Tadka Daal with Egg (Green lentil curry with egg)

One of my favorite lentil curries to eat with naan or chapatti is the green moong daal. As many Indians are aware, this dish is a Punjab (Northern India)specialty and is available widely in the dhabas (roadside eat-outs) along the highways. I still remember as a kid, how I wished our driver stopped our car near one of those, to get some water or for something else and I could get the chance of coaxing my dad to get a plate of this absolutely delicious curry. Over the years, I developed the cooking style for this dish in different ways and this version to some extent let me connect to that roadside experience.

Ingredients:

For the Daal(Curry):

• Green Moong (whole) – 1 cup
• Rajma (kidney beans) – 1/3rd cup
• Onions – 3/4th medium Julienned
• Garlic – 3 cloves sliced finely
• Ginger – ½” piece grated
• Tomato (fresh) – ½ medium chopped fine.
• Turmeric – ½ tsp
• Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
• Red chilli powder(optional) – ½ tsp
• Green chillies(Thai or Indian) – 1 to 2 chillies chopped fine.
• Kasoori Methi(Dried fenugreek leaves) – 1 tbsp
• Cilantro – 1/3rd cup chopped
• Garam Masala – 1 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Ghee(optional) – ½ tsp
• Oil for cooking

For the Egg:

• Eggs – 2
• Onion and Garlic paste – ½ tbsp
• Salt to taste

Method:

• Wash and soak both the green moong and rajma overnight
• Boil the daal mentioned above with salt until they are done.
• Heat oil in a pan and add the cumin seeds and wait for them to splutter.
• Add the onions and fry till they change color.
• Add the garlic and ginger to it and stir fry them. Be careful not to burn the garlic.
• After a couple of minutes or so, add the tomato and fry well.
• Add the turmeric, red chilli powder , green chillies and cook until oil starts surfacing up.
• Add the daal at this point and mix well. During this process take a ladle or spoon and mash the daal here and there. This would give a texture to the curry.
• Now add the kasoori methi to it and simmer while you prepare the eggs separately.
• To prepare the eggs, whisk the two eggs along with the onion-garlic paste in a bowl.
• Take a small pan and heat a little oil in it.

• Add the egg mixture and stir briskly to scramble very fine.
• Once the eggs are semi-crispy, add it to the simmering daal.
• Add hot water to the daal if it looks too thick.
• Now add the garam masala and ghee. Adjust the salt if needed.
• Garnish it with cilantro and serve with hot Indian breads like chapatti or naan.

Notes:

• If you are a vegetarian or in a mood for it, you can skip the entire process of adding the egg to the daal.
• Also, in earlier days I used to drop the whisked eggs directly to the simmering daal. This is slightly tricky but works fine. In this case the eggs should be seasoned with salt and pepper only. The method is to stir the daal fast as you slowly pour in the whisked eggs. This will automatically form broken strings of eggs in the daal. However, over the years I found out that scrambling separately has a little more advantage in terms of flavor. Also, one could taste the eggs a little more then what I call the “egg-drop” method.

Aam Kheer (Fresh mangoes in sweetened milk)

The summer months always bring a lot of different colors with it. Though we are constantly finding our ways to beat the heat, we actually enjoy this fight. This is because the rewards are simply awesome. We get a chance to revisit the wardrobe and make a list of swimming gears and summer clothes that we need to buy. We get to plan on the summer vacation when the school is out. However, to top the list of the goodies that come with summer, there are the summer fruits. One of the most popular summer fruits is mango. Back in India there used to be varieties of this fruit like himsagar, lengra, golapkhus and more. Here, in the United States, my favorite is the Kent.

One other thing that is almost symbolized by a mango is the “Jamai Shashti”, an auspicious day for the son-in-law to be blessed by the mom-in-law. Traditionally, the mom-in-law is supposed to be on a fast and then cook an awesome lunch or dinner for the son-in law. This would also include a huge platter of all summer fruits, dominated by mangoes.

This year my mom got this chance for the first time and was hyperactive on it. She even wanted me to chant something sixty times, during shower with a mango in my hand. Obviously I sneaked my way out of it, phew! She of course put her best effort by fasting and cooking, the result of which was awesome. Thanks Maa!!

Ingredients:

• Whole Milk – 2 cups
• Evaporated Milk – 1 can (12oz.)
• Condensed Milk – ½ can (8 oz.)
• Sugar – 3/4 cup (approx.)
• Saffron threads (kesar) – a pinch
• Cardamom seeds (pounded) – ½ tsp (optional)
• Mangoes (fresh) - 1 medium

Method:

• Heat the whole milk in a pan. Bring it to a rolling boil and then turn the heat down to medium. Keep on stirring so that the milk dies not stick to the bottom of the pan.
• Add the evaporated milk to it. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Keep stirring from time to time.
• Add the condensed milk and continue till the mixture is reduced to almost ¾th of the original volume.
• Add sugar and adjust the sweetness of it. Wait till the sugar melts completely.
• Add the saffron threads and cardamom seeds to it and turn off the heat.
• Cool the prepared mixture completely.
• In the meantime cut ½ of the mango into tiny bite sized pieces. Keep them aside.
• When the prepared milk has completely cooled down, stir in the mango pieces to it.
• Refrigerate the above for about 5 – 6 hours. This will help the mango flavor to get infused into the kheer.

