Slow Cooker Dal MakhaniDal Makhani The Novice Housewife

I know I have posted about Dal Makhani once before on GMT. And while this is more or less the same recipe, it is one that I make in the slow cooker now so I thought a repost of it was necessary. Plus, there are some changes (albeit slight) to the recipe, so thought would just post the revised recipe.

In the  previous post I did give a brief introduction to Dal Makhani, but I found this article by a renowned Indian food critic, Vir Sanghvi, which dwells into the origins of Dal Makhani and as Vir Sanghvi’s research points out, the credit to the origins of dal makhani that we eat today can be attributed to Kundan Lal Gujra’s now famous hotel Moti Mahal in Daryaganj area of Delhi.

Another famous version of this dal is the five star hotel ITC’s Dal Bukhara. The Bukhara dal, according to the article, gets its thickness and creaminess from slow cooking. The chefs cook it on a low flame overnight and then, never take it off the fire. My father had told me about this earlier, so I thought of trying to cook it in my faithful crockpot and try to achieve restaurant style dal makhani and I am pretty pleased with the version I ma sharing with you all today.

The previous recipe of dal makhani I posted was a much more quick way of cooking the dal, but once I started cooking it in the slow cooker I have realized that without adding cream you can still achieve the creaminess and thickness of traditional dal makhani by just slow cooking it. Of course, adding cream and butter takes it another level of scrumptious goodness (Kundan Lal’s recipe has one kg of dal, 500 ml of cream and a full kg of butter!), but believe me, for the calorie conscious slow cooking the dal gives it the right amount of viscosity (and that rich taste) without the added fat.

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Gluten free Microwave dhokla The Novice Housewife

Dhokla is a very popular snack in India, and although its from the western state of Gujarat its a favorite across India. It is a plus that it is also gluten free. A lot of snacks in India are made from besan or gram flour but unlike most Indian snacks that are fried, this one is traditionally steamed. But the version I am sharing today is one that can be made in the microwave and is quicker and slightly more convenient.

I know a lot of people are against the use of microwave and even though I try to avoid it, sometimes for certain things I do use it. Especially for making quick snacks like these.

I also know I have posted a recipe for Microwave dhokla before (long, long before- which reminds me I completed three years of blogging on 28th and unlike the first blogiversary and my second blogiversary, I completely forgot about this one!). But this recipe is slightly different from the previous one I posted and in fact I like it better. Probably because of the fresh ginger that is mixed into the batter, unlike the paste used in the previously posted recipe.

The recipe is from my mamiji (my mom’s brother’s wife). My mamiji is an excellent cook and an even more amazing person. She is an inspiration. At 50 plus age, she decided to go to nursing school. Having never had a science background in school, she took up this challenge and with a family to take care of (my mom’s parents also stay with my uncle’s family and it can be quite challenging sometimes to take care because old people can be as stubborn and as demanding as kids), she still managed to complete her course and is now working as a lab technician. To get back to studies after such a long break is trying enough but to take up a subject you have no prior knowledge of is, in my opinion, absolutely incredible and kudos to my mamiji for having the resolve to go through with it.

And thanks to her, finally after a long break, I am able to share a GMT recipe with you. Hope you enjoy it as much as I have been. 🙂

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chicken tikka salad The Novice Housewife

The idea of a chicken tikka salad has been playing in my mind for a long time (while writing this post I googled it, and apparently there are other versions as well, so I am not the only one to have thought of it) and finally I got around to making it a few days before.

There are not many salad recipes in Indian cuisine. The only one I can think of is Kachumbar– which is basically a salad made from small tiny pieces of vegetables, mainly cucumber, tomatoes, onions with chillies and cilantro/coriander leaves added to it. Besides that I draw a blank although salads do feature in indian meals- its just plain cucumbers, tomatoes and onions sliced and served on a plate with maybe a lemon, salt and pepper dressing. But other than that I can’t think of any. (If you can, please do leave a comment below)

Unlike other Indian salads, like the ones I mentioned above, which are normally served alongside main course dishes, to provide a slight crunch to the meal, this chicken tikka salad is a meal in itself. But much lighter than a full fledged Indian meal. And great for the times when you want a lighter Indian flavor meal.

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