Phool makhna curry/ Lotus seeds curry

I wanted to try something which is not regular and that is when I rounded upon Lotus seeds or Phool makhna curry. Quite an interesting dish came out which tasted amazing with hot rotis. I never thought that lotus seeds can be used to make such a tasty dish.

Preparation and cooking time: 1 hr

Ingredients:

• Lotus seeds/ Phool makhna - 1 big cup
• Tomatoes - 3
• Onion - 1 big
• Lemon - 1/2
• Coconut powder paste or cashew nut paste - 1 small cup
• Milk cream - 2 spoon
• Edible oil
• Spices:
• Turmeric powder
• Red chilly powder - 1 spoon
• Jeera powder - 1 spoon
• Coriander powder - 1 spoon
• Fenugreek/ Methi powder - 1/2 spoon
• Garlic cloves - 4
• Ginger paste
• Salt

Preparation:

• Dry fry lotus seeds till they are crisp. You can fry for 5 mins and keep aside.

• Heat a cooking pan and add edible oil. 
• Add chopped onions and saute well till they turn transparent.
• Add chopped tomatoes and saute for 2 mins.

• Add all the spices and saute for 2mins and switch off. Let this mixture cool down.

• Grind the mixture to make a paste.
• Heat a cooking pan, add edible oil and then add mustard seeds. Wait till they flutter.
• Add the ground paste and cook for 2mins.

• Add the coconut powder paste or cashew nut paste and mix well.

• Add the lotus seeds and mix well.

• Add more water and salt if required. Close it with a lid and let it cook for 5 mins. Switch off the flame.

• Squeeze the lemon juice and mix well.
• Garnish with milk cream and coriander leaves.

The dish will be loved by all. So try it out for sure!

Daal Dhokli

I had my first experience of this traditional Gujarati breakfast dish in Om Restaurant, Koramangala. I had no clue what to expect when I ordered it but what came in a small pot was a mouth watering dish which is so light and so filling at the same time. The main ingredient is daal or lenthil and the twist is added by atta or wheat flour. Basically it is a one-pot-meal which can be taken best as breakfast but not a bad idea to have for dinner as well.

Preparation and cooking time: 1.5hrs

Ingredients:

• Toor dal / Yellow split pea / Thuvaram parippu - 1 cups
• Peanuts - 3-4 spoons 
• Fenugreek seeds / Methi - 1 spoon
• For dough:
• Atta / Wheat flour or all purpose flour - 1 cup
• Besan / Chick pea flour / Kadala maavu - 3 spoons
• Ajwain / Carom seeds / Omam - 1 spoon
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 spoon
• Red chilly powder - 1 spoon
• Salt - to taste
• Spices - set 1
• Dry red chilly - 1
• Cloves - 4
• Ajwain / Carom seeds / Omam - 1/2 spoon
• Cinnamon stick - 2 inch
• Jeera - 1 spoon
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 spoon
• Asafoetida - 1/2 spoon
• Ginger paste - 1 spoon
• Curry leaves
• Tomatoes - 2
• Green chilies - 2
• Lemon - 1/2
• Tamarind extract - 1/2 small cup
• Spices set 2 -
• Jeera powder/ Cumin powder - 1 spoon
• Coriander powder - 1 spoon
• Red chilly powder - 1 spoon
• Salt - to taste
• Edible oil

Preparation:

• Cook lenthil (dal), peanuts and fenugreek in a pressure cooker with 3 cups of water for 3 whistles.

• In a bowl, mix all the ingredients mentioned above for dough.

• Make a thick dough out of this mixture by adding warm water. Knead well and keep it closed for 20 mins.

• Wait for the pressure to come down and open the pressure cooker. Dal should be very mushy by now. You can mash it with a spoon to make it further mushy.

• Heat a cooking pan and pour 4 spoon of edible oil.
• Add dry red chilly, mustard seeds, cumin seeds and let them flutter. 
• Add all the spices mentioned in set 1 and saute well.
• Add chopped green chilies and curry leaves. Saute well.

• Add chopped tomatoes and saute well for 2-3 mins. 

• Add dal and mix well. 

• Add all the spices mentioned under spice set 2 and tamarind extract and mix well. Let it cook for 5mins.
• Add 2-3 cups of water so that the dish is not too thick.

