Makhane Ki Kheer - Puffed Lotus Seeds Pudding!

I recently discovered Makhane Ki Kheer via news - our beloved PM, Mr. Modi, loves it so much so that it was served to the Chinese President Xi Jinping during his recent visit to India! Well, if it's NaMo's choice - there has to be something special right? Indeed it is.

Makhane Ki Kheer is a very versatile, easy and nutritious dessert which is often served in Gujarat and Rajasthan during Navratras and Fasting Festivals. It's wholesome, very simple and takes no more than 15 minutes to make with bare minimum ingredients which are available in every pantry. Let's get started!!

A very simple, versatile and nutritious Makhane Ki Kheer!

Ingredients (for 5-6 servings):

• 250 Grams Makhana (or Puffed Lotus Seeds)
• 1 Liter Milk
• 4 Table Spoons of Condensed Milk (Milkmaid / Mithai Mate etc) - we're using this instead of sugar. Go light on sugar.
• 1 Cup of Freshly Grated Coconut (substitute w/ dried one if fresh isn't handy)
• 1 Table Spoon of Ghee
• 1/2 Tea Spoon of Cardamom Powder
• Slivered Almonds & Raisins to Garnish

Can't believe it just took like 12-15 minutes to get this from thought to plate!

Recipe:

• Add Ghee to the pan and once it's warm, roast the Makhanas in it for 3-4 minutes until gently crisp (don't brown them).
• Take them off the flame, and set aside to cool. Put them in a ziploc bag and crush them coarsely with a rolling pin or pestle. Do not powder them.
• Add milk to the pan and mix the makhanas in milk. Cook for few minutes until makhanas are well incorporated and kheer begins to gradually thicken up.
• Add freshly grated coconut and stir well. Also add the condensed milk and the cardamom powder and keep stirring frequently.
• Your kheer should be ready in about 10-12 minutes or until desired consistency is achieved. 
• Transfer in serving bowls, and garnish with slivered Almonds and Raisins. Serve lukewarm and enjoy this simple, comforting dessert!

Tip: You can also add a touch of coconut milk to make it more rich and creamy. A few drops of rosewater as a fragrant garnish is a good idea too!

Daal Palak - Lentils with Spinach and Spices!

The Humble Daal Palak - you can never go wrong with this!

Daal. It completes and complements every meal. Accompanied with Roti / Rice - it's a perfect side dish for every age and appetite. Quite often, I've found myself ordering a simple bowl of Daal with Naan, and it always cheers me up! Not a lot of people agree with Daal as a main-course dish -- and that's what I've tried to address with this recipe. With Spinach, Tomato, Onion and right amount of spices, this is a recipe sure to to delight everyone! Do try it!

Ingredients (for 4 Servings):

• 2 Cups (approx 150 grams) of Toor Daal (Split Pigeon Peas)
• 1 Cup finely chopped Spinach
• 1 Tomato finely chopped
• 1 Large Onion finely chopped
• 1 Table Spoon Ginger Garlic paste
• 3-4 Green Chillies, finely chopped
• For Tempering: Cumin Seeds, Asafoetida, Turmeric Powder - 1/2 Tea Spoon EACH, Curry Patta (3-4 leaves).
• Oil / Salt (to taste).

Spinach, Tomatoes, Onions and Chillies - It's a perfect tango for tongue!

Preparation:

• Cook the Daal with 2 cups of water in Cooker, till tender. Lightly whisk it after done.
• Heat oil in a pan and temper with Cumin Seeds, Ginger Garlic Paste, Green Chillies and Curry Patta.
• Add onion, asafoetida and turmeric powder. Saute till onions are slightly brown.
• Add tomatoes, spinach and cook till tender (approx 2 mins). Remember to stir often, we don't want blackened spinach!
• Add Daal and stir well. Season with Salt to taste.
• Simmer for 5-7 minutes until everything has cooked well and you have a nice, hearty consistency.
• Serve hot with a Fulka or Rice! 

Ps: Licking fingers after eating this Daal is optional, but highly recommended!!

Assorted Vegetable Fritters / Mix Veg. Bhajiya

Delicious celebration of Vegetables and Batter!

Ingredients:

1 Cup of Gram Flour (Besan).
3 Table Spoons of Rice Flour (Adds a nice touch of crispiness).
1 Tea Spoon EACH of Hing (Asafoetida), Haldi (Turmeric powder), Red Chilly Powder.
1 Tea Spoon of finely ground Carom seeds (Ajwain).
1 Cup Water (Adjust to the required batter consistency - but keep the batter a little thick).
2 Cups of Vegetable Oil, for frying.

Assorted, 2 cups, bite sized vegetables - I used Rajasthani Mirchi (big chilly), Cauliflower Florets, Baby Corn, Potato and Onion.

This is how we do it, we do it, we do it!

