Masoor Dal Recipe (Lentils)

Dal is such a common dish in every Indian household. There are many different types of Dal. It is simple, easy to make and a good source of protein. Even though it's simple, it's somehow very satisfying. For my mum, this dish used to be a quick way of getting dinner prepared after a long day at work. Dal, rice and fried fish reminds me of my mum.

So, in this recipe I have used Masoor Dal. Below is what you need -

About a full cup of Brown/Black Masoor Lentils (Dal) (wash this repeatedly until the water runs clear)
2 medium sized Onions chopped
1 medium sized Tomato chopped
1 green Chilli chopped or slit lengthwise (optional)
5-6 cloves of Garlic (chopped)
1 inch piece of Ginger (chopped fine)
Half tsp of red Chilli powder
Half tsp of Turmeric (Haldi) powder
1 tsp of Coriander powder (Dhaniya) (optional)
Fresh Coriander leaves for garnishing

For the Tadka you will require -

1 tsp Ghee and 1 tbsp of oil (clarified butter available at most supermarkets)
1 tsp Cumin seeds (Jeera)
1 tsp Mustard seeds (Rai/Sarson)
3-4 green curry leaves (Kadi Patta)
2-3 dried red chilli (optional)
Pinch of Asfoetida (Hing) (this is good for the tummy and prevents bloating)

Tadka is a method of tempering whole spices in hot oil and then adding them to the Dal to intensify its flavours. There is no hard and fast rule to Tadka. You can also add cloves of Garlic or bits of Ginger if you like. Since I add Ginger and Garlic to the Dal itself I avoid it in the Tadka process.

Take a big deep vessel (I prefer to use a pressure cooker to save time). Pour a little oil in it and let it heat up. Then add the chopped Ginger/Garlic, give it a stir and immediately add the chopped onions, and green chilli. Let the onions fry for a bit and then add the Red Chilli powder, Turmeric powder and Coriander powder. Give it a good stir and then add the chopped tomatoe. Let it all fry for about 5 minutes. Now add the Masoor Dal along with 3 cups of water. Close the lid and let it simmer until the Dal  is soft or almost mushy. If you are using a pressure cooker like I do, then wait for about 5 whistles and then switch the gas off. Let all the steam escape from the pressure cooker and only then open the lid. The Dal should not be too thick and nor should it be too watery. If it is too thick add some more water and if it is too watery then let it simmer some more.

Add the green curry leaves and the dried red chillis (break them into half) on top of the Dal and in the centre of the vessel/pressure cooker. When we do the Tadka we will pour the Tadka right on top of it so that the hot oil automatically releases its flavours. You can also add the curry leaves and red chillis into the Tadka pan but this is just a different way of doing it.

Now for the Tadka. Take a frying pan and add a tsp of Ghee in it and a tbsp of oil. Let it heat up on high flame. Now add the Mustard seeds and wait for them to crackle. Then add the Cumin seeds and a pinch of Asfoetida. Give it a good stir and pour it in the centre of the vessel and right on top of the curry leaves and red chillis. Give the Dal a mix and garnish it with the Coriander leaves.

Serve with a bowl of steamed Rice :)

MERRY XMAS!

Goan hot and sour Squid curry

So this is my version of Goan Squid curry. How authentic Goan it is, I do not know but what I do know is that my hubby is Goan and he says it's Goan so well Goan it is.

Follow the below steps and enjoy this famous Goan curry.

You will need 1 kg squid, cleaned and cut into rings

2-3 pieces of tamarind - soak this in 1/4 cup water for about 10 mins. After 10 mins take out the tamarind pieces and you are left with the water, which you will need later so keep this aside. You can substitute the tamarind water with a tamarind stock cube if available.

Now you need to dry roast (on a pan without any oil) the below whole spices -

1 inch cinnamon stick
1/2 tsp of whole black peppercorns
1/4 tsp of whole cumin (jeera)
1/4 tsp of whole coriander seeds
4 black cloves
10 whole red dried Kashmiri chillies (break off the stems)

Take a blender and add to it the above roasted spices along with -

3 small chopped onions (or 2 big onions)
4 garlic cloves peeled
1/2 tsp of chopped ginger
1/4 tsp of turmeric powder
 1/3 cup vinegar (white or apple cider).

Blend everything so that you get a smooth red paste (masala) which should be of a thick consistency.

Now take a deep vessel. Add some oil and fry 1 small sliced onion. After 2-3 minutes add the red paste/masala and fry well on a medium flame for about 5 mins. To this add one small chopped tomato and the tamarind water/stock cube and a pinch of sugar to even out the sourness of the tomato and the tamarind.

Now you can add the squid rings and about 2 cups of water (depending on the consistency that you like you can add more or less water). Let the gravy/curry come to a boil and them simmer on a low heat for about 15-20 mins until the squid is cooked.

