Thursday, December 20, 2007

Baadhusha

Make sugar syrup by mixing 150g sugar with equal amount of water and cooking
for about 5 minutes. To 100g of ghee add a pinch of salt, a pinch of baking soda and
mix until bubbles appear. Add 100g of maida to this and mix by sprinkling water in
steps so that it becomes soft. Make this into uniform balls and flatten it lightly on
both sides. Deep fry this in oil and when it it cooked, put it immediately into the
sugar syrup for about 5 minutes and the remove it on to a plate. Repeat the
procedure with all the balls. You can decorate it on top with grated coconut.

Poli

Poornam:Boil gram-dal until half-cooked and drain the water.Add jaggery, grated
coconut, cardomom and grind.Make it tghick by heating in low heat for a little
while. Make this into round balls.
Add a pinch of salt to maida and knead it by adding a few tsp of sesame oil and pat
it on a plastic sheet into round flat shape.place a ball of poornam on it, mix well and pat it again.Heat a griddle, put the poli and add a spoon of ghee around it.Turn over until both sides are cooked well.

Dosai

Ingredients
Rice 1 1/2 cups
Urad Daal 1/2 cup
Salt 2 tsp.
Method
Soak the rice and daal separately in slightly warm water for 2 -8 hours.
Grind separately to a smooth paste and mix in a large vessel with salt. Mix thoroughly (use blender if possible).
Ferment for 12 hours.

Didir Dosa

Ingredients
3 measures of rice flour
1 measure of urad flour
Method
Mix well so no lumps are formed. Salt to taste. Leave covered in a large pot overnight. Make thin crepes, preferably in nonstick pan.

Didir Onion Rava Dosa

Ingredients
one cup semolina/rava
one cup maida
1/2 cup rice flour
4-5 green chillies finely chopped
3/4 inch ginger chopped fine
1 1/2 tspn jeera slightly crushed (enough to bring out its flavor)
salt to taste
good pinch asafoetida
2-3 chopped onions
a bunch cashews
oil to make dosas
Method
Mix rava, maida, rice flour together into a thick batter adding little water at a time so no lumps are formed. Mixing
by hand is a good idea if you don't have a whisk or electric mixer. Add salt, crushed cumin asafoetida and leave in
a warm spot for six to seven hours at least.
When ready to eat, spray a non-stick pan lightly with oil and warm.
Thin out the batter to the consistency where it can be drizzled onto the pan with a spoon. Drop chopped green chillies and ginger into batter.
Sprinkle some of the cut onions and cashews onto the pan and now continuing on low-medium heat, drizzle the batter such that there is a latice work effect. A lot of holes is just the thing. Dribble a bit bit of oil around it and when the edges start turning brown coax it off the pan with a flat, wide spatula and flip it over. Remove in a few minutes and make more.
For the plain rava dosa leave out the onions.

Vada

Ingredients
Moong Daal 1/2 cup
Urad Daal 1/2 cup
Onion 1
Coriander 2 tsp.
Green Chili 1
Chili powder 1/2 tsp.
Salt 1 tsp.
Ginger 1 tsp.
Baking Soda 1/4 tsp.
Method
Soak urad daal and moong daal for 2-3 hours.
Grind daals into a coarse paste.
Add finely chopped onion, salt, coriander powder, chili powder OR green chili, ginger and soda. Mix well and set aside for 4-5 minutes.
Fry small spoonfuls of the mixture in hot oil.

Sambar Masala

Masala Ingredients
Methi (Fenugreek) 1 tsp.
Chana Dhaal seeds 2 tbsp.
Coriander Seeds 4 tbsp.
Red Chillies 4-5
Asafoetida(optional) 1 tsp.
Coconut (grated) 3 tbsp.
Oil 3 tbsp.
Masala Preparation
Roast methi, chana dhaal, and asafoetida.
Add chillies when dhaal starts getting red.
If using dry coconut, soak it in a little water and blend the dhaal mixture and coconut until the paste is fine. Keep aside.

