Spices and Recipes

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Tur dal
• 1/3 cup Moong dal
• 1 bunch fresh spinach - washed - chopped roughly
• 1 tbsp- garlic finely chopped
• 1 small onion-finely chopped
• 1 medium sized tomato-finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp ginger finely chopped
• 3 green chillies finely chopped
• 1/2 tbsp cumin seeds (jeera)
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tbsp ghee (or oil)
• Salt to taste

Method:

1. Pressure cook ( or boil ) the dals till soft with half the green chillies and turmeric.
2. In a pan, heat ghee. Add the cumin seeds, once they start popping, add garlic, ginger, remaining green chillies and onions.Fry till onions turn golden brown. Add tomato, spinach, turmeric, red chilli powder, salt. Saute the above mixture till it turns soft and golden.
3. Add the boiled dal mix to the above. Mix well, remove from flame. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves.
4. Serve hot with phulka rotis.

The aroma from the garlic and the green color from the spinach makes this an absolutely irresistible dish. For people who don’t relish spinach, this is a great way to eat their greens.

You can treat your guests with Lasooni Dal palak and Jeera Rice as a main course, with a cucumber raita on the side.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup rava, roasted till light golden (3-4 minutes on low flame)
• 1/2 cup maida or all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup rice flour
• 2 medium onions, very finely chopped
• 2 sprigs curry leaves
• 3 green chillies, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp finely chopped coriander
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup thick, sour buttermilk, leave it out overnight to sour it if necessary
• Upto 2 cups water (to adjust the consistency)
• Oil to cook

For tempering: 1 tsp oil, 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 2 sprigs curry leaves

Method:

1. Once the roasted rava cools, take all 3 flours in a large bowl. Add all other dry ingredients. Stir well.
2. Add in the sour buttermilk and add the water carefully to make a thin batter. This will be much thinner than the regular dosai batter.
3. Oil a non-stick tava / pan. Once hot enough, pour two ladlefuls of batter and hold the pan by its handle and rotate the pan so that batter evenly coats the surface of the pan. The coating must be thin and the buttermilk-baking soda combination will give a net-like appearance on the surface.
4. Drizzle a bit of cooking oil along the edges of the dosai. On a medium flame, the first side should take 1 1/2 - 2 minutes. Carefully flip the dosai over to the other side, keep for a minute of so until it has turned golden brown and crisp and it is ready to eat. Serve hot with tomato chutney.

Ingredients:

• 100 gms. surti papdi, stringed, whole
• 100 gms. raw banana chunks unpeeled
• 100 gms. yam chunks (kand) peeled
• 100 gms. small brinjals slit
• 4-5 green chillies crushed
• 1 tsp. ginger grated
• 1/2 tsp. garlic crushed
• 1 tbsp. coriander leaves finely chopped
• 1 tsp. wheat flour
• 4 tbsp. oil
• 1/4 tsp. asafoetida
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1 tsp. ajwain
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tbsp. sugar
• lemon to taste

For methi ghatta:

• 100 gms. methi leaves finely chopped
• 1/2 cup gram flour (besan)
• 1 tsp. red chilli powder
• 1 tbsp. fresh ground coconut
• salt to taste
• 1 tbsp. oil

For ghatta:

1. Mix all ingredients, make stiff dough.
2. Form into small oval, dumplings
3. Heat 4 tbsp. oil in a heavy large sauce pan, fry ghattas for 2 minutes.
4. Remove from oil. Keep aside.
5. Form a paste of chilli, ginger, garlic, coriander.
6. Rub the chunky veggies with oil and masala paste.
7. Marinate for 30minutes.

Method:

1. Heat oil used for frying ghattas to proceed.
2. Add all the chunky vegetables, stir well.
3. Cover and cook for 4-5 minutes.
4. Add papdi, turmeric, flour, ajwain and salt.
5. Cover and cook on low till the yam is almost done.
6. Add coriander, lemon, and sprinkle some water if required.
7. Add sugar, stir.
8. Serve hot with paratha or puri.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup maize flour (makai ka atta)
• 1/2 cup sour curds
• 1/2 cup sweet corn kernels
• 2 tsp ginger - green chilli paste
• 1/4 tsp asafoetida (hing)
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp Eno’s fruit salt
• 2 tsp oil
• salt to taste

For the garnish:

• 1 tbsp chopped coriander

For the tempering:

• 1 tsp mustard seeds (rai)
• 1 tsp sesame seeds (til)
• a pinch asafoetida (hing)
• 1 tbsp oil

Method:

1. Combine the maize flour and sour curds with 1/2 cup of warm water in a bowl. Mix well to make a smooth batter. Keep aside for at least 30 minutes.
2. Add the sweet corn, ginger-green chilli paste, asafoetida, sugar, lemon juice, oil and mix well.
3. Add the fruit salt, mix gently and pour the batter into a greased 150 mm. (6″) diameter thali. Steam for 15 to 20 minutes.
4. Prepare the tempering by heating the oil, adding the mustard seeds, sesame seeds and asafoetida and frying until the seeds crackle. Pour the tempering over the prepared dhokla.
5. Garnish with the chopped coriander. Cut into pieces and serve hot.

Ingredients:

• 15-20 large patra leaves (colocasia leaves)
• 1/2 cup tamarind extract (juice)
• 1 cup gramflour (besan)
• 3 tsp. chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• 3-4 pinches hing / asafoetida
• 1 tsp. crushed cumin seeds
• 3 tsp. powdered sugar
• 1 tbsp. oil
• salt to taste

For seasoning:

• 1 tbsp. oil
• 1/2 tsp. each cumin & mustard seeds
• 1 tsp. sesame seeds
• 1 tsbp. coriander leaves finely chopped
• 1 tbsp. coconut grated fine

Method:

1. Clean, wash and wipe leaves. Cut thick veins with a pair of scissors.
2. Roll lightly with a rolling pin. Keep aside.
3. Mix all ingredients (not those for seasoning)
4. The mixture should be a thick paste.
5. Place a leaf backside up on a flat worksurface.
6. Take a little paste and apply thinly all over leaf surface.
7. Place another leaf over it. Repeat.
8. Get a set of 3-4 layered leaves, top layer being that of paste.
9. Fold in the edges and roll the leaves, starting with their base towards tip.
10. Make the roll tight and seal sides with some paste.
11. Place in the perforated vessel of a double boiler or steam cooker.
12. Repeat for all the leaves and paste.
13. Steam in the cooker for 30-40 minutes till cooked.
14. Cool, and remove. Cut into 1/2″ thick slices.
15. When cooled well, season as follows.
16. Heat oil, add seeds, allow to splutter.
17. Add sesame, coriander, and coconut.
18. Check and adjust, salt, chilli and sugar as desired.
19. Mix well, serve hot or cold.