Dal Bukhara (Kali Dal)

Serves Twelve

Ingredients

• 1.5 cup black urad dal
  
• Half cup rajma
  
• Half cup chana dal
• 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
• Half cup ginger/garlic paste
• Half teaspoon turmeric powder
• Three teaspoon coriander powder
• Two teaspoon chilli powder
• Two cups thick tomato puree
• One teaspoon garam masala
• Two tablespoon dried methi leaves
  
• One tablespoon oil
  
• One stick butter (or alter to suit diet :))
• One cup half and half cream (or yogurt for the healthier alternative)
• Salt to taste

Preparation

• Soak all the dal/lentils in water overnight.
• Pressure cook the dal mixture in little water for 15-20 min.

How to

• In a deep non-stick pot, crackle the cumin seeds in oil.
• Add the ginger/garlic paste and turmeric and saute for 5-10 min stirring frequently
  
• Add the tomato puree, salt, chilli and coriander powder and saute for 20 min on a medium flame, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is a thick paste.
• Add the butter to the pot and cook for 5 min
• Mix in the dal, garam masala, methi leaves and 3 cups of water to the pot. Reduce flame to avoid spatter and let the mixture cook for at least 30 min. The longer you let the mixture cook, the better the end result!
  
• Stir in the cream and cook for 10 more minutes.
• Bonus points - transfer the dish to a slow cooker at least 3-4 hours before serving and enjoy the compliments :)

Serving Suggestion

• Best with hot rotis/naan.

Torta di Spinach

Courtesy Lauren Veisz

Ingredients

• 1 pk. chopped spinach, cooked and drained
• 1 cup cooked rice
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup grated cheese
• salt and pepper to taste
• small container of ricotta
• 2 eggs

How To

1. Combine all the ingredients mentioned and place in a pie crust, top and bottom.
2. Place in oven at 475 for 10 min., 325 for 1/2 hour or until golden brown

Aloo Matar Anda (Potato Peas Egg) in Coconut curry

Courtesy Tanya Sarang

Serves Four

Ingredients

• 8 eggs hard boiled and sauteed in very little oil till the outer layer is golden brown.
• 2 medium potatoes cubed into 8 pieces each
• 1 ½ cup of shelled peas
• ½ Coconut – coarsely grated
• Ginger – 1 inch piece coarsely chopped
• Garlic -10 cloves coarsely chopped
• 2 medium Onions – chopped finely
• 2 medium tomatoes – chopped finely
• 2 green chilis – chopped finely
• Salt
• Powdered spices – 1 table spoon garam masala, 1 tea spoon turmeric and 1 Maggi Bullion
• 4 table spoon oil
• Half cup of finely chopped coriander for garnishing

How to

• Put two table spoons of oil in a deep pan and fry the chopped onion, garlic and ginger till golden brown
• Now add the grated coconut and sautee till the coconut is slightly brown.
• Grind this mix in a mixie and create a puree.
• Put two table spoons of oil in a deep pan and fry the rest of the chopped onion till golden brown
• Now add the chopped tomatoes and green chili and the powdered spices and cook till it is mushy.
• Add the pureed coconut, onion, garlic and ginger into the pan and cook for 5 minutes on medium flame, stirring occasionally, till it mixes well.
• Now add the peas and potatoes and cook for 5 more minutes
• Add 2 cups of water and the eggs and boil for 10 minutes.
• Garnish with coriander and serve

Garam Masala

Courtesy Tanya Sarang

Ingredients

To Dry Grind

• 2 bay leaves
• 5 green cardamom
• 2 black cardamom
• 2 table spoons cumin
• 2 table spoons corriander seeds
• 2 table spoons poppy seeds
• 1 piece of cardamom
• 5 black pepper
• 10 cloves
• 5 red chillis

How to

• Slow dry roast and grind to a powder.

Different Ways to Cut Food

• Julienne, Batonnet, Baton, Allumette: They're all stick-shaped. Think small, big, bigger, biggest. Julienne is short and slender, as in celery sticks on a vegetable platter, the other three are increasingly longer and thicker, as in French fries.
  

• Rondell: Use for carrot coins, zucchini or any vegetable with a rounded or long shape. Cut at 90 degrees.

• Diagonal: Use for any longish vegetable you want to stir-fry, such as celery, green onion or carrot. Cut at a comfortable 45-degree angle. A mandoline makes this fast and easy.
  

• Brunoise: Dice into smallest possible cubes, 1 to 2 millimetres wide. Use for root vegetables or firm fruits.
  

• Lozenge: Purely ornamental, these are diamond shapes cut from a firm vegetable that's already been thin-sliced. Pretty in clear soups. Sweet potatoes and turnips are good candidates.
  

• Mince: Exactly what it says -- chop as finely as possible. Eggs for egg salad are minced.
  

• Shred: It may look like a chiffonade, but it's used on heavier leaves (as in shredded cabbage) or roots such as carrots or ginger. A mandoline is wonderful for shredding.
  

• Chiffonade: Use for spinach, chard or romaine. De-stem leaves and stack 8 or 10 of them. Roll tightly like a cigar and slice into fine shreds. Good technique for creating a bed of greens or a garnish

Punjabi Chole (chickpeas) Recipe

Courtesy Anjali Aggarwal

Serves Four

Ingredients

• Chick Peas – 1 ½ cups – soaked overnight
• Onion – 1 large – chopped finely
• Ginger – 1 inch piece – 3/4^th brunoise, 1/4^th julienne
• Garlic -10 cloves – brunoise
• Tomato – 2 medium – chopped finely
• Salt
• Powdered spices – 1 tea spoon chilli powder, 1 table sp cumin powder, 1 table spoon coriander powder, 1 tea spoon garam masala
• Whole spices – 2 bay leaves, 5 cloves, 2 big black cardamoms, 1 inch piece cinnamon tied in a muslin cloth AND 5 small green cardamoms
• 1 table spoon Amchur powder
• 2 table spoon oil
• Half cup of finely chopped coriander for garnishing

How To

1. Put the soaked Chick Peas, chopped onion, tomatoes, salt, brunoise ginger and garlic and the whole spices (the ones tied in muslin and the green cardamoms) in a pressure cooker with 2 cups of water (the peas should be just about immersed in the water) in a pressure cooker and cook at medium flame for three whistles.
2. Let the cooker cool and then open and remove the muslin with the whole spices.
3. In a shallow pan add the oil and heat on medium flame.
4. Add the julienne ginger and saute for one minute, then add the ingredients under ‘Powdered spices’ and saute on low flame for 1 minute. Now add this to the chick peas and mix well.
5. Put the chick peas on medium flame and cook for a few more minutes to allow the spices and chick peas to mix well.
6. In another pan – dry roast the Amchur till it is coffee colored। Now add this to the chick peas and cook for a few more minutes.

Serving Suggestion :

1. Garnish with coriander and serve with puris, bhatura or kulchas.

Amaranthus (Cholai saag) Coconut Milk Curry

Courtesy Nibha Kumar (aka Nitu)

Ingredients

• 150 gms amaranthus
• 11/2 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 medium sized onion,chopped
• 3 cm piece ginger ,chopped
• 10 green chillies,chopped
• 1 stalk curry leaves
• 1 tsp black pepper powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup coconut milk(1st extract)

How to

1. Wash amaranthus and chop finely
2. Heat oil in pan and sprinkle mustard seeds ,when it starts sputtering add onion ,ginger,green chillies and curry leaves and fry till onions turn translucent.
3. Mix amaranthus, pepper and salt and cover pan and cook over low heat for 5 mins
4. Pour in coconut milk and cook for two mins.