Karela Kadhi

by Tarla Dalal

Another karela delicacy - an innovative calcium rich kadhi! Keep in mind however that the karelas
must be well cooked before adding the curds and spices to remove most of its bitterness. Enjoy it
unusual flavours.Ingredients
1/4 cup finely chopped bitter gourd (karela)
1 cup low-fat curds (dahi)
2 tbsp besan (bengal gram flour)
1 tsp oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onions
1 tsp ginger-green chilli paste
salt to taste

For The Garnish

2 tbsp finely chopped coriander (dhania)

Method
1.

In a deep bowl, combine the curds, besan and 1 cups of water, mix well and whisk till
smooth and no lumps remain.

2.

Heat the oil in a deep non-stick pan, add the onions and saut on a medium flame for 1 to
2 minutes.

3.

Add the bitter gourd and salt and cook on a medium flame for 2 to 3 minutes or till they
are soft.

4.

Add the ginger-green chilli paste and the besan-curd-water mixture, mix well and bring to
a boil, while once in between.

5.

Add the little salt and cook for 1 minute.

6.

Serve hot garnished with the chopped coriander.

Paneer biryani
Shilpa March 11, 2009 Rice items 36 Comments
6

We had great weather over the weekend and I thought we are done with
winter. But as they say, mid west weather is extremely unpredictable. This
week again, we have very cold weather :(.
When I came home yesterday, I wanted something spicy to eat. I was
missing home so much. So I thought of making something special for us. It
took a while to prepare this, but was totally worth the effort. The biryani
was just out of this world.
This biryani is based on my two favorite biryani recipes Shns Egg biryani
and my Belgaum style biryani. The spicy paneer pieces take this one to a
whole new level.
Ingredients:
1 and 1/2 cups basmati rice

1/4 cup fresh/frozen peas

1 cup paneer cubes
1/4 cup green beans
1 tea spn chilli powder
A pinch turmeric powder
3-4 strands coriander leaves
Ghee/Oil
1/2 cup yogurt
1 big + 1 small cardamom
1 bay leaf
3 green chillies
1 tea spn ginger
1 tea spn garlic
Few strands saffron
Salt
Spice powder(grind into powder):
1 tea spn coriander seeds
1 tea spn cumin seeds
5 cloves
1 cinnamon
1 tea spn poppy seeds
5-6 peppercorns
Method:
Add chilli powder, turmeric, 1/2 tea spn spice powder, 2 tbl spn yogurt,
salt to paneer pieces and keep aside for 2 hrs.

Heat ghee/oil and add cardamom (big and small), bay leaf, washed rice,
salt. Fry for 3-4 minutes. Take the rice on a clean plate.

Grind green chillies, garlic, ginger into a paste.

Add little more oil/ghee, add paneer pieces till they turn brownish. Take
them out.

In the same pan, add vegetables, ginger-garlic-chilli paste and fry till the
raw smell goes off. Add yogurt, little salt and fry for few minutes.

Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves and few pinches of spice powder.

Spread half the amount of rice.

Spread few pinches of spice powder on top and then cover with remaining
rice.

On top, spread few strands of saffron.

Now pour 2 cups water, cover and cook till all water is absorbed.

Preheat the oven at 300F for 10mins.

Apply some oil to a baking dish. Now add 1/2 the amount of cooked rice
mixture.

Spread the fried paneer and spread remaining rice on top.

Add about 1/2 cup water. Bake in oven at 300F for about 30mins. Cover
with aluminum foil.
Serve hot.
Serves : 3-4
Preparation time :60mins
Karela-capsicum
Ingredients
2 cups bitter gourd (karela) strips , cut approx. 2
1 cup coloured capsicum strips (green and yellow)
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
a pinch of asafoetida (hing)
1 cup sliced onions
1/2 tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
1 1/2 tsp chilli powder
2 tsp coriander-cumin seeds (dhania-jeera) powder
1 tbsp sugar
salt to taste

Method
1.

Combine the karela strips and salt in a deep bowl, mix well and keep aside for 10 minutes.

2.

Squeeze out the excess water from the karela and keep aside.

3.

Heat the oil in a broad non-stick pan, add the cumin seeds and asafoetida.

4.

When the seeds crackle, add the karela strips and onions and saut on a medium flame for
2 minutes.

5.

Add the turmeric powder, mix well and cover and cook on a medium flame for 6 to 8
minutes, while stirring occasionally.

6.

Add the capsicum and salt, mix well and cover and cook on a medium flame for 5 minutes,
while stirring occasionally.

7.

Add the chilli powder, coriander-cumin seeds powder and sugar, mix well and cook on a
medium flame for 2 minutes, while stirring occasionally.

8.

Serve immediately.

