Indian daal parantha

Ingredients:

1 cup yellow arhar daal

4 tsp jaggery powder

½ tsp cardamom powder

½ tsp turmeric

Pinch of black salt

50 gms butter

Method:-

Boil daal with turmeric and salt in water. Remove from fire when it is completely cooked. Now heat butter in a pan. Add cardamom powder, daal, jaggery, salt and cook till the mixture becomes dry. Remove from fire and let it cool.

Knead dough. Make round balls of dough with a small depression. Fill it with the daal mixture, flatten and roll into chapattis. Now cook the chapattis in the frying pan with small amount of butter. Serve hot with chutney.

Banana Lassi

Ingredient:-

150 g ice cube, crushed well

150 ml ice water

150 g natural yoghurt

2 very ripe banana, peeled and roughly chopped

1-2 teaspoon honey (optional)

1 pod crushed cardamom

Method:-

Blend all of the above ingredients together in a blender. Served chilled and garnish with a slice of banana.

Murgh Afgani Chicken

Ingredients:-

Chicken (1 Small whole Chicken)

Magaz (Melon Seed) paste (1 tbsp)

Cashewnut paste (1 1/2 tbsp)

Khuskhus (Posto / Poppy seeds) paste (1 tbsp)

Cream (1/2 cup)

Butter (2 tbsp)

Salt

White pepper (2 tsp)

Method :-

Take the chicken and clean it and keep aside. Now make a paste of all the ingredients magaz, cashew nut, cream, butter, khuskhus, salt and white pepper and marinate the chicken in this mixture for at least 4 hrs. Clean the chicken and keep aside. Grill the chicken in a tandoor till they becomes golden. Now serve the murgh afgani hot with the onion rings.

Sweet egg roll

Ingredient

4 eggs

20g sugar

salt

200g sliced smoked salmon

50g flour

40g cornflour

1 teaspoon baking powder

200g cream cheese

1-3 teaspoons Wasabi horseradish - measure this to your personal taste.

Some like it really spicy others prefer it mild.

250g Quark/Curds - Freya and Paul have a great recipe to make your own curds here.

4 tablespoons dill - finely chopped

2 teaspoons mustard

a handful of breadcrumbs

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Line a baking tray (40 x 35 cm) with baking paper.
In a bowl whisk eggs, sugar and 1 teaspoon salt with an electric blender/whisk until the mixture is thick and creamy. This will take about 7 to 8 minutes. Sieve the flour, cornflour and baking powder into the mixture and with a spatula or a hand whisk incorporate into the batter. Blend in 2 tablespoons dill.
Pour the batter into the baking tray, spreading it evenly across the tray. Bake in the oven for 6 to 8 minutes. Take out and allow to cool a little.
Place a kitchen towel on the counter and sprinkle with a few breadcrumbs. Tip the egg biscuit base onto the towel so that the baking paper is on top. Rub the baking paper with a wet cloth. This trick helps to remove the baking paper more easily from the biscuit base.
In a separate bowl mix the cream cheese, Washable horseradish, mustard and quark together. Add a bit of salt and the rest of the dill. Spread the cream cheese mixture onto the egg biscuit base, smoothing it with a rubber spatula. Place the sliced salmon on top.
Using the tea towel gently roll the entire base. Wrap firmly in some plastic wrap and cool in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
Cut in thick slices and serve with some hone mustard sauce.

Notes:

The sugar is to balance the sharp flavors of the Wasabi and mustard.
The batter will become light and fluffy when you mix it using a hand whisk.
Moistening the baking tray with some water and then place the baking paper on the baking tray. This fixes the baking paper on the tray and avoids it from sliding back and forth.

Egg Roll

Ingredients:

2 eggs

1/2 cupful of tiny chopped corriander and fenugreek leaves

2 green chillies chopped fine OR green chillie paste . ( the fresh cut ones taste better)

1/2 tsp. ginger / garlic paste

1/4 teaspoon black / white crushed pepper corns or powdered pepper.

salt to taste

grated cheese ( optional )

2 thick left over chappaties or paranthas .
butter or oil for greasing.

Method:


Mix the ingridents in a bowl with a egg whisker or a fork . ( do not use a blender please )

Heat a frying and smear some oil or butter and pour in about 2 tbsps ( or half the amount of the mixed ingredients )
Swirl the frying pan to spread the mixture and let it get a bit set on ONE SIDE ONLY...
Next place one chappatti or parantha and press it down to seal the egg mixture on to it ( so that any runny mixture oozzes out and gets cooked.
spread some more butter or oil on the roti or parantha and flip over and let it get done till it turns a bit crispy.

