Ras Malai

This is a very famous Bengali sweet and almost everyone loves it. It has simple flavours and extremely tasty. Now the thought of making Ras malai might be scary, coz you dont if it will come out the way you get in the sweets shops...believe me the preparation is very simple and it has very few ingredients. All that you have to be careful about is the timing and consistency. Then rest all works wonders, you can be experimental also. It does not take more than 45-60 mins for the entire process. Dont get scared by looking at the length of this post, I have added many pictures so that its easy for people to understand each step.

And I have to quote, my Husband loves this sweet.

Now for the recipe-

Ingredients :

Whole Milk - 1 Litre

Juice of 1 lemon

water - 5 cups

sugar - 1 cup

cheese cloth.

For the rabadi

Whole Milk - 1/2 litre

sugar - 2 Tsp

Condensed Milk - 2 Tbsp

Saffron Strands - 1Tsp

Almonds - 1Tbsp (coarsely crushed)

Elachi Powder (Cardmom powder) - 1 Tsp.

Method :

Bring the 1 Litre milk to boil in a wide sauce pan. When the milk starts to boil add the lemon juice and stir in, wait till you can see the greenish yellow water separate from the milk soilds. Now is the time to turn off the flame and pour this over the cheese cloth on a colander. Once the water drains, pour some fresh cold water ....ensure to rinse off the lemon flavour.

After the water visibly moved out the cheese cloth, tie it into a small sack and and let the water drip hanging it over the tap.

After 30 mins all the water would have drained completely, remove the milk solid from the cloth. This stage is called the "Cheena". I dont know if I have spelt it correctly, but the key thing to make Rasgollas or ras malai...the cheena has to fresh....you cannot make this ahead. so make the cheena only if you already to complete the dish the same time. The Cheena will have to look like the one in the picture.

Another key thing to get a good quality of cheena is by using Buffalo milk in India. Here you can always use the British Cow milk. But in India ensure to use Buffalo milk.

Now this cheena is the dough that we have to work on, knead it enough to ensure it is smooth....else it will crack or break while its getting cooked.

You can judged if the dough is ready for the next step when you can roll into a ball and not find any fine lines over it.
Now make small balls and slightly flatten it, but dont make it too thin.

Prepare all of it, in the meantime heat the water and sugar in the Pressure pan. Once all the dough in rolled and flattened. And the water is boiling. Drop all the balls at once.

Ensure to drop the balls only when the water is boiling hot. Else the sponge will not be bouncy. Now close the pressure pan and cook on high till one whistle. After the whistle immediately turn off the stove and set the timer for 5 mins and open the cooker exactly after 5 mins by cooling the top with running cold water.

Once you open the cooker, you can see that the balls have risen and bigger in size, remove the balls and drop into a bowl of cold water and let it cool.

In the meantime, heat the 1/2 litre milk for the rabadi in a thick bottom pan. In Pestle and Mortar smash the saffron strands with the sugar, the sugar actions as friction. Drop this in the milk and let it boil on medium flame. Ensure to keep stirring, after the milk has slightly reduced, add the condensed milk and further boil for another 15-20 mins, add the cardamom powder and turn off the heat. You can also make the Rabadi by reducing the milk without adding the condensed milk. But this is the shortcut. Once the rabadi is cool, take the cooked milk solids and gently squeeze out the water and spread over a wide bowl and add the rabadi over it. Add some almonds for garnish and serve chilled.

You can also add Pista, but I avoid to watch the calories.

Palak Pappu and Dondekkai Fry

This is another complete meal we started to cook at home after our stay in Hyderabad. And as Bangaloreans we all must have had this is any of the Andra Style restaurants. Its a very simple meal to cook and tastes delicious.

We will start with the pappu, so that when it is getting pressure cooked we can concentrate on the Dondekkai.

Palak Pappu:

500 Gms - Baby Spinach leaves (palak)

Toor Dal - 3/4 Cup

Chopped onions - 1 medium sized

Green chillies chopped - 4 nos

Meethi seed (fenugreek seeds) - 1Tsp

Tumeric - 1/2 Tsp

Oil - 2 Tsp

Salt to taste

For Tempering -

Oil - 1 Tsp

Mustard Seeds - 1 Tsp

Asafoetida - 1/2 Tsp

Curry Leaves - 1 Sprig

Method:

Wash the spinach and let drain in a colander. Wash the dal and keep in water to soak.

In a pressure pan/cooker, heat the oil, add the meethi seeds, green chillies and chopped onions to saute' for 5 mins. You add more or less of the green chillies based on your spice requirements. You can also avoid the onions if you are not too keen on it. When the onions turn translucent add the spinach and saute' till the spinach colour changes to a darker shade, now add the soaked dal, tumeric and salt to taste and pressure cook on high untill 4 whistles. When the pressure settles, its time to add the tempering. In a small kadai heat the oil, add the mustard seeds, curry leaves and asafoetida. And pour it over the dal. Now the dal to ready to be served woth Rice and Ghee (if desired, I personally dont like the taste of Ghee in savoury food, but most of the Indians love it).

