1 cup Toor dal* *toor dal is also known as toovar dal
1/2″ piece ginger
4 green chilies
2 cloves garlic
1 small onion
1 handful cillantro leaves (optional)

For Curry:
4 cup buttermilk or yoghurt
4 green chilies, finely chopped
1 ” piece ginger, grated or finely chopped
1 teasp. each ground coriander, cumin, channa dal [roasted if desired]
1/4 teaspoon fenugreek
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 cup, approx.desiccated unsweetened coconut, ground if desired

For flavored oil:
2 tablespoon oil
1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds
a few curry leaves

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1. Wash and soak toor dal for a few hours. Drain and grind to a course
paste along with onion, ginger, garlic, and chilies. (I do this by
chopping the large ingredients and blending with the dal in batches.
Add enough water so the blender pastes, but not so much that it turns to
watery mush.) Mix in salt and (optionally) cillantro leaves. Form into
balls and steam 20 minutes. Remove from heat and cool balls. They will
obtain a somewhat rubbery texture as they cool.

2. Gently heat buttermilk/yogurt in a pan. Add spices (ground coriander,
cumin, channa dal, fenugreek, turmeric) and enough dried coconut to give
a nice flavor and slightly thicken the sauce. (I add all these
ingredients to a coffee grinder and grind to a powder.) Add ginger and
chilies. Add salt to taste. Adjust spices. It will taste like it’s
missing something until you add the flavored oil.

3. Carefully place kofta balls into sauce.

4. Heat a little oil in a separate frying pan over medium heat, add mustard
seeds and curry leaves. When mustard seeds stop bursting, add oil into
the curry. You may want to partially cover pan to prevent seeds from
popping grease all over your kitchen.

If you use non-fat yogurt, there is only 2 T oil in the whole dish!

Enjoy.

1 1/2 C red lentils
3 1/2 C water
6 serrano chilies (or 3 jalepeno?), either whole or sliced in
quarters
1/4 t turmeric, or more to taste
1 1/2 t salt

4 T ghee, butter or vegetable oil
1 C minced onions
1 C chopped tomatoes
1 T grated fresh ginger

2 T ghee or vegetable oil
1 T panch phanon mix
4 dried small red chilies
1-3 cloves garlic

There are three basic steps to this recipe: cooking the lentils in water,
making a tomato/onion/ginger mush, and making a spiced oil.

1. Rinse lentils well, add water, serrano chilies, turmeric and salt.
Bring carefully to boil and cook over low to medium heat, partially
covered, for 25 minutes. Cover and cook another 10 minutes. Adjust
salt.

2. While lentils are cooking, cook onions in a frying pan in the oil until
they are golden brown (approximately 10 minutes), stirring constantly.
Add tomatoes and ginger and continue cooking until the tomatoes
decompose into a delicious and fragrant mush (approximately 8 minutes.)
Stir constantly so that tomato mixture doesn’t stick. Turn heat to low
if necessary.

3. Scrape out this mush into the lentils and stir it in. Let lentils sit
while you make the spiced oil.

4. Do a quick rinse of the frying pan, without soap, and dry thoroughly.
Add the remaining 2T oil and heat over medium high heat. When oil is
hot add panch phanon mix and heat until the seeds begin to pop, about 15
seconds. Add red chilies and fry for another 15 seconds, until they
turn a little darker. Turn off heat and add the crushed garlic and let
sizzle for about 30 seconds. Stir this mixture into the lentil/tomato
mixture and serve with rice. Adjust salt.

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Using ghee changes the taste compared with oil. I prefer it for step 4. It
tastes good either way though.

Ingredients:
A head of Rohu fish – 200gm
Yellow Moong dal – 500gm
whole jeera – 2tsp
bay leaf – 2no.s
chopped tomato – 1cup
jeera pw – 2tsp
termaric pw – 2tsp
salt – as taste
sugar – 1tsp
oil – 1/4thcup
Method:
1.Fried the dal and then boiled with salt and termaric pw.2.Marinate the head with salt and termaric pw and then fried it.3.Heat a pan,add oil.4.Now add jeera and bay leaf.5.Add chopped tomato,jeera pw,and lastly broken head.6.Mix them all with masalas.7.After that add the cook dal and turned to boil.8.Serve hot with rice.

