Zaffrani Pulao

 The dish is not that complicated as it sounds... A simple wholesome rice dish with not much ingredients...

Ingredients:

Basmati Rice - 1 cup

Milk - 1/2 cup

Saffron strands - 1/4 tsp

Star anise - 1

Bay leaf - 1

Cardamom - 2

Cloves - 2

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Sugar - 1/4 tsp

Cashewnuts - 10

Badam - 10

Ghee - 1/2 tsp

Oil - 1 tsp

Coriander for garnishing

Method:

Soak basmati rice in water for 30 mins.

Heat ghee and oil together in a pan. Add cashew and badam and fry till they are golden brown.

Remove from pan. Now to the same pan add cumin seeds, star anise, cardamom, cloves, bay leaf and fry.

Soak the saffron strands in hot milk. 

Now add rice to the pan and mix well. Now add the half of the milk to it and mix. Add 1.5 cups of water to it and mix well.

Once it starts to boil, add salt and sugar and mix once.

Now reduce the flame and allow it to cook for around 15 mins.

Once the rice is cooked properly, spread it on a plate. Garnish it with rest of the milk and saffron strands and also coriander.

Serve hot topped with cashews and badam.

You can also fry onion and garnish it on top..

Enjoy Cooking!!!

Bitter gourd Fry

 Healthy and tasty recipe which is very nutritious and this is the easy way to make kids eat all the vegetables. It tastes great with rice and sambar.

Ingredients:

Bitter gourd - 1 large

Roasted gram powder - 2 tsp

Jaggery (coarsely powdered) - 2 tsp

Chilli powder - 1 tsp

Turmeric - 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Oil - 2 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Channa dal - 1 tsp

Urad dal - 1/2 tsp

Asafoetida - 1 pinch

Method:

Slice the bitter gourd. Remove the centre seed part. Soak the bitter gourd pieces in some water, turmeric and salt for 10 to 15 mins. This helps in removing the bitterness from it.

Now heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds. Once they splutter, add Channa and urad dal and fry. 

Now add little turmeric and asafoetida.

Remove the bitter gourd pieces from water, pat them dry with a cloth and add them in the pan.

Shallow fry till they are crisp on low to medium flame. This might take some 15 to 20 mins.

Once they are crisp, add little salt, chilli powder and roasted gram powder. Fry for a minute and switch off flame. 

After a minute, add crushed jaggery and mix. Jaggery should not be added on hot flame as it melts and makes everything sticky.

Serve with some hot rice and sambar. A wholesome tasty meal is ready...

Enjoy Cooking!!!

Ragi Chocolate Cake

 Super delicious cake with all all the goodness of Ragi. I have also used wheat flour instead of Maida...so that makes it more nutritious.

Ingredients:

Wheat flour - 1/2 cup

Ragi flour - 3/4 cup

Sugar (powdered) - 3/4 cup

Choco powder - 1/2 cup

Curd - 1/2 cup

Oil - 1/4 cup

Milk - 1/4 cup

Baking powder - 1 tsp

Baking soda - 1/2 tsp

Chocolate Ganache for garnishing (optional)

Sugar crystals for garnishing (optional)

Method:

Mix curd and oil and whisk well. Now add ragi and wheat flour, sugar, choco powder, baking powder, baking soda and milk and mix well.

Grease a cake tin with butter and add the batter to it. Bake it in a pre heated oven at 180°c for 20- 25 mins approx. Check whether it's done using a toothpick.

Allow the cake to cool down. Once it's completely cooled, pour some chocolate Ganache over it and decorate with sugar pieces..

Enjoy Cooking!!!

Ganesh Chaturthi Special - Kesar Modak

    This is a simple recipe which can be made in less time but tastes heavenly...On the special occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi, try this simple yet special recipe...

Ingredients:

Milk - 1/2 cup

Milk powder - 2 cups

Sugar - 1/2 cup

Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp

Saffron - 1/2 tsp (few strands for decorating too)

Ghee - 2 tsp

Method:

Heat milk in a pan. Add cardamom powder and few saffron strands and mix. 

