Red Tomato Gravy

Ingredients:

2 large juicy ripe tomatoes
1 large onion
1 small capsicum
1 tbsp. coriander leaves finely chopped
1 tbsp. cashews or peanuts
1 tsp. each ginger & garlic grated or crushed
1/4 tsp. cinnamon-clove powder
1/2 tsp. garam masala powder
3/4 tsp. red chilli powder
1/4 tsp. turmeric powder
1/2 tsp. sugar
salt to taste
2 tbsp. oil or ghee

Method:

1. Dry roast peanuts or cashews lightly. Dry grind coarsely.

2. Semi puree tomatoes and capsicum together.

3. This should be done in a food chopper or grated.

4. Chop onions very fine or run in a chopper.

5. Heat oil or ghee in a heavy pan.

6. Add ginger garlic and stir for a moment.

7. Add onions and stir fry till light pink.

8. Add tomato capsicum puree, stir bring to boil.

9. Add all other masalas, salt, sugar and crushed nuts. Stir.

10. Add veggies at this stage. Mix.

11. Cover and simmer till gravy is thick and fat starts separating.

12. Garnish with coriander before serving.

Goes with: Vegetables like brinjals, baby corn, potato, stuffed baked capsicum, or cauliflower.
Makes: 2 cups
Making time: 20 minutes
Shelflife: 2 days refrigerated

Carrot Cinnamon Muffins

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup plain flour
2. 1 cup wholewheat flour
3. 1 cup sugar powdered
4. 1/2 tsp. baking powder
5. 1/2 tsp. baking soda
6. 1/4 tsp. cinnamon powder
7. 1-1/4 cup milk
8. 3/4 cup melted butter
9. 1 cup carrot grated
10. 1/2 cup raisins

Method:

1. Sieve together dry ingredients 2-3 times.

2. Mix milk and butter till well blended.

3. Gently stir in sieved ingredients.

4. Fold in carrot, raisins.

5. Do not mix too much, lumpy batter makes better muffins.

6. Bake in preheated oven at 200^oC, for 20 minutes.

7. Or till an inserted skewer comes clean.

8. Warm or cold with or without butter/sweetened whipped cream

9. Drop spoonfuls into papercups, which are ovenproof.

10. They may also be served with tea/coffee.

Making time: 45 minutes
Makes: 12-13 muffins
Shelf life: 1 week

Sukhi Dal

Ingredients

1. 1 cup urad dal
2. 1 cup onions slices (thin)
3. 1 tbsp. coriander finely chopped
4. 1" stick cinnamon
5. 2-3 cardamoms
6. 2 cloves
7. 1 bay leaf
   
8. 1 tsp. cumin seeds
9. 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
10. 1/2 tsp. pepper powder
11. salt to taste
12. 1/2 tsp. sugar
13. 1 tsp. lemon juice
14. 2 tbsp. ghee

Method

1. Clean, wash, soak dal for 15 minutes.
2. Boil in 5 cups water, adding turmeric and salt.
3. Either pressure cook or boil till just soft.
4. Drain water.
5. Heat ghee in a heavy saucepan.
6. Add all spices, broken coarsely, and cumin seeds.
7. Allow to splutter, add onions. Stir fry till light brown.
8. Add dal, lemon juice, masalas. Stir gently.
9. Take care not to mash up dal too much.
10. Garnish with coriander.
11. Serve hot with rice and kadhi, or paratha and a gravy vegetable.

Making time:20 minutes (except boiling time)
Makes: 4 servings
Shelf life:Best fresh
Variation: Instead of urad dal, use Channa dal and instead of coriander leaves use tender fenugreek leaves or dill leaves.

Sindhi Saibhaji

Ingredients:

• 1 each - carrot, capsicum, onion, small cabbage,potato, brinjal, tomato, ladyfinger (okra)
• 100 gms. french beans
• 1/2 bunch each spinach, coriander, khatta (3 leaved) greens.
• 1/2 bunch any other leafy greens.
• 1 cup green gram dal
• 1/2 cup horsegram dal (channa dal)
• 4-5 green chillies
• 2-3 clovettes garlic
• 1 tsp. red chilli powder
• 1 tsp. dhania (coriander seed) powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric
• 3 tbsp. oil
• 1/2 tbsp. ghee
• 2 pinches asafoetida

METHOD:

1. Clean and wash dals.
2. Clean, wash and chop spinach and vegetables except tomato.
3. Heat oil in a pressure cooker, add all the vegetables, spinach and dals.
4. Mix well, add enough water to cover the contents.
5. Add all masalas and mix.
6. Place whole tomato on top, cover and pressurecook for 3 whistles.
7. Cool the cooker, open and handblend the contents.
8. Heat 1/2 tbsp. ghee add a pinch of asafoetida add to the mashed vegetable.
9. Serve hot with paratha or steamed rice

Making time: 30 minutes (excluding cooling time)
Makes for: 6
Shelf life: Best fresh

Bombay Ice Halwa

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup fine white semolina
2. 1 cup ghee (clarified butter)
3. 4 cups sugar
4. 4 cup cold milk
5. 15 almonds thinly slivered
6. 15 pistachios thinly slivered
7. 1/2 tsp. cardamom granules crushed coarsely
8. 3-4 pinches saffron strands crushed
9. 1 tsp.rose water
10. 2 large clean thick plastic sheets (approx.2 sq. feet each)
11. A few feet length of grease proof paper.

