Monthly Archives: December 2016

Chana Daal

 

Serves 8

Ingredients 

  • 2                 cup chana daal
  • 2                 medium  onions
  • 2                 medium  tomatoes
  • 1/4              cup vegetable oil
  • 1/2              tsp cumin seeds
  • 1/2              tsp black pepper
  • 5                 cloves
  • 5                 cardamom
  • 1                 piece cinnamon stick (1”)
  • 2                 tsp dhana jeera
  • 1/2              tsp haldi
  • 1                 tsp garlic paste 
  • 1                 tsp ginger paste
  • 1                 jalapino, finely chopped              
  • 1                 tsp salt
  • 1/2              tsp citric acid or
  •                    juice of 2 lemons
  • 1                 small egg plant
  • 1/4              cup chopped cilantro

Instructions

  1. Rinse the daal in cold water and soak it in cold water for 5 hours or over night.
  2. In a medium saucepan boil the daal with 4 cups water for 5 minutes. When it starts to boil and the there is white form, drain the water, rinse it in cold water, add 4 cups of water and boil for about half an hour or until the daal is soft to the touch.  Use a hand blender or a blender and puree the daal.Peel the onions and slice it thinly.
  3. Dice the tomatoes.
  4. In a large saucepan heat the oil, add the cumin seeds, black pepper, cloves, cardamom and cinnamon stick.  Add the onions and fry them till they are transparent(about 5 mins) Add the diced tomatoes, dhana jeera, haldi, garlic, ginger and jalepino and cook stirring for about 5 minutes on medium heat.
  5. Add the pureed daal and mix well.  Cook stirring occasionally for 15 minutes.
  6. Add the salt and lemon.
  7. Rinse the  eggplant and cut it into 2” x 1” strips.  Add this to the daal. 
  8. Cook for another 15 minutes.
  9. Add cilantro before serving. 
  10. Serve with rice, Mitha Chawal or Chapatti

Chocolate-Walnut Banana Bread

Chocolate-Walnut Banana Bread

This is a recipe I found in the chatelaine magazine of March 2011.  The bread is very tasteful and moist.
Makes 12 slices
Prep time 5min
Total time 1 hour 40 min

Chocolate Banana Walnut Bread

 

 

 

 

 Ingredients

  • 3                   large very ripe bananas
  • 1                   cup all-purpose flour
  • 1                   cup whole-wheat flour
  • 2                   tbsp ground flax seeds (optional)
  • 1                   tsp baking soda
  • 1/2                tsp salt
  • 1/2                cup butter, at room temperature
  • 1/2                cup brown sugar
  • 2                   eggs
  • 2                   tbsp dark rum (optional)
  • 2                   tsp vanilla
  • 1/2                cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1/2                cup chopped walnuts

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Lightly oil or spray a 9 x 5- in. loaf pan.
  3. Mash bananas in a medium bowl.  They should measure about 1 1/2 cups.
  4. Stir both flours with ground flax seeds, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.
  5. Beat butter with sugar in a large bowl until combined, then beat in eggs, rum and vanilla.  Stir in Bananas.  Using a wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture just until combined.  Do not over mix.
  6. Gently fold in chocolate chips and walnuts.
  7. Scrape batter into prepared pan.  Smooth top.
  8. Bake in centre of oven until a cake tester or skewer inserted into centre of loaf comes out clean, 50 to 60 min.Cover loosely with foil for the last 15 min if top browns too quickly.
  9. Remove pan to a rack to cool for 10 min.
  10. Run a knife around inside of pan to loosen loaf.
  11. Carefully turn out loaf, then turn top-side up on a rack.

295 calories per slice.

Bread will keep well at room temperature up to 3 days or frozen up to  two months.

Variations

Keep it simple:

Omit chocolate chips and walnuts.

Dress it up:

Melt 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips and drizzle over baked loaf.

Kitchen Tip:    Got more ripe bananas than you can bake?  Peel and freeze in freezer bags or simply put in the freezer with peel on.  When ready to bake, defrost and use all the banana pulp, including the black liquid that appears if peel was left on – it makes the bread even more flavorful.