Why not we share our family's traditional recipe?

Hi all,

Every family has a recipe which runs through their tradition. Why dont we all share those among us, either a veggie delight or NV item or a sweet... anything...not necessarily to be an item prepared on occassions it can also be an easy meal for our daily menu.

Shall we proceed??

hi,

Since i started the thread let me post the first recipe.It is called manjal sambar in our place. And this goes very well for paniyaram or for crispy dosas.


Manjal Sambar:

Ingredients:(Serves 2)

T.Dhal - 3/4 cup
Small Onion - 10
G.Chillies - 6
Idli or Dosa batter - 1 & 1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder - As Required
Salt - As Required

For Seasoning:

Mustard seeds
Split U.Dhal
Asafoetida powder
Red chilli - 6
Finely Chopped big onions - 1/4 cup
Curry Leaves
Oil for seasoning

Method:

Boil T.dhal in a vessel ( do not pressure cook , coz it brings a different texture and taste) with turmeric powder. When it is almost done add small onions, g.chillies and salt.And also add 1 & 1/4 tsp of idli batter or dosa batter to it. When all are well cooked, take away from the stove and mash it well.

You can add little excess water than usual sambar for boiling, coz the final consistency after mashing the dhal shud be like rasam(Watery as rasam).

Take a kadai, heat oil and season the necessaries and add it to the sambar and serve hot for dosa's or paniyaram.

Tip :
If u soak dhal in hot water few hrs b4 cooking boiling in an open vessel will not be an issue.

Hi i have started this thread in a wrong section. Can anyone help to move this thread to a proper section like "Indian regional recipes"?? Dont know how thiz happnd?

Hi Cindhuja,

no, its better if it is here, no one commented on my bengali recipes so far. i have posted a number of traditional bengali recipes which had come to know from my mother , granny and mother in law. well, please dont move the topic. i am going to post a bengali recipe called dhokar dalna.

Dhokar Dalna
(Serving for 4)

Ingredients for Dhoka:
Mutter dal – 1 cup
Chana dal / cholar dal – 1 cup
Fresh Ginger paste – 2-3 table spoons
Green chillies – 4-5
Sugar – 4 table spoons
Red chilli powder – 1 ½ tea spoon
Salt – 1 tea spoon
Kalonji/ kalo jeera - ½ tea spoon
Oil – 1 table spoon (for initial mixing)
Oil to deep fry

Method of making Dhoka:
Rinse dal well and soak it over night. For best result soak it for 12 hrs in the refrigerator. Grind dal, chillies and ginger (if not already grated) together in a mixer. Grind it well and place it in a big vessel. Add sugar, red chilli powder and salt to it. Mix again the whole thing. Heat a non-stick and heavy bottom vessel andadd 1 table spoon oil; when it is medium hot add kalo jeera to it and after a few seconds pour the mixture into it. Stir continuously with a wooden spatula as it easily gets burnt. Never cook the initial stage of dhoka on a high flame. Lower medium flame to medium flame is the best temperature to make dhoka. Mix kalo jeera well with the mixture and let the running water dry. Do not over cook it and keep it little soft and moist.

Now switch off the oven and pour the mixture on a greased and flat plate (big wooden chopping board is equally good). Make it quick and flatten the mixture with hand. Make a rectangular shape and having about ½ inch thick. Cut the chunk with a sharp knife like square or rhombus. Now the next part is very delicate.

Heat a non stick frying pan and add oil to deep fry the dhokas (piece of chunk). Heat the oil at the highest temperature and when the oil is ready (not flaming), take each piece of dhoka carefully and fry it. You can fry 2-4 dhokas at a time depending on its size. But as soon as you put the dhoka on oil, slow down the flame to the lowest point and fry it slowly. Fry the both sides carefully and you can have it with evening tea also instead of regular biscuit.

Ingredients for Dalna:
It depends on your choice. If you wish to have it with rice, you can cook it with potatoes and the quantity of curry would be more. But if you cook dhoka with less gravy and without potatoes, you can have it with luchi, parotha or roti.

Potatoes – 3 big (clean, peeled, cut into 4 pieces)
Tomatoes – 2 big (chopped)
Green chilies – 4 (chopped)
Red chili powder – 1 tea spoon
Green peas - 1 cup (optional)
Ginger paste – 2 tea spoons
Jeera / cumin seeds – 1 tea spoon
Sugar – 2 table spoon
Salt to taste
Oil to cook
Water

Method of Dalna:
Heat oil in a big vessel and then add cumin seeds to it. When it becomes light brown, add tomatoes to it and fry it well. After 1-2 minutes, add ginger paste, green chilies, red chili powder and sugar. Fry it well on high flame as long as the oil flows separately. Be careful, do not burn it. You can use 2-3 cloves, 2-3 cardamoms and 2-3 sticks of cinnamon instead of jeera. Now add green peas and potatoes and sauté for a few minutes and then add 4 or 5 cups of water and salt. Slow down the flame to get it cooked. When the potatoes are cooked and the curry is ready, pour 1 or 1 ½ cups of water into it because dhoka absorbs water. Add ½ tea spoon of salt and ½ tea spoon of sugar to it. High the flame to its highest point and let the curry boil once again, mix the curry well and add the dhokas. Boil for 1 minute and lid the vessel as soon as you switch off the oven. Keep it covered for 10 minutes. Serve hot with rice.

Cindhuja,Few recipes in this thread.. Sourashtra