Rajma Masala

Rajma Masala
Nothing can beat a bowl full of rajma with hot steaming rice and raw onion.Sounds delicious na!
Rajma is everyone's Best - Loved dish. Rajma is mainly cooked in thick gravy with many Indian whole spices and usually served with rice.I have made a pure Punjabi version of Rajma i.e. which is prepared with garlic and loads of Indian spices.
Rajma known as red kidney beans is soaked overnight and cooked in onion tomato masala and a plethora of classic Indian spices.

What to cook specially on Sundays is a big problem for all,so i always have a fixed menu of Rajma Chawal its my family's favorite and mine too ;-) 
A convenient choice for lunch or dinner is here.You can serve this rajma masala with rice,bread or roti. But i prefer this with my salted zeera rice.
Rajma Rice is My Bae  <3 and i can have this anytime.
So try out this yummy recipe on Sunday and make it everyone's bae :-)

Ingredients -

1. Kidney Beans 1 cup (soaked it overnight)
2. Onions 2 medium sized 
3. Tomatoes 4 medium sized(i have chosen red ones)
4. Garlic cloves - 7 to 8 pieces
5. Ginger - 1 small piece
6. Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
7. Bay leaves - 2 leaves
8. Coriander powder - 1 tbsp
9. Salt as per taste
10. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
11. Dry mango powder - 2 tsp
12. Red chili powder - 1  tsp
13. Dry red chilies - 2 to 3
14. Desi ghee - 1 tsp
15. Sugar - 2 pinches
16. Garam masala - 1 tsp
17. Fresh coriander leaves for garnishing

 

Ingredients -

1. Drain the kidney beans and wash in fresh water and put it in pressure cooker.
2. Add 4 to 5 cups of water and salt and pressure cook it till 5 to 6 whistles are given out.
3. After whistles when the cooker cools down keep it aside.
4. Now take a wok add oil around 2 tbsp.
5. Add cumin seeds and bay leaves and let it crackle.
6. Now make a paste of onions,garlic,ginger and dry red chilies.
7. Add this paste in the oil.
8. Now add turmeric powder,salt,coriander powder,dry mango powder,red chili powder and sugar.(do not add garam masala now)
9. Fry them till the masala turns little brown in color.
10. Take tomatoes and make its puree and add it in the onion masala.
11. Now time to stir stir and stir.
12. When you will find that the masala has started leaving oil add garam masala.
13. After that add this masala in your kidney beans cooker.
14. There must be enough water in the cooker,but it also depends on the quality of rajma,some rajma absorbs more water also.
15. If you are finding less water,then add more water and get a good boil.
16. Mash the beans to get a thick gravy texture.
17. Lastly add desi ghee and mix it well.
18. Garnish your Rajma with fresh coriander .
19. Your Rajma Masala is ready to enjoy.

Masala Daliya

Masala Daliya

Daliya known as broken wheat is prepared from crushed grain of various different wheat varieties.It is mainly served to kids and adults to which helps in weight loss. Daliya can be prepared with moong dal by adding various spices to make it more delicious.
But some people are really adamant for having daliya because they feel its a food for sick and weak people.Normally daliya is made with less spices and less oil,due to its insipidness people are not in a mood to have this in regular days,they find it boring and tasteless :-( So i have tried this daliya in a chatapata form,as no one will say NO to it.

 In this Masala Daliya i have added vegetables and some flavor of garlic which is going to give a good aroma to it.I have also accompanied daliya with some raw mango slices and cumin curd which adds a tangy flavor too. Daliya is the most simplest dish which can be served with various varieties like pickle or some crunchy papads or bhujiya too. Bhujiya ahh!I remember those summer days when my mom used to make daliya for my weak tummy and i have to eat that daliya with a boring sad face ;-) ,when i use to deny she always says me "OK i will give you some Aloo Bhujiya" and this made me little relieved to eat that tasteless daliya. Haha! Childhood Memories.

So a must try recipe which is made in few minutes and your family is going to relish this without making any sad faces and they are going to demand this everyday in their breakfast.
You can give this daliya in your kid's tiffin too.Make this daliya in night for dinner and the very next day you can serve it in breakfast and it tastes more yum.
So here goes the tangy recipe of Masala Daliya-

Ingredients -

• 1 cup daliya (broken wheat)(i have used roasted daliya)
• 2 tsp ghee or oil
• 1 tsp crushed garlic
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 pinch of asafoetida 
• 1/2 cup boiled american corns
• 2 small finely chopped tomatoes
• 2 small finely chopped onions
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp chili powder(optional)
• 2 pinch of  black pepper powder
• 1/2 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp dry mango powder
• Salt to taste
• 6 cups of water
• (you can add as many vegetable as you want like carrots,peas,french beans or capsicum)

Method -

• firstly take a pressure cooker and put daliya along with water and wait for 3 to 4 whistles.
• Now take a wok add ghee and add cumin seeds and asafoetida and let it crackle.
• Now time to add garlic and onions.Saute them till they turn pink in color.
• Add tomatoes and corn too.
• Stir them properly.
• Add turmeric,salt,red chili powder,coriander and mango powder.
• Add little water and cover it with a lid for 3 to 4 minutes.
• Now switch off the flame and add your masala veggies in the pressure cooked daliya.
• Mix it well,you can add more water also(depends on the consistency that you like to eat)
• Lastly serve your Masala Daliya by sprinkling some crushed black pepper powder and with some chilled cumin curd and with some chili flaked raw mango slices.

Masala Makhana

Masala Makhana
Makhana also known as Fox nuts is a popular fasting food.Its health benefits are superior to those of dry fruits like almonds or walnuts. Makhana is rich in proteins,carbohydrates,fiber,zinc and iron.They are high in fiber content,as it enables weight loss also.
When i was a kid and my mother use to feed me fox nuts and i have never found it even eatable because its tasteless.I used to chew the makhana and it was a task for me to gulp them down ;-p.
One day my mom made these makhanas and i had them with a smile on my face."Thank God" it was tasty and i couldn't stop myself from eating them.
After that day i have started loving makhanas and now i make them for my daughter as well as my family.

 These fox nuts are crispy,crunchy,tangy and spicy too.I have roasted them with home made ghee and believe me its really yum and you can enjoy it with your evening tea.
You can give these makhana in your kid's tiffin too or in the morning your kids can have this with milk.
Masala Makhana is a tummy filler snack and its very beneficial in constipation because it high in fiber content.
Makhana is really good specially for ladies who are above 30.Women normally lack in calcium and they feel pain in their knees or back,so start taking the makhana in your diet everyday and get rid of  health problems.
So here goes the simple recipe of Masala Makhana

Ingredients-

1. Makhana - 1/2 kg
2. Ghee - 3 to 4 tbsp
3. Salt as per taste
4. Red chili flakes - 1 tsp(you can avoid this if you don't want your makhana to be spicy)
5.  Dry mango powder - 2 tsp

Method -

1. Take a deep wok and heat it up.
2. Add ghee in it.
3. When the ghee is heated up add some salt in it.
4. Stir it and add makhanas.
5. Now add red chili flakes and dry mango powder.
6. Roast it on a low flame.
7. Stir it nicely,to coat the masala properly and drizzle some more ghee.
8. You can feel a chili smoke,so be careful while roasting it.
9. Now around after 5 to 7 minutes check the makhana by pressing it.
10. If they have turned crispy then turn off the flame.
11. Your Masala Makhana is ready to enjoy.