Navratri Fast Special - Apple Kheer

Ingredients -

Apple - 4
Milk - 1/2 kg
Milkmaid - 2 tbsp (optional)
Cashews - 6-7
Almonds - 6-7
Coconut grated - 2 tbsp
Dry dates - 2
Chironji (Charoli) - 2 tbsp
Sugar - 3 tbsp
Cardamom crushed - 2
Dry fruits chopped - for garnishing

Method -
 
Take a pan and boil the milk till it reduces and becomes thick.
Chop all the cashews,almonds, dates and chironji and put into it along with the coconut.
In the meanwhile grate the apples and heat another pan and put the sugar and apple in it and fry it until the sugar is mixed in the apple and it is cooked and become tender. Allow it to cool and mix it in the milk nicely along with the milkmaid and cardamom.
Take it off the heat and garnish it with dry fruits and serve it hot or chilled according to your taste.

 

Chicken Dum Pukht Biryani

    

The origin of the Lucknow Dum Pukht Biryani dates back to the 1780's and was popular at the time of Nawab Asaf-Ud-Daulah, the erstwhile ruler of Awadh. "Dum" means to "breath in" and "pukht" means "to cook". So this process of cooking when basmati rice is cooked with layers of marinated chicken or meat in a heavy bottomed pan, sealed with dough, on a low heat is known as Dum Cooking. The food is cooked in its own juices and steam, allowing all the spices and herbs to fully infuse the meat and rice, preserving the nutritional elements at the same time.

Ingredients - 

Chicken  pieces - 1/2 kg
Rice Basmati - 1 1/2 medium size bowl (300-350 g)
Onions - 3
Tomato chopped - 1
Garlic minced - 2 tbsp
Ginger minced - 1 tbsp
Green chillies  minced - 2-3
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Cumin Powder - 2 tbsp
Coriander powder - 1 tbsp
Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Whole garam masala ( cumin seed, nutmeg and mace crushed - 1/2 tsp each, green cardamom-3, black cardamom-1, cinnamon stick- 1 inch)
Bay leaf -2
Clarified butter (pure ghee) - 2 tbsp + 1 tbsp
Oil - 2 tbsp
Saffron strands - 2-3 soaked in little warm milk
Warm Water - 1/2 cup
 Salt - to taste
For marination -
Curd 1/2 cup, turmeric- 1/8 tsp, ginger-garlic paste-1 tbsp,
 red chilli powder-1/2 tsp, garam masala -1/2 tsp, salt-1/2 tsp
For garnishing-
Onion - 1 large (cut into thin slices and fried crisp)
Cashews - fried few

                       
Method -  
1. Clean the chicken, put half of the fried onions and all 
    the masala listed for marination, rubbing nicely on the 
    chicken. keep it for 2 hours.
2. Clean, wash  and soak the rice in a deep pan for 8-10 
    minutes. Put it to boil, adding little salt in it. Keep 
    checking and drain the rice when it's 3/4th done,  add 1
     tsp of clarified butter (pure ghee) in it to prevent it from   
     sticking, remove it from heat and open the lid of the pan 
     to prevent it from cooking further.
3. Heat a deep and heavy bottomed karahi and put the oil 
    and ghee into it. Put the bay leaf and the whole garam
    masala and when it has crackled put onions into it and
    fry it until it turns golden.
4. Add the minced ginger, garlic, chillies and tomato with 
    all the dry masala and stir fry it.
5. Add the marinated chicken and fry it until the oil has 
    separated. Sprinkle some water in between if necessary
    and cover and let it cook until the chicken is tender and 
    no gravy is left in it. Put in on a very low heat.
6. Take the par boil rice and spread it over the chicken, mix
    it softly with the chicken and the masala. Spread the     
    saffron milk, sprinkle the warm water also over it.
    You can also use the drain water from the rice instead 
     of using warm water.
7. Cover the karahi with a foil paper and tightly cover it 
    with a lid. You can also secure the lid with a wheat dough 
    (mix water and wheat flour to a dough). Let it be on a low 
    flame for 5-7 minutes, remove and keep a tawa over the
    flame and place the biryani on the tawa for 5-7  minutes,
    take out the wheat dough or the foil just before serving 
    and garnish it with the remaining fried onions and 
    cashews. Serve it hot with raita or salad.
8.  I prefer to mix the rice and the chicken before putting 
     on 'Dum' because this way every grain of rice will absorb
     the masala and aroma of the chicken. 

