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Green Peas Dhokla

Easy and delicious dhoklas that are made more nutritious with the addition of green peas. Serve this with green chutney to make a sumptuous snack.

Preparation time: Few minutes
Cooking time: 5′/2 minutes
Makes 1 dish
Ingredients

1/2 cup Bengal gram flour (besan)
1/2 cup green peas (boiled)
1 teaspoon ginger-green chilli paste
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon citric acid (crystals)
3/4 teaspoon Eon’s fruit salt
     Salt to taste.
 
For the tempering
 1 tablespoon oil
 1 teaspoon mustard seeds (rai)
 2 green chillies, finely chopped
     a pinch asafoetida (hing)
 1 tablespoon water

For the garnish
 1 tablespoon chopped coriander;
 1 tablespoon grated coconut.

Method

Puree the green peas to a smooth paste using a little water.
Add all the other ingredients to the green pea paste and mix well.
Pour into a 150 mm. (6") diameter and 25 mm. (1") HIGH, greased microwave safe dish with a lid and microwave on HIGH for 3 minutes, covered.
Remove and let it stand for 2 minutes.

For the tempering

Combine the oil and the mustard seeds in a small microwave safe bowl.
Cover with a lid and microwave on high for 1&1/2 minutes.
Add the green chillies and asafoetida and microwave on HIGH for 1 more minute.
Remove from the microwave and add 1 tablespoon of water.

How to proceed

Spread the tempering over the dhoklas and cut into square pieces.
Garnish with coriander and coconut.
Serve hot.

In the heart of New Delhi, located in Kalkaji, south of Delhi, shaped like a half opened Lotus flower, this temple is made of marble, cement, dolomite and sand. It is open to all faiths and is an ideal place for meditation and obtaining peace and tranquility. Bahai’s Temple is a marvel of modern architecture, which is visible from several spots in south Delhi. The lotus flower signifies purity and peace, a representation of the manifestation of God, to the people of India. This ancient symbol has been given a modern and contemporary form in the structure of the Bahai House of Worship drawing into its sanctum sanctorum people from all races, religious backgrounds and culture from around the globe.

It represents the Bahai faith, - an independent world religion; divine in origin, all embracing in scope, broad in its outlook, scientific in its method, humanitarian in its principles, and dynamic in the influence. It is a very recent architectural marvel of the Bahai faith.

In the raising of the House of Worship in New Delhi traditional Indian means of construction were employed coupled with the most modern Western engineering design. Fariborz Sahba, Canadian architect of Iranian origin, spent 10 years in designing and project management, and with the help of a team of about 800 engineers, technicians, artisans and workers brought to realisation one of the most complicated constructions in the world. Rising pure and unsullied above stagnant, muddy waters, the Indians have seen this flower as worthy of emulation, teaching them to be detached from material preoccupations. This temple joins six other Bahai temples around the world. Each of these Houses while sharing some basic design concepts has its own distinct cultural identity embodying the principle of unity in diversity. The structure of the House is composed of three ranks of nine petals; each springing from a podium elevating the building above the surrounding plain. The first two ranks curve inward, embracing the inner dome; the third layer curves outward to form canopies over the nine entrances. The petals, constructed of reinforced white concrete cast in place, are clad in white marble panels, performed to surface profiles and patterns related to the geometry. Nine arches that provide the main support for the superstructure ring the central hall. Nine reflecting pools surround the building on the outside, their form suggesting the green leaves of the lotus flower. Translating the geometry of the design, in which there are virtually no straight lines, into the actual structure presented particular challenges in designing and erecting the framework. Not only was it difficult to align, so as to produce accurately the complex double-curved surfaces and their intersections, but also the closeness of the petals severely restricted workspace. Nevertheless the task was carried out entirely by the local labourers. Thanks to each one who contributed in its construction.

The Bahá’í Temple in New Delhi, however, occupies a unique position. Not only does it embody the spiritual aspirations and basic beliefs of the world-wide Bahá’í community, but, significantly in a land of myriad religions, it has begun to be seen as providing a unifying link, bringing divergent thoughts into harmony by virtue of its principle of oneness - of God, religion, and mankind. This, perhaps, is the secret of its unabated popularity.

Against the backdrop of a religious milieu which encourages the fragmentation of the Supreme reality into innumerable gods and goddesses, each personifying a specific attribute of the almighty, the Bahá’í Temple, with its total absence of idols, elicits bewilderment as well as favourable response. When the main entrance gate was first opened to the general public on 1 January 1987, visitors flocked to the ‘Lotus Temple’ out of sheer curiosity. The vast lawns, the massive white structure, the high-ceilinged Central Auditorium and a Temple without idols standing so near the ancient ‘Kalkaji Temple’ aroused the interest of all.

Visitors from the West often came to critically appraise a structure which had gained fame as a marvel of 20th-century architecture. For them it was sometimes a grudging, sometimes a spontaneous realisation that the phenomenon called faith transcends logic and that the universal ethic of love envelops all. They, too, were humbled at this altar of faith and love.

The best time visit BAHAI temple is:

Summer: 9:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m
Winter:    9:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m
On every Monday this temple remains closed.

