Chewy fudgy Brownies

 

 

I was in a mood for some chewy fudgy brownies. I didnt want to make them using the readymade box mixes that are laced with chemicals and preservatives. They taste good no doubt but check on the ingredients. Bleached flour, transfat, artificial flavors, processed stuffed all likely genetically modified too. It saves time but you really dont want your kids eating all the chemicals. Now that I have a toddler I am always looking for fresh homemade recipes for her. Plus my husband loves brownies too, so wanted to try these fudgy brownies from scratch. Here is a very basic fudge type brownie recipe I read in an old cook book.

Ingredients:-
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 eggs
2 (1 Ounce unsweetened chocolate squares, melted)
1/2 cup sifted all purpose flour
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1. Cream butter, sugar and vanilla together.
2. Beat in the eggs. Do not overbeat. Just enough to incorporate.
3. Blend in the melted chocolate
4. Stir in flour and nuts.
5. Bake in greased 8x8x2-inch square pan or any brownie pan you have at 325 deg for 30 to 35 mins
6. Cool and cut in 16 squares.

 

Bombay Biryani

 

During the late 90s I worked in Mumbai for a few years and I used to frequently visit one of the most famous biryani joints in south mumbai - "Noorani cafe" in Mahalaxmi. In 90's and early 2000 this place was great and food was awesome. I don't know whether its still popular now. Its been ages since I went there. But I still remember their chicken and mutton biryani. Not too spicy, not too oily and just the right amount of flavor. The cafe had a decent ambience, reasonable prices and used to be packed with people all the time. Whenever someone talks about bombay biryani I always remember nooranis. So yesterday I tried the bombay biryani recipe at home. Miles away from India, I know I cannot think of going to mumbai for my favourite biryani so why not make biryani at home and enjoy. I had a packet of Laziza bombay biryani masala given to me by my aunt. It is one of the best bombay biryani masalas I have ever had. I tried Shan bombay biryani mix but it was way too spicy for me. Laziza biryani masala can be found in Indo-pak stores here in the US. I kind of liked it because its not too spicy, very flavourful and had loads of dried plums in the masala. I love plums. This gave my biryani a mild tangy flavor. You can use any bombay biryani masala of your choice and make this mouth-watering bombay biryani. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:-

1 pound chicken cut and washed. (You can use both boneless or with bones)

2 cups Basmati rice soaked for 30mins

5- Onions (medium sized finely sliced)

4- Tomatoes medium sized (chopped)

4- Potatoes medium sized (peeled and cut in 4 pcs)

1 cup- Yoghurt (beaten)

1 cup- Ghee/Cooking Oil ,

Few strands of saffron soaked in 2 tblsp milk

 

4 tblsp- Laziza Zafrani Bombay Biryani Masala

 

1. Fry onions till becomes golden. Put cut tomatoes & fry till oil/ghee separates.
2. Add chicken, Bombay Biryani Masala, potatoes and yoghurt, fry for 10-15 minutes
3. Now stir fry on high flame to make masala thick & ghee/oil separates.
4. Separately boil soaked rice in 12 glasses of hot water with 3 tablespoons of salt till half tender. Drain water thoroughly.
5. Form 1 layer of rice. Spread the cooked chicken masala. Then form third layer on it with the remaining rice. Sprinkle the soaked saffron on the rice
6. Cover the lid and seal the edges of the pan with an aluminium foil
7. Place it on a hot tava or a griddle on a very low heat until the rice is fully cooked.

Serve hot with raita or plain yogurt.





Date Cake with Chocolate Glaze

 

 

 

 My husband loves cakes and I am always looking for new and interesting cake recipes. Most of the times I try and use up the fruits that are lying around in the house and bake cakes with them. That way I dont have go around buying too many ingredients all the time. Yesterday while I was reading the latest issue of food and wine magazine I came across this interesting date cake recipe.  I had a box full of dates at home so I thought of giving this recipe a try. I made a few changes to the recipe. Must say the cake turned out very moist, flavourful and delicious. This recipe called for caramel sauce over the cake, I made chocolate glaze instead of the caramel sauce knowing that my hubby loves chocolate and plus chocolates and dates go well together. Here is the recipe.

