Dal Pakwan
(Lentils with Unleavened Bread)

For the Dal Ingredients:

250 gm chana dal
1 tsp cumin seeds
6-7 whole green chillies, slit
3 cups water
3-4 tbsps oil
A pinch of chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2 tbsps of coriander leaves, chopped
A pinch of mango powder
Salt to taste

Procedure:
Wash the dal and soak it for about two hours. Pour 3-4 tbsps oil in a cooker and allow it to heat. Add cumin seeds and green chillies and fry for a couple of minutes. Now, without draining the water, add the soaked dal, turmeric powder and salt.

Let it simmer in the cooker for 10-12 minutes till the dal is tender.

For the Pakwan

Ingredients:
300 gm plain flour
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
3 tbsps oil
Oil for deep frying
Salt to taste
Sufficient water to make a dough

Procedure:
Sieve the flour. Mix the flour with the cumin seeds, oil, salt and sufficient water and make a dough. Make sure the dough is not too soft — you should be able to roll it.

Divide the dough into small portions. Roll out a portion like a chappati, not too thick nor too thin. With a fork poke holes in the entire rolled out portion so that it remains flat and does not rise like a puri while frying. Heat the oil. Once the smoke starts rising from the oil, slide in the Pakwan and keep turning from one side to the other for a few minutes. Turn down the flame and fry till the Pakwan is a light shade of golden brown.

Koki
(Spiced Unleavened Bread)

Ingredients:
4 cups wheat flour
2 medium-sized onions, finely chopped
6 green chillies, finely chopped
2 tbsps coriander leaves, finely chopped
2 tbsps ghee to be added to the flour
Sufficient water to make the dough
Salt to taste

Procedure:
Add the finely chopped onions, green chillies and coriander leaves to the flour. Knead a slightly stiff dough with ghee and salt. Make equal portions. Roll out each portion like a thick round chappati. With a knife make a design of diagonal lines — criss-crossing each other from one end of the chappati to the other. This is to ensure that the Koki gets cooked well. Rub the tava with a touch of ghee and cook the Koki on a low flame, (adding ghee when turning from one side to the other) till golden.

Serve hot, with dahi and papad.

Sindhi kadi

Ingredients:
4 medium-sized tomatoes
1-1/4 cups tur dal
5 tbsps gram flour
150 gm lady fingers, slit, not cut
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
5 tbsps cooking oil
100 gm cluster beans, chop ends
1 tsp cumin seeds
A few curry leaves
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2-1/2 tsp red chilli powder
5 green chillies, slit in centre
8 glasses of water
6-7 kokum
1/2 tsp asafoetida powder
Salt to taste

Procedure:
Soak the tur dal in water for about half an hour. Cook it in a pressure cooker for 10-12 minutes along with the halved tomatoes and 2 glasses of water. Then strain out all the water and let the remaining pulp cool so as to enable you to squeeze out the soup from it with your bare hands. Add the rest of the water to this stock and put aside.

Now heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed vessel for a few minutes before adding the cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, asafoetida powder and the green chillies. Fry for a minute, add gram flour and then fry again for a couple of minutes more. Now it's time to add the red chilli powder and the turmeric powder. Fry till the gram flour becomes aromatic and turns slightly brown. Add the stock to it immediately. Stir well. Add the lady fingers, cluster beans, curry leaves, the kokum and the salt. Let it boil on a low flame for an hour and a half till the vegetables are well cooked and have absorbed the flavour of the spice. Serve the curry piping hot.

Sindhi Kadi is generally served with good quality basmati rice sprinkled with shahi jeera and accompanied also by tuk (flattened potato cake) and sweet boondi.

