Growing up dal-rice was my favourite comfort food and if the dal was prepared by my dad,it was equivalent to a feast.Because you know,the dal prepared by my dad is very famous in my family.Kids who refuse to eat food,relish my dad’s preparation.Unfortunately,the dal I prepare following the exact method used by my dad is never upto my liking,so I have ditched the effort of even trying to come close to the recipe.So whenever I go to Bombay,I relish my dads cooking.Inorder to get my weekly dose of comfort food I came up with this recipe which is just right and it tastes awesome with fried fish or even with simple mango pickle.I’ll post my dad’s recipe some other time.For now this is the dal I prepare atleast once a week to tide me over till the next time I visit my parents.

Ingredients: 

1 and half cup mung dal
salt to taste
3 cloves of garlic crushed
1 inch piece of ginger finely chopped
3 small ripe tomatoes
2 green chillies
3 to 4 kadipatta
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp hing(asafoetida)
1 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp vegetable oil

Method:

Wash and soak mung dal and keep for about 2 hours.

After 2 hours or so,boil the dal with salt and keep aside

Heat oil in a medium flame in a vessel.Add mustard seeds.

When they splatter, add cumin seeds and fennel seeds.

Then add hing,turmeric and kadipatta.

Then add garlic,ginger and green chillies.Stir well for about 15 seconds.

Then add tomatoes,cover and cook

When the tomatoes become soft.Add the cooked dal.Add in some water if desired.

Cook till it comes to a boil.Add in the lemon juice.Check for salt and remove from flame.

Serve hot with plain rice.This tastes good with jeera rice too.

Curry powder is a mixture of a few spices which gives a very mild flavour when added to any gravy.Indian households rarely use this.It is said that this powder was created for the British who left India after Independence,and who craved  Indian flavours in their meals.I dont really know the authenticity of this story but it seems possible because the most used spice in the powder form is garam masala and it has a much stronger flavour than the curry powder.Anyway I followed this recipe to make this powder and use it to give dry vegetables a different taste.

Ingredients

6 tbsp coriander seeds
4 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp fenugreek seeds
2 tsp fennel seeds
2 tsp yellow mustard seeds
3 tsp white peppercorns
14 cloves
2 tsp turmeric powder
4 tsp red chilly powder
1 inch cinamon stick

Method

Toast the spices except turmeric and red chilly powder in a dry pan over medium heat stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes.Cool.

Grind the toasted spices along with turmeric and red chilly powder to a fine powder.Store in a airtight container and use as desired.

Makes about 1 cup.

I have always loved Hyderabadi/Andhra food ,the most favourite being their world famous Hyderabadi biryani’s.But try as I might I can never replicate the exact taste and flavour of the food.I think the reason being I dont normally eat spicy food and Hyderabadi cuisine is very hot and spicy.So whenever the mood strikes me,I go to my friends place for lunch taking with me a dessert so that I can give my flaming tastebuds something sweet and soothing :)  My friend is an excellent cook and mostly she prepares shimla mirch ka salan if I am visiting as that is one of my favourite dishes. After eating it a few times I thought I would try it at home but without all the hot spice.The results were amazingly good and the final verdict was given by my friend who thought the curry tasted as good as she made it.

Ingredients

To grind into a smooth paste
1/4 cup fresh grated coconut
1/2 cup sesame seeds
2 tbsp corainder seeds
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
3 to 4 kashmiri chillies
1 cup water (can be adjusted depending upon the thickness of the gravy desired)

Rest of the ingredients
4 medium green peppers
2 medium red peppers
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 red chilly
1 medium onion chopped
2 green chillies
salt to taste
2 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp vegetable oil

Method

Grind the gravy ingredients to a smooth paste.

Cut the peppers into about 1 inch pieces

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan and saute the peppers for about 8 to 10 mins on a medium flame till they are slightly brown along the edges.

Remove in a bowl and keep aside

Add the remaining oil in the same pan and heat.Add mustard seeds.When they splatter,add cumin seeds and red chilly.

Then add chopped onions and fry till they are slightly brown.

Add the gravy paste and salt and cover and cook on medium flame till it bubbles.

Then add the sauted peppers.Cover and cook till the peppers are tender.

Just before removing from the flame,add lemon juice and stir.

Serve hot with plain rice or chapattis.

This is one of our favourite dishes and I make this often to accompany meat dishes. This dish is very flavourful and yet it doesn’t compete with the spicy taste of meat gravies.Sometimes when I am bored and in no mood to cook fancy stuff,I whip this up and serve with raita or yoghurt.

Ingredients:

2 cups basmati rice
1 tbsp vegetable oil
4 cloves
1 inch cinamon stick
4 black peppers
2 cardamoms
1 bay leaf
1 cup frozen peas
3 cups water
A pinch of turmeric pdr
salt to taste

Method:

Wash and drain basmati rice.Soak it in water and keep for about an hour

Heat oil in a vessel and heat oil

Add cloves,cinnamon,black peppers,cardamoms and bay leaf.When they splatter add in the frozen peas.Be careful as it will sizzle and splatter.

Saute for 2 minutes.

Drain the rice and add it to the peas.Mix well

Add 3 cups water,a pinch of turmeric powder,salt and cook on a low fame till rice is done and fluffy.
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This is an Anglo Indian specialty and I got this recipe from a Goan friend.Basically this dish uses leftover cooked meat.Its is very easy and quick to make and I make this often as I sometimes have some leftover chicken gravy.I just shred the chicken pieces into thick chunks and refrigerate it without the gravy.I also add in the leftover potatoes.

Ingredients: 

3/4 pound cooked chicken
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tsp finely chopped garlic
2 tsp curry powder or garam masala powder
1 medium red onion finely chopped
2 tsp flour AP or whole wheat
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 medium green pepper
1 medium red pepper
1 tsp ground pepper
1 tsp fennel seeds

1/2 cup chopped pineapples (Optional)

Method:

Heat butter in a pan over medium high heat.Add garlic,onion and curry powder.Keep stirring for 2 minutes or till the onions are a little bit soft.

Add the flour and cook,stirring for a minute.Stir in the Worcestershire sauce.

Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil

Add red and green peppers.Decrease the heat to medium and stir for another 5 minutes till the vegetables are a little soft.

Add in the cooked chicken and fennel seeds.Mix well and cook covered for another 5 -10 minutes.

Add the ground pepper and pineapple.Serve hot with peas pulao.