Rajasthani Pachmel Dal

 

Introduction:-

Pachmel dal is a regular version which is mostly cooked in Rajasthan. This dal is deliciously combined with Batis and forms an exquisite meal. The name ‘Pachmel’ is self explaining that this is a combination of five pulses cooked altogether. I specially made this dal for Batis but because of its nutritious value, I like to cook this dal almost every week and have it  with normal chapatis or rice. Because of the use of five pulses, it gives taste of each pulse in one recipe. It is very healthy, nutritious and a complete meal. I'm posting my quick and easy version to make this dal. So must read for all working girls...:)

Ingredients:

Yellow Moong dal: ¼ cup

Green Moong dal: 3 tbsp

Arhar dal: ¼ cup

Chana dal: ¼ cup

Urad dal (split washed): ¼ cup

Tomatoes: 3 medium

Onions: 1

Garlic: 6-7 cloves

Ginger garlic paste: 2 tsp

Green chilli: 2 tsp (chopped)

Kasoori methi: 1 tsp

Salt: as per taste or 2 tsp

Red chilli powder: 1.5 tsp

Turmeric powder: 1 tsp

Corriander powder: 1 tsp

Garam masala powder: 0.5 tsp

Asefoetida: ½ tsp

Mustard seeds: 1 tsp

Cumin seeds: 1 tsp

Whole red chilli: 2

Amchur powder: 1.5 tsp

Ghee: 2 tsp

Oil : 1 tsp

Green coriander: for garnishing (finely chopped)

Serves: 2-3 person

Preparation time: 15 mins

Cooking time: 15-20 mins

Method:

Wash all dals together and strain. Soak the dals in water for 15 mins. Meanwhile chop the tomatoes, onion and garlic finely. In a pressure cooker, add tomatoes, green chilli, ginger garlic paste and the strained and soaked dals. Add 3.5 to 4 cups of water. Add salt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder, kasoori methi and garam masala. Mix them with laddle and cover. Pressure cooks the dal on medium flame for 3-4 whistles.

Put off the flame and let the pressure release by itself.

In another pan, Heat oil and ghee. Add mustard seeds, asafoetida, cumin seeds, garlic and whole red chillies. Add chopped onions and sauté for 2-3 mins. Do not over cook the spice on high flame else they will get burnt.

Open the pressure cooker and check the dal. Mesh it with the back of laddle so that all the contents are mixed up. Add the hot tadka to the dal and mix it up. Add amchur powder. Finally garnish the dal with chopped coriander and serve hot with Batis.

Note:

1. You may vary the number of pulses in case of unavailability or taste. Adjust the proportions accordingly.
2. You may add double tadka to dal for more beautiful look. Like you sauté onion and garlic first and then add to the dal. Later you fry the rest of the tadka ingredients and pour in dal at time of serving.
3. Curry leaves may also be added for more fragrant tadka.
4. Take care while frying spices for tadka. Red chillies get cooked immediately. So put on low flame.
5. Adding tomatoes and spice powder at the time of pressure cooking the dal makes dal more delicious and it looks exactly like hotel or restaurant. This I have learnt from my experience and I always make any dal by this method only. It saves cooking time also.
6. You can adjust the consistency of dal as you like. Always add hot boiled water to the cooked dal to make it thin. This preserves the taste of dal.

 

Methiwali dal

Introduction: A healthy and unique preparation  of dal enriched with the nurishment of fresh green fenugreek leaves.

Ingredients:
Moong dal with skin: 1 cup
split pigeon pea: 1/4 cup
Fenugreek leaves(Methi): 100 gm
Onions: 2 medium sized(chopped)
Green chillies: 2 (chopped)
Tomatoes: 2 medium sized(chopped)
Ginger: 1/2 inch piece
Salt: to taste
turmeric powder: 1/4 tsp
red chilli powder: 1/2 tsp
corriander powder: 1/2 tsp
garam masala: 1/4 tsp
Lemon juice: 2tsp
cumin seeds: 1/2 tsp
Asefoetida: 1/4 tsp
Oil: 2 tsp
Ghee: 1 tsp
chopped corriander: for garnishing

Method:
wash and soak both dals together for 20-30 minutes. In a pressure cooker add the soaked dal with 2 cups of water, salt and turmeric powder. Pressure cook the dal for one whistle on medium flame. do no release the pressure. Let it go by itself. heat oil and ghee in a pan. Add cumin seeds and asefoetida to it. When it splutters, add chopped onion to it. Add green chillies and let it cook till the onions turned lilltle brown. Add wash and chopped methi to it and cook till the methi gets softened (4-5 mins). now add chopped tomatoes to it and cook till tomatoes get soft . Add rest of the spices to it and cook for 1 minutes.
now add the boiled dal to it. and cook the dal on low flame for 2 mins. put offt he flame. Add lemon juice to it and garnish with chopped corriander. serve hot with rotis.

