After enjoying a relaxing vacation of  my baby, from school, the life is back on routine tracks. The hectic mornings are back in fashion and the Summer blues  paved the way for Monsoon Grey(s). The weather is  turning as beautiful as one can wish for, with misty mornings, cloudy sky, drizzling rains  with intermittent thunder showers…A perfect season to indulge in fried delicacies, like Samosa, Pakora (Bhaji) or Choley Bhaturey ……well we chose the last one, and ended up relishing bhatura with kala chana (Black chickpeas) curry, instead of regular Kabuli chana.

Kala chana or Black Chickpeas in Onion Tomato gravy

• Black Chickpeas or kala chana 200 gms
• Onions 2 large
• Tomatoes 2
• Garlic 8-10 cloves
• Ginger
• Green chillies 3 (or as per need)
• Garam masala powder 1/2 tsp
• Salt
• Turmeric powder
• Red chilly powder
• Chana Masala powder 1/4 tsp ( optional)
• Oil 2 tspn or more

Method

• Wash and soak chickpeas for atleast 7 hrs. USe these as such or let these sprout for a day or so.
• Boil them with salt, till half cooked.But if you are using sprouted Black chickpeas, then skip boiling these separately as the sprouted chickpeas get cooked fast even if cooked along with gravy.
• In a pressure cooker, pour some oil and fry onion till brown in colour
• Cool and grind fried onions along with ginger, garlic, chillies and tomatoes.
• Now pour this mixture again in pressure cooker , add some salt(remember there is already some amount of salt in chickpeas), garam masala powder, chana masala(optional) and fry it for 2-3 minutes, or till the oil starts separating out.
• Now add half boiled chana and Bhuno it further for about 5 min.
• Add some water,close lid of cooker and wait till 3-5 whistles. Do not worry as the black chickpeas are thick skinned, so there is hardly any risk of mushy surprises .
• Adjust the consistency of gravy , it should be not too watery, nor too dense.Enjoy with roti, rice or Bhature.

And now here comes and interesting info….

Remember my post on “Wanna be on National Tv” ?

Well here are some other details for all of you who wish to showcase their culinary powers on a television show.

Auditions for MASTERCHEF INDIA in MUMBAI (To be aired on Starplus) from Thrusday 24th June till Saturday 26th June … ALL DAY !!!

Just get food prepared from home , 2 photographs and an Id proof.

TIMINGS :- 11am to 7 pm

ADDRESS – COLOSCEUM MEDIA PVT LTD, 105 – 110 , Sangeet Plaza, Marol Maroshi Road , Near Marol Fire Brigade , Andheri East, Mumbai – 59

Phone – 9820125231

Do check out..who knows you might turn out to be a Master Chef !

Who likes to mess up with life? Who loves complications? If given a choice who prefers walking on a long hurdled road to a smooth drive? Raise your hands, if you like to get in the way of things, if you like to be in a tricky situation, if trouble is a name of your best pal…. I really, really want to see how do crazy people look like
The gibberish geek talks just put me off, while simple straight forward vocabulary really amazes me. I really can’t understand why people need to take a long unnecessary route to put up their thoughts, why people go around, round and round and round in their talks, confusing you about their intentions , and making you wait for the time immemorial, just to say at the end “Sorry I can’t help you”..Darn !

Simplicity is the word Dear…why can’t people just BE SIMPLE..why on Earth one needs to dig in the Lexicon to find one “more Appropriate” word, when there is no dearth of uncomplicated words used in our day to day life?

The ranting has nothing to do with my personal life..no I am not bogged down with such situations..I just wanted to check how annoying could the rambling stuff be, while reading a post, when actually all that I wanted to talk was about a Simple Tadka Dal Recipe…lol.

Dal as you might know is a very staple food of Indians.Its almost impossible to jot down all the variety of Dal/pulses/legumes that we Indians eat and all the different ways these are cooked in different homes.The permutation and combination will be enough to boggle anyone, so lets not get into details at this moment. Lets just focus on today’s simple comforting Dal, Dal tadka or Tadka Dal, that is made with Masoor Dal.

Tadka Dal, is one common way of making Lentil Curry, wherein Masoor or moong dal is cooked with tomatoes (and sometimes with onion and garlic too) and then tempered with different seasonings, mainly of cumin and mustard seeds, curry leaves and Whole red chillies.

The taste,the texture, the tempering and the spices varies from place to place as we move from North (Punjabi cuisine is very famous for Tadka Dal) towards South, each having its own unique Flavor.

