Dal Torka or Torkar dal

Whatever the name, the rose smells just as sweet. 

Or, as here, the dal tastes just as good; as it did in my childhood. 

The highways in Odisha and Bengal are dotted with numerous Punjabi dhabas .... the perfect pit stop for tired and hungry travelers on long journeys. 
One of the excitements of our travels to Dadur bari / maternal grandfather's house was the stops on the highways for food.
Just as were the other trips to different places. One thing was guaranteed .... we will get to eat at a dhaba. 

Around noon, Bapi would turn the car into a bylane and halt in front of a dhaba. He always knew which one serves  the best food. We would stretch our legs. 
There would be at least one or two huge trees, usually the Neem or Banyan, with a shade all around. 
There would be charpais or woven cots underneath. 
Bapi would immediately lie down on one of them and close his eyes and rest in the gentle breeze. 
Ma would sit down and ask for a glass of lassi. 

I would sit at the end of the charpai .... I hated when I sat on it and the ropes sagged in, making it difficult for me to stand up again without struggling .... and watch all around. 

It seemed like a small haven , away from the highway in the blazing sun with vehicles speeding past. 

Bapi would  order the food first, since it took time to prepare .... especially the chicken. 
The dal torka was a major attraction .... dark, thick, earthy in taste with while blobs of scrambles eggs in it. Bapi always said that the secret to a great dal torka was the addition of some jhol from the mutton curry ... on the sly. 
He would always ask for a country chicken curry and Ma would ask for rice with it. 
Then there would be a hot omelette for me. With hot roti ... white, thin and all puffed up ... straight from the wood fired stove .... smelling of dry wheat and  wood smoke. 
And some fresh onions cut into largish pieces. 
Simple, fresh food, hot off the fire. 

Back on the road, I would promptly go off to sleep. 
Now I wonder how Bapi drove for the rest of the journey, without dozing. 

I had some soaked green moong dal and was waiting for them to sprout. 
Had some eggs at home too . 
And so made this Torkar dal for dinner. 
And was swamped with memories as I cooked it. 

Note : 
This dal is usually made with the whole black Urad dal / the Biulir dal / Kolai dal. 
When I do not have it at home, I make do with the green moong dal. 

Need : 

Whole green moong dal  - soaked at least for 8 - 10 hours

Eggs 

Onions - chopped 
Green chillies - chopped
Ginger - grated 

Ginger garlic paste 

Turmeric powder 

Red chilli powder 
Garam masala powder ( I use my homemade one )

Kasoori methi - crushed 

Jeera / Cumin seeds 

Ghee 

How to : 

Cook the dal with a little turmeric powder, the grated ginger and salt, in a pressure cooker for two whistles on low heat. 
Cool.

Heat ghee in a kadahi or a pan. 

Add jeera and the onions. Fry till slightly brown. 
Add the ginger garlic paste, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and fry well. 

Add the dal and bring to a boil. 
Adjust water and salt and add the garam masala and the kasoori methi. 
Cover and simmer. 

In a different pan, scramble the eggs with a little salt and  add them to the dal. 

Give a good mix, add a dollop of ghee or butter and cover. 
Remove from heat and let it stand for at least 10 minutes. 

Serve hot. 

To complete the memory, I made some maida rotis to go with them ... just as they made in dhabas. 

I do not have a wooden stove though .... so missed the dusting the hot ash off the rotis part. 
But we did devour them just like I did back then. 

How I wish to live those days again. With Bapi's presence around me. 

Warm. Safe. Secure. Loved. 

Khichuri with a spicy tempering to soothe the throat

Both I and B are on the way to recovery from a longish bout of cold and sniffles. 

While we are resting as much as possible staying warm, I have been cooking very light and nutritious food for ourselves too. 

Though they are not too different from our regular daily food, I did try to keep some things out and included a few things more.
Like I upped our intake of garlic ... it aids digestion and also provides warmth to the body ... a necessity in this cold winter weather. I have also increased B's intake of lentils for that extra protein.
Today, however, I wanted to deviate for a change and wanted to eat no vegetables.

 And I wanted to eat aloo bhaja .

I told myself that it is ok to indulge my tired body with some loving carbs.

So made a khichuri which is slightly different from the usual way I make khichuri  .

Not the typical Bengali  khichuri . 

How to make this beautiful khichdi...

I toasted 1 cup of yellow moong dal till fragrant.
Added  ½ cup of rice to it and washed it well. 

 Put it in a pressure cooker along with enough water, a little salt, grated coconut, turmeric powder, a blob of ghee and some crushed ginger. 

No need to grate it .... I just gave a big thwack with a pestle 😄

Cooked it for two whistles on low.

