Back to lentils, this is the no.1 lentil recipe of Bengal, I have been told. In March of last year, we had the no.1 chef of India visit DC, and I had the opportunity to eat food cooked by him. When I tasted this lentil dish prepared by his team, it was exactly how I make it at home. I felt so good that day, really really good :) It was more like a compliment to myself. I wish I was able to work with him for years, and I just hope that I keep doing a good job at something that I love the most...FOOD.Serves: 4Ingredients1 cup split yellow peas (chana dal), soaked in 2 cups water overnight2 tablespoons...
Tapioca is a starch from a palm tree, hence it is a good substitute for rice, especially when we Indians fast, we do not eat lentils or grains, and this is eaten all over the country.Note: Trick is to only soak Tapioca for 1 hour or so, not more than that, or else it will crumble.Ingredients1 cup Tapioca, soaked in 2 cups water for an hour, then drained1/2 cup peanuts, crushed partially3 cups Idaho potatoes, boiled, peeled and mashed1/2 jalapeno, finely chopped1 teaspoon salt1 tablespoon lemon juice2 tablespoon chopped cilantroPeanut oil to deep-fryInstructionsIn a mixing bowl, add all ingredients except oil and mix well.Heat oil at 375 F. Meanwhile, make small balls and keep aside.Fry in small batches, until golden-brown...
Parsis are Zoroastrians who relocated to India from Iran, a few hundred years ago.Serving size: 3Ingredients4 eggs, beaten with about 1/4 cup milk2 inch piece of ginger, grated1 teaspoon cumin seeds2 tablespoons gheeSalt to taste1/4 cup chopped cilantro, for garnish1 medium Roma tomato, chopped1 jalapeno, finely chopped1 medium red onion, finely chopped1/2 teaspoon turmeric powderInstructionsIn a 3 qt pot over medium heat, heat ghee and when ghee is hot, add cumin seeds and onions and cook for 6-7 minutes, or until onions are light brown in color.Add ginger and jalapeno, and cook for another couple of minutes.Add beaten eggs, tomatoes, salt, turmeric, and keep stirring until eggs are just cooked. Garnish with cilantro and serve immediately with toast.
I am not sure if because of MahaShivratri (a big Indian festival devoted to Lord Shiva), follow link to learn more about the festival:Daal Baati is a very traditional recipe from the state of Rajasthan. Daal is a thick lentil preparation and Baati is a wheat dough that is simply baked over charcoal pieces. Usually the Baati is dipped in ghee and then daal is poured over it. Of course, with a drizzle of ghee again.Some people boil Baati in water and then bake it, if you do that, then add turmeric powder to the dough and your baati will be yellow in color. If you do not want to boil your Baati, then turmeric is not necessary. Some add...
Ghee is Indian clarified butter, and you can find it in quite a few regular grocery stores these days.Ingredients1 cup all purpose white flour1 cup confectionary sugar1 cup ghee1 cup semolina1 pinch baking powderHandful of cashewnuts OPTIONALInstructionsMix all ingredients together except ghee.Heat ghee and pour in the flour.Mix well until all ghee is absorbed by the flour, let it rest for about half an hourPreheat oven to 350 F.Use cup cake pans and line them up with cup cake covers. Place 1 tablespoon of hte batter in each mould and place 1 cashew nut on top of each batter.Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until the crust gets slightly brown. Let it cool.
