daal fry

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i am sorry i don't yet have a picture for this recipe yet, but i will post it soon :)

daal fry is a restaurant classic in india. the usual family orders are for 1 daal fry, 1 paneer masala, 1 veg jalfreizi, 2 tandoori roti, 2 parathas and 1 jeera rice :D

oh, about the daal -

ingredients (to serve 4, alongwith another dish):

250 gms toowar daal
1 large onion
1 large tomato
4-5 bay leaves
2 cardamoms
3 cloves
1 large cinnamon stick
1 level tablespoon cumin seeds
1 bunch coriander
3/2 teaspoon chilli powder (2 teaspoon for the adventurous
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon coriander powder
6 cloves of garlic, chopped fine
1 finger of ginger, chopped fine
1 teaspoon salt
50 ml oil

boil the toowar daal in a pressure cooker on high for 15 minutes. if you don't have a pressure cooker, use a narrow, deep saucepan and boil on high for 30 minutes in (1.5 ltrs water whichever way you boil it)

while it's boiling, chop the onions and tomatoes (separately :D) into small pieces (about .5 cm by .5cm for the engineers) and chop the coriander alongwith step (just remove the root and you're good). keep them aside.

heat oil in a pan, and when hot add the cumin seeds followed by whole spices (bay leaves, cardamom, clove, cinnamon). sitre for about 30 seconds and add the onions, fry on medium heat for 5 mins and add ginger garlic, cook for another 2-3 minutes, then turn heat high and add the chilli, turmeric and coriander powders, along with salt and 50 ml water. stir well so that spices solution cooks properly. add the tomatoes and immediately add the boiled daal (with the water). cook on high for 10 mins stirring occasionally and garnish with coriander to serve :)

Raita

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There'd be heaps of Indians who laugh at this post because making Raita in India is like being able to boil eggs, pretty much everyone knows how to make raita. Still, it might be a little mysterious for rest of you, in terms of how do you get the mild refreshing aroma, what can i put in it, how thick should it be, etc...

here i have a few recipes of raita for you all.

1. Boondi raita: You can get "boondi" from any decent indian grocery store. You can also make it yourself. Just google boondi recipe on youtube. It looks like this - 

Ingredients:

500ml european style yoghurt

1/4 (or even lesser) teaspoon red chilli powder

1/4 teaspoon roasted cumin powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon mint sauce OR (a handful of finely chopped mint + 1 teaspoon sugar)

handful of chopped coriander

OPTIONAL but yummmmm - some pomegranate seeds

Process: mix all ingredients together - yes, that IS the whole recipe. 

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2. Vegetable raita:

The vegetables replace the boondi in the first version. The veggies should be chopped fine. You can use one or more of the following in order of preference:

a. Cucumber

b. Onion

c. Carrot

d. Tomatoes (firm)

e. Cabbage shredded

f.  Zucchini

g. pineapple (it's not a veggie - big deal!)

h. green mango (just a little bit gives a tangy taste)

Vegetables that should never be used for raita are:

a. Potatoes

b. Eggplants

c. Okra :D (although bhindi ki sabzi when mixed with yoghurt is DIVINE!)

bhindi ki sabzi

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today, i'm gonna include this recipe for the simple yet delicious bhindi (okra/ lady finger).

there are a couple of ways of making this delectable vegetable and there's no way you can go wrong unless you add water :D

ingredients:

bhindi - 1/2 kg
onion - 1 large
oil - 40 ml
cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
coriander powder - 2 teaspoon
turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
salt - 1 teaspoon

cut the bhindi into rings of 1 cm thickness, or vertically into 4 pieces, either is ok.
chop the onions into small pieces.

heat the oil in a saucepan and add the cumin seeds. the cumin will turn whitish and then dark brown. add the onions when cumin turns brown (this should be about 10 seconds if the oil is hot), fry the onions on medium heat for about 8 mins stirring occasionally. turn the heat high and add the spice powders (not salt) with 1/4 cup of water, stirring it so that the spices get cooked properly. once the water is evaporate, the spices would be cooked. now add the cut bhindi and turn the heat to low-medium (4 o'clock) and add salt. cover and cook for 20 minutes, stirring twice or thrice during this time. best served with chapaatis, daal and rice.