Bread Uppittu

Date: 1/29/2011
By Mangala Achar

Ingredients:

• 7-8 Bread slices (include the end pieces also)
  
• 1 big onion chopped
  
• 2 green chilies chopped
  
• ¼ cup peanuts
  
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
  
• 1 tbsp urad dal
  
• 1 tbsp channa dal
  
• Pinch of asafoetida
  
• ¼ tsp yellow powder
  
• 8-10 Curry leaves
  
• Cilantro for garnish
  
• 2 table spoon grated fresh or frozen coconut
  
• 2 table spoon oil for seasoning
  
• Salt to taste
  
• Lemon juice to taste

Method:

• Cut the bread slices into medium size pieces.
  
• Dry roast the bread pieces.
  
• Heat oil in the pan, season with mustard seeds, urad dal, channa dal, asafoetida, yellow powder.
  
• Add the peanuts (if they are raw peanuts roast them first)
  
• Add curry leaves, green chilies & onions.
  
• Fry the onions until they change color.
  
• Add dry roasted bread pieces mix well.
  
• Add salt & lemon juice for taste & mix.
  
• Dress with grated coconuts & chopped cilantro.
  
• Serve hot with coffee or tea.

Sabut Masar, Gajjar Bhaji and Sada Chawal

Date: 1/22/2011
By Mini Jain

Sabut Masar (Whole Brown Lentils or Flageolets)
Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups brown lentils or flageolets
  
• 2 to 4 whole cloves garlic, peeled
  
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  
• 1 teaspoon salt
  
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
  
• 6 cups cold water
  
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
  
• 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
  
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
  
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  
• 2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped
  
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  
• 1 teaspoon garam masala

Method:

Pick over the lentils and wash them under running water in a colander.
In a heavy 4-quart saucepan, combine the lentils with the garlic, ginger, salt, turmeric and water. Raise the heat to high and bring to a full boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes, covered, stirring occasionally. Lentils and water should become smooth in consistency.

While the dal is cooking, prepare the baghar. If using fresh tomatoes, peel first before chopping. Heat the oil in a small saucepan or skillet. Stir in the cumin, mustard and fennel seeds and cook until they sizzle and begin to darken. Add the onion and saute until golden brown. Add the tomatoes, and cayenne and cook on medium, stirring frequently to prevent sticking or burning. Cook until the oil separates and the tomatoes are soft and dark and rich in color.

Pour the baghar into the dal and stir to blend. Simmer for 5 to 7 minutes. Adjust for salt. If the dal is too thick, add a little hot water. Sprinkle with garam masala and serve.

Gajjar Bhaji (Dry-cooked Carrots)
Ingredients:

• 2 pounds carrots
  
• 3 to 4 tablespoons oil
  
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
  
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  
• 1 inch piece of fresh ginger, finely chopped
  
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
  
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
  
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  
• 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
  
• 1 teaspoon sugar
  
• 1 teaspoon amchur powder or 1 tablespoon lemon juice or 1 cup chopped tomatoes
  
• 3/4 teaspoon garam masala
  
• 2 tablespoons cilantro finely chopped

Method:

Peel the carrots and slice them into thin rounds (slightly thinner than 1/4 inch).

Heat the oil on medium in a deep skillet. Add the mustard seeds and cumin seeds. The cumin should sizzle and darken almost immediately.Stir in the ginger and brown it slightly.

Reduce the heat to medium low. Stir in the turmeric, cayenne, ground coriander and ground cumin. Mix well. Stir in the carrots and salt. Cover and cook for about 7 to 8 minutes or until the carrots are tender.

Add the sugar and amchur powder (or lemon juice or tomatoes). raise the heat to high and cook until all the moisture is absorbed.

Sprinkle with the garam masala and chopped cilantro before serving.

Sada Chawal (Plain Rice)
Ingredients:

• 2 cups Basmati rice or long grain rice
  
• 1 tablespoon butter or oil
  
• 1 teaspoon salt
  
• 4 cups water

Method:

Wash and soak the rice for 20 minutes. Drain it in a fine sieve or colander.

In a heavy pot, heat the butter or oil on medium. Add the drained rice. Stir lightly until the rice grains are lightly coated with butter or oil. Add the water and bring to a vigorous boil on medium high. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, uncovered, until the water boils down to the level of the rice. Stir with a fork. Cover the pot and turn the heat to low. Simmer for 5 to 7 minutes. Stir gently with a fork again. Turn the heat off and let the rice rest for 2 to 3 minutes before serving.

