DS Da Dhaba: Panchmel Dal

Sudden spurts of the feeling that I am a Marwari, prompts me to try Rajasthani food sometimes. I love the authentic Rajasthani food as everyone else, so why not try it out at home. A new kind of recipe, one more variety of dal that I can cook. Here's the recipe for Panchmel Dal:



Ingredients I used:

Soak the following overnight in 3-4 times water:

1/3rd cup arhar dal
1/3rd cup whole moong dal
1/3 cup split Bengal gram (chana dal)
1 tablespoon urad dal (split black lentils)

1 medium sized onion chopped finely
2 medium tomatoes chopped finely
Ginger garlic paste
Green Chilis chopped finely
2-3 Cloves
1 cardamom (a bit crushed)
1/2 cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
A pinch of Asafoetida (hing)
1/2 tsp amchur powder
Tamarind pulp
3 tablespoon ghee
1 tsp Garam Masala
1/2 tsp turmeric Powder
1 tsp jeera (cumin seeds)
Red Chili Powder (to taste)
Coriander Powder (to taste)

Directions:

1. Add salt and turmeric to soaked lentils and boil.
2. Heat ghee in frying pan. Once hot, add asafoetida, jeera,cloves,cinnamon, bay leave , cardamom and green chili and cook for 1 minute.
3. Add onion and ginger-garlic paste and cook till onion turns light brown.
4. Once onion turns light brown, add chopped tomato until the mixture separates from ghee.
5. Add coriander powder, red chili powder, garam masala and amchur and cook for a minute.
6. Add tamarind pulp (to taste) and cook for a minute.
7. Add cooked dal to the mixture and boil for 5 minutes.
8. Garnish with coriander and serve.

Wonders of Chai !

Just finished 2 rounds of chai and bread, so coming up with a deep thought like this shouldn't surprise anyone ! :)
Chai... What can I say about it, the wonder liquid which wakes me up in the morning , fills the voids in the lazy and boring afternoons, lets people socialize (lets catch up over a cup of tea! ) and what not. I can just go on and on. In fact I feel sorry for people who don't have it, they are just missing so much in life! What do they do when they need a break or when they feel lazy ?
So such an integral part of people's lives does deserve few words to be dedicated to it, isn't it ?
There has been quite an evolution of chai in my life. As a young girl, I never drank it (mom said that chai makes you dark, how lame of me to have fallen for that ! ). When I got over this thought and came face to face with the reality, I started loving chai (esp with bread..). I wasn't addicted to it though. Then came the hostel life, when chai became the very liquid on which people survived, a glass of tea in the morning gave the energy to bear the entire day boring day in the college, and not to mention that the anticipation of evening glass kept me going through excruciating lectures. Tapri wali chai here and there was always welcome ..
Then moved on in life and started having tea from vending machine, it sucked but was okay for occasional tea breaks !
I am quite addicted to tea now, as you can see.. Go dull without it .. Still try to control my addiction, but its nice to be addicted to something, keeps me busy !! :)

DS Da Dhaba: Corn Toast

Corn Toast is one of my oldest fancy preparations, I received the gyaan of its recipe from a cousin who learned it in some cooking class. These delicious and sweet corn sweet pieces of bread did earn me accolades as a little junior cook !
I have always loved corn, be it soup, halwa, pakode, sika hua bhutta or anything! Now I have the luxury to buy sweet corn kernels, but I ate no less of it even when we had to remove the kernels off the cob.. Man, that was one painful thing to do !!!

Ingredients I used:

Sweet corn kernels (crush half of the corn)
Chopped Onion
Chopped Green Chili
Milk
Ajinomote
Capsicum cut in long and small pieces
Ghee
Corn flour (if the corn is not crushed)
Chili Sauce
Bread


Directions:

1. Preheat the oven at around 400F (210 C).
2. Heat a little ghee and fry chopped onions and green chili till onion turns light brown. Add a little ajinomoto and cook for 1 minute.
3. Add a little milk and wait till it boils.
4. Add the corn and salt to the mixture. Cook for the while till the entire mixture thickens, if it doesn't you can add a little corn flour (mixed with water) to make it think. Add a little chili sauce to your taste.
5. Cook the entire mixture properly.
6. Spread the mixture on the break and garnish with capsicum.
7. Bake till the crust turns light brown.

Trust me this is another wonderful way to savor corn !!!!!!

My husband makes best matar kulcha in world, period !!!

