Muli Dal Paneer

One day when I opened my fridge found some leftover cottage cheese and a horse raddish, and was really confused how to utilize them. Then it suddenly struck in my mind to combine them with daland made this Muli Dal Paneer for dinner. The key ingredient of this recipe is Motor dal or Yellow split peas that is known to be a rich source of fibre and protien as well as minerals like phosphrus and potassium. This is tasty as well as health friendly.

Ingredients (4 servings):

• Yellow split peas( matar dal), 1 cup or 200 gm
• Cottage cheese or paneer, 150 gm
• Horse raddish, 1
• Coriander leaves, 1 handfull, chopped
• Onion, 1, sliced
• Garlic cloves, 4
• Ginger, 1"
• Coriander powder, 2 tsp
• Garam masala powder, 1 and 1/2 tsp
• Turmeric powder, 1 tsp
• Mango powder(Amchoor powder), 1 tsp
• Green chillies, 4-5
• Bay leaf, 1
• Whole dry red chilli, 1
• Green cardamom, 2
• Cinnamon, 1"
• Mustard oil, 4 tbsp ( you may use Soybean oil)
• Salt to taste 
• Sugar, 2 tsp

Methods:

In a cooker add 1 and 1/2 cup water and dal and pressure cook peas with 3 whistles.  Wait for the pressure inside to release.Then open the lid and mash dal a little using a manual hand blender or a spatula.

Slice raddish and shallow fry in oil till they turn soft. Seasone with a pinch of salt. Keep them aside.

Blend together garlic, ginger, turmeric powder, garam masala powder, coriander powder, mango popwder and keep them aside. In a pan hat oil and temper the oil with bay leaf, red chilli, cinnamon and cardamoms. Let them release flavour and then add sliced onion. Saute them for a minute and seasone them with a pinch of salt.  Now as they start turning light brown add blended spices and then again saute for 2-3 minutes. Add sugar and salt according to your taste. 

Add 4 tbsp water and let the spices release oil. Slice paneer and add. Toss them in spices. Now add precooked dal and green chillies and combine with spoces. cook untill it turns thick . Now discard bay leaf and remove from flame and combine chopped coriander leaves.

Serve hot with Roti or steamed rice.

Egg Tarka

Egg tarka is found in most of the street roti shops in Kolkata, it does not  necessarily to be a dhaba , but a simple roti shop also offer tarka sometimes.. When ordered for a plate of egg tarka they make that carefully on a large tawa( yes they do not use any kadhai or pan), where they saute there preboiled dal or green grams with onion,tomato and some selected Indian spices. I am an egglover so often give it try at home.

Ingredients:

• Green grams, 250 gm
• Eggs, 2
• Onion, 2
• Tomato, 1
• Garlic cloves, 4
• Ginger , 1"
• Green chillies, 4
• Whole dry red chilli, 1
• Bay leaf, 1
• Kashmiri red chilli powder, 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder, 2 tsp
• Coriander powder, 3 tsp
• Garam masala powder, 2 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Sugar, 2 tsp, to balance the acidity
• Mustard oil

Methods:

Soak dal overnight and then cook in pressure cook with 4 whistes and wait untill the pressure inside the cooker releases. Open the lid after 15 minutes and then mash the dal using a spatula or a non-electric hand blender. When you pressure cook dal add a cup of water.

• In a pan heat oil and temper with bay leaf and whole dry red chilli. Slice onion and tomatoes and add into oil. Seasone with a pinch of salt. Slit green chillie and add. Saute them until the onions turn golden brown. 

• In a bowl break 2 eggs and add into oil. Mix the egg with spatula.

• Blend ginger, garlic coriander powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder and 2 tbsp water together. Add into oil and saute for a minute. Add salt to taste and sugar. After a minute add 4 tbsp water and wai until oil seperates.

Now add precooked dal and cook until it turns thick. Mix chopped coriander leaves,1 chopped green chilli and removefrom flame.

Serve with roti, paratha.

Related Recipes:

Low fat tarka dal

Yellow Pea Egg Delight

Mouthmelting soft yellow pea balls immersed in aromatic egg gravy. Enjoy with Bread, Noodles or Fried rice!

