Saturday, March 22, 2008

Badam Milk


Ingredients:

1 litre milk, boiled and cooled
6 tbsps sugar
1 tsp rose essence
1/4 tsp pink colour
a pinch of saffron
few almonds and pistas soaked, peeled and sliced

Method:
  • Add sugar and saffron to the milk and mix well.
  • Add rose essence and colour.
  • Blend all together and serve chilled in glasses with slices of badam and pista sprinkled on top.

Roat

Ingredients:

Flour - 2 cups
Ghee - 1 cup
Sugar - 1 cup
Baking Powder - 2 tsps
Vanilla essence - few drops
Sooji - 2 tbsps

Method:
  • Mix ghee and sugar.
  • Add flour, sooji and baking powder.
  • Knead and add essence.
  • Refrigerate for 10 minutes.
  • Now divide the dough into small portions and roll out into poories.
  • Brush and bake in a pre-heated oven for 30 minutes until done.

Frozen Lemon


Ingredients:

Lemon Juice - 100 ml
Sugar Syrup - 100 ml
Ice Cubes, Crushed - 15 nos.

Method:
  • Mix all the contents and blend it well till it becomes like a thick sorbet.
  • You can use a mixer-grinder for mixing the contents.
  • Pour it in a nice cocktail glass and garnish it with a slice of fresh lemon.

Paneer Laddoos


Ingredients:

Paneer - 200 gms
Sugarless Mava (reduced Milk) - 50 gms
Castor Sugar - 200 gms
Desiccated Coconut - 100 gms
Cashewnuts - 15 nos.
Almonds - 15 nos.
Raisins - 15 nos.
Ghee - 5 tbsps
Cardamom Powder - to taste

Method:
  • Fry the chopped cashewnuts, almonds and raisins in ghee.
  • In a heavy bottomed kadai, roast paneer in ghee over a slow fire.
  • Add sugar and stir fry.
  • Now add the mava and stir fry everything together.
  • Add cardamom powder and allow the mixture to cool.
  • Finally, make balls and stuff them with fried dry fruits and roll the stuffed balls in desiccated coconut.

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Urad Dal Chutney

Ingredients:

Urad Dal - 50 gms
Asafoetida - 2 pinches
Dry Red Chillies - 10
Coriander Seeds - 2 tsp
Fenugreek Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Fistful Tamarind - 1 small
Onion - 1 small
Oil - 2 tsp
Salt - to taste

Method:
  • Wash the tamarind, drain water and keep aside.
  • Heat oil and add the red chillies, asafoetida, coriander, mustard and fenugreek seeds and the dal all together and mix till the dal just begins to turn colour.
  • Remove from fire, sprinkle a little water, add the tamarind and pound.
  • Then add salt and the onion and pound again.

Orange Sandesh

Ingredients:

Paneer - 500 gms
Powdered Sugar - 4 - 5 tbsps
Orange Juice - 1 tsp
Orange essence - 2 drops (or)
Orange colour - 2 drops

For decoration:

Orange segments - 2
Almonds, blanched and sliced - 4
Pistachios, blanched and sliced - 4

Method:
  • Knead the paneer thoroughly with the sugar.
  • Add the orange juice, orange essence and orange colour and mix well.
  • Spread half this mixture to form a 125 mm. square on a plate or dish.
  • Arrange half the orange segments on top.
  • Cover with the remaining paneer mixture, spreading it evenly on top chill.

Quick Orange Mousse

Ingredients:

Orange jelly - 100 gms
Vanilla Ice cream - 1/2 litre
Lemon Juice - 1 tsp
Orange Essence or Orange Colouring - few drops
Sweetened cream for decoration

Method:
  • Dissolve the jelly in 3 teacups of boiling water.
  • Pour over the ice cream and place over the ice.
  • Add the lemon juice and beat continuously until light and fluffy. Add the orange essence.
  • Pour into individual tall glasses and put to set in the refrigerator.
  • Just before serving, decorate with sweetened cream.
  • Serve hot.

