Dahi Wada

For the wadas
Udad dal (Black gram dal) 1 cup
Mung dal (Green gram dal) 1/4 cup Salt to taste

Method for Wadas
Soak the two dals for 7-8 hours or overnight.
Grind it to a smooth paste.
Add salt to taste.
Heat oil for deep frying in a kadahi and add spoonfuls of dal batter and fry until the wadas are
golden brown.
Drop the hot wads in a bowl of cold water and leave for about 3-4 minutes.
Take each wada out from water, squeeze the water out and set aside.

For the Dahi (yogurt)
Dahi (yogurt) 5 cups
(You can use homemade yogurt or low-fat yogurt from the market)
Green chillies, chopped 1 tsp
Ginger grated 1/2 tsp
curry leaves 7-8
Mustard seeds 1/4 tsp
Asafoetida pinch
Salt to taste
Sugar 4 tsps (yogurt should taste little sweet)

Method for making dahi
Blend the yogurt with little water until it is smooth.
Add sugar, salt, green chillies and ginger.
Make a tarka (seasoning) of mustard seeds, asafoetida and curry leaves and add to yogurt.
Keep the yogurt in refrigerator until it is chilled.

Arrange the squeezed wadas in a deep dish. Pour the yogurt on the wadas such that all the wads are
covered well by the yogurt. Sprinle red chiili powder, roasted jeera powder and black salt
(sanchal).Serve with sweet tamarind(imli) chutney.

Tandoori Masala Powder

4 tsp ground coriander
3 tsp ground cummin
4 tsp garlic powder
4 tsp paprika
3 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp mango powder
1 tsp dried mint
3 tsp deep red coloring
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp yellow colouring)

Mix all together and store.
The coriander and cumin powders must be freshly ground.
Use as required.
This will keep for months if stored in an airtight
container.

Malai Kofta

Kofta:
1 1/2 lb. potatoes
2 heaped tablespoons each of crumbled paneer,
khoya and thick malai(You can substitute this with
baked ricotta cheese and heavy cream)
4-5 cashewnuts chopped
1 tablespoon raisins
2-3 finely chopped green chillies
1/4 tsp sugar
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp red-chilli powder
1/2 tsp cardammom powder
Salt to Taste
3 tbsp cooking oil/ghee(clarified butter)
Oil for frying the koftas

Gravy:
2 medium onions,chopped
3 flakes garlic,crushed
1 inch ginger,crushed
3 large tomatoes,pureed
1 tsp red-chilli powder
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
1/2 tsp dhania(corainder) powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
2 tsp powdered poppy seeds
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tbsp ground peanuts/cashewnuts

Boil the potatoes till tender.
Peel, mash and add salt to taste.
Keep aside.
Mix all the other ingredients for the
kofta into a paste.
Make rounds of the potato dough and place a
little of the prepared mixture in the center
of each round.
Seal the edges and shape into stuffed rounds.
Deep fry each kofta till golden brown.
Drain and keep aside.
Blend together the onions, ginger, garlic and the
poppy seeds and fry in 3 tbsp of oil till brown
and the oil begins to seperate.
Add the pureed tomatoes and the masala powders.
Add the sugar and the ground peanuts.
The gravy will begin to thicken.
You can also add some malai to thicken it some more.
Mix in some water if necessary.

Hot Mango Chutney

3 large sweet mangoes, slightly ripened
1 tsp lemon rind, minced finely
1 tsp lemon juice
10 green chillies
1/2" piece ginger, minced finely
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp saunf (fennel) seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
1/4 tsp methi (fenugreek) seeds
A pinch of hing (asoefetida)
Salt to taste
6 tsp cooking oil
Method
Peel the mango and cut it into small chunks.
Heat about 2 tsp oil in a pan and fry the chunks
till they turn mushy.
Drain, mash well and set aside.
Roast the methi, saunf, cumin and coriander
seeds and crush coarsely using a mortar and pestle.
This is how powders are traditionally made.
But if you are of the impatient kind, go ahead
and use the coffee grinder but make sure
that the powder is a little coarse.
Set aside.
Heat the remaining oil and add the hing and mustard.
When the mustard crackles, add the ginger and
green chillies and fry for about 1-2 minutes.
Add the mango, powdered masala, salt to
taste, lime rinds and lime juice.
Bring to a boil on a low flame.
Remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature.
Store in an airtight container.
If boiled and cooled well, since no water is used in
making this dish, it should keep well for more than a
week.

Coriander Chutney

1 bunch coriander leaves
2-3 tbsp coconut
2 green chillies
2-3 dry red chillies, roasted
A small piece ginger
2-3 garlic flakes
1 small onion
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
Salt to taste

Blend all the above to a smooth paste
adding a little water.
Can be refrigerated for about 1-2 days

Coconut Chutney

2 cups of fresh coconut, shredded
10 dry red chillies
1 sprig curry leaves
A large pinch of hing (asoefetida)
1/2 tsp methi(fenugreek) seeds
2 tsp udad dhal
2 tsp channa dhal
1 small tomato
Salt to taste

Heat some oil and add the dhals, curry leaves, hing, methi and red chillies.
Fry till done.
Add this to the coconut and tomato and blend into a smooth paste.
Add salt to taste.
Goes well with dosas, idli and plain rice

Tomato Chutney

2 medium tomatoes, choppped
1/2 tsp hing(asoefetida)
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp methi(fenugreek) seeds
1 tablespoon coconut, shredded
3 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp dhania (coriander) powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 very small ball of tamarind , de-seeded
1 small onion, minced finely
2 clovettes of garlic, minced finely
Salt to taste
3 tablespoons oil for frying

Heat 1/2 the amount of oil and add the methi.
Fry for a minute and then add the tomatoes.
Fry till the tomatoes turn soft.
Blend this into a smooth paste, along with the tamarind and the coconut.
Set aside.
Heat the rest of the oil and add the chopped garlic and onion.
Fry till the onion turns translucent and the garlic browns.
Now add the spices(red chilli, turmeric and dhania) and fry for half a minute.
Add the blended paste, salt and hing and heat through.
Goes very well with plain rice or chapati.