Mushroom masala - 2

 This dish was made on the fly and it came out real good with phulkas.

Ingredients
Mushrooms 2 cups cubed to bite size pieces.
Onion 1 big chopped fine
Chilli powder 1 tsp
Garam masala powder to taste
Pepper powder 1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
Coconut milk powder 1/2 tsp ( this helps to balance the sharp taste of the masalas)
Cilantro to garnish
Oil 1 tbsp
Salt to taste

Method

1. Boil 2 cups of water with some salt. Once boiling, drop the mushrooms in them. Switch off heat and keep covered for 10-15 mins. By this, the mushrooms get cooked and release the water content. After some 20 mins of mushrooms soaking, drain them and keep. You can use the left over water for soup/broth or whatever.
2. In a pan heat oil. Add the onions and saute them till soft. Once the onions are done, add the mushrooms and give a good mix.
3. Add all the masalas(Chilli powder, garam masala, pepper powder, turmeric powder). Add salt to taste. Sprinkle some water and stir well till the mushrooms are caramerlised.
4. Add a bit of coconut milk powder if you find the dish too sharp to taste. Mix well.
5. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Serve hot with chapiti and some simple dal.

Chana dal with Lauki

This recipe is inspired from http://kajaldreams.blogspot.com/

I was sceptical about the red chilli-garlic paste, but since I had seen through her other recipes and had liked them, I decided to give it a try. It did taste good!!

Ingredients

Lauki cubed 1 cup
Chana Dal (Bengal gram) 1 cup
1\2 tsp turmeric powder
Salt to taste

Lemon juice to taste
Oil, cumin seeds, dry red chillies for seasoning
1 tbsp garlic red chilli paste (I ground about 4 cloves of garlic and 4-5 red chillies to a coarse paste)

Method

1. Cook the chana dal in 3 cups of water till almost mushy.
2. Heat oil in kadai. Add the seasonings, and stir till done.
3. Add lauki, turmeric powder, salt, garlic-red chilli paste and cook till laukis get soft and the raw smell of garlic goes.
4. Add the chana dal. Mix well and cook for 5-6 mins.
5. Add a dash of lemon juice to your taste.

Serve hot with chapiti.