Method:

• Mix All the ingredients for batter into a thick, smooth consistency. Taste to adjust spices.
• Pre-heat oil and let your veggies dive into the goodness of batter!
• For the chilly, make a cut and make sure you remove all the seeds.
• Fry, Pat Dry, Try!
• Serve warm, with Chutney (ideally) or Ketchup!

Have a blast. Live. Love. Laugh!

Ps: Love you grandpa, RIP. This recipe is a tribute to you!

Comfort Food: Tomato Rice!

Tomato Rice - Easiest thing to make since Tea!

Ingredients:

3 Cups Cooked Indian Basmati Rice

3 Ripe Tomatoes - Chopped

1 Onion - Diced

1 Carrot - Diced

1/2 Cup Green Peas - Boiled

1 Green Chilly - Chopped

2 Dried Red Chillies

1 Table Spoon Ginger - Julliened

1 Table Spoon Chana Daal

1 Table Spoon Urad Daal

1 Tea Spoon Mustard & Cumin Seeds Each

1 Pinch Hing or Asafoetida

4-5 Curry Leaves

Ghee to cook, Salt to taste. (Strictly no Butter or Oil).

Preparation:

• Heat Ghee in a pan and temper Mustard & Cumin Seeds.
• Once the seeds splutter, add Chana Daal, Green Chilly, Broken Dried Red Chillies, Onion, Curry Leaves and Cashews. Saute well. Once Chana Daal is browned or Onions are caramelised, add Urad Daal and saute.
• Add a pinch of Garam Masala if you need - entirely optional.
• Add chopped Tomatoes and stir well. Cover the pan and let this cook for 5 minutes or until the tomatoes are tender.
• Boil Rice, Peas and Carrots. Add these to the Tomato mixture and mix well. 
• Cook for 1-2 minutes until the rice and tomatoes are evenly mixed.
• Serve warm!

 Ps: Comfort food is food prepared traditionally that may have a nostalgic or sentimental appeal.

I guess I need not explain any more why I eat these 2 times every week! Enjoy!

Dry Fruit Milk - Spiced Milk with Dried Fruits!

Ingredients (serves 2-3):

500 Ml Milk (more if you desire).
1 Cup of Chopped Dried Fruits - Use Almonds & Pistachios.
100 grams (adjust to taste) Whole Granulated Sugar (Khadi shakkar).
1-2 Cardamoms - finely powdered.
1 Pinch of Authentic Fine Quality Saffron.


Preparation:

• Heat Milk in a Milk Pan - on medium-slow heat.
• Once warm, add Saffron, Sugar and Dried Fruits - one by one, stirring well.
• Keep stirring until the dried fruits are slightly tender and milk is reduced by about 10%. Takes 15-20 minutes.
• Garnish with slivered nuts and serve warm!

Ps: Use best quality saffron - it makes a delicious difference!

Cheers!!

Til Papdi / Chikki -- Sweet Sesame Crackers

The quintessential Indian staple, Chikki! I can't live without a slab of chikki (be it chana, peanut or dryfruit) - and the one I love most, is Til (sesame) Chikki! These are full of health, easy (very) easy to make and they last long if stored well.

Ingredients:

2 Cups of whole roasted Sesame Seeds.
1 Cup of Desi Gur or Jaggery (finely grated, or chopped).

That's it!!


Preparation:

• Take a large wok and heat Jaggery in it.
• Keep stirring until you have all melted thick reddish syrup.
• Take a drop of this syrup and add to a bowl of water - wait for about 1/2 a minute. IF the syrup is soft - keep heating the jaggery. If it's solid-ish - we're ready for the plunge!
• Once ready, add the Sesame seeds and stir fast for 1 minute or till the Jaggery and Sesame seeds and mixed extremely well, with NO lumps.
• Turn off the heat and spread this mixture on a clean dry counter (preferably stone / marble). It's recommended to lightly oil the counter before this step to ensure non-stickiness.
• Knead the mixture for a bit (take care, it's hot) and then using a rolling pin or Belan, flatten it down as thin as possible and let the chikki cool.
• Break down into smaller, handy pieces and enjoy!!

Ps: You can make Chikkis out of Groundnuts, Dried Fruits and Seeds just exactly the same way!!
Also, adding a spoonful of Maple Syrup to Jaggery gives it a nice flavour!

Gulab Jamun! (yee hawww!!)

Boy - some things can really bring joy to your mood and for me, Gulab Jamuns come in top 3! I made these goodies a year ago (the date stamp on pics says it all) and had to share them when I saw these pics on my old computer today!

Btw. Gulab Jamun literally means Rose-flavoured Dumplings.


Ingredients (for about 20 Gulab Jamuns):

1/2 Kg. Mawa or Khoya (Reduced milk - preferably full fat buffalo milk).
1 Tea Spoon Ground Cardamom Powder.
1-2 Tea Spoon Spoons Rose Extract or Rose Water.
3-4 Cups Refined Sugar - for Syrup.
3-4 Cups Water - for Syrup.
Ghee to fry - you have to use Ghee here, oil won't do justice!!

