Paneer jalebi

Paneer Jalebi

Diwali is the celebration of victory of light over darkness, good over evil and knowledge over ignorance. Its celebration includes millions of lights shining outside and inside of the house.  Colorful rangolis at the entrance of the house, Preparation of sweets in the kitchen and happy and enjoying kids outside with crackers..  it is celebrated along with laxmi puja.

Got bore of regular jalebis, so try this special jalebi on this Diwali. A very easy and very satisfying sweet dish to eat. Fried paneer coils dunk in sugar syrup and soaked, crispy and juicy at the same time. You will definitely fall in lover with this. It is an east Indian delicacy, mostly Bengali and odia people prepare this for special occasions.

Here is the recipe of the dish

Milk- 1 lit (full cream)

Vinegar- 4 to 5 tbsp

Sugar- 1 1/2 cup

Water- 1 1/2 cup

Cardamom- 3 to 4

Saffron- a pinch

Maida- 3 to 4 tbsp

Suji- 1 tbsp

Orange colour- a drop (optional)

Baking powder-1/4 tsp

Milk- 2 tsp (optional)

Ghee for frying

In a heavy button pan boil milk and add vinegar to it and let it spilt. In this way you will get paneer or chhena. Drain the paneer on a colander or strain and keep aside for an hour.

After an hour bring out paneer on a wide plate and start kneading up to a min. If it is too dry to knead then add 1 tsp of milk to it. The add suji or rava and baking powder to it and knead again.

Then add maida to it and one spoon at a time. Maida will soak the moisture and help in formings. I have added 3 tbsp of maida and made soft dough which can rolled to form jalebis.

In the mean time in another kadai add sugar and water to it and let it melt. Cook the sugar syrup up to one thread consistency. Make cardamom powder and add to it. The add saffron and color to it and let it infuse in the sugar syrup.

Take a lemon size ball from the dough. Put on the kitchen platform and try to make rope out of it. Then make coil like jalebi with the rope to form jalebis. While preparing jalebis if u see crack then repair it with wet hand. Like this make jalebis out of the dough and keep aside.

Heat ghee in a kadai and fry the jalebis on low and medium flame. When done one side and flip to the other side. Similarly fry all the jalebis and drop in the sugar syrup. Temperature of ghee is very important, and it should not be very hot. Drop all the jalebis in the hit sugar syrup.

After putting all the jalebis in the sugar syrup give a boil to the syrup. It will help to soak the jalebis better. Let it stand in the syrup for 2 hours before serving.

This can be served warm, cold or in room temperature. The motive is to eat which ever temperature doesn’t matter. 

Besan and oats ladoo

Besan And Oats Ladoo

Diwali is the festival of light, colour, sweets and crackers. This festival is celebrated in the month of November. It is originally celebrated to welcome prabhu Sri Ram from forest exile (vana basa). Diwali is my favorite festival. I used to celebrate it with my friends as we stay away from my native.

This diwali is also no difference from others, so lots of sweets will be prepared by me. I started my diwali celebration with besan and oats ladoo. This dish is the combination of two healthy ingredients, besan and oats. Besan or gram flour is pulse flour made from ground chickpeas. It can be used raw or roasted. Raw one is bit bitter taste but roasted one is very flavorful.

Oats is another healthy ingredient of the dish. Rolled oats are used to make porridge and in baking and other cereal like muesli and granola. But in india people started adding oats to their traditional dishes.

Here is the recipe

Besan- 2 cups

Oats-1 cup+ 4 to 5 tbsp

Sugar- 4 to 5 tbsp (depends on the sweet taste)

Cardamom- 3 to 4

Magaz (melon seeds) - 4 to 5 tbsp

Ghee- 4 to 5 tbsp

Take a heavy button pan, add besan to eat and dry roast it properly in low flame. After 5 to 6 mins a smoothing smell will come from the besan. Fry for some more mins. Switch off the gas and keep aside.

In the same pan add oats and dry roast for 5 to 6 min on low flame. Don’t change the colour of the oats. Switch off the gas and let it cool down. Once it comes down to normal temperature make a coarse powder.

