Lauki/Dudhi/Doodhi Halwa/Bottle Gourd/Sorekayi Halwa

Usually Lauki /bottlegourd we think of only making subji when we get it from the market,today why not try something like sweet and delicious halwa for this Navaratri.This light green rich,creamy delicious halwa is perfect for any occasion to serve as a dessert.Preparation is very similar to carrot halwa. Lauki is a vegetable with coolant property which is good for the body.It will help to remove excess heat and any inflammation from the body.It is also good for diabetic people and heart patients.Happy Navaratri to all of you.

Ingredients:
Lauki,grated-4cups
Sugar-3/4cup
Milk-1/4cup
Ghee-2Tbsp+1tsp
Home made khoya-2-3Tbsp
Cardamom powder-1/2tsp
Cashewnuts-fistful(optional)
Raisins-fistful(optional)

 Method:
1.First thing is  grating lauki, wash lauki and peel the outer skin and grate the lauki with the help of a traditional manual grater or with a food processor.
2.Roughly squeeze  out the juice from grated lauki by hands.
3.Heat a pressure cooker pan and add ghee and let it melt,when it begins to melt
add grated lauki and fry for 2-3 minutes.
4.When the water begin to evaporate add milk and pressure cook the lauki for one whistle.
5.After taking out the cooker lid,continue cooking in a cooker on a medium heat with out closing the lid stirring occasionally.
6.When the mixture is slowly thickening,add khoya, sugar and cardamom and cook on a low flame stirring continously. This is the crucial time you need to give attention as it will be leaving the oil and ready in any minute.
7.When it begins to leave oil take out of the flame.
8.Heat a small tempering kadai,heat tsp of ghee,when it begins to melt fry cashewnuts and raisins until cashews becomes golden brown and raisins puffs up.
9.Add  fried cashews and raisins to halwa and serve hot or cold,both ways tastes nice.

Note:
1.I have not added any food colour to the halwa as it as a natural pale green colour from
lauki.If you want bit more colour you can add green food colour,
2.Cooking in pressure cooker saves lot of time and will be done in one pot.
3.Don't add sugar before lauki is properly cooked.
4.It is advisable to fry lauki in ghee to get rid of the raw smell.
5.Make sure to use thick bottom pan and cook on  low medium flame.
6.This halwa will keep well 3-4days  in the refrigirator.
7.I have used homemade instant khoya,you can also use condensed milk but
reduce or skip the addition of sugar.

Instant Haalu Khova/Milk Khoya/Khova/Mawa/Paal Khova/Dhoodh Khoya/ Home Made Condensed Milk From Milk Powder In Microwave

Khova/Mawa or Khoya is rich milk solid which is prepared by reducing the milk by cooking on a slow flame continuously stirring.You can get readymade khoya in markets.It is mainly used in preparing Sweets like Halwa's ,Burfee's,Peda's etc..Preparing mawa with milk takes longer time and now a days who has got so much patience and time,and if you want to buy good fresh khova it is very expensive and it will not guarantee you the quality.So I  have come up with this awesome recipe of khova. It can be whipped up in minutes using milk powder,ghee and milk,Yes only 3 ingredients.Now there are many festivals around the corner and every one is gearing upto prepare sweet dishes,this will really makes the things easier if you make this in advance and can be stored in the freezer. It can be stored in freezer upto 2months in ziplock bags..Here is the recipe..    

Ingredients:
Milk powder-1cup
Milk- 1/4-1/2cup
Ghee-3Tbsp 

 Microwave Method:
1. Take a bowl add milk powder and ghee mix well,then add milk spoon by spoon to make not to thin or not to thin paste.It should be like slightly thicker than pancake batter.
2. Now cook in the microwave for 1-2 minutes,stirring in between.If the mixture is still thin cook for another minute(it depends on the  capacity of your microwave).
3.Take out and leave it to cool and keep it in the refrigerator for 1-2hours.Now it can be easily form like ball and can be shaped into any forms of shape.
4.It is now ready for preparing any kinds of sweet dishes that requires Mawa/ Khova  for  Halwa's,Burfi's,Peda's and many more..

