Shahi Aloo

Preparation :15 mins
Cook :10 mins
Total Time :25 mins
Servings :Makes 4 servings (4 serving )

Ingredients :

14 to 16 boiled and peeled baby potatoes
3 tbsp oil
1 cup finely chopped tomatoes
3 tbsp curds (dahi)
1 tsp chilli powder
6 cashewnuts (kaju)
1 tbsp raisins (kismis)
2 tbsp finely chopped coriander (dhania)
1/2 tsp sugar
salt to taste

To Be Ground Into A Smooth Paste (using A Little Water)
25 mm (1”) piece cinnamon (dalchini)
2 cardamoms
3 cloves (laung / lavang)
6 black peppercorns (kalimirch)
1 tsp coriander (dhania) seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
1 tsp poppy seeds (khus-khus)
12 mm ( 1/2\") piece ginger (adrak)
3 garlic (lehsun) cloves
1/2 tsp chilli powder

For The Garnish
2 tbsp finely chopped coriander (dhania)

Method :

Heat the oil in a kadhai, add the prepared paste and sauté on a medium flame for 1 to 2 minutes.Add the tomatoes, mix well and cook on a medium flame for 2 to 3 minutes, while stirring occasionally and mashing the tomatoes with the back of a spoon.Add the curds and chilli powder, mix well and cook on a slow flame for another 1 minute, while stirring continuously.Add the cashewnuts, raisins, coriander, sugar, salt and ¼ cup of water, mix well cook on a medium flame for 2 to 3 minutes, while stirring continuously.Add the potatoes, mix well and cook on a medium flame for 2 minutes, while stirring occasionally.Serve hot.

Yam and Raw Plantain Curry

Preparation:10 mins
Cook: 15 mins
Total Time: 25 mins
Servings: Makes 2 to 3 servings

Ingredients

250 gms yam (suran) cubes
1 chopped raw banana
3/4 cup grated coconut
2 whole dry kashmiri red chillies
1/2 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
8 to 10 peppercorns (kalimirch)
2 to 3 tbsp coconut oil
a few curry leaves (kadi patta)
1/2 tsp mustard seeds ( rai / sarson)
1 tsp urad dal (split black lentils)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
salt to taste

Method

Combine the coconut, peppercorns, red chillies and cmmin seeds and blend in a mixer into a paste. Keep aside.Cook the yam and raw banana with turmeric powder and salt in 2 cups water till almost soft.Add the ground paste and boil for another 2-3 minutes.Heat oil and temper with the mustard seeds, urad dal and curry leaves. Add this to the cooked curry.Serve hot as a side dish.

Capsicum Fry

Preparation:10 mins
Cook: 30 mins
Total Time: 40 mins
Servings: Makes 5 to 6 servings

Ingredients

3 large capsicum
1 tsp fried chana dal (split bengal gram)
3 tbsp dessicated coconut
6 whole dry kashmiri red chillies
salt to taste
3 tbsp tamarind water
1/2 cup chopped onions
2 tsp oil

Method

Combine the chana dal, coconut, red chillies, salt and tamarind water and blend in a mixer till smooth.Add the onions and blend to a coarse paste. Keep aside.Heat the oil in a kadhai, add the capsicum and saute for 2 minutes.Add the prepared paste and salt and mix well and cook till the raw sell goes off.Serve hot with rice or chapati.

Vegetable Khichu

Preparation:10 mins
Cook: 15 mins
Total Time: 25 mins
Servings: Makes 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

2 cups rice flour (chawal ka atta)
4 cups water
1 tbsp oil
2 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
a pinch baking soda
2 tsp ginger-green chilli paste
salt to taste
1/4 cup grated carrot
1/2 cup chopped spring onions
1/4 cup boiled sweet corn kernels (makai ka dana)
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp sugar

To Garnish
1 tbsp cumin seeds (jeera) powder
2 tbsp olive oil

To Serve
buttermilk
papad

Method

Boil water in a deep pan, add half oil, cumin seeds, ginger-chilli paste, salt, lemon juice and sugar, mix well and boil for 2 minutes.Add the baking soda and add the rice flour gradually and stir well continuously so that it forms a smooth non-lumpy texture. Add balance of the oil and all the vegetables, mix well and keep it for 5 minutes on slow flame while stirring well.The mixture will leave the sides of the pan and become one smooth flowy lump.Cover and serve it pipping hot garnished with oil and cumin seeds powder.

