Maa chole ki daal | Punjabi Cusine

Hi Friends 

Sharing with you a comfort food from punjabi cusine. It is a simple and rich daal without onion or garlic which can be enjoyed with roti or rice. Do check out the recipe.

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Recipe source: Maayeka

Ingredients:

Split white lentil /Urad daal chilka - 3/ 4 cup

Bengal gram /chana daal- 3/4 cup

Tomato,chopped- 1.5 cup

Green chili, chopped- 1tsp

Ginger, chopped- 2 tsp

Butter - 1.5 tbsp

Ghee - 2.5 tbsp

Cumin /jeera-1 tsp

Asafoetida /hing - 1/4 tsp

Bay leaf /tej patta -1

Ginger, grated-1/2 tsp

Chili powder- 1tsp

Kasoori methi /dried fenugreek leaves - 1.5 tsp

Garam masala - 1/2 tsp

Turmeric/haldi  -1/2 tsp

Salt /namak - to taste

PROCEDURE-

Wash and soak both lentils together in enough water  for 1 hour.

After one hour slightly rub and then drain the water in which it is soaked.

Add the lentils in a pressure cooker and add grated ginger,chili, turmeric and 2 cups of water.

Pressure cook on medium heat for 2 whistles or till daal get cooked (dont overcook)

In a heavy bottom pan add ghee when become slightly hot then add cumin,hing and bay leaves

Now add chopped tomato,chopped ginger and salt and cook till tomato become soft.

Then add chili powder, turmeric and coriander powder and keep stirring till oil starts seperating.

Add cooked dal, 2 cups of water,kasoori methi and garam masala

Simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Add butter,fresh chopped coriander and serve hot.

Serving suggestions-Can serve with roti,kulcha, steamed rice or jeera rice

Lauki kofta curry

Ingredients:

For Kofte:
2 cups grated Lauki – almost a kg
2 tbsp gram flour
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp red chili powder, garam masala each
A generous pinch of Heeng ( asafoetida)
1 tbsp grated ginger
1 tbsp Cornflour – optional, only to be used if you are deep frying the balls and not
1 tbsp sesame seeds – optional
Oil for frying

For Gravy:
¼ cup yogurt + 1 tsp of corn flour
4 medium tomatoes – chopped roughly
2 medium Onions – chopped small
4-5 garlic pods, minced or made into paste
1 piece of ginger- grated or chopped as per your liking
2-3 red chilies
1 tsp Cumin seeds
2-3 cardamom pods, crushed
A pinch of nutmeg, cinnamon each
1-2 bay leaves
1 tbsp Kasuri Methi
2 tbsp Oil
Salt to taste

Method:
Squeeze the juice out of Lauki and keep it aside, we will use this same water in the gravy preparation.
Now mix all the ingredients given above in the “Kofte” list except Sesame seeds and Salt and mix well. Add  salt at the end, else the mixture will release water very soon.
Make small equal sized balls out of the mixture and roll them over sesame seeds(optional).
Heat oil in a wok if you are deep frying the balls and test the temperature by frying a small ball. Deep fry all the balls on low-medium temperature till the outer shell turns brown. Keep them on a kitchen towel to soak extra oil.
If you are frying them in a paniyaram/ appam pan, then just use the method as you do with the usual appams and keep aside.This way the balls will take more time to get cooked, and will not be as crunchy and when they are fried deep. But since they have to go into  the gravy any way to get all soaked.

Gravy:
Heat oil in a pan, throw cardamom pods, bay leaves, dried red chilies and cumin seeds together and fry for half a minute.
Add in minced garlic, ginger, chopped tomatoes and onion and add salt, cinnamon and nutmeg ( if using ) to it. Cook covered for 5-7 minutes on medium flame stirring in between
Tomatoes should be really mushy and mixed up by now, if the gravy is getting dry add some water to it till tomatoes get all mashed up into a thick gravy. You may use the same water which we squeezed out from bottle guard. Now add the yogurt- cornflour mix into it and simmer for next 4-5 minutes, don’t increase the flame at this point and keep stirring in between When the masala is all done, add cups of water ( including the one we squeezed out ) and let it come to a boiling point on a medium flame. Turn off the flame, add koftas balls into the gravy and cover it up. Garnish with garam masala or coriander leaves just before serving.

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Shaam Savera | Spinach and cottage cheese kofta curry

Every time I say the name of this dish, I remember the song from Lucky Ali..shaam savere teri yaade aati hai..lovely memories with this song. It was a nice time when there was a outburst of so many albums..we enjoying the songs with friends..getting them recorded in cassette..humming them when these songs were played on the radio, tape recorder or tv. Me and my bro loved our tape recorder!

