Dal Baati

I tried my hand at this Rajasthani recipe after having heard so much about it. I think I had tried it ata Rajasthani restaurant once very long ago and it was yummy. I wouldn't say it is very healthy if made the way traditional recipes suggest. My version is slightly healthier. I totally gave in to my dark side by making this healthy version and then topping it with ghee before devouring it. :D . It was delicious and nutritious and I can see how it can be a comfort food to Rajasthanis. Yummy dish and I will definitely make to again. I will repost with better pictures soon once I download from my camera.

Ingredients:

For Dal:

1. Toor dal - 1 cup
2. Chana dal - 1/3 cup
3. Yellow moong dal - 3/4 cup
4. Urad dal - 2 tbsps
5. Whole moong dal - 2 tbsps
6. Turmeric - 1 tsp
7. Green chilli paste - 1 tsp
8. Cloves - 3
9. Bay leaf - 1
   
10. Ghee 1 tsp
11. Jeera - 2 tsps
12. Dhania-jeera powder - 1 tsp
13. Red chillie powder - 1 tsp
14. Ginger paste - 1 tsp
15. Garam masala - 1/4th tsp
16. Hing - 1/2 tsp
    
17. Curry leaves - 5/6
18. Salt
19. Lemon - 1
20. Corriander - 1 cup chopped
    

For Bati:

1. Wheat flour - 1 cup
2. Besan - 1/2 cup
3. Yogurt - 1 cup
4. Salt - 1/2 tsp
   
5. Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
6. Ajwain - 1/2 tsp
7. Baking powder - 1/4 tsp
8. Vegetable oil - 1 tsp
   

Directions:

1. For the bati, mix the ingredients except oil and add enough water to make a soft consistency dough. Let the dough rest for an hour.
   
2. Roll into balls and flatten.
3. Place on baking sheet and bake at 350 for 15 mins.
4. Brush oil on top and broil a little till you see a slight brown color.
5. For the dal, pressure cook all the dals with a little turmeric and salt.
6. Heat ghee in the pan and add haldi, hing, jeera, cloves, bay leaf, chilli paste, ginger paste, red chilli powder, jeera-dhania powder, garam masala one by one and sautee until u can see a blended masala and smell all the aromas.
7. Add the cooked dal and salt to the paste and some water and bring to a boil.
8. To serve, pour the hot dal into a bowl, add the bakes bati whole or broken into two and garnish with lemon juice and corriander.
   

Unniappam

This is a favorite sweet of mine. I have very fond memories of hogging many of these for Onam and Vishu at my friend Vimi's place along with an elaborate n course meals. I made these yesterday for Janmashtami. We also laid out footsteps of Krishna entering the homeand going all the way to the pooja room.
The picture is not very great and I will replace it with a better one whenever I make it next. This recipe is really easy and you need that vessel with the appam indentations to make it. Thansk to my SIL Bhargavi for the recipe. I have a nonstick version which is a bliss.

Ingredients:

1. Wheat flour - 3/4th cup
2. Rice flour - 1/4th cup
3. Jaggery - 3/4th cup
4. Elaichi powder - 1/4th tsp
5. Cut coconut pieces - 1/4th cup
6. Ripe Banana - 1 mashed
   
7. Water
8. Oil

Directions:

1. Mix the wheat flour, rice flour, elaichi, coconut pieces, banana.
2. Heat jaggery with a little water and add it to the mixture above. Add just enough to form a thick batter.
3. Heat the pan with a little oil in each compartment and pour the batter. Heat unti one side is done and flip with a pointy stick (I use skewers). Heat on other side until well done and remove to drain on a paper towel.
   

Kothimbir Vadi

Kothimbir vadi is supposedly a very popular and typical Maharashtrian dish although I don't remember my mom making it of eating it too much. It is the maharashtrian equivalent of dhokla and quite tasty. This is a relatively healthier version of the dish. I follow Nupur's recipe closely with a few variations and was very happy with the outcome.

Ingredients:

1. Besan - 1 cup
2. Rice flour - 2 tbsps
3. Wheat flour - 2 tbsps
4. Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
5. Jeera-dhania powder - 1 tsp
   
6. Green chillies - 4 or 5 ground into a paste + 4-5 sliced thinly
   
7. Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tsp
8. Sesame seeds - 1 tbsp
9. Salt
10. Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
11. Lemon - 1
12. Olive oil - 1 tsp + 3-4 tsps
13. Baking soda - 1/4 tsp
14. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
15. Jeera - 1 tsp
16. Hing - 1/tsp+1/2tsp
17. Corriander - 2 cups finely chopped
18. Curry leaves - 10
    
19. Water
    

Directions:

1. Mix the flours, corriander, 1/2 tsp hing, green chilli paste, red chilli powder, ginger garlic paste, sesame seeds, salt, jeera dhania powder, 1/2 lemon's juice, 1/2 tsp hing and water to make a smooth thick batter.
2. Pour the batter into a greased pan and steam for 15 minutes until it is cooked. Let it cool and cut into small pieces.
   