Umm don't forget to add some salt otherwise it will be curry with no taste!

Garnish with fresh coriander/cilantro leaves and serve with hot steamed rice!

PS - all the above ingredients are available at Lulu/Carrefour supermarkets or any Indian store.

Indian Spicy Red Fish Curry

Now I am not really sure which Indian State this curry belongs to as it's something created out of one of my experiments. Every Indian family has their own version of fish curry. Some like it hot, some sour and some green! Anyhow, this is something I recently tried out and well it wasn't all that bad :)

So here is what you will need for this recipe -

Fish (I prefer Pomfret) - Clean your fish or you can have it cleaned from wherever you buy it. Keep the fish slices aside marinated with a little salt. In Dubai you get some lovely fish at the Deira fish market. If you do not have the patience to go there then you can get some at Lulu or Carrefour.

Take a small ball of tamarind and soak it in half a cup of water. If you do not have tamarind it is ok, you can skip this. You can soak the tamarind for about 10mins after which drain the tamarind water and keep it aside.

Now get ready to make the masala. Take the below ingredients and dry roast them (just put them in a pan on a low flame without any oil) -

4-5 Kashmiri Chillis (Available in Lulu/Carrefour)
1 tsp Coriander seeds
Half tsp Cumin seeds
1 tsp whole black peppercorns
A pinch of Fenugreek seeds

After about 5 mins take them out and put them in a blender. To the blender also add -

1 tsp of Red Chilli powder
Half tsp of Turmeric powder
1 small onion (cut into quarters)
3-4 garlic cloves
1 inch piece of ginger
Half a cup grated coconut (if you do not have fresh coconut, substitute this with 3-4 tsp of Maggi coconut powder)
Tamarind water (or just half a cup of plain water)

Blend all the above ingredients. If the masala is too dry add some water. It should be of a thick paste like consistency. The colour should be a dark orange. If you think it is too pale add some more red chilli powder.

Now slice up another small onion, a small tomato and one small green chilli (skip the green chilli if you do not like it hot). Take a deep vessel, add some oil and wait for it to heat up. Now add a few mustard seeds and wait for them to splutter. Once they start spluttering, add the sliced onion and green chilli and fry them for about 3mins. Once the onions are translucent, almost brown, add the chopped tomato and fry again. Now add the masala paste and fry for a good 5-10 mins on a low flame. Keep stirring to ensure the masala is not burning and all the raw smell of the spices disappear.

Lastly add the fish, add some more water to make it a gravy type consistency and some salt.

Let it boil for a few minutes until the fish is cooked.

Serve with plain white steamed rice.

PS - all the above listed ingredients are available at Lulu/Carrefour supermarkets

Chimes Restaurant (Al Barsha, Dubai)

Located in Seven Sands Hotel, Al Barsha is a little Chinese/Thai restaurant called Chimes. Serving a variety of interesting dishes like Duck Kuey Teow soup, Singapore Chilli Crab, Peking Duck,Nasi Goreng, this menu has something in it for everyone. We sampled the Tom Yum Talay soup for starters which was not too hot and just rightly spiced.





For the main course we had Singapore Chilli Crab and Thai Style Fried Rice.


The crabs come with plastic aprons so don't be afraid to get messy.










All three dishes were good though I hoped to see more seafood in the soup.





Our friends ordered the Kung Pao Prawns which also looked pretty good and a chicken dish whose name I cannot remember. It had roasted or fried peanuts in it which were yummy if you like peanuts.




The total bill for 5 main course dishes, 1 starter and 1 large bottle of water came up to AED 270. I will definitely be going back there the next time to sample other dishes on their menu like the Peking Duck.

Hope you are having a good weekend!

Fish Moilee Recipe

An avid lover of all kinds of food here is my take on Fish Moilee, a South Indian speciality.  

I must confess this is not my original recipe. I have reviewed various recipes online and I mixed and matched them all together.

I am not sure what kinds of fish you can use with the recipe but I do know Pomfret goes best with it so go to your local fish market (I go to the market in Deira near the Gold Souk metro) and get your hands on some yummy Pomfret (you can also get it cleaned at the market itself by paying a nominal price).

So what you must have for this recipe is –

-       The fish of course

-       2 tsp Coconut Oil and 4tbsp of vegetable oil (coconut oil gives it that authentic taste but you can skip it)

-       6-7 chopped small baby onions  - the ones used in Sambhar (if using a normal sized onion, 1 will do)

-       3 cloves of garlic hopped extremely fine or mashed

-       1 inch piece of ginger chopped extremely fine or half tsp of ginger paste

-       3-4 green chillies (or less)

-       10 curry leaves (kadi patta)

-       1/4^th tsp of turmeric powder

-       1/4^th tsp of pepper powder

-       1 medium tomato chopped

-       *Half cup thin coconut milk

-       *Half cup thick coconut milk

-       Salt to taste

*Don’t worry about the coconut milk. You can mix a few tbsp of Maggie coconut powder in water to make the coconut milk. For thick milk you might require 3-4 tbsp and for thin milk around 1-2 tbsp. What I did was I bought a can/tin of coconut milk from the store and kept it in the fridge. The milk that settles on the top is thicker. I emptied half the can in a cup and used it as my thick coconut milk. I mixed the remaining half (which is already thin) with some water and voila I got my thin coconut milk.

