Dahi Vada

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Dahi Vada

Ingredients:

1 cup Urad dal [split black lentils] (soaked for 4 hours)

1 tsp Red Chilly powder

1 tsp Chaat Masala

1 tbsp Jeera [Cumin] powder

3 Cups beaten Curd [dahi]

2 tbsp Khajur Imli ki Chutney*

1 tbsp Coriander leaves (finely Chopped)

Oil for frying

Salt to taste

Method:

Wash and drain the urad dal. Grind together urad dal and salt in a food processor to a smooth paste (with Minimum water). Using your hand beat the batter for 2 minutes till it is airy and light. Keep aside for 10 minutes. Pre-heat oil in a deep frying vessel .Wet your hands with water and take lemon sized quantity of batter and deep fry in hot oil on a slow flame till the vadas are golden or done. Remove     from oil and soak the deep fried vadas in water for about 10 minutes. Finish making vadas with the rest of the remaining batter and put them in water like you did for the earlier batch .Remove the vadas and gently press between your palms to remove excess water., remove excess water and keep aside. Arrange the vadas on a serving dish and top with beaten curd. Put some khajur imli ki chutney on each vada and garnish with chilli powder, cumin seed powder, chaat masala and salt. Sprinkle some chopped coriander leaves and serve.

For Recipe of Chutney*please refer Sweet and Green Chutney for Chaat                

Shahi Tukda

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Shahi Tukda

Ingredients:

3 Bread slices

3 tbsp Ghee

½ Cup + 1tbsp Sugar

½ Cup Water

1 Cup Milk

3 ½ tbsp Sweetened Condensed milk

¼ tsp Cardamom powder

1 tbsp Almonds & Pistachios (sliced)

6-7 Kesar threads [Saffron]

2-3 Edible Silver Leaf [Warq] (Optional)

Method:

Boil ½ cup sugar and water for 8 to 10 minutes until it slightly thickens. Transfer the sugar syrup to a flat bowl and keep it aside to cool. In a non stick pan add milk, condensed milk and 1 tbsp of sugar and boil it for 8 to 10 minutes until it thickens. Switch of the heat and add cardamom powder and mix well. Keep aside to cool. Cut the bread in triangles. Heat ghee in a non stick fry pan and shallow fry the bread triangle till they are golden in colour on both sides.(fry on medium heat) Keep aside to cool. Ones the bread triangles cool soak them in sugar syrup. (Do not soak for too long) Remove and arrange them on serving dish and pour the thick milk mixture on it. Decorate with dry fruits, saffron and silver warq.

Chicken Momos

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Chicken Momos

Ingredients:

For the covering

1 cup Flour

1 ½ tsp Oil           
Pinch of Salt
Water as required

For the filling

200gms Chicken Mince
¼ tsp Soya sauce
1 tsp Garlic (finely chopped)

½ tsp Ginger (finely chopped)
1 Green chilly (finely chopped)
1 tbsp Spring Onion (Finely chopped)
Salt to taste

Method:

In a bowl take chicken mince to that add soya sauce, chopped garlic, ginger, green chilly, spring onion and salt as per taste and mix gently and keep aside. Mix the flour with oil and salt and knead a soft dough adding required quantity of water. Cover the dough with a damp cloth. Take a small ball of the dough and roll it into a thin sheet (Roti) as possible. Cut out 3″ diameter circles using a cutter or any round edged bowl. Put tea spoon full of filling to the center of the circle. Bring all the edges together to the center, making pleats. Pinch and twist the pleats to secure the stuffing. Arrange the momos on a greased steamer or idli cooker. Cover with a lid and steam for about 10 minutes. Serve hot with chilly sauce or sauce of your choice.

Basic White Gravy

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Basic White Gravy

Ingredients:

4 Big Onions (quartered)

½ Cup Cashew nuts

½ Cup Melon Seeds (char magaz)

1 tbsp Garlic paste

1 tbsp Ginger paste

2 Green cardamoms

2 Green chillies (slit)

¼ Cup Mawa (khoya)

½ Cup Hung Curd

½ tsp White Pepper powder

2 tbsp Oil

Salt to taste

Method:

Grate the mawa and keep aside. Soak the cashew nuts and melon seeds in a cup of warm water for half an hour. Drain them and grind them into a smooth paste using required quantity of water. Boil the onions in a pan till they are soft, drain and cool them. Grind them into a smooth paste. Heat oil in a kadai and add boiled onion paste, sauté the paste on medium flame for 2 to 3 minutes. Now add ginger paste, garlic paste, green cardamom, slit green chillies. Add the grated mawa and cashew nut paste and stir well. Add ¾ cup of water and cook on low heat for 7 to 10 minutes. Add the whisked curd, salt to taste, white pepper powder and stir well. Cook for another 2 minutes and remove from heat. Cool the Gravy. If you wish to store the gravy in the deep-freezer for a week, ensure that you avoid adding curd.

