HOTEL STYLE DAAL

Ingredients
Black gram split with skin (chilkewali urad dal) 1/2 cup
Bengal gram split (chana dal) 1/4 cup
Red kidney beans (rajma) 1/4 cup
Oil 4 tbspn
Garlic (finely chopped) 8-10 cloves
Onions (finely chopped) 2 medium sized
Green chillies (finely chopped) 2-3
Red chilli powder1 tbspns
Cumin powder 1/2 tbsp
Tomatoes (finely chopped) 3 medium sized
Butter 3 tbspns
Salt to taste
Fresh coriander leaves (finely chopped) medium bunch
Kasoori methi 1 tbsp
Method of preparation
1. Soak urad dal, chana dal and rajma in three cups of water for at least six hours.
2.Drain soaked dals, add six cups of water and pressure-cook for half an hour or until the dals are completely cooked.
3.Mix them properly with a round ladle.Meanwhile, heat oil in a pan, add garlic, stir-fry briefly till golden brown.
4.Add onions, green chillies and sauté for four to five minutes or until the onions are golden brown in colour.
5.Add red chilli powder, cumin powder and stir-fry briefly. Add tomatoes and cook on high heat for three to four minutes, stirring continuously.
6.Stir in the cooked dals and butter and mix well.Add salt, coriander leaves and cook dal for ten minutes on low heat, stirring occasionally.
7.Crush kasuri methi between the palms, sprinkle on the dal and serve hot.

CORN AND ANGOOR

Ingredients
Quantity Baby corns-12
Black grapes (seedless)100 grms
Apples (preferably cooking apples)2-3
Lemon juice 2 1/2 tspn
Onions (roughly chopped) 2 medium sized
Oil 1 tblspn
Ginger paste 1 tblspn
Garlic paste 1 tbspn
Green chillies (chopped) 2 no.
Mawa/kyoya (grated) 2 1/2 cup
Tomato puree 1/2 cup
Yogurt (whisked) 1/2 cup
Kashmiri red chilli powder 1tblspn
Coriander powder 1 tblspn
Cumin powder 1 tspn
Turmeric powder 1 tspn
Salt to taste
Fresh cream 2 tblspn
Garam masala 1 tsp
Method
1. Cut baby corns into small pieces. If using fresh baby corn, boil them until soft.Peel, wash and finely chop apples. Apply a little lemon juice to avoid discolouring.
2. Boil onions in half a cup of water. Cool and grind to a fine paste.Heat oil in a pan, add ginger paste, garlic paste and chopped green chillies, cook on medium heat briefly.
3.Add boiled onion paste. Cook on high heat, stirring continuously until oil starts separating. Add grated mawa and cook till mawa gets mixed with onion paste thoroughly.
4.Add tomato puree, whisked yogurt, Kashmiri red chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and turmeric powder. Stir continuously.Add chopped apples and half a cup of water. 5.Cook covered on medium heat, stirring occasionally till apples are mashed thoroughly.Add baby corn and three fourths the seedless black grapes, mix well and add salt.
6.Stir in fresh cream, mix well. Mix in garam masala powder and serve garnished with remaining black grapes.

KHAMAN DHOKLA

Ingredients:
1 cup rice
1 cup urad dal
1 cup yellow moong dal
3 cups sour buttermilk
2 green chillies crushed fine
1/4 tsp - ginger grated fine
1/2 tsp - soda bicarb
2 tbsp - oil
2-3 pinches red chilli powder
1/2 tbsp - coriander finely chopped
Salt To Taste

Preparation:
1.Mix the rice and dal, wash, drain and dry on a clean cloth for a few hours.
2.The grain should be completely. Grind to a coarse flour in dry grinder or at the flour mill. This flour should be like very fine soji in texture. Store in airtight container and use as required.
3.Will keep good upto 2 months. To make khaman, take 1 cup flour in a bowl. Add buttermilk, and mix well.
4.Keep- aside for 4-5 hours. Dissolve sodabicarb in the oil. Add to batter.
5.Mix all ingredients except red chilli powder and coriander. Pour immediately in a 6" diam. greased plate.
6.Steam over water either in a cooker or steamer. Pierce knife, and check, should come out clean if done.
7.Sprinkle the chilli powder and coriander, steam again for 2-3 minutes.
8.Cut dhaman dhokla into squares or diamonds and serve hot with coconut chutney.

