Lauki chana daal

 

Channa Dal, Bottle Gourd and Kasuri Methi for Lauki-Channa Dal Masala

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Lauki-Channa Dal Masala (Bottle Gourd and Split Bengal Gram cooked with crunchy Onions and tangy Tomatoes)
Prep Time: 5-10 mins
Cooking Time: 15-20 mins
Serves: 3-5

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Ingredients:
1 medium Bottle Gourd (Approx 4-5 cups), washed, peeled and cut into ½ inch cubes)
¼ cup Channa Dal/Split Chickpeas, soaked in water for 10-30 mins
1 medium Onion, thinly sliced
2 large/3 medium Tomatoes, finely chopped
1-2 Green Chillies, slit
½ tsp Jaggery/Brown Sugar (Optional)
1 tsp Garam Masala
½ tsp Turmeric Powder
1 tbsp Kasuri Methi/Dried Fenugreek Leaves
1 tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
¼ tsp Hing/Asafoetida
½ tbsp Oil
Salt to taste

Lauki-Channa Dal Masala

Method:

Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds and hing. When jeera starts to sizzle and turn light brown in colour, add sliced onions. Sauté on medium flame till they turn translucent, about 1-2 mins.

Mix in kasuri methi, slit chillies, garam masala and turmeric powder and sauté for half a minute. Now add chopped tomatoes and mix well. Let it cook for 2-3 mins till tomatoes become pulpy and releases its juice.

Add soaked channa dal, bottle gourd pieces, jaggery and salt to taste and mix well. Pour ¼-½ cup of water and cover the lid. Cook the curry on medium flame for 10-15 minutes on medium flame, stirring in between, till bottle gourds are cooked well.

Serve this delicious Lauki-Channa Dal Masala, garnished with coriander leaves, with Chapatti or Rice and enjoy

Chicken with mint+cilantro

 Ingredients:

1lb chicken, cut into medium sized pieces

1 tbsp ginger grated

4 garlic grated

1 tbsp coriander powder

1/2 tsp turmeric powder 

1/2 tsp kashmiri chili powder

1 1/2 tsp garam masala pwd

1 onion

1/2 cup fresh grated coconut

1 bunch coriander leaves, keep thin stems

1 bunch mint leaves, discard thick parts of stem

10-12 cashewnuts, soaked in 2-3 tbsps milk for 15 mts

fresh coriander leaves for garnish

salt to taste

Method:

1. Marinate the chicken in coriander pwd, turmeric pwd, chili powder, ginger, garlic, and few crushed mint leaves for 30 minutes. Soak the cashewnuts in 2-3 tbsps milk for 15 minutes.

2. Heat oil in a pan and saute the diced onions until slightly soft.

3. Make a paste of onion, grated coconut, coriander leaves and thin stems, mint leaves and cashewnuts. Keep aside.

3 Heat oil in a cooking vessel, add the marinated chicken and cook for 4-5 mts to sear the chicken pieces slightly.

5 Reduce to medium heat, add the ground paste and salt and combine well. Let the chicken cook in this paste for 8-10 mts, uncovered. Cook till oil separates. There is no need to add water as the chicken cooks in its own water.

6 Finally add the garam masala pwd, cook until pieces are cooked through the middle. Turn off heat and garnish with fresh coriander leaves

Sindhi kadhi

Ingredients: 

Toor daal (pigeon peas): 3/4 cup

Tomatoes: 3 medium sized, cut in half

Turmeric: 1/2 tsp

Salt: 1/2 tsp

Mustard/rai seeds: 1/2 tsp

Fenugreek/methi seeds: 1/2 tsp

Cumin/jeera seeds: 1 tsp

Asafoeitida: 1 pinch

Curry leaves: 1 sprig 

Chickpea flour/besan: 2 tbsp

Turmeric: 1/2 tsp

Kashmiri red chilli powder: 1/2 tsp

Kokam: 3 pods

Tamarind: 1 lime sized ball soaked in warm water. Squeeze the tamarind through and discard all the "pieces"

Ginger: 1 tsp grated

Vegetables: Okra/Tindora/Green beans/carrots cut into thin pieces about 1/2 finger long

Method:

Wash and soak toor daal in water for 30 minutes. 

Pressure cook soaked daal with tomatoes, 1/2 tsp turmeric and salt, in the instantpot  "manual" setting for 19 minutes.

Once cooked use immersion blender to mix it well.

In a separate small pan heat oil, add mustard, fenugreek, cumin, asafoeitida, curry leaves. Let the seeds splutter but don't let it burn.

