One Pot Rajma-Rice

I have been trying to take more home lunch to work simply to add more protein and control portion size of the food. In order to do that, I wake up early and prepare fresh lunch everyday. Waking up just

15 minutes earlier than usual time can make it so easy and simple. If you see me in the kitchen, I am multitasking all the time. With a 5 burner stove that I have, I try to make the most out of it :)

Kidney bean or Rajma with rice was something that I used to make often for my husband. It is a great one box lunch and also adds complete protein to our vegetarian meal. From making rajma curry and rice separately, I moved to cooking them together to make it easier in the morning. I was talking about this recipe to my sister and she made me realize that I did not post it here. She keeps a check on my work. If she cannot find what she needs, I have to post it. It makes my life easy too as I do not have to message her the recipe every time she needs it. It is almost like I am logging work for her.

Yesterday, I soaked kidney beans, took few to school as a part of seed dissection that I wanted my students to do. Kidney beans are easy to dissect as the seed coat can come off and the plant embryo can be seen. They can also understand the difference between the monocot and a dicot seed. As usual I soaked a bunch of seeds but used just few. No brainer... I made quick One Pot Rajma Rice today. 

Ingredients (Serves 3-4)

1/2 cup raw kidney beans/rajma

1 cup raw rice

3 tbsp. ghee

1 large onion chopped

4 tomatoes chopped

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. red chilli powder

3 tbsp. rajma masala or garam masala

3 cups water

Cilantro to garnish

• Soak kidney beans over night or for 6-7 hours.
• Wash rice and keep them aside.

• Since kidney beans take slightly more time to cook than rice, start to boil kidney beans separately in a small pan. Just add enough water for beans to be submerged
• Meanwhile, heat a heavy bottom pan or pressure cooker. Add ghee. Saute chopped onions till they get translucent.
• Add chopped tomatoes and salt. Cook for 3-4 minutes.
• Add all spices and mix well.
• Add boiling kidney beans with the water. Mix in well. Boiling beans separately gives it a jump start in the cooking process.
• Add washed rice to kidney bean gravy.
• Add 3 cups or water. Mix well.
• Cover and let the rice and beans cook for 15 minutes.
• Mix once. Cover and let them cook for another 10 minutes.
• Turn of the heat. Do not take the lid off. The steam inside the pot allows rice and beans to further cook. Let it rest for 8-10 before serving.
• Serve with a tsp, of ghee on top and some onions and lemon pickle on the side. A glass of cold chaash is extremely soothing with hot and spicy rajma rice!

Here is step-by-step pictorial recipe:

Heat a heavy bottom pan or pressure cooker. Add ghee. Saute chopped onions till they get translucent.

Add chopped tomatoes and salt. Cook for 3-4 minutes.

Add all spices and mix well.

Add boiling kidney beans with the water. Mix in well. Boiling beans separately gives it a jump start in the cooking process.

Add washed rice to kidney bean gravy.

Add 3 cups or water. Mix well.

Cover and let the rice and beans cook for 15 minutes.

Mix once. Cover and let them cook for another 10 minutes.

Turn of the heat. Do not take the lid off. The steam inside the pot allows rice and beans to further cook. Let it rest for 8-10 before serving.

Serve with a tsp, of ghee on top and some onions and lemon pickle on the side. A glass of cold chaash is extremely soothing with hot and spicy rajma rice!

Enjoy!!

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Puran Pudi

During holi many of my friends prepared puran poli and posted delicious pictures on Facebook. Although puran pudi that my mom makes is my favorite, I try to not make these often as it has sugar and it is so delicious that I cannot just eat one :) But after lot of resistance, I gave up and made few over the weekend. In gujarati we call it Puran Pudi and not Poli. Poli is a Maharashtrian word but it means the same. It is a flatbread stuffed with sweetened lentil pulp. Gujarati Puran Pudi is small and thick and I think it is sweeter too. It is almost like a dessert in a main course. Yes, we Gujaratis have a sweet tooth, and to balance the sweetness Puran Pudi is normally served with Dahi Wada or Batata Wada. The combination of farsan and mishtan is perfect in this type of thali. Puran Pudi and batata wada were my mom's favorite recipes to cook during Raksha Bandhan.

