RAG Demo

Tag: Protein rich

  • Dal Makhani

    Dal makhani is the richer, festive cousin of maa ki dal, the everyday whole urad dal eaten in Punjabi villages. The buttery restaurant version was popularised by the same Delhi kitchens that gave us butter chicken, and it borrowed the same idea: a tomato-butter base, plenty of cream and long, patient cooking over the embers of a tandoor.

    The magic of the dish is time. Black urad simmered for hours breaks down into a velvety, almost silky body, while the kidney beans keep a little bite. The flavour is deep and earthy rather than spicy, with ginger, garlic and Kashmiri chilli in the background and a gentle smokiness if you finish it with a hot coal.

    It is the vegetarian centrepiece of Punjabi weddings and Sunday lunches, and it actually tastes better the next day once the flavours settle. Serve it with naan, tandoori roti or jeera rice, alongside a simple salad and a glass of chaas. Many restaurants keep a pot simmering at the back of the stove all day, and home cooks often start it in the morning for a dinner the same evening.

    At a glance

    RegionPunjab
    CuisinePunjabi
    DietVegetarian
    CourseMain course
    Prep time15 minutes
    Cook time90 minutes
    Total time105 minutes
    Serves6
    Spice levelMild
    DifficultyMedium
    Gluten-freeYes
    Key ingredientswhole black urad dal / rajma / butter / cream / tomato

    Ingredients

    For cooking the dal

    • 1 cup whole black urad dal (sabut urad)
    • 1/4 cup rajma (red kidney beans)
    • 5 cups water
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 1 inch ginger, sliced

    For the masala

    • 3 tbsp butter
    • 1 tbsp ghee
    • 1 tsp cumin seeds
    • 1 bay leaf
    • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
    • 1 1/2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
    • 1 cup fresh tomato puree (about 3 tomatoes)
    • 1 1/2 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
    • 1/2 tsp garam masala
    • 1 tsp kasuri methi
    • 1/3 cup fresh cream
    • Salt to taste

    Method

    1. Wash the urad and rajma together 3 to 4 times, rubbing between your palms, until the water runs mostly clear. Soak in plenty of water for 8 to 10 hours.
    2. Drain, add to a pressure cooker with 5 cups fresh water, salt and ginger. Cook on high for 1 whistle, then on low for 25 to 30 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally.
    3. Check that the rajma crushes easily between your fingers and the urad is soft. Mash a ladleful of dal against the side with the back of a spoon to start the creamy texture.
    4. In a heavy pan, heat 2 tbsp butter and the ghee on medium. Add cumin and the bay leaf; when the cumin crackles, add onion and fry 6 to 8 minutes until golden.
    5. Add ginger-garlic paste and cook a minute, then add tomato puree and chilli powder. Cook on medium-low for 10 minutes until the masala thickens and fat separates at the edges.
    6. Pour in the cooked dal with its water and stir well. Add a cup of hot water if it looks too thick. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to the minimum.
    7. Simmer uncovered for 40 to 60 minutes, stirring and mashing lightly every 10 minutes so it does not catch. The dal should turn dark, glossy and creamy.
    8. Add garam masala, crushed kasuri methi, the remaining butter and most of the cream. Simmer 5 more minutes, check salt, and swirl the rest of the cream on top when serving.

    Tips

    • The long simmer matters more than the amount of butter – do not rush the last stage.
    • Make it a day ahead; reheat with a splash of water, as it thickens considerably overnight.
    • For dhungar smoke, place a glowing coal in a small bowl on the dal, drizzle ghee over it and cover tightly for 2 minutes.

    Serve with

    Butter naan, tandoori roti or jeera rice, with onion salad and chaas.

  • Rajma Chawal

    Few dishes carry as much nostalgia in North India as rajma chawal. Kidney beans came to India from the Americas via Europe, but Punjabi, Himachali and Jammu kitchens adopted them so completely that the small red Jammu rajma and the speckled chitra variety are now prized regional produce in their own right.

    Well-made rajma is creamy without being mushy, each bean soft enough to crush on the tongue, sitting in a thick, spiced gravy that clings to rice. The masala is built on slowly browned onions, ginger, garlic and tomatoes, with a little garam masala and kasuri methi at the end for warmth.

    It is the classic Sunday lunch, cooked in a pressure cooker while the family wakes up, and the dish many North Indians crave most when they live away from home. A plate of rajma chawal with sliced onion, a green chilli and a spoon of ghee on top needs nothing else.

