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....

Paneer Sabji Nirali

Paneer Sabji Nirali
Preparation time : 20 minutes
Cooking time:    45 minutes
Portion : 1 Person
Ingredients
100 grams 1 Paneer cube
1/4 cup of Mix Vegetables chopped
(Cauliflower, French Beans, Carrot, Potato)
1/2 tbsp chopped Capsicum
1/2 tbsp of Peas
1/4 chopped Onion
1/4 chopped Tomato
1/2 chopped Green chilli
1/4 tsp Garlic paste
2 big pinch Garam masala powder
2 big pinch Madras curry powder
Salt to taste
1/4 tsp Lime juice
1 tsp Ghee OR Oil
Few Coriander leaves chopped

Method
Take a non stick grilling pan and heat it. Take the paneer pieces,sprinkle some salt, spray with oil and grill it from all the side. Take the grilled paneer cubes and with the help of a small round cookie cutter cut out the centre of the paneer for filling the vegetable. Take the cut centre of the paneer and cut the centre of the paneer into half horizontally. Use one half for the covering on top of the paneer.  Keep it aside. While grilling the paneer, boil the mix vegetables and peas. Take a pan, add butter or ghee or oil, heat it. Add the chopped onion, sauté it for few seconds, add garlic paste and sauté it for few seconds more. Add chopped chilli and capsicum, cook for 2 minutes . Add the tomato, salt, garam masala and curry powder. Stir it for 2 to 3 minutes. Take it off the gas. Add lime juice and coriander leaves. Keep it aside.

Tangy Tomato Gravy
Ingredients
1 big Tomatoes cut into big pieces
1 Garlic cloves
1/2 Green chilli
2 pinch Garam Masala powder
1/2 tsp Sugar
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
1/4 tsp Cumin seed powder
Salt to taste
1 Bay leaf
1/4 tsp Ghee
Few chopped Coriander leaves

Method
Take a blender, add the tomatoes, garlic, green chilli, turmeric powder, salt, sugar, garam masala powder and cumin seed powder. Blend the tomatoes well. Take a strainer and strain the liquid out. Take a pan, add ghee. Let the ghee heat. Add the liquid to the pan. Simmer the liquid for 10 to 15 minutes till the rawness of the tomatoes goes away and the Gravy reduces a bit. Add the coriander leaves. Keep it aside. 

For cooking the Sawa Millet
Ingredients
2 tbsp Sawa Millet
Salt to taste
Method
Take 1 cups water in a pot. Add salt. Let the water boil. Add the washed millets in the water. Stir and cook till the Sawa millet have become tender and thick. Take it off the gas.

Plating of food
Method
Take a plate and a ring. Keep the ring in the centre of the plate. Pour the Sawa millets in the centre. Take the ring out. Place a grilled paneer in the centre on the Sawa millet. Add 2 to 3 tbsp mix vegetables in the centre of the paneer. Take the cut centre of the paneer to cover the paneer from top. Pour the gravy on top of the paneer, decorate the plate and serve.

Dalma

Dalma

It is a traditional dish of Ordisha. It is cooked with lots of Vegetables. Different types of vegetables can be added like Raw banana, Raw papaya, Radish, Drum sticks....There are different variations of Dalma. I made this according to the recipe given by the lady who workers in my house . One of the FB food group member Ritu Pattnaik Mohanty told me that  in temples they use whole green cardamom, cinnamon stick,  bay leaves and crushed ginger while boilng the vegetables and dal , seasoned with panch phutan and red chilly or whole jeera and  red chilly and finally sprinkled with  roasted jeera red chilly powder and grated coconut. I made few changes in the ingredients.

