Saturday Meal
Bengali Cholar Dal from Vegrecipes Dassana's blogIngredients (american measuring cup used, 1 cup = 250 ml)
if the cholar dal becomes thick after its pressure cooked, then add some water to thin it. the consistency of the dal can always be adjusted by adding less or more water after its cooked. you can also slightly keep the consistency thin then what it is usually if you prefer.
avoid asafoetida or hing to make a gluten free version of this dal.
to get hints of gingery taste in the dal, you can add ½ inch ginger - either grated or crushed into a paste in a mortar-pestle. just fry the ginger after you have finished frying the whole spices and asafoetida.
BandhaKopi'r Ghonto -- a dry Cabbage dish from BongMom's Cookbook
Prep: Chop in fine thin pieces 1/2-3/4th of a medium sized cabbage, amounts to about 6-8 cups
Start Cooking:
Heat 2 tablespoons of Oil
Corn and Methi Pulao from Tarla Dalal
Ingredients
1 cup long grained rice (basmati)2 to 4 black peppercorns (kalimirch)12 mm (1/2") piece cinnamon (dalchini)2 cloves (laung / lavang)2 cardamoms1/2 tsp finely chopped green chillies1/2 cup sliced onions3/4 cup fenugreek (methi) leaves chopped1/2 cup sweet corn kernels (makai ke dane)1/4 tsp turmeric powder (haldi)1 tbsp butter1 tbsp oilsalt to taste
Method
Method
- Wash the rice and keep aside.
- Heat the butter and oil in a pressure cooker, after heated add the peppercorns, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and sauté for ½ a minute.
- Add the onions and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add the fenugreek leaves, corn kernels and sauté for 1 minute.
- Add the rice and 2 cups of hot water, salt, turmeric powder, green chillies and stir for a few seconds.
- Pressure cook for 2 whistles. Allow the steam to escape before opening the lid.
- Serve hot with fresh curds.
Bengali Cholar Dal from Vegrecipes Dassana's blogIngredients (american measuring cup used, 1 cup = 250 ml)
- 1 & ¼ cup chana dal/ split and husked bengal gram
- 3 cups water for pressure cooking or 4-5 cups water for cooking in a pot
- 1 tbsp golden raisins/kishmish
- 1 tbsp cashews/kaju (optional)
- ½ tsp turmeric powder/jeera powder
- 2 tsp sugar/chini or as required
- 1 inch cinnamon/dalchini
- 3-4 cloves/laung
- 2-3 green cardamoms/choti elaichi
- 1 medium bay leaf/tej patta
- 2-3 dry red chilies/sookhi lal mirch
- a pinch of asafoetida/hing
- 2 tbsp fresh grated coconut or chopped coconut/nariyal ke tukde
- 1.5 tbsp ghee/clarified butter or 2 tbsp oil (for a richer experience, use ghee)
- pick and rinse the dal well.
- soak the dal for an hour in water.
- if you want to reduce the soaking time, then heat water and soak the dal in hot water for 30 minutes.
- drain the water.
- add the soaked chana dal, turmeric powder and 3 cups water in the pressure cooker.
- on a medium to high flame pressure cook the dal for 4-5 whistles.
- the grains should be separate and yet cooked thoroughly.
- once the pressure settles down on its own then remove the lid
- add sugar and salt to the dal.
- stir and and keep the cooker on a low flame to simmer the dal, till the water reduces a bit.
- when you add the tempering to the dal, it should have the right consistency - meaning it should be slightly thick. remember that on cooling the dal will become more thick.
- while the dal is simmering and has begun to get thick, prepare the tempering.
- heat ghee or oil in a pan.
- first add all the whole spices - bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and dry red chilies.
- fry till they become aromatic. this takes some seconds.
- add the asafoetida and fry for a few seconds.
- now add the coconut and fry till the coconut becomes light brown.
- pour the whole tempering mixture in the simmering dal.
- stir and then add cumin powder, red chili powder, raisins and cashews.
- simmer cholar dal for 1-2 minutes more.