Plain rice can easily be made into Zeera Rice (Cumin Rice). Add 1 teaspoon cumin seeds to the butter or oil and proceed as with Plain Rice.

Note: Plain rice can be prepared without oil or butter. Just add rice and water and cook as the recipe requires.

Bread Pakora

Date: 1/8/2011
By Riya Arora

Ingredients:

• Gram Flour - 200 gms
  
• Bread Slices - 5
  
• Baking powder - 1/4 tsp
  
• Turmeric Powder - 1/8 tsp
  
• Salt - 3/4 tsp (or as per taste)
  
• Red chili powder - 1/4 tsp
  
• Coriander seed powder - 1 tsp
  
• Ajwain seeds - 14 pieces
  
• Oil - to fry

Method:

• Take Gram Flour out in a bowl. Add water and Baking powder make a paste which is neither too thick nor too thin (No lumps either).
  
• Mix: turmeric powder, salt, red chili powder, coriander seed powder, ajwain seeds in the paste and stir well.
  
• Cut the bread into your favorite size (square or triangular).
  
• Put oil in the frying pan and heat it.
  
• Dip the bread in gram flour paste and put it in the hot oil. At one time fry 2 to 3 bread pieces, while turning them. Fry them till the Bread Pakoras turn brown. Spread a napkin paper on the plate. Take out the Bread Pakora from the frying pan and put it in the plate. Like this, prepare all the bread pakoras.
  
• Your delicious Bread Pakoras are ready now. Serve and eat them along with coriander chutney.

Salad

Date: 12/4/2010
By Natarajan Raman

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup fresh lime juice
  
• 1/2 cup olive oil
  
• 1 clove garlic, minced
  
• 1 teaspoon salt
  
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
  
• 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
  
• 1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels
  
• 1 avocado - peeled, pitted and diced
  
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
  
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
  
• 6 green onions, thinly sliced
  
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Method:

• Place lime juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, and cayenne pepper in a small jar. Cover with lid, and shake until ingredients are well mixed.
  
• In a salad bowl, combine beans, corn, avocado, bell pepper, tomatoes, green onions, and cilantro. Shake lime dressing, and pour it over the salad. Stir salad to coat vegetables and beans with dressing, and serve.

Poha

Date: 11/6/2010
By Gita Gupta

Ingredients

• 3 c. thick poha
  
• 1/4 c. oil
  
• 1 potato
  
• 1 onion
  
• 1 1/2 c. peas (slightly thawed)
  
• 1 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
  
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
  
• 1/2 tsp salt
  
• curry leaves (approx 6-8 fresh)
  
• green chili 2-3 (or to taste)
  
• cilantro (to taste)
  
• lemon juice (to taste)

Method:

• Wash poha in cold water. Add approx 1/2 c. milk and soak.
  
• Dice potato and onion.
  
• Heat oil and add mustard seeds, cook till splatter.
  
• Add curry leaves, potato and green chili.
  
• Cook till potatoes are slightly brown.
  
• Add onion. Brown. Add peas. Add poha. Cover and cook approx 2 minutes.
  
• Add cilantro and lemon juice to taste. Can add peanuts.
  
• Serve with green chutney or ketchup.

Maren and Nancy’s “Yellow Dal”

Date: 10/30/2010
By Jayshree Seth

Dal is the generic Hindi term for lentils and a part of everyday meal for most Indians. There are several lentil varieties with various shapes, sizes and colors! In preparing them there are myriad variations with seasonal/local ingredients, influences and techniques.

The basic idea is to mix cooked lentils with the seasoning/tempering. A very common version, elegant in its simplicity, is seasoned with ghee and cumin seeds only. The more festive/”restaurant or party style” is likely to have onions/tomatoes/masala etc. The tempering is referred to as ‘chaunk’, ‘tadka’ or ‘vagar’.

Arhar dal, also known as Toor dal, is a commonly prepared dish (and the main element of the ultimate Indian comfort foods: dal-chawal (rice) and dal-roti (Indian flatbread).

Oh..and it is one of the yellow dals – there are more: mung and chana are yellow too !

