Tomato Basil Soup

I took this recipe from Sanjeev Kapoor and made some changes to it.

Ingredients:

1. Tomatoes - about 10-12 medium size, quartered (I used about 5 big greenhouse tomatoes).
2. Onion - 1 medium sized (cut lengthwise)
3. Carrot - 1 (cut into roundels)
4. Garlic - 2 cloves (cut into small pieces)
5. Coriander stalk - a handful
6. Basil leaves - 5-6
7. Butter - 1 tablespoon, oil - 1 tsp
8. Salt to taste
9. Freshly ground pepper

Method:

1. In a pan, heat butter and oil. Add onions, garlic and saute until transparent.
2. Add the tomatoes, carrots, coriander stalks along with 4 basil leaves. Saute for a minute and add 2 cups of water.
3. Cover the pan and cook for about 5-8 minutes. Switch off the flame and filter the water. Reserve it for later.
4. When the mixture cools, grind it in batches and pass it through a sieve and collect the puree in a pan.
5. Repeat the process for rest of the mixture. 
6. Adjust consistency by adding the required amount of the reserved liquid.
7. Add salt  and freshly ground pepper and heat the soup till it comes to a boil.
8. Garnish with chopped basil leaves.
9.  Serve hot with croutons.

Note:

1. Add some fresh cream if you want your soup a little richer.

Kara Kozhambu

Ingredients:

1. Pearl onions - 10-15  
2. Tomato - 1 big (cut into small pieces)
3. Brinjal - 2-3 (cut lengthwise) (optional; can also use other vegetables like okra, drumstick)
4. Garlic - 2 cloves (cut lengthwise)
5. Tamarind  -  lemon sized (add about 2 cups of hot water to this and extract the juice)
6. Sesame oil
7. Sambar powder - 1/2 tsp
8. For grinding: Coriander seeds - 3tsp, Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp, Red Chilies - 5-6 (change according your spice tolerance), Fennel seeds - 1 tsp, Urad dal - 2 tsp
9. For tadka: Mustard seeds, curry leaves, asafoetida

Method:

1. In a kadai, heat 1-2 table spoons of sesame oil. Add some curry leaves, pearl onions and garlic cloves.
2. Saute till the onions starts to brown a bit.
3. Meanwhile in a small pan, heat 1 tsp of oil and add the for grinding ingredients and saute till the dal turns golden brown. Cool and grind it along with 3-4 pearl onions and little garlic (from the previous step) into a smooth paste.
4. To the rest of onions in the kadai, add the tomatoes and saute till the tomatoes turn soft and mushy. Add salt to taste.
5. If adding vegetables: Saute it in oil in a separate pan and add sambar powder and add this to the onion tomato mixture.
6. Mix in the tamarind juice and let this come to a boil.
7. Add the ground paste and mix well. Adjust the consistency by adding water if required and boil for about 10 mins in medium flame.
8. Make the tadka in sesame oil with mustard seeds, asafoetida and curry leaves and add it to the kozhambu.
9. Serve hot with rice and paapads! 

Dal Makhani

Ingredients:

1. Whole black urad dal - 1 cup
2. Rajma (red kidney beans) - 3-4 table spoons
3. Onion - 1 (cut into tiny pieces)
4. Tomato puree - 1 cup OR Blend 2 Tomatoes.
5. Ginger - 1 inch piece (shredded) 
6. Garlic - 2 cloves (shredded) ( You an also use 1 tsp of ginger-garlic paste)
7. Green Chilies - 2 (slit)
8. Butter - 3-4 table spoons 
9. Oil - 1 tsp
10. Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
11. Whole garam masalas: cloves - 2 , bay leaves - 2, cinnamon - 1 small stick
12. Fenugreek leaves (methi) - a pinch
13. Milk (whole,2%,1% , non-fat ) - 2-3 table spoons OR cream - 2 table spoons
14. Masalas: Red chili powder - 2 tsp, Cumin and Coriander powder - 1/4 tsp each,  Garam masala powder - a pinch
15. Cilantro - for garnish and Salt - to taste

Method:

1. Wash and soak both the dals for 8-9 hours
2. Pressure cook the dals for 3-4 whiles with 1 tsp of red chili powder.
3. In a kadai, heat oil and butter and add the whole garam masalas along with the cumin seeds.
4. After the cumin seeds starts to sizzle, add the green chilies, onions, ginger and garlic.
5. Saute till the onions become transparent. Add some salt (for onions) to fasten the process.
6. Add the remaining chili powder, cumin and coriander powders and saute for a couple of mins.
7. Now add the tomato puree or the blended tomatoes and mix well. Close the kadai and let the tomatoes cook for about 3-4 mins on high flame or till the raw smell disapperas. Make sure you do not let the tomatoes don't stick to the bottom of the kadai. Give it a stir every now and then.
8. Now add the cooked dal and mash it with the back of your ladle. Add salt to taste.
9. Adjust the consistency with water if required, cover and cook in medium flame for 15 mins. 
10. When the dal has blended well, add the garam masala, crush the methi leaves into the dal and add the milk or cream. Give it a stir.
11. Garnish with corriander.
12. Serve hot with chapati/phulkas/roti/naan.

