Dal Tadka Khichdi

Normally, Khichdis are cooked by mixing dal with rice grains and then putting them together on the flame. I use slightly different technique. Making khichdi my way is a lot simpler. Lets discuss the recipe:

Ingredients:

For Rice:
1 cup Basmati Rice
2 cups water
--> Wash the rice grains thoroughly. Boil the rice on medium flame with double quantity of water. Use Basmati rice specifically since its long grains add grace to your Khichdi. Once the rice is cooked properly, take it off the flame and keep aside.

For Dal:
2 tbsp Ghee
1 cup dal
1/2 Onion sliced
1/2 Tomato chopped
4-5 Cloves of garlic sliced( like flakes)
1 tsp Mustard seeds
1 tsp Cumin seeds
2 Dry red chilies
1 tbsp Red chili powder
1 tsp Turmeric powder
1 tbsp Garam Masala powder
1 tsp Kasoori methi powder
Salt
Water

For tempering(tadka):

2 tbsp Ghee
1 tsp Cumin seeds
2 Dry Red Chilies
6-7 Fresh curry leaves
1.5 tsp Ginger-Garlic paste

Preparation:

1. Boil the rice as instructed above.
2. Wash the dal properly and add 1.5 times water to it and boil the dal. 
3. Heat ghee in a wok.
4. After the ghee melts completely, add mustard seeds. When mustard seeds start crackling, add cumin seeds and red chilies.
5. Add the garlic flakes and sliced onion.
6. Saute the onion for a minute and add chopped tomato. Cover the wok with a lid and let the tomato cook nicely.
7. Add turmeric and red chili powder.
8. Then add the boiled dal to this mixture followed by garam masala.
9. Add 1 tsp Kasoori methi powder.
10. Add very little water. Remember, the quantity of water in dal should be less so that the dal is semi-thick. Add about 4-5 tbsp of water. I guess that should be enough.
11. Add salt, mix well and cover it for couple of minutes.
12. Once the dal is ready, add the boiled rice to dal mixture and mix well. Check if extra salt needs to be added.
13. If dal has excess water, heat the rice and dal mixture on low flame for some extra time so that the water evaporates leaving behind a perfect khichdi.
14. Now, for tempering, take ghee in a tadka-maker ( bowl sort of thing with a long handle used specially for tadkas).
15. After it melts, add 1 tsp cumin seeds followed by 2 red chilies.
16. Add 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste and ultimately, add curry leaves. 
17. Heat the tempering mixture nicely for 2 min and pour over the khichdi.
18. Serve hot with kadhi or papad or serve with chaas(buttermilk).

So if you have yesterdays dal-fry and boiled rice in the fridge and you are wondering what is to be done with it, follow these simple steps:

1. Heat ghee in a pan and add the dal-fry to it. Add some kasoori methi and mix well.

2. Add boiled rice to this dal mixture and let it cook for 2 min on medium flame.

3. Prepare tempering as suggested above and pour over the khichdi.

Nobody will ever realize that the yummy khichdi you made is a product of yesterday's leftovers! Normal dal and rice wont be in demand but the khichdi is always in! 

| Happy Diwali |

The Gourmet Diary at Busaba

A delightful experience. Thanks to  GourmetItUp organizing this one-of-a-kind cooking show where amateur chefs get to meet a talented personality, learn his techniques and style of cooking  and relish his preparation. Totally different concept! So guess who is this 'HE' I am talking about...? A self-taught chef and restaurateur- Chef Nikhil Chib.

Chef Nikhil Chib is one of the finest chefs I have seen. His style and fashion are really authentic and why they shouldn't be? After all, he is one of those passionate people who have actually visited a country and learnt its cuisine, the authentic way! 

Live cookout with such a zealous chef was blissful! The session started with an amazing Vietnamese starter-like dish called Bahn Xeo (pronunciation: Bun-Seo). A good combination of sauces along with mushrooms and garlic wrapped in pancakes was like heaven in my mouth. Then he moved on to Thai Papaya salad. The salad was juicy, crispy and spicy! If salads are this tasty, I don't mind to go on a crash salad diet!
Next was Chicken Stir Fry. Perfect blend of garlic, basil, chicken and a few sauces... thats all I can say about this dish. Then came the turn of Thai Red Curry. I suggest you to go out there (Busaba) and have this Thai red Curry. Basil and green aubergines and red Thai curry paste are the main ingredients that will decide the quality of your curry. Besides, there is coconut milk along with few sauces, garlic and fresh veggies.
Last & the tastiest one certainly: Cambodian Chicken Curry.  So sumptuous that I still cant forget what magic those ingredients created on my tongue. An amazing coconut based gravy cooked in Indian spices and yet so not Indian. Mwuaah! This is something I can die for..totally! <3
Do visit his restaurants if you wish to enjoy authentic south-east Asian cuisine.

