Dal Makhani

This is one of the tastiest dals I have eaten outside of the plain toor dal that we cook on a daily basis.I have taken inspiration from all over the internet for this recipe.There are different versions, some with cream, some with less or no cream.Although the traditional dal makhani calls for cream, I used Sour cream.

1 1/2 cup Black Urad Dal, soaked in water overnight
2 tbsps Kidney beans/Rajma (I used canned beans but if you are using the dry ones, soak it in water overnight)
2 tbsps of butter +1 tbsp to top it off
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1 Medium Onion, finely chopped
8 oz of Crushed tomatoes(no herbs added, just plain)
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 tsp Kasoori Methi
2 tsps Cumin Coriander powder
1/2 tsp of Garam Masala
6-8 oz of Sour Cream
1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder.You can always use the red chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp Curry powder

• Soak the dal overnight or for atleast 8-10 hours.If you are using the dry rajma,soak that as well.
• Drain the water and pressure cook the dal until tender and not mashed up.
• Heat a pan and melt butter.
• Add chopped onions and cook till they turn translucent.Stir in kasoori methi.
• Add tomatoes and cook till tender.
• Add ginger-garlic paste, turmeric powder, Cumin Coriander powder, and curry powder.Cook for a couple of minutes such that the spices get mixed in well.
• Add Garam Masala and chilli powder.Now add the crushed tomatoes and let it simmer till the masala separates from the fat.
• Add the cooked dal and rajma.
• Let it simmer for about 15 min.
• Mix in the sour cream.Cover it and let it simmer on low flame for about 15 more min.
• Add the tbsp of butter on top and garnish with coriander leaves.Serve hot with rice

This goes to MLLA 19 guest hosted by EC and the event started by Susan of The Well Seasoned Cook.

Hugs,
Shri

Cilantro Lime Rice & a T&T (Nags' Marie Biscuit Logs)

Have you watched Julie & Julia?We wanted to watch it while it was in the theaters, but realized that with 'S', it may not be possible, now that she is older.Believe it or not, we used to go to 10'0 clock shows until she was an year and a half.We even went to James Bond movie and she was very oblivious to the sounds and chaos going on in the movie.Can you imagine that?So, anyway, we waited for the DVD and last weekend I watched it.It is a very neat and a well made movie.I should also admit that there could be a small element of bias due to my liking for Meryl Streep.She is a natural particularly in comedy.

On to the recipe:

2 bunches of Cilantro, stalks removed and washed clean
1 small onion , chopped
1 garlic clove
2 cups short grain rice
5 cups water/broth
Juice from half lime
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2 green chillies

• Heat a tbsp of Olive oil in a pan.
• Add cumin seeds and Chillies fry for a couple of min
• Saute the cilantro
• In a blender, add garlic, onions, sauteed cilantro, cumin and chillies.Stir in a tablespoon of water, just necessary to let the blender going.
• Make the ingredients into a paste, not too runny though and keep it aside
• Cook rice with 5 or more cups water.The rice should not be mushy.The rice should be soft and like the rice that you cook for Pulav or Biryani.Change the ratio of water as necessary.
  
• Once the rice is cooked, let it cool down for about 10 min
• Gently mix the Cilantro paste and salt with rice.
• Stir in the lime juice.Serve hot.

A T&T -Nags' Marie Biscuit Chocolate Logs.

DH calls this 'Marie Tiramisu' and I think it resembles Mini Dobos Torte in its color and look !It tastes just as delicious.An easy and a decadent recipe.It takes you hardly a few min to put the ingredients together and refrigerate.I fell in love with it and who wouldn't?
For a better quality pic and recipe, please follow the link above.Y'know, before this, I made a couple of times and never did I get a chance to take the pic.It was over in no time .This time, I was determined to take the pic regardless of how it came out to be,light, no light, it didn't matter.So this is the end result:-)



Have fun
Shri

Vangi Bhath

There is not really much to do outdoors now that the weather is getting cold.Of course with some pleasant days here and there, we try to stroll in the nearby outdoor mall.We are home bound pretty much on weekends and you can imagine how the weekdays are!

