MyMusingsSangSpeak-Pet Puja - Daal Makhani(Maa ki Daal)

Daal Makhani(Maa ki Daal)

The quintessential Punjabi dish- Daal Makhani(Maa ki Daal), a highly nutritious dish that is full of proteins . It took me quite a while to perfect this recipe by tasting, trying, experimenting and asking Punjabi friends and I think I have come quite close to the typical Punjabi Daal Makhani. My daughter loves it, so, all the more reason for me to learn to make it.

You will see many versions of Daal Makhani in the restaurants, one that is cooked in combination with rajma, one that is plain cooked with only black gram, one that has Makhana(puffed lotus seeds) in it and so on. The best taste you may experience in a typical Punjabi Dhaba with slowly cooked, perfect concoction of daal, spices and loads of cream.

Daal Makhani is a traditional Punjabi dish and used to be cooked on mud stoves for hours together to get that perfect smooth creamy texture. The ingredients matter too, it is a rich dish cooked in milk cream and butter, hence the name.

My recipe is slightly simplified as I cook in a pressure cooker on gas stove and I don’t make it as rich as it is supposed to be, but, still it tastes good.

Half day preparation time is required for this recipe as the daal needs to be soaked for minimum 10-12 hours. Rest cooking is done in easy steps.

Daal Makhani tastes good with roti as well as rice. Choice is up to you.

Ingredients

Whole Black Gram(Black Lentil/Vigna Mungo/Whole Urad)- 200 grams

Onions - 3 medium

Tomatoes- 1 medium

Garlic - 10-12 cloves

Ginger - 1n ½ inch piece

Cumin Powder - ½ teaspoon

Coriander Powder - ½ teaspoon

Whole Garam Masala - 1 inch piece of cinnamon, 4-5 cloves, 4-5 peppercorns, 2 big cardamoms

Garam Masala - ½ teaspoon

Red Chilly Powder - ½ teaspoon

Butter - 100 gms

Milk Cream - 50 gms

Salt - As per taste

Water - For soaking and cooking

Chopped Fresh Coriander and Grated Ginger for garnish

Method

Soak whole black gram in water for about 10-12 hours. Chop one onion lengthwise. Heat 50 gms of butter in a pan and splutter the whole garam masala. Add chopped onion and sauté till light brown. Take the soaked daal in a pressure cooker and add the fried ingredients to it. Add cumin and coriander powders and salt along with about 750 ml of water and pressure cook on low flame till about 7-8 whistles are done. The daal should be cooked very soft. Set it aside.

Make a paste of the remaining onions, tomato, garlic and ginger. Heat remaining butter in a pan and fry this masala paste till oil separates and add garam masala and chilly powder. Add this masala paste to the cooked daal and cook on low flame for about 10 minutes. Finally add cream and cook for further 2 minutes. Serve hot garnished on top with chopped coriander leaves, grated ginger and a dash of cream. This daal tastes good with roti, naan.parathas or rice.

Note - This quantity should be enough for 5-6 people. The pre cooking time is about 10-12 hours and cooking time is 1 hour.
Variation can be done by adding small quantity of Rajma Beans, and sometimes you may add lotus seeds(Makhanas) too.
https://mymusings-sangita.blogspot.in/2015/01/pet-puja-garam-masala.html
https://mymusings-sangita.blogspot.in/2016/01/pet-puja-ajwaini-paratha.html

MyMusingsSangSpeak-Pet Puja- Aloo Methi

Aloo Methi

Methi(fenugreek) is one green leafy vegetable that tastes good combined with almost anything like onion, various pulses, meat, fish and other vegetables like spinach, green peas and potatoes etc. It is fully loaded with nutritional benefits and one must always include it as more as possible in the daily diet. Potato being the most humble of all vegetables goes well with almost all vegetables. The Aloo Methi combo tastes very good and is easy to make too.

Ingredients

Methi(fenugreek) - 1 bunch(approx 200 gms), leaves cleaned and washed.