   For the Layered Biryani - 

        

If you want to make a layered biryani then remove the chicken from the karahi after its cooked, spread little ghee on the karahi. Make a layer of half of the rice, sprinkle half of the soaked saffron milk and few cashews and fried onion on the rice and spread the chicken over the rice. Now spread remaining layer of rice over the chicken and then remaining saffron milk and the garnishing on it. Just take care that first and last layer should be of rice only. This way you can make many layers of rice, garnishing, chicken and then again rice and so on if you have greater quantity of ingredients with you. Cover the karahi with a foil paper and the lid and let the biryani be on dum for few minutes and serve it hot.

                       



 

Two Tier Chocolate - Walnut Cake With Choco Frosting

Ingredients -

Flour - 2 1/2 cups
Sugar  granulated - 2 cup
Butter - 100 g
Plum or mixed fruit jam - 2 tbsp
Hot water - 1/2 cup
Eggs - 3
Cocoa powder - 4 tbsp
Milk - 1/3 cup
Baking powder - 1 1/3 tsp
Soda bicarb - 1/2 tsp
Walnut  chopped- 1/2 cup
 

For the frosting -
Cooking chocolate - 50 g
Cocoa powder - 1 tbsp
Sugar - 1 cup
Butter - 1 tsp
Milk - 3 tbsp
Whipped cream - 1/2 cup

Method -

Blend the cocoa and jam with hot water and let it cool.
Beat butter until its very light and fluffy and mix sugar in it gradually.
Add eggs and beat well after each addition.
Add the flour alternately with milk and cocoa mixture in it, and when everything is mixed beat the batter for 3 minutes and add 2 tbsp chopped walnuts into it.
 Pour into two different sizes ( 7 and 8 inches ) of greased baking tins and bake in a moderate oven until cooked, take it out after 5 minutes and place it in a cake cooler.

For the frosting -
    Melt cooking chocolate and butter over a low heat,  stirring it all the time. Stir in sugar, cocoa, milk and let it cook untill it has become thick and smooth enough to spread easily. Remove it from fire and let it cool completely.
Take the whipped cream and put 1 tbsp of the cooled choco frosting in it and mix it softly.
Now take one cake and spread the choco frosting around the edges first and take the walnuts and stick it over the frosting, place it on a plate and spread the icing smoothly on the upper side also.
Take the other cake and spread the icing and walnuts on the edges first and place it in the middle over the larger cake and work on it the same way, spreading the icing thickly on top.
Put the whipped cream in a piping bag with a star nozle and pipe stars or any design of your liking and keep it in a fridge for 20 minutes and serve it after that.

      

Khasta Bharwan Ghathi (Sattu Stuffed Kachoris)

Sattu is a grounded powder of pulses ans cereals like gram dal, green gram, jowar, wheat etc. and the difference between sattu and besan is that sattu is made from roasted gram dal whereas besan is made from raw gram dal.
Dishes made from sattu is very popular in UP and Bihar. It has a very high nutritional value and many breakfast dishes and snacks are made from it like sattu paratha and litti and it is taken as a healthy drink also when mixed with milk or water.
Today I am posting a very tasty, crispy snack made from sattu.
 Hope you all will enjoy making it and presenting to your close ones a delicious snack.

           
Ingredients -


Filling -
Ground roasted gram flour (Sattu) - 1 cup
Onions minced - 1
Green chillies minced - 2
Ginger-Garlic minced - 1 tsp each
Aachar masala - 1/2 tsp
Aamchur powder - 1/2 tsp
Mustard oil - 1 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Make the filling by adding all the ingredients and mixing it nicely.

For the dough -  
All purpose flour ( maida) - 2 cups
Clarified butter (ghee) - 3 tbsp
Warm water -  enough to make the dough
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Oil - For deep frying

Method -

Put the ghee and salt in the flour and mix it nicely. Add water in it, little at a time and make a nice and firm dough by working on it for 5 minutes. Cover it with a muslin cloth and keep it for 10 minutes.
Take a small ball size dough and roll it into a small, circular puri like shape, stuff it with the filling and roll it out a bit with a rolling pin. Prepare all the ghathis in the same manner.
Take a deep frying pan and heat oil in it. deep fry all the ghatis in it and serve it with chilli or mint chutney.

