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. 

Chicken Hakka Noodles

 ( I had made this post on my instagram page around two months back but never got around to posting it here. The weather is not exactly as described , right now. ) 


After four days of gloriously bright sunshine , a clear blue sky and crisp, cold breeze, the day started dull and gloomy and foggy again.

Though it is difficult to call this city's weather gloomy. Even cloudy foggy days are beautiful. I woke up late as I slept very late last night ... was at the fag end of a book and just didn't want to keep it away ... and even though I woke at my regular 6 am, seeing the weather outside, promptly buried myself back into the covers.
Skipped breakfast and just sipped on the hot kadha that I make everyday.
While both of us agreed that such a weather calls for some spicy, deep fried food, we decided we won't indulge in any.
But we did not want the regular meals of rice or roti too.

I had ordered vegetables yesterday and since had almost everything I needed, we zeroed in on some quick stir fried Hakka noodles .
I sliced the vegetables and brought out some frozen pieces of chicken that I had saved from an earlier stew.
Made B's vegetarian version first and then made mine.

Stir fried the shredded chicken with chopped ginger and garlic, green chillies and threw in the vegetables.
After tossing them together, added boiled noodles , a little vinegar, sliced onions and spring onions greens.
Added some crushed black pepper and mixed everything well.
I did not add any sauce as I have given up eating packaged products.
Would have loved some soy and chilli sauce with it😊.

Turned out great.
The noodles were perfectly al dente, the vegetables held their crunch since I cooked them on high heat and just for a little while .... never cover and cook vegetables for Chinese food ... nothing is worse than soft, sagging vegetables in a stir fry.... and the green chillies had the right zing for balance.
.

 Vegetarians can add paneer , tofu or soya chunks for the protein content. 
Or else, just the vegetables work fine too. 

Enjoy!! 

Bajre ki roti and Baingan bharta .... another rustic meal for winter

After two days of a sudden sandstorm, we are seeing a dip in the temperatures again. Pune is back to it's gloriously cold weather with gorgeous sunny days and chilling nights.
I am indulging in more of North Indian food as this is the time to enjoy hot, rustic food or our completely desi food that gives warmth to the body as well as is healthy  too.

Bajre ki roti or rotla is a family favourite and combined with some gur or jaggery, is the perfect Rajasthani  staple.

I have been growing some garlic for a while now and have got a bountiful of garlic greens right now. So decided to make the hara lahsun ki chutney  made with garlic greens.
I had come across this very interestingly during our trip to Almora. 

If you remember my story about how we visited the Surya temple amidst a hailstorm, then let me tell you how, during our climb through the steep mountain, amidst small local houses, we came across two little children selling pears from their backyard.

I chatted with them and they gave us some garlic flavoured salt along with the pears.
When asked  how to make it, they called out for their mother who explained it to us. 

They called it lahsun noon or hara noon or something like that ... I don't exactly remember.

So, this cold winter afternoon saw on our lunch plate ....
Bajre ki roti  / bajra rotla
Baingan ka bharta 
Hara lahsun ki chutney
Patali gur  / Date palm jaggery ..... my haul this winter

For the bajra roti, I use the boiling method and it is much more easier to roll the rotis. 
I have been eating millets for some time now since I have stopped eating wheat flour. And must say that I have benefitted much from this change. 
Millets are full of nutrition as well as fibre. Not to mention very filling too. 

Here is another look of my favourite desi food for winter. 

Stay safe all! 

 

A vegetarian meal of Methi paratha and Matar ki sabzi

We had gone for a drive to the outskirts of the city and after crossing a very high and undulating ghat, came down to a little village that had just a few houses and lots of vegetable fields.
As far as the eyes could see, there were rows and rows of cauliflowers, cabbage, methi / fenugreek ,  radish and so on.There were also fields of fresh green jowar and ripened golden wheat. We also saw lemon orchards at some places.
And on the narrow road, next to the fields sat people with fresh vegetables plucked right then.

I just couldn't not get such fresh vegetables and bought a lot of methi, tender spinach and lots of green peas.The peas were so sweet that I gave in to temptation and ate a lot of them while shelling.
☺️
Yesterday, I made these Methi paratha and Matar ki sabzi .
The Methi parathas are slightly different from the regular ones that I make. 

To these, I added pounded garlic and green chilli to the chopped methi and kneaded it.
And some ajwain too.
The aroma, while frying them, was so good ... rustic and flavourful.

