Dal Makhani (Creamy Black Lentils)

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

2 cups whole black lentils (cleaned, washed and soaked overnight)

1 Tbsp. cooking oil

1 ½ cups tomato puree

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter

½ cup Fresh cream

5 tsp garlic paste

½ Tbsp. ginger paste

1 Tbsp. red chilli powder

1 Tbsp. Chopped Onions

salt as per taste

Method:

Put the drained lentils in a pan, add 1 litre water and 1 Tbsp. oil and bring to a boil. Reduce to very low heat, cover the pan and let it simmer for about 4 hours till cooked. Add garlic paste, ginger paste, red chillies and salt, and keep on regularly masasafoetida the lentils against the sides with a wooden spatula. Scrape off the lentils that cling to the sides of the pan as the liquid get evaporated and let it simmer for about 1 hour.

Now take a frying pan, add 3 Tbsp. butter and remaining oil, on medium heat. Add chopped onion, saute for two minutes then add tomato puree and saute for 5 minutes , add this onion –tomato mixture to the lentil mixture, continue to mash the lentils against the sides regularly with a wooden spatula. Again scrape off the lentils from the sides and let it simmer for another 1 hour. Stir-in the cream and remove from heat. Adjust seasoning and garnish with remaining butter.

Garlic Noodles with Vegetables

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp. sesame oil

1 Carrot (medium-sized chopped)

2 onions (medium-sized chopped)

1 cabbage (medium-sized chopped)

2 capsicum ((medium-sized chopped)

10 cloves of garlic (peeled and crushed)

500 gm noodles

1 Tbsp. Red Chili Sauce

1 Tbsp. Tomato sauce

salt to taste

Method:

Cook the noodles in a large pan, with plenty of boiling salted water to which a few drops of oil are added, till just tender with a bite. Drain and run cold water over noodles for about 5 minutes. Drain again.

Heat oil in a wok. Add vegetables and stir-fry for about 5 minutes. Add noodles , crushed garlic and salt in the wok, heat through, add both the sauces, toss for a minute on high heat till you get a good coating of sauce over the noodles.

Vegetable Chopsuey

Serves: 5

Ingredients:

1 potatoes (medium-sized and finely sliced) –Blanched

1 cup French beans (chopped)- Blanched

1 head of cabbage (medium, chopped)

½ Cup Tofu Cubed

1 Capsicum Diced

2 Tbsp. ginger paste

1 Tbsp. Corn Starch Slurry

1 Tbsp. Soy sauce

1 Tbsp. Garlic Paste

1 Tbsp. Spring Onion

salt to taste

3 cups water

Method:

Heat oil in a wok , on high heat, add chopped onion , in a minute add other veggies garlic paste , toss for a minute, add soy sauce and salt to taste . Add Water and bring to boil . Mash potatoes with a spoon to thicken gravy and stir in ginger paste and corn starch slurry. Garnish with Spring Onions.

Bharwan Parwal (Stuffed Wax gourd, pointed gourd)

Serves: 5-6

Ingredients:

10-12 Parwal (Wax Gourd)- Slit and deseeded

Cooking oil to deep fry

The Filling:

100 gm Bengal gram flour (Besan)

½ Tbsp. turmeric powder

2 Tbsp. clarified butter

½ Tbsp. cumin seeds

½ Tbsp. Fennel Seed

1 medium size onion (chopped)

4 green chillies (chopped)

½ Tbsp. fresh coriander(chopped)

½ Tbsp. dry mango powder

¼ Tbsp. black pepper powder

Salt to taste

Method:

Heat oil in a pan, add cumin seeds, fennel seeds wait for splutter, add onions, fry till golden brown. Add turmeric powder and Bengal gram flour , reduce heat. Roast well , add salt to taste. Once cooked, separate from the pan, add green chilies, fresh coriander, mango powder and black pepper. Mix well. Stuff the parwal with the filling. Shallow fry the stuffed parwal in a frying pan on medium heat , use clarified butter . Fry on all the sides of parwal , however be careful when frying on the open side.