Deseed the cardamom pods and make powder,

Dry roast the magaz or melon seeds and keep aside.

In a big plate add roasted besan and crushed oats together. Before mixing, reserve 4 to 5 tbsp of crushed oats aside. Then add powdered sugar, cardamom powder and magaz to it. And mix again. Now add ghee to it one spoon at a time and mix. After mixing of one spoon of ghee try to make ladoos. If ladoo formed then don’t add ghee any more. If not then again one more spoon of gh. I used 4 to 5 tbsp of ghee to make. But sometime more or less may be needed. Roll the ladoos on the crushed oats and place on the plates.

Now ladoo is ready to be served to the guest. It can be used as gifting purpose.

Sabudana Dahi Vada

                             Sabudana DAhi Vada                                                             

Sabudana is a processed ready to cook food product from tapioca. It is a considered as a good nutritional food for infant and sick person or during fasting period. There are varieties of dishes prepared from this ingredient like kheer, khichdi, vada etc. it is full carbohydrates and also has the goodness of tapioca. In Andhra Pradesh people make papad out of sabudana.  They called it vadiyaalu. It is very tasty.

It resembles a lot with sago palm. Both the product are small (2mm diameter) in size, dry, opaque balls and white in colour. At the time of soaking and cooking, both become large, soft and spongy . Both the ingredient used for pudding.

During navratri use of sabudana increased as a fasting food. Mostly sabudana khichdi, kheer or vada is prepared from this. I thought of putting this crispy vadas in chilled and sweetened dahi with some spices. That turned out to be very soft and yummy. So here is the recipe of sabudana dahi vada.

Sabudana- 1 cup

Peanut- 1/2 cup

Sugar- 1 tsp

Rock salt to taste

Ginger- 1/2 inch

Coriander leaves- 2 tbsp

Boiled potatoes- 3 medium size

Zeera- 1 tbsp

Green chili- 2

Red chili powder- 1/ 2 tsp

Oil for frying

Dahi- 1 ½ cup

Sugar- 1 tsp

Rock salt to taste 

chili powder- 1/2 tsp

Zeera- 2 tbsp

Red chili- 2

Wash and clean sabudana properly and soak them in water for 4 to 5 hours. If it is hard in the center after soaking for 4 to 5 hours the soak for some more time.

Heat a pan add peanuts to it. Dry roast the peanut properly or up to the skin can be removed easily. Let it cool down and crush it a bit. Mash the potatoes till very soft and keep aside.

In a bowl add soaked sabudana, crushed peanut, sugar, mashed potatoes, salt, chopped green chills, grated ginger, zeera, chili powder, coriander leaves. Mix Them properly.

Heat oil for deep frying. Divid the dough in equal size balls. Now flatten the balls in the middle of the palm and shape it like medu vadas. Slowly and carefully slide the vadas in the hot oil and fry them up to golden brown in both side. Similarly fry all the vadas and keep on the tissue paper.

Heat kadai and dry roast zeera and red chili separately. Let it cool down a bit and then make a coarse powder.

Take dahi or curd in bowl and beat properly without any lumps. Add sugar, salt, red chili powder and the ½ tsp above roasted powder to it and mix.

At the time of serving place two vadas (I placed 2 but the number depends on choice) on a plate then spread the masala dahi on it. Then sprinkle some roasted masala on the top. One can add green chutney and mithi chutney to complete the dish.

Arrange the plates just before serving or the vadas will be soggy.

Makhana ki khir

Makhana Ki Khir

Lotus seeds or makhana or fox nut is a very popular dry fruits in northern part of India.  This dry fruit is low in fat and high in carbohydrates that makes it distinct from Other nuts and seeds.  These are a good source of protein,  carbohydrates,  fiber,  magnesium,  potassium, iron and zinc. 

These nuts are known as fasting food. In navratri festival fasting people make different varieties  of makhana dish..  Roasted makhana,  makhana namkeen and sweet makhana is very famous.  But makhana ki khir is star dish. 

