Daal Makhani (Red Kidney Beans in Onion-Tomato gravy)

My Bhabhi is an awesome cook. You taste her Daal Makhani and lick your fingers. You eat your stomach full and would still want some more.
Here’s her signature recipe. A must try…

Here’s what you’ll need:

1. Rajma (Red kidney beans) – 1 cup
   
2. Urad (Whole black gram) – 1/2 cup
   
3. Cream – 1/2 cup
   
4. Milk – 1/2 cup
   
5. Onions – ground to a paste, 1/2 cup
   
6. Tomato – pureed, 1 cup
   
7. Jeera (Cumin seeds) – 1/4 tsp.
   
8. Ginger garlic paste – 1 tsp.
   
9. Mirch (Chilly) powder – to taste or about 1 tsp
   
10. Dhania (Coriander) powder – 2 tsp
    
11. Garam Masala powder – 2 tsp
    
12. Oil – 1 tsp.
    
13. Butter – 1/2 tsp.
    
14. Paneer (cottage cheese) – grated, 1/4 cup
    
15. Hara Dhania (cilantro / coriander leaves) – finely chopped for garnishing
    
16. Water
    
17. Salt to taste

Here’s how you make it:
Clean, wash and soak the whole of Urad and Rajma overnight. It is important to wash before you soak, so you can use the same water for cooking. This locks the taste and nutrients into this dish making it rich. Next day add some salt (plus some more water, if needed) and cook till the beans are soft.
Heat some oil in a pan. Add onion paste, ginger garlic paste and sauté till the raw uncooked smell is gone.
Add tomato puree, garam masala powder, jeera, dhania powder, mirch powder and sauté till oil begins to separate from edges of the pan.
Fold in the cream and keep stirring all the while.
Once it begins to simmer, add the cooked beans and milk. Let it cook nicely with occasional stirring.
Turn off the heat and let this dish stand for about an hour.
Just before serving, re-heat, add butter and grated paneer and chopped hara dhania for garnishing.
You can serve this with tandoor roti or tawa roti or naan or kulcha or bread or even plain boiled rice.
Add a touch of Punjabi pickle on the side and ‘balle balle’! Prepare to get raving compliments!!
To get an interesting twist, you can turn this curry thingy into a snack. Add some spicy potato noodles (namkeen), chopped cucumber (kheera) plus tomato plus onion. Team it with some toast or bread sticks and a nice hot cup of chai!!!
Enjoy!!!

Batatyachi Kapa (shallow fried potato rings)

This is one of my brother's favorite dish. We always had a square meal at home. It was Rice, Daal (various lentil curries), Sabzi (Veggies) and Chhas (Curd / Yogurt), with a variety of pickles and/or papads. Sometimes we just got bored with it. Especially my brother who is not too fond of food that is not spicy or oily. So he would ask mom to make these tasty little potato rings instead of a veggie side dish. Typically on a rainy evening, this was what we all loved to munch on.

You can team this up with rice + daal or pulao or even make it as an evening snack with tea or eat it just like that with some ketchup / chutney. This has lot less oil compared to its deep fried cousin, so is healthier too.

You’ll need: Potatoes – 4 to 5, washed and skinned Semolina (or rice flour) – about 2 cups Oil for shallow frying Chilly powder to taste Salt to taste Water Preparation: Chop potatoes in little round shapes and put them in a bowl of salted water. This will make sure the potato rings do absorb salt but do not turn brown. Let them soak for about 15-20 mins. Sieve together some semolina (sooji) or rice flour with salt and red chilly powder. Leave this mixture dry. Heat a skillet (tawa or fry pan) and coat it lightly with some oil. Pat the potato rings into the dry mixture of semolina (or rice flour) and arrange on the skillet. Add about two teaspoons of oil and cook till done.

You can substitute some other veggies like the sweet potatoes, raw banana or even eggplant instead of potatoes.


Enjoy hot!!!