There are probably hundreds of ways to make Tadka dal, the one which I chose to make, was the way Sindhis generally make Fry Dal (with moong dal)

Tadka Dal

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup Masoor dal ( split orange Lentils)
• 1 Onion
• 1 Large Tomato
• 2-3 Green chillies( Adjust according to choice)
• 3 Cloves of garlic
• Salt
• 1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
• 1 tsp oil
• Fresh Coriander leaves for garnishing

For Tempering or Tadka:

• 1 tsp Oil
• 1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds
• 1 whole dried Red chilly
• Few curry leaves(optional)

Method:

• Pick, rinse several times with water, and soak Masoor dal for atleast 10 minutes.
• In a pressure cooker, add 1 tsp of oil, saute chopped onion till translucent.
• There are two ways to use garlic in this Dal, either cook it along with Onion, or add it along with Tadka.Since I do not like to chew on garlic pieces if added in Tadka, I added it with onions.
• Add chopped tomato and add salt and turmeric powder.
• Saute till tomato is cooked, then add soaked Dal, about 2-3 small cups of water(bit above the level of dal). Mix well and close the lid of pressure cooker and wait for 2 -3 whistles.
• Let the pressure subsides, whisk the dal well, but do not overdo.Adjust the consistency as per your preference, check the seasonings and adjust accordingly.
• Just before serving, pour the dal in a serving bowl .
• Prepare the tempering , with one 1 tsp of oil, add cumin seeds, mustard seeds and Dried Whole red chilly and let the seeds splutter. Immediately pour the tempering carefully over the Dal in serving bowl
• Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve with Rice, Jeera rice or Pulao.

]]> http://sindhirasoi.com/2010/03/31/tadkadal/feed/ 5 http://sindhirasoi.com/2010/03/12/patta-gobi-chanadal/ http://sindhirasoi.com/2010/03/12/patta-gobi-chanadal/#comments Fri, 12 Mar 2010 07:37:33 +0000 Alka http://sindhirasoi.com/?p=311 Weather is getting

It had been long since

Life is pretty busy nowadays

Waiting for the summer vacation…Darn……finding it hard to pen down my thoughts today. So many of thoughts arising and then dwindling in my mind..at times I wonder what to share with you all and what to hold back. There had been plenty of things going around but when I sit here to write, nothing clicks ..Sigh..the Irony of life !

Never mind, lets talk about the recipe then, for , that’s what you are here for , No? For today, lets save each one of you from those yakety yak talks of mine, and lets just head over to the Recipe of the day..Patta Gobi-Chana dal.

Now that Summer is officially here in Mumbai , its going to be hard to stay in kitchen for long durations. Summers to me, mean mangoes, Aam Paana, Jaljeera, Kulfi, Watermelons, Cucumbers, Buttermilk, Dahi/curd/yogurt, Quick stir-fries, Khichdee ..basically everything simple and less-spicy. Anything that is easy to cook and easy to digest. And this patta gobi-chanadal combination is one such recipe for sure. Just serve it with roti or Khichdi, some curd/yogurt and you have one hearty meal ! BTW what does summers means to you?

Ingredients:

• 1 Medium size Leafy Head of cabbage
• 1/2 cup Chana dal( Bengal gram )
• 2-3 Green chillies  (Adjust as per taste)
• Ginger 1 ” piece, finely chopped
• 2 small tomatoes
• 5-7 Curry leaves
• 1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds
• 1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
• 1 tsp Coriander powder
• Salt as per taste
• 2 tsp oil(or less if cooking in nonstick ware)
• Coriander leaves for garnishing
• 1/4 tsp of Pavbhaji Masala (optional..just in case you need that KICK)

Method:

• Rinse the cabbage head thoroughly, drain excess water and slice or chop it .
• Pick, rinse with water several times and soak Chana dal for 20 minutes and boil it with some salt , water and turmeric powder till just cooked.Do not let it overcook or get mushy.Boiling in pressure cooker till one whistle is heard, is fine if you have soaked it well. If bit undercooked, just let it cook further with cabbage.
• In a pan or Kadhai, add 2 tsp of oil, add curry leaves and mustard seeds, and allow it to splutter. Add sliced/chopped, cabbage and stir it nicely.
• Keep stirring  on high flame till cabbage changes a bit of colour. Add chopped tomatoes, green chillies, ginger, salt , turmeric powder and coriander powder and mix properly.
• Lower the flame, add a spoonful or two of water if the mixture tends to stick to bottom of pan.Cover the pan with a lid and let it cook till tomatoes are done and the raw smell of cabbage is gone.
• Add boiled chanadal and continue to cook on low flame , covering the mixture with a lid, till all the flavors are mixed nicely.You can add pavbhaji masala along with chanadal. Sprinkle some water if needed.Cook for 3-4 minutes on lowest flame
• Garnish with coriander leaves, and serve with Roti/chapati/phulka/rice/Khichdee , along with some dahi/ buttermilk, salad etc to fight those summer blues !
  

Sorry folks, I know I took way too much of  time to finish this tale. But then better late than never,  isn’t it?

