Tag Archives: Main Course

Recipe: Spicy Mixed Dal

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One weekend, when vegetables were low and I was bored of making the same dishes all the time, I decided to make something different. So I found this mixed dal recipe from Tarla Dalal and made it with some slight tweaks, based on what I had available in my pantry.

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Spicy Mixed Dal

Ingredients:

  • 2 tbsps split yellow moong dal
  • 2 tbsps urad dal
  • 2 tbsps chana dal
  • 2 tbsps toovar dal
  • 2 tbsp whole green moong dal
  • 1 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 2 onions, finely chopped
  • 2 tomatoes, finely chopped
  • 5-6 cloves of Garlic
  • 1-inch piece of Ginger
  • 4-5 fresh red chillies
  • 2 tsp garam masala powder
  • 2 tsps (more or less) red chilli powder
  • 2 tsps coriander powder
  • 2 tsps cumin powder
  • 2 tbsps Ghee or oil
  • 1 cup of beaten yoghurt
  • Salt to taste
  • Coriander leaves to garnish

Method:

  • Wash all the dals. Soak them in hot water for 20 – 30 mins and then cook them in a pressure cooker along with 1/2 tsp turmeric powder until mashed well.Allow the steam to escape and then open the lid.
  • In the meantime, blend the ginger, garlic and red chillies into a smooth paste and keep aside.
  • In a small pan, heat the ghee and add the cumin seeds, then the onions and saute till the onions are slightly translucent.
  • Now add the ginger, garlic, chilli paste and saute till the oil starts coming out.
  • Then add the tomatoes and the dry spices (remainder of turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and garam masala powder) and saute for a while.
  • When the oil starts to come out, add the yoghurt and stir continuously on a medium flame till the mixture comes together.
  • Pour this gravy into the cooked dal and mix well. Check for seasoning and cook for around 10 minutes till the dal is completely mashed and mixed well.
  • Season with coriander leaves and serve with any rice or roti.

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Recipes: Caramelised Onion Pulao

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Over the Chinese New Year long weekend, suddenly S’ aunt and uncle said they would be coming to meet us. So we invited them to lunch instead. Since this was literally a last minute invite, I did not have any time to plan a meal and also since the shops were closed for the new year, I could not top up any groceries. So I made a meal with what I had at home. I made this Caramelised Onion Pulao which is inspired by a Sindhi rice dish I’ve eaten at my neighbour’s house in Mumbai called Bugha Chaanwara. I served this with a classic Sindhi Kadhi and some raita. A simple, but very satisfying meal.

caramelised-onion-pulao-1Caramelised Onion Pulao

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups basmati rice, soaked in water for 20 minutes and drained
  • 3 onions, finely sliced
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 4-5 cloves
  • 4-5 cardamom pods
  • Salt to taste
  • 2 tbsps ghee or oil
  • a handful of cashew nuts
  • 2 cups water

Method:

  • In a pan, heat the ghee or oil and when warm, add the onions and stir them to brown them.
  • Keep stirring and make sure they brown but do not burn. Stir them until they caramelise and become crisp.
  • Move the onions to the side of the pan and in the balance ghee or oil, add the cashewnuts and let them brown.
  • Next, add the cumin seeds and stir for a few seconds followed by the cardamom pods and cloves.
  • Now add the drained rice and salt to taste and stir well till the rice is completely mixed with the onions
  • Move this mixture to a rice cooker, add water and cook till done.
  • If you are cooking this on the stovetop, add water and check periodically till the rice is completely cooked.
  • The end result is a slightly brown and sweet rice which goes with any gravy.

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Recipes: Stir-fry Potatoes

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2A couple of weeks back when S’ cousins came home for dinner, I had made this potato dish which was inspired by the simple potato stir-fry from the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. This is a very simple dish to make but is slightly heavy on the masalas used. It was super yummy and since then BB & GG have been asking me to keep making this. This dish is a keeper and goes very well with any rice and dal combination as well as with any roti or Indian flatbread. When I make it for lunch, BB also takes it with him to school, as a filling for a sandwich.

1Potato Stir-fry, UP inspired

Ingredients:

  • 4-5 medium sized potatoes, scrubbed and washed well
  • 2-3 tbsps oil
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • ½ tsp fennel seeds
  • ½ tsp ajwain seeds
  • Salt to taste
  • ½ to 1 tsp red chilli powder
  • 1 tsp Amchur or dry mango powder
  • ½ tsp coriander powder
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • ½ tsp garam masala powder

Method:

  • Wash and scrub the potatoes well. Then slice them into thick slices and then cut vertically into 1 inch sticks and slice the sticks finely. Wash well and keep aside.
  • In a pan, heat the oil and when the oil is warm, put the dry masalas one by one – cumin seeds, then fennel seeds, caraway seeds and stir for a couple of seconds. Then add the salt, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, asafoetida, dry mango powder, cumin powder and coriander powder and stir for a few seconds.
  • Then add the potatoes and stir and mix well so that the masalas mix well with the potatoes.
  • Cover and cook on a low flame for around 10-15 minutes or until it is almost done.
  • At this point, add the garam masala powder, stir well and cover to cook for another 5 minutes.
  • Check for seasoning and switch off the flame.
  • Enjoy the potato stir-fry with rice or any flat bread

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Recipes: Bhindi Do Pyaza aka Okra Onion Gravy

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img_0254I’ve always seen Bhindi Do Pyaza in restaurant menus and have eaten it before also, but I’ve always wondered at the dish’s name and how they make it. Every restaurant has their own recipes and so this has been different in each restaurant I’ve eaten too.

