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!!!