Dal Makhani

Ingredients

½ cup udad dal with skin (Black gram)

2 tbsps chana dal

2 tbsps rajma
1 piece of cinnamon
3 cardamoms

¼ cup milk cream (malai)

1 tbsp ghee

5 flakes of garlic sliced

¼ tsp red chilli powder

½ tsp garam masala powder

1/ tbsp butter

Salt to taste

Instruction

• ·         Soak the dals and rajma overnight.  Pressure cook it with 2 ½ cups water, salt, cinnamon and cardamom  for 18 minutes. Let it cool and then open.
• ·         Keep the pressure cooker on low fire, add the milk cream, red chilli powder and garam masala powder.
• ·         Heat ghee in a pan, add the sliced garlic and let it brown. Add this to the dal and remove from fire. Put the butter on top before serving.
• ·         This can be served with parathas or jeera rice.

Dry coconut (copra), peanut chutney

Ingredients

2 cups grated dry coconut

¼ cup roasted peanuts

6 flakes of peeled garlic

½ tsp red chilli powder

Salt to taste

Instruction

•      Grind the roasted peanuts.
•      Add all other ingredients and grind
•       Store in an air tight bottle. It will stay for about three weeks.

•   It is a great accompaniment for rice and curds.

Carrots, green peas sabzi

Chefs and health experts often say you should eat "seasonally," or include foods in your diet that are grown at the same time of the year you eat them. This supports your body’s natural nutritional needs. Fruits and vegetables that are stored for long periods of time due to transportation or to be used at a later date have a reduction in phyto-nutrient content. Carrots and green peas are available during winter and they make a delicious sabzi, which is easy to prepare.

Ingredients:

3 carrots, peeled and cut into small pieces

1 cup shelled peas

1 large tomato grated

1 tbsp oil

½ tsp jeera (cumin seeds)

½ tsp turmeric powder

⅓ tsp red chili powder

1½ tsp coriander powder

½ tsp garam masala powder

Salt to taste

½ cup water

1 tbsp cut coriander leaves OR ½ tsp kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)

Instruction:

• ·         Heat oil in a pan, add cumin seeds. When they splutter, add the grated tomato. Stir and cook it for a while.
• ·         Add the shelled peas, keep the flame high and stir for half a minute.
• ·         Add the carrot pieces and stir for another half minute.
• ·         Add the salt, water, cover and cook for 10 minutes on low flame. Open and check in between, add some water if needed.
• ·         Now add all masala powders and kasuri methi (if you are adding cut coriander leaves, do it after removing from the fire). Mix well for a few seconds and remove from fire.
• ·         This can be served along with steamed rice or chapatis.

Capsicum potato sabzi

Here is a simple, easy to make sabzi that tastes good with rice or chapatti. Capsicum, or bell peppers are colourful and attractive vegetables that are enjoyed all over the world in a variety of cuisines. They are loaded with nutrients like vitamins A, C and K, carotenoids and dietary fiber which makes them immensely beneficial for the overall good health.

Bell peppers help in clearing out the congested mucus membranes in the nose and lungs and eliminate toxins through sweating. It has anti-inflammatory, analgesic properties and may also provide relief in pain related to arthritis. It also provides relief from fibromyalgia, skin aging and psoriasis.

Ingredients:

4 Capsicums

1 Large potato

1 Tomato

1 Onion

1 tbsp Oil

½ tsp mustard seeds

1/3 tsp turmeric powder

¼ tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp coriander powder

½ tsp garam masala powder

Salt to taste

½ cup water

Method:

  

-       -  Deseed capsicums and cut into squares. Peel and cube the potato and onion. Cut the tomato into 8 pieces.

-     -   Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add the cut onion, sauté on low fire.

-       - When the onion turns translucent, add the tomato pieces and sauté for some time.

-       - Add the capsicum and potato pieces, increase the flame, stir well for some time, add salt and water and cover the pan. Reduce the flame and let it cook for about 8 minutes, till the potato is done.

-     -  Now add all the masala powders, mix well and remove from the fire.

Semolina (Sooji) halwa, and Bengal gram (Kala chana) dry preparation

Semolina halwa and Bengal gram (kala chana) dry preparation are made for Devi puja, especially during Navratri celebrations. 

Here’s the recipe for these lip smacking dishes:

Semolina halwa

Ingredients:

-         2 tbsps ghee

-         1 cup Semolina

-         1 cup sugar

-         4 cups water

-         ¼ tsp cardamom powder

-         1 tbsp cashew nuts

-         ½ tbsp raisins

Instructions:

-         Heat the ghee in a thick bottomed pan and add the semolina. Lower the flame, keep stirring and add the cashew nuts after about two minutes.

-         When the semolina turns to brown color, add the sugar and stir for a few seconds.

-         Add the water, mix well and add the raisins and cardamom powder. Cover the pan and let it cook for about three minutes.

-         When the consistency is semi solid, remove from the flame.

