September 27, 2017

Rabdi (Rabri) Recipe

Rabdi

Rabdi or Rabri is very popular Indian dessert made by boiling milk and reducing it to 1/4 th proportion. Rabri is used or served in combination of many other sweets like Jalebi, Malpua, Gulab Jamun, etc. Rabdi can be garnished with dry fruits or you can keep it simple because this dessert itself is enough for its taste it doesn’t require anything extra.
How To Make Rabdi / Rabri:

Take 1 litre full fat milk in kadhai and boil it.
Once the milk starts boiling reduce the flame to medium and keep stiring in intervals.
You will notice cream forming layer on top of milk. With the help of cooking spoon take the cream to the sides of kadhai.
Repeat the process of stiring in intervals and accumulating formed cream to the sides of kadhai till the milk reduces and starts becoming thick.
Now 5-6 cardamon powder and 1/4 th cup sugar and mix.
Stir continously and with the help of spoon bring all cream from the sides of kadhai to the centre and mix.
Now you will notice milk has become thick and its color has changed.
Switch off the flame and let rabdi / rabri cool down. Rabri / Rabdi is ready to be served.

Rabri

September 21, 2017

Mixed Dal (Panchratna Dal)

Mixed Dal

Dal is staple food in Indian diet. Dal is source of protein specially for vegetarians. It is said that we should include one bowl of dal in our daily diet for sufficient protein. There are varieties of dal found in India. Pigeon peas (tur dal), red lentils (masoor dal), bengal gram (chana dal), green gram (moong/mung dal), black gram (urad dal), etc.
Method of cooking dal in different homes across India varies from region to region.
Whether be form of tadka or addition of ingredients to tadka or dal.
No matter how much we eat outside but dal rice gives us satisfaction. I am sharing below one of my dal recipe of 5 mixed lentils (dals) also called as panchratna dal or panchmel dal.

How To Make Panchratna (Panchmel) Dal:

Wash 250-300 gms mixed dal (tur dal, chana dal, masoor dal, moong dal, black urad dal).
Pressure cook dal along with 2 1/2 glass of water, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder and salt to taste for 2 whistle. If you want you can boil mixed dal in vessel also but it will take more time compared to pressure cooker.
Dal should be in mashable format.
Meanwhile dal is getting cooked, chop 1 large onion and 1 large tomato.
Crush 5-6 garlic cloves and piece of ginger.
Cut 2-3 green chillies into small pieces.
Dry roast 1/2 tablespoon cumin seeds, 1/2 tablespoon coriander seeds and 1/2 tablespoon cloves together. Grind it to fine powder.
Now heat 2 tablespoon oil or ghee in kadhai.
Put pinch of cumin seeds.
Once cumin seeds start cracking, put 1/4 or 1/2 teaspoon asofodita.
Then add chopped onion and fry till translucent.
Once onion turns soft add crushed garlic and ginger.
Put green chilly pieces and stir.
Keep stiring till onion turns slight brown and rawness of ginger-garlic goes away.
Now add chopped tomato, pinch of salt and cook till tomatoes turn soft.
As soon as tomatoes become mashable put cooked dal and stir.
Put little water if required. Now add grinded garam masala powder and mix again.
Allow dal to boil for 2-3 minutes more. Switch off the flame. Mix dal is ready to be served.

Panchratna Dal

September 20, 2017

Soft And Fluffy Idli

Soft And Fluffy Idlies

Idli is famous South Indian food. Idli is stomach filling and healthy breakfast. It is made with rice, black gram, semolina, flattened rice (poha), fenugreek seeds, etc. In south people use par boiled rice for making idlies instead of raw rice. Par boiled is good for digestion and more healthy compared to raw rice.
Coconut chutney, tomato chutney and sambhar is served with steamed idlies.

How To Make Batter For Idlies:

Clean, wash and soak 1 small glass black gram (urad dal) and 2 small glass rice separately. Generally people use Ratio of 1:4 but I am using ratio of 1:2 which will turn idlies more tasty.
Now grind urad dal into smooth paste with help of some water.
Simillarly grind rice into smooth paste.
Mix both rice and urad dal paste along with salt.
Batter should not be too thick nor too thin. It should be of thick pourable consistency. If required add little water and mix to get right consistency but see to it that batter doesn’t become too thin it should be medium.
Cover the batter and allow it to rest overnight so that it gets fermented.
Next day remove the cover from batter. You will notice batter is fermented and has little sour smell.
Mix the batter with the help of spoon.

How To Steam Idli:

Pour some water in steamer and heat it for 5-10 minutes.
By the time grease idli moulds with oil and fill the batter in each mould.
Our steamer is heated and ready.
Place idli plates one above other.
Cover the lid and allow it to steam for 5 minutes on medium or high flame.
Remove the cover and you will see idlies will rise with fluffy texture. If not cover and keep for few more minutes. Usually it will take 5-10 minutes.
Switch off the flame, remove the cover carefully as it is hot and remove idly plates.
With the help of your knife remove soft and fluffy idlies in a plate.
If you have more batter left repeat the process.
Coconut chutney and sambhar are served with idlies.