Made this delicacy for some friends visiting our home. I found the process bit lengthy..the outcome was loved by all though..

Ingredients

600 gms spinach (palak)

125 gms paneer (cottage cheese)

1/2 tsp chopped garlic (lehsun)

2 tsp chopped green chillies

3 tsp cornflour

oil for deep frying

salt to taste

1 tbsp garam masala

400 gms tomato puree

1 tbsp ginger (adrak) paste

1 tbsp garlic (lehsun) paste

1 tbsp chilli powder

1 tsp chopped green chillies

100 ml fresh cream

1/2 tsp dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)

50 gms butter

1/2 tsp garam masala

2 tsp sugar or honey

salt to taste

Method 

Wash spinach in plenty of running water to get rid of any dirt, soil or impurities. blanch spinach in boiling hot water and refresh in cold water.

Chop and keep aside.

Add chopped green chilies, salt, chopped garlic and corn flour.

Mix well and divide into 12 equal portions.

Grate paneer. add salt and mash well. divide it into 12 small balls.

Take spinach, flatten it on your palm and stuff paneer balls in it.

Shape it into a ball (kofta).

Deep fry for 5 minutes in moderately hot oil.

Heat butter in a pan. add whole garam masala. let it crackle.

Then add ginger paste, garlic paste and chopped green chilies.

Cook for 2 minutes.

Add tomato puree, red chili powder, garam masala powder, salt in one cup of water.

Bring it to a boil. reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add sugar or honey or both and kasoori methi. stir in fresh cream.

Serve koftas cut into halves on top of makhani gravy.

Do not boil koftas in the gravy as they are liable to break.

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Malai Kofta

 GREDIENTS-
For Malai kofta-


Ingredients:
For The Kofta:
Paneer-100 gm (i used home made paneer)
Potato-2
Corn Flour-1 tsp (I used 1.5 bread slice, soak it in water, squeeze and use instead of corn flour)
Cashew,chopped-2 tsp
Raisins,chopped-2 tsp
Corn starch- 2.5 tbsp
Cardamom powder-1/4 tsp
Green chilies-1 tsp
Saffron -1/4 tsp
Garam masala-1/2 tsp
Chili powder-1/2 tsp
Fresh coriander,chopped-2 tsp
Pepper powder-1/4 tsp
Salt- to taste

Oil-To Fry

For gravy-

    Tomatoes-5
    Cashew nuts-1/4 cup
    Fresh cream-1/2 cup
    Green chilies-2
    Ginger- 1inch
    Sugar-1 tsp
    Chili powder-1.5 tsp
    Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp
    Salt- to taste
    Kasoori methi -1 tsp
    Fenugreek seed-pinch of
    Cardamom powder-1/3 tsp
    Clove powder - a pinch
    Bay leaves-2
    Cinnamon  -1/2 inch
    Garam masala-3/4 tsp
    Fresh coriander-2 tsp

Procedure:
For Koftas:
For making mixture:
In a big bowl mash together 3 boiled potatoes,1/2 cup paneer,salt,chili powder,corn flour/bread, chopped fresh coriander and garam masala,mix wel .
For making the filling:
In a separate bowl, take 1/2 cup paneer(mash and make it smooth),chopped cashew pieces,chopped raisins, saffron(soaked in 1/2 tsp of warm milk),cardamom powder,pepper powder and pinch of salt and mix well.-filling
Take a small portion from the mixture and flatten it and then stuff it with a small ball made with the filling and then roll and make round balls from it.
Alternately you can mix everything together and form balls.
Roll the balls in dry corn flour/rice flour and then dust off the extra corn flour. Heat oil in a deep pan and deep fry the koftas till golden in colour. Drain on a tissue paper and keep aside.

For gravy:
Boil  the tomatoes and then grind with 2 green chilies and ginger. Soak cashew nuts in warm water for 15 minutes and then drain the water and grind cashews to make a smooth paste. Heat 2 tbsp oil+1tbsp of butter in a pan and add bay leaves,cinnamon and a pinch of fenugreek seeds and fry for few seconds .Now add tomato puree and cook for approx 2-3 minutes, partially cover the pan with a lid to avoid splattering. Then add turmeric,chili powder,cardamom powder,clove powder(or 2 cloves) and cashew paste. Mix well and saute till the oil start seperating from the sides of the pan.
Now add approx 1.5  to 2 cups of water and let it simmer till it thickens,will take approx 10 minutes.
Add sugar,cream, garam masala and crushed kasoori methi.
Simmer  for a minute and then add chopped fresh coriander and 1 tsp butter
Just before serving arrange the hot koftas in the serving dish and pour the hot gravy over them.

 

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