Dal Moghlai

Here is the recipe of  flavourful and low calorie wholesome meal.

Recipe courtesy-Tarla Dalal

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup toovar (arhar) dal
• 1/4 cup chana dal (split bengal gram)
• 1 cup chopped tomatoes
• 2 cups bottle gourd (doodhi / lauki) , cut into big pieces
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
• 1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
• 1/2 tsp chopped garlic (lehsun)
• 1 tsp chopped green chillies
• 1 tsp grated ginger (adrak)
• 3/4 cup sliced onions
• 2 tsp oil
• salt to taste

For The Garnish

• 2 tbsp chopped coriander (dhania)

Method

• Clean, wash and soak the dals for about 30 minutes. Drain.
• Add the tomatoes, bottle gourd, turmeric powder, salt and 3 cups of water and pressure cook till the dals are tender.
• Heat the oil in a large non-stick pan and add the cumin seeds.
• When the seeds crackle, add the garlic, green chillies, ginger and onions and sauté till the onions turn golden brown in colour. Sprinkle about 1 tablespoon of water over it to prevent the onions from burning.
• Add the cooked dal mixture and 1 cup of water and bring to boil.

Serve hot garnished with coriander.

You can have this with steaming hot rice or with Jeera rice.I opted the second option,now the choice is yours :)

Garlic Knot

Ingredients:

• Bread flour - 2 cups ( If bread flour is not available, you can make these knots with only All Purpose Flour i.e., Maida )
• Active dry yeast - 1 and 1\2 tsp
• Warm water - 1\2 cup
• Warm milk - 1\4 cup
• Sugar - 2 tbsp
• Salt - 1 and 1\2 tsp
• Olive oil - 2 tbsp
• Egg white  - 1 ( If you are a vegetarian, brush your knots with milk )
• Butter - 30 gm
• Olive oil - 30 ml
• Garlic - 8-10 cloves ( finely chopped )
• Fresh parsley(If you don't have parsley you can use coriander as an alternative) - 2-3 tbsp ( chopped )

Method of preparation:

• First Mix warm water, warm milk, sugar and yeast in a bowl.
• Keep aside for 5-8 minutes.
• Mix bread flour, salt and olive oil in a bowl.
• Add the yeast mixture to the bowl and mix together to make a dough.
• Take out the dough on a lightly floured surface and keep kneading with the heel of your hands for 10-12 minutes. ( Kneading is the key for a perfect soft bread. So do not compromise on this step )
• Lightly oil a bowl and transfer the dough in the bowl.
• Cover the bowl with a moist cloth and keep it in a warm place for 2 hours, till the dough doubles in size.
• Lightly punch the dough.
• Divide the dough into 15 equal pieces.
• Lightly oil your work surface and roll each piece into a ball on it.
• Roll each ball into a 7-8 inch long cylinder and then bring the ends together to make a knot.
• Grease a baking sheet and line the knots on the sheet keeping a distance of 1 and 1\2 inch between each knot.
• Cover   it.
• Keep in a warm place for an hour.
• Pre heat the oven to 200 degrees C.
• Mix egg white with a tbsp of water.
• Lightly brush the egg wash on the knots.
• Bake for 15- 20 minutes, till slightly browned form the top.

Mean while  heat butter and olive oil in a pan.

• Add garlic when it is hot.
• Cook till garlic is slightly browned.
• Add parsley and switch off the heat.

When the knots are done, pour the butter mixture over them.

These are best served straight from the oven. It can be stored in an airtight container for a day. 

If you are wondering how to shape this garlic knots click on the below link and watch the  video of shaping Garlic knots:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KRgdq66i6Y

Malai Gulab Jamun

Here is a simple recipe to make malai gulab jamun.