Heated ghee in a pan and added a little jeera and lots of chopped garlic and some chilli flakes and a pinch of salt.

Poured it over the khichadi . 

Stir fried some potatoes with kalo jeere / nigella seeds and dry chilli, in a smear of ghee. 

We savoured this beautiful meal that soothed our bodies with warmth as it went down.
I could visualise the nutrition spreading through my body and fill it with strength.

B went for a second helping too.
And just before he finished, mentioned "I feel as if someone has just given me a long, warm hug ".

And I knew all will be well.

When I was clicking photos, the sun shifted and lit up my plate with an ethereal light. 

Stay warm . Stay safe.

Eat well. Eat happy.

 

Dal Baati Churma Thali or Rajasthani Thali ...... a full meal of delectable vegetarian food

I have been getting a lot of requests to post full meal plans on the blog. 
While I do post my daily meals regularly on Instagram as well as on my FaceBook page, I have not been regular in posting here because of the lack of time. 
To post here, I will need to be armed with complete details of the food. 
How, when, why, and then the full recipe. 
Which makes it easier for me to ignore. 

But the guilt overwhelms. 

I started off with the blog first, after all. 
So no matter how difficult it might be, I will try to post my full meal plates henceforth. 

Starting off with the much loved, glamorous Dal, Baati Churma thali that I cooked for B on his birthday last month. 
I make dal baati meals regularly at home ..... it is a huge relief getting a break from rolling out and cooking rotis. 
I just make the dough and set them in the oven to cook. 
Saves loads of time. 

On my plate here is - 

Gatte ki shukhi sabzi 

Cook the Gatte by following the recipe here. 

Cut them up into medium pieces. 
Temper ghee with jeera, hing and add the gatta pieces. 
Toss with turmeric powder, red chilli powder, amchur powder and salt, till all the spices coat the gattas well and everything comes together. 

Chatpata Kaddu / Spicy Pumpkin sabzi : 

This is a family favourite.
Fresh sweet pumpkin pieces cooked with dry spices to make it spicy and tangy.
You will find the recipe here. 

Aloo bhindi ki sabzi : 

Temper oil ( I use ghee ) with jeera + hing + ajwain and add sliced potatoes. 

Stir fry on high, add turmeric powder and red chilli powder and salt. 

Add cut okra pieces and cover and  cook till everything is done. 

Add some dhania powder, mix well. 

Gulab Jamun : 

You will find the recipe here. 

Jeera Rice : 

Heat ghee in a heavy kadahi. 
Add a big dose of jeera ... more than you would add to a sabzi .... and black cardamom. 
Add sliced onions and fry them on low heat till almost brown. 
Add washed and soaked rice, salt and fry for around 5 minutes. 
Add water, cover and cook till the rice is just done. 

Churma : 

You will find the recipe here. 

Makke ka Dhokla :  

You will find the recipe here.  

Another look. 

 How to serve Dal baat : 

Pour the dal into a serving bowl. 
Break a couple of baatis on it. 
Top with a dollop of ghee. 

Enjoy!! 

 

Idli Sambar Podi ... a hearty South Indian breakfast

 

 From the day I got married till date, every morning the one question that I have to face on waking up is 'what to make for breakfast?'.
Every single day. Well, almost.
Earlier, I did not have to bother. At home ... it was taken care of. And how!
When I was a PG, studying, I did not have to bother. I had no time for breakfast ... barring a few days when I would gulp down a glass of milk and rush.
But after I set up my own home, I decided that I would wallow in the luxury of a fulfilling breakfast everyday.
But that was not to happen ... not for a while.
The man had grown up attending morning school ... hence the term breakfast did not feature anywhere near even his peripheral vision.
So after struggling to introduce and willing him to love this beautiful thing for a good few months, I gave up.
Besides, seeing my plates of French toast or Upma or Parathas being rejected for lack of time to eat, was not a very happy thing to happen in the morning.
 So I gave up.
And happily focused on my favourite eggs and bread routine.

I love steaming hot, preferably spicy and savoury breakfasts. No cold milk or cereals for me.
Later, when B started to work from home, our breakfasts started to get more varied and leaned towards vegetarian versions.
Unless he is having milk and cereals, when I happily fry sausages for myself, it is more of traditional cooking.
And then I struck gold ... read learnt how to make the Idli.
Or Dosa, for that matter.
The trick lies in the batter and it took me a while to master it. And am still learning.
But now, I can make a mean dosa or spongy idlis well, if I may say so.
And my breakfast problem is solved .... largely.

I make a big batch of the batter and store it in the fridge. I
The following days see a varied spread of breakfast .... dosa, soru chakli pithe, saantlano pithe, poda pitha, savoury poda pitha, idlis .... the batter is so versatile.
Paired with a simple curry or a dalma or some chutney or sambar, we get a hearty, full and healthy breakfast that happily sees us through  the day.

