Rava Kesari

This is the first sweet a beginner usually learns to make. So for all you beginners out there here's a time tested formula where you can never go wrong ( I do have a couple of friends who even though they are quite experienced, ask me me Gita please tell us how to make kesari without any lumps )

To make it easy I call it the   1/4 : 1/2 : 1 : 1 1/2 formula  !!!

Ingredients

Ghee                              1/4 cup
Rava                               1/2cup          
Sugar                              1 cup
Water                              11/2 cups
Cashew   and Raisins       to decorate
Cardamom                       a few
Food colour                     a  pinch( kesari/orange colour)




Method
Heat the ghee and fry the cashew and raisins and keep aside
Roast the Rava in ghee over a slow flame till you get a good aroma . ( This is the trick   The Rava should be well roasted)
Add water and cook stirring continuously  so that no lumps are formed

When rava is well cooked add the sugar and cook
Add  Food colour     and cook till it   thickens
Add cardamom powder
Remove and dcorate with fried cashew and Raisins and serve

                    

Makai ki Roti and Sarson ka Saag

                                             
                             Makai Ki  Roti and Sarson Ka Saag                                                                  


On a trip to Solan a couple of years ago, while accompanying my husband on a visit to a pharma plant,we enjoyed the typical Makai ki Roti and Sarson ka Saag in the chill winter of HP It was a lovely treat to have it steaming hot with generous dollops of butter(compensated by the long walks in the hilly region)


                                                                      Makai Ki Roti
Ingredients

Maize flour                                 1 cup
Wheat flour                                1cup
Salt                                            to taste
Oil                                             1tbsp
Butter                                        4 tbsp

Method

Mix both flours ,add water  salt and oil and make a soft dough and keep for 5 mins.
Roll out into chappatis and cook on tawa with butter.

( You have to mix wheat flour as the maize flour does not contain gluten ,hence it will not have any elasticity,making it difficult to roll
Beginners can put the ball of dough on a plastic sheet , cover with another sheet on top and then roll out.)


                                                       Sarson ka Saag
Ingredients
Sarson ka saag                                      1 bunch (large)        
Palak                                                    1 bunch
Ghee                                                    1 tbsp
Oil                                                        1 tbsp
Ginger green chilli paste                         2 tsp
Tomato puree                                       1 cup
Garam masala                                       1 tsp
Butter                                                   2 tbsp  
Dry maize flour                                     1 tbsp

Method
Blanch the tomatoes and make puree and keep aside
Blend the palak and Sarson to a paste
Heat oil and ghee together in a kadai
Add ginger green chilli paste  and fry lightly

Add tomato puree and cook tiill it comes to a boil
Add the blended sarson and palak and  salt and cook well
Roast  the dry maize flour and add to the saag and cook till thick
Add the garam masala and heat for a few mins
Serve hot with butter on top

                                                    

Spicy Moong Ki Pakodi

                                              


I was introduced to this special delicacy during our stay at Indore.


It would be great to have a plate of this hot pakodi freshly out of the pan  at Rajwada followed by garam chai at Chappan bhog on a wintry evening


Ingredients
Whole green moong              2 cups
green chillis                           2 
garlic                                      a few cloves 
ginger                                   a small piece
onion                                     2 (finely chopped)
salt                                        to taste
oil                                           to fry

  
Method
Soak the moong overnight
Next day, grind the moong with ginger,garlic,and green chillies to a coarse paste.

Add salt and finely cut onions.
Heat oil and fry the pakodis till golden brown.

Serve hot with tomato sauce and green chutney as a tempting teatime snack

POHA BHEL

Hope you all enjoyed a very  Happy pongal. After eating all the rich heavy polis ,vada ,payasam  here is something  light to eat, easy to make and different from the routine..
When you have guests you can keep everything ready and just mix together when they arrive, and serve.


Ingredients



Poha                 2 cups

Boiled       sweet corn 1/4 cup

Boiled peas         1'4 cup

Boiled peanuts 1/4  cup

Green chillies 3 to 4 

Kara sev       1/4 cup 

salt              to taste

Sugar         1 tbsp

Oil              to fry              

Garnishing

Sev, coriander leaves

Method

Heat oil and deep fry Poha using a strainer and drain on a paper towel

Take the poha in a bowl.

Add boiled peanuts and boiled corn

Grind the green chillies and Kara sev to a paste without adding water and add to the poha Add salt , sugar and mix well.

Garnish with fine sev, coriander leaves and serve .

(You can substitute Kara Sev with any other namkeen available at home)

Uttarayan Chikki

                 
                                                    
                                                            
                                                   Uttarayan Chikki

Makar Sankranti, Uttarayan ,Pongal.... by whatever name you call it the festival is celebrated all over India 

Wishing everyone a BOUNTIFUL Uttarayan, I would like to share the recipe for the special Chikki which is made on this occasion in Gujarat. Hubby is in a great mood as he loves this sweet and patiently agreed to take the pics


                    
   Ingredients



 Jaggery               1 cup
 Peanuts               1/2 cup
Til                         1/2 cup
Copra                   1/4 cup
Ghee                      1 Tsp 
Dry ginger powder  2 Tsp(optional)




Method


Dry roast the peanuts and remove the skin
Dry roast the til
Coarsely powder the peanuts and til separately
Grate the copra  
Pour the ghee in a  kadai and  melt it. Then add the jaggery and keep on stirring till the  jaggery melts and starts getting a reddish tinge.

Add the roasted powdered peanuts, til ,  grated copra  and ginger powder
Keep stirring till it comes together and leaves the sides of the pan




Pour on a greased plate and make a thin layer .Allow to cool






  Cut into squares and serve.      

Sweet beginnings

Hi

Happy Pongal

At last its a dream come true.... I am happy to have my very own Blog!!

Look forward to sharing with you recipes that I have learnt, developed , tried and tested from different parts of the country.


Cooking has always been my passion... and love to experiment with different recipes. At the outset I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all those who have  contributed some way or the other...

I have learnt from my mother.. basics of cooking, my father,,,potato masal and appalam vattal kuzhambu his signature dishes, tips from my loving sisters and brother, friends, relatives dabbawalas, chefs, samayal mamis vegetable sellers and train friends (co-travellers) too!!!

Some recipes I learnt by mere observation , others by asking questions , watching TV shows, reading magazines , even newspaper used in packing groceries (years ago) I wouldn't let go of it if it had a recipe in it.

Above all my very special appreciation to the three men in my life... My hubby dear and my two sons .. my greatest critics who have given me so much encouragement  and turned every dish into appreciation and sometimes a disaster into encouragement.....

My greatest reward  is to hear my family say that they long for Ghar ka khana .. Aathu Sapaadu .. now that they are grownup and stay away from home