Now add milk powder and mix well. See that there are no lumps formed. 

Add sugar and a tsp of ghee to it. Keep mixing till the sugar dissolves and and again starts forming solid again. This might take around 10 mins.

Once it form a single lump and comes together, remove from the flame. Allow it to rest and cool down for 5 mins.

Now take a little of the dough and give the shape of the Modak. You can use fork and make stripes on it. Use few strands of Kesar to decorate the Modak.

Modak is ready to be served on Ganesh Chaturthi.

Enjoy Cooking!!!

Salt and Pepper Sweetcorn

 This can be an easy, tasty and nutritious evening snack. Just 5 mins and you are done..

Ingredients:

Sweetcorn - 1 cup

Salt to taste

Pepper - 1/2 tsp

Butter - 1 tsp

Method:

Boil corn in water for around 10 mins. Strain them and keep aside

Heat butter in a pan. Add corn to it and mix well 

Add salt and pepper and mix.

Serve hot in this rainy weather.. you don't have to go out to enjoy this delicious snack.

Adjust butter quantity according to your taste.

Enjoy Cooking!!!

Shankarpoli (Khara/Spicy)

      So here is the recipe for the spicy version of Shankarpoli. Yet again an easy recipe..

Ingredients:

Maida (all purpose flour) - 1 cup

Jeera - 1 tsp

Ajwain - 1/2 tsp

Chilli powder - 1 tsp

Ghee - 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Oil for frying

Method:

Take maida in a bowl. Add jeera, ajwain, chilli powder and salt and mix well.

Add ghee and mix properly till ghee is coated well and forms a lump when pressed with hands.

Now heat oil in a pan. Once the oil is hot add 2 tsp of hot oil to the flour and mix. Now add enough water and form a thick dough.

Take dough and roll it. The rolled dough needs to be little thick. Now take a fork and make some pricks in the dough.

Cut the dough into diamond shape and fry in hot oil on low to medium flame..

Once they are golden brown and crisp remove them from flame..

Serve them during tea time.

Enjoy Cooking!! 

Shankarpoli (Sweet)

 Shankarpoli or Sakkarpare is a traditional sweet made with maida...It can be made both sweet and spicy varieties... I will be posting the spicy one soon...  But now here is the recipe for the sweet delicacy...

Ingredients:

Maida - 1 cup

Powdered sugar - 3/4 cup

Milk - 1/4 cup

Water for kneading

Method:

Take maida or all purpose floow in a bowl. Add 1/2 cup sugar to it and mix well. Now add milk and mix. Add water little by little and knead it into a firm dough. Allow it to rest for 15 mins.

Divide the dough into three to four parts. Take each dough and roll it. It shouldn't be too thin.

Take a fork and pierce the rolled dough so that it doesn't bulge when frying.

Now cut the rolled dough into diamonds. Meanwhile heat oil in a pan. Fry the pieces in oil on low to medium flame until they are golden.

Remove them and sprinkle them with the rest of the sugar powder when they are still warm.

Enjoy it as an evening snack.

Happy Cooking!!

Begun Bhaja

This simple delicacy from West Bengal is a must try... You would love this... There are many variations to this recipe.. but I tried the most simplest one with only four ingredients..

Ingredients:

Large brinjal - 1

Chilli powder - 2 tsp

Salt to taste

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Oil - 2 tbsp

Method:

Wash the brinjal properly. Cut it into slices of 1/2 cm thick.

Take the slices in a bowl. Add salt, turmeric and chilli powder and coat all the pieces properly with the masala...

Note: you can also add dhaniya jeera powder, garam masala, gram flour according to your taste.

Leave the pieces to rest for around 30 mins...

Take a non-stick tava and add oil. Once it's hot, add the slices on top of it... Roast well on both sides till they are golden brown and the brinjal is well cooked inbetween..

Serve hot with rice and dal... 

Enjoy Cooking!!!