 

Ingredients:-

12 ounces -pitted dates

2 tblsp-dark rum

2 tblsp-brewed espresso coffee (You can also use instant coffee)



1 cup -all purpose flour

3/4 cup water

1 cup-cake flour (If you dont have cake flour make it at home, recipe given below)

11/2 tsp-baking soda

1/2 tsp-cinnamon

1/2 tsp-freshly grated nutmeg (you can also use powder)

1/8 tsp-ground cloves

pinch of salt

1 1/2 sticks of butter

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 cup chocolate chips

4 large eggs (at room temp)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 deg. Butter and flour 9-by-3-inch round or a bundt pan.
2. In a microwave safe bowl cover the dates with rum, coffee and water and heat it on high power for 2 minutes
3. Transfer to a food processor or a blender and let it stand for about 10 minutes or until the dates are softened. Puree it until smooth.
4. In a bowl add all purpose and cake flour, add baking soda, salt, nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon.
5. In another bowl using an electric mixer beat the butter and sugar until fluffy, add eggs one at a time and beat until incorporated.
6. Add the pureed date mixture and then add all the dry ingredients and beat on a low speed until incorporated. Coat the chocolate chips in 2 tblsp all purpose flour and mix in the batter.
7. Pour the batter in the pan and bake in the center of the oven for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
8. Let it cool for 15 mins and then invert the cake and drizzle some chocolate glaze.

Chocolate Glaze

Ingredients:

2 tblsp-butter

2 ounces -unsweetened chocolate
1 tsp-vanilla essence

1 cup-sifted confectioners' sugar

2 tblsp-boiling water


1. Melt together the butter and chocolate.
2. Stir in the sifted confectioners' sugar and boiling water.
3. Beat until smooth. Let it cool down and then add the vanilla essence.
4. Drizzle over cake.
5. Add more sugar or boiling water to get the desired consistency.

Cake flour recipe

Some cake recipes call for cake flour, sometimes its not easy to find at department stores and plus its very expensive. I looked up a few recipes online and found this easy and inexpensive way of making cake flour at home. No need to buy cake flour anymore.

1. Measure out the all-purpose flour you'll need for the recipe.
2. For every cup of flour you use take out 2 tblsp from it and replace it with cornstarch.
3. Sift cornstarch and flour together. Sift many times as the cornstarch needs to be well incorporated with the all-purpose flour.
4. Your cake flour is ready!

 

 

 

PUNJABI SAMOSA



 





 

Growing up I remember whenever we had guests at home the first thing we would serve them was chai and delicious punjabi samosas with sweet and sour imli chutney bought from the sweet shop just below our house in pune. God! they were delicious, I think that was a reason we loved having guests at home so that we get to eat this all time favourite snack. Most of the times you can never stop at one, I mean common, atleast 3 if not more. Whenever we would go to visit our relatives and if they didnt serve samosas that was a big turn off. No visiting them next time.. they didnt even serve us samosas!!!! that is a sin! how can you not serve samosas when someone comes to visit you :). Having crispy flaky plump samosas with a generous helping of imly chutney would bring so much joy in our lives and it still does. Unfortunately here in south florida I rarely came across a good samosa, sometimes they are hard, sometimes salty, at times the masala is way to spicy. Even if we manage to find a decent samosa they never serve it with the yummy imli chutney. After a series of bad experiences I finally gave up eating samosas at  Indian restaurants. I decided to make them at home. Here is a punjabi samosa recipe that is a little closer to what you get in India.

