Vegetable taka tak

What is taka tak??  Taka tak is the name derived from the Lahorean dish 'mutton taka tak'  This entire dish was made from large tawas and using metal spatulas, which on cooking made the sound familiar to 'taka tak' and hence the name.  Here i substituted Mutton mince with vegetable mince(pressure cooked set of vegetables and mashed to form mince-like structure) and regular spices and dish came out quite well... So friends,,, are u ready for a taka-tak?? ;)  ;)

Ingredients required

• 4 tsp finely chopped onions
• 1/2 cup green peas
• 1 green chilly, finely chopped
• 2 tsp of mint leaves, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup of finely chopped, deskinned tomatos (Boil tomatos in hot water for five minutes and remove skin)
• 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup of mixed vegetables like potato, carrot, beans, cauliflower etc
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp chilly powder
• 1 tsp dhanya powder
• 2 tsp hung yoghurt
• 1/2 tsp haldi/turmeric
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp finely chopped coriander leaves
• 4-5 tsp of butter
• Few onion rings, to garnish

Method

In a large tawa, place onions, green peas, green chilly and mint leaves.  Cook for sometime.

Then add tomato pieces, ginger-garlic paste and salt

After ten minutes on simmer flame, add pressure cooked vegetable mince and using two metal spoons crush them to integrate with pre-added ingredients.. so there goes takaaaaaaatak

Furthur add remaining spices like garam masala, chilly powder, yoghurt, dhanya powder and coriander leaves.  

Finally add butter and close lid... cook on a simmer flame

Garnish with onion rings and serve hot with paranthas/roti

Spicy and creamy too!!!

Onion uthappam

Ingredients required

• Regular dosa/idly batter- one cup
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onions
• 3 tsp of oil
• 1/2 tsp rai/mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp of whole jeera
• 1/2 tsp of split urad dal
• 3 tsp finely chopped curry leaves
• 4-5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tsp dhanya powder
• 1 tsp jeera powder

Method

In a kadaai, heat oil and temper with rai, jeera, urad dal, curry leaves.  Later add onions, garlic  and cook them partially, adding jeera and dhanya powder at the end.  Keep aside.

In a pre-heated tawa, pour two ladle of batter.  Dont spread too much. Top with onion mixture and press them with spatula/spoon such that the onion mixture immerses well in batter itself.  turn upside down and cook.  Serve hot

Usually served with chutney and sambhar, i served with muttai curry

That was a nice combo indeed!!!

Muttai curry (Hard-boiled eggs cooked in spicy masala gravy and topped with semi-fried tomatos)

Ingredients required

For the masala base

• 1/4 cup grated coconut
• 2 tsp khus khus
• 1-inch cinnamon piece
• 2-3 cloves
• 2 green cardamon
• 1 tsp of fennel seeds/sombu
• 1 tsp of whole dhanya
• 3-4 red chillies
• 1/2 cup finely sliced onions
• 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste

To temper

• 4-5 tsp of oil
• 1/2 tsp rai/mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp split urad dal
• 1/2 tsp whole jeera
• 1/4 tsp venthayam/methi seeds
• 4-5 tsp finely chopped curry leaves and coriander leaves

others

• 2 eggs (hard-boiled and deshelled)
• 2 tomatos
• 1/2 tsp haldi/turmeric powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp jeera powder
• 1/2 tsp coarsely crushed peppercorn

Method

In a kadaai, saute ingredients for masala.  Blend into paste, set aside

Take tomatos and chop into fine juvelinnes, wash them to remove pulp/seeds

Heat oil and add tomato juvelinnes, semi-fry them with few spoons of oil.

Cut the hard boiled eggs into two, and cook them on tawa too, till they turn golden yellow in colour

Set aside eggs and tomatos

In the  kadaai, heat oil and add ingredients for temper one by one.  Add masala paste

Add in turmeric powder, kaalimirch, jeera powder and salt

Cook till raw smell fades away.  In a serving bowl, add eggs, top with gravy and fried tomatos.

Serve with dosa/idly/rice

Hmm... it was very yummy....