• Meanwhile, take the dough and roll it to make chapathis. Roll it to medium thickness. It should not be too thin nor too thick. 
• Cut them into diamond shapes and keep aside.

• Slowly add the atta pieces into the cooking dal. Stir slowly.

• Add more salt if required.
• Cook it closed for 20 mins in low flame. Switch off after 20 mins.
• Squeeze lemon and mix well.
• Garnish with coriander leaves and also chopped onions (optional).

Serve hot!

I have seen that in authentic dal dhokli, jaggery is also added. I have not used jaggery as I am not a fan of sweet-spice mixture. You can add jaggery if you are okay with sweet-spicy mixed taste.

The dish has a long list of ingredients and is also time consuming. So do not prepare it when you are in a hurry. Weekend is probably the best time for first timers to try this dish. Enjoy this wonderful and healthy Gujarati dish!

Chole / Chana masala / Spicy chick peas curry

Chole or Punjabi chole or Chana masala is a spicy chick peas curry which part of the Punjabi cuisine, loved by all. It is a dry curry but can be made with more gravy if you want. Chole is accompanied by Batura which is a deep-fried bread and a glass of lassi. It also goes well with chapathi/ roti / phulka and even dosa. You can also team this up with Kerala appam.

This dish requires overnight soaking of chickpeas. Also keep a good 1.15 hrs of your time for the preparation/ cooking.

Ingredients:

• Chick peas / Kabuli chana- 1 cup
• Tomatoes - 3
• Onion - 1 big or 2 medium
• Green chilies - 2 (slit open)
• Lemon - 1/2
• Red chilly powder - 1 small spoon
• Crushed ginger or ginger paste
• Salt 
• Dry mango powder / Aamchur powder - 1 small spoon
• Edible oil
• For masala
• Bay leaf - 1/2
• Cumin seeds / Jeera - 1 spoon
• Coriander seeds / Methi - 1 spoon
• Fennel seeds / Saunf - 1/2 spoon
• Dry red chilly - 2
• Cinnamon stick - 1/2
• Cloves - 3
• Pepper corns/ seeds - 6-7
• Cardamom - 8

Preparation:

• Soak chick peas overnight in water. By next day its size would have increased.

• In a pressure cooker, cook the chick peas/ chana with a lot of water and 1 spoon salt. Take 6 whistles. The chana should become soft by now. Wait till the steam goes off. Once the steam goes off open the cooker, take one pea in a spoon and try squeezing it. If it is soft and you are able to squeeze then it is ready. This step will take 15-20 mins. 

• Chop the onions and tomatoes and keep aside.

• In a frying pan, dry roast all the ingredients for masala for 1 min. Once it cools down, grind it to make a fine powder.

• Heat a frying pan, add edible oil. Add cumin seeds (very little) and allow them to crackle. Add ginger paste and saute for 1 min. Add green chilies and chopped onions and saute for 3 mins. Onions should become golden brown.

• Add tomatoes, red chilly powder and saute well for 2 mins Let it cook well till we get a paste of tomato-onion. This could take 15 mins.

• Add the ground masala powder to this and saute well for 2 mins. Add the cooked chana/ chick peas from the pressure cooker. Drain out the excess water.

• Add aamchur/  dry mango powder and salt (if needed). Close with a lid and cook for 10 mins in low flame.

• You can make the curry dry or with little gravy as you wish. Squeeze lemon juice and mix well.
• Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with coriander.

The dish is quite spicy but gels well with a lot of Indian breads. It took almost 1.15 hrs for me and I had to be patient while making it. But the result was superb. Try this dish this weekend and have a good time!

Marzipan

Marzipan is a confectionery which is popular in the West. The primary contents are icing sugar, almonds/ cashews. Very simple and very cute.

Preparation time: 15 mins

 Ingredients:

• Cashew nut powder
• Almond essence or Roasted and ground almond powder
• Icing Sugar - 1 cup
• Condensed milk - 1 cup
• Food color (I have used 3 colors)

Preparation:

• In a bowl, mix cashew nut powder, icing sugar and almond essence/ almond powder.

• Slowly add condensed milk and make a thick dough.

• Depending on the number of colors you are having, make equal portions of the dough. I have used 3 colors and hence made 3 portions. Add food color to each portion.

• Make shapes of your wish now. Marzipan is ready now. 

You can make fruits, vegetables, animals, lady bug etc. Kids will just love it!