 

Ingredients:- for the shell

2 1/2-cups all purpose flour

1 tsp-Ajwain

1 tsp-Salt

4 tblsp-ghee

 

Ingredients - for the filling

5 potatoes - boiled and mashed

2 tblsp- ghee

1inch piece of ginger-finely chopped

1 tsp-cumin seeds

1 1/2 tsp-amchur powder (mango powder)

1 tsp-red chilli powder

2-green chillies finely chopped

1 tsp-coriander powder

1 tsp-punjabi garam masala

1 tsp-anardana (pomegranate seeds)

1 tblsp-coriander seeds

2 tblsp-raisins

3 tblsp-cashew nuts (broken in half)

1 cup fresh peas-blanched (cooked in hot water for a min)

Salt to taste.

Oil for frying

1. Mix flour, ajwain, salt and ghee and rub it with your hands to form a consistency of bread crumbs.
2. Add little water and make a stiff dough, cover it with a damp cloth and let it rest.
3. Meanwhile add ghee in a pan, add cumin seeds, ginger and let it cook for 1 min. Add the mashed potatoes.
4. Now add amchur, red chilli powder, garam masala, coriander powder and salt.
5. Dry roast coriander and pomegranate seeds, crush them and add to the masala. 
6. Add peas, raisins and cashew nuts. Mix well. Allow the masala to cool down.
7. Take a small round portion of the dough and roll it in a round shape using a rolling pin.
8. Cut into two halves. Each of the cut portion should look like a half moon.
9. Take one portion and join the two corners of the straight line to form a cone, hold it upside down and fill it with a tbsp of the masala.
10. Apply water around the corner and seal the edges tightly.
11. Repeat the same process with the other half.
12. Deep fry in oil.  
13. Serve hot with ketchup or imli chutney.
14. Dont worry about the shapes of the samosas. They dont have to be perfect.

 Dates and imli chutney.

Ingredients:-
2 cups- pitted dates deseeded
1/4 cup- tamarind (imli), deseeded
1 cup-grated jaggery (gur)
1 tsp- chilli powder
 salt to taste
1 tblsp-Fennel seeds
4 cups-water

1. Wash dates and tamarind and place them in a pan. Add salt, jaggery, chilli powder and salt.
2. Add water and simmer on a moderate heat for 30 mins.
3. Cool and strain the mixture through a sieve.
4. Heat about 1 tsp oil, add the fennel seeds and cook until light brown. Add the fennel seeds to the chutney.
5. Cool in the fridge and then serve.

Tips/notes:-
Try and roll the dough as thin as possible but not so thin that it breaks. This makes the shell crispy.
Do not fry in very hot oil. Start with a very low flame, let the outer coating get a slight light brown color and then increase the flame in the last 5 mins so that the samosas gets fully cooked.

 

 

 

 

 





 





Baigan da bharta

Spicy Eggplant mash

 

 

I generally dont like eggplants unless I eat "bharleli vangi" (stuffed eggplants) a typical maharastrian dish or bharta. Just simple aloo baigan is not my cup of tea. My husband loves bharta and yesterday he got a big eggplant and asked me to make it. Traditionally if you make bharta you have to roast eggplants directly on fire allowing the skin to get charred, blackened and you have to keep turning them so all sides are done. Then place it in water, let the skin come off , mash it and then start the process of making the masala. It is easy if you have a have a cook top that runs on gas. But if you have a glass cooktop that runs on electricity, you have to slow roast the eggplants in the oven and it could take anything between 45 mins to an hour for the whole process. This is the reason I would always avoid making bharta until my mother-in-law showed me this easy and simple recipe. Now I make bharta almost every two weeks and it tastes just as delicious as the roasted one.

