Dahi Bhalla (Dahi Vada)

Ingredients to cook Dahi Bhalla: 

A. For Bhalla: 
Urad Dal - 1 cup (For 10 Vadas)
Asafoetida (Hing) - a pinch
Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp (crushed)
Ginger + Green Chili Paste - 2 tsp
Salt
Oil to fry

B. For assembling Dahi Bhalla:

Yogurt - 3 cups
Water - 1/2 cup
Sugar 
Salt
Date-Tamarind Chutney
Green Chutney

D. To sprinkle

Roasted Cumin
Red Chili Powder
Black Salt
Black Pepper Powder
Chat Masala
Sev or Boondi (I used Sev)

Process to cook Dahi Bhalla: 

1. Soak Urad Dal in water over night or at least 6-7 hours. 
2. Drain the water. 
3. Place it in mixer grinder bowl to make a smooth paste. Add water to make the paste. Remember, you need a thick paste, the consistency of the paste should be like cake batter, not like running water. 
4. Add crushed cumin seeds, Ginger + Chili Paste, and Salt. 
5. Beat well until the paste becomes fluffy and airy. Beat it for 4-5 minutes continuously. Set aside. 
6. Take oil in a deep bottom frying pan. Heat the oil.
7. Put few dollops of paste on hot oil. Reduce the hear.
8. Fry till it gets golden brown colour. Take out the dumpling from the oil and set them in a paper lined plate or bowl. Fry rest of the dollop this way in different batches.
9. Now prepare the salt syrup. Take water in a sauce pan. Add little salt to water. Heat the water. You don't need to boil it. Lukewarm water is required.
10. Dip the dumpling into warm salt syrup.

This dumpling is known as Bhalle. Leave them as it is. You have to take it just before serving. 

11. Now assemble Dahi, Chutney and other garnishing spices.
12. Take Dahi in bowl and add little water, sugar and salt. Whisk well.
13. Take out Red Chutney and Green Chutney from Refrigerator.
14. Squeeze excess water from the Bhalle. Arrange them on a serving plate.
15. Pour 1 ladle of Dahi on top of Bhalle. Make sure Dahi coats all the Bhalle very well.
16. Spread 2 Tbsp of Red Chutney over Dahi. Now spread Green Chutney.
17. Sprinkle Roasted Cumin Powder and Red Chili Powder, Black Salt, Pepper Powder and then Sev. 

Bloglovin

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/13161423/?claim=83p6b733wdh">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

Egg Chicken Bharta with delectable flavour

Ingredients to cook Egg Chicken Bharta (for 2 persons):

A. To boil chicken pieces

Boneless Chicken – 200 grams (I took 4-5 big size boneless pieces)

Ginger + garlic paste – 1 tbsp

Grated Onion – 1 tbsp

Bay leaf – 1 (small size)

Black peppercorn – 4-5

Cinnamon – 1 inch stick

Salt

Water

B. To make gravy

Hard-boiled eggs – 2

Home-made Tandoori Masala – 1

Ginger Garlic Paste – 1 tbsp

Tomato Paste – 1 ½ tbsp.

Yoghurt – 2 tbsp

Bay leaf – 1-2 leaf

Cinnamon – 1 inch stick * 3

Cardamom – 3-4

Cloves  - 4-5

Red Chili Powder – 1 tsp

Turmeric powder – ½ tsp

Milk / Fresh Cream – ½ cup (I always use Milk)

Kasturi Methi leaves – ½ tbsp.

Salt

Suger

Kewra Water - 2-3 drops

C. Garnishing

Butter – 1 tbsp

Garam Masala Powder – 1 tbsp

Coriander leaves (Finely chopped) - 1 tbsp

Process to cook Egg Chicken Bharta:

1. Wash the chicken pieces well. Cut them into small small pieces. I cut them vertically and each small piece was very thin and max 1 inch long.

2. Take water in a pan.  Heat the water. Meanwhile add the ingredients mentioned in the list A. Make sure the heat is in high flame.