The curry  is too simple ... pressure cooked green peas, chopped potatoes and tomatoes in a tempering of jeera and hing.
Added some green chilli and coriander leaves. That's all.

I did not add any masalas and the sweetness of the peas and the tartness of the tomatoes shone through ... of course balanced by the green chilli and salt.

On the side was my #oilfree #lemonpickle . 
 I also cut up some of the fresh radish as a salad.

Had a satisfying meal while watching one more movie of the WW 2 genre ... my favourite genre for movies and books.

Another look. 
Wholesome freshly cooked meals nourish not only the body but also the soul, filling us wiht positive and happy vibes. 

So eat homely meals, stay safe and stay happy. 

You can find more Paratha recipes here. 

 

Matar ke Kachori

My sasural city is known for Kachoris. The best kachoris in the whole of Rajasthan are made in Kota. 

They say there is something in the water and the soil of Kota. 

I did not know the meaning of it until much later, when I became involved with food more as a passion and then later as a profession. 

Whenever we visit home, B and I have a favourite jaunt .... we go out very early in the wee hours of the mornings to our favourite kachori centers. 
And gorge on the super hot, freshly fried kachoris .... just out of the hot oil and resting in huge jhuris.  
One day it would be the moong ke kachoris, pyaz kachoris on the next.
And then it will be the matar kachoris winters. 

Super hot, beautifully fragrant with the best hing and spices and very very crisp. 
They serve it with two chutneys splashed all over it ... one made with tamarind and the other with green leaves like coriander and pudina. 

I refuse both. For various reasons. 
I love to bite into the crisp outer case and draw back immediately as a burst of steam releases and hits the nose with the most tempting of aromas ever. 

By then the mouth is already filled with the taste of spices, tartness mixed with salt and chilli. 
And no other chilli than the real Mathaniya chillies that not only have the required zing but also are fragrant too. 

Almost all the spices that I use in my cooking is from Rajasthan ... even Posto. 
And I grind my own garam masalas. 
They make a huge difference to the food I am making ...either for ourselves or for my clients. 

I made these Matar kachoris a few days ago and many people asked for the recipe in dms. 
So I decided to make this post quickly so you can enjoy them before the green peas disappear from markets. 

Need : 

For the casing : 

Maida  / APF - 1 cup
Salt - to taste 
Oil - 1 tbsp 

Water - to knead 

How to : 

Knead the maida with the rest of the ingredients , using just enough water. 
The dough should not be too tough and not too loose also. 
Keep it covered for 30 minutes. 

For the stuffing : 

Green peas - 2 cups 
Green chillies - to taste 

Ginger paste / grated - 1 tsp 

Hing / asafeotida - a pinch and  a little more

Red chilli powder 
Amchur powder 
Dhania seeds - ground coarsely
Black pepper powder
Ajwain 
Salt
Oil to cook 

How to : 

Grind the green peas with the green chillies into a coarse paste. 

Heat oil in an open pan . 

Add hing and grated ginger. 

Add the peas paste and stir well. 

Add all the powder masalas and cook on low heat, stirring occasionally. 

When it starts to dry up, add salt and cook till it is dryish. 

Remove and cool. 

How to make the Matar Kachoris : 

Heat enough oil in a deep kadahi to fry. 

Make small balls out of the kneaded dough. 

Stuff a little of the stuffing and flatten with your hands. 

When oil is medium hot, let in them gently. 

Cook on low heat till they slowly puff up.
Wait for a little while and then gently turn them over and cook till they are brown on both sides. 

Do not hurry to flip or raise heat. 
They need slow cooking to be crisp. 

Enjoy!! 

I served them with a ghugni and gajar ka halwa only because I had them already prepared. 
You may serve with  achars , chutneys or aloo ki sabzi. 

I love to munch on them  as is , with a cup of ginger tea. 

You may want to look up the Bengali favourite Koraishutir Kochuri too, while on the topic of Kochuris. ☺

Bok phool bhaja or Agasti flower fritters

Growing up, I was used to the Bok phool tree on the bank of our pond. Just behind one of the red cement chairs on either side of the cemented area from where the steps descended into the waters of our huge, deep, dark pond. 

It flowered well but I had never given it much attention except for when I would sometimes sit on the steps on a quiet late winter afternoon and watch the busy black ants hurrying along its branches. 
There was another one too, but it was at the back of the house, just on the border of the kola bagaan or the banana plantation. 
All that interested me was the bok phul bhaja that we got at times on our lunch plate. 
Hot and crisp on the outside, fresh and sweet tasting inside. 

