Rajma Masala

Rajma or Kidney beans is a staple ingredient thats very commonly used in our Indian kitchens. especially in the north of India ,(Kashmir,Himachal and Uttar Pradesh) this is a very common side dish thats often made in their everyday kitchen. The Kashmiri Rajama  is supposed to be one of the best Kidney beans thats available and they are usually made medium to spicy and served with hot ghee and steamed rice. In every Resturants or Dhabhas in the areas of Jammu & Kashmir Rajma & Chawal is a must have and a hearty delight for all the vegeterians ! Each Family has their own recipe for this ,but this is my version,a very hearty and filling protien rich meal... Rajma masala or Rajma Curry..




Rajma Masala

Ingredients:

Rajma 1 cup (soaked in 3cups of cold water for atleast 5hrs ).
Tomatoes diced finely 1 cup
corriander powder 1tbsp
garam masala 1tsp
tumeric powder 1tsp
corrainder leaves 1cup
lemon juice 1/2tsp
bay leaf
oil
salt as req


Grind into a thick paste:

Ginger 3tbsp
garlic 3 pods
white onions 1/2cup
roasted jeera 1tsp
green chilli 2 or 3 (more for more spice)


Method:

Pressure cook the soaked rajma with some salt until it is very soft. ( can be mashed with the spoon)

Heat oil in a kadai, add bay leaf and the ground paste.

fry this for a while.

add the tomatoes, salt for the masala , tumeric and all the other dry masalas.

fry till the tomatoes r soft .

next add cooked rajma with its water.

add more water if needed.

add in 1/2 of corriander leaves

cook this for atleast 20mins in low flame.

finally add the lemon juice and the remaining corriander leaves.

serve hot


suggested accompliments:

jeera rice

pulav

roti/naan.

Broccoli Dal

I love Broccoli and my love towards that vegetable has made me go crazy in trying out different recipes with it. Its such a nutritious vegetable ,often often in chineese takeout dinners and thrown away ! I love it for its vibrant color,nutty taste and sharp crisp texture . For me ,Broccoli can be made any which way and i would eat it without any hesitation. But my family needs the broccoli to be spiced up. My son loves this recipe and it really is very easy for all the struggling Mom's trying to get some nutrtional veggies into their kids meal. Broccoli Dal is one of my favourites and I hope it becomes yours soon too!

Broccoli Dal

You will need


Broccoli crown  chopped into bite size pieces 2cups
Onions 1 chopped finely
Green chilies 4/5 chopped finely
Ginger chopped 1
Tomatoes cut into quarters 2
Salt
Turmeric 1tsp
Coriander powder 2tsp
Jeera powder 2tsp


Masoor dal 1cup soaked in water for 30mins.

Whole clove 2
Bay leaf 1
Ghee 2tbsp



Garnish:
Lemon juice
Coriander leaves chopped.



Method:
Pressure-cook the dal with 3cups of water along with tumeric, bayleaf, clove for about 4-5 whistles. The dal has to be well done,

In a kadai heat some ghee and add the onions, greenchillies& ginger and sauté well.

Next add the Broccoli and the dry masala powders and mix well.

Transfer the dal into a pressure pan, and keep it in simmer. Add the Broccoli  mixture over it and add salt and tomatoes. Add some water to thin the dal if need at this point.

Keep it in pressure pan and continue cooking for another 3 whistles.

Garnish and Serve hot .


For more information on Broccoli visit      http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.phptname=foodspice&dbid=9

Mumbai Usal

Mumbai Usal.

Usal is basically a spicy curry made with dried or sprouted legumes. The popular ones are Matki usal,Mattar usal and Moong usal. Usually Matki and Moong are sprouted before used to make usal. Today I am posting a recipe for Mutter usal,which can be substituted with matki or moong sprouts if u want.

Usal is usually served with pav,lemon wedges,onions and raw green chillies. Its exteremely tasty and poor man's food in Maharastra.Its extremely famous on the road side hotels, dhabha's on Maharatra highways ,canteens,railway station cafeteria and local bus stands ,as it is tasty and filling . Its served a lot during lunch and there is a twin called misal which is basically usal topped with farsaan and sev.Other variations include pakodi usal pav,where crisp onion pakoda's are crushed and toped over usal.,samosa usal ,wada usal and on and on. But the classic never gets worn out and its a popular favourite in my hometown....

Hope u make it and enjoy it!


Method
Part 1

Soak 1 cup of white peas(vatana) in 3 cups of water for 3hrs.

Pressure cook with salt,tumeric and a pinch of hing just for 2-3 whistles.(otherwise it will become very very mushy).