Idlies With Coconut Chutney

September 17, 2017

White Chicken Curry (Safed Murgh)

White Chicken Curry

White chicken curry is Mughlai recipe also called as safed murgh. It is rich recipe with lots of almond and cashew paste along with yogurt and cream. As dish is safed murgh white in colour so it doesn’t contain spices like coriander powder, chilly powder which brings color to the recipe.

How To Make White Chicken Curry:

Wash chicken pieces and boil them for 5 minutes on medium flame.
Boiling chicken slightly will remove the impurities.
Now heat ghee or oil in a pan or kadhai. Add onion paste and fry till onion rawness goes away but don’t fry it till brown as we are making white chicken curry.
Simultaneously add 5-6 garlic paste and again saute till rawness of garlic goes out.
Take 4-5 cloves, piece of ginger and 4-5 cardamon along with curd in grinder and grind it to smooth paste.
Put the grinded curd paste in the pan or kadhai and stir continously.
You can also add little khoya (Mava) to it to bring more richness to the recipe.
Now put chicken pieces in the curry and mix.
Put some water because our chicken will cook for sometime.
Add salt as per taste. If you want you can add red chilly seeds or green chillies. If you are adding green chillies remove it once the white chicken curry is ready.
Put 10-15 cashew paste and 10 whole almond paste.
Now put crushed 15 black pepper to the curry and stir again.
Cover the chicken curry and let it cook for 15-20 minutes on low or medium flame.
Keep checking in between to avoid burning.
Remove the lid and add 2-3 tablespoon cream and mix.
Let it cook for more 5 minutes on low flame.
By the time roast few 4-5 cashews in ghee.
Switch off the flame. Our white chicken curry is ready garnish it with roasted cashews.

September 14, 2017

Rava (Suji) Rasgulla

Rava Rasgulla

Rava / Suji Rasgullas taste different from actual chena rasgullas but these rasgullas are also tasty and better option. These suji rasgullas are easy to prepare as compared to chena rasgullas. Specially kids will love these rasgullas.

How To Make Rava Rasgulla:

Boil 1 1/2 cup milk approx 250 ml.
Once milk starts boiling reduce the flame and add 1/2 cup semolina (suji / rava).
Put 1 tablespoon ghee and 3 tablespoon sugar in the mixture.
Keep mixing till semolina (rava) absorbs milk and becomes dry.
Switch off the flame and let mixture cool down to room temperature.
By the time you can make sugar syrup by adding 1 cup sugar in 1 1/2 cup water and boil it till sugar dissolves completely and syrup becomes sticky.
Switch off the flame and add 5-6 cardamon powder to the chasni (sugar syrup).
Now rava mixture might have cool down. Apply ghee to your palm and take small portion of rasgulla mixture and make round balls of all dough without any cracks.
Keep rasgulla balls aside in plate.
Now our sugar syrup is ready put all rava rasgullas in the chasni (sugar syrup).
Heat rasgullas with chasni for 2-3 minutes and switch off the flame.
Keep rava rasgullas for 15-30 minutes. Rava rasgullas are ready to be served.

September 13, 2017

Flax Seeds (Alsi) Chutney

Flax Seeds Chutney

Flax seeds are shinny nuts brown in color. Including flax seeds (alsi) in your diet is very good. Flax seeds has many benefits. It is rich in fibre. It is good for hair and skin. Consumption of flax seeds can reduce risk of cancer. Flax seeds is low at cholesterol. It also helps for loosing weight.
Flax seeds is used in breads, cookies, roti, fried rice or parathas. It is also used in drinks. Roasted flax seeds powder is also eaten like mukhwas as (after food).

Flax seeds are known as tissi in Mithila in Bihar. Tissi chutney is always there in maithils diet. Tissi Chutney is made specially using different variety of lemon found in Mithila called as Jamiri Nebo. Nebo is lemon in Maithali. Jamiri Nebo (Lemon) has slightly different flavour and fragrance which makes chutney more rich in taste. You can make use of any type of lemon for this recipe.

How To Make Flax Seeds Chutney:

Dry roast 1/2 cup flax seeds with 1/2 red chilly and 1/4 piece of bay leaf till flax seeds starts making noise. If you want roast only flax seeds.
Switch off the flame and let roasted flax seeds cool down at room temperature.
Now grind the mixture to fine powder.
Remove alsi powder in a bowl. Add salt as per taste and mix.
Now add little water and make paste.
Take 1 green chilly and crush it with your fingers in flax seeds chutney.
Put 1/2 lemon juice on top of flax seeds chutney and mix.
Flax seeds (alsi) chutney is ready to be served. You can have it with dal rice or chapaties.