Home Made Ravioli (Cheese & Spinach)

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Ingredients:

5 Medium Tomatoes

½ Cup Tomato Puree

½ Cup Fresh Cream

1 tsp Garlic (minced)

1 tbsp Onion (finely Chopped)
1 cup flour

½ Cup Semolina
1 egg
2 tbsp olive oil

1 Cup fresh spinach

1 Cup Cheese (grated)

5-6 Fresh Basil Leaves

½ tsp Oregano

¼ tsp Red Chilly flakes

Parmesan Cheese for Garnish
Salt Sugar to Taste

Method:

Blanch the spinach with pinch of salt. Squeeze out water and chop it. In a bowl place the cooked spinach along with ½ cup grated cheese. Combine the mixture very lightly. Take the flour & semolina to that add pinch of salt, 1 tbsp olive oil and egg and mix. Knead soft dough with water. Cover the dough, and let it sit for 20 minutes. Roll the dough into a thin sheet on a floured surface. Cut the dough into 3 x 3 inch squares. Place the filling 1 tsp at a time into the center of the square. Cover each square with a second piece of ravioli dough and pinch the ends together to seal the ravioli. Boil the water. Place the ravioli into the water and cook until the dough is tender and the ravioli floats to the surface. Drain the ravioli and keep aside. Blanch the tomatoes. Drain and peel the tomatoes. Make halves and remove seeds and roughly chop them. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and fry for 2 minutes stir occasionally. To this add the roughly chopped tomatoes, tomato puree, red chilly flakes, and sugar and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Cook until the sauce thickens. Add fresh cream, basil leaves and season with salt and oregano. Remove from heat. Arrange Ravioli in serving plate and pour the sauce over it. Garnish with grated parmesan.

Mutter Paneer Kofta Curry

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Mutter Paneer Kofta Curry

Ingredients:

1 Cup Mutter [Green Peas]

1 Green chilly

1 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste

1 tbsp Oil

2 Large Potatoes (boiled, peeled& mashed)

100 gm Fresh Paneer [Cottage Cheese] (Grated)

2 tbsp Corn Flour

1 tbsp Fresh Coriander leaves (finely chopped)

Oil for deep frying

Salt to taste

Method:

Boil the green peas and keep aside to cool. In a mixer jar add the green peas along with green chilly and grind them coarsely. Heat 1 tbsp of Oil in a fry pan. Add Ginger Garlic paste and sauté for a minute. Add the green pea’s mixture and salt as per taste, sauté the mixture for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and keep aside to cool. In a bowl add mashed potatoes, grated paneer, corn flour and salt as per taste. Knead well to make soft dough. Apply little oil to your palm and take a small portion of the dough and flatten it to make a cup shape. Take approximately 1 tsp of green pea’s mixture and add on the cup shape dough. Carefully close the cup shape and roll it between your palms to make a ball shape (kofta). Heat oil in a fry pan and fry all the koftas till they are golden in colour or done. Remove on paper towel to drain excess oil. For Gravy please refer Basic Makhani Gravy recipe.

While serving keep the koftas in a serving bowl and then pour the hot gravy on top. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve immediately.

Besan Ladoo

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Besan Ladoo

(Sweet balls of Gram Flour)

Ingredients:

2 Cups Besan [Gram flour]

¾ Cup Vanaspati Ghee (Vegetable shortening)

1½ Cup Powdered Sugar

1 tbsp Milk

½ tsp Jaifal powder [Nutmeg]

1 tbsp Golden raisins

Method:

Dry roast the besan in a kadai or pan on slow flame for about 8-10 mins. Keep on stirring continuously so that the besan is not burned and there is even browning. Melt the ghee and keep aside. Add the melted ghee and continue roasting the besan for another 5-6 minutes stirring continuously. The besan would start to give a nice nutty fragrance and will start releasing ghee. Once you get a strong nutty fragrance, now sprinkle milk and stir and switch off the flame. Cool the besan to room temperature. Now add the powdered sugar and Nutmeg powder. Mix well so that no lumps are formed. Now add raisins and make small or medium sized ladoos and store them in air tight container.