Lauki ke kofte

Hi Friends,

Most of us don't like the name of  lauki (Bottle gourd)- forget eating it but now some fitness freaks have started having lauki ka juice for it's weight losing properties.

With little innovation you can cook tasty dishes from this healthy vegetable and today I am going to discuss the recipe of Lauki ke kofte.

LAUKI KE KOFTE:

INGREDIENTS:

Lauki (Bottle gourd)

Pyaz (Onion)

Lehsun (Garlic)

Adrak (Ginger)

Tamatar (Tomato)

Hara Dhania (Coriander leaves)

Haldi (Turmeric) powder

Lal Mirchi (Red chili) powder

Dhania (Coriander) powder

Garam Masala

Namak (Salt)

Besan (Bengal Gram flour)

Oil

METHOD:

Wash, peel and grate lauki. Make a paste of pyaz, lehsun and adrak. Finely chop tamatar and hara dhania.

Add a little salt to grated lauki and put it aside for 10 minutes. Now squeeze out all the water from the grated lauki - the water can be used in gravy.

In squeezed lauki add some besan, haldi powder, lal mirch powder, garam masala and salt to taste- remember that you had added salt in lauki.Make small balls (kofte) of this mixture and fry in oil till golden brown.

In another pan take some oil and fry the onion, garlic and ginger paste in it.Add dhania powder, haldi powder, lal mirch powder, chopped tomatoes and a little salt- here again you need to remember that kofte already have salt in them and you are going to use  salted water from squeezed lauki for gravy. Better taste before you add any salt.

Fry this masala well till it starts leaving oil. Add water in it and give it 2-3 boils. Now add kofte and let it simmer till the gravy gets a little thick.

Transfer into serving dish and garnish with hara dhania.

TRICK: 

1.To have soft kofte, do not add too much besan into it.

2. At the time of adding kofte, the gravy has to be thin else it will not get absorbed into kofte.

Vegetable Pulao

Hi Friends,

It's festive season and we like to cook some special dishes, without counting calories, for our dear ones. Here is a special vegetable pulao recipe for you..

VEGETABLE PULAO:

INGREDIENTS:

Basmati rice

Hari matar (Green peas)

Paneer (Cottage cheese)

Phool gobhi(Cauliflower)

Hara dhania (Coriander leaves)

Salt

Kaju (Cashew nuts)

Badam (Almonds)

Kishmish ( Raisins)

Tejpatta (Bay leaf)

Laung ( Clove)

Kali Mirch ( Pepper corns)

Choti Elaichi ( Green cardamom)

Javitri (Mace)

Dalchini ( Cinnamon)

Desi ghee

METHOD:

Wash and soak the rice for atleat half an hour. Chop phool gobhi into small florets. Dice paneer in 1/2" cubes.

In a thick bottomed pan put some desi ghee on medium heat. Fry phool gobhi florets and paneer cubes till golden brown.

In remaining ghee add tejpatta, dalchini, javitri, laung, kali mirch choti elaichi, kaju, kishmish and badam and fry a little. Add rice, salt, peas, fried paneer and phool gobhi and add enough water to cook the pulao. 

Garnish with hara dhania and serve hot.

Chawal ki kheer (Rice pudding)

Hi Friends,

Let me share the most common dessert recipe of North India...it's chawal ki kheer ( rice pudding). I am sure lots of you must already be knowing this recipe but then there are few tricks which are important to know to make it delicious and so I will share the recipe here.

CHAWAL KI KHEER:

INGREDIENTS:

Chawal (Rice)

Sugar

Kishmish (Raisins)

Badam (Almonds)

Choti Elaichi (Green Cardamom)

Kesar (Saffron)

Desi ghee

METHOD:

Wash chawal thoroughly. Put a little desi ghee in a thick bottomed pan on low heat. Add choti elaichi powder in ghee and add washed chawal - fry for 2 minutes and then add milk and let it cook on slow flame. You need to keep the milk adding and stirring the kheer else it will start burning at the bottom.For a thick creamy kheer I use a litre of milk with 75-100 gms of rice.Add kishmish and chopped badam.

Cook till the texture of kheer is thick and creamy as shown in the picture and rice grain are  properly cooked. Now add sugar as per your taste and some saffron strands.

Serve it hot or after properly cooling it in fridge...I like both ways.

TRICK: To get rich creamy taste of kheer, cook the rice in milk and then reduce- some people reduce the milk first and then add cooked rice which spoils the taste of kheer. 

Baigan ka bharta Punjabi style.

Hi Friends,

Baigan ka bhurta is one dish which is savored by every North Indian with parathas as well as  with regular meals. Here is the recipe..