Cut to many years later when I was married for sometime and was wading through the nuances of cooking, juggling between vegetarian north indian cooking for the man and the bengali dishes for me. 
We did not get too many familiar 'Bengali vegetables' at the time and getting Bok phul was beyond my dreams. And I slowly started to forget all about it. 

Until one day I came upon it all of a sudden at a local vegetables shop. 
I was ecstatic and happily bought half a kilo!! Thing who  knows when I will get them again. 
A call to Ma and I knew how to clean and fry them. 
Immediately made some and enjoyed them for lunch, keeping some for B aside. 
They were a lot and I packed half of them and took them to my new friend who had just moved to the city from Kolkata.

And after that, many more years passed and I never got to see the Bok phul in the markets again. 
And along with the Kumro phul, the Bok phul also stayed in my memories and yearnings. 

Until last week. 
We had gone vegetables shopping and as we came near the shop that keeps 'Bengali vegetables', I saw the round cane basket filled with these beautiful white flowers. 
And shouted "Stop, stop!" to a much flustered B.
And was out of the car even before it had come to a complete stop. 
Very irresponsible ... I know.
But I was beyond myself with happiness. 

I did not wait and immediately fried some for lunch. 
I had got some Lau shaak too and the menu formed right there in my mind. 
You have seen the plate in my last post here. 

I decided to make a post too. Just for posteriority. 

Need : 

Bok phool / Agasti phula / Hadgyacha phool - 1 small bowlful
Besan / Gram flour - 5 tbsp 

Rice flour - 1 tbsp 

Turmeric powder - 1 tsp 

Red chilli powder - 1 tsp 

Kalo jeere / Nigella seeds - ½ tsp 

Baking powder - a pinch 

Water to make a paste 

Salt - to taste 
Oil to deep fry 

How to : 

Clean the flowers by first removing the stamen carefully. 
Very gently place the flowers in salted water for around 15 minutes. 
Rinse them in plain water ..... they are very delicate, so you need to be real gentle here ...  and place them on a cotton kitchen towel. 

Make a slightly thin slurry with the rest of the ingredients, except for the oil. 
It should not be too thick. 

Heat oil. 
Dip the flowers in it to coat them completely and let in gently into the hot oil. 
Fry till golden brown on both sides. 
Remove and drain extra oil on paper napkins. 
Serve hot with a meal or as a snack with tea. 

 I still have some of the flowers left and am going to come up with something different the next time. 
Till then, stay tuned. 

Take care and stay safe. 

Besan chila ki dahiwali sabzi ..... part of a vegetarian meal plate

I spent most part of the last week relaxing and catching up with my reading, knitting and some bingeing on some light series on Netflix. They are mostly light romances or just simple stories with a backdrop of a small town and the people there. I had loved Virgin River and am right now on Good Witch.
Somewhere in between, I binged on the K drama Heaven's Garden. And was totally smitten by it. I will start on Crash landing on you soon.

The other day I was reading an article about this current craze for kdramas / Korean tv serials .
If you ask me the reason, I will happily give mine.
For starters, they are extremely well made.
The actors are fine, the stories clean and realistic, beautiful locations and above all, you can watch them forever without having a cringe inducing scene jumping right at you or a burst of foul language that will push you to seek for the fast forward ⏩ button.

Honestly I am totally over our desi series.
They are unnecessarily gory, filled with foul language and over the top crime and extremely distasteful scenes of physical intimacy.
I actually check out the ratings first and then decide if they are 'safe' for me to watch 😄

However I am very much a desi when it comes to home cooked food .
This lunch plate has  -  

Besan cheela ki sabzi : 

Make a thin batter with besan /  gram flour, salt, cumin seeds, hing, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and water. 

Make cheela / crepes on a flat pan or tawa like so. 

Cut into thick strips. 

Beat curd with a little besan and water in a bowl. 
Add turmeric powder, salt. 
Heat a little ghee. 
Add cumin seeds and hing. 
 
Add the curd and cook on low heat till it starts to simmer. 

Let in the chila strips and cook till they soak up enough liquid. 

Serve hot. 

Kale chane ki sabzi : 

Soak and boil black chickpeas. 
Cut potatoes into cubes. 
Chop onions and green chillies. 
Heat ghee. 
Add jeera and the onion. 
Stri fry till pink and add the potatoes. 