StoveTop Method:
1.Take a bowl add milk powder and ghee mix well,then add milk spoon by spoon to make not to thin or not to thin paste.It should be like slightly thicker than pancake batter.
2.Heat a thick bottom kadai  or thick bottom nonstick pan,add a Tbsp of ghee when it melts,add the mixture and cook on a low medium flame by stirring continuously for 3-4 minutes.
3.When the mixture begins to thicken take out of the flame and leave it to cool and use it as mentioned above.

Note:
1.I have used 3-4tbsp of ghee,if you want more rich texture you can add upto 1/4 cup to 1/2cup of ghee and less milk,you will need less milk when you use.
2.No need to melt the ghee while mixing with milk powder.
3.The cooking time may be different,it may take 1 or 2 minutes extra or less ,make sure to cook according to your microwave capacity.
4.In stove top method make sure to cook on a low medium flame as it will burn easily and stir continuously.
5. And you can double the quantity as per your requirement.It can be stored in freezer upto 2 months in ziplock bags.
6.My Peda Recipe in Microwave.

Halu Holige/Halu Obbattu/Milk Poli/Doodh Poli/Paal Poli

Halu holige is a very easy sweet dish of Karnataka.Halu mean's Milk and poli means bread.It is nothing but fried poori's soaked in payasa.This is the first holige dish which I tried when I was new to cooking as I am scared to try Bele hobbatu or Kayi holige for their lengthy procedure.Now there is a festival season going on,This is will be ideal for beginners to try for the coming festivals. 

Ingredients for Poori's:
Wheat flour-1 1/2cup
Maida/Plain flour-1/2 cup(extra  for dusting)
Ghee-1Tbsp
Salt-pinch
Water for kneading
Oil for frying

Ingredients for Kayi Halu/Gasagase Halu/Payasa:
Gasagase/Poppy seeds-2Tbsp
Almonds-Fistful
Grated fresh coconut - 1 cup
Dry coconut/Kobbari-1Tbsp
Cardamom pods-3-4
Jaggery-3/4cup crushed 
Water -1cup
Milk-1 1/2 cup
Cashewnuts-fistful(optional)
Raisins-fistful(optional)
Ghee-1Tbsp for  serving

Method for poori's:
1.In a wide bowl, add wheat flour,maida,salt and ghee.Mix the ghee with flour with the fingers until it forms crumbly texture.
2.Now add water little by little and knead a stiff dough like Poori dough.
3.Apply ghee to the dough and keep it for 20-30 minutes covered.
4.Take a  gooseberry size dough and roll it into thin poori's of  6-7 inch diametre using maida for dusting.Dust off the excess maida  after rolling and keep the rolled poori's on a clean surface or on a news paper.
5.Heat a oil in a kadai which is big enough to fry poori's,deep fry the poori's one at a time on 
a low medium flame until they are crisp on both sides and take out on colander or kitchen 
tissue to drain out extra oil.

Method for Kayi Halu/Gasagase payasa
1.Dry roast the poppy seeds  until  poppy seeds becomes little brownish & crisps up and nice aroma comes out,leave it to cool.
2.In a mixie jar add roasted  poppy seeds ,fresh coconut,dry coconut,almonds,cardamom seeds dry grind first then add water and grind it into fine paste.
3.In a pan add jaggery and  1  cup water cook until jaggery dissolves then remove it and filter it through seive to remove any impurities.
4.Then again pour back jaggery syrup to the same pan mix the grinded paste mix well add water to thin it and cook it on a medium low flame for 5minutes.
5.Fry the cashwenuts and raisins in ghee and add to the above mixture.
6.When the payasa is boiling add 1.5cup of milk and boil for 1 to 2minutes and turn off the heat.

To Serve:
1.Fold the fried poori's  into quarters.Heat the kayi halu.
2.On a serving  plate,place the folded poori's and pour the warm kayi halu on top  along with dollop of ghee. 

Note:
1.Here for payasa I have added raisins and cashewnuts,if you don't like it you can skip it.
2.Don't soak poori's for long as it will make poori's very soggy,only pour payasa on poori just before serving.

Hummus With Roasted Red Pepper

Hummus is a Middle Eastern dip  made out of boiled chickpea's along with sesame seeds paste(Tahini),olive oil and lemon juice,usually served with bread.There is no end to the varieties of hummus preparation,the recipe is so versatile that it will  blend easily with most of vegetables and herbs which will add different flavours to the hummus.Here I have prepared hummus with Roasted red peppers.