BAIGAN KA BHARTA:

INGREDIENTS:

Baigan (Brinjal or Egg plant)- Big round ones

Pyaz(Onion)

Tamatar (Tomato)

Hari matar (Green peas)

Hari Mirch (Green chilies)

Hara Dhania (Coriander leaves)

Haldi (Turmeric) powder

Lal mirch (Red chili) powder

Salt

Oil

METHOD:

Roast the baigan-peel and mash.

Finely chop onion, tomatoes and hara dhania.

In hot oil add chopped onions in good quantity..fry till they get transparent and pink. Add chopped tomatoes, haldi powder, lal mirch powder and salt and fry till tomatoes get tender.Add hari matar and cook further till peas get cooked. Now add mashed baigan and chopped (big pieces) green chilies and fry for about 5 minutes till everything is mixed properly and extra water is evaporated.

Add chopped hara dhania and serve hot.

TRICK: Adding chopped green chilies at last stage is for the color and flavor of green chilies. In case you don't like too hot, you can use Jalapenos instead of normal green chilies.

I often use Jalapenos to get the flavour of green chilies without adding up to hotness of the dish.

Cheese burst cutlets.

Hi Friends,

On my daughter's demand today I am sharing a mouth watering recipe but you will have to forget about calories. It's Christmas time so you too can indulge..work outs can always be started from January ;). 

Come, let's try this easy recipe...

CHEESE BURST CUTLETS:

INGREDIENTS:

Potatoes

Processed cheese

Bread crumbs

Salt 

Oil

Mint leaves

METHOD:

Boil, peel and mash potatoes. Mix salt into potatoes.

Cut 2" long and 1/2" thick fingers of processed cheese.

Finely chop few leaves of mint.

Take a ball of mashed salted potato and flatten it on your palm. Sprinkle some chopped mint leaves on it and put a cheese finger.Cover the cheese finger with potato and roll it on bread crumbs so that each cutlet is nicely coated with bread crumbs.

Deep fry these cutlets till golden brown.

Serve with green chutney and tomato ketchup.

TIP: For a quick snacking you can store raw cutlets in refrigerator and fry them as per need.. that way these cheesy bursts can be served within 10 minutes.

Instead of mint you can use Oregano or any other flavor of your taste.

Gobhi Musallam

Hi Friends,

The name of today's recipe must be reminding you of Murg Mussallam- yes you can expect something on those lines but it's a vegetarian dish made with phool gobhi (cauliflower). Let's start collecting the ingredients...

GOBHI MUSALLAM:

INGREDIENTS:

Phool gobhi (Cauliflower)

Onion

Garlic

Ginger

Tomatoes

Dhania( Coriander) Powder

Mirchi (Red chili) powder

Haldi (Turmeric)

Namak (Salt)

Garam Masala

Oil

Hara Dhania (Coriander leaf)

METHOD:

Wash and steam the whole cauliflower in salted water till it's half done.Add a little turmeric powder in the water to give that golden glow to cauliflower.

In a pan heat the oil and add onion, garlic and ginger paste and fry for 3 minutes. Now add dhania powder, haldi powder, lal mirch powder and salt- add finely chopped tomatoes and further fry the masala till it starts leaving the oil- this is the indication that masala it properly done.Now add a little bit of garam masala in it and let it cool a little.

Shake off excess water from steamed cauliflower and rub the ready masala generously on it and bake it till done.

Garnish with hara dhania and serve hot.

TIP: In case you don't want to use an oven, you can do the remaining cooking on a thick bottomed covered pan on a low heat- it will give you same results.

TRICK: To ensure that powdered masala gives good aroma and taste, always add some water into masala powders before adding it into hot oil or onion garlic paste which is being fried.

Chatpati papdi

Hi Friends,

On my blog I have not yet shared any recipe for finger food which we often make to serve with drinks and also as starters. Today I am sharing a recipe which you can make in jiffy and is convenient to serve too.

CHATPATI PAPDI:

INGREDIENTS:

Ready made papdis ( you can easily buy at any Indian store in snacks section.)

Potatoes

Fine sev or Bhujia

Khatti meethi khajoor chutney

Green chutney

Bhuna jeera (Roasted cumin) powder

Lal Mirchi (Red chili) powder

Kala Namak (Clack Salt)

Hara dhaniya (Coriander leaf)

METHOD:

Boil and peel potatoes and dice them in small pieces.

Arrange papdis on a serving dish. Put some boiled peeled and diced potatoes on every papdi. Add a dollop of khatti meethi chutney, a smaller dollop of green chutney.Sprinkle some fine sev or bhujiya on top.  Sprinkle with bhuna jeera powder, lal mirchi powder and kala namak and finally garnish with some hara dhaniya.

