Gujarati dal

Gujarati cuisine is basically served with dal, rice, fulka/ chapathi's, subzi, vegetable salad and yogurt and everything is vegetarian pretty much! Dal is an essential part of gujarati meal. Here is the dal recipe which is little sweet and little tangy!


Ingredients:
Toor dal (one cup) 
2 medium sized tomatoes 
Whole mustard (one tea spoon)
Whole jeera (one tea spoon)
Jeera / cumin Powder ( 1 tea spoon) 
Dhaniya powder ( I tea spoon)
Amchur / dry powder ( 1 tea spoon)
Sugar ( 1 tea spoon)
Chili powder ( 1 tea spoon)
Turmeric (half tea spoon)
Green chillies 2
Peanuts - 1/4th cup
Curry leaves
Hing / asafoetida (one pinch)
Ghee / oil 4 table spoons
Salt to taste.


Method of preparation:

1. Pressure cook toor dal with 2 cups of water for 3 pressure release cycles (3 whistles), then switch off the stove and allow it to cool down. 
2. In the mean while, take a kadai / skillet heat oil / ghee then add whole mustard, Jeera, hing, slit green chillies, jeera powder, dhaniya powder,red chili hing and fry till flavour come out then add chopped tomatoes mix it well and leave it for 2 minutes. 
3. Now add turmeric, jeera powder,  dhaniya powder and amchur close the skillet with a lid and cook for 5 minutes adding 3 to 4 teaspoons of water if required. 
4. Once oil starts getting separated from the tomatoes, add the cooked dal and peanuts and one cup of water. As the dal becomes be little loose in consistency, add salt to taste. 
5. Allow it to cook for 10 minutes. If required, any spices or masala can be added at this time. 
6. Switch off the stove and Gujarati dal is ready to serve. 

*Ideas:
chopped garlic can be added to the dal while cooking (gujarati food is not made with garlic usually ).
Jeera, dhaniya, amchur and chili powder can be added more according to your taste. 

Jeera rice

As I posted Dal tadka earlier I now want to make a dish that goes well with it. Easy variant of  white rice with whole jeera in a few minutes and it can also be made with left over rice. 


Ingredients:
2 cups of rice
Whole jeera / cumin (one and a half table spoon)
Jeera powder (half tea spoon)
Pepper (half tea spoon)
Salt to taste
Green chilies 2
Cloves ( 2 to 3 optional)
Garlic cloves ( 3 chopped into small pieces)
Curry leaves (5 to 6)
Ghee / clarified butter.


Method of preparation:

1. Cook rice in 1(rice) : 2(water) ratio and keep it aside. I sometimes prepare the dish with already cooked left over rice too. 
2. In a kadai heat clarified butter and  add whole jeera, garlic, green chillies, cloves and curry leaves and fry them for a minute 
3. Add the cooked rice to it and give it a quick mix adding salt, pepper and jeera powder. 

*Ideas : bay leaf and other whole spices can also be added. I recommend to serve with dal and raitha. 

Dal tadka

Tadka / means different spices fried in oil or clarified butter.  This tadka gives a good flavor to the Indian dishes.  Today I am posting dal tadka that is cooked lentils seasoned with tadka, which is mild not too hot or spicy which can be served with plain rice-ghee, roti's or any flavored rice.


Ingredients :
2 cups toor dal 
2 red chillies 
2 green chillies 
Mustard seeds (half tea spoon)
Whole jeera/ cumin seeds ( half tea spoon)
Curry leaves 5-6 
Coriander for garnishing 
Salt to taste 
Turmeric (half teas spoon)
Hing/ asafoetida (one pinch)
Garlic cloves (2 to 3 finely chopped)
Ginger ( finely chopped half tea spoon)
Jeera and dhaniya powder ( together half tea spoon)
Ghee / clarified butter (2 table spoons)
Water




Method of preparation:

1. Pressure cook two cups of  toor dal with three cups of water for three pressure release cycles ( 3 whistles). switch off the stove and let the cooker cool down when done remove the lid and then transfer into any kadai/ skillet or any cooking pot add another cup of water and allow to it to cook for some more time.
2. In the mean while, Take a kadai heat ghee and then fry mustard seeds, cumin seeds, hing, chopped ginger, chopped garlic, hing, , slit green chilies, red chilies, turmeric powder, jeera and dhaniya powder till the flavors come out. 
3. Now add the tadka and salt to the cooking dal and let it cook for atleast 5 to 7 minutes. If required add  some more water to the cooking dal as it is not made very thick, the consistency should be little loose. 
4. Dal tadka is ready to serve. 