Pancakes With Fruit Compote

Fruit compote is a cooked fruit dish made from fresh or dried fruits. Made at home from easily available and quality ingredients, compotes offer significant nutritional advantages as all fruits are a good source of vitamin C and fiber.
I like to make it often as a good amount of fruit can be used in it which otherwise would be lying in the fridge, waiting to be cut and eaten. So make it as kids will surely love it and you will also not regret as its very tasty and healthy too.

Ingredients -
For the pancakes -
Flour - 1 cup
Milk - 1 cup
Egg - 1
Sugar - 3 tbsp
Butter  - 2 tbsp

For the Fruit Compote

Apple - 1
Pear - 1
Peach ripe - 2
Pineapple cubed - 1/2 cup
Plum / Strawberries - 4
Orange juice of - 1 orange
Ginger grated - 1 tsp
Cinnamon crushed - 1/2 tsp
Sugar - 3 tbsp (can be increased depending on the sweetness of fruits)
Cream - 5 tbsp

Blueberries - few to garnish

Method -     

          

For compote -

1. Cut all the fruits in cube size and  put the apple, 
      pear, sugar and 4 tbsp of water in a pan.
2. Cover and simmer it on low flame until both are 
     tender.
3. Add the peach, pineapple, orange juice, ginger and 
    cinnamon and simmer it till all the fruits are tender.
4. In another small pan, put 2 tbsp of water and 1
     tbsp of sugar with  deseeded and cubed plums and
     cook it until tender.
5. If you are adding strawberries then cook it like 
     the plums to avoid the whole fruit compote taking 
      a pink colour. Use either of them. 

For Pancakes -

1. Mix the flour, milk, salt, sugar, egg to a smooth paste.
2. Heat a  non stick tawa and smear it with little butter.

3. Make pan cakes by pouring a ladle full of batter into

    the hot tawa.
4. Cook till done on both the sides. Make all repeating 

     the same process.

How to proceed -

1. Place a pancake in a serving plate and put the fruit 
    compote on it.
2. Garnish it liberally with cream and sprinkle blueberries
    over it and serve it as dessert.
3. Prepare all the pancake compote in the same manner.
4. The calory conscious could avoid the cream.

Paneer In Spicy And Rich Tomato Gravy

 

 This tasty paneer dish is made in a thick and spicy tomato gravy. I have made it on many occasions and the beautiful red colour of the tomatoes and the richness of the cream mixed in the gravy will definitely tempt you to make it every time, there is paneer in the house.

 Ingredients -

Paneeer (Cottage cheese) - 400 g
Onions grated - 4 medium
Tomatoes - 4 large
Ginger-Garlic paste - 1 tsp each
Cream - 1/2 cup
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Cornflour - 1 tbsp
Fresh Curd - 3 tbsp
Oil - 6 tbsp + frying
Salt - to taste
Hot Water - 1 cup

 For the dry masala -
 Cumin seeds - 2 tbsp
 Coriander seeds - 1 tbsp
 Pepper corns - 1/2 tbsp
 Cloves - 4
 Cinnamon stick- 1 inch
 Mace( javitri) crushed - 1/2 tbsp
 Nutmeg crushed - 1/4 tsp
 Green cardamoms - 2
 Roast a bit all the ingredients listed in the dry masala and grind it dry.

                  
             Method -

Coat the paneer with the cornflour. Heat a shallow frying pan, put oil in it and fry the paneer till light golden brown.
  Beat the curd with a pinch of salt and red chilli powder and mix it in the paneer and keep the marinated paneer aside.
  Blanch the tomatoes and grind it and keep the puree for later use.
Now heat a deep frying pan with oil in it, put the grated onions in it and fry it to a light brown colour.     
 Mix the ginger-garlic paste, the roasted ground masala (leave 1 tsp of dry masala for later use), turmeric, red chilli powder and salt and stir fry it  for 2 minutes, add the tomato puree and fry it on a low flame until the oil separates.
 Put water in it and bring it to a boil. Pour the cream and add the paneer with the left dry masala and let it simmer in a low heat for a while. Garnish it with coriander leaves or fresh cream. 
 Serve it hot with rumali roti, paratha, pulao or plain rice.