Urad Chana Masala

This is a typical spicy Dhaba Dal. Make it for lunch or dinner, goes well with Tandoori Roti.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dhuli urad dal (split skinned black lentil)
• ½ cup chana dal (split skinned Bengal gram)
• 1 tbsp cooking oil
• Salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• ¼ cup fried onion
• 2-3 green chilies slit longitudinally

For Masala:

• 3 tbsp oil
• 1 bay leaf
• 3-4 cloves
• 2 green cardamoms
• 1 ginger garlic paste
• ½ cup tomato crushed
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• A dollop of butter
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• Chopped coriander leaves
• 2 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)
• 1 dry red chili ( broken into small pieces)
• Pinch of asafetida (optional)
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 garlic cloves chopped fine
• Salt

Method:

• Soak chana dal and urad dal separately for 2 hours.
• After 2 hours, put chana dal in a pressure cooker. Add 4 cups of water, green chilies, fried onion, turmeric powder, and one tbsp of cooking oil. Stir well.
• Cover the pressure cooker and set on high flame. After the first 'whistle' or ‘pressure release’, reduce the flame to slow and cook for one more ‘whistle’. Turn off the flame and allow the pressure cooker to cool.
• Open the pressure cooker when cooled, and add soaked urad dal and salt. Cover the pressure cooker again and set on the stove. Turn off the flame after two ‘pressure releases’ and allow the pressure cooker to cool.
• In the mean time prepare masala for dal: In a small pan, heat the oil; add bay leaf, cloves, green cardamoms and half tsp cumin seeds. When seeds stop spluttering, add ginger garlic paste; fry till the rawness of ginger garlic paste has gone. Add chopped tomato, red chili powder and little salt and cook till tomato is soft and mushy. Add this spice mixture to the boiled lentils in cooker, stir to blend and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
• Check the consistency of dal. If it is too thick, add some warm water and stir carefully until the consistency is right. Remember Dal always thickens when it gets cooler and cooler.
• Add butter, chopped coriander leaves and lemon juice and continue simmering till both the lentils and spices are well blended with each other.
• Now remove dal mix from fire and spoon out into a serving dish.
• Garnish with ‘tadka’. Heat 2 tbsp ghee in a small pan on medium flame. Add ½ tsp cumin seeds and fry till spluttering stops. Add chopped garlic, and fry till garlic is just pink. Add now whole red chili and a pinch of red chili powder. Remove from fire and immediately pour over dal mix before chili gets burnt.
• Serve hot with Tandoori Roti, Sookhi Sabji,and Salad.

Do you know?

The seasoning is what makes the dal come alive. Dal is fat free and nature has designed it to absorb various combinations of seasonings and spices.

The standard ingredients of seasoning are mustard seeds, cumin seeds, asafetida, red chilies or chili powder, onions, green chilies, ginger, garlic, tomatoes, curry leaves.

Oats Chicken Masala

It is a perfect ‘One Pot Meal’ for dinner. If cooked Chicken is ready in the refrigerator, it will take just 10 minutes to prepare.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Quaker Oats -‘Old Fashioned’
• ½ pound chicken with bones cut in small pieces
• 1 small Onion chopped finely
• 2 Green Chilies chopped finely
• ½ tsp ginger garlic paste
• ¼ cup tomato chopped fine
• ¼ tsp Turmeric Powder
• ½ tsp Red Chili Powder
• 2-3 tbsp Coriander Leaves chopped fine
• 3-4 tbsp Cooking Oil
• ¼ cup fried Onion
• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp Lemon Juice

Method:

• Heat Oil in a pan; add chopped Onion, and chopped Green Chilies; fry until the Onions start to look transparent. Add Ginger Garlic paste and fry till rawness has gone. Now add chopped Tomato, Turmeric Powder, Red Chili Powder and Salt; fry till Tomatoes become soft and mushy, and Oil is separated out.
• Add Chicken pieces and cook on medium heat until Chicken is tender.
• Now add fried Onions and Oats to the pan and mix well all the ingredients with a spatula. Just fry for 2-3 minutes and then add 3 cups of water. Add little more water if you like soft Oats.
• Cook covered on very low heat for 4-5 minutes or till the Oats turn soft.
• Mix in Lemon Juice and half of the chopped Coriander Leaves.
• Spoon out in a serving dish, garnish with Coriander Leaves and few fried onions.
• Serve hot.

Do You Know?

Oats (naturally gluten free) can be contaminated with gluten in the fields itself, when oats are grown side-by-side with fields of wheat. And contamination can vary widely between batches of processed oats i.e. even oats grown and processed in the same place. So one box of conventional oats may be safe for one gluten-intolerant person, but then the next box might give them a terrible reaction. It's best to completely avoid conventionally grown and processed oats when cooking for a gluten-free individual.

Tarbooz Ke Chhilke Ki Sabji (Water Melon Rind Curry)

Do you know that the rind of water melon is edible? The term rind usually refers to the skin or peel of a fruit.