Add turmeric powder, coriander powder and salt. 
Cover and cook till just done. 

Add the boiled chickpeas, red chilli powder and the green chillies. 

Cover and cook till everything comes together. 

Sprinkle a little garam masala powder and serve hot. 

My oil free Hing ka achar : 

Mooli ki bhuji 

Cut radish / Mooli into strips. 
Heat oil .... I use 1 tsp of ghee. 
Add jeera / cumin seeds and hing. 
Add in the radish strips and turmeric powder + salt. 

Stir and cover. Cook till done. 

Another look of the full plate. 

 You can see the post here too.  

And here too. 

Enjoy!! 

Soupy noodles with vegetables and Chilli oil

The last few days have been very cloudy.
Not the huge, 'raring to go' kind of cumulus; but the quiet , grey ones. Slowly spreading across the sky, overcasting the city with quiet deliberation. The air has turned colder ... well it was cool all these days, but now it is positively colder.
The ghee in the kitchen has solidified.
And we have taken out the light Jaipuri covers to snuggle under.
So that is a sign.

I decided to make noodles  for lunch a few days back but B wanted something hot and soupy to sip on.
So I made this noodles soup that my youngest maasi used to make and I have grown up eating.

How to : 

Boil the noodles till they are half done.
Drain them and keep aside. 

Stir fry chopped garlic, ginger, carrots, green chilli and add some water.
You may use vegetable or chicken stock too. 

Bring to a boil.

Add salt and a little vinegar.
I added lots of crushed black pepper too .... you can add according to your liking. 

Add in the boiled noodles and a little of the water the noodles were boiled in. 

Serve topped with chilli garlic oil. 

For the Garlic chilli oil, I fried lots of chopped garlic in hot oil. 
Added chilli flakes at the end and removed from heat. 
Done! 

It makes for a great topping on any plain dish. 

 You can add pieces of chicken too , while stir frying the vegetables. 
Or drop in beaten eggs when it is boiling and make it an egg drop soup. 

Whatever way, it makes for a great hot meal. 
Perfect for any cold weather ..... damp oor otherwise. 

Enjoy!! 

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!! 

 

Phulkopi diye Rui macher jhol / Rohu fish curry with cauliflower ....... a healthy winter staple

After a long while, I am back with a post. 
While I am active on instagram as well as facebook, I have been lagging behind when it came to posting here.

For the  simple reason that I have nothing to write at all right now. 
But there are recipes that I make and fall in love with .... and want to make a post here just for my own reference .... if not for anybody else. 

Like this fish curry that I made the other day. I had to make this light Rui maacher jhol, with cauliflower one last time before winter is officially gone. Both, to savour the winter flavours one last time and also because a follower had asked me for the recipe of my version of this jhol, sometime back.

Since I was off fish for a longish while, couldn't post immediately.

But I had not forgotten. So here it is today.

For the fish curry - 

Need : 

Rohu fish - fried in mustard oil 
Cauliflower florets 
Grated ginger 
Dry red chillies 
Potatoes - sliced 
Turmeric powder 
Red chilli powder 
Coriander powder 
Roasted cumin powder 
Tomatoes - chopped 
Coriander leaves - chopped 
Coriander stalks - chopped 
Water
Salt 
Oil to temper 

How to : 

Heat  mustard oil and temper with jeera and dry red chillies.
Add grated ginger and then the sliced potatoes and cauliflower florets.

Add turmeric powder and a little salt and then water.
Cover and bring it to a boil.

Then add coriander powder,  jeera powder, coriander stalks and tomatoes.

When it starts to boil, add the fried fish pieces, adjust salt and cover and cook for some more time.
Round off with a generous sprinkle of chopped coriander leaves.

Done 

I removed some for the vegetarian man before adding the fish. He enjoyed it with parathas for dinner. 

I  also made some Ucche bhaja  / stir fried bitter gourd ,

Notey shaak bhaja / amaranth greens, sojne daata aloo bhaja / drumsticks and potatoes stir fried,

on the side.

The dal was leftover from yesterday's meal.

I will try to post more meals henceforth. 
My followers have requested more quickcooking and easy meals. Hence I have started two hashtags , namely, #mealsunderthirtymins and #cookingunder1hour, and will be making posts on them more than single dishes. 
I will try my best to post here. 
But I will posting regularly on my instagram account. 
So do follow me there as well as on Facebook too. 

Take care all. 
Stay safe and stay home. 
Praying everyone gets the vaccine soon.