Serves 3 to 4 people.

Chinese Fried Rice

I  recently read an article about brown rice / hulled rice where nutritionists and dieticians say brown rice is an excellent source of all round nutrition. It  helps controlling blood pressure and also controls fluctuations in blood sugar. The high fiber content in brown rice controls cholestrol  which keeps away from heart diseases.  From then onwards I swtiched to brown rice but eating plain brown rice every day with some vegetable or lentils is not fun. Hence this attempt in making fried rice with some spices, seasonings and all my favorite veggies for a change. So when ever I crave for chinese fried rice I try to make it little healthy, cooking with brown rice! 


Ingredients:
Brown rice ( 2 cups)
One cup mixed vegetable chopped ( I recommend carrots, beans, bell peppers, broccoli, corn and peas) 
Spring onions chopped (hand full)
Black pepper powder (half tea spoon)
Salt to taste 
Soy sauce (half tea spoon)
Garlic cloves (3)
Olive oil (3 table spoons)


Method of preparation:

1. Cook two cups of brown rice with 4 cups of water {1 (cup of rice):2(cups of water} and keep it aside.
2. Take a skillet / kadai heat olive oil, once the oil is hot add little pepper and save the remaining pepper powder aside and also also add finely chopped garlic cloves and fry them till the flavor comes out.
3. Now its time to cook the vegetables with garlic and pepper powder, cook the veggies till they become soft. 
4. Once all the vegetables are cooked add brown rice to it and give it a good mix and then season the rice with the remaining black pepper powder, soy sauce and salt.  
5. Switch off the stove and serve it hot!

*Ideas :
Green chillies can be added for extra spicy taste. 
Fried rice can be served with tomato sauce / ketchup , chilli sauce  and raw onions. 
while cooking brown rice, hand full of soy chunks ( good source of protein) can also be added.

Pesara pachadi (Moongdal chuntney)

I am going to share my mom's recipe today. She used to make this chutney with dehusked moong beans. 
This provides high protein and very digestible. 


Ingredients:
Two cups dehusked moong dal
Dried red chillies 6 to 7
Mustard seeds ( half teaspoon)
Whole jeera / cumin  ( 2 tea spoons) 
Channa dal / bengal gram (one tea spoon)
Urad dal (one tea spoon)
Hing / asafoetida (one pinch)
Salt to taste
Lime juice (2 tea spoons)
Curry leaves
Oil (4 tea spoons)
Water


Method of Preparation:

1. Soak moong dal for 2 hours.
2. Grind soaked moongal dal, red chillies, salt and one tea spoon of  whole jeera with water. (into a fine paste) .
3. In a small kadai, heat the oil add mustard seeds when they start spluttering add the remaining whole jeera, channa dal, urad dal, hing and curry leaves.
4. Switch off the stove and add the seasonings to the grinded chutney. Add two tea spoons of lime juice before serving. 

* Ideas : 
Tastes best with rice and ghee! 
This chutney can be saved for at least 4 days in the refrigerator
 






   

Strawberry and banana sorbet

Sorbet is a frozen desert made with fresh fruit, puree and fruit juice, usually blended with liquor, but mine is made with out any alcohol / liquor.  I read an article where it said sorbets are healthier than ice creams as it has fresh fruit or juice in it. I tried making a sorbet with strawberry and banana today. So I am posting the method of preparation and I promise to share my other sorbet recipes as I am trying them out!!! 


Ingredient:
Strawberries ( do not remove the steams) - 5
Half a banana
Slice of  lime  (one inch with skin as it adds a different taste to the sorbet)
Mint leaves- 3
Honey, sugar, nectar or any sweetener (one table spoon)
Ice cubes ( 1 cup)


Serves 1-2 people


Method of preparation:
Blend Strawberries, banana, slice of lime, mint leaves , any sweetener of your choice with a cup of ice for a minute at a high speed and serve it immediately before it melts. 


*ideas : 
 Sorbets can be served before lunch/ dinners. Any fruit or fruit flavours can be added and you can top the frozen desert with whipped cream. 
 I recommend Agave nectar  which is extracted from the heart of the agave plant, it slowly absorbs into the body preventing spikes in blood sugar. It is 25 % sweeter than sugar so you need less. You can pick it up from your favorite grocery stores shelf !