I have made some posts on idli earlier. But decided to make this one to include the recipe for the Sambar as well as the Podi / dry chutney that I make.


To make the idli : I follow the same recipe for the batter that I have posted in all my earlier posts.
The only difference is that I add a teaspoon of Methi / Fenugreek seeds now.

Soak rice and Urid dal in the ratio of 2:½ along with a teaspoonful of methi seeds, for around 4 hours.
Grind into a paste , add a little salt and keep it covered for around 8 hours.

I usually soak them after lunch, adding a little water at a time and grind it after dinner.
And start using the batter the next morning.
The batter ferments perfectly overnight.
Store it covered well, in the fridge.
Do remember to keep it out and bring it to room temperature before using it again.

Steam the batter (it should be soft and not a very thick paste )  in an idli maker for not more than 20 minutes for plump, spongy idlis.

To make the Podi :

 Dhania / Coriander seeds - 3 tbsp
Jeera / Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Whole dry red chillies - 4 or more, if you like it spicy
Chana / Bengal gram dal - 4 tbsp
Urad dal - 2 tbsp
Hing / Asafoetida powder - 1 tsp
Whole black peppercorns - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste

Dry roast the dals on low flame first.
Then dry roast the rest of the ingredients.
Cool and grind into a powder.

Store in an airtight bottle.
I use this Podi on idlis, spread on dosas and mix with plain rice with a little ghee too.

To make the Sambar :

I must make it clear first that since I am a Bengali, I have no idea about the authentic sambar recipe.
I do know there are different kinds of sambar for different meals.
And I do not even know if my version of the sambar will even qualify for a breakfast sambar or as the right companion to the idli.
All I know is this is the way I have always made sambar and love it too.

If  I am making it to eat with rice, I do add vegetables. Will post that version some day.

Soak Urad dal and boil it with some turmeric powder + hing + salt.

Heat oil.
Add mustard seeds + dry red chillies + curry leaves.

When the seeds start to splutter, add chopped onions and fry them till soft.

Now add the boiled dal + tamarind water + red chilli powder + sambar masala ( I use Everest ) + a little water.
Adjust salt.

Bring to a boil and then simmer for a while.

You can enjoy these fluffy idlis with my Tomato Garlic chutney too.
I did ... the next day.

Another look.

Enjoy !!

Dhuli Moong ki Dal / Tempered Yellow Lentils

So spring is in the air.
A few days of stifling heat had led us to believe that summer is here ... bang in the middle of a beautiful February.
But no.
Soon the haze ... read pollution ... in the air cleared and Pune was sparkling again.
The air was so clean that the sun seemed brighter and the night sky was filled with the brightest of twinkling stars again.
We are the lucky few who still get to see the stars at night .... beyond eye piercing led lights and smog, that have taken the rest of the country by the throat.
We still have trees around here, which is why we can enjoy even the lightest of breeze and lots of chirping of birds.

I am loving sitting out in the balcony these evenings.
The sun turns a pink red as it prepares to set, the old peepal turns dark against it, the birds swoop down on my balcony for a last drink of water before returning to their nests as B hands me a cup of my favourite, light Darjeeling tea before sitting down beside me.
We sit there till it turns dark and the first few stars come out, taking in the cooling breeze and the birds' chirping, along with the smell of wet earth from my just watered plants.

I have been cooking regularly but since I have not clicked any photos, I cannot make posts.
Also, I am taking it a little easy these days.
The pressure of cooking a complete meal, along with other chores doubles when I have to click a photo.
All that laying out, arranging the food on the table, arranging curtains to let light in, cleaning up .... everything seems overwhelming at times.
Especially when we have a matter of vegetarian food and non vegetarian food at home.
So balancing B's lunch time, after which I bring out my fish to photograph, at times, throws me out of time balance.
And leaves me too drained to even look at what I am eating.
Therefore, at times,  I just give up , breathe easy , enjoy my food and B's company during lunch.

Like on Thursday, I packed my freezer with some good Rohu and fresh water prawns.
And while doing that, my mind was buzzing with the number of recipes I can post with prawns.
But when I finally fried some yesterday, all I wanted was to sit down with my plate of food and that is just what I did.
No ... did not even click a photo for Instagram too.
And boy! did I love it!
Smooth, sweet life ... no pressure of showing off my plate or my food or my recipe.
At times, we do need to breathe easy and let time pass by.

And that is what I am doing these days .... breathing easy and watching time pass by me.

