Punjabi Daal Makhani - A New recipe

Daal makhani is one of my all time favorite vegetarian delights! It has always been a crowd pleaser and a must order for every dinner outing. Whenever our group in college used to go out, everyone used to say in unison, “Daal makhani to order kar hi do, aur bolo!” – That’s the ‘for granted , by default’ item in the list! This recipe I’ve perfected after trying a few tweaks here n there, and now I call this my own.  It’s one dish that’s sure to give you the real taste of Punjab. So all my friends from abroad– Put on your aprons, and this weekend, give your loved ones, an Indian surprise.  “Balle Balle” !!

Serves: 4

Time: 45 mins

Ingredients

3/4 cup Urad Dal (black matpe beans)

1/4 cup red kidney beans (rajmah)

2 tsp cumin seeds

8 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 inches ginger, finely chopped

2 Green chilies chopped

1 tsp garam masala powder

1/2 cup fresh cream

1 teaspoon red chili powder

2 tsp dry coriander powder

2 tablespoons butter

2 medium tomatoes, pureed

1 tomato chopped

1 onion, finely chopped

1 tablespoon oil

2 tsp Kasoori Methi ( Dried fenugreek leaves)

½ tsp Hing (Asafoetida)

Salt to taste

Directions

• Soak whole black urad and rajma overnight in 3-4 cups of water.
• Cook the soaked dal and rajma in the same water with salt, red chili powder and half the chopped ginger till dal and rajma are cooked and soft. Approx 4 whistles.
• Peel and chop the onion, ginger and garlic finely.
• Heat oil and 1 tbsp butter in a thick-bottomed pan.
• Add hing and cumin seeds. When it crackles, add chopped onions and fry till golden brown.
• Add chopped ginger, garlic, green chilies, kasoori methi, and chopped and pureed tomatoes.
• Reduce heat to low. Add dry coriander powder and sauté till tomatoes are well mashed and fat starts to leave the masala.
• Add boiled dal and rajma to this. Do not add the liquid at first.
• Mash the dals with the back of the ladle while stirring continuously, this gives that creamy texture and thick consistency to the dal.
• Add the liquid and some water if required and simmer on very low heat for fifteen minutes.
• Add fresh cream and garam masala powder and let it simmer for another five minutes.
• Put a dollop of butter on top and serve hot with Naan or Paraatha.

Quick & Easy - Egg Mayo Sandwich

Ingredients

3 eggs

3 tbsp mayonnaise

1 tsp black pepper (kalimirch) powder

8 slices of whole wheat bread

Salt to taste

1 tsp oil

Directions

Take oil in a pan.

 

Break in all the eggs and let it scramble on a low heat.

 

Cook for few mins until it has some moisture left in it.

 

Remove from heat.

 

In another bowl combine the scrambled egg along with mayonnaise, pepper, salt to taste and mix well.

 

Now put this mixture on a bread slice, place another slice on top and cut it diagonally into triangles.

 

Serve with ketchup of your choice.

Variation: Instead of using scrambled eggs, you can also boil 2 eggs and grate or finely chop them into the mayo to get a creamy filling.