1 cup(s) whole black gram (sabat udad / kali dal) soaked overnight
2 tablespoon(s) red kidney beans (rajma) soaked overnight along with the black gram
6 cups water
½ teaspoon(s) each of turmeric powder, red chilli powder and asafoetida
6 flakes garlic chopped
2″ piece ginger chopped
2 medium onion(s) chopped
2 green chilli(es) chopped
2 whole red chilli(es)
2 tomato(es) soaked in warm water
1 teaspoon(s) cumin seeds
2 tablespoon(s) cream beaten lightly
2 tablespoon(s) yoghurt beaten lightly
2 tablespoon(s) ghee (clarified butter) / butter
salt to taste

Wash the soaked gram and kidney beans and discard the water in which they were soaked. Put them into a pressure cooker along with the water, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, salt and half the quantity of the following items: chopped onion(s), garlic, ginger, and whole red chilli(es). Close the cooker and bring to maximum pressure on high heat. Now, reduce the heat. Cook on low heat for 25 minutes or till the gram is slightly mashed and well blended.
Open the cooker only after all the steam has escaped. Add the yoghurt, cream and half the quantity of chopped green chilli(es). Cover and keep on low heat for 15 minute(s).
For the tempering, heat the butter / ghee (clarified butter) in a pan till very hot. Add the cumin seeds and let them splutter. Now, add the asafoetida, the remaining chopped onions, green and red chilli(es), garlic, ginger and fry till the onion(s) are slightly browned. Add the chopped tomato(es) and fry again till the fat separates from the sides of the pan. Add this to the cooked gram mixture and mix well. Cover and simmer on very low heat for 15 minutes.
NOTE: Traditionally in Punjab, this recipe is cooked all through on a slow fire in a heavy bottomed vessel called a ‘dekchi’ for many hours till the desired consistency is reached. In this recipe, the ‘dekchi’ has been replaced by a pressure cooker to speed up the cooking process.

Serve hot with: Cumin Rice (Jeera Chawal), white rice, or Indian bread (Roti).

1 cup(s) split Bengal gram (chola dal)
3 cups water
½ teaspoon(s) each of turmeric powder and sugar
3 red chillies broken
3 cloves
½” stick cinnamon
1 green cardamom(s) powdered
1 teaspoon(s) cumin seeds
1″ piece ginger finely chopped
1 green chilli(es) finely chopped
3 tablespoons oil
1 tablespoon(s) grated fresh coconut
salt to taste

Soak the split Bengal gram in the water for a few minutes. Place the soaked split gram with the water (do not drain) in a heavy-bottomed vessel on high heat along with the cloves, cinnamon, cardamom powder, turmeric, sugar and salt. Let it come to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and cook on low heat for 15 minutes or till the gram is soft but the grains are yet separate. Keep aside.
For the tempering, heat the oil in a pan till very hot . Add the cumin seeds and let them splutter. Now, add the red chilli bits, chopped green chilli(es) and ginger. Fry on low heat for 2 minute(s).
Add the tempering to the cooked gram and mix well. Cook covered on low heat for 5 minutes. Mix in the fresh grated coconut just before serving.
Serve hot with: Green Peas Rice (Matar Pulav), white rice or Indian bread (Roti).

1 cup(s) split green gram (moong dal)
1 bunch(es) spinach chopped
1 medium tomato(es) chopped
1 medium onion(s) chopped
1 teaspoon(s) cumin seeds
½ teaspoon(s) turmeric powder
1 tablespoon(s) finely chopped ginger
2 green chilli(es) slit
2 flake(s) garlic
2 tablespoon(s) butter / ghee (clarified butter)
red chilli powder and salt to taste
fresh coriander leaves to garnish.

