Saturday, October 31, 2015

Amritsari Langar Wali Dal


Because you don't just make Dal Makhani and Dal Bukhara with the whole black lentils....

A dal so light and flavorful, a dal so very easy to prepare without the use of any ingredients such as cream, cashews, yogurt, milk or the like. This is the dal which is served in Gurudwaras in Langar and guess who taught me this recipe? Yes, the one and only my Nani Ji who worked as a 'gurudwara granthi' all her life.

Ingredients:

Black urad dal (whole): 1 cup
Chana dal: 1/2 cup
Salt to taste
Ginger (finely chopped): 1 inch
Red chilli powder: 2 tsp.
Cooking oil: 2 tsp.
Cumin seeds: 1 tsp.
Ginger-garlic (crushed): 2 tsp.
Green chilli (finely chopped): 1
Onion (chopped): 1
Tomato (chopped): 1 big
Coriander powder: 1 tsp.
Kasoori methi (crushed): 1/2 tsp.
Garam masala: 1 tsp. (optional)
Mint leaves to garnish


  1. Soak the black urad dal in warm water for about 4-6 hours and the chana dal in another bowl of warm water for about an hour.
  2. Drain the water and wash well. Boil in a pressure cooker with salt, 1 tsp. red chili powder and the chopped ginger till 7-8 whistles. Let the pressure release itself.
  3. By the time, make the masala. Heat oil on medium flame and crackle the cumin seeds. Add the crushed ginger-garlic and the green chilli and fry for about a minute.
  4. Add the onions and mix, fry until the onions are turning transparent but don't let them brown. 
  5. Add the tomatoes and sprinkle little salt. Let cook until the tomatoes are completely soft and mushy. 
  6. Add 1 tsp. red chilli powder and coriander powder. Mix well and turn off the flame. 
  7. Open the pressure cooker and mash the dals together completely. 
  8. Add the prepared masala to the dal and simmer for about 20 minutes. Serve with chappati or rice. 
  9. The above method is how the langar wali dal is made for gurudwaras. But we do make it often at home so for home we add a little bit more, to impart little taste. Add the crushed kasoori methi and garam masala in step 6 before mixing in with the dal. Also, this dal is never garnished with coriander (do we ever see any garnish in langar food? No.) but Nani told me it's also not done at home because this dal has no combination with coriander garnish. So, when preparing at home, always garnish with fresh mint leaves, or nothing at all. Enjoy !!!



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Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Paneer Lababdar



"Because not all the posts need to have stories... So here we go direct to the recipe.."

Ingredients:

Paneer: 250 gm
Butter: 3 tsp.
Bay leaf: 1
Black peppercorns: 1/2 tsp.
Onion (chopped): 1 large
Tomato (chopped): 2
Salt to taste
Cashews: 1 handful
Cumin powder: 1 tsp.
Coriander powder: 1 tsp.
Red chili powder: 1 tsp.
Green chillis (slit): 2
Sugar: 1 tsp.
Garam masala: 1 tsp.
Kasoori methi: 1 tsp.
Coriander leaves to garnish


  1. Soak the cashews in warm water and keep aside.
  2. Heat the butter on medium flame in a deep- bottomed pan and add the bay leaf and peppercorns. 
  3. When they crackle a bit, add the onions and fry until they are turning transparent. Don't let the onions brown.
  4. Add the chopped tomatoes and sprinkle salt. Mix well and cook until the tomatoes are completely soft and mushy.
  5. Grind the cashews to a coarse paste in a mortal-pestle and add the cashew paste. Mix well.
  6. Add the cumin powder, coriander powder and red chilli powder. Add the slit green chillis and mix everything well. Cook for a minute. 
  7. Add a cup of warm water and mix well. Cover and let cook for about 10 minutes so the whole masala gets incorporated with the curry.
  8. Open the lid and add the paneer cubes. Add the sugar and mix well. 
  9. Add the garam masala and kasoori methi and turn off the flame. Give everything a good stir and cover. Let sit for about 10 minutes so all the flavor gets incorporated in the paneer cubes. 
  10. Open and garnish with fresh coriander. Serve hot with chappati or rice. 



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Saturday, October 17, 2015

Instant Poha Dhokla (3-minute recipe)


More instant dhokla recipes:

Microwave Dhokla (3-minute recipe)
Dhokla in Idli mold (3-minute recipe)
Rawa dhokla  (3-minute recipe)
Instant khatta dhokla (3-minute recipe)

Ingredients:

Poha (flattened rice): 2 cups
Ginger (grated): 1 inch
Yogurt (beaten): 1 cup
Sugar: 1 tsp.
Salt to taste
Coriander powder: a pinch
Eno: 2 tsp. (use baking soda + baking powder if Eno not available)
Cooking oil: 3 tsp. + little oil for greasing
Mustard seeds: 1 tsp.
Asafoetida: a pinch
Coriander leaves for garnish