September 12, 2017

Patra Recipe

Patra

Colocasia leaves are used to make patra recipe in Gujarat and alu wadi recipe in Maharashtra. Dish is also called as patrode.
Colocasia leaves are also known as elephant ears and in hindi it is called as arbi k patey. And it’s roots are called as arbi which are used to make curry, dry sabzi or starters.

How To Make Patra:

First prepare patra masala which is to be applied on colocassia leaves.
Take 2 cups besan, add 1 teaspoon ajwain (caraway seeds), 1 teaspoon green chilli paste, 1 teaspoon red chilly paste, 2 teaspoon coriander powder, 1 teaspoon cumin powder, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder, 2 tablespoon tamarind pulp, 1/2 -3/4 cup grated jaggery and salt to taste.
Now add little water and mix to make a thick paste.
Wash and cut stems of 10-12 colocassia leaves and remove thick part of the stem with the help of knife.
Place one leaf of colocassia at the bottom such that rough part of leaf is on the top.
Now apply patra besan masala to entire portion the leaf.
Place another leaf on top of first leaf Simillarly rough part of the leaf on top but second leaf should be in opposite direction. Tip of the both the leaves should be in opposite direction. Should look like a star.
Again apply the besan masala to the second colocassia leaf.
Now put third leaf on top of it shinny part below and rough part at the top. Tip of third leaf should be in opposite direction to second. Apply the masala on this leaf.
Repeat the process and put 4th and 5th leaf with masala.
Fold the edges of the leaves from 2 long sides. Press the leaves tightly from your hands and make a roll. If you want you can also tie a thread to roll slightly so that it doesn’t not unwrap.
Repeat same process for other leaves also and make a roll.
Patra (Alu Wadi) rolls are steamed so put patra rolls in steamer and steam it for 30-35 minutes.
Switch off the flame and remove patra rolls from steamer carefully and allow it to cool.
Once colocassia rolls are cooled cut it into pieces.
Now its time to put tadka to our patra.
Heat oil in kadhai for tadka.
Put mustard seeds and allow it to splutter.
Once it starts spluttering add 1 tablespoon sesame seeds and stir.
Now put few springs of chopped coriander leaves to the tadka and add pieces of patra and stir.
Switch off the flame patra (patrode) is ready to be served.

How To Make Patra

September 9, 2017

Mava Karanji (Gujiya)

Mava Karanji

Mava Karanji is made mostly during festive occasions like Diwali, Ganesh Chathurthi, and Holi. This dessert’s outer cover is made with all purpose flour (maida) and it is stuffed inside with roasted semolina (rava), mava (khoya), sugar, dry fruits, etc.

How To Make Mava Karanji (Gujiya / Pirikya)

Heat a pan. Put 250 gms khoya (mava) and dry roast it till it turns brown.
Add sugar to the khoya and mix.
Switch off the flame and let the mava (khoya) cools down little.
Knead a stiff dough with all purpose flour (maida), ghee and water.
First take maida and ghee together, rub it with your palms and fingers to make it khasta. Then add water slowly and knead a stiff and smooth dough.
Put some chopped cashews in khoya mixture along with cardamon powder and mix properly.
Divide the dough into equal parts and shape into round balls.
Now place one dough ball on rolling board and roll 3 to 4 inch diameter disc.
Put the mava stuffing on maida disc.
Apply water to edges of the maida disc and fold it to semicircle. Press the edges and make the design by pressing and folding till the end of karanji / gujiya.
Simillarly roll the discs, put stuffing and make all karanjies (gujiyas).
Once you are done with stuffing and shaping all gujiyas / karanjis heat oil in kadai for frying.
Fry all mava karanjies from both the side on medium flame in batches.
Switch off the flame. Mava Karanji is ready to be served. Crispy from outside and nice moist nutty from inside due to mava and nuts.

September 7, 2017

Besan Ki Machli

Besan ki machli is vegetarian dish made in Bihar with gram flour (besan). Besan batter is prepared, heated, cooled cut into pieces and then fried. Fried besan pieces looks like machli (fish) fried. The curry of this dish is made like machli (fish) curry and it tastes likes fish curry so this dish is called besan ki machli.
First prepare masala for besan ki machli.
Remove onion skin, wash and grind 1 onion into paste.