Masoor-Moong Dal

Ingredients:

1. Masoor dal - 1/2 measure
2. Moong dal  - 1/2 measure
3. Onion - 1 (cut into tiny pieces)
4. Tomatoes - 2 medium size (cut into small pieces)
5. Ginger - 1 inch piece (shred it)
6. Garlic  - 2 (cut into tiny pieces)
7. Cumin seeds - 1tsp
8. Green chilies - 2-3 (cut into tiny pieces)
9. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
10. Red chili powder - 2 tsp
11. Garam masala - a pinch
12. Salt - to taste
13. Coriander leaves- for garnish
14. Lemon juice - 2 tsp (optional)
15. Oil/ghee

Method:

1. Pressure cook the dal (mixed together) with about 11/2 - 2 cups of water for 3 whistles.
2. In a pan, heat oil or ghee or a combination of both and add the cumin seeds.
3. When they splutter, add ginger, garlic and green chilies and fry for a minute.
4. Add the onion and fry till they become transparent (add little salt to fasten this process).
5. To this add the tomatoes and let it turn soft and mushy. (the tomatoes must be fully mashed)
6. Add turmeric and red chili powder and fry for a minute.
7. Add the cooked dal and adjust the consistency by adding water if required.
8. Add salt to taste.
9. When the mixture comes to boil, add a pinch of garam masala.
10. Switch off the heat and garnish with coriander leaves.
11. Add the lemon juice (if using).
12. Serve hot with rice or chapati!

Bhindi Masala

Inspired by geetaradhu's mirchi bhindi on YouTube. (http://www.youtube.com/user/geetradhu)

Ingredients:

1. Bhindi - about 800 gms
2. Onion - 1 large (cut into small pieces)
3. Tomatoes - 3 (medium sizes, cut into small pieces)
4. Ginger - 1 inch piece (cut into tiny pieces)
5. Garlic - 2 cloves  (make into paste)
6. Green chilies - 2 (slit them)
7. Masalas: Red chili powder (1 tsp), turmeric (1/2 tsp), garam masala (1 tsp), amchur powder (1/4th spoon)
8. Cumin Seeds
9. Fennel seeds (1 1/2tsp), Fenugreek seeds (1/2 tsp)
10. Curd - about 2-3 table spoons
11. Salt to taste and cilantro for garnish.
12. Oil - 2 tsp , and also for deep fry.

Method:

1. Wash the bhindi well and let it dry completely. 
2. Cut the bhindi into 1 inch pieces and make a slit in between to about 1/2 its length. (This is so that the masalas get into the bhindi). 
3. Heat oil in a kadai (enough for deep frying). Add the bhindi and deep fry till they change color and become slightly dark brown. You can take the bhindi out when they start to shrink a bit. Place it in on kitchen tissue to remove the excess oil. (Repeat this step if you are frying bhindi in batches).
   (NOTE: I read somewhere that you can brush the bhindi with little oil and bake it in the oven for 10-15 minutes at 180F. Give the bhindi a stir every now and then and make sure you don't burn them. I haven't tried it myself!! So if any of you'll try it please let me know how it worked out! )
4. In a small pan, dry roast the fennel and fenugreek seeds. When they start to burst and change color switch off the flame. Let it cool and make a coarse powder. (Do not let the seeds turn black!!)
5. Take a pan and heat some oil. Add the cumin seeds and let it splutter.
6. To this add the onions, ginger and green chilies and saute till they become transparent. (Add some salt for the onions to cook faster).
7. Add the tomatoes. Keep the heat to medium and let the tomatoes cook till they are soft and mushy. Sprinkle water if you want so that they do not stick to the bottom of the pan. (Make sure you don't add too much water, we want the mixture to be semi-dry)
8. Now add all the masalas mentioned above and mix it well.
9. To this add curd and the fennel/methi powder. (Make sure your heat is still in medium)
10. Add salt to taste and keep stirring this mixture.
11. Now add the bhindi and mix this well till the bhindi is coated well with this mixture.
12. Garnish with cilantro.
13. Serve hot with chapati or rice and dal. (I made Masoor-Moong dal along with this and had it with rice!!)

Shimla Mirchi sabzi

Ingredients:

1. Shimla Mirchis (Green Bell Peppers/Capsicum) - 4
2. Besan (chickpea flour) - 1 cup
3. Onions - 1 medium
4. Red chilli powder - 1/2 spoon
5. Jeera (cumin seed) - 1 tea spoon
6. Salt - to taste
7. Oil
8. Garam masala - a pinch

Method:

1. Cut onions and green bell peppers into small pieces and put it together in a bowl.
2. Add salt, besan, chili powder and little oil to the bowl and mix well. Add very  little garam masala and mix again.
3. Heat oil in a pan. Once the oil heats up add the cumin seed.
4. When the cumin seeds starts to splutter, add the shimla mirchis and mix well.
5. Cook on medium flame.
6. Keep adding oil and stir the vegetable whenever they start to stick to the bottom of the pan.
7. Remove from the flame when the mirchis become soft.
8. Serve hot with chapattis.