ROOMALI ROTI

Ingredients:

* 11/2cup Whole Wheat Flour (Atta) 
* 50 gms Maida 
* 1/2 tsp Baking powder 
* 2 tbsp oil 
* Water to knead




How To Make Roomali Roti: 

* Mix wheat flour, maida, salt and baking powder and sieve them together.

* Pour oil in the flour and add water bit by bit and make a smooth & elastic dough and set aside     covered with moist muslin cloth for 1/2 an hour.

* Now make small balls of the dough and roll like a thin chapati of about 12" diameter circle using   little dry flour (it should be thin as a tissue) 

* Heat an inverted griddle(tawa).

* Place the rumali roti carefully over it and cook till done. Fold it like a handkerchief.

* 2 Serve rumali roti hot with indian curry.

Palak paneer

Ingredients:
* Spinach 1/2 kg
* Paneer 100 grams
* Onion 1
* Butter 3 tbsp.
* Bay leaves 2-3
* Cumin seeds 1 tsp.
* Salt to taste
* Black pepper powder 1/4 tsp.
* Ginger-garlic paste 3/4 tsp.
* Green chilli paste 1/2 tsp.
* Garam Masala Powder 1 tsp.
* Vegetable oil as required

Preparation Method:
1. Mix ginger-garlic paste, green chilli paste and some water with spinach. Pressure cook it for about 7-8 minutes (just before the first whistle).
2. Cut paneer into small cubes. Keep 3 cubes separately for decoration.
3. Heat oil in a pan. Fry the paneer pieces on 'medium' heat till they turn slightly brown. Set the paneer pieces aside.
4. Heat 2 tbsp. of butter. Fry bay leaves and cumin seeds. Add chopped onion. Fry until the onions become pink.
5. Add salt, black pepper powder, garam masala. Stir well.
6. Add paneer and cooked spinach (grinded). Mix well.
7. Put palak paneer in a baking tray .
8. Add rest of the butter. Bake for 1/2 hour at 180 deg C.

Grate the paneer kept aside for decoration. Decorate. Palak paneer is ready to serve.

 

Sweet Corn Soup

Ingredients:
 * Large corn cobs ( bhutta) 6
 * Water 6 cups
 * Cornflour 2 tbsp.
 * Sugar 1-1/2 tbsp.
 * Soya sauce 1 tsp.
 * Chilli sauce 1 tsp.
 * Vinegar 1 tsp.
 * Salt to taste

Preparation Method:
1. Pressure cook the corn kernels till tender.
2. Keep about 1/4 cup cooked corn kernels aside for later use.
3. Grind rest of the corn kernels and cook it in a pan on medium heat.
4. Mix cornflour in 4 tbsp. water and add .
5. After adding cornflour bring the soup to boil and then cook on low heat. Slowly the soup starts getting thick. Continuously stir it so that it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.
6. Add sugar, salt, soya sauce, chilli sauce, vinegar.

Serve hot with corn kernels (step 2) dipped in it.

Optional - If fresh corn is not available,you can use canned sweet corn tin. But add 3 cups of water instead of 6 cups.
 

Boondi Raita

Ingredients:


* Yogurt 2 cup
* Milk/Water 1/2 cup
* Pain boondi 1/2 cup
* Red chilli powder 1/4 tsp.
* Cumin powder (Roasted) 1/2 tsp.
* Black pepper powder 1/2 tsp
* Salt to taste  
* Coriander leaves chopped finely 1 tbsp. 
.

Preparation Method:

 
1. Add boondi to warm water and let it stand for 2-3 minutes so that it becomes soft. Then drain it.
2. Beat the yogurt and milk to get smooth consistency. Add salt, black pepper powder and chili powder. Mix well.
3. Add boondi and mix well.
4. Sprinkle roasted cumin seeds powder on the top.
5. Chill it for 1-2 hours.

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Serve chill.

Egg Fried Rice

Ingredients:
* Rice 2 cups
* Onion 1 medium
* Green chillies 4
* Eggs 3
* Ginger Garlic paste 1 tbsp
* Mint leaves 1/2 bunch
* Bay leaves 3
* Garam Masala Powder 1 tbsp (Use Readymade)
* Vegetable Oil 3 tbsp
* Salt according to taste  
* Coriander Leaves for garnishing

Preparation Method:

 
1. Fry rice in a pan for 3 minutes. Let it cool down.
2. Wash the rice and drain it
3. Add 3 cups of water and cook it.
4. Cut the onions in long slices. Split the green chilies and cut in half.
5. Boil the eggs in water until cooked well.
6. Now add the vegetable oil to skillet and after the oil is warm enough add the bayleaves, onion to the oil.
7. Stir the onions and once they turn half brown add the chillies to the oil. Stir them so that they do not get sticked to the skillet. Add the ginger / garlic paste and stir well.
8. Cut the cooked eggs into long slices. Add the egg pieces and stir well.
9. After 4 minutes add the garam masala and stir for mixing properly.
10. Leave it on heat on 2 minutes and add the mint leaves before turning off the heat.
11. Now add the cooked rice and gently mix, so that that rice does not break.

