Take care my friends..

Hi Friends,

You must be wondering where I have gone and so I decided to communicate and tell you the reason for my disappearance.

For past few weeks I have been travelling a lot...some vacations and some family reunions. It was time for cooking and not writing. During these days I tasted some new dishes too which after some variations can be excellent for North Indian palate... will share them soon but for now some more trips for me.

See you soon..

Take care.

Yashodhara

Bharwan tamatar (Stuffed tomatoes)

Hi Friends,
At the time of planning a party, we want to make some unusual dishes...especially the ones which look very attractive and are exclusive. The recipes which are innovative and add colour to dining table. Today I am going to share such a recipe called Bharwan tamatar (stuffed tomatoes)...here it goes...
BHARWAN TAMATAR (STUFFED TOMATOES):

INGREDIENTS:
Tamatar (Tomatoes)
Paneer (Cottage cheese)
Pyaz (Onion)
Lehsun (Garlic)
Adrak(Ginger)
Hari Mirch (Green chilies)
Hara dhania (Coriander leaves)
Namak (Salt)
Mozzarella cheese

METHOD:
Take firm large tomatoes. Wash them and cut from the top and also take off a thin slice from the bottom so that it can stand nicely in the pan or grill.
Scoop the interior of tomatoes carefully and keep the insides  for further use.
In a pan take some oil on medium heat. Add lots of chopped lehsun and ginger paste. Fry for a minute and then add chopped onion- fry till the onion turns red and then add the insides of tomatoes, chopped hari mirch, paneer and salt to taste. Fry for another 5 minutes, add chopped hara dhania and your filling is ready.
Fill the tomatoes with this filling and top up with a little mozzarella cheese. Put the stuffed tomatoes on a thick bottomed pan and cover with lid. Cook till done- we need to remember that tomatoes should not be over cooked else they will lose their shape and filling will come out. In any case tomatoes can be consumed raw so if they are not fully cooked, no problem- just cook it till the cheese on top melts.
Garnish with coriander leaves and serve.

TIP:
1.You can use the grill as well as baking process for this recipe. Can also try various fillings as per your taste.
2.This recipe can also be served as starters.

Gajar ka halwa- a traditional Indian dessert.

Hi Friends,
Today's recipe is a traditional Indian dessert and is everyone's favorite. It's positively served on every party and wedding celebrations.Winters are incomplete till we have this mouth watering dessert atleast 5-6 times. I know waiting is getting difficult  so will straight away start with the recipe of Gajar ka halwa (Carrot Halwa).

GAJAR KA HALWA:

INGREDIENTS:
Gajar (Carrots)
Desi ghee
Doodh (Full cream Milk)
Choti Elaichi (Green cardamom)
Kaju (Cashew nuts)
Kishmish (Raisins)

METHOD:
Wash and grate the carrots. Take a little desi ghee in a thick bottomed pan on medium heat. Add choti elaichi powder - now add grated gajar and fry for few minutes till gajar starts changing it's colour. Now start adding milk and keep cooking. We have to add lots of milk for that rich taste but milk will have to be added gradually. Total cooking time will be high as thickening of milk takes long time so you can do it side by side while cooking your lunch or dinner...this will not only save your time but your halwa will also be attended constantly so that there will not be any chance of burning it.
Once enough milk is added and halwa looks ready, add sugar, kaju & kishmish. 
Garnish with  kaju and kishmish and serve hot.

TIP:
To make the lengthy process short, you can use condensed milk or rabdi. These will be added once gajar is cooked in milk. Those who can not find rabdi or condensed milk, can also use ricotta cheese. 

Sattu ke parathe

Hi Friends,
Sattu (Ground roasted chana daal) has so many uses. In hot summer months lots of people consume it with chilled water and sugar...it's a nice convenient way  to combat the heat.
Today I am sharing the recipe for sattu ke parathe so let's start..

