Drumstick - Potatoes and Mung Dal fritters cooked in Mustard and Poppy seed paste gravy

 

Munger Daler Bora diye Alu ar Shosnerdata r shorshe - posto r Jhal / Drumstick - Potatoes and Mung Dal fritters cooked in Mustard and Poppy seed paste gravy. 

This dish comes under Niramish ranna / vegetarian cooking where no onion and garlic is used. 

The look of the dish may not be fancy, but this is a rustic regional dish from Bengal. These kind of dishes are still made in rural villages or in the state of Bengal, but are gradually losing its identity outside the state, as now a days many don’t cook or don’t prefer to eat … specially our next generations to come. I remember my mother use to make it often, but now we too rarely make it.. as we avoid mustard paste for health reasons.. once in a way it’s good to enjoy with hot steamed rice. This dish is eaten during lunch. 

For the Mung dal fritters 

Ingredients 

1/2 cup Mung dal washed and soaked in water

1 small piece of Ginger 

1 Green Chilli 

Salt to taste

Mustard Oil to fry 

Method 

Coarsely grind the mung dal, ginger, green chilli and salt together without adding much water as we need a thick paste. Remove and keep the paste aside for 15 minutes. Beat the paste well. Take a pan, add oil, let the oil heat, add very small quantity of the paste into the oil, with the help of a tsp, repeat the process until the pan is filled, shallow fry the fritters until golden brown in colour from both the sides. Remove and keep the fritters aside. 

For the Mustard Poppy Seed paste 

Ingredients 

2 tbsp Poppy seeds 

1 tbsp Mustard seeds

1 Green Chilli

Method 

Add all the above ingredients into a grinder and grind all the ingredients into a smooth paste adding little water at a time. 

For the Gravy 

2 Drumsticks cut into 1 1/2 inches pieces 

1 Big Size Potato cut into cubes 

1 small size Tomato cut into cubes 

2 Green Chillies slit

Few Coriander leaves chopped 

Mung Dal fritters 

Salt to taste 

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder 

1/4 tsp Nigella seeds

Mustard - Poppy seed paste 

2 tbsp Mustard oil 

Method 

Take a iron skillet, best cooked in iron skillet, add 1 1/2 tbsp oil, once the oil heats up, reduce the flame, add the Nigella seeds, let the seeds crackle, add the tomato, let the tomato sauté for a minute, add the potato cubes and the drumsticks, continue to sauté for a minute, add salt to taste and turmeric powder, stir and continue to cook for another minute, now add the mustard - poppy seed paste, stir and cook for few seconds, add 1 cup of water, on low flame, cover and let the gravy cook until the drumsticks and potato cubes are cooked, add the fritters and continue to cook, if the gravy has dried up then only add little water, the gravy shouldn’t be too watery or too dry. Once done drizzle the remaining oil and sprinkle some coriander leaves before serving .

Ram Rochak Tarkari

It’s a delicious Oriya vegetarian dish popular in the Baripada region of Odisha. This dish is made during Ratha Yatra. This a very simple dish. Mung dal dumplings are cooked with vegetables like brinjal and potatoes.  This dish can be served with rice.

This recipe is adapted from Sweta Biswal's blog Oriya Rasoi....

For the Dal Dumplings / Bara

Ingredients

1/2 cup Yellow Split Lentils(Mung Dal) soaked for 1 to 2 hours

1/4 cup Whole Green Gram (Whole Green Mung Dal) soaked for 4 to 5 hours

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds

2 Red Dry Chillies

A pinch of Asafetida

Salt to taste

Oil for fry the dumplings

Method

Add the cumin seeds, dry red chillies, asafetida, salt, yellow mung dal and green whole mung dal in a grinder. Add very little water as the batter should be thick. Grind the dal into a batter. Take oil in a wok and let it heat up. Add a tsp of the batter in the oil. Repeat the process for 3 to 4 times. Fry it till golden brown in colour. Remove it from the oil and keep it aside.

For the Masala Paste

Ingredients

2 to 3 small pieces of Ginger

2 Dry Red Chillies

1 small Green Chilli

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds

3/4 tsp Coriander seeds

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder

Method

Add the ginger, red chillies, green chilli, cumin seeds, coriander seeds and turmeric powder in the grinder and grind the ingredients. Add 2 to 3 tbsp water and grind it again into a paste.

