Puran Poli (one of my favorite dish)

Ingredients:
2 cups chana dal, soaked in water for 4 hours
2 cups jaggery (adjust for sweetness)
2 cups refined flour
3 tbsp oil
1 tsp cardamom powder
1/4th tsp nutmeg powder
1/4th tsp nutmeg powder
3/4 tsp turmeric powder
Method:
Cook chana dal in a pressure cooker till it turns soft. Drain out excess water until the dal is absolutely becomes dry.
Add jaggery and cook further and then mash into a soft paste.
Add cardamom powder, saffron, and freshly grated nutmeg powder and mix well. Form 20 balls of equal size and put it aside.
Mix refined flour, oil, water and turmeric powder. Make very soft, sticky dough. Knead very well. Use oil to knead. Divide into 20 equal portions.
With greased palms, take one portion of dough and flatten it into a disc of the size of the palm. Place a ball of "chana jaggery" paste in the centre and fold the disc from all sides to cover the paste completely.
On a well-floured board, better over a sheet of clean transparent plastic wrap, gently roll out each poli to a 6 inches disc. This can get tricky as the paste does try to slide out. Use a little flour if that happens. Roll.
Roast each poli on a hot, dry girdle. Do not use oil or ghee. Roast both sides well. Smear with ghee on both sides when done. Serve warm with clarified butter or a bowl of milk.

Moong Dal Halwa(sweet Dish)

100 gms Moong Dal
200 gms Ghee
100 gms Sugar
1/2 glass Water
10 pieces Badam
5 pieces Pista
4-5 Currants


Preparation:

Soak moong dal for two hours and then grind it and keep aside. Heat ghee in a pan and put the moong dal in it.
Saute on low flame till it turns golden brown and leaves a distinct aroma. Remove from the flame and set aside.
Heat water in a pan, add sugar and boil the mixture till sugar melts.
Put the moong dal mixture in this sugar syrup and cook on a low flame till the dal and sugar blends well.
Remove moong dal ka halwa from the flame and decorate it with chopped dry fruits. Serve.

Veg Biryani

1 1/2 c uncooked long grain rice
3 pinches of saffron
2 onions sliced
12 cashewnuts broken into halves
2 tbsp raisins
3 tomatoes finely chopped
1/4 c yoghurt
1 1/2 c mixed boiled vegetables (capsicum, cauliflower, carrots, potatoes, green peas)
1 tbsp chopped coriander
3 tbsp chopped mint leaves
4 tbsp ghee
2 tbsp butter
salt to taste

To be ground in to a paste:
6 cloves garlic
1 inch piece ginger
3 cardamoms
5 green chillies
3 cloves
1 tbsp poppy seeds
2 sticks cinnamon
1 tbsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 1/2onions

Method
Boil the rice in salted water. Each grain of the cooked rice should be separate. Drain and cool. Soak saffron in little hot milk and rub until it dissolves. Heat the ghee and fry the onions until brown and crisp. Remove the onions and in the same ghee, add the cashewnuts and raisins and fry for a few seconds. Remove and keep aside for garnish.

Dal Makhani

Ingredients:
Black grams 1 cup
Bengal grams 1/2 cup
Kidney beans 1/4 cup
Ginger 1 inch
Green chilli 2-3
Butter 4 tbsp.
Cream 2 tbsp.
Finely chopped tomatoes 3
Finely chopped onions 2
Garlic 7-8 pieces
Cumin seeds 1 tsp.
Asafoetida 1 pinch
Red chilli powder 2 tsp.
Salt to taste




Method:
1. Thoroughly wash black grams, bengal grams and kidney beans. Then soak it in water (2 glasses) for about 7-8 hours .
2. Add ginger and garlic to the above. Pressure cook for about 10 minutes (3-4 whistles). Then reduce the heat to 'medium' and cook for about 15 minutes. Remove ginger-garlic from the cooked grams and make a paste.
3. Heat 2 tbsp. of butter in a pan.
4. Fry asafoetida and cumin seeds in it. Add thinly sliced green chilli. Heat till it gets slight brown in color.
5. Add ginger-garlic paste and finely chopped onions. Fry until golden brown.
6. Add chilli powder, finely chopped tomatoes and salt. Cook until the mixture thickens into pulpy sauce (about 3 mins).
7. Then add cooked grams and kidney beans to the mixture. Heat for 4-5 minutes. You can add a little water if you find it too thick.
8. Add the remaining butter and cook for 2 minutes.

Dal Makhni is ready to serve. Decorate with cream.

Dahi Bhendi

Ingredients:
250 gms tender lady’s fingers (I used baby okra, wash and pat dry with a kitchen towel, trim the top and ends)
½ inch ginger piece
¼ tsp pepper corns
1 tbsp oil
1 dry red chilli (tear into two pieces)
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 green chillis slit lengthwise
1 tsp coriander pwd
pinch of turmeric pwd or haldi
1 tbsp besan (bengal gram flour) dry roast the flour stirring constantly till it gives a roasted aroma
1 cup curds (made from skimmed milk)
salt to taste
1 Peel the ginger and make a paste of pepper corns and ginger. Keep aside. Whisk the curds and keep aside.
2 Heat oil in a cooking vessel and add the dry red chilli and cumin seeds and stir fry till the aromas come out.
3 Add the green chillis, coriander pwd, turmeric pwd, besan and stir well for a few seconds. Don’t burn it.
4 Add the trimmed and cut lady’s fingers (which have been stir fried in a tbsp of oil for 3-4 mts) and salt and cook over medium heat stirring frequently for 4-5 mts.
5 Stir in the ginger-pepper corn paste.
6 Reduce flame and add the whisked curds and mix well and cook covered for 12-15 mts stirring occasionally or till the okra is cooked and you get the desired curry consistency.
6 Serve hot with white steamed rice or chapatis.