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Saturday 25 February 2012

Matar Daal (Nimona)


A tasty and very healthy daal made of fresh peas which is known as Nimona localy  and is a speciality of Eastern UP. It's a delicacy of UP enjoyed hot with rice or chapatis in chilled winters as peas are abundunt in this season.


Ingredients - 
 
Matar ( peas) - 1/2 kg
Onion chopped - 1 medium
Spring onions chopped - 2
Garlic paste - 2 tsp
Ginger paste - 1 tsp

Green chilli paste - 1 tsp
Tomato - 2
Cumin powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp

Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 3 tbsp
Coriander leaves - a bunch




For tadka - 
Clarified butter ( pure ghee) - 2 tbsp
Red whole chilli - 2
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp


Method -

1. Shell the peas and  divide it into two parts. Dry grind coarsely half of it.
2. Heat a pressure cooker and put oil in it.
3. Fry the onion and spring onions until brown.
4. Add garlic, ginger, chilli paste and all the dry masala and fry it for a while.
5. Chop the tomatoes and add in the masala and fry until oil separates.
6. Add the ground matar and the remaining half and fry it for few minutes stirring it continuously.
7. Pour two cups of warm water and mix it nicely.
8. Pressure cook until 2 whistels on a medium heat. Take it off the heat and let it cool down.
9. Transfer it in a serving dish.
10. In a frying pan heat ghee and put chilli, cumin seeds and when splutterd put it in the serving dish over matar daal. Garnish with chopped coriander.
11. Serve it hot with rice, paratha or chappatis and enjoy this tasty daal.


Bathua Kachori


Bathua, the Chenopodium album is a fast-growing weedy annual plant in the genus Chenopodium. Fat Hen, White Goosefoot, Lamb's-quarter are the common names of Bathua in english.
  Bathua saag (green leafy vegetable) which is called Bathu in Panjabi, Bathua in Hindi, is extensively cultivated and consumed in Northern India as a food crop, it has a very distinctive taste and becomes very soft and creamy when cooked.
  So a very tasty and nutricious bathua paratha, bathua puri, bathua raita, bathua kachoris can be made after boiling and cooking its green leaves.
Bathua is available only in winter season. However, it should be eaten in moderation due to high levels of oxalic acid.
It is said to be high in vitamin A, B-complex vitamins, vitamin C, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, trace minerals, iron and fiber.


Ingredients -

Wheat flour - 2 cups
All purpose flour - 1 cup
Bathua saag - 250 g
Clarified butter or ghee - 4 tbsp
Turmeric powder - a pinch

Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida - a pinch
Salt - 1 tsp
Warm water -
Oil - to fry 



Method -

1. Sift the flour together in a large kneading bowl.
2. Take out the leaves and tender parts of bathua saag and clean it thoroughly.
3. Boil it in little water until it's tender.
4. Now add every ingredient in the flour except water and mix it nicely.
5. knead a smooth and pliable dough adding enough warm water.
6. Cover and keep it for few minutes to rest.
7. Take small ball size dough out of it and make small round shape kachoris with the help of rolling pin.
8. Heat a deep frying pan or karahi and fry the kachoris in it.
9. Make all in the same manner and serve it hot with matar masala, chole ( chic peas) or any vegetable of your choice.





                                                     



Monday 13 February 2012

Black Forest Pudding : Valentine's Day Special








                  
Ingredients -

Basic chocolate cake (crushed) - 400 g
Wine / cherry syrup - 1/2 cup
Chocolate sauce - 1 cup + for serving
Almonds crushed - 2 tbsp
Black Grapes cut in halves - 200 g
Oranges  - 2
Cream - 200 ml
Sugar granulated - 4-5 tbsp


 

Method -

1. Take a serving dish and spread the crushed cake evenly on it.
2. Spread the crushed almonds over the cake.
3. Sprinkle wine evenly over the cake and almond mix with the help of a spoon.
4. Pour the chocolate sauce over it with a spoon, taking care to soak all portions equally.

5. Peel the oranges, remove the skin, seeds and pith. Segment the orange by running the knife along the fibrous membrane that separates each orange segments.
6. Arrange layers of grapes and oranges over cake mix. Save some grapes for garnishing.
7. Whip the cream with sugar until its mixed well and soft peaks form.
8. Spread the whipped cream  over grapes and oranges and cover it completely.
9. Decorate it with shaved chocolate, grapes, cherries and chocolate sauce.
10. Refrige it before serving.
11. Serve it with hot chocolate sauce.
12. It taste best when prepared a day before.
13. Grapes tastes best with this pudding though oranges can be replaced with strawberries if available.