This navratri season I thought of trying my hand preparing makhana ki khir.  Though I never prepared this khir but I followed my instinct while preparing this.  The end result of the dish is so yumm and delicious that with or without fasting this khir became a family favorite.  Here is the recipe of makhana ki khir 

Milk - 2lits

Makhana -  1 1/2 cup 

Ghee - 2tbsp

Salt to taste (for vrat recipe one can avoid) 

Sugar -  6 to 7tbsp(depends on the taste) 

Kaji- 8 to 10

Kaju and kissing -  1/2cup

Cardamom powder -  2tsp

In a heavy button pan add milk and keep on gas to boil and reduce.  

In another kadai heat 1tbsp of ghee and add 1 cup of makhana.  Dry roast the makhana properly up to crispy and keep aside. 

In another pan heat 1/2tbsp of ghee and add 1/2 cup of makhana and 8 to 10 kaju together. These things should be dry roasted for 4 to 5mins. Then let it cool down for some time.  Then grind to a smooth powder. 

In the same pan 1/2tbsp of ghee and dry roast the kaju and kismish and keep aside.  

When milk is reduced to half of its volume add the dry roasted makhana to it.  Let the makhana cook properly and let the milk reduce even more.  After good 6 to 7 mins add sugar and let it mix.  Then add powdered makhana and kaju and mix.  Let it cook.  This will help to thick the milk even more.

Now add cardamom powder and fried kaju and kismish and switch off the gas.  Allow it to come down to room temperature.  Then serve it either in room temperature or chilled as per choice. 

Chhena payas

CHHENA PAYAS 

With lots of love and appreciation from all I received, I am celebrating my 50^th post. Today is Mahalaya Amabasya. So it becomes very special occasion for today’s post.

Mahalaya Amabasya is very special as it is last day of Pitru Paksha. In all parts of India this Amabasya is celebrated as a shradh to the Pitru Purusha (ancestors). After that Matru Paksha will start. This is the beginning of Dussehra and Navratri.

On the occasion of Mahalaya and my 50^th post celebration I am updating a special sweet dish. This is Chhena Payas or Chhena Khir or Paneer Milk Pudding. This dish is one of the favourite in my family. This recipe needs very few ingredients but the taste of the dish is divine. Here is the recipe

Milk- 2 ltrs

Sugar 7 to 8 tbsp

Vinegar- 2 tbsp

Kaju & Kismish- ½ cup

Ghee- 2 tbsp

Cardamom powder- 2 tsp

 

In a heavy bottom pan add 1 ½ lit milk. Keep the bowl on fire and let it boil and reduce. The milk should be reduced to the ½ lit in volume. Stir continuously while reducing the milk. This process will take around 45 mins.

Now add cardamom powder and sugar to it. Don’t boil milk more time after adding sugar. There is chance of sticking to the bottom. Burnt smell of milk will spoil the dish.

In the mean time take ½ lit milk in another bowl. Keep on the flame and allow boiling. Now add vinegar to it and let the milk split. Cook up to the whey water separates from the milk solid. Now strain the milk solid in a strainer and allow it to come down to the room temperature.

Heat ghee in a pan and fry kaju and kismish up to golden in color and keep aside.

Now crumble the cool paneer with hands. Mix the crumbled paneer to the reduced milk (note: add this just after adding sugar to the milk) and cook for 3 to 4 mins.  Now add fried kaju and kismish to it and switch off the gas. Let the payas come down to room temperature. It can be served in room temperature or chilled. I love Chhena Payas chilled.

Serve as your taste buds need.

Tandoori baby potatoes

Tandoori Baby Potatoes 

Tandoori dishes are originated in the Indian subcontinent. It is very popular in southasia particularly in India, Pakistan, Malaysia and Indonesia. It is prepared with yoghurt and spices marination. Tandoori chicken is the most famous dish. But the vegetarian version is also equally famous. Tandoor or clay oven isn't easily available at home. So people are using microwave or oven for baking the same.

