A classic Sindhi street food of thick lentils and crispy fried dough. Vegetarian. Can be vegan if you replace ghee with oil and milk with water.

Ingredients:

1 cup Bengal Gram

1/4 cup Refined Flour

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp Red chilli powder

1 tsp Garam masala powder

1/2 tsp amchur or dried mango powder

3 tbsp ghee or vegetable Oil

1 tsp whole Cumin seeds

Pinch asafoetida or hing

2 slit Indian Green chillies

9 fresh Curry leaves

FOR DOUGH

1 cup maida or all purpose refined Flour

1 cup atta or indian wholewheat flour

1 tbsp vegetable oil or ghee melted

2 tbsp fine Semolina

1 tsp black pepper powder

1/4 cup plain wholemilk

Water as required

GARNISH

1 small red Onion, peeled and finely chopped

2 tbsp finely chopped Coriander leaves

Sweet and green chutney

METHOD FOR THE DAL

Soak chana dal 3-4 hours until puffy.

Drain, wash and pressure cooker in 3 cups water for two whistles.

Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, garam masala powder, dry mango powder and salt and 1 tbsp ghee.

Stir gently and cook on low heat until mixture thickens. This dal should have a chunky, spreadable consistency.

Heat oil or remaining ghee in a small tempering spoon or mini skillet on high heat.

Add green chillies, curry leaves, asafoetida and cumin seeds and cook till fragrant .

Pour the oil and spices over the dal.

Mix well. Taste for salt and adjust to taste. Remove from the fire.

FOR THE PAKWAN

Sift refined flour or maida and atta into a large bowl.

Add semolina, half teaspoon cumin seeds, black peppercorn powder, oil and salt.

Add milk and stir.

Add room temperature water a little at a time and knead into a soft pliant dough. Cover with a slightly damp cloth and let rest 20 minutes.

Divide the dough into eight portions and keep covered with a damp cloth.

On a flat clean surface dusted with maida, roll each portion into a flat chapati of five-inch diameter using a rolling pin.

Prick lightly with a fork. This prevents the pakwan from puffing up while frying.

Heat vegetable oil in a large kadai or deep heavy bottomed dutch oven on high heat. When hot but not smoking lower temperature to medium and deep-fry pakwan in hot oil until golden and crisp in 2-3 batches. Make sure they are golden on both sides.

Drain over paper towels. Serve immediately with the dal. Spread luke warm cooled dal over the fried dough.Garnish with chopped onion and coriander leaves and chutney as desired.

Triangular cookies made to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Purim. More information on Instagram @deshpandetara

Ingredients

• 1 cup castor sugar
• 1 1/3 cups margarine, room temperature
• 2 large eggs whisked
• 6 tablespoons ice cold water
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1.5 cups Fig, prune, apricot preserves
• 1/4 cup black poppy seeds (optional)
• egg wash

METHOD

Cream or whisk sugar and margarine together with the vanilla. Add eggs and mix to incorporate evenly. Add flour and mix with a fork until it just comes together. Add cold water and using your hands bring the dough together into a flattened ball. Plastic wrap and refrigerate one hour.

Preheat oven to 350f and prepare the middle rung. Line a baking ray with parchment or a silicone mat.

On a clean well floured surface roll out the dough into a square about 1/4 inch thick. Use a 2.5 inch round cookie cutter to cut out circles. Remove excess dough and reuse to cut out more circles.

Place 1.5 teaspoons of preserves in the center of each circle and then using your thumb and forefinger pinch the sides together to create a triangle. Brush sides with egg wash and sprinkle with black poppy seeds if desired. Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden. Cool and enjoy with a cup of tea or coffee. Refrigerate what’s left in an airtight box for up to 3 days.

INGREDIENTS

Yield: 1 (8- or 9-inch) cake

• ¼cup/25 grams unsweetened cocoa powder (Dutch-processed or natural)
• ¾cup/180 milliliters Coca Cola
• ⅔cup/160 milliliters egg mayonnaise
• ¼teaspoon kitchen salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2cup/100 grams granulated sugar
• 1teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1½cups/190 grams maida or all-purpose flour, sifted
• Vegetable oil for greasing the pan

PREPARATION

1. Preheat oven to 350F and prepare lower rung. Grease an 8-9 inch cake pan with some oil and dust lightly with flour.
2. Heat the Coca Cola, sugar and cocoa in a saucepan until sugar has dissolved in a deep saucepan. Switch off the flame.
3. Add the baking soda and let mixture cool 10 minutes.
4. Whisk in mayonnaise, vanilla, salt, baking powder until smooth.
5. Last whisk in the flour and stir until you have no lumps.
6. Pour into the cake pan. Smoothen the top and knock the cake pan agains the counter to ensure there are no air pockets.
7. Bake 25 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
8. Unmold cake on a baking rack and cool. Frost with a ganache or my chocolate cream cheese frosting.