Dal Makhani

Its been a long time since I blogged. My boys keep me on my toes all day long, so blogging becomes a bit difficult. I decided to start with Dal Makhani, an all time favourite with everyone. I found the perfect recipe on Malabar Spices . Only difference is that I did not use canned tomatoes, only fresh ones. The end result was just great. My entire family loved it.

Ingredients:

To pressure cook:

Split Black Gram (Urad dal): 1 cup

Bengal Gram (Channa dal): 2tbsp

Red Kidney Beans (Rajma): 1/4th cup

Ginger Garlic Paste: 1 tbsp

Ghee: 1 tsp

For the seasoning:

Green Chillies: 3

Garlic: 1 1/2 tbsp chopped

Onion: 1 1/2 cup chopped

Ginger Garlic Paste: 1 tbsp

Tomatoes: 5 medium

Tomato Paste: 2 tbsp

Red Chilli Powder: 1 tbsp

Garam Masala Powder: 2tsp

Kasuri Methi Powder: 1 tsp

Salt: to taste

Oil: 2-3 tsp

Butter: 2-3 tsp

For garnishing:

Butter: 2tbsp

Fresh Cream: 1/2 cup

Corriander leaves: a handful

Method:

1. Soak the black gram dal, bengal dal and red kidney beans overnight. in lots of water.
2. Rinse the dal properly and pressure cook with ghee and the ginger garlic paste. Cook till the dal is mushy.
3. Heat oil and butter in a pan. Fry the onion, garlic and green chillies, till the onion is translucent. Add the ginger garlic paste and saute a bit more.
4. Then add the tomatoes and salt and saute till the tomatoes are cooked. To this, add tomato paste, red chilli powder and garam masala and cook.
5. Next add the cooked dal, some salt and water and simmer constantly over a low flame for around 20 minutes. 
6. When the dal seems cooked, add the kasuri methi (it should be crushed in the palms to release the flavours better)
7. Garnish with butter, cream and corriander leaves.

Chicken Bread

I simply love baking. Its been a really long time since I actually baked anything. I got this amazing bread recipe from Shab's Cuisine. It is so amazing and simple to make, that I have already made two loaves, with requests for more. I just halved the ingredients. Also, for the filling, I used leftover minced chicken which I cooked for dinner the previous night.  And the filling can be made with anything...not just chicken.

Ingredients:
For the Dough
Plain Flour or Maida: 2 cups
Yeast: 1/2 tbsp
Milk Powder: 1 tbsp
Salt: a pinch
Oil: 2 tbsp
Egg: 2 (1 is for the eggwash)
Castor Sugar: 1tsp
Lukewarm water: 1 cup
Sesame seed: 1 tsp for sprinkling

For the Chicken Filling:
Minced Chicken: 200gms
Green Peas: 50gms
Onion finely chopped: 1
Tomato finely chopped: 1
Ginger garlic paste: 1 tbsp
Turmeric Powder: 1/2tsp
Corriander Powder: 1/2tsp
Cumin Powder: 1/2tsp
Garam Masala:1/2tsp
Corriander leaves: for garnishing

Method:
For the Dough

• In a bowl, mix together flour, salt, caster sugar, milk powder and yeast. Mix well
• Make a well in the center of this and add a beaten egg and oil. 
• Knead it to make a medium soft dough using the lukewarm water.
• Leave it to rise, for 2 hours or till it rises to double the size.
• Punch it back and divide the dough into two parts.

For the Filling

• In hot oil, saute the onion. 
• Add the ginger garlic paste and saute till the raw smell leaves.
• Then add the tomatoes and cook a bit.
• Add the dry masalas and salt and cook covered on a medium flame.
• Garnish with corriander leaves.