Citrus Cooler

Ingredients:

Orange squash - 1 tbsp
Lemon Juice - 1 tsp
Thick fresh cream - 2 tsps (or)
Vanilla Ice cream - 2 tsps
Lemonade - 1 bottle

Method:
  • Chill the lemonade.
  • Put the fruit in a tall glass and then add the orange squash.
  • Add the lemon juice and ice cream and top with the chilled lemonade.
  • Garnish it with orange and serve chilled.

Sandwich Bake

Ingredients:

White bread slices - 6
Butter - 3 tbsps
Hot Milk - 2 cups
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Vanilla essence - 1 tsp
Raisins - 1/2 cup

Method:
  • Preheat oven to 180 degree Centigrate, butter bread slices.
  • Keep one slice on top of another and make three sandwiches.
  • Cut each of them into four triangles.
  • Arrange the triangles in a baking dish so each triangle overlaps the previous one.
  • Take hot milk in a bowl, add sugar and stir till it dissolves.
  • Add vanilla essence and mix.
  • Pour this mixture over the bread slices and press the bread lightly so that they soak up most of the milk.
  • Sprinkle raisins on the top.
  • Place the dish in the preheated oven and bake for about 40 minutes.
  • Serve hot or cold.

Radish and Raw Papaya

Ingredients:

Whole Wheat Flour - 450 gms
Radish, grated and squeezed - 100 gms
Raw papaya, grated and squeezed - 100 gms
Red Chilli powder - 20 gms
Chopped Onions - 5 gms
Salt - to taste
Water - 200 ml
Chaat masala - 10 gms
Chopped Ginger - 10 gms
Garam masala - 5 gms
Ghee - to fry
Chopped Green Chillies - 5 gms

Method:
  • Make a dough with whole wheat flour and water.
  • Add all powdered masalas to the radish and raw papaya and mix well along with chopped onions, ginger and green chillies.
  • Fill this mixture in parathas and pan fry.
  • Serve hot.

Aloo Tikki and Chole

Ingredients:

Whole Wheat Flour - 450 gms
Potatoes, boiled and mashed - 100 gms
Ajwain - 10 gms
Red Chilli powder - 20 gms
Cooked chole - 75 gms
Salt - to taste
Water - 200 ml
Chaat masala - 15 gms
Chopped ginger - 10 gms
Garam masala - 5 gms
While Jeera - 10 gms
Ghee - to fry
Chopped Green Chillies - 5 gms

Method:
  • Make a dough with whole wheat flour and water.
  • Add all the powdered masalas to the mashed potatoes and temper with white Jeera and make small tikkis and shallow fry till dark brown.
  • Then mash these tikkis again and add chick peas and lightly crush with mashing completely.
  • Fill this mixture in parathas and pan fry.
  • Serve hot.

Lauki and Chana Dal

Ingredients:

Whole Wheat Flour - 350 gms
Refined Flour - 100 gms
Ajwain - 10 gms
Bottle Gourd (Lauki) grated and squeezed - 100 gms
Chick peas (chana dal) - 75 gms
Salt - to taste
Water - 200 ml
Chaat masala - 15 gms
Chopped Ginger - 10 gms
Garam Masala - 5 gms
Red chilli powder - 10 gms
Ghee - 3-4 tbsps
Chopped Green Chillies - 5 gms

Method:
  • Make a dough with whole wheat flour, refined flour and water and add ajwain to it.
  • Mash the grated lauki and cooked chana dal along with some garam masala, red chilli powder, chaat masala, chopped green chillies, chopped ginger and salt.
  • Fill this mixture in parathas and roll and pan fry in desi ghee.
  • Serve hot.

Coconut and Jaggery

Ingredients:

Whole Wheat Flour - 450 gms
Fresh Coconut, grated - 100 gms
Jaggery - 70 gms
Fennel - 10 gms
Salt - to taste
Ghee - 2-4 tsp
Water - 200 ml

Method:
  • Make a dough with whole wheat flour, salt and water.
  • Mash Jaggery with a fork and add a little salt and grated coconut along with broiled and crushed fennel seeds.
  • Fill this mixture in the parathas, roll and pan fry in desi ghee.
  • Serve hot.

