Hello friends! This post is only to inform all of you to peep into my new blog Kitchen - Basics where I will be posting basic food recipes as well as basic skills used in the kitchen. These are recipes for every day use and for beginners.
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My Version of Dal Makhani
Hi.
As I have mentioned earlier too that on weekends I do not like to spend a lot of time in the kitchen, with the temperature soaring high it is now becoming a regular feature. I abhor to stand in the kitchen sweating and cooking elaborate meals these days, instead I am looking out for one pot meals or a quick combo.
On Saturday morning I was thinking what I could make for the Sunday breakfast and lunch. I wanted something more wholesome for the BF and Lunch so that we could have a light dinner. So I made Masale wale parathe for the breakfast (the recipe I will surely post sometime) which I served with Mango pickle and curds and I made rice and Dal Makhani for the lunch.
The Dal Makhani I guess is loved by all Indians and my family is no different, they are in love with the preparation. I guess each food blog posts the recipe to this preparation and each of us claim that it’s tasty and I am sure it is. I am no different! I too claim that my preparation is good, in fact just not good it’s very good!!LOL.
I might laugh at myself to write such a statement where I am boasting about my culinary skills of making a tasty Dal Makhani but I have tasted many Dal Makhanis in the best of Restaurants who have won gourmet award for this preparation (one of them is ITC too) and S declared I make better than them. When S certifies me for anything I take it quite seriously as he is a well travelled person and being a connoisseur of food, I understand the authenticity of his comments.
Dal Makhani as we all know is a lentil preparation from Punjab. As the name suggests that loads of butter and calories go into it but I try to make this in less calories and still not compromising with the taste. I do not claim that this is a low calorie stuff but it surely has calories much less than what’s served in the hotels. The best way to cook this dal is to simmer it overnight which is mighty impossible for me in this heat but I did let it cook for an hour on low flame.
The dal did turn too good. My younger one who on a regular basis has one round of food asked for a second helping for lunch and wanted to have it again for dinner. As for the remaining three in the family, we are all gluttons when it comes to good food. LOL.
So here goes the recipe..
Ingredients
1 cup whole Urad dal
4 tbsp Kidney beans
7-8 medium sized garlic pods
an inch of ginger piece
2 kashmiri red chilies
2 tsp red chili pwd
3-4 tsp coriander pwd
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp nutmeg pwd
salt to taste
100ml cream
3-4 tbsp ghee/clarified butter for cooking
1/2 pack of readymade tomato puree or about 2-1/2-3 cups of tomatoes pureed
1/2 cup yogurt
Method
Grind together garlic, ginger and red chilies(GGR) to a paste.
Soak the urad dal and Rajma for 5-6 hrs. In a pressure cooker put the soaked lentils, Rajma, salt to taste, half of the GGR paste and a table spoon of ghee. After one whistle simmer and cook for about 30 mins. Let the pressure drop, mash the lentils properly.
Heat the remaining ghee and put the remaining GGR paste followed by the tomato puree. Saute till the oil separates. Now add salt, coriander pwd, red chili pwd and saute.
Remove from the fire and mix in the beaten curds.
Put back on flame and cook till oil separates. Put this gravy in the dal and cook it on low flame and cook for an hour.
Before removing from fire add the cream, garam masala and nutmeg. Mix thoroughly and serve it with steamed Basmati rice. The NUTMEG adds an excellent flavour to the dal, so do not miss that.
Orange Buttermilk Pound Cake
Hi!I was castigating myself that I have been neglecting my blog so much. I am not a techno savvy person so whatever I have done to my blog has been my learning or rather e-learning. I know my blog needs a good face lift, but alas! With my poor knowledge for all the techno things I am unable to do so. So my techno friends out there I am all ears and ready to learn if you are ready to share some knowledge with me.