Ingredients: (Serves 4-6)

• 1 cup toor dal
  
• 4 cups water
  
• 1 teaspoon salt
  
• ½ teaspoon turmeric (haldi)

Onion-Tomato Chaunk:

• 2 tablespoons oil (or ghee)
  
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
  
• Pinch of asafoetida (hing)
  
• 2 cloves (laung)
  
• 1 small cinnamon stick (0.5”)
  
• 1 medium onion chopped (approx 1 cup)
  
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  
• ½ teaspoon turmeric (haldi)
  
• ½ teaspoon red chilli powder (lal mirch)
  
• ½ teaspoon garam masala
  
• ½ teaspoon salt
  
• 1 small tomato, chopped (approx ¾ cup)
  
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste**

** I was disappointed in the flavors of ‘retail’ tomatoes when I first moved to the US. Soon I realized it was because they were ‘designed’ for travel not for taste. After discovering tomato paste (which is not an ingredient used or commonly available in India) I started adding that for depth of flavor and color and find that it does a good job in building back the concentrated tomato flavors. (Don’t need to add paste if using Heirloom tomatoes).

Directions:

Triple wash the dal and pressure cook with water, salt and turmeric. (Typically takes 8-10 minutes for first whistle, reduce heat after that and let cook for another 6-8 minutes). Turn off the heat and wait until steam has stopped before opening the pressure cooker (about 10 minutes).

Heat oil on medium-high heat in a saucepan. Once hot, add cumin seeds, asafoetida, cloves and cinnamon. As soon as cumin seeds brown add the chopped onions and garlic and reduce heat to medium. Saute until onions are translucent. (takes about 3-5 minutes). Add the spices and keep stirring for a minute or so. Add tomatoes and tomato paste and a little water if too dry. Cook the mixture for about 4-6 minutes (will look like a thick sauce). Add the onion-tomato mixture to the pressure cooked dal and bring to boil. Adjust consistency with water if needed.

(Optionally, garnish with chopped cilantro). Serve with rice or roti.

Now for the simpler, classic plain dal seasoning..

Ghee Chaunk:

• 2 tablespoons clarified butter (ghee)
  
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
  
• Pinch of asafoetida (hing)
  
• ¼ - ½ teaspoon red chilli powder (lal mirch)

Heat the ghee in a small saucepan. Add cumin seeds and hing. When cumin seeds brown add chilli powder and quickly pour the seasoning over the cooked dal. (Red chilli powder burns very easily in hot oil. A tablespoon of water can be added right after adding chilli powder to prevent burning).

Other common ingredients/variations:

For tangy flavor: Can add fresh lime/lemon juice, Amchur (dried mango powder), kokum (a local dried plum like fruit found in Western India) or tamarind (imli)

For mild sweetness: Add sugar or jaggery (gud) unrefined Indian sugar (Gujarati dal)

For extra heat: Add chopped fresh green chilies or red whole chilies

Other aromatics: Bay leaf, curry leaves

Fresh chopped ginger along with onions and garlic

Mustard seeds (rai) in addition to/or instead of cumin seeds

Leafy vegetables such as spinach (palak) are also added for palak-dal

Sindhi Kadhi

Date: 10/16/2010
By Shalini Thadani

Ingredients:

• Jeera 1 tsp
  
• Curry Leaves 1 sprig
  
• Methi ½ tsp
  
• Hing 1/8 tsp
  
• Turmeric ¼ tsp
  
• Tamarind – lime size
  
• Gr chillies 2
  
• Sugar 1 tsp or jaggery
  
• Beans 5-8
  
• Tomato 1
  
• Potato 1-2
  
• Besan 2 tbsp
  
• Salt
  
• Red chilli pdr ½ tsp
  
• Oil 1-2 tbsp

Method:

• Heat oil. Fry jeera then add methi & hing.
  
• Fry 1 tbsp besan in this and dissolve second one in water. When besan changes color, slightly add the one in water.
  
• Now add beans, turmeric, salt, green chillies, potato(diced), and curry leaves.
• Soak tamarind. Squeeze out water and add to this. Cook on a high flame for about 10 mins.
  
• Add chopped tomato, red chilli pdr, and sugar. Put in a pressure cooker. Shut it, keep on high till 1 whistle. Simmer for 5-10 minutes and remove.