SATTU KE PARATHE:

INGREDIENTS:
Sattu (Ground roasted chana daal)
Aata (Wheat flour)
Lehsun (Garlic)
Pyaz (Onion)
Kalounji (onion seeds)
Namak (Salt)
Bharwan Lal Mirch (Stuffed Red Chili) pickle
Tel (Oil)

METHOD:
Take sattu, finely chopped pyaz and lehsun, kalounji, namak and bharwan lal mirch pickle and mix thoroughly. Add some oil from the pickle and some water to give moisture to the filling. 
Knead aata with a little oil and salt. We will need smooth dough with good elasticity and for this let the dough rest for atleast half an hour before you start making parathas.
Now take a small ball of dough and fill it with sattu filling. Roll the paratha and shallow fry till golden crisp.
Serve hot with curd and pickle.

TRICK:
Stuffing made with dry powdered things may be too dry and difficult to swallow and so we give such fillings some moisture by adding water, curd or milk.

Cheese Balls

Hi Friends,
With kids around and the unexpected guests, we need finger food for which we usually have ingredients at home and can be prepared in a jiffy. Cheese Balls is such a dish -easy to prepare and is enjoyed by every age group so here goes the recipe..
CHEESE BALLS:

INGREDIENTS:
White bread
Processed cheese
Namak (Salt)
Kali Mirch (Black pepper)
Pudina (Mint)
Tel (Oil)

METHOD:
Take away the hard brown edges of bread slices and soak the slices in water for a minute for softening them. Squeeze the water and put the squeezed slices in a mixing bowl.
Add grated cheese, namak, freshly ground black pepper and finely chopped pudina. Mix the ingredients well and make small balls of this mixture and roll them on bread crumbs to give that golden crisp coating after frying.
Deep fry on medium heat and your Cheese Balls are ready. Serve with tomato ketchup and green chutney.

TIP: You can choose the flavor of your choice- I used mint as I love it. You can also use chopped bell peppers of various colors.

Karele ki sookhi sabzi (Dry bitter gourd curry)

Hi Friends,
The word karela (bitter gourd) itself brings a bitter taste in our mouths but we were always forced to eat it because of it's health benefits and now we do the same to our children.To make it less bitter and more palatable we do few tricks and I am going to share the basic karela sabzi recipe today.
KARELE KI SOOKHI SABZI:

INGREDIENTS:
Karela (Bitter gourd)
Pyaz (Onion)
Dhania (Coriander) powder
Haldi (Turmeric) powder
Namak (Salt)
Aamchur (Dry mango) powder
Cheeni (Sugar)
Saunf (Fennel seeds)
Kalonji (Onion seeds/ Nigella)
Methi (Fenugreek seeds)
Tel (Oil)

METHOD:
Wash and peel karelas. Chop them in thin slices and rub some namak and haldi on them and keep aside for an hour. After an hour, squeeze the karelas, wash twice or thrice and every time squeeze the water- by doing it we take away lot of bitterness from karelas and they are more palatable now.
Take good quantity of oil in a pan on low heat and add lots of chopped onions in it. Fry the onion till they get red and now add haldi, dhania powder and namak in it along with bharwan masala i.e. dry roasted and ground saunf, kalonji and methi dana. Add a little cheeni- it gives the sweet sour taste to curry and suppresses remaining bitterness. Fry nicely till karele get crisp and red.
Now your karele ki sabzi is ready to be served and even kids will find it more palatable and will eat it without much fuss,of course for it's health benefits.

TRICKS: 
The important trick to take away the bitterness of karelas is rubbing them with salt and haldi and keep aside for an hour so that the bitterness comes out in the water which we trow away. Another trick to suppress the remaining bitterness is the use of aamchur powder and cheeni and finally good frying.

Mooli ke parathe (Stuffed radish parathas)

Hi Friends,
Mooli ke parathe is a typical Punjabi recipe and is loved all over India, Today I am going to share this breakfast recipe with you though i relish it for dinner.
MOOLI KE PARATHE:

INGREDIENTS:
Mooli (Radish)
Hari mirch (Green chilies)
Hara Dhania (Coriander leaves)
Adrak (Ginger)
Ajwain (Carom seeds)
Namak (Salt)
Anardana (Pomegranate) 
Aata (Wheat flour)
Tel (Oil)

METHOD:
Knead the aata with a little salt and oil. We will  knead a soft dough so that it's easy to roll after filling.
Wash and fine grate mooli. Add salt (only a small quantity as mooli will leave it's water and reduce in quantity so we need to be careful with salt). After 10 minutes squeeze the extra water from mooli- this has to be done carefully...any moisture left in mooli will make the rolling of paratha difficult. Now mix chopped hari mirch, hara dhania, adrak, ajwain and  anardana powder into squeezed mooli and adjust the salt as per need.
Take a ball of dough and fill it with the mooli filling- roll into  a paratha and shallow fry till golden brown.
Serve the parathas with dahi (curd) and pickle or green chutney with a dollop of butter on top.