Fold it in half and serve onto a dish with some Hot and Sweet tomatoe Ketchup. Easy instant egg roll ready.
Make similiar roll with the rest of the mixture and paranthas.

Optional : you can add some left over shredded chicken or boiled veggies to the roll to make a wholesome and healthy meal .

enjoy!

Shahi Tukra

Ingredients:

Milk - 1 litre

Bread slices - 4-6

Condensed Milk - 2-3 tbsps

Heavy cream - 1/4th of a cup

Sugar - 1/2 cup

Jaggery - 1/2 cup

Ghee - 4 tbsps

Cardamon powder - 2 tsps

Saffron - 1 tsp

Vanilla essence - 1/2 tsp

Raisins - to garnish

Almonds - to garnish

Cashews - to garnish

Method:

* Combine milk, condensed milk, sugar and jaggery. Bring it to boil and reduce heat to medium.
* Keep simmering until the milk gets thickened. This might take close to 30 minutes.
* In the mean time, tava roast the bread slices with ghee on both sides. Take care not to burn.
* Reserve a table spoon of ghee and use the rest to fry the almonds, raisins and cashews.
* Add cardomon to the milk mixture and let it cool.
* Layer the bread at the bottom of a flat pan. Pour some milk to immerse it completely.
* Repeat the process until all the bread and milk are used up.
* Garnish with the roasted almonds mixture
* Cool in refrigerator for atleast 30 minutes before serving.

Butter Chicken

Ingredients:

Tandoori Chicken 1 whole

Butter 50 gms

Cream 1 cup

Tomato puree 3 cups

Garam Masala Powder 2 tsp.

Red chilli powder 1 tsp.

Coriander powder 1/2 tsp.

Ginger paste 1 tsp.

Garlic paste 1 tsp.

Green chilli paste 1 tsp.

Salt to taste

Chopped green coriander leaves for garnishing

Method:

Take 1 whole tandoori chicken and cut it into pieces.
Heat half of the butter in a frying pan. Add ginger garlic and green chilli paste and saute for 1 minute. Add chicken pieces and fry until brown from all the sides. Remove and keep aside. Add the remaining butter and reheat. Add tomato puree, red chilli powder, garam masala powder, coriander powder and salt. Stir well.
Add little water just enough to make a thick gravy and bring it to boil on high. Reduce the heat and add chicken pieces.
Stir gently to coat all the chicken pieces with tomato gravy.

Add 1/2 cup cream and simmer for 10 minutes.

Garnish with coriander leaves and rest of the cream and serve hot.

Jalebi recipe

Ingredients:

2 cups All purpose flour (maida)

11/2 tbsp fine grained semolina or rice flour

1/4th tsp baking powder

2 tbsp curd (plain yogurt)

11/4th cups warm water

1/2 tsp saffron threads, slowly dry-roasted and powdered

3 cups sugar

2 2/3rd cups water

1/2 tsp green cardamom seeds powder

11/2 tbsp kewra water or rose water

Ghee or vegetable oil for frying

Method:

Mix the flour, semolina or rice flour, baking powder, curd and 3/4th cup of the water in a bowl (preferably a ceramic bowl). Mix well with a whisk.
Mix well and then add remaining water and 1/8th tsp. of saffron powder, and whisk until smooth.
Set aside for about 2 hours to ferment.
Whisk thoroughly before use.
Prepare one string syrup by dissolving sugar in the water. Just before the syrup is ready add saffron and cardamom powder.
Heat oil in a kadhai. Pour the batter in a steady stream ( or coconut shell with a hole) into the kadhai to form coils. Make a few at a time.
Deep fry them until they are golden and crisp all over but not brown.
Remove from the kadhai and drain on kitchen paper and immerse in the syrup.
Leave for at least 4-5 minutes so that they soak the syrup.
Take the jalebi out of syrup and serve hot.

Rasgulla

Ingredients:

Milk - 1/2 litre
Refined flour (maida) - 2 tsp
Citric acid dissolved in water or lemon juice - 1/4 tsp dissolved in 1/2 cup water or lemon juice 2-3 tbsp.
Sugar- 1 cup
Water- 1 cup
Rose essence or cardamom powder - 2-3 drops or 1/4 tsp

Method:-

Heat milk in a pan and bring it to boil. Remove from heat.
Add citric acid or lemon juice.
Stir slowly and gently until white curd forms on the surface and separates from whey.
On straining this milk, the curd that is obtained is called "chenna". Wash chenna well under cold running water and twist the cloth that was used for straining to extract water.
Knead chenna to make a smooth dough. Add flour and knead again.
Make small balls of equal size (6-7) of the dough and keep aside.
Next make sugar syrup. Mix sugar and water in a saucepan and bring it to boil.
Add chenna balls to the syrup and cook for 15 minutes with lid partially covered. Chenna dumplings will puff up.
On cooling, add rose essence.
Refrigerate and serve chilled.

