Dal Makhani

Ingredients:

Black gram dal      -  1 cup (Dal should be with skin)

Dal Makhani

Rajma                   -  1 table spoon
Onion                    -  1 no
Tomatoes              -  2 nos
Green chilies          -  2 nos
Ginger                   -  1/2 inch
Garlic                    -  4 - 6 pearls
Coriander powder -  1 tea spoon
Jeera powder        -  1 tea spoon
Red chili powder   -  1 tea spoon
Sugar                    -  1 tea spoon
Curd                     -  2 table spoons
Fresh cream          -  2 table spoons
Butter                    -  2 table spoons
Jeera                     -  1 tea spoon
Red chilies             -  2 nos
Fresh coriander      -  a small bunch
Salt to taste

1.  Soak rajma and black gram dal with skin, separately, till soft.
2.  Finely chop onions, tomatoes and green chilies.
3.  Grind together ginger and garlic.
4.  Heat 1 table spoon of butter in a kadai, add jeeraand red chilies.
5.  After jeera crackles, add the finely chopped onions and green chilies.
6.  As soon as the onions turn transparent add the tomatoes and stir fry.
7.  Add salt, sugar, coriander powder, jeera powder and red chili powder.
8.  Stir cook till the tomatoes become soft and shapeless, add the soaked dals.
9.  Also add curd, fresh cream and enough water for the dals to cook.
10.Transfer the mixture to a pressure cooker and cook till the dals are soft and shapeless.
11.Garnish the dal with the balance butter and finely chopped coriander.
12.Tastes terrific with rice/roti/paratha and dosa.

Black Gram Dal with Cream

Ingredients:

Black gram dal    -  1 cup(With skin)
Rajma                 -  1 table spoon
Green chilies        -  1 nos
Onion                  -  1 no
Tomatoes            -  2 nos
Ginger                 -  1 inch
Garlic                  -  1 full
Ghee                   -  1 table spoon
Jeera                   -  1 tea spoon
Coriander powder-  1 tea spoon
Turmeric powdoer-  1 tea spoon
Red chili powder  -  1 tea spoon
Fresh cream         -  2 table spoons
Fresh curd           -  2 table spoons
Garam masala      -  1 tea spoon
Sugar                   -  1 tea spoon
Salt to taste

1.  Wash, soak together, black gram dal and rajma for 8 hrs.
2.  Pressure cook the soaked dal along with 1/2 tea spoon of salt till soft.
3.  Boil water in a bowl.  Remove from stove, add the tomatoes with out cutting them.  Keep the bowl covered for a few mins.  Remove from water peel the tomatoes and grind them into a paste.
4.  Grind together ginger and garlic.
5.  Heat ghee in a kadai, add jeera and once they turn colour and crackle add the finely chopped onions.
6.  After the onions turn transparent, add the ginger garlic paste and stir fry till the ghee splits.
7.  Now add salt, turmeric powder, coriander powder, curd, fresh cream, red chili powder and sugar.
8.  Stir continuously till the ghee splits again.  It will take a few mins.
9.  Add the mixture to the cooked dal mixture, also add the garam masala and allow the dal to boil for 5 - 8 mins stirring occasionally.
10.Serve hot with rice/ roti.

Moong ki Dal

Ingredients:

Moong dal          -  3 table spoon
Jeera                  -  1 tea spoon
Green chilies       -  2 - 3 nos
Red chilies          -  2 nos
Curry leaves        -  a few leaves
Ghee                   -  1 table spoon
Asafoitida            -  1 pinch
Lemon juice         -  2 table spoons
Salt to taste

1.  Wash and cook moong dal till soft.
2.  Heat ghee in a kadai add jeera, red chilies.
3.  As soon as jeera crackles add the finely chopped green chilies, curry leaves and coriander leaves.
4.  Add it to the cooked dal, add salt, asafoitida and boil them together for a few mins.
5.  Remove from stove and add 2 table spoons of lemon juice.
6.  Serve hot with rice/ roti or paratha.

Pakodi Kadhi

Ingredients:

curd                     -  1 cup
Onions                -  1 no
Green chilies       -  3 nos
garlic                   -  3 - 4 nos
Ginger                 -  1/2 inch
Bengal gram flour-  2 table spoons
Turmeric              -  1/2 tea spoon
Cooking oil          -  1 table spoon
Mustard seeds     -  1 tea spoon
Methi                   -  1/2 tea spoon
Curry leaves         -  a few leaves
Salt to taste

For pakodas:

Bengal gram dal flour   -  4 table spoons
Rice flour                     -  1 table spoon
Red chili powder          -  1 tea spoon
Ajwain                         -  1 table spoon
Fresh coriander            -  2 table spoons(finely chopped)
Salt to taste
Cooking oil for deep frying.

1.  First mix all the ingredients for pakodas (except cooking oil).

2.  Heat oil for deep frying in a kadai, make small balls out of the pakoda mixture and deep fry in medium flame till golden brown.  Remove from oil and place them in a tissue paper to remove excess oil.
3.  Add the bengal gram flour and salt to the curd and mix with out lumps.
4.  Finely chop green chilies, onions and grate the garlics and ginger.
5.  Heat 1 table spoon of oil in a kadai, add mustard seeds and methi seeds.
6.  Once the mustard crackles add the finely chopped onions, green chilies and curry leaves.
7.  Stir fry till they turn golden brown and then add the grated ginger and garlic.
8.  After a few mins, add the curd mixture to it and also 1 cup of water to it.  Remember the pakodas will
absorb some water from the kadhi.
9.  Keep the flame in low and wait till the kadhi turns frothy and ready to boil, add the pakodas.
10.Pakoda kadhi ready.  Remove from stove.
11.Serve hot with rice/ roti.

