Dal Palak (without onion and garlic) | Palak Dal | Easy Dal Palak Recipe

Recipe for the day is this warm and yummy Dal Palak which always reminds me of our Pune days. This hot bowl of simple yet flavorful palak dal was enough for us to eat scores of phulkas and extra extra helpings of rice. Did I slightly go overboard? Maybe ;) But you get the drift right. It is healthy too. All you need is that bowl of dal and maybe a sabzi. Even if I don't get time to make a sabzi, we manage with boiled egg fry or paneer burji. I love to make this with the palak I used to buy in Pune which gives an earthly flavor to the gravy. With the Chennai palak I feel that's missing. So without much further talk, let's get to the recipe.

Recipe Source: Here

Serves: 3-4 persons

I Took: 

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

I Used:

Palak	-	2 cups
Tur Dal	-	½ cup
Oil/Ghee	-	2 tbsp
Cumin seeds	-	1 tsp
Ginger	-	An inch piece - chopped
Green Chilly	-	2 nos (medium sized) - chopped
Red Chilly powder	-	½ tsp
Asafoetida	-	¼ tsp
Turmeric powder	-	½ tsp
Salt	-	As Needed

The Way:

1. Rinse the lentil with water for 2-3 times. Then take them in a pressure cooker and add around 2 cups of water. Add salt and turmeric powder to it. If you have time soak the dal for 15-20 minutes before cooking so that they cook faster

2. Pressure cook the dal for 5 to 6 whistles till it becomes soft and mushy

3. Now rinse the palak in water for 2-3 times. Drain them of water. Then chop finely and keep aside. Also clean and chop the ginger and green chillies and keep aside

4. In a pan heat oil/ghee. Using ghee gives a very nice aroma and flavor to the gravy. Then temper the cumin seeds 

5. Reduce the flame to low and then add the chopped ginger and fry till the raw smell goes off

6. Then add the chopped green chillies & fry for 30 seconds

7. Now add the chopped palak and saute for a minute

8. Then add the red chilly powder and asafoetida

9. Now cover the pan and cook for 6-8 minutes till the palak is cooked. Palak will release some water. So no need to add additional water at this point. Just open the lid and saute twice or thrice in between so that the palak doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan

10. Mash the cooked dal so that it is smooth. Once the palak is cooked, add the mashed dal to it

11. Add water (1-2 cups) depending on the consistency you want or the gravy and give a nice stir

12. Check salt and add if needed

13. Simmer the dal for about 5 minutes and then switch off

Serve with nice phulkas/rotis, rice & a sabzi of choice :)

Cheers,
Chitz

Kadai Mushroom | Restaurant Style Kadai Mushroom recipe | How to make Kadai Mushroom

There is no dearth of rich recipes with mushroom right? Almost any dish you make with them, they taste great and rich. And I'm talking about people who like mushrooms,okay. If you do not like them, no matter how yummy or rich it is made, it is difficult to appease them. And today's dish is kadai mushroom which is both easy to make as well as yum and rich and definitely not heavy :) 

It is a simple prep with sauteed onions and pureed tomatoes and an instant homemade masala. Of course a dollop of cream makes it more smooth and balances the taste. It tastes great with phulkas or rotis or plain parathas. I had it with palak paratha and you do not need anything else. This in itself makes a complete meal :) And that's what I like the best about mushrooms. They do not need an elaborate meal but just phulkas would do and that makes a complete and satisfying meal, agree? So let's see how to make them.

My other recipes with mushrooms are Mushroom Dry Fry, Mushroom Do pyaza, Restaurant Style Mushroom Pepper Fry & Sauteed Mushrooms

Recipe Source: Adapted from here

I Took: 

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

 

Serves : 3-4 persons

I Used:

For the Masala

Red Chilly	-	2 nos
Coriander seeds	-	1 tbsp
Cumin seeds	-	½ tsp
Pepper	-	1 tsp
Cinnamon	-	1 inch piece
Clove	-	2 nos
Cardamom	-	1 no
Bay leaf	-	1 no

For the Gravy

Oil	-	2 tbsp
Mushroom	-	200 gm - sliced
Capsicum	-	1 medium sized - de-seeded & diced
Onion	-	1 medium sized - chopped finely
Tomato	-	2 medium sized - chopped
Ginger garlic paste	-	1 ½ tsp
Turmeric powder	-	¼ tsp
Kasuri Methi	-	1 tsp - crushed in your palms
Cream (optional)	-	2 tbsp
Garam Masala (optional)	-	¼ tsp

The Way:

1. Clean the mushroom by removing the stalk & peeling off the skin as shown in the photo below. Clean all the mushrooms in the similar manner. 

2. Then rinse them in water twice or thrice and pat them dry immediately using a clean towel. Do not soak them in water for long, rinse them and remove them from water immediately else they will suck and retain water.