Cauliflower Curry

(serves 6)
Ingredients Cauliflower - 3 cups (in flowerets) Peeled and cubed potatoes - 2 cups Oil - 4 tablespoons Coriander leaves - 1
tablespoon Rasam powder - 2 teaspoon Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon Salt - 1 teaspoon Sugar - 1 teaspoon Turmeric powder
- 1/4 teaspoon Hing powder - 1/4 teaspoon Onion - 2 Green chillies - 2 Capsicum - 1 Ginger - 1 cm
Method:
Chop all
vegetables. Heat three tablespoons oil in a kadai, add the cumin seeds and hing powder. When the cumin seeds splutter add the onions, capsicum, green chillies and ginger into the hot oil and fry till the onion turns golden. Add
tomatoes and fry till it becomes mushy. Add cauliflower, potatoes and turmeric powder, fry a bit, add salt, sugar and quarter cup of water. Cover and cook till the vegetables are cooked and the curry is dry. Add the rasam powder, coriander
leaves and the remaining one tablespoon of oil-fry till you get a lovely aroma. Remove and serve piping hot with rotis or rice. (Plain potato curry can also be made the same way).

Sambar

(serves 6)
Ingredients
Tuvar dhal - 3/4 cup
Vegetables - 3 cups (like sambar onions, white
pumpkin, chow-chow)
Tamarind - lemon size
Coriander leaves - 2 tablespoons
Curry leaves - 1 tablespoon
Rasam powder - 2 teaspoon
Salt - 1-3/4 teaspoon - 2 teaspoons
Sugar - 1-1/2 teaspoon (optional)
Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Green chillies - 2-4.
Seasoning
Oil - 1 tablespoon
Red chilli - 1
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Black gram dhal - 1/2 teaspoon
Hing powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Method
Pressure cook dhal with one and a half cups of water
for ten minutes. When cold mash well. Soak tamarind in one cup of
water, for five minutes, squeeze well and strain out juice.
Cook vegetables in one and a half cups of water. When
three quarter cooked add slit green chillies, salt and
sugar. Add tamarind water and simmer till raw smell disappears. Add
mashed dhal, rasam powder and curry leaves. Simmer
tillthick, add coriander leaves.
Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, black gram dhal
and red chilli. When mustard seeds splutter, add hing powder and
pour the seasoning over the sambar. Serve sambar hot with rice and
chips.

Bhindi Masala

Ingredients:
1 pound (1/2 kg) okra (small)
2 onions, thinly sliced
2 tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup oil
3/4 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon amchoor powder (or substitute fresh lemon juice)
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 teaspoon garam masala
2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves for garnish
Method:
1. Wash okra under running water and slice off the ends. Cut each in half. Set aside. Prepare onions and tomatoes. Set
aside.
2. In a wok or heavy skillet heat the oil and sauté onions until translucent.
3. Add all spices except the garam masala and stir-fry 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and bhoona * 1 minute. Add the okra
and stir-fry 2 minutes. Cover and steam over medium heat until tender, about 12-15 minutes.
4. Spoon the okra onto a warm serving plate and sprinkle with the garam masala. Garnish with the coriander and serve while hot.
Bhoona is a technique that is essential to Indian cooking. The bhoona technique means that the mixture is cooked over medium-high heat, with constant stirring to avoid scorching, until all liquids are reduced and the spices coat the meat like a paste. About 1/2 cup of water can then be added, the dish covered, and a gravy created as the dish becomes liquefied
again. Serves 4-6 people.

Matar Paneer

Ingredients:
6 paneer chunks about 1-1/2 x 1 x 1/2 inch each 1/4 cup oil 1 medium onion, chopped fine 1 tablespoon garlic/ginger paste,
or 3 garlic cloves, mashed 1 piece fresh ginger, size of walnut, minced 1 large tomato, chopped
Dry Masala:
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin 1/4 teaspoon red chili powder 1/4 teaspoon turmeric 1/2
teaspoon garam masala 1/4 cup water 3 cups fresh shelled green peas (or substitute 2 packages frozen) 1 tablespoon
cashew nuts, ground to a paste with a bit of water Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Method:
Prepare the cheese chunks, and in a wok or heavy skillet fry them in hot oil until golden. Remove with slotted spoon and set aside to drain on a paper towel.
In the remaining oil sauté the chopped onion until it begins to turn brown. Do not scorch. Add the garlic/ginger paste and bhoona 2 minutes. Add the chopped tomato and bhoona 5 minutes to achieve a thick gravy. Add the dry masala and
bhoona 3 minutes more. (NOTE: If the sauce is lumpy at this stage, puree it in a blender and continue.) Add 1/4 cup water, then stir in the peas. Add the paneer cubes and bhoona 2 minutes. Stir in the cashew paste, add salt, pepper. Serve at
once. Serves 4 to 6 people.

