Lunch Menu - Masale Bhaat

Today am posting a simple yet mouth-watering lunch menu.  The combination that I have put together is that of, masale bhaat (masala rice), Dry Potato Subzi, rasam, and for sweet dish made aamras (mango pulp).  There is also rawa kesari here, since I made this combo meal on Satyanarayan puja day.

Starting with the recipes, the first one being MASALE BHAAT.  This is a Maharashtrian rice preparation.  A must have at all Maharashtrian weddings.  There are many variations to this wonderful spicy rice dish.  Here I have made this according to our preferences.  So my version of the recipe goes like this

Serves: 2

Preparation time: 15 mins
Cooking time: 20 mins

INGREDIENTS:

Rice	½ cup
Tendli (Ivy gourd)	15 (slit into 4 pieces)
Salt	As per preference
Water	2 cups (to cook rice)
Coriander leaves	To garnish
Grated coconut	1 tbsp (to garnish)
Green Peas	A handful
Cashew nuts	15-20 for garnish

To dry roast:

Black Pepper	6 nos	Dry red chillies	4
Big cardamom	1 no	Green cardamom	2 nos
Cinnamon	1 inch	Star anise	1 no
Cloves	3-4 nos	Stone flower (dagad phool)	2 nos
Coriander seeds	1½ tsp	Coconut	2 tbsp
Cumin seeds	1 tsp

To temper:

Oil/Ghee	2 tbsp
Cumin seeds	1 tsp
Bay leaf	1 no

METHOD:

1.      In a vessel (kadai, wok) dry roast the black pepper cinnamon and cloves together for a minute.  Keep them on a plate.  Then roast separately, the coriander seeds, cumin seeds.   (Roast them for a minute or two or till they get a very light golden colour on them).  Roast the green cardamom, big cardamom, star anise and stone-flower together for a minute. Roast the chillies till they puff up.  Lastly roast the coconut to a dark brown colour.

2.      Let this mixture cool.  Then dry grind it to a very fine powder.

3.      In a pressure cooker, add oil/ghee (keep this on a medium low flame).  Add cumin seeds.  Let them splutter.  Add the bay leaf.

4.      Then add the slit ivy gourd (tendli), Green peas and saute it for 2 mins.  Add the rice.

5.      Saute the rice for a minute.  Add the ground masala to it and mix well.  Add salt

6.      Add 2 cups of water to the rice and close the lid and keep this one high flame.  Cook this for one whistle.  Then let it simmer for 5 minutes on low flame.

7.      Once the pressure goes, transfer the rice in a serving dish and serve hot garnished with coriander leaves and grated coconut along with ghee roasted cashews nuts.  Enjoy this lovely rice preparation.

NOTES:

1.      I have given the quantity of ingredients which serves two people.  Kindly increase the quantity when making for more number of people.

2.      I have used fresh coconut here.  You can use dry coconut (kopra).  It will give a wonderful taste to the dish.

3.      Adding water completely depends on the rice.  So please add accordingly (how you would normally cook your daily rice).

I will be making different posts for the other recipes in this combo meal.  So keep looking as the recipes will be posted ASAP.

 

Dal Makhani

This is an easy dal recipe.  A buttery Punjabi dal if I may say so.  In India, we usually love to have a dal (lentil) in our daily diet, be it red or yellow lentils.  Since we tend to keep it simple on a daily basis. Occasionally making dal makhani is a welcome change.  Probably when you want to have restaurant like food at home. This dish has a rich texture and lengthy preparation process.  Usually, the authentic way to cook this dal is overnight.  But thanks to the modern amenities, cooking this at home would take about 2-3 hours, and tastes good too.  Though I must add that, the dal cooked the traditional way is the best. 

Originally introduced by Kundal Lal Gujral who opened the Moti Mahal Restaurant.  This lentil preparation is loved by almost everyone.  So here goes the recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

Whole black gram lentil (sabut urad)	½ cup
Red kidney beans (rajma)	2 tbsp
Ginger (grated)	2 inch
Butter	3 tbsp
Oil	1 tbsp
Cumin seeds	1 tsp
Onion (finely chopped)	1 big
Tomatoes (pureed)	¾
Garlic (finely chopped)	6 cloves
Garam masala powder	1 tsp
Red chilli powder	1 tsp
Cream	½ cup
Salt	1 tsp

METHOD:
1.      Wash whole black gram dal n rajma well and soak it overnight in 3 cups of water.
2.      Cook them in a pressure cooker along with half the ginger for up-to 10-15 whistles.  It should be very soft.  Just mash them a little once removed from the cooker.
3.      Heat a kadai, add butter and oil.  Add cumin seeds, when they begin to change colour add finely chopped onion and fry till golden brown.  Add the remaining ginger, garlic and pureed tomatoes.
4.      Saute well till the fat leaves the gravy.  Add the cooked dals to this gravy.  Add salt and a cup of water to this.
5.      Add garam masala and mix well.  Let this simmer well on low flame for at least 15 mins.
6.      Keeping aside two tbsp of cream, add the rest of the cream to the dal along with the chilli powder and mix well.
7.      Let the dal simmer for another 10 minutes more.  Remove into a serving bowl and garnish with cream.  Serve hot with naan, parantha or any roti of your choice.