I may have taken this easy thing a tad too far when we decided to go out for lunch on Tuesday afternoon, instead of cooking at home. B looked up the net and we decided to try the branch of Bhagat Tarachand, a vegetarian restaurant that we had not tried before.
And my phase of disappointment took another step ahead.
We had asked for the thali as we were famished and did not want to go through a huge menu.
After what seemed like ages, we got our thalis.
Each plate had exactly 5 small bowls, two of which had one single little corn tikki and a gulab jamun respectively.
The other three had a mixed veg, that tasted stale, a palak paneer that tasted of raw greens and the last one held a few long dead and limp deep fried cauliflower and a few small potato pieces.
And every single thing was cold.
Except for the rotis that came hot, scrunched up and bleeding oil.

We were so disappointed that I am glad I did not click a photo before eating.
I have seen and eaten at better thali places .... even Sahare, near Pune staion, has better food than this place.

All this eating out at disappointing places made me gear up and cook a light lunch the next day.
Which was when I made this light Moong ki dal ... yellow lentils boiled and tempered mildly.

I do not roast the Moong dal, as Bengalis usually do. This is made in my Rajasthani family and I fell in love with the beautiful flavour of raw moong dal.
While it is usually eaten with rotis, it goes beautifully with plain rice too.

Need :

Yellow Moong dal - 1 cup
Water - 2½ cups ( use the same cup )
Haldi / Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Jeera / Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste ( I keep it low )

How to :

Pressure cook the dal with water + salt + turmeric powder for two whistles on low flame.
( I do not soak the dal ... if you do then I think one whistle will be enough. )

Cool cooker and remove cover.

Heat the ghee in a pan.

Add the jeera.
When it starts to splutter, add the red chilli powder and immediately remove from heat.

Pour it in the dal and set it on heat again.

Give a good stir.

If needed, add some more water and simmer for a minute or two.

Remove from heat and serve hot.

We had it with roti, cabbage cooked with vadis, tomato chutney and gajar ka halwa on the side.

Enjoy!!

Lau diye bhaja Muger dal / Roasted Moong dal cooked with Bottle Gourd

Today is Shitala Shasti, a day after Vasant Panchami or Saraswati Puja.
And today is the day that sets the approach of spring and summer ... read warmer seasons.
And so, today things that are cooling to the body and the digestive system are eaten .... usually cooked the night before and cooled and eaten today.
In preparation for the hot summer, today is the day when we switch from dense foods ... read winter vegetables to water laden and cooling summer vegetables.
My mother in law has a beautiful local rhyme that names the vegetables to be eaten on different seasons .... and for summer it is the bottle gourd, pumpkins, cucumber .... and so on.

I try to follow it as much as I can.
So, while I do not have a Gota Sheddho ( vegetables boiled whole, cooled and eaten today ) to post today, I do have this very light dal made with the bottle gourd for a light, cooling lunch or dinner.

As far as sheddhos / boiled things are concerned, I eat them throughout the year as you will know if you check out my mashes / makhas.
Even dals / lentils .... I like them plain boiled with just a little turmeric and very little salt.

This dal is very quick to make. And if you have roasted the moong dal and stored it, then it is even quicker.

Need :

Yellow mung dal - 1 cup
Lau / Lauki / Bottle gourd - 1 medium, chopped
Grated coconut - 5 tbsp ( optional )
Grated ginger - 1 tsp
Whole dry red chillies - 2, broken
Tej pata / Bay leaf - 1
Roasted Jeera/ Cumin powder - 1 tbsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Haldi / Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Mustard oil - 1 tbsp Salt - to taste
Sugar - a pinch
Ghee - 1 tsp ( skip if you are vegan )
Water - 2 cups and a little more

How to :

In a heavy bottomed pan, dry roast the mung dal, on low heat, till aromatic and has a few specks of brown here and there.
Do not burn.

Heat the mustard oil in a pressure cooker.

Add jeera + dry red chilli + bay leaf + grated ginger.

Add the chopped lau / bottle gourd and stir well.

Add the moong dal and stir well.

Add haldi + mirchi powder + roasted jeera powder + coconut.

Add salt + sugar.

Add water and pressure cook for two whistles.

Serve with a dollop of ghee and sprinkled roasted jeera powder + red chilli powder on top.

This goes great with rice as  well as rotis.

Enjoy!!

Mushur Dal Sheddho / Boiled Masoor Dal

To me, summer means a hardworking sun.
Summer means new leaves and fragrant flowers on the mango trees.
Summer means that light, soothing breeze from the pond, in the afternoons, when the fans did not work due to load shedding.
Summer means the sweet, ripe mangoes that were plucked in the morning and kept on wet sand, for us children to wake up  from our afternoon nap and bite into.
Summer means yellow, mango juice stains on white frocks.