Rasmalai

Ingredients

1 cup sugar

lemon juice

3 cups of water

saffron, cardamom, pista, almonds

4 - 4 1/2 tbsp. sugar for Ras

3 measuring cup milk for Ras

4 Measuring cup milk for channa (2% milk)

Method:-

First keep the 3 cups of milk for ras to boil until it remains 1 3/4 cup.
Bring 4 cups of milk to boil. Now to curdle the milk add lemon juice to it stirring continuously.
Then drain it in a thin muslin cloth or handkerchief.
Hold it covered with cloth in the running water. Drain the excess water by pressing the cloth there must not be water remaining.
In a pressure cooker take 3 cups of water and 1 cup of sugar.
Take the channa out of the cloth in a dish, mash it and make around 15 small size of balls out of it
Toss that balls in the pressure cooker and bring two whistles.
In the mean time see the milk for ras may be ready.
Add the sugar for ras to it and add cardamom, pista, almond and saffron to it. Let it cool aside
As the pressure cooker is warm now open it take out the balls of channa with the spoon in a dish and let the water drain by pressing it little and let it cook. When the milk is cool add channa balls to it.
Refrigerate it. And it is ready to serve.

Fruit Rabri

Ingredients:

2 Cardamom

2 tbsp of Sugar

1½ litres of Milk

1 tsp Rose Water

½ cup slit Grapes

½ cup Pomegranate

Almonds, finely sliced

Chopped Pistachio to garnish

Method:

1. Heat ghee in a non stick pan.
2. Add milk. Condense the milk to less than one-fourth quantity.
3. Add the sugar and boil for a couple of minutes more and turn off the heat.
4. Sprinkle the powdered cardamom.
5. When at room temperature, mix in the rose water and add the almonds and chill.
6. Add the fruits just before serving otherwise it tends to leave water.
7. Garnish with pistachios

Vegetable soup

Ingredients

Carrots, diced	2 medium
Potato, diced	1 medium
Bottle gourd (lauki/doodhi), diced	100 grams
Tomatoes, quartered	4 medium
Oil	1 tablespoon
Cumin seeds	1/2 teaspoon
Black peppercorns	7-8
Onion , sliced	1 medium
Salt	to taste
Sugar	1/2 teaspoon

Method


Heat one tablespoon oil in a pan.Add cumin seeds and black peppercorns. When the cumin seeds begin to change colour add onion and sauté for two minutes.

Add carrots, potato, bottle gourd and stir. Add salt and mix.

Add two cups of water, cover and cook till nearly done.

Add tomatoes and continue to cook, covered, till all the vegetables are completely cooked.

Strain and reserve the liquid. Cool the vegetables and then puree in a blender.

Transfer into a deep pan, add the reserved liquid and adjust consistency. It should be quite thick.

Bring the soup to a boil. Adjust salt, add sugar and stir.

Serve hot.

Sour Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:

1 cup Vegetable -julienne cut (Carrot,Green beans,corn kernels,Cabbage)

1" piece Ginger (Grated)

2 cups Vegetable stock(or water)

1 tbsp Corn flour

1 tbsp tomato sauce

11/2 tbsp dark Soy sauce

11/2 tbsp Hot sauce

11/2 tbsp distilled vinegar

1 tbsp oil

Salt and pepper to taste.

Method:

Heat oil in a sauce pan and add corn, julienne beans and carrot , ginger and saute.
Now add the tomato sauce,salt,soy sauce,hot sauce and saute for a minute.
Now add the vegetable stock and let it simmer for 2-3 minutes.
Mix the cornflour with water to for make a thick paste and add it to the soup.
Add vinegar and cabbage and let it cook for another minute.(cabbage is added at the end to maintain its crispness)
Garnish with spring onion and serve immediately.

Carrot Soup

Ingredient

3 Cups Carrots (peeled and sliced)

5 tbsp Milk

2 Tomatoes

2 tsp Butter

½ tsp Garam Masala

2 tsp Garlic (peeled)

A pinch Black Pepper Powder

Salt to taste

Method



Keep the carrots for cooking until their raw smell goes.

Boil tomatoes in the water to remove the skin. Remove the seeds also.

Blend together the tomatoes, carrots and garlic.

