Rava ladoo

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sooji coarse, rava or semolina
• 1/3 cup coconut powder
• 1/4 cup clarified butter or ghee
• 3/4 cup fine sugar
• 2 tablespoons cashews crushed
• 1 tablespoon raisins
• 1/4 teaspoon cardamom crushed
• Approx. 1/4 cup milk boiling hot

Method

1. Heat one tablespoon of clarified butter in a small pan over medium low heat; roast the cashews for about 2 minutes until light golden brown. Add raisins and roast for another minute, raisins will be puffed. Turn off the heat and transfer them in a bowl. Set aside.
2. Heat the remaining clarified butter in a frying pan over low medium heat; add rava and roast until it changes the color lightly this should take 6-7 minutes. It is important to stir continuously making sure rava roast evenly.
3. Add coconut and roast stirring continually for about 2 more minutes. Add nuts, cardamom, and sugar stir until everything mix well. Turn off the heat.
4. Add about 2 tablespoons of hot milk, mix it well mix should be moist add more milk as needed.
5. Allow the mixture to cool slightly. Make about 14 ladoos little smaller then golf ball, pressing about 1-1/2 tablespoon mixture between your palms. Add little more milk if you are enable to hold the mixture.
6. Serve them after at least one hour. Ladoos can be stored in air tight container for about 10 days.

eggless mango mousse

Take heavy whipping cream in a bowl. Chill it in the freezer for 15 minutes. Also chill the whisk attachment. Cream, whisk and bowl all three needs must be chilled. So it get whipped up easily and you will get maximum volume.

2) After 15 minutes, remove the bowl from freezer. Add sugar.

3) Whip it till you get soft peaks using hand mixer or stand mixer or by hand with wire whisk. Do not over whisk the cream, otherwise it will start to curdle and you will get butter out of it.

4) Then add mango pulp and vanilla extract to whipped cream.

5) And fold it (mix it) very gently. Do not mix it too much or vigorously.

6) Divide it into individual serving glasses.

7) Let it set for at least 2-3 hours in refrigerator before serving. Once it sets, serve cold. Garnish with some more mango pulp and serve.

Ingredients
1/3 cup whole milk
10 ounces premium vanilla ice cream (about 1 3/4 cups, packed)
Directions
In a blender, combine the milk and ice cream and blend until smooth. Serve immediately.

Chocolate and Date Mousse

 10 Dates (khajur)
1 tsp ghee
3/4 cup chopped dark chocolate
2 tbsp milk
1 cup beaten whipped cream
1/4 cup chopped black dates (kala khajur)
2 tbsp chopped walnuts (akhrot)

Method

1. Combine the dates and ghee in a small pan and sauté for 1-2 minutes.
2. Cool, add ¼ cup of milk and blend inn a mixer to a coarse paste. Keep aside.
3. Combine the chocolate and milk in a microwave safe bowl and microwave on high for 30 seconds. Mix gently and add dates mixture and mix gently.
4. Add the walnuts and chopped dates and mix again.
5. Finally fold in the whipped cream.
6. Add the walnuts and chopped dates and mix again.
7. Pour this mixture into 4 long stemmed glasses.
8. Refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours or till the mousse has set.
9. Serve chilled.

Baba Ganoush

 INGREDIENTS 

6 medium sized dark skinned brinjal (baingan / eggplant)
1 tsp olive oil
5 tsp Tahini Paste
1 tsp chopped garlic (lehsun)
1/2 tsp cumin seeds (jeera) powder
1 tbsp lemon juice
salt to taste
1 tsp chopped coriander (dhania) for garnish
oil for greasing

For servingthinly sliced bread, toasted

Method

1. Grease the brinjals with a little oil, place on a baking tray and bake in pre-heated oven at 170ºC (340ºF) till the skin is chared and the brinjal is tender (approx. 20 minutes).
2. Cool, peel and discard the skin and mash the brinjals to a pulp.
3. Add all the remaining ingredients and mix well.
4. Garnish with coriander and serve with toasted bread slices.

