Khatte Channe (Chholey, Chickpeas) is a typical Punjabi dish served with Pakwan, Matthhi, Bhatura or a Kulcha. There would be lot of variations to this, but this is the way my mom cooks for me.

Ingredients
# 250 gms. Chana Dal White
# 1/2 Cup Tamarind Pulp or Juice.
# 2 Medium Sized Onions
# 4 Tomatoes Sliced
# 3-4 Green Chillies Chopped
# 1 Ginger Chopped Fine
# Chana Masala
# Salt to Taste
# Masala : Red Chilli Powder, Roasted black Cumin Seeds, Dry Coriander fine powdered
# Oil 2 Tbsp

Method
# Wash Chana Dal and soak it overnight.
# Boil the soaked Chana Dal in a Cooker for 15 Minutes.
# Leave the Chana Dal aside and allow it to cool.
# Heat a Pan or Karahi or Cooker with 2 TbSp. Oil, Jeera(Roasted Black Cumin Seeds), Dhania (Coriander Powder),Chana Masala, Red Chilli Powder, Salt and fry for 1-2 minutes.
# Put in Adrak(Ginger) and Hari Mirch(Green Chillies) and continue frying.
# Add Imli Juice(Tamarind Juice) in the Pan and mix them well.
# Bring the Mixture to a boil.Add Chana dal to the mixture.
# Cook for 5-6 Minutes.
# Garnish with Onion, Tomato Slices, and Fresh Coriander.

(Khatte Chane is Ready.Serve with Kulchas,Bread, or Bhaturas.)

Home Improvement : Lentil Stock is good for plants !

a. Use the water used for washing dals and rice to water the plants. This water is very rich in nutrients and acts as a fertilizer.
b. Remove yellow food stains from table mats, etc., by applying a paste of detergent and water to the stained areas and keep in the sun for an hour. Wash like your other laundry.

Next time, do not throw away the Lentil Stock…

Buzzword : Chakla-Belan and Sil -Batta
Chakla-Belan : Chakla is a small marble or wood platform, belan, the rolling pin , is usually made of wood. The two are used for rolling dough to make various Indian breads.

Sil-Batta : Two pieces of stone, one is a flat platform or sil, and the other — batta — which is much smaller, is a akin to a rolling pin without the handles. The sil-batta is used to grind fresh masala and other pastes.

Cooking Tip: Choosing Good Eggplants In sync with the theme, here’s more on eggplants or brinjals. Everyone has a different method of identifying good eggplants. One way is to see that is is shiny and deep in colour. Also, the most important thing you should do is lighlty toss it in your hand and try to estimate its weight. The ones with less weight to size proportion are better — reason being they contain less seeds (seeds weight more than fleshy part).

Quick Tip: Keeping garlic fresh for a longer period of time: Peel and mince a full garlic clove, then place it in a small jar and cover with olive oil. You can refrigerate it for about one week, and to your great surprise, it will remain fresh and will give you the same garlic flavor.

Pakwan Buzzword: Degchi/Pateela/Handi/Deg
These all belong to the same family of pots and are traditionally made of brass or copper. Nowadays, the use of stainless steel and aluminium is also widely used. The shape of the vessel may vary. The pateela has straight sides and the bottom is slightly rounded. The handi, on the other hand, has a neck that is more
narrow than the base. A deg is a bigger version of the handi.

Quick Tip:
Q: If you have absolutely no traces of curd in your house, how can you make curd without borrowing a little from your neighbor’s house?
A: If we put in a little (2 tsp) of Dal (Pulses) Stock in the utensil in which curd is made, you can still make curd without any help in the first place.

Buzzword: Tandoor (tahn-DOOR)

Used throughout India (and found in Indian restaurants throughout the world), the traditional rounded-top tandoor oven is made of brick and clay. It’s used to bake foods over direct heat produced from a smoky fire. The dough for the delicious Indian bread naan is slapped directly onto the oven’s clay walls and left to bake until puffy and lightly browned. Meats cooked in the tall, rather cylindrical tandoor are usually skewered and thrust into the oven’s heat, which is so intense (usually over 500*F) that it cooks a chicken half in less than 5 minutes.

How to make Paneer
1 litre milk
1/2 tsp citric acid or lemon juice
2 tbsp water

Method:
a. Dissolve the citric acid in water. Bring milk to boil, stirring continuously. Add the acid solution gradually, while stirring. When the milk curdles fully, turn off heat.
b. Cover for 3-4 minutes. Drain into a muslin cloth. Hold pouch under running water. Press out excess water.
c. Shape and place cloth under heavy weight for 2-3 hours before using as required. However, another substitute which can be used to make paneer dishes is Tofu or cheese made of soy milk.
Try that too

Buzzword : “Karahi” is indeed a wok-type utensil used in India. Karahi dishes are quick stir-fried style cooking with lamb, chicken, seafood or vegetables, often served in a cast iron skillet. These karahi dishes are very famous in British restaurants.

Buzzword : “Pakwan” in Hindi means a cooked meal.

Quick Dip: Mint Chutney

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups curds, 1 cup mint leaves, 3 nos. Chilies
1/4 cup water, salt

Method:
a. Combine all ingredients, except the curds, and grind to a
very fine paste.
b. Add salt to the curds and beat until it becomes smooth. Add the ground paste and beat again to mix all ingredients. Use it as dip or salad dressing.

Buzzword: DUM
“Dum” describes a process whereby the material is cooked between two gentle fires, one above and one below. Usually, the one below is a wood fire and is drawn, should the heat be excessive. The one above is live charcoal, extensively used for making Biryani or Hyderabadi Dishes.