Monday 21 January 2019

Dhanshaak

Recipe of Dhanshaak

On the demand of friends, this weekend it was a night of Parsi cuisine. I ended up making the richest and widely made recipe in every Parsi household kitchen, the Dhanshaak. 
Dhanshaak, in the verbal term, means lentil and vegetable. In itself, it's a wholesome meal but ideally served with brown rice or bread.


For, it is said, that traditional recipe varies from house to house and availability of vegetables in the freeze.
My version is as follow:

50 gms of split pigeon pea (toor dal)
50 gms of red lentil (masoor dal)
50 gms of yellow lentil (moong dal)  
A variety of other lentils can be used as per taste and availability.
one medium brinjal
one medium potato
a few cubes of bottle guard and pumpkin
two medium tomatoes 
bunch of fresh fenugreek leaves 

For Dhanshaak spice
2 dried red chili
1 green chili
few cumin seeds
few fenugreek seeds
2 cloves
peppercorns
a stick of cinnamon

For tempering
Oil 2 tsf
one medium sized chopped onion
salt to taste

If you are one of the friends who love their meat, feel free to add chicken breast or mutton. the recipe is as versatile as it sounds. 

Here we go:
In a pressure cooker, add the washed lentils, pigeon pea, peeled potatoes (cut in roughly 4 cubes), bottle guard, pumpkin, brinjal, tomatoes, and fenugreek leaves. Add the salt. add enough water just to soak the mixture. give a boil for three or four whistles.
After the whistles, blend the mixture in a blender. Usually, the consistency of Dhanshaak is very thick but one can add the water to this stage as per requirement.
Prepare the Dhanshaak spice:  Roast all the spice ingredients on a pan and blend them in a mixture jar with some water.
Prepare the tempering: In a wok (kadhai), take the oil. Add the chopped onions. saute till brown. At this point add Dhanshaak spice and wait for one minute till the spice get mature.

Add the tempering to the blended vegetable and lentil mixture. Boil the Dhanshaak in the wok for another five minutes. 
You are ready to serve.

My take, 
One of my parsi friend, who generoulsy hosted me for this recipe previously had added mint leaves in the vegetable mixture. I found the mint flavour overpowering the rest of mild flavours. So, I usually
avoid mint leaves in my blend. 


Sunday 6 January 2019

IRISH STEW : MY VERSION


IRISH STEW: MY VERSION


Lately, I was down with pharyngitis and laryngitis. My job calls me to speak for hours and I was becoming in-audible with the progress of the infection.
Saturday night, I thought of re-inventing the recipe of Irish stew for my sore throat.
My version is a bit easier and suited for Indian grocery ( as most of the traditionally used ingredients are not available in Indian stores).



Ingredients required: (serves 2)

250 gm boneless chicken cut into one-inch cubes ( lamb can be used )
200 gm spring onion ( my take on one medium onion and 100gm celery)
200 gm of carrot chopped in bigger cubes 
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into bigger cubes.
olive oil for sauteeing
Coarsely chopped parsley and thyme
pepper and salt for seasoning
shavings of ginger (optional)
water 2 cups

Preparation
1. On medium heat, take oil in a pan and cook the chicken on one side until brown and cook it on another side. No need to cook it properly.
2. Add the chopped spring onions in the same pan. and stir them in the oil until caramelized.
3. I added the shavings of ginger for that little spice and the medicinal property of it for a sore throat.
4. Add the potatoes and water to the pan. (alternately we can use chicken or beef stock if available)
5. Add the salt and pepper. Cover the pan with a lid and let it cook in its steam for about 20 minutes.
6. At this moment when potatoes are still tender add chunks of carrots, fresh thyme, and parsley. 
7. let it cook for another 10 minutes. and there, it is ready to serve.

Serve it with your bread loaf and butter. or just eat it alone. The wholesome dish full of proteins, minerals, and carbohydrate for those winter nights when immunity is at its low.
On those days when I crave for some extra calories, don't hesitate to put a generous serve of full-fat cream in the stew.