Vegetables and meat both can be marinated properly to get tandoori dish . Veg items like cauliflower, paneer,potates can be baked in tandoor. I prepared tandoori Baby Potatoes in microwave. I didn't get clay oven so I marinated the potatoes and baked in micro. Here is the recipe

Baby Potatoes -1/2kg

Hung curd-3/4cup

Haldi- 1tsp

Red chilli powder - 1tsp

Garam masala - 1 1/2tsp

Besan-3tbsp

Food color -2drops(optional)

Oil -2 tbsp

Ginger garlic paste -1 tbsp

Onion rings to garnish 

Clean the Baby Potatoes properly. Make holes in the baby potatoes with the help of a fork.

Put the potatoes in the cooker, add water and salt to it. Keep the cooker on flame and cook for 3 whistles. Let it release it's pressure naturally. After that let the potatoes cool down.

In a kadai add the besan ad dry roast upto the raw smel goes ad let it cool down. 

Peel the potatoes properly and keep in a bowl.

In a mixing bowl add hung curd, fried besan, ginger garlic paste and all other ingredients. Mix properly with the help of a wire whisk. Now add the boiled and peeled the potatoes and mix again. The masala should coat the potatoes properly. Keep in the fridge for 3 to 4 hours

After 4 hours preheat the microwave oven in convection mode for 7 to 8mins. In the meantime time spread the marinated potatoes on a microwave proof plate. Add 2tbsp of oil on the potatoes and apply properly. Now keep the plate in the microwave in convection mode for 6 to  7 mins in 200degree. After that bring out the plate and toss the potatoes and keep in the microwave again for 6 to 7 mins. One can repeat the process up to the potatoes are baked up to golden brown. Timing of the baking of the potatoes may differ from oven to oven. One has to have a watch on the potatoes while baking.

For yoghurt dip

Hung curd -3/4cup

Lemon juice - 1tsp

Salt to taste 

Chilli powder -1tsp

Roasted zeera powder - 1tsp

Mix all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and serve.

Serve this tandoori Baby Potatoes hot with onion rings and yoghurt dip.

Boondi ki sabzi

Boondi ki sabzi

Boondi is a rajasthani snack item. It can be either sweet or khara or tikha. In every ways it is very delicious dish to eat. Sweet boondi is a sweetened fried chickpea (besan) flour. It can be stored for a week. Boondi laddo is the best way to have sweet boondi.

Khara boondi is equally famous. It is prepared from chick pea flour batter mixed with spices, salt and chilli powder.it can be eaten alone as a snack item. But khara boondi is used as boondi raita. It is very famous accomplishment in an Indian thali. Here I am going to show another khara boondi dish which can be eaten with rice, pulao or biryani. Thia dish is called as kjhara boondi ki sabzi.

For boondi

Besan – 1 cup

Salt to taste

Haldi- 1/2tsp

Red chilli- 1/2tsp

Mitha soda- 1/2tsp

Garam masala- 1/2tsp

Water as required

Oil for frying

For sabzi

Onion- 2 medium

Garlic- 4 to 5 cloves

Ginger- 1inch

Tomato -1 medium

Coriander leaves to garnish

Oil- 1tbsp

Zeera- 1/2tsp

Green chilli- 1

Salt to taste

Haldi- 1/2tsp

Red chili- 1/2tsp

Peanut- ¾ cup

Garam masala- 1 tsp

For boondi

In a bowl add all dry ingredients and mix properly. Now add water to it. Add little water at time and mix. It should be medium thick consistency batter like idly batter. Too runny batter will make boondi flat and too thick batter will tail end for the boondis. So adjust the consistency accordingly.

Heat oil in a kadai and keep a holed ladle or perforated ladle or jhara on it. With a spoon add some batter on the ladle and slowly spread with a spoon. Fry the boondis till crispy. The best time to remove the boondi is when oil stop sizziling. Repeat the process to make the boondis.

For sabzi

Clean and chop onion. Peel and chop garlic and ginger. Chop green chili and tomato and keep aside. You can avoid chilli if kids will eat.

Dry roast the peanut and crush them a bit and keep aside.

Heat oil in a kadai and add zeera to it. Let it release its flavor to the oil. Add chopped onion to it and let it sauté up to golden in color. Now add chopped garlic and ginger and sauté again.

