Kaju ki Burfi...Cashewnut Fudge

Ingredients:
Cashewnuts
100 gms.
Powered sugar
80 gms.
Cornflour
1 tsp
Rose essence
1/3 tsp.
Varak
For
decoration

Method:

1. Soak cashew nuts in water, for 1-2 hours.

2. Drain and grind them to a fine paste on a grinding stone, using as little water as possible.

3. Mix together the sugar and cashew paste. Cook in a kadhai on a medium flame.

4. When the mixture thickens, reduce the flame and keep stirring.

5. When the mixture becomes thick and comes away from the sides of the pan (it should take 8 minutes) sprinkle cornflour, stir well, and remove from the fire.

6. Immediately, mix in the rose essence and quickly turn onto a greased marble or wooden surface.

7. Quickly, roll thinly with a greased roller. Spread the silver sheet over and cut into diamond shaped katlis.

Taro...Colocasia...arbi Cutlets

Ingredients

* ½ kg Arbi (Taro Root))
* ¼ kg Potato
* ¼ kg Paneer
* 2 tbsp Corn Flour
* 1" piece Ginger, finely chopped
* 6-7 Green Chilies, finely chopped
* Coriander Leaves, finely chopped
* 1 tbsp Amchur (Mango Powder)
* 1 tsp Red Chili Powder
* 1/2 tbsp Roasted Cumin Seeds Powder
* Salt, to taste
* Oil, to deep fry

Method
* Peel off the arbi and cut into small pieces.
* Deep fry them in to the oil.
* Mash it when it is little hot.
* Boil the potatoes and mash it too.
* Grate the paneer and mix it with mashed potato and arbi.
* Add coriander leaves, green chili, ginger, salt, cumin seeds powder and corn flour.
* Mix all the ingredients well and prepare small pieces in the shape of cutlets.
* Heat the oil in a pan and fry all the cutlets.

Carrot Juice....Spiced up !

Ingredients:

5 carrots, washed, peeled and cut into small pieces
2 inch piece of ginger, washed, peeled, cut into pieces.

honey as required
lemon juice as required

Method:

Grind the carrots and ginger together with some water.
Strain the pulp if neccessary.
Stir in lemon juice and as much of honey as you wish. You could also add sugar if you want, but honey is so much better.
Serve cold over ice or as is.


Can Use store bought Carrot juice too

Lamb Roghan Josh.... Kashmir Recipe

Ingredients:

2-3 tbsp oil (recipe asks for 4)
1 large onion, chopped roughly
2 tbsp ginger garlic paste (recipe asks for 2in  piece of ginger and 5 garlic cloves)
3-4 green chillies (recipe doesn't ask for it)
3 large tomatoes chopped (recipe asks for 14 oz canned tomatoes)
3 cardamom pods
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tsp turmeric powder (or less)
1 tsp chilli powder ( I used nearly 3 tsp)
1 - 2 lbs of lamb, cut into small pieces
2/3 cup yogurt
1 tsp gram flour, besan, chick pea flour
salt to taste
2-4 tbsp tomato puree (recipe asks for 1 tbsp tomato paste)
1/2 cup warm water (or more)
1 tsp ghee, clarified unsalted butter or unsalted butter
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves for garnish

Method:

Heat about a tbsp of oil in a pan on medium heat.
Add the onion, green chillies and ginger garlic paste and saute for 3-4 minutes, till just turning brown.
Remove from heat and by draining as much oil as possible, transfer to a grinder or blender or food processor along with the tomatoes. Puree it with no additional water.
Turn the heat to low and in the same pan, with another tbsp of oil, add the cardamom pods, bay leaves. Saute till slightly turning brown.
Add the ground coriander, turmeric and chilli powder. Saute for a minute.
Add the tomato and onion puree to the pan and raise the heat to medium and cook until oil separates from the gravy. Turn the heat to low at this point and continue cooking for another 2-3 minutes.
Add the lamb and increase the heat a bit. Cook until the meat changes its color.
Whisk yogurt and gram flour together in bowl until smooth.
Reduce the heat and add in the yogurt paste 2 tbsp at a time and incorporate well into the gravy.
Add salt and tomato puree (or paste). Reduce heat, cover and continue cooking for about 20-30 min, stirring occasionally.
Add the water and bring it to a low simmer. Re-cover and continue cooking for another 20 minutes or till the meat is tender.
Melt the ghee in a small pan on low heat.
Add the garam masala and nutmeg, saute for about 30 seconds. Pour this over the curry. By now all the gravy should have thickened.
Stir in half of the chopped coriander leaves. Garnish with rest when removed from heat.
Serve hot with naan or rice. I served with a simple vegetable fried rice.

Pinwheels...Spinach and Cheese

An easy no mess finger food....

Ingredients:

2 puff pastry sheets
1/2 cup mix of cheeses like Monterey jack, provolone, mozarella, cheddar (you can use which ever you like)

egg wash ( 1 egg beaten with 2 tbsp of water)
Baking sheet lined with parchment paper

For Spinach Curry:

1 packed cup of frozen spinach (you can use fresh too)
1 large clove of garlic, chopped
1/2 chopped onion
few drops of oil
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
salt to taste
few chopped coriander leaves


Method:

To make spinach curry:

Heat oil in a pan.
Add the onions and garlic, saute for 2 minutes.
Add the spinach along with salt, cumin, coriander and chilli powders.
Cook until all the rawness is gone and spinach is cooked.
Remove from heat, and let it cool down completely before putting into the puff pastry.
Cooling is very important, otherwise it will make the puff pastry soggy.

