Kimami Sewai : Eid Special

During the holy month of Ramadan when fasting is on, Iftar (breaking the fast) is done right after Maghrib (sunset) time. A wide variety of food is prepared to break the fast and sewai is among the hot favourites. Footpaths on either side of road are full of vendors selling  Kimami laccha, Banarasi laccha, Bedami laccha and Rumali laccha. In my hometown in UP if you visit a muslim friend's house you will definitely find sewai made in sugar sheera or syrup. It is very popular and very tasty. So today on the occasion of Eid i will share a very unique and mouthwatering recipe of making Kimami sewai which you all will definitely love.

So Happy Eid and a happy and tasty sewai making to all of you.

Ingredients - 

Sewai - 1/2 kg
Sugar - 1 1/2 kg
Mawa - 250 g
Milk -1 1/2 lt
Coconut dry - 1 whole
Dry dates (chhuhara) - 200 g
Raisins - 100 g
Cashewnuts - 100 g
Almonds - 100 g
Makhana - 50 g
Cloves - 1 tsp
Green cardamom crushed - 7
Silver foil - 2
Clarified butter ( pure ghee) - 100 g

 Method - 

1. Soak coconut and chuhara overnight and grind it coarsely
    in a  grinder. Chop the nuts and fry makhana.
2. Fry the sewai in a heavy bottomed pan in two batches in 
    a low flame.
3. First fry it dry, when it starts to take a very light brown 
    colour then put 2 tbsp of ghee in it and fry it to a golden 
    brown colour. Take special care to prevent it from sticking
    to the pan or burning. Fry all the sewai and keep it aside.
4. Put 1 lt milk in a deep pan and boil it for a while, add the
    sugar and keep stirring and boiling until the milk has 
    reduced and formed a  single thread like consistency. It is
    called milk kimam. If the milk curdles a bit you need not 
    worry, it happens.
5. In a heavy bottomed pan put rest of the ghee and put 
    cloves and green cardamom, add mawa in it and fry it.
6. When it comes to a light brown colour add the ground 
    coconut and chuhara in it and keep frying until it has 
    changed to a brown colour.
7. Add the milk kimam and all the nuts in it and mix it, add 
    the fried sewai and remaining milk and stir it on a medium 
    heat for a while and cover it until the sewai becomes tender.
    It will take around 5 minutes only. Remove it from fire when            there is sheera (syrup) left in it. Place it in a serving dish and            garnish it with desiccated coconut and silver foil and serve. 
    It can be stored for many days.
8. If you want to make little amount than the given recipe
    please take half amount of each ingredient.

 

Sewai frying

 

Dry dates + coconut + mawa mixing and frying

                                            Milk kimam and dry fruit mixing

                                       
                                               Sewai mixing with all the ingredients

                                                                   Prepared Sewai

                                                         
                                 

Pancakes With Baked Beans And Vegetables

 
Ingredients -

For the pancakes
Flour - 1 cup
Milk - 1 cup
Egg - 1
Salt - a pinch

For the filling
Onions chopped - 1
Baked beans - 1 cup
Cauliflower florets - 1/2 cup
French beans chopped - 1/2 cup
Carrot chopped - 1/2 cup
Potato boiled - 2 small
Tomato chopped - 1
Pepper crushed - 1/2 tsp
Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 2 tbsp
Butter - 2 tbsp
Salt - to taste

For spreading
White sauce - flour 2 tbsp, butter 2 tbsp, milk 1 cup, cheese 2 tbsp, a pinch of salt
Tomato ketchup - 1/2 cup
Cheese - 2 tbsp
Butter - 2 tbsp
Pepper crushed - 1/4 tsp

White sauce
Make the white sauce by heating the butter in a heavy sauce pan, add the flour and stir it until its pale and fluffy.
Add the milk in small quantity, mixing all the time to avoid any lumps, let it boil and reduce itself to a coating consistency.
mix the cheese and the salt and keep it aside for later use.

Pancakes -
Mix flour, butter, salt, egg nicely and keep it for 10 minutes.
Prepare pancakes in a shallow frying pan by using little butter.


Filling -
Heat the butter and oil and fry onions until its light brown.
Put the chopped carrot, beans and cauliflower and saute a bit, add tomato, baked beans, pepper and chilli
powder, salt and mix it. Cover it and let it simmer on a low flame until its cooked and dry.