Roasting red peppers will adds smokiness and flavour to the peppers.
It can be roasted in 2 ways.
1.Grill Method
This method is good when you have more peppers to roast.Preheat the grill and turn the oven to 250'C,place the oven rack to the highest position,making sure that the peppers still fit under the grill without touching the flame or heating element.Place the whole peppers on a baking sheet and slide them under the grill,make sure to keep an eye on the peppers by turning them often as they brown using long tongs.The skin of the peppers will charred and bubble but don't get them over burn,The total roasting time will be 5-20 minutes depending on the size of the peppers and the capacity of your oven/grill.
2.Stove Top Method:
If you got only one or two peppers to roast try this method using metal tongs,hold the peppers directly over the flame and turn the peppers as the skin gets charred.
After roasting,place the roasted peppers in a bowl,cover with cling wrap or tight fitting lid and leave it for 5-10 minutes.This will make them sweat and it will be easier to peel the skin.Remove the seeds and chop.This can be used in any salads or any dish as you like.

Ingredients:
Red pepper/ Red Capsicum/Red Bell Pepper-1(Roasted)
Chick peas(boiled) -11/2cups
Tahini Paste(Sesame seed paste)-2Tbsp
Garlic- 3 cloves
Olive oil-1/4cup
Lemon juice-2Tbsp
Roasted cumin powder-1tsp
Black pepper powder-1/2 tsp
Chilli flakes-1/2tsp
Chilli powder/Paprika-1tsp(optional)
Salt to taste
Sesame seeds,chilli flakes and olive oil for garnishing

Method.
1.Add every thing except olive oil in a blender or food processor  and blend pouring olive oil bit by bit until it becomes a smooth paste.
2.Take out the hummus to a bowl,drizzle olive oil,sprinkle few sesame seeds and chilli flakes on top of the hummus.
3.Serve with toasted pitta bread or any kind of bread of your choice.

Note:
1.You can use coriander or parsley when blending.
2.Adjust the spices less or more according to your preference and taste.
3. In Kannada,Red pepper/Red capsicum  Known as Dappa kempu menasinakayi/Donne kempu menasinakayi.
4.In Hindi,it is known as Lal Shimla mirch.
5.It can be stored in a jar or air tight box for up to week in the fridge.

6. Check out my  Hummus and other Middle eastern recipes

Kayi Kadubu/Sihi Kadubu/Steamed Modaka With Coconut And Jaggery Stuffiing/Kozhukattai/Ukadiche Modak

Gouri and Ganesh Chaturthi/Vinayaka Chauthi is on 16th and 17 September

Kadubu/Modak is a healthy delicacy made out of rice flour covering stuffed with savoury or sweet fillings which is steamed.Kadubu as we call in Kannada,is prepared during Ganesha Chaturthi which falls on Bhadrapada masa.As they tell in purana's Lord Ganesha was very fond of  steamed Kadubu's,Mata Gouri used to prepare it for Ganesha so that is why it has become a tradition to prepare Kadubu or Modak during this festival. In my family we  prepare Kara Kadubu (savoury) and Sihi Kadubu(sweet).Kara Kadubu usually have the Channadal vada(Ambode) filling or Uraddal vada(Uddina vade)  filling in it.In Sihi Kadubu the choice is endless,coconut and jaggery mixture,Dry sesame mixture(we call this suslu kadubu),Peanut and jaggery to name few.Here is my version of Sihi kadubu..Happy Gouri and Ganesh Chaturthi to all my viewers. 

Ingredients:
For Covering(Kanaka)
Rice flour-1cup
Ghee-1tsp
Salt-1/2tsp
Water-2cups

For Stuffing(Hoorna)
Grated fresh coconut-1cup
Jaggery,crusdhed-1cup
Khuskhus/Gasgase/Poppy seeds-2tsp
Cardamom powder-1/2tsp
Cashewnuts-fistful
Ghee-1tsp