Makki ka Paratha

Preparation:10 mins
Cook: 15 mins
Total Time: 25 mins
Servings: Makes 5 parathas

Ingredients

2 cups maize flour (makai ka atta)
salt to taste
1 tsp oil
1/4 cup grated radish (mooli) , squeezed
1 tsp chopped green chillies
2 tbsp chopped coriander (dhania)
ghee for cooking
maize flour (makai ka atta) for rolling

Method

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and knead in to a soft, using enough water.Divide the dough into 85 equal portions and roll out each portion into a circle of 6\" diameter.Heat a tava and cook each paratha, using little oil, till golden brown spots appear on both the sides.Serve hot with sarson ka saag.

Muli Tikka

Preparation:20 mins
Cook: 20 mins
Total Time: 40 mins
Servings: Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

250 gms boiled and chopped radish (mooli)
100 gms spinach (palak) , chopped
2 tsp oil
salt to taste
1/2 tsp cinnamon (dalchini) powder
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp chilli powder
2 tsp cornflour
oil for deep-frying

Method

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well.Cover and refrigerate for 5 minutes.Divide the mixture into small equal portions and shape them into small round flat tikkis.Heat the oil in a kadhai and deep fry the tikkis till they turn golden brown and crisp from all the sides.Drain on an absorbent paper.Serve hot.

Tasty Banana Halwa

Preparation:25 mins
Cook: 20 mins
Total Time: 45 mins
Servings: Makes 4 serving

Ingredients

8 ripe bananas , chopped
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup ghee
1 tsp cardamom (elaichi) powder

Method

In a thick bottomed Uruli or a non-stick kadai, add the sugar and ½ cup of water and heat until the sugar completely melts [you don’t need a sugar syrup, just heat it until no granules are seen].Add the chopped bananas into it and stir well.Simmer the heat to the lowest and stir once in a while adding 1 to 2 tbsp of ghee as it starts browning.Once the halwa becomes golden brown and starts leaving the sides of the pan [approximately after 40 minutes] add the cardamom powder.If you are using a uruli, at this stage the ghee would start separating from the halwa.Pour the halwa into a greased stainless steel plate and level it with the back of a spoon or spatula.Let it cool completely and then cut into shapes of your choice.

Onion and Raw Mango Chutney

Preparation:10 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Total Time: 10 mins
Servings: Makes 4 to 5 servings

Ingredients

1 cup mangoes
1 cup chopped onions
2 tbsp roasted and crushed peanuts
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp coriander (dhania) powder
2 pinches fenugreek seeds (methi) powder
salt to taste
1 tsp sugar
a pinch turmeric powder (haldi)

For The Tempering
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds ( rai / sarson)
a pinch turmeric powder (haldi)
a pinch asafoetida (hing)

Method

Peel and cut the mango into pieces and put into the mixer and add chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, salt, sugar and methi powder and blend in a mixer into a coarse paste.Add the onions and peanut powder and again grind for a minute.Shift into a serving bowl.Then add tadka using tadka ingredients and mix well.Serve as a side dish with your main course.

Coconut Capsicum Dal

Preparation:20 mins
Cook: 15 mins
Total Time: 35 mins
Servings: Makes 6 to 8 katoras

Ingredients

200 gms toovar (arhar) dal
2 medium capsicum , chopped
6 tsp oil
4 tsp mustard seeds ( rai / sarson)
1/2 tsp fenugreek (methi) seeds
10 curry leaves (kadi patta)
2 pinches of asafoetida (hing)
6 to 7 green chillies , chopped
1/2 cup freshly grated coconut
3 tsp tamarind (imli) pulp
1 tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
1 tsp jaggery (gur)

Method

Clean, wash and pressure cook the toovar dal along with 1/2 tsp turmeric powder for 2-3 whistles.Allow the steam to escape before opening the lid. Keep aside.Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan and add 1 tsp mustard seeds.When the seeds crackle remove from the flame and keep aside.Combine the coconut, green chilies and tempered mustard seeds and blend in a mixer into a smooth paste. Transfer in a bowl and keep aside.Heat the oil in a kadhai and add the remaining mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds and curry leaves.When the seeds crackle, add the capsicum, asafoetida, turmeric and salt, mix well and cook for 5 minutes.Add the tamarind water and bring to boil.Add the salt, coconut paste and jaggery, mix well and allow it to boil for 3 minutes.Add the cooked dal, mix well and cook for another 3 minutes.Serve hot with rice or rotis.

