Yellow Dal Fry

After a long break I am here again in my blog. Due to some other priorities I was not able to post any new recipes in my blog and for that I am really very sorry to all my followers. As a foodie I never stopped to cook good food but any how didn't manage to take photos and write recipes. Missing my blog and page very much so no more regrets because I am not going to stop cooking.

As a daily routine I need to cook dal at my home because without a dal my husband doesn't want to eat. So often I try to find out a new dal recipe. Last week one of my friends called us for dinner and she prepared some nice YELLOW DAL FRY. The taste of the dal was  really awesome so I didnt stop myself to prepare it at home to share with all of u.

Ingredients:

1.Mixed Dal: half cup.

2.One large chopped onion.

3.One large chopped tomato.

4.One tea spoon ginger garlic paste.

5.Turmeric powder, Rec chili Powder, Cumin Powder, Coriander Powder (half tea spoon of each item).

6.Salt and sugar as per taste.

7.Sunflower oil for cooking.

For Tarka:

1.Few cumin seeds, 2 dry red chili, 1 bay leaf.

2.One tea spoon chopped garlic.

3.One tea spoon chopped ginger.

4.One tea spoon Kashmiri red chili powder.

5.One table spoon ghee.

6.chopped Coriander leaves for garnishing.

Process:

Wash and soak the dal for 30 mints.

Now in a pressure cooker add some oil, allow it to hot now add the chopped onion and chopped tomatoes and cook till the onions are transparent.

Now add the ginger and garlic paste and cook till the raw smell goes off. Now add some salt and sugar and mix well.

Now in bowl add all the spices powder and mixed with some water and add it to the cooker and cook it till the oil separate.

Now add the soaked dal (without the water) and cook for few mints.

Now add some water (around one cup) and cook till 4 to 5 whistle.

Your dal is ready now time for tarka.

In a small pan add half off the ghee and the Kashmiri red chili powder and fry for some time, now sprinkle it on top of the dal.

Now in the same pan add rest of the ghee and slowly add the cumin seeds, dry red chili, bay leaf, chopped ginger and garlic and fry for some time.

Now sprinkle it on top of the dal, and garnish with some chopped coriander leaves.

Your YELLOW DAL FRY is ready serve hot with plain rice or roti.

Ghee Pongal: A dish from Tamilnadu

For my daughter I try to cook something different everyday so that she loves to have food. Like all the other kids she is very choosy about her food. Most of us like to give our kids Rice at least one time of a day like rice dal and curry or some time just a simple rice preparation. My daughter likes rice, so something different with rice is something new to her so she enjoys a lot. One of a very famous Rice preparation of South India especially Tamilnadu is Pongal. A simple rice and dal combo which is flavored with lots of ghee and cashew nuts and served with sambar.  But I love to have pongal alone. PONGAL is Tamilnadu’s harvest festival which is coincided with MAKAR SANKRANTI.

The best part of this dish is the smell of ghee, fried cashew nuts and black pepper which make you hungry. My daughter just loves it so I can say this one is really good for small kids, a very simple and easy recipe for all of you.

Ingredients:
1.Raw Rice: 1 cup.
2.Split Moong Dal: ¼ cup.
3.Water:4 cup.
4.Crushed ginger: ½ tea spoon.
5.Hing or asafetida: a pinch off.
6.Salt and sugar as per taste.
7.Ghee:3 table spoon.

To temper:
1.Cashew nute: 15 to 20 pieces (split).
2.Few curry leaves.
3.Few black pepper corn.
4.Few cumin seeds.

Process:

Dry roast the moong dal first, then wash the dal and rice together.

Now in a cooker add one table spoon of ghee slowly add the crushed ginger and the asafetida and fry for few seconds now add the washed rice and dal.

Now add the water and some salt and sugar and cook in medium flame (around four whistles) and open the cover when all the vapors come out completely.

Now in a small pan add the rest of the ghee, now add the split cashew nuts fry till it become golden, next add the curry leaves, black pepper corn and cumin seeds and fry for some time.

Now add all the temper ingredients along with ghee in the boiled rice and dal and mix well.

The easy and simple PONGAL is ready serve hot with Sambar and enjoY.