Add the chickpea flour besan to the oil and spices, saute continuously until the besan turns roasted. Saute constantly and add more oil if it gets too dry, don't let it burn.

Once besan is roasted, add 1/2tsp turmeric, red chili powder and saute until the raw turmeric smell is gone.

Now add the besan mix into the blended toor daal + tomato, and let it simmer on low (instantpot setting "saute", press adjust to change level to low).

Add kokam, tamarind water, ginger. Let it continue simmering on low.

Flash fry vegetables if using okra, Tindora or beans. For carrots drop it directly into the daal.

Dry excess oil from fried veggies and drop them in the daal.

Thai Basil spinach chicken

Ingredients

1 cup chicken or vegetable broth

¼ cup soy sauce

4 tsp fish sauce

4 tsp brown sugar

1 ½ lb chicken thighs boneless skinless

4 cloves garlic

2 shallots

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

2 zucchini, cubed into small size

2 5 oz pkgs baby spinach

4 small pkgs fresh basil (~2 packed cups)

Instructions

In a medium bowl, combine the broth, soy sauce, fish sauce, and brown sugar. Whisk to combine the sauce and set aside.

Roughly chop the chicken thighs into ½-inch pieces.

Peel and mince the garlic and shallot. Finely dice and set aside.

Heat a large skillet over high heat. Once the skillet is hot, add oil and swirl to coat the bottom.

Add chicken and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes, then add the garlic, shallot. Continue cooking on high heat for 2-3 more minutes, stirring often.

Add the zucchini and stir around for 2-3 more minutes.

Chop the baby spinach into small pieces.

Pour the sauce into the skillet. Cook on high, stirring often, until the sauce thickens and glazes the meat, 8-12 minutes. Remove from heat.

Pick basil leaves off the stems, roll up crosswise, and thinly slice into ribbons.

Add the baby spinach (one handful at a time) and basil to the skillet and stir until wilted.

Paratha filling

6 potatoes

Half cauliflower head 

1/2 cup cilantro - washed, dried, diced small

3 tsp cumin powder

2 tsp coriander powder

2 tsp garam masala/kitchen king masala

1 tsp chole masala/chana masala

2 tsp salt

Wash and boil potatoes. Instantpot "manual" setting, time set for 25 minutes.

Wash and dry cauliflower. Blitz it down to a fine chop.

Let the potatoes cool, peel the potatoes, mash it down. Mix in the cauliflower. Add in all the powders and mix thoroughly.

Basic Chia jar

Ingredients

3 tablespoons chia seeds

2 tablespoons hemp seeds

3 tablespoons chopped pecans and walnuts

3 tablespoons any fruit (blueberry, strawberry, mango, banana)

1/3 cup coconut milk

1/3 cup water

Mix all dry ingredients in a cup or jar.

Pour coconut milk+water. 

Stir so the fruit and chia don't clump together.

Refrigerate for at least 6 hours.

Basic Muesli jar

Ingredients: 

1/4 cup muesli 

1 tablespoon hemp seeds

2 tablespoons chia seeds

2 tablespoons chopped pecans and walnuts

3 tablespoons any fruit (blueberry, strawberry, mango, banana)

1/3 cup milk

1/3 cup water

Mix all dry ingredients in a cup or jar.

Pour milk+water. 

Stir so the fruit and chia don't clump together.

Refrigerate for at least 6 hours.

Rhengan Reveya

 Rhengan Reveya (Baby Aubergine and Potato Satay, rustic food from Gujarat)

Serves: 4-6
Recipe Level: Basic/Beginner to Medium
Spice Level: Medium
Serving Suggestion: With any Indian flat breads or with flavoured/steam cooked Rice

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Ingredients:
8-10 Baby Purple Eggplants, washed, dried
8-10 Baby Potatoes or 2 medium Potatoes, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces

For Tadka/Tempering:
½ tbsp Oil
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
¼ tsp Hing/Asafoetida

For the Stuffing & Marinating:
1/3 cup Roasted Peanuts, ground to fine powder
¾-1 tbsp Roasted Coriander Powder
½-¾ tsp Roasted Cumin Powder
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
1-1½ tsp Red Chilli Powder (Adjust acc to taste)
½ tsp Turmeric Powder
½ tsp Aamchur/Dry Mango Powder (Optional)
1-2 tsp Sugar
A big pinch of Hing/Asafoetida (Optional)
1 inch Ginger, peeled and grated
3 tbsp Coriander Leaves, finely chopped
2-3 tbsp Oil
Salt to taste

Rhengan Reveya

Method:

Grind roasted peanuts to fine powder and transfer it into a mixing bowl.