Bengal gram dry preparation

Ingredients:

-         1 cup Bengal gram (kala chana) soaked overnight and pressure cooked with salt and 1½ cups water for 18 minutes

-         1 tbsp oil

-         ½ tsp cumin seeds

-         A pinch of asafetida

-         ¾  tsp cut ginger

-         ¼ tsp turmeric powder

-         ¼ tsp red chilli powder

-         1 tsp coriander powder

-         ½ tsp garam masala powder

Instructions:

-         Drain the cooked Bengal gram and keep aside.

-         Heat oil in a thick bottomed pan and when it starts smoking, add the cumin seeds and asafetida.

-         Add the cut ginger and stir, let it turn brownish.

-         Add the cooked Bengal gram, and all the masala powders.

-         Stir well and keep on low flame for about two minutes and remove from fire.

Chicago pizza

This used to be a frequent dinner dish at hour home. Once children left for studies, it became rarer, one reason being our dinner now consists of only a bowl of seasonal fruits. After so many years, I baked this pizza on request of my daughter during her visit. Since I always note down the recipes, it was not difficult to use correct proportion of the ingredients.

Ingredients:

For the base

-         4 ½ cups of refined flour (for four persons)

-         1 ½  tsps of dried yeast

-         6 tbsps of milk

-         10 tbsps of water

-         Salt to taste

-         2 tbsps of ghee or oil

For the filling

-         10 big ripe tomatoes

-         3 Onions (or a bunch of spring onions) cut small

-         1 or 2 tsps of sugar (optional)

-         Salt to taste

-         2 tbsps of oil

-         1/3 tsp red chilli powder

-         ¾ tsp garam masala powder

-         1 cup cut cabbage

-         4 capsicums deseeded and cut

-         2 cups sliced mushrooms

-         ¾ cup deseeded, sliced olives

-         2 cups grated mozzarella cheese

-         1 tsp oregano

 Instructions:

 Base

-         Dissolve the yeast in lukewarm milk, keep covered for ten minutes.

-         Take the flour in a large bowl, add the salt to one corner and oil on one side.

-         Make a well in the center, pour the yeast milk mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon, starting from the center until the milk and some of the flour form a fairly thick paste. Cover the bowl with a towel or cling wrap and leave for 45 minutes.

-         After 45 minutes, slightly warm the water and add to it. Knead well to soft dough and leave covered in a warm place for 45 minutes to let it double in size.

Tomato puree

-         Grate the tomatoes, discard the skins

-         Heat the oil in a thick bottomed vessel and sauté the cut onions till they turn light brown.

-         Add the grated tomatoes, keep the flame low and let it cook and thicken, while stirring occasionally.

-         When it is slightly thick, add salt, red chilli powder and garam masala powder. Add the sugar if needed, to adjust the taste.

Sauté the cut vegetables (except the olives) one by one  and keep aside.

For baking

-         Roll the dough out, smear the baking dish with oil, and place the base over it. Pierce with a fork or a tooth pick all over its surface.

-         Spread the tomato puree evenly over it, then the grated mozzarella cheese.

-         Spread the sautéed vegetables and sprinkle oregano over it.

-         Bake in a preheated oven at 150 degrees for 20 minutes, and then increase the temperature to 160 degrees for 5 minutes.

-         Remove from the oven, make wedges and serve!

Tora/taikile leaves and jackfruit seeds sabzi

It was during couch surfing at Ganesh Kamath’s house in Padubelle that we got to taste this delicioius sabzi. His wife just went out, plucked these leaves and made the sabzi. My husband and I liked it. Then we were driving in Kerala and I saw many people stopping cars on the way to pluck some leaves from the road side. I got curious and asked one of them. He told it was to make sabzi and I saw that it was the same leaves that had in Padubelle.

On reaching back home, my husband located the plant growing in an empty plot near our house. He brought some leaves and since I had some jackfruit seeds at home, I prepared this sabzi.

Ingredients:

3 cups of Tora leaves, cleaned, washed and cut

1 cup of jackfruit seeds, cooked, peeled and cut into four

1 tbsp oil

½ tsp mustard seeds

6 flakes of crushed garlic

Salt to taste

1/3 tsp turmeric powder

½ tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp coriander powder

½ tsp garam masala powder

½ tbsp tamarind pulp

Instructions:

- Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add the cut leaves. Stir for a minute, add the seeds and all masala powders, salt, tamarind pulp.

- Cover and cook till done.

Pay attention:

There is another plant with very similar leaves but it is not edible. Tora has six leaves on a branch and this plant has eight.

Tora leaves are shiny, thicker and the non edible leaves are thinner and sort of leathery.

Tora leaves have smooth tips and the other one has pointed tip.

Tora leaves remain fresh after plucking, whereas the non edible leaves become pliable in a matter of minutes.

When you break the stem of tora leaf, it has a nutty smell. The other plant has a fruity smell.