3. Heat oil in a pan and sautee the pieces a little on each side, lightly till they turn brown and crisp. Drain on a paper towel.
4. Heat 1 tsp oil and to it add mustard seeds, jeera, hing, green chillies and curry leaves and let them turn crisp. Sprinkle over the cut and fried pieces and sprinkle some corriander and lemon juice and serve hot.
   

Venn Pongal, Kathrikai Gotsu and Coconut Milk Payasam

With the beginning of the Adi month, I receive email reminders from my in-laws about the different auspicious dates and food associated with each. This definitely brings some spice to the daily routine and prompts me to break away from my regular menu. I recently made pongal, gotsu and coconut milk payasam and it was really yummy. I heard my hubby thank his dad profusely for sending these emails which lead to my culinary presentations before the god and finally end up in his tummy:D. On the first day of Adi you are support to make coconut milk payasam and feed your husband, which I did. To add to the festive spirit I made the classic combination of venn pongal and kathrikai gotsu and it was all very satisfying and yummy. Here go the recipes -

I had previously posted the recipe for Venn Pongal here.

Gotsu :

Ingredients:

1. Onion - 1 large finely chopped
2. Tomatoes - 2 chopped
3. Brinjal - 6/7 small ones chopped
4. Tamarind pulp - 1 cup
5. Oil - 1 tsp
6. Mustard - 1 tsp
7. Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
8. Hing - 1/4 tsp
9. Curry leaves - 10
10. Red chillies - 4
11. Sambhar powder - 1/2 tsp
    
12. Salt
    

Directions:

1. Heat oil and temper the mustard, curry leaves, turmeric, sambhar powder and red chillies and add hing to it.
2. Add the onions and saute till golden brown. Then add tomatoes and cook till soft.
3. Add the brinjal and cook for 10 mins.
   
4. Add some water and the tamarind, salt and cook till the brinjal is soft. Serve hot with pongal.

Coconut payasam:

Ingredients:

1. Coconut milk - 1 can
2. Fresh or frozen shredded coconut - 1 cup
3. Jaggery - 1 cup
4. Elaichi powder - 1 tsp
5. Ghee - 1 tsp
6. Cashews - 2 tsps
7. Kismis - 2 tsps

Directions:

1. Bring the coconut milk to a boil and add the coconut and jaggery to it. Heat till they all blend well and turn off the gas.
2. Add elachi powder.
3. Fry the cashews and kismis in the ghee and add to the payasam. Enjoy steaming hot!
   

Chocolate Cake With Raspberry Filling and Chocolate Ganache Icing

This cake I made for my darling hubby's birthday who is slowly getting converted to a choc-a-holic...Well good for me and it only works in my favor to push him over the edge on this one into chocolate bliss, being a chocolate lover myself. Many thanks to Nupur of OneHotStove for this recipe. I followed it closely except I had to add 1/2 a cup less of water and all her other directions were perfect:) This chocolate cake recipe is definitely a keeper and I hope to make it many many more times.
I kep some of the raspberry filling aside before it thickened , it use it as a side sauce for the cake and its tarness matched the chocolate perfectly. Fresh raspberries only make the deal sweeter:)

Almond Cake With Strawberry Filling and Almond Flavored Whipped Icing

I made this cake for my friend Vindhya's birthday following my yearly ritual. The cake layer could have definitely been software and more moist and I am on the look out for the perfect sponge cake recipe that I can hack at for birthday cake. For this cake, I pretty much used the standard vanialla cake recipe and added almond essence to the cake as well as the whipped cream. The filling was fresh strawberries. Hopefully I will find the recipe I am looking for soon:) For decoration, I topped the cake with slivered almonds and strawberries.

Tomato Rice

I make tomato rice in two different ways and here is the recipe for both -

Recipe 1: This is a very very simple recipe with few ingredients. I had tasted this at my sister-in-law's place and loved the simplicity of the fresh flavors.

Ingredients:

1. Oil - 2 tsps
2. Urad dal - 2tsps
3. Chana dal - 2 tsps
4. Curry leaves - 10
5. Fresh ginger garlic paste - 1.5 tsp
6. Tomatoes - 7/8 chopped
7. Cooked rice - 3 cups
8. Salt
9. Chilli powder - 1 tsp
10. hing - 1/2 tsp
    

Directions:

1. Heat the oil and temper mustard seeds. Add the urad dal, chana dal, curry leaves, haldi, hing and sautee until the daals are golden brown.
2. Add the ginger garlic paste and fry for 2 mins
3. Add the chopped tomatoes, salt, chilli powder and cook with lid closed until they disintegrate and become a uniform gravy-like consistency.
4. Add the rice and mix in. Steam until the flavors are well blended.
   