  1. Add the poha, beaten yogurt, grated ginger, sugar, coriander powder and salt to a wide bowl. 
  2. Mix well and add the water required to make a fine batter. The batter should neither be too thick nor be thin. Leave for 20 minutes and do whatever you like :) 
  3. After 20 minutes come back and check the batter consistency. It would be little thick because the poha absorbs water. So add more water so the batter is again at the right consistency. 
  4. Now add the eno and mix gently. 
  5. Grease a microwave safe bowl with little oil and immediately add the batter to the bowl. Cover and microwave on highest power for 3-minutes. (Power description: If your microwave has 750W maximum power, then microwave for 3 minutes, for 700W, microwave for 4 minutes, for 1000W, microwave for 2 minutes).
  6. After 3 minutes, remove cover and let cool for 2 minutes. Then reverse the bowl and remove the dhokla on a dish. 
  7. Heat oil in a shallow pan and crackle the mustard seeds on medium flame. Add the asafoetida and turn off the flame. 
  8. Pour this mixture over the dhokla. Cut in desired shapes and garnish with fresh coriander. Serve with spicy mint-coriander chutney. Recipe: Mint-coriander chutney recipe.



Loved this recipe? Please leave a comment and/or your feedback in the comments section below as it really motivates me. Don't forget to join me on my Facebook Page for regular recipe updates. 

Thursday, October 15, 2015

Green Dal (No pressure cooking)



Green Dal is a very healthy and delicious dal which is specially easy because no pressure cooking is involved in this recipe. It is made from a combination of various green which can be increased, decreased or even changed according to your own taste. The leafy greens used in this recipe are mint, coriander, parsley, fenugreek leaves and spinach leaves. What's even more special: it's a no onion-garlic recipe so can be consumed even in fast. Now what more could you ask for?

More Dal recipes:

Beetroot Dal
Chana Dal
Dal Makhani
Nepali Dal
Spinach Dal

Ingredients:

Toor Dal (split pigeon peas): 2 cups
Cooking oil: 3 tsp.
Cumin seeds: 1 tsp.
Cinnamon stick: 1 inch
Fenugreek seeds: 1/2 tsp.
Dried red chili: 1
Green chilli (chopped): 1
Ginger (grated): i inch
Tomato (chopped): 2
Salt to taste
Red chilli powder: 1 tsp.
Coriander leaves: a handful
Mint leaves: a handful
Parsley leaves: a few
Fenugreek leaves: a few
Spinach leaves: a handful
Garam masala: 1/2 tsp.
Kasoori methi: 1 tsp.


  1. Soak toor dal in lukewarm water for 2 hours. 
  2. Drain the water, wash well and keep aside. 
  3. Heat oil in a wide pan (with lid) and crackle the cumin seeds. When they splutter, add the cinnamon, fenugreek seeds and dry red chili. 
  4. After 30 seconds, add the ginger and green chilli and mix well. 
  5. Add tomatoes and sprinkle salt. Mix well and let cook until the tomatoes are soft and mushy. 
  6. Add the soaked and washed dal to the pan and sprinkle red chilli powder. Mix everything well and add a cup of water. 
  7. Cover and let cook on medium flame for 15 minutes.
  8. Remove cover and add all the chopped green leaves and give a good stir. Now don't cover, let cook uncovered for 5-7 minutes on medium flame or until it reaches desired consistency. 
  9. Sprinkle garam masala and kasoori methi and turn off the flame. Without stirring, cover the pan again. 
  10. Remove cover after 10 minutes, mix well and sprinkle lemon juice (optional) and serve with chappatis or rice. 



Loved this recipe? Please do leave a comment and/or feedback in the comments below; it really motivates me. Don't forget to join me on my Facebook Page for regular recipe updates. 

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Tari Wala Murgh (Chicken Curry Gravy)



Chicken is really the most common dish in our house at weekends, it's either a lunch or a dinner, either Saturday or Sunday; ever since I started cooking chicken in various flavors and so many different recipes. We usually like to eat a chicken fried and pan roasted with spices and masala with chappati (flat bread) but this time I decided to do something different: made this chicken curry with a lovely, flavorful gravy and instead of roasting it in a pan, I made this in a pressure cooker. It's a nice and homely recipe with the basic ingredients used in preparation.

Other chicken recipes:

Chicken Achaari
Chicken keema curry
Green Walnut chicken curry
Kasoori methi chicken
Madras chicken curry
and many more...

So let's come to the delicious recipe of this Tari Wala Murgh a.k.a. Chicken Curry Gravy:

Ingredients:

Chicken: 500 gm

For the marination:

Ginger-garlic paste: 3 tsp.
Salt to taste
Red chilli powder: 1 tsp.
Coriander powder: 1 tsp.
Turmeric powder: 1 tsp.
Lemon juice: 2 tsp.

For the garam masala:

Dried red chilli: 1
Green cardamom: 2
Black cardamom: 1
Coriander seeds: 1 tsp.
Cinnamon stick: 1 inch
Black peppercorns: 1/2 tsp.
Nutmeg powder: a pinch
Cumin seeds: 1 tsp.