Bhindi ki Kadhi

Introduction:

These days market is full of ladyfingers. When I was planning for dinner tonight, instantly it came to my mind to make "Bhindi Kadhi". I had it once at my grandparents home made by my aunt. It is really a very nice preparation of Bhindi cooked in sour, creamy yougurt curry.So if you are bored of eating plain kadhi, then try this one out.

Ingredients:

for Kadhi:

Bhindi(ladyfingers): 8-10

Sour Curd: 3 cups

Gram flour(besan): 2 tsp

Green chillies: 2

Ginger: 1/4 inch piece

Water: 2 cups

Turmeric pwder: 1/4 tsp

Salt: to taste

Oil: 1 tsp

For tempering:

Oil: 2 tsp

Cumin seeds: 1 tsp

Musturd seeds: 1 tsp

Fenugreek seeds: 1/4 tsp

Asefoetida: 1/4 tsp

Carom seeds(ajwain): 1/2 tsp

Red chilli powder: 1/2 tsp

Curry leaves: 5-6

Garlic: 4-5 clove

Preparation time: 5 min

Cooking time: 15 min

Serves for : 3 persons

Method:

Take curd in a bowl. Add gram flour, salt and turmeric powder into it. Add water and whisk well. You can whisk it in grinder also. When a smooth thin paste is made, then put this mixture on flame. Churn it continuously n medium flame till one boil. Meanwhile,Wash and chop bhindis in 2-3 long pieces. Heat 1 tsp oil in another pan. Add bhindis to it and cook on low flame till they get soft. It'll take 2-3 mins for the bhindis to get soft. Add these bhindis to the boiling kadhi. Add chopped green chillies and ginger to the kadhi.Adjust salt in the kadhi. Cook for one boil on low flame. Remove kadhi from flame.

For tadka, heat 2 tsp oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds and musturd seeds into it. When they splutter add asefoetida and carom seeds into it. Add chopped garlic, curry leaves and red chilli powder into it and saute for a minute. Pour this tadka over the prepared kadhi and serve hot.

TIPS:

1. You can also deep fry the bhindis before adding them to kadhi.

2. If the curd is too sour, then add 1 tsp of grated jaggery or sugar in it.

3. If the curd is not sour, then add a pinch of citric acid or 1 tsp of lemon juice in the kadhi.

4. You can also add chopped onions in the tempering.

5. Keep stirring the kadhi for the first boil. Otherwise it may get granular.

5. It's important for the besan to get cooked properly. Hence cook the kadhi on low flame for another boil.

6. I'll suggest to use musturd oil in kadhi. It gives a very traditional taste to kadhi.

 

Tamatar ki kadhi

Introduction:

"Kadhi" is cooked in various ways in different regions. I'm telling you a very different kind of kadhi recipe. It's purely made up of tomatoes and gram flour. So if any situation comes, when you don't have curd, then go for this tasty "Tamatar ki kadhi". This is best combined with rice. I learnt this recipe from master chef sanjeev kapoor.

Ingredients:

Tomatoes: 4 (medium sized)

Gram flour: 2 tsp

Green chilli: 2
Ginger paste: 1/2 tsp

Garlic: 3-4(chopped)

Red chili powder: 1/2 tsp

Whole dry red chilli: 2

Turmeric powder: 1/4 tsp

Corriander powder: 1/2 tsp

Garam masala: a pinch

Cumin seeds: 1/4 tsp

musturd seeds: 1/4 tsp

Fenugreek seeds: 1/8 tsp

Curry leaves: 4-5

Asefoetida: a pinch

Salt: to taste

Oil: 2 tsp

Corriander(chopped): for garnishing

Preparation time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 10 mins

Serves for: 2 persons

Method:

Make a smooth paste of tomatoes and green chillies. Take gram flour in a bowl. Add red chilli powder, turmeric, corriander powder , salt and garam masala into it. Mix well. Add this mix into the tomato paste and beat for 2 mins. Heat oil in pan. Add cumin seeds,musturd seeds, fenugreek seeds, asefoetida and curry leaves into it. When it splutters, ass whole dry red chillies into it. Mix and add tomato mixture into it. Add 1 cup of water into it and cook on medium flame for  a single boil.Adjust the seasoning. Sim the flame and cook for 5 mins or till the mixture thickens to the right consistency. Garnish with chopped corriander and serve hot with boiled rice.

TIPS:

1. You can also add 1 tsp of grated jaggery or sugar into it, if you feel the taste is too sour.

2. You can also add dry roasted besan instead of raw besan to cook the kadhi faster.

3. You can also use this kadhi as a basic gravy for many recipes like add paneer or koftas into in and enjoy a tasty recipe.