Egg curry
Ingredients:
4-5 boiled eggs
1/2 cup fresh/frozen coconut
3-4 cloves
1 cinnamon
1 tea spn fennel seeds(badishepi)
1/4 piece nutmeg
1/2 tea spn caraway seeds (shah jeera)
4-5 pepper
1 tea spn chopped garlic
1/2 cup chopped onion
4-5 red chilies
1/4 chopped tomatoes
Oil
Salt
Method:
Heat oil and fry cloves, cinnamon, fennel seeds, nutmeg, caraway seeds,
pepper, red chilies till nice aroma comes out. Add garlic, 1/4 cup onions
and fry till onions turn slightly
brownish. Now add coconut and fry for 2-3mins. Grind these together to a
smooth paste.

Heat little oil and fry remaining onions till they turn brownish. Add the
tomatoes and fry for 2-3 mins. Pour the coconut paste, salt, little water to
bring it to thick gravy consistency and cook till the paste starts boiling.
Remove the shells off the boiled eggs and cut into half. Slowly slide these
pieces into the gravy and cook for another 2mins.
Serve hot with chapathis.
Serves : 3-4
Preparation time : 20mins

arbi curry or arbi masala

main ingredients:

10-12 arbi or colocasia roots

tsp carom seeds/ajwain
tsp turmeric powder
tsp red chili powder
tsp garam masala powder
2 tbsp oil
2 cups water
salt as required
some mint & coriander for garnishing
for making the paste:

3 medium size tomatoes

1 green chili
inch ginger
1 tsp cumin

Instructions
1.

wash the arbi well.

2.
3.
4.

pressure cook the arbi till cooked.

drain and let the arbi cool.
when warm or cool, peel the skin and slice the arbi in to 2 or 4 pieces
vertically.
5.
grind all the ingredients mentioned for making the paste to a smooth paste.
6.
heat oil.
7.
add the carom seeds and fry them.
8.
then add the tomato paste.
9.
stir and add all the spice powders one by one.
10. fry the tomato paste till the oil separates.
11. this will take about 6-7 minutes.
12. then add water, rock salt and the boiled arbi pieces,
13. simmer for some 6-7 minutes till the gravy becomes smooth and thickens a
little bit.
14. garnish with mint or coriander leaves and serve arbi curry hot.

Bhatura (Bhature) Recipe: How to make Bhatura

Save Print
Prep time
8 hours 15 mins

Cook time
45 mins

Total time
9 hours

Bhaturas are thick leavened fried Indian bread often eating with chole/channa
Author: Dassana
Recipe type: Leavened Fried Bread
Cuisine: North Indian
Serves: 8-9

Ingredients (american measuring cup used, 1 cup = 250 ml)

main ingredients:

21/2 cups atta or whole wheat flour

1 tsp salt or as required
1 tbsp oil or ghee or butter
or cup warm water
vegetable oil for deep frying
for overnight fermentation:

cup (150 ml) plain curd/yoghurt or cashew curd

tbsp sugar or brown sugar
tsp baking powder
cup all purpose flour/maida
cup water (optional)

Instructions
1.
2.
3.
4.

You will have to start the night before.

In a bowl take the yoghurt, sugar, baking powder and all purpose flour.
Mix well all the above 4 ingredients mentioned for overnight fermentation.
If the yogurt has whey in it, then don't need to add the cup water
mentioned above.
5.
If the yogurt is thick, then to thin the batter, add cup water.
6.
Cover the bowl with a cloth and set it aside in a warm place overnight or for 8
hours to allow natural fermentation to take place.
7.
The next day you will see tiny bubbles on the surface of the mixture. The
mixture is ready for the next step when tiny bubbles appear on the surface.
8.
In another bowl, mix together the wheat flour with salt and rub the ghee or
butter into it with your fingertips. Into this bowl, add the fermenting mixture
and the warm water. Form a dough with these two mixtures.
9.
Knead the dough for 5 to 10 minutes or until it is silky smooth. Add a little
flour if it is too wet. Gather the dough into a compact ball and cover it with a
damp cloth. Again set it aside in a warm place for 2 hrs.
10. This is how the dough appears after 2 hours.
11. Knead the dough again.
12. Form it in to 15 balls and roll them into 5-6 inch discs. Heat oil or ghee and
deep fry the bhaturas in the same way as you would fry pooris. Serve the
bhaturas hot with chole and wedges of lemon and sliced onions.

