Rajasthani Kala Chana

Kala Chana - 1 cup soaked overnight and cooked till soft with some salt and turmeric. Mash half of the chana with a fork.

Oil - 1 tbsp
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Hing / Asafoetida - 2 pinches

Curd- 1 cup

Besan - 1tbsp

Red chili powder - 1/2 tsp

Salt

Mix curd, besan, red chili powder, salt together and beat till soft. Add 1 cup water to it.

Heat oil in a pan. Temper hot oil with jeera and hing.

Then add the cooked chana and stir for some time. Add the curd mixture and cook well till it reaches a thick consistency.

 

Adapted from http://kichukhonn.blogspot.com/2009/03/jaisalmeri-kala-chana-black-chickpeas.html

Vatli Dal

Chana dal / Bengal Gram - 1 cup
Onion - 3/4 cup, finely chopped

Green chilies - 5
Garlic cloves - 5, grated
Ginger - 1 inch, grated
Salt
Hing / Asafoetida - 2 pinches
Turmeric - a pinch
Lemon juice - 2 tsp
Sugar - 1 tsp
4 tbsp oil
Curry leaves - 6
Red chili powder - 1/2 tsp

Clean, wash and soak dal in sufficient water for 4 -5 hours or overnight. Drain water and add salt, grated garlic, grated ginger and 3 green chilies. Grind everything together to a coarse paste keep aside.



Take a steel vessel which can fit into a pressure cooker. Add 2 cups of water in the pressure cooker. Apply oil to the vessel. Pour the ground mixture in the vessel. Close tightly with a foil. Place the vessel in the cooker and cook for 4 whistles after full pressure is reached. Remove and cool a little. Then break the cake with fingers to make a panko bread crumb like consistency.

Heat oil in a kadai, add mustard seeds and let it crackle. Add hing, turmeric, curry leaves, 2 green chilies. Saute for 1 minute on a low heat.

Add chopped onion and cook till the onion caramelizes.

Add the cooked dal, salt, sugar, red chili powder. Mix and cook covered on a low heat by sprinkling water once in a while if it gets too dry.

Add a little more oil if required. Once done, add lemon juice, mix well and serve.


Shorshe Dharosh / Okra with Mustard sauce

Dharosh / Okra - 30 small, both ends trimmed

Yellow Mustard seeds~ 3 tbsp

Poppy Seeds / KhusKhus / Posto ~ 1 tbsp

Green Chilies ~ 3

Salt ~ a pinch

Soak all the above for 30 minutes and make a paste of it.

Nigella seeds/Kalo Jeera ~ 1/2 tsp

Green Chilies ~ 3 chilies slit lengthwise

For the gravy/sauce:

Mustard Paste ~ 2 heaped tbsp of the prepared paste

Yogurt ~ 1 tbsp - mix with mustard paste and leave the two for 10 minutes

Peanut Oil
Mustard Oil (optional)

Sugar

Salt
Turmeric

Heat Oil in a Kadhai /Frying Pan. Temper with Kalo Jeera and Green Chili.

When the spices start sputtering add the washed and dried okra. Sauté the okra for 4-5 minutes with a pinch of turmeric. Do not deep fry them, they should be tender and half cooked. You will know because they will glisten and have turned soft by this time.
 

Mix the mustard paste with yogurt and add the mixture to the okra.

Add salt and sugar. Mix well, add a dash of mustard oil and cover and cook. Stir intermittently till the okra is done.

Gawar Bhaji / Cluster Beans

Cluster Beans/ Gawar - 1/2 lb

Potato - 1, chopped
Onion - 1/2, chopped
Oil
1/4 tsp Mustard seeds,
1/4 tsp Hing,
1/4 tsp Turmeric
1 tsp Red Chili Powder
1 tsp Goda masala
1/4 tsp Ajwain
1 tbsp grated jaggery
Salt as per taste
1 cup warm water
2 tbsp grated fresh Coconut
2 tbsp fresh cilantro

Trim the ends and chop the beans into small pieces (1/2 inch to 3/4 inch size)
Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, when they start to splutter, add turmeric, hing, ajwain, and onion

When onion turns translucent, add the potato cubes and chopped gawar. Cover and cook on a low flame for 3-4 minutes

Remove the lid and add goda masala, chili powder. Stir-fry for 2 minutes, add 1-cup warm water and cover it again.

Let it cook till the beans are done, then add jaggery, salt, coconut, and cilantro. Cook for 3-4 minutes more.