Green gram dal (Desi Style)

Ingredients:

Green gram dal          -  4 table spoons
Onion                        -  1 nos
Tomato                      -  1 nos
Garlic                        -  3 -4 pearls
Ginger                       -  1/2 inch
Green chilies              -  2 nos
Gur (jaggery)             -  1/2 tea spoon
Jeera                         -  1 tea spoon
Mustard seeds           -  1 tea spoon
Turmeric powder       -  1/2 tea spoon
Red chilies                 -  2 nos
Ghee                         -  1 table spoon
Salt to taste

1.  In a thick bottomed vessel take 2 cups of water and bring it to boil.
2.  Wash and add the green gram dal to it.  I have used green gram dal with skin.  You can also use the regular moong dal.
3.  Allow the dal to boil and cook in low flame, partially covered. (If fully covered the water will over flow)
4.  Finely chop the onions, tomatoes and green chilies.
5.  Grate the garlic and ginger.  (You can coarsely grind them in a mixer)
6.  Once the dal is 3/4 cooked add the chopped onions, tomatoes, green chilies and the grated garlic and ginger.
7.  Also add salt and turmeric powder.
8.  Let the dal boil till the dal and vegetables are blend together and done, then remove from stove.
9.  Heat ghee in a kadai and add the mustard seeds, jeera and red chilies.
10.Once the mustard seeds crackles garnish the dal with it.
11.Serve hot with rice/ roti or paratha.

Paruppu Urundai Kuzhambu (Dal Koftas)

Ingredients:

Thoor dal                       -  1 cup(150 gms)
Bengal gram dal             -  3 table spoons
Red chilies                     -  8 - 10  nos
Tamarind                       -  1 lemon sized
Turmeric powder            - 1/2 tea spoon
Asafoitida                       -  1/2 tea spoon
Coriander seeds             -  1 table spoon
Black gram dal               -  1 tea spoon
Fenugreek(Methi)          -  1 tea spoon
Grated Coconut             -  2 table spoons
Pepper                           -  1 tea spoon
Jaggery (Gud)                -  1 tea spoon
Cooking Oil                   -  3 table spoons
Mustard seeds                -  1 table spoon
Curry leaves                   -  a few leaves
Salt to taste

1.  Wash and soak thoor dal and 2 table spoons of bengal gram together along with 6 red chilies for 1 hr.
2.  Grind the dals along with red chilies, salt, asafoitida and turmeric powder into a soft paste adding as little water as possible.
3. Now heat 2 table spoons of oil in a kadai and add the ground dal paste and stir well till the water evaporates and it comes into a thick form. (We should be able to make it into small balls.  So not very dry)
4.  Remove the mixture from stove and allow it to cool.
5.  Make the dal mixture into small lemon sized balls and steam cook till its done. Paruppu urundais(Dal Koftas) are ready.

6.  Now for sambar soak tamarind in warm water for 1/2 hr and extract 2 cups of juice.
7.  Heat 1/2 table spoon of oil in a kadai, stir fry coriander seeds, balance bengal gram dal, black gram dal, balance red chilies, pepper and fenugreek, add the coconut and grind it into a thick paste adding water.
8.  Heat 1/2 tea spoon of oil in a kadai and add the mustard seeds and curry leaves and after the mustard crackles add the tamarind juice, turmeric powder, salt and ground masala and allow it to boil for 3 - 5 mins.
9.  Add the paruppu urundais(dal koftas) to the boiling kuzhambu gently, allow them to boil together in low flame for a few mins and remove from stove.  Avoid stirring because it will break the urundais.
10.Paruppu urundai kuzhambu ready.  Serve with rice and ghee.

Multi Grains Dal

Ingredients:

Thoor dal                     -  1 table spoon
Black gram dal             -  1 table spoon
Green gram dal            -  1 table spoon
Bengal gram dal            -  1 table spoon
Masoor dal                  -  1 table spoon
Onion                           -  1 no
Tomatoes                     -  2 nos
Green chilies                 -  2 nos
Garlic                           -  4 - 5 pearls
Ginger                          -  1/2 inch
Ghee                            -  1 table spoon
Mustard seeds              -  1 tea spoon
Jeera                            -  1 tea spoon
Fenugreek(Methi)         -  1 tea spoon
Sauf                              -  1 tea spoon
Red chilies                     -  1 no
Red chili powder           -  1/2 tea spoon
Sugar or Jaggery(Gud)  -  1/2 tea spoon
Salt to taste

1.  Wash soak all dals together for 15 mins.(I have used some dals with their skin.  You can use the regular dal also)
2.  Pressure cook the dals till they are soft.  (You can also cook in open fire)
3.  Clean and grate the garlic and ginger.
4.  Finely chop onions, green chilies and tomatoes.
5.  Heat ghee in a kadai, add mustard seeds, jeera, fenugreek, sauf and broken red chilies.
6.  Once the mustard crackles add the chopped onions and green chilies.
7.  After the onions turn transparent add the grated garlic and ginger.
8.  Stir cook for 2 mins and then add the tomatoes and red chili powder.
9.  Cook till the ghee splits out and now add this to the cooked dals mixture and also add salt and jaggery or sugar.
10.Add water if necessary.  Allow the dal to boil till the whole mixture blend well.    Multi grain dal ready.
11.Serve hot with rice or roti or paratha.