Summer meant waking up to the fragrance of the Bel phool ( Mogra flower ) plants under Thamma's window, near her head.
Summer means evenings with a balmy breeze.
Summer means that beautiful smell of dry, thirsty earth when I watered our garden with a hosepipe.

Summer means light food.
Summer means Ma's watermelon juice.
Summer means the bunches of sweet Lichu (Lychee) that Bapi brought.

Summer means Thamma's achars and ambols.

Summer means Dadu's house and paanto bhaat.
With aloo sheddho, dal sheddho, maach makha, bori bhaja and shaak bhaja.
With a drop or two of achar er tel or pickle oil.
Summer means lying on the cool floor of red cement, polished with time, in Dadu's house after a lunch of paanto.
And listen to the repeated creaks of the old fan, that slowly lulls you sleep.

Summer is made of things memories are made of.

I can go on and on.
Though officially summer hasn't set in, not yet.
But the weather outside surely spells summer.
It is extremely hot and given Pune's dry and humid free weather, burning hot is more apt to describe it.
But nature still is in spring and the trees are still bare.
New, baby leaves are yet to come.

And in these days, all I crave is plain steamed or boiled food.
As light as possible.
Given my way of cooking, food can't get any lighter in my home. But I still cannot stand a tempering of spices, leave alone frying pastes and making gravies.
Which is why I am resorting to plain boiled food.

In the Bengali way of cooking, plain boiled food can be made extremely tasty.
If you have made friends with the mustard oil, then you have won the battle already.
And if not, there is always ghee.
One dollop and a boiled and mashed vegetable, with some green chilli mashed in, it tastes like manna from heaven.
You have to try it to believe me.

I make this dal sheddho a lot, both during summer and winter.
Red masoor dal is high in protein and is very healthy.
In winters, I use it to make vegetable soups.
Or just sip on its water when plain boiled , with a drop of ghee or butter and some freshly ground black pepper.
Does wonders to a sore throat.

In summer, I jazz it up with some raw chopped onions and green chillies.
A dash of mustard oil is all that is needed for fragrance and that kick, to take it to the next level.
If having it with the paanto bhaat, I keep it thicker so that it is easy to mash.
And for eating it with rice, I keep it slightly diluted.
Like I did this time, when I made it for lunch.

The recipe is fairly simple.

Need :

Red Masoor dal - 1 cup
Turmeric powder - ½ tsp
Onion - 1 medium, chopped into very small pieces
Green chillies - 2, chopped
Coriander leaves - chopped ( optional , I use only in winters )
Salt - to taste
Mustard oil - 1 tbsp
Water - 3 cups ( use the same cup used for measuring the dal )

How to :

Boil the dal with the turmeric powder + water + salt in a pressure cooker.

Remove and cool a little.

Add the chopped onion + green chillies + coriander leaves.
Add the onions only when the dal cools down.

Top it with mustard oil.

Serve warm with rice.

Here is a picture of my light, simple lunch with the Dal sheddho, some Dharosh (Okra)  bhaja  and some biulir daler bora.
Post on Dharosh bhaja is coming up soon.

Enjoy!!

Toor Dal Palak / Spinach leaves cooked with split pigeon peas

 

Winter is the only time when Pune sees beautiful, fresh vegetables.
The beans so green, the carrots so juicy you can break them with a snap, the green peas so sweet and the leaves ... methi, dhaniya and palak ever so fresh.
The cauliflowers look healthy and creamy white ... just the way they should be.
And the cabbages resonate with that hollow sound perfectly, when you tap them, that tells you they are well done inside and will be crisp and make that squeaky sound as you cut into it.
I am loving cooking them these days ... there is no satisfaction greater than cutting into fresh vegetables and dunking them into a kadahi and hear that loud sizzle as the moisture touches the hot oil.
That is how vegetables should be. That is exactly how home cooking should sound like.


I have already made Gobhi parathas twice for dinner and once for breakfast. There is something about grating a fresh cauliflower .... also I do not cook the stuffing ... they are too fresh to spoil the taste by cooking and adding too many masalas.
Even Mooli parathas have been enjoyed. As well as Aloo parathas.
Methi parathas have been done just once.
Right now, there are the Palak and the Bathua in my fridge. And also some Sarson(mustard).
Will be making the Sarson ka saag and Makke di roti this weekend for lunch.


And as for fresh green peas ... I love them so much that I add them to everything that I am cooking.
Like the Rui macher jhol that I made for lunch yesterday, the Jhalmuri that I munch on as an evening snack with my tea and also to the scrambled eggs or Egg bhurji that I made for dinner tonight.

