Jelly Salad

Ingredients

200 gm any seasonal fruit like Grapes or Apples, cut into cubes

2 Pineapple rings cut into 4 quarters

1 small cabbage, finely chopped into 1” long slices , keep in refrigerator and take out when needed. 

2 Carrots, grated, keep in refrigerator and take out when needed.

5-6 lettuce leaves

Lemon or pineapple jelly

1-2 drop of green food colour (optional)

Salt to taste

¼ teaspoon black pepper powder

Juice of one lemon

½ cup cream

1 glazed cherry

2 teaspoons salad oil

A bunch of parsley leaves or mint leaves

1 tablespoon roasted, peeled and a bit crushed ground nuts

Method

Disolve jelly into water.

Add lemon juice, salt and green colour to it.

First, pour a little amount of jelly into the greased (with salad oil) jelly mold.

Now arrange the pineapple ring pieces lengthwise so that they are sticking on the inside edge of the mold.

Refregerate it for 5 minutes.

Add grapes or apple cubes in the remaining jelly and pour it in the jelly mold and refregerate it.

Arrange lettuce leaves on the serving plate.

Take out carrots and cabbage from refrigerator and sprinkle  salt over it and mix it well.

Arrage carrots and cabbage on the plate in the form of a ring near the edge of the plate.

Turn the jelly mold upside down in the center of plate and so that jelly will be placed in the center of the plate surround by cabbage and carrots ring and remove the mold.

(if you find it difficult to remove the set jelly from mold, keep the mold in warm water for 1 minute.  The jelly will come out easily)

Beat cream lightly.

Mix salad-oil, pepper and salt to it and pour it in the center of jelly and garnish with the glazed cherry.

Garnish the cabbage and carrot rings with ground nuts and parsely or mint leaves

Serve chilled.

Gond (Gum Acacia) ke laddoo

Ingredients

500 gm whole wheat flour

30 gm eatable gond (gum acacia)

100 gm almonds

1 teaspoon sonth (dried ginger powder)

300 gm pure ghee (clarified butter)

½ teaspoon cardamom powder

400 gm bura or powdered sugar
(bura is a yellowish white fine powder, very sweet in taste; it is different from powdered sugar; it is quite commonly used in north Indian households to sweeten curds and home made sweets)

Method

Crush eatable gond to small pieces.

Microwave all the gond pieces for 2 minutes.

Most of the gond pieces will pop up like pop corn. (like in the picture below)

Again microwave the remaining pieces of gond.

Grind them to powder.

(gond pieces can also be fried in ghee. For which heat ghee in kadhai. Fry all gond pieces)

Microwave almonds for 3-4 minutes. Alternatively roasted almonds may be used. Grind them to a coarse powder.

Mix powdered gond, powdered almonds, sonth and wheat flour together.

Melt ghee in a heavy bottom kadhai or wok.

Add flour to it. Mix well.

Cook over a slow flame and continuously keep stirring, so that no lumps are found and all the  flour gets cooked evenly.

This process takes about 20-30 minutes.

Once it gets cooked, the ghee starts separating. A sweet aroma will spread in the kitchen. All the members of the household will get to know that something special and delicious is being cooked.    

Remove from stove.

Let the mixture cool completely.

Add bura / sugar powder and cardamom powder to it and mix it well.

Make small balls out of this mixture by pressing it with your palm.

These laddoos can be stored at room temperature, in an air tight container. They remain edible and will retain the taste and not get spoilt for about 5 - 6 weeks.

These laddoos have a high calorofic value. They add nutritive content for young mothers, in the post delivery period (when they require extra calories). Young children (in the fast growing up phase) will also benefit from these extra calories.    

Masale wali Mathri

Ingredients

500 gm whole wheat flour

3-4 tablespoon oil for dough

¼ tea spoon powder of kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)

½ teaspoon thymol /caraway seeds (Ajwain)

½ teaspoon sesame seeds

½ teaspoon red chili powder

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

½ teaspoon coriander powder

½ teaspoon black pepper powder
1 teaspoon grated  Gud (jaggery)

1 teaspoon black peppers

A pinch of asafetida

Salt to taste

Oil for frying

Method

Sift flour.  Add salt and caraway seeds, kasuri methi powder, sesame seeds, red chili powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, black pepper powder, grated jaggery and asafetida and mix.