I am so happy typing this post, that I am breaking away from the monotony of curries and savories. The last cake that I posted was Zucchini and Chocolate cake with Chocolate Ganache and it seems ages that I baked it. It’s been sometime that I was planning to bake. Every time I would see a cake post, I would remind myself that I need to bake. The heat was taking a toll on my body and the oven seemed most unexciting. We are facing a few hours of load shedding everyday. Gladly we do have a full back up but still who would take chances with the baking???? Weirdo that I am, I did take the challenge of baking a cake in this 45C heat, with the current going and coming every tenth minute I really had to monitor the time and temperature very carefully and as promised by the author of the recipe the cake turned out very well and I was congratulating myself to sail successfully amidst all the load shedding.
I have been reading Baking Bites very regularly and her cakes and baked products are truly an inspiration. I always wanted to try her cake recipe and I am so glad that I tried it today. She has made a lemon buttermilk pound cake, I have made minute changes to her recipe based on the ingredients I had in my pantry. I wanted to make the lemon cake but realised I did not have enough lime to get the zest, so I removed as much zest that I could get and substituted the remaining with orange..at the last minute I realised I was short of the Vanilla so balanced it with the orange essence. The orange glaze instead of the lemon zest gave that extra tinge of orange!
To my surprise these miniscule changes too added amazing flavor to the cake. The cake as you can see in the picture is amazingly soft. I had finished baking the cake before the younger one came from school. I was standing in my kitchen when I saw him sniffing while entering the building and the minute he stepped in he said you have baked a cake right, I could smell it outside..which cake have you baked? Can I have a piece now? The typical mother I am, asked him to wash and change and then wait till I pour the glaze over the cake..the impatient child he is, asked me how long will it take. The typical Mom I am answered, you get it only after finishing lunch. He can find many excuses to skip his lunch so I found a good reason to make him eat. I surely served him a glazed piece of cake post lunch, he ate a bite and grinned…I want one more after this, it’s too good. That smile on his face and I was overwhelmed, all the hard work in that heat seemed all the worth.
Ingredients for Orange Cake
3 cups APF
3 eggs
2 tsp baking powder
1-1/2 cups sugar
a pinch of salt
1-1/4 cups milk + 1-1/4 tbsp lime juice/ butter milk
1/2 cup butter (at room temperature)
2 tsp vanilla essence (I used 1-1/4 vanilla + 3/4 orange essence)
1/2 cup oil
2 tbsp orange zest (I used 1 tbsp lime+1 tbsp orange)
For orange glaze
1-1/2 cups Icing sugar
3 tbsp Orange juice
1 tbsp Orange zest
2 tbsp butter(melted and cooled)
Mix all the ingredients and then pour it over the cooled cake.
Method
Preheat the oven at 350F/ 175C.
Mix together the butter milk, vanilla and oil.
Sift together the APF, baking powder and salt.
Cream the butter and sugar and then add the zests, mix.
Add an egg at a time and beat.
Adding the dry ingredients first alternately add the APF mix and buttermilk mix in 2-3 times.
Pour it in a greased 10” tube pan ( I used Dr. Oetker’s) and bake for 50-55 mins till the tooth pick inserted comes out clean.
Let it stand in the oven for 5 minutes and then remove it on a cooling rack.
Once the cake is cool, transfer it on a plate and then pour the glaze. Cut into pieces and serve.
Khatte Baingan/ Sour Eggplant Curry
Hi.
Firstly let me please apologize again to all my friends as I am not regular in visiting you. Life has become kind of busy these days, my kid started school and the new concept of CCE is killing us. Conceptually the CCE (continuous comprehensive evaluation) has been started to unburden the child but has been misinterpreted and used inappropriately by the schools and is more burdening now. We face at least one test everyday and loads of home work. On top of it the heat is killing us, with the temp hitting 44C there’s no relief and the government here is still not taking any measures to advance the holidays which has happened in a few states. My son sits on the top floor of the school and faces load shedding for 2-3 hours daily. By the time he is back, is completely exhausted, fresh lime sharbat, panha and glucon-D are our saviors.
One of these days to beat this heat and the irritation inside me against this CCE thing, I concocted this curry, which gladly turned out very tasty. I realise all my frustrations vanish when I cook something new and as S says, I cook best when I am agitated or angry!!! LOL. This curry is tangy and spicy. As the name suggests, sour is a more dominant flavour here for which I have used a good quantity of curds. Curds as we all know is extremely healthy especially for heat, so it serves a dual purpose here…curbs heat and provides sourness.