Macher Matha diye Moong Dal

In daily menu one very important and essential dish in my place is DAL/LENTIL, it can be any kind of dal but without a bowl of dal we just can’t think a meal. I try to make different kind of dal so that we are not getting bored with the same thing. One of a very signature DAL of Bengal is MACHER MATHA DIYE MUNG DAL, basically Mung dal cooked with big fish head, preferably RUHU or KATLA. The taste of fish head, whole garam masala and the BHAJA MOONG DAL make the dish a super tasty. 

The recipe courtesy to my maa or I can say all authentic Bengali dish I learnt from my maa only. The garam masala makes it aromatic and few drop of ghee makes it delicious. So this dal can make your lunch or dinner special. 

Ingredients:
1.Yellow Moong Dal: ½ cup.
2.Katla or Ruhu Fish Head: 4 to 5 small piece.
3.One small sliced onion, One medium chopped tomato.
4.One small onion paste.
5.One tea spoon ginger garlic paste.
6.Whole Garam Masala: One Bay Leave, One small cinnamon stick, Two clove, Two cardamom, Few cumin seeds, One dry red chili.
7.Turmeric powder: one tea spoon.
8.Red chili powder: ½ tea spoon.
9.cumin powder: ½ tea spoon.
10.Pinch of garam masala.
11.Bhaja Masla: ½ tea spoon (few cumin seeds, few coriander seeds, 2 to three dry red chili dry roast them and grind them).
12.Salt and sugar as per taste.
13.Mustard oil for cookig.
14.Few drops of ghee.

Process:

First dry roast the dal for few mints, then boil the dal in a pressure cooker with a pinch of salt and turmeric powder and keep it aside.

Now wash and clean the fish head pieces, sprinkle some turmeric powder and salt on them and mix well.

Now add some mustard oil in a karai and fry the fish head pieces till all the sides fried properly and keep it aside.

Now take another vessel and add some mustard oil allow it to hot, now add all the whole garam masala. Next add the sliced onion and fry till they turn transparent.

Now add the chopped tomato and fry till the tomatoes get melted.

Now add the onion and ginger garlic paste with turmeric powder, cumin powder and red chili powder and cook for 5 mints in medium heat.

Now add some salt and sugar(while boiling the dal we already added some salt so don’t add too much of salt)  and add the fried fish head and cook with the masala till the oil come out.

Now add the boiled dal and mix well. Cook for 5 to 8 mint with a lid.

Now add the garam masala powder and some ghee and mix well and remove from heat. 
Finally sprinkle the bhabja mosla on top.

Your MACHER MATHA DIYE MOONG DAL or MOONG DAL COOKED WITH FISH HEAD is ready serve hot with plain rice.

Misti Cholar Dal

Today is Janmasthami - lord Krishna’s birthday, almost every part of India celebrate this auspicious day with lots of wishes and some mouthwatering dishes. For hindus lord Krishna is symbol of intelligence and we all believe that lord Krishna is a small kid and try to make him happy with our puja and prasad. 

Today I prepared few of the authentic Bengali dishes to celebrate JANMASTAMI, and among them one of my favorite dish is MISTI CHOLAR DAL or SWEET CHANA DAL. This one is a signature dish of Bengal and a perfect breakfast item. With LUCHI or PURI this dal just makes your breakfast perfect. My MAA made this with lots of love so I wanted to share my mother’s love with all of you.

Ingredients:
1.Cholar Dal or Chana Dal or Bengal Gram: One small cup.
2.One inch crushed ginger.
3.Few raisins.
4.Few cashew nuts.
5.One bay leave.
6.One dry red chili.
7.Few cumin seeds.
8.One small cinnamon stick.
9.Turmeric powder: 1 tea spoon.
10.Cumin Powder: Half tea spoon.
11.Bhaja Masla: ½ tea spoon (few cumin seeds, 2 dry red chili and  few coriander seeds, dry roast them and grind them). Garam Masla : ½ tea spoon.
12.Shreded coconut: 1 table spoon..
13.Chopped coconut (small bite size): one tea spoon.
14.Mustard oil for cooking.
15.Few drop of ghee.
16.Salt and sugar as per taste.

Process:

Boil the dal in a pressure cooker with some salt around 3 to 4 weasel (don’t over boil the dal).