Your chatpati papdis are ready to serve- all you need to worry about is how to handle the compliments :)

North Indian Aaloo ki tikki.

Hi Friends,
It has been a long vacation for me...some social obligations and some cute moments with my dear ones...anyway, now I am back and we will start with another chaat recipe...yes...the most popular Aaloo ki tikki. Here goes the recipe...

AALOO KI TIKKI (POTATO CHOPS):

INGREDIENTS:
Aaloo (Potatoes)
Ghee/Oil
Khatti meethi khajoor ki chutney
Green chutney
Dahi (Curd)
Cheeni (Sugar)
Bhuna jeera (Roasted cumin) powder
Lal Mirchi (Red Chili) powder
Kala Namak (Black salt)
Salt
Hara dhaniya (Coriander leaves)
Adrak Ginger) Juliennes
Hara mircha (Green chilies)

METHOD:
Boil and mash potatoes and make the chops of about 3" diameter and 1/2" thickness. Shallow fry these chops on a thick bottomed pan on a slow heat preferably with ghee.
Once the chops are golden brown and crisp, take them out on a tissue paper.
To serve arrange these chops on a plate and pour sweet curd for that you mix thick curd with sugar and pass it  through a muslin cloth to give smooth texture.
Add khatti meethi khajoor ki chutney ( recipe I have discussed in my earlier posts) and some green chutney (again the recipe has been discussed so many times in my earlier posts).
Sprinkle bhuna jeera powder, lal mirch powder, kala namak and namak (plain salt). Garnish with chopped hara dhaniya, hari mirch and ginger juliennes.

TIP: If you have taste for desi ghee, use it..your tikki will be more tasty and crispy.

Instant Dahi Vadas

Hi Friends,
Sometimes we get unexpected guests and we want to serve them something unusual in a jiffy. For such occasions I am sharing dahi vada...yes I did share dahi ki gujhiya recently but this dahi vada u can make within 5 minutes and ur guests won't easily be able to know the difference. Here goes the recipe..
INSTANT DAHI VADA:

INGREDIENTS:
White bread slices
Curd
Sugar 
Bhuna Jeera (Roasted cumin seeds) powder
Lal Mirchi (Red Chili) powder
Kala Namak (Black Salt)
Salt
Khajoor/ Imli Chutney
Coriander leaves

METHOD:
Cut the bread slices into round shape with the help of a round cookie cutter or any utensil of round shape.
Pass the curd through muslin cloth and add sugar in it.
Arrange bread roundels on a serving dish and pour the sweet curd on them.
Pour khajoor/ Imli chutney on dahi vadas and sprinkle bhuna jeera powder, lal mirchi powder, black salt and salt on them and garnish with coriander leaves.
Serve chilled.

Happy cooking....

Kathal ke pakode ( Raw Jackfruit fritters)

Hi Friends,
I try to share the recipes which are different.Today I will share the recipe of Kathal ke pakode which are made with raw kathal (jackfruit). Here goes the recipe..
KATHAL KE PAKODE:

INGREDIENTS:
Kathal (Jackfruit)
Rice flour
Onion
Garlic
Jeera (Cumin seeds)
Haldi (Turmeric) powder
Dhania (Coriander) powder
Lal Mirchi (Red chili) powder 
Oil

METHOD:
Peel, core the middle portion and cut the  kathal into about 1" pieces- every piece can have one seed in it. Steam kathal pieces with a little salt and a spoon of oil so that they don't stick together. Press the pieces between your palms to squeeze the extra water and keep aside.
Peel onion and garlic-put them into grinder with jeera, haldi, dhania and mirchi powder and a little salt because we had already put the salt while we steamed the kathal. Make fine paste of all the masalas and add it into rice flour. Add enough water to make a thick batter. Let this batter rest for about half an hour so the rice grains get soft.
Now dip the cooked kathal pieces in this rice batter and fry in hot oil till they are golden brown and crispy. Drain on tissue paper and serve with tomato ketchup or a chutney of your taste.

TIP:
Instead of rice flour, you can simply soak rice for 2-3 hours and grind it with onion, garlic and other masalas (spices).

I observe that lots of my readers have been trying my recipes  and are sharing their experiences with me. You have your queries too which you ask me through mails  but if you write on the blog, it can benefit more people. Your comments and suggestions are welcome- please feel free to write here.

Happy cooking....