Method:
1.In a pan boil a cup of water, add tsp of ghee and salt and let it boil.
2.When water begins to boil,add rice flour to the boiling water mix well take out of 
the flame then close the lid and keep it aside to cool a bit.
3.Heat pan add khuskhus,dry roast until the khuskhus turns light brown and starts popping
take out on a plate and keep it aside.
4.In a same pan  add tsp of ghee and let it melt then add jaggery and allow it to melt on a low flame because jaggery will burn easily,make sure to stir it continuously,when it melts completelyadd grated coconut and cook until the mixture thickens.
5.When the mixture begins to thicken,add roasted khuskhus,cardamom powder and cashewnuts and cook for 2-3minutes and take out of the flame and allow it to cool.
6.Now take a rice flour mixture and knead it on a clean surface or on a wide plate or bowl,when still it is warm,Knead it like a chappati dough until it becomes soft.
7.Divide the dough into lemon size balls,take a  one rice ball dip it in rice flour and roll out 5cm discs then take a kadubu mould,pace the rolled disc on the mould,add Tbsp of  coconut filling in the middle.
8.Smear the water to the edges then gently press the mould  to seal the edges and remove the excess dough from the edges.Now open the mould gently,and remove the finished kadubu.Do the same procedure to all the remaining balls.
9.Place the kadubu's on  lightly greased idly plates and steam it for 10-15 minutes. Kadubu's  are ready to offer neivedya for Lord Ganesha. Serve with Ghee.

Note.
1.Make sure to keep an eye on when melting jaggery,beacuse it will burn easily.
2.I have used kadubu mould which is typical south indian style but if you have modak 
mould you can  use it.
3.Don't over fill the mould, the mixture will oozes out  when you steam it and will be a messy kadubu.
4.Along with cashews you can add any dry nuts and raisins.
5.If you don't have the  any sort of moulds,then simply roll out the discs and take disc on your left hand palm,place the tbsp of mixture,smear the edges with water then gently close them by sealing the edges in to a cresent shape and steam it as normal.
6. To check the whether the coconut mixture is ready ,wet your hands and touch the mixture if it sticks it is not ready and needs to cook more or if it doesn't sticks then it is ready.

Ambode / Masala Vade With Sapsige Soppu/Channa dal Vada/ Fritters With Dill Leaves

Ambode or channadal fritters is one of  the famous fried snacks of Karnataka, prepared during festivals and family gatherings.Ambode  prepared with dill leaves gives it  a distinct flavour and taste that you can't stop eating them :-).Generally ambode and gasagase payasa is good combination and they compliment each other as a part of good menu during the special occasions.Here is my family recipe..hope you all like it.

Ingredients:
Channa dal/Kadale bele/Split Bengal gram-1 1/2cups
Dill greens/Sapsige soppu,chopped-1/2cup
Coriander,chopped-1/4cup
Onion-1 medium sized,finely chopped
Fresh coconut,chopped into small pieces,1 or 2Tbsp(optional)
Curryleaves,chopped-1sprig
Oil for frying

Masala for grinding
Dry red chillies-3
Green chillies-2
Ginger-1 inch piece
Jeera/cumin-1/2tsp
Black peppercorn-7-8
Cinammon stick-small piece(optional)
Cloves-3-4(optional)
Turmeric- pinch
Rock salt/salt to taste

Method:
1.Wash the channadal and soak in a clean water for 30-45 minutes.After soaking drain it in colander.
2.In  a mixie jar add all the masala's  and coarsely grind it ,then add the soaked channadal and grind it roughly with out adding water.
3.In a bowl add the grinded mixture mix well,now add dill greens,coriander,chopped onion,coconut,and curry leaves mix well. 
4.Heat a oil in a kadai,while oil is heating make a small balls of the channadal mixture and keep it on a plate.
5.When the oil is heated, take a ball on your palms and gently press them to give vada shape and slide them into the oil,do the same with the rest of the balls.
6.Cook them on medium heat,evenly on both sides until golden brown and crispy.
7.Take out the vada's when the bubbles stop  from slotted spoon,drain the excess oil and take out on kitchen paper. Serve them hot.It goes well along with Gasagase Payasa.

Note:
1.You can add little rice flour to the vada mixture if the mixture is little watery.
2.Don't soak channadal too much otherwise will ends up in watery loose mixture.
3.Don't overload the kadai,fry them in batch of 5-6 according to your kadai size.
4.You can make them thick or thin vada's according to your preference.

