GREEN and BLACK Split DAL (Lentils)

Grains
1 Cup Green and Black Split Dal mixed and soaked as you start your preparations
Grocery:
1 Cup Medium Chopped onions
1 Cup Medium Chopped Tomatoes
1/2 inch ginger finely chopped
2  medium Sized Garlics finely Chopped
Spices:
1 inch Cinnamon Stick
2.5 tspn Coriander powder
2 tspn Chilli powder
1 tspn turmeric
1 tspn fenugreek seeds
1 tspn good quality garam masala
1 tspn Jeera
3 tbspn Ghee

Miscll:
Salt to taste
3 + 1 Cup Water
Medium Cooker 3kg
Frying Pan

Method:

1. As you start chopping the grocery items listed, soak your Dal.
2. Once finished chopping, light your gas top and place the cooker.
3. Once the cooker is heated add your washed dal and 3 cups of water. Add the turmeric, salt to taste, cinnamon stick and fenugreek seeds.
4. Cook it on slow heat till the foam from the dal comes on top. Remove the foam with a spoon. Cover the cooker with the lid and whistle. Once the 1st whistle comes, lower the heat. Let one more whistle come. Switch off the gas. Unlock cooker. Let it cool naturally, to allow the lid to open.
5. Now alight gas and put the Frying Pan. Once heated up, add Ghee. Add the Jeera immediately. when light brown, add garlic and ginger. Once slightly brown, add onions. Spread evenly for even cooking. Once slightly brown, top it with chilli powder, coriander powder. Stir, if it starts sticking add tomato juice from the chopped tomatoes. If it still burns, add the tomatoes. Once it seems to stick again, add 2 cups of water as you like and cook with little salt as per taste. Add the garam masala now and cook for 2 mins. the gravy is ready to eat by itself when it starts boiling.
6. Open the cooker lid and add your masala puree.  Add only boiled water if it is too thick as per the consistency desired. 
7. Taste the dal. If it has less salt add as per yout taste. After one boil, close gas. 
8. Dal is ready to eat. Serve with hot chappatis. Use the hot floating ghee of rotti to top your Dal with ghee flavour.

Ayurvedic Tea

I recently went to bangalore for a one day yoga retreat in Nov 2014. A nominal fee of 300 Rs was requested for food and beverages. Post the long session we were all expecting the regular milk tea but were disappointed to get some herbal tea. But half way through we started enjoying the soothing calming affect of the herbal tea. The lady was kind enough to share the recipe with me. Later I discovered it is called Kashaya Tea.

Her version of the Recipe:
Roast below till the first whiff of fragrance:
3 cups* Dhaniya Seeds
1&1/2 cup Jeera seeds
less than 1/4 cup pepper balls.
Pound the above coarsely with a mortar and pistol**

To make a cup of tea ,to 1 cup of water add

• Desired Jaggery to taste.
• Fresh Ginger pounded as per taste.
• Few Tulsi leaves
• Lemongrass to taste
• Pinch of eliachi powder

Switch off gas. Add 1 tspn of roasted powder and let it stay for 2 mins.
Strain the tea in a cup.
Squeeze a few drops of fresh lime as per your taste

An interesting blog entry around its simpler version with milk:
http://www.lovefoodeat.com/kashaya-sweet-spicy-herbal-drink/

Another one with its explanation on health benefits (with milk again):
http://tastesofayurveda.blogspot.in/2011/07/kashayaan-ayurvedic-tea-for-hot-summers.html

*1 cup of 150 ml size.
** Mortar Pistol allows the elements to blend the ingredients than just simply break them as a food processor tends to do.

Lemon Frozen Cheese Cake

Crust:
1 packet of Britannia Multigrain Nutri choice biscuits . Crush 15 biscuits till powdered like dry sea sand.
Add 50 -75 gm salted butter to biscuit crumbs. It should be like wet sand. If it is too oily then it will not have a crispy crust. It will become more like a chewy cookie cake.
Add half an inch of grated ginger or 1 tspn ginger powder.
2 tspn of cinnamon powder or as per your taste. (freshly ground tastes better)
Mix all the ingredients till well balanced.

Pre heat oven at 170 degree C for 10 mins.

Meanwhile:

In a baking tin / casserole add two layers of foil having some extra foil to pull out the complete cake. Ideally your casserole base should be wide enough to make the crust mixture depth by half an inch. In case ur casserole is not wide enough one can spread the crust all across the inner surface area of the casserole by pressing gently slowly.
Add the crust mixture at the bottom now. Press it evenly at all corners
Bake above mixture for 5-7 mins.
Keep a watch till its light brown.
Cool it in fridge / or above a bowl of water.

While the crust is cooling make the below batter :

Batter:

In a large Bowl Add : ¾ Tin of milkmaid kept in fridge . Beat till stiffened.
Add Pureed: 250 gm fresh paneer at room temperature. (Keep it in a bowl of water to soften it before use).
Add :4 tbspn MilkPowder.
Beat above ingredients for 3 min till smooth in texture.

Add: Two packets of 400 ml each Mother Dairy yoghurt which was hung for a day in fridge.
Beat for 2-3 mins. (Yoghurt should not be beaten too much as it becomes loose, hence we are adding it in the later stage.)

Add : 1 tbspn lemon zest and Juice of 2 Fresh lemons. (Keep a few in handy if the flavor is not tangy enough to your taste.)
In the end add to the batter:
2 ¼ tbspn Gelatin which was loosened in half cup of warm water and Beaten till it was frothy and fluffy.
2-3 drops of Vanilla essence.
Beat complete mixture 3 mins till smooth.

In the cooled crust add the above batter and cover it with a lid or cling wrap to avoid moisture into the batter. Let it set for ½ hr in the Freezer. Post that keep it in the fridge (closer to your chiller area) overnight. The taste becomes better if kept for a complete day.

Remove the cake from the tin by pulling it up with the help of the extra foil. You may use below Garnish.

Garnish :
Mix below ingredients in a cup.
1 tbspn Cocoa powder
1 tbspn cinnamon powder
1 tbspn sugar.

Sieve it on top of the cake with the help of a tea strainer / chalni. Additionally one can add swirls of chocolate or candied ginger / orange zest / lemon zest.

Slice it like a pie piece. It is best enjoyed from the tip of the pie with a fork.