Potoato - 1 medium (peeled and chopped)

Onion - 1 medium (chopped)

Garlic - 10-12 cloves, crushed

Green Chillies - 2 nos, chopped

Ginger(optional) - 1/2 inch finely chopped

Cumin Powder - ¼ teaspoon

Garam Masala (optional) - ¼ teaspoon

Salt - As per taste

Oil - 2 tablespoons

Method 

Heat oil in a pan, add chopped potatoes and stir fry for about 2-3 minutes. Add chopped onion, crushed garlic and chopped chillies and stir fry for about 2-3 minutes. Add salt and all masala powders and cook for about 4-5 minutes on low flame. Remove from fire and serve with chapatti/roti.

MyMusingsSangSpeak-Pet Puja - Fruit Chaat

Fruit Chaat

Fruit Chaat is one of my favourite recipes and serves as a delectable party dish. It is a nutritious and full of vitamins as fresh fruits are used, a good recipe for all health conscious folks. I learnt this recipe from my friend’s family. The story goes a long time ago. We had a school fete during our middle school and we had a food stall selling Paani Poori and Fruit Chaat. Both the items were made by my friend’s family and I had chipped in my efforts for cutting fruits etc. Our stall was great hit and all goods got sold in no time. Since then, fruit chaat has been one of my most liked dishes.

This recipe is very easy and the basic fruits required are those that are easily available all through the year, they are bananas, apples, papaya and guavas. You may add other fruits too like the sweet lime, oranges, grapes etc, it is left to your choice. The fruits need to be just ripe and firm.

Ingredients

Apples- 2 medium

Bananas - 2 medium

Papaya - 1 medium

Guava - 1 medium

Lemon juice - 2 teaspoons

Sugar - 2 teaspoons

Chaat Masala - ½ teaspoon

Method

Mix lemon juice and sugar and set aside the solution. Peel papaya and cut into cubes. Cut all fruits into cubes and add the lemon juice and sugar solution. Sprinkle chaat masala and mix well.

Note - This quantity should be enough for 3-4 people. You can make your own chaat masala at home by making a mixture of equal quantities of cumin, coriander, black pepper, red chilly, salt and rock salt powders. 

MyMusingsSangSpeak-Pet Puja - Ajwaini Paratha

Ajwaini Paratha

Ajwaini Paratha is a roti/chapatti(Indian Bread) with ajwain(Carom Seeds) in it, adding more flavour to the mundane roti. It is easy to make and tastes good with all types of subjis and daals.

 Ingredients

Wheat flour - 1½ cups

Water- For kneading

Salt - As per taste

Carom Seeds (Ajwain) - ½ teaspoon

Cumin Powder - ¼ teaspoon

Coriander Powder - ¼ teaspoon

Oil - 1-2 tablespoons

Ghee/Butter - 1-2 tablespoons

 Method

Mix salt, carom seeds, cumin powder and coriander powder well with wheat flour. Then add water to form soft yet firm dough, add about one teaspoon of oil and knead well. Set aside for about 45 minutes to one hour. To make paratha, take small ball of the kneaded dough and roll into a circle, apply few drops of oil and sprinkle little wheat flour and make folds as shown in the accompanying photos. Heat the tawa and roast the parathas well, you may add ghee/butter as per your choice

MyMusingsSangSpeak-Pet Puja - Chinch Chutney

Chinch Chutney (Tamarind Sauce/Imli chutney)

The chinch chutney is a recipe that I never tire of. I like chinch chutney with all fried snacks, especially fried fish. Generally, I make it in large quantity and store in the fridge and it always comes in handy while making bhelpuri and other chaat dishes. The recipe takes a long time to make as it involves slow cooking.

Ingredients

Tamarind - 200 gms

Jaggery - 500 gms

Water - 1 litre approx

Method

Wash tamarind and soak in water for about an hour. Mash the tamarind pulp with hand and strain well. Add jaggery and water and boil the mixture in a broad based vessel on low flame. Keep stirring occasionally. It may take about 45 minutes for the sauce to thicken. Allow the sauce to cool and store in clean bottle or stainless steel jar. Refrigerate and use as and when required. The chutney stays good for as long as 3 months

Note - If you wish to make the sauce tangier, you may add salt, red chilly powder and cumin powder as per your liking. In Uttar Pradesh, dry ginger powder is also added. 