- serve cholar dal with luchi, bengali peas kachori and even steamed rice if you prefer.
if the cholar dal becomes thick after its pressure cooked, then add some water to thin it. the consistency of the dal can always be adjusted by adding less or more water after its cooked. you can also slightly keep the consistency thin then what it is usually if you prefer.
avoid asafoetida or hing to make a gluten free version of this dal.
to get hints of gingery taste in the dal, you can add ½ inch ginger - either grated or crushed into a paste in a mortar-pestle. just fry the ginger after you have finished frying the whole spices and asafoetida.
BandhaKopi'r Ghonto -- a dry Cabbage dish from BongMom's Cookbook
Prep: Chop in fine thin pieces 1/2-3/4th of a medium sized cabbage, amounts to about 6-8 cups
Start Cooking:
Heat 2 tablespoons of Oil
Fry 2 peeled and cubed potatoes with a pinch of turmeric until golden - they need not be completely cooked
Remove the potatoes and in the same pan add 1 Bay Leaf/Tej Patta, 1 tsp of Whole Cumin Seeds/Jeera and 1 slit green chillies
When the spices tart spluttering add 1 medium sized tomatoes finely chopped
Fry till the tomatoes are all nicely mushed up and there is no raw smell
Add 1/2 tsp of Cumin Powder/Jeera Powder, 1/2 tsp of Coriander Powder/Dhania Powder, 1 teaspoon of freshly grated ginger. I usually mix all the above masala in little water to make a thick paste and add it.
Fry the masala till the oil starts separating from the masala. If needed sprinkle water while frying
Add about 3-4 cups of finely chopped cabbage. Add the cabbage gradually and mix well with the masala. Add a little turmeric powder for color. Fry the cabbage with the masala for couple of minutes. The shredded cabbage should be nicely coated with the spices.
Add about 1/4 tsp of Kitchen King masala or any other such masala and salt. The Kitchen King is optional and you can skip it.
Add the fried potatoes, give a good stir and cover and cook
Normally you wouldn't need to add water but check intermittently and give a good stir in between. Add little water if needed for the veggies to cook.
Edited on 12/14/2010: When veggies are almost done, add 1/4-1/2 tsp of sugar. Bengali Bandhakopi is usually on the sweet side and the sugar lends a nice dimension to the dish. Skip if you don't like sweet.
When the veggies are done (according to you) add 1/4-1/2 tsp of Garam masala Powder and 1/4 tsp of ghee
Mix well and you are done
Sometimes I add juice of a quarter lemon and no Ghee, though this is not the usual trend
When the spices tart spluttering add 1 medium sized tomatoes finely chopped
Fry till the tomatoes are all nicely mushed up and there is no raw smell
Add 1/2 tsp of Cumin Powder/Jeera Powder, 1/2 tsp of Coriander Powder/Dhania Powder, 1 teaspoon of freshly grated ginger. I usually mix all the above masala in little water to make a thick paste and add it.
Fry the masala till the oil starts separating from the masala. If needed sprinkle water while frying
Add about 3-4 cups of finely chopped cabbage. Add the cabbage gradually and mix well with the masala. Add a little turmeric powder for color. Fry the cabbage with the masala for couple of minutes. The shredded cabbage should be nicely coated with the spices.
Add about 1/4 tsp of Kitchen King masala or any other such masala and salt. The Kitchen King is optional and you can skip it.
Add the fried potatoes, give a good stir and cover and cook
Normally you wouldn't need to add water but check intermittently and give a good stir in between. Add little water if needed for the veggies to cook.
Edited on 12/14/2010: When veggies are almost done, add 1/4-1/2 tsp of sugar. Bengali Bandhakopi is usually on the sweet side and the sugar lends a nice dimension to the dish. Skip if you don't like sweet.
When the veggies are done (according to you) add 1/4-1/2 tsp of Garam masala Powder and 1/4 tsp of ghee
Mix well and you are done
Sometimes I add juice of a quarter lemon and no Ghee, though this is not the usual trend
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