Puran Pudi and Dahi Wada were the first recipes that my husband and I cooked together for my in-laws as they were visiting us soon after we got married. Lot of thoughts went towards preparing the menu and executing it well to impress them as a responsible couple :) While I made fresh hot puran pudi, my husband would pour ghee and serve my in-laws. We worked together as a team and it was an amazing experience. That was the first time I made Puran Pudi by myself and still cannot forget that moment of how nervous I was.

This recipe of puran pudi has a different take on it. I have never had puran pudi with nuts before...but thought of adding them to give it a crunch. Nuts are totally optional and your choice.

Ingredients (makes 4-5 thick puran pudis)
1/2 cup toor dal (split pigeon peas)
1 cup water
2 tbsp. sugar
1/2 cup jaggery (gud)
1/2 tsp. nutmeg powder
1/2 cup chopped nuts (cashews, almonds, pistachios)
1 tbsp ghee
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tbsp. oil
1/2 cup water to make the dough
Dry flour for dusting and rolling puran pudi
More ghee to spread over cooked puran pudi

• Wash and soak toor dal in 1 cup of water. (soaking is optional, you can directly move to next step).
• Remove water. Add 1 cup of water and pressure cook dal for 20 minutes or till you hear 3-4 whistles.
• Let the pressure reduce. Unlock the pressure cooker. Lightly mash dal with a whisk or ladle or hand blender. Add sugar and gud to dal and simmer till it reaches thick dropping consistency. Taste for sweetness. Add more gud if needed. This is because some guds are sweeter than others and it is always better to taste and add more. I like puran pudi nice and sweet. Remember the outer layer does not contain any sweetness. So it is okay if your puran is slightly more sweet than your taste buds.
• Add nutmeg powder and turn off the heat. 
• In a pan heat 1 tbsp. ghee and fry chopped nuts. Add them to prepared puran. Mix well and leave it aside for puran to cool.
• Make the dough: you can use whole wheat flour for this recipe. Or mix whole wheat and all purpose flour, oil, and water to make a soft dough. Knead it for 2-3 minutes.  Cover and keep it aside for 15-20 minutes. 

To make puran pudi:

• Divide the dough and prepared puran into equal number of parts and roll them to form a ball.
• Take one ball of dough. Lightly dip into dry flour and roll to make a 3 inch diameter disc. 
• Place a ball of puran in the center of the disc.
• Bring the sides of dough together and seal them well.
• Gently press to flatten the ball.
• Sprinkle dry flour on the bottom and top of the stuffed dough.
• Gently roll it to form a 6 inch diameter disc.
• Place it on a medium hot griddle and roast on both sides till you get nice even brown spots.
• Remove from the griddle and apply more ghee. Use a spoon to prick puran pudi so that ghee seeps in well.
• Serve with more ghee! :)

Here is step-by-step pictorial recipe:

Wash and soak toor dal in 1 cup of water. (soaking is optional, you can directly move to next step).

Remove water. Add 1 cup of water and pressure cook dal for 20 minutes or till you hear 3-4 whistles.

Let the pressure reduce. Unlock the pressure cooker. Lightly mash dal with a whisk or ladle or hand blender. Add sugar and gud to dal and simmer till it reaches thick dropping consistency. Taste for sweetness. Add more gud if needed. This is because some guds are sweeter than others and it is always better to taste and add more. I like puran pudi nice and sweet. Remember the outer layer does not contain any sweetness. So it is okay if your puran is slightly more sweet than your taste buds.

Add nutmeg powder and turn off the heat.

In a pan heat 1 tbsp. ghee and fry chopped nuts. Add them to prepared puran. Mix well and leave it aside for puran to cool.

Make the dough: you can use whole wheat flour for this recipe. Or mix whole wheat and all purpose flour, oil, and water to make a soft dough. Knead it for 2-3 minutes.  Cover and keep it aside for 15-20 minutes. 

Divide the dough and prepared puran into equal number of parts and roll them to form a ball.