MyMusingsSangSpeak-Pet Puja - Thalipeeth

Thalipeeth

Thalipeeth is a very inetersting Maharashtrian delicacy, can be eaten as a snack or whole meal. It is multigrain recipe full of nutrition and also a lip smacking, tasty dish. Thalipeeth can be made in many different ways - you can mix different flours available in the kitchen or you can mix different grains, wash and roast after drying and grind them to form a multigrain flour mix (this is the bhajni thalipeeth). Thalipeeth essentially has lots of onion and fresh coriander in it lending it that unique taste. You can make varieties of thalipeeth by using leafy vegetables of your choice. Even if you do not have all the various flours at home, you can dish out a delicious thalipeeth with just three flours, that of wheat, Bengal gram and shorghum or rice.

I remember the yummy thalipeeths made by my mother, grandmother, aunts and other relatives. Each one tasted different yet delicious. One more memory associated is of the thalipeeth that was eaten during childhood on the cart that sold homemade Maharashtrian delicacies near Nataraj Theatre in Dr Madhumalati Gune Hospital compound in Deccan area of Pune.

Ingredients

Wheat Flour - 2 cups

Shorghum(Jowar) Flour - 2 tablespoons

Gram Flour - 2 tablespoons

Rice Flour - 2 tablespoons

Bajra(Pearl Millet) - 2 tablespoons

Corn (Makki/Kanees) Flour - 2 tablespoons

Onion - 1 large (finely chopped)

Fresh Coriander - 1 cup full, finely chopped

Cumin Powder - 1 teaspoon

Coriander Powder - 1 teaspoon

Red Chilly Powder - 1 teaspoon

Turmeric - 1 teaspoon

Sesame seeds - 2 teaspoons

Salt - As per taste

Oil/Butter - 2 tablespoons

Water - As per requirement

Method

Mix all the flours, finely chopped onion and fresh coriander along with all spices powders and knead flour by adding enough water. The dough should be soft. Set aside for about two hours. For making thalipeeth, soak a napkin in water and wring it well. Spread the soaked napkin on a surface and place a fistful of thalipeeth mixture. Dip your fingers in water and tap lightly on this mixture to spread it evenly. Heat a pan and pick this napkin and place the thalipeeth on the hot pan, remove the napkin. Apply oil or butter to the thalipeeth and cover with a lid, allow to cook for about 2 minutes and then filp on to the other side for even cooking. Remove when it is browned well on both sides. Now, repeat the same with the remaining dough.

Thalipeeth is to be served while it is hot and tastes good with homemade butter, curds and matkichi usal. You can serve it with pickles and chutneys too.

MyMusingsSangSpeak-Pet Puja - Wangyache Bharit

Wangyache Bharit

I have posted Baingan Bharta earlier in my blog, the Punjabi style. This baingan bharta is of Mahrashtrian style and is generally made a day prior to Sankranti. This one used to be my Mom’s signature dishes and we all at home used to love it for its delectable taste. My daughter enjoys more of the Punjabi version of baingan ka bharta, so I had nearly given up on making this particular Maharshtrian recipe altogether. I made wangyache bharit after many years and reminded me of my mother and her superb cooking skills.

Ingredients

Brinjals - 2 big

Spring onions - 8-9 along with leaves

Garlic - 10-12 cloves

Green chillies - 3-4

Mustard seeds - ½ teaspoon

Chopped coriander - 2 tabelspoons

Turmeric powder - ½ teaspoon

 Salt - As per taste

Oil - 2 tablespoons

Roasted groundnut powder - Half cup

Method

Wash the brinjals, dry them and apply oil on the outer covering, poke it with a knife at 2 -3 places and roast on the gas stove. Keep turning occasionally and roast till the skin gets charred. Remove from fire and allow cooling. Remove the charred skin and mash the roasted brinjals. Chop the spring onions, green chillies and garlic. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. Allow the mustard seeds to splutter and then add chopped spring onions, chillies and garlic and stir fry for about 3-4 minutes. Add roasted and mashed brinjals along with turmeric powder and salt and cook for about 4-5 minutes. Finally, add roasted groundnut powder and chopped coriander leaves. Stir for a minute and remove from fire. This wangyache bharit tastes good with chapati or bhakri of all kinds, jowar or bajra.