Now take one heavy bottomed vessel and add the mustard oil, after the oil become hot add the cumin seeds, bay leave, cinnamon stick and the dry red chili, stir for few seconds.

Now reduce the heat and add the raisins and the cashew nuts and fry for few seconds.

Now add the crushed ginger, turmeric powder and cumin powder and stir for few seconds.

Now add the shredded coconut stir for few seconds, then add the boiled dal with the water and add some salt and sugar.

Cook with a lid in medium flame till the dal boil completely and a nice gravy come out with the water which we added while adding the boiling dal. Now add the garam masala and mix well.

Now in a separate vessel add the ghee and fry the chopped coconut till they turn little brownish.

Now serve the dal in a bowl and sprinkle the bhaja masla on top and garnish with fried chopped coconut. Enjoy this hot dal with some Luchi or Puri.

Chingri Mach DIye Dhokar Dalna or Prawn Dhoka Curry

Every day I search new recipes, because as a foodie my love towards food will never become less. So I keep searching new recipes, ideas and ingredients. Some time with all the old stuffs you can make something new. My fridge is almost empty because its end of month and middle of the week. I thought to make some DHOKAR DALNA. While soaking the dal I remember some where I read about CHINGRI MACH DIYE DHOKAR DALNA.  I didn't remember the full recipe but what I remembered is prawns cooked with the dhokar dalna in a little different and unusual way.

Prawn is very favorite to us and prawns can make any dish a special one. So same thing happened with this dish also because I usually cooked the normal DHOKAR DALNA but with prawns it became something different and tasty.

Preparation time: 30 mints.
Cooking time: 30 mints.

Ingredients:
1.Cholar dal or Chana dal: 1 cup.
2.Medium size prawns: 12 to 14.
3.One medium size sliced onion.
4.One medium size chopped tomato.
5.Three clove chopped garlic.
6.One inch chopped  ginger.
7.Two to three slit green chilies.
8.One medium size potato: cut into small pieces.
8.Turemric powder, Red chili powder, Cumin Powder, Coriander Powder( half tea spoon of each item).
9.Pinch of garam masala.
10.Two cardamom, One bay leave, Few cumin seeds, One dry red chili.
11.Salt and sugar as per taste.
12.Sunflower oil for cooking.

Process:

Soak the chana dal overnight. Now in a grinder make a smooth paste with the soaked Chana dal, ginger, green chili and some salt.

Now wash and clean the prawns, now make a smooth paste with prawns. Now add the prawns paste into the chanda dal mixture and mix well.

Now add oil in a vessel and add some cumin seeds let them starts smelling then add whole chana dal and prawns mixture and cook till it dry completely.

Now grease one plate with some oil and add the all dry chana dal and prawn mixture and spread across the plate proportionately.

Keep the plate in fridge for 10 mints. Now with a knife cut the Prawn Dhoka’s in some Rhombus size.

Now deep fry the Prawn Dhoka’s (few at a time) and soak the extra oil in pepper towel. 

Now fry the potato pieces till it become golden and keep it aside.

Now add one tea spoon oil in a heavy bottomed vessel and add the sliced onion, tomato, chopped garlic and  chopped ginger and fry till the onions are transparent allow it to cool, then make a fine paste with some water.

Now put some oil in a heavy bottomed vessel and add the cumin seeds, bay leaves, cardamom, dry red chili after few seconds add the onion tomato paste with all the spices powder (except garam masala) with some salt and cook this in medium flame till the oil comes out from the gravy.

Then add little water, the slit green chilies, some sugar, fried potato pieces and the garam masala powder and cook this in slow flame with a lid for 5 to 8 mints.

Now remove the lid. Add enough water for gravy and add the fried prawn dhoka’s and cook for 5 mints in medium flame with a lid.

Your prawn dhoka is ready serve hot with plain rice.

Dhaba Style Egg Tarka

Do you people ever try that "Dhaba Wali Tarka"? It’s awesome with some onion and pickle. I used to prepare Egg Tarka at home. We enjoy it with homemade roti. Tarka is basically made with Green mung Lentil. We both love potato so I love to add some potato also. In every highway there is some typical Dhaba, and those Dhaba’s are especially popular for some special kind of Tarka. My Tarka recipe surely help you to get that Dhaba taste.