For the Curry

Ingredients

Mung Dal Dumplings

1 cup Brinjal cut into medium cubes

2 medium size Potatoes cut into medium size cubes

1 Green Chilli slit

1 Green Cardamom

1 small piece Cinnamon

2 Cloves

Salt to taste

Masala paste

2 tbsp Oil

1/2 tsp Ghee

Method

Reduce the oil in which the dumplings had been fried to 2 tbsp. Add the cumin seeds, clove, cardamom, cinnamon and green chilli. Let it crackle. Add the masala paste. Sauté it till the oil leaves the masala. Add the potatoes. Stir and cook for a minute. Add the brinjal. Stir and cook for another minute. Add 1 1/2 cups of water. Stir, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Open the lid, add salt to taste. Stir, cover and continue to cook until the potatoes are 80 percent done. Open the lid, check if the potatoes are almost done. Add the dumplings and continue to cook for another 4 to 5 minutes. Drizzle ghee and switch of the flame. Serve it with hot steaming rice. 

Gota Sheddho....

Gota Sheddho is made on the day of Saraswati Puja in Bengal and eaten the next day that is Sheetal Shasti. Gota means whole and Sheddo means boiled.  It is made with 5 types of vegetables, spinach with stem and roots (shish palak) and whole mung dal or whole black lentils. Each of the vegetables are taken in odd number like 5, 7, 9 or 11.

Different household has different version of making Gota Sheddho. In some houses, they have it only boiled and some houses makes mashala gota sheddho. 

I tried keeping my mother's traditional way of making mashala gota sheddho.  It is normally eaten with panta bhaat. 

Ingredients 

300 grams Whole Mung Dal 

1 bunch of Shish Palak

11 Flat beans whole

11 Green Peas whole 

11 small size Potato whole

11 small size Brinjal whole 

5 Green Chillies 

2 tbsp Ginger paste 

2 tbsp Fennel seed paste 

Salt to taste 

1/2 cup Mustard Oil 

Method 

Take the shish palak. Cut the stems into 1 inch pieces, the roots are also cleaned and add to the stem, the leaves are cut into pieces and kept separately. Give a slit on the potatoes and brinjals. Take a deep bottom pot. Add 2 liters of water. Add the dal. Arrange the stem and the roots of the palak, sprinkle some salt, then arrange potatoes followed by brinjals. Then add the flat beans, green peas and chillies. Cover the pot and let it simmer on low flame till the ingredients are 50 percent cooked. Add half of the mustard oil. Now add the Palak leaves and sprinkle some more salt. Cover and let it simmer till the dal is cooked. Take the ginger and fennel seed paste in a bowl. Add 1/4 cup water to it. Pour the paste on the gota and add some more mustard oil. Cover and cook for another 10 minutes. Lastly drizzle the remaining mustard oil and keep it over night. Enjoy the gota for lunch.

Dimer Tadka / Anda Tadka / Egg Tadka .......

Dimer Tadka / Anda Tadka / Egg Tadka .......

In and around Kolkatta there are many Punjabi roadside dhabas. Tadka dal is one of the very famous dish found in those dhabas. As a child every time, I visited Kolkatta, I would make it a point to eat this dal made by my Masi ( Aunty ) at her house.  Dal Tadka made with yellow lentils is otherwise available everywhere in India, but Tadka dal made with whole green gram / moong dal and the way it is prepared is only available in Kolkatta and it's surroundings. Egg or Chicken or Mutton is added to it. It can be vegetarian too. It is eaten with hot phulkas / Roti. There are many ways of making it. The eggs can be scrambled and added later or the egg can be dropped on the tadka at the end and simmered till the eggs are cooked. 

This is one of the way of making it. 

Ingredients 

1/2 cup Moong Dal washed soaked and boiled 

2 Eggs 

1 medium Onion chopped 

1 medium Tomato chopped 

6 Garlic cloves minced 

1 small piece Ginger minced 

3 Green Chilli minced 

1/2 tsp Turmeric 

1/2 tsp Coriander 

1/2 tsp Cumin 

1/2 tsp Chilli powder 

1/2 tsp Garam Masala powder 

Salt to taste 

1/4 tsp Kasuri Methi 

1/2 tbsp Butter 

2 tbsp Oil 

For Garnishing 

Few Ginger juliennes 

1 Green Chilli slit 

Few Coriander leaves

 Method 

Take a deep bottom pot or lagan. Add oil and heat it. Add the garlic minced, sauté it for a minute. Add ginger minced and  chopped onion. Fry it till light golden brown in colour. Add the green chilli minced, stir it. Add the tomato, turmeric powder, chilli powder, cumin powder and coriander powder. Sauté it for 2 minutes. Add salt and 4 tbsp water, stir and cook till the tomatoes have become mushy. Now break the eggs into the pot and stir it for 2 minutes till the eggs have cooked. Add the boiled dal. Stir fry it well for 2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup water and stir it.  Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Add the garam masala powder, Kasuri methi and butter. Stir it. Garnish it with coriander leaves, ginger juliennes and green chilli. Serve it hot with hot rotis... 

