THE KITCHEN AFFAIRE

I ate Adai a couple of months back at one of our Tamilian friends place. I was surprised that I had not eaten this before, in fact, I was not aware of this dish. mmm.. Well, as they say, better late than never.  :) But still, I did not try it soon enough. And last day, as I spoke with my mom, she said that she made Adai. I was like, " Oh mommy, I also wanted to make this.. ". Thanks to mum for reminding me :) Love her.. So there it goes. I tried the recipe today and Oh my, it turned out great. We loved it and had lots of them :) Here is the recipe for you friends..  Ingredients Step 1 Raw rice / Idli rice - 1/2 C Salt - to taste Oil - 1/2 C Boiled rice - 1/2 C Toor dal - 1/2 C Bengal gram / Chana dal - 1/4 C Urad dal - 1/4 C Green chilli -2 Red chilli -3 Step 2 Asafoetida -1/4 t Onion, finely chopped - 2  Coconut, grated - 2 T Curry leaves - a few Cilantro leaves - a few Ginger -1'' small bit Drumstick leaves - a handfu...

As always I was blog hopping to find something new for dinner tonight. And Voila! I got it. It was the name of the dish that struck me. "Amti". Never heard of it before. So I got more interested and see what I found out. "Amti" is a Maharashtrian dish. And Maharashtra is a state in India. Every state in India has a huge number of specific specialities. So here is one such speciality from the land of Marathas :) Amti is a mix of spicy, sweetish and tangy taste. I just have one word to describe "Amti" - Yummmmmm :) Special thanks to Jaysri for this recipe. And to Nupur too, from whom Jaysri got this :) Ingredients Toor dal - 1 C Onion - 1⁄2 C Amti masala - 1 t Turmeric powder - 1/2 t Red chilli powder - 1/2 t Tamarind paste - 1 t Jaggery - 1/2 t Curry leaves -  few Cilantro - 1 T Oil - 1 T For Tempering Mustard Seeds - 1 t Cumin Seeds - 1 t Asafoetida - a pinch Method Heat oil in a pan. Once the oil is hot, add it...

Thanks a ton to Priya ( Mharo Rajasthan's Recipes ) for her awesome collection of yummy and traditional Rajasthani dishes. All of you should go through her blog for some very interesting details about Rajasthan and its vast culture and of course - Rajasthani Food. :) It was in Priya's blog that I found this interesting dal made using five kinds of lentils. I had heard of this before from Ammu (my sis n law) but had not got a chance to try. And I have to say that it tasted so yummy! :D All of it got over in an instant! :) I have simply used the same ingredients mentioned by Priya. Coz I want the exact Rajasthani edge in the taste.  :D Ingredients Toor Dal - 1/4 C Moong Dal - 1/4 C Masoor Dal - 1/4 C Chana Dal - 1/4 C Green Whole Moong Dal - 1/4 C Onion, chopped - 1 C Tomatoes, chopped - 1 C Turmeric Powder - 1 t Red Chilli Powder - 1 t Coriander Powder - 1 t Cumin Powder - 1 t Garam Masala - 1/2 t Salt - to taste Oil - 1 t For Seasoning o...

There are days when the only thing I want to do is sit on the couch like a couch potato. On those days I try to minimize the time and effort I normally put into cooking. This simple “dal” (lentil) fry recipe comes to my rescue then. :D Not only is it a simple recipe, it is quick too! And if you have a cooker it takes less than 10 minutes to be served.  :) Cool eh? No wonder I adore this recipe. Ingredients Toor Dal – 1 C Mustard Seeds - 1/2 t Cumin Seeds - 1/2 t Onion – ½ Tomato – ½ Green Chilli - 1 or to taste Turmeric Powder - 1/2 t Red Chilli Powder - 1/2 t Oil - 1 T Salt - to taste Method Boil toor dal in a deep bottomed pan in 3 C of water for 20 mins. An alternate method is to cook dal in a cooker up to 2 whistles. Meanwhile, heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds. When they pop, add cumin seeds. Add chopped onions and mix till they turn translucent. Add Green chilli, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt. Mix well and add toma...

Ingredients For cooking the dal Toor dal - 1/2 C Water - 2 1/2 C Salt - to taste Ghee - 1/2 t Turmeric - a pinch For Sautéing Tomato, diced - 1 Brinjal, diced - 1 Onion, thinly sliced - 1 Vegetables : Ladysfinger, Ash gourd, Plantain, Carrots, Drumsticks Ginger, thinly sliced - A small piece Garlic cloves, thinly sliced - 1-2 Green chillies - 3 Turmeric powder - ¼ t Coriander powder - 2 t Chilly powder - 1 t Sambar Powder - 2 T Tamarind paste - ½ t Cumin seeds/ jeera : ¼ t Coconut oil : ½ t Salt to taste For seasoning Coconut oil - 1 Mustard seeds - 1 t Fenugreek seeds - 3/4 t Dry red chillies - 2 Asafoetida - 1/2 t Curry leaves For garnishing Coriander leaves Method For cooking dal Wash Toor dal thoroughly in water. Along with water, turmeric powder, ghee and salt, cook washed dal in a pressure cooker, in medium heat, until it is cooked and soft. For me it takes around 4-6 whistles. For the gravy Heat...

A simple and easy dish that tastes yummy too :) Guess i keep saying that for every dish. ;) But this one is really easy! This goes well with both chappathi and rice dish too :) Ingredients Toor Dal : 1 cup Onions (chopped) : 3/4 cup Water : 2-1/2 cups Turmeric Powder : 1/2 t Oil : 3 T Garlic (chopped) : 1 t Ginger (chopped) : 1 t Tomatoes (chopped) : 1 cup Green Chillies (chopped) : 1 t Cumin Seeds : 1/2 t Chilli Powder : 1 t Coriander Leaves (chopped) : 1/4 cup Salt to taste Method Take the dal and wash it properly. Soak it in about 2-1/2 cups of water for half an hour. Pressure-cook the dal until it is done. Take oil in a frying pan and heat it. Now, add chopped garlic, ginger, onion, cumin seeds and green chillies. Fry the mixture on medium flame for 3 to 4 mintues. Stir the mixture periodically. Put chopped tomatoes, turmeric powder, chilli powder and salt and fry again on a high flame for about 3 minutes. Pour this m...