Chana Dal With Pumpkin

Ingredients :

1 cup chana dal (Bengal gram)

250 gm pumpkin

2 tomatoes

3 pods of garlic

½ piece of ginger

2 green chilliesa bunch of curry leaves

1 onion1 tsp turmeric powder

2 tbsp oil1 tbsp tamarind pulp

salt to taste

Method :

Chop the onion and tomatoes. Slit the chillies into halves. Peel the pumpkin and remove the pith and cut the pumpkin into small pieces. Peel and grate the ginger. Peel and crush the garlic.

Cook the chana dal in 4-5 cups of water till tender but not overcooked. Keep aside.Heat the oil and fry the onion till it is light golden brown. Add the ginger, garlic and the tomatoes and fry for another minute. Mix in the pumpkin pieces and salt to taste and the turmeric powder. Add one cup of water and cover with a lid and cook over a medium heat till the pumpkin pieces are tender. Mix in the cooked dal and allow the dal to simmer. Add the green chillies and the curry leaves. Continue to simmer for 3-4 minutes. Mix in the tamarind pulp and cook for another minute. Serve hot with rice or paranthas.

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Capsicum Pickle

Ingredients :

5 capsicums

1 tsp chilli powder

¼ tsp fenugreek seeds

½ tsp mustard seeds

1 pinch haldi powder

1 pinch asafoetida powder

2 limes

2 tbsps oil

salt to taste

Method :

Wash capsicum and cut into small pieces.

First roast mustard in frying pan and when it splutters add fenugreek.

Stir a little. Put chilli, haldi and asafetida powders. Stir.

Drop capsicum pieces into pan, quickly add salt, stir and cover pan.

Simmer for a few minutes till capsicum gets cooked. (Open lid 3-4 times at intervals, and stir.) take out from flame.

Put juice of lime. Stir well. Store in jar or bottle.

The pickle can be kept for 2-3 days.

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Papad Sabzi

Ingredients:

2-3 medium sized papads

1 tbsp curds

1/2 tsp chilli powder

1-2 pinches turmeric

1-2 pinches asafoetida

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 mustard seeds

1 tbsp ghee

1 tsp chopped coriander

Salt To Taste

1 cup water

Method:

Break the papads into 1 inch squares.
Heat ghee in a saucepan, add seeds.
Add asafoetida. Add chilli powder and curds simultaneously. Stir till curds brown.
Add turmeric, water and salt. Boil.
Add papads and coriander.
Boil for 3-4 minutes.
Serve papad ki sabzi hot with chappatis.

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Gatte ki Sabzi

Ingredients :-

Besan : 500 Grams

Curds 200 Grams

Sago (Sabudana) : 2 Tbsp.

Oil : 4 Tbsp.

Chopped onion : 2 Nos

Garlic Paste : 1 Tsp.

Ginger paste : 1 Tsp.

Chilli powder : 1 Tsp.

Cinnamon : 1 Inch

Cumin seeds : 1 Tsp.

Bay leaves : 2 Nos

Black pepper powder : 1/4 Tsp.

Asafoetida : 1 pinch

Salt to taste

Chopped corinder : 1 Bunch

Method :-

Preparation1. Mix besan, cummin seeds, sago, asafoetida, chilli powder, salt, chopped onion, little oil. Add oil & make a dough.2. Roll the dough into small finger like sticks & add into boiling water. Cook for 10-12 minutes & separate.3. Cut into small pieces & fry in deep oil. Make a paste of ginger, garlic, onion, black pepper, cummin seeds & cinnamon.4. Heat oil in a pan, add bay leaves & masala paste. Fry till brown by adding curds. Add the water in which rolls were cooked.5. Boil & add already fried rolls. Cook till gravy is thick. Garnish with chopped coriander & serve hot.

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PANCHMEL DAL

Ingredients:

1/3 cup split Bengal gram (chana dal)

1/3 cup toovar (arhar) dal

1/3 cup green moong dal (split green gram)

1 tablespoon urad dal (split black lentils)

1 tablespoon whole moong (whole green gram)

3 teaspoons chilli powder

1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder (haldi)

1 teaspoon coriander (dhania) powder

1/2 teaspoon garam masala

3 cloves

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)

2 green chillies, slit a pinch asafoetida (hing)

2 teaspoons amchur (dry mango powder)

2 teaspoons tamarind (imli) pulp

3 tablespoons ghee(can be replaced with oil as it is used only for tadka)

salt to taste

Method:

Clean and wash the dals and add 4 cups of water. Pressure cook for 2 to 3 whistles or till the dals are cooked.

In a bowl, combine the chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, garam masala with 3 tablespoons of water and mix well. Keep aside.