Method:

1. Mix almonds, pistas, cardamom, saffron, keep aside.

2. Grease both sheets on one side, keep aside.

3. Mix semolina, ghee, sugar, milk in a large heavy pan.

4. Place on stove on high heat, bring to a boil while stirring continuously.

5. Reduce heat, stirring continuously, till a very soft dough is formed.

6. Take off heat, add rose water and 2 tbsp. ghee.

7. Temper by kneading with a spatula till smooth.

8. Place flattened lump in the centre of one sheet, greased side up.

9. Cover with second, greased side down.

10. Roll as thinly as possible with a large rolling pin.

11. Before almost done, sprinkle mixed topping evenly over halwa.

12. Finish rolling, carefully peel off top sheet.

13. Mark pieces as desired, with a pizza cutter, while still soft.

14. Cut similar pieces from grease proof paper. Keep aside.

15. When halwa is cool and stiff enough to handle, carefully lift pieces.

16. Pile interleaved with greaseproof paper, between each slice.

17. Store in airtight container.

Making time: 1 hour
Makes: 1 kg. approx.
Shelflife: 1 week at room temperature, 3 weeks refrigerated

Motichoor Ladoo - Indian Sweets

Recipe for Motichoor Ladoo
Ingredients

For Boondi:

1. 2 1/2 cups gram flour (not superfine variety)
2. 500 ml. milk
3. 1/2 tsp. cardamom powder
4. 3 cups ghee for deep frying
5. a fine holed shallow strainer spoon
   

For syrup:

1. 2 1/2 cups sugar
2. 3 1/2 cups water
3. 2 tbsp. milk
4. few drops saffron (kesri) colour

Method

For syrup:

1. Put sugar and water in a vessel and boil.

2. When sugar dissolves, add milk.

3. Boil for 5 minutes till scum forms on top.

4. Strain and return to fire.

5. Add colour and boil till sticky but no thread has formed.

6. Add cardamom powder and mix. Keep aside.

For boondi:

1. Mix flour and milk to a smooth batter.

2. Heat ghee in a heavy frying pan.

3. Hold strainer on top with one hand.

4. With the other pour some batter all over the holes.

5. Tap gently till all batter has fallen into hot ghee.

6. Stir with another strainer and remove when light golden.

7. Keep aside. Repeat for remaining batter.

8. Immerse boondi in syrup.

9. Drain any excess syrup.

10. Spread in a large plate. Sprinkle few tsp. hot water over it.

11. Cover and keep for 5 minutes.

12. Shape in laddoos with moist palms.

13. Cool and keep open to dry, before storing in containers.

Making time: 1 hour
Makes: 25 pieces
Shelf life: 3-4 days (room temperature); 2 weeks refrigerated

Bombay Chewy Halwa - Indian Sweets

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup fine semolina
2. sugar as required in recipe
3. ghee 1 to 1 1/2 cups, as required in recipe
4. 1/5 tsp. citric acid powdered
5. 1/2 cup blanched peeled almonds, halved
6. 1/4 cup green pistachios halved
7. 1/2 tsp. cardamom powder
8. saffron as desired
9. food colour red/green/yellow, as desired

Method:

1. Soak semolina in enough water for 3 hours.

2. Drain, rub gently between fingers, wash 3 times with fresh water.

3. Keep aside to settle again, discard top water, grind to a very smooth paste.

4. Add enough water, to make a thin batter.

5. Heat one cup ghee in a large heavy pan, allow to cool.

6. Add batter, stir well, till smooth.

7. Place on heat, cook while stirring continuously, add ghee little by little.

8. Cook to form a transparent, soft lump.

9. Add sugar, stirring again, till it is liquefied, and again a soft lump forms.

10. When ghee starts separating, take off fire, sprinkle citric acid.

11. Stir well, mix in toppings and set in a , rectangular, greased, tray.

12. Make incisions when cooled but still soft.

13. When completely cooled, separate pieces, wrap each in clean thin pieces of polythene or clingfilm.

14. Store in airtight container.

Making time: 1 hour
Makes: 1 kg. approx.
Shelflife: At room temperature 1 week, Refrigerated 3-4 weeks

Athirasam - Chettinadu Recipes

INGREDIENTS (SERVE TO 4)

· 650 grams raw rice

· 650 grams jaggery

· 1 kg dalda

· ¼ kg ghee

METHOD OF PREPARATION

· Wash and rinse the rice. Strain well and set aside. When dry, powder it.

· Make thick syrup of jaggery and mix it with the flour in slow fire and stir well to avoid lumping.

· Add sufficient ghee while mixing and keep it a side for 2 hrs

· Then, make balls and press it with hand to bring it to flat round shape and fry in dalda till crisp and golden.

· When cold, store in an airtight container.

Kesari Kulfi - Indian Sweets

Ingredients

750 ml milk-full cream

1 tsp cornflour

1 tsp gelatine

1 tin condensed milk

125 gm khoya

10 pieces almonds

10 pistachios

10 cashewnuts

1 pinch of saffron

1tsp cardamom powder

5 drops of saffron essence

Method: -

Mix cornflour and gelatine separately in 2cups with a little cold milk

Boil milk. Add the cornflour. Add gelatine. Remove from fire and stir till gelatine dissolves. Let cool.

When the milk cools, add condensed milk and grated khoya. Powder the nuts and add that as well

Put in a blender and churn along with the saffron and the essence Mix Well

Set on the freeze in kulfi moulds or in an aluminum container

Kesari Kulfi ready!!.