Enjoy the frozen desert!








                            

pizza

When our progenitors made pizza with pita bread why not reinvent the base. Lets sample our pizza with whole wheat multi grain bread.  This is a quick snack that can be made in less than 10 minutes. 


Ingredients:
 4 Whole wheat bread slices 
 Hand full of  cut vegetables ( I prefer onions and bell peppers)
Pizza sauce 2 table spoons
Grated mozzarella cheese (half cup)
salt 
pepper


Method of preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Apply pizza sauce on the bread slices and place the vegetables over the sauce
3. Then layer up the bread slices with grated mozzarella cheese, salt and pepper
4.  Place the slices on a baking tray 
5. Now set the baking tray in the oven and leave it for  6 minutes or wait till the cheese melts ( for a crispy base, bake it for 10 minutes)
6. switch off the oven and allow it to cool for 2 minutes and serve the pizza hot! 

* Ideas :

            You can add any of your  favourite veggies like broccoli,  spinach, olives, tomatoes etc. And also apply pasta sauce or salsa  which has tomato and basil in it ! 

* Note:

            Browse through my blog for pasta sauce recipe. 

Aloo Jeera

  When I have guests at home for lunch or dinners I run around the house thinking what to prepare. Of course during those times potatoes in my vegetable basket bring sigh of relief. Potatoes can be cooked  several ways  and the procedure can never go wrong. So here is a small experiment made with potatoes and few Indian spices which can be served with rice and roti's.


Ingredients:
2 large potatoes
whole jeera (1 teaspoon)
jeera / cumin powder (1 teaspoon)
dhaniya / coriander powder (1 teaspoon)
chilli powder ( half teaspoon)
amchur powder (half teaspoon)
hing/ asafoetida (one pinch)
turmeric powder (one pinch)
green chillies (optional)
curry leaves
coriander
oil.


Method of preparation:

1. Peel the skin of  potatoes and then cut them into cubes, wash them thoroughly under running water
2. Either microwave the potatoes for 5 minutes or put them in boiling water for 7 to 8 minutes
3. In the meanwhile mix all the powders (jeera, dhaniya, chilli, amchur,hing,turmeric and salt) with little water and make it to a thick paste. 
4. Heat 4 table spoons of oil in a skillet and add whole jeera /cumin to it and fry till they turn brown in colour
5. Now add the mixed spices paste to the jeera and fry in for 2 minutes, you can also add slit green chillies and bell peppers. 
6. When you see the oil getting separated from the masala, add the potatoes and mix well. 
7. Let them cook for at least 8 minutes.  Give potatoes a mix in between, make sure the masala does not get burnt.
8. Switch off the stove, garnish aloo jeera with chopped coriander and mint.

2 spoons of  plain yogurt and green peas can also be added while preparing the dish ( optional). 

Serves 1-2 people. 

Pesara kattu (moongdal rasam)

Pesara kattu (split lentils rasam)  is my grand mother's recipe. I still remember she making this for dinners, served with white rice and ghee.  I am posting this recipe on behalf of my grand mother. 


Ingredients:


One cup moongdal / pesara pappu (in telugu) 
Red chillies 3
Green chillies 2
Mustard seeds - one teaspoon
Cumin seeds- one teaspoon
turmeric (half teaspoon)
Ginger (one table spoon chopped into small pieces)
Salt to taste
Water (3 cups)
oil / ghee ( 0ne tablespoon)
asafoetida (hing) one pinch
curry leaves 5 -6 
coriander (finely chopped one teaspoon)
lime juice (one table spoon)


Method of preparation:
Pressure cook one cup of moong dal with 2 cups of water ,  split green chillies and half a tablespoon of chopped ginger ( two  pressure release cycles- whistles). Do not over cook it becomes mushy as this dal cooks really fast unlike the other  dals. Set the cooker aside, allow it to cool down. Then add the remaining one cup of water to make the texture loose as we are calling it as rasam.  Add salt and turmeric to the cooked dal and allow it to boil for at least 15 minutes.  In the meanwhile take a small utensil, heat one tablespoon of oil / ghee add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, red chillies, asafoetida, curry leaves and remaining ginger to it, allow it to sizzle then add all these spices to the boiling dal mix it well and cut off the stove after 5  minutes add lime juice to it (make sure you add it once the dish is off the flame, otherwise there are chances to make the rasam bitter), add fresh coriander and now serve pesara kattu  with rice! 