Cooking time: 20 mints.
Serve for 4 people.

Ingredients:
1.Tarka dal or green moong dal :200 gm.
2.Two eggs.
3.One small potato( cut into cube size).
4.One large chopped onion.
5.One medium size chopped tomato.
6.One tea spoon minced garlic.
7.Three to four green chilies chopped.
8.Cumin Powder, Coriander Powder, Red chili Powder ( one tea spoon of each item).
9. Half tea spoon Tarka Masala (I use Sunrise Tarka Masala).
10.Salt & sugar as per taste.
11.Few mustard and fenugreek seeds.
12.Sunflower oil.

Process:

Boiled the dal in a Pressure cooker (three weasels) with some salt and keep it aside.

Fry the potato pieces and keep it aside.

Scramble the eggs with some salt and keep it aside.

Now add some oil in a vessel and add the mustard and fenugreek seeds after its start popping add the chopped onion, tomato and green chilies and fry till the onions transparent.

Now add the minced garlic along with the all spice powder except Tarka masala and some salt and sugar.

Cook this for some time; now add the boiled dal (without the boiling water) and the fried potato and the scramble eggs.

Cook for some time till the raw smell masala goes off.

Now add some water and the Tarka Masala and cook with lid, till the dal become thick.

Enjoy hot with Roti, onion and pickle.

Moong Dal or Lentil with Cabbage

A daily meal cannot be complete without a bowl of Dal or Lentil. Me and my husband can’t think rice without any kind of dal. In my kitchen almost every day I have to cook daal, that’s why love to prepare different kind of Dal too. 

My Ma in-law prepares a special dal with Cabbage which is really one of our favorite items.  She prepares this one with Matar Dal but unfortunately I don’t have Matar Dal so I prepared with Moong Dal and extra I add few more vegetables like Pumpkin, Beans etc. Its turned out really too good. This recipe is for those who love different kind of Dal like us.

Preparation time: 10 mints.
Cooking time: 20 mints.

Ingredients:

1.Moong Dal or Matar Dal: 100 gm.
2.Cabbage cut into big pieces: one small bowl.
3. Pumpkin: Cut into cube size (10 to 12 pieces).
4.Beans cut into small pieces: Half cup.
5.Few kalonji.
6.Two dry red chili.
7.One tea spoon turmeric powder, Half tea spoon cumin powder.
8.Salt & sugar as per taste.
9.Mastard oil (u can use sunflower oil too).

Process:

Dry roast the Moong dal then boiled it in a pressure cooker with the turmeric powder and some salt.

Now add some oil in a vessel and add the Kalonji and dry red after few seconds add all the vegetables and fry for some time.

When the vegetables are become little soft add the boiled dal with some water and sugar. Cook with a lid till the vegetables are cooked.

Enjoy with plain Rice or Roti.

Potato and Squash curry with Lentil Fritters

Every day while entering into the kitchen my daily problem is to think what to cook. It’s really a horrible job, before marriage I thought something I will cook for our daily lunch or dinner. But to think that something is a big task for me. I think all of you are facing the same problem every day.

After so much of plan I called my Maa and she told me to cook one nice Squash Curry with Daler Bora or Lentil Fritters. It’s a very simple recipe but with plain rice this one is just too good. Hope most of you know this recipe but this one is for those who don’t know.

Squash is really very good for health and with the Dal or Lentil it becomes healthier. This one is perfect for a simple lunch.

Preparation time: 15 mints.
Cooking time:  30 mints.

Ingredients:For Bora or Fritters:
1.Urad Dal : 100 gm (soaked into water for overnight).
2.One Medium size chopped onion.
3.Two chopped green chilies.
4.Some salt.
5.Sunflower oil for frying.
For Curry:
1.A small squash (cut into small cube size).
2.One medium size potato (cut into cube size).

3.One small chopped tomato.
4.Two to three split green chilies. One Inch Ginger.
5.Turmeric Powder, Cumin Powder, Coriander Powder (half tea spoon of each item).
6.One Dry Red Chili, One Bay leave, Few Cumin Seeds.
7.Salt & Sugar as per taste.
8. Sunflower oil.
9.Half tea spoon of ghee.Process:
For Bora or Fritters:

Make a smooth paste with the soaked dal. Now add chopped onions, chopped green chilies and salt.
Now make some small round shape flat balls with the mixture and deep fry them in oil. After frying soak the extra oil in a paper towel, and keep it aside.