Oh yeah! Not to forget the unlimited cocktails/mocktails that were offered throughout the cookout session. The endless Mojito, Bloody Mary, Sangria and Berry Sweetheart added to the beatitude.

All things considered, a delightful experience by GourmetItUp! Kudos. We do look forward for more such opportunities.

Have a nice time. Take care.

Lemon Cookies

Recipe Source:

http://www.cookeatdelicious.com/sweets-recipes/cookies-recipes/refreshing-lime-cooler-cookies-recipe.html

Chinese Tomato Soup

Ingredients:

For veg stock:
1. Select any 2-3 vegetables of your choice from onions, pumpkin, tomato, cauliflower, cabbage, green peas, french beans, carrots, mushrooms etc.
2. Chop the vegetables into medium size pieces/cubes.
3. Place 2 cups of water in a pot on flame.
4. Add these vegetables along with one maggie magic cube(optional).
5. If you do not use maggie magic cube, simply add salt.
6. Once the mixture starts boiling, add 3 crushed cloves of garlic and one inch crushed ginger.
7. Let the mixture boil for 10-12 min.
8. Take it off the flame and strain using strainer.
9. The clear water mixture what you get is your veg stock.

For chicken stock:
1. Marinate 5-6 medium chicken pieces(boneless/ with bones) with ginger-garlic paste and salt.
2. Place 2-3 cups of water on flame.
3. Add the chicken pieces.
4. Let it boil for 15min or until the chicken is cooked properly. Alternately, you may also pressure cook it for about 10 min.
5. Once the chicken is cooked, strain the water mixture and your chicken stock is ready.
6. Do not discard the chicken pieces, you may use it for salads or in chicken fried rice or in soups.

1 cup of veg stock
1 cup of tomato puree
3 tbsp tomato ketchup
4 tbsp chopped mushrooms(optional)
2 tbsp chopped french beans(optional)
1 tbsp vinegar
2 tbsp soya sauce
2 tbsp chopped garlic
2 tbsp chopped ginger
1 tbsp chopped chilies
2 tbsp chopped red onion
2 tsp black pepper powder
2 tsp Tobasco Chili sauce or 1 tsp Red Chili powder
1 tbsp corn flour + water paste
Salt
Sugar
Green spring onion for garnishing

Preparation:

1. Heat oil in a wok.
2. Add chopped garlic, ginger and green chilies.
3. Add black pepper powder and chopped onion and saute for 1 min.
4. Add tomato ketchup and vinegar.
5. Add tomato pure and cook for 2 min.
6. Add veg stock and let the mixture boil.
7. Add soya sauce and tobasco sauce. 
8. Add corn flour paste to  thicken it.
9. Taste and check if salt is require. 
10. Add little sugar as per your taste. 
11. Garnish with spring onion and serve hot.

Tip: We can also add chicken to this soup to make it Chinese Chicken Tomato Soup. Follow the following steps:

1. Use chicken stock instead of veg. Shred the boiled chicken pieces used for making stock and keep aside.

2. After the mixture boils, before adding corn flour paste, add shredded chicken pieces.

3. Your chicken tomato soup is ready!

Stock for Soups

For veg stock:
1. Select any 2-3 vegetables of your choice from onions, pumpkin, tomato, cauliflower, cabbage, green peas, french beans, carrots, mushrooms etc.
2. Chop the vegetables into medium size pieces/cubes.
3. Place 4 cups of water in a pot on flame.
4. Add these vegetables along with one maggie magic cube(optional).
5. If you do not use maggie magic cube, simply add salt.
6. Once the mixture starts boiling, add 3 crushed cloves of garlic and one inch crushed ginger.
7. Let the mixture boil for 40-45 min.
8. Take it off the flame and strain using strainer.
9. The clear water mixture what you get is your veg stock.

For chicken stock:
1. Marinate 5-6 medium chicken pieces(boneless/ with bones) with ginger-garlic paste and salt.
2. Place 2-3 cups of water on flame.
3. Add the chicken pieces. You may also add carrots, onions or cauliflower or french beans or any other veggie of your choice.
4. Let it boil for 45 min.
5. Once done, strain the water mixture and your chicken stock is ready.
6. Do not discard the chicken pieces, you may use it for salads or in chicken fried rice or in soups.