Hello Everybody, hope all of you are doing fine !! Last 2 weeks I was very busy, so could not post any recipe. But I have prepared some dishes which I will be posting soon. I couldnt take some pictures with our camera as the charger was not working properly. So few, including these two, were taken with iphone cam, so the resolution might not be that good. My husband has bought a new digital charger and I hope to take good pics hereafter :)

Its been the same weather over here.... everyday hovering over 102 degrees !! But last saturday, when we got up in the morning, we were thrilled to see its raining , for a change !! :) My hubby immediately told me that we will have khichudi today !! Rain and khichudi.... its something which is incorporated inside us since childhood. Both of us just love to eat khichudi...whether simple or with spices...doesnt matter !! We had khichudi here even when it wasnt raining and the temperature was 45 degrees centigrade :P But last saturday was an ideal day to relish it.... so I made amish (with spices and onions) Khichudi along with aloo-kopir torkari , tomato chutney and fulkopir bora. It was an awesome lunch that day !! :)

I generally use basmati rice to make this, but completely forgot that day, instead used normal long-grain rice that I use everyday !! But nonetheless, it tasted great with the spices and ginger-garlic paste !!
Let me post the recipe now ... :)

Khichudi



Ingredients :

Basmati Rice - 1 1/2 cups
Moong dal - 1 1/2 cups
Water - 10 cups ( I have tried with 4 times water, i.e. 12 cups for 3 cups of total rice and dal in pressure cooker ... but it was a bit more liquidy, this time 10 cups touched the upper mark in pressure cooker ... but when it was ready, the consistency was perfect ... so for 3 cups rice+dal, 9-10 cups is fine)

Onion - 1 small/medium , chopped
Potato - 2 medium, cut into halves
Cauliflower - 8-10 florets
Peas - 1/2 cup ( I dint give this time)
Tomato - 1 medium, chopped
Ginger-garlic paste- 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 to 1 tsp
Cumin and Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Green chilli - 1, slit along the length
Bay leaf - 1-2
Salt
Pinch of Sugar
Oil and Ghee

** Khichudi can be made without onion, ginger garlic paste and the spices, and then also it tastes great. We generally have without these spices during Puja. In that case, just omit those and cook in the same way.

Method :

In pressure cooker, roast the moong dal till golden brown. Wash the daal and keep it aside.
Wash the rice very well and mix with the daal.
Add 1 tbsp of oil and fry the cauliflower florets till golden brown and then keep them aside.
Then fry the potatoes slightly and keep aside.
Add 1 tbsp oil and little ghee and when its hot , add cumin seeds and bay leaf ( tejpata).
When they start crackling, add the onions and fry them till soft . After that, add ginger and garlic paste and fry till the raw smell is gone.
Make a paste of the turmeric, cumin & coriander and red chilli powder with little water.
Add it to the onion and fry till oil separates out.
Then add the rice and dal and mix them properly. Also, add the potatoes, cauliflower , peas and tomatoes and mix well. Add about 1 tsp salt and a pinch of sugar.
Put 10 cups of water in the pressure cooker and taste for salt. I did it like this, had to add more salt . The salt was perfect this time.
Mix everything nicely and close the lid. Mine doesn't give whistles, so i cant tell for how many whistles it needs to be cooked. But slightly less than it needs to cook daal completely.

I cooked it for about 3 to 31/2 mins after the pressure regulator started rocking steadily. After it was done I kept it for few mins off heat and removed the lid.

Add 1 tsp ghee on top of it before serving !! :)


Tomato Chutney




Ingredients :

Tomato - 2 big, chopped into small cubes
Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Whole red chilli - 1-2
Sugar
Roasted Panch Phoron - I made it as Mom told, by roasting panch phoron and then grinding them in the mixer.

Method:

Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds and let it splutter. Add red chilli.
Add the chopped tomatoes and cook till they get mushy.
Add sugar and mix with tomatoes well.
Add very little water so that the chutney doesn't become too dry. Keep on adding sugar till it tastes right.
Take off the heat and sprinkle the roasted panch phoron on top of the chutney.
Enjoy as dessert after rice or khichudi !! :)