P. S. You can have a dry version or add more water as per you requirement.

Dal Khichadi

Dal Khichadi.... 

It's raining from morning... finally.....
It's a bliss to have hot Khichadi during monsoon....It is made with different types of dal, rice and vegetables. Khichadi is made all over India, with some variations.
As a side dish some Chicken pokora which is very quick and easy...
 http://suskitchenbysumitra.blogspot.com/2016/06/kur-kure-chicken-pakora.html
 Some fried some papads.... adding on to it my home made non veg pickle made the dish complete... Absolutely soul food...

Ingredients
2 cups Rice washed and soaked
1/2  cup Tur Dal washed and soaked
1/2 cup Moong Dal washed and soaked
1 Onion chopped
1 Tomato chopped
3 Garlic cloves chopped
2 Green chillies chopped
Few Green Peas
1/4 cup of each Vegetables chopped  (Carrot, Capsicum, French beans, Cauliflower and Potato)
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1/2 tsp Chilli powder
1 tbsp Coriander Cumin powder
1/2 tsp Garam Masala powder
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
Few Curry leaves
1 tbsp Oil
2 tbsp Ghee
Few Coriander Leaves chopped

Method
Take a heavy bottom pot. Add oil, let it heat. Add mustard seeds, curry leaves, chillies, garlic and onion. Sauté it for 2 minutes. Add the vegetables. Stir it and cook for 2 minutes. Add the rice and the dals. Stir it. Add the spices and salt. Stir and cook for 2 minutes. Add 6 cups of water. Stir and let it cook. If required add more water and spices. Cook till all the ingredients have well blended. Add ghee and garnish with coriander leaves.

Moog Dal Pakon Pitha

Moong Pakon Pitha is a traditional dish of Bangladesh. The pitha is made with moong dal and rice flour dough. The dough is rolled and different designs and patterns are created on it. It is then deep fried and soaked in thick sugar syrup. Due to the designs, it is also called Nakshi pitha.  

I tried making it, but I need lots of practice to master the art to create a perfect design. 

For Syrup

2 cup sugar

1 cup water 

1 small piece cinnamon

2 cardamom

Method 

To make the syrup combine all the syrup ingredients in a pot.

The syrup should be thick in consistency.

For the Pitha

Ingredients

1/2 cup Moong dal

1 cup Rice Flour

1 pinch of salt

2 tbsp oil

2 1/2 cups water

Oil for deep frying

Method

Boil the Moog Dal in water.

Use a hand blender, so that the moog dal blends well.

Add salt and 1 tbsp oil.

Switch off the flame.

Stir the dal.

Add the rice flour and stir.

Cover the vessel and keep it aside till the mixture cools down a bit and it is easy to handle.

 Knead it to form a soft dough. Add little oil and knead it well.

Take a big lime size portion.

Apply oil  on the  rolling surface to prevent the dough from sticking.

Roll the dough to about a ¼ inch to 1/3 inch thickness.

Apply oil on the rolled disc.

You may use cookie cutters, fork, comb, toothpick or any other material to create designs on the rolled disc.

Ensure the design is deep enough as it will help absorb the syrup and make the inside of the pitha moist.

Heat oil to deep fry the pithas.

Fry the decorated pieces until in golden color. 

Remove the pithas from the oil.

Place the pitas directly in the hot syrup.

Pakon pitha is ready to be serverd.

Moog Dal Dahi Vada

Moog Dal Dahi Vada 
For Moong dal pakora
Ingredients
1/2 cup Moong Dal soaked in water for a hour
1/4 tsp ginger
Salt to taste
1 Green chilli chopped
Salt to taste
Oil for frying
Method
Grind the soaked moong dal with all the above ingredients... Don't add any water for grinding... Beat the paste very well with your hand. Heat the oil and add small spoons of batter and fry till light brown in colour. Add the pakodas in hot water and keep it for 5 minutes. Squeeze the water out and keep the pakodas aside.

For Base
2 cups curd
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp black salt
2 tsp sugar
Method
Add milk to the curd and beat the curd. Add black salt and sugar. Beat it well.

For assembling Moong dal Dahi vada....
Ingredients
1 tbsp Mithi imli chutney
1 tbsp Green chutney
Chilli powder for sprinkling
Roasted cumin power for sprinkling
Coriander leaves for garnishing
Moong dal pakodas

Method
In a bowl and take 1 1/2 cup beaten curd. Add the pakodas. Garnish it with mithi imli chutney, green chutney, chilli powder, rosted cumin powder and coriander leaves....