When the raw smell goes from the ginger and garlic add tomatoes and sauté again. Add haldi, salt and red chili to it. When all the masala come together add crushed peanut to it and sauté. At last add boondis to  it and mix. Add garam masala and coriander leaves to it. Serve hot and immediately before the boondi will be shoggy.

Veg Kolhapuri, without onion and garlic

Veg Kolhapuri

Festival and fasting are on the way. All are gearing up for the navratri and fasting. In this fasting season no onion and garlic dishes are must. Here is my solution for these fasting recipes. Veg kolhapuri is one of the dishes I prepared for this occasion.

Kolhapuri cuisine is a style of preparation by using specific types of masalas. They belong to maharastrian cuisine. These dishes are really very tasty and only slightly hot. Lots of varieties of spices are used to make this masala. Onion and garlic ois also used in this. But I omitted these to make it a fasting recipe. Here is the recipe.

FOr masala

Scarped Coconut- 2 tbsp

Zeera- 1 tsp

Dhania- 1tsp

Poppy seed- 1tsp

Cardamom- 3

Clove- 4

Cinnamon- 1/2inch

Oil- 1tbsp

Tomato- 2

Ginger- 1inch

Red chilli- 2

Other ingredients

Cauliflower- 4 florets

Carrot- 2

Capsicum- 1

Potato- 2(medium)

Green peas- a handful

Salt to taste

Sugar- 1/2tsp

Ghee- 2tbsp

Zeera- 1/2tsp

Kashmiri red chili powder- 1/2tsp

Haldi- 1/2tsp

Oil- 1 tbsp

Heat oil in a pan add coconut, zeera, dhania, poppy seed, cardamom, clove, cinnamon, peppercorn and fry for 3 to 4 mins in low flame. In a grinder jar add tomato, ginger and fried masala and make a smooth paste.

Cut the vegetables in 1inch long pieces. Heat oil in a kadai and add the cut vegetables and sauté up to raw smell goes. Remove from fire and keep aside.

Heat ghee in a kadai and add zeera to it. Let it crackle and the masala paste and fry up to the masala separates from oil. Add salt, sugar, haldi and red chilli powder to it and sauté again.  When masala separates from add vegetables and 1 cup water.

Mix properly and cover the lid and cook up to the vegetables are cooked.  Add coriander leaves to the curry and serve hot with roti or rice.

Dahiwale Bhindi

Dahiwale Bhindi

In odisha any thali will be incomplete without any savory dish. This savory dish always goes very good with rice items. These dishes are dahiwale baigan, dahiwale bhindi, boondi raita , masala chas etc etc. except these dishes we odia people also relish some sweet and savory chutney dishes like amba khata (sweet mango chutney), tomato khajuri khata( tomato dates chutney), pineapple khata (sweet pineapple chutney) etc etc.

Once my friend invited me to her house for lunch. Her hubby is a great cook. He cooked his favourite item dahiwale bhindi or dahi bhindi. It is a simple dish but very quick and very flavourful. Fried bhindis or ladies finger in garlicky tempered dahi. Here is the recipe

Bhindi- 15nos ( small size)

Dahi- 200gms

Mustartd-1 tsp

Zeera-1 tsp

Urad dal- 1tbsp

Red chilli- 3 to 4

Salt to taste

Black salt-1tsp

Hing- 1 pinch

Curry leaves- 6 to 7

Green chilli- 1

Garlic- 4 to 5 cloves

Oil for deep frying bhindis

Oil – 1 tbsp

Wash and clean bhindis properly. Then put them on a kitchen towel and pat dry. If all these bhindis are small in size then cut head and tail. If it is bigger then cut into halves and keep aside.

Heat oil for deep frying in a kadai and add bhindis in the oil and fry them properly. Then drain on a kitchen towel.

Deseed the red chillies properly and deep fry them in the same oil and keep aside.

Peel and clean garlic properly. In a mortar pestle add garlic and green chili and crush them a bit and keep aside.

Beat the curd properly without any lumps and add salt and black salt to it and mix properly and keep aside.

Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan add mustard and zeera to it and let it crackle. Then add Hing,  Urad Dal and curry leaves to it and then add crushed garlic and green chilli and sauté. Switch off the gas and add the curd mixture to it and stir continuously or else it may split. Add the fried bhindis and red chillies to it and mix. Taste the seasoning and serve as a side dish

Mawa Coconut Modak

Mawa Coconut Modak

Ganeshji is very much fond of Modak. During Ganesh Puja festival, this modak is prepared. In Maharistrian culture, preparing and offering of modaks during ganesh puja is must. The sweet filling inside a modak is made up of fresh grated coconut and jaggery while the soft shell is made from rice flour or wheat flour. Modaks are of different varieties like mawa modak, motichur modak or even chocolate modak.

Mawa And Cococnut Modak is my twist to mawa modak.  Modak get its texture from coconut and crunch from cashew nuts.  For modak loving Ganesh this is my 2^nd sweet Prasad. Here is the recipe

Mawa- 350gms

Boora or Powdered Sugar- 4 to 5tbsp

Grated coconut- 3 to 4 tbsp

Cashew nuts – 4 to 5 tbsp

Ghee- 2 tbsp

Green Cardamom (choti elaichi) -  2 tsp

Mawa is also known as khoaa. It is heavily thickened milk solid.  Grate the mawa if it is hard or mash it with hands. I used homemade mawa for this so there is no need to mash.

In a nonstick kadai heat 1 tbsp of ghee add mawa to it. Sauté the mawa properly upto golden in colour. Remove from fire.

Chop the cashew nuts and keep aside. In the same pan heat 1 tbsp ghee again and add cashew nuts and grated coconut and sauté up to golden.  Add the fried mawa to it and mix properly make a soft dough out of it. Let it cool down.

When mawa mixture is warm to touch add boora to it. It is available easily in market. If it is not available then powdered sugar can be added. Sugar should be added at a proper time. The mawa should not be hot or cold. If you add in hot mawa sugar will melt and dough will be watery. If you add in cold mawa sugar won’t mix properly. It should be warm. Mix the sugar properly and knead a bit. Add cardamom powder to the mixture.

Grease the modak frame properly so that dough won’t stick to the frame. Stuff the modak frame properly and there shouldn’t be any gap while stuffing. Demould the modak from the shape carefully. Keep in the fridge to set for 2 hours.

After 2 hours Prasad is ready for bhog.

  

Khira gaintha

KHIRA GAINTHA

Khira gaintha is an authentic sweet dish from odisha. Odia people mostly eat rice. They prepare different dishes from rice. In all these dishes rice is used in different ways. In this dish rice paste is used to make small rice balls which is called as gaintha and then added to the thickened cardamom flavored milk. It is a very good dish for the growing kids as it provides a very good amount of carbohydrate, calcium and iron.

Ganesh chaturthi is nearby. People prepare lots of variety of sweets for deva. I too prepare lots of sweets for ganesha. Here is my first sweet dish as Prasad for ganapati maharaj.

Gobind bhog rice- 2/3cup

Sugar- 3 tbsp

Salt to taste

Water equal amount to the rice paste

Ghee- 1tbsp

Milk- 730ml

Sugar- 6 to 7tbsp

Salt to taste

Scarped coconut- 3 tbsp

Green cardamom- 2

Gobind bhog rice is best for this recipe.  You can use any flavouful rice as this unique flavor gives a kick to the dish.

Wash and clean rice properly and soak for 2 hours. After 5 hours put the rice in grinder jar add some water to make a smooth paste.

Take 3tbsp of rice paste from the above paste and keep aside. 

Measure the rice paste and take equal amount of water.

In a heavy bottom pan add water and sugar, salt and ghee to it. Let it boil and let the sugar melt. Then add rice paste and mix properly in low flame to make a soft dough. Remove from flame and allow it to cool down.

In the mean time keep the milk on flame and let it reduce a bit. Then add sugar, salt and cardamom to it. Also add scarped coconut to it and let it cook again.

