle  almond slivers on top and allow to set.This will take a few hours at room temperature or you could refrigerate for a little while. When firm, cut into squares and store  the Chocolate Barfi in an airtight container. In winter you can keep the container in a kitchen cabinet, away from heat,  but in summer it is advisable to store in the refrigerator.