chana bhature

Bhature

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups maida or all purpose flour
• ⅓ cup sooji/rava/fine semolina or ½ cup rice flour
• ½ tbsp oil or ghee
• ½ tbsp fine sugar
• ½ tsp salt or as required
• ¼ tsp or ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ cup yogurt/dahi
• water for kneading as required
• oil for deep frying

INSTRUCTIONS

1. sieve the maida/all purpose flour with baking soda and salt.
2. add the sooji and sugar. mix well. add the yogurt and mix again.
3. add very little water, just about ½ tbsp and begin to knead.
4. knead the dough, adding water as required. make a smooth and soft dough.
5. cover the dough with a wet napkin and keep aside for 2 hours.
6. heat oil in a kadai or pan for deep frying.
7. make small to medium sized balls from the dough.
8. roll the balls between your palms to make them even.
9. keep the balls covered with the wet kitchen napkin.
10. take a ball and flatten them. apply oil on both sides and with a rolling pin roll, the ball into oval or elongated shape.
11. make neither thick nor thin bhaturas.
12. rotate the rolling board while rolling the bhatura as it much easier than lifting it, since we are not using flour to roll them.
13. when the oil is hot enough, place the rolled bhatura gently into the oil. the bhatura will puff up.
14. aid in puffing the bhatura by appling light pressure on it with a slotted spoon.
15. when the oil stops sizzling, turn oven and fry the other side.
16. when the bhatura is light golden, remove and drain on kitchen paper towels.
17. make the rest of the bhaturas this way.
18. serve the bhatura hot with chana masala.

Chana

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dried small chickpeas or regular chickpeas/chole/safed chana (canned chickpeas can also be used) or 1.5 cups regular dried chickpeas.
• 1 green chilli/hari mirch, slit
• 1 tsp coriander powder/dhania powder
• ¼ tsp red chilli powder/lal mirch powder
• ½ tsp turmeric powder/haldi
• 1 tsp garam masala powder or chole masala
• ½ or 1 tsp dry mango powder/amchur powder
• a pinch of asafoetida/hing (optional)
• black salt or rock salt as required
• 2 cups water to be added later

whole garam masala/spices

• 1 tsp cumin seeds/jeera
• 1 large indian bay leaf/tej patta
• 2 inch cinnamon/dal chini
• 2-3 cloves/lavang
• 2 green cardamom/choti elachi
• 2-3 black peppercorn

ground paste ingredients:

• 1 medium size onion, chopped
• 2 medium size tomatoes, chopped
• ½ inch ginger/adrak, chopped
• 3-4 garlic cloves/lahsun, chopped
• 1 green chili, chopped

Method:

1. first soak the chickpeas/chole in enough water overnight or for 7-8 hours.
2. drain the water and cook the chole with water+salt in a pressure cooker or a pot.
3. you can also add a pinch or two of baking soda while cooking the chole.
4. strain the chole and keep aside.
5. make a fine paste of the onions, tomatoes, ginger, garlic and green chili in a grinder or blender
6. no need to add water while making the paste as the juice of the tomatoes will help in making the paste.
7. keep the paste aside.
8. heat oil in a pan or kadai/wok.
9. fry the whole garam masala/spices mentioned above till the oil become fragrant.
10. don't burn them.
11. add the ground paste and saute till the oil starts to leaves the sides of the paste.
12. stir while sauting so that the paste does not stick to the pan.
13. add all the dry spice powders - turmeric, red chili powder, coriander and dry mango powder.
14. stir and saute for a minute. add the cooked chole and stir.
15. pour water. add salt and stir.
16. simmer on a low or medium flame for 12-15 minutes till the curry thickens. don't cover the pan. stir occasionally.
17. add slit green chilies and garam masala powder or chole masala. stir and simmer for a minute or two.
18. check the seasoning and add more salt or spice powders if required.
19. garnish chole with coriander leaves.
20. serve chole with onion slices, lemon wedges along with bhatura.
21. you can also garnish the chole with some slit green chilies and julienned gingers.
22. enjoy the chole bhature.

The difference between CHOLE BHATURE & CHOLE MASALA

There is no much differences between chole masala & chole bhature. The ingredients are the same but it differs in the process.
For chana masala :  Onions and tomatoes are added finely chopped. And to thicken the gravy a little amount of mashed chole are added.

