Buta Dali Aloo Kakharu Tarkari – Chana dal with potato and pumpkin curry

Buta Dali Aloo Kakharu Tarkari – Chana dal cooked with potato and pumpkin is a a very sought after dish in every odia household. This daal is liked by all for it’s amazing taste of spicy lentils blended with sweetness of pumpkin. It is a nutritious and a wholesome dish which goes very well with rice or poori. This daal is prepared with Buta dali or Chana daal or Bengal gram as popularly known as along with bay leaf, potato, pumpkin , ginger and coconut mostly on festive occasions and does not include onion or garlic in it. This simple no onion garlic aromatic daal is easy to make and taste absolutely divine.

This tarkari made out of Bengal gram is quite different from the other lentils prepared in rest of the country. Buta dali or Bengal gram is a little hard compared to other daals which when cooked holds it’s shape better than other lentils.The use of potato and pumpkin in this daal along with the richness of coconut makes the daal creamy and luscious and makes your dining a never to forget affair of odia traditional cuisine.

Now if you want to cook this simple, extremely tasty, authentic odia dish on a week day or specially for Sunday lunch for your family and friends, donot wait too much, go ahead and check this recipe below. This daal goes extremely well with Pooris  or rice and serve with a sweet kheer as side dish.I have literally grown up eating this daal prepared every alternative day as we have a tradition of not eating non veg food during 4 days a week. Every time I prepare this daal, it reminds me of home and of childhood.

Cuisine: Odia

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 10 minutes

serves:4

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Buta daal (channa daal)
• 1 cup pumpkin  diced
• 1 large potato diced
• 1-inch ginger grated
• 1 tomato chopped
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
•  2 to 3 dry red chillies
• 1 tsp Roasted cumin and dry red  chilli powder(3 teaspoons cumin seeds
  8-10 dried red chillies)
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp ghee
• 2 tbsp grated coconut
• 1 tsp sugar
• Chopped coriander and coconut  to garnish
• Salt to taste

Let's Learn how to make this recipe:

• Dry roast the cumin seeds and red chilies for the cumin chili powder  till you get the aroma. Care should be taken not to over roast and burn the seeds.Grind it and store it in an airtight container.

• Wash and cut the potatoes in cubes along with the pumpkin and keep aside.

• Soak the Buta dali for 30 minutes.Wash Buta Dali and bring to a boil along with potato, pumpkin, salt and turmeric in a pressure cooker up to one whistle. Do not overcook the daal.

• Heat ghee in a pan. Add cumin seeds , dry red chiilies and bay leaf .When they start to splutter, add grated ginger and stir for a minute.  Add chopped tomatoes and cook till done.

• Add the boiled dal to the above masala, grated coconut  and simmer for few minutes. Garnish it with cumin and chilli powder and chopped coriander leaves and chopped coconut .

•  Serve it with Puri or Rice. The consistency of the dish is a personal preference. So add water accordingly and enjoy.

Dhokar Dalna ( Lentil fritters in Potato & Tomato gravy)

Dhokar Dalna (Lentil fritters in Potato & Tomato gravy) is a traditional dish from the Bengali Cuisine that's purely satvik, which was originally created by the Bengali widows who were not allowed to eat onion or garlic.  Dhokas are the fried chana dal fritters that are lightly spiced and then simmered in a gravy made with tomatoes and ginger, spiced with cumin and coriander called Dalna, a cooking term that means any vegetables cooked in a medium thick gravy seasoned with ground spices, specially with Garam masala and a touch of ghee.The dhokas are such a delight and the Dalna is so fragrant that you wouldn't even miss onion or garlic in here.

Dhokar Dalna is a part of traditional Bengali cuisine and is somewhat similar to the besan tarkari my mother does at home. The only difference I found is that she made those from the gram flour and this one is done with soaking the daal itself. The other difference is that my mom used onion and garlic in the paste whereas this one is done without onion and garlic. 

The lentil paste is cooked with  a few flavorful spices to form a cake. Then that cake is cut into pieces and fried. Finally the fried lentil fritters are cooked in an aromatic gravy. The long process associated with the making of 'dhoka' will not hunt you when you actually tastes the dish which is so good and unique that you won't mind the effort put into it.

Making dhoka is easy but there are few things to pay attention to. When grinding the dal, use just enough water to reach a smooth consistency. If the mixture is too dry, the patties will crack when you fry them. For spicier dhokar dalna, supplement the recipe with green chilies. You can also mix finely grated ginger in the dal paste.

Cuisine: Bengali

Prep Time: 5 to 6 hrs preferably overnight

Cooking time:40 minutes

Serves:4

Ingredients for the lentil fritters:

• 1 cup split gram (chana dal)
• Water for soaking overnight
• About 2 Tbsp water for grinding
• 1 Tbsp ghee or oil
• A pinch of pure hing powder
• A pinch of salt
• 1 tsp jeera seeds, dry roasted and ground
• 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
• Oil/Ghee for frying

Ingredients for the gravy:

• 2 – 3 Tbsp ghee or oil
• 1 Tbsp grated ginger
• 1 small bayleaf
• 1/8 tsp pure hing powder
• 1/4 tsp kalonji seeds
• 2 medium size potatoes, boiled ,peeled and mashed
• 2 medium size tomatoes, pureed
• water as needed
• ¼ tsp turmeric powder
• ½ tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp jeera seeds, dry roasted and ground
• 2 green cardamom seeds, lightly crushed
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp salt
• Fresh Coriander leaves for garnishing

Let us learn how to make Dhokar dalna:

• Wash and soak the dal in plenty of water for about 5 to 6 hours or preferably overnight. Drain and keep aside. Add enough water to the dal to grind it in a food processor.