How to proceed -
Fill each pancakes with the stuffing then spread 1 tbsp of tomato sauce over it and close.
Repeat the process until all pancakes are prerpared.
Grease a baking dish and place the pancakes on it.
Spread the white sauce on top and  then the balance tomato ketchup.
Spread the cheese and crushed pepper on top . Dot it with butter and bake it until the cheese has melted and taken a light golden colour.
Serve it hot and impress your loved ones.

Cheese Cake

Ingredients -
 
Self raising flour - 2 cups
Corn flour - 2 tbsp
Sugar - 1 1/2 cup
Butter - 100 g
Eggs - 3
Baking powder - 1 1/3 tsp
Bicarb soda - 1/2 tsp
Cheddar cheese grated - 1 cup
Milk - 1/2 cup

                             
Method -
 
Sift the self raising flour, cornflour, baking powder and soda together.
Beat the butter in a deep pan until its light and glossy.
Now add the sugar little at a time beating it continuously.
By this time the batter should be double in volume.
Add eggs one at a time and beat well after each addition.
In a bowl take the milk and half of the cheese and melt it in a double boiler (putting the bowl over a pan of boiling water) and cool it and
mix the remaining cheese also in it, keep it aside.
Add sifted dry ingredients into the butter and egg mixture.
Mix little at a time alternating with the cheese and milk mixture, starting and ending with flour mix.
Grease a baking dish with butter and flour, and pour the batter into it and bake it in a moderate oven until done.
Leave in the baking tin for 4-5 minutes and then turn out on to a cake cooler.
Before serving sprinkle it with castor sugar and grated cheese and serve it with afternoon or evening tea.

Rotini Pasta In Tomato and Cream Sauce

 Ingredients -
Pasta - 200 g
Onion chopped- 1 medium size
Tomatoes blanched - 3
Garlic minced - 4 cloves
Tomato Puree - 3 tbsp
Tomato sauce - 2 tbsp
Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Cream - 3 tbsp
Cheese grated - 2 tbsp
Oil - 4 tbsp
Butter - 2 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp + for pastas to taste

 Method -
Boil water in a pan and put 1/2 tsp salt and pasta in it. Boil it al dente and refresh it in cold water. Keep it aside.
Heat a frying pan and put the onions in it . Fry it until translucent, add the garlic and fry it for a while. Chop the tomatoes and put it in the pan, Fry until it is tender and mashed in the onions. Put the salt, red chilli and pepper powder and mix well.
Add the tomato puree and tomato sauce and stir it. Now put the cream and pasta and mix it all, cover it and let it simmer for 5 minutes on a low flame. Put the butter and cheese and stir it so that it coats the pastas nicely. Sprinkle it with grated cheese and serve it hot.

Butter Chicken

Butter chicken or Murg makhani is a very tasty dish from the Punjab region which has over the years become so popular that you can find it in every eating joints around the country. The richness of the cream and the cashews and the redness of the tomatoes gives it a very beautiful colour and taste.
Today I am posting a butter chicken recipe which is even made easier by frying all the ingredients together and grinding it to a paste.

Ingredients -
For the Marinade -
Curd fresh - 1/2 cup (must not be sour)
Ginger-Garlic paste - 2 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Lemon Juice - 2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Salt  - 1/2 tsp
Butter melted - 2 tbsp
Tandoori colour - a pinch (optional)


For the Gravy -
Chicken - 1 kg
Onion chopped - 4
Garlic peeled - 1 whole (medium size)
Ginger - 2 tsp (minced)
Tomatoes cut - 250g
Curd beaten - 2 tbsp (it should not be sour)
Cream - 4 tbsp
Black pepper whole - 2 tsp
Cloves - 5
Black cardamom - 1 small
Green cardamom - 2
Bay leaves - 2 small
Cinnamon stick - 1 inch
Red chilli powder - 1tsp
Coriander powder - 2 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
Poppy seed - 2 tsp
Cashews - 7-8
Fenugreek leaves dried (kasuri methi) - 1/2 tsp
Salt - to taste
Sugar - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 1/2 cup
Butter - 4 tbsp

Method -

Prick the chicken with a fork and marinate it mixing all the ingredients ( except the butter) for marinade. Marinate for about 4 hours.
 Coat it with the butter evenly and bake in a hot oven till golden and almost done.
  Heat 3 tablespoon of oil and put the black pepper, cloves , black cardamom, green cardamom, cinnamon and bay leaf and saute it for a minute, add the onions, ginger, garlic and fry it until its light brown and tender. Now add the cut tomatoes and fry for a while until the tomatoes are tender. Remove it and let it cool. Grind it to a smooth paste. Soak the poppy seeds for 1/2 hour in water and grind it with the cashews to a paste.
Now heat the remaining oil and butter together and put the ground onion and tomato paste in it and stir fry it for 5 minutes, add the coriander, red chilli powder, and keep frying until its golden brown in colour, add the poppy paste stirring continuously, add the curd, salt and garam masala and cook till oil separates. Add enough boiled water to make a smooth paste, bring it to a boil, add the chicken, cream, sugar and crushed fenugreek leaves, cover and cook on a slow flame until the chicken is fully cooked. Garnish it with cream and butter and serve it hot with naan or tandoori roti.