Preparation time: 30 minutes 

Ingredients:

•  Milk powdered - 1 cup
•  Semolina/ Sooji- 4tbsp 
• All purpose flour/ Maida- 4tbsp
•  Milk- 1 cup (to make dough) 
• Baking Powder- ½ tsp 
• Ghee/vegetable oil for frying 

For filling:

• Cream/malai- 1 cup
•     Milk- 1 cup (to make dough) 
•  Coconut- ½ cup grated(optional)

For sugar syrup:

• Sugar- 2 cups 
• Water- 2 cups
•  4 - 5 Cardamom
• few drops of lemon
• Few strands of kesar

Procedure:

•  Make a dough of maida, sooji, milk powder, milk, baking powder and ghee. 
• Knead a soft dough and leave for 2-3 hours. 
• After leaving the dough for a few hours, add more milk and then knead into a soft dough again. This is done because the dough becomes stiff and hard after leaving it for 2 or more hours. 
• Heat a frying pan. 
• Add  clarified butter/ghee for frying the jamun. 
• Let it heat on low flame. You can also use vegetable oil. 
• Meanwhile, make small round jamuns and keep them in a plate. 
• You can apply a little ghee on your palms to roll the jamun balls easily.
• On the other gas burner, boil water in a deep bottomed pan. 
• When it turns hot, add the sugar and make a syrup. 
• Stir on low flame till the sugar melts. 
• Let it cool after the sugar dissolves and the syrup is ready.
•  Now, when the ghee is hot, fry the jamuns until they become brown. 
• Take them out and dip in the sugar syrup. Let the jamun balls soak in sugar syrup for 3-4 hours. 
• Take the jamuns out after soaking and gently squeeze out syrup. 
• Make a small slit at one end and fill the cream/ malai.

Enjoy this creamy yummy dessert!!!

Goan Red Chicken Curry

“I love the Goan red spice paste. It is spicy, chilli-like and vinegary and adds a real punch to anything it is added to. I have made my paste suitable for Western palates, but by no means is it mild or apologetic. I think the dish shows the flavors of the paste beautifully. The onion adds sweetness and the tomatoes balances out the flavors of the paste. If you like spicy dishes – and by this I don’t mean red hot – this is a great dish to try.” – Anjum

Ingredients:

4 tbps vegetable oil/Olive oil

1 large onion, peeled and sliced

4 tbsp Goan red spice paste (Recipe follows)

4 large tomatoes, chopped

salt, to taste

1.5 lb chicken pieces, skinned( I have used 500 gm chicken,without skin)

For Goan Red Spice Paste:

This is a spicy, vinegary paste from the beautiful region of Goa. As all the ingredients are i raw so it does need to be well cooked.

Makes about half a cup

• 2 largish, mild fresh red chilies, deseeded
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 1/2 tsp coriander seeds
• 3 cloves
• 6 peppercorns
• 3/4 tsp ground turmeric
• 9 large of garlic, peeled
• 1/2 in slice fresh ginger, peeled
• 1 1/2 in piece of cinnamon
• 1 tsp tamarind paste
• 3/4 tsp sugar
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup white wine vinegar 

Blend all the ingredients together to make a fine paste.

Note:I have used white vinegar here, and skipped the  tamarind.

Preparation:

• Heat the oil in a large nonstick saucepan. 
• Add the onion and cook until browned, around 10 minutes. 
• Add the spice paste and cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes.
• Add the tomatoes and the salt, cover, and cook for 10 minutes or until the tomatoes have softened and reduced.
•  Uncover the pan and toss the tomatoes in their own juices for another 6-8 minutes or until they have become good shade darker.
• Add the chicken(I have marinated the chicken with ginger-garlic paste and salt for 30 minutes) 
•  Stir well in the pan for a few minutes. 
• Add 1 cup of water, bring to the boil and cover. 
• Cover over low heat for 20 minutes if the pieces are small and 25 minutes if large.
• Uncover , turn the heat up and boil off excess moisture in the pan, tossing the chicken in the reducing gravy all the time. 
• Doing this for 3-4 minutes will finish off the chicken, deepen the flavour and darken the color. The gravy should be dark red and quite thick. 
• Serve with Rice or Indian bread.

Recipe courtesy:  Anjum Anand - writer of Anjum’s New Indian 

Dahi Murg/ Doi Murgi

I have learnt this recipe from my Maa. The vote always used to go to Doi Murgi whenever we had to enjoy some quick fix chicken dish. It may not look appealing but its taste is quite unique. The aroma of garlic when added to the ghee(clarified butter) is exotic. Garlic and green chilli are the two key ingredients in this dish which makes it different from the other Dahi chicken preparations. This dish is a must try for garlic-lovers!!