I know there are several versions of Vangi bhath but I fell in love with what I ate in one of the Indian restaurants during my trip to North Carolina in Summer.It seemed like a tasty mix of South Indian and North Indian flavors.So here it is, an attempt to recreate that restaurant's version.

1 medium eggplant, chopped
2 cups long grain rice
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tomatoes(firm and not too juicy), chopped
2 potatoes, peeled, cubed and boiled just below tender
3 cardamom pods
3/4 inch cinnamon stick
1 bay leaf
1 tsp curry powder
2 tsps Cumin-Coriander powder
3 green chilies, vertically sliced
1 tbsp chopped cilantro

Garnish
1 tsp Urad dal
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup cashews, roughly chopped
1 tbsp chopped coriander (optional)

• Place the rice in a bowl of water and leave it to soak for 15 min to half hour.
• Boil the eggplant in a microwave or on the stove just until tender.Drain all the water and let it sit for 5 minutes in a colander.
• Heat 2 tbsps of Oil in a saucepan.
• Fry curry leaves and green chillies.
• Add onions and cook till translucent.
• Stir in the spices-Cumin-coriander powder, Curry powder,Cardamom, cinnamon, bay leaf.
• Let the spices mix in well.
• Add the tomatoes and coriander.
• Mix in the tomatoes and eggplant.
• Pour 3 cups (@ ratio of 1 rice:1.5 water) of water and bring it to a boil.
• Slowly add rice by stirring and cook for about 10 minutes until all the water has evaporated.
• Turn off the stove and garnish.
• Serve hot with raita or chips

For garnish-

• Heat a table spoon of ghee
• Fry urad dal, onions and cashews
• Sprinkle coriander

Off for now-

Risotto with Oven Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

This month’s T &T (a monthly event that focuses on a blog to try and taste the recipes from that blog) is featuring the classy & elegant A Life (Time) of Cooking by Ganga. A blog that was created before blogs, Food Matters (Now closed) was a site maintained by her for a long time,11 years! Her unique writing style,her inspiring photography and her food and recipes will immerse you into a world of its own. The collection of topics is not just confined to cooking or recipes but has a lively mix including Travel journals and her musings. The temptations were many when I visited the blog. It was very difficult to choose one dish out of the many tempting delicacies! I wish I could try each one of her recipes today.Alas!A day has only 24 hours!However,you will see me try some of my favorites like Pane De Prato, Pomodori Con Riso from her blog,bookmarked for later!For now, I have chosen to make her Basic Risotto.

“Use only Arborio rice (or other Italian risotto rice), otherwise it is not a risotto, it is a rice dish” she says! I will attest to that because the first time and the only time I made the Risotto or so I thought I made, I used Indian short grain rice.I don't have to further explain my final result..Will leave that to your imagination! This time, I did follow her directions to the letter and boy! was that dish heavenly!

‘Patience is a Virtue’ they say and you will need some to make this dish.The key to making good Risotto is stirring and adding the water or stock gradually until the rice attains a creamy texture.
For you to get good and moist,creamy risotto it will take about 20 mts!

What you need:
200g of Arborio rice
2 ½ cups of Vegetable Stock
2 ½ cups of Water
20 g Butter (approx: 1 ½ tbsp)
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
Dry White Wine, Optional
Good Quality Parmigiano Reggiano
¼ cup Peas
Oven Roasted Tomatoes (Recipe follows)

Combine the water and stock and simmer it in a pan. If you would like to add some wine to the stock that is optional.
In another pan, heat the oil and butter. Add the rice and cook the rice until it becomes translucent and you hear a cracking sound.

Add a ladleful of stock/water to the rice and cook until it has absorbed all the water.

Continue adding until the rice is cooked. This takes about 18 minutes. The rice should be firm to the bite. I cooked for 5 more minutes until the rice is tender but not soft.

Remove from the heat.Serve with some shavings of Parmesan or a spoonful of Creme Fraiche!

