Khara Prasad

                                                      Khara Prasad

         Longtime pending in my to-do list Khara Prasad, since we visited Amritsar in December, 2016, it was there in golden temple we happened to get this prasad. This is an absolute delicacy with finger-licking taste much revered.
         This is offered to devotees as prasad. This recipe is made of only four ingredients.

Cuisine: Punjabi
Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Yields: Serves 3 persons

Ingredients:
Sugar: 1 cup
Water: 3 cups
Ghee: 1 cup
Whole wheat flour: 1 cup

Method:

1. Put sugar in a sauce pan and add 3 cups of water. Place the sauce pan on the stove over medium flame.
2. Sugar will melt and the syrup will start to boil, Let it boil for 5 minutes.
3. Switch off the flame.
4. In the meantime, take a pan, add the entire ghee and place the pan over the stove top on a medium flame and heat it.
5. When the ghee is hot, add the whole wheat flour and fry it till the wheat flour turns brown and nice aroma comes out of it.
6. Simmer the flame and add the sugar syrup little by little to the mixture and it will splutter. Wait and mix.
7. Little by little pour the entire syrup and take caution while pouring as it may splutter
8. Mix it continuously till ghee oozes out on the top.  
9. Now the prasad is ready. 

 

Tandoori Paneer Tikka

                                             Tandoori Paneer Tikka

              All time favorite for my son, he will never miss to order this paneer tikka either  during lunch or dinner in any Punjabi or north Indian restaurant. Bringing that smoky favour to the tikka while making at home, you need to follow certain steps. Use wire roaster on the stove top to achieve best results.

Cuisine: Punjabi
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Resting Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 5 to 7 minutes

Ingredients:
Diced capsicum: 1 no
Diced Onion: 1 no
Diced Tomato: 1 no
Cubed Paneer: 200 gms
Thick well beaten curd: 1 cup
Turmeric powder: a pinch
Jeera powder: 1 teaspoon
Chilli powder: 1/2 teaspoon
Garam masala: 1 teaspoon
Kasuri methi: 1/2 teaspoon
Ginger garlic paste: 1 teaspoon (Optional)
Salt to taste

Method:
1. Wash capsicum and tomato. Peel off the onion skin and dice all vegetables.
2. Wash the paneer and cut into cubes. Keep it ready.
3. Beat the thick curd well and add, turmeric powder, chilli powder, kasuri methi, garam masala, salt and mix well.
4. To this curd mixture add capsicum, onion, tomatoes and paneer. Mix well so that it coats evenly over the veggie and paneer.
5. Let the marination stay for 30 minutes.
6. Grill it in a wire roaster on the stove top over medium flame on a small burner.
7. Brush little oil and turn it from time to time.
8. When done remove it and serve it hot with green chutney.

For Green Chutney:
  1/4 cup pudina tightly packed, 1/4 cup coriander tightly packed, salt, 1 no of green chilli and 1/4 cup beaten curd, 1/2 teaspoon chat masala. Blend the above ingredients in a mixie jar and the green chutney is ready.

Note:
1. Make sure to use fresh and thick curd or else it may be watery and sour.
2. When you grill using wire roaster, fire directly touches the veggies and paneer giving it the smoky flavor. ie, tandoori touch.
3. Adding ginger garlic paste is optional.


 

Kozhukkatai

                                                         Kozhukkatai

             It is a South Indian sweet, associated with Vinayaka Chathurthi. Mythology refers this as the favorite sweet of Lord Ganesha. But to me, it is a healthy non fried dish, so I used to make this for my son as an after school snack. The name of this dish varies with its shape like semicircular ones as kozhukkatai and inverted cones as modakams.

Cuisine: Indian
Preparation Rime: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 5 to 7 minutes
Yields: Serves 4  

Ingredients:
Rice flour: 1 & 1/2 cup
Water: 3 cups
Salt: a pinch

For Filling:
Grated coconut: 1 cup
Jaggery: 1/2 cup or little more
Cardamon: 3 nos finely pounded