This is basically what dominates our winter meals.
The same goes for dessert too.
Ma in law tells us to eat a little gur / jaggery everyday. And some ghee too.
So I usually make my instant Moong dal halwa on some nights and the Lapsi on others.
Both are healthy and hence guilt free.

With the Palak, I often make this Dal Palak.
But this time, when I made it for our lunch, I used the Toor dal instead of the Cholar dal.
And the flavour was so distinctly different that I promptly decided to make a post. It is already very late into the night right now ( gosh! it is already 4:07 in the morning!!) ... could not sleep hence decided to make this post.
So, I will go to the recipe now.

This dal is full of the flavour of garlic as well as the palak.
The addition of ghee also boosts the flavours.
Light, healthy and simple, this dal can be a meal by itself or when paired with just rotis or rice.
A little achar on the side and you are good to go.

Need :

Toor dal / Spilt pigeon peas - 1 cup , washed
Palak / Spinach leaves - 2 cups, washed and chopped roughly
Jeera / Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Garlic - around 10 to 12 cloves, chopped
Ginger - 1", chopped
Green chillies - chopped
Turmeric powder - 2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp ( I use the one I make at home )
Roasted jeera powder - 1 tsp
Ghee - 2 tbsp (skip if you are vegan)
Salt - to taste
Sugar - to taste
Water - 2 cups and a little more
Fresh coriander leaves - chopped

How to :

Pressure cook the dal with salt+haldi and 2 cups of water till two whistles on low flame.
Remove from heat, cool and keep aside.

Heat oil in a kadahi or wok.
Add jeera + chopped garlic + chopped ginger + chopped green chillies.
Fry for a minute on low heat.
Do not brown.

Add the chopped palak + a pinch of sugar.
Cover and cook till the palak is done.

Remove cover and add the dal + salt + dal's water and bring to a boil.
Cover and cook on low heat till everything comes together.

Add roasted jeera powder + home made red chilli powder + ghee.

Cover and simmer for a minute.

Sprinkle fresh coriander leaves and a little of the roasted jeera powder and red chilli powder.
Serve hot.

Here is a look of our lunch table today.
I had also made a spicy Aloo matar ki sukhi sabzi ... recipe in the next post.

Till then ... enjoy winter and its bounty of vegetables as well as fruits!!

Maah Chole ki dal or Langarwali dal

 We are into the sixth day of Ganeshotsav in Maharashtra.
Ganesh puja officially means the start of the festive season in India and also the countdown to Durga Puja for Bengalis.
It is celebrated with much fervour in Maharashtra ... for ten whole days.
And for us, the common citizens, it means staying shut in the house, not being able to venture into the old city side for chores or errands, erratic traffic on the roads due to pandals dug up everywhere ... that stretch into the middle of the road and worse of all .... having to put up with loud speakers blaring out the most inane songs of Bollywood.

I dread these few days like the plague and mentally will them to move farther and farther away.
But that does not work.
On the first day we woke early, to an ear splitting "Main nagin to sapera ...." and " dushman ki jo vaat lauli ...." from the slum nearby.
Combined with the dhol beating.
Nothing cultural or rythmic about it .... just a few kids beating the dhol right and left to create a noise that is meant to go beyond the loud songs playing.

The torture has started.

I immediately had a vision of what was happening in Kailash at that moment.
A tearful little Ganeshji hiding behind Parvati, bawling " I don't want to go; please don't make me go ...." while a very worried Shiva and Parvati wonder how to save him from the forthcoming ten days.

The following days see us in different levels of discomfort.
From trying to play the tv to drown the noise from outside .... very very bad idea ...., to looking up places outside the city to go and spend the rest of the week .... not at all feasible.
So all we can do is to soothe ourselves by counting the number of days left to Anant chaturdashi ... the bidding of goodbye to Ganesha and immersion.
And wait when the clock will strike 10:00 in the night .... the permissible time limit for the blaring loudspeakers.

But that is not to be.
Saw the papers this morning .... the pandals have got an extension to the permissible time .... it will be 12:30 in the night before they turn off the music / noise.

I wait with hope that there will be a miracle.

Meanwhile let me share with you this very rustic dal from the land of Punjab.
I did not eat it in Punjab the first time, but much before that ... in Rajasthan. We have enjoyed this with some rustic open air baked batis  during our extensive trips all over Rajasthan.
It is also made regularly at my in laws' place.
Since Mum in law does not eat garlic, she often makes it with onions and ginger ... I am yet to try that version.

Thick, heavy and packed with flavours, this Maah ki dal is very different from the Punjabi Dal makhni.
While both are slow cooked dals, this Maah chole di dal is made from split Urid dal and is paired with the Bengal gram or the Chana dal.
This dal is served regularly in langars or sit down meals in Gurudwaras and hence has got the name of Langarwali dal.
I remember the flavour of this dal at the langar in the Golden temple in Amritsar ... very basic  tempering and has that beautiful flavour of slow cooked dal.