Coconut ladoos (Nariyal ke ladoo)

 INDEPENDENCE DAY SPECIAL

Ingredients-

Coconut raw - 2
Sugar - 2 medium size bowl
Green cardamom - 5
Desiccated coconut - 1 cup

Method -

Cut the coconuts in thin slices and dry grind it in a grinder and put it in a pan.
Now mix the sugar nicely in the ground coconut and keep it for 1/2 hour.
Take a deep and heavy bottomed frying pan. Heat it and put the sugar and coconut  mixture in it and fry it.
Crush the cardamom seeds and put it in the pan.
After frying on a low flame the mixture should turn to creamish colour and coconut and sugar should be mixed nicely.
It should leave the edges of the frying pan and become dry.
Remove it from fire and let it cool a bit but not completely.
Take water in a bowl and wet your hands. Take small amount of ladoo mixture and make round balls according to your desired size.
Now roll the ladoos in the desiccated coconut.
Repeat the process and make all the balls and keep it in a container in fridge.
It can be stored for long period.

Firni

Raksha Bandhan Special

Ingredients - 

Basmati rice - 200 g
Milk - 1 1/2 litre
Sugar - 1 medium bowl (approx. 200 g)
Green cardamom - 4-5
Almond - 6
Pistachio unsalted - 4-5
Fresh milk cream or (clotted cream or malai) - 1/2 bowl
Rose petals (optional) - 7-8
Saffron strands -  2 soaked in 2 tbsp milk (optional)

Method -

Soak the basmati rice for 3 hours. Drain the water and grind it coarsely. 
Boil Milk in a deep pan.When it comes to boil add the ground rice gradually, around 1 tablespoon at a time.
Stir it continuously to avoid any lumps. Repeat the process until all rice is mixed.
Put it on a low flame and let it simmer until the rice is cooked.
Crush the seeds of the cardamom. Add the sugar, saffron and the cardamom powder to the rice and mix it nicely.

Chop the nuts. Keep some for garnishing and add the remaining to the pan.

Remove it from fire when the sugar is dissolved completely and it has reached to the desired consistency. Let it cool.
Beat the cream or malai with a spoon to make it smooth and add it to the firni.
Transfer it in a serving dish and garnish it with nuts and rose petals. Chill it thoroughly before serving.

        

Lamingtons

FRIENDSHIP DAY SPECIAL

                                    
Lamingtons are small square piece of sponge cake which is dipped in chocolate icing and coated in desiccated coconut.These small 
cakes are very popular in Australia, even each year on 21st july Australia celebrates National Lamington day. These are divinely tasty and you have to make it once to believe the taste and sentiments attached with it.

                                                        
 Ingredients -


Self raising flour - 2 cups
Cornflour - 4 tbsp
Sugar - 1 1/2 cup
Butter - 1/2 cup (100 g)
Baking powder - 2 tsp
Soda bicarb -  a pinch
Salt - a pinch
Milk - 1/2 cup
Eggs - 3
Vanilla essence - 1 tsp


                       


For the chocolate Coating -
Icing or powdered sugar - 2 cups
Coco powder - 1/2 cup
Butter - 2 tsp
Milk - 1/2 cup
Desiccated coconut - 100 g

                                      
Method -


1. Beat  butter until very light and fluffy with an electric mixture.
2. Add the sugar gradually and beat it until almost double 
    in volume.
3. Add the eggs one at a time beating after each addition. 
4. Sift the flour, cornflour, baking powder, soda and salt .
5. Fold the flour gradually with a wooden spatula, in the
    butter mixture. 
6. Mix the flour alternately with the milk in the butter 
    mixture, starting and ending with the flour mix.
7. Place it in a greased baking square tin and bake it in
     a moderate oven at 180 degree Celsius until cooked.
     Allow to cool completely for 5 to 6 hours or keep it 
     in a fridge to make it firm.
8.  Cut it into equal square shapes, dip into chocolate icing 
     and toss in desiccated coconut covering it completely.