Brinjal or the eggplant is liked and disliked by many. Gladly in my family every one likes it, thus providing me a platform to experiment more with this vegetable. Amongst all the curries that I make with it, stuffed version is always demanded the most. So here’s an unusual way of stuffing the eggplants in less time.
Ingredientsabout 12-15 baby eggplant
3 onions roughly chopped
5-6 garlic pods
an inch of ginger
1 tsp fennel seeds
3 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp sugar
To Combine together
a cup of yogurt
a tsp of rock salt
3 tsp Degi Mirch
a pinch of turmeric
2-1/2 tsp cumin pwd
3 tbsp coriander pwd
1 tsp amchoor pwd
3/4 tsp garam masala
salt to taste
Method
Wash the brinjals and make a + cut on it’s head keeping the end and tail intact. Soak them in salted water till used.
Grind together Onion, ginger, garlic and fennel coarsely. Heat oil and put half teaspoon sugar followed by the ground paste. Saute on low flame till oil separates. Adding sugar at this stage gives a nice ‘tavang’ to the curry. Tavang is basically the oil with the red colour rising above in the curry.
In a bowl mix all the ingredients under TO COMBINE. Switch off the flame and put this mix and keep stirring, this prevents the curd to curdle. Switch on the flame again and let the gravy cook on low flame.
Once you see the oil separating on edges, tip in the eggplants one by one and coat them thoroughly with the gravy, yes, need not wait to actually stuff.
Gradually add a cup of water and give the curry a gentle stir, bring it to a boil, cover and cook on low flame till done.
This curry is tangy and extremely flavourful. Perfect to go with paratha or rice. Tastes best after 5-6 hrs of cooking. So in case you are expecting guests, I will suggest you to cook this a day in advance.
Revisiting Bissi Bele Bhaath and Karnataka Style Sambhar Masala
I visited S’s family the first time when we were getting engaged. My MIL had asked my father what would he like her to cook. My dad very gladly had said Bissi bele bhaath. During his short stint in Bangalore he had developed a liking for Karnataka cusine. Bissi bele Bhaath , Pesarattu, Vaangi Bhaath are a few preparations which he is extremely fond of... So for him it was like a wish come true. And the bhaath was superb. So when I got married, I grabbed the first opportunity that I got to learn the recipe to this simple yet very tasty bhaath.
When my MIL taught me how to cook the Bhaath in the Karnataka style, I could not believe how simple it was and yet so tasty and healthy. As explained by her Bissi means 'hot' bele means 'daal' and anna means 'Rice" so it actually means " hot rice and daal cooked together".
As the name indicates it requires very basic ingredients readily available in the kitchen and if all the chopping is done it takes no time to cook. It can be an ideal meal if you are expecting guests for lunch/dinner....keep all the veggies chopped and refrigerate. Just cook the Bhath an hour before the guests are to arrive.
The only difficulty I feel with the Bhaath is that you should have a bed ready for slumbers as the Bhaath sits tight in your stomach and makes you feel very drowsy, so as a caution I do not make it on week days.
The best way to serve the Bhaath is with a dollop of ghee on top along with plain Potato wafers (crispies) and raita.
Before I tell you how I made the Bhaath and Raita it's important to know how the Sambhar Masala is made in my kitchen ( Kannara version) as the masala gives the main flavor to the Bhaath. This Sambhar Masala again is my MIL's recipe .
Ingredients for the Sambhar Masala
2 cups red chilies ( I used bedagi and guntur)
1 cup Coriander seeds
1/4 cup Bengal Gram ( Chana Daal)
1 tsp Fenugreek seeds ( Methidana)
2 sticks cinnamon ( dalchini)
3/4 cup grated coconut(dry)
2 tsp oil
Method for Sambhar Masala
- Heat oil and add Fenugreek and Cinnamon followed by the daal.
- Roast on a medium flame for a few minutes till the daal turns pink then add the coriander seeds and roast.