How To Make Besan Ki Machli:

Take 1 1/2 mustard powder into grinder, 1 teaspoon red chilly powder, 2 1/2 teaspoon coriander powder, 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds, 10-12 black pepper, 15 garlic cloves with 2-3 tablespoon water and grind it to smooth masala. If required add 1 tablespoon more water to grind masala into smooth paste. Don’t use more water as it will be difficult to grind then.
Chop 1/2 onion and 1 tomato.
Take 1 cup besan in a vessel, put 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder, 1/4 teaspoon red chilly powder and very little salt.
Now slowly add water and make a batter of flowing consistency. Not much thick nor too thin it should be medium pourable.
Now heat 2 tablespoon oil in kadhai.
Put besan batter in the kadhai and keep mixing till it becomes little dry.
Now switch off the flame and pour besan mixture in plate.
Once it cools down cut besan into square shape pieces. If you cannot make pieces in case you can make rolls with your hand and keep aside.
Now heat oil for frying besan pieces.
Once oil is heated put besan pieces one by one and fry till light golden brown.
Remove all fried pieces and keep aside in a plate. Switch off the flame.
Heat another pan and put 2-3 tablespoon oil in it.
Put pinch of fenugreek seeds and let it fry for 30 secs. Add 1 Bay Leaf.
Put 1/2 chopped onion and fry till soft.
Add 1 onion paste in it and fry till onions turn light pink.
Now add grinded masala and stir for 3-4 minute.
Add 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder as we have already added little turmeric powder in besan also and stir.
Put 1 medium size chopped tomato and stir till tomato turns soft. Add little water if required to make tomato soft.
Once tomato turns soft add water for besan ki machli curry. Put water as per how much thick curry you want approx 1 glass you can increase or decrease quantity as per your requirement.
Put salt to taste. As we have added little salt in besan also so adjust accordingly.
Once you have added salt, stir and allow curry to boil for 5-10 minutes.
Now lower the flame and put besan pieces into the curry.
Let besan ki machli boil for more 5 minutes on low flame.
Switch off the flame besan ki machli is ready to be served. Besan ki machli can be served with steamed rice or chapaties.

September 5, 2017

Aloo Paratha

Aloo Ka Paratha

When small cute newborn life is sent alone to earth, one angel is waiting for it to shower unconditional love. She takes care of everything required for that baby to grow and learn from eating, bathing, cleaning, walking, talking and many more. Child grows up but mothers don’t leave caring till life long and the magic they create in there food is memorable. And thats what we hear everywhere “Maa ke hath ka khana”. Yes Maa ke hath ke khaney ki baat hi kuch aur hai, isn’t it?
Maa ke hath ke ladoo, Maa ke hath ki dal, Maa ke hath ke parathey and many more.
Aisey hi ek Maa ke haath ka popular dish ki hum baat kar rahe hai “Aloo Ka Paratha”.
Aloo Ka Paratha is popular dish used as breakfast mostly all over India. As it is stomach filling dish so can be used for lunch or dinner also. Both kids and adults love aloo parathas. Parathas are Indian bread made with wheat flour. Aloo parathas are Indian bread stuffed with boiled mashed potatoes masala and then topped with butter, oil or ghee and cooked. It’s very tasty and people love eating it.
How To Make Aloo Paratha:

Wash and boil 6 potatoes.
Peel the potatoes, mash and keep aside.
Finely chop some fresh coriander leaves and 1/2 onion.
Grind 7-8 green chillies, 6-7 garlic pods, piece of ginger (inch) and pinch of cumin seeds to rough paste.
Now heat 2 teaspoon oil in pan and add Ginger-garlic-chilly paste and cook till raw aroma for ginger garlic goes away.
Now switch off the flame and put mashed potatoes in it.
Put finely chopped coriander leaves and onion.
Put salt and mix properly. Our aloo paratha stuffing is ready. If you want you can also add 1 teaspoon amchur powder, 1/2 teaspoon coriander powder, 1/2 teaspoon garam masala to the stuffing.
Now knead soft dough for aloo paratha with wheat flour, little salt and water.
Divide the dough into round equal parts.
Now take a rolling pan and dry flour for dusting parathas.
Heat tava for aloo parathas.
Roll paratha till tava is getting heated. Take one round ball of dough, apply dry flour press it slightly in the centre with your thumb and make it deep with the help of your fingers.
Stuff it with prepared mashed potato masala. Filling should be good enough.
Now bring all the edges of the dough to the centre and seal it by pressing.
Slightly flatten it, dust it with dry flour and slightly roll paratha such that it doesn’t break.
Now our tava might have heated, place aloo paratha on tava and roll another paratha.
Let our aloo paratha cook slightly from one side. You will notice paratha’s color has slightly changed. Flip the paratha to other side and let it cook.
Apply butter or ghee to the aloo paratha and again flip it to other side.
Apply butter or oil to this side of aloo paratha also. In short both the sides.
Paratha will puff, cook paratha till it turns little crispy.
Remove aloo paratha and keep aside.
Now place your another paratha on tava and cook. Repeat the process for all aloo parathas.
Switch off the flame and serve aloo paratha hot with your favorite chutney and chilled curd.

We will be back soon with more such Maa ke hath ke popular recipes.