Kesari

Kesari is a simple dish that everybody in my house loves. My mother in law made me a lot of it when I was pregnant with my first child. It is simple but a rich desert.

Difficulty level: Medium

Preparation time: 5 min

Cooking time: 30 min + 1 hr.for setting

Makes: 40 pieces

Ingredients:

Rava(semolina): 1 1/2 cup

Ghee: 1- 1 1/4 cups

Warm milk: 2 cups

Yellow food colour: a few drops

Sugar: 2- 2 1/2 cups

Cardamom powder: 1/2 tsp

Cashews, raisins: 1/4 cup each (optional)

Heat ghee and saute until the semolina turns light brown. Add the food colour and warm milk, and continue sauteeing on medium flame. When it thickens slightly, add the sugar and stir. Add  cardamom powder, cashews, raisins and keep stirring. Wait for the sugar to melt completely and the mixture to become semi-solid. Spread onto a greased baking tray or dish. Cut into desired shapes(a pizza cutter works perfect) while still warm. Allow to cool and dig in!

Kaju Katli

Kaju Katli is a favourite of my children (and my husband!). I have been meaning to make this at home instead of buying it from a store for some time now. I saw this recipe at www.showmethecurry.com and thought it would be worth a try.

Difficulty level: Easy
Preparation time: 15 min
Cooking time; 15min + 1 hr for setting
Makes: about 35 pieces

Ingredients:


Powdered cashews: 1 1/2 cups
Powdered sugar: 1 cup
Instant non-fat dry milk/ milk powder: 1/2 cup
Cardamom powder: 1/8 tsp
Hot water: 2 tbsp
Rose essence: 2 drops (optional)

Use a double-boiler (to bring a bowl of water to boil. To the bowl on the top, add the dry milk and powdered sugar. Keep stirring continuously (so as not burn it) until the mixture is warmed all the way through, about 2-3 min. To another mixing bowl, add the cashew powder. When the above mixture is done, add it to the cashew powder. Add the cardamom powder and mix well. If using rose essence, add it to the hot water. Start kneading adding a little water at a time, until it forms a dough and the cashew starts to let some of the oil go. Grease the hands and rolling pin for easier rolling. Roll out the dough to desired thickness onto a wax paper to avoid sticking. Cut into desired shapes. Allow to set at room temperature for 1-2hrs or 30 min in the refrigerator. Store in the refrigerator and serve at room temperature.

Egg drop Soup

As I have alluded multiple times on this blog, I am on a constant quest to find new ways to feed my kids vegetables. Soups are always a good way to do that. This particular recipe ends up being bland enough that the kids can eat and you can spice it up with the pepper and chilies for the adults.

Difficulty level: Easy
Preparation time: 5 min
Cooking time: 15-20 min
Makes: 5-6 servings

Ingredients:


Vegetable/ Chicken stock: 4 cups
Mixed vegetables: 3/4 cup
Sweet corn: 1/4 cup
Egg: 1, beaten
Cornflour/ cornstarch: 1 tbsp+ 1 tsp
Salt, pepper: to taste

Bring the stock to a boil. Add the veggies and cook as per the package instructions (usually 6-8 min). In the meantime, beat the egg well  in another bowl. On a high flame, add the beaten egg in a thin stream and allow to cook for 2-3 min (so as to cook the egg completely). Dissolve the cornflour in 1/4 cup of cold water, stirring well so that no lumps are formed. Add this to the soup mixture and allow to cook until slightly thick, adding enough salt. Serve hot with pepper, soy sauce and green chillies in vinegar.

Papdi chat

I love chat and living in Buffalo there is not much of an option but to make it at home. We recently tried a Papdi Chat kit that was not really good. So I decided to do it properly, taking the recipe from www.showmethecurry.com.

Difficulty level: Easy
Preparation time: 20 min
Makes: 2-3 servings

Ingredients:

Papdi: 40

Potato: 1 medium, cooked, peeled and diced

Tomato: 1/2 medium, finely chopped

Chickpeas/ garbanzo beans: 1/4 cup, cooked or canned

Onion: 1/4 medium, finely chopped

Yoghurt: 3/4 cup, well beaten

Roasted cumin powder: to garnish

Chat masala: to garnish

Salt, red chillipowder: to taste

Mint chutney, tamarind chutney: to taste

Thin sev: 1/2 cup

Add salt (to taste) to the well-beaten yoghurt and mix well and keep aside.

Arrange the papdi on a platter. Sprinkle potatoes, tomatoes & chickpeas on top. Drizzle yoghurt evenly on top. Sprinkle roasted cumin powder, chat masala and red chilli powder to taste. Drizzle tamarind chutney and mint chutney to taste. Sprinkle thin sev to finish it off. Serve immediately.

Chocolate Popcorn

What's not to like about anything with chocolate? Even I, who is by no means a fan of popcorn,  loved  it.

I stumbled upon this recipe from a magazine (Taste of home), as I was looking for kid-friendly dishes to make for my son's birthday party.

It will be gooey and sticky when warm, but when it cools down it will no longer be.This speedy snack is great for school bake sales, group functions or potluck socials.