- Add the chilies and roast for a few minutes till they become lightly crisp.
- Now add the coconut and roast for a minute and switch off the flame. Let the contents be there in the pan and keep stirring till the pan cools a bit.(This avoids burning)
- Cool the ingredients and then grind it to fine powder in a coffee grinder.
The final product(Sambhar Masala) looks like this-
Ingredients For Bissi Bele Bhaath
1 1/2 cups rice
1 cup tuvar daal (yellow lentils)
4 medium size potatoes (cubed)
3 medium sized onions (sliced)
1 large carrot ( cubed )
3/4 cup peas
15- 20 spinach leaves roughly chopped(can be omitted)
10-15 french beans cut into 1inch pieces
tamarind pulp as per your taste
salt as per your taste
about 1 - 11/2 tsp cinnamon pwd
1/2 tsp clove powder (I add this my MIL does not)
1 tsp turmeric pwd
4 tbsp sambhar masala
a few sprigs curry and coriander leaves
2-3 dry red chilies
oil for cooking
mustard seeds 2 tsp
Method of making Bhaath
- Heat oil and add mustard seeds , curry leaves and red chilies.
- Add sliced onions followed by all vegetables and saute.
- Add tamarind pulp, turmeric, sambhar masala, cinnamon and clove pwd, and mix properly.
- Now add the washed rice and daal and mix it properly.
- To the mix add about 12 cups of water and chopped coriander (I added 13 cups as I like eating the Bhaath in a semi liquid state).
- Pressure cook till 4 whistles.
- Serve the bhaath hot with a spoon of ghee along with some raita and crispies.
- The addition of cinnamon and clove pwd provide an exquisite flavor to the Bhaath.
Ingredients For The Vegetable Raita
1 small onion finely chopped
1 large tomato finely chopped
1 cucumber finely chopped
2 green chilies finely chopped
2-3 tsp coriander finely chopped
1 cup thick curds
1/2 tsp sugar
salt to taste
3/4 tsp roasted cumin pwd
For the Tempering
A spoon of oil
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
a spoon of chana and urad dal mixed
Method of Making Raita
- Mix all the ingredients of Raita and adjust the consistency by adding water.
- Heat oil and mustard seeds and the urad-chana daal mix. Let the daals turn
golden brown and pour it on the Raita. Mix and chill for an hour before serving.
Sabudana/ Sago Muruku- March ICC challenge
I was very glad to read the March ICC challenge, thrown on us by Srivalli as it was a savory. S has been asking me to make some crispy for the past few days and I had been very conveniently postponing or rather avoiding frying. So in my heart of hearts I was delighted that I will fry something for him and make him happy.
I am also sorry friends that I am not posting regularly and not even able to blog hop. Blogging has taken a back seat right now and I am sure in a few days I will be able to blog more effortlessly..fingers crossed!!!
Coming to the recipe, when I read the recipe it sounded simple to make and gladly I had all ingredients at home. My only worry was with the sago that it should turn out soft after soaking, as I have had bad experience with it while making the vada. They can be very dangerous if they burst. So just prayed that things turn out well!!
Though I had a doubt that I may not be able to shape them properly and they will break off in between. Since the sago had soaked well I ensured that I could crush it with my fingers as much as possible while mixing and kneading, this definitely helped and I got perfect shaped Muruku. Gladly they turned out very well and every body liked it. They are crispy and tasty and perfect as an evening snack. We all loved it. Thanks Srivalli for the recipe. It is a keeper. 
Ingredients
2 cups rice flour
1/2 cup besan
1/2 cup roasted gram flour
1/2 cup Sago/ Sabudana
1/4 cup curds + 1/2 cup water to make buttermilk
salt to taste
2 tsp chili pwd
50 gms hot oil for shortening/ about 3 tbsp of oil
and oil for deep frying
Method
Soak the sago in buttermilk for about 3-4 hrs, till they are soft. I covered the sago with enough buttermilk just to cover it, so I did not make a watery butter milk. This is a very important step as it’s crucial that the sago is well soaked else there are chances of it’s bursting while frying.