Cabbage rolls

Hi, cabbage rolls belong to pondicherry cuisine, indo-french  fusion food.  Traditionally, cabbage leaves are cooked in hot water, filling with unusual stuffing of cooked rice, minced meat, beef or pork along with selected seasonings.  You can also update it with grated steamed vegetables or scrambled eggs... So, off to recipe

Ingredients required

• Cabbage-one large sized
• Cloves- as needed

For the stuffing

• 2 tsp of cooked rice
• 1 egg
• 4 tsp grated carrot
• 2 tsp finely chopped beans
• 2 tsp finely chopped cabbage
• 1/2 tsp jeera powder(optional)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp soy sauce

Method

Very carefully peel 4-5outermost layers of cabbage.  Take those layers and boil them in hot water for ten minutes.

In meantime, heat tawa, add carrot, beans and cabbage.  Saute them with jeera powder, salt.  

Make one corner and break an egg.  Scramble the eggs and at the sametime, mix it with carrot-beans duo alternatively

When completely mixed, add rice and soy sauce.  Your filling is now ready

Take steamed cabbage layers, place stuffing and fold into four.  Traditionally they use toothpicks to hold the stuffing, here i inserted cloves.

Yeah, pinned it up with two cloves...

Beautiful cabbage rolls is now ready... u can add it up in ur favourite soups, or in noodles.  Also can be had raw with vegetable salad platter.  Wanna know how i ate??   Have patience and scroll below :)

I just tawa-fried the rolls till they turned golden brown (by adding 1/2 tsp of oil) and had with schezwan sauce.... it was very yummy indeed!!!!

Hmmm.... yummy n delecious tooooo

Dal Maharani Recipe | Punjabi Style Mixed Dal with Urad, Chana Dal & Rajma

Dal Maharani is a rich and flavourful Punjabi-style lentil preparation made using a combination of black urad dal, chana dal and rajma (kidney beans). Cooked until soft and simmered in a creamy, spiced tomato-onion gravy, this dal is a delicious addition to any North Indian meal.

The combination of lentils gives the dish a wonderful texture, while ginger, garlic, mint and fennel add a lovely depth of flavour. A dash of Punjabi garam masala further enhances its taste. You can use khoya, fresh cream or milk to give the dal its rich and creamy consistency.

Serve this comforting dal hot with jeera rice, pulao, roti or naan.

Ingredients required

For cooking the dal

• 1 cup black urad dal

• ½ cup chana dal

• ½ cup rajma

• Water as required

For the gravy

• 4–5 tsp oil

• 1 tsp jeera (cumin seeds)

• ½ cup finely chopped onions

• 1 cup tomato puree

• 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste

• 1 tsp Punjabi garam masala

• 1 tsp salt (adjust to taste)

• 1½ tsp chilli powder

• 1 tsp dhaniya powder (coriander powder)

• ¼ cup khoya / cream / milk

• 4 tsp finely chopped coriander leaves for garnishing

For the masala paste

• 2–3 cashews

• 1 tsp fennel seeds (sombu)

• 2-inch piece of ginger

• 4 tsp finely chopped mint leaves

• 2–3 green chillies, crushed

Method

1. Wash and soak the black urad dal, chana dal and rajma together. Pressure cook until completely soft and cooked through. Keep aside.

2. Grind the cashews, fennel seeds, ginger, mint leaves and green chillies into a coarse paste using a mortar and pestle.

3. Heat oil in a kadai. Add jeera and allow it to splutter. Add the finely chopped onions and sauté until translucent.

4. Add the prepared masala paste and cook for a few minutes until its raw aroma disappears.

5. Add tomato puree, followed by Punjabi garam masala, salt, chilli powder and coriander powder. Cook until the masala is well combined and the oil begins to separate.

6. Add the cooked lentils along with the required amount of cooking water. Mix well and allow the dal to simmer so that all the flavours blend together.

7. Add khoya, cream or milk and mix gently. Check the seasoning and adjust the consistency with water if required.

8. Simmer for another 5–10 minutes. Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves and serve hot.

Serving suggestions

• Indian breads such as naan, roti or kulcha.

• Jeera rice or vegetable pulao.

• A complete Punjabi-style meal with onion salad and pickle.

A little note from my kitchen!

It turned out really nice and yummy! The combination of three different dals, along with the creamy masala, made this a truly satisfying dish.

And guess what? I had a big kadai full of Dal Maharani!

Anybody over there? Come on in and be my guest! 😊