Dry Fruits Modak and Ladoo

Dry Fruis Modak and Ladoo

Modak is Lord Ganesha's favourite sweet dish. Every year I used to prepare modak. In this process I have made boondi modak, sesame and peanut modak, carrot and paneer modak and mawa and coconut modak. This year I have cut my sugar intake. But I still wanted to eat sweet modaks. So made this protein and calcium loaded modak. It is very good for the diet watchers. They can eat this without any guilt. So lets see the ingredients and recipe of the dish. 

 Mix Dry fruits- 2 cups

Deseeded Dates- 1cup

Raisins- 1/2cup

Desiccated Coconut- 3tbsp

Sesame seeds- 2tbsp

Cardamom Powder- 1/2tsp

I have taken 2cups of dry fruits. I have taken cashew, almond, pistachio, walnut, watermelon seed, sunflower seed, pumpkin seed and roasted peanut. In this combination i have used less amount of cashew.

In a blender jar add dry fruits and make a coarse powder and bring out to a bowl

in the same jar add deseeded dates and blend up to smooth. Then add raisins and blend. Raisins should be coarse. Bring this out to the same bowl. 

Add desiccated coconut to it.

In a pan add 2tbsp sesame seeds and dry roast it foe 3 mins. Add this to the same bowl and also add cardamom powder to it.

Now mix everything properly. Stuff this mixture in a modak mould and remove careful. It will shape like modak. Make some ladoo out of the mixture too..

It is a perfect ladoo with high protein. Very tasty too.. For those who are in diet can also eat this, A total guilt free dish

Sweet and Sour Brinjal Curry (Bangladeshi Style)

Sweet And Sour Brinjal Curry

Brinjal is my favourite vegetable. I love experimenting with brinjal. With this process I got this interesting recipe. This recipe is from the village of BanglaDesh. Very simple recipe with lovely 

flavors. 

Brinjal- 11 small

Salt- 1/2tsp

Haldi- 1/2tsp

Red chili Powder-1/2tsp

Oil- 2tbsp

Oil- 1tbsp

Onion- 2 small

Green Chili- 2

Tomatoes- 2small

Tamarind- a Lemon Size Ball

Haldi- 1/2tsp

Red chili Powder- 1/2tsp

Salt- 1/2tsp

Sugar- 1tbsp

Coriander Powder- 1tsp

Cumin- 1tsp

Garlic- 3 to 4 tsp

Cut the brinjal lengthwise keeping the head intact. As shown in the pic

Wash and clean brinjal and pat dry.

Keep cut brinjal in a bowl and add red chili powder.

Also add salt and haldi.

Mix everything and keep for 10 mins.

Heat oil in a pan.

Add marinated brinjal 

Add all the brinjals together

Cook up to soft

Keep aside when cooked

Soak tamarind in 1/2cup of water. Then make a smooth pulp.

Clean and cut green chili and tomatoes

Arranage every ingredients. Make a paste of cumin and garlic.

Again heat oil in a kadai

Slice onion and add to the kadai. 

Saute onion up to pink in colour

Add green chili.

Add cubed tomatoes.

Saute for 3 to 4 mins. Also add 1/4 cup of water.

Add salt

Add haldi, red chili powder and coriander powder

Add sugar also

Add cumin and garlic paste

Saute

Cook up to everything incorporated properly

Now add tamarind pulp to it

Now add cooked brinjal

Add all the brinjals

Cook up to you get the required gravy

Serve hot with rice or roti.

No Oil Chicken Curry

No Oil Chicken Curry

In general perception, nonveg dish will be very spicy and oily. It would be full of calories. But here I am going to share a recipe of chicken without oil. Yes, heard it right. There is not a single drop of oil used. But the taste and colour won't affect with it. No one can guess that it is prepared without oil as long as you mentioned it.

Some weeks back I wanted to lose some weight. But being a foodie I didn't want to curb my eating tasty food. So I took this midway path. So I come out with this lovely recipe. Here is the recipe....

