Saturday 16 May 2015

Jackfruit Kheer

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Jackfruit Kheer
Ingredients:
1 Cup Dalia [Lapsi, Broken Wheat]
1 ½ Cup Jaggery [Gud](grated)
1 ½ Cup Jackfruit [Phanas] (Roughly chopped)
2 tsp Besan (Gram flour)
2 tbsp Ghee [clarified butter]
2 Cups Coconut Milk (Fresh 1st Extract)
½ tsp Cardamom Powder [Elaichi]
8 -10 Saffron [Kesar] Strands
Method:
In a pan dry roast the gram flour and keep aside. Heat 1 tbsp of ghee in the same pan. Roast broken wheat on a low flame stirring continuously for 6 to 7 minutes till the raw smell goes away.  Pressure cook the roasted broken wheat with 1½ cups of water till 4 to 5 whistles. Heat a heavy bottomed vessel. Add 1 tbsp of ghee to that add grated jaggery and pressure cooked broken wheat. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes by stirring in between. Now add the jackfruit and mix well. Cook for another 2 minutes. Add the roasted gram flour and give it a good stir. See that there are no lumps. Add the coconut milk along with cardamom powder & saffron strands. Stir continuously and bring it to a boil. Serve warm or chilled.

Friday 8 May 2015

Chicken Shami Kabab

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Chicken Shami Kababs
Ingredients:
500 gm Chicken Kheema (mince)              
1 tbsp Ginger Garlic paste
7-8 Red Chillies
1 Medium Onion (Roughly chopped)
¾ Cup Chana dal [Split Bengal gram] (soaked for at least 4 hours)
1 Potato (peeled and cubed)
1 tsp Cumin seeds
1 Black Cardamom
1 Inch Cinnamon
5-6 Black Pepper Corns
4-5 Cloves
1 Egg (lightly beaten)
2-3 Green Chillies (chopped)
1 Onion (finely chopped)
2-3 tbsp Fresh coriander (finely chopped)
2 tbsp Besan [Bengal gram flour] (if needed)
Oil for frying
Salt as per Taste

Method:
Put the chicken kheema along with all (potato, red chillies, roughly chopped onion, chana dal, cumin seeds, ginger garlic paste, cardamom, cinnamon, pepper corns and cloves) the ingredients into a pressure cooker.  Add half a cup of water and pressure cook it. Increase the heat and dry off any excess moisture. Allow this mixture to cool completely.  Remove the red chillies. Then grind the mixture until smooth. In a bowl add Chicken mixture, chopped onion, green chillies, chopped coriander leaves and salt to taste. Mix well. If the mixture doesn’t hold together add besan as required. Take 2 inch balls and shape them into patties. Keep the beaten egg handy in a bowl. Heat oil in a non stick pan. Dip each patty in the egg and shallow fry the patties till they are golden brown and done on both sides. Serve hot with Chutney of your choice. You can prepare Shami Kebabs in advance and can refrigerate it and cook it the next day.

Saturday 2 May 2015

Fresh Mango Lassi

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Fresh Mango Lassi
Ingredients:
1 Ripe alphonso mango
1 ½ Cup Curd
1-2 tsp Sugar
2-3 tsp Fresh Cream (optional)
1 tsp Almonds (chopped)
1 tsp Pistachios (chopped)
5-6 Saffron strands
2-3 Fresh Mint Leaves (optional)
3-4 Ice Cubes
Method:
Peel the skin from the alphonso mango and cut into small pieces. Add the chopped mango in a blender or mixer. Add 1 to 2 tsp sugar. The addition of sugar can be skipped if you want or you can add as per your taste. Add the saffron strands and blend everything till smooth. Then add 1 ½ cups curd and 2 to 3 tsp fresh cream (optional). Add ice cubes. If you want a slightly thin consistency, then add some milk to the mango lassi while blending. Blend for some seconds till everything is mixed well and the curd has become smooth. Pour mango lassi in glasses. Garnish the alphonso mango lassi with some mint leaves or chopped mangoes or chopped almonds & pistachios. Serve Chilled.

Thursday 30 April 2015

Boondi Ladoo

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Boondi Ladoo
Ingredients:
250 gm Besan [gram flour]
¼ tsp Yellow Colour
1 tbsp Almonds (chopped)
1 tsp Cardamom powder
 3 cups sugar
Skimmer with Holes
Oil for frying
Method:
Heat a kadai over medium heat add sugar and ¾ cup water, stir frequently, when sugar dissolves and the mixture comes to a boil check the consistency of the sugar syrup. (One string consistency) add cardamom powder stir well and remove from heat. In a Bowl add besan, yellow colour and water to make a batter with consistency which should not be too thin or thick. Now heat oil in a kadai on medium heat. Place the Skimmer spoon 4-5 inches above the kadai and pour the batter with the help of a ladle. (Clean the skimmer after every use) As the batter droplets fall in the hot oil, fry them until golden in colour. When done, drain it remove and put into a separate bowl. Now add the warm sugar syrup to the boondis very slowly and mix well so that the boondis soak in the syrup. (Use syrup as required) Take ½ of the soaked boondi and churn it in a mixer, this will help in binding of Ladoos.  Mix together both the boondis add the chopped almonds and roll it into small or medium size balls. Ladoos are ready.

Sunday 12 April 2015

Chocolate Walnut Brownie

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Chocolate Walnut Brownies
Ingredients:
¾ Cup Plain Flour [Maida]
1 Cup Sugar (Powdered)
¾ Cup Salted Butter
1 Cup Dark Chocolate (Grated)
¼ Cup Cocoa powder
1 Pinch Baking Powder
3 Eggs
¼ tsp Vanilla Essence
½ Cup Walnuts (Chopped)
Method:
Preheat the oven to 180⁰C. Grease, dust and line the base and sides of a 20cm square cake mould. In a large bowl over some simmering water (Double boiler), melt the butter and the chocolate and mix until smooth. Now add the powdered sugar and stir together. Keep aside to cool. Ones the mixture is cooled add eggs one by one and whisk until thick and creamy. Sift the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder together and fold it in the chocolate mixture. Add vanilla essence and walnuts and whisk gently. Pour your brownie mix into the baking tray, and place in the oven for around 25 minutes on 165⁰C. You don't want to overcook them so, unlike cakes; you don't want a skewer to come out all clean. The brownies should be slightly springy on the outside but still gooey in the middle. Allow to cool in the tray, then carefully transfer to a large chopping board and cut into chunky squares.

Monday 6 April 2015

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.

Wednesday 1 April 2015

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.