Dal Tadka

We love dal tadka, and I have often tried to replicate it at home. This seemed like an amazing recipe, and though it was nice, it still wasn't dal tadka the way restaurants make it.

1/2 cup tur dal
1/2 cup masoor dal
1 or 2 green chilies, chopped or slit lengthwise
1 medium sized onion, chopped
1 medium size tomato, chopped
1 tsp turmeric powder
a pinch of asafoetida/hing
2 cups water
1 tsp kasuri methi/dry fenugreek leaves, crushed
1 or 2 tbsp cream (optional)
1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
salt as required

for the tempering/tadka

2 tbsp oil
1 tsp cumin
5-6 garlic cloves
2-3 red chilies
a generous pinch of hing

Method

Rinse the dals, add chopped onions, tomato, green chilies, ginger, asafoetida & turmeric powder along with the dals in a pressure cooker.
Add salt and two cups water, mix well and pressure cook the dals for 15 minutes till done.
Once well cooked then beat the dal with a churner or a wooden spoon till well mashed and creamy.
Add some water to get the desired consistency and simmer for 3-4 minutes.
Once the desired consistency is reached, add cream (optional), crushed kasuri methi & chopped coriander leaves and switch off the fire.
Mix well, check salt, cover the dal with a lid.

Heat oil in a pan, add cumin and fry them. Add red chilies, asafoetida and chopped garlic. Once the garlic gets browned pour the entire tempering along with the oil into the dal.

Dal makhani

Never did I think a day would come when I would cook Karva Chaut dinner- in the past, we have either eaten out, ordered in or had whatever the maid dished out. But this time, I decided to make "pakka khanna"- dal makhani, puris and aloo subji.
Cooking without tasting is harder than I thought, but the food was yummy- so yummy, in fact, everyone had a second helping!

1 cup black gram or sabut urad dal
¼ cup kidney beans or rajma (optional)
5- 6 tomatoes
8-10 garlic
½ tsp red chili powder 

1 tsp kasuri methi
2.5 tbsp oil
2 to 3 tbsp cream
salt as required

Method 

Rinse and soak the lentils in enough water overnight or for 8-9 hours. Drain and pressure cook with 4 cups water for 20 minutes. When the pressure settles, remove lid, wash lentils and keep aside.

Meanwhile, puree the tomatoes and garlic. Add to the lentis, along with oil, red chilli powder, kasuri methi, cream and salt, and sufficient water. Pressure cook till one whistle. When the pressure settles down on its own, remove the lid and check the lentils and the consistency of the dal- the lentils should be completely cooked and mushy.
Simmer the dal without any lid on a low to medium flame, till the consistency becomes medium and smooth. Mash some lentils with the back of a spoon to thicken the dal. Check the seasoning and add more salt or red chili powder if required. Simmer for 5 minutes or more till you get a creamy smooth consistency like the way you see in the dhabas and restaurants.
Serve the dal makhani hot plain or topped with some butter or cream along with rotis, naan, paratha or plain or jeera rice.

Notes

1. the consistency of dal makhani can be easily adjusted by adding more or less water. 
2. if in the third stage of cooking the consistency becomes thick, add some water. 
3. if the consistency is thin, then simmer dal makhani for a longer period of time till you get the desired consistency.

Aloo Palya

Aloo palya is what the Udupi restaurants call the aloo subji that they serve with pooris. Have always loved it, and no trip to the South is complete without at least one plate of poori- aloo. Got this recipe from a friend, and despite using a few baby potatoes instead of all real ones, it tasted almost authentic.

3 large potatoes boiled
1 medium onion chopped fine
8-10 pieces of cashewnuts
1 tbsp besan
1 green chillie
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp channa dal
1 sprig curry leaves
1 tsp haldi powder
salt to taste
1 tbsp oil

Heat the oil, and temper mustard seeds, channa dal, green chillies and curry leaves.
Add chopped onions and fry on low heat till onions turn transparent. Add cashew nuts, salt and haldi and stir for about a minute.
In the meantime, cut half the potatoes into eighth's and mash the rest of the potatoes.
Add the potatoes, and about 1/2 cup water. Once the water boils, lower the heat, cover and let it cook for about 5 minutes.
Make a paste with the besan, add to the curry, and let it cook for a minute.

Serve with piping hot pooris (or with dosas, as I did).