Chicken- 1 kg

Curd- 1 Cup

Onion- 2 large

Ginger- 1 inch piece

Garlic- 10 cloves

Tomato- 2 Medium

Green Chili- 2

Coriander Seeds- 1tbsp

Cumin Seeds- 1tbsp

Kshmiri Red Chili- 4

Turmeric- 1tsp

Kshmiri Red Chili Powder- 1/2tsp

Green Cardamom- 4

Clove- 4

Cinnamon- 1 inch piece

Salt- 1/2 tsp or as per taste

Chopped Coriander for Garnishing

Clean and cubed the onions. Chop ginger and garlic. Then boil all these along with red chili for 10 mins with 1 cup of water and let it cool down. After cooling down make a paste.

Dry roast the coriander seeds and cumin seeds up to slightly change in colour. then powder it to a coarse powder.

Hung curd for half an hour so that excess water will be drained of.

Clean and cube tomatoes and make a smooth puree without adding water.

In a big bowl add cleaned chicken, hung curd, onion paste, tomato puree, salt, haldi, red chili powder, coriander and cumin powder. Mix everything properly and marinate it for at least 3 hours or over night in fridge.

Bring out the marinated chicken from fridge one hour before cooking.

In a heavy bottom pan add the chicken with marinate and cook for 10 mins in high. Add bay leaf to this.  After 10 mins you can see water released from the stuff. Now lower the flame and let it cook.

In the mean time dry roast cinnamon, green cardamom and clove up to nice smell comes. Then make powder of these.

Add the above garam masala mix to the curry. Cook this up to the chicken is cooked properly. Adjust seasoning and gravy as per your taste.

It is best served with plain rice or roti.

Paneer Parcha

Paneer Parcha

For a special occasion we went to restaurant for dinner. It was a vegetarian day for us. My hubby surfed the menu card to order something unique that day. On that day we are not in mood to eat something regular. He saw a dish named as PANEER PARCHA. That name sounded innovative, unique and very different. We called the  waiter to know more about the recipe. He said it is a sandwiched paneer dish in a silky creamy tomato based gravy. We ordered that. We all loved the flavour and texture of the gravy also the sandwiched paneer.

Back home kids wanted that same dish in dinner. I thought of trying that recipe depending on my and hubby's taste buds. But it came out perfectly tasty. Kids loved that a lot. Here is the recipe of the dish...

FOR PANEER SANDWICH

Paneer- 400 gms
Crumbled Paneer- 200 gms
Oil- 1 1/2 tbsp
Chopped Ginger- 1tsp
Chopped Green Chili- 1tsp
Carrot- 1 (grated)
Beans- 3 (Chopped)
Sweet Corn- 3 tbsp
Green Peas- 3 tbsp
Chopped Cashew- 1tbsp
Salt- 1/4 tsp
Pepper Powder- 1/2tsp
Garam Masala- 1/4tsp
Corn Flour- 3tbsp
Raisins-2tbsp
Oil- 2cups for Deep Frying

For Gravy
Oil-1 tsp
Onion- 2 medium
Curd- 1/4 cup
Cashew- 8 to 10
Kashmiri Red Chili- 3
Tomatoes- 2 Medium
Oil- 2tbsp
Cinnamon- 1inch
Clove- 3
Green Cardamom- 3
Bay Leaf-1
Cumin- 1tsp
Ginger and Garlic Paste- 1 1/2tbsp
Salt- 1/2tsp
Haldi- 1/2tsp
Sugar- 1/4tsp
Red Chili Powder- 1/2tsp
Cumin Powder- 1/2tsp
Coriander Powder- 1/2tsp
Garam Masala Powder- 1/2tsp
Butter- 1tbsp
Kasoori Methi- 1/2tbsp
Cream- 3tbsp

In a pan heat 1 1/2tbsp oil and add chopped ginger and green chilies and saute. Then add grated carrot, chopped beans, sweet corn and green peas and saute. again add salt, pepper and garam masala and also 1/4cup of water and cook up to soft. Add 200gms of crumbled paneer to it. mix properly and cook up to dry. Then let it cool down. Now pulse this mixture for once or twice to a semi coarse paste. Now add chopped cashew and raisins to it.

