Bhai Dooj Special - Rasgulla Rabri

The festival of Bhai Dooj or Bhai Phota is celebrated by Hindus on the last day of the five-day-long Diwali festival. On this day, sisters pray for their brothers to have long and happy life by performing 'Aarti' and 'Teeka' ceremony. In return brothers bless their sisters and treat them with gift and goodies. On Bahi Dooj sisters invite their brothers for a sumptuous meal, often including their favourite dishes. 
I hope on this special occasion of Bhai Dooj my dish would be prepared by you all to treat your brothers in a special way.

Ingredients - 

Rasgulla tinned - 1
Milk - 1 1/2 lt
Sugar - 5 tbsp
Green cardamom crushed - 4-5C
Cashews chopped - 5-6
Almonds - 5-6
Pistachios -5-6
Chiroli ( chironji) - 2 tsp
Silver leaf - 1

Method -

Take milk in a heavy bottomed frying pan (karahi) and put it to boil in a medium heat.
When it has boiled put sugar in it and reduce the flame. Let it simmer on a low heat stiring it continuously so it does not stick or burn.
keep boiling the milk, stiring it until it has reduced and come down to around 1/2 lt.
It should become thick and curdle a bit. Add the cardamom powder and chopped nuts (save some for garnishing).
Now your Rabri is ready to use.

How to proceed -

Take a big serving dish. Open the tinned rasgulla and squeeze the juice out of it.
Break it into two pieces and arrange all the rasgulla in the same manner on the serving dish.
Pour the rabri evenly on it when it is still warm.
Garnish it with silver leaf and nuts on top. Refrigerate it for 1/2 an hour before serving.
Serve it to your guests, friends and family members on this beautiful occasion and enjoy.

Diwali Special - Balushahi

Ingredients -

All purpose flour (maida)- 2 cup
Curd (thick) - 3/4 cup
Clarified butter (pure ghee) - 3/4 cup
Sugar - 2 cup
Water - for syrup 2 cup
Cardamom - 3-4
Oil - for frying

Method -

Take a large plate and put maida in it. Mix ghee in it nicely with your hands.
when ghee is thoroughly mixed in it, add curd and knead it to make a smooth dough.
Cover it with a plate and keep it for 2 hours.
Heat a deep frying pan with oil in it. Now make small balls out of the dough, giving it a round shape. Press it in the middle with your thumb, twisting it a little so a swirling design is made.
It will make around 15- 16 balls. Deep fry it in oil until it turns dark brown on both the sides. Keep it aside.

 

                                 

For the syrup -
 
Heat another pan and put sugar and water in it. Boil until it becomes thick and turns into a double thread like consistency and the water is reduced to one cup.
Remove it from fire and put all the balushahis in it and coat it nicely with the syrup on both the sides. Place it in a serving bowl and sprinkle powdered cardamom on it.
You can also put silver leaf on it. 
Enjoy this tasty sweet with all your family members and friends on Diwali.

Diwali Special - Tasty Kala kand

 Ingredientd -

Paneer - 1/2 kg
Cradamom crushed - 1 tsp
Milk powder - 3 tbsp
Condensed milk - 1 tin
Pistachio chopped - 1 tbsp
Clarified butter (pure ghee) - 1tsp

Method -

Take paneer in a big mixing bowl and mash it coarsely. 
 Mix the milk powder in it.
 Heat a deep and heavy bottomed frying pan. Put paneer mixture in  it and add condensed milk too and mix it thoroughly. Cook on a    medium heat stiring it constantly, Cook until it becomes thick enough to spread. Take special care that it does not stick or burn.
Mix cardamom powder before removing it from fire. Grease a medium size plate with clarified butter and spread the paneer mix on the plate. Cool it and Cut it in square or rectangular shape and sprinkle the pistachio on top.
Serve a home made tasty sweet on Diwali and enjoy it with your family and friends.

Raisins And Sultanas Loaf

Ingredients -

Butter - 100 g
Flour - 2 cups
Sugar - 1 1/2 cup
Eggs - 3
Raisins cut into two pieces - 1/2 cup
Sultanas (black currant or munakka) cut into two pieces - 1/2 cup
baking powder - 1 1/3 tsp
Soda - 1/2 tsp
Wine red - 5 tbsp (optional)
Nutmeg crushed - 1/4 tsp

Method - 

Beat butter in a large bowl, with an electric mixture until it is double in volume and fluffy. Slowly beat in sugar until mixture is very light.
Add eggs one at a time beating after each addition.
Sift the flour, baking powder, soda and nutmeg together and mix in the egg mixture.
Beat in until smooth. Lastly add the wine and stir in raisins and sultanas.
Pour into a greased loaf tin. Bake in a moderate oven, until a skewer comes out clean when inserted in the centre.Take it out from the oven after 5 minutes and let it cool. Slice and serve it with afternoon or evening tea.
                      