Melt the butter in a heavy based vessel and add the above mixture.

Allow it to cook for few minutes.

Now add milk and again cook the mixture for sometime.

Remove from the flame. Add a pinch of pepper powder, salt and garam masala to the soup.

Carrot soup is ready to savor. Serve hot.

Tandoori Chicken

Ingredients

8 no: Large Chicken pieces

11/4 cup: Yogurt

2 tbs: Lime Juice

½ quantity: Chopped Onion

3-4: Dried Red Chillies

2 tsp: Coriander Seeds

2 cloves: Crushed Garlic

1" piece: Grated Ginger

1-2: Clove

2 tsp: Garam Masala

2 tsp: Chilli powder

Salt to taste

Method

1. Make slits in the flesh of the chicken pieces and rub lime juice and salt over them. Keep aside for half an hour.
2. Grind dried chillies, coriander seeds, ginger, garlic and clove together. Mix the paste with garam masala and chilli powder.
3. Heat a pan and saute the masala. Add onions and fry. Pour yogurt and stir well. Remove the pan from fire.
4. Arrange chicken pieces in a dish and pour over the yogurt mixture. Refrigerate the marinade overnight or at least for 4-6 hours.
5. Arrange the chicken on a broiler tray cook it in a pre-heated oven for 20-30 minutes or brush oil over the chicken pieces and cook in a gas stove turning over till both sides are done.
6. Keep pouring oil and masala over the chicken pieces in between.

RAJMA Chawal

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup kidney beans (rajma)

1 teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)

2 large tomatoes

1 tablespoon ginger

1 green chili

3 tablespoon oil

Generous pinch of asafetida (hing)

1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)

2 tablespoon coriander powder (dhania)

1/2 teaspoon turmeric (haldi)

1/2 teaspoon red chili powder (adjust to taste)

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon paprika

1 medium chopped tomato for garnishing

Method

1. Wash and soak the kidney beans in about six cups of water for at least 6 hours (kidney beans will be double in volume after soaking).
2. Cut the tomatoes in small pieces, green chili slice lengthwise and take out the seeds (if you prefer mild). Next blend tomatoes, green chili, and ginger and make a paste.
3. Heat the oil in pressure cooker. Test the heat by adding one cumin seed. If the seed cracks right away, the oil is ready. Add asafetida and cumin seeds, as the cumin seeds crack add tomato paste, coriander, turmeric, chili powder, black pepper, and paprika.
4. Stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes until the oil is separating from the mixture.
5. Add kidney beans, salt, and three cups of water close the cooker. Cook on medium high heat.
6. As pressure cooker starts steaming turn the heat down to medium and cook for about 12 minutes.
7. Close the heat and wait until steam has stopped before opening the pressure cooker.
8. Kidney beans should be soft and tender. Lightly mash the kidney beans while mixing. Adjust salt, and pepper to your taste.
9. Garnish with chopped tomatoes.


Ingredients:

1 cup Basmati rice or long grain rice

2 cups water

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon oil

Method:

1. Wash rice gently changing water several times until the water appears clear.
2. For fluffier rice, the rice should be soaked for at least 15 minutes prior to cooking.
3. Cooked rice expands to about 3 times its original size, so be sure to use the proper size pan.
4. Drain the rice and put into the saucepan. Add the water, oil, and salt, bring to a boil and turn the heat to low, and cover the pan.
5. Cook rice for about 15 minutes, or until the rice is tender and the water has evaporated.
6. Turn off the heat and fluff the rice with a fork.

Chaat Papdi

Ingredients:

½ tsp Salt

25 gm Ghee

2 tsps Green Peas

½ tsp Cumin seeds

25 gm Sweet Curd

½ tsp Chaat Masala

½ tsp Garam Masala

½ tsp Cumin powder

A pinch of Black Salt

½ tsp Ginger Chutney

100 gm Refined Flour

A pinch of Asafoetida

½ tsp Ginger, julienned

½ tsp red Chilli Powder

100 gm Potatoes, boiled

A pinch of Coriander powder

Method:-


1. Mix the flour with ghee and salt and sufficient water to make tight dough.

2. To make the papdis, roll the flour into a thin sheet, cut into small roundels of 1 inch diameter and deep-fry till light brown.

3. Mix boiled potatoes and green peas. Put in all the powdered masala. Make a base of this mixture on a plate.

4. Put the roundels of deep fried papdi on top of the potato green pea mixture.

5. Top with some ginger chutney and yogurt and sprinkle cumin powder and ginger juliennes.

6. Check for seasoning and serve cold.