Dahi curry Iskon style

Sunday feast at Iskon has memories which are beyond words. It used to be a day full of spiritual fun for the family. While my parents participated in bhajans & discourses; my sisters and me would be submerged in learning Raas Lila dances, competing in painting competitions and mindlessly wandering through the little vatika (garden) within the premises...

Here is the recipe of one of my favorites from the feast...a refreshing curry which can be sipped just as is or had with rice... Divine is what I call it!!! :)

Ingredients:
Curd- 2 cups
Water- 1/2 cup
Besan (chick pea wheat)- 2 tablespoons
Green chillies- 2
Ginger- 2 inch
Jaggery- About the size of 2 limes
Salt- As per taste ( 1 1/2 teaspoons)
Hing- A pinch-full
Jeera (cumin seeds)- 1 teaspoon
Rai (mustard seeds)- 1/2 teaspoon
Ghee- 1 tablespoon
Curry Leaves- 8 to 10 nos
Tulsi (basil leaves)- 10-12 nos 

Preparation:

Ginger chilly paste- Wash and peel ginger. Add the ginger and green chillies in a mortar and muddle till it forms a pulpy consistency.

In a large bowl add the curd, ginger chilly paste, besan, salt and jaggery. Mix this thoroughly. You can use the food processor OR mixer for doing the same. I usually use the daal ghotni (special ladle like the egg whisker) for mixing this concoction.

In a wok heat the ghee. When warm add the jeera and rai. Let the seeds splutter and at this point add the hing as well as the curry leaves. Add the basil leaves as well.

Pour the mixture immediately into the wok. Add the water. Bring the curry to a boil. Keep stirring continuously to avoid burning/curdling of the curry.

Once the first boils done remove from heat.

Garnish with a few basil leaves ( you could choose to muddle the leaves a bit, brings out the fragrance of fresh tulsi) and serve with steam rice....

Hare Krisna!!! :)

Lao diye kacha moong daal (Bottle gourd in moong daal)

A very famous Bengali daal. Seasonal veggies like carrot OR raddish OR drumstick can be used for this preparation. It is very healthy for kids too.

Ingredients:
Moong daal- 1/2 cup, washed and soaked in water for 20 minutes
Bottle gourd- 250 gms ( I usually like picking up baby bottle gourds for this preparation), peeled and cut into 1inch cubes
Ginger- 2 inch, peeled and grated
Radhuni (ajmod/wild celery seed)- 1 teaspoon OR you can replace with Jeera in case you cant find radhuni
Ghee- 1 tablespoon
Dry Red Chilli- 2 to 3
Dry Red Chilli Powder- 1/2 teaspoon
Turmeric- 1/4th teaspoon
Sugar- 1 teaspoon OR you can add a lime sized portion of jaggery
Salt as per taste (would use about a teaspoon and a half in my case)
Small bunch of corriander leaves, finely chopped.

Preparation:

In a pressure cooker add the daal with 1 1/2 cups of water, the vegetable, grated ginger, turmeric, salt and sugar.

Cook daal in medium flame till the release of 2 whistles. Switch off and set the cooker aside to cool.

Open lid and mix the daal carefully to ensure that the veggies are not mixing in with the daal. They need to be chunk sizes when being served. Taste salt and also mix water at this point in case the concoction looks very thick.

Simmer the flame and place cooker without lid on the stove.

Simultaneously in a small vessel heat the ghee, when warm add the radhuni (OR cummin seeds). When the seeds splutter add the whole red chillies and the red chilli powder. Switch off the flame immediately and carefully add the chaounk to the daal.

Switch off the flame and put the cooker lid. allow to stand for a couple of minutes.

Remove daal in a serving bowl. Add the corriander leaves as a garnish. Serve with steam rice.

Niramish Dum Aloo

My growing up days exposed me to a fairly vast culinary spread. This particular dish is very popular with a lot of my Vaishnav friends. Niramish in Bangla refers to vegetarian food without onion and garlic.

Ingredients:

Baby Potatoes: 1/2 kg
Tomato Paste: 1 large tomato pureed in the mixer
Cummin Seeds: 1 tea spoon
Hing (aseoftida): 1 pinch-full
Turmeric: 1/2 tea spoon
Red Chilly Powder: 1/4 tea spoon
Roasted Cummin Seed Powder: 1 tea spoon
Coriander leaves: a small bunch, finely chopped

Preparation:

Pressure cook (or boil) the potatoes (with skin). Let it steam for at least 2 whistles on a medium high flame. Remove from heat, cool, peel the potato skin and set aside.

In a wok heat 3 tablespoons of cooking oil. Shallow fry the potatoes till it gets a red coating on it. Remove from wok and place on a tissue paper so that it soaks the excess oil.

Leave about a tea spoon of oil in the wok (add some if you think that the oil in the wok is not enough). Add the cumin seeds and once it splutters add the hing.

Add the tomato paste and cook on medium high till the water content evaporates and the tomato paste looks thicker. Add turmeric and about 1 teaspoon of salt and continue to cook till the masala releases oil. If you find the masala burning just sprinkle a little water and continue cooking.

Once the oil separates add the red chilly powder, the potatoes and about 1/4th cup of water. Mix the ingredients and let it cook for about a couple of minutes (bring it to a boil) on low flame with a lid placed on the wok. Add salt if required during this stage.

Add the roasted cumin seeds powder and the finely chopped coriander leaves. Switch off the heat.

Serve hot with Pulao OR rice and Toor Daal OR roti's.

Missing all you wonderful people! :)

Hello to all my wonderful Blogger friends!

Been a while and I am so longing to connect back with all of you. Have a list of recipies to be loaded. Will share them with you soon...

Cheers...

SuhaelAmrita