Onion Chutney courtesy Deepa Rajesh

Ingredients :
Small (tiny) onions. Peeled. 2 bowls
Tomatoes chopped 1 bowl
Red chilli powder
Asafoetida
Turmeric powder
Coriander leaves
Coriander seeds
Coriander powder
Salt to taste

For seasoning
Curry leaves
Mustard seeds

Preparation : first fry the onions golden brown in oil, add coriander leaves, coriander seeds, asafoetida, coriander powder, red chilli powder, turmeric. Once well fried, add tomatoes and continue frying till oil leaves. Grind to fine paste. Season with curry leaves and mustard seeds. Add salt to taste

Daal Makhani

Ingredients
250 gms black urad daal (better referred in the north as Maa ki daal)
125 gms rajma
1/2 tea cup fresh cream
3 tbsps butter
Puree made from ~6 medium sized tomatoes
2 tsps ginger-garlic paste
Red chilli powder and Jeera for seasoning

What next ? Soak the black urad dal and rajma overnight. Pressure cook for 20-30 mins (until well cooked). Smash the boiled mixture, until a little pasty. Then add tomato puree, ginger garlic paste, cream, butter, salt to taste. Simmer (low flame) for 15 mins.
Take a tablespoon of oil/ butter, add jeera and red chilli powder. Stir till jeera darkens slightly, then add the seasoning to the daal concoction and continue simmering on slow flame for another 30 mins.

To serve ? Garnish with coriander and cream/ butter before serving

Can be had with rotis/ chapatis (bread) or rice. It's a popular North Indian (read - Punjabi) dish. Well loved and relished.

Courtesy - Meena Ramachandran

Kadi pakora

Ingredients
300 gms curd, blended well
2-3 tbsps gram flour (besan)
Turmeric
Salt and a pinch of sugar to taste
For seasoning : curry leaves, dried red chillies, jeera

For pakoras :
Gram flour (besan) to make 12 pakoras
Bottle gourd half
Jeera
Salt
Green chillies 2-3 chopped finely

What next ?
To make pakoras - skin the Bottle gourd, grate it, remove excess water by squeezing, add gram flour, green chillies, jeera, salt to taste. Make smooth paste which can then be rolled into balls (pakoras) and deep fry in oil till golden brown

For kadi - take 2-3 tbsps of oil, add jeera, curry leaves, red chillies and stir until done. Shut the flame, add curd blended with 2-3 tbsps besan, salt and sugar to taste, pinch of turmeric an be added for colour. If curd added when flame is on, then the curd is likely to curdle. Then once blended finely, turn on flame, add pakoras to the kadi, simmer till the pakoras have absorbed the curd well.

To serve ? Garnish with coriander and serve. Can be eaten with chapatis (bread), or with rice. Kadi chawal is a popular and well relished dish in Uttranchal. Can be had as a meal by itself when served with rice.

Great for a rainy day or a chilly winter day.