Difficultly level: Easy
Preparation time: 5-10 min
Baking time: 5-6 min
Makes: 3 quarts(12 servings)

Ingredients:


Unsalted popped popcorn: 2 quarts(about 8 cups)
Miniature marshmallows: 1 cup
Sliced peanuts: 1/2 cup(optional)
Milk chocolate candy bars(1.55 oz. or 43 gms each): 6

Place popcorn in a greased 15 inch x 10 inch x 1 inch baking pan. Sprinkle with marshmallows and peanuts. Break candy bars in half and place on top.

Bake at 300 degree F for 5 min. Let stand for 1 min. Toss to coat. Store in an airtight container.

Grilled Onion, Tomato & Goat cheese Salad

With our kitchen garden providing us a bounty of tomatoes, I have been looking for recipes using tomatoes and stumbled upon this recipe in a magazine (Mary Jane's Farm).

I could not use my outdoor grill (as the weather was not co-operating), and so decided to do it indoors. I used a flat griddle on my stove top, did everything just the same, and it worked just perfect.

Also, I did not have pine nuts in hand and so used sunflower seeds instead.

Difficulty level: Easy
Preparation time: 10 min
Cooking time:10 min
Makes: 4 servings

Ingredients:


Red onion:1
Grape tomatoes: 2 cups (1 dry pint)
Extra-virgin olive oil: 1/4 cup+ 2 tbsp
Red vine vinegar: 3 tbsp
Fresh basil: 2 tbsp, chopped
Crumbled goat cheese: 1/4 cup
Pine nuts: 1/4 cup
Salt, pepper to taste
Wooden skewers

Soak the skewers in water for 20-30 min. In the meantime, light the coals or preheat the grill to medium heat. Quarter the onion and separate into double-thick wedges. Thread onions onto separate skewers (all tomatoes and all onions) and brush with 2 tbsp olive oil. Place skewers on grill and turn several times, until tomatoes are hot and charred(they will 'pop' when done- about 5 min).

Remove tomatoes from grill and place cover on grill. Continue grilling the onions until tender- about another 5 min. Remove tomatoes and onions from skewers and toss with remaining olive oil, vinegar and basil in a large serving bowl.Top with goat cheese and pine nuts, add salt and pepper to taste.

Baked Vegetable Cutlets

I have always loved cutlets, but used to feel guilty about eating these deep-fried delicacies. So I wanted to try if they would come out equally good and tasty when baked.

I decided to make it mild, so as to be kid-friendly, by omitting the green chillies and going light on the chilli powder. But feel free to add more heat to your desire.

I used a toaster oven to bake this. If you are using a regular oven, temperatures may vary. So keep a close eye on the patties, so as not to burn them.

Difficulty level: Easy
Preparation time: 15min
Cooking time: 18-20 min
Makes: 10 small cutlets

Ingredients:


Potato: 1 big, cooked with some salt, and mashed
Onion: half of a red medium, finely chopped
Grated carrots: 3/4 cup
Oil: 4 tsp
Garam masala: 1 tsp
Chilli powder: 1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder: 1/8 tsp
Bread crumbs: 3/4 - 1cup
Salt to taste
Egg: 1, beaten with 1 tbsp water

Heat oil in a skillet and saute the onions. Once they turn light pink, add the grated carrots and saute for about 5 min, stirring occasionally. Add the mashed potatoes and mix well. Add the spices and enough salt. Keep sauteing until the raw taste of the spices have gone. Allow to cool until it is slightly warm, about 5-10 min.

Shape into small patties and keep aside. Make an assembly line- the patties, the egg-wash (egg & water mixture), breadcrumbs and the lined baking tray. Now take one patty at a time, dip it in egg-wash, then roll it in the breadcrumbs and arrange on a baking tray. Repeat with the rest.

Toast (450 degree F) the patties for 12 min in a toaster oven. Flip the patties and toast for another 6-8 min, depending on the color of the crust desired.

Easy Gobi (cauliflower) Manchurian

I think I have mentioned before that I am not a fan of Cauliflower. But in an attempt to get my kids to eat vegetables, I seem to end up with a lot of left over vegetables. Here is a handy dish if you ever are,by chance, holding a lot of cauliflower.

Difficulty level: Medium
Preparation time: 10 min
Cooking time: 30 min
Makes: 3-4 servings

Ingredients:


Cauliflower florets: 1 cup
Onion: 1/2 cup + 1/2 cup, thinly sliced
Green chillies: 2, cut into thin rounds
Cornflour/ cornstarch: 4 tbsp
Soy sauce: 2 tsp + 1 1/2 tsp
Ginger-garlic paste: 3/4 tbsp
Powdered black pepper: 1/2 tsp
Salt: to taste
Chilli paste: 1 1/2 tsp
Tomato ketchup: 2 1/2 tbsp
Oil: 1 tbsp + for deep-frying

Heat oil in a skillet. In the meantime, mix the cauliflower florets,1/2 cup sliced onions, green chillies, cornflour, 2tsp soy sauce, ginger-garlic paste, salt and pepper to form a tight batter (tight enough to form balls). Make small lime-sized balls and deep fry them until golden brown.

In a skillet, heat 1 tbsp oil and saute the rest of the onion until light golden brown. Add the rest of the soy sauce, chilli paste and tomato ketchup and mix well. Add the fried cauliflower balls and mix well, so as to coat the balls with the sauces. Serve warm.