Madhya Pradesh is known as the Heart of India, due to its geographical location in the country.  It is also known as “Tiger State”, because the tiger population is highest in Madhya Pradesh. It is known for its historical monuments and cultures, besides the spiritual heritage of many religions. Bhopal is its capital.

Madhya Pradesh has three UNESCO world Heritage sites, beside the Pench National Park which inspired Rudyard Kipling to write ‘The Jungle Book’.  

120 gm masoor dal

½ tsp turmeric powder

½ tsp cumin seeds

1-2 green chilies (according to your taste)

1 inch piece of ginger

1 bunch of fresh coriander leaves

Salt to taste

1 tbsp of mustard oil/refined oil for tempering

Extra oil to deep-fry the pakodas (dumplings)

1. Wash and soak the dal for 3-4 hrs.

2. In the meantime, wash the coriander leaves. 

3. Wash, peel and dice the ginger piece.

4. Grind the ginger in a grinder.

5. Chop the coriander leaves. 

6. Keep aside 1 tbsp of chopped coriander leaves for later use.

7. Grind the remaining coriander leaves together with the ginger to a very fine paste.  Add1 tbsp of water if needed and then keep it aside.

8. Wash the chilies and cut off the stems.  Make small slits on the broader side of the chilies and keep them aside. 

9. Wash the soaked dal lightly one more time and grind it in a grinder to a fine paste.

10. Take out the dal paste into a bowl. 

11. Add ¼ tsp salt, ¼ tsp of turmeric powder, and 1 tbsp of finely chopped coriander leaves. 

12. Beat it till light and fluffy.  If it is too thick you may add one or two tsp of water.

13. Keep 1 tbsp of the mixture aside for the gravy.

14. Use the remaining mixture for the pakoras.  Heat a pan with enough oil to deep fry the pakoras.

15. Scoop out 1 tsp of the dal mixture and place it in the oil. 

16. Make 3- 4 of them and fry until golden brown. 

17. Do the same with the remaining mixture.

18. Place the dal mixture which was kept aside for the gravy into the bowl and add 2 cups of water and mix it well.

19. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan. 

20. Add ½ tsp of cumin seeds and fry for a few seconds. 

21. Add the green chillies and stir fry a little. 

22. Pour the slurry dal mixture into the pan and allow it to boil for a minute or so. 

23. Add 3 tbsp of the coriander paste and mix well. 

24. Cook for another minute or so.

25. Add the pakoras to the dal and bring it to boil once and then switch off the heat. 

26. Dhanwani is ready to be served.

Chhattisgarh is one of the 4 states of Central India.  Raipur is its capital. Chhattisgarh literally means ‘Thirty-Six Forts’. Chhattis means 36 and garh means fort. The state has beautiful scenic beauty and water falls. Chitrakot water falls is known as the ‘Niagara Falls of India’.   The state is a merger of both traditionalism and modernism.  Chhattisgarh is known for its lively and diverse culture. 

We will be using preserved bamboo shoots as the fresh ones are not available at the moment.  There will definitely be a difference in taste.    

125 gm Bengal gram (chick peas)

2 tbsp of preserved bamboo shoots

5-6 French beans

2-3 small variety of brinjal

200 gm Gourd

1 tbsp of tamarind pulp

3-4 medium size garlic cloves,

Ginger 1inch piece

1 green chili

¼ tsp turmeric powder (optional)

1 tbsp rice

Few sprigs of coriander leaves.

1. Wash and soak the Bengal gram (black chickpeas) overnight.

2. Wash the chick peas again. 

3. Heat water in a pan and bring it to boil. 

4. Add the bamboo shoots. 

5. Add the chick peas and ½ tsp of salt and stir well.

6. Cook over medium heat, till the chick peas are half cooked.  It will take about 40-45 minutes.

(If you pressure cook the chickpeas it will take about 8-10 minutes)

7. In the meantime, wash the vegetables – the bean, brinjal and the gourd and cut them as in the picture. 

8. Chop the green chilies, peel and chop the ginger and the garlic.

9. Grind the chilies, ginger and the garlic in the grinder and keep it aside.

10. Soak the rice for 2 hours prior to grinding. Grind the rice finely with little water and keep it aside.

11. When the Bengal gram is half cooked, add ¼ tsp of turmeric powder, the chopped vegetables and the ginger-garlic-chili paste and mix well. 

12. Cook over low heat until the vegetables get cooked.

13. Wash and chop the coriander leaves finely and keep it aside.

14. When vegetables are cooked, add the rice water and stir it. 

15. Add the tamarind pulp and mix it well. 

16. Adjust the salt and keep cooking over low heat for one or two minutes more. 

17. Add water if needed to bring the dal to your required consistency.

18. Switch off the heat and sprinkle the chopped coriander leaves.  Aamat is ready to be served with steamed rice.

Central Zone of India shares the international borders of China and Nepal in the North. 

It is bounded by Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha in the east.

Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Maharashtra in the south.

Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi in the west and Himachal Pradesh in the north.

