Kuch Kuch Hota Hai

This recipe makes a great appetizer. Lightly prepared without oil, it is crunchy on the outside with robust flavors.

Mix the ginger-garlic paste, a little salt, and half the lemon juice in a bowl. Coat the fillets with the mixture and set aside to marinate for 5 minutes.

Make a paste with the coconut, yellow chili powder, half the chat masala and the remaining lemon juice.

Grind the urad dal and rice into a powder and mix with the remaining chat masala, the red chili powder and the fried curry leaves.

Coat the fish with the coconut paste and then cover with the powder mix.

Dry-fry the fish in a tawa (griddle pan) or a non-stick skillet for 2 minutes, then turn over and cook for a further 1-2 minutes. Oil-free frying gives the fish a really delicious, crispy texture.

Garnish with the fried garlic and serve hot.

Ingredients:-

1.5oz ginger-garlic paste          

1 cup split black lentils (urad dal)

1.5tablespoons lemon juice      

6 pomfret fillets (or other firm white fish)           

0.75  cup basmati rice

2 teaspoons red chili powder

5oz coconut, shredded 

1oz curry leaves, fried

1oz yellow chili powder           

3oz garlic, roughly chopped and fried to crisp light brown

2.5oz chat masala                    

salt to taste

Serves 6

Langarwali Daal

Black lentils are a staple in the north of India and this dish takes its name from the free meal service (langar) offered in gurudwaras (Sikh temples), at which dal and rotis are a requisite. Cooked overnight with the simplest ingredients, it is delicious and fragrant. The husks of the lentils are removed before you buy them so that this dish is not black at all.

In a large pan put both dais, some salt, the turmeric, and about 3.5 – 5 pints of water and cook, covered, over a low flame for 1 hour and 10 minutes until well cooked. The water should have been absorbed. You can use a pressure cooker, in which case reduce the quantity of water by half and cook for 25 minutes after the cooker has reached pressure.

In a pan, heat the ghee and saute the ginger, green chiles, and cumin seeds for 1-2 minutes. Add the tomato, red chili powder, and ground coriander and cook for a further 5 minutes.

Add this to the cooked dal and cook for a further 5 minutes. Serve hot, sprinkled with fresh cilantro leaves, and accompany with tandoori rotis, chapattis, or naan bread.

Ingredients:-

3.75 cups split black lentils (urad dal)

4oz gram dal (channa dal)

salt to taste

1 teaspoon turmeric

3oz ghee (see page 155)

1oz piece of fresh ginger root, peeled and chopped

0.75oz green chiles, chopped

0.5oz cumin seeds

1 medium tomato, chopped

1 tablespoon red chili powder

1 tablespoon ground coriander

a large handful of cilantro leaves

Serves 6