                                  
Chocolate Icing -


1. In a lukewarm milk add the coco, butter and sugar and 
    heat it on a low flame, until all are mixed nicely and it
    has come to a coating consistency. 
2. The chocolate sauce should be thick so that it coats the 
    cake evenly and does not drip easily.  
3. Let it cool for 5 minutes and with the help of a fork 
   quickly coat the cake on all sides in the chocolate icing,
   drain any excess icing and gently roll the cake pieces 
   in the coconut. Repeat the process until all are done.
4. Its very easy to make and can be served any time. In many
    parties, I have served it as dessert with Fruit cream and 
    believe me it is as regal in taste as it is in appearance.

Fruit Cream

Ingredients-


Cream - 200g
Sugar powdered - 4 tbsp
Apple - 1
Banana -1
Mango - 1
Papaya - 2 tbsp
Pomegranate seeds - 3 tbsp ( for garnishing)
Grapes - 6-7
Orange (deseeded and segmented) - 1


                                          


Method - 


Clean the fruits and dice all the bigger fruits and cut the grapes in half. Peel the orange and separate the segments.  Remove the skin
and deseed it . Cut it into pieces.
Take the cream in a serving bowl and mix sugar gently.
Toss all the Fruits in it and mix it with a spatula so the cream coats the fruits evenly.
Decorate it with the pomegranate pearls or chocolate chips.
Chill it in the freedge until it is set. 
Serve it in pudding glasses as a delicious summer pudding.
Even you can serve it in a party with swiss rolls or lamingtons also. It goes superbly well with it and enhances the taste and the look of it.

Pepper Chicken

Ingredients -
   
Chicken - 1/2 kg
For marinade - (turmeric a pinch, ginger-garlic paste 1tsp, salt 1/2 tsp, Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp)
Onions sliced - 3
Tomato chopped - 1
Ginger minced - 1 tsp
Garlic minced - 2 tbsp
Cumin powder - 2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Freshly ground Pepper  - 2 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Oil  - 5 tbsp + frying

Method -
Marinate the chicken and keep it for 1 hour. Heat a pan and fry it on both the sides, until its almost done.
Remove the excess oil and fry the onions in the same pan until its light brown in colour.
Put all the ingredients except the pepper and garam masala powder. Fry it until the tomato is tender and is mixed nicely in the masala. Put the chicken in it and stir it on a low flame for a while, sprinkle some water and cover it and let it simmer until the chicken is completely done, open the lid and put the pepper and garam masala powder and fry it for some more time until the oil separates and the water has evaporated and it has turned into a brownish shade.
If you like it hot then sprinkle a bit of coarsely ground pepper while serving.
Serve it hot with roti, parathas or dinner rolls because it goes well with English menu also.

Ajwain Ke Pakoron Ki Kadhi

Ingredients -

For the pakorey -
Gram flour (besan) - 1 cup
Ajwain (carom seed) - 1 tsp
Baicarb soda - 1/4 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Water - as required for a dropping consistency
Oil - for frying

For the kadhi gravy-

Gram flour - 5 tbsp
Curd - 6 tbsp (can be increased depending on the sourness )
Onion thinly sliced - 1
Tomato - 1
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Fenugreek seeds (methi seeds) - 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida (hing) - 1/4 tsp
Salt - to taste
Water - 3 cups
Oil - 4 tbsp

For tempering -

Red chillies whole - 2
Green chillies - 2
Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves - 4
Clarified butter (pure ghee) - 2 tbsp

Method -

Sift the gram flour and mix all the ingredients listed for the pakorey and make a nice batter beating it vigourously with your hand for two minutes.
 Take a deep frying pan and fry it to a golden brown colour in two batches and keep it to use it later with the gravy.
 In the same frying pan remove the excess oil, leaving 4 tbsp there. Put the asafoetida and fenugreek seeds and let it crackle, toss the sliced onions in it and fry it until  it has turned to a beautiful golden colour. Add the turmeric, cumin and red chilli powder and the chopped tomato and stir fry for a minute.
Now take a bowl and put the sifted gram flour, curd and 2 cups of water and mix it nicely to avoid any lumps.
Pour the mix into the frying pan stiring it continuously for a minute, add the salt and the remaining water and bring it to a boil,
 add the pakoras and cover it and simmer it for few minutes until the pakoras are tender and the gravy is thick enough, according to your liking.
Prepare for the tempering by heating a shallow frying pan and putting the ghee in it.
 Add the curry leaves, red chillies, slit green chillies, cumin seeds and when it has all crackled just pour it over the kadhi gravy and serve it hot with rice.