No matter what the identity of the visitors, from the Orient or the Occident, from North or South, of humble origins or exalted positions, all have been unanimous in their appreciation of both the physical grandeur as well as the lofty purpose of the House of Worship. One visitor commented: “The most beautiful experience. Its magnificence, charm and glamour are awe-inspiring. It reflects the dream of all humanity to bring together a new civilization for all people.” A renowned visitor from India opined, “Architecturally, artistically, ethically, the edifice is a paragon of perfection.

Crafts Museum of Delhi, established in the year 1956, is situated in Pragati Maidan area. The museum is famous for showcasing the rich tribal and rural handicrafts of artisans from all over the country. It houses a large permanent collection of 20,000 items of folk and tribal arts, crafts and textiles. A unique feature of the Delhi Crafts Museum is that craftsmen from all over India come here to display their skill and proficiency. You can find some of the rarest and the most exquisite pieces of art and craft collected from different areas. Also exhibited in the Crafts Museum of Delhi are architectural displays of various villages.

There are a number of galleries in the Crafts Museum, namely, Tribal and Rural Craft Gallery, Gallery of Courtly Crafts, Textile Gallery, Gallery of Popular Culture, and so on, each based on a particular theme. The museum also consists of mud huts, adorned with exquisite folk art. The handicrafts on display include woodcarvings, paintings, papier-mâché, embroidery, etc. There is even a full-sized wooden haveli from Gujarat in the Delhi Crafts Museum. The reference section of the museum consists of 15,000 objects for the use of scholars, designers and craftsmen.

There is also a Crafts Museum Shop inside the museum that sells books, picture-postcards, along with a wide range of amazing contemporary handicrafts. The shop does not sell souvenir, rather, it is set up to sell the original creations of some of the best craftsmen of India. Another major attraction of the Delhi Crafts Museum is the artisans show then and there how they make their crafts. The various objects that you can buy there include ornaments, rugs, shawls, book, etc, which you can buy either from the museum or even directly from the craftsmen.

By the initial phase of the 1980s, the Crafts Museum, exhibited a praiseworthy collection of 20, 000 artifacts, a massive number indeed. These range from folk and tribal arts, to crafts and textiles is a curiously shaped museum-construct. It was indeed a difficult job for the renowned Charles Correa, the architect, of this building. He was asked to erect an awesome A-class building, sound enough to house such an enormous repertory, and at the same time the structure should not be that conspicuous so as to dim prominence of the simpler but valuable architectural models of rural countryside, displayed there. The marvelous and appropriate Museum-building is in tune with the ancient and historical neighbor, the Purana Qila on the one side and the ethnic Village Complex of the Museum on the other side. Mud-built huts composed of resplendently painted walls and thatched roofs, courtyards, terracotta horses, reminiscent of village shrines, and finally craftsmen at work, amidst such rural environs, give a live demonstration of Indian rustic life . The first gallery is the Tribal and Rural Craft Gallery, is a building of little-elevation, invested with old carved wooden doors, and windows, from Gujarat and Rajasthan, along with champa trees, tulsi-shrines, and a monumental temple-car, existing in the central courtyards. It is wonderful to note the marvelous past traditions, beautifying modern buildings- a fascination fusion of classical tradition with innovative modernity. The magnificent repository of the Crafts Museum, Delhi, created over a considerable time of three decades, incorporates bronze images; lamps and incense burners; ritual ornaments; implements and appliances of daily use; impressive wood and stone sculptures; papier mache; ivories, dolls, toys, puppets and masks; jewellery; embellished metalware including bidri patterns ; paintings; terracotta; cane and bamboo work and a plethora of textiles, accumulated from several areas of India. 

Galleries of folk and tribal arts and crafts, artifacts of refined taste, ethnically rich commodities, and traditional Indian fabrics, available in the Gallery of Tribal Crafts, Textile Gallery and Gallery of Popular Culture.

Added to these, there is installed a `Visual Store` for perfect reference. It consists of approximately, 15,000 things, which can enlighten erudite scholars, designers, craftsmen and the ardent public for intensive as well as extensive study and research. The short but illuminating captions furnish the right data, regarding an item, and the details are well procurable through a consultation with the Museum`s very informative catalogue. The Crafts Museum, Delhi, is unique from the perspective that it not only sustains the ages-old traditions of crafts of India, but also by boosting up the inventive power of craftsmen, who can dexterously mix the old forms with the new notions, to arrive at a meaningful and groundbreaking achievement.

The Crafts Museum Shop, situated within the Museum grounds, sells books, picture-postcards and an immense variety of exotic recent handicrafts. The aim of setting up this shop is to sell and popularize authentic productions of the outstanding Indian craft-artisans.

The Crafts Museum, New Delhi, which remains closed on Mondays, is open on other days of the week, from 1a.m. to 5.30p.m.

The Crafts Museum, New Delhi, is definitely an attention-arresting enterprise, consolidating the necessity for the celebration of indigenous crafts in India.

Located at Bhairon Road, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, the timings for visit to Craft museum are: July to September : 0930 am- 5 p.m. and  October to June : 0930 a.m. to 0600 p.m. It remains closed on Monday and National Holidays.