Karibevina Anna/ Kadipatta/Curry Leaves Rice

Karibevu/Kadi patta/Curry leaves is a staple ingredient in Indian cooking.Curry leaf is usually used in tempering which adds a special flavour to the dish.But there is more to humble curry leaf than simple flavour.It is packed with loads of vitamins and minerals.It is rich in Iron which helps in treating Anaemia.It is also good in controlling diabetes,cholesterol level in blood and improves digestion.Curry leaf is great for haircare in treating grey hair,dandruff,thinning of hair and maintains a healthy scalp.My mother used to make hair oil by cooking curry leaves in coconut oil along with few methi seeds.So now you know the benefits of curry leaves there is no excuse for you not eat this flavourful herb,so what better than preparing a curry leaves rice...This is a flavourful

rice which is very easy to prepare when you have the powder prepared in advance.This rice is nice way to add curry leaves to your kids diet and ideal for kids lunch box.

Ingredients:
Cooked Rice-2cups
Cashewnuts-Few(optional)

For Grinding powder:
Curry leaves/Karibevu-2cups(tightly packed)
Dry red chillies-12 (or to taste)
Dry coconut/Desiccated coconut/Kobri turi-1/4cup
Urad dal-2Tbsp
Channadal-2Tbsp
Toordal-1Tbsp
Cumin seeds/Jeera-1tsp
Peppercorns-1tsp
Garlic-1 or 2 cloves(optional)
Tamarind -thumb size
Salt to taste

For Tempering:
Oil-1Tbsp
Mustard-1/2tsp
Urad dal-1tsp
Curryleaves-few
Hing/Asafoetida-pinch
Dry red chilli-1(Broken into pieces)

Method:
1.Take a fresh curry leaves,wash,drain and pat dry with clean towel and dry thoroughly and spread it on a cotton or a muslin cloth and allow it to dry overnight or if you are lucky enough to get sun then dry it under the sun until they become completely dry.
2.Fry the cashew nuts in a little oil until golden brown take out and keep it aside.
3.In a kadai dry roast all the ingredients except dry coconut and curry leaves,roast them until all the dals become golden brown in colour or until nice aroma comes on a low medium flame.Take out the roasted mixture on a plate,leave the mixture to cool.
4.Now in a same kadai fry coconut and curry leaves separately until coconut become light brown and curry leaves become crisp.Make sure that you fry dry coconut on a low flame because it can be easily burnt within seconds.
5.After all the mixture is cooled thoroughly,mix all the dal mixture,curry leaves and dry coconut  along with salt and dry grind it into a coarse mixture.Store it in a airtight container.It will stay for 2 months in the fridge.
6.Heat a oil in a kadai,add mustard and let them pop then add uraddal,when dal is about to turn the colour add the hing,curry leaves and dry red chilli and takeout of the flame.
7.Add the cooked rice to tempering then on the top of rice add 2-3 Tbsp of curry leaf powder or according to your taste.Now mix rice,powder and tempering thoroughly.
8.Adjust the salt as per your taste,garnish with fried cashews before serving.
9.Serve along with curd rice or on its own.This rice is ideal for travelling and picnics.

Note:
1.Here I have used Byadagi chillies (mild variety),if you like more spice you can add more spicy variety like Guntur chillies.
2.Those who can't find byadagi chillies can use kashmiri chillies.
3.Indtead of fried cashews you can also add fried peanuts.
4.When mixing rice if you find it dry add 1 or 2tsp of oil to mix.
5.Adding garlic to the powder is totally optional.If you make it without garlic,the shelf life will be more.

Sihi Avalakki/Sweet Poha/Sweetened Rice Flakes For Sri Krishna Janmastami

Sihi Avalakki is a simple and very easy sweet which doesn't need any cooking and can make it in a jiffy.It is said that Lord Krishna is very fond of Avalakki and if we offer him Avalakki he will be pleased and bless us with boons.As  we all know story of Sudhama,who offered Lord Krishna a fistful of  Avalakki and in return Sri Krishna blessed him with lot of  good fortune.From childwood I am very fond of this dish and I learnt it and used to do it whenever I feel like eating sweet.Happy Janmastami To all of you...

Ingredients:
Avalakki/Poha/Rice flakes-1cup (Thick Variety)
Powdered Jaggery/Bella-2-3Tbsp or to taste
Grated dry coconut-1/4cup
Cardamom Powder-Pinch

Method:
1.Wash the avalakki thoroughly 3-4 times or until the water appears clear.Soak Avalakki for 2-3 minutes and drain the water and squeeze out the excess water with clean hands.
2.Take  a bowl, add the avalakki and all the remaining ingredients and mix well,and sihi avalakki is ready to offer to Sri Krishna.