3. You can slice the mushrooms and cook as well. Slice or cut them as per your choice. You can use the stalks as well. Cut them into an inch piece in length and a quarter an inch in thickness.

4. De-seed the capsicum and cube them. Rinse the tomatoes and chop them roughly. Keep aside. Chop the onions finely and keep aside

5. In a pan, heat 1 tbsp oil. Add the cleaned and sliced mushrooms to it. Saute them

6. The mushrooms will release water. After a while the water will evaporate. Saute them till the mushrooms get slightly browned. Once done, remove them and keep aside

7. Similarly, add the diced capsicum also to the same pan. Add a little salt if you like and saute them. I find the capsicum bland in the gravy sometimes, so I add a little salt while sauteing itself so that it does not feel very bland

8. Once they turn slightly soft (3-4 mins), remove them from the pan and keep aside

9. In the same pan, take all the spices for the masala - coriander seeds, red chilly, peppercorns, cumin seeds, bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves & cardamom

10. Dry roast them in a low flame till they are fragrant. Do not burn them

11. Once they are roasted well and turn fragrant, switch off the flame and allow them to cool. Once cool, take the spices in a mixer jar and grind them to a smooth (if preferred coarse) powder. Keep aside

12. Now add the roughly chopped tomatoes in the same mixer jar and grind them to a smooth paste. Keep aside

13. In the same pan used earlier, heat another 2-3 tbsp oil. Add the finely chopped onions and salt and saute

14. Keep sauteing. Once they start turning brown, add the ginger-garlic paste and saute for another 2-3 minutes or until the raw smell of the paste goes off

15. Now add the tomato puree and saute till they start to leave oil off the sides

16. Now add the turmeric powder and the ground masala and give a nice stir. Saute for another 2-3 minutes till they blend in well

17. Add little water (around ½ cup) and give a nice stir. Bring the gravy to a boil on low flame

18. Then add the cream and mix well. Then add the sauteed capsicum and mushroom to it. Give a stir

19. Finally add the crushed (between your palms) kasuri methi and garam masala (if using, i don't) give a gentle stir

20. Switch off the flame. Garnish the kadai mushroom with some chopped coriander leaves and serve warm with hot phulkas/rotis

Notes:

• Capsicums are optional. If not available or not preferred, you can omit them

• You can add garam masala in the end if needed. Since my ground masala already contains most of the garam masala ingredients, I do not add extra garam masala in the end

Cheers,
Chitz

Methi Dal | Methi Dal Fry | Methi Dal recipe with fresh Fenugreek leaves

So this is the third recipe on the back-to-back series on fresh fenugreek leaves. And today I bring a dal recipe with fresh methi leaves, Methi Dal. This is a simple and yet flavourful preparation with methi leaves. Instead of making plain dal fry, you can add a handful of methi leaves and you get the nutrients from the leaves as well as a variation to that monotonous dal recipe as well :) In this recipe I have used tur dal. You can use moong dal or channa dal or a combination of dals as well. This is yet another recipe where the bitterness of the methi leaves is very subtle and is balanced well with the sweetness from the dal. Hence this recipe sneaks it's way often into my menu :) The other methi recipes in the blog are Methi Paratha, Methi Malai Matar & Aloo Methi

I Took: 

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

 

Serves : 2-3 persons

I Used:

Tur Dal	-	½ cup
Methi Leaves	-	½ cup - tightly packed - chopped
Oil/Ghee	-	3 tbsp
Cumin Seeds	-	1 tsp
Ginger	-	1 inch piece - finely chopped
Garlic	-	3-4 nos - finely chopped
Onion	-	1 small sized - chopped
Tomato	-	1 small sized - chopped
Red Chilly powder	-	½ - 1 tsp
Asafoetida	-	1 pinch
Garam Masala	-	½ tsp
Water	-	1 - 1.5 cups ( As Needed)
Salt	-	As Needed
Turmeric Powder	-	½ tsp

The Way:

1. Take the tur dal in a bowl. Rinse it well 2-3 times and then soak in water (1.5-2 cups) for ½ an hour

2. Then take the soaked tur dal along with that water in a pressure cooker. Add turmeric powder and salt and pressure cook till it is soft and cooked. It takes 3 whistles in high and 3-4 whistles in medium for me. If you do not have time to soak then the cooking time could be more and you should cook them for 8-9 whistles

3. Pluck the fenugreek leaves and discard the stem. Rinse the leaves in water nicely for 2-3 times so that all the mud and dirt sticking onto the leaves get removed. Then chop them finely and keep aside

4. Heat oil/ghee in a pan. Splutter cumin seeds

5. Add the finely chopped ginger & garlic and saute for 2-3 minutes on a low flame

6. Then add the finely chopped onions (and salt) and saute for 3-4 minutes

7. When they become translucent, add the red chilly powder and asafoetida and give a quick stir and saute for another 2 -3 minutes till the raw smell of red chilly powder goes away

8. Then add the chopped tomatoes and give a quick stir. Allow the tomatoes to soften and turn mushy. Saute in between

9. Once the tomatoes turn mushy, add the chopped methi leaves. Saute till the leaves wilt and oil starts to leave the sides 

10. When done, add the cooked dal to this. Then add required water for your desired consistency). Check salt and add more if needed

11. Stir well and then simmer for another 8-9 minutes

12. Finally add garam masala and give a quick stir. Switch off the flame

Serve hot with rotis or parathas or steamed rice!