Recipe 2: This is a slightly more elaborate recipe that Renuka and I used to make as roommates. Definitely more fun than the previous because it has aloo:)


Ingredients:

1. Oil - 2 tsps
2. Urad dal - 2tsps
3. Chana dal - 2 tsps
4. Curry leaves - 10
5. Garlic - 7/8 cloves chopped
6. Potato - 1 big, chopped into small cubes
   
7. Tomatoes paste - 3 tbsps
   
8. Cooked rice - 3 cups
9. Salt
10. Chilli powder - 1 tsp
11. Hing - 1/2 tsp
12. Jeera Dhania powder - 1 tsp
13. Rasam powder - 1/2 tsp
14. Corriander - 1/2 cup chopped
    

Directions:

1. heat the oil and temper the mustard seed. Add urad dal, chana dal, garlic, curry leaves, haldi, hing and fry until the dals and garlic is golden browns.
2. Add the chopped potatoes and fry until the potatoes are wel done and crisp.
3. Add the tomato paste, salt, red chilli powder, jeera dhania powder, rasam powder and add 2 spoons of water and cook until the raw smell of the tomato paste goes away.
4. Add the rice and mix. Steam until well blended and garnish with cilantro.

Note: Tomato rice is an easy dish for picnics and potluck and you can enjoy it with chips.

Alu - 65

This is an amazingly simple recipe that my friend Renuka introduced me to during my recent trip to Chicago. It is a shortcut recipe which cooks really quick because you use tater tots instead of taking raw alu and cooking it. This recipe is slightly high on salt but it is yum yum yummy. Thanks Renu!

Ingredients:

1. Tater tots - 1/2 a bag
2. Olive oil - 2 tsps
3. Garlic - 7-8 pods chopped
4. Green chillies - 3-4 chopped
   
5. Soy sauce or mushroom - 3 tbsps (you can use low sodium)
6. Red chillie paste - 2 tsps
7. Cilantro - 2 tbsps chopped
8. Lemon - 1/2

Directions:

1. Thaw the tater tots and bake them at 350 for 20 mins. Then broil then to make then darker in color.
2. Heat the olive oil and add the garlic and chillies until the garlic turns brown.
3. Add the tater tots, soy sauce, chilli paste and sautee on high heat until the potatoes are coated well with the sauce.
4. Garnish with chopped cilantra and lemon juice and enjoy!
   

Paneer and Vegetable Tikka

I have tried paneer and veggies barbecue a couple of times now and I think I have the marinade perfected:). I use two different marinades - one tandoori and one mint. If I don't have a grill I have also tried to bake and then broil in the oven and it comes out just as fine. I use paneer, capsicum (all colors), yellow onion, zucchini and any combination of these will taste good. Here are the recipes -

Tandoori Marinade:

Ingredients:

1. Yogurt - 3 cups
2. Fresh ginger paste - 1/2 tsp
3. Fresh garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
4. Tandoori masala - 3 tsps
5. Jeera dhania powder - 1 tsp
6. Garam masala - 1/4th tsp
7. Salt
8. Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
9. Haldi - 1/4th tsp

Directions:

Mix all the above ingredients and beat the yogurt until smooth. Add paneer and veggies and store in a ziploc bag. Refrigerate overnight for maximum flavor. Right before setting on the grill, sprinkle salt and tandoori masala for added flavor. After grilling sprinkle lemon juice.

You can also create a dry tandoori marinade with the same ingredients and by skipping the yogurt. You can also add some kasoori methi for added flavour.


Mint Marinade:

Ingredients:

1. Mint leaves - 1 bunch
2. Corriander leaves - 2 bunches
3. Green chillies - 3/4
4. Ginger - 1 inch piece
5. Salt
6. Lemon juice - 1 tsp
7. Water - enough to make the paste fine
   

Directions:

Grind all the above ingredients into a fine paste and coat the paneer ad veggies evenly with it. Refrigerate for a couple of hours and then grill. Sprinkle with lime and sale before serving. Yogurt can also be added to this marinade if desired.

Sabudana Khichdi

This is a Maharashtrian staple for days when you are fasting. Although I never understood how it is called fasting with such high carb diet on the day, but I am not complaining:). This is my mom's recipe and I sometimes combine a little ghee with oil to make it healthier but nothing can beat the taste and flavour when it is cooked in ghee. We eat it with raw green or red chillies and a little salt. Others eat it with yogurt.

Ingredients:

1. Sabudana - 3 cups (wash in water and soak with a little water overnight)
   
2. Potatoes - 2, sliced into small pieces
   
3. Roasted peanut powder - 1.5 cup
4. Green chillies - 7/8 chopped
5. Ghee - 2 tsps
6. Jeera - 1.2 tsp
7. Milk - 1/2 cup
8. Salt
9. Sugar - 1/4th tsp
10. Lemon - 1/2
    

Directions:

1. Heat the ghee in a pan and add the jeera and chillies. Roast until done and add the sliced potatoes.
2. Add some salt to the potatoes and cook until well roasted.
3. Add the sabudana, peanut powder, salt and sugar and mix in. Add a little of the milk to soften if required.
4. Mix well and cook until it steams well. Sprinkle lemon juice and enjoy with chillies or yogurt.