 

Ingredients:-

1 big fat eggplant not small round or slender ones. - Peeled and grated

1 big onion-thinly sliced

2 potatoes - cut in cubes (optional)

1 tblsp- Ginger garlic paste

1 tblsp -cumin seeds

2 Green chilies finely sliced

1 large tomato - finely chopped

Chilli powder - as per your taste

1 tsp-Turmeric Powder

1 tsp - garam masala powder

1/2 cup frozen or fresh green peas

4 tblsp oil

Cilantro leaves finely chopped

 

1. Wash, peel and grate the whole eggplant using a big grater. Keep it aside.
2. In a wide pan heat oil, add cumin seeds and let it splutter. Add chopped onions and cook until translucent.
3. Add ginger garlic paste and cook for about 5 mins, add in the green chillies.
4. Now add the diced tomatoes and potatoes together. You can omit the potatoes, I have to add them since my hubby loves potatoes A LOT :)
5. Add all the spices and let it cook for about 5 mins, then add the grated eggplant and peas.
6. Cook on a low heat, it would take about 35 mins or until the eggplants are completely mashed and the oil seperates.
7. Garnish with cilantro leaves.

Serve with flat breads like parathas, naan or simple plain roti.




Urad dal and Corn Vade

(Skinned black gram and corn fritters)

 

 

 

 

It was cold rainy day today in South Florida, infact the weather here is nice and chilly for the past few days. So much better than most of the country where people are freezing in bitter cold. Anyways, a nice excuse to eat something fried. So myself and my neighbour "aunty rani" thats what we call her got together and made these crispy fried fritters. If you have urad dal and corn at home, you can throw in a few ingredients and make these vades on a cold rainy day.

 

Ingredients:-

 1/2 cup corn kernels - drained from a can and washed.

1cup Urad dal soaked for 2 hours

1/2 an onion finely sliced

1 tblsp clinatro leaves finely sliced

2 stalks of scallions finely chopped

A thin slice of ginger finely chopped

2 green chillies finely chopped

1 tsp cumin seeds

Canola oil for frying

Salt to taste

1. Blend urad dal in a blender using little water. Make a smooth paste.
2. Take the urad dal out and blend corn kernels coarsely
3. Mix the rest of the ingredients and press to make small flat balls
4. Heat oil in a wok
5. Drop into hot oil and fry in medium flame till both sides turns golden brown. You can fry three to four vadas in each batch.

Enjoy these hot crispy Vades with ketchup, mint chutney or just plain coffee/tea.

 

 

Tips/notes:-

Check the temperature of the oil before you start frying. If the oil is too hot the Vades will turn brown quickly and remain uncooked from inside. To check the temperature drop a tiny piece into the hot oil and it should rise immediately. Reduce the flame and then start frying.

 

 

 

 

Lemon Strawberry cake with Chocolate Fudge frosting 

 

 

I had fresh strawberries lying around at home and everytime I see fruits I am tempted to try out some new recipes. Most of the times I end up making cakes with them. Tried making cakes with most of the fruits till date and sometimes I surprise myself with the outcome. The cakes turn out so delicious and at times they are a disaster. I remember once I saw a bunch of bananas at home and I made a banana chocolate chip loaf recipe. I dont know where I went wrong in the process the end result was so embarrasing. The cake turned out hard, dense and a total mess. There goes hours worth of hard work and a bunch of good organic bananas down the drain. After that everytime hubby dear gets bananas he warns me not to touch them except if I want to eat them. Anyways, I will someday make the same cake again and hopefully not mess it up. Ok so where were we, about the strawberries, so yesterday I made a lemon strawberry cake. I read the recipe in a cook book once and made a few changes of my own. Moist and lemony this cake has an unusual combination of lemons, strawberries and chocolate. It also gets much of its depth of flavour from addition of extra virgin olive oil. The cake turned out moist, soft and you can taste the lemons and strawberries both without one overpowering the other.

 

Ingredients:-

13/4 cups all-purpose flour

11/2 tsp double-acting baking powder

1 cup sugar

Zest of 1 1/2 lemons

4 large eggs at room temperature

3 1/2 tblsp whole milk

1 1/2 tblsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

7 tblsp unsalted butter melted and still warm

2/3 cup mild extra virgin olive oil

1 pint fresh strawberries cut in pieces.