Assembly:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F
Thaw the puff pastry sheet accordingly to directions on the box.
Lightly flour the surface and place the sheet on the flour.
Brush the Sheet with egg wash.
Sprinkle the Spinach curry on the sheet evenly covering all corners.
Sprinkle the cheese on the spinach.
Now slowly starting from one corner, start rolling the sheet, brushing with egg wash on the exposed side, rolling it in.
Now brush the whole roll with egg wash.
Cut in 1/2 inch pieces and place them on the baking tray lined with parchment paper.
Again brush them lightly with egg wash on the top of the pin wheels.
Bake for about 15 minutes, till golden brown.

Serve with ketchup or any chutneys.

Poha Cutlets...

ngredients:

1 cup Poha, atululu, beaten flat rice, wash and soak in little water till absorbed (10-20 min) ( use thick poha)
1 large potato, baked or boiled, peeled
2 slices of bread, slightly wet
1/2 carrots, grated
1/4 cup peas
1/4 cup peanut, dry roasted and coarsely ground to powder (optional)
1 small onion, chopped
2 green chillies, chopped
coriander leaves, chopped
1 cup bread crumbs for coating

salt to taste
1 tsp chilli powder
pinch of turmeric


Oil for deep frying or shallow fry

Method:

Wash and soak the poha in some water for 10-20 min.
Boil or bake potato, cool and peel the skin off.

Add all the rest of the ingredients together, except the bread crumbs and oil.
Mash and mix them.

Roll and Flatten tightly with your hands and roll in the bread crumbs and fry in oil.
I deep fried mine, but you can surely shallow fry them. Just remember that the oil should be hot enough or they cutlets will break up.

Serve hot with chutney or eat plain.

Khandvi...Gujrati Recipe

Ingredients:

1/3 heaped cup of gram flour / besan / chick pea flour
1/3 cup sour yogurt (I added a tbsp of lemon juice to make it sour)
1 cup water
salt to taste
1 tsp sugar (adding sugar is optional but adding it gives a balance between salt, sour and sweet)
2 tsp of ginger-green chilli paste (I added like 4 tsp...cos I like it spicy)
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp asfoetida, hing, inguva
3 tbsp any cooking oil

For tempering and garnishing:

2 tsp cooking oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
2 tsp sesame seeds
2 tbsp grated coconut
2 tbsp chopped fresh corainder leaves

Method:

Grease a back of a thali, a plate or any flat surface. I use the back of a baking tray.

Mix the Besan, water, yogurt and ginger-green chilli paste together with a wisk, so as that no lumps remain.
Add sugar, salt, hing, turmeric and wisk again.
Heat oil in a kadai, and pour this mixture in and stir continously. For this I thought using a wisk (one which is suitable for a non-stick kadai, if using one) is better , so it mixes properly and does not allow any lumps to form.
Wish or keep stirring for atleast 8-10 minutes on medium heat. You will see that the mixture immediatly will thicken and then keep its form for sometime while stirring. But will change its color to a darker shade. It will also keep thickening.

((To check if its of the right consistency to roll, I took a small amount to the mix, flattened it and rolled it. If it didn't flatten smoothly, it has to be cooked more. Be careful of not over cooking it like into a dough form, cos it will not flatten out easily.))

When you think its of the right consistency, pour it onto the greased back of the plate and flatten it with a laddle like a dosa. It doesn't have to be smooth, but try to keep the same thickness throughout.
Once it is rolled out, wait to couple of minutes to cool down and then cut into strips of desired length.
Roll them into tubes.

Heat oil in a pan for tempering.
Add the mustard seeds and sesame seeds, let them splutter.
Pour this onto the rolled Khandvi.
Sprinkle the grated coconut and chopped coriander leaves.
Serve as is or warm as a snack at tea 

Stuffed Parathas...Cabbage and Carrots

Ingredients:

1 cup grated or chopped Cabbage
1 cup grated carrot
salt ot taste
1 tbsp oil
pinch of turmeric
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp jeera powder
 whole wheat flour to knead into a soft dough


Method:

Add salt to the grated cabbage and keep aside for 10 minutes.
You will see that water will come out of the cabbage.
Add the carrot, oil, turmeric, coriander powder, jeera powder.
Add some more salt if required.
Add enough atta to knead into a soft dough. Keep aside to 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, if you think the dough has become too soft, add some more atta and knead well.
Make into small balls and roll out the paratha. Heat a tava / tawa, and slowly fry the paratha. Should be on medium heat so as to allow the carrot and cabbage to cook.
Flip over after browning on one side. Lightly oil both sides before removing from the tava.

Beans Stir Fry....Barbati

Ingredients:

a bunch of barbati / yard long beans, chopped up tiny
1 onion, chopped
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
2 tbsp coconut
1 tbsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
salt to taste

1/2 tsp urad daal
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp jeera, cumin seeds
2 dry red chillies, broken
bunch of curry leaves
chopped coriander leaves for garnish

1-2 tbsp oil

Method:

Heat oil in pan. Add Urad daal and let it brown. Add mustard seeds and jeera, let them splutter.
Add the red chillies and curry leaves.
Add the onions and saute till translucent. Add the ginger-garlic paste and saute for a minute for adding the chopped barbati. Add salt and let cook until the barbati gets cooked. Add the chilli powder and fry it.
In the end add the coconut and mix it well into the barbati.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
Serve with roti, chapati or with hot rice.

Upma made with Leftover Roti.....

After shredding rotis take them in a bowl add a little salt and lemon juice to the chapatis and make them soft.

Take oil in a pan and add mustard seeds , cumin seeds, hing , green chillies and curry leaves , let them splutter and then add the finely chopped onions , make them soft and them add finely sliced potato and haldi let them cook in a little water once they are cooked add the shredded chapati and salt to taste and also a little sugar , mix and garnish with finely chopped coriander and freshly grated coconut