Decorate with Corriander leaves and serve with any raitha.
 

Carrot Halwa

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 kg Carrots 
• 200 gm Sweetened Condensed milk 
• 2 tbsp Ghee 
• Handful grated cashew nuts and almonds 
• 2 tsp Cardamom Powder


How to make Carrot Halwa:
* Wash and grate the carrots finely.
* Transfer the grated carrots to a pressure cooker.
* Cook for about two minutes.
* Remove the lid from the cooker.
* Allow excess water to evaporate.
* Keep churning the carrots occasionally.
* Pour milk and ghee over the cooked carrots.
* Simmer till all are well blended.
* Remove from the flame.
* Sprinkle with grated cashew nuts, almonds and cardamom powder.
* Carrot Halwa is ready to serve.

Beetroot Halwa

Ingredients:
• 1 kg Beetroot (peeled off, washed & finely grated)
• 2-1/2 Cups sugar
• 1/2 Liter milk (boiled)
• 2 to 3 Cups of water (sufficient to boil the beetroot)
• 8 Cashew nuts
• 8 Raisins
• 2 tbsp Ghee


How to make Beetroot Halwa:
* Pour water in a shallow pan (kadahi) and add grated beetroot.
* Put a lid on the pan and simmer well until water gets evaporated.
* Add sugar and half of the milk, stir constantly until the mixture achieves a thick consistency.

* Now add ghee and stir well. * Add remaining milk and simmer again for just 1-2 minutes on low heat. * Take off heat and garnish with cashew nuts and raisins. * Beetroot Halwa is ready to serve hot.

Ariselu

Ingredients:
• 1/4 cup Sesame Seeds 
• 1 kg Rice 
• 3/4 kg Jaggery 
• Oil for deep-frying 
• 1 cup Water


How to make Ariselu:
* Wash the rice and soak it for about 6 hours.
* Drain the water and keep the rice on a cloth for drying.
* Make fine powder by grinding it in a mixie.
* Shred the jaggery and put it in a pan.
* Add water to the jaggery and dissolve it by boiling.
* Make thick syrup of this mixture on low flame.
* Gradually add ground rice to it and stir constantly. There should not be any lump formation.
* Remove the pan from fire.
* Prepare balls out of this mixture.
* Press the balls on a plastic sheet to shape them in the form of round puris.
* To decorate, roll the puris lightly in the sesame seeds.
* Heat oil in another pan.
* Deep-fry these puris on low flame till dark brown.
* Ariselu is ready.

Jalebi

Ingredients:


• 2 cups All Purpose Flour 
• 1-1/2 tbsp Rice flour 
• 1/4th tsp Baking powder 
• 2 tbsp Curd 
• 3 cups Sugar 
• 2-1/2 cups Water 
• 1/2 tsp Cardamom (powdered) 
• Ghee or Vegetable oil for frying


How to make Jalebi:

* Mix the flour, rice flour, baking powder, curd in a bowl. * Mix well, add water and whisk until smooth. * Set aside for about 2 hours to ferment. * Whisk thoroughly before use. * Prepare one string syrup by dissolving sugar in the water. * Just before the syrup is ready add cardamom powder. * Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan or kadhai. * Pour the batter in a steady stream into the kadhai to form coils. * Make 4-5 at a time. * Deep fry them until they are golden and crisp all over but not brown. * Remove from the kadhai and drain on kitchen paper and immerse in the sugar syrup. * Leave for at least 4-5 minutes so that they soak the syrup. * Take them out of syrup and serve hot. * Jalebi is ready.