I recommend making pesara kattu for dinners! 
And Of  course save this recipe for the rainy day!!! 

Pasta

Pasta, garlic bread, potato chips and chilled soda  is my perfect dinner tonight. What about yours? Do you want to join me? Lets make it together....


Ingredients:
One pack of pasta (I prefer whole wheat pasta as it contains entire grain seed, vitamins, minerals and fiber)
One bowl of vegetables:
Half onion diced
Green, red and yellow bell peppers diced
Broccoli
Garlic cloves 4 (chopped)
Peanuts handful
Black pepper powder(according to your taste)
Red chillies(optional)
Olive oil (3 to 4 table spoons)
Italian herbs pasta sauce or any pasta sauce of your choice (available in all super markets)
Salt (according to taste)
Water.


Recipe:

1. Take a pot of water and bring it to boil then add loose pasta and salt, allow it to cook  for at least 8 to 10 minutes.
2. Drain the water and keep the cooked pasta aside.
3. Take a sauce pan put it on the medium flame , add olive oil and allow it to heat for 2 minutes.
4. Add half a tea spoon of black pepper powder, chopped garlic, red chillies , peanuts and fry for about 3 to 4 minutes. 
5. Add all the vegetables, give it a quick mix and allow it to cook for at least  5 minutes. 
6. Then add cooked pasta mix it well again adding 4 table spoons of pasta sauce of  your choice and add some more pepper powder. 

Hot and spicy pasta is ready to serve. 

Serves 1 to 4 people. 


Home made Pasta sauce:
If pasta sauce is not readily available do not worry you can always make fresh and delicious tomato sauce from scratch. Bring a pot of water to boil add 8 medium sized tomatoes  and allow its skin to peel then remove the tomatoes with a spoon and them an ice cold water bath. Remove the skin and blend 6 tomatoes and chop the remaining 2 tomatoes into small pieces. Take a sauce pan add little olive oil, garlic, small cup of chopped onions,  bell peppers and carrots  to cook then add tomato puree and tomato pieces. Add pinch of sugar, salt and pepper according to your taste. You can also add two to three cloves and one bay leaf but do not forget to remove once the sauce is cooked. Now close the pan with a lid and allow it to cook well for about one hour. Let it cool down for sometime and add to your pasta. You can also store this sauce in freezer safe containers for couple of weeks.

Enjoy your dinner!  

RAJMA MASALA, my favourite!

I wanted to make something simple and quick this afternoon with less ingredients so the simplest dish struck my mind was rajma masala!!! yuppieeee!
I thought I will share this recipe with you guys.

INGREDIENTS:
Canned Rajma (red kidney beans) - 1 can / 16 oz

Tomatoes (2 medium sized finely chopped)

Half onion finely chopped or you can also make paste

Whole jeera( one teaspoon)
Salt to taste 
Chilli powder (if you want to make it hot and spicy)
turmeric powder

Rajma masala powder 
Sugar (half tea spoon) 
Ginger garlic paste (half  teaspoon)
Oil or ghee (4 to 5 table spoons)
butter ( one tea spoon)

This serves  1-2  people. 


RECIPE:

1.  Heat oil or ghee in a pan 
2.  add whole jeera (cumin seeds), wait till they turn brown in colour 
3. add  finely  chopped onions  or onion paste (I used chopped onions here) and  fry  for about 2 minutes 
4. then  add  ginger  garlic paste  to the onions  and fry for another 2 minutes 
5. add  finely chopped tomatoes to the onions mix it once and leave it for about 5 minutes adding little water 
6. to  this mixture you can add  a pinch of turmeric powder,red chilli powder (optional), salt , sugar and rajma masala powder ( One tea spoon) if  you do not like the ready made masala, you can always  make it at home according to your taste and your favourite spices!!! as I  am calling it as a quick recipe I am using the ready made rajma masala powder. Mix all these ingredients well, close it with a lid and leave it on a medium flame for about 8 minutes. 
7. then add canned red kidney beans which are now available in all the markets or you can also soak red kidney beans over night and pressure cook for one whistle and add it to this mixture. 
8. Again milk is optional, I add milk once all  ingredients cook well, this will give a nice taste to the dish. close the lid for 5 minutes and turn off the stove.
9. add little butter to it. 
10. Rajma masala is ready to serve. 

 Serving tips:
                    This dish can be served with roti's, parathas , white rice or jeera rice.