Add oil and mix it well with fingers (the flour will look like bread crumbs).

Add just enough water to make firm dough and knead well.

Divide the dough into small balls.

Take each ball in your left palm and press it with your right hand palm to form round shape mathri.
You can also roll it with rolling pin.

Press one black pepper in the centre of each mathri

Heat oil in a Kadhai/wok.

Now fry all mathri in a slow flame to golden.

Turn occasionally so that all mathri are uniformly fried from all sides.

Remove from oil and cool at room temperature.

These mathri can be stored at room temperature in an air tight container for about 5-6 weeks.

Updates Incoming!

I will be updating this blog soon, and adding pages and categorizing all the recipes.
Also, I will add a "Tip of the day" section and information about all the exotic Indian and continental spices and herbs.
Stay Tuned! :)

Moong dal cheela

Ingredients

2 cup split green gram (dhuli moong dal), soaked overnight and ground to a smooth paste

2 finely chopped green chilies

2 tablespoon finely chopped coriander leaves

1” finely chopped ginger

½ teaspoon red chili powder

Salt to taste

2 tablespoon oil

Method

Add chopped green chilies, coriander leaves, ginger chili powder and salt to the dal paste.

Add a little water to this paste so that it becomes pouring consistency.

Heat a non stick tava or a frying pan.

Coat it with a little oil.

Now spread a thin layer of dal paste on the tava with the help of a spatula (Chamcha). Spread the dal paste in clockwise fashion from the center of the tava and spiraling outwards.

Sprinkle a little oil over it

Cook it on a medium or slow flame till it gets crisp on one side.

Now turn it over and cook the other side as well.

Serve while hot with green chutney/tomato chutney or potato curry

Tomato chutney

Ingredients

500 gm tomatoes, parboiled, peeled and pureed

1 tablespoon raisins

1” finely chopped ginger

2 finely chopped green chilies

2 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon panch phoran seeds
(Panch Phoran is a Bengali spice containing equal parts of mustard seeds, Nigella (kalonji) seeds, cumin seeds, fennel (Saunf) and fenugreek seeds)

Salt to taste

1 tablespoon oil

Method

Heat oil in Kadhai (Wok)

Add ginger to it. Stir it.

Add Panch phoran seeds and green chilies and stir it.

Add tomato puree and salt and mix it well and cook for 5 minutes on a slow flame.

Now add raisins and sugar and cook for 10-12 minutes and keep stirring it.

Cool and store in a refrigerator

Can be served with snacks, stuffed parantha or Moong dal cheela

Cucumber Onion Raita

Ingredients

1 cup curd

1 cucumber, peeled and finely chopped

2 spring onions, finely chopped white and green parts.

2 tablespoon finely chopped coriander leaves

¼ teaspoon black salt

¼ teaspoon roasted cumin seeds, make powder

¼ teaspoon red chili powder

Salt to taste

Method

Beat the curd so that it becomes smooth in texture.

Add cucumber, spring onions, coriander leaves, black salt and salt and mix it well.

Pour it in a serving dish and garnish with cumin seed powder and red chili powder.

Serve chilled with hot parantha and curry as a side dish or a complementary dish.

Navratan Korma

Ingredients

50 gm French bean, cut into 1” long pieces (parboiled)

50 gm carrot, cut into 1” long pieces (parboiled,)

50 gm cauliflower, cut into small florets (parboiled)

50 gm shelled green peas (parboiled)
½ cup fruits of choice (Apple/pineapple/cherries)

2 Medium sized onions (make paste)

2 medium tomatoes (make puree)

1” finely chopped ginger

2 finely chopped green chilies

½ teaspoon of red chilli

½ teaspoon turmeric power

½ teaspoon garam masala

½ teaspoon coriander powder

½ teaspoon jeera power (cumin)

2 cups milk

1 tablespoon chopped cashew nuts

1 tablespoon raisins

2 tablespoon finely chopped coriander leaves

Salt to taste

Method

Heat oil in Kadhai (Wok)

Add ginger to it. Stir it.