The assembling

• Dust the working surface with flour. I did this on the baking tray because it is a bit difficult to move the bread once the assembling is done.
• Roll the dough into a rectangular shape.
• Place the filling in the center of the dough horizontally, leaving some space on both ends.
• Cut the edges with scissors, and fold each cut part from each side, so they overlap each other.
• Tuck in the ends.
• Brush the top of the bread with a beaten egg and sprinkle sesame seeds.
• Leave it to let it rise, for around 20 mins.
• Bake the bread at 200 degree C for 25 mins, or it turns golden.
• Take it out of the oven, and brush butter all over it while it is hot. 
• Enjoy it hot!!

I was really surprised and delighted to receive these awards from my new blogging friend Teenz' Yummy Delights.

 I pass these awards to
Julie
Tina
Mama's World
The Kitchen On the 28th floor

Baked Eggs

These days, whenever I have to cook, there is just one thought running through my head..."will the boys eat this without cribbing". I have to keep looking for new ways to satisfy their taste buds. Thank God for the Internet. For example, when the boys didn't want to eat "normal dinner", but wanted something with eggs, I found this wonderful recipe from this amazing blog. It is actually a breakfast dish, but I made it for dinner anyways, and served it with buttered brown bread. The kids just loved it!!!

Ingredients:

• Eggs: 3
• Tomatoes: 2 chopped
• Onion small: 1 chopped
• Turmeric Powder: a pinch
• Salt: as per taste
• Oil
• Butter: for spreading on the baking dish
• Coriander leaves for garnishing

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180C/350F
2. Heat the oil.
3. Add the onions and saute till translucent.
4. Then add the chopped tomatoes.
5. Mix in the salt and the turmeric powder.
6. Stir for 7 to 10 minutes on medium heat. The tomatoes should not lose their shape.
7. Smear butter all over the baking dish.
8. Pour the tomato mixture into the dish.
9. Gently crack open the eggs, one by one, on the tomato base.
10. Place it in the oven for 20 -25 minutes for a cooked yolk and 15-20 minutes for a softer yolk.
11. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Besan Halwa

Every evening I keep wondering what snack to make for my boys before they go to play. I was looking around for something new, and I came across Besan Halwa. It was something I have not tried before and it looked very easy to make to. And the best part is that my boys loved it.

Ingredients:

1 cup Besan (Bengal gram flour)

3/4 cup Ghee
1 cup Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Cardamom Powder
1 cup Milk
1/2 cup Water (approximately)

Method:
1.Heat water and milk in a pan. Stir in cardamom powder. Set aside.

2.Heat ghee in a shallow frying pan. Add besan and roast in the ghee for 10 minutes, or until it smells nutty and fragrant.
3.Add the sugar and stir. Pour in the milk mixture gradually. Keep stirring to avoid lumps. Add water as needed. Cook the mixture for 10 – 15 minutes, stirring frequently till the halwa pulls away from the sides of the pan.
4.Serve hot, or spread the mixture into a rimmed plate and allow to cool. Cut into squares and serve.

Cauliflower Curry

Again I am here after a really long time. I guess this is how it is going to be for some time now. Posts after long intervals. Anyways, I was wondering what new to make with cauliflower when I happened to stumble upon this recipe on the blog Gastronome by Choice. It looked yummy, so I tried it out and found out that it tastes yummy too. Only difference was that I added a potato to the dish because i love potato with cauliflower.

Ingredients:

Cauliflower, cut into bite sized florets: 1

Potato: 2 diced

Onion Paste: 200 gm

Ginger-Garlic Paste: 20 gm

Cashew Paste: 100 gm

Poppy Seed Paste: 50 gm

Tomato Paste: 100 gm

Coconut, grated: 20 gm

Red Chili Powder: 10 gm

Turmeric Powder: 5 gm

Cumin Powder: 10 gm

Coriander Powder: 10 gm

Bay Leaf: 1

Salt: To Taste

Oil: as per required
Method:

