lunch thali

Rice, Masoori saar-upkari, bhenda talasani, cauliflower bhajo

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Varan Bhaat

One of all time favourite dish in Maharastrian meals is varan bhaat with hot ghee and vangi batat bhaji according to my DH. Today is one 'happy meal' kinda day for V. Recipe courtesy, dear M-I-L.

 Varan bhaat ani Vangi batat bhaji

Varan Ingredients:
 Toor daal 1 cup
ghee 1tbsp
turmeric 1/4 tsp
cumin seeds 1/2 tsp, crushed coarsely
hing 1/2 tsp
salt to taste

Pressure cook toor daal with enough water and cook thoroughly.
Mash the daal and add salt and half a cup of water to it. Bring it rolling boil and take off heat. Separately, prepare seasoning by heating ghee in a pan, add crushed jeera and hing. Take pan off heat and add turmeric powder. Pour seasonings to the daal and cover. Serve with rice and half a teaspoon of ghee.

Gujarati Dal

 1 cup Tuvar dal

1 tomato, diced

 3 cloves garlic, crushed

1" stick ginger, crushed

3-5 green chilli, slit

1/4 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp coriander powder

1/2 tsp jeera powder

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1/4 tsp hing

2 tsp lemon juice

salt

oil

 curry leaves

coriander leaves

Pressure cook dal  with a tablespoon of oil & salt. Pour into a saucepan with 2 cups of water and bring it to a boil.  Simmer on low flame for 5 minutes.

Temper with heating oil in a pan,  add mustard seeds, hing , garlic, curry leaves, splutter for a minute add  tomatoes, turmeric powder, red chilli powder , ginger & all other spice powder and sauté until the tomatoes are soft. Add the tempering to the cooked dal. Squeeze lemon juice & garnish with chopped cilantro.

Madgane

Ingredients
1 cup bengal gram /chana dal
15 cashews
1 cup grated jaggery
1 cup coconut
2 tbsp rice, soaked in water
1/2 tsp cardamom powder

Pressure cook dal and cashew nut, just cooked till soft.
Grind coconut with rice to a smooth paste and use a sieve to strain and get milk.
In a heavy bottomed pot, add cooked dal, jaggery, cardamom powder and coconut milk. Bring to a boil over moderate heat. Serve hot.

Dal Fry

ingredients
1 Cup Toor dal
1 tsp Oil

Salt to taste

For the Masala :-
1 inch Ginger
2 - 3 Cloves Garlic
2 tbsp Coriander Leaves
1 big Tomato, Chopped
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 tsp Jeera
1 tsp Turmeric powder
1 medium sized Onion sliced
4 Green Chilies
Salt
oil

Method:
Pressure cook Toor Dal. chop finely- Ginger, Garlic, Green Chilies, Tomatoes, Coriander leaves and Onions .
Heat Oil in a kadai,add Mustard seeds, Jeera and Turmeric powder. Add the chopped ingredients fry until the moisture evaporates. Add the cooked Toor Dal and Salt to the masala and cook to a good boil. If it is very thick add a cup of water and stir.

Varan

A very simple seasonless dal.

Ingredients
1 cup toor dal
turmeric powder
salt
hing
1teaspoon ghee

Method

Pressure cook toor dal & mash and add the required quantity of water to desired consistency..
Add ghee, turmeric powder and hing to the dal and boil well.
Serve with white rice and vaingan-batata bhaji.

Dalithoy

Ingredients
1 cup tuvar dal
2 cup water
1/2" ginger, finely chopped
4 green chillies
salt
2 tsp oil
2 red chillies, broken in pieces
1/2 tsp mustard
1 sprig curry leaves
1/2 tsp hing

Wash and rinse tuvar dal. Cook in the pressure cooker till soft. Transfer to the sauce pan, add slit green chillies, finely chopped ginger and salt,bring it to a boil, then simmer on low flame for 10mins.
For the seasoning, heat oil, splutter mustard seeds, add red chillies, hing and curry leaves. Pour it over the dal.

Chane Pancha kajjay

Pancha kajjay's are usually a sweet offerings made to god using 5 ingredients and mostly has these five ingredients in them :- coconut,jaggrey, elaichi, poha, laayi, til, kade sakkar,sugarcane pieces,banana etc.
The recipe for panchakajjay below is what I rember fron my childhood, prepared by my Mauma on Krishna janmastami.

Ingredients:
Chana Dal - 1 cup
Jaggery - 4-6 tsp
Black til - 1 tsp
elaichi - 1/2 tsp
Coconut - 1/2 cup
Ghee - 2 tbs

Method:
Dry roast til and keep aside. Dry roast chana dal and cool. Powder in a coffee grinder to a coarse consistency. The dana dal should be found in bits, not completely powdered.
Heat Jaggery and Ghee in a pan and melt the jaggrey. Add powdered chana dal, elaichi, til and coconut.
Sugar cane pieces and banana pieces are served along with this too as a prasad.