The other day, fed up with cooking almost the same dishes every day and also facing rapidly diminishing refrigerator contents, I decided to make this, albeit slightly differently to go with a peas and corn pulao. Usually this recipe will be more dry than a gravy at restaurants, but since I was serving this with rice, decided to make it with a red tomato gravy. Bhindi Do Pyaza was a hit and everyone loved it and this will become part of our usual menu.

img_0251Bhindi Do Pyaza

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 kg bhindi or okra, washed and dried completely
  • 4-5 onions, cut into half and sliced finely lengthwise
  • 4 medium sized tomatoes
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp onion seeds
  • 2-3 tbsp oil
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1-2 tsp red chilli powder
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • 1 tsp garam masala powder
  • 1 tsp grated ginger
  • Salt to taste
  • Coriander leaves to garnish

Method:

  • Make small x cuts in the top and bottom of each tomato and keep aside. Take some water in a pan and when the water starts boiling, put the tomatoes top down and let them cook. Keep an eye on them and turn occasionally.
  • In the meantime, cut the okra into 1 inch pieces.
  • Heat around 1 tbsp oil in a pan and when the oil heats up, put the okras to fry. Stir occasionally, shake the pan if needed. Cook the okras till they are three quarters done and remove from the pan and keep aside.
  • In the same pan, heat the remaining oil and add the cumin and onion seeds and fry for a couple of seconds. Then add the ginger and stir for a minute. Next add the onions and fry them till they become translucent and start to brown.
  • When the tomatoes are done, remove them from the water, peel the skin away and blend the pulp into a smooth paste.
  • When the onions start to brown, add the dry spices one by one – turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin power and and a bit of salt.
  • If the mixture is very dry and starts to burn, add some of the water which you boiled the tomatoes.
  • When the mixture is completely cooked, add the fried okra and cook for a few minutes.
  • Now add the tomato paste and check for seasoning. Add 1/2 to 1 tsp of garam masala if you want here.
  • Let the dish cook till it starts  bubbling and at this point, reduce the flame and let it cook for another 5 minutes. If you need to add water, use the water you used to boil the tomatoes. When you have the consistency you want, switch off the flame.
  • Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with a flatbread or rice of your choice.

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Recipe: Pooshnikai Kootu aka Ash Gourd Stew

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Another typical tambram food, which I made for the first time for the sumangali pooja. This was really good with a medley of tastes. A keeper which I plan to make often.

Pooshnikai Kootu aka Ash Gourd Stew

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Ingredients:

  • 1 medium sized pooshnikai or as gourd, chopped into small pieces with the seeds and fibres removed
  • 3/4 cup toor dal or red gram dal, cooked with a pinch of turmeric till mushy
  • 1/3 cup chana dal or bengal gram dal, cooked with a pinch of turmeric
  • 2 tsps coriander seeds
  • 1.5 tsps bengal gram dal
  • 6-8 dried red chillies
  • 4-5 tbsps grated coconut
  • a lime sized ball of tamarind, soaked in hot water for 30 minutes and the pulp squeezed and the juice removed and kept aside. Alternatively use 2-3 tsps of tamarind paste
  • 2 tsps oil
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1 tsp urad dal or black gram dal
  • 4-5 curry leaves
  • 1/4 tsp asafoetida
  • 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
  • Salt to taste

Method:

  • In a large pan, take the chopped ash gourd and cook it with just enough water to cover the vegetable. Add some salt and turmeric powder.
  • When the ash gourd is half cooked, add the juice of the tamarind and let it cook till the raw smell of the tamarind goes away.
  • In the meantime, in another pan, with 1 tsp oil, fry the bengal gram dal,  coriander seeds, dried red chillies and the coconut until the coconut looses all it’s moisture and becomes dry. Blend this coconut mixture into a smooth paste. Add a bit of water if needed to do this.
  • When the ash gourd is cooked, add the cooked toor dal to the ash gourd and let it mix well. Bring it to a boil and then add the blended coconut paste and let it boil for around 5 minutes
  • In a seperate pan, heat the balance oil and when warm, add the mustard seeds, urad dal, asafoetida, curry leaves and red chillies and stir for a few seconds till the urad dal is brown the curry leaves are crisp.
  • Season the kootu with this and remove from the gas. Serve hot with a rice of your choice or any flatbread.

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