Stepwise Pics n Instruction of Black Forest Pudding -


                    1.  Crush the chocolate cake and almonds


                    2.   Soak it with wine and chocolate sauce

                     3.  Arrange layers of oranges n grapes    

                      4. Pour whipped cream over fruits

                                 5. Decorate it with sauce

                           6. Sprinkle cherries, grapes n shaved chocolate

                     7. Relish this Marvellous pudding

Chocolata Sauce


Rich Chocolate Sauce -


Ingredients -
 

Cooking chocolate - 100 g
Milk - 1/2 cup
Sugar - 3-4 tbsp
Butter - 1 tbsp 
Cream - 4 tbsp
Vanilla essence - 1/2 tsp 
Corn flour - 1 tsp

Method

1. Break the chocolate into small pieces and melt it in a double boiler, in a bowl.
2. Put all of the ingredients together except cream and vanilla in a saucepan and heat over a low heat, stirring continuously.
3. Once all the ingredients have melted and blended together, take it off  the heat and stir in cream and vanilla.
4. If it has boiled to a thick sauce add little water or if it is thin add little cornflour into it.
5.
Serve it hot with cake or your favourite pudding.




Cocoa Chocolate Sauce - 

Ingredients

 Butter - 1 tbsp
 Milk -     1 cups
 Sugar - 4-5 tbsp
 Cocoa powder - 4 tbsp
 Cream - 3 tbsp
 Cornflour - 1 1/2 tbsp
 Vanilla essence - 1/2 tsp

Method -
 1. Blend together the milk, sugar, cocoa powder and cornflour in a bowl.
 2. Transfer the mixture to a saucepan and heat over a low heat until the mixture begins to boil.
3. Add butter and let it simmer for few minutes, stirring it continuously.  

4. Take it off the heat, add vanilla essence and cream and stir well. 5. If it has boiled to a thick sauce add little water or if it is thin add little cornflour into it.
6.
Serve the sauce hot with your favourite pudding. 

Basic Chocolate Cake


Ingredients -
 
All purpose flour - 2 cups
Butter - 125g
Sugar granulated  - 2 cups
Eggs - 4
baking powder - 1 1/3 tsp
Soda bi carb - 1/2 tsp
Cocoa powder - 4-5 tbs

Walnut chopped - 2-3 tbsp (optional)
Luke warm water or Milk - 1/2 cup


 Method -

1. Beat butter until very light and fluffy.
2. Mix sugar gradually, whisking it all the time.
3. Add eggs in it one by one, beating after each addition.
4. Sift the flour, baking powder and soda and add to the butter
  mixture gradually, folding it lightly.
5. Mix the cocoa into the hot water and add to the batter along 

    with the walnuts.
6. Grease a baking tin and pour the batter into it evenly.
7. Bake it in a preheated oven on a moderate heat until baked,
when inserted with a skewer in the middle it should come out clean.
7. This is a basic chocolate cake, serve it hot or store it in a container. It can be used as a base in many pudding or cake recipes.




Wednesday 8 February 2012

Matar Ke Parathe ( Green Peas Paratha)


Ingredients - 


Peas (matar) - 1/2 kg
Garlic chopped - 5-6 cloves
Ginger grated - 1 inch
Onion chopped - 1 small
Green chillies whole - 2
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Mustard oil - 3tbsp
Refined oil for frying -




For the dough -
 
wheat flour - 2 bowls
salt - 1/2 tsp
Water - Enough to knead the dough

Mix all and knead a soft dough.The dough should be soft as kneaded for chapati making. Cover it with muslin cloth and keep it aside.


Method - 

1.Shell the peas and keep it aside.
2.Heat a frying pan with mustard oil in it.
3. Put cumin seeds and let it splutter, put green chillies, ginger, garlic and onions and fry until onions are brown.
4. Add turmeric, red chilli powder, garam masala, salt and saute a bit.
5. Add matar into it and stir fry for 2 minutes, sprinkle some water and let it cook till it is tender.
6. Dry grind it when it has come to room temperature.

How to proceed -
1. Take small ball size dough and roll out a small puri using a little dry wheat flour.
2. Stuff the puri with 2 spoonfull of the matar filling and close it by sealing the edges.
3. Roll it out with the help of a rolling pin, spreading some flour on the board.
4. Heat a tawa and shallow fry the paratha using oil on both the sides.
5. Make all in the same manner.
6. Serve it with masala allu and Kheer and relish it.


                  















Gajar Ka Halwa (Carrot Halwa)

Ingredients -

Carrot - 1 kg
Milk - 1/2 kg
Sugar - 1 cup
Mawa - 250 g
Cardamom crushed - 3-4
Cashews chopped - 3 tbsp
Almonds chopped - 3 tbsp
Raisins - 2 tbsp
Coconut grated - 2 tbsp
Clarified butter (pure ghee) - 3 tbsp




 Method -

1. Peel and clean the carrot properly in running water and grate it.
2. Heat a deep frying pan (karahi) with clarified butter and fry grated carrots in it stirring it continuously on a low heat for 10 minutes.
3. Boil milk and pour in the karahi and stir it for few minutes on a medium heat.
4. Cover it and let it cook on a low heat, stirring it occasionally until the milk has evaporated.
5. Put sugar and mix it and let it cook until it is dry, stirring it in between.
6. Add Mawa, all the dry fruits, cardamom and mix all nicely.
7. Fry it for few more minutes and it is ready to serve.
8. Garnish it with dry fruits and serve it hot.