TIP: 
To get more flavor you can use the water, that was squeezed from mooli, for making the dough- this way you will get mooli's flavour in paratha's covering too.

Bharwan Dum Aaloo (Stuffed dum aaloo)

Hi Friends,
Today's recipe is  little rich as it's stuffed with mawa and dry fruits but it adds a special touch to those occasions when you want to serve some unique dishes to your dear ones. this dish goes well with puris as well as pulao or even plain rice..come, let's start collecting the ingredients...
BHARWAN DUM AALOO:

INGREDIENTS:
Aaloo (Potatoes)
Mawa/Khoya
Kaju (Cashew nuts)
Kishmish (Raisins)
Hara dhania (Coriander leaves)
Hari mirch (Green chilies)
Adrak (Ginger)
Lehsun (Garlic)
Pyaz (Onion)
Posta dana/ Khaskhas (Poppy seeds)
Tel (Oil)
Haldi (Turmeric) powder
Lal Mirch (Red chili) powder
Namak (Salt)
Cheeni (Sugar)
Khada Garam masala (Whole garam masala)

METHOD:
For this recipe  take large size potatoes, wash and peel them and cut them into halves. Scoop the insides and then deep fry them.
Make the filling by mixing mawa with chopped hara dhaniya, hari mirch, adrak, kaju, kishmish and namak (very little salt else it will kill the sweetness of kishmish).
In a pan heat some oil and add khada garam masala which you can coarsely ground to get better flavour. Now add ginger garlic paste and chopped onion. Once the onions turn red, add haldi powder, lal mirch powder and namak and fry the masala till done.  Let this masala cool and then grind it to make a smooth paste.Strain the paste and keep aside. Take another pan and have some oil- once the oil is hot, add the onion garlic masala paste in it- add some water and let it cook for 2-3 minutes- remember that masala is already cooked and we just want to cook the water which we have added for gravy. Now add kaju and posta dana paste in the curry- for making this paste we soak khaskhas and kaju for an hour and then grind it to get a fine paste. After adding kaju and khaskhas paste, you will get a thick yellow gravy- to enhance the taste of it you can add a little sugar in it. Once the gravy is properly cooked, take it off the fire and arrange the potatoes with filling on a serving dish and pour the hot gravy on it.
Garnish with chopped hara dhania, hari mirch and serve hot.

TRICK: 
Those who are living abroad and can not get mawa/khoya, can replace it with Ricotta cheese after evaporating extra moisture in it. Ricotta cheese can also replace mawa in Indian sweets like gajar ka halwa and gulab jamuns or barfi.

Hare matar ki kachori

Hi Friends,
While the season of green peas is on, let's make some more dishes of green peas...today's recipe is Hare matar ki kachori and here it goes...
HARE MATAR KI KACHORI:

INGREDIENTS:
Hare matar (Green peas)
Heeng (Aforesaid)
Jeera (Cumin seeds)
Lal Mirch (Red chili) powder
Garam Masala
Namak (Salt)
Oil
Adrak (Ginger)
Hari mirch (Green chilies)
Aata( wheat flour)

METHOD:
Take aata and add namak and oil in it- oil is added to give the kachoris desired crispiness and for right proportion we need to add enough oil to give the aata a bread crumb like texture. Now knead this aata into a soft dough and keep aside.
For filling take a little oil in a pan on low heat and add heeng powder and jeera. Let the jeera crackle and then add hari matar. Add salt and lal mirch powder and let the matar cook.Add a little garam masala. Mash cooked matar and add finely chopped adrak, hari mirch & hari dhania and your filling is ready.
Take a small ball of dough and fill it with the matar mixture- roll into small kachoris and deep fry till golden brown. Serve hot with khatti meethi chutney.