To mark the beginning of my birthday month, my hubby finally prepared white matar (white choley). Needless to mention that even best of Dilli Chaatwaale would go gaga if they tasted it !
Recipe remains a top secret, so much so that I was not even allowed to enter the kitchen when Chef Hubby was at work ! :)




Indeed a lovely spicy dish topped with chaat masala and nimbu, served with kulcha (substituted by thick tortilla) is some dinner !

Aman longed so much for Delli style kulchey matar, that he ended up making it ! He did it ! He opened my eyes to the fact that chole kulchey are different from choley bhature !
Now you know that we are one hogging couple ! :D

All about Broccoli

I figured that since vegetarians like me don't have many options, so I opened my world to BROCCOLI. Wasn't a very popular vegetable while I was growing up, to the extent that I learnt its correct pronunciation like 2 years back ! :P Tried it and liked it, so I thought of enlightening people about its benefits.

Broccoli is a member of the Brassica family of vegetables, a group that includes cabbage, cauliflower, kale, turnips, and Brussels sprouts. Some of its benefits:

• STRONG BONES:Broccoli is a very good substitute for milk, it is very rich in calcium.
  
• IMPROVED IMMUNE SYSTEM: It is high in vitamins C, K, and A, as well as dietary fiber. It has even been shown to reduce levels of a bacteria that causes chronic stomach inflammation and increases the risk of ulcers and stomach cancer.
  
• ANTI-CANCER CAPABILITY: It is rich in a group of compounds called isothiocyanates, natural chemicals that have strong anti-cancer properties.
  
• REDUCED RISK OF HEART DISEASE: Both vitamins A and C are antioxidants that help to slow damage to our bodies as we age. Consumption of antioxidants can improve the immune system and reduce the risk of heart disease.

Widely used in Italian cooking, can be eaten boiled, steamed, raw (I wouldn't),stir-fried, etc. Although boiling reduces its benefits.

Broccoli has been rated one of the most nutrition rich vegetables. You can find more benefits of broccoli on:
http://archives.cnn.com/2000/FOOD/news/04/13/broccoli.benefits.wmd/

Stay tuned for Broccoli recipes, I used it in Indian, Chinese and Italian cooking, and I wasn't disappointed at all !

DS Da Dhaba: Pasta Salad with Tomato Sauce

As result of last evening's research and permutation/combination of pasta compatible spices and vegetables, I came up with this salad. My hubby, despite being a cold food (salad) hater, answered yes to my question, 'Would you like to eat it again?' (That's my way of confirming with him if he liked my experiment).

Ingredients I used:

Onion finely chopped
Tomato, both chopped and grated
Broccoli, cut into small florets
Sweet corn kernel
Capsicum finely chopped
Spinach finely chopped
Dried basil
Oregano
Red chili flakes
Pasta
Olive Oil
Tomato sauce
Vinegar
Salt to taste

(You can also add baby corn and olives)


Directions:

1. Boil pasta and keep aside (add pasta in boiling water, add salt, cook for 10 mins, sieve with cold water).
2. Heat a little oil(1 tbl spoon) and fry a little chopped onion and broccoli. Once the onions turn light brown, add grated tomato and chopped spinach. Add some salt and cook for 2-3 mins. Let this whole mixture cool down.
3. In pasta add a little olive oil, vinegar, tomato sauce(for adding slight sweetness), chopped onions, tomatoes, capsicum and corn kernel. Mix well.
4. Add the mixture that you prepared to the pasta. Add oregano, basil and red chili flakes. Mix well.
5. Refrigerate until it become a little cold.

Picture of the output will be uploaded when I make it next time :)

Ofen, delectably European indeed

A nice cozy restaurant located in posh and beautiful area of Banjara Hills, Hyderabad was indeed my place for a nice weekend breakfast ! Those lovely pancakes topped with maple syrup, and a nice coffee indeed made my day !

Ofen is one of its kind restaurant offering a wide variety of European cuisines and bakery products. The taste of its veg casserole and sizzling chocolate cake desserts still linger in my mouth. Now I feel that I should have conveyed this appreciation to the chef !!

Can't forget to mention that it is one of the best places in Hyderabad during Christmas. Not only do they have special Christmas desserts but the place is decorated very well.



In short, Ofen is a very different eating experience, no pan cakes in the world can match its preparation ! :)

More info on :
http://www.theofen.com/

Needless to say that I envy all the people who have a chance to delight themselves at Ofen !