Part 2

Gravy

Ingredients:
chopped onions 1cup

chopped tomatoes 1cup

chopped ginger,garlic and green chillies 2tsp each

tumeric powder

garam masala powder 2tsp

chilli powder 1tsp

jeera seeds& mustard 1tsp each

salt

oil 1tsp


Method

Heat oil in a kadai.

add the jeera seeds & mustard and then onions. saute for 2mins. next add the ginger,garlic and chillies.

fry well.

Next add the tomatoes,add the masala powder,salt and the cooked peas.

add 2cups of water and simmer for about 30mins in medium flame.

at this stage u can serve it with pav or bread ,But traditionally,this is topped with spicy rasa or gravy and then served.Its taste is fully enhanced only if u serve it with rasa.

I like this to be served with rasa,because it reminds me of my college cateen and the golden days !!!


Part 3
Rasa(or spicy gravy)

oil 2tbsp(NOTE THAT ITS TABLESPOON NOT TEA SPOON)

onions finely chopped 1/2cup

chilli powder 2tsp

garam masala powder 2tsp

lemon juice 1tsp

corriander chopped 1/2cup


Method

Heat oil,add the onions. fry it till its golden brown.

now add the chilli powder, garam masala powder and immediately add 1cup of water.

add salt and allow it to boil for 5-8mins.

put off the flame.

add the lemon juice and the corriander chopped.





serving suggestion.

option 1

pour the rasa on the usal and serve.


option 2

Take 2 laddles of usal in individual serving bowls.

take 1 laddle of rasa and pour on top of the usal.

on the sides :pav/bread/naan.onions and lemon.

Mixed Dal Adai ( Mixed Lentils Pancake)

In todays fast life with work,home and kids ,we overlook our food intake and hardly manage to balance the required amount of fruits,vegetables,protiens ,fats and carbs in our diet. we all think of cutting calories without eating right. somehow getting all the essential vitamins and minerals in our diet is very crucial to keep up a good healthy lifestyle. I think Mixed dal adai once a  week could make some difference as it contains 4 different kinds of lentils,4-5 different mixed vegetables and packs in a great flavor for all the picky eaters.

Mixed Dal Adai ( Mixed Lentils Pancake)

Ingredients

Whole Masoor Dal ( pink lentils) 1/2cup
Channa dal                                  1/4cup
whole moong dal                          2tbsp
Whole black urad dal                   2tbsp
Rajma /blackeyed peas(either one) 2tbsp
long grain rice                              1cup
whole dry red chillies                    7-8
grated mixed vegetables, i have used red cabbage,red peppers, onions and carrot 1cup
currry leaves a few leaves
salt to taste
oil to fry the pancakes.

Method
Soak the rice and dals seperately for approximately 2hrs. grind them with red chillies and mix well the salt to taste. keep this batter aside for 4-6hrs.
now befor making the pancakes add the grated vegetables and curry leaves,adjust the seasoning if required and pour on a hot griddle(tawa) to make thick pancakes (dosas). flip to the otherside and cook until they turn out golden and crisp.
serve hot with any chutney or side.or even refer to tomato plum chutney from the earlier posts,its an ideal combination with a sweet and sour tangy taste.

Masoor Ki Dal

Its one of those wintery evenings here and as I wondering what to whip up for dinner,I decieded to make Masoor dal. This recipe is one of our favourite ones and we usually call it our comfort food. with a steamy hot bowl of white rice or even a piping hot of the stove Phulka or Roti would make it a complete wholesome meal. I use whole masoor for it and soak it in warm water for a couple of hours to speed up the process of cooking.easy to make dal is a perfect meal to satisfy any hungry soul,especially on a cold day!

Whole Masoor Dal

Ingredients
Whole Masoor (pink lentils) 1/2cup soaked
tomatoes 1cup diced
onions 1/2cup finely chopped
garlic 2-3 cloved minced
jeera seeds 1tsp
red chillies whole 2-3
green chillies finely chopped 1tsp
Ghee 2tbsp
lemon juice 1/2tsp
salt to taste
dry masalas: tumeric 1/2tsp,chilli powder 1tsp,dhaniya powder 1tsp,jeera powder 1tsp and garam masala 1tsp
corriander for garnish
butter for garnish (optional)

Method
Pressure the dal with enough water.
meanwhile,in a wok add the ghee,and add the jeera seeds,along with red chillies.
next add the garlic,onions and fry till they are slighly golden brown,now add the tomatoes and all the dry masalas.cook until the tomatoes are soft.
once the dal is cooked adjust the consitency with some water,add the salt for taste & pour the tomatoes mixture and allow it to boil until all the flavours come together.remove from flame&
now add the lemon juice,and garnish.

serve hot.