Mix all the flours, salt and chili pwd. Pour in the hot oil and rub it on the flours. Now gradually add the soaked sago and knead well using water to get a Chapati dough consistency.
Take the machine to make Chakali/Muruku and use the star shaped disc to make these crispies. Grease the machine well and put the dough in it and close the machine as per the instructions.
Heat the oil and using the machine make the murukus. I made the muruku on plate and then using spoon or ladle transferred into oil. Fry on a medium flame till golden in colour.
Remove on an absorbent paper to remove excess oil.
Cool and store in an air tight container if you are still left with some before they vanish from the plate.
Cauliflower Butter Masala, the Feel Good Hormone…my experience with Kashmiri Red Chilies
Hello!
I am on a cooking spree these days thanks to the feel good hormone which is doing some justice to me now. The last fortnight was quite bad in a sense that I was generally feeling too low, nothing seemed right in life. My elder one who is in his adolescent stage has been arguing and answering back for the pettiest of the things and I get extremely hurt when kids answer back and spend nights shedding tears trying to convince myself things will be right some day... To add to all this I was cursed badly this month so had to rush to a gynaec, stress paid me well. Shucks!!! Typing all this too also makes me feel sad, so it’s better I discuss the feel good hormone and elevate my mood again.
The feel good hormone or in Scientific terminology called Serotonin. Did I ever tell you guys that I am a Pharmacist by profession and have spent some time doing a bit of research before working for a gigantic Pharmaceutical company..all this seems to be ages back.. Anyways let me share some knowledge that I had gained a decade back, hopefully I will do some justice to my learning.. and to myself!!!
Serotonin is hormone found naturally in the human brain, precisely the CNS or the Central Nervous System. Serotonin is believed to play an important part of the biochemistry of depression, bipolar disorder and anxiety. It is also believed to be influential on sexuality. Since serotonin is so important in regulating moods and feelings of well-being, it is often targeted in drugs that are used to affect the mood, such as antidepressants. A class of medications called monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs).
Researchers have found what they believe to be evidence that low serotonin levels, an inhibition between the chemical signal, or a decrease in the chemical tryptophan (amino acid that produces serotonin) are directly related to chronic depression. Several other disorders, mainly Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), poor impulse control, panic and anxiety disorders and increased anger have all been attributed as well.
Most of the women during PMS feel low and depressed. Do read this link which tells various means by which Serotonin can be boosted and one can get benefitted. If you have ever taken a medicine during desmenorrhoea (pain during the menstrual cycle), you would agree that after the medicines shows it’s effect the mood feels elevated, these medicines surely cause the production of Serotonin and hence are prescribed drugs, to be taken under the guidance of a doctor.
Today I share a recipe which surely did make me feel happy while planning, cooking and then eating it. The Makhani gravy or Butter Masala gravy is extremely popular in the North Indian Kitchen and my both the kids are extremely fond of it. I rarely indulge into cooking this as it is surely loaded with some extra calories and in my dear friend Sailaja’s expression, the big MRF tyres on the waist line prohibit me from cooking this frequently. LOL. Gladly I still do not have big MRF tyres but if I do not check them, I am bound to have a few.
There are many variants available for this gravy but this one is my own creation and I am in love with it. One can use this for making the paneer or any makhani curry. I have used the degi mirch in the powdered form earlier. Recently I got hold of Sabut Kashmiri Mirch and I am in love these beautiful chilies. The color these chilies impart to the curry makes me drool over them. I can use all adjectives to describe their effect..beautiful, colorful, amazing, eye candy, catchy…and so on. Check out the color of the curry to believe it.
Let’s read the recipe..
Ingredients
500 gm Cauliflower cut into small florets
3 tomatoes
2 onions
5-6 garlic pods
1 inch piece ginger
1 tsp kasoori methi roasted
a pinch of garam masala
4 tbsp butter
1/2 cup fresh cream
2 whole kashmiri red chilies/ 2 tsp degi mirch
2 tsp coriander pwd
1 tsp cumin pwd
1 tsp sugar/ honey
salt to taste
2 tsp lemon juice
Whole spices
5-6 green cardamom
2 mace flowers
4-5 bay leaves
1 inch piece cinnamon
Method
Boil together the onions, tomatoes, kashmiri red chilies, ginger and garlic. Cool and grind to a smooth paste.