For channa bhature : the onions , tomatoes are ground to fine paste and then added. This served with a bread called bhature.

Warm corn salad

Ingredients serves 4

Corn kernels cot from whole corn- cooked
1 medium sized onion, finely chopped
Few leave of fresh parsley, coriander and mint
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp oil/butter

Method
In a pan heat oil/butter, add onions and saute. Add corn kernels, stir well. Mix in mint and parsley. Season with salt and pepper.
Top with coriander and serve.


This is my all time favourite salad and I love eating it with tomatoes.

My style of macaroni

Ingredients  (serves 2-3)

300 gm Macaroni

1 medium sized onion finely chopped 

4-5 cloves of garlic finely chopped

3 large green chilies reseed n fine chopped

4 tb.sp cooking oil 

5 tb.sp  tomato sauce 

2 tb.sp vinegar 

1 tb.sp soya sauce 

Method

1. Soak a part of fine chopped chilies in vinegar.

2. In a pot bring water to boil. Add salt and 1 tb.sp  of oil and macaroni. Cook till tender. Drain the excess water once macaroni is cooked.

3. Men while , in a pan , heat 3tb.sp oil, add garlic, chillies (non soaked), onions and saute.

4. Add tomato sauce, vinegar ( along with or without chilies), and soya sauce. Bring to boil. Add salt to your taste.

5. Add the drained macaroni, mix well. 

Macaroni is ready

Easy Kerala style prawn fried rice

Ingredients (Serves 2 – 3 )

To marinate

1. Prawns – 20, washed and cleaned

2. Ginger garlic paste – 2 tsp

   Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp

   Chilly powder – 1 tsp

   Pepper powder – 1/2 tsp

   Salt – To taste

Other ingredients

3. Cooked basmati / any long grain rice – 3.5 – 4 cups, cooked

4. Ginger-garlic paste – 1.5 tsp

5. Onion – 1/2 medium, thinly sliced

6. Turmeric powder – 1 pinch

    Chilly powder – 1/2 tsp

7. Tomato – 1 small, seeds removed and finely chopped

8. Cilantro – 1/4 cup, finely chopped

9. Oil / ghee / butter – 1.5 tbsp

10. Salt – To taste

Method

1. Marinate the prawns with the ingredients under “To marinate”. Set aside for 20 mts.

2. Heat 1.5 tbsp oil / butter in a wide non-stick pan at medium heat. Fry the marinated prawns until done or about 3 – 4 minutes on each side. Drain on to a paper towel (you can halve them, if you want). In the remaining oil, add ginger-garlic paste and saute for a minute. Next add thinly sliced onion and saute until onion turns brown. Add turmeric powder and chilly powder. Saute for 30 seconds and then add the chopped tomato. Saute until tomato gets mashed up and oil separates. Add the fried prawns. Mix everything well. Add cooked rice, 3 – 4 tbsp chopped cilantro and enough salt (you can also sprinkle 1 – 2 pinches of garam masala powder if you want). Stir-fry everything for a few minutes. Switch off. Garnish with chopped cilantro and fried raisins and cashews (optional).

Lebanese Macaroni

Lebanese Macaroni

Serves: 2-4

Prep Time: 10 min

Cooking Time:15-20 min

Total:  25-30 min

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups macaroni pasta (whole wheat)

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1 small clove garlic

fresh mint leaves, chopped

1/2 cup pine nuts

1-2 tsp. soy sauce

salt and pepper

Directions

1. In a pot, heat water and boil macaroni until tender.
2. In a bowl, mix together yogurt, garlic and mint.  Season with salt and pepper.
3. In a skillet or in the oven, toast pine nuts until they start to brown.  Remove from heat and immediately add soy sauce. Stir well and set aside.
4. Drain cooked macaroni and rinse under cold water.
5. Place macaroni in a serving bowl and add yogurt mixture. Mix well.
6. Garnish with toasted pine nuts and serve.

Recipe from Kirsten Hartvig's Big Book of Quick & Healthy Recipes (2005)