The sun almost set. So had to use my phone flashlight to take the photo

Ingredients(4 servings,10 balls):

1. Yellow pea, 250 gm
2. Egg, 1
3. Cornflour powder, 2 tbsp
4. Soy sauce, 1 tbsp
5. Vinegar, 1/2 tbsp
6. Potato, 1
7. Chopped scallion, 6 tbsp
8. Onion, 2
9. Garlic, 5 cloves
10. Capsicum, 1 small
11. Salt to taste
12. Soybean oil/Olive oil/Any refined oil

Methods:

Boil yellow peas in pressure cooker. You need to put 3-4 whistles to  get the softness. Press one pea between your thumb and index figure to check if they are cooked perfectly.

Blend peas. Boil potato and mash. In a pan heat 4 tbsp oil. Add 1 chopped onion and saute till they are soft. Add peas and mashed potato. Add salt to taste and 1 tsp sugar. After a minute add 2 tbsp chopped scallion and cook till the mixture is dry.

Divide the mixture into medium balls. In a bowl mix cornflour powder, egg, 2 tbsp water and 1 tsp salt to make a batter. Dip the balls in that batter and fry in oil until they get a  golden brown outer  crust

Leave 4 tbsp oil in pain and remove the remaining. Chop another onion and grate garlic. Add into oil. Add sliced capsicum and a pinch of sault and saute for a minute. Add the remaining batter,salt to taste, 1 tsp sugar and chopped scallion. Cook for a minute. Mix soy sauce and vinegar in 1 small cup of water and add. When the gravy becomes thick add all  the pea balls. Remove from flame.

That was all. Garnishing options sliced or chopped scallion.

Ghugni

A famous evening snack in Bengal prepared at home and found as well as at street corners. Though the way of cooking in both the places are different. The street ghugni is boiled yellow peas tossed with chopped raw onion and green chillies, thinly sliced beetroot and cucumber, black salt and chat masala ,served often in a 'salpatar bati'- is enjoyed as an ultimate evening snack. But the ghugni that is prepared at home has a different approach of makin as it is given below, even often added keema(minced meat)/ paneer(cottage cheese). It is Durga puja when most of the Bengali households has ghugni to offer to thier guests on 'Doshomi'(the 10 th day of durga puja) followed by 'nimki' and 'misti'(sweets). Ghugni can also be served in dinner plates with luchi, roti or paratha.

Ingredients(6 serivngs):

1. Dried yellow peas, 200 gm
2. Potato, 1 large
3. Onion, 2 large
4. Garlic cloves, 8 cloves
5. Ginger, 1 and 1/2"
6. Green chillies, 4-5
7. Whole dry red chilli, 1
8. Bay leaf, 1
9. Green cardamoms, 2
10. Cinnamon stick, 1 and 1/2"
11. Turmeric powder, 1 tsp
12. Garam masala powder, 1/2 tbsp
13. Cumin Powder, 1 tbsp
14. Coriander powder, 1 tbsp
15. Mango powder( amchur), 2 tsp
16. Kashmiri red chilli powder, 1 tsp
17. Salt to taste
18. Sugar, 2 tsp
19. Mustard oil
20. Ghee(Indian clarified butter), 1/2 tbsp

Methods:

Soak peas overnight and cook in pressure cooker with two whistles. After 15 minutes check if it is soft enough to press between fingers, otherwise allow another whistle.

Cut potatoes into small cubes and fry in oil on medium flame till they turn soft.

In a pan heat 6 tbsp oil and temper with bay leaf, whole dry red chilli, cardamoms and cinnamon. I made it with 1 kg peas, so added more bay leaves than mentioned above.

Slice 1/2 of an onion and saute in oil till golden brown. Add slit green chillies and a pinch of salt too.                                                                                                                                                         

Blend remaining onion, garlic, ginger together and saute in oil for 2-3 mins.

          Mix all the powdered spices, salt to taste and sugar.                                           

Add mixed spices. Cook for a minute , and add 1 small cup of water, Cook till oil  seperates.                                           

                     After the oil seperates it will look like this.                                       

     Add peas and Cook for 3- 4 minutes.  After that add 1 medium cup of warm water to get thick gravy. Sprinkle 1 tsp garam masala powder and spread ghee just before removing from flame.

 

Serve hot.

Serving suggestion- goes well with Luchi and paratha.