Chhole(kabuli chane)

1 lemon size ball of jaggery
1 teaspoon of garam masala
Finely chopped green coriender and green chillies one tablespoon each.
Boil

   

Although this dish belongs to Punjab but now a days it is popular throughout India.


Chhole does not need too much labour or too many ingredients.

Ingredients required

2 cup kabuli chana
1/4 cup chana dal
4 medium size tomatoes.
2 teaspoon garam masala
2 teaspoon jeera
1/4 cup tamarind paste squeezed out of 2 lemon size tamarind balls
4 tab spoon oil
1/4 teaspoon hing powder
Grated jaggery according to taste
Ginger
Green chillies
Finely chopped green coriander
Salt according to taste


Soak kabuli chana and chana dal in water overnight or at least for 8 hours.
Now in a pressure cooker cook Chhole After first whistle lower the flame to sim and cook for 10 minutes.Puree tomatoes along with ginger and green chillies.Put oil in a pan heat and add hing ,jeera
bay leaf and garam masala stir and add tomato purée.Stir till it leaves the oil.Now add cooked Chhole and tamarind paste.Stir and add a lemon size ball of jaggery.Let Chhole cook for next 5 minutes .Switch off the flame and garnish with coriander .
These can be served with rice ,puri or bhature.

Tips:-

1 Chhole should be cooked right enough not too soft and not too hard.
2 Chhole if cooked 2 or 3 hours before serving then tastes better as all the spices are blended well with chhole.

Pickle red chilli

                                                                        

Winter is at our door step and with this the new crop of chillies is getting ready.
These juicy  chillies before getting dried can be pickled with few simple ingredients.




                                                                  

Ingredients

10      Fresh red chillies.      
100gms methi seeds
2 tab spoon kalonji (onion seeds)
25 gms amchur powder
2 tab spoon turmeric powder
4 tab spoon salt
1/2 teaspoon hing powder
1/2 cup oil

Clean chillies with a towel and slit vertically.Mix all spices except hing and oil.
Stuff chillies with these spices and put in a clean dry glass jar .
On third day with the moisture of chillies it will become moist and methi seeds will become soft.then heat the oil remove from fire .After two minutes add hing to oil.When oil reaches to room temperature  pour into the pickle.Within next two days pickle will be ready to eat.

Tips:-  

Select fresh chillies .
For convenient use chillies can be cut into two or three pieces before stuffing spices.
Always keep pickle covered with oil to keep it fresh.

Gatte ka pulao

                                             Gatte ka saag is the identity of rajasthan.But very few people are familiar with gatte ka pulao.For a change instead of vegetable pulao let us try gatte ka pulao.

Ingredients required


1cup rice
1/2 cup besan 
2 teaspoon chilli powder
1teaspoon haldi powder
2 teaspoon cummin seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
Pinch of hing
Oil
Salt
Mint leaves,green coriander leaves,ginger,green chillies chopped.
Wash rice with water and keep aside.

In a bowl add besan ,salt,coriander seeds.Now add 1 teaspoon chilli powder,pinch of hing,1 teaspoon cummin seeds.Add 2 tab spoon oil and mix well.With leukewarm water knead this besan into a soft dough.Divide the dough in four pieces and roll into four inch long rolls..In a pan boil water and put rolls in it .After 5 minutes the rolls will be steamed and will start floating in the pan.
Remove from fire and take out rolls and cut into 1/2 inch pieces..now in a pan put oil and fry these gatte pieces for two or three minutes.Take out the gattas and in the remaining oil put hing,cummin

and then chilli powder,haldi powder stir and immediately put rice stir and then add two cups of water.(
Let the rice cook.When rice is half cooked then add gattas and mix gently.Cover the pan and let it cook for few more minutes till rice is cooked.remove from flame and garnish with chopped coriander leaves,chopped ginger,chopped chillies and mint.Sprinkle garam masala.
Gatta pulao is ready to serve.

Coconut laddu

                                                                      

The 







Diwali is round the corner and everybody is surfing for sweets and snacks which can be made quickly and easily.Here is one such sweet.The ingredients are very few .

 1cup  Fresh coconut grated
 1cup     sugar
2 tab spoon   ghee
1 can      milkmaid


Grate the coconut better with the help of a coconut grater  or a chopper .The coconut grater will prevent the brown peel .

Now fill this grated coconut in a cup by pressing it hard in the cup.In a thick bottemed or nonstick pan pour 2 or three tab spoon ghee and add grated coconut .On slow fire start roasting it till it is pink .Now add milkmaid and start roasting again stirring well.after few minutes add sugar and again let the sugar melt and when it is of thisk consistency then remove from fire .Let it cool .Then roll onto
equal size  of laddus.