Spinach And Corn Sandwich

Ingredients -
 
Spinach (palak) - 1 cup blanched and coarsely ground
Corn (soft and tender) - 1/2 cup
Onion chopped - 1
Garlic minced - 4 cloves
Minced chillies - 2
Cheese grated - 1/2 cup
Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - to taste
Oil - 3 tbsp
Butter - 2 tbsp + for frying
Bread Brown - 6

Method - 
  

Heat a frying pan with oil and put onions in it. When its light brown put garlic and saute a bit. Add corn, fry it for a while. Cover it and let it simmer until it is cooked.
Add the salt, chilli, pepper  and spinach and fry it until all are mixed nicely and the raw taste is gone from the spinach and its cooked.
Remove from heat and mix the grated cheese and butter in it.
Now take the bread remove the edges and spread the mix on it, sandwich it with other bread and press it softly. Prepare all, heat a tawa and put some butter and fry the sandwich lightly on both the sides and serve it hot. You can grill it on a sandwich toaster also.     

                     

Karva Chauth Special - Creamy Sewai Kheer

  
Ingredients -  

Sewai - 100 g
Milk full cream - 1 lt
Sugar - 5-6 tbsp
Raisins chopped  - 2 tbsp
Almonds chopped - 2 tbsp
Cashews chopped - 2 tbsp
Coconut grated - 1 tbsp
Cardamom crushed - 1/4 tsp
Clarified butter (ghee) - 2 tsp

Method -

Heat a shallow frying pan and put oil in it . Break the sewai into 1 inch long pieces.
Fry them till it turns beautiful golden brown colour.
In a heavy bottomed pan boil milk. When it has thickened a  bit add the cardamom and seawi and let it cook on a slow flame. Add almonds cashews, raisins, coconut and sugar and stir till sugar has dissolved and mixed well into it.
Cook on a very slow flame for few minutes.
Make sure that milk is not reduced too much as it will get thickened when it is cold.
If necessary a little milk can be added afterwards.
Garnish it with dessicated coconut, almonds, cashews and raisins and
serve it hot or refrigerate it before serving. 

Karva Chauth Special - Daal Poori

Dal poori is quite popular in UP and Bihar cuisine. It is surely prepared in many occasions and considered very auspicious to make it in Ramnavami, Navratri, Teej and even in many small functions in marriages. One can find it being prepared with udad dal bari and rice kheer. I am posting this recipe today for you all as I have grown up eating this tasty daal poori and just love it as memories of many functions comes back rushing to me and finding their places in my heart. 

Ingredients -

For filling -
Bengal gram - 1 bowl (soaked overnight)
Garlic - 5-7 cloves
Red chillies whole - 2
Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Mustard oil - 3tbsp
Oil for frying -

For the dough -
wheat flour - 2 bowls
salt - 1/2 tsp
Water - Enough to knead the dough

Mix all and knead a soft dough.The dough should be soft as needed for chapati making.

Method - 


For the filling -
Heat a frying pan with oil in it. Put cumin seeds, red chillies and garlic in it.
Saute until it turns brown.Wash the soaked dal and drain. Add it to the oil mixture.
Put salt, turmeric and red chilli powder and fry it for few minutes. Put 1/4 cup water in it.
Cover and let it cook on a low flame. Keep stiring in between so that it does not stick.
If necessary sprinkle some water. Cook it until done. when pressed with fingers it should be mashed easily. Fry it until all the water has evaporated.
Remove and let it come to room temperature. When cooled grind and keep it aside.

To make the Pooris -

Take out a small ball size dough and roll it a bit. stuff it with the dal filling and close it nicely. Roll it out with the help of a rolling pin, spreading some flour on the board.
Heat a tawa and shallow fry the pooris putting oil in it liberally until it is beautiful golden brown on both the sides.
Make all in the same manner and keep it in a casserole.
Serve it with spicy masala baigain or alu gobhi masala and just make sure there is rice kheer or sewai kheer to serve with it because this is one dish which you will love to have it along with kheer rather than taking it as pudding.
It tastes grate even if its cold or if you eat it the next day.