Now for the Dondekkai Fry, Its also called Dondakaya in Hyderabad and Tindora in Hindi (may be). You start off with the vegetable as soon as you let the dal to pressure cook, I am writing it separately so that there is no confusion.

Dondekkai Fry :

Dondekkai - 10 Nos (sliced lenghtwise)

Onion Chopped - 1 Small sized

Dry red chiilies - 8 Nos

Peanuts - A handful

Oil - 1 Tbsp

Mustard seeds - 1 Tsp

Curry leaves - 1 Sprig

Tumeric Powder - 1/2 Tsp

Asafoetida - 1/2 Tsp

Salt to taste

Preparation - Dry roast the peanuts, cool and remove the skin. Dry roast 6 of the red chillies. and make into a coarse powder in a blender.

Method :

Heat oil in kadai, add the mustard seeds,curry leaves and 2 red chillies. Now add the Onions and saute' till translucent. Add the asafoetida and the sliced dondekkai. and saute' for ten minutes and let cover cook for another ten mintues. Add salt and check if the vegetable is cooked esle allow it to cook for some more time. Once the vegetable is cooked, sprinkle over the peanut and chillies mixture, fry for 5 more minutes and remove from flame. Ensure not to keep on flame for too long after adding the peanuts, for it will stick to the bottom.

There are other variations to preparing this vegetable. This is one of them that I learnt from my maid Padma.

Enjoy the meal with some pappads and pickles.

Dry Jamoon

Again my husbands favourite, you guys all must be wondering if I am obssessed with my husband that I am only cooking and posting only/mostly what he likes........But I have not much of an option, its just the two of us and I can make good sweets and he definitely has a Sweet tooth.

Dont they look yummy!!!!!!

Ingredients:

• MTR Jamoon Mix - 250 Gms (to make 20 Jamoons)
• Roasted scraped coconut - 100 gms
• Bread Crumbs - 100 Gms

For the Syrup:

Sugar - 500 Gms

Water - 600 Ml

Cardamom Powder - 1 Tsp

Rose essence - 1 Tsp

Method -

Prepare the coconut powder, use the regular scrapped coconut (u can you Frozen one too) and dry roast it in a pan or a baking tray in a oven at 200C for 10 mins. Mix the dry bread crumbs and spread it on a plate or the Baking tray.

Sugar Syrup:

Mix the sugar and water and bring to a boil after the sugar dissolves completely. After its starts to boil switch off the heat. Add the Rose essence and cardamom powder.
Mix the Jamoon Mix with little water, ensure not to make a dough, it should be a little crumpy. thats when the Jamoon with have a texture.

Make small capsules (about 1 Inch long), in the meantime heat oil in a kadai with 3/4 filled. For frying Jamoons, they have to be completely submerged in oil. When all the mixture are made into capsules fry them in oil stirring continuously. Ensure to drop the dough pieces in the oil only when it is hot. After they are dark brown remove from the oil and drop in the sugar syrup and let in sit in for 5-10 minutes after that remove from the syrup and drop in the coconut powder and bread crumb tray, rollover to cover the jamoon and set in another tray.

Serve it chilled......................enjoy!!!!!!!!!!

Carrot Halwa

Its winter and as we are vegetarian most of the times, so carrot becomes very integral of our diet. Now the things that you can cook with carrots are limited and can get boring. However I like the taste of raw carrots better than its cooked in anyway. And I just remembered about a sweet with carrots - "Carrot Halwa". My husband just loves sweets and particularly Carrot Halwa. He eats it for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. Even if I make a big batch I can be rest assured its finished within 3-4 days. Now! to the recipe.................................

Ingredients:

• Grated Carrots - 3 Cups
• Milk - 1 1/2 Cups
• Sugar - 1 3/4 Cups
• Ghee (Clarified Butter) - 1 Cup
• Condensed Milk - 3/4 Cup
• Cashew Nuts - 15-20 nos
• Cardamom powder - 1 Tsp

Method:

For Carrot Halwa I use the bigger hole grater to maintain the texture. Heat a Pressure cooker or any heavy bottom vessel, pour in the ghee(preserve some for frying the Cashew nuts) and melt, now add the grated carrots and saute until the water is evaporated. Now add the milk and let the ingredients simmer for 30-45 mins, remember to keep the heat on medium all through the cooking. You can also pressure cook but that will not help the milk to reduce.

Once the milk is reduced and you can feel the carrots tender, add the sugar and mix well, watch the heat else the sugar can get caramelised. Mix well and add the condensed milk and mix well, by now the mixture will be in a dropping consistency, hence let it on the heat until all the liquids evaporate. Keep stirring else it might catch the bottom. Now heat the remaining ghee in a small pan, fry the cashew nuts and top it over the halwa and add the cardamom powder and turn off the heat.