DAHI PAPDI CHAAT

Ingredients
Papdi Crisp 24
Yogurt, whisked 1 1/2 cups
Salt to taste
Sugar1 tablespoon
Potatoes, boiled and
chopped 2 medium green chilli
Sprouted Green gram, blanched 1/2 cup
Red chilli-garlic chutney 1/4 cup
Green chutney 1/4 cup
Sweet tamarind chutney 1/4 cup
Roasted cumin powder
1 teaspoon Chaat masala
1/2 teaspoon
Red chilli powder 1/2 teaspoon
Fresh coriander leaves 2 tablespoons
Sev as required
Pomegranate (anar), peeled 2 tablespoons
Method
1.Add salt and sugar to yogurt and whisk till smooth. Keep it in the refrigerator till use.
2.Arrange the papdis on a plate. Place some potatoes on each papdi. Over that put some boiled sprouted moong.
3.Drizzle a little red chilli-garlic chutney, green chutney and sweet tamarind chutney.
4.Sprinkle cumin powder, chaat masala, a little red chilli powder and salt.
5.Top it all up with chilled yogurt. Drizzle some more of the sweet tamarind chutney, red chilli-garlic chutney, coriander leaves, sev and pomegranate pearls.
6.Serve immediately.

PANEER PAKORA

Ingredients
Cottage cheese (paneer) 250 grams
Oil to deep fry
Boondi 1 cup
FOR GARLIC CHUTNEY
Garlic 8-10 cloves
Oil 1 teaspoon
Red chilli powder 1 tablespoon
Salt to taste
FOR BATTER
Gram flour (besan) 1 cup
Ginger paste 1 tablespoon
Garlic paste 1 teaspoon
Red chilli powder 1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon Soda bicarbonate
a pinch Salt to taste
Method
1.Cut cottage cheese into two inch by half inch by half inch batons. Slit each baton into half leaving one edge intact for filling.
2.Crush the boondi with your hand and set aside.
3.To make garlic chutney, peel and roast garlic in one teaspoon of oil. Mix with red chilli powder and salt and grind to a smooth paste.
4.To prepare batter mix gram flour with this paste, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, soda bicarbonate and salt. Add sufficient water and whisk well to make a batter of a coating consistency.
5.Rest the batter for about fifteen minutes.
6.Stuff garlic chutney into the slit of each cottage cheese baton.
7.Heat sufficient oil in a kadai, dip each cottage cheese baton in the batter, roll in the crushed boondi and deep fry on medium heat till crisp and golden brown.
8.Drain on absorbent paper.
9.Serve hot with a chutney of your choice.

DAHI PAPDI CHAAT

Ingredients
Papdi Crisp 24
Yogurt, whisked 1 1/2 cups
Salt to taste
Sugar 1 tablespoon
Potatoes, boiled and chopped 2 medium
Sprouted Green gram, blanched
1/2 cup Red chilli-garlic chutney
1/4 cup Green chutney
1/4 cup Sweet tamarind chutney
1/4 cup Roasted cumin powder
1 teaspoon Chaat masala
1/2 teaspoon Red chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon Fresh coriander leaves
2 tablespoons Sev
as required Pomegranate (anar), peeled 2 tablespoons
Method
1.Add salt and sugar to yogurt and whisk till smooth. Keep it in the refrigerator till use.
2.Arrange the papdis on a plate. Place some potatoes on each papdi. Over that put some boiled sprouted moong.
3.Drizzle a little red chilli-garlic chutney, green chutney and sweet tamarind chutney.
4.Sprinkle cumin powder, chaat masala, a little red chilli powder and salt.
5.Top it all up with chilled yogurt. Drizzle some more of the sweet tamarind chutney, red chilli-garlic chutney, coriander leaves, sev and pomegranate pearls.
6.Serve immediately.

RAWA IDLI

For the batter 1 cup rawa (semolina)
¼ cup curds
1 cup water
1 tablespoon chopped coriander
salt to taste
For the tempering
½ teaspoon mustard seeds (rai)
½ teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
a pinch asafoetida (hing)
1 teaspoon urad dal (split black lentils)
1 tablespoon broken cashewnuts
4 to 6 curry leaves
2 green chillies, chopped
1 teaspoon oil
½ teaspoon ghee
Other ingredients ¾ teaspoon unflavoured fruit salt
oil for greasing
For the batter
1. Combine all ingredients together, other than the fruit salt and leave aside for 10 minutes.
For the tempering
1. Combine the oil, ghee, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, urad dal and asafoetida in a microwave safe bowl and microwave on HIGH for 2 minutes.
2. Add the cashewnuts, curry leaves, green chillies and microwave for 1 more minute.
Method
1. Pour 1 cup of water in the base of a microwave safe idli steamer and microwave on HIGH for 1 minute. Grease the idli moulds using little oil.
2. Add the tempering and the fruit salt to the batter and mix well.
3. Pour 2 tablespoons of batter into each greased cavity of the idli moulds and microwave, covered, on HIGH for 2 minutes.
4. Repeat with the remaining batter to make 8 more idlis.
5. Serve hot with coconut chutney and sambhar. Tips Handy tips : Fruit salt contains sodium so the salt has to added accordingly. After adding fruit salt you have to make the idlis immediately as the fruit salt will loose its effect very soon.