3. When water starts boiling, reduce the heat. You will find white coloured foamy stuff on the upper surface of the water. It is called “scum”. Take this out with a ladle and keep it in a bowl. We shall use it later. 

4. Turn off the heat. Take out the chicken pieces from the water and set aside for cooling down.

Don’t throw away the water (it is called broth). We will use it in making gravy. 

5. Heat oil or ghee in a deep bottom frying pan. Once it is hot, add bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom. Cook till they releases strong aroma.

6. Add onion and cook till it becomes soft and golden brown in colour.

7. Add ginger+garlic paste and stir well for 2 minutes.

8. Add tomato paste and mix well. Let it be boiled for few minutes.

9. Add Tandoori masala, then, turmeric powder, red chili powder. Mix well.

10. Reduce the heat as you are going to add Yoghurt now. Before that you need to add little sugar and salt to the Yoghurt. Beat well. There should not be any lump in the Yoghurt. Pour it into the mixture which you are cooking in the pan. Mix well. Cook till the oil separates from the spices.

11. Now add the chicken pieces with little salt and little water (if required – max 2 tbsp). Mix well.

12. After that you have to add the scum and broth. Let it be boiled in medium heat. If you need more gravy, you can add water at this stage. 

13. Meanwhile peel the eggs and separate the yolk from the white part of the egg.

14. Mash the yolk and add to the chicken. Don’t worry, white part of the egg will be used later. Make sure that the yolk mixes well with the chicken.

15. Cover the pan with a lid. Cook for 4-5 minutes in medium heat. Keep stirring occasionally.

16. Now cut the white part of the egg into small pieces, same way you did with chicken pieces. Add them to the boiling curry. Stir well. Check the seasoning at this stage.

17. Add few drops of Kewra water to the curry. Mix well.

18. Reduce the flame. Now add milk or fresh cream and Kasturi methi leaves. Mix well again. Turn off the heat. 

18. Your Egg Chicken Bharta is almost ready. Now prepare the garnishing part. 

19. Now melt butter in a sauce pan. Add garam masala powder. Mix well.

20. Add this butter mix immediately to the Bharta and cover the pan. You don’t need to mix. Leave it as it is for 10 minutes.

21. After 10 minutes, transfer the Bharta to a bowl. Spread some chopped coriander leaves on top.

You can serve it with hot nun, chapatti or rumali roti. 

Homemade Tandoori Masala

Here I am telling you how to make Tandoori Masala at home. Almost all rich spices available in the market, are essential to make this Masala. I have homemade Biryani Masala which I made using the ingredients mentioned in List #1.  

Ingredients to make Tandoori Masala:

A. List No. #1:

Coriander seeds – 1 tbsp

Cumin Seeds – 1 tbsp

Black Cumin – ½ tsp

Cinnamon – 1 piece (1 inch in length)

Green Cardamom – 4-5

Black Cardamom – 1

Cloves – 4-5

Peppercorn - 7-8

Mace – 1

Nutmeg – ½ piece

Star Anise – 2-3

B. List No. #2:

Dry-roasted Carom Seeds – ½ tsp

Dry Fenugreek – 11/2 tbsp

Red Chili (Whole / Powder) – 1 tsp

Dried Ginger Powder – 1 tsp

Process to make Tandoori Masala:

1. Heat a frying pan. 

2. Add the ingredients mentioned in List No. #1.

3. Dry-roast them. Don't over-fry. 

4. Place it in a plate. Set it aside. It will cool down in 5 minutes. 

[ As I already have homemade Biryani Masala, I had skipped these step.]

5. Now take ingredients mentioned in List No. #2 in a mixer grinder bowl. 

6. Grind them well until you get a smooth powder.

7. Place the powder in bowl.

[Here I added 2 tbsp of Biryani Masala and mixed well.]

8. For you, make a smooth powder with the dry-roasted ingredients which you kept for cooling down. Now you have to mix this powder with the above. 

Your Tandoori Masala is made. Now you can store it in an airtight jar.