 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 deg F. Butter a 10-inch round pan, dust it with flour.
2. Sift the flour and baking powder together and keep aside.
3. Put sugar and lemon zest in a bowl and rub them together with your palms until the sugar becomes moist and aromatic.
4. Add the eggs one at a time and beat on a medium high speed until the mixture is pale and thick, about 3 minutes approx.
5. Lower the speed and beat in the milk,add the dry ingredients slowly, beating until they are mixed.
6. Add lemon juice, warm melted butter and olive oil again beating until the mixture is completely blended. The batter will be runny and thin.
7. Pour about half the batter in the pan, top with cut strawberries to cover the whole batter. Pour the rest of the batter covering all the strawberries.
8. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes depending on your oven or until a knife inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
9. Once cooled take it out and cover with the chocolate fudge frosting.

 

Chocolate fudge frosting



Ingredients:-

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup milk

5 tablespoons butter

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

 

1. Put sugar, milk and butter in a sauce pan.
2. Bring to a boil, while stirring constantly.
3. Remove from heat and add the chocolate chips.
4. Whip beat until creamy and cooled.

 

Spread evenly on the cake and decorate with fresh cut strawberries.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 





 

Achari Aloo Chana with Puri

 

 

 

Another regular in every punjabi household is "Chole" also known as chana, chickpeas. A must dish  twice a month atleast if not more. But after years and years of eating chole you want to look for more innovative or tasty ways of making the same good old chole. You can make it in sooo many ways like chana masala- simple and all time favourite, chana ghosht- chana masala simmered with goat meat, chana palak- palak and chana simmered together with various spices, chana rajma - rajma and chana cooked together, dahi waale chole- liberal use of yogurt in this recipe to make a tangy gravy. So here is another way of making chole that I tried last night. Its a tangy spicy achaari chole gravy made with "Achaar" pickle masala.

 

Ingredients :-

2 cups Chole - soaked overnight (you can also use canned)

1 medium onion - finely sliced

2 medium potatoes - optional

Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tbls

Mango achaar masala - 1 tsp (available in any indian grocery store)

A piece of mango achaar - any mango pickle available in your home

Salt - to taste

Turmeric - 1 tsp

Coriander powder - 1 tsp

Kalonji (onion seeds) - 1 tsp

Chilli powder - as per your taste

Fresh Cilantro - for garnishing

 

1. Pressure cook the chole using double the amount of water. Cook for 2 whistles. Check if the chole are done but not too done or mushy.
2. In a pot heat about 4 tbls oil, add the chopped onions and cook until brown.
3. Add the ginger garlic paste and cook for about 5 minutes.
4. Add turmeric, salt, chilli powder, coriander powder and cook for about a minute. Add in the potatoes ( its optional my husband loves potatoes so I have to add it almost everything I cook but you can omit potatoes if you dont like it) 
5. Add the cooked chole. If there is too much water cook until the water evaporates and you get the desired consistency for the gravy.
6. Now add the achaar masala, kalonji and a piece of a mango pickle.
7. Cook until the gravy is thick.
8. Garnish with fresh cilantro. Serve with rice, roti or puri .

 

It tastes yummy with puris so if you are not weight conscious try serving it with puris  and plus once in a while it doesnt hurt to have delicious hot puffed puris. Here is the recipe.

 

Recipe for Puri ((Indian fried bread)



 

Ingredients:-

3 cups whole wheat flour

1 tsp salt

2 tblsp oil

1 tsp ajwain ( also known as carom seeds or bishop's weed)

2 cups water

oil for frying

 

1. Take the whole wheat flour in a big bowl, add salt, ajwain and oil.
2. Rub the flour and oil mixture together in between your palms so that the whole flour is coated with oil. This makes the puris really soft and fluffy.
3. After a minute add in enough water to make a soft dough. The quantity of water may differ depending on the quality of the flour. So add it little by little while kneading. You dont want a very wet or a very hard dough so use your own judgement.
4. Meanwhile heat oil in a big wok, make small balls and roll out the puris about 6 inchs in diameter. Check the temperature of the oil, should not be too hot or cold. To test just throw in a tiny piece of the dough and it should rise immediately. This means the oil is hot enough.
5.  Now slide in a puri and keep the ladle on top of the puri, make sure that it is completely submerged in the oil. Let it cooks on one side and it will rise or puff up.
6. Now turn it over so that it cooks on the other side as well. Dont over cook the puri, it has to have slight brown color. Puris get cooked inside the moment they puff up.
7. Place it on a paper towel to drain the excess oil. These puris are so soft and delicious you dont need anything to eat with it.
8. Enjoy with the chole masala.

