Dal Fry

Dal Fry

A simple meal of dal-chawal is what I crave for most days. There is something very satisfying about this particular dal that I have been making for years. I can't even remember how I first got this recipe. :-) It is certainly not my original recipe. Over the years I have made so many tweaks that it feels like my recipe. I have heard from friends who have tried this dal that it tastes like "haleem" or "dacha". A simple combination of Moong and Masoor gives it a rich, earthy and satisfying taste. It does not take too long to prepare and can be had with parantha, roti or rice. So, here we go!

Ingredients:

Moong dal-1/2 cup
Masoor Dal-1/2 cup
Onion- 2-3 medium, finely sliced
Tomato- 1-2 medium, chopped
Ginger- 1 medium piece
Garlic-2 big cloves
Fresh Coriander- handful finely chopped
Lemon-1

For tempering:
Cumin seeds- 1 tablespoon
Haldi- 1 tablespoon
Red Chilli powder- 2 teaspoons or to taste
Garam Masala- 1/2-1 tablespoon or to taste

Pure Ghee- for tempering and garnishing

Process:

1) Wash the dals and cook them together with a pinch of haldi, salt and some jeera. I cook them on stovetop- since these dals are light-it doesn't take it too long to cook. You can cook the dals in the proessure-cooker also.
2) Take the ginger, garlic and a teaspoon of jeera and pound it nicely in a mortar and pestle. This is my secret trick to get the real flavors of jeera mixed with ginger-garlic instead of using a processor to grate it. Once you do this, you will never go back to making a ginger-garlic paste in a mixer. :-)
3) Start working on your tempering in a non-stick pan. Heat the pan and add a tablespoon or so of ghee. You can also use oil for tempering but make sure you put at least a little bit of ghee on top to get the real "dal fry" flavor.
4) Once the ghee heats up, add cumin seeds, haldi, hing, ginger-garlic paste and let it fry for a minute or so. Then add the finely sliced onions (leaving a handful of onion for later)  and let it fry really well-till golden brown.
5) Add red chili powder, garam masala and chopped tomatoes. Let this cook really well, till the tomatoes get mushy.
6) Add this mixture to the cooked dals and mix well. Let the dal cook for 15-20 minutes or so. The longer you simmer it, the better the flavors will be.
7) Add the rest of the garam masala, red chili powder, chopped coriander, and lemon juice. Continue to keep the dal on simmer. (Check the taste of the dal and add seasonings according to taste).
8) In the same pan where you made the tempering, heat up 2-3 tablespoons of ghee and fry the left over sliced onion till nicely browned, with a pinch of red chili powder.
9) Pour the onion mixture on the cooked dal and switch off. You can either garnish each serving with some browned onion or pour it over the entire dal.
10) Enjoy!! :-) Please let me know your feedback if you try this recipe!


Note: this tasted super awesome with Rumali Rotis. You can certainly have it with parantha or plain phulka as well. I used this recipe by Priyanka Varma:

http://cookwithpriyankavarma.blogspot.com/2014/06/rumali-roti-thin-flatbread.html

Spicy Tava Fry Vegetables-with a twist!

“Spicy Tava Vegetables”- the name itself makes me drool!! But I am always looking to add my own healthy twist to recipes that call for deep-frying or that use a lot of oil. The original recipe is from a Sanjeev Kapoor book, but I modified it quite a bit so it is less time consuming, less labor intensive and of course so much more healthier.  Broiling the vegetables in the oven keeps the flavor intact and mixing them together with gravy cooked on stovetop finishes up the dish beautifully!

You can use any vegetables you have at hand, such as karela, parval, lotus stem, sweet potatoes etc and follow the same steps. The steps below seem really long because I have tried to capture every process detail. In reality, this recipe is done in 20-25 mins since your veggies are getting done in the oven while you are preparing the gravy on stovetop. Also, all my masala amounts are approximate so please adjust the amounts based on how much spice level your family enjoys. So try it out, enjoy it and let me know how it turns out for you!!

Ingredients:

·      Baby eggplants: 4-6 (slit into four making sure the stalk is still intact – see photos)

·      Baby Onions: 4-6 (peeled)

·      Ginger: 2 medium pieces (finely grate one and sliver the second for garnishing)

·      Bhindi (Okra): 8 (slit into halves or four if you like it thin)

·      Baby potatoes: 4-6 (peeled and slit into halves)

·      Onion: 2 medium (finely chopped for gravy)

·      Green Chillies: 3-4 (chopped)

·      Garam Masala: 2 tablespoons

·      Jeera: 1 teaspoon

·      Ajwain: ½ teaspoon

·      Haldi: 1 teaspoon

·      Salt to taste

·      Tomato Puree: 6-8 tablespoons

·      Fresh Coriander: ½ Cup Chopped

·      Crushed Kasuri Methi (Fenugreek Leaves) for garnishing

·      Oil: 2-3 tablespoons

Masala Mixture for Marinating:

·      Coriander powder: 1 tablespoon

·      Cumin Powder: 1 tablespoon

·      Chat Masala or Amchoor Powder: 1 tablespoon

·      Sonth: 1 teaspoon

·      Red Chilli Powder: ½ Tablespoon or to taste

·      Saunf (Fennel Seeds) Powder: 1 tablespoon

·      Crushed Black Pepper: ½ teaspoon

·      Cinnamon Powder: 1 teaspoon

·      Salt: 1 teaspoon

Process

1. Take all the masala mixture and add 1-2 tablespoons of oil to it. You need to have just enough oil to coat all the vegetables so you can adjust the amount of oil accordingly. Now the marinade is ready.
2. In a bowl, take all your vegetables and pour the masala marinade. Make sure all the vegetables are coated well. Keep this aside for 15 mins or so.
3. Turn on the oven to broil the veggies. Place the marinated veggies flat on a baking tray (in a single layer). Broil them at a “high” setting for 20 minutes. Since each oven setting is different, I recommend that you check the vegetables in 15 minutes and increase time if needed. Basically your vegetables need to look roasted, browned and some (like bhindi) should even look a bit charred.
4.  In the meantime, while your veggies are in the oven, go ahead and start preparing the gravy.
5. Heat a big pan (enough to accommodate your veggies) and add about a tablespoon of oil for sautéing.  Once heated, add jeera, ajwain, haldi, and grated ginger.
6. Saute and then add the chopped onion.
7.  Once onion is golden brown, add the tomato puree and cover the lid to cook this mixture.
8. To this, add garam masala, chat masala/amchoor, dhaniya powder and salt according to taste. Once this gravy is ready, just move it to one side on the pan and reduce the flame.
9. By now your veggies should be done, take them out and start adding them in groups to the pan.
10. Cover the pan and let the veggies simmer for a few minutes.
11. Gently mix the veggies into the gravy, add chopped coriander and kasuri methi and simmer for few more minutes.
12. Garnish with slivered ginger.
13. Serve hot with rotis and enjoy!