• Heat up the ghee or oil over moderate heat and sauté the hing powder for about 30 seconds and then scoop in the dal paste. Keep stirring it until it thickens for about 5 minutes. As it will stick to the bottom of the pan, keep stirring. It’s ready when it pulls away from the sides and forms a solid mass. Now add the roasted jeera powder, chilli powder and salt. Mix well and spread the paste in a oiled platter. When it cools down, cut it into diamond shapes or squares.

• Heat oil in a kadai and deep fry till light golden. Drain on a clean absorbent kitchen towel or paper and keep aside. 

• Heat up the ghee or oil in a pot. When it’s, drop in the green cardamom, bayleaf  and once it starts to release its flavor, add grated ginger. When the ginger turns a  little dark, add the hing powder and kalonji seeds.

• Add the tomatoes and fry until they start to stick to the bottom of the pan, and the ghee or oil begins to separate from them. Add mashed potato, coriander powder, turmeric powder, roasted cumin p[owder, red chilli powder and sauté  for a minute. 

• Now pour in the water and salt. Cook until the gravy thickens. I have used mashed potatoes to make the gravy thick. Add the fried lentils to the gravy when it is somewhat thick. Remember that the cakes will absorb liquid; you may have to add some more water if the gravy dries up.So it is better to put the dhokas in the gravy just before serving.  

• Add garam masala and serve hot garnished with chopped fresh coriander leaves.

Recipe adopted from  Sunday Times Newspaper and this recipe is being sent to Cooking from cookbook challenge for the month of March.

                                        

Sabudana Vada Slider- A Maharastrian Delight

Indian streets are well famous for its  tasty food items, Every Indian city has its own specialty of all time favorite snacks. Delhi is famous for its tasty street foods either Indian or Chinese with Indian flavor, North East Indian cuisines are also considered to one of the best food such as Naga cuisines, Assam Laksa, bamboo shot, momos, they are cheap and taste really good. 

During my travel outside, I always makes it a point to taste these street food delicacies and whenever I have the opportunity to try these at home, I try to replicate the dish , giving a little healthy twist to these delicacies. Some of my favorite street food are the Chole Bhature of Delhi, Poha-Jalebi of Indore, Litti Choka of Patna, Aloo Tikki of Lucknow, Vada Pao of Mumbai, Kachori of  Bikaner, Egg Rolls of  Kolkatta, Idli Sambhar of Chennai & Jodhpuri Mirch Bade. I will try to present before you all these favorite street food of mine in their new healthier version.

                                      

                                                          

India finds expression in it's streets-be it culture or be it cuisine. This is truer than ever when said in the context of Mumbai,where street food is relished even by millionaires. The snacks are prepared right in front of everybody and the enticement of the aromas is never missed. 

Sabudana vada is a favourite amongst Maharashtrian. It lends itself to such lovely recipes, such as these vadas. The crunchy peanuts that punctuate every bite are something I look forward to in the vada. You can serve these vadas on fasting days like Janmastami , Maha Sivaratri or as Starters / Snacks for entertaining.

Tapioca is popularly known as  sabu or sabudana in India. Tapioca is a starch extracted from cassava . It is used worldwide as a thickening agent. It is gluten-free and low protein. sabudana are widely used on Ekadasi and other days of fasting . It’s a special snack made during fast / vrat / upvaas especially during navratri vrats. It’s a great snack to be made in monsoon which is crunchy on the exterior and soft, fluffy from within. 

INGREDIENTS:

200gms Sabudana  soaked for 2 to 3 hours 

Potato, cooked and mashed- 2nos

Raw Plantain, cooked and mashed-2 nos

Peanuts/ Ground nut (with or without shell)- 4tbsp

Green chillies, chopped- 2-3 nos

Coriander leaves, chopped- 2 tbsp

Chat Masala- 1 tsp

Salt- to taste

Oil

To assemble the Sabudana Slider, you will need:

Burger/ Pav Bun

Cucumber-1no

Tomato-1no

Green Chutney

Tomato sauce

Mayonnaise

lettuce leaf(Optional)

PROCEDURE:

• Wash and soak the sago seeds in water for 2 to 3 hours . Drain the water using a sieve or with hand and set aside.

• Pressure cook  the potato and plantain for three whistles on medium flame till soft. When the steam releases allow the potato and the plantain to cool. Peel  and mash well using hand or masher.

• Roast the peanuts till crunchy; allow to slightly cool. Pulse the peanuts twice or thrice in a blender as a coarse pieces; set aside.

• In a bowl add the mashed potato, plantain,drained sago seeds, crushed peanuts, green chillies,  coriander leaves, salt and chat masala.

• Mix well and apply oil in your palms to make small balls out of it. If you feel its soggy add a teaspoon of corn flour or rice flour to get the correct consistency.

• Heat a little oil in a non-stick pan and shallow fry the vadas till crispy texture with golden colour on both sides. Take out and keep on a kitchen towel to absorb the excess oil. 

    

• Take a Burger /Pav Bun and cut into half. On one part of the bun, apply green chutney and on the other apply tomato ketchup.                                                           

                                    

• Put a spoon of mayonnaise over the green chutney,  place slices of cucumber and tomato on it.Place the Sabudana Vada on it. 

• Secure the Sabudana Vada by placing the top of the Burger/ Pav bun with a toothpick inserted with a cherry to have a look and feel of desi burger or Sabudana Vada slider.

• Enjoy this with your family, or simply pack in the tiffin of your child...

This recipe is an entry to Monsoon Snack Challenge for The Hub @ Archana’s Kitchen challenges