Dal Tadka

Last year when we visited Delhi I fell in love with Punjabi cuisine. I must say Punjabi food is simply the best! Yes they do use a lot of desi ghee (clarified butter) in all their food which makes it so rich and mouth watering. The most commonly curry I had there was “dal tadka’. Gosh! They are so delicious. Once i reached back home i always kept craving for them every now and then, and here’s a recipe that’s almost close to the one I had.

Ingredients:

Red lentils/Masoor dal – 1 cup

Onion – 1 chopped

Tomato – 2 medium, chopped

Garlic – 3 chopped

Water – 3 cups

Turmeric – ¼ tsp

Ghee – 1 tbsp

For tempering:

Ghee – 3 tbsp

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp

Dry red chillies – 2 to 3

Curry leaves – 1 sprig

Ginger – 1 inch, chopped

Hing – a pinch

Salt – to taste

Coriander leaves – for garnishing

Method:
Wash the lentils well in cold water until the water runs clear.

Heat ghee in a saucepan and add onions and garlic along with salt and turmeric. Sauté until the onions are transparent.

Add the chopped tomatoes and sauté for another 2 minutes

Add the lentils along with 3 cups of water. You can adjust the amount of water once the lentils are cooked according to your preference.

Stir and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, close with a lid and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until cooked. Once the lentils are cooked, give them a stir and adjust the amount of water as per your liking.

In another pan, heat the remaining ghee. Add mustard seeds and when they start popping, add the cumin, ginger, red chillies, hing and curry leaves.

Add it to the dal. Give it a quick stir and serve hot garnished with coriander leaves.

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Navaratna Kurma

The term navaratna means ‘nine jewels’. When the name comes to a dish, it’s obvious that it’s a dish made of nine different veggies and fruits.  Well here, I haven’t used all 9 jewels but added a few items that me and my hubby love.

But im sure you can add veggies as per your likeness. The actual fruit that you add in this recipe for the sweetness is pineapple but here as an innovation; I have used mango puree instead!

Ingredients:

Mixed veggies - 2 cups (i used cauliflower, corn, carrot, peas and potato)

Mango puree – 3 to 4 tbsp (make sure your puree is sweet enough. If you like biting your mango in the curry you can even add in chopped mango)

Paneer cubes - 5 to 6 (optional)

Cashew nuts - 10 (ground to a paste)

Onion - 1 large, chopped

Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp

Chilly - 3

Tomato paste - from 2 medium tomatoes

Tomato ketchup - 1 tsp

Milk - 1 cup

Water - 1/2 cup

Chilly powder - 1/2 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Coriander powder - 1 tsp

Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp

Garam masala powder - 2 tsp

Salt - to taste

Ghee - 1 tbsp

Method:

Boil or pressure cook the veggies until they are cooked. Keep aside.

Crush the green chillies with the ginger garlic.

Heat a pan, add ghee then onions. when they turn translucent, add the ginger, garlic n chilly paste. Fry until the raw smell goes away.

Add all the masala powders and fry for a minute. Add the tomato paste and ketchup. Cook until the raw smell of the tomato goes away.

Add milk & water and stir. Next add in the veggies & salt to taste and let them cook on sim for a while until the veggies are coated in the gravy.

Add in the cashew paste and mix well. Next add in the paneer cubes just before your are going to take them off. Then add the mango puree. Serve hot with rotis or parathas!

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Fish Curry

TAMIL NADU STYLE FISH CURRY

This is not how I usually make fish curry, but sometimes when I'm sick of eating the way I usually make, I try this version. It's quite easy to make and doesn't involve a lot of work. It actually tastes best when used the next day!

Ingredients:

Fish - 5 to 6 pieces (use any that you like)

Tamarind - lemon size

Shallots - 10 (chopped roughly)

Garlic paste - 1 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Coriander leaves - a few chopped finely

Turmeric - a pinch

Salt - to taste

Oil - 2 tbsp

To grind:

Coconut - 1/4 cup

Red chilly powder - 1.5 tsp

Coriander powder - 1.5 tsp

Fennel seeds - 1 tsp

Onion - 1 (chopped roughly)

Tomato - 1 (chopped roughly)

Method:

Before grinding the above ingredients, heat 1/2tsp oil in a pan and add the chopped onions. When they turn brown add the tomatoes. Sauté until the raw smell of the tomato goes away. Add these to the rest of the grinding ingredients with a little bit of water to make it into a smooth paste. Keep aside. 

Soak the tamarind in some warm water and take the pulp out. Keep aside. 

In the same pan add rest of the oil and add the mustard seeds. Wait for them to splutter. Add the shallots, curry leaves and garlic. When the shallots turn brown add the above grinded mixture, tamarind pulp and turmeric. Add water according to how thick or thin you want the gravy to be. Add salt to taste and let it boil in sim for 15-20 mins. 

Next add the cleaned fish pieces and allow the fish to cook in the boiling gravy until it is cooked well. Once the fish is cooked add the chopped coriander and remove from heat. 

Wait for atleast an hour  before you serve the fish. Serve with rice!

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