Note:
1.I have used a white jaggery thats why the colour is not showing up and I have mixed powdered jaggery.
2.Jaggery can be melted and mix with avalakki.
3.Dry fruits and nuts also can be added.

Gasagase Payasa/Poppy Seeds Kheer/Khuskhus Kheer

Gasagase payasa is one of the popular traditional sweet dish of Karnataka.It is prepared by grinding poppy seeds(Gasagase in Kannada).It is prepared during festivals and family get togethers.It is prepared along with Ambode(Channadal vada/fritters) is a good combination.As this a shravana masa and many festivals around the corner,this will be a perfect dish to prepare.I prepared this dish on Varamahalakshmi vrata.During festivals after having oil massage, head bath and and pooja rituals drinking this payasa will make you doze off to a good sleep.This is because of opium content in poppy seeds.This payasa will relaxes the mind body and soul for sure..here is a authentic recipe from my grandmother.

Ingredients:
Gasagase/Poppy seeds-3Tbsp
Almonds-Fistful
Grated fresh coconut -1/2cup
Dry coconut/Kobbari-1Tbsp
Cardamom pods-3-4
Jaggery-1/2 cup crushed 
Water -1cup
Milk-1cup
Cashewnuts-fistful(optional)
Raisins-fistful(optional)
Ghee-1Tbsp for frying nuts and serving

Method:
1.Dry roast the poppy seeds  until  poppy seeds becomes little brownish & crisps up and nice aroma comes out,leave it to cool.
2.In a mixie jar add roasted  poppy seeds ,fresh coconut,dry coconut,almonds,cardamom seeds dry grind first then add water and grind it into fine paste.
3.In a pan add jaggery and  1 cup water cook until jaggery dissolves then remove it and filter it through seive to remove any impurities.
4.Then again pour back jaggery syrup to the same pan mix the grinded paste mix well add water to thin it and cook it on a medium low flame for 5minutes.
5.Fry the cashwenuts and raisins in ghee and add to the above mixture.
6.When the payasa is boiling add cup of milk and boil for 1 to 2minutes and turn off the heat.
7. Serve hot payasa with dollop of ghee.

Note:
1. Rice is fried and added to give it a thickness,I have not used rice because I have used  more almonds to substitute rice to give both thickness and flavour.
2.Saffron can also be added for more flavour.
3.If you think that payasa is little thick and sweetish,before serving you can add more milk to make it thin and warm it.
4.Check out my other kheer recipes
Barley Payasa/kheer
Shavige Payasa

Rajma Masala/Red kidney beans curry

Ingredients:
Rajma/Red kidney beans-1cup
Onions-2 medium size
Tomatoes-3 medium size
Green chillies-2
Ginger garlic paste-2tsp
Red chilli powder-1 tsp
Coriander powder-1tsp
Turmeric-1/4tsp
Cumin/Jeera powder-1/2tsp
Garam masala-1/2tsp
Kasoori methi-1/2tsp
Bakng soda-pinch(optional)
Oil-1Tbsp
Bayleaf-1
Cumin seeds/Jeera-1/2tsp
Salt to taste
Coriander for garnishing

Method:
1,Wash and soak rajma overnight or 7-8 hours in clean water.
2.Boil rajma in pressure cooker for 4-5 whistles or until fully cooked and soft by
adding pinch soda bicarb.
3,Wash and finely chop onions, tomatoes and slit the green chillies. and keep it aside.
4.Heat oil, add bayleaf and cumin seeds when it begins to pop,add chopped onions and saute till onions are golden brown.
5.Add ginger garlic paste and cook for a minute,then add chilli powder,coriander powder,turmeric,cumin powder stir it on a medium flame.
6.Then add chopped tomatoes and salt, cook till tomatoes are cooked and oil leaves the masala.
7.Add cooked rajma  and lightly mash it then add the stock of cooked rajma and cook on a low flame for 10-15 mnutes, stirring in between.
8.Add garam masala and kasoori methi and cook for further 5 minutes.Garnish with chopped fresh coriander.
9.Serve hot with Steamed rice or rotis.

Note:
1.Baking soda is optonal to cook rajma,if rajma is old stock then its better to use soda.
2.For rich taste add a dollop of butter,it will give silky texture to the gravy and rich taste.
as I didn't add butter because  It was run out of stock in my fridge.