Dal Makhani

Introduction:

"Dal Makhani" is a very famous dish from punjabi cuisine. The whole black urad dal is cooked with kidney beans in a rich, creamy gravy and excellent for every party dinner. This tastes awesome with hot chapatis and rotis. So let's make ur weekend lunch and dinner special by cooking dal makhani for your family.

Ingredients:

For dal

Whole black urad dal: 1 cup

Kidney beans(Rajma): 1/4 cup

Onions: 1 cup (chopped)

Green chillies: 1 tsp(minced or paste)

Ginger: 1 tsp(chopped)

Garlic: 5-7(chopped)

Tomatoes: 2 (pureed)

Fresh Yogurt: 1/4 cup(beaten)

Fresh cream: 1/4 cup(beaten)

Red chilli powder: 1 tsp

Turmeric powder: 1/4 tsp

Corriander powder: 1 tsp

Garam masala: 1/4 tsp

Cumin seeds: 1/2 tsp

Asefoetida: 1/4 tsp

Butter: 3 tsp

Salt: to taste

For garnishing:

Onions: 1(cut into rings)

Lemon juice: 2 tsp

Fresh cream: 2 tsp

Chopped corriander leaves

Preparation time: 10 hours(for soaking the dal)

Cooking time: 20 mins

Serves for: 2 persons

Method:

Soak the dal and rajma in 3 cupsof water for 6-7 hours or overnight. Strain and wash th soked dal and pressure cook it with 3 cups of water, 1/2 of salt, 1/2 of ginger and a pinch of soda bicarbonate. Cook for 2 whistles on  medium flame. Sim the gas and cook for 5-6 mins. Put off the flame and let the pressure to get released by itself. Meanwhile, prepare all the vegetables for the tadka.

Heat butter in a pan. Add cumin seeds and asefoetida in it. Add onions and garlic into it. Saute till the onions are translucent. Now add all the spices into it and saute for another minute. Add tomato puree, green chilli paste and ginger into it. cook on low flame till the oil separates. Add beaten curd into it and continue to cook for 2 minutes stirring occasionaly.

Open up the cooker and check whether dal is properly cooked. Add the boiled dal and rajma in the tadka and cook on low flame for 5 mins. Add cream into it and cook for 5 mins. Put off the flame. Take the dal in serving bowl. Garnish it with lemon juice, cream and onion rings. You can add a spoonful of butter also.

TIPS:

1. The most important point is that the dal and rajmas should be properly cooked and get softened in the cooker. So cook it accordingly.

2. Dal makhani is thick in consistency. so you need not to add extra water into it. The amount of water used for pressure cooking the dal will be sufficient.

3. Cook the dal on low flame. Then only the gravy gets more creamy.

Healthy Soya Dal

Introduction:

It is a recipe which is rich in protein and minerals and fullfill all your daily requirement of nutrition. This is a healthy preparation of different kind of pulses with Nutrela(Soya granules). Dal is an important part of every day meal, so i thought to make it more nutritious by cooking it with Soya granules.

Ingredients:

Mix Dal(Moong, urad, arhar): 1 cup

Nutrela(Soya granules): 1 cup

Onions: 2

Garlic(chopped): 1 tsp

Ginger paste: 1/4 tsp

Tomatoes: 3(medium size)
Green chilli: 2
Red chilli powder: 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder: 1/2 tsp
Corriander powder: 1 tsp
Garam masala: 1/4 tsp
Salt: as per taste
Ghee: 2 tsp
Lemon juice: 1 tsp
Fresh corriander: for garnishing

Preparation time:10 mins
Cooking time: 15 mins
Serves for: 4 persons
Method:

Soak dal and granules in 3 cups of water and keep it for 15 mins.Pour the dal in cooker and add salt and turmeric and cook for two whistles. Put off the flame and let it cook in the pressure cooker till the whole pressure releases. Chop the onions and tomatoes.Puree the tomatoes with green chillies.

 Heat ghee in a pan. Add cumin seeds and asefoetida and fry till it sprinkles. Add onions and garlic and saute till the onions are golden brown. Now add the tomato paste with ginger paste and cook on medium flame for 2 mins. Add all the spices and cook for 5 mins till the ghee separates from the mixture. 

Open up the cooker and check whether the dal has been cooked. Add more water depening upon the consistency you like. Add the dal to to the mixture and cook for 2-3 min on low flame. 

Put off the flame. Add lemon juice and garnish with corriander.

TIPS:

1. You can mix any kind of dals in any proportion you like. I used 3/4 cup of moong dal, 1/2 cup urad dal, 1/2 cup arhar dal. 

2. You can add dry mango powder at the end if you don't have lemon juice.

3. Raw mangoes can also be used to replace tomatoes. Add chopped raw mango while boiling the dal in cooker. 
4. You can soya chunks, soya nuggets or soya beans instead of nutrela. All are easily available at grocery store.