Channa Palak Dal

Most of the daal/lentils cooked in Indian way is in curry form or lets say liquid state. I have hardly come across any dry or semi dry Indian style dal or lentils; until one day when I visited my friend in Bristol. She cooked Channa Dal with Spinach and served it as a side subji. I was hooked. 

Apparently Channa Palak Dal is very popular is many parts of india, just that I had it for the first time. Channa is also known as chole or chickpeas but this isn't that channa. It is chana dal or split bengal gram as known in English. 

Cooking with spinach is not easy, cleaning the spinach with good amount of water is so important. So, whenver you cook with spinach make sure that rubbish clearance is done well, select only the good leaves. The dish is loaded with iron, minerals, proteins and what not. Palak/spinach gives this dal a green-healthy twist. Other ingredients like garlic, ginger, tomato brings up the taste value too. If you are bored having same staple tuar or moong dal then you have to try this.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup channa dal (soaked for atleast 4-5 hours)

2 cups palak/spinach

1 large tomato, chopped finely

4 cloves garlic, grated

1 tablespoon ginger paste

2 tablespoon oil

1/4 teaspoon hing/aseofetida

1 tej patta/bay leaf

2 whole red chilles

1 teaspoon jeera/cumin seeds

1/4 teaspoon akka dhaniya/coriander seeds, crushed slightly

1/2 teaspoon haldi/turmeric powder

1 teaspoon dhaniya/ coriander powder

Red chilli powder, to taste

Salt to taste

1 teaspoon ghee

1 teaspoon kasuri methi

Method:

In a kadai heat oil. When oil is hot, add hing, jeera, tej patta, whole red chilies and coriender seeds. Saute for 5 seconds. Turn the flame to low.

Now add chopped garlic and ginger paste. Saute for 1 minute.

Add chopped tomato. Mix in salt, haldi, red chilli powder and coriender powder. Add half cup of water. Mix. Cover and cook for 5 minutes ot till tomatoes are soft.

Add channa dal now. Add 1 glass of water. Cook covered. On a low flame let the daal cook. Keep an eye on water quantity-you do not want dal to be over cooked or turn mashy.

Add in palak. Mix. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. 

You know dal is cooked when you press a grain between your thumb and finger it should mash easily.

Mix in ghee and kasturi methi before you serve.

Notes:

If you forgot to soak the channa dal, I would suggest to boil it separately in an open for at least 20 minutes.

Koki (Sindhi Bread)

Koki is simple Sindhi flat bread. I have special memories of Koki. One of my friends in college was Sindhi - she was the one who made me taste Koki for the first time.  I like its taste and texture and also the fact that it can be made with minimum ingredients available in any kitchen. There are many ways to make Koki; what I have posted here is the traditional way of making it. In the pictures it looks like any other Indian bread, but the way to cook it is different and hence it tastes different. So do try to figure out the distinction between the other breads and Koki.

Ingredients

• 1 Cup Wheat Flour
• 1/4 Cup and 2 Tbsp finely chopped onion
• Salt to taste
• 1/2 Tsp. Red chilly powder or 2 Green chillies finely chopped
• 4 Tbsp. Oil
• 8 tbsp Ghee 

Method:

1. Mix flour, salt, chopped onion, chilly and 3 tbsp of oil very well.
2. Mix some water into it and make stiff dough.
3. Make 4 small balls out of it just like patties.
4. Slightly roast it from both the sides on hot tawa. (roast very little)
5. Then, roll it again like a paratha.  Cook it from both sides on hot tawa, adding little oil/ghee/butter till very small brown patches appear on both sides.

Serve hot with chutney or curd. I like it to pair it with Massla Tea.:)