Add onion paste. Cook it till the paste becomes golden.

Add green chilli and keep stirring.

Now add the tomato puree to it and cook it till the oil separates.

Add garam masala, coriander powder, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, cumin powder, and salt to taste, and stir it well.

Now add all vegetables in the pan and cover it. Cook it over a slow flame for 7-8 minutes till all the vegetables are cooked.

Add milk, nuts, raisins and fruits. Mix it well and cook for 3-4 minutes.

Pour it in a serving dish and garnish with chopped coriander leaves

Serve it while hot with paranthas or Nan

Mix Vegetables in Spinach gravy

Ingredients

1 ½ cup spinach, chopped and boiled

50 gm French beans cut into 1” long pieces (parboiled)

50 gm carrots cut into 1” long pieces (parboiled,)

50 gm cauliflower cut into small floret (parboiled)

50 gm shelled green pea (parboiled)

25 gm corn kernels

2 Medium sized onions (make paste)

½ cup curd

½ teaspoon of red chilli

½ teaspoon turmeric power

½ teaspoon garam masala

½ teaspoon coriander powder

½ tea spoon jeera power (cumin)

1” finely chopped ginger

2 finely chopped green chilies

Salt to taste

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon oil

Method

Liquidize boiled spinach in a blender by mixing it for some time.

Heat oil in Kadhai (Wok)

Add ginger to it. Stir it.

Add onion paste. Cook it till the paste becomes golden.

Add green chilli and keep stirring.

Now add the curd to it and keep stirring it.

Now add butter, turmeric powder, garam masala, coriander powder, jeera powder, red chili powder, and salt to it and keep stirring it.

Now add all the vegetables and cook them for some time.

Pour the spinach puree with 1 cup water and stir.

Cook for 5-6 minutes. 

Pour it in a serving bowl and garnish with butter.

Serve it with hot paranthas or Nan

Raw Banana Kofta Curry (Kacche kele ke kofte)

Ingredients

For Koftas

4 raw bananas, parboiled, peeled and grated

½ cup Bengal gram flour (Besan/Chick pea flour)

1 finely chopped onion

1” finely chopped ginger

½ teaspoon coriander powder

2 tablespoon finely chopped coriander leaves

2 finely chopped green chilies

Salt to taste

1 tablespoon oil

Oil for frying

For gravy

3 Medium sized onions (make paste)

250 gms tomato puree

2 tea spoon ginger paste

1 tea spoon garlic paste

2-3 green chillies (paste)

½ teaspoon of red chilli

½ teaspoon turmeric power

½ teaspoon garam masala

½ teaspoon coriander powder

½ tea spoon jeera power (cumin)

1 cardamom

2 leaves of tejpatta (Bay leaf)

A small piece of cinnamon

2 table spoon chopped coriander leaves

2 cloves

A pinch of powder of kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)(Making Kasuri Methi (dried fenugreek) at home)

Salt to taste

2 tablespoon Oil

Method

Heat ½ tablespoon oil in a pan.

Add besan (Bengal gram flour) to it. Mix it well.

Cook it over a slow flame till the besan gets a bit roasted, and keep stirring it.

Remove from stove. Keep it aside

Heat the remaining ½ tablespoon oil in another pan.

Add ginger to it. Stir it.

Add onions and fry till golden.

Add green chilies to it and stir it.

Now add roasted besan along with grated banana to it and stir it.

Add salt, coriander powder and chopped coriander leaves to it and mix it well.

Remove from stove.

Make small lemon size balls out of this mixture. These will be the Koftas.

Heat oil in a Kadhai (wok).

Fry all koftas golden brown over a medium flame

Drain and keep aside.

