Chana daal with Lauki

Updating this blog after a loooooong time...

Looong time back, I had this daal at an aunt's place and loved it. Heard about it just a few days back when a friend said that she makes lauki with chana daal. Yipppeee ! Quickly asked her the recipe and made it ( you don't get fresh lauki here except for these two or three summer months, so I had it in the fridge).

It was too easy to make and totally yummy with rice - perfect when you want a simple dinner

Soak 1 cup chana daal and keep aside. Peel and chop half a lauki. Heat pressure cooker on a stove. Add a tbsp of oil. Add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. When it splutters, add chopped garlic ( one clove). Add 1/2 tsp turmeric powder, then add the chopped lauki. Stir for two minutes, then add one chopped tomato, 1 tsp chilli powder, stir for another minute. add the soaked chana daal and then 1 cup water. Close the lid and pressure cook it for upto two whistles.

Open the lid when it cools off slightly, add salt to tast and cook without the lid for 5 more minutes. add some shopped coriander leaves. Serve with hot rice.

Daal Baati Churma

Bati:

2 cups atta+salt+1/4 tsp Baking powder+1/2 desi ghee ( I used Amul ghee since that was the only one available here) —>Mix well and make a stiff dough.
Preheat oven to 180 degree. Take lemon size portions of the dough. Press firmly and roll into round balls. Grease a baking tray and place batis on it. Press slightly and bake @180 deg till done ( may take 15-20 min). When done, serve it hot with a bowl full of ghee to soak them and Rajashtani Daal.

Daal:

For dal, soak moong daal, urad daa and chana daal in about three cups of water for an hour. Boil the dals with turmeric powder and salt till done and mash them properly. Heat oil in a pan. Add 1 tsp cumin seeds+ a pinch of�asafoetida+2 whole dry red chillies+2�bay leaves+ 3�cloves+ 1 in piece�od cinnamon+ 2 cardamoms+ 5-6 curry leaves+ 1 tbsp ginger chopped + 3 green chillies chopped + 2 chopped medium tomatoes+ 1 tsp red chilli powder; fry till the oil gets seperated from the mixture. Add the cooked Dal and blend properly. Finish off with lemon juice ( 1 medium lemon) and chopped coriander.

Churma:

2 cups atta+4 tbsp semolina+ 1/2 cup ghee —-> mix well. add milk as required and knead into a stiff dough. Divide the dough into lemon size balls. Heat sufficient ghee in a kadai and deep fry the balls on medium heat, till they are well done ( pinkish ). Drain into an absorbant paper and cool. Coarsely grind the wheat balls in mixer. Chop handful of cashew nuts and almonds. Wash some�raisins and pat dry. Add 3/4 cup powdered sugar, 1/4 tsp green carsamom powder and one cup warm ghee to the coarsely ground wheat ball powder. Mix well. You can also make ladoos while its still warm and you can store the churma ke ladoo in a air tight container. But I used it as churma only with the dal and bati.

Daal Makhani

This is how I make Daal Makhani which is adapted from Sanjeev Kapoor's recipe and is a favourite with the 2Bs and even at the parties everyone asks me the recipe for this !

Whole urad dal - 1 cup

rajma ( kidney beans) - 1/4 cup

Butter- 2 tbsp

onion finely chopped- 1

ginger garlic paste- 3 tsp

tomato paste- 2 tbsp or two chopped tomatoes

cream - 50ml

red chilli pdr- 1 to 2 tsp

garam masala pdr- 1 tsp

Soak daal and rajma overnight and pressure cook till soft. Mash it and keep aside. In a pan heat the butter and add chopped onions. Fry till golden brown, add ginger garlic paste and stir for a couple of minutes. Then add the tomotoes or tomato paste, red chilli pdr and let it cook untill the fat seperates. Keep stiring from time to time to make sure it doesn't stick to the bottom. Then add the cooked daal, add some water if it is too thick. And bring it to a boil. Add cream and garam masala pdr and simmer for 5 mins.

We had it with hot rotis for dinner :-)

Dalcha

This is a Hyderabadi dish and can be a kaddu( lauki ) dalcha or baigan dalcha. It goes well with jeera rice for dinner. If I am really in a 'cooking' mood ( which doesnt happen very often) I also make alu fry as an accompaniment otherwise just fry some papads. I prefer the kaddu dalcha( lauki or bottle guard) better simply for the reason that I dont like baigan ( eggplant) much. But last night I made the baigan ka dalcha when I saw some fresh eggplants at the vege shop.

You will need:

1/2 cup - chana dal
1/2 cup - toor dal
2-3 long eggplants or half lauki cut into not too small pieces
1 lemon size ball of tamarind ( I use the ready made tamarind paste -I love convenience ! )
a few curry leaves
1 or 2 green chiliies
1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste ( again I use ready made ones available in Indian grocery stores)
1 tsp chilli pdr
1/2 tsp turmeric pdr
2 tbsp cooking oil
1 tsp jeera ( cumin )
salt

Pressure cook the dals together. add 2 cups of water, slit green chillies, curry leaves, tamarind juice and let it boil. On the other side, heat a pan and add oil. put jeera and let it splutter then add baigan or lauki pieces and stir. Add ginger garlic paste, turmeric, red chilli pdr and stir and leave it for a 2-3 mins. Now add the boiling daal in it, salt to taste and let it simmer on low heat for 10 - 15 mins or untill the oil floats on top. I also add a one inch stick of dalchini( cinnamon) just before switching off the stove and cover it - it gives a nice flavour.