Shahi Dal

The name suggests a very involved recipe. But it is one of the laziest recipes I have ever known. I learnt it from my father, another cooking enthusiast like me. It combines the goodness of spinach (palak) and whole  pulses (dal) and avoids using oil. Ideal for the health watchers.

Ingredients:
* Green moong dal - 1/2 cup
* Black masoor dal - 1/4th cup
* Washed and finely chopped spinach (palak) - 1 cup
* water - 1 cup

* Finely chopped onion - 1

* Finely chopped ginger, garlic, green chilies - 2 tea spoon

* Finely chopped tomatoes - 2

* Turmeric powder: 1/4th tea spoon

* Salt to taste

* Butter (optional) - 1 tbsp

Procedure:

1. Bring water and salt to boil in a pressure cooker

2. Add the chopped ginger, garlic, green chilies and continue boiling for 1 min

3. Add the onion and continue boiling for 1 min

4. Add the Dal and continue boiling for 1 min

5. Add the spinach and continue boiling for 1 min

6. Add tomatoes and continue boiling for 1 min

7. Close the cooker lid and wait till the first whistle.

8. Lower (sim) the gas

9. Cook in the cooker for 10 min with low heat

10. Turn of the cooker

11. After the pressure is released, open the lid and serve hot with rice or whole wheat bread.

12. Topped with a spoon of butter, this tastes rich. But adding butter is not mandatory to get the naturally awesome taste of this dal.

Tomato pasta

I like the whole wheat or durum wheat pasta. They are slightly coarse in grain structure. But much tastier and healthier. I combine vegetables in pasta just to make it a complete meal. Instead of veggies, you can add mushroom (sautéed) or chicken as well.

Ingredients:
* Pasta boiled - 2 cups (Tip: Add bit of salt and 1 tea spoon olive oil while boiling pasta. Strain it immediately after it turns soft. Pour cold water on the strainer after pouring the hot pasta. This will keep the pasta firm)
* Cheese grated - 2 tbsp
* Butter - 1/2 tbsp
* Chopped chunky veggies (Carrot, zucchini, Brocoli, capsicum) - 1/2 cup
* Garlic - 3-4 cloves, chopped fine
* Milk - 1/2 cup
* Flour (I use whole wheat flour, not Maida or refined flour) - 1 tbsp
* Tomato puree - 1/2 cup (soak tomatoes in a covered pan with hot water till the skin of tomatoes come out. Then roughly chop the de-skinned  tomatoes and puree them in a blender. Alternative: buy readymade tomato puree from shops)
* Basil leaves - handful (you can use any other seasoning like oregano etc)
* Sun dried tomatoes (optional) - handful
* Salt, Pepper - to taste

Procedure:
1. In an oak/kadai, heat the butter. Add the flour and fry in low heat.
2. Slowly add the milk and keep stirring continuously. This will prepare the while sauce. keep the sauce aside.
3. Heat olive oil in the kadai/oak. Add garlic and fry till light brown.
4. Add the veggies and saute till almost soft
5. Add the tomato puree. and fry a bit
6. Add the boiled pasta and the seasoning while stirring continuously.
7. Add the white sauce slowly.
8. Cook open for 2 minutes and switch of the heat.
9. Serve hot with toasted brown bread.

Wheat-a-Meal

On a cold and lazy evening, this serves as a fast, tasty and wholesome dinner. This makes a ideal meal for fussy kids as well as the weight watchers.

Ingredients:
* Wheat Dalia (broken wheat) - 1/2 cup, lightly roasted and kept aside (you can also buy roasted Dalia)
* Moong dal - 1/2 cup
* Chopped chunky vegetables (carrot, potato, beans, capsicum, peas, cauliflower, zuchini) - 1 cup
* Chopped onion - 1
* Finely chopped ginger, garlic, green chilies - 2 tea spoon
* Finely chopped tomatoes - 2
* Turmeric powder: 1/4th tea spoon
* Salt to taste
* Water - 1.5 cups
* Ghee (optional) - 1 tbsp

Procedure:
1. Bring water and salt to boil in a pressure cooker
2. Add the chopped ginger, garlic, green chilies and continue boiling for 1 min
3. Add the onion and continue boiling for 1 min
4. Add the Dal and continue boiling for 1 min
5. Add the Dalia and continue boiling for 1 min
6. Add tomatoes and continue boiling for 1 min
7. Close the cooker lid and wait till the first whistle.
8. Lower (sim) the gas
9. Cook in the cooker for 10 min with low heat
10. Turn of the cooker
11. After the pressure is released, open the lid and serve hot with yoghurt and roasted papad.
12. I also serve this with hot mango pickles.

Spanish omlette

Ingredients

1. 3 eggs (serves 2-3 people)

2. 1 medium size onion finely chopped

3. 1/2 capsicum finely chopped

4. 3 table spoons of grated carrot
5. 3 table spoons of grated carrot

6. 2 table spoon grated cheese

7. 1/2 tomato finely chopped

8. salt, pepper to taste

9. oil/butter

10. finely chopped coriander leaves

Procedure

1. Mix all ingredients with an egg beater.

2. Heat 2 tsp oil on the non-stick fry pan

3. Pour the mixture

4. Lower the heat and cover till you can lift the entire omlette with a wooden spatula

5. Turn the omlette and fry slightly.

6. Sprinkle pepper powder and serve hot with toasted brown bread