For flavorings:I added Peas and Oven roasted Cherry Tomatoes.
She suggests to go wild with Asparagus, Mushrooms, Beans, Tomatoes, Capsicum or the red ruby bites. The Possibilities seem to be endless. So, go with what fascinates your imagination!

The Risotto goes to Tried & Tasted event hosted by Yasmeen of Healthnut.
Also, check Pumpkin Risotto!

Oven roasted Tomatoes

1 pint Cherry Tomatoes
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tsp Fresh Thyme
6-7 fresh Basil leaves
2 tbsp Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

Preheat the oven to 400F.Line a baking sheet with Al foil and grease it with butter or PAM. Cut the tomatoes into half. Spread the tomatoes evenly on the sheet . Combine oil, garlic, Thyme, Basil, salt and pepper in a bowl. Pour the mixture on top of the tomatoes. Using your hand, mix the seasonings with tomatoes, making sure the tomatoes are evenly coated with oil and herbs.

This is off to:


SLF Special Edition:The Beauty of Red and White, hosted by Elsye of Dari Dapur Saya.

This goes to:


FIC:Zodiac Signs (April:RED) guest hosted by Ashwini's Spicy Cuisine ,event started by Sunshinemom of Tongue Ticklers!

Now, coming to the the sweet gestures by 2 lovely bloggers:

Sangi of Simply Delicious passed me this award!Thanks a lot, Sangi:)

Sushma of Authentic Food Delights passed me this award.Thanks a ton, Sushma!

As the rules go, here are 7 wonderful bloggers that I am passing this onto:
Srilakshmi
Vrinda,
A2Z
Bergamot
Parita
Ramya
Uma

I know, I know it has been a long post, but this dish particularly deserves it..
Hope you did not fall asleep!

Hugs,
Shri

Cilantro Pesto/Hummus Sandwich & Watermelon Punch

This is inspired by Panera Bread’s Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich which is served on Tomato Basil bread with Cilantro hummus. This sandwich reminds me of the one that you get in Indian bakeries or movie theaters with the green chutney. Obviously, Panera Bread wouldn’t give me the recipe;) I wish they did! So, I came up with my own recipe!

I made the sandwich when I was going to Bushkill falls (Will post the pics soon) over the past weekend and also had in mind to send it to Show me your sandwich event, hosted by
Divya of Dil Se. Unfortunately, after the long hike, I was hungry and gobbled up the sandwich with out taking pics.. Not even one! And that evening, I come home and plan to blog the recipe and there I was sitting with no pictures So, I thought I missed it this time!
But, Divya was kind enough to take in my entry after the deadline! Thanks for that
With out much delay, let’s dig into the recipe!

2 slices of white bread, or your choice of bread
Couple of slices of Red Onion
2 slices/rounds of Tomato
2 slices of Cucumber
2-3 Pepperoncini/Sweet Peppers
Romaine lettuce

Cilantro Pesto-Hummus

1 bunch of cilantro, stems taken out
½ cup Pine Nuts, toasted
¼ cup Chickpeas/Garbanzo beans
¼ tsp Paprika
1 garlic clove
2 green chilies
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp lemon juice
¼ tsp salt
1/3 cup of Olive oil+1 tbsp

Heat a tbsp of oil in a pan and fry the cumin seeds and green chilies.
Place the rest of the ingredients (Cilantro, pine nuts, beans, paprika, clove, salt) in a blender along with the cumin seeds and chilies.
Blend them until it forms a thick paste.
The paste should be spread able and not watery.
Add more or less oil as needed to make the paste.
Add lemon juice to the pesto-hummus


Note: I don’t use salt as much but feel free to change the proportions of salt to your taste.

Arranging the sandwich:
Cut the crusts off the bread with a knife. Yes, I hate to eat those brown crusts.It is not required to do so, if you like them.


Spread a tbsp of Pesto-hummus on one slice.
Arrange the lettuce, onion, tomato, cucumber, peppers on top of the hummus and cover it with the other bread slice. Secure it with a tooth pick!



