Dal Makhani

Ingredients

1/2 toor dal
1/4 cup yellow moong dal
1/4 cup masoor dal
1 onion grated
2 green chillies sliced
1/4 tsp. ginger grated
1/2 tbsp. coriander finely chopped
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
1/4 tsp. red chilli powder
3-4 tbsp. butter
salt

Method

1. Mix and wash dals well. Soak for 30 minutes.
2. Pressure cook till soft but not overcooked. (Approx. 3 whistles)
3. Mash a little with the back of a spoon, while hot.
4. Heat butter in a deep pan.
5. Add seeds, allow to splutter.
6. Add onion, ginger and green chillies.
7. Stir fry till soft, add masalas (red chillies and salt) and dals, mix well.
8. Bring to a boil. Simmer for 3-4 minutes.
9. Garnish with chopped coriander and lemon juice.
10. Serve hot with rices, rotis, etc.

Aloo Mattar curry

Ingredients

Potatoes – 2 medium
Green peas – 1 cup(I use frozen)
Onion – 2 medium
Tomato – 2 medium
Cumin , Sauf – 1 tsp each
Garlic -3-4cloves
Ginger – a small piece
Green chillies -2
Ghee – 2 tsp
Salt to taste
Garam masala pdr – 1 tbsp
Coriander leaves to garnish

Method

Peel the potatoes. Wash well . Cut into cubes. Cook it in boiling water adding salt.
Drain it. Keep some of the water aside for later use.

Cut one onion and tomato. In a pan add 1tsp ghee and fry it adding garlic , cumin and sauf. When it is fried nicely let it cool . Then grind it with ginger, green chillies and garam masala pdr.

Cut the other onion and tomatoes finely. Add 1 tsp ghee and fry the onion when it is lightly brown add the tomatoes and and fry till the raw smell is gone. Then add the ground mixture to it. Also put the cooked potatoes and peas into it. Add the cooked water and salt to taste to it. Close it 3/4^th and let it cook for 7-8 mnts in medium flame.

Garnish it with coriander leaves

Sambar Powder

Ingredients:

1 cup dhaniya(coriander seeds)
2 cups dried red chillies
1/4 cup kadale paruppu (Channa dal)
1/4 cup Uzhutham paruppu (Urad dal)
1/4 cup venthyam (methi seeds)

Method:

1.Dry roast all the ingredients separately until they give a nice aroma. (The dals should just about start turning to a pale brown)
2.Let cool and dry grind everything together and store in an air tight container.
3.Stores well for a couple of months.

Rice Dhokla

ingredents:

1 cup Rice (uncooked), 1/4 cup Urad Dal (split black lentils), 1cup sour curd, 1 tspn salt, 1/2 tspn sugar, 1/2 tspn corasely ground pepper.

For the tempering:

3 tblspn oil, 2 tspn mustard seeds, 7 to 8 fresh curry leaves, a small pinch tumeric powder

Procedure:

Soak the rice and dal together for atleast 4 hrs. After 4 hrs grind the rice and dal to a fine paste. Leave this mixture for another 4 hrs in a warm place. It does not need to ferment like the idli batter. After 4 hrs add the curds, salt, sugar and pepper to the batter, and mix well. Add just enough water to get a smooth batter .Oil a thali or dhokla stand . Add a tspn of Eno Fruit salt to the batter . Mix well and immediately pour the batter into the Thali or Dhokla Mold. Steam for 8 to 10 mins.

Prepare a tempering by adding mustard seeds and curry leaves to hot oil and spoon this over each piece of dhokla .

Pal poli

Ingredients:
For the poli:
2 cups all-purpose flour (or use 1:1 wholewheat and AP)
1 tbsp oil or ghee
2-3 drops yellow food colouring (optional)
Water to make a firm but elastic dough
For the milk syrup:
5 cups milk
3/4 cup sugar (make it 1 cup if you have a very sweet tooth)
Seeds of 8-10 cardamom pods, powdered
1/2 tsp saffron strands
Oil for frying
Thinly sliced almonds/pistachios, lightly toasted, for garnish

Method:

1. Make a firm, elastic dough with the flour, ghee and water (use 2-3 drops yellow food colouring if you wish). Cover and set aside.

2. Boil the milk and sugar in a heavy saucepan, then bring the heat down to a simmer and keep cooking the milk, stirring often to prevent a skin forming.

3.After about 10 minutes, add the saffron strands. Continue stirring the milk on a low simmer until it thickens and reduces to about a third in volume. (This should take about 45 minutes or so.)
4. Add the cardamom powder and stir. Cover with cling film, with the cling film touching the surface so as to prevent a skin forming on the milk. Set aside till required.
5. Meanwhile, pinch off lime-sized balls of dough and roll them out into thin round puris.

If the puris stick to the board, dip each ball of dough very lightly in some oil (pour about a tsp in a saucer - should be enough to make all the puris) and roll out. Using flour to dust the puris would make the oil cloudy while frying, and the excess flour would also burn in the oil, giving the puris an unpleasant taste.

6. Heat the oil in a pan and deep-fry the puris. Let them drain on paper towels.

7. Dip each puri in the hot thickened milk till submerged (tongs are very useful here!), fold it in half and lay it on a serving platter.