Dhabe Wali Tadka Dal / Spicy Tempered Yellow Pulses

Dhabe wali Dal, the name itself explains and make you wanting to have it.. Heavily tempered Arhar / Toor dal with onions, chillies and tomatoes.. Its an easy dal, made in every household but there is something different about that roadside dhabewali dal..Hai na ?? So, here I am sharing the recipe with pics...

Ingredients:

Arhar / toor dal / Split pigeon peas- 2 cups

Onion - 1 big chopped in small pieces

Tomatoes - 2 medium chopped in small pieces

Green chillies - 2 chopped

Garlic- 4 cloves chopped

Cumin seeds - 1 tbs

Turmeric powder - 1 tbs

Pure Ghee - 1 tbs

Method:

Wash dal and in a pressure cooker add dal, 4 cups water, 1 tbs turmeric powder, salt to taste and let it boil till 3 whistles.

In a pan, heat ghee, add cumin, chopped chillies and garlic. Saute for 1 minute.

Now add chopped onion and saute for 2 minutes and then add chopped tomatoes. Saute for 1 minute.

What gives this dal its Dhaba flavor is , the crispiness of onion and tomatoes, so you don't have to fry the tempering for long.

Now add, boiled dal to the onion tomato tempering and its done.



Garnish with chopped green coriander.
It goes best with Jeera Rice..

                                    
Hope you liked it..

Kebab Curry

Kebab Curry is a quick fix for non veg lovers. To tell you honestly, i learned this from my dear hubby. He is fond of kebabs and what better than a kebab curry for him. This dish is easy to make and doesn't need much time for cooking. Here, I am sharing the recipe with step by step pics...



Ingredients:

Mutton seekh / Chicken Seekh Kebab  - 2 Cut in pieces

Gram flour / besan - 1 tbs

Red Gravy - 3 tbs

Green chilly - 1 chopped

Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tbs

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tbs

Red chilly powder - 1/4 tbs

Meat masala-  1 tbs

Coriander powder - 1/2 tbs

Salt to taste 

Coriander leaves

Oil for frying

Method:

In a wok heat oil and fry kebab pieces for 5 minutes. Keep on tissue paper.



I fried and sauteed kebabs in the sam wok..If you wish you can also do the same.

In a wok, heat 2tbs oil, add chopped green chilly and ginger garlic paste. Saute for a minute.



Add  Red Gravy now and after a minute add turmeric, coriander, red chilly powder, meat masala and salt. Saute again.



Add fried kebabs in it ( you can also roast kebabs instead of frying). Toss.

 Now add approx. 1.5 cups of water. Let it boil. In a bowl mix gramflour and water. Pour this in the curry and mix.

Slowly, the curry will turn slightly thick. After 2 minutes switch off the flame.

Kebab curry is ready. Garnish with chopped coriander. Serve with fulkas, tandoori roti, naan or simple tawa chapati..



Hope you liked it...

Stir Fried French Beans With Potatoes / Aloo Beans

French Beans is cooked as a dry vegetable with potatoes or without potatoes in an Indian home. French beans are a great source of carbohydrates and dietary fibres. Here I am sharing this simple recipe with step by step pictures....

Ingredients:

French beans - 150 gms

Potato - 1

Cumin seeds - 1 tbs

Green Chillies - 1

Garlic - 3 cloves
Turmeric powder - 1teaspoon
Coriander powder - 2 teaspoon

Garam Masala - 1 teaspoon

Red chilly powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Salt - 1 tbs

Mustard Oil - 5 tbs

Method:

Wash and chop french beans in slants or simple cut. Peel potatoes and cut in small pieces.

Chop garlic and green chillies.

Heat mustard oil in a pan or a kadhai. Well, in India we like to use mustard oil for dry veggies and for mutton dishes because of its strong flavor.

When fumes come out of oil, turn flame on low, add cumin seeds, green chillies and garlic. After 30 seconds add turmeric powder, coriander powder, chilly powder and after 10 seconds add chopped vegetables.



Toss veggies with the masala. Add salt now. mix again.



Cover the pan and let the veggies cook on medium low flame.

Keep tossing in between, usually after every 3 minutes. It takes approx 25 minutes to cook completely. You can check by pressing a potato piece.



If done add garam masala powder and mix. French Beans are ready.

Serve with Paratha, chapati, puri..Makes a good and healthy tiffin vegetable too.

Hope you liked it ...

Boiled Bengal Gram and Spinach in stir fried Tomatoes / Palak Chana Dal

Palak Chana Dal or Boiled Spinach and Bengal gram in stir fried tomatoes is an extremely healthy recipe. The taste is good and a nice variation to dals. Spinach makes this healthier and children will also prefer it over simple dal. I specially love this when it is made by Mom in Law. I learnt this from her. So here I am sharing the recipe for this easy dal....

Ingredients:

Spinach - 500 gms
Bengal Gram / Chana Dal - 100 gm
Tomatoes-  4 chopped
Onion - 1 small chopped coarsely 
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tbs
Green Chillies - 2 chopped
Garlic - 3 cloves chopped
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tbs
Red Chilly powder - 1/2 tbs
Coriander Powder - 1/2 tbs
Salt to taste
Asafoetida - 1 small pinch

Method:

Soak bengal gram for 30 minutes. Then drain water.