Dum Aloo

Ingredients:
Oil 3 tbsp.
Bay leaf 1
Onion 1
Ginger 1/2 tsp.
Garlic 1/2 tsp.
Cumin Seeds 1/2 tsp.
Turmeric 1/4 tsp.
Chili Powder 1 1/2 tsp.
Yogurt 2/3 tsp.
Salt 1/4 tsp.
Coriander powder 2 tsp.
Potatoes 1 lb.
Tomato 1
Capsicum 1
Method
Heat oil, add bay leaf and onion. Fry for 3-4 minutes. Add ginger and garlic and fry for another minute. Add
mustard and cumin seeds.
The potatoes should be sliced, and the tomatoes and capsicum cut up. Add these, mix well, and cook for 4-5 minutes, continuously stirring.
Sprinkle with turmeric, coriander and chili powder.
Beat the yogurt and blend into a smooth mixture. Add yogurt and salt.
Mix gently, cover and cook for about 10 minutes on low heat.

Dum Arvi

Ingredients:
Arvi = 500gm Curd = 1 cup Salt to taste Oil for frying Sliced almonds for garnishing
Method:
Boil the arvi and peel the skin. Prick with fork, fry in oil, and drain. Heat2 tablespoon of oil in another container and add
spices to taste (asafetida, chili powder, corriander powder, salt, onion and ginger paste, and a table spoon water. Fry for
sometime and then add curd and keep frying till it turns golden brown. Add fried arvi and 1/2 cup water and keep cooking
on mild heat till it has almost got dried. Garnish with fresh corriander and sliced almonds and serve hot. Cooking time about
25 minutes and should be sufficient for 2-3 people.

Rasagulla

Ingredients:
Milk 1 gallon
Lemon Juice 1 cup
Sugar 1 cup
Method
Bring one gallon of milk to a boil. When boiling add one cup of either whiter vinegar or lemon juice. Turn the stove off. Milk should separate into whey and curd.
Pour into colander, leaving only the paneer/curd. Leave curd in strainer until cold and dry. This will take at least an hour (you can leave it overnight).
Place curd in food processor and process for one minute. It should be soft but not sticky.
Form small balls from the curd. Using vinegar usually results in about 80 to 100 rasagullas.
Bring one cup sugar and 3 cups water to a boil in a pressure cooker. Place 20-25 rasagullas in syrup. Turn off the heat to place the cover on the pressure cooker. Turn heat on high. When cooker begins to whistle wait for a couple of minutes, then turn it off.
When pressure cooker depressurizes, remove cover and re- peat previous step with the rest of the rasagullas. Do not use the same sugar syrup more than once.

Raabdi

Ingredients:
Whole Wheat/Plain Wheat flour -- 1 cup
Sugar -- 6-7 tbsp
Milk -- 4 cups
Ghee/Unsalted Butter -- 4 tbsp
Chopped Almonds --1 tbsp or to taste
Chopped Pistachio nuts -- 1 tbsp or to taste
Method:
1. Melt unsalted butter in a pan on a mild flame for a few minutes to prepare ghee from butter.
2. Now add wheat flour to this
3. Stir till the flour is very very light brown in color. ( At this point of time you can smell the aroma around!)
4. Add milk to wheat flour
5. Add sugar to mixture
6. Stir this mixture for 10-15 minutes on mild flame till its just a little bit thick (and NOT thick)
7. Add Almonds, Pistachio, Saffron (extremely good for winter)

Besan Burfi

Ingredients:
1 c Besan 1 c Shortening 1 c Sugar 4 seeds Cardamom Nuts (optional)
Method:
Melt shortening in a pan. Turn down heat and add cardamom and Besan. Fry, stirring constantly to prevent burning until it
has changed to a brown color and smells . (Test: a few drops of water sprinkled on it sputters instantly). Turn off the heat and stir in the sugar. Spread 1/2" thick onto a platter. Cut into diamond shapes after it has cooled down.