Take one ball of dough. Lightly dip into dry flour and roll to make a 3 inch diameter disc. 

Place a ball of puran in the center of the disc.

Bring the sides of dough together and seal them well.

Gently press to flatten the ball.

Sprinkle dry flour on the bottom and top of the stuffed dough.

Gently roll it to form a 6 inch diameter disc.

Place it on a medium hot griddle and roast on both sides till you get nice even brown spots.

Remove from the griddle and apply more ghee. Use a spoon to prick puran pudi so that ghee seeps in well.

Serve puran pudi with more ghee!

Enjoy!!

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Handi Ki Dal

Dal Chawal is an ultimate comfort food in my house. Thick, creamy, spicy, tasty, dal/lentils cooked to perfection and poured over steaming hot rice make a delicious dinner. Although we are in spring and afternoons and beautiful, temperatures drop in the evening. And that is the time we crave for comfort food.

Handi ki Dal is a rustic recipe of slow cooking lentils in a claypot over charcoal. Claypot imparts delicious flavor to the food and is said to be nutritious too. Our ancestors cooked food in claypots so why can't we? My husband and I enjoy the recipes made on charcoal. My husband lights up the little Grill or Sigdi (as called in India) while I prep the ingredients. We can then just sit back, leave dal to cook and simmer, and it will be creamy and delicious. Claypot heats up very fast and also has the tendency to retain a lot of heat. Cooking is quick in claypots!

I was inspired by Brijdeep Kaur's dal bhukhara recipe. It has been on my to-do list since long, but have not bought the lentils needed for that recipe. Here I used her recipe partially: I used her idea of using milk to cook lentils. Some day I will really try her recipe: Dal Bukhara by Brijdeep Kaur!

Here is my Handi Ki Dal recipe:
Ingredients: (serves 3-4 people)
3/4 cup whole black urad
1/2 cup rajma
1 cup milk
4 cups water
3 tbsp. ghee
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 medium onion chopped
3 medium tomatoes chopped
1 tbsp. finely chopped ginger
1 tbsp. finely chopped garlic
1 green chili chopped
1 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. red chili powder
1 tbsp. coriander powder
Salt to taste
Juice of 1/2 lemon

• Soak whole black and urad and rajma in 2 cups of water for 5-6 hours or overnight.
• In a clay put, add soaked urad and rajma beans, 3 cups of water, and 1 tsp, salt. Place it on charcoal or stove and boil covered for 15 minutes.
• Add milk and let the lentils boil for another 30 minutes till tender. You can add more water if needed.
• When tender, slightly mash cooked beans with a ladle.
• In a separate pan heat ghee, add cumin seeds. Saute onions, ginger, garlic, and green chillies. Add chopped tomatoes. Cook till tomatoes are tender. Add a pinch of salt, turmeric, red chili powder, and coriander powder. Saute for a minute. Add this cooked gravy into cooked lentil mixture. Mix well.
• Place the claypot covered on charcoal to simmer for another 30 minutes to an hour.  Add more salt if needed.
• When done, add juice of fresh lemon.
• Serve with steamed rice or roti.

 Step-by-step pictorial recipe:

Soak whole black and urad and rajma in 2 cups of water for 5-6 hours or overnight.

In a clay put, add soaked urad and rajma beans, 3 cups of water, and 1 tsp, salt. Place it on charcoal or stove and boil covered for 15 minutes.

Add milk and let the lentils boil for another 30 minutes till tender. You can add more water if needed.

When tender, slightly mash cooked beans with a ladle.

In a separate pan heat ghee, add cumin seeds. Saute onions, ginger, garlic, and green chillies. Add chopped tomatoes. Cook till tomatoes are tender. Add a pinch of salt, turmeric, red chili powder, and coriander powder. Saute for a minute. Add this cooked gravy into cooked lentil mixture. Mix well.

Place the claypot covered  on charcoal to simmer for another 30 minutes to an hour.

When done, add juice of fresh lemon.

Serve with steamed rice or roti.

Enjoy this rustic slow cooked dal!

Thank you stopping by! I love to read your comments... comments are welcome, but comments with advertisements or external blog links will not be published.