Home made Ghee

MMMMMMM!!!! I tell you, there is just something sooooo irresistible about home made ghee!! The smell, the taste it is just so fantastic! Home made ghee is so much better in every single way compared to the shop bought stuff. I have completely stopped buying the shop bought stuff - YUK. At the beginning of my cooking journey, I always used shop bought ghee, but ever since I made my first tub of home made ghee I have never looked back! Home made ghee is sooo much cheaper too. I bought a pot of ghee and it cost around £4.99 and to make the same amount at home it only costs £2!!!!! over half price!!

There are conflicting opinions about butter. Many people say that ghee has many, many health benefits and then other people say that it is bad for you. I must say that I am a believer that a little bit of everything is good for you. The thing is, some dishes just don't taste right unless you use ghee!!

Ingredients:-

2 blocks of shop bought unsalted butter. THAT'S IT!!!


Directions:-

1) Heat a saucepan over a low to medium heat and melt the butter.

2) Once all of the butter has melted, bring to a gentle simmer until the butter separates and you start to see a foam. This foam should go.

3) Keep simmering until another foam stars to develop and you see the white bits start to colour.

4) At this point the ghee needs to be strained straight the way, so either through a muslin cloth, or a strainer, poor the contents into a clean metal, or adequate container and leave to cool.

That's it!!! The ghee is ready!! :-) Use as required. :-) :-)

moong dal palak recipe ( spinach moong dal )

Again, this is such a comforting dish. It is essentially very similar to my split green moong dal recipe but with added health benefits of spinach!! Full of iron, full of protein, it is sooooo healthy it is incredible!!! don't let this put you of though with me saying how healthy it is, because it really is equally as yummy!! I promise that I will pop some nice photo's of this dish soon, so watch this space!! :-)

Here it is............

Ingredients:-
1 cup split green moong dal
1-2 cups of washed and chopped spinach. It must be fresh, not frozen or tinned!!
3 cups of water
1 tbs sunflower oil
1/4 tsp hing
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2-3 green chilli's
1/2 tsp grated ginger
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp kashmiri chilli powder- or to taste.
1 tsp salt
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp garam masala
fresh coriander
1 tbs butter ( optional but really nice )

Directions:-

1) Soak dal in boiling water for 1/2 hour - 1 hour if you have time. If you don't have enough time to soak the dal you can always add some more water and cook for another whistle. Drain before cooking.

2) Heat the pressure cooker over a medium heat and add the oil

3) Add the cumin seed and asafoetida and just let them sizzle for a few seconds and then add the green chilli, turmeric and the ginger. Fry again for a few seconds.

4) Add the drained dal, spinach and the salt. Cover and cook for 3-4 whistles.

5) I like to let the steam escape naturally, because this keeps everything cooking slowly, but if you don't have time you can just run the pressure cooker under cold water until all of the pressure is released. Mash everything well with a potato masher.

6) Add the lemon juice, garam massala and the coriander. Mix well test the seasoning
and adjust to your taste.

Serve hot with chapatti's, cacumber ( onions, tomato and cuccumber salad ) and papads. Or plain and simple on it's own!!! UMMMMM

Potato vada/batata vada/mashed potato fritter

This is a real special recipe! Everyone I know who has tried these amazing balls of wonder have always gone back for seconds, or maybe thirds..or forth... Basically i would make sure that you have time to make plenty of these because the will disappear like hotcakes!

Here we go!!.......

Ingredients:-

1 kg floury potatoes- boiled
About 10 cloves of garlic or a very large tsp of garlic purée,
1-2 green chillies,
about 7 fresh curry leaves,
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 onion diced,
a large pinch asafoetida,
1/2 tsp turmeric powder,
1 tbs fresh coriander,
1/2 tbs lemon juice or to taste,
1 1/2 tbs oil
salt to taste.

ingredients for the outer layer:-

1 cup sieved gram flour.
a pinch of hing (asafoetida)
a pinch turmeric,
1/8 tsp baking powder,
1/2 tsp salt, or to taste.

directions:- For the potato mixture.

1) Heat the oil in a pan over a medium to hot heat and add the mustard seeds. Wait until they pop like popcorn.

2) Add the cumin seeds and the asafoetida and let them sizzle for a second or so before you add the onions. Saute the onions until they are light brown.

3) Add the garlic, chillies and the ginger and stir for a few minutes

4) Add the lemon juice, salt, coriander and the turmeric and give it a quick stir before adding the potato.

5) Mash the potato into the mixture making sure that you leave some chunks of potato.

Test the seasoning to cheek if is your taste and a just if you need to.

6) Mix all the dry ingredients for the outer layer together and then slowly add enough water make a thick batter making sure that there are no lumps. I always check the consistency of the batter on the back of a spoon.

7) Heat enough oil in a pan to coat the vada's over a medium heat.

8) Roll the potato mixture into equal size balls an set aside.

9) Dip the balls into the mixture, making sure that they are well coated and then fry in the oil.

10) Fry 3 or 4 at a time but do not crowed the pan. You need to have space for the vada's to move around.

11) Fry each vada for a few minutes each, or until nice and golden. Make sure you turn each vada a few times to ensure even cooking.

I hope that you enjoy these little treasures as much as my family and friends.

Yellow moong dal (with a difference)

Yellow moong dal has always been one of my favourite dals and there are countless ways to cook this highly nutritious little gem. I have adapted this recipe from a traditional dry version called sukhi dal. I have changed it to suit my taste and methods of cooking because I was never really all that happy with the end result. I definitely prefer this dish to have a sauce, so you definitely can not call this dish sukhi dal. The other ways of cooking this dal is to completely obliterate the dal in a pressure until it is all smooth and silky. So, i just thought that this way would be a nice change, to have the dal retain its shape, but to have a nice gravy too.