Pudine wale Bhare Karele (Stuffed Mint Marinate Bitter Gourd )

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

250 gm bitter gourd

2 Tbsp. Mint Paste

2 tsp ginger paste

2 tsp garlic paste

1 tsp turmeric powder salt to taste

Stuffing of Bitter Gourd:

100 gm Roasted Gram Flour

50 gm peanuts

1 Tbsp. sesame seeds

1 onions (large, chopped and roasted)

2 inch piece of ginger (ground to a paste)

1 Tbsp. Spice Mix (garam masala)

2 green chilies

1 Tbsp. fresh coriander

1 Tbsp. tamarind pulp extract

1 Tbsp. jaggery (crumbled)

salt to taste

For Tempering:

1 Tbsp. oil

¼ Tbsp. cumin seeds

¼ Tbsp. mustard seeds

¼ Tbsp. fennel seeds

For Shallow Frying

2 Tbsp. Mustard Oil

Method:

Wash the bitter gourd, slit, rub salt and set side for 1 hour. Heat water in a bowl, add salt, ginger and garlic pastes and turmeric. Bring to a boil, add bitter gourd and blanch until soft. Drain and marinate with Mint Paste , keep aside.

Take peanuts, sesame seeds, cumin seeds and a roasted onion, in a blender, add little water and make a paste. Add ginger, green chillies, coriander, jaggery, tamarind paste and spice mix masala and salt with the paste and mix well.

Heat oil in a frying pan add cumin, fennel and mustard seeds, fry until they begin to splutter. Remove and pour over the paste, mix well

Stuff the mixture in each of the blanched bitter gourd and keep aside. In a shallow frying pan take 2 Tbsp. of Mustard oil, shallow fry the stuffed bitter gourd, be careful not to flip the open side. You can alternately bake the stuffed karelas (Bitter Gourd),arrange stuffed bitter gourd in a greased roasting tray with the open end on top, cover with foil, punch a couple of holes in the foil and cook in the pre-heated oven for 30 minutes. Remove and uncover.

Bajre Ki Roti (Millet Bread)

Ingredients:

250 gm bajre ka atta (millet flour)

2 Tbsp. Butter

salt to taste

100 ml lukewarm water

Method:

Sieve the atta with salt into a tray. Make a bay in the centre, pour water in it and start mixing gradually. When fully mixed, knead to obtain a soft dough. Cover with a moist cloth and keep aside for 30 minutes.

Divide into 8 equal portions, make balls of cover it for 10 minutes.

Flatten each ball between the palms to make a round disc, place the roti on a preheated griddle and bake for about 1 minutes on medium heat. Turn and continue to bake, gently pressing with a cushioned pad. Remove when the bread begins to puff up, it changes colour and is marked with dark patches. Serve with butter.

Arhar Ki Dal (Yellow Lentil)

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1Cup Yellow Lentil ( Reg Gram, Tuvar, Arhar) soaked in water for 30 minutes

¼ Tbsp. turmeric powder

1/2 Tbsp. coriander powder

2 tsp garlic (chopped)

2 tsp ginger (chopped)

¼ Cup Chopped Tomatoes

2 Tbsp. ghee/clarified butter 3-4 cloves

Pinch of asafoetida

salt to taste

Fresh coriander (chopped)

3 cups Water

Method:

Boil water in a pan and add the soaked dal with coriander powder, turmeric powder and salt. Cover and continue boiling till the water has almost evaporated and the dal softens. Add some boiled water and chopped tomatoes ,cover again and leave on a slow fire till it is soft to touch, but not overcooked.

Heat ghee in a pan and splutter the cumin seeds, cloves and asafoetida. Now add the chopped garlic and ginger pieces. Fry till golden brown and pour them over the dal. Garnish it with fresh coriander. Serve hot with steamed rice.

Amritsari Kulcha (Amritsari Baked Bread)

Makes: 8

Ingredients:

500 gm plain flour (maida)

1/2 cup clarified butter (desi ghee)

200 gm potatoes (peeled and grated)

175 gm cauliflower (washed and grated)

2 Tbsp. cottage cheese (grated)

2 tsp ginger (chopped)

1 Tbsp. coriander (fresh and chopped fine)

1 tsp coriander (seeds, broiled and crushed) | Tbsp. green chillies (deseeded and chopped) 1/4 cup onion (chopped)

1 tsp black pepper powder

1 tsp dried pomegranate seed powder (anaardaana) 1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp carom seeds

1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves

1 tsp garam masala

salt to taste

Method :

Mix all the Ingredients: except the salt, plain flour and clarified butter in a bowl and divide it into 8 equal portions.