• Serve chilled, garnished with sliced mango pieces.

Notes:
• Try to use sweeter mangoes so that the milk does not get affected by the acidity.
• You can use canned mangoes, too.
• Make sure that the kheer is not even a bit warm. It should be at the room temperature or even cooler before you add the mangoes.

Enchorer Shammi Kabab (Green Jackfruit Kabobs)

I have been thinking about making something different out of green jackfruit than the usual curry. I remember, last time when I was in India, we had this nice lunch at “Oh! Calcutta” and one of the things that I ordered was “mochar shammi kabab”. That dish, in a way, was my inspiration to make enchorer shammi kabab.

Now if you want, you can even have a taste of this. That is, without actually making it yourself. Did you say “how?”

Please visit the “Char-Murti” food stall at the Anandamela 2010 by Bay area Prabashi on 26th June, 2010 and this is one of the items in the menu. So please come by and have a taste of this along with other typical Kolkata street food like egg-rolls, chicken rolls and Bengali traditional sweets like pathishapta, kanchagolla and more…For more information, please visit:
http://prabasi.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=95&Itemid=62

Ingredients:

• Enchor (Green Jackfruit) – 1 can (280 gram)
• Potatoes – 1 large or 2 medium
• Onion paste – 1 medium onion
• Garlic paste – 1 ½ tsp
• Ginger paste – 2 tsp
• Red chilli powder – 2 tsp
• Garam masala powder – 1 ½ tsp
• Chaat masala – 2 tsp
• Ajwain powder – 1 tsp
• Raisins – ¼ cup
• Chana daal – ¼ cup
• Bread crumb – 1/3 cup
• Salt to taste
• Oil for frying the kababs

Method:
• Soak the chana daal overnight.
• Boil the jackfruit along with the potatoes till they are done.
• Mash them with the help of a masher or any other tool.
• Drain the chana daal and grind it to a fine paste with least possible amount of water.
• Heat a little oil (about a tablespoon) in a deep vessel and add the onion, ginger and garlic to it.
• Fry till water evaporates.
• Add the mashed jackfruit and potatoes to it. Mix it really well.
• Add the rest of the spices and raisins and continue to stir.
• Add the chana daal paste and continue mixing till it starts forming a dough-like shape.
• Turn off the heat and let the mixture cool down a little.
• While the mixture is still a little warm, add the bread crumbs and knead well.

• Make little round balls from the mixture and flatten them a little to shape like kababs.
• Deep fry the kababs in another vessel and serve it with the sauce or ketchup of your choice. I’d love mine with green chilli sauce or coriander chutney.

Notes:
In case of canned green jackfruit, if the can says “in Brine,” the green jackfruit tends to have a sour taste. In order to remove that sour bias, wash the green jackfruit pieces thoroughly and then soak them in a light sugar-water mixture for 6 – 8 hours.

Paneer Paratha (Indian bread with spicy cottage cheese stuffing)

The team building …
I would perhaps never forget the day when, for the first time, this dream became a reality in my kitchen. It was our marriage anniversary, and the big boy and I were driving home from work. As we finished planning the evening, a very dear friend called us to wish. It was a pleasant surprise for me because I did not expect anyone to call us for this occasion. After the initial wishes and thanks, he put forward the usual question, “What are your plans for dinner?” All excited about the plan, I said “We are going to make paneer paratha at home.” I could tell from the momentary silence that he was really surprised, but being a person of good judgment, he appreciated our effort.

I had no idea about the amount of work involved. But since it was a team effort (one of those rare occasions), it wasn’t too sweaty. The evening was rewarded with a creation worthwhile.

Ingredients:
• Whole wheat flour (for chappati) – 1 ½ cups; more for rolling out the parathas
• All-purpose flour – 1 cup
• Paneer – ½ lb
• Cumin powder- ½ tsp.
• Chat Masala or Amchur powder – ¼ tsp.
• Cilantro chopped fine
• Red chilli powder- ½ tsp or as per you taste
• Garam Masala- 1 tsp.
• Asafetida (Hing) – 1/8 tsp.
• Oil – 1 tbsp for kneading and additional amount as required for frying the Parathas
• Hot Water for kneading – 1 cup
• Salt to taste

Method:
• Sift the whole wheat flour and all purpose flour along with salt.
• Add the 1 tbsp of oil into the mixture and rub it well.
• Slowly add the hot water and knead the mixture till soft but not sticky.
• Divide the dough into smaller rounds, keep aside.
• Grate the paneer fine with any kind of food processor or grater.
• Add the cumin powder, red chilli powder, chat masala, garam masala, asafetida, salt and cilantro.
• Mix the above mixture well.

