Split Orange Lentil Cooked in Simple Spices (Dhuli/Malka Masoor Dal)

North Indian Vegetarian Main Course Special
Punjabi/Uttar Pradesh Cuisine

Split Orange Lentil Cooked in Simple Spices (Dhuli/Malka Masoor Dal)

Serves 2

Ingredients:

Orange Lentil (Dhuli/Malka Masoor Dal)- ¼ Cup

Onion- 1, Finely Chopped

Tomatoes- 2, Finely Chopped

For Tempering:

Mix of Extra Light Olive Oil/Olive Pomace Oil & Ghee-

Cumin Seeds (Jeera)-

Salt-

Cumin Powder-

Coriander Powder-

Turmeric Powder (Haldi)-

Red Chilli Powder-

Fresh Coriander Leaves- Finely Chopped

Method:

Wash & Soak the Dal in just enough Water to Cover the Dal

In a Pressure Pan, Heat Oil & Ghee

Add Cumin Seeds & Sauté

Add Ginger, Onion, Green Chillies & Sauté

Add Tomatoes & Mix Well

Add the Dry Masalas (Cumin Powder, Coriander Powder, Haldi, Red Chilli Powder, Salt & sprinkle little Water

With the 'Bhunno' technique, fry the Masalas

Add the Soaked Dal, Water, Cover & Cook till the Dal nicely mixes with the Masala

Serve Fresh with Steamed Rice/Phulka, Vegetable Preparation, Plain Set Curd, Salad, Papad


Tips: 

Can add Mustard Seeds (Rai) in the Tempering

Feel free to share your views & do let us know how this one turned out :)

Tamil Style Green Bell Pepper & Lentil (Kudamilagai Paruppu Usili)

South Indian Vegetarian Main Course Special
Tamil Cuisine
Tamil Style Green Bell Pepper & Lentil (Kudamilagai Paruppu Usili)
Serves 2

Ingredients:
Green Bell Pepper/Capsicum (Kudamilagai)- 300 Grams, Finely Chopped

For the Lentil-Spice Mix
Toor Dal (Paruppu)- 1 Cup, soaked for 30 Minutes in Hot Water

To Blend with the Lentil:
Dried Red Chillies- 2 to 4
Hing- 1/2 Tsp.
Turmeric Powder- 1/4 Tsp.
Salt- 1/4 Tsp.

For Tempering:
Extra Virgin Olive Oil- 1/2 Cup
Mustard Seeds- 1/4 Tsp
Curry Leaves- 10 to 12
Turmeric Powder- 3/4 Tsp.

Method:
Cool the Steamed Lentils & Crumble into a rough Mixture

Heat Oil, Add Mustard, Curry Leaves & let them crackle
Add the Steamed Lentils, Hing, Red Chilli Powder in the Tempering & Stir for about 4-5 Minutes
Add Water to moisten the Spice Mix

In Another Pan, Heat Oil, Add Bell Peppers, Turmeric Powder, Salt
Saute till Peppers are lightly Crispy & Add them to the Pan with Lentil-Spice Mix

Stir for about 3-4 Minutes over Low-Medium Flame till well combined

Serve Fresh with Steamed Rice (with Warm Melted Ghee of course!), Dal/Pappu/Paruppu, Vegetable Tamarind Stew/Pulusu & Set Curd!


Tips:
Use of Wet & Crushed Curry Leaves is optional, a Variation from one our Tamil Friend's typical Iyer Kitchen 


Feel free to share your views & do let us know how this one turned out :)

Assorted Green Leafy Vegetables Cooked in Simple Spices (Kafli)

North Indian Vegetarian Main Course Special

Garhwali Cuisine
Uttaranchali Cuisine

Assorted Green Leafy Vegetables Cooked in Simple Spices (Kafli)

Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

Spinach Leaves- 1 Big Bunch, Roughly Chopped

Lamb's Quarter Leaves (Bathua/Mathua/Cheel Bhaji)- 1 Big Bunch, Roughly Chopped

Bengal Gram Leaves (Chane Ka Saag)- 1 Big Bunch, Roughly Chopped

Fenugreek Leaves (Methi)- 1 Big Bunch, Roughly Chopped

Water- 1/2 Cup

Salt- 2 Tsp.

Extra Light Olive Oil/Olive Pomace Oil- 1.5 to 2 Tbsp.

Roasted Cumin Seeds (Jeera)- 1.5 Tsp.

Ginger- 1 Inch Crushed & Finely Chopped

Garlic- 5-6 Cloves, Roughly Chopped Optional

Green Chillies- 3, Finely Chopped

Turmeric Powder (Haldi)- 1.5 Tsp.