Method:
1. Sieve the rice flour and keep it.
2. Pound the jaggery well and put it in a pan and heat it, add little water and melt the jaggery.
3. Once all the jaggery is melted, filter it using a strainer and put the melted jaggery into a clean pan and place it over the stove on a medium flame.
4. Add cardamon to the jaggery and add the gated coconut to it and mix well.
5. Once the mixture becomes semi solid, put off the flame, it becomes solid once it reaches room temperature. 
6. Boil 3 cups of water in a wide bowl, add a pinch of salt and 1 teaspoon of oil. When the water is about to boil, add the sieved rice flour gently pouring it into the water and keep stirring simultaneously, so that no lumps are farmed.
7. Keep on stirring and when the mixture reaches soft dough consistency, put off the flame. Let it cool.
8. Smear ghee int your palms and take a lemon sized portion of the dough and flatten it into circle using your fingers.
9. Now place a teaspoon full of the coconut filling in the center and pleat from the sides and bring it to center and seal it, thus farming inverted cone.
10. Similarly do the modakams and for kozhukkatai, take a lemon sized ball of the dough, flatten it and place coconut filling in the center and bring one side over the other, thus forming semi-circle.
11. Likewise do it for entire dough either modhakams or kozhukkatai.
12. Place the modhakams or kozhukkatai on greased idli plates and steam it in a pressure cooker for 5 to 7 minutes until done.
13. Now soft yummy modhakam or kozhukkatai is ready.

Note:
1. Never dry roast the rice flour, if you do the kozhukkatai becomes hard and rubbery.
2. Just sieve he rice flour and use it.
 

 

Bombay Sandwich

                                            Bombay Sandwich

             I have tasted this sandwich long back during my childhood days, my mother and I learnt  this recipe from one of her Maharastrian Colleagues. She used to make this for breakfast, she used to sandwich two bread slices with potato bajji and toast it in a tawa. My version is slightly different from hers.

Cuisine: Indian Adaptation
Preparation Time: 20 minutes 
Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

For Potato Bajji:
Boiled potato: 3 nos
Finely chopped onion: 2 nos
Finely chopped green chilli: 2 nos
Oil: 2 tea spoons
Sanuf: 1/2 teaspoon 
Curry leaves: a few numbers
Finely chopped coriander leves: 1 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Turmeric powder: 1/2 teaspoon

For Pudina chutney:
Pudina leaves: 1/2  bunch 
Coriander leaves: 1/4 bunch
Green chilli: 2 nos
Garlic pods: 5 to 7 (Optional)
Salt to taste

Sandwich Assembling:

Sandwich bread: 16 slices
Butter: 2 table spoons (Optional)

Method:
1. Mash the boiled potatoes well and finely chop the onions. green chillies. Keep it aside.
2. Place a pan on the stove over a medium flame and heat it.
3. When becomes hot, add 2 tea spoons of oil, saunf, green chillies and fry it for a minute, then add the onions and saute it well, till the onions become translucent.
4. Now add turmeric powder and mix well, add in the mashed potato and mix well.
5. Add salt as per taste and sprinkle little water and close it with lid. Let it cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
6. Take the lid off and sprinkle curry and coriander leaves and switch off the flame. Keep it aside and let it cool.
7. Now put all the ingredients mentioned for chutney in a mixie and grind it to a fine smooth paste. Keep it ready.
8. Now for sandwich, take a slice of bread and spread some butter over it, apply green chutney and spread some potato bajji and close it with another slice of bread.
9. Toast this sandwich in a sandwich toaster and take it out once it is done.
10. Cut it into triangular shape ans serve it hot.

Note:
1. Adding garlic to the chutney gives a fantastic taste, when toasted.
2. For variations, you can add grated cheese or cheese slices.
 
 

Pudina Thuvayal

                                            Pudina Thuvayal

           A very simple recipe, yet very tasty. My son loves to eat this mixed with hot plain white rice. The recipe can be made adding coconut or without coconut. The latter recipe stays well for about a week. But I feel the coconut version is more tastier. Here I am posting the non-coconut version.

Cuisine: South Indian
Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes
Grinding Time: 5 minutes


Ingredients:
Fresh pudina leaves: 1 cup tightly packed
Coriander leaves: 1 hand full (Optional) 
Coriander seeds: 1 tablespoon
Bengal gram + Urad dhal: 1 tablespoon
Tamarind: Marble sized ball
Red chilli: 6 nos( or less) as per taste
Salt as per taste
Water as needed
Oil: 2 tea spoons for tempering
Mustard seed: 1/4 teaspoon for tempering
Curry leaves: a few for tempering 

Method:
1. Pluck only the leaves from the pudina stem and discard the stem.
2. Wash the leaves well in running water or rinse it well in water and keep it aside. Likewise, do it for coriander leaves.
3. Place a pan on the stove and add 1/2 teaspoon of oil and heat it, add bengal gram and urad dhal. Saute it well, add in coriander seeds and saute it till aroma rises from it and turns golden brown.
4. If you are adding coconut, add in, at this stage, otherwise skip it.
5. Add tamarind, chillies and the leaves and put off the stove.
6. Let it cool down completely.
7. Grind it in a mixie jar, using very little water into a fine smooth paste.
8. Place a pan, add oil and heat it. Add mustard seeds and curry leaves and let it splutter.
9. Add this tempering to the thuvayal, mix well.
10. Taste best when mixed with plain hot white rice and with a dash of ghee.