    At a glance

    RegionPunjab
    CuisinePunjabi
    DietVegetarian
    CourseMain course
    Prep time15 minutes
    Cook time50 minutes
    Total time65 minutes
    Serves4
    Spice levelMedium
    DifficultyEasy
    Gluten-freeYes
    Key ingredientsrajma / onion / tomato / basmati rice

    Ingredients

    For the rajma

    • 1 cup rajma (Jammu or chitra), soaked 10 hours
    • 4 cups water
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 3 tbsp mustard oil or any oil
    • 1 tsp cumin seeds
    • 1 bay leaf, 1 black cardamom
    • 2 medium onions, grated or finely chopped
    • 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
    • 2 green chillies, chopped
    • 3 tomatoes, pureed
    • 1 tsp coriander powder
    • 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
    • 1/2 tsp turmeric
    • 1/2 tsp garam masala
    • 1 tsp kasuri methi
    • Chopped coriander

    For the rice

    • 1 1/2 cups basmati rice, soaked 20 minutes
    • 1 tsp salt
    • Plenty of water for boiling

    Method

    1. Drain the soaked rajma, rinse and pressure cook with 4 cups fresh water and salt: 1 whistle on high, then 20 to 25 minutes on low. Let the pressure drop naturally. A bean should mash easily between two fingers; if not, cook another 10 minutes.
    2. Heat oil in a heavy pan until it just smokes (if using mustard oil), then lower to medium. Add cumin, bay leaf and black cardamom.
    3. Add onions and cook 10 to 12 minutes, stirring often, until deep golden brown. Add ginger-garlic paste and green chillies and saute 1 minute.
    4. Add tomato puree with the powdered spices and a pinch of salt. Cook on medium-low for 8 to 10 minutes until the masala darkens and oil floats at the edges.
    5. Add the rajma with all its cooking liquid. Mash about a quarter cup of beans against the pan to thicken the gravy.
    6. Simmer uncovered on low for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the gravy is thick and creamy. Finish with garam masala, crushed kasuri methi and coriander.
    7. Meanwhile boil the rice in 8 cups salted water for 9 to 10 minutes until just done, drain in a colander and leave covered for 5 minutes.

    Tips

    • Never add salt-free tomatoes to undercooked rajma and expect it to soften – the acid stops the beans from cooking further. Cook beans fully first.
    • Jammu rajma cooks faster and creamier than large red kidney beans.
    • Discard the soaking water; it helps reduce the bloating rajma is known for.

    Serve with

    Steamed basmati rice, sliced onion, a green chilli and a spoon of ghee on top.

  • Adai

    Adai is one of the oldest dosa-type dishes of Tamil Nadu, made from a mix of rice and lentils that is soaked and ground coarse, then cooked straight away without fermenting. Because it uses toor, chana, urad and moong dal, it is far more filling than a plain dosa, and many families make it for dinner when they want a one-dish meal.

    It has a slightly grainy, crisp exterior and a soft centre, with a savoury, spicy flavour from red chillies, ginger, asafoetida and curry leaves. Adai is traditionally eaten with avial, which is why the pairing adai-avial is famous, or with jaggery and butter, a combination many Tamil grandparents swear by.

    At a glance

    RegionTamil Nadu
    CuisineTamil
    DietVegan
    CourseBreakfast
    Prep time20 minutes
    Cook time30 minutes
    Total time50 minutes
    Serves4
    Spice levelMedium
    DifficultyEasy
    Gluten-freeYes
    Key ingredientsrice / toor dal / chana dal / urad dal / moong dal

    Ingredients

    For the batter

    • 1 cup raw rice (or half idli rice)
    • 1/4 cup toor dal
    • 1/4 cup chana dal
    • 2 tbsp urad dal
    • 2 tbsp moong dal
    • 4-5 dry red chillies
    • 1 inch ginger
    • 1/4 tsp asafoetida
    • 1 tsp salt, or to taste
    • 1 sprig curry leaves, chopped
    • 1 small onion, finely chopped (optional)
    • 2 tbsp grated coconut (optional)

    For cooking

    • coconut oil or gingelly oil, about 1 tsp per adai

    Method

    1. Wash the rice and the dals together and soak in plenty of water for 3-4 hours. Soak the red chillies along with them.
    2. Drain, reserving a little soaking water. Grind the rice, dals, chillies and ginger with minimal water to a coarse batter, like fine rava. It should not be smooth.
    3. Transfer to a bowl and mix in salt, asafoetida, curry leaves, onion and coconut. The batter should be thick but pourable; add a few spoons of water if needed.
    4. Heat a cast-iron tawa on medium heat and grease it lightly.
    5. Pour a ladle of batter and spread it in a circle a little thicker than a regular dosa. Make a small hole in the centre with the ladle tip so heat reaches the middle.
    6. Drizzle 1 tsp oil around the edge and into the centre hole. Cook on medium heat for 3-4 minutes until the base is golden brown and crisp.
    7. Flip and cook for another 2 minutes, then serve immediately.

    Tips

    • A coarse grind is the key to good adai; a smooth batter makes it heavy and dense.
    • Cook on medium, not high heat, as the dals need time to cook through.
    • The batter can be used straight away or kept for a few hours; it does not need to ferment.

    Serve with

    Avial, coconut chutney, or jaggery with a dollop of white butter.