So here is my delicious experiment.....

ingredients:-

1 cup yellow moong dal- rinsed and soaked for about 2 hours in hot water,
2-3 tbs oil
1 small onion (optional)
1 heaped tsp garlic purée,
1 tsp ginger paste,
1/2 tsp mustard seed,
1/2 tsp cumin seeds,
a large pinch of asafoetida,
3-4 curry leaves,
1 tsp kashmiri chilli powder (recommended to give a nice colour but you can use normal chilli powder)
1 tsp turmeric powder,
1 1/2 - 2 tsp coriander-cumin powder,
2 tsp sugar, or to taste,
1-2 tsp lemon juice, or to taste,
1 tsp salt, or to taste,
fresh green coriander.

Directions:-

1) When the two hours are up, drain the dal and heat the oil in a pan over a medium to hot heat.

2) Add the mustard seeds and cook until the pop before adding the cumin seeds and asafoetida.

3) Take off the heat and add the curry leaves. Fry for just a moment.

4) Add the onions, ginger, garlic and fry over heat until they start turning brown. (That's if you are using them)

5) Add the spices, sugar and about a cup of water. Bring to the boil and then add the moong dal.

6) Turn the heat down to low and cook with a tight fitting lid for about 15 minutes or until cooked.
But BEWARE!! Do not stir the dal until you put in the lemon juice and salt, but even then you only want to fold those ingredients in otherwise it will all turn to mush.

7) Check the seasoning and serve garnished with coriander. It goes really nice with plain boiled basmati rice and Healthy mixed vegetable curry.

Please enjoy and feel free to give advice, comments and experiences.

Stuffed mirchi bhaji recipe (stuffed chill pakora)

This is one of those recipes that get a craving for when it is a cold damp winters evening. The last time I made these, it was snowing outside and it was sooo cold and dark. Earlier that day I had been shopping and I stumbled across the beautiful banana chillies, they were so bright and green and firm, just like they are when you first pick them. So I bought them without a doubt in my mind what I was going to with them. The previous night I had made lots and lots of other snaky things, so stuffed mirchi bhaji just had to be top of the list to complete our feast!!!

I hope that you enjoy these as much as me!!!

ingredients for the outer layer:-

1 cup sieved gram flour.
a pinch of hing (asafoetida)
a pinch turmeric,
1/8 tsp baking powder,
1/2 tsp salt, or to taste,

Ingredients for the filling:-

1 kg floury potatoes- boiled
About 10 cloves of garlic or a very large tsp of garlic purée,
1/2 inch piece of grated ginger or 1/2 tsp ginger paste
1-2 green chillies,
about 7 fresh curry leaves,
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 onion diced,
a large pinch asafoetida,
1/2 tsp turmeric powder,
1 tbs fresh coriander,
1/2 tbs lemon juice or to taste,
1 1/2 tbs oil
salt to taste.

Directions:-

1) While the potatoes are boiling, mix all the dry ingredients for the outer layer together and then slowly add enough water make a thick batter making sure that there are no lumps. I always check the consistency of the batter on the back of a spoon.

2) Heat the oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds, let them pop and then add the cumin seeds and the asafoetida and fry for a few seconds.

3) Take the pan of the heat and add the curry leaves. Let them sizzle for a second and then add the onion and saute until just starting to brown on the heat.

4) Add the ginger and garlic and saute for another minute or so.

5) Season with salt, turmeric, lemon juice and coriander.

6) Add the potatoes and coarsely mash into the spices. Leave aside to cool slightly.

7) While you are waiting, Heat a pan of oil over a medium to hot heat. (You need enough oil to coat the bhaji's.)

8) When the potato mixture is cool enough to handle, place a slit along the chillies, but make sure that you don't go all of the way through and stuff the chillies with the potato mixture, pressing down with your finger to make sure that the stuffing has gone all of the way through the chilli. Seal it together as best as you can.

9) Dip the chillies into the batter and dip into the oil. Fry for a couple of minutes until golden.

Serve the chopped onion, coriander, chutney and sev (optional)

Please feel free to comment on this dish. Maybe you could share your experiences with mirchi bhaji's? Thank you
:-) :-) :-)

Aloo masala (versatile potato mixture)

This potato mixture is so versatile, I use it for so many different things like stuffed mirchi bhaji (chilli pakora), aloo paratha, dosa, batata vada etc..
I actually use quite a lot of garlic in this recipe, but you can omit if its not to your taste, but it really does make a difference to the dish because it becomes very mild once it has been cooked down and becomes all scrumptious.

Ingredients:-

1 kg floury potatoes- boiled
About 10 cloves of garlic or a very large tsp of garlic purée,
1-2 green chillies,
about 7 fresh curry leaves,
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 onion diced,
a large pinch asafoetida,
1/2 tsp turmeric powder,
1 tbs fresh coriander,
1/2 tbs lemon juice or to taste,
1 1/2 tbs oil
salt to taste.

directions:-

1) Heat the oil in a pan over a medium to hot heat and add the mustard seeds. Wait until they pop like popcorn.

2) Add the cumin seeds and the asafoetida and let them sizzle for a second or so before you add the onions. Saute the onions until they are light brown.

3) Add the garlic, chillies and the ginger and stir for a few minutes

4) Add the lemon juice, salt, coriander and the turmeric and give it a quick stir before adding the potato.

5) Mash the potato into the mixture making sure that you leave some chunks of potato.

Test the seasoning to cheek if is your taste and a just if you need to.

Enjoy the countless things you can do with this amazing mixture. On this opportunity i made potato vadas.