Now add some oil in a vessel and add the cumin seeds, bay leave and dry red chili. Now add the squash pieces and potato pieces into the vessel and fry for some time.

Make a paste with ginger, green chilies and tomato; add all the spices powder into the paste. Now add the masala mixture into the vessel with some salt and sugar.

Cook till the oil separate, now add some water and add the Lentil Fritters or Daler Bora. Cook with a lid till the potato and squash cooked properly. Now sprinkle the ghee and serve hot with plain rice.

Moong Dal with Squash and Coconut

Dal is a main part of our daily lunch or dinner.  Every time I try to prepare dal in little different way. My husband doesn’t like squash but I just loved it, so sometime I used to cook dal with squash. And in that way he loves to have dal. And my problem solves too.



 

Ingredients:

1.Yellow moong dal :One cup.
1.A small Squash :Cut into cube size pieces .
2.Shred Coconut Two table spoon.
4.Half tea spoon minced ginger.
5.Few cumin seeds.
6.One dry red chili
7.Two green chili.
8.Two pinch of bhaja Mosla (dry roasted and grinded cumin and red chili)
9.Salt & Sugar as per taste.
10.One tea spoon ghee.
11.Mustard oil.
Process:

 

 
Dry roast the moong dal, after that boiled the dal with the squash pieces, turmeric powder, salt and green chilies (3 weasels).


Now add some mustard oil in a vessel and add the cumin seeds and red chili.
Now add the shredded coconut.  Fry for some time.




Now add the minced ginger and sauté for few mints finally add the boiled dal and squash with some water.
Cook till it done before witch of the gas adds the ghee and bhaja masla.



Serve hot with plain rice.





 

Bhoger Khichuri or Puja Special Khichdi

The blue sky the Shiuli Flower or Night Jasmine the Kash Flower the sound of Dhak make us mad during the Spring Season. Because it’s the time for  “Maa Durga” to come to maternal house. We all Bengali’s wait for this around the year. Every year during this festive season my Maa used to cook so many different kinds of dishes. For us any festival starts and ends with the food only.

During this time a very famous dish of ours is Khichuri or Khichdi. My Maa used to prepare a perfect “Bhoger Khichuri . The taste of that Bhoger Khichuri is just out of the world. Today morning I called my Maa to ask that particular recipe only. And it came out just too good. If you are a Bhoger Khichuri lover then please try my recipe. It’s too good.

Preparation time: 20 mints.

Cooking time: 40 mints.

Ingredients:

1.Gobindobhog Rice: 2 cups.

2. Yellow Moong Dal : 2 Cups.



 3.Cauliflower ( cut into small size).
4.One medium size potato ( cut into cube size).
5.One medium chopped tomato.
6.Green peas : half cup.
7.Green chilies: 3 to 4.
8.Shreded coconut two table spoon.
9.One dray red chili, few cumin seeds.
10.One tea spoon ginger paste.
11.Turmeric powder: 1 tea spoon, Cumin Powder: half tea spoon.
12.Garama masala powder: half tea spoon,Bhaja masla : half tea spoon (dry red chili and cumin
seeds roasted and grinded).
13.Ghee 2 table spoon.
14.Mustard oil : 3 table spoon.
15.Salt & Sugar As per taste.

Process:

Dry roast the moong dal, and soaked it in warm water.

Now add the ghee and the oil in a vessel and add the potato and cauliflower. Fry till it golden
brown. And keep it aside.



Now on that same vessel add the cumin seeds and dry red chili, after that add the chopped tomato and green chilies.

Now after 2 mints add the shredded coconut, turmeric powder, cumin powder, green peas salt and sugar and cook for some time.



Now add the washed rice and the soaked dal, mix with everything nicely and fry for some time.



Now add 5 cup of water and cook with a lid. When the rice and dal 80 % done then add the fried cauliflower.



Cook till it done.Before switch off the gas add the Bhaja mosla, Garam Masala and little ghee.



Serve hot with Labra or Cabbage curry and Beguni.