Sai Bhaji (Spinach and Vegetable Stew)

Ingredients:

2 bunches spinach
A bunch of khatta
1 big potato
2 big tomatoes, chopped
8 green chillies, finely chopped
1-inch piece ginger, finely chopped
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
7 tbsps oil
A pinch of turmeric powder
1 big onion
2 small brinjals
1 tsp cumin seeds
4 tbsps gram dal
1-1/2 glasses water
Salt to taste

Procedure:
Separate the spinach and the khatta leaves. Wash them well and chop finely. Also chop the onion, potato and brinjals into small pieces and set aside. Soak the gram dal for about 10 to 15 minutes. Heat the oil in a pressure cooker, put in the cumin seeds, green chillies and ginger and fry for about a minute. Fry the vegetables that have been kept well till the oil separates (a ring of oil will form around the vegetables). Now put in the chopped spinach, khatta leaves, tomatoes, dal, dry masalas, salt and 1-1/2 glasses of water. Pressure cook on a high flame till the first whistle. Then turn the flame to simmer for another 2 or 3 whistles. Open the cooker after about 10 minutes. Take a churner and mix well. This vegetable goes well with burji chawar rice or brown rice.

Aloo Tuk (Potato Pattice)

Ingredients:
10 medium-sized potatoes
2 1/2 tsps red chilli powder
1 tsp mango powder
1 tsp coriander powder
Oil for deep frying
Salt to taste

Procedure: Peel and halve the potatoes. Salt the halves and deep fry on a low flame. Poke with a knife to see if they are tender. If done, take out and cool for five minutes. Then using the palm of your hand, flatten out the potatoes on the rolling board with a light hand. Before serving, deep fry on a high flame till a golden colour. Garnish each tuk with a little red chilli powder, mango powder, coriander powder and a few drops of heated oil. Serve hot.

Foto Bhuno Gosht (Mutton with Cardamom)

Ingredients:

1/4 kg mutton chops
1 tsp pepper powder
1-inch piece ginger, finely chopped
Sufficient water to cook the mutton
1 tbsp wheat flour mixed with
3 tbsps of water
5-6 green cardamoms
2 tsps coriander powder
2 tbsps finely chopped coriander leaves
4 tbsps oil
Salt to taste

Procedure: Powder the cardamoms keeping their skins. Finely chop the ginger. Now fry the cardamoms and ginger till golden brown.

Add the mutton chops and salt and continue frying. When the water from the mutton dries up add the pepper and coriander powders. Fry for a few more minutes and then add sufficient water to cook the mutton. When the mutton is tender add the wheat flour and water paste to the mutton to thicken the gravy. When ready, sprinkle the chopped coriander leaves.

Rabdi Falooda

Ingredients:

For the Rabdi:

1 litre milk
6-7 tbsps sugar

For the Falooda:

50 gm falooda
5 tbsps sugar
1-1/2 cups water
8 green cardamoms, powdered
1/2 tsp saffron colouring or 20 strands saffron (dissolved in 1 tsp water)

Procedure:

For the Rabdi:

Heat the milk. After it comes to a boil, let it simmer till the milk thickens to a little less than half its original quantity and turns light brown. Add sugar and once it dissolves, wait for 5 minutes before switching off the stove. The rabdi is ready. Let it cool and store in the fridge.

For the Falooda:

Break the falooda into small strands and soak in water for an hour. Cook in a pressure cooker for 10-12 minutes, till the water evaporates. Add sugar, powdered cardamoms and either colouring or strands of saffron. When these ingredients too are absorbed the Falooda is ready. Serve in an ice cream cup, putting 2-3 tbsps of Falooda topped by a helping of rabdi and crushed ice.

Suji Jo Seero (Semolina Halwa)

Ingredients:

250 gm semolina (rava)
3 tbsps wheat flour
300 gm sugar
8-10 green cardamoms, powdered
4 cups water
10-12 strands saffron
1 cup ghee
10 sliced almonds for garnishing

Procedure:
Sieve the semolina. Heat the ghee and fry the semolina and the wheat flour on a very low flame till the semolina is aromatic and a shade darker than golden brown. Dissolve the sugar, powdered cardamoms and saffron in water and add this syrup to the semolina and cook on a low flame, stirring continuously till the semolina dries up. Place on a pre-heated tava for 5-7 minutes and let it simmer. Serve hot, garnished with chopped almonds.