Heat the ghee in a pan and add the cloves, bay leaves, cumin seeds, green chillies and asafoetida. When the cumin seeds crackle, add the prepared masala paste and saute for 1 to 2 minutes.

Add the cooked dals, amchur, tamarind pulp and salt and simmer for 5 to 7 minutes. Adjust the consistency of the dal before serving and if required, add some water.Garnish with lemon slices and cilantro/coriander and optionally serve with a drizzle of ghee for authentic rajasthani touch.

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DAAL BATI

Ingredients :-

For daal (Lentil Curry):

2 cups rajma beans (soaked in water overnight with a pinch of soda bicarb)

3/4 cup whole black gram (urad) (soaked in water overnight with a pinch of soda bicarb)

3 onions, chopped finely

2 tomatoes, chopped finely

2 tsp garam masala powder

2 tsp chilli powder

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste

2 green chillies, slit lengthwise

2 tbsp cream

4 tbsp ghee

1 cup coriander leaves, chopped finely

Oil

Salt To Taste

For Bati (dumplings):

5 cups whole wheat flour, sieved

1 cup ghee, melted

2 tbsps curd

Salt To Taste

Method :-

*Pressure cook rajma and black gram till it becomes soft. Heat 4 tbsps oil. Add onions. Brown them.
*Add ginger-garlic paste and tomatoes. Fry. Add all the masalas, beans and salt.Simmer till well blended. The gravy should be thick. Pour over cream and ghee. Knead a soft dough with flour, ghee, curd, salt and just enough water.
*Roll into lemon-sized balls. Cover and keep for one hour. Then roast in batches on hot coals till puffed and golden outside and spongy inside. Keep hot.
*Garnish the daal with coriander leaves and slit green chillies. Dip hot (baati) dumplings in the daal while eating.

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RAJASTHANI DAHI VADA

INGREDIENTS :-

10 Moong Dal Vada (medium size)

500 gmsCurd
2 tbsp Sugar

Salt to taste
1/2 tsp Garam masala

1 tsp Roasted Jeera Powder
1 tsp Red Chilly powder
1 cup Tamarind Chutney
a few Coriander Leaves (finely chopped)

METHOD :-

Soak moong-dal vada for 4-5 hours. While serving, squeeze out the water. Put it in a serving plate. Beat the curd along with sugar and pour over the vadas. Also pour the tamarind chutney and sprinkle all the masala to taste. Garnish with chopped coriander.

Serves: 6-7 persons.

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Nargisi Koftas

Ingredients:

2 cups minced meat

1/2 tsp garlic paste

1/2 tsp ginger paste

salt to taste

1/4 tsp powdered black pepper

1/4 tsp garam masala

5-6 hard boiled eggs, cooled and shelled

a little flour to roll the eggs in

Gravy :-

1 tbsp chopped ginger

1 tbsp chopped garlic

1.5 cups roughly chopped onions-boiled in very little water

1 cup oil2 bay leaves

2 tsp black cumin seeds

6-7 green cardamoms-lightly roasted and powdered

6-7 cloves-lightly roasted and powdered

1 tsp broken cinnamon-lightly roasted and powdered

1 blade mace-lightly roasted and powdered

salt to taste

1/2 tsp turmeric

2 tbsp coriander powder

1/2 tsp chilli powder

1 cup chopped tomatoes

a large pinch of kesar

1/2 tsp kewra

2 tbsp warm milk

1/4 cup chopped coriander leaves

2 tbsp cream

Method : -

For the koftas, divide the meat mixture into 5 or 6 portions, and shape each into a round pattie. Roll the eggs in the flour, dust off the excess flour, and place in the centre of each pattie. Bring the meat up around the egg, to form an even coating around it. Smooth the surface so that no creases remain. Refrigerate for at least an hour

.In a kadahi, heat some of the oil listed with the ingredients for the gravy. Fry the koftas in it, first over high heat; then lower the heat, so that they are cooked through. When they are evenly brown, remove from oil and set aside. Fry as many koftas as fit comfortably in the kadahi. Be careful not to break them.

For the gravy, grind the ginger, garlic and boiled onions to a fine paste and set aside.Heat the rest of the oil in a saucepan and add the bay leaves and powdered spices. When the spices darken a little, add the onion mixture. Stir-fry brown and fat separates. Add the tomatoes, salt, turmeric, coriander powder and chilli powder, and stir-fry again till the fat separates.Add about 2 cups water. Bring to boil and simmer for about 10 minutes, add half the chopped coriander leaves and the milk into which saffron etc. have been mixed.To serve, cut the koftas lengthwise. Arrange on a serving dish and pour the hot gravy over them. Serve garnished with the cream and the rest of the chopped coriander leaves.

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