Now take 400 gms of paneer and cut in slices. Then stuff he above stuffing like a sandwich.

 Heat oil for deep frying.

In a bowl add corn flour and water, also little salt and pepper. Make a runny slurry. Dip the paneer sandwiches in the slurry and deep fry in hot oil. keep these aside.

Heat oil in pan add sliced onion to it and cook up to brown. Let it cool down. Now add curd to it and make a smooth paste.

In a small bowl add cashews and whole red chili and boil it for 7 to 8 mins. Then let it cool down. Make a smooth paste.

Make purees from the two tomatoes.

Heat 2tbsp oil in a pan add cinnamon, clove, green cardamon, cumin and bay leaf and let it infuse in oil.Then add ginger and garlic paste and saute up to raw smell goes. Now add onion curd paste and saute.

When it is bit dry add cashew and chili paste and saute. Now add tomato puree, salt, sugar, haldi, red chili powder, cumin and coriander powder and saute up to dry. Add 1/2cup of water to it and let it boil. Switch off the gas and let it cool down a bit. Then strain the  gravy and discard the whole masalas.

Now in the same pan heat 1tbsp of butter and add the strained garvy. Add cream, garam masala and kasoori methi to it and let it boil. cook this for 3 to 4 mins more. Now add the fried Paneer pieces and cook for a min. Then switch off the gas and garnish with coriander leaves.

It can be served with plain roti, nan or any rice.

Kheer Sagar (An Odia Sweet Dish)

Kheer Sagar

Kheer Sagar means Ocean of milk in Odia language. In this sweet dish soft marble size cottage cheese ( chhena balls) soaked in sweet and thick milk (rabdi). Saffron and cardamom is the main flavoring agent of this sweet dish. It is either served chilled or lightly warm. It can be said as sister of Rasmalai. But here the milk is thick as rabdi but in rasmalai it has  thin milk. This sweet is mentioned in our mythology.

Every year I used to prepare sweets which my brother loves. But this sweet dish I am dedicating to my dear bhabi and my best friend. They both love this sweet a lot. 

Here is the recipe 

Milk- 1.5 lits 

Milk- 500 ml

Sugar- 4 tbsp + 2/3rd cup

Green Cardamom- 4

Suji- 1tbsp

Pistachios- 5 nos for garnishing

Vinegar- 1.5 tbsp

Heat 1.5 lit of milk in a thick buttom pan. Cook this milk up to thick. But one has to be very careful while doing this. It can't be left unattended. Reduce this up to 3 cups. Then add 4 tbsp of sugar to it and seeds of 2 green cardamoms.

In another pan add 1/2 lit of milk and allow to boil. Then reduce flame and add vinegar and stir. Immediately switch off the gas.

Strain this on the muslin cloth. Add 1 lit ice water to it. It will stop cooking of chhena and also remove the flovor of vinegar.

Squeeze this chhena or paneer with hand to remove extra water.

In a grinder jar add paneer and suji and grind it up to very soft.

Remove this mixture to a plate and mash a little. Then shape them like small balls. I got Around 19 balls.

In another sauce pan add sugar, water sand 2 green cardamom. When sugar melt and water start to boil add paneer balls to it and allow it to cook..

Ist cook in high flame for 5 mins then reduce flame and cook for 10 mins more. Let it cool down completely.

Now fish out paneer balls from the sugar syrup and add to the already prepared milk. Kheer Sagar is ready.

Serve this in warm or room temperature or chilled as per your choice. while serving add chopped pistachios.

Soft Sandesh

SOFT SANDESH

Sandesh, a bengali sweet dish. It is made from milk and sugar. Sandesh can be prepared for every festive occasions. But during Durga Puja, it is particularly prepared. Sweet lover bangalis are crazy about sandesh.

For the occasion of Raksha Bandhan this year I am going to prepare Sandesh. This is very soft and melt in mouth. A very few ingredients and time needed.

Here is the recipe

Milk- 1lit

Vinegar- 3 to 4tbsp

Water- 3cups

Maida- 1tbsp

water- 2tbsp

Sugar- 3 to 4tbsp

Green Cardamom Powder- 1/2tsp

Ghee- 1tsp

Tutti frutti to Garanish

In a small bowl add maida and 2tbsp of water and keep aside.