Gravy

Heat oil in a pan.  Add ginger & garlic paste to it. Stir it.

Add onion paste; cook it till the paste becomes golden.

Add green chilli paste and keep stirring it.

Now add the tomato puree to it and cook it till the oil separates.

Add bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, garam masala, coriander powder, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, cumin powder and salt to taste, and stir it well.

Now add water to it and cook for 8-10 minutes.

Now add kasuri methi powder.and cook for another 2 minutes.

Arrange Koftas in a dish.

Pour the gravy on the koftas.

Garnish them with chopped coriander leaves.

Serve while hot with parantha or rice

Laccha parantha

Ingredients

2 cup whole wheat flour

½ teaspoon thymol /caraway seeds (Ajwain)

2 tablespoon curd

1 tablespoon oil for dough

1 teaspoon corn flour

2 tablespoon oil for making parantha

Method

Sift flour.  Add salt and caraway seeds and mix.

Make a depression in the centre.

Add 1 tablespoon oil and curd and mix it well with your fingers.

With the help of some water make a little soft dough.

Keep it aside, covered for about 10-15 minutes.

Mix corn flour with 1 teaspoon oil in a bowl to a paste and keep it aside.

Divide the dough into 3 parts and make balls out of them with the help of your palm.

Roll out each ball with a rolling pin into a thick pancake of 8-9 inch diameter.
Now spread the corn flour and oil paste over the pancake.

Roll it up like a Swiss roll.
Cut each roll into 3-4 parts of same size.

Roll out each part with the help of a rolling pin.

Heat a tava or a non-stick pan.

Place the parantha on the pan.

Cook it till it begins to turn brown, and then turn it over.

Pour a little oil over the parantha.

Fry till golden brown.

Turn the parantha over and pour a little more oil if required, then fry till it is brown on both sides.

Serve while hot with any curry.

Palak Paneer ke Kofte

Ingredients

For Koftas

2 cup finely chopped spinach

1 cup Bengal gram flour (Besan/Chick pea flour)

3-4 Potatoes, boiled and mashed

200 gm cottage cheese

1 tablespoon cashew nuts, finely chopped

1 tablespoon raisins

Salt to taste

1 tablespoon oil

1 tablespoon flour for roasting besan

Oil for deep frying

For gravy

3 Medium sized onions (make paste)

250 gms tomato puree

2 tea spoon ginger paste

1 tea spoon garlic paste

2-3 green chillies (paste)

2 tablespoon curd (yogurt)

½ teaspoon of red chilli

½ teaspoon turmeric power

½ teaspoon garam masala

½ teaspoon coriander powder

½ tea spoon jeera power (cumin)

1 cardamom

2 leaves of tejpatta (Bay leaf)

A small piece of cinnamon

2 table spoon chopped coriander leaves

2 cloves

A pinch of powder of kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)(Making Kasuri Methi (dried fenugreek) at home)

Salt to taste

2 tablespoon Oil

Method

Koftas

Heat oil in a pan.

Add besan(Bengal gram flour) to it. Mix it well.

Cook it over a slow flame till besan gets little roasted, and keep stirring it.

Remove from stove.

Add spinach and mashed potatos to it and mix it well in the form of dough.

Mash cottage cheese to a smooth pulp.

Add cashew nuts, raisins and salt to it and mix it well.

Make small balls out of it

Make equal number of balls of lemon size of spinach & besan dough

Make depression (hole) in the potato spinach & besan balls and fill the small cottage cheese balls into in and bind them well.

Sprinkle little dry flour all over koftas

Heat oil in a Kadhai (wok).

Fry all koftas golden brown over a medium flame

Drain and keep aside.

Gravy

Heat oil in a pan.  Add ginger & garlic paste to it. Stir it.

Add onion paste; cook it till the paste become golden.

Add green chilli paste and keep stirring it.

Now add the tomato puree to it and cook it till the oil separates.

Add bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, garam masala, coriander powder, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, cumin powder and salt to taste, and stir it well.