I do not add tomatoes .... if you are a long follower of this blog, you will know how little I use them .... or any garam masala powder.
The garlic and ginger give it that punch that is so typical of Punjabi dals.
For best results, do soak the dals overnight and cook in an open, deep pan.
You can use a pressure cooker too ... but you have to be careful not to cook them to a mush.

 Here is how I make it. 

 Need :

Split Urid dal - 1 cup
Chana dal or Bengal gram dal - ½ cup
Garlic - 10 fat cloves, chopped
Ginger - size of a thumb, sliced thinly
Fresh green chillies - 3 to 4, chopped 
Turmeric / Haldi powder - a pinch ... not too much
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Jeera / Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Ghee - 1 tsp ( you can use cooking oil too )
Salt - to taste
Water - around 3 cups

How to :

Wash both dals separately and soak for around 4 hours.
For convenience, I soak them overnight.

Cook in a pressure cooker with a little haldi powder + salt for 1 whistle on low heat.
If the dals are not soaked, then cook them for 2 whistles on low heat.
Wait till pressure releases on its own.

Remove cover and stir the dal around a little with a spatula.
Set aside.

Heat a heavy pan or a kadahi.

Add the jeera.
When it starts to sizzle, add the chopped garlic + ginger + green chillies.

Fry on low heat till the raw smell goes away and the garlic starts to brown.

Add the cooked dal, red chilli powder + salt + water.
Adjust salt if needed.

Bring to a boil, lower heat, cover and let it simmer for 5 minutes.

Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves and cover. 

Serve hot with rotis.
This goes very well with steaming hot rice with an extra dollop of ghee on it too.
Takes the meaning of 'dal chawal' to another level completely.

I had paired this with rotis along with some tindaa and kale chane ki sabzi for a vegetarian lunch that day.

Enjoy!! 

Moong dal with fresh green peas Or Koraishuti diye bhaja muger dal

 The morning started as usual, just as any other week day would.
Today was our 'stock up on green vegetables' day, just as every Tuesday is.
That means a hurried breakfast, a whole hour or more of shopping for vegetables, coming back, doing the dishes and then of course, think about lunch.
And wash, dry and store the vegetables in the fridge.
It was only after I had done the dishes and sat back to rest awhile that I opened facebook and was reminded that it is International Women's' day today.

Big deal.

Yes, that is what I thought.
It makes no difference to me. And I pray that it never does.
Why do we have to get a single day dedicated to us to remind us, or the men, or the world and its cousin and cat that we are special?
Do we need just one day to remind the world that we are beautiful, affectionate, loving, caring,respectable, capable, brave and proud?
Do we need just one day for people to notice our existence?
Do we need just this one day to get pampered and gloat how everyone made you feel like a queen or a princess?

Does celebrating Women's day guarantee that some lady some where does not have go to work and still not worry about what to feed her children for dinner?
Will it mean that some where a little girl will not have to cry of hunger? Or feel unsafe?
Will it mean some frail, old lady will get some love from her family members who usually ignore her presence?

No.
We don't need special days for special treatments.
We want everyone to think of us this way for the rest the days of the year.
We know what we are. And what we are capable of.
We just want the world to know. And accept.

A few flowers, chocolates, cakes, dinner,drinks. These are not celebrating womanhood.
Celebrating womanhood is keeping in mind what a woman wants. And fulfilling it.
A little respect. A little love. Lots of acknowledgement. Lots of trust.
A hug of security.
A smile of sincerity.
A warm heart. A dose of humour to make her smile.
Encouragement. Walking together.
Faith. Belief. Attendance.
Simplicity.

All these will celebrate a woman, a girl, an old lady.
Make them smile.
Make them happy.

It is the simplicity in your heart that will win her over.
And make her celebration of being herself even more beautiful.

Just like this simple dal that I made for lunch one day.
Keeping the saga of dal alive on my blog, I wanted to post this too as it turned out to be very flavourful.
I am not happy with the photos, but since fresh green peas have disappeared from the market already, there is no chance that I will be making this dal immediately in the near future.
So decided to make a post anyway.
After all, the recipe is more important.

You can, of course, make this with frozen peas too. Which I plan to, too.
Loved it that much.

Ingredients needed :

Yellow Moong dal - 1 cup
Green peas - ½ cup
Grated ginger - 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp, or a little less
Jeera / Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Fresh green chillies - 2, broken
Bay leaves - 2
Cooking oil - 1 tbsp ( I use mustard oil )
Ghee - 1 tsp
Fresh coriander leaves - chopped
Water - to cook ( around 2 cups )

How to cook :

In a heavy bottomed kadahi or pan, pour in the dal and dry roast it on low heat. 
Keep stirring it constantly ... do not let it burn.
When you get that light brown colour and the nutty aroma of roasted dal, remove from flame and cool.