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Microwave Poha

Ingredients:

Rice flakes (poha) - 2 cups
Onion - 3 finely chopped
Green Chillies - 3-4
Roasted Peanuts - 1/4 cup
Oil - 2 tbsps
Curry Leaves - 8-10
Turmeric Powder - 1 tbsp
Salt - To taste
Lemon Juice - 1 tbsps
Coriander leaves - 1/4 cup

Method:
  • Wash the poha and place in a strainer to drain.
  • In a microwave safe bowl, add oil, onions, green chillies, curry leaves and crushed peanuts.
  • Cook uncovered, on convection microwave 'HIGH' for three minutes.
  • Add the turmeric powder, poha and salt.
  • Mix well and cook, covered, on 'HIGH' for five minutes.
  • Add the lemon juice.
  • Mix and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Malvani Masala Powder

Ingredients:

50 whole dry red chillies (bedgi)
1/4 cup coriander seeds (dhania)
12 cloves (loung)
7-8 black peppercorns
2 tsps fennel seeds (saunf)
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
3/4 tsp caraway seeds (shahi jeera)
2 black cardamoms
5 two inch sticks cinnamon
1 1/2 tbsps stone flower (dagad phool)
1/2 tsp nagkeshar
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 inch piece turmeric stick
1/2 tsp asafoetida
1 nutmeg
1/2 star anise

Method:
  • Dry roast all the ingredients one by one.
  • Cool and grind to a fine powder.
  • It makes 100 grams of Malvani masala powder.
  • This masalas is recommended for any coconut based dish and sea food.
Note : It is used widely in the Malvani region on the Western Coast of India.

Chaat Masala

Ingredients:

4 tbsps coriander seeds (dhania)
2 tsps cumin seeds (jeera)
1 tsp carom seeds (ajwain)
2-3 whole dry red chillies
3 tbsps black salt
1/2 tsp citric acid
1 tsp dry mango powder (amchur)
1 tbsp salt
1 tsp while/black pepper powder

Method:
  • Dry roast coriander seeds, cumin seeds and carom seeds separately.
  • Cool and powder them with whole dry red chillies, black salt and citric acid.
  • Mix in amchur, salt and pepper.
  • Store in an air-tight container.

Garam Masala Powder

Ingredients:

10-12 blades mace (jawitiri)
8-10 one inch sticks cinnamon (dalchini)
25 cloves (loung)
25 green cardamoms (elaichi)
10-12 black cardamoms
2 nutmeg (jaiphal)
8-10 bay leaves (taj patta)
8 tsps cumin seeds (jeera)
20-24 black peppercorns (kali mirch)

Method:
  • Dry roast all ingredients lightly.
  • Cool and grind to a fine powder.
  • Makes 100 grams of garam masala powder.

Green Peas Halwa

Ingredients:

Green peas - 350 gms
Milk - 500 ml
Almonds - 3
Sugar - 150 gms
Ghee - 1 tsp

Method:
  • Boil green peas and mash into a fine paste.
  • Keep aside.
  • Boil the milk and stir until it reduces to half.
  • Add green peas paste and stir.
  • Add sugar and stir till it dissolves.
  • Add a spoon of ghee and continue to cook on a low flame, stirring all the time.
  • Cook till all the milk is absorbed and a fine aroma rises.
  • Garnish with sliced almonds.

Red Chilli Pickle

Ingredients:

Red chillies - 500 gms
Tamarind - 250 gms
Asafoetida - 2 tbsps
Fenucreek seeds - 100 gms
Salt - to taste

For tempering:

Mustard seeds - 1tsp
Urad dal - 2 tsps
Curry leaves - 1 spring
Oil - 1 tbsp

Method:
  • Pound together the red chillies and tamarind and leave for a day.
  • Roast the fenugreek seeds and asafoetida and grind to a powder.
  • Add this and salt to the chillies, mix well and store in an airtight container.
  • When required, take a small quantity, prepare the tempering and pour over the pickle.
  • Serve with rice or dosa.

Red Chilli Sauce

Ingredients:

1/2 kg Red chillies paste
1 tsp Garlic paste
5 tsps Vinegar
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Method:
  • Heat some edible oil in a pan and stir in the red chilli paste.
  • Add the garlic paste, vinegar and salt and keep on medium heat till the sauce is cooked.
  • The paste can be made thick and diluted before serving.
  • Chilli sauce can also be preserved and used at a late date.