Badshahi Baigan

300 g. brinjals
1 cup curd
2 large onions, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
2 tsp. chilli powder
2 tsp. ginger-garlic paste
1 tsp. coriander powder
1 tsp. garam masala powder
1 tsp.coriander leaves, chopped
1/4 tsp. turmeric powder
1/4 tsp. cummin powder
Salt to taste
1/4 cup ghee
For the garnish:
1 onion - sliced
1 tbsp. cashewnuts
1 tbsp. raisins
Method
1. Cut brinjals into 2.5 cm. thick slices.
2. Smear with salt and keep aside for 10 minutes.
3. Wash and squeeze dry.
4. Heat ghee, fry cashewnuts, raisins and sliced onion till golden brown. 5. Remove from ghee and keep aside. 6. Fry the
brinjals in the same ghee till tender. Remove.
7.In the remaining ghee fry the chopped onions till transparent. 8. Add all the dry spices, ginger-garlic paste and chopped
tomatoes and saute till the ghee floats on top.
9. Add curd, coriander leaves and salt. 10. Stir well. 11. Cook till the gravy thickens. 12. Add fried brinjals to the gravy and
simmer for two minutes. 13. Sprinkle the garnish on top. 14. Serve hot with rice or parathas.

Mixed Vegetable Kofta in Tomato Curry

Ingredients
For the Koftas you need
1/2 cup Frozen Corn
1/2 cup Frozen Peas
1/2 cup Green Beans cut in small pieces
1/2 cup Carrots cut in small pieces.
11/2 cup Gram Flour (Besan)
Salt to taste
1/2 Tsp.. of Red chili Powder
Pinch of Turmeric Powder
1 Tsp. of Mango Powder
1 Tsp. of Dhaniya Powder
For the Tomato Curry:
1 Pound Fresh Tomatoes
2 Tsp. Tomato Paste
3/4 Cup of water
Salt to Taste
1/2 Tsp. Red Chilly Powder
1/4 Tsp. Sugar
1/4 Tsp. Cinnamon Powder
2 pieces whole cloves
1 Tsp. Ground Ginger
For Frying:
Vegetable Oil
For Garnish :
Fresh Cilantro or Homemade Pannier
Method:
Parboil all the vegetables for 10 minutes. Let them cool for 20 minutes.
Mix all the spices (except salt) and vegetables in a bowl.
Add salt to Gram Flour and add it slowly to the mixture.
Keep on mixing it with your hand . Do not add water.
Add Gram Flour till you can shape them into small round soft balls.
Use some oil in your palm of the hand to form the balls.
Meanwhile heat some oil in the pan . See that the oil is not very hot.
Keep Medium Flame.
Deep fry the Kofta balls.
Set them aside.
For the Tomato curry , I would highly recommend to cook the curry about 3 hrs before you serve.
Chop the tomatoes in small pieces.
Cook them with salt for about 15 minutes on medium flame.
Add the Tomato paste. Keep on Stirring .
Add water and ginger and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
Add the rest of the ingredients for the Tomato curry.
15 minutes before serving Put the Koftas in the serving dish and pour the Tomato Curry. Keep it in the oven at warm till you serve. Garnish with Fresh Cilantro or Paneer.

Vegetable Korma

Ingredients
1 Cup Beans
half cup Carrot
1 Potato
half cup Peas
half cup Ground coconut
small piece Ginger
3 flakes Garlic
1 Onion
half tbs Cumin seeds
1 tbs Corriander powder
few Corriander leaves
half tbs Chillie powder
half Lime
half tbs Turmeric powder
Take oil in a pan. Add the sliced onions.
After that add ginger, garlic, corriander powder, chillie powder, salt & fresh corriander leaves .
Fry it nicely.
Then add the vegetables & pressure cook till done.
When the vegetables are cooked add the ground coconut and little water to it & let it simmer for 5 minutes.
Squeeze lime to it & the veg korma is ready.
Serve hot with chapatis.

Tamilian Kurma

Ingredients
1 cup shredded coconut
4 geen chillies
1 bunch coriander leaves
1 tsp poppy seeds (khusa khusa)
gingerpaste
garlic paste
Grind all of the above ingredients to a fine paste with water.
french cut beans
carrots(sliced) lenghtwise
peas(frozen will do)
potatoes (cubed)
Method
Take oil in a kadai. Add jeera.And then add all the vegetables and let it boil.
Add turmeric powder (a pinch), salt (2tsp), chillipowder (1tsp).
Add the ground ingredients and cook for about 15 mins. Add water if desired.
Serve hot with rice.