RAJMA RECIPE

1 cup rajma or kidney beans (any variety)

1 large onion or pyaaz
2 medium to large tomatoes or tamatar
3-4 garlic + 1 inch ginger + 1 green chili - crushed to a paste in a mortarpestle
1 tsp coriander powder or dhania powder
to tsp red chili powder or lal mirch powder
tsp turmeric powder or haldi powder
a pinch of asafoetida or hing (optional)
tsp to tsp garam masala powder
tsp cumin seeds or jeera
1 tsp kasuri methi or dry fenugreek leaves, crushed

2 tbsp butter + 1 tbsp oil or 3 tbsp butter

2 to 3 tbsp cream
4 cups water for pressure cooking
1.5 to 2 cups of rajma stock (the water which is used to cook the rajma) or
plain water for the gravy or curry
salt as required

Instructions
1.

rinse and soak the rajma or kidney beans in enough water overnight or for 89 hours.
2.
next day, discard the water and rinse the beans again in fresh water.
3.
in a pressure cooker, take both the rajma and 4 cups water.
4.
pressure cook on a medium to high flame for 15-20 minutes.
5.
when the rajma is cooking, you can chop the onions, tomatoes etc.
6.
when the pressure settles down on its own, open the lid,
7.
check if the rajma is cooked or not by taking a bite or pressing a bean.
8.
if they are not cooked completely, then pressure cook again adding some
water if required for some minutes.
9.
heat oil + butter in another pot or pan. add cumin first and let them crackle &
get browned.
10. then add onions and saute them till they caramelized or golden browned.light
browning the onions is also alright.
11. add the ginger-garlic-chili paste. stir and saute for 5-10 seconds on a low
flame.
12. add the tomatoes. saute for 2-3 minutes till the tomatoes become soft.
13. add all the spice powders one by one - turmeric powder, red chili powder,
coriander powder, asafoetida/hing and garam masala powder.
14. stir and saute the whole masala mixture till the fat starts leaving the masala.
15. you can also strain the rajma first and keep it aside.
16. keep the stock also aside. stir and saute for a minute.
17. take 1.5 to 2 cups from the stock and add to the rajma.
18. add salt and stir the whole curry mixture.
19. simmer without a lid for 10-12 minutes or more till the curry thickens slightly.
it should not be watery.
20. mash a few rajma beans with the spoon. this helps to thicken the curry.
21. when the rajma masala has thickened and comes to the right consistency
which is neither too thick nor thin, then add the kasuri methi and cream.
22. stir & simmer rajma masala for 30 seconds to 1 minute. switch off the fire.
23. serve rajma masala restaurant style with steamed basmati rice, jeera rice or
naan.

Notes
1. to make this dish gluten free, omit the asafoetida in the recipe.
2. canned kidney beans can also be used. in this case, just make the curry or sauce first and then
add the rajma beans and water.
if cooking rajma in a pot or pan:
first soak the rajma as usual for 8-9 hours. drain them and rinse them with fresh water. then in a
huge pot, boil enough water first. add the rajma and salt. cook covered for about 45 to 1 hour or
more if required. it takes a long time to cook rajma without a pressure cooker.

dal makhani dhaba style

dhaba style dal makhani - a delicious creamy lentil preparation as made in the dhabas.

1 cup black gram or sabut urad dal

cup kidney beans or rajma (optional)
to 1 cup tomato puree (approx 2 medium tomatoes pureed)
8-10 garlic, crushed or finely chopped
tsp red chili powder or kashmiri red chili powder
2.5 tbsp oil or 3 tbsp butter
2 to 3 tbsp cream
salt as required

Instructions
1.
2.
3.

rinse and soak the lentils in enough water overnight or for 8-9 hours.
drain and then add them in a pressure cooker.
add 4 cups water and pressure cook on high or medium flame for 12-15
whistles.
4.
when the pressure settles down on its own, remove the lid.
5.
drain the water and rinse the lentils.
6.
put back the lentils in the pressure cooker.
7.
add 4 cups fresh water, tomato puree, butter or oil, garlic, red chili powder,
cream and salt.
8.
stir and mix well.
9.
pressure cook again for 12-15 whistles on a medium to high flame.
10. when the pressure settles down on its own, remove the lid and check the
lentils and the consistency of the dal.
11. the lentils should be completely cooked and mushy.
12. now simmer the dal without any lid on a low to medium flame, till the
consistency becomes medium and smooth.
13. mash some lentils with the back of a spoon to thicken the dal.
14. the lentils should become so soft, that they should melt in your mouth.
15. check the seasoning and add more salt or red chili powder if required.
16. simmer for 15-18 minutes or more till you get a creamy smooth consistency
like the way you see in the dhabas and restaurants.

17.

serve the dal makhani hot plain or topped with some butter or cream along
with rotis, naan, paratha or plain or jeera rice.

Notes
1. the consistency of dal makhani can be easily adjusted by adding more or less water.
2. if in the third stage of cooking the consistency becomes thick, add some water.
3. if the consistency is thin, then simmer dal makhani for a longer period of time till you get the
desired consistency.