In watermelon, the rind consists of two parts - the outer green skin and the inner white pulp.The outer green skin of the rind is hard and inedible, so it is discarded. The inner whitish part of the rind is edible, although it has a bland taste when raw and is not as soft as the central red part.

In this simple recipe the de-skinned and de-fruited white rind is cooked with spices. Team it with a Dal and hot Paratha/Roti, you will have a terrific vegetarian meal.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups chopped white rind of Water Melon
• Pinch of asafetida
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• 1 dry whole red chili
• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• ½ tsp coriander powder
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• 2-3 green chilies finely chopped
• 1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp cooking oil

Method:

• Remove the dark green part of the water melon rind with a sharp knife and discard it. Cut the white rind into ½ inch cubes.

• Heat the oil in a pan and add asafetida, whole dry red chilies and cumin seeds.
• When the seeds begin to splutter, add the chopped white rind and chopped green chilies; stir-fry for 2-3 minutes.
• Add red chili powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and salt.
• Do not add water because water melon rind is cooked in its own water.
• Cover the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, on low flame for 10-12 minutes or till the vegetable is almost done. Now remove the cover from the pan and cook till water is almost absorbed. Add lemon juice.
• Serve hot garnished with coriander leaves.

Do You Know?

Watermelon rind can be stir-fried, stewed, pickled, candied or cooked as vegetable. It contains many hidden nutrients that most people avoid eating due to its unappealing flavor.

Pickled watermelon rind is also commonly consumed in the Southern US.

Chicken Samosa

Whether it is a tea time or a social gathering, Samosa (prism shaped savory) is the most popular snack in Northern India.

This recipe involves Samosa filled with spiced chicken mince.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Maida or Pastry flour or All Purpose Flour
• ¼ cup cooking oil
• ½ tsp Salt

For Filling:

• 1 pound chicken mince
• 1 bay leaf
• 3-4 green cardamom
• 1 green chili chopped fine
• 1 small onion chopped fine
• 1 tsp ginger grated
• 2 tbsp coriander leaves chopped fine
• ½ tsp black pepper powder
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• Salt to taste

For Frying: Cooking Oil for deep frying

Method:

Prepare Filling:

• Boil minced chicken (kheema) with ginger, bay leaf, and cardamoms, until the kheema is cooked. Use minimum amount of water just required to boil the chicken.
• Heat 2 tbsp of cooking oil in a pan on medium flame. Add the green chilies and the onion; fry till soft.
• Now add boiled chicken kheema and salt to taste. Fry it till all the water is evaporated.
• Remove bay leaf and green Cardamoms; mix in black pepper powder, chopped cilantro leaves and lemon juice.
• Filling is ready. Remove from heat and keep aside.

Prepare dough:

• Sieve the flour and salt together.
• Rub in the oil till the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
• Add a little warm water at a time to it, to make a firm, smooth dough.
• Keep the dough for half an hour, covered with wet cloth.

Prepare Samosas: (For step by step demonstration refer: Potato filled Samosa)

• Make small balls of almost equal size and roll out the balls to oblong approximately 6 inches in length and 5 inches in width. You can roll out circle also, only the shape of samosa will be little different.
• Cut each oblong into 2 with a knife. Each half makes one samosa.

• Take one half and lightly wet its straight edge with water. Fold it into a cone, overlapping the wet edges and pressing gently to seal well.

• Fill this cone 3/4 full with the filling made earlier.
• Lightly wet the open edges of the cone and press together to seal well. Use all the dough up in a similar manner.

• Deep fry the Samosa on medium heat until golden brown. Drain on paper towel.
• Serve hot with Green Coriander Chutney.

Do You Know?

The majority of Indian appetizers and snacks are based on potatoes, combined with different spices.

Alu ki Tikki is one of the oldest snacks recorded by the history of Indian food, and the Samosa is another snack which is greatly enjoyed from ancient times. It should be noted that authentic Indian dishes can never be limited to a strict formula, since they differ from household to household.

Murg Methi Malai

This is a wonderfully simple dish; the delicious gravy is made from yogurt, cream, fried onions and fragrant Kasuri Methi (dried Fenugreek leaves).

Ingredients:

• 1 pound Chicken boneless
• 1 Bay leaf
• ¼ cup fried Onions
• ½ cup Yogurt
• 1 tbsp Ginger Garlic paste
• 1 tsp Chicken Tandoori Masala (available in Indian Grocery Store)
• 1 tsp Maida (All Purpose Flour)
• ½ tsp Black Pepper powder
• 1 tbsp Lemon juice
• 1 tbsp Kasuri Methi
• 2 tbsp Malai (or heavy cream)
• ½ cup Milk
• 3 tbsp Cooking oil
• Salt to taste
• 1 boiled Egg to garnish
• 1 tbsp Butter

Method:

• Cut the chicken into serving pieces.
• In a bowl mix yogurt, ginger garlic paste, black pepper powder, lemon juice, 1 tbsp oil and ½ tsp salt. Marinate the chicken in this yogurt mix for at least an hour.
• Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a large, wide pan or a large, deep frying pan (preferably non-stick) over a medium flame. When hot, stir in only chicken pieces, without its marinade, and sear it for 3-4 minutes. Add marinade, chicken tandoori masala, crushed fried onions, crushed Kasuri Methi and maida, and cook for 5-6 minutes.
• Add ½ cup milk. Cover and simmer on low heat until the chicken is fork tender.
• Add dried crushed fenugreek leaves, and simmer on low heat for another 3-4 minutes or until the oil separates from the gravy. Taste and adjust the salt in gravy.
• Now churn the malai and add to the curry. Mix it well.
• Garnish with fried onions, butter and boiled egg.
• Serve with Roti or hot white Rice.

Do You Know?

How to Handle Fresh Chicken Safely: Fresh Chicken is kept cold during distribution to retail stores to prevent the growth of bacteria and to increase its shelf life. Chicken should feel cold to the touch when purchased. Make the grocery your last stop before going home. At home, immediately place chicken in a refrigerator that maintains 40 °F. Use it within 1 or 2 days, or freeze it at 0 °F. If kept frozen continuously, it will be safe indefinitely.

Oats Upma

Oatmeal is a big challenge to Indian palate mostly because of its blandness. The flavor and spiciness of Curry Leaves, Coriander Leaves and Green Chilies helped me to overcome this hurdle.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Quaker Oats - Old Fashioned
• ¼ cup Green Peas
• 1 small Onion finely chopped
• 2 Green Chilies finely chopped
• ½ tsp Black Pepper powder
• ½ tsp Mustard seeds
• ½ tsp Dhuli Urad Dal (Split Skinned Black Gram)
• 4-5 Curry Leaves
• 2-3 tbsp Coriander Leaves chopped
• 2 tbsp Cooking Oil
• Salt to taste
• 1 tbsp Lemon Juice

Method:

• Wash and soak Oats for 4-5 minutes in water. After that just squeeze out the water from oats and mix with very little salt and keep aside for later use.
• Heat Oil in a pan, add Mustard Seeds, once the Mustard Seeds splutter, add Urad Dal and fry until they turn golden brown.
• Now add chopped Onion, Curry Leaves and chopped Green Chilies and fry until the Onions start to look a little transparent. Add Green Peas and black pepper powder; fry until Peas are tender.
• Add moist Oats to the pan and mix well all the ingredients with a spatula and fry for 2-3 minutes.
• Sprinkle about 1-2 tbsp of water to the above fried Oats mixture in the pan and cook covered on very low heat for 4-5 minutes or till the Oats turn soft. Make sure to not add excess water to the Oats Upma as the whole mixture can become soggy and Oats Upma may not taste as good as it should.
• Stir it carefully with a fork so that Oats can be separated to some extent. Mix in Lemon Juice and half of the chopped coriander leaves..
• Spoon out in a serving dish. Garnish with Coriander Leaves.

Do You Know?

The main problem with oats in gluten-free eating is contamination. Most commercial oats are processed in facilities that also process wheat, barley, and rye. The gluten in these ingredients can contaminate oats, and the nature of most gluten intolerances is that even a trace amount of gluten can cause severe discomfort. Therefore, only certified gluten free oats should be consumed by those with celiacs.

Oats Ki Kheer (Oats Pudding)

It is fairly easy and quick to prepare. Boil oats with milk, add Saffron and Cardamom Powder and get a taste of creamy delicious Oats ki Kheer.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Quaker Oats - Old Fashioned
• 2 cups Water
• Pinch of salt
• 1 ½ cups Full cream milk boiled
• ¼ cup Sugar (modify according to taste)
• ¼ tsp Green Cardamom Powder
• Few strands of Saffron
• Pinch of Nutmeg powder
• ¼ cup chopped dry fruits (Almonds, Cashews etc)

Method:

• Cook the Oats with 2 cups of Water and pinch of salt in a microwave for about 4 minutes or cook them in a vessel for about 5-6 minutes.
• Transfer the above cooked Oats into a bowl and stir in warm Milk. Keep on stirring for some time so that lumps are not formed and kheer becomes smooth and creamy.
• Add all the Dry fruits, cardamom powder, half of the Saffron, pinch of Nutmeg powder and Sugar.
• Mix all the ingredients well. Transfer in a serving bowl.
• Garnish with little cardamom powder and few strings of Saffron. Keep covered in refrigerator for 4-5 hours.
• Serve Chilled

Do You Know?

Wheat, rye, and barley have proteins that collectively are called 'Gluten'. Some people cannot tolerate gluten when it comes in contact with the small intestine. This condition in ‘Gluten- Sensitive’ individuals is known as coeliac disease.

Oats naturally contain a type of protein called 'Avenin' that is different to the type of gluten you find in wheat, rye, barley and triticale. Avenin can also be toxic to the intestinal mucosa of Avenin-Sensitive individuals, and can trigger a reaction in these coeliacs.