Palak Dal

Wonderful combination of palak and dal that goes well with rotis and rice. Its also good for health with palak used in this dish. It can be prepared in many ways, either by just using toor dal or moong dal or mixture of both. I have used mixture of both to prepare. With aroma of garlic and ghee it adds to the taste and cant resist it!

Ingredients:

• 1. Toor dal - 1/2 cup
• 2. Moong dal - 1/2 cup
• 3. Spinach - 2 cups 
• 4. Red Chilli - 1
• 5. Ginger - 1 inch
• 6. Green Chilli - 2-3
• 7. Garlic - 5 pods
• 8. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• 9. Onion - 2
• 10. Tomato - 1
• 11. Salt as needed
• 12. Lemon - 1/2
• 13. Ghee - 1tsp

Seasoning:

• 1. Oil - 1 1/2 tblspn
• 2. Mustard seeds - 1tsp
• 3. Cumin seeds - 1tsp
• 4. Hing - a pinch

Method:

• 1. Pressure cook dal with turmeric for 3 whistles. Mash and keep aside
• 2. Pressure cook spinach for 1 whistle, mash and keep aside
• 3. Heat oil in pan, add ingredients under 'Seasoning', once mustard seeds splutters add garlic, ginger, onion(slit lengthwise), red chilli and green chilli and saute till onions are translucent
• 4. Add tomato and cook till its mushy
• 5. Then add cooked palak and dal, needed salt and mix well and bring everything to boil
• 6. Add lemon juice from half lemon and mix well

Add a teaspoon of ghee and serve hot with rotis or rice!!!

Naan

One of the long waited recipe to be tried, and one of the items in a list when in party or in hotels. Finally got a recipe and when tried it was light, fluffy :) The ingredients are very simple but the trick is the way its prepared... Check out these steps!!!

Ingredients:

1. Maida/All purpose flour - 2 cups

2. Yeast - 1tsp

3. Sugar - 1tsp

4. Salt - 1tsp

5. Ghee/Butter - 4 tblspn

6. Baking soda - 1/4 tsp

7. Yougurt - 2tblspn

8. Luke warm water - 2/3 rd cup

Toppings:

1. Sesame seeds

2. Coriander leaves/dry methi leaves

Method:

1. Take luke warm water in a cup, dissolve yeast ad sugar and keep aside

2. Allow it to rise, which normally takes 5-10 mins

3. Sift flour and salt in a bowl and add yeat-sugar solution, yogurt and half the ghee

4. Mix to form smooth dough, knead on flat surface to make it smoother

5. Keep in greased covered bowl, in warm place and allow to stand for atleast 1 hour (good to keep for 2 or 3 hours). It will double in size

6. Knead the dough for 5 more minutes by punching it down

7. Divide into lemon sized balls. Flatten each ball using hand and add toppings

8. Now heat a pan and grease it with oil and wipe it off with kitchen tissue/towel

9. Place flattened dough and cook in a medium heat

10. Few minutes it will puff up as in pic below

11. Then add ghee/melted butter on 2-3 spots and turn it on

12. Cook for few more minutes and remove

13. Immediately wrap it in a kitchen tissue and Serve hot with your favorite side dish !!!

Note:

1. If not able to form a dough with step 2 and 3, use milk enough to form a dough. Do not use water

2. Check for the side dish in my post 'Palak Paneer' that goes well with this!

Kalakand

One of the popular dessert made in India. Its a milk sweet enriched with dry fruits. A treat for your taste buds :) Try it and let me know!

Ingredients:

1. Condensed milk - 1 cup
2. Paneer - (with 2 cups milk + 1 lemon)
3. Elachi - 2/3
4. Ghee - 2 tblspn or more as required to saute paneer
5. Sugar - 1 cup (or as you need the sweetness)
6. Almonds and pista coarsely grinded to garnish

Method:

1. First prepare paneer. Look into my post 'Home Made Paneer' to prepare paneer
2. Melt ghee and add paneer and saute for 2 minutes
3. Add sugar and condensed milk and heat for 5 minutes
5. Add elachi and mix and switch off
6. Grease a plate with ghee and pour the kalakand on it and pat using spatuala so that it sets on it.
7. Garnish with almonds and pista and pat using spatula so that it sets
8. Allow it to cool. But cut into pieces when its still warm

Serve once cool :) Enjoy

Hesarubele/Moong dal Payasa

One of the favorite sweets of mine :) I just feel like gulping it even now when am blogging about it... With the goodness of moongdal and jaggery its just delicius and yummmmm yummyyyyy :) 

Ingredients:

1. Moong Dal - 1cup

2. Jaggery - 1 or 1 1/2 (dal:jaggery = 1:1 or 1:1 1/2)

3. Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp

4. Coconut - 1/2 cup

5. Milk - 1 or 1 1/2 cups

6. Ghee to fry dry fruits

Method:

1. Fry/ Dry roast dal till golden brown

2. Once cool, wash and pressure cook the dal with 1.5 cups of water (1 cup dal:1.5 cups of water)

3. Grind coconut and cardamom to paste and add it to cooked dal

4. In a kadai, add jaggery and water just to melt the jaggery, and heat it jaggery melts

5. Add this melted jaggery by filtering it to the cooked dal

6. Add milk to cooked dal, mix well and boil for 2-3 mins

7. Keep stirring in between to avoid it get sticking to bottom

8. Garnish with fried raisins and cashews and serve

Note:

1. Can add more water/milk to make it watery. The payasam should not be too thick

2. Dry roast the dal before cooking properly else it sticks

Onion Tomato Chutney

One who likes onions and tomatoes would definitely likes this chutney and goes well with idli, dosa, chapati. Best with idlis n dosas n can be stored for longer time since coconut is not used. Lets get into the recipe without wasting much tym!

Ingredients:

1. Onion - 1

2. Tomato - 1

3. Red Chillie - 2/3

4. Hing - a pinch

5. Oil/Ghee - 2 tsp

6. Channa Dal - 1 tblspn

7. Salt as needed

To Temper:

1. Oil - 1tsp

2. Mustard - 3/4 tsp

3. Urad dal - 1tsp

4. Curry leaves - 1 spring

Method:

1. Heat a tsp of oil and fry red chillies and channa dal untill dal turns golden brown and keep aside

2. Cut onions and tomatoes in chunks and fry in oil till transparent, then add tomatoes and fry till it is soft and keep aside

3. Once ingredients are cool, transfer to mixer, add salt and grind to smooth paste

4. Temper it using items given under 'To Temper'

5. Mix well and serve