Marwari dhokala with wheat flour

                                                               


  Marwari dhokala



                                                                                     

     Ingredients




    2cups  Wheat flour
    1/2 cup rice
    1/4 cup chanadal
    1/ 4 cup moong dal without skin
    1/4 cup. Toor dal
Spices

    Red chilli powder
     Salt
     Finely chopped green chillies
     Finely chopped green coriander
     Coriander seeds
      Finely chopped ginger

     garam masala
     4table spoon Ghee.
     Baking soda or papad khar







Soak all dal and rice for one hour in water.Now in a pan boil 2 cups of water and add baking soda or papad khar
In another pan mix wheat flour and soaked dal and rice.Add all spices and ghee.Mix well .Now knead the mixture with the boiled water .Use a wooden spatula for kneading .When it is kneaded well then grease your palm and shape dhokala .At a time take one ball of the kneaded mixture and shape like a flat round and make a whole in the centre.In a steamer boil 3cups of water and put all these dhoklas and steam for at least 30 minutes .Let it cool for another 15 minutes still covered with a lid. Dhoklas are  ready to serve .
Pour a teaspoon of ghee over the dhokla plate before serving.These should be eaten while hot .
Tips:-

Tastes yummy when served with a dollop of desi ghee over it.
But weight watcher please be careful

Cucumber raita

                                                          Kheera or cucumber raita

                                                                   

Ingredients
1small cucumber
2cups fresh yoghurt
Salt to taste
1 teaspoon ghee
1/2 teaspoon jeera(cummin seeds)
1/2teaspoon mustard seeds

Dried mint leaves powder and roasted jeera powder
Wash peel and grate cucumber.Whisk yoghurt and add grated cucumber to it.Mix well.Heat ghee in a seasoning pan add cummin seeds and mustard seeds.Pour over raita and mix.Add salt to taste
.Garnish raita with jeera and mint powder .Raita is ready to serve.
It is very soothing and gives a cooling effect.
Tips :-
Salt should be added just before serving .If added early then yoghurt start getting sour.

Lauki ka raita

                                                                     Lauki ka Raita




         Word raita tells about the combination of yoghurt with any vegetables ,fruits or fried bundi.
It is a side dish.
Ingredients

1/2 cup lauki peeled and grated
2cup fresh yoghurt
 1/2.  Teaspoon Roasted jeera powder
1/2teaspoon dried mint leaves
1/2teaspoon mustard seeds
Pinch of hing powder
1 teaspoon ghee


Microwave or boil lauki for few minutes with two three tablespoon water as lauki itself is high  in water content.Let it cool.Whisk yoghurt in a bowl and then add lauki and mix well.
Now heat ghee and add hing and mustard seeds till start cracking and pour on yoghurt.
Garnish with jeera powder and crushed mint leaves.Let it cool in the fridge .
Serve with roti,paratha or pulao

Lauki ki sabzi

                                                    Ingredients

1 cup lauki peeled and cut into 1/2 "pieces
2 medium size tomatoes chopped
2 tablespoon oil
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds and cummin seeds each
a pinch of hing
1 teaspoon red chilli powder
1 teaspoon coriander  powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 tespoon chopped green chilli and green coriander
salt according to taste

                                                                                  


In a pressure cooker pour oil and heat add hing ,cummin,mustard seeds .add chilli powder,coriander powder and turmeric poweder.stir well . Add salt and stir.Now add tomatoes .stir and cover and let it cook for twwo whistles.Now switch off the burner.Let the pressure to cool for five minutes.
Lauki sabzi is ready to serve with roti,paratha or rice or khichadi.


Tips :- It can be cooked in a pan instead of cooker .In case one wants to cook in a pan then let the lauki cook for five minutes after adding spices .Then add tomatoes and then for few more minutes.
as the tomatoes slower the cooking process.

Rajama(kidney beans)

                         

 





      Ingredients


1 cup rajama

2 medium sized tomatoes( chopped )
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon haldi powder
1 teaspoon salt
A pinch of hing
4 to 5 cloves
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon grated ginger
Green coriander chopped
2 tab spoon oil





Soak rajma in water for 8 hours.In a pressure cooker cook rajama for 8 to 10 minutes after one whistle.In a pan pour oil and add hing and cloves and cumin seeds.When cloves start spluttering then add  coriander ,chilli and turmeric powder and tomatoes.Stir with a ladle and then add cooked rajama.
Add some water to get the required consistency.Cook for 5 to 8 minutes so as to let rajma absorb the aroma and taste of the gravy.Remove from the burner and garnish with finely chopped fresh coriander leaves.Serve with rice ,roti or paratha.