CHALE DALE CHEESE BAKE

This was our dinner last night. I had prepared some spinach koftas a week back, refrigerated to add some curry to it mid week and have with handmade breads for a dinner. I forgot all about it. Not even last Saturday I could remember. Yesterday noon time, on my walk I remembered all about it and had to cook and wrap it up by night. Thanks to the Almighty it did not spoil, it would have if I did not take the effort yesterday evening fearing Cristine is not there to help on a regular Sunday. After a siesta post a late lunch, I cooked a dinner for us, this cheesy rice & lentil dish, a vegetarian main dish CHALE DALE CHEESE BAKE  was made as half a packet of shredded cheddar was lying unused for over a month. On the red bowl are some store bought frozen fish tempura I cooked in grill mode. With that an old blog post PALAK / SPINACH KOFTA CURRY gets updated with new pictures.

In this vegetarian rice and dal cheese bake, there is less frill. I mean instead of preparing and adding white sauce; I added some spicy cooked vegetable mix instead in the second layer, in the third layer again rice and on the top, the cheese. All these unusual proceedings, a "jirey, dhoney, aamchoor powder" in a cheese bake only because I wished to have a dinner together with the men. The shredded cheddar cheese suited me because it was not that melty self hugging the cooked rice & lentil grains tight and making my life miserable. It lay as a top crust, the freshly crushed black pepper made it fairly edible for me.

I will not chat here with stories from my kitty, we are a bit occupied today. Its good that the man is at home this week. I keep telling my mother not to complain with life, she has a son in the next room for 24/7 for the past three months, people live single without anyone to talk to in this pandemic situation, not even helps are given access. They do all the household works alone, visit the market to get produce alone and do not start complaining about life once the phone is on. We have to love life and be less critical. Anyway, I think the rest in my family back home would enjoy this vegetarian, main dish with rice, roasted yellow moong, carrot, green pea, corn, onion, green chilli, cumin+coriander+aamchoor powders, salt, shredded cheddar cheese CHALE DALE CHEESE BAKE. Yes, I did have it with the tempura fish, salad, kofta curry last night sitting with the men; but my lunch yesterday was better with "thor ghonto, kumror khoshar bhorta, dimer mamlet."

Now Cristine served me "porota & kofta curry" with my morning tea. She will not eat two koftas and we must finish all of it by lunch time today.

INGREDIENTS :

RICE : 3/4 COFFEE MUG [I USED BASMATI]
SPLIT YELLOW MOONG BEAN : 1/4 COFFEE MUG [I USED THE SONA MOONG VARIETY AVAILABLE IN WEST BENGAL, VERY SMALL GRAINED]
WATER : 2 COFFEE MUG
SHREDDED CHEESE : 150GM [I USED SHREDDED CHEDDAR]
CHOPPED CARROT : 1/2 SMALL SIZED TEA CUP
CHOPPED GREEN CHILLI : 1 TBSP
CHOPPED ONION : 1/2 MEDIUM SIZED TEA CUP
SWEET CORN : 2-3 TBSP
GREEN PEA : 3-4 TBSP
CUMIN POWDER : 1/2TSP
CORIANDER POWDER : 1/2TSP
DRY MANGO POWDER : 1TSP
CRUSHED BLACK PEPPER : 1 TSP
CUMIN SEED : 1/4 TSP
SALT : AS REQUIRED
OIL : 3 TBSP


PROCEDURE :

I had done the necessary chopping of the vegetables, taken them together in a bowl and washed. I marinated them with little salt and kept aside for 10 minutes, covered.

In a wok, I had taken the split yellow moong bean and roasted at minimal heat for 7-8 minutes.

I took the roasted dal in a deep bottomed vessel and washed. I added one cup of water and a little of salt to it.

I had put it for boil at minimal heat, covering 80% of it, else it would spill. 

Once it is 40% to 50% boiled, I drained and added the washed rice I had soaked for 15-20 minutes in water. 

In my case, the dal took less time to cook as it was small grained, bigger sized moong beans will take more time.

I added 1 more coffee mug of water, little salt, stir and cover cook at low heat until it turns semi-dry.

I checked 2-3 times in between.

Once done I switched off the burner, took the vessel down and keep covered for 10-12 minutes. When opened, the rice & dal volume will increase. I had to lock in the steam.

I heated the oil in a wok and tempered it with the cumin seeds. I gave a stir and added the marinated vegetables.

I added cumin+coriander+dry mango powders to it and stir cooked at low heat for 5 minutes. It was done.

I had taken a bake proof tray; added half of the rice to it and had spread the cooked vegetables on it.

Then, I had spread the rest of the rice and the shredded cheddar cheese on top.

I pre-heated my convection mode microwave at 200*C for 10 minutes placing the low wired stool on it.

I had covered the baking tray with an aluminium foil, placed it atop the stool and baked at 200*C for 20 minutes.

Once done, I garnished the top with the crushed black pepper.

I had served it with spinach kofta curry and fish tempura. You can get any side but serve everything hot.