Sieve the refined flour with salt into an open stainless steel platter (paraat). Pour some water in the sieved refined flour and start mixing till a soft dough is made. Keep aside this dough for about 30 minutes covered with a moist cloth. Add half the clarified butter, knead again and cover and keep aside the dough for another 10 minutes. Now, make eight balls from the dough and put aside for about 5 minutes. Now, put the balls on a floured surface one by one and go on flattening with a rolling pin into round discs of about 4-5 inch diameter. Put some filling in the middle of each such round disc, enfold the filling and then seal the edges. Flatten the disc again with a rolling pin, taking care not to let the filling ooze out. For cooking, one can either use a tandoor or an oven. In a tandoor, place the flattened disc on a cushioned pad and stick inside a moderately warm tandoor. Let the disc bake for 2-3 minutes and then take it out with tongs. While using an oven, place the disc on a greased baking tray and let it bake for about 10 minutes. After removing the baked kulcha, apply clarified butter or butter and serve hot.

Khubani ke Kofte (Apricot Kofta) (Kofta Stuffed with dried apricot )

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

250 gm bottle gourd (peeled and grated)

50 gm gram flour

50 gm paneer

2 Medium Size Potato (boiled and peeled)

5-6 Tbsp. cooking oil

1/4 cup clarified butter

2 green chillies (seeded and finely chopped)

1 inch ginger pieces (1 inch, finely chopped)

1 cup milk

4Tbsp. Cream

100 gm onions (pureed)

2 tsp garlic paste

1tsp ginger paste

1/2 tsp black pepper (freshly roasted and coarsely ground)

1/2 tsp black cardamom powder

8-10 dried apricot

10 blanched pistachio

2 green cardamoms

2 cloves

1 cinnamon stick

1 bay leaf

salt to taste

Method:

Put the bottle gourd in a pan, add a little salt and boil until cooked. Drain and then squeeze in a napkin to remove moisture.

Mix gram flour, potatoes, paneer, green chillies, ginger, pepper and salt with bitter gourd and knead well. Divide into 8-10 equal portions and make balls. Flatten the balls between the palms, place an apricot and piece of pistachio in the middle and make balls again.

Heat oil in a wok and deep-fry the balls over medium heat until golden brown. Drain out extra fat by using absorbent paper.

Now, heat clarified butter in a pan, add cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and bay leaf and stir over medium heat until cardamom begins to change colour. Add onion puree and stir until it is golden brown. Add ginger and garlic pastes and stir

Next, add cashew paste and stir-fry until specks of fat begin to appear on the surface. Add about 1 cup milk and 4 Tbsp. Cream add salt to taste and bring to a boil. Reduce to low heat and let it simmer for 2-3 minutes, stirring regularly. Add the fried balls made earlier and let it simmer for another 2 minutes. Sprinkle cardamom powder and garnish with ginger juliennes and apricot slices.

Aloo Jakhya (Potato Cubs Tempered with Jakhya seeds (Wild Mustard/ Dog Mustard Seeds)

Ingredients:

300 gm potatoes, (Small to medium size) Boiled and peeled

2 Tbsp. mustard oil

1 Tbsp. Jakhya seeds

a pinch of turmeric powder

salt to taste

For Garnish: Fresh red chillies and a sprig of fresh green coriander.

Method:

Heat the oil in a kadhai or thick bottomed pan and bring it to a smoking point. Reduce heat and sprinkle the Jakhya seeds, and wait till they crackle, add the pinch of turmeric powder and boiled potatoes. Stir well and sprinkle very little water just to moisten. Add salt cover and cook on very low heat till the potatoes are tender. Uncover and stir once or twice, sprinkling very small amounts of water whenever required. Serve hot, garnished with fried or roasted red chillies and fresh coriander leaves.