The above ingredients are to be fried but before you start chopping and sweating, defrost your fish and marinate it with 1/4^th tsp of turmeric powder, 1 tsp salt and juice of one lime. Rub the marinade gently but all over the fish and keep it aside.

Now you start with the above mentioned ingredients. Start with frying the onions in the coconut and vegetable oil; add in the ginger and garlic and fry for 2-3 minutes till the raw smell of ginger goes away (or in my case just reduces). Add in the curry leaves, green chillies, turmeric and pepper powder and fry for about 5 mins on low flame till the raw smell of turmeric goes away. Now add in the thin coconut milk and the marinated fished and the chopped tomato. Let it simmer for a few minutes after which add in the thick coconut milk. Let it simmer for few more minutes. Do not stir as the fish is usually tender and might fall apart. Just rotate the vessel. Add salt as per your requirement and tada fish moilee is ready to serve.

PS – If you are worried about the fish falling apart you can gently fry it before adding it to the curry.

If you worried about the coconut milk splitting, it is always safer to use coconut milk powder mixed with water instead.

Moroccan Bath at the Gallery Salon, The Hyatt Regency, Deira (Dubai)

I recently bought a voucher online from Huckel Buckel for a "Moroccan bath with blowdry" at the Gallery Salon in Hyatt Regency Hotel, Deira. The deal cost me AED 89. It started with a hair wash after which the therapist applied conditioner and then covered my hair with a shower cap. After the hair wash you proceed to the steam room where the Moroccan bath procedure is carried out. After you have showered you can change back in to your clothes and you proceed to get you hair done. I got mine blow dried by a male therapist, however my friend had her hair ironed and she was not sure why. I was happy with the treatment as I do not know any better. It was my first Moroccan bath ordeal. My friend claimed that they should have used Moroccan herbs instead of soap (the deal says it was Moroccan soap) and a loofah. Anyway for AED 89 I thought it was worth it. The therapist was sweet and she offered me coffee/tea when I entered (not many salons/spas do that). She also came in to check on me when she left me in the steam room as I am a bit nervous of being left alone in a steam room and I feel a tiny bit claustrophobic.

I recommend this deal in spite of what my friend says. I guess the whole idea of this ritual is to be scrubbed and that is what I got.

I feel clean and ready to face the long week ahead!

Cheap Indian Food at Pingara,Karama (Dubai)

Well we all know that there are a countless Indian food joints all over Dubai serving a variety of North Indian and South Indian dishes. Famous breakfast hangouts include Puranmals (Oud Metha next to Hot Breads) -try their "medu vada", Sind Punjab in Karama - try their "kheema with paratha",Bombay Chowpatti in Lamcy, Karama -try their "Lassi".

A not so well known eatery located in Karama next to MMI building (close to Marlin Furniture) is a restaurant with a brightly coloured board outside which says "Pingara". Due to the dim lighting you can hardly see inside. As you enter there are a few tables and the kitchen but head up to the first floor and you will find it spacious. The restaurant seems to go with a jungle theme with birds chirping in the background and everything covered in jungle green and brown. Do not expect tip top service, as here you pay for reasonably priced good food. So don't feel shy if you have to call out to the waiter to bring you a menu card which he will with a smile. The menu has a variety of Indian and Chinese dishes but their seafood dishes are what you should go for. Try their chicken drumsticks (specify with gravy and not dry), "neer dosa", fish curry, squid chilli fry, prawns "sukka" or basically ask them what's good and they will tell you. An average of 3-4 items and 2 drinks will close you around Dhs 100.

You can check out their full menu on zomato or just head there sometime and have a look for yourself. For better service go on a weekday when it's not a full house.

Have a good Saturday all! 

Hot Chocolate

A cup full of heaven - mix one and a half tbsp of Nesquick chocolate powder (or 2 if you are feeling sinful) in one cup of hot full fat milk (or low fat). Add a small tsp of Hershey's caramel syrup (try Lulus or Carrefour) and a pinch of cinnamon powder.

Tip - If you have spare Galaxy Jewels chocolates lying around try melting one in boiling milk, in which case reduce the amount of Nesquick. The results are equally yummy.

Voila - enjoy this hot chocolate concoction on a cold night :)