For the curry:

Cooking oil: 4 tsp.
Bay leaf: 1
Onion (chopped): 1
Salt to taste
Ginger-garlic paste: 3 tsp.
Tomato (finely chopped): 2
Onion (cubed): 2
Lemon juice: 2 tsp.
Coriander leaves for garnish



  1. Wash and clean the chicken, marinate in the marinade ingredients: ginger-garlic paste, salt, red chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and lemon juice. Keep aside for about an hour.
  2. Prepare the garam masala: dry roast each of the ingredients mentioned under the garam masala (except nutmeg powder). Let cool and grind to a coarse powder. Add in the nutmeg powder, mix and keep aside.
  3. Now begin to prepare the curry. Heat oil in a pressure cooker on medium flame and when the oil is slightly warm, add the bay leaf. 
  4. After about 30 seconds, add the chopped onions and stir. Fry well until they are transparent and start getting brown. 
  5. Add the salt and the prepared garam masala (in step 2) and mix well. Save a little garam masala to be added in the end.
  6. Add the ginger-garlic paste. I prefer to add grated ginger and garlic it gives a more rustic flavor. Mix everything well and let cook until the raw smell goes away.
  7. Add the tomato and sprinkle salt. Mix well and let cook until the tomatoes are soft and mushy. 
  8. Add the marinated chicken at this stage and the cubed onions. Mix everything well and fry the chicken in the masala for about 2-3 minutes, stirring continuously. 
  9. Add two cups warm water to the cooker and give it a stir. Put on the lid over the pressure cooker but don't put on the whistle (pressure). 
  10. Let it cook on medium flame for about 15 minutes. Remove the cover and add the lemon juice. Give a stir and let cook open for another 5 minutes. 
  11. Turn off the flame and add the remaining garam masala. Without stirring, keep the lid above the cooker (don't close) and leave on for 10 minutes.
  12. Remove the lid, stir and garnish with fresh coriander leaves. Serve piping hot with chappatis or jeera rice.



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Thursday, October 1, 2015

Tamarind Fish Cury



I love my fish and I love to prepare it in various styles almost every week. I love to use Salmon fish for my curries because it's so easy and versatile, has no bones and quick to cook; also I can experiment with flavors and almost all of the flavors I have tried have come out extremely well. So here's another of my experiments: Tamarind fish curry.

I marinated the fish in a mix of tamarind and also used tamarind in my curry. That, combined with tomatoes and spices made it bursting with flavors and it was almost finished in no time when I served it with jeera rice. Another special thing with this recipe is that I made it the previous night and served the next evening, it tasted rather amazing as the complete flavors of curry had seeped inside the fish, making it all the more delectable.

Other fish recipes from the blog:

Achaari Fish masala
Green Meen Kuzhambu
Lehsuni Fish curry
Mint Fish Curry
Rustic Salmon Curry


So, here's the recipe:

Fish (I used salmon fish): 350 gm

For the marination:

Ginger-garlic paste: 4 tsp.
Salt to taste
Turmeric powder: 1 tsp.
Black pepper: 1/2 tsp.
Tamarind: 2 tsp.

For the curry:

Mustard oil: 3 tsp.
Mustard seeds: 1 tsp.
Cumin seeds: 1/2 tsp.
Fenugreek seeds: 1/2 tsp.
Dry red chilli: 1
Garlic (crushed or grated): 2 tsp.
Onion (chopped): 2
Tomato (chopped): 2
Salt to taste
Red chilli powder: 1 tsp.
Ginger (grated): 1 inch
Tamarind: 3 tsp.


  1.  Wash and cut the fish into desired size. Marinate in the ingredients mentioned in the marinating list: Salt, turmeric, ginger-garlic paste (you can also use grated ginger and garlic, it gives a nice texture), black pepper and tamarind. Keep aside for 20 minutes.
  2. Heat the mustard oil in a pan and add the marinated fish pieces. Fry from both sides, keep turning sides so it doesn't stick to the pan. It won't take a lot of time, 5-10 minutes each side. 
  3. Remove from the pan by draining the oil and keep aside.
  4. Now we prepare the curry: Heat the same oil and crackle cumin seeds and mustard seeds. Add fenugreek seeds and dried red chilli. 
  5. Add the garlic after 30 seconds and fry a bit until the raw smell disappears.
  6.  Add the onions and fry until they are transparent. 
  7. Add the tomatoes and sprinkle salt. Mix and let cook until the tomatoes are cooked and are soft and mushy. 
  8. Add the red chilli powder and ginger. Mix well and add the tamarind. Mix everything and let cook for about 2 minutes. 
  9. Add 2 cups of water, give a stir and cover. Let cook on medium flame for about 15 minutes. 
  10. Remove cover and turn off the flame. Let the curry cool completely. 
  11. When the curry is cooled, gently add the fried fish pieces to the curry and transfer the whole fish curry to a big bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight. I refrigerated about 24 hours and it gave the curry an amazing taste, with all the flavors seeped inside the fish. 
  12. Take out from the fridge 30 minutes before serving. Warm it gently and serve hot with jeera rice. 



Disclaimer: Please note that this is an original recipe of the author and may not be copied or reproduced in any form without prior permission.

Loved this recipe? Please leave a comment in the comments section below as it really motivates me. Don't forget to join me on my Facebook Page for regular recipe updates.

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