 

Whole Wheat Coconut Cookies in Pressure Cooker

 
               Whole Wheat Coconut Cookies in Pressure Cooker

            During my childhood, we used to buy coconut cookies from the nearby bakery, those cookies used to be crispy on the outside, soft and chewy inside. In those days, they used to wrap it in paper bags. Sometimes, it used to be still warm, the taste still lingers in my memory.

Cuisine: Indian Adaptation
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Resting Time: 30 minutes
Baking Time: 20 minutes 

Ingredients:
Wholewheat flour: 1 cup
Coconut Scrapping: 2 table spoons
Coconut Oil: 2 table Spoons
Boiled and Cooled Milk: 2 table spoons 
Jaggery well pounded: 1/4 cup
Baking Powder: 1/4 teaspoon
Baking Soda: a pinch
Salt: a pinch 

Method:
1. Take whole wheat flour in a wide bowl, add baking powder, baking soda and a pinch of table salt. Mix well.
2. To this add coconut scrapping,  melted and filtered jaggery and coconut oil, mix well using a spatula.
3. Sprinkle milk in between and knead it into soft dough and make it cylindrical.
4. Now wrap this dough using cling-film or with cloth and place it in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
5. In the meantime, prepare the pressure cooker for baking.
6. Place a 7.5 lit pressure cooker over the big burner on a medium flame. 
7. Add 1/2 kg of common salt and place a stand of about 3 " height and heat it, this is pre-heating for five minutes. 
8. When the cookie dough is ready after 30 minutes, take it out from refrigerator.
9. Now cut the cylindrical dough into roundels of 1.5" thickness.
10. Place it on a tray and put it inside the cooker. Close it with lid, don't forget to take the gasket out.
11. Bake it for 20 minutes, the cookies will be ready.
12. Cool it down completely on a wire rack and store it in an air tight container.

Note:
1. Never forget to remove the gasket from the cooker lid before baking.
2. These cookies may be slightly chewy. 
 

Punjabi Aloo Ka Sabzi

                                               Punjabi Aloo Ka Sabzi

             Spicy, pipping hot potato curry served with puri's. Aloo puri is one of Delhi's most famous, favorite street food. The most irresistible breakfast dish during cold winter days. The freshly cut and sprinkled onions gives crunchy feel and the tomatoes gives tangy flavor to the dish.

Cuisine: Punjabi
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 25 minutes
Serves: 3 to 4 persons

Ingredients:
Potato: 1/4 kg
Onion: 2 nos big ones
Tomato: 2 nos big ones
Shahjeera: 1/2 teaspoon
Ginger garlic paste: 1 teaspoon
Chilli powder: 1 teaspoon
Coriander powder: 1/2 teaspoon
Garam masala: 1/2 teaspoon
Lemon Juice: 1 & 1/2 tea spoons (Optional) while serving
Turmeric powder: 1/2 teaspoon
Kasuri methi: 1 teaspoon (Finely crushed)
Salt as per taste
Water as needed
Oil: 2 to 3 tea spoons
Finely chopped Coriander leaves: 1/2 teaspoon

Method:
1. Peel the skin of the potatoes and cut it into cubes. Keep it immersed in water.
2. Finley chop the onions and tomatoes and keep it aside.
3. Take a small pressure cooker or a pan and place it over the stove on a medium flame.
4. When it is hot, add oil and add shahjeera. Let it splutter, add ginger garlic paste and saute it for 2 minutes, till the raw smell goes off.
5. Add 3/4 cup of the chopped onions and reserve the rest for garnishing.
6. When the onions becomes translucent, add the cubed potatoes. Mix well.
7. Add tomatoes, chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, garam masala and finally kasuri methi. Mix it well.
8. Add water till all the ingredients are immersed.  Add salt  and stir once and close the pressure cooker with the lid. Cook it for 5 to 7 whistles.
9. When the pressure settles down, open the cooker and sprinkle some chopped coriander leaves and transfer it to serving bowl.
10. Yummy subzi is now ready.