Masoor Dal ‘Tadka’

Masoor Dal is our favourite dal...means, my family’s favourite dal and always available in ‘Gappuskitchen’! When I have to cook this dal for 7 days a week, coming up with new ideas to cook this dal is inevitable for me! So, a little twist in plain/simple ‘Masoor Dal’ recipe, released ‘Masoor Dal Tadka’ and it was a big hit in my home sweet home! That’s why I immediately decided to share this recipe with all the food lovers, in general and ‘Masoor Dal’ lovers, in particular!

Check out the ingredients and cook this recipe for your loved ones and make them smile a little more!

Ingredients:

1. Masoor Dal - 1 Cup
2. Tomato - 1 
3. Garlic - 6 cloves 
4. Ginger - 1/2 inch long
5. Green Chilies - 2
6. Cumin seeds- 1/2 Teaspoon 
7. Refined Oil - 2 Tablespoons
8. Turmeric Powder - 1 Teaspoon
9. Red Chili Powder - 1/2 Teaspoon 
10. Coriander Powder - 1 Teaspoon
11. Cumin Powder - 1/2 Teaspoon
12. Salt to taste

Water to maintain the consistency of dal as per your liking!
Chopped cilantro to garnish!

Let’s get started!

• Wash and pressure cook a cup of masoor dal with little bit of salt
• Now for the ‘Tadka’, heat oil in a frying pan and add cumin seeds to it, let it splutter 
• Time to add ginger, garlic, green chilies and tomato (All finely chopped and in the same order)
• Add salt, turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder and cumin powder to it and fry until the oil separates the masala
• Now add little bit of turmeric powder to the pressure cooked dal. Also, add water if needed and bring it to a nice boil! Keep in mind that you are going to add turmeric powder in the ‘Tadka Masala’ as well! So, 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric powder would be perfectly fine in the boiled dal and remaining 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric powder goes into the ‘Tadka Masala’
• Add the ‘Tadka Masala’ to the pressure cooked dal and mix it well
• Keep the flame low and keep stirring it for couple of more minutes 
• Garnish with chopped cilantro 

Serve it hot with rice or your choice of bread! Enjoy the recipe and be proud of your cooking skills!

Badaami Ilish - Hilsa with Almonds

Ilish/Hilsa is a celebrity in my family! Everyone’s face lights up when this flavourful fish comes home. I love anything Ilish/Hilsa! Bhaapa ilish, Shorshe ilish, Doi ilish or begun ilish but this time when I got my chance with ilish I thought of adding a little twist and create something unique and special for the weekend lunch! Well, the recipe turned out to be very nice and mouthwatering! I really wanted to start writing the blog and share my new recipe with all of you but couldn’t! You want to know why? The taste, the aroma, the flavours of the recipe played a vital role! I had to take my own sweet time with my ‘Badaami Ilish’ and then a nice nap!

But here I am now, writing about the lovely recipe and sharing with you all so that this weekend you could create this delicious recipe and impress your friends & family with your cooking skills!

Let’s take a quick look at the ingredients and then the recipe:

1. Ilish/Hilsa - Medium Size 
2. Almonds - 15
3. Mustard Seeds Yellow - 1 Tablespoon 
4. Mustard Seeds Black - 1 Tablespoon
5. Dried Red Chili - 2
6. Green Chili - 4
7. Turmeric Powder - 1 Teaspoon 
8. Mustard Oil - 2 Tablespoons 
9. Black Cumin - 1/2 Teaspoon 
10. Salt to taste 
11. Sugar to taste 
12. Water - 1/2 Litre 

Special Note: Soak yellow/black mustard seeds, dried red chilies & almonds beforehand. Half an hour should be good!

Now, Let’s get started!

• Clean the fish properly and add 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 tablespoon mustard oil and salt to it. Mix it well
• Make a thick paste of yellow/black mustard seeds, dried red chilies & almonds with a little bit of salt
• Now heat the remaining oil in a cookware and add the black cumin. Make sure that the oil is hot enough before you add the black cumin
• Now add the thick paste of mustard seeds, red chilies and almonds to it and cook it on medium flame until the oil starts separating from the paste (masala)
• Now add water and let it simmer for a minute. 
• Adjust the salt and at this point add the sugar too. Add Ilish along with green chilies to it. Keep the flame low and let it cook for 15 to 20 minutes 

Actually when your home sweet home is filled with the aroma of Ilish, you know that the fish is done and ready to serve! Besides you can’t wait anymore to taste it! Right?