Now knead the rice dough a bit. Grease your palm with ghee and make small oval shape balls out of it. Your Gainthas are ready.  Add these small balls to the already prepared milk. Let it cook for 5 to 6 mins. Now add the reserved rice paste and cook for 4 to 5 mins. It will help to thicken the milk bit more. Then switch off the gas and garnish with scarped coconut.

Serve cold after a satisfying meal. I bet it will satisfy your sweet tooth.

Allo Gobi

Allo Gobi

Allo gobi means cauliflower and potatoes dry curry. It is cooked in every Indian kitchen. This is the most loved and tasty dish. This recipe is my version to the dish, easy and quick.

If you don’t much time to cook and guest came to have  lunch or dinner, this recipe will come to your rescue. It can be served with roti, paratha, naan or rice. Here is my recipe of allo gobi

Cauliflower- ½ kg

Allo- 4 medium size

Onion- 3 big

 Ginger garlic paste- 1 ½ tsp

Haldi 2 tsp

Red chilli- 1tsp

Kitchen king masala- 1 ½ tsp

Tomato- 1 big

Green chilli- 1

Chopped coriander- 1 tbsp

Salt to taste

Sugar – 1/4tsp

Garam masala- 2 tsp

Oil- 5 tbsp

Zeera- 1/2tsp

Bay leaves- 2

Cut cauliflower florets, clean it properly. Take water in a bowl, add 1tsp haldi to it and soak the cauliflower florets for half an hour. Cauliflower florets should be medium in size.

Slice onions and chop tomato and keep aside

Heat 1tbsp of oil in a kadai add the coiliflowers. Sauté up to the cauliflower become golden brown. Transfer to a bowl.

Boil potatoes in cooker. Let it cool down and peel and cut in cubes.

Heat oil in a kadai add zeera and bay leaves . let it change colour. Then add sliced onion and sauté up to translucent in colour.

Add ginger garlic paste, fry in high for a min then add tomatoes and fry again. Lower the flame and add all the dry masalas and a little a water except garam masala. Fry up to the masala separates from oil.

Add fried cauliflower and cubed potatoes. Fry in high for 2 to 3 mins. Then lower the flame add half cup of water and cook up to the cauliflower is cooked. If gravy is there, high the flame so that the curry will be dried up.

Add garam masala, green chilli and coriander leaves . serve hot with paratha.

Chhana ( Deep fried) Manda Pitha

Chhana Manda Pitha

Manda pitha is a steamed pitha which is prepared in all parts of odisha during every Puja and festivals.  But there is another variation of these pithas. They are chhana pitha or Nan Mohan pitha.  Basically these chhana pitha made with saji or atta stuffed with coconut and chhena stuffing.  These pitha are very tasty to eat and easy to prepare. 

Janmastami is round the corner. For every Janmastami I prepare different variety of dishes like chhana Manda,  kakara pitha,  Chuda ghasa, suji Khiri,  Dalma and many more.  But this year I gave little twist to the authentic recipe.  Everyone loved the pitha.  Here is my Version of these pitha. 

For outer coating

Maida- 1 cup

Suji-1 cup

Grated Jaggery/ Sugar- 5 tbsp

Salt- 1/2 tsp

Ghee- 1 tbsp

Sounf- 1tbsp

Milk- 1cup

Water -  2 cups

For stuffing

Coconut- 1

Chhena (paneer) - 1/2cup

Green cardamom powder- 1tsp

Grated Jaggery/Sugar- 4 to 5 tbsp

Ghee- 1tbsp

Sugar- 1tbsp

Ghee for frying pithas

In a plate add maidan and suji and mix together.  

In a kadai add milk and water and keep on the flame.  Add sugar, salt,  sounf  and Ghee to it.  Let it mix properly and boil.  Add the above suji and maida mix to the hot liquid and stir properly.  Do this process in low flame.  Mix it properly without  lumps to form a soft dough.  Keep aside to cool down a bit.  When it is warm to touch knead the dough properly adding little water and Ghee if needed. Keep aside. 

Scrap the coconut and keep aside.  