Notes:

• To reduce the bitterness of the methi leaves, soak the leaves in salt water for 10 minutes. But if you can, omit this step as the nutrients will be lost by soaking the leaves in salt water. But for this recipe, it will taste good without doing this as the bitterness of the methi leaves is well balanced by the sweetness from the tur dal

• Instead of tur dal you can use moong dal or channa dal or a combination of 2-3 lentils

Cheers,
Chitz

Aloo Methi | Punjabi Aloo Methi Ki Sabji | Potatoes with Fenugreek Leaves

I started using methi leaves extensively in my routine after coming to Pune :) And I'm loving it. Both for it's health benefits as well as for the yummy dishes that can be made with them.. Aloo Methi is one such recipe that I'm absolutely in love with. In fact I started liking this more after our trip to Dapoli and having it there in the home stay. You pair anything with potato, it sure is going to taste yum right ;) But this one was very simple with minimal ingredients and the flavour of the methi being beautifully balanced by the slightly fried potatoes. It was just yum. So from then on, I keep my aloo methi simple with minimal flavours and it's definitely very yum with just plain parathas or rotis or rice & dal as well. 

Some other Methi recipes that might pick your interests might be

Methi Paratha

Methi Malai Matar
Methi Dal

I Took: 

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

 

Serves : 2-3 persons

I Used:

Aloo	-	2 medium sized - cubed
Methi	-	2 cups heaped (before chopping)
Oil/Butter	-	2 tbsp
Cumin seeds	-	½ tsp
Green Chilly	-	2 nos - slited
Asafoetida	-	¼ tsp
Salt	-	As Needed

The Way:

1. Pluck the fenugreek leaves and discard the stem. Rinse the leaves in water nicely for 2-3 times so that all the mud and dirt sticking onto the leaves get removed

2. Then soak the leaves in salt water for 10 minutes to remove the bitterness of methi. This step is optional. You can omit this step if you do not want. After 10 minutes, squeeze the leaves in your palm to remove water. Then chop them finely and keep aside

3. Rinse, peel and chop the potatoes into bite sized cubes

4. Heat oil/butter in a pan. Splutter the cumin seeds. Then add the cubed potatoes

5. Saute the potatoes for a few minutes till they turn crisp and the edges start turning slightly golden in colour

6. Then add the slit green chillies and asafoetida and give a quick stir

7. Now add the chopped methi leaves and salt and give a stir. Allow the methi leaves to cook on a low flame

8. The methi leaves will start to leave water. Allow them to cook further (5-6 minutes) till the water dries up and the leaves are wilted

9. Saute for another 2-3 minutes after the water has dried up. The sabzi should become completely dry

Serve with parathas or dal-rice combo!

Notes:

• You can use normal potatoes or baby potatoes for this recipe

• To reduce the bitterness of the methi leaves, soak the leaves in salt water for 10 minutes. But if you can, omit this step as the nutrients will be lost by soaking the leaves in salt water

• Instead of green chilly, you can use ½ tsp of red chilly powder as well

Cheers,
Chitz

Methi Paratha | Methi Roti | Methi ka Paratha | Fenugreek Leaves Flat bread

Are you a fan of methi? Well, I looove kasuri methi (dried methi leaves).. It definitely takes the North Indian dishes up a notch :) But the raw methi leaves? I like it if they do not have the bitter taste. The 'Methi Malai Matar' is one of my fav recipes using methi. So what many suggest is to soak methi leaves in salt water for 10 minutes and then to drain and use so that the bitterness is reduced. But what my mom says is that the nutrients will be lost if we are doing like that :D 

Still at times I do soak the methi in salt water and use coz otherwise it is very difficult to get me and my family to finish the dish :D And the exception is this paratha.. Here I use fresh methi leaves as such and I do not get that bitter taste in the paratha at all. And that's one more reason why I love making this paratha often :) I sometimes make in bulk and have them as a snack when hunger pangs strike :) It is healthy and also methi reduces your blood sugar level and is really good for diabetic patients as well as those with PCOS. But do not go overboard in a day too :) And now off to the recipe then..