Tasty tangy Dahi ki Gujhiyas

Hi Friends,
Every time after meetha (sweet), we think of chatpata (spicy) and so I am going to share my special recipe of Dahi ki Gujhiya which is a variation of Dahi Vada but has tasty filling inside. Come, let's start...
DAHI KI GUJHIYA:

INGREDIENTS:
Dhuli Urad ki daal (Black gram skinned)
Dahi (Curd)
Namak (Salt) 
Lal Mirch (Red Chili) powder
Bhuna Jeera (Roasted cumin) powder
Sugar
Oil
Hara Dhania (Coriander leaves)
Adrak (Ginger) 
Hari Mirch (Green Chilies)
Kishmis (Raisins)
Gari (Dry coconut)
Chironji (Charoli)

METHOD:
Soak urad ki dal overnight and grind the soaked daal into  fine paste. 
Prepare the filling by mixing finely chopped hara dhania, hari mirchi, adrak, grated gari, chironji  and kishmis. 
On a wet muslin cloth spread a tablespoon of daal batter and with wet hands spread it  into a vada of about 3-4" diameter. Now put some filling on one side of vada  and fold the other end on it with the help of muslin cloth to make a semi circular gujhiya. Deep fry these gujhiyas in hot oil and put them in warm salty water. 
We put gujhiyas in salty hot water to make them soft- after about 5 minutes, when gujhiyas are softened,take them out and press between the palms to squeeze the water from it and arrange these gujhiyas on serving platter.
Pass the curd through muslin cloth to make it smooth. Add sugar in this curd and pour the curd over soaked gujhiyas.
Sprinkle salt, lal mirchi and bhuna jeera on dahi ki gujhiyas and serve with khatti meethi khajoor  or tamarind chutney.

TRICK:
While soaking urad dal, you can soak larger quantity and keep the remaining paste for making urad dal bhajiyas or kachoris next day as same daal peethi (paste) is used for all the three recipes.

Happy cooking....

Another Lucknawi dish- Shahi Toast or Shahi Tukda.

Hi Friends,

It has been a long time since we cooked some sweet dish and without a sweet dish, meal is incomplete so today I am going to share the recipe of a famous Lucknawi dish called Shahi Toast or Shahi Tukda.

SHAHI TOAST/TUKDA:

INGREDIENTS:

White bread

Oil 

Cheeni (Sugar)

Kesar (Saffron)

Badam (Almonds)

Pista (Pistachio)

Rabdi (Thickened milk)

Silver foil

METHOD:

Discard the hard edges of bread and cut them diagonally into triangular pieces. Deep fry bread pieces to golden brown and drain on tissue paper to remove excess oil.

Make chashni (sugar syrup) using sugar,and water in equal quantities. The consistency of chashni should be of double thread- for this take a drop on your thumb and with the help of index finger lift it- if you get 2 threads of chashni, great, if not, give it few more boils to get double thread consistency.Add  saffon during last few boils of chashni.

Soak the golden brown bread pieces in chashni for ten minutes- take out on serving platter and decorate with rabdi (thickened milk) and shavings of pista , badam and silver foil. 

Serve it hot or cold. 

TIP:

To make it more attractive, you can decorate it with  some Rose petals too but they are not a must.

Happy cooking...

Chatpate aaloo

Hi Friends,

In my earlier posts I had shared Daal kachori's recipe with you and had mentioned that the kachori's go well with dry masala aaloo. Today I will share the recipe of Chatpate aaloo which I usually serve with daal kachoris- you can enjoy these as chaat too with some innovations of yours.

CHATPATE AALOO:

INGREDIENTS:

Aaloo (Potatoes)

Hari Dhania Coriander leaves

Oil

Salt

Whole Red chilies 

Coriander seeds

Laung (Clove)

Khadi kali mirch (Pepper corns)

Jeera (Cumin seeds)

Badi elaichi (Black cardamom)

Dalchini (Cinnamon)

METHOD:

Wash the potatoes thoroughly as we are not going to peel them. Dice them in 1" cubes.

Dry roast all the dry  masala (spices) except salt.Coarsely ground the roasted masala.Deep fry the diced potatoes on medium heat till golden brown. Mix roasted coarsely ground masala and salt in the fried aaloo and garnish with hari dhania.

Your chatpate aaloo are ready to be served with kachoris or without kachoris -choice is yours.

TIP:

My mother always preferred using baby potatoes for this recipe as baby potatoes taste much better. If you use them then there is no need to chop them, you can use whole potatoes.

Happy cooking...

Refreshing Aam ka panna.

Hi Friends,

Till now I have been sharing the recipes of food but today I will share a refreshing drink's recipe and we call it Aam ka panna. 