Boil the cauliflower in water along with some salt and lemon juice till half cooked. Drain the water, the water can be used as stock. Keep the cauliflower aside in a colander.
Put the whole spices in the pan and then put the butter into it, this will avoid it’s burning. Once the whole spices are fried in the butter put the ground mix and saute for about 2-3 mins.
Now add the coriander, cumin pwd, salt to taste and sugar. Once the oil separates from the gravy tip in the cauliflower and mix thoroughly. Pour some stock and adjust the consistency of the gravy. Bring the curry to a boil, cover and cook.
Roast the kasoori methi and crush it gently with fingers.
Once the cauliflower is done, add the kasoori methi, garam masala and cream. Mix thoroughly, cook for another minute before removing from the flame. Remove all the whole spices.
Garnish with some fresh cream and serve it with Whole Wheat Naan or Kulcha. Check out the link as I make my Naan with whole wheat flour.
Mutkule…a one pot meal
Hi.
There are days when I feel lost at deciding a menu either for lunch or dinner, I am sure every one faces this problem sometime. On such days there are a few dishes which are my saviors. I prefer one pot meals so that I cook fast and have a filling meal. One such pot meal which has been my childhood favorite is Mutkule a traditional Maharashtrian recipe. It is also called Dive or Varanatali Phala/ fruits in the daal. The daal made here is the traditional ambat-goda varan (sweet-sour) daal. This daal has an amazing taste and is a regular at Maharashtrian homes. Amsul/Kokam is used to impart the tanginess and a hint of jaggery for the sweetness. It is the dried part of the fruit that is used in the curries. To read more about Kokam, check here.
I remember at my Mom’s place this was a favorite amongst me, brother and mom. Dad never liked it, so we used to wait that he goes on a tour so that Mom could make this and we three could relish eating it. Gladly now my family also loves eating this, so I can relish it more frequently.
This particular preparation is my kind of meal, it’s quick to make, healthy, filling and very tasty. One can enjoy the health benefits of lentils and wheat together. I can say I enjoy cooking this hassle free stuff. It’s a hearty meal to be enjoyed with some ghee on top and some pickle to tickle the taste buds.
Ingredients
3 cups of cooked Toor daal/ Pigeon Pea
3 cups whole wheat flour
about 5 tbsp oil for shortening
3 tsp carom seeds/ ajwain
2 onions chopped
5-6 green chilies chopped
8-10 kokam
1 sprig curry leaves
2 tsp goda masala
2-3 tsp red chili pwd
1/2 tsp turmeric
a pinch of strong asafetida
2 tbsp crushed jaggery
salt to taste
3 tbsp oil for cooking
2 tsp mustard seeds
Method
To the wheat flour add carom seeds, salt to taste and oil for shortening, using water knead a tight dough. I add more carom as it’s good digestive and it does impart a nice flavor to the dough.
There are two ways to make the Mutkule, firstly by rolling out thick rotis and cutting them (I prefer this as it’s convenient to eat), secondly by breaking small dumpling and pressing them in the fists. I have shown both the methods in the following pics so that it’s convenient to understand.
Cook the lentils along with a pinch of turmeric and asafetida in a pressure cooker till it’s cooked soft. Blend it with a ladle.
Heat oil in a pan and splutter the mustard seeds, add asafetida followed by onions and green chilies and saute them. Put some curry leaves.
Add turmeric and red chili pwd, saute.
Add the cooked dal and mix properly. Adjust the consistency by adding the water.Now add the kokam, salt to taste and the jaggery. Put the goda masala and mix. Also put some chopped cilantro too.
When the lentils come to a boil, tip in the Mutkule one by one. Let the Mutkule cook in the dal. This will take about 10-15 mins.
Once done, serve immediately with a dash of clarified butter on top.
I would surely like to know which dish is your savior when you are undecided what to cook..As for now, do let me know how do you find this preparation which is my family’s favorite.