Dal Makhani ( Low Fat Version)

This is a very simple recipe for a protein packed, low fat version of yummy Dal Makhani. Trust me
 you won't miss the missing fat in the recipe.

Prep Time: ~12 hours
Cooking Time: ~ 40 mins

Ingredients (Serves 2)

1 cup black whole Udad daal soaked overnight
2 tsp rajma soaked overnight
1/2 small onion chopped finely
1 tomato - pureed
1-2 fresh green or red hot chillies
2 cloves pounded garlic
1/2 inch cube of pounded ginger
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp turmeric
1.5 tsp cumin-coriander powder
1 tsp garam masala
Salt to taste
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp low fat milk ( replace it with cream if you prefer non-low fat recipe)
2 tsp cooking oil ( replace it with butter if you prefer non-low fat recipe)
lemon juice for garnish
1 tbsp cilantro / coriander leaves finely chopped for garnish

Steps

1. Cook soaked udad daal and rajma in a pressure cooker. This takes longer than regular tur or chana daal so be patient. You might have to cook for 7-8 whistles till the daal is overcooked.

2. In a cooking pan, heat the oil (or butter), add pounded ginger-garlic and let it fry. Add chillies and onions and continue frying till onions are light brown and translucent.

3. Add chili powder, turmeric and cumin-coriander powder and give it a nice stir with the onions.

4. Now slowly pour in the tomato puree and 1/4 cup of water. Add salt at this point as well. Mix well and let the puree cook for few minutes. You will start smelling the cooked tomato in few minutes.









5. Now slowly add the cooked udad and rajma to the pan, add remaining water and mix it well. Let the liquid come to a boil.








6. Add garam masala to daal at this point and stir it once again.

7. Cover the pan with a lid and let the daal slow cook for at least 20 minutes. Longer you cook, creamier it gets. Traditionally this daal is slow cooked overnight in a tandoor! Gone are those days ( or nights) of overnight cooking in this fast food era and 20- 30 minutes of cooking at this point does the trick for my perfect dining experience.






8. Now open the lid and gently pour the milk ( or cream). Mix again and cook for 10 more minutes.








9. Your creamy, luscious Daal Makhani is now ready to serve. Garnish it with coriander and lemon juice. Serve it hot with Roti / Naan / Jeera rice / Plain rice and papadam.. yumm yumm

Split Green Bean pancake

Mung dosa is perfect for your protein packed breakfast or light dinner. We love this recipe and its a regular feature on Sunday morning brunch. It is yummy and honestly not as difficult to make as it looks. So here are the simple steps for some yumm meal. 

Ingredients ( 6-8 medioum sized dosa or pancake)

- 1 cup split green mung beans ( mung daal with our without green cover)

- salt to taste

- cooking oil  

- 1/2 inch piece of ginger - pounded or 1/2 tsp ginger paste

- 2 cloves garlic - minced or 1/2 tsp garlic paste

- 1/2 cup water

Steps

- Soak mung beans for atleast 6-8 hours 

- Mix soaked mung beans, salt, ginger and garlic

- Add water only as you need to make a thick smoothie which can pour easily.

- Blend it very well till all the mung beans are crushed and it becomes a smooth batter.

- Now heat a flat pan and add little oil ( you need to do that only for the first pancake)

- Pour a table spoon full of batter at the center of the pan and quickly spread the batter working in circular motion and going outwards.

- Spray some oil on the edges and let it cook for few minutes. If the layer of batter is too thick then cover the pan with a lid so that it cooks well.

- You will see the edges turning dark, peel the pancake a little to see if it has the golden colour that you would like.

- Now peel the entire pancake/dosa and flip it on the pan. Let it cook for 30 more secs.

- Your pancake is now ready to serve.

- Enjoy it hot with your favourite chutney or ketchup.

- repeat the process by pouring fresh batter on the center of the pan.

Enjoy!!

Kesar (Saffron) Shrikhand

This is a favourite Indian dessert especially from Western states like Gujarat and Maharashtra. It is a must have sweet dish, eaten mostly as part of main course along with puris ( fried and puffy wheat bread) at weddings and festivals in many communities. I love to eat this dish as is (without bread) , whether its a festival or not and especially while we are away from our home land this luscious saffron yogurt makes any day a celebration.

Its Mahavir Jayanti today ( Jain Festival) and I had to stirr up this dessert to celebrate the day.

Ingredients ( makes 4 bowl)

- Plain yogurt made out of 1 litre low fat milk ( or get ready made plain low fat yogurt)

- 1 cup sugar

- 1 tsp roasted and powdered/pounded saffron

- 1/2 tsp cardamon powder
- 5-8 raosted and slivered pistachios for garnish

Alternate flavours

- Saffron and roasted almonds

- Mango pulp instead of saffron and cardamon

Steps

- Take a muslin cloth, place yogurt in the center and tie the ends of the cloth.

- Hang this cloth bag somewhere in the kitchen so that the water from the yogurt can easily strain out. Hang it for atleast 5 - 8 hours. You can also keep it overnight.

- After hanging you will get a heavy yogurt ( In India we also call it chakka, it is also yummy to eat it as is, with sugar or topping on fruits )

- Now take a big strainer and put a serving bowl below it. Add the heavy yogurt, sugar, saffron and cardamon powder in the strainer and start to slowly mix it while putting a gently pressure so that the mixture goes through the strainer.

- Taste the mixture below and add more sugar if you prefer.

- What you get below in the serving bowl is a smooth, luscious Saffron Shrikhand.

- Chill it in the fridge for few hours for better taste.

- Garnish with chopped pistachios.

yumm!

Tofu Masala

This is an adaptation of an Indian recipe of Paneer Masala where I have replaced paneer with Tofu. This recipe came about more out of desperation after a long period of resisting to alter classic Indian recipes with local ingredients such as Tofu. But my hubby and I love this recipe now and it is a regular feature on our dining table.

Ingredients ( recipe for 2)

- 200 gms firm tofu, cut into small cube or triangle shape of your choice

- 2 small tomatoes, puree it in blender

- 1/2 medium sized red onion chopped fine

- 1/2 Green bell pepper ( capsicum) cut small

- 1/2 cup skimmed milk ( add cream if your prefer)

Masala

- salt to taste

- 1 tsp red paprika / chilli powder

- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder

- 1 tsp corriander and cumin powder

- 2 full cardomon

- 1 med sized cinnamon

- 1 tsp oil

- 1 tsp ginger and garlic minced or paste

Garnish

- chopped corriander or cillantro

- lemon wedge

Steps: 

- Heat oil in a pan, add ginger and garlic paste till done and oil is freagrant.

- Add onion this oil and cook till its transperent

- Split the cardomon and add it to the oil with the cover, add cinnammon and rest of the masala and stir in the hot oil for a 30 secs

- Gently add the tomato puree and mix it well. Let the puree come to a boil

- Add the milk ( or cream) now and mix it at low flame. Your gravy is ready now.

- Add chopped tofu and green peppers to the gravy, cover the pan and let tofu soak the flavour for 8-10 mins on med flame. 

- Serve it in a bowl, garnish with cillantro and lemon/lime. 

- Enjoy it hot with Roti / naan / paratha or simple steamed rice.