• Take each of the dough balls and create a little dent in it such that it looks like a little bowl.
• Take 1 tsp of the paneer mixture and place it into the dent created.
• Pinch the edges to seal the mixture inside.
• Roll the dough ball lightly between palms.
• Sprinkle flour on the wooden board and roll out the prepared dough balls into the shape of a tortilla. Add enough flour such that the parathas do not stick to the wooden board or the rolling pin.
• Do not press too hard, else the stuffing could come out.
• Heat the frying pan and dry roast the parathas for about 5 to 10 sec on each side.
• Heat a little oil in a pan (about 1 tbsp.) and shallow fry the parathas. Make sure they are blistered and charred a little on each side.
• Serve with plain yogurt and achaar (spicy condiment). Enjoy!!

Notes:
One should try to grate the paneer as fine as possible. This would enable you to put in a little extra stuffing. Also, the dry roasting of the parathas enables to get a crispy texture when shallow fried in oil.

Butter Chicken (Chicken pieces in a smooth and spicy gravy)

Over the last couple of weeks, I received several requests for chicken recipe. The recipe I am going to describe today is that of one of my favorite party dishes. This is also one of those preparations with which I started making chicken dishes. With several slight modifications made to the recipe over the years, the present form is quite different from my first venture on it.


I have used game hen for this recipe because the meat is softer than usual Tyson or Foster Brand chicken. One can also use boneless chicken for this.

Ingredients:

• Chicken - 1 ½ lbs. (1 game hen approx.) cut into medium pieces
• Onion – ½ medium onion
• Garlic - 2 cloves
• Ginger - ½” piece
• Green Chillies (Thai/Indian) - 2 to 3
• Tomato Paste - 1 ½ tbsp
• Yogurt - 2 tbsp
• Turmeric - ½ tsp
• Red Chilli Powder - 1 tsp
• Heavy whipping cream - 2-3 tbsp
• Kasoori Methi (Dried fenugreek leaves) - 1 tbsp
• Garam Masala – 1 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Coriander Leaves – ¼th cup chopped
• Butter for cooking – ½ stick (approx.)
• Oil – a little

Marinade:

• Yogurt - ½ cup
• Tandoori Masala – 2 tbsp
• Lemon juice – 1 tbsp
• Garam Masala - ½ tsp.
• Salt – 1 tsp
• Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
• Garlic Paste – 1tsp
• Ginger Paste - 1 tsp
• Oil or ghee – 1tbsp

Method:

• Mix the marinade ingredients along with the cut chicken pieces and keep aside for a minimum of 2 hours.
• Pre-heat the oven at 350 F.

• After the chicken pieces have been marinated well, line them in a foil wrapped bake ware and bake them in the oven for about 30 minutes. Brush the pieces from time to time with ghee/oil so that the chicken does not become dry.
• Turn off the oven and keep aside the baked chicken pieces.
• In the meantime make a fine paste of Onion, garlic, ginger and green chillies.
• Heat ¾ of the butter in a wok. Be careful not to burn it. To prevent burning, heat the butter with a little oil.
• Fry the above mentioned onion paste until the paste changes color.
• Add tomato paste and cook till the paste has blended well with rest of the mixture.
• Add the turmeric, red chilli powder, and sauté briefly.
• Whisk the yogurt a little and add it to the wok.
• Fry the mixture now until the oil starts surfacing up.
• Add the kasoori methi and give it a quick stir.
• Now add the chicken pieces and coat them with the spice in the wok. Excessive stirring might make the chicken fall apart. Therefore, stir carefully.
• Slowly add the whipping cream and stir gently.
• Add a little water and check the consistency of the gravy. It should be neither too thick nor too thin.
• Once the gravy starts to boil, turn off the stove.

• Heat the remaining ¼ butter in another smaller vessel. Once hot, add the garam masala to it.
• Once this mixture starts to sizzle, pour it over the chicken in the wok and stir it gently.
• Sprinkle the coriander leaves and serve it with hot rice.

Notes:

• I used tandoori masala by Shan. You may use any variety. Sometimes tandoori masala do not have the orange color in it. In that case you can add the color separately. You’ll need just a pinch of that.
• The last part of the recipe calls for the heated butter and garam masala from the top. This is popularly known as “chhnok” in north India or “phoron” in Bengali. The main difference is that phoron is performed at the beginning before anything is put in the oil and chhnok is done at the very end. The two processes have slightly little different results though.