In another sauce pan add 3 cups of water and 3 to 4 tbsp of vinegar and mix.

In a big sauce pan add milk and allow to boil. When it is boiled add maida and water mix and cook for 5 mins.

Now add vinegar and water mix and let the milk split. You get milk solid with greenish whey.

Now strain the paneer on a muslin cloth. Gather all the corner off the cloth and then tie it. Hang paneer for 1 hour, So that extra moister will be removed.

After one hour take  a non stick pan, add hung paneer and sugar and mix. Then keep it on gas and start cooking. Initially it will be runny as sugar will melt. Cook this mixture up to dry. Switch off the gas.

Take ghee and grease a mould. Then pour the cooked chhena mixture and spread evenly. And also level the upper side.

Now let it to cool down completly. Keep in fridge for 20 mins. Then cut in squares and garnish with tutti frutti.

Mawa kachori

MAWA KACHORI

kachori is a spicy and savory snacks from India. It is believed to be prepared first time in Uttar Pradesh or Rajasthan. But now a days it is available all over India. Though the preparation style and serving style makes the whole difference. There are a lots of varieties of kachoris. There are different stuffings available like onion, moong, peas or some other.

But there is one sweet variety. It is called as MAWA KACHORI. It is originated in Jodhapur, Rajasthan. It is invented by late Rawat Mal Ji Deora. It is a sweet dish. A flaky outer cover stuffed with soft, sweet and creamy mawa with a lots of nuts. Then diped in flavorful sugar syrup.

Here is the recipe.  

For The Crust

Maida- 1 cup

Ghee- 2 tbsp

Salt- 1/4tsp

Luke Warm Water- 1/2 cup

For The Stuffing

Mawa- 3/4 cup

Green Cardamom Powder- 1/2tsp

Mixed Nuts- 1/2 cup

(Almond, cashew, pistachio, walnut and raisins)

sugar- 3tbsp

Oil to Deep Fry

For Sugar Syrup

Sugar- 1cup

water- 1/2cup

Green Cardamom Powder- 1/8tsp

saffron- 1/4tsp

If mawa is not available, then don't worry. Lets do it at home. Instant mawa is very easy to prepare at home with milk powder. For that we need

Amul Fresh Cream- 1/2cup

Milk Powder- 1 cup

(I have used Amul Spray)

Ghee- 1tbsp

In a nonstick pan add milk powder, cream and ghee and mix properly without lumps. Then keep this on gas and cook up to thick. Stire this continuously to prevent from burning. Slowly this will form a soft dough. This will be called as instant mawa.

In a mixing bowl add maida, salt and ghee. Rub ghee properly so that a crumbly texture will come. Now add luke warm water to knead a soft dough. Adding water should be in batches. Cover and rest it for 20 mins.

Next start doing the sugar syrup. In a sauce pan add sugar and water. Let it boil and sugar to melt in.  Then slow the flame and cook up to one thread consistency.  

In a non stick pan add mawa (instant mawa also) then add sugar, dry fruits and green cardamom powder. Cook this mixture up to dry. First it will be runny then slowly it will dry up and make soft dough.

 Bring out the resting dough and knead it again for a min. make equal size balls.

Then bring out the stuffing and make equal number of balls as maida balls.

Roll the maida balls to a 2inch circle and place a stuffing ball on it. Now gather all the edges of the circle and seal the stuffing without giving any gap. now stuff all kachoris and keep aside.

Heat oil in pan for deep frying. keep the flame on medium.

Now take one kachori and flat with palm gently, so that it won't break. Prepare all the kachoris.

slide kachoris in the hot oil one by one. Don't over crowd the oil with lots of kachoris. Cook these in medium flame up to golden brown. If the kachoris are fried on high flame, these will soggy not crispy.

While serving the kachoris drizzle hot sugar syrup on them and garnish with sliced pistachios and almonds. These can be served without sugar coating. I personally love mawa kachoris without sugar coating.