Durgapuja Spl: Dhokar Dalna

Last year around this time we were in Rourkela for Durgapuja. I had seen Bengal Club's Durga puja on Shivaji park every year so I had some idea about the idols and stalls and pandal's. Rourkela's durga puja was more wholesome experience because for those 4 days we were thinking about only durga puja. Morning time go for pushpanjali and prasad and evening time visit various pandal's and visit the various food stalls. Every pandal was mini jatra. It was such fun.
This year we couldn't go to Rourkela. So it doesn't feel like Durga puja time here in Bangalore.So today we thought of eating Bengali food to celebrate puja.For lunch first we planned to go to "6 Baligunj" in Indiaranagar. This is the best restaurant for Bengali food in Bangalore. Food there has such refined taste which totally negates seemingly high price.
Anyways,about our lunch today; we didn't eat Bengali food, but had homely delicious Oriya style food at Dalma in Kormangala. So though the food was satisfying, I was craving for bengali food, particularly Dhokar dalna.
First time I had eaten Dhokar dalna at 6 Baligunj and I loved it.Whenever we go there most of the time I end up ordering this dish.For long time I was planning to prepare dhokar dalna at home.Today I finally found time and mood to cook dhokar dalna.
Following receipe is from my mother-in-law in which I've done some modifications.

Ingredients:

For Dhokar
1 cup channa dal soaked for 2-3 hrs
2-3 green chillies or 1/2 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp kalonji
1 1/2 tsp coriander powder+ aniseed/saunf powder
2/3 tsp baking soda
salt to taste

For gravy
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp cumin seeds
4 green chillies
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 small tomato
3 tsp tomato sauce
2 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 tsp coriander powder+ aniseed/saunf powder
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
3 medium potatoes chopped
salt to taste

Recipe:

1. To prepare dhokar (diamond shapes), grind all ingredients together with very little water. Don't prepare very smooth paste rather keep it rough.
2. Oil plate and spread the mixture evenly. Steam this mixture for 10-12 min in cooker (without whistle). After mixture is cooked, cool it down for 7-8 min and later cut it into diamond shapes.
3. Fry these diamond shapes till golden brown and keep it aside.
4. Fry potato cubes and keep aside.
5. To prepare gravy, start with heating oil in wok. Add sugar to oil and let it brown a bit.
6. Add cumin seeds to oil and let it splutter. Later fry onions and ginger-garlic paste till golden brown over medium heat. In the end add chopped tomatoes and all spices. Fry till the masala is cooked.
7. Add tomato sauce to gravey and cook for about 1/2 min.
8. Add potatoes and chana dal diamonds in the masala. Pour some water and cook on low heat (with closed lid) till potatoes are cooked. Add salt in end.
9. This dish has thick gravy but you can adjust consistency as per your desire.

Simply Fry: Pumpkin flower Bhajji

On my first visit to Rourkela, first time in my life I saw pumpkin flower. It is very delicate flower and can't be transportaed over long distances. I think that's the reason I had not seen this flower in Mumbai. Its used for bhajji,subzi etc.

Ingredients:

- 10-15 pumpkin flowers (kakharu phool) cut off stem and remove pollen from flower
- 1/2cup besan+ 1/2cup rice flour (or 1 cup besan)
- 1tbls ajwain or cummin seeds
- 1tbls kasoori methi
- 1tbls chilli powder
- 1tbls turmeric powder
- 1/2tbls eno
- salt to taste
- 1tbs oil
- 1/3-1/2 cup water
- oil to fy

1. Mix all dry ingredients well. Add little water at a time to make thick consistency batter.
2. Fry oil in kadhai for fry. Once its hot add pumpkin flower in batter and fry one by one. This bhajji is prepared and fryed similar to potato bhajji.
3. Serve hot and eat with tomato ketchup or any chutney

Simple delights of life: Varan Bhaat

Staying away from home is not easy specially when it comes to food. Till my BE studies, I had never stayed away from home and definitely never alone.So when I first moved to Pune and then to Bangalore, I was happy that every day I can eat in restaurants. But that joy was short lived as it gets boring to eat same paneer,kurma,naan day after day. I started craving for home cooked food and I had no other option but to start cooking. I used to help my mother here and there and knew recipes in theory. But theory is very difficult than practical is what I realised. So I thought that at least on weekends I should cook something nice.Then I committed my first mistake which most beginners do; try to cook something very elaborate like they show in TV shows. Most of the times the result is disastrous. I don't remember what exactly happened in my case. But anyway I turned my attention to very basic recipes. As I used to see how my Mom used to cook a recipe, I tried to visualize the steps and then confirmed with her on each stage. Once you start cooking on regular basis, you get handle on ingredient quantities, time to cook. Post which cooking some elaborate,complex dishes becomes very easy. Now I cook regular daal,chaval,roti,subzi almost every day and on weekends I try some special dishes. But still sometimes I try to attempt recipe modifications even when I'm trying it for first time and some times results are horrific but now the ratio of failed v/s successful recipes is better.

Here is my recipe of basic varan (boiled daal) which is common in Marathi household. I think each beginner cook should learn this. This will help you survive when staying alone :)

Ingredients*:
1 cup toor daal (this will be enough for 4-5 people or more)
1/2 tbls turmeric powder
1/4 tbls asafoetida(hing)
2 tbls grated jaggery (or 1-2 small pieces of "halls" size)
1 tbs salt

*Note: These are approximate quantities. You can change quantities as per taste.

1. Thoroughly wash the daal. If you've time keep the washed daal aside for 1/2hr. This will help in faster cooking.
2. Add the daal in pressure cooker with 3-4 cups of water depending on the thickness of the cooked daal you want. Generally for cooking rice 1:2 ratio of rice and water is used and for daal its 1:4.If you heat water little bit on high flame (by the time you wash your daal)and then add all ingredients then cooking is faster.
3. Add all other ingredients and close the lid.Light gas burner and keep on high flame.
4. After first whistle, reduce gas flame to low and wait for 2-3 whistles.Switch off burner then.

Varan is served mostly with hot rice. Add lemon juice and ghee in hot varan-bhaat to experience heaven on earth.