1. Heat the oil. Add in the bay leaf.

2. Add in the onion paste. Saute till golden brown.

3. Add ginger-garlic paste and fry for a bit. Add the potatoes.

4. Add the red chili powder, cumin powder, coriander powder & turmeric powder.

5. Add the tomato paste. Cook for 2-3 minutes.

6. Add poppy seed paste & cashew paste.

7. Cook for 2-3 minutes.

8. Add the cauliflower florets. Mix well and cook for 2-3 minutes.

9. Add the grated coconut.

10. Add 1 cup of water. cook and bring to boil.

11. Simmer for 3-4 minutes. Add salt.

12. Cook for 2 more minutes. Remove from flame and serve hot.

Rawa Idli

Yesterday I was wondering snack to give my 3 year old boy before he goes cycling, so I decided to go through a few blogs to get ideas. I found Rawa Idli in Suma's Cusine. I had heard of it, but never tasted it. It looked very simple to make, and the best part of it was that I had all the ingredients. Only thing I did not add from the recipe was the cashewnuts because my boy does not like them. The whole thing did not look as wonderful as hers did, but my son and my husband loved it.  Here I have posted the recipe without the cashew nuts and the chillies. It is the same as Suma's. Thanks Suma. 

Ingredients:

Rawa: 1 cup

Curd: 1/2 cup

Water: 1/2 cup

Onion: 1 medium chopped

Carrot: 1 big grated

Ginger: 1 tsp grated

Mustard Seeds: 1 tsp

Channa dal: 1 tsp

Urad dal: 1 tsp

Curry Leaves: a few

Oil: a bit

Salt: as per  taste

Method:

1) Heat oil. Add mustard seeds. When they start spluttering, add channa and urad dal and fry till they turn brown. Then add the curry leaves,  ginger,  carrot and the onion. Fry for some time.

2) Add the rawa to this and let it roast for sometime.

3) Transfer the contents in a bowl and let it cool.

4) Add the curd, water and salt, and mix well. There should be no lumps. It should be of the same consistency as normal idli batter.

5) Grease the idli tray with oil. Spoon the mixture into this and 

steam on medium heat for 10-15 minutes. 

Happy Diwali

I want to wish all my blogger friends and their families a very Happy Diwali & a Prosperous New Year. I never make sweets. Actually to mention, never thought of it, so this time I decided to throw myself in sweet making. I searched blogs on the net and finally settled on Mysore Pak, Kaju Katli and Nimki which I had made and posted earlier. I would like to thank "My Diverse Kitchen" and "Art of Cooking" which helped me to make these.

Chicken 65

This evening my husband had to go to Bangalore for two days, leaving my toddler boy and me alone in a new city like Chennai, where I don't know anybody. It was an unexpected tour, and since I would be bored alone, I decided to cook something from the many blogs I have visited. I thought of making chicken. In most of the recipes I saw, the masalas had to be grinded, and I was feeling very very lazy to do that. And my son was crying because his dadda did not take him along. He even put on his pants on his own so that he could go with dadda.

The recipe which I thought was the easiest was Chicken 65, from Bong Mom. The marinade smelled so good, that I was sure the end result would also be good. While cooking, my boy said "nice smell mums (he calls me mums now. Don't know why)". He loved eating it.

I marinaded the chicken for about an hour with:

Vinegar

Ginger garlic paste

Salt

Pinch of Turmeric powder

Pinch of red Chilli powder

Soya Sauce: 2 tsp

Corn flour

Sambar powder: 2-3 tsp

Then, in hot oil, I fried curry leaves, mustard seeds and chopped garlic.

Next, I added the chicken pieces and fried them. I covered it and cooked it on a low flame till it was ready. Like the recipe suggests, I did not add water.

I am really thankful to Bong Mom for posting this yummy dish. It tasted great!!

Carrot Roti

I was inspired to make this roti for my 34 month old son from Sireesha. I grated the carrot and added it to the dough. I did not add any spices. Instead, I added some left over dal that I had while kneading the dough. I am not much of a roti maker, so was happy to see that the rotis fluffed. My son likes to put butter on his rotis and roll them to eat, so thats what I did..... And my son who is a carrot hater, happily ate the rotis.