Now  without any Blah Blah (Oh how much i dislike this expression of relief on your face upon hearing this !) let’s jump over to the Recipe

Recap: Hubby and myself preferred the Raanh in two different curries.After cooking Black Eyed Beans or Raanh in Tomato base curry for Dear Hubby, i went ahead to treat my taste buds with Raanh in Onion Based Curry

Ingredients:

• Raanh (Black Eyed Beans) 1 cup
• Onions 2
• Tomatoes 2 small sized
• Green chillies 2-3 (As per taste)
• Ginger a tiny piece
• Salt
• Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp( a bit less)
• Coriander Powder 1/2 tsp
• Oil  1 tbsp (or less)

Method

• Pick, rinse several times with water and soak Raanh in water for 6-8 hours
• Later discard the water if it is frothy and rinse 1-2 times again
• In a pressure cooker add 1 tbsp of oil and add chopped onions
• Keep stirring at intervals till onions turn brownish in colour
• Add chopped tomatoes,finely chopped ginger,  green chillies, turmeric powder and coriander powder
• Mix well till tomato gets cooked, add about 1 cup of water and close the lid of pressure cooker and wait for 3 whistles
• Put off the gas and let the cooker cool down
• Open the lid, whisk the mixture properly with the wooden whisk (Mandhiyaro)
• Note: If you wish, then after the onions get browned, you can grind it along with tomatoes and chillies and then cook this mixture.That way the chunks of onions will not be visible in curry, since many prefer smooth gravies
• Add soaked beans and salt and mix properly .Add some water (about 2 cups) and again close the lid and wait for 2-4 whistles( Yeah that will be the variation of cooking time needed for beans depending upon quality and soaking time).The beans generally take longer time to cook in onion gravy than tomato gravies (My observation). So better check out after 2 whistles and decide how much more the beans need to be cooked
• Adjust the consistency of gravy and serve it garnished with coriander leaves
• Goes well with white steamed rice but i served it with some Rotis and Tomato+cucumber+onion  salad

Before you visualize a fight here, between two cooks (chefs), let me assure you to relax. Its just one of those usual arguments between My better half (he is on lesser side of that half, since i outweigh him in kilograms, not that i am proud of it, still…..) and me about deciding  the way, a particular veggie or legume or anything else in that matter, will be cooked on weekends. Now those who are thinking that HIS way would mean anything like HIM cooking a meal, then just forget it. It’s always me cooking for him, and that too  his way and again  before anyone paints a picture  like Ablah Naari ( Helpless, suffering woman) , then kindly note I  do not even remotely fit into that category !

On the contrary i belong to those shrewd class of  Homo sapiens, who would not allow anyone in her Kitchen(fearing a mess) and then moan about being not helped by anyone . My hubby calls it “Assaulting from both sides” (lol), and Man… i am pretty good at this

So when last weekend we were discussing the menu (with his eyes, ears and mind occupied with his Laptop) and me babbling at his back, out of the blue he suggested Black Eyed Beans or Raanh as we call it in Sindhi. After i soaked beans (though these  SHOULD be soaked for about eight hours, i did it for just 3 and half) , my hubby said that he would like to eat those in tomato base curry. Shocked  to hear that, i thought of overlooking his suggestion and to make it MY WAY( Onion based gravy).But knowing that he wont like it my way and i wont, his way(A very common situation between us…who said opposites attract…did i???) i got generous and end up making it in both ways , a thing i seldom do( mostly i go ahead with my preference , obviously since its me who is gonna cook)

Do i need to talk about the Nutritional facts of the Lobia or B-E-B or Raanh ? Check it out here if you are doubtful !

Now my ramblings have already occupied too much of space here, so today lets check out one recipe ,while the other one will follow in PART 2  of this saga

I do not want to confuse you all, so here i will be giving recipe that would serve 2 Hungry Adults, though actually i divided the ingredients in two halves to make two ways of curries.  Didn’t got my point??….Ah no big deal, i don’t make sense many of times !

Today’s Recipe is of Raanh in Tomato based curry .

Ingredients:

• Black Eyed Beans 1 cup
• Ripe Tomatoes 2 Medium sized
• Green chillies 2-3
• Ginger a bit
• Salt as per taste
• Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp (or less)
• Potato 1 (optional)
  
• Coriander Powder  1/2 tsp
• Cumin Seeds 1 tsp
• Curry leaves 4-5
  
• Oil 1tbsp

Method:

• Pick , Rinse for several times and then soak beans for eight hours(or over night)
• Rinse again if you see frothy layer after soaking with some fresh water
• In a pressure cooker, add 1 tsp of oil and add cumin seeds and Curry leaves(optional)
  
• After the seeds splutter add grated or pureed Tomatoes, pounded ginger(or even a paste) turmeric and coriander powder, chopped green chillies and saute till tomato is cooked(leaves oil from sides), say  for about 2-4 minutes
• Add the soaked Beans , peeled and diced potato cubes and salt and mix properly (but do not mix too much, An Old Wives Tale  says that  stirring beans {Bhuno-ing} too much before cooking, makes them hard…Do not know the fact though)
  
• Add water much  above the level of beans , and close the lid of cooker
• wait till 2-3 whistles, depending upon the quality and hours  of soaking ,  it would take anywhere between 3-6 whistles for cooking beans)
• To avoid Overcooking, its better to check out every time after two whistles of pressure cooker
• Adjust the consistency of gravy and seasoning and garnish with coriander leaves
• Tastes equally good with plain steamed rice  or Rotis (Whole Wheat Flatbreads)

If you are still interested in another way of making Lobia, do visit again , my Virtual Rasoi . I am sure you won’t be disappointed