Heat Ghee(1tbsp) in a kadai,  add scraped coconut,  Chenna to it and saute it.  Add sugar and cardamom powder to it.  Saute all these up to dry.  

Heat ghee in a kadai for deep frying.  Bring the dough and make equal balls out of it.  It should be like a bigger size lemon. Take the ball, roll on the palm and make a hole with the help of the thumb.  In that hole stuff the above stuffing and seal it.  As we stuff Allo parathas.  Make little flat between palms sealing properly.  Like this make all these pitha.  Deep fry the pitha in ghee up to golden brown in color.  

It can be served hot or cold. 

Palak malai kofta curry

Palak Malai Kofta Curry

Sometime back While reading a magazine I came across an interesting recipe. That's is palak Malai Kofta Curry. It is a combination of two famous dishes. Creamy Malai Koftas in flavourful palak gravy. Two deadly dishes combined together to make another awesome dish.

Malai Kofta Curry and Palak Paneer are two famous north Indian dishes. Malai Kofta Curry originated from Muglai cuisine. While palak paneer is from Punjabi cuisine.

When I prepared this dish every body in family liked the creamy paneer balls in green gravy. I made it again for some guests. They also loved it very much. Here is my version of the Palak Malai Kofta Curry

FOR KOFTAS

Milk- 1/2 lit

Vinegar - 2 to 3 tbsp

Boiled potatoes - 2

Chopped vegetables - 1cup

(Carrot, Cauliflower, Peas, Beans and Capsicum)

Onion- 1small

Garlic- 3 to 4

Ginger- 1/2inch

Salt to taste

Green Chilli -1

Cornflour - 4 to 5tsp

Pepper powder - 1/2tsp

Garam masala - 1/2tsp

Kaju- 7 to 8

Kismish- 7 to 8

Haldi- 1/2tsp

Red chilli - 1/2,tsp

Oil for deep frying

FOR PALAK GRAVY

Palak - 1bunch

Onion- 1medium

Garlic - 5 to 6

Tomato - 1

Ginger- 3/4inch

Green Chilli - 1

Haldi- 1/2tsp

Red Chilli Powder - 1/2tsp

Salt to taste

Sugar- 1/2tsp

Ghee- 1tbsp

Cream - 1tbsp

Garam Masala - 1tsp

Milk- 1/2 cup

Oil- 2tbsp

Zeera- 1/2tsp

Bring the milk to boil and add vinegar to split the milk. Spread a cheese cloth on a colander and strain the split milk. Hang the cloth for 30 mins to drain One can use ready-made paneer for this.

Clean the chopped vegetables properly. In a pressure cooker add vegetables, 1/2 cup of water and salt 1/2 tsp and pressure cook the veggies up to 2 whistles. Let it cool down naturally and strain the veggies up to dry and reserve the stock.

Peel and chop onion and green chilli, grate ginger and garlic and keep aside.  Chop kaju and kismish- and keep aside.

In a mixing bowl add all the ingredients for Koftas except corn flour. Mix properly and make lemon size balls out of it. Spread corn flour on a plate and to roll these balls on it. Deep fry the Koftas. One can make it in appe pan. It will be a healthier version.

FOR GRAVY

Clean and soak palak leaves in water for 10 mins to remove dust and sand. Strain the palak leaves. In a bowl add palak leaves and half of cup of water and boil for 6 to 7 mins.  Then strain the boiled palak and let it cool down a bit. Reserve the water for future use. After cooling down make puree out of the boiled palak.

Peel and chop onion, ginger, garlic and green chilli and keep aside. Clean and chop Tomato and keep aside.

Heat oil in a kadai, add zeera to it and let it crackle. Now add chopped onion and saute upto it turns golden. Add chopped garlic and ginger to it and saute again. When aroma come add chopped tomatoes and all other dry spices except garam masala. Cook the masala till oil separates. Now add reserved vegetables stock and palak puree to it and cook again. Add half a cup of milk to it and cook again. Now add garam masala and ghee to it and cook for 2 mis. Then add Koftas to the gravy and cover and cook  for another 3 mins. Switch off the gas and garnish with cream.

Serve hot with any bread or rice item.