TIP: If any filling is left over, you can use it for grilled sandwiches for snacks.

TRICK:Whenever you have to fill anything in dough, remember that the dough should be softer than filling else the filling will start coming out when you roll the kachori.

Baigan ki kadhi

Hi Friends,
Kadhi is a popular dish all over India and today I am sharing typical kadhi recipe from Uttar Pradesh..especially Varanasi area.
BAIGAN KI KADHI:

INGREDIENTS:
Baigan (Egg plant/ Brinjal)
Besan (Bengal gram flour)
Methi dana (Fenugreek seeds)
Haldi (Turmeric) powder
Sabut lal mirchi (Whole red chili) 
Namak (Salt)
Hara dhania (Coriander leaves)
Tel (Oil)

METHOD:
In a pan heat some oil and add methi dana & sabut lal mirch. Once methi dana splutters, add chopped baigan, haldi powder and namak and let it cook.
Take a little besan and add some haldi for better color of the dish and lots of water to make a diluted solution of it. Add it to baigan once they are properly cooked and let the kadhi cook for atleast 10 minutes so that besan is properly cooked and thickened to the right consistency.
Garnish with hara dhania and serve hot with rice.

TIP: 
1.You can add curry patta in tadka, if you like the taste and flavour of it. For tadka you can also use hari mirch and saunf (aniseed).
2. If you plan to have the kadhi with rice, it will better to keep it a little thicker for better taste as well as convenience of eating.
3. For perfect kadhi you need khatta dahi (sour curd). 

Lauki ki kheer ( Bottle gourd pudding)

Hi Friends,
It has been sometime since I shared a dessert recipe...let's make Lauki ki kheer today.
LAUKI KI KHEER:

INGREDIENTS:
Lauki (Bottle gourd)
Choti Elaichi (Green  cardamom)
Desi ghee
Doodh (Milk)
Cheeni (Sugar)
Pista (Pistachio)
Kaaju (Cashew nuts)

METHOD:
Peel, wash and grate lauki/doodhi/bottle gourd.
In a thick bottomed pan take some desi ghee on medium heat. Add ground choti elaichi and grated lauki and fry till lauki starts turning a little red. Now add milk into it and let it cook on low flame. Keep adding  milk and stir  from time to time to ensure that the kheer doesn't get burnt. The proportion of lauki and milk you can decide as per your taste- for creamy thick kheer, we need to have more milk and less lauki.
Once lauki is cooked and is of desired thickness, add sugar and cook for another 5 minutes.
Your lauki ki kheer is ready- garnish with pista and kaju shavings and serve it chilled.

TRICK: You can convert this tasty kheer into kulfi by adding some more condensed milk and setting it in desired moulds in your freezer.

Hare matar ki chaat

Hi Friends,
In my last post I was talking about seasonal vegetables. Though frozen green peas are available round the year but nothing like fresh  hari matar (green peas) and that gives us reason to cook some dishes which normally we forget as the matar is not fresh. Today I will share a simple recipe called Hare matar ki chaat which you can enjoy as snacks as well as breakfast, if you serve it with some toasts.
HARE MATAR KI CHAAT:

INGREDIENTS:
Hare matar (Green peas)
Adrak (Ginger)
Hari mirch (Green chilies)
Hara dhania (Coriander leaves)
Neebu (Lemon)
Garam masala
Namak (Salt)
Tel (Oil)
Jeera (Cumin seeds)
Heeng( Asafoetida)

METHOD:
Peel and wash the matar. In a pan heat some oil and add heeng powder and jeera. Let the jeera splutter and add chopped adrak and hari mirch. Add hari matar and namak and cover it with a lid and let it cook at low heat- if necessary, add some water so that matar is properly cooked.
Once matar is properly cooked, sprinkle some garam masala and neebu ka ras (lemon juice) and garnish it with chopped hara dhania.
Serve as snacks or enjoy it with toasts.