Ingredients
1 cup Toor dal (Yellow pigeon peas) soaked for 30 minutes
1 Potato cut into medium size cubes
2 small Brinjals cut into medium size cubes
Yam peeled and cut into medium size cubes around 6 pieces
Pumpkin cut into medium size cubes around 6 pieces
8 French beans cut into big pieces
1 Green chilli slit
1/2 tsp Ginger paste
1 tsp Turmeric powder
Salt to taste
1 tbsp Sugar
1/2 tsp Coriander powder
1/2 tsp Garam Masala
4 tbsp Grated coconut
2 tbsp Ghee
1/2 tsp Panch Phoren (Fenugreek seeds,
Nigella seed, Cumin seed,Mustard seeds and Fennel seed mix in equal portion)
Pinch of Asafoetida
1 Dry Red chilli

Method
In a heavy bottle pot add the dal, salt, turmeric powder and 6 cups of water. Boil the dal till 1/2 cooked. Add the vegetables and again boil the dal till the dal and the vegetables are cooked. Add ginger paste, coriander powder, garam masala powder, sugar and coconut. Boil the dal for another 10 minutes. In a small pan add ghee, heat the ghee add dry red chilli and Panch phoren. Let the Panch phoren crackle. Add a pinch of Asafoetida. Add the seasoning to the dal. Boil for 2 to 3 minutes. Serve it with hot rice or Roti.

P.S. Different types of vegetables can be added like Raw banana, Raw papaya, Radish, Drum sticks....There are different variations of Dalma. I made this according to the recipe given by the lady who workers in my house and I made few changes in the ingredients.

Mutton Anokhi

Mutton Anokhi
This  is an experimental recipe from my kitchen. I am sure you will love it.
For Marinating the Mutton
Ingredients
500 grams Mutton cut in to medium size cubes
4 tbsp Curd
4 tbsp Coconut Milk
2 tbsp Malai
1/2 tsp Ginger paste
1 tsp Garlic paste
2 tbsp Onion paste
2 Green chilli paste
1/4 tsp Pepper powder
1/2 tsp Garam Masala powder
1 tsp Fennel seed powder
Salt to taste
2 tbsp Oil

Method
In a mixing bowl marinate the mutton with all the above ingredients for 6 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.

For cooking the Mutton
Ingredients
Marinated Mutton
300 grams Basmati Rice soaked for 30 minutes and cooked 75 %
1 onion cut in to half and sliced
1 Bay leaf
1 Star Anise
2 Tomato paste
1 Kashmiri Chilli paste
2 pinch Saffron
1/2 tsp Garam Masala powder
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
Salt to taste
Chopped Coriander leaves for garnishing

Method
Take a pan. Add 1 tbsp of Ghee, let it heat. Add bay leaf and star anise. Sauté it for few seconds. Add the onion. Sauté the onion till translucent. Add the chilli paste, tomato paste, 1/2 cup water, salt, turmeric powder and saffron. While the tomato paste is simmering on low flame, take a deep baking tray. Take 2 sheets of big foil paper double than the size of the tray. Keep the foil paper over the other foil paper. Spread and adjust the foil on the tray. Take the marinated mutton pieces  and put on the foil, add the remaining marinate to the tomato paste. Mix the gravy properly and simmer over medium flame. Cover and wrap the foil properly. Add 1/4 cup water in the baking tray. Pre Heat the oven at 200 degrees Celsius.  Check on the gravy, cook the gravy till thick. Add the rice to the gravy. Mix the rice properly with the gravy. Keep it aside. Cook the mutton pieces in a oven at 200 degrees Celsius for an hour or more  till the mutton is tender. Open up the foil and grill it for 15 minutes stirring the mutton pieces in between at 200 degrees Celsius. Add rice on a serving plate, add the mutton pieces and the gravy on top of the rice. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve it with tomato and onion salad.

Paneer Shorshe / Paneer in Mustard gravy.

Paneer Shorshe / Paneer in Mustard gravy.
Ingredients
250 grams Paneer cut into cubes
2 tbsp Mustard seeds soaked in water
1 tbsp Poppy seeds
1/2 tsp Nigella seeds
2 Green chillies
Salt to taste
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
2 tbsp Curd
1 tbsp Mustard oil
2 tbsp chopped Coriander leaves

Method
Drain the water from the mustard seeds. In the grinder add mustard seeds, poppy seeds, 1 Green chilli and curd. Make a fine paste. Take mustard oil in a pan. Heat the oil. Add nigella seeds. Let it crackle. Add the paste and 1/2 cup water, salt and turmeric powder. Let the gravy boil for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the paneer cubes and boil it for 3 to 4 minutes more. Before serving drizzle with mustard oil and garnish with coriander leaves. Serve it with hot rice.