So here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 250 gm chicken
• 4 tsp thick yogurt
• Green chilli ,4-5
• 8  medium sized garlic cloves
• Freshly crushed black pepper
• Clarified butter/ghee 2 tbsp
• 1 large bay leaf (Tejpatta)
• Salt, as per taste
• Cashew paste,1 tbsp(optional)
• cream,1tbsp(optional)

Method:

• First make a smooth paste of garlic and green chillies using food processor.
• Now marinade the chicken with this freshly prepared chilli-garlic paste, yoghurt, and pinch of salt for 1 hour.
• Heat clarified butter in a pan.
• Add bay leaf into it first and then the marinated chicken.
• Stir it nicely for few seconds.
• Check the seasoning. Add salt if needed.
• Now cook it by covering the pan on low flame till the chicken cooked properly.

The chicken will cook in its own juice, no need of adding water.

• Add the cashew paste (If you want a rich and thick gravy) and cook for another few minutes.
• Give the final touch by adding cream and freshly crushed black pepper.

Serve hot with rice.

                                                                        

Apple Caramel Crisp

If you are looking for a yum but easy dessert, this caramel apple crisp will be the perfect choice for you.It makes a sinful dessert when this warm apple crisp is topped with creamy vanilla ice cream and drizzled with caramel sauce.

So here is the recipe. 

Servings = 4

                                                        Ingredients:

• Flour 1⁄2 Cup
• Granulated sugar 1⁄4 Cup (4tbsp)
• Salt 1 Pinch
• Ground cinnamon 1⁄2 Tsp
• Cold unsalted butter 6 Tbsp cubed
• Oats 1⁄2 Cup

• 2 large apple peeled, cored and cut into cubes
• Caramel sauce/Brown sugar, 3 Tablespoon
• Ground cinnamon, 1 Teaspoon
• Salt, 1 Pinch
• Lemon juice, 1 Tablespoon

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

• In a bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt and cinnamon powder.
• Add the butter cubes and break them down into the mixture by using the tips of your fingers and rub to mix well.

• Stir in the oats. Place the bowl into the freezer or refrigerator while you prepare the filling.

• Peel, core, and cut the apples into small chunks. Toss well with the caramel sauce, cinnamon, salt, and lemon juice.
• Pour this mixture into a baking dish, then sprinkle the crumb topping evenly all over the top.
• Pop in oven and bake for 1 hour or until golden brown and bubbling.

Serve with vanilla ice cream and extra caramel sauce.

Phulkopir Jhaal (Cauliflower in Chilli-Mustard sauce)

Probably every Bong is born onto this world knowing how to cook and specially how to cook with Shorshe Bata (Mustard paste). Use of Mustard paste is very common in bengali dishes, specially fish (like Hilsa, Bhetki, Pabda…. I think I should stop here, as I’ll end up making a long list :) ) and eggplants are two commonly chosen ingredients to make jhal, bhapa, or paaturi. But the cauliflower is not generally used with mustard paste. Even I didn’t have the idea that, even cauliflower can blend with mustard paste so beautifully. I found this recipe while reading  an article on Purnima Thakur who gifted us with a rarest collection of recipes of The great Thakur Bari.

I tried this dish few days back and the taste was so good that, I cannot stop myself making it again. So, I thought of sharing this recipe with you all. Hope you will also like it.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium size cauliflower
• 2 tbsp of mustard paste
• Whole green chillies divided (I have used 5)
• 2 tbsp of mustard oil and extra to add at the end
• Nigella seeds (Kalojeera)
• ½ cup of water
• Salt, as per taste
• Sugar, as per taste
• Turmeric powder, 1/2 tsp

Method:

• At first make a smooth paste of mustard by grinding mustard seeds, chilies (I have used 2) and little water in a food processor.
• Now heat mustard oil in a pan.
• Add few nigella seeds and then the cauliflower florets to this hot oil.
• Fry it covering the pan till light golden brown.
• Now add salt, turmeric powder, and the mustard paste into it.
• Mix all the ingredients nicely and cook in high flame for few minutes.
• Add water and whole green chillies to.
• Cover the pan and cook in low flame till the florets are cooked properly.
• Now turn off your gas and little mustard oil into it to complete this dish.

The dish is now perfectly ready to have with steamed rice.

 Note:
I always prefer to sieve the mustard paste adding little water, as it helps to remove the seed coat and reduce the chance of acidity.