Moong-Toor Dal Amti

O.K I'm not a big fan of amti. Personally sweet amtis are not something I can eat everyday...but once in a while they do taste amazing. This one my aai (MIL) made and I particularly liked and I hope you do too.

Ingredients

Moong dal (1/2 cup), wash and soak for 30 minutes in water
Toor dal (1/4 cup), wash and soak for 30 minutes in water.
2-3 cups water
One onion, chopped
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp jeera
1 large pinch asofetida
1 tsp jaggery/gud
1tsp dhania jeera (corriander cumin) powder
1 tsp sambhar powder
2-3 cloves garlic sliced
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tbslp tomato paste
1 bunch chopped cilantro
salt to taste
1 tbslp oil

Method

Cook lentils in a pressure cooker or in a pot till tender and soft. Heat oil. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds,asafetida. When seeds sputter add garlic and onions. Fry till onions turn golden brown. Add tomato paste, ginger paste, dhania-jeera powder. Cook for about 5-10 minutes. Add lentils and water. Add salt and sambhar powder. Bring to a boil. Add chopped cilantro. Serve with chapattis.

Coming up:Recipes from my mother in law

This is a no-recipe post. Yesterday was a crappy day at work. My experiments turned out to be a mess and I was so depressed. I came home all sad and tired... and there was this really amazing hot Dal dhokli ready:comfort food at its best. How? My in-laws are visiting and my MIL cooks which is great coz when i get home from work there's hot food ready---isn't she super nice? Since she cooks while I'm at work I get no chance to take pictures of the steps in between. I will post her recipes with just the pictures of the final products. She makes amazing authentic vegetarian maharashtrian cuisine and i'm sure you'll enjoy her recipes. Thats it...see you back here with recipes from my MIL's kitchen.

Cioppino (San Francisco Sea food Stew)

Cioppino is a sea food stew famous in the San Francisco bay area. This recipe was sent by my sister. The recipe itself was adapted from here. This stew goes really well with sour dough bread.

Ingredients
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 onions, chopped
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 1/2 cups dry red wine
1 (28oz) can whole plum tomatoes, reserve juice, chopped
2 cups sea food stock
1 (1-lb) king crab leg, thawed
1 lb skinless tilapia fillets, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1 lb large shrimp , shelled and deveined
3/4 lb sea scallops
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon dry basil


Method
Saute garlic, onions, bay leaf, oregano, and red pepper flakes with salt and pepper in olive oil on moderate heat until onions are soft and transparent. Add bell peppers and tomato paste and cook for about a minute. Add wine and boil until reduced to half. Add tomatoes with their juice, seafood broth and simmer covered for 30 minutes. While stew is cooking cut the crab legs through the shell into pieces. Add crab pieces and simmer, covered for about 5 to 10 minutes. Season fish fillets, shrimp, and scallops with salt and add to stew, then simmer, covered, until just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Gently stir in parsley and basil and serve hot with bread.

Applesauce Panha (Refreshing Summer Drink)

I love mango panha. As a child i remember drinking it every summer. Normally panha in India is made with raw mangoes in the summer months when mangoes are available. It is a tangy and sweet drink that is extremely refreshing on a sweltering summer day. I found this variation of the mango panha recipe using applesauce. This recipe was posted by one hot stove here. I made this drink out of curiosity and it was surprisingly similar to the original mango drink. Try this out for sure.

Ingredients

1 jar applesauce (about 3 cups)
1/2 cup jaggery (can substitute sugar/splenda)
Juice 2 limes
1 large pinch salt
2 tsp ground cardamom
6 cups cold water

Method
Heat applesauce in a pot till it starts to bubble.

Lower heat and cook for about 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Add jaggery (or sugar). Mix till it dissolves completely. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Add all remaining ingredients and stir well. Adjust sweetness or tartness as needed. Serve chilled with ice. Store in the refrigerator.

Bharleli Vaangi (Maharashtrian style Stuffed Eggplant)

My mother-in law taught me this classic maharastrian dish made with small baby eggplants. The dish is slightly sweet and goes amazingly well with chapatis.

Ingredients

Baby eggplants- 8 to 10
One large potato
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp asafoetida
1 tsp turmeric
1 tblsp oil

For filling and paste

a small bunch cilantro
1 tsp tamarind pulp
1 1/2 cups grated coconut
1 cup ground roasted peanuts (optional)
4 to 5 tblsp goda masala
1/2 cup jaggery
salt to taste
1 pod garlic
1 inch piece of ginger
1 tsp turmeric

Method
Cut tips of small eggplants. Make a slice midway on one end with a knife. Make another slit on the other side perpendicular to the previous slit. Soak in water. Cut potatoes length wise and also soak in water.


Meanwhile add all ingredients of the paste into a blender and grind with very very little water to make a thick paste/filling. Fill the filling into each slit of the eggplants. Reserve remaining filling.





Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, turmeric and asafoetida. When seeds splutter add eggplants and potatoes. Fry on medium high heat for 2-3 minutes. Lower heat to medium and cover and cook for 5 to 10 minutes. Add remaining filling and about 1/2 cup water. Mix well. Cook till eggplants and potatoes are done. Serve hot garnished with cilantro.

Mint Chicken Pulao

Holla! I'm back after my long hiatus. I'm beginning with this delicious pulao my sister makes. She makes it more like a biryani. I came upon this yummy dish when I arrived starving at my sister's place and raided her refrigerator. In there was a giant bowl of this left over pulao. I ate the whole bowl, it was that good. So here is the recipe. It can be made with any other meat or with vegetables as well. Do try it out.

Ingredients

Chicken (bone in or boneless) cut into small chunks-1 small store package
Rice 2 cups, wash and soak for 30 minutes in water.
Chicken broth 4 cups (can substitute water/vegetable broth)
2 tomatoes chopped
1 inch stick of cinnamon
2-3 cardamom pods
4-5 cloves

Mint mix
1 cup chopped cilantro leaves
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
4-5 green chillies
2 inch piece of ginger
salt to taste

Method
Grind all the ingredients of the mint mix with water into a smooth paste. Add the paste to the chicken and marinate for 30 minutes. Heat Oil in a pot. Add spices. Add chicken with the Mint mixture and fry well. Add the tomatoes. Cook till the tomatoes are well cooked into the mint sauce and the mixture has turned thick. Add the rice and more salt if needed. Add the chicken broth. Stir once and then bring to a boil. Lower heat and cover with a lid. Cook for 15 minutes or till rice is done. Serve hot.

I'm back

Hi! Sorry for the lack of posts these past couple of days. I was away for work at a conference in sunny San Diego. Now I'm back and i'm ready to start posting some more recipes. Check back in a day or two for a new one.