Wednesday 25 September 2013

INDIAN DISH!!

PANEER MAKHANWALA




PANEER MAKHANWALA

Cottage cheese 300gms
Onions 100gms
Ginger 20gms
Garlic 10gms
Green chilli 4nos
Red chilli powder ½ tspn
Coriander powder 1tspn
Tomatoes ½ kg
Garam masala powder ½ tspn
Cashew-nuts 10nos
Dry fenugreek leaves ¼ tspn
Butter 20gm
Salt to taste
Oil 30ml

PREPARATION:

Peel and fine chop onions. Blanch tomatoes for 20 seconds in boiling water. Remove skin, half, scoop out pulp. Pass pulp through a strainer. Puree 80% tomatoes in a blender and fine chop the rest. Keep aside. Boil cashew nuts for 5 minutes. Keep aside 3 of them, make a paste using water in a blender. Peel onion and garlic. Fine chop. Fine chop green chillies. Cut cottage cheese into ½ inch cubes.

Heat oil; sauté chopped onions till golden brown. Add in ginger, garlic and half of chillies. Stir for a minute. Add red chilli powder, chopped tomatoes. Stir for about 3 minutes. Add in tomato puree and salt. Stir & cook until fat separates. Now add in cashew nut paste, 50ml water& cottage cheese. Simmer 5 minutes. Finish off by sprinkling fenugreek leaves, garam masala powder, butter and remaing green chillies. Dish out, garnish with bolied cashew nuts and serve with chappaties / naans.



Monday 16 September 2013

INDIAN DISH!!



LINGDI KA SAAG


Lingdi 2 bunch
Peanut / soybean oil 20ml
Onions 75gms
Asafetida 1/8 tspn
Cumin 1tspn
Red chilli powder ½ tspn
Ginger 1inch
Garlic 2cloves
Coriander powder 1tspn

PREPARATION:


Wash the lingdi and roughly cut them (1/2 cm length). Peel onions, garlic and ginger. Chop them. Heat oil, sputter cumin seeds. Add asafetida dissolved in a tablespoon of water. Stir in onions, garlic and ginger. When onions become soft. Add in, lingdi, salt and stir for about 30seconds. Add the remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer for about 15minutes. Serve with rice or bread.



LINGDI IS A LOCAL STEM TENDRIL VEGETABLE WHICH EITHER ONE LOVES OR HATES!! IT HAS BEEN MY CHILDHOOD FAVOURITE.LINGDI IS AVAILABLE IN THE LOCAL MARKET FROM JUNE TO SEPTEMBER. ACCORDING TO VENDORS, THEY COLLECT IT FROMTHE BANKS OF SMALL RIVERS NEAR A PLACE CALLED 'CHIDDERWALA' NEAR HARIDWARA. THE VEGETABLE  IS A RICH SOURCE OF IRON AND ROUGHAGE. IT HAS A TYPICAL FLAVOUR OF ITS OWNAND NOT MUCH SPICES ARE REQUIRED OR ELSE IT WILL SPOIL THE NATURAL FLAVOUR OF THE VEGETABLE. THANKFULLY IT HAS NOT REACHED ANY OF THE LUXURY HOTELS IN THE COUNTRY, OTHERWISE THE NATURAL TASTE, FLAVOUR AND SIMPLICITY OF THE DISH WOULD HAVE GONE FOREVER IN THE NAME OF CREATIVITY!!

Friday 13 September 2013

INDIAN DISH!!

BATHUA KA SAAG




BATHUA KA SAAG

Bathua 1bunch
Mustard oil 50ml
Cumin 1tspn
Onions 100gms
Garlic 10gms
Garam masala powder ½ tspn
Vegetable stock 100ml
Bay leaf 1leaf
Ginger 10gms
Asafoetida a pinch
Coriander powder 1tspn
Peppercorns 6 to 8nos
Green chillies 6nos
Channa dal 4tbspn
Salt to taste
Cinnamon powder a pinch

PREPARATION:

Remove bathua leaves from the stem. Discard the stems. Thoroughly wash under running water.  Peel & chop onions & garlic separately. Scrape and grate ginger. Chop chillies. Wash and soak the channa dal in water for about 2 hours. Coarsely crush peppercorns. Dissolve asafetida in 10 ml water.
Heat oil in kadahi. Splutter cumin. Add asafoetida. Stir for about 10 seconds. Now add in onions, ginger and garlic. Shallow till onions are soft and translucent. Add bay leaf, peppercorns and channa dal. Add vegetable stock & little salt. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes. Remove the lid; add in bathua leaves along with coriander powder and green chillies. Add little more salt. Stir occasionally and cook for about 15minutes or until the mixture becomes dry. Finally sprinkle cinnamon powder & garam masala powder. Dish out and serve with a hot Indian bread.


