Moong Dal Halwa/ Pesarapappu Halwa

In this month's Indian Cooking Challengewe were asked to prepare Moong Dal Halwa.......

Ingredients:

• Split (Yellow) Moong dhal - 1 cup
• Ghee - 1/2 cup
• Sugar - 3/4 cups to 1 cup (as per required sweetness)
• Milk - 1/2 cup
• Cashews/ raisins roasted in ghee for garnish.

Method to Prepare:

• Soak 1 cup moong dal overnight. Next morning, grind to a paste.
• Heat a heavy Kadai, take initially only 1/2 of the ghee and heat it.
• Add the dhal and stir continuously, not allowing lumps to form. This part is very tricky as the dhal cooks really fast, irrespective of the ghee.
• Keep the heat at the lowest and keep stirring even after the dhal becomes thick.
• Add the rest of the ghee intermittently and cook the dhal until aromatic and the ghee starts oozing out.
• Meanwhile mix the sugar with water/ milk in a pan and bring to a boil. Add this slowly to the cooking dhal.
• Keep the fir low at all times and break lumps if formed while adding the sugar and water/ milk mix.
• Cook until the ghee surfaces.
• Garnish with cashews and raisins.

Simple Onion Pakoda

I prepared this long back............ but was sitting in the doc for a long time, I think today this post got moksha to come out. This is a quick fix snack and it tastes great at tea time........I enjoy this with rasam rice too........Click HERE for my another version of Onion Pakoda.

Ingredients:

• 2 Onions(sliced thin)
• 2Tbsp. Rice Flour
• 1tsp. Corn Flour
• 1tsp. Besan(if not using corn flour, can increase besan from 1tsp. to 2tsp.)
• 1tsp. red chilli powder
• Salt to taste
• Oil (for deep frying)

Method:

• In a bowl, add onion and salt, mix well and keep it aside for 5-7min., then add red chilli powder,curry leaves, mix well. In a pan heat oil, in the mean time add besan ,cornflour and rice flour to onions and mix well, do not add any water, as we add salt to onions it leaves enough water for making the mixture. Take the mixture in hand and sprinkle them in to the hot oil, fry them till they are golden brown in color......Crispy Pakodas are ready to eat.

Potato Kurma/ Potatoes in Curd Gravy

This is one of my favorite curry with parotas.........
Ingredients:

• 2 potatoes(boiled,peeled, cubed)
• 1 cup yogurt
• 1 tsp. red chili powder
• salt to taste
• 1 tsp. dhania powder
• 1/8 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1/4 tsp. garam masala
• a pinch of asafoetida
• 2springs curry leaves
• 1 tbsp.ginger garlic paste
• 2 green chillies(slitted)
• 1 tomato(diced)
• 1 tsp. cumin, mustard seeds each
• 2 tbsp. oil
• coriander leaves for garnishing

Method:

• Mash 3-4 pieces of boiled potatoes to fine paste and keep it aside. In a pan heat oil, once it's hot add mustard and jeera, once they start to splutter add green chillies, tomato, ginger garlic paste, asafoetida, curry leaves and fry till the raw smell of ginger garlic paste is gone. Then add turmeric powder, coriander powder, garam masala, red chili powder and 1/4th cup of water and fry for about 3mins., then add beaten curd and fry for 5 minutes till the curd is will mixed with masalas, stir continuously after adding curd. Then add boiled potato pieces, mashed potato paste, 1/2cup of water, cover and cook on medium high heat for about 10min., or till the gravy is thick, then garnish with coriander leaves and serve it with rice or roti.....