Puran Poli

Preparation:-
Cook: -
Total Time: 0 mins
Servings:

Ingredients

1 vati chana dal (split Bengal gram)
1/2 vati jaggery (gur)
1/2 vati sugar
10-12 veldodyanchi pud,
thodese Keshar,
1/4 jayfal pud,
1 chamcha rava(aadhi thoda bhijat ghalava),
1 vati kanik,
1 chamcha tel,
mith

Method

Harbharyachi dal swachha dhooun shijat ghalavi.Shijtanna tyat thode tel va halad ghalavi.Dal changali shijali ki topalit upsun takavi.Sarva pani nithalale ki tyat gul aani sakhar ghalavi.(te pani aamti sathi thevave aani that thodi dal kadun thevavi mhanaje aamtila gatta pana yeto.)Aani puran parat shijavave.Te mand gas var aani satat halvat shijv paratit rava gheun tyat thode pani ghalave va rava bhijat dhevava.nantar tyat kanik aani mith ghalun pith jara sailsar bhijvave.Nantar tyat thode thode tel ghalun kanik changali timbun ghyavi.Nehami peksha purnachi kanik hi sail lach aasate.Nantar kanakechya parit puran bharun halkya hatane tandulachya pithivar polya latavyat nantar tavyavar takavi.

Guncha-o-bahar

Preparation:20 mins
Cook: 30 mins
Total Time: 50 mins
Servings: Makes 4 to 5 servings

Ingredients

1 medium cauliflower
1 tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
salt to taste
2 tbsp lemon juice

To Be Mixed Together For Marination
4 tsp ginger (adrak) paste
4 tsp garlic (lehsun) paste
1 tsp chilli powder
7 tbsp vinegar
oil for deep frying

For The Gravy
6 tbsp ghee
1/3 cup chopped onions
5 tsp almond (badam) paste
1/4 cup tomato puree
1 cup curds (dahi)
1/2 cup grated mava
1 tsp coriander (dhania) powder
2 tbsp fennel seeds (saunf) powder
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
salt to taste
1/2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp saffron strands
1 tbsp milk

For Dusting
1/3 cup besan (bengal gram flour)
1/2 tsp cumin seeds (jeera) powder

Method

Clean cauliflower cut into large florets and boil water, 8 cups in handi add turmeric salt and lemon juice.Blanch for 5 mins, drain.Marinate with the prepared marination for 15 minutes.Drain of the excess marinade.Combine the cumin seeds powder and besan and dust the marinated florets with this mixture then heat oil in a pan deep fry until light brown.For the gravy, heat the ghee in a kadhai and add the onions nad saute for 4 minutes.Add the almond paste and tomato puree and saute until the fat leaves the masala.Add the curds and garam masala and cook for 1 minute.
How to proceed
How to proceedArrange the deep fried florets in a shallow casserole pure on the gravy sprinkle saffron put on dam in the pre heated oven 8-10 minutes.Serve with phullka.

Stuffed Brinjal

Preparation:30 mins
Cook: 20 mins
Total Time: 50 mins
Servings:

Ingredients

300 gms brinjals (baingan / eggplant)
3 onions
2 tomatoes
4 pods of garlic (lehsun)
curry leaves (kadi patta)
1/2 cup salted peanuts
2 tsp sambhar powder
1/2 cup oil
salt to taste

Method

Wash the brinjals and remove their stem. make a cross on the top and cut it till bottom of it, without breaking the brinjal into two.Keep them in salt water so they won''t turn into brown.Grind the peanuts, sambhar powder, salt,3 or 4 curry leaves and chopped garlic pods to a coarse powder.Dry the brinjals with a cloth and stuff them with ground powder. keep it aside.Heat a broad pan with oil and add chopped onions. saute till they become golden brown.Then add chopped tomatoes and keep sauting till it becomes soft.Then place the brinjals one by one with space between each of them.Sprinkle some water and cover the pan till the vegetable gets cooked.Keep turning the vegetable one by one till it gets cooked.Remove from fire and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Berry Shot

Preparation :10 mins
Cook :0 mins
Total TIme :10 mins
Servings :Makes 4 glasses

Ingredents :

8 tbsp mulberry pulp/ crush
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 cup crushed ice

Method :

Combine the mulberry pulp, lemon juice and1/2 cup of crushed ice in a mixer and blend till smooth.In each shot glass, place 1 tbsp of crushed ice and pour equal quantity of the juice over it. Serve immediately.
Handy tip
Handy tipIf required, you can add 2 tsp of sugar syrup to sweeten the shot.