A Chef's Melody

Different versions of Toor dal , Moong dal ,Channa dal , urad dal and Masoor dal are cooked in almost all Indian families.South Indians use dals for their sambhar , medu wadas , idlis and dosai .Even other Indian families have dal in one form or the other in their daily diet. Toor dal is popular among all the dals specially with all rice lovers. The best method to cook the toor dal is with the pressure cooker.The dal cooks well if it is soaked in water atleast for half an hour. Pair this dal with steaming hot rice and lime/mango pickle and this becomes the best and the easiest comfort food. Ingredients 1/2 cup toor dal 3-4 Curry leaves 1 tsp mustard seeds pinch of hing ( asafoetida ) 1tbsp ginger garlic paste 1/2 medium onion finely chopped or 1 shallot 1 dry red chilli 1-2 green chilli 1 tsp tumeric 1 small tomato finely chopped 2 tbsp cilantro 1 tbsp lemon juice 1 Tbsp oil+1 tsp salt Method Wash and soak the d...

Spinach/ palak has no doubt a lot of health benefits but this green leafy vegetable is popular among kids too as it is Popeye's favourite.Spinach belongs to the same family as chard and beets.It shares a similar taste profile with these two other vegetables-it has the bitterness of beet greens and the slightly salty flavor of chard. Popeye popularized spinach, but it's too bad he ate it out of a can. Fresh spinach retains the delicacy of texture and jade green color that is lost when spinach is processed. Raw spinach has a mild, slightly sweet taste that can be refreshing in salads, while its flavor becomes more acidic and robust when it is cooked. Choose spinach that has vibrant deep green leaves and stems with no signs of yellowing. The leaves should look fresh and tender, and not be wilted or bruised. Avoid those that have a slimy coating as this is an indication of decay. Store fresh spinach loosely packed in a plastic bag in the refrigerator crisper where it will keep...

Ingredients: 1 cup All purpose flour 1 cup sugar ( 3/4 cup worked for me ) 3/4 tsp baking soda 3 tbsp flavorless oil  1/2 cup cold tap water 2 tbsp milk 1 1/2 tsp white distilled vinegar 3/4 tsp pure vanilla extract pinch of salt Method: Preheat oven at 350 Deg F for 10 mins.Grease a 6 inch cake tin with cooking spray. Sift the flour,salt plus baking soda thrice. In a large bowl add oil and sugar mix well.Add vanilla , vinegar, water, and milk.Whisk to combine. Add the flour+salt+baking soda mixture to the wet ingredients.Mix well with a whisk or a hand mixer to a smooth batter and ensure there are no lump. At this point,you will see tiny bubbles on the top of the batter due to reaction between baking soda and vinegar.Immediately pour the mixure in a greased cake pan. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 F for 30-35 mins or until you succeed in the toothpick test.Cool and unmold.

Ingredients: 14 oz  Ricotta cheese 14 oz condensed milk 2 tbsp sugar(optional) 1 tsp cardamon powder almond,pistachios ,saffron for garnishing. Method: Heat a heavy bottom pan on medium heat. Add ricotta cheese,condense milk ,cardamon powder and sugar(optional). Keep stirring after every 2 min so that it does stick to the bottom. Once the mixture start leaving the sides and gather together turn the heat off. Pour the mixture on a greased plate.Garnish with almonds,pistachios and saffron.When cooled cut in desire shape.Serve at room temperature or cold.