NOTES:

1.      The dal and rajma should be very soft. 
2.      You could make this dish only in butter, but mixing butter and oil will help the butter not to burn.
 

Dum Aloo

Back again with a tempting veg recipe.  This is a potato preparation and who doesn’t love them.  Bake them, fry them, boil them the list is endless.  Made this dish with the combination of Dal Makhani, raita and Naan.  Thought I should include a rice preparation too, but decided against it.  As it was just me and hubby for lunch and we obviously couldn’t eat all that.

Let me begin, how I made this.  A very simple recipe with no much fuss or Garam masala.  (This one’s for u R).  Dal Makhani will be the next post. 

SERVES: 3-4
PREPARATION TIME: 15 MINS
COOKING TIME: 30 MINS

INGREDIENTS:

Baby potatoes	250 gms
Oil	2 tbsp+1½ tbsp
Black cardamom Onion	1 no 1 small
Ginger garlic paste	1 heaped tsp
Red chilli powder	1 tsp
Turmeric powder	½ tsp
Coriander powder	1 tsp
Tomato puree	Puree of 2 medium tomatoes
Cashew nut paste	2 heaped tbsp
Yoghurt	¼ cup
Salt	1 tsp or as per preference
Dry fenugreek leaves/ kasuri methi	1 tsp
Fresh cream	1 tbsp (for garnish)

METHOD:

1.       Peel and wash the potatoes well.  Blanch them for about 10 mins.  They will be half cooked. 

2.       Heat a non-stick wok (kadai), add 2 tbsp of oil and shallow fry the potatoes until cooked and golden brown.  Keep them aside.

3.       Boil sliced onion and black cardamom seeds in a tbsp. of water for about 2 mins.  Once cool grind them to a fine paste.

4.       Heat 1½ tbsp of oil in a wok and add the ground onion paste.  Cook till the oil separates.  Add ginger garlic paste and stir for a minute.  Add chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and mix well till everything is incorporated well. 

5.       Add the cashew nut paste, tomato puree and yoghurt.  Stir well again.  Add the potatoes to it and mix well so that, the potatoes get coated well with the gravy.

6.       Add about a cup of water and salt.  Let this simmer on low flame for 5-10 minutes.

7.       Finish it with kasuri methi and cream.  Serve hot.

NOTES:

1.       I have used normal potatoes, cut into cubes as I didn’t find baby potatoes.

2.       You can deep fry the potatoes for a richer taste instead of shallow frying them, then there is no need to blanch them.

3.       In case, you do not want to add yoghurt it can be substituted with the juice of 1 lime.

Chicken Hariyali

Hello again, today am putting back to back chicken recipes (for someone very special to me).  This is a gravy recipe as against the starter that I put up earlier.  This recipe is an easy one and also something that can be made in a jiffy as one usually has all these ingredients at home.  Just get the chicken and get started, what say!! 

SERVES: 2-3

PREPARATION TIME: 15 MINS

COOKING TIME: 30 MINS

INGREDIENTS:

Chicken	½ kg	Cinnamon	1 inch
Onion medium sized	4	Green cardamom	2 nos
Mint leaves (pudina)	½ a bunch	Ginger	1 inch
Coriander leaves	½ a bunch	Garlic	2-3 nos
Green chillies	3 nos	Stone flower(dagadphool)	2 nos
Cloves	2-3	Turmeric powder	¼ tsp
Bay leaf (tej patta)	1	Lemon juice	1 tbsp
Oil	2 tbsp	Salt	As per preference

METHOD:

1.      Clean the chicken and boil it in one cup water.

2.      Put a tablespoon oil in kadai (wok), heat the oil. Put tej patta, cloves, cinnamon, green cardamom, sliced onion, garlic and ginger and stir well till the colour becomes golden brown.

3.      Add stone-flower. Leave it to cool.

Method to make Hariyali Gravy:

Put green coriander leaves, mint leaves, green chillies and turmeric powder in mixer and grind to fine paste.

1.       Add the above sautéed mixture to the ground green masala and grind again.

2.      Put 1 table spoon oil in frying pan and add above Hariyali Gravy and stir it for 5 mins, on  medium flame.

3.      Add boiled chicken and stir for 2 mins.

4.      Add chicken stock and let it simmer for 10 mins.  This should be done on low flame.

5.      Add a dash of lemon juice, and topped with fresh cream and coriander leaves. Top of Form

6.      SERVE IT HOT WITH ROTI OR RICE

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