West Bengal is in Eastern India.   It spans from the Himalayan range in the north to Bay of Bengal in the south. Its capital is Kolkata (formerly known as Calcutta).  Calcutta was earlier the capital of British India. While the capital moved to New Delhi, Calcutta remained the capital of West Bengal.

1. Wash and soak channa dal for about 20-25 minutes.

2. Cut the stems and split the green chillies slightly on the broader side.

3. Chop the coconut into small pieces leaving 2-3 pieces as long strand for garnishing. 

4. Crush the cardamoms slightly and keep them aside.

5. Wash and drain the dal and place it in the pressure cooker. 

6. Add the split green chillies, salt, sugar, turmeric powder and 1 cup of water.

7. Close the cooker and place it over the heat.  After the first whistle, reduce the heat to minimum and cook for 3 minutes. 

8. Switch off the heat and allow cooker to cool down.

9. Heat the oil or ghee in a heavy pan. 

10. Fry coconut till lightly browned and keep it aside.

11. Fry the raisin in the same oil and keep it aside.

12. Keep a few raisins and little coconut separately for garnishing the dal later.

13. Add the remaining to the cooked dal.

14. Add the bay leaves to the hot oil in the pan.

15. When they turn brown, add the crushed cardamom and stir-fry for few more seconds. 

16. Pour the fried spices on the dal.

17. Bring the dal to boil and simmer for few seconds. 

18. The dal should be thick and sweetish.  If it is too thick add 1/4 cup of water and bring it to boil again. Dal is ready for serving.

19. Serve it hot with luci/puri. 

20. Should you make the dal of little thinner consistency it could be served with steamed rice as well.

Odisha previously known as Orissa, is a state in Eastern India.  Bhubaneshwar is its capital.  Bhubaneshwar has hundreds of temples so Odisha is also known as The Land of God or the land of Lord Jaganath.  It has some of the finest architectures and arts. There are many rivers, one of them called Ganga of Odisha, although Ganga does not flow through the state.

Vegetable:

1. Wash and peel the ginger piece.  Grate it finely.
2. Wash and remove the stems from the chillies.  Make a slit on the broader side of the chillies and keep them aside.

3. Wash the dal and place in a pressure cooker. 

4. Add green chili, ½ tsp of salt, ¼ tsp turmeric powder and 1 tsp of grated ginger to the dal. 

5. Add 1 cup of water and stir well.  6. Place the cooker on heat.  After the first whistle lower the heat and cook the dal for 2 minutes and then switch off the cooker.  

7. Allow the cooker to cool by itself.

8. In the meantime, wash, peel and cut the plantain and potato into cubes and soak them in water with little salt.  Raw potato and plantain quickly turn brown if they are not taken care of.

9. Wash the remaining vegetables. 10. Cut the pumpkin into slightly bigger chunks with the skin on.  Pumpkins gets cooked very easily. 11. We are using the smaller variety of brinjal.  Cut off the stems and slit the other end slightly.

12. Cut the tomato into quarters.

13. Peel and cut the carrot crosswise into 1” chunk and then the chunks into 4 strips lengthwise.

14. Peel the gourd and chop into smaller pieces. 

15. Cut the bean into 1” long strips.

16. Place all the vegetables on a plate. Add ¼ tsp of salt and ¼ tsp turmeric powder and mix well.

17. Open the lid of the cooker and place the vegetable over the cooked dal in the pressure cooker. 

18. Close the lid and place the cooker over heat.

19. At the first whistle of the cooker, switch off the heat and allow the cooker to cool down by itself.

20. Open the cooker and stir in the dal and the vegetable very gently.

21. Add 1 cup of warm water and bring to boil.

22. Wash the coriander leaves and chop them finely.

23. Heat a pan with 1 tbsp of oil/ghee. 

24. Lower the heat and add 2 dried red chili and cumin seeds.

25. Switch off the heat. 

26. Add ¼ tsp of turmeric and ¼ the red dried chili powder and stir and fry for few seconds.

27. Pour the spice on the dal and mix well. 

28. Boil the dal for another minute or so.

30. Sprinkle the chopped coriander leaves and stir in well.  Dalma is ready. 

31. Serve it hot with steamed rice.

The Jharkhand state is one of the states in the Eastern zone of India. Ranchi is its capital. Jharkhand is known for it rich mineral resources and forests. It is also known as the land of forest.

Horse gram is also known as Madras gram, Gahat and Hurali and so on. 

The scientific name of Horse gram is Macrotyloma uniflorum.

Horse gram is nutritious and has lots of medicinal properties.