 

Tips/notes:-

The reason we add ajwain to the dough is because it is a very good digestive. It helps in digesting oily foods and relieves any colicky pain due to flatulence (gas).

Try and not roll the puris too thin as they tend to turn dry up the next day. If the puris are a little thick they tend to remain soft.

 

 

 





 

Instant Urad Dal Oatmeal Dosa with Coconut Chutney

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love south indian food and dosa idli is my all time favourite. But sometimes its too much work to soak the lentils and rice, grind and wait for the batter to rise. It needs a lot of planning. And even if I get myself to do all that half the time my batter doesnt rise because either I didnt follow the  measurements correctly or the temperature wasn't right for the batter to ferment. I always keep looking for different instant dosa recipes so that I can make dosa as and when I feel like. I tried various recipes from the internet but this one is my all time favourite. Urad dal oatmeal dosa with coconut chutney. I know it sounds weird but trust me its simple, its delicious, its healthy and you can make it in minutes with just two simple ingredients. My neighbour who is a south indian gave me this recipe and its a big hit in my house. Plus its a good way to get my baby girl to eat oats.

 

 

Ingredients for the dosa :-

1 cup Urad dal (skinless black gram lentil)

1 cup rolled oats

Oil for making the dosa

 

1. Soak urad dal for 1 1/2 hour and then wash
2. Soak oats for just 5 minutes
3. Add the dal and oats and blend into a smooth batter. The consistency should be like the dough for pancakes.
4. Heat the tava, add about a tsp of oil and make thin dosas. This batter makes about 5/6 dosas.

The dosas turn out nice and fluffy and tastes so much like the regular dosas we make. I normally make coconut chutney with it, here is the recipe.

Ingredients for the chutney:-
1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes . ( You can  grate fresh coconut or use store bought packet)
1/2 cup roasted chana dal
Quarter of an onion - sliced
1 small piece of ginger
1 green chilli ( you can add more as per your taste)
salt to taste
1/2 tsp sugar

Blend all of the above with little water and enjoy with hot dosas.

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

Fresh homemade Sandwich buns

 

 

 

We were out of bread for a few days and hubby dear was too busy to go out shopping. Well I decided why not make them at home. I mean I did attempt baking bread earlier but it really didnt turn out nice. It was hard, dry and tasted yeasty. I dont know where I went wrong. But oh well.. practice makes you perfect. Plus growing up in India we never had to bake or think of baking bread. Just call the local kiranewaala (grocery shop owner) and order fresh bread or Pav as we call it in Pune and he would deliver in minutes. After I came to the United States I developed deep interest in baking and started learning recipes on how to make cakes, breads and pies. Infact I did manage to make some really delicious cakes and hubby dear loves them. So based on my recent baking success I finally decided to bake sandwich buns at home and surprise him. And just as I finished baking these buns he came home with store bought  big packet of sandwich buns! So much so or my hard work :(..But to my surprise the buns in the oven turned out sooooo delicious. They are very easy to make and don't need much effort. These are as good as store bought and what more they are home made too! Guess what, hubby dear loved them! Hard work paid off :)

 

 

Ingredients

3 cups Bread flour plus few more for dusting
1 packet Dry active yeast ( 2-1/4 tsp) if you using the bottle
1/4 cup lukewarm water (not hot)
1 cup milk (lukewarm )
1 beaten egg
3 tbsp butter
2 tbsp sugar
3/4 tsp salt