Mix in all dry spice powders one by one.

Next add grated ginger, finely chopped coriander leaves, salt to taste and oil and mix them well. You will get a crumbling mixture. Keep it aside till needed.

Make ‘+’ marked slits ¾th way on baby eggplants keeping their stems intact. Stuff the eggplants with prepared mixture. Make sure that you don’t break the eggplants while stuffing.

Once you have stuffed all the eggplants with mixture, add chopped potatoes to remaining stuffing and mix well so that potatoes are coated well.

Mix eggplants with potatoes and keep them aside to marinate for 5-10 minutes.

Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds and hing. When cumin starts to sizzle and turn golden red, mix in stuffed eggplants and potatoes.

Add about 1-1½ cups of boiling water and cover the lid. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let it cook undisturbed for 5 mins.

Open the lid after 5 mins and gentle mix all the vegetables. Add little more water if needed and cover and cook again for 10-15 minutes, mixing in between, till both eggplants and potatoes are cooked though.

Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves and serve with steam cooked rice or Roties and enjoy this rustic, delicious Rhengan Reveya.

Baked tomato-ey gnocchi

Ingredients:

1 16 ounce package uncooked, potato gnocchi

Olive oil

1 medium white onion, diced

12 ounces sausage, diced or casing removed

4 cloves garlic, grated

2 teaspoons Italian seasoning or just oregano

1/2 cup pureed canned or fresh tomato

½ cup water

Salt

Black pepper

2 zucchini, diced 

1 cup frozen corn 

2 (packed) cups baby spinach, roughly chopped

½ cup grated parmesan cheese

1 ¼ to 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese or 8oz mozzarella thick slices 

Basil leaves, for garnish

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350°.

In an oven safe heavy bottom pan over medium heat drizzle in about 3 to 4 tablespoons of the olive oil.

Add in the diced white or yellow onion and saute for just a few minutes until softened, then add in the sausage, and using a wooden spoon or spatula, break it up a bit into a crumble. Saute together with the onion until the sausage is cooked through, about 4 or 5 minutes.

Next, add in the garlic, the Italian seasoning/oregano, and the red pepper flakes (if using), and stir to combine.

Once aromatic, add in the zucchini and corn and saute for 3-5 minutes.

Add crushed tomatoes along with the water, and stir to incorporate.

Allow to a simmer for just a couple of minutes, then turn off the heat and sprinkle in a couple of generous pinches of salt and black pepper (to taste), and stir in ¼ cup of the grated parmesan cheese.

Add the spinach and the uncooked potato gnocchi to the pan, and carefully fold the spinach and gnocchi into the sauce until well coated and combined, evening out the top a bit.

Next, sprinkle over top the rest of the parmesan cheese, followed by the mozzarella cheese. Place the gnocchi into the oven to bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes, until bubbly and golden-brown.

Instantpot Chole

Ingredients: 

Dry Chickpeas 1 cup (wash and soak for 4+ hours) 

Ajwain 1/2 tsp

Baking soda 1 pinch

Salt to taste

Garlic 5 pods, grated 

Ginger 2 tbsp, grated 

Cumin seeds, 1 tsp

Red chili powder 1/4 tsp

Coriander powder 1 tbsp

Chole masala 1 tbsp

Amchur powder 1/2 tsp

Steps:

1. Pressure cook chickpeas:

Pour water into instantpot base upto the 2 cup marking.

Take another steel vessel that fits inside the instantpot. Add the washed and soaked chickpeas and enough water to cover it fully, plus a little more.

Add ajwain, baking soda and salt.

On the instantpot press "manual", level "normal", for time press "+" until it gets to 60 minutes. 

Put the lid on and set to "sealing".

2. Make the tadka 

In a small pan heat oil, add cumin seeds. 

When they sizzle add grated ginger and garlic, red chilli powder, coriander powder, chole masala and amchur powder.

Saute until well mixed and the raw smell of ginger and garlic is dissipated.

3. Mix them

Pull the container with chickpeas out of the instantpot after natural pressure release.

Take aside a quarter of the cooked chickpeas and blend it using a mixer or hand blender.

Add the spices paste and mashed chickpeas back into the pot. Put it on the gas.

Add more water as needed, and mix it all together and heat up to create a gravy.