                                                 

Palak Paneer

     

Ingredients-
 
Palak - 1/2 kg
Paneer - 250 g
Onion chopped - 2 medium
Tomatoes chopped - 2 medium
Garlic-ginger paste - 2 tbsp
Green chilli paste - 1 tsp
Cumin powder - 2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Pepper powder - 1/4 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1/4 tsp
Bay leaf - 2
Cornflour - 1 1/2 tsp
Oil - 4tbsp + frying
Milk - 1/2 cup
Cream - 2 tbsp
Butter - 1 tbsp
 

Method -

Remove the hard stem of the palak and clean it thoroughly in running water.
Cut it coarsely, blanch and grind it.
Cut the paneer in cubes and spread the cornflour over it coating it nicely.
Heat a frying pan and fry the paneers in 2 batches until it has turned to a light golden colour. Keep it aside.
In the same frying pan, remove the excess oil letting 4 tbsp remain over there.
Now put the bay leaf and after that put the onions and fry it.
When its golden brown put the ginger- garlic paste, chilli paste, all the dry ingredients and the chopped tomatoes, stirring all the time. 
Fry it on a low heat until the tomatoes are tender. Add the ground palak and mix it nicely with the rest of the masala, stir fry it for a while and pour the milk at this point. Cover it and let it simmer on a low flame for a while, taking care that it should not stick to the pan. Add the paneers, cover and cook until the paneer is done. Before serving garnish it with the cream and butter.
Serve it hot with rice, paratha, rumali roti or tandoori roti.
It goes superbly well with anything.

 

Mughlai Chicken Kheema Lajawab

 Ingredients -

Chicken kheema - 250 g
Garlic paste - 2 tbsp
Ginger paste - 1 tbsp
Tomato chopped - 1 large
Onions chopped - 2 large
Green chillies minced - 2
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp

Cumin powder - 2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp

Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp
Green cardamom crushed - 2
Cinnamon stick - 1 inch
Curd fresh - 2 tbsp
Cashews - 6-7 made to paste
Egg beaten - 1
Bay leaf - 2
Oil - 3 tbsp
Butter - 1 tbsp
Fresh Coriander leaves - a bunch
  

                                       
                         
Method -

Heat a frying pan with oil and butter in it and put bay leaf, cinnamon stick and onions. Gently fry the onions till golden brown. Add ginger-garlic paste, green chillies and all the dry ingredients and saute for a while, add tomatoes and stir fry it until tomatoes are tender.
 Add curd, cashew paste and mix it nicely with all the ingredients and put chicken kheema and salt also. fry it for a while and cover it and cook it for 10 - 15 minutes in a slow fire. Sprinkle some water also so it does not stick to the pan. Finally add egg and the garam masala and fry it nicely until all are nicely incorporated.
Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves and serve it hot with chapati, nan or paratha.

Navratri Fast Special - Vrat Ke Aloo

 Ingredients - 

Potatoes boiled - 1/2 kg
Cumin seeds (jeera) - 1 tsp
Red chilli whole - 1
Clarified butter (pure ghee) - 2 tbsp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Green chillies chopped -2
Rock salt (sendha namak) - to taste
 
Ground dry masala -
 
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Pepper corn - 1/2 tsp
Coriander seeds - 1/2 tsp
Roast it lightly and dry grind it.

Method -

1. Peel the potatoes and cut into small pieces.Take care 
    that it should not be overcooked and mushy.
2. Take a deep frying pan and heat ghee in it.
3. Put the cumin seeds, green chillies and the whole
    red chilli in the oil and when it turns brown, put cut
    potatoes into it. Put grounded dry masala and salt into 
    it and fry it for a while.
4. Cover it and cook it on a very low flame for 8-10 
    minutes till the potatoes are fried to a brown colour
    and cooked well. Serve it hot with pooris, curd, 
    Fried ground nuts or you can enjoy eating it just like 
    that as it is one dish you will love eating without any                          accompaniments.

Navratri Fast Special - Singhare Ka Atta (Water Chestnut) Ki Poori

Ingredients - 

Singhare ka aata ( dried water chestnut flour) - 2 cups
Boiled and grated potatoes - 2 medium size
Warm water - to knead the dough
Oil - for frying

                                
METHOD -

1. Take the flour in a shallow plate and mix it with 
    the grated potatoes nicely.
2. Start mixing the water very little at a time, just 
    sprinkling in the beginning.
3. Add enough water and knead it to make a smooth dough. 
4. Take a small ball size dough, sprinkle some dry flour on the
    rolling board, and with the help of it, make a round poori.                 Prepare all in the same manner.
5. Heat a deep frying pan and fry the pooris in it and 
    serve it hot with fried potatoes.