Preparation:

• Knead Mawa for 10-15 mins continuously using folding method by hands. Ensure it's well kneaded and super smooth with NO lumps. It needs to be velvety in texture. Add Cardamom powder and mix well.
• Divide into 20 equal portions and make balls. 
• Deep fry till golden brown.
• Simultaneously, make syrup by boiling water, sugar and rose extract.
• Clear the syrup by removing scum, if any.
• Keep cooking the syrup until about 1/3rd water gets evaporated. The syrup has to be slightly thicker than normal.
• Add the deep-fried Mawa Jamuns into this syrup and let them "drink" the syrup for at least 30-45 mins.
• Garnish with slivered almonds / pistachios and serve warm!

Kaanda Bhajiya - Spicy Onion Fritters

Aloha, foodies! A little late for an update, but worth it.

It's raining like crazy lately, and trust me - nothing beats Kaanda Bhajiya to bring a smile on your face on a rainy afternoon!
Make these hot and spicy - they're easy to make a super delicious to eat!

Ingredients (to make about 25 fritters):

2 Large Red Onions - Coarsely Chopped Long (See pics).
2-3 Finely Chopped Green Chillies.
1 Table Spoon Dhaniya - Whole Coriander Seeds.
1 Tea Spoon Jeera - Cumin Seeds.
1/2 Cup pre-soaked Chana - Split Bengal Gram.
1 Cup Besan - Bengal Gram Flour.
1/2 Cup Rice Flour (adds a nice crispy touch to your bhajiyas - my secret!).
1/2 Tea Spoon Red Chilly Powder, Hing (asafoetida) and Haldi (turmeric powder).
1/2 Table Spoon Salt or as per taste.
About 2-3 Table Spoons of Water to mix the ingredients well.
Oil to fry.

Preparation:

• Mix all the dry ingredients well in a preferably deep and large vessel.
• Add water spoon by spoon to mix things well - don't make things messy or too thin. There has to be minimum flour just to bind things together - you need to enjoy the onion, not the batter!
• Get your oil real hot and ready for deep frying.
• Take a table spoon sized portion of dough and deep fry in oil till they're real brown and crispy.
• Dry the fritters on paper towels and serve hot with green mint chutney or ketchup.

Kaanda Bhajiyas go REAL good with piping hot masala chai (as I did have them!).

Seviyan - Vermicelli Pudding

I'm really glad to see the ball rolling with this new blog. Glad to cook and happy to click - here's something specially intended to bring out better visuals of what goes in my kitchen!

Sweet, nutty and delicious dessert - Seviyan!

Ingredients (for 2):
100 gms Sevai or Vermicelli (freely available in any Indian grocery store).
1 Cup Whole Fat Milk.
1/2 Cup Chopped Nuts (I used Almonds and Pistachios - even Cashews & Raisins are good).
3 Table Spoons Sugar (I used unrefined sugar or Khadi Shakkar).
2 Table Spoons Ghee (Clarified Butter).
1 Pinch of Saffron (use best quality Saffron, please?)

Cooking Instructions:

• Heat Ghee in a deep pan (or Kadhai) and add Sevai. Saute until the sevai is real brown and crispy.
• Add milk and sugar. Keep stirring continuously.
• Add Chopped Nuts & Saffron (pre-soaked in warm milk) and keep stirring gently until the milk evaporates - finally giving the Sevai a porridge-like texture.
• Garnish with Saffron and Nuts! Enjoy!

Sevai can be served luke-warm or absolutely chilled - tastes GREAT both ways! Bon Appétit.

My take on Mughals: Vegetable Biryani!

My quick-fix Vegetable Biryani - easy to make, fun to eat!

Ingredients (Serves 2):

1 Cup Steamed Rice (preferably Basmati Rice).

2 Finely Chopped Red Onions.
1/2 Cup French Beans.
1/2 Cup Carrots - Finely chopped.
1/2 Cup Green Peas.
1 Potato, diced.

1 Cup Full-fat Curd / Yoghurt.
5-7 Garlic Leaves - finely minced. (adjust according to size and taste).
2-3 Bay Leaves - whole.
6-7 Whole Black Peppercorns.
1/2 stick of Cinnamon - whole.
3 Cloves.
2 Table Spoons of Biryani Masala.
2 Table Spoons of Ghee / Oil.

Preparation:

Heat ghee/oil in Kadai and proceed with shallow frying the masala - Cinnamon, Bay Leaf, Cloves, Peppercorns, Garlic, Onions. Saute till the onions are caramelized.
Add Biryani Masala and make sure everything is mixed well. Add all the Veggies and saute well (ensure the masala is evenly coated) and add Curd and cook with closed lid for about 8-10 mins till the veggies are tender.

Once cooked, add the Rice to these amazing-smelling semi-dry veggies and toss 'em well. Serve hot with Raita, Kadhi and Papads!

Tip: For real royal touch, steam rice with few flakes of Saffron!