100 gm Horse gram/Kulthi

½ tsp turmeric powder

2 green chillies

2 medium size tomatoes

A few sprigs of coriander leaves

½ tsp salt

For tempering:

1 tbsp oil

2 Dried red chillis

A few garlic cloves

1 tsp of cumin seeds Salt to taste

1. Wash and soak the dal overnight. 
2. Discard the water.  Wash the dal one more time and drain it.

3. Wash the chillies and cut off the stems.  Make small slits on the broader side of the chillies.  

4. Wash and cut the tomatoes into cubes. 

5. Wash and chop the coriander leaves finely.

6. Pressure cook the dal, with salt, turmeric,1 green chilli, the tomatoes and 1 cup of warm water. 

7. After the first whistle,  lower the heat and cook for 2 minutes. 

8. Allow the cooker to cool down on its own.

9. Open the cooker.   Check the lentil, it must be soft and yet retains the shape.

10. If undercooked, cook it for a 1 or 2 minutes more.

11. Open the lid and gently stir in the lentil with 1 cup of warm water and place it over medium heat and let it simmer.

12. Crush 1 or 2 tblsp of the dal for a creamy gravy. 

13. Keep it simmering for about 1 minute. 

14. Add the chopped coriander leaves and stir well and switch off the heat.

Tempering:

15. Heat a pan with 1 tblsp of oil.  Lower the heat and add the cumin seeds.  Stir it for a few second and then add the dried red chillies. 

16. Add the chopped garlic and switch off the heat. Garlic burns very easily. 

17. Stir fry the garlic till lightly brown. 

18. Pour the fried spices over the cooked dal.

19. Switch on the heat and stir the dal well and bring it to boil. 

20. Adjust the salt.

21. Kulthi dal is ready to be served with roti or steamed rice.

Andaman & Nicobar Islands are union territories of India with Port Blair as the capital.  They are located in the Bay of Bengal about 1300 km east of mainland India.  They consist of more than 800 islands grouped as the two Islands- Andaman and Nicobar.  The two islands are well known for the white-sand beaches, coral reefs and beautiful palm trees. There are several historical sites such as the Cellular Jail. 

100 gm whole moong dal

1 green chili

½ tsp turmeric powder

1 cheena kela (green plantain)

1 tbsp fresh grated coconut** ½ tsp Salt

For tempering:

1 tbsp refined oil/coconut oil

1 medium size onion finely chopped

1 sprig of curry leaves

2 red dried chillies

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tbsp coriander powder

1 tbsp of tamarind paste

½ cup of fresh coconut milk**

1. Wash and soak the dal overnight.
2. Wash it again with water before cooking.

3. Wash and peel the green plantain.  Cut them into small pieces.

4. Wash and cut the green chilli too into small pieces.

5. Pressure-cook the moong dal, with, 1 tbsp of grated coconut, ¼ tsp of turmeric powder, ½ tsp of salt, green chilli, green plantain, and with ½ cup of water. 

6. After the first whistle lower the heat and cook for 2 minutes. 

7. Allow the cooker to   cool down on its own.

8. When the cooker cools down, add ½ cup of coconut milk and bring it to boil and allow to simmer.

For tempering:

9. In the meantime, heat the oil over medium heat in a heavy pan.

10. Add the mustard seeds. 

11. When the seeds begin to splutter add the dry red chillies.

12. Add onion and the curry leaves and fry for few more seconds.

13. Add 1 tbsp of tamarind pulp and fry again for a few seconds more.

  14. Pour the cooked dal over the fried spices stirring gently. The consistency of the dal should neither be too thick nor too thin. Add little warm water to your required consistency. 

15. Adjust the salt. 

16. Boil the dal for a minute or so. 

17. Serve hot with steamed rice.

Clean the coconut and remove the fibres from the hard shell.  Refrigerate the coconut overnight. With a hammer, pound the hard shell of the coconut.  The shell will crack and the kernel will separate from the shell easily.

With a sharp knife remove the dark brown skin from the kernel.

Cut the kernel into smaller pieces and grind them finely in a grinder.

Take the grated coconut in a container and pour ½ cup of hot water over it.  Allow it to stand for some time. Squeeze and strain out the liquid— that is your coconut milk!

Soak few pieces of dried tamarind in boiling water for few minutes. When the tamarind becomes soft, squeeze out the tamarind pulp.  Strain it.

Eastern India – shares the international border with Nepal, Bhutan in the north and Bangladesh in the east.

It is bounded by Sikkim in the north, Assam in the east, Andhra Pradesh in the south, and Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh in the west.

The islands of Andaman & Nicobar are located in the Bay of Bengal on the eastern side of the mainland India.

Tripura is one of the “Seven Sisters” states in north east India.  It is the third smallest state of the India. Its capital is Agartala. It is hilly and extensively covered with forests.  During British raj, Tripura was a princely state.

100 gm pink masoor dal

4-5 small onions/ 2 medium size onion

2 tbsp of mustard oil

3 green chilies

Salt to taste

1. Wash and drain the dal.  Keep it aside.

2. Peel, wash and cut the onions finely and keep them aside.

3. Slit the green chillies through lengthwise.

4. Heat a pan with the mustard oil.  5. When the oil smokes, lower the heat and add the sliced onion and the chilies. 

6. Fry them for a while until onion are lightly browned.

7. Keep aside a little for garnishing later.

8. Add the dal and saute for few seconds.

9. Add enough warm water and salt and cook over low heat until the dal is soft and retain the dal shapes.

10. Bring the water to boil, cover it and cook for about 20 minutes until the dal is cooked. 

11. Stir gently from time to time, but make sure to maintain the round shape of the dal. 

12. Add ¼ cup of warm water to the dal and gently stir it.

13. The consistency of the dal should neither be thick nor very thin.

14. Simmer the dal for another few seconds and remove it from the heat.