Other methi recipes that might interest you would be Methi Malai Matar, Aloo Methi & Methi Dal

I Took: 

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 15 minutes

 

Makes : 6 small sized parathas

I Used:

Atta/Whole Wheat Flour	-	1 cup
Fresh Methi Leaves	-	½ cup - chopped
Green Chilli	-	1 small sized - finely chopped
Ajwain/Carom Seeds	-	¼ tsp
Garam Masala	-	½ tsp
Oil	-	2 tsp
Salt	-	As Needed
Water	-	Slightly less than ½ cup
Oil/Ghee	-	To roast the Chapathis

The Way:

1. Pluck the leaves off the stalks of the methi. Rinse the leaves well (2-3 times) in water. Drain them completely. Then chop the methi leaves finely and keep aside

2. In a bowl, take the atta and salt. Mix well

3. Then add the finely chopped green chilly, ajwain, garam masala, chopped methi leaves and 2 tsp oil and mix

4. Pour water little by little and knead to a smooth dough

5. Now once kneaded, divide them into 4-6 equal sized small balls. I love them small and hence make 6 parathas out of this quantity of atta

6. Dust the dough ball with some flour and then roll the parathas using a rolling pin. You can roll it thin or thick as desired. I keep it as thin as I can :)

7. Meanwhile heat a tawa. When the tawa is hot enough (you can see the flames starting to come), place one rolled paratha on it and allow it to cook

8. After a few seconds (around 15-20) flip the paratha and apply the oil/ghee (a few drops) and allow to cook for a few seconds

9. Then flip again and apply oil/ghee on the other side as well

10. Flip again a couple of times till the paratha is evenly cooked and has brown spots. Press the edges of the paratha with a spatula so that it gets cooked 

11. Repeat the same with the other dough balls and serve them warm with pickle and curd

Notes:

• You can make the atta and methi leaves ratio as 1:1 as well. I like it 1:½ so keep it that way

• If you do not like ajwain, you can omit them

• Can add chopped garlic (2-3 cloves) if you like. Play around the flavours as you like

• Use fresh methi leaves for a good tasty paratha

Cheers,

Chitz

Mushroom Do pyaza | Easy Mushroom Dopyaza recipe

Are you a mushroom lover? I am and that too an ardent one. That's why you can see many mushroom recipes here :) Deeps is not a big fan and Dhruv is an occasional eater. But that doesn't stop me from buying and making them. i do prepare for myself once in a month or so ;) So today's recipe is an easy do pyaza preparation using mushrooms. do pyaza as you know is nothing but using onions twice in the recipe.. Like do (two) pyaz (onions).. This is a simple preparation and makes a wholesome meal with some phulkas.. An easy to go option for making lunch box recipes that look healthy as well as cute and filled :) So the mushroom fans, do try out and let me know :) My other recipes with mushrooms are Mushroom Dry Fry, Restaurant Style Mushroom Pepper Fry, Sauteed Mushrooms & Kadai Mushroom

Preparation Time : 10 minutes

Cooking Time : 30 minutes

Serves : 3-4 persons 

I Used:

Mushroom - 200 gm Oil - 3 tbsp Onion - 1 medium sized - cubed Onion - 1 ½ medium sized - chopped finely Tomato - 1 medium sized - chopped finely Ginger-Garlic paste - 1 tbsp Green Chilly - 2 nos Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp Red Chilly powder - ½ tsp Coriander powder - ½ tsp Cumin powder - ½ tsp Garam masala - ½ tsp Coriander leaves - To Garnish Salt - As Needed

The Way:

1. Clean the mushrooms by removing the skin (refer here) and slice them up. Chop 1 big sized onion (I used 1½ medium sized onion) and cut into cubes another medium sized onion. Chop finely 1 medium sized tomato and keep aside

2. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan. Add the cubed onions and saute them till they turn slightly golden. Do not brown them. Once done, remove and keep them aside

3. Now add the remaining 2 tbsp oil. When it turns hot, add the chopped onions and slit green chillies along with some salt and saute 

4. When they turn translucent add the ginger-garlic paste and saute for 4-5 minutes till the raw smell goes off and the onions slowly start to change colour

5. Now add all the dry masala powders - red chilly, coriander, turmeric, cumin and garam masala. Give a nice stir. Saute for another 3-4 minutes and allow the raw smell of the masalas to go off. Take care not to burn them and keep sauteeing occasionally

6. Then add the chopped tomatoes and saute. The tomatoes should turn soft and mushy

7. Finally add the sliced mushrooms and give a gentle stir. Now cover the pan and cook the mushrooms till done. Do not add water. Mushrooms release water when they are covered and cooked. So that will be sufficient for them to get cooked 

8. Now when the mushrooms are cooked, there can be some water left in the pan. If then keep the lid open and allow the water to evaporate and the gravy to become dry

9. When done, add the sauteed cubed onions and coriander leaves and give a nice stir. Switch off flame and serve with some hot phulkas !

Cheers,

Chitz