NOTE:  One has to be careful while putting in the salt, the leaves shrink, therefore it is advisable to put minimum of salt. The dish is rich in proteins, fibre and iron. So excellent for anaemia and helps in dealing with constipation and digestive disorders.

Wednesday 4 September 2013

INDIAN DESSERT!!

BOONDI LADOO


BOONDI LADOO

Besan (mota) 250gms
Sugar 200ml
Water 100ml
Rose water 10drops
Melon seeds 20gms
Black cardamom seeds 2gms
Silver leaf 1nos
Desi ghee to fry

PREPARATION:

Prepare a two string sugar syrup. Flavor with rose water. Prepare separately a thick batter with besan and soda bicarbonate dissolved in water. Heat ghee in a kadhai. Drop batter through a jharr (frying spoon with small perforations). Deep fry for about 3-4 minutes. Remove and drop into sugar syrup. Lift with a jharr after 5 minutes and put in a parat. Add melon seeds; shape into balls about an inch in diameter while still warm.
Garnish with silver leaf.


NOTE: 
You will find many variations of this ladoo with regard to colour, nuts, size of balls, size of boondi. It is the most popular sweet of India being served on every happy accession especially during festivals, marriages, birthdays, religious ceremonies, promotions as they are considered very auspicious.

Tuesday 3 September 2013

SUBZ - PULAO!!

SUBZ PULAO




Basmati rice 200gms
Peas 100gms
French beans 50gms
Carrots 100gms
Cauliflower 50gms
Cardamom 1nos
Cloves 4nos
Cinnamon 1 stick
Bay leaf 1 nos
Peppercorns 6nos
Mace ½ nos
Salt to taste
Desi ghee 30gms
Water 160ml-175ml

PREPARATION:

Shell peas. Peel & cut carrots into ½ cm dices. String beans & cut them into neat dices. Peel & slice onions. Cut cauliflower into neat flowerettes. Pick, wash & soak rice for 20 minutes. Drain water. Heat fat. Add onions, stir and shallow fry till golden. Remove the onions. In the same fat, add rest of the vegetables, stir and cook for about 5 minutes. Add salt. Remove. In the fat, crackle whole spices. Add in water & salt. Bring to a boil. Add in chilli powder and rice. Bring to a boil. When about ¾ water is absorbed, add in vegetables. Cover with a lid. Place on a hot tava and cook for another 10 minutes.

Garnish with fried onions. Serve hot with a homemade raita.


Friday 2 August 2013

SNACKS!!

www.chilli2cherry.com


POTATO GRENADES

Sandwich bread 6slices
Boiled milk 400ml
Potatoes 500gms
Peas 60gms
Nutmeg 1/8 nos
Oil to fry
Onions 125gms
Ginger 15gms
Green chillies 6nos
Coriander leaves 20gms
Peppercorns 8nos
Salt to taste
Butter 15gms

PREPARATION:

Peel potatoes, wash them, cut each of them into 8 to 10pcs. Boil in salted water till done. Drain, pass through a sieve. Trim the sides of the bread. Keep aside. Fine chop onions, ginger, green chillies and coriander leaves. Shell peas. Boil in salted water. Drain, refresh. Coarsely crush them. Crush peppercorns. Now mix potatoes, peas, onions, ginger, green chillies, coriander leaves, salt, nutmeg grated and butter.dip the bread lightly in milk. Place filling in the centre of the soaked bread slice. Form into an oval shape, resembling a grenade. Deep fry in hot oil till golden brown all around. Drain & place over the absorbent paper. Dish out and serve as an evening snack with ketchup or a garlic flavoured tomato chilli sauce.

It is a popular evening snack with the office going people. The children also love them as a brunch in school.

Thursday 27 June 2013

INDIAN DISH!!


WADA SAMBHAR

Urd dal (washed) 200gms
Green chillies 4nos
Salt to taste
Chopped ginger 10gms
Peppercorns ½ tspn
Oil to fry

PREPARATION:

Wash and soak the dal for about 12hour. Grind coarsely. Add in chopped chillies, ginger & salt. Mix together & shape into small flat rounds about .8 cm to 1cm. deep fry in oil till crisp golden. Drain.

Arrange over a banana leaf & serve with coconut chutney & sambhar.