This is my entry to Show me your sandwich event, hosted by Divya of Dil Se!

Water melon Punch

I usually have soda with bread or sandwich.But in Summer, its Watermelon time!
This is from the Food Network's Paula Deen recipe of Watermelon Punch. I have tweaked it a bit to suit my taste buds!

3 cups of cubed watermelon
4 oz of frozen limeade concentrate,thawed
1 cup of Pineapple juice
1 recipe Simple Syrup

Simple Syrup
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup sugar

Place water and sugar in a pan and stir until sugar dissolves completely.Boil it for about a minute.Cool the syrup.

Blend the watermelon cubes and syrup.Strain the liquid through a fine sieve.Blend the liquid with Limeade and juice.Serve it cold, with ice.


This is off to Monthly Mingle, guest hosted by Maxine and Hillary of Chewonthatblog , an event created by Meeta of What's for lunch honey.

Shri

Classic Mexican Rice

When you think of Mexican food, Tacos, Burritos , Enchiladas...all fancy names come to mind, but here is a rice dish that will equally tickle your taste buds! Simmered in Salsa and Vegetarian broth, this rice dish has a satisfying flavor. You can fill it in a burrito or eat it as it is!This recipe is adapted from Mexican Everyday by Rick Bayless. I have made a few changes like substituting Chicken Stock for Vegetable stock, adding water and using lime juice.

Ingredients:
1 ½ tbsp oil
1 ½ cups short grain rice ( I have used Sona Masoori rice)
1 cup Salsa (Medium) You can use Mild or Hot salsa depending on how spicy you like.
1 cup Vegetable stock
½ cup water
½ cup Peas
Salt to taste
Fresh Lime juice and cilantro
Preheat the oven to 350F
Fry the rice in the oil till the rice becomes milky white. To this, add salsa, Vegetable stock, salt and water. (Add less or more water depending on how you like the rice to be.) Bring the contents to a boil. Cover the pan and bake it in the oven for 20 mts. Add peas and cover the pan again and bake it for another 5 minutes

.
Fluff the rice and mix in the peas. Garnish with coriander and drizzle the lime juice. Serve hot.
This dish is dancing its way to the Monthly Mingle: Mexican Fiesta hosted by Jenny of All things edible and created by Meeta of What’s for lunch, Honey?




Hasta Luego
Shri

Pudina-Methi Pulao

This is my entry to the Monthly Mingle #33- "Ravishing Rice" guest hosted by Nags of Edible Garden, a brainchild of lovely Meeta of What's for lunch honey :)

I am a new blogger and this is my first entry into an event!I hope all you guys will like it.

I have always made this dish for a potluck or just for some comfort food on a weekend.Mint as an ingredient, either be it in a savory dish or in chocolate,always fascinated me.It brings out a fresh and a crisp flavor into any dish!In addition to Pudina(Mint), I add Methi leaves and Kasoori Methi to this tasty and a hearty rice dish.


Ingredients:
2 cups Basmati Rice, soaked for half hour
2 Medium Potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 Medium Onion , thinly sliced
1/2 cup Methi leaves , washed and chopped
1/2 cup Pudina/Mint leaves, washed and chopped
2 tsp Jeera and Dhania Powder
1 tsp Turmeric
2 bay leaves
1 tsp Ground Cloves
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 green cillies, chopped thin
Lime wedges and Coriander to garnish
Salt to taste

Heat oil in a pan.Add Jeera,chilli.Sautee Onions till they turn soft and brown.Add Potates and fry for a couple of minutes.Now, add Cumin powder, turmeric, cloves, cinnamon, salt and Kasoori Methi.Let 'em cook for a while, for about 5 mts or so.Then, add the Methi and pudina leaves and cook till soft.Mix this curry like mixture with the soaked rice. Use 1:1.75 ratio water,since the potatoes have to get soft.Cook the contents on low-medium heat for 5-7 mts or until cooked.Garnish with Coriander and a Lime wedge....Yumm...Yumm or what?



Serve hot with Raita or any curry.
Enjoy and have fun
Shri:)