You can eat it hot or cold, I prefer it slightly warm with some cream or ice cream. When you make a bigger batch refrigerate it and take required portion and warm it in microwave and enjoy it.

Cabbage Fry with Roast Peanut

We bought a lot of cabbage last week, and just the two of us - I was making different things with small portions. And I dont like the taste of cooked cabbage, I dont mind it in the salad but cooked version doesn't impress me much, but to be polite I eat it. There was this last portion and I was wondering what can I make of it. Just then I called my mom and she suggested this recipe and it goes well with Roti. I was taken aback by the fact that goes well with Roti. So I decided to give it try.

So here is the recipe.........



Ingredients:

• Chopped Cabbage - Half portion of a medium sized
• Chopped Onions - 1 Medium Sized
• Peanut - one handful
• Dry Red Chillies - 4 Nos
• Jeera (Cumin) - 1 Tsp
• Chopped Coriander - 2 Tsp
• Chopped Mint Leaves - 1 Tsp (Dont add more, for this will over power the dish)
• Curry Leaves for garnish
• Oil - 2 Tsp
• Salt to Taste.
  
  

Method:

Dry roast the Jeera, Chillies and Peanuts (all seperately). After roasting the Peanuts ensure to cool and remove the thin pink skin, and grind all the three together in a coarse powder. Now heat the oil in a kadai and saute the Onions till they turn pink. Add the chopped cabbage saute for 5 minutes, add salt, water and cover cook it. After the cabbage is cooked add the coriander and mint and saute till the water dries up. Now add the coarse powder and mix thoroughly, the powder may look a little more but more the taste peanut better will the output. Now garnish with curry leaves and we are done. Enjoy with Roti or Rice.

You can replace the vegetable with Ridged/Bottle/Ash Gourd or French beans or white Pumpkin, just be creative dont be scared its gonna taste good.

Mor Kuzhambu

Now that I mentioned about Mor Kuzhambu in my last post, I thought I should post the recipe of this simple, yet tasty sauce using Yoghurt (curd). Another comfort food from the kitchens of south India. Its like the punjabi/Gujrati kaddi.

Ingredients:

• Yoghart (Curd) - 1 Cup
  
• Green Chillies - 4 nos
• Popped dhal - 2 Tsp
• Grated/Chopped Cocunut - 1 1/2 Tsp
• Jeera Powder - 1 Tsp
• Tumeric Powder - 1/4 Tsp
  
• Ginger paste - 1 Tsp
• Mustard Seeds - 1/2 Tsp
• Fenugreek Seeds - 1/2 Tsp
• Curry Leaves - 1 Sprig
• Red Chilli - 1 nos
• Asafoetida powder - 1 Pinch
• Salt to taste
• Oil - 1 1/2 Tsp
  

Method:

Grind Coconut, Chillies, Ginger Paste, Jeera Powder, Tumeric Powder and Popped Dhal into a smooth paste with some water. Now pour in the Yoghurt and whisk it into the mixture.
Heat oil in a sauce pan add the Mustard Seeds, Fenugreek seeds, curry leaves, Red Chilli and Asafoetida, now add the ground mixture, salt and let it boil. And thats about, its ready.

Let the sauce cool and enjoy with Rice. I personally dont like it too hot.

Seppankizhangu Fry

This is a Root variety, called sappankizhangu in Tamil, Arby in Hindi and may be Taro Root in English. But when I checked in the local markets here, it was called "Edhoe". It Looks big like a Hybrid version. In a vegetarian Kitchen, this root is a substitute for potato. And believe me a very tasty sides with Sambar and Rice or good with Mor Kuzhambu.

Ingredients:

• Seppankizhangu - 300 Gms
• Chilli Powder - 1 1/2 Tsp
• Coriander Powder - 1 Tsp
• Tumeric Powder - 1/4 Tsp
• Salt to taste
• Oil for Shallow frying

Method:

Wash the root with some water, you can use pressure cooker, its cooks very soon, so one whistle should do. I had a little reservation to use the pressure cooker here for the size of the root was so big, so unsure on how long it will take. So I cooked it in a sauce pan, checking in between by pricking with a knife. Once done and cool, peel and cut into thin slices, you can be as creative as possible, but I prefer slicing it.

In another bowl mix all the other spices and salt with a little water into a paste. Now add the sliced roots and mix into the paste ensuring to coat every slice.

Heat a little oil, just a thin coat in a frying Pan. Though I mentioned shallow fry earlier, use teh least oil. Now drop the seppankizhangu in the pan over medium heat and fry, dont crowd the pan, just lay one layer a time and fry both sides till crisp and brown.

Patience is required while frying in small batches and waiting to turn sides.

Now enjoy with Sambar and Rice or I can just eat up just like that. Its difficult to resist.