Masoor Dal recipe

1 cup masoor dal
2 cups water

Pressure cook the dal for one whistle or 10 to 15 minutes and keep aside.

After the dal is cooked remove the cover and add

1 1/2 cups water (add water according to thickness desired)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro leaves (dhania patta)

Let the dal come to a boil and let it boil for a minute, remove from heat.

Prepare seasoning:

2 tablespoons ghee
1 teaspoon cumin seeds(zeera)
1 tablespoon chopped ginger (adrak)
1 tablespoon chopped green chili (hara mirchi)
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder (haldi)
1/4 teaspoon asafoetida (hing)
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Heat a pan with two tablespoon ghee.  Add the cumin seeds and allow it sizzle and darken.  When the cumin seeds darken add the chopped ginger and green chilies let it cook for 30 seconds, add the turmeric powder and asafetida mix and add it to the dal.  

Lastly add the lemon juice to the dal mix and it is ready to serve.

Hot Mix Mixture, quick and easy

Padma  made this cereal mixture.  I am sharing her recipe for quick hot mix.

Take equal quantities of cornflakes, rice crispies , rice Chex and less of Cheerios, mix it. 

Add equal quantities of dry roasted slightly salted peanuts, cashews, slivered almonds.  

Heat oil put a lot of curry leaves fry till crisp , add salt and chilli powder for taste add hing and stir that into the cereal mixture, mix well .

Pakodam

3 cups Rice Powder
1 cup besan (chick-peas powder)
1 stick melted butter ( or use hot oil)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chili powder or to taste
1/4 teaspoon asafoetida (hing)
1 1/2 cup water or as needed

Mix rice powder and besan well, remove the lumps add butter (or hot oil as needed carefully), salt, chili powder asafoetida and mix.  Slowly add water to make a pliable dough.  The dough needs to be pressed through a sieve so it should be pliable not watery. 

To a fry pan add enough oil for frying.  Heat it and let it get hot.  Use a dough press with ribbon pakoda disc.  Take some dough and press it into the hot oil spreading it around.  When it turns reddish turn it over and let it cook on the other side.  Cook until it is reddish on both sides.  Remove it and put it on a platter lined with paper towels to absorb the excess oil.  Let it cool to room temperature and serve.

Thuvaiyal

1 cup Tuvar dal
1/4 cup shredded coconut
4 red chilies or to taste
1 tablespoon tamarind concentrate ( or one marble size ball of tamarind soak and extract the juice)
1 teaspoon salt
A little water as needed

Seasoning:
3 teaspoon sesame oil(til oil)
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
2 teaspoon urad dal
2 teaspoon channa dal
2 red chilies

Wash the tuvar dal and roast it in a little oil until it is light brown.  Let it cool, add the coconut and grind it with red chilies, salt and tamarind.  Add a little water as needed during grinding.  The mixture needs to be thick.

For seasoning:
Heat oil, add mustard seeds, urad dal, tuvar dal, red chilies.  Wait for the mustard seeds to pop, when it does, turn the heat off, add a pinch of asafoetida and add it to the thuvaiyal mixture.