Serve the yummy Badaami Ilish with steamed rice! Awesome pairing! Enjoy the recipe and be proud of your cooking skills!

Stir Fried Broccoli

'Stir Fried Broccoli', a healthy and tasty snacking option! Sharing with you a tastier way to include broccoli in your meals. I love broccoli but some of my friends don't even like it. So, I tried something new with the broccoli and it was delicious. You can give it a shot and see for yourself how amazing it tastes.

Ingredients: Serves 2

Broccoli - 1 medium size
Soy sauce - 1 tablespoon
Chili sauce - 1 tablespoon
Pepper - 1 teaspoon
Olive oil - 2 tablespoons
Lemon juice - 1 tablespoon
Salt to taste


Okay, let's start!

• Cut the broccoli into bite size florets and wash them properly 
• let it dry for sometime, heat a frying pan and coat it with olive oil 
• Add broccoli florets to the frying pan and keep stirring on low flame
• Mean while in a bowl mix soy sauce, chili sauce and salt
• When the broccoli florets turn bright green, add the sauce to it
• Add pepper, lemon juice and adjust salt

Crispy broccoli florets are ready to serve! Enjoy the flavours as an appetizer or relish it with yummy noodles or steamed rice! Both ways it will be a delightful treat for your tastebuds!

Make cooking fun and be proud of your cooking skills!

The Simplest Chicken Kebabs

A very simple chicken kebabs recipe for all the kebab lovers! There are many interesting ways to prepare chicken kebabs but I call it the simplest chicken kebabs because it takes very little preparation and less ingredients..These kebabs taste delicious and have the potential to be a whole meal if paired with steamed corn, asparagus, zucchini or mashed potatoes..to name a few. If you like the classic combo of Kebabs with parathas, this recipe got you covered there too! My friends who are rice lovers; enjoy these kebabs with lemon rice, jeera rice, fried rice even with pulao. You choose the company for your chicken kebabs! Totally your call!

Now let’s take a look at the ingredients!

Servings 4:

1. Chicken legs - 8
2. Garlic cloves - 15
3. Green chilies - 7
4. Lemon juice - 2 table spoons 
5. Black pepper powder - 1 tea spoon 
6. Rice Vinegar - 1 tea spoon
7. Green chili sauce - 1 table spoon
8. Tomato Ketchup - 1/2 table spoon
9. Salt to taste
10. Refined oil - 2 table spoons (just to coat the frying pan, that’s all)

Let’s get started!

• Wash and clean the chicken leg pieces 
• Chili-garlic paste or finely chopped chilli-garlic; the choice is yours. I prefer the latter 
• Take a big mixing bowl and add all the ingredients one by one to the chicken legs
• Coat the chicken leg pieces well in the ingredients and let it rest for 15 minutes
• Now take a flat frying pan and heat oil. The oil should be hot enough to give you a sizzling feel 
• Add chicken legs to the frying pan and let it cook on medium flame. Keep rolling them once in a while 
• Be patient with the chicken legs because it will take at least 45 to 60 minutes to get the desired results 
• Check the chicken legs with the help of fork if they are cooked well; it depends on the size of the chicken leg pieces. If you feel that the leg pieces are still undone, give it some more time. As I told you patience is the key here!

Ta-da....Chicken Kebabs are done! Serve it right away! Enjoy and be proud of your cooking skills!

Crispy Garlic Egg

'Crispy Garlic Egg' is an appetizer. Being an egg lover I try to create new egg recipes. I thought of sharing this super simple starter dish with all of you. Especially for egg lovers! You can enjoy this recipe as an appetizer or a side dish. This can be a great option for your breakfast or evening snacks! It tastes amazing with parathas as well! So, let's have a look at the ingredients. You may want to try this new recipe today itself!

Ingredients: Serves one

1. Eggs - 2 boiled eggs
2. Garlic - 4 garlic cloves
3. Chili - 2 
4. Chopped cilantro - 1/4 cup
5. Red chili powder - 1 teaspoon
6. Garam masala - 1 teaspoon
7. Refined oil - 1 tablespoon
8. Salt to taste

Okay, let's start!