Add curd and mix it well

Now add water to it and cook for 8-10 minutes.

Now add kasuri methi powder.and cook for another 2 minutes.

Arrange Koftas in a dish.

Pour the gravy on the koftas.

Garnish them with chopped coriander leaves.

Serve while hot with parantha or rice.

Moong dal halwa

Ingredients

1 cup split green gram (dhuli moong dal)(soaked overnight and ground to paste)

2 cup pure ghee (clarified butter)

1 cup sugar

¼ teaspoon cardamom powder 

1 teaspoon sliced pistachio

8-10 raisins

1 tablespoon sliced almonds & cashew nuts

Method

Heat the ghee in a Kadhai/wok.

Add the ground moong dal to it. Mix it well.

Cook it over a slow flame and continuously keep stirring it so that all the dal gets cooked evenly.

This process takes about 30-40 minutes.

Once it gets cooked, the ghee starts separating and the mixture starts spreading a very pleasant smell.  

Remove from stove.

In a pan mix sugar with 1 cup water and heat it till sugar gets dissolved.

Remove from stove.

Add cardamom powder to it.

Add this hot sugar syrup to the dal, add raisins and mix it well.

Cook it over slow flame for 5-6 minutes and keep stirring and mixing it so that no lumps are formed and the dal and sugar syrup blends well.

Pour the halwa in serving dish.

Garnish it with sliced pistachio, almond and cashew nuts.

Serve while hot.

Balushahi

Ingredients

2 cup Flour (maida)

2 tablespoon ghee

1 tablespoon curd

½ teaspoon Eno fruit salt or soda-bi-carb

2 ½ cup sugar

¼ teaspoon cardamom powder 

1 teaspoon sliced pistachio

Oil for frying

Method

Sift flour. 

Add Eno fruit salt, ghee and curd and mix it well with your fingers.

Add just enough water to make firm dough and knead it well.

Keep it aside, covered for 15 minute.

In a pan mix sugar with 1 cup water and heat it.

Make sugar syrup of 2 thread consistency.

Remove from stove.

Add cardamom powder to it.

Grease your palm with a little oil.

Make 6-7 small balls out of the dough.

Press them a little with your palm.

Make a depression in the center of each ball.

Heat oil in a Kadhai/wok.

Deep fry all balushai in oil from all sides till they are brown uniformly by turning them frequently.

Oil should be slow to medium hot, not very hot, otherwise the balushahi will get a dark color outside but inner portion will not get properly cooked.

Place all balushahi in hot sugar syrup.

Keep them aside for about 10-15 minutes to absorb sugar syrup.

Take them out of sugar syrup and arrange in a serving dish

Garnish them with sliced pistachio

The Balushai  can be made in large amount and can be  stored in refrigerator for 4-5 weeks.

Sugar coated Sakkar Pare

Ingredients

250 gm flour (Maida)

2 tablespoon oil for dough

3/4 cup sugar

Oil for frying

Method

Sift flour. 

Add 2 tablespoon oil and mix it well with your fingers.

Add just enough water to make firm dough and knead it well.

Divide the dough into 3-4 parts.

Make balls of each part with your palm.

Roll out each ball with a rolling pin to a little thick pancake.

Cut into small diamond shapes with sharp knife or pizza cutter.

Heat oil in a Kadhai/wok.

Now fry all sakkar pare in a slow flame to golden.

Turn occasionally so that all sakkar pare are uniformly fried from all sides.

Remove from oil and cool at room temperature.

In a pan mix ¾ cup sugar with 2 tablespoon water and heat it

Make sugar syrup so thick that on dropping a drop of sugar syrup in a bowl full of water the drop of sugar syrup should not spread in water but it should form a bead.

Remove from stove.

Add all sakkar pare in it and mix them well with sugar syrup so that all sakkar pare gets a coating of sugar syrup.

Do this process very quickly otherwise sugar syrup will start crystallizing.

Cool the sakkar pare to room temperature.

These sakkar pare can be stored at room temperature in an air tight container for about 5-6 weeks.