1.    Warm the milk to lukewarm and add butter to it so that it melts in the milk.

2.    Set aside. Mix yeast and water together along with sugar. Give it a stir and set aside until frothy

3.    Now add the salt and milk and butter mixture to the yeast and stir well. Add the beaten egg.

4.    Slowly add the flour one cup at a time to this mixture. It will be really sticky.

5.    On a lightly floured surface start kneading the dough. In the process if you think the dough is very sticky and you cannot manage to knead the dough just slightly spread flour on your palms and then knead. Do not add more flour to the dough, try and spread dry flour on the counter top while kneading or greasing your palms with butter to help you knead. Now this takes almost 15 minutes of good kneading, pushing the dough outwards and folding it towards you. Do not stretch the dough. After this arm breaking exercise the dough becomes really soft.

6.    Place it on a lightly oiled bowl, cover it with a damp towel and place it in a warm place until doubled. Preheat the oven to 350 deg F.

7.    Take the dough on a floured surface and roll it out into a big square. Cut it in 8 pieces. Take each portion in your palm and make it round.

8.     Place them on a greased baking sheet about 2 inch apart. Bake for 20 mins until brown.

9.    Keep an eye on your buns as they tend to bake fast and it all depends on your oven. Cool before serving. I wrapped them individually in a plastic wrap to prevent it from drying in th AC. But dont worry about storing them, they turn out so delicious they will be gone in a day!

Aaah! nothing beats the sweet fragrance of freshly baked homemade bread. Enjoy with butter, jam or hot chai!

 

RAJMA MASALA

 

People always ask me what is your favourite dish? Your comfort food and I instantly tell them Rajma Chawal. This simple dish has so many memories. Every punjabi household has this dish atleast once a week. Ask any north indian and they will drool when you mention Rajma Chawal. Its simple, its tasty and its satisfying. Who wouldn't want a steaming hot plateful of Rajma chawal. I start this blog with my favourite dish- Rajma Masala I made last night.

Ingredients:-

2 Cups Rajma - Kidney beans (soaked overnight)

1 large onion - finely  chopped

1 large tomato- finely chopped
Ginger Garlic Paste - 2 tbls

Cumin seeds - 1 tbs

Punjabi Garam Masala- 1 tbs

Salt- as per your taste

Red chilli powder - 2 tsps (or as per your taste)

Turmeric - 2 tsps

Cilantro- handful - finely chopped

Oil - 3 tbls

1. Soak the rajma overnight.
2. Pressure cook the rajma with double the amount of water. Cook for atleast 2 whistles or until slightly tender. Since they were soaked overnight they dont need to be cooked long.
3.  In a pan add oil, once it gets hot add the cumin seeds, let it splutter.
4. Add the onions until they are light brown. Keep stirring the onions and make sure they do not burn.
5. Add ginger garlic paste and saute it for 5 mins, throw in the tomatoes and cook till they are tender.
6.  Add turmeric, chilli powder, salt, garam masala and cook until the oil seperates and the masala is completely done.
7. Add this masala to the Rajma, pressure cook for 1 whistle and shut off the flame. Do not take the steam out, let the pressure cooker cool completely.
8. Once cooled check if the rajma is fully cooked.
9. Garnish with cilantro.

Enjoy this soul satisfying comforting dish with jeera or plain rice.

Tips/notes :-
Rajma tastes much better if you use punjabi garam masala powder. I use homemade one sent by my mom. Among the various brands I think Badshah punjabi garam masala powder is the closest to the real masala.

 

Finally I started blogging and guess what its all about food! I knew I loved to cook, but I realised it today that its my passion, my hobby and who knows it will be my career tomorrow. Well lets see.. small steps at a time. I want to share my culinary skills with the world and learn from each and everyone who visits my blog.. So friends and visitors..hope to post new and interesting recipes for you all.. feel free to leave me a note, a comment and help me perfect the art of cooking :) .