Soak the split green gram in water for about an hour. Grind the garlic, green chilli(es), ginger and onion(s) to a fine paste. Add the turmeric and red chilli powders to the paste and mix. Heat the butter /ghee (clarified butter) in a pan and fry the cumin seeds till they splutter. Add the paste and fry till fat leaves the sides. Now add tomato(es) and salt. Fry / cook on medium level for about 3 minutes.
Add the soaked gram and double the water. Cover and boil on medium / low level for about 5 minutes or till the gram is tender.
Add the chopped spinach and simmer for about 3 minutes or till the spinach is cooked.
Garnish with finely chopped fresh coriander leaves.

Serve hot with: Cumin Rice (Jeera Chawal), white rice or Indian bread (Roti).

Mag ni Dal is a very traditional simple dish enjoyed by a whole lot of Indians. Don’t miss the garlic! Tastes best when hot. Enjoy!!!

Ingredients:
oil – 1/2 table spoon
Black mustard seeds – 1/2 teaspoon
Hing – a pinch
Curry leaves – medium sized – 4 to 5
Garlic – 4 medium sized cloves – you may also use garlic paste
Turmeric -
Red chilli powder – Alternatively, use green chillies
Curds – preferably, not sour – 2.5 – 3.5 tablespoons
Salt -
Mag – 1 1/2 small katori
Tomatoes – 2 small
Onions – 1 medium
Cilantro for garnishing -
Water -

Method:
Chop the garlic – fine pieces Chop the tomatoes – fine pieces Chop the onion Chop the cilantro – fine Wash the mag Heat the oil in a vessel. Add mustard and hing. When the mustard starts to split/ hing starts to move towards the rims, add the garlic and mix the stuff. After about 15 seconds, add the curry leaves. If the mustard seeds are splitting and flying, cover the vessel with a lid and reduce the flame. Add onions and raise the flame a bit. Cook till the onions are golden brown in color. After 45 seconds to a minute, add the tomatoes and mag and raise the flame a bit more. Add some water depending on how thick or thin you want the dal to be. Add salt – remember that the tomatoes and onions will give off some water – so think about this in the previous step. Cover the vessel with a lid and heat till the dal is almost cooked. Add turmeric and chilli powder. Add the curds. After some time reduce the flame. After some time, put the flame out. Garnish Add cilantro on top. Do not mix in the dal. Serving If thick dal, serve in a thali, if medium thick dal, serve in a katori. Will go well with chapati, kadak tandoori roti, plain steamed rice ** Good food habits – have oil with low cholesterol content and low saturated fat content *** Cooking tip – Broken mag will cook faster than whole mag.

This is a dal I have prepared and find very good. Cooks quickly, without any hassles. Bachelors find it very convenient.

Ingredients:
Toor Dal – 1/2 cup
Ginger – 2 to 3 slices
Turmeric powder – 1/4 teaspoon
Shallots (or onion) – 2 or 3 (1 medium)
Roma tomatoes – 2
Mustard seed – 1/2 teaspoon
Ground Cumin – 1/4 teaspoon
Ground Coriander – 1/2 teaspoon
Green chillies (optional) – 2 sliced lengthwise
Curry Leaves – 6 to 12
Chopped Cilantro – Garnish to taste
Salt – 1/2 teaspoon
Water – 4 cups

Method:
If you bought oily dal, wash it thoroughly before use. Put the dal and water into a generously sized pan. Add the slices of ginger and turmeric. Bring to boil, remoce scum if any, reduce heat to low and put the lid three quarters on, because the dal bubbles up so you need a good gap to prevent it boiling over. Simmer for about 30 minutes. You may prefer to remove the ginger pieces before using the boiled dal. Chop the onions finely. Wash and cut the tomatoes into small pieces. Heat the oil, add the mustard seeds. When they start popping, add the onions. Fry the onions on medium heat until they are somewhat browned. Add the chillies, if desired, and the curry leaves. Fry for another half a minute before adding the tomatoes and ground spices. Fry for about four to five minutes or until the tomatoes have softened and mixed with the other ingredients. Depending on the juiciness or otherwise of the tomatoes, you may need to add a tablespoon or two of water to prevent the seasoning drying out. Pour the cooked dal into the seasoning pan, add the salt, mix well and then transfer it back into the pan you used to boil the dal. Bring back to boil briefly.