• Slice the boiled eggs and chop garlic, green chilies & cilantro
• Heat oil in a frying pan, when the oil is real hot add chopped garlic and green chilies, saute for a minute
• Now place the sliced eggs and fry on both the sides until golden brown
• Add salt, red chili powder & garam masala and give it a stir
• Add chopped cilantro, mix it well with the eggs and serve it hot!

Enjoy this super simple, super delicious and super healthy dish with your choice of bread and sauce!

Good luck and enjoy the recipe!

Adraki Murgh (Ginger Chicken)

I am glad to share with you a mouthwatering chicken recipe, 'Adraki Murgh'. It is a delightful recipe with an over-powering flavor of ginger. The richness of this chicken curry is beyond explanation. Exotic adraki murgh has its own magic! This super simple recipe that takes very few ingredients is just amazing!

Ingredients:

1. Chicken - 1/2 kg.
2. Ginger - 4 inch long ginger piece
3. Garlic - 10 garlic cloves
4. Onion - 2 medium size
5. Green chili - 4
6. Lemon juice - 1 tablespoon
7. Curd - 170 gm.
8. Black pepper - 1 tablespoon
9. Turmeric powder - just a pinch
10. Pepper corns - 10
11. Refined oil - 3 tablespoons
12. Salt to taste

Okay, let's start!

• Wash the chicken
• Chop 1 onion 
• Grind ginger-garlic-green chilies & onion and make a thick paste
• Now heat oil in a cookware, add pepper corns to it and let it splutter
• Add chopped onions and fry until the edges are golden brown
• Add ginger-garlic-green chilies-onion paste to it
• Add salt & turmeric powder to it and cook the masala until the oil leaves
• Now add chicken to it and cook the chicken with the masala for 5 to 7 minutes, do not leave unattended
• Add curd, black pepper and adjust the salt
• Stir it well and cover it with a lid, cook the chicken for 10 minutes on low flame
• Uncover it and cook for 15 more minutes, stir it in every two minutes
• At this stage add some lemon juice, give it a stir and serve it hot

This chicken curry goes well with roties or parathas! A meal that includes this delicious Adraki Murgh is just wow!

Good luck and enjoy the recipe!

Moong Kathi Roll

Presenting here a healthy and tasty snacking option, 'Moong Kathi Roll'. Healthy snacking is the motto of most of us now a days. We want something that is healthy but at the same time tasty. The recipe I am sharing with you is not only nutritious but also delicious. You can prepare these rolls anytime. It will only take a couple of minutes to satisfy your taste buds in a healthy way!

Ingredients for a moong kathi roll:

1. Yellow moong dal (soaked for 30 minutes) - 1/2 cup
2. Ginger - 1/2 inch long ginger piece
3. Garlic - 4 garlic cloves
4. Green chili - 1
5. Chopped tomatoes - 1/4 cup
6. Chopped capsicum - 1/4 cup
7. Chopped red bell pepper - 1/4 cup
8. Chopped cilantro - 1/4 cup
9. Lemon juice - 1 tablespoon
10. Black pepper - 1/2 teaspoon
11. Refined oil - 1 tablespoon
12. Chili sauce
13. Tomato ketchup 
14. Salt to taste

Okay, let's start!

• Grind the soaked moong dal with ginger-garlic-green chili & salt and make a thick paste, add very little water while grinding
• Now heat a flat frying pan and add refined oil, layer the frying pan with the oil
• Pour the moong dal mixture on the frying pan and spread with a spatula
• Let it cook for 10 minutes on very low flame, then take it out on a plate very slowly with the help of a spatula 
• Mix chopped tomatoes, capsicum, cilantro & red bell pepper in a bowl to prepare the filling for the roll
• Add salt, black pepper & lemon juice to it, mix it well
• Now add the filling in the moong dal roll base and squeeze some chili sauce & tomato ketchup to add a saucy tangy twist to the roll
• Roll it carefully and serve it

Munch on these healthy & tasty Moong Kathi Rolls!

Last but not the least, if you are not comfortable with the flavor of garlic, you can always skip that. Ginger and green chili flavored moong dal rolls would also be able to satisfy you completely.

Good luck and enjoy the recipe!