Panchmel Dal ( Rajasthani Lentils Recipe)

It is that time of the year when everyone is either partying or taking a vacation. But since I am doing neither, I have enough time to feel nostalgic about home and indulge about fifty grades of nostalgia. Looking though old photos, revisiting my early blog posts, calling up long forgotten friends/cousins/relatives, taking out and cleaning old stuff, cooking up my mom's dishes and so on, the list is almost endless. Hence, the craving for home cooked traditional food at a time when most of my blogger friends are dishing out cakes and party food by the dozen.

I was introduced to this recipe by my Mom. Unlike the mom in that Freecharge advert who refuses to go beyond Urad dal, she enjoys watching cooking shows and then replicating the same in her kitchen. Thanks to her I have developed a taste for all types of cuisine and my definition of comfort food is not limited to just Odia cuisine. For me, comfort food, irrespective of the place off its origin, has a very magical quality that immediately infuses my entire being with a warm glow. And I guess it is the same for most foodies who have been able to transcend the cultural barriers that seek to create ghettos around certain types of cuisine.

But enough of that introspection and analyzing. Moving on to this recipe, it is a simple, aromatic and delicious preparation that does without the usage of onion and garlic. While the traditional version uses lentils with skin on them, I have cooked it with the split and skinless version that was readily available in my pantry.

Here is the recipe -

Preparation Time - 45 mins ( Plus soaking for 4 hours)

Ingredients -

• a fistful of Toor dal
• a fistful of Urad dal
• a fistful of Moong dal
• a fistful of Masoor dal
• a fistful of Channa dal
• 2 medium sized tomatoes
• 1 inch ginger
• 4 cloves
• 1 green cardamom
• 3 dry red chilis
• 1 green chili
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 pinch hing
• 2 pinch garam masala
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• salt to taste
• 1 tsp oil
• 2 tsp ghee
• 2 tbsp chopped cilantro

Preparation - Wash and soak the lentils for 4-5 hours.

Chop the tomato into fine bits. Lightly crush the ginger and green chili.

Cooking - Take the lentils in a pressure cooker along with 3-4 cups water, turmeric and salt to taste.
Cook for 3-4 whistles on medium flame.

Keep aside till steam escapes. Open the lid and slightly mash dal with a heavy spoon. Add some hot water to adjust consistency and put it back on a low flame.

Heat the oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds, cloves, cardamom, asafoetida and broken red chilis. Once it starts spluttering, add the crushed ginger and green chili. Fry for a minute.

Then add chopped tomatoes, salt and garam  masala. Cook till tomatoes turn pulpy.

Pour this mixture into the pressure cooker and mix with the dal. Let it simmer for 15 mins.

Finally garnish with cilantro and remove from the flame.

Serve it hot with phulkas or rice. ( I have served it with a simple vegetable pilaf and some radish salad. )

Gatta Pulao ( No onion No garlic version )

For someone living south of the state of Rajasthan, the term 'gatta' sounds almost alien. Quite a few of us have grown up thinking that 'gatta' is just another vegetable that could be native to the arid lands of the state. So, it was quite a surprise when I had a chance to taste the famous delicacy. 'Gatta' is nothing but 'besan'/'gram flour dumplings that are first cooked in boiling water, cooled, fried and then later added to any dish. It serves as a substitute for vegetables which are hard to come by in a desert.

It is when most of us want to try such exotic dishes, that we seek to connect with someone who has had experience/expertise with it. And that is where 'TalkToChef' comes in with help at hand. It is  a platform that allows one to connect with real chefs and get any cooking queries answered on a real time basis. TalkToChef is not about recipes but real folks who are ready to dish out information with their vast culinary experience. Make your meals healthier and fix any last minutes issues with expert help so that you do not have to rely on takeaways or frozen meals.Their mantra is simple and can be summed up in the following words - "we envision every table adorned with a home cooked meal as if it were prepared by a professional chef". 

If spicy curries are not your thing and you prefer the sheer comfort of rice dishes, this is another 'gatta' recipe that you must try. While chopped onions and garlic paste do form a part of this rich pulao, I have kept this version 'niramish' so that it can be had on fasting days too. Read on -

Preparation Time - 30-45 mins

Ingredients -

For the Gatta -

• 1 cup besan
• 2 tsp curd
• 2 tsp oil
• 1/3 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp crushed coriander seeds
• 1/4 tsp cumin seeds
• a pinch of asafoetida
• salt to taste

For the pulao -

• 3 cups cooked rice ( use Basmati or Jeera rice )
• 1/2 cup green peas
• 1/2 tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp chili powder (optional)
• 1/5 tsp garam masala
• 2 pinch turmeric
• 2-3 green cardamom
• 1 1/2 inch cinnamon stick
• 3-4 cloves
• 1 black cardamom
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 3-4 tbsp raisins
• 3-4 tbsp broken cashews
• 3 tsp ghee
• 1 tsp oil
• salt to taste
• cilantro for garnishing

Preparation - Take all the ingredients for the 'gatta' in a mixing bowl. Mix together into a tight dough. If it feels too dry, sprinkle a few drops of water. Cover with a cloth and keep aside for 10-15 mins.

Divide into 3-4 portions. Roll each portion into a sausage like cylinder .

Boil water in a saucepan. Add the cylinders into the water and allow to cook for 12-13 mins. Remove from the water and keep aside till cool. Cut into smaller portions of about an inch long.

Cooking - Heat the oil and ghee in a wok. Add the 'gatta' and fry lightly for 2-3 mins. Remove and keep aside.

Add the whole spices and cumin seeds. Fry till fragrant and then add the raisins and cashews. Add the green peas after 30 seconds. Fry for 2-3 mins.

Add the powdered masalas, fried gatta and salt.  Fry for 1 minute. 

Finally add the cooked rice along with the chopped cilantro. Switch off the flame and mix everything together.

Serve it hot with fresh curd.

Kurkuri Bhindi

I have been quite occupied over the last week doing cleaning, rearranging furniture and other household activities. That left me very less time to cook lunch for myself. Hence I would mostly end up doing simple stir-fries (bhaji) which even my kid liked to have with his khichidi . The only day I made rice and dal for lunch, I only had about a dozen ladies fingers sitting in the fridge. As I had cleaned out the fridge the previous day, I did not get time to stock up on the veggies. Being in the mood for something chatpata, I quickly decided to make some crispy ladies finger fries. Even my son is fond of this vegetable so i first marinated it with minimum spice/heat. Keeping aside some of the fries, I drizzled mine with more chilli powder and amchur. Totally lip-smacking dish.

While Kurkuri Bhindi is actually a Rajasthani recipe which is much more flavorsome, mine is just a simplified version of it. Read on for this simple recipe -

Preparation Time - 15 mins

Ingredients -

• 12-14 ladies fingers/okra
• 1/2 tsp red chili powder
• 1/4 tsp garam masala
• 1/4 tsp amchur/chaat masala
• 1 tsp besan
• 1/2 tsp rice flour
• salt to taste
• oil for deep frying
• 2 pinch black pepper powder (my special addition)

Preparation - Slit the ladies finger lengthwise and cut into smaller 2 inch long sections ( mine were small so i kept it as such ).

Sprinkle all the spices/masalas over the ladies finger and toss together to coat evenly. Keep aside for 10 mins.

Add the besan and rice flour and mix once again.

Cooking - Heat sufficient oil in wok or deep vessel. Add the ladies finger in batches and fry till they become crispy.

Serve hot as it is or garnished with lemon juice, coriander leaves and tomato slices.