Coriander Powder (Dhaniya)- 1.5 Tsp.

Red Chilli Powder (Lal Mirch)- 1 Tsp.

Asafoetida (Hing)- a Pinch

Rice Flour- 2 Tbsp., Roasted & Ground in Mortar

Curd/Yoghurt- 5 Tsp.

Butter- 2 Tsp.

Method:

Wash & Roughly all the Green Leafy Vegetables (Spinach Leaves, Bathua Leaves, Bengal Gram Leaves & Fenugreek Leaves)

Add Greens in a Deep Braising Pot with Salt &Water to Boil

Cover & Let it Cook till they are Done

Drain & Keep Aside to Cool

To Prepare the Gravy Base:

Heat Oil, Add Cumin Seeds, Ginger, Garlic, Green Chillies & Sauté

Add Turmeric Powder, Coriander Powder, Red Chilli Powder, Asafoetida & Sauté

Chop the Greens Roughly Once Again, Add in the Pan & Mix Well

Add the Rice Flour & Mix Well

Let the Greens Cook for 3-4 Minutes; Check to see if the Greens turn into a Thick Gravy Consistency and are Well Coated

Add the Water from the Boiled Greens (if required) and Mix Well till the Water dries out again

Whisk the Curd, Add to the Gravy & Mix Well

Garnished with Butter

Serve Hot with Traditional Indian CornMeal FlatBread (Makke Ki Roti) or Steamed Rice on a Cold Winter Day!

Tips:

Kafli is traditionally prepared in the State of Uttaranchal in the Northern Hilly Region of Garhwal

Kafli is one of the Healthy Dishes for winters; Thick gravy prepared mainly with Spinach & Fenugreek Leaves   

Add just enough Water to cover the Greens so that they are Tender but aren’t overcooked

Traditionally Greens are Roughly Crushed with hands but Knife or Blender can be used as per Convenience

Roast the Rice & Roughly Ground into Powder in a Mortar Vessel and add as a Thickening Agent for an Authentic Taste

Can add Roasted Rice Paste as well

Also can use Bengal Gram Flour (Besan) Paste 

Feel free to share your views & do let us know how this one turned out :)

Cottage Cheese Simmered in Fresh Spinach Gravy (Palak Paneer)

Winter Indian Vegetarian Main Course Special

Punjabi/Uttar Pradesh Cuisine

Cottage Cheese Simmered in Fresh Spinach Gravy (Palak Paneer)

Serves 2

One of the Classic Item on the Menu of every Indian Restaurant!

Ingredients:

Fresh Spinach Leaves (Palak)- 1 Large Bunch, with Tender Stems

Fresh Cottage Cheese (Paneer)- 100 Grams

Green Chillies- 2, Slit  

Extra Light Olive Oil/Olive Pomace Oil- 1- ½ Tbsp.

Cumin Seeds (Jeera)- ¼ Tsp.

Garlic- 8 to 10 cloves, Crushed
Salt- To Taste

Lemon Juice- ½ Tbsp.

Fresh Cream- 2 Tbsp.

Method:

Clean, Remove Thick Stems only and Wash Spinach in Water thoroughly

Blanch the Spinach in Hot Water and Dip it in Cold Water (with ice cubes preferably) immediately after 4-5 Minutes

Drain the Excess Water and Keep Aside to Cool

Blend the Spinach, Green Chillies and Water to form a Fine Paste

Dice the Paneer into Half an Inch Cubes

Slightly Roast the Paneer Slices on a Non Stick Pan without Oil so that they form a Nice Golden Color

Heat Oil in a Non Stick Deep Bottom Pot

Add Cumin Seeds and as they start to crackle Add Garlic and Sauté

Add Spinach Puree and Stir carefully as the Gravy tends to splutter out of the Pot

Add Salt by Checking the Seasoning accordingly

Add Paneer when the Gravy comes to a Boil

Add a dash of Lemon Juice & Fresh Cream just before taking off the Flame

Serve Fresh and Hot with Phulka or Steamed/Flavored Rice on a Cold Winter Day!

Tips:

An important Point to keep in mind is to avoid Cabbage/Spinach with Tomato as a Combination as they tend to affect people who already have Kidney/Gall Stones or have a high tendency to develop them again post Surgery..
That is the reason why Our recipes would be based on the same point just like this one is..

Can save the Thick Stems of Spinach to use it in an Andhra Preparation of Fresh Greens Stem Stew (Kadala Pulusu)

It would be great to use the Fresh Cottage Cheese made at home!