AAM KA PANNA:

INGREDIENTS:

Kacche aam (Raw mangoes)

Jeera (Cumin seeds)

Lal Mirchi (Red chili) powder

Kala Namak (Black salt)

Pudina (Mint) leaves

METHOD:

Boil the raw mangoes till they get tender. Peal it, mash and strain the pulp. Roast and grind cumin seeds. Grind mint leaves into fine paste. Now add mint paste, roasted ground jeera, kala namak and lal mirch powder into raw mango juice. Add water to dilute it and your tasty aam ka panna is ready.

Garnish with mint leaf and serve chilled. It's very refreshing drink and protects you from heat stroke.

TIP:

For those with a sweet tooth, replace mint leaves with  gud (jaggery) and you get sweet and sour aam ka panna.

Happy cooking...

Mughlai parathas- a Lucknawi breakfast or mini meal

Hi Friends,

Today I am going to share a recipe which refreshes my memories of late 70s Lucknow.After watching the evening show of a movie, we used to stop at the only 5 Star hotel's restaurant to have this delicious dish called  Mughlai Parathas for our dinner.It can also be served as breakfast or a mini meal.

MUGHLAI PARATHAS:

INGREDIENTS:

Maida (All purpose flour)

Salt

Oil

Eggs

Butter

METHOD:

Knead maida with salt, little oil and water. Let it rest for half an hour.

Now make small balls and roll out a thin chapati. Spread some butter, sprinkle some flour and fold it. Roll again and repeat this process four five times- idea is to give layers to paratha. Finally roll it back to a chapati and now this chapati will have layers in it. Cook it from both sides on a tava (griddle) but remember that you will have to cook it again with the egg in it so just cook it half for now.

Beat the eggs and add salt as per the taste. Spread this beaten egg on chapati and seal it  from all four sides  like a square envelope- you can use beaten egg to seal the chapati envelope and please do it carefully as it has beaten egg inside it.

Now cook this paratha on low heat so that egg inside is cooked properly. Keep adding oil from the sides and cook from both the sides.

Serve this delicious mughlai paratha with salad, green chutney and curry of your choice.

TIP:

I have given the basic Mughlai paratha recipe and you can try variations like adding ginger, green chilies and chopped coriander leaves with egg. Why only these 3 ingredients, try whatever you want to try- after all you are cooking for your loved ones and know what they like.

Happy cooking...

Bread Rolls- a snack as well as breakfast.

Hi Friends,

I gave a small break to my blog due to my other engagements  then my mail box has been flooded with requests for a snack recipe and so today I am sharing a recipe which is good for snack as well as breakfast provided you don't mind a little more oil in the morning. Here is the recipe for Bread Rolls:

BREAD ROLLS:

INGREDIENTS:

White bread

Potato

Green chilies

Coriander leaves

Saunf (Aniseed)

Kalonji (Onion seeds)

Haldi (Turmeric)

Garam masala

Aamchur (dry mango) powder

Salt

Oil

METHOD:

Heat a little oil in a pan. Add saunf, kalonji and chopped green chilies in it. After they splutter, add potatoes peeled and diced in small pieces. Add haldi powder and salt and cook till done. Now add garam masala,  aamchur powder and chopped  coriander leaves.Your filling is ready now.

Take a white bread slice, put it in water for few seconds and take it out- press between your palms to squeeze the water. Now put some filling on the bread slice and roll it into a roll- seal the end nicely. Make more rolls with the same process and then fry in hot oil till golden brown.

Serve piping hot with tomato ketchup and green chutney.

TIP: You can add green peas too in the filling and also try making these cutlets with paneer(cottage cheese)  filling.

For making bread rolls always use white bread as it gives good binding to roll.

Happy cooking.

Sabudana vadas, on reader's request...

Hi Friends,

Thanx for your tremendous response and requests.I have got lots of requests from my North Indian readers for Sabudana vadas and so I am sharing this simple and tasty snack recipe which is very popular in South India.

SABUDANA VADA:

INGREDIENTS:

Sabudana (Sago)

Potato

Green chilies

Coriander leaves

Salt

Oil

METHOD:

Soak sabudana overnight. Boil potatoes. Chop green chilies and coriander leaves.Mix all these ingredients with salt and make vadas which will be like patties. Deep fry them in hot oil and your sabudana vadas are ready to be served.

This popular snack goes fantastic with green chutney with added sugar and little water to give it flowing consistency.

TIP:

In case you like peanuts, you can add some roasted and coarsely ground peanuts too in vadas but remember to remove the brown peel of peanuts else it will spoil the taste.

Happy cooking...