Chop spinach leaves. Pressure cook spinach leaves, bengal gram in 2 cups water. Add 1/2 tbs turmeric powder and 1/2 tbs salt. Give it 3 whistles or cook for 12 minutes.

 
In a pan, heat 4tbs of oil. Once hot add cumin seeds, chopped garlic, green chillies and saute for 2 minutes.

Now add chopped onion, saute till it tuns translucent. Now add chopped tomatoes. Add 1/4 tbs salt. Cook for 7 minutes. 

 
Add 1/2 tbs coriander powder, 1/2 tbs red chilly powder, a pinch of asafoetida powder (optional).

At the end add boiled spinach and grams in the tomatoes mixture. Saute and let it cook for 5 minutes or till it becomes thick ( extra water evaporates ). 

Palak chana dal is ready. Serve with light chapatis or layered parathas.

 Hope you liked it .....

Sabudana Kheer / Sago Pudding

Sago pudding is a sweet pudding made by boiling sago with either water or milk and adding sugar and sometimes additional flavourings. It is made in many cultures with varying styles, and may be produced in a variety of ways.
In Malaysia, sago gula melaka is a sago pudding made by boiling pearl sago in water and serving it with syrup of palm sugar (gula melaka) and coconut milk
In the UK, "sago pudding" is generally made by boiling pearl sago and sugar in milk until the sago pearls become clear, and thickening it with eggs or cornflour. ( Source - Wikipedia)

Sabudana kheer is a popular dish in India and is eaten mostly during fasts. It can be made using different kinds of flavours , but my family loves cardamom flavour. Here, i am sharing step by step recipe with pictures. ....

Ingredients:

Sabudana / Sago - 1/2 cup
Sugar - 3/4 cup
Milk - 300 ml
Cardamom powder - 1 small teaspoon
Saffron strands for garnishing
Pistachios - Sliced for garnishing

Method:

Soak sago for 1 hr in water and then drain. You can also use sago directly without soaking but then it needs to be boiled in milk for more time.

In a pan, boil milk and once boiled add sabudana/ sago. Stir.

It will soon start to thicken. Now add sugar. Keep stirring till sago pearls turn transparent ( it means sago is cooked). It takes approx 15 minutes. 

Add 1 small teaspoon cardamom powder now. Mix and switch of the flame after 5 minutes. In all the whole process takes approx 25 -30 minutes.

Serve hot in dessert bowls. Garnish with sliced pistachios and saffron strands and enjoy the heavenly taste of sago  pudding. 

 Hope you liked it...

Punjabi Kadhi / Onion Fritters in Yogurt and Gram flour Sauce

Kadhi Chawal, the name in itself is enough to make an Indian hungry. The rich creamy yogurt and gramflour ( besan ) sauce is just so relishing and if accompanied with rice, it can create a magical meal. Popularly known as " Kadhi " In India. Kadhi has got many variations too, different regions have different methods to prepare it and yes a different taste too.. Here I am sharing the recipe of a Punjabi Kadhi with step by step pictures...



Ingredients:

For Sauce

Yogurt / Curd - 1.5 cup
Gram Flour - 3 tbs
Salt
Turmeric powder - 1 teaspoon
Coriander Powder - 1 teaspoon
Fenugreek Seeds - 1/2 tbs
Cumin seeds - 1/r4 teaspoon
Crushed Coriander seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Oil

For Tempering

Pure ghee - 2 tbs
Whole dry red chillies - 3-4
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tbs
Cumin seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Curry leaves - 8-10
Asafoetida - 1 pinch
Red chilly powder - 1/2 tbs

For Fritters

Onion - 1 chopped
Salt to taste
Gram flour- 6 tbs
Water



Better view of whole spices..asafoetida, soda, fenugreek seeds, coriander seeds, mustard seeds, cumin seeds ( from left to right)

Method:

Fritters -

Chop onion and add  to 4 - 5 big tablespoons of gram flour. Add a pinch of soda, 1 teaspoon salt and with 1/ 4 cup of water make a batter.



Heat oil for deep frying in a wok. Check by dropping a drop of batter whether it is ready for frying.

Once hot, drop balls of batter with hands on medium flame. Fry them till golden brown..It takes about 7-8 minutes. Fritters are ready .Keep aside.

                                                                                                                                                                           

Sauce-

Beat 1.5 cup of curd. yogurt and mix 3 tbs of gram flour in it. Whisk properly and add 3 cups of water and mix.

In a wok, heat 2 tbs of oil, add 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds. As they splutter, add 1 tbs of turmeric powder, 1/2 tbs coriander powder and immediately pour the curd gramflour mix in it. Mix it.



Add salt and let it boil. Keep stirring as it thickens. If the mixture thickens more than required, add more water and if it is thin add gramflour paste ( gram flour plus water paste).

As the kadhi attains sauce like texture, switch off the flame.

                                              

Tempering-

In a pan, heat 2 tbs desi ghee. Add 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds, 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds, 2-3 whole dry red chillies, curry leaves, one pinch asafoetida. As they start to splutter. Add the tempering kadhi. Close the lid.

Kadhi is ready. I generally add one more tempering of a pinch of red chilly powder in desi ghee before serving. It adds to the flavour and presentation.

Enjoy Punjabi Kadhi with rice or chapati.

Hope you liked it...