TRICKS:
1.Here I would like to explain the use of heeng and adrak- apart from taste they help in preventing the gas formation which is usually there after consuming the  legumes.
2. Those of you who want to avoid oil, can steam the hare matar and then enjoy them with adrak, hari mirch, garam masala and neebu.
3. For tasty and more nutritious matar you can microwave the peas in their pods and then peel- this way peas are cooked in their natural water and taste better.

Stuffed Shimla Mirch (Stuffed capsicum)

Hi Friends,
Today's recipe is stuffed capsicum- in my traditional recipe I use potatoes filling but you can try variations like paneer, cheese etc. Here goes the recipe..
STUFFED CAPSICUM:

INGREDIENTS:
Shimla Mirch (Capsicum)
Aaloo (Potatoes)
Saunf (Aniseed)
Kalounji (Nigella/ Onion seeds)
Lal mirch (Red chili) powder
Haldi (Turmeric) powder
Namak (Salt)
Aamchur (Dry mango) powder 
Garam masala
Hara dhania (Coriander leaves)

METHOD:
Wash and take away the stalk of capsicum and cut the top. Throw the seeds and clean from inside.
In a pan heat some oil and add saunf and kalounji- let them splutter and then add finely chopped potatoes in it. Add haldi powder, lal mirch powder and namak and let it cook. Once cooked, add aamchur powder, garam masala and chopped hara dhania and your stuffing is ready.
Fill the capsicum with this potato filling, put back it's top lid and cook on low flame. You can also bake these stuffed capsicums.

TIP: If your dear ones love cheese, you can sprinkle some grated mozzarella cheese before baking.

TRICK: To make the dish more presentable, use bell peppers of all the colors as shown in picture.

Hare chane ki sabzi

Hi Friends,
There are some seasonal vegetables and we  Indians keep waiting for such vegetables. Today I will share a recipe of such a vegetable which is rich in proteins ...it's called Hara chana (green chickpea) and I will cook it in thick gravy.
HARE CHANE KI SABZI:

INGREDIENTS:
Hara chana (Green chickpea)
Pyaz (Onion)
Tamatar(Tomatoes)
Adrak (Ginger)
Lal Mirchi (Red chili) powder
Haldi (Turmeric) powder
Namak (Salt)
Dhania (Coriander) powder
Hara dhania (Coriander leaves)
Oil

METHOD:
Make a paste of pyaz and adrak. Finely chop tomatoes and coriander leaves.
In a pressure cooker take some oil and fry this onion and ginger paste till it turns red. Now add dhania, lal mirchi and haldi powder and fry for another 2 minutes but maintain the water contents else masala will start burning...do add some water as and when needed.
Now add finely chopped tomatoes and salt and cook till tomatoes are tender. Now add green chickpeas and add enough water to cover the green chickpeas.
Pressure cook till done and serve hot garnished with hara dhania.
This sabzi goes great with parathas or rice.

Kashmiri Dum Aaloo

Hi Friends,
Today's recipe is a sweet and tangy curry named Kashmiri Dum Aaloo. I must confess that you may not find it in Kashmir as this is my own recipe and I named it Kashmiri Dum Aaloo- now please don't ask me the logic as there is none except I had to give it a name..you just enjoy it with parathas.

KASHMIRI DUM AALOO:

INGREDIENTS:
Aaloo ( Potatoes)
Dahi (Curd)
Cheeni (Sugar)
Garam Masala
Haldi (Turmeric )powder
Lal Mirchi (Red chili) powder
Namak (Salt)
Hara Dhania (Coriander leaves)
Tejpatta (Bay leaf)
Laung (Clove)
Dalchini (Cinnamon)
Choti Elaichi (Green cardamom)

METHOD:
Wash and peel medium sized potatoes and prick them with fork for better absorption of gravy. Deep fry the potatoes till golden brown.
Take curd and add garam masala, lal mirch powder, haldi powder,salt  and a little sugar in it. Mix well and add fried potatoes. 
Let the potatoes marinate in this mixture for atleast an hour.
Take a little oil in  a thick bottomed pan on gas. Add tej patta, laung, dalchini and choti elaichi in it and fry for a minute. Add potatoes and curd mixture in it and cook till done.
Garnish with hara dhania and serve hot with parathas- you can serve it the way you like, I just shared my preference.