Puran Poli

Ingredients:

•  1 cup - all purpose flour/maida (sifted)
• 1 cup - bengal gram dal
• 1 cup - grated jaggery (remove stones/dust etc)
• 1/2 cup - grated coconut, fresh preferred ( but incase of non availibility, forzen can be used too. thaw it first)
• 1/2 tsp - cardamom powder
• pinch of turmeric
• approx 1 to 2 tbsp - broken cashews

Method

1. Mix flour, turmeric and 1 tbsp of vegetable oil(optional), mix well and add water as needed to make into a soft pliable dough.
2. Set aside covered with a cloth.
3. Meanwhile in a saucepan, boil bengal gram in 2 cups of water until soft.
4. Drain the lentil well and then drop it back into the saucepan along with jaggery, coconut and cardamom powder.
5. Mix well until the jaggery melts and all the ingredients come together into one harmonious mass.
6. Cool it lightly and then grind this mixture in food processor without adding any water.
7. Toast the cashews (dry roast/in ghee) and then add it to the lentil-jaggery mixture.
8. Now take a small lime sized ball from the dough.Roll it out into a small circle.
9. Similarly make a small ball from the lentil mixture and place it in the middle of the dough.
10. Bring the end of the dough to the center on top of the lentil mixture,pinch them together and then press it down into a flatbread.
11. Now lightly roll it out into a flatbread. It does not matter if a circle is not perfect. You can roll it as thinly or as thick you desire.
12. Place it a griddle, spoon some ghee all around it and cook until golden brown.
13. Turn it around and similarly cook until golden brown/reddish.
14. It is good on its own although a little ghee on top makes it irresistable.

VEGETABLE PAKORA RECIPE

Ingredients:  

• 1 cup Chickpea Flour (Besan)
• 2 tsp Oil
• 1 tsp Ground Cumin
• 1 1/2 tsp Salt 
• 1 -2 Chopped Green Chillies (Jalapeno)
• 1/2 cup Water
• 1 Potato
• 1 small Cauliflower
• 2 Cabbage
• 5 leaves Spinach sliced 
• 1 1/2 cup Sliced Onion

How to make vegetable Pakora: 

1. Boil the potato until just tender, peel and chop finely.
2. Finely chop cauliflower and onion. Shred the cabbage and spinach.
3. Mix first set of ingredients well. Beat in a blender for 4-5 minutes to incorporate air (this will make the batter fluffier).
4. Let batter rest 1/2 hour in a warm place
5. Add the vegetables and mix in evenly.
6. Deep fry in oil that is heated to 375°.
7. Drain pakoda on paper towels and serve immediately. 
8. Serve vegetable pakora with coriander or mint chutney or tomato ketchup
    
    

Brinjal Curry Recipe

Ingredients :                                        

• Medium size brinjals - 8 (not round ones)
• Ginger - 2inches
• Coriander-equal to ginger
• Tamarind juice( thick) -1 t.sp.
• Turmuric powder- 1/2 t.sp.
• Chana dal-- 1 t.sp
• Urud dal- 1 t.sp
• Mustard seeds- 1/2 t.sp
• Cumin seeds- 1/2 t.sp
• Oil- 4 t.sp.s
• Green chiilies  5
• Red chillies - 3(cut into pieces)
• Salt to taste              

Method:
 
1. First make a paste of green chillies, ginger, coriander leaves nicely.

2. Cut the brinjals into 2 inch pieces.

3. Heat oil in a thick bottom pan. Put chana dal, urud dal, cumin seeds, mustard seeds.       Allow to splutter. Add red chillies and fry nicely.

4. Put the brinjal pieces, salt and turmuric.

5. Fry them for a while and cover the pan, with a plate. Put some water in the plate.

6. After the brinjals are half cooked, put the tamarind juice, ginger-coriander paste in the brinjal pieces and mix well.

7. Close the pan again, but stir it frequently.

8. After 5 or 6 minutes, the curry is ready.

9. Sprinkle the coriander leaves and serve.

10.Tastes good with white rice and ghee.
    

Crispy Gujia - Indian Festival Snack

 

Ingredients:

 1.1 cup maida (All purpose flour)

 2. 1 tablespoon sooji (semolina)

 3. ½ cup khoya/khoa/Mava

 4. 3 tablespoon Oil/Ghee

 5. Some oil for deep frying

 6. ½ cup sugar

 7. Chopped almonds, pistachio and cashews

8. water

Preparation Method:

• Mix maida, semolina, 3 tablespoon of oil/ghee and little bit of water to knead into a soft dough. Cover it and keep it aside for 15-20mins.  
• Now heat pan in a low flame and add dry fruits, khoya, sugar and mix them well until everything is mashed up together. It will be slightly sticky for some time. Don’t cook longer. 
• Keep it aside until it cools down 
• Now make small balls of the dough you prepared and roll it to a Puri shape 
• Fill your puri with the koya mixture and press the edges of the it and seal it well by using milk or water 
• You can make some design at edges with the fork 
• Deep fry gujia in medium heat until golden brown. Don’t fry on high heat else your gujia will soft and not crisp.

[Serve as a snack or sweet dish during festivals]