Wash the dal well.

Heat a pressure cooker.
Add oil + jeera + bay leaves + green chillies.
Add the grated ginger and stir a little.

Add the dal and the green peas and stir well.
Add the turmeric + salt.

Add water and ghee.
Close the lid and cook on low heat for 2 whistles.

Remove and sprinkle chopped coriander leaves.

I sprinkled some chilli powder + roasted jeera powder.
But would love to say I loved the plain one better.

Done!

The beautiful aroma of roasted moong dal along with the sweetness of fresh green peas complement each other perfectly.
Add a fresh dash of ghee and the flavour will be perfect.

You can also cook the dal separately and the temper it.
I cooked everything together to save time.

Try it with steaming hot rice or soft phulkas hot off the tawa.
I had it with rice.

Here is a look of our lunch plate today.

Simple, homemade, healthy food for the soul.

And here is to every woman in this world.
Go, live it girl!
You rock!

Tadkewali Masoor ki Dal

I was wondering what to post next while cooking lunch a few days back.
Words and sentences form and fade away.
I get ideas for writing during the most mundane of tasks and chores during the day. But cannot leave the job at hand and sit down to write pronto, for obvious reasons.
And by the time it is evening and I finally get to settle down, the mind is blank.
No ideas, no themes, no recipes either.

I had once started a series of my lunch or dinner plate on facebook. That idea had come from the fact that while I cook a whole lot of stuff for everyday meals, I do not always get the time to set up the table and click photographs properly. ( That too has been neglected for a while now.
)
So if at least I posted a photo of the whole lunch plate, there will be a compilation of my daily cooking for my readers.
And for me, it will be easier to decide later what to photograph and post on the blog.
Like for instance the numerous sabzis I make. Or the bhajas.
And especially the dals.

I cook different kinds of dals almost everyday, for every meal.
B cannot do without dals.
While I am not a big fan of dals, I do cook them in different ways ... read with different kinds of temperings, for him.
With time, I have learnt to differentiate between the different kinds and ways of cooking dal.
And it all depends upon the temperings, whether you will have a light, soupy dal or a thick and rich dal.
Or a one pot meal kind, like the dalma. Or just plain boiled and garnished with some plain, fragrant ghee.
I cook dal in almost every possible way and all of the above.

So, while chopping onions to temper a pre cooked masoor dal that day, I decided to make a post on it too. I know there is not much to cooking dal. But then again ... like I said ... no meal is complete without it too.
And who knows, like me, one can convert too.
And accept a bowlful by the side of a lunch or dinner plate with ease.

So I have decided to click and post every single kind and way of dal I cook in my kitchen, henceforth.

For this Masoor dal, I already had dal cooked with some salt + turmeric powder, sitting in the fridge.
So all I had to do was add some tadka or temper it.
Now, the problem I face is B does not like masoor dal.
Unless it is the Chilkewali massor dal ... i.e. the unskinned, black ones.
And I love masoor dal. It has such a light, beautiful flavour ... I can eat it just plain boiled.
Next, I love it with the typical Bengali temper of Paanch phoron + dry red chillies.
B does not like it that way too.
So, I have to add all kinds of stuff to jazz it up a little.

Need :

Red lentils - soaked and cooked with a pinch of salt + turmeric powder
Onion - chopped
Ginger - chopped
Garlic - chopped
Fresh green chillies - chopped
Tomatoes - chopped
Jeera / Cumin seeds - a little
Turmeric powder
Red chilli powder 
Sugar - a little
Salt - to taste
Ghee ( or cooking oil ) - a little
Fresh coriander leaves - chopped
Hot water - to cook

How to :

Heat ghee or oil.
Add the jeera.
When it starts to splutter, add the onion + garlic + green chillies.
Fry well.
Next, add the ginger + tomatoes.

Fry well , on low heat, till the tomatoes soften.
Add a little turmeric powder + red chilli powder.

Now add the dal and hot water.
Check for salt and add the sugar too.

Cover and let it simmer till everything comes together.
Remove cover, check for consistency. Add water and boil some more, if needed.

Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves.
Remove from heat.

Serve hot with rotis. Or rice.
We had it with soft, fluffy rotis and Aloo Borboti fry.

As you can see, my writing is still a mess. But I do believe that I will be able to restrain and collect my thoughts with a little more time.
Till then ... stay around folks.
And take care.
And of course ...
Enjoy!!