Variations:

Can add Fresh/Frozen Green Peas here as well   

In the City of Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh we have tasted the same dish with Blanched & Chopped Spinach instead of Pureed form. They also used the Blanched water in the Gravy while Cooking.

Using the Blanched Spinach Water adds back the lost Nutrition to the Gravy as a Vegetable Stock!

Another Recipe straight from the Dhaba:

Thanks to Chef Harpal Singh Sokhi for reminding us of the Rustic Punjabi Food (Asli Punjabi Khana) or more popularly called ‘Dhabe Da Khana’ we used to relish in Delhi!!

Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

Palak- 2 Cups, Boiled & Pureed

Paneer- 200 Grams

Extra Light Olive Oil/Olive Pomace Oil- 2-3 Tbsp.

Jeera- 1 Tsp.

Garlic- 10-12 Cloves, Finely Chopped

Green Chillies- 5, Finely Chopped

Onion- 2 Medium, Finely Sliced 

Black Salt- ¼ Tsp.

Coriander Powder- 1 Tbsp.

Turmeric Powder- ½ Tsp.

Salt- To Taste

Coriander Paste- 1 Tbsp., (made with Fresh Coriander Leaves)

Plain Yoghurt- 1 Cup
Lemon Juice- ½

Add the Slightly Whisked Yoghurt & Mix Well

Add all the Dry Masalas & Mix Well

Add Coriander Paste & Stir (as seen below in the middle in a light green Paste form dissolving in the Spinach Puree)

Add Paneer Cubes Gently & Combine Well

Feel free to share your views & do let us know how this one turned out :)

The World of Teas!

‘CTC’ and ‘Orthodox’ are 2 different Tea Picking methods; just a look at the Tea Leaves & the stark differences can be spotted:

CTC (Crush, Tear, Curl) Method of Tea Making, invented by the Kenyan in the 1930’s, Tea that mostly comes from Assam, Sri Lanka, parts of Africa & South America

Traditional Orthodox Tea Method produces a Nice Rolled Tea Leaf just like Tobacco, For Assam Orthodox Tea June-September is the Optimum Time to Buy, July Harvest is great, Needs to Boil the Tea for about 4- Minutes so that the Leaf opens up & give the Full Flavour, Darjeeling North Indian Tea is Malty, Slightly Creamy, Totally Clean but  Little Pointed, Irish & Assam Tea Best Tasted with Milk Melts Refreshing, The Elusive Asian Tea with Dried Jasmine Flowers is one of the best Afternoon Tea with Pastries

Ravindra Suchanti
Assam Tea
300 Tonnes of Tea produced every Year

Tea Tasting is a Fine Art in itself for people with Sensitive taste Buds but really difficult for the Chain Tobacco & Beetel Leaf (Pan) Chewers..Hmm..
If someone like me sets out for this Tasting, who has a Flair for the Typical Indian Style Masala Tea with lots of Fresh Ground Ginger, it can turn out to be quite a Challenge!

Each Tea has its Own Personality, like they should be tasted at different times of the Day, Each Garden produces Tea at Different times of the Year
150 Ml of Water, 2.5 Ml of Tea in Each Cup
When tasted with Milk, 2 Tsp of Milk in Each Cup
Milk goes in first at Room temperature, Boiling Hot Tea is Brewed for 6 Minutes & Poured into the Cup!
As Tea tends to Reflects Light, if kept against the Light it tends to Shine/Bounce off which gives a False Brightness to the Tea..quite intricate stuff!!
As expected between the Duller & Brighter, the Brighter Tea is always Preferred
Slurping & Spitting the Tea is a part of the Tea Tasting Process as Slurping produces the Oxygen required for the Tea's Flavour Releasing Process

Tea Tasting whether it's in Assam or Dublin takes more time & needs to be treated with Respect unlike the Fast ‘On the Go’ Coffee Consumption!

Add Eggs
Add White   Powder & Whisk Well
Add Grated Carrots & Combine

The Tart & Chocolate Reduction
Serve with Irish Tea!


Irish Patisserie & Tea go together very well

Some of the Great places for a Nice Afternoon Tea around the World are in Dublin (Ireland), Assam (India), Darjeeling (India)etc.

Tea Time should be the ‘New Lunch Time’ rather than spending more on Expensive Whole Dinners!

In Kolkata, Flurys was started by a Swiss couple as an exclusive Tearoom on the Famous Elite Park Street

a must visit for a quite lazy afternoon to just sit & watch Park Street commuters!