Sweet Puri

A nice sweet  tea time snack. Fried, fruity and flavourful too. Can be had at llunch with some mango or lime pickle. here goes my experi-mental recipe.

Ingrdients

1 ripe banana mashed

1 chickoo mashed

2 tbsp of coconut milk

1/4 tspn of cinnamon powder

A dash of salt

1 tspn clarified butter

Wheat flour as required

2 tbsp of semolina

Method

In a mixing bowl take all the above ingredients except the wheat flour, mix well now add the wheat flour bit by bit and see that you make a dough for puris, neither too soft, nor too hard. Apply some clarified butter and rest the dough for 15 minutes. 

Keep oil to heat, in the meanwhile make small balls, Roll them out and fry them on medium heat, should become light golden in colour,  transfer them to a tissue for absorbing extra oil. They can be now eaten hot hot.

  

                                                            

                                                                      Raw Mango Rice

A very simple recipe, people usually make this when rice remains for the next day and it needs to be finished.  I like to plan and make it as a fresh dish since all of us enjoy eating it. The rice has two versions, it is made with lime juice and when the mango season comes, raw mangoes are used which give it  tangy yummy taste. The recipe belongs to Chef Sanjeev Kapoor. He is the first person I remember who made cooking a passion and not a duty. He taught us to enjoy cooking and share with each other the methods of cooking. Here goes his recipe.....

Ingredients

1 cup long grain rice, cooked in such a way that the grains are separate 

1/2 cup raw mango grated, can be as per need depending on the sourness

1 tspn of split black gram 

1 tspn of bengal gram dal

10 curry leaves

4 green chillies chopped

2 tspns of sugar

Oil, mustard seeds, asafoetida and turmeric powder for tempering

Coriander chopped for garnishing

Method

In a pan take some oil, add mustard seeds, wait till they splutter, add asafoetida, turmeric powder, add both the dals now, let them become golden and crisp. add chillies, curry leaves, now add the raw mango and mix well, you can add salt, sugar and mix again, lastly add the rice and give it a good mix. This needs to be taken off the fire soon since the rice is already cooked. Transfer to a bowl, garnish with coriander and serve. Hot or cold, both ways it tastes great.  

 

                                                                

                                                                         Gajar  Halwa

A very typically Indian sweet dish which is an all time preparation of mothers in our very own Hindi films. My it be any good ocasion the halwa has to be there. I was tempted to make it today and here goes my version..... 

Ingredients

250 gms of washed, peeled freshly grated winter special carrots

3 cups of milk

1 cup of sugar (as per taste)

3 tbsps of clarified butter

Few strands of saffron

5 cashews, 5 almonds, 8 pistachios (I normally soak them for about half an hour and chop them)

10 raisins

Method

In pan take the clarified butter and add the grated carrots, cook the till soft, add the milk and  the saffron, wait till it loses most of its moisture, add sugar, the dry fruits, raisins,  now cook till it becomes a nice semi moist solid. This can be served topped with more sauteed dry fruits or as is. Hot or cold both taste great. It tastes good with hot hot puris too.

 

                                            Cottage Cheese Curry With A Southern Touch

An experi-mental dish again, a very tasty, nutty creamy, spicy curry to go wth rotis and pulao.A must try for paneer lovers, here goes my recipe...

Ingredients

250 gms of paneer/cottage cheese cut into cubes

For roasting and making into a fine powder

1/2 tspn shahi jeera

1 tspn cumin seeds

1 tspn coriander seeds

6 white pepper corns

6 black pepper corns

10 curry leaves

1 inch ginger roughly chopped

8 garlic cloves

1/4 cup dry grated coconut

Roast the above in very little oil, grind and keep ready

Ingredients for curry

2 onions finely chopped

 2 onions thinly juliened

2 tomatoes finely chopped

Juice of half a lime

1 tetra pack of coconut milk

1 tspn kitchen king masala

1 tspn chilli powder

1 tspn kasuri methi

Salt to taste

Freshly chopped coriander for garnishing

Method

 In a pan take some oil, add the finely chopped onions, saute till golden, add the chopped tomatoes, fry well till done, now add the ground masala, mix well, add the juliened onion, fry well, add the tomato puree, lime juice and all the spices, mix well and cook, now add the paneer and saute for about three to four minutes, add coconut milk and mix well,  you can slit a couple of chillies, fry them and add at the end(optional) do not cook for too long else the milk may curdle. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with fresh coriander.

 

                                                                        

                                                                         Tomato Bhat

A simple, yummy recipe I learnt from a friend by name Prabha who was my neighbour. Many years ago we lost touch since she shifted from there, she will always be my friend wherever she is and this rice always will keep her in my memory. Thanks Prabha and here goes my recipe...

Ingredients

2 cups of long grained rice, I used Basmati

2 large onions finely chopped

3 tomatoes finely chopped

Salt to taste

Red chilli powder as per your taste

 2 tspns of Saar masala or Sambar masala

Juice of half a lime

Oil, mustard seeds, turmeric powder and asafoetida for tempering

In a pressure cooker take oil as per requirement, add mustard seeds, asafoetida and turmeric powder, now add the chopped onions, a chopped chilli if you like, saute till golden, add the tomatoes and all the rest of the ingredients, cook till mushy. Now add the rice and mix well, add 4 cups of water, cover and cook to 2 whistles. Transfer to a serving bowl and then serve garnished with chopped coriander.

 

                                                          

                                                          Prawn Rice With Coconut Milk

An easy rice preparation which would be a treat for prawn lovers like my son Nidhi who taught me this preparation, the hit of the pepper and the awesome nutty flavour of the coconut milk which makes the rice moist and soft, will be very satiating on the palette. The recipe is here for you....

Ingredients

300 gms of prawns, shelled, deveined, marinated in salt, turmeric powder and 2 tspns of garam masala

2 cups of basmati rice soaked for about half an hour

2 tspns ghee

2 bay leaves

1 tspn of whole pepper corns

2 cups of  coconut milk

Salt to taste

Chopped coriander for garnishing

Method

Take deep pan, add the ghee, add the bay leaves and the peppercorns, once they release an aroma add the prawns, salt and stir a bit, then add the rice, 2 cups of water and 2 cups of coconut milk. Mix well, leave it to cook covered till done. Once done garnish with chopped coriander and serve.

 

Dal Vada With Coconut Chutney

Dal Vada the quintessential snack which any South Indian would swear by!! I love the crunchy from outside, tasty, spicy and soft from inside vada, would have it at anytime of the day. Specially great with a cup of strong filter coffee. My recipe goes here for you...

Ingredients

1 cup chana (Bengal gram) dal soaked for about four hours

An inch of grated ginger

2 onions chopped fine

3 green chillies

10 curry laves chopped fine

Some freshly pounded black pepper corns

Fresh chopped coriander

Salt to taste

Oil for frying

Method

Drain the soaked dal and take it in a mixi jar, add the ginger, coriander, green chillies, and grind it to a coarse mix. Add a bit of water if needed, transfer to a mixing bowl and mix the chopped onions, curry leaves, coriander, salt, the pepper corn. Make equal sized balls and press between palms to flatten them. heat oil in a pan and fry the vadas on medium heat so they get done from inside but do not burn from outside. Fry to a crisp golden brown colour, spread them on a tissue for absorbing any extra oil. Enjoy them with coconut chutney or any sauce of your choice.