Rice kheer

Rice kheer (rice, milk pudding) is a simple and fast dish to make and very delicious.

Ingredients:

Basmati rice      -1 cup

Water   - 1½ cups

Milk     -  4 cups

Sugar   - ¾ cup, or as required

Cardamom powder      - ½ tsp

Ghee    - ½ tbsp

Cashews          - broken to pieces tbsps

Kismis              - 1 tbsp

Method:

Clean and wash the rice, add the water and ½ cup milk and pressure cook for five minutes. Cool and open the pressure cooker, and add the remaining milk and kismis, keep on low flame. Simmer for about 2 minutes, add the sugar and simmer for another 7-8 minutes, when the milk thickens a bit. Add the cardamom powder, mix well and remove from fire. Heat the ghee, fry the cashew pieces to light brown color and add to the kheer. Can be served warm, or cold after refrigeration.

Yummy bitter guard curry

Bitter gourd lowers blood glucose, so it is very good for Diabetic persons. Those who want to lose weight can add Bitter Gourd in their diet as it stimulates liver for excretion of bile juices that are very essential for metabolism of fats. It purifies blood because of its blood-purifying properties and also cures many blood disorders like blood boils and itching due to blood poisoning.

Ingredients:

Bitter guard      - 500 gms

Onion   -1 big

Oil        - 2 tbsps

Turmeric powder          - 1/3 tsp

Chille powder   - ½ tsp

Coriander powder        -1 tsp

Salt to taste

Tamarind pulp  - 3 tbsps

Jaggery syrup   - 3 tbsps

Method:

Wash and clean the bitter guard, slit lengthwise and cut into pieces.

 Chop the peeled onion fine. Heat oil in a thick bottomed pan and add the cut onion. 

When it becomes transparent, add the cut bitter guard pieces and stir for some time. 

Reduce the flame and cover it, stirring in between. When it is cooked, add all the masala powders, and jaggery syrup. Stir, add he tamarind pulp. Mix well and check the taste. Adjust the jaggery/ pulp flavor according to your taste. Let it simmer for five minutes and it tastes good with either rice or chapatti.

Chana curry

Ingredients:

Chana  - 1½cups soaked overnight (add 1tbsp of chana dal to it)

Onion   - 1 big

Tomatoes         - 2 medium size

Oil        -2 tbsps

Turmeric powder          - 1/3 tsp

Chille powder   -  ½ tsp

Coriander powder        -1tsp

Garam masala powder  - ½ tsp

Tamarind

Salt to taste

Bay leaf            - 1

Cloves  -3

Tea powder      - 2 tsps

Method:

Boil one cup water, add the tea powder. Remove from fire and let it seep for 2 minutes. Sieve and pour the tea into the pressure cooker. Add another cup of water, soaked chana, bay leaf, cloves and salt. Pressure cook for 15 minutes and allow it to cool.

Meanwhile, grind sliced onion and tomatoes and add it to heated oil in a thick bottomed pan. Reduce the flame and keep stirring in between till the oil starts separating. Now add all the masala powders, stir, add the cooked chana (mash some of the chana with the back of the ladle) , and tamarind pulp. Simmer for about ten minutes and it is ready to be served with puris or bature. Can be garnished with cut coriander leaves.

Bature

While doing post graduation with my husband in Lucknow, once in a while I used to take a break from making breakfast to have awesome ‘jhole bature’ from the famous ‘Mirchu ka dukan ‘ on the way to the college… and it used to be yummy. Before I left the place after my studies, I told him that we were leaving and requested to give me the recipe. He obliged me and over the years, whenever I make chana bature, I thank Mirchu in my mind.

Ingredients:

Refined flour (Maida)    - 3 cups ( for 10 bature)

Sour curds        - ¾ cup

Salt to taste

Sugar   - 3 tsps

Baking soda     - 1/3 tsp

Oil for frying

Method:

Sieve the maida with baking soda into a large bowl, and salt. Add sugar to the curds and mix well. Pour this into the maida and knead into  a stiff dough. Add a little water if needed. It should be stiff dough because it is going to be left overnight for rising, and it is going to be softer by then.

By morning it will be risen, knead a bit more, divide into ten balls, spread them to rounds and deep fry in heated oil on medium flame. I like it white in color, so don't fry for long time to make it brown. Some like it brown. Serve with chole and cut onions

Jackfruit muffins

Jackfruit is the largest known tree borne fruit. Even a small jackfruit weighs about 5-7kg. The fruit is rich in potassium, calcium, and iron. Sri Lanka and Vietnam have established jackfruit industries, where the fruit is processed into products as diverse as flour, noodles, papad and ice cream.

Jackfruit is an  excellent source of Vitamin C. It is known to strengthen the immune system by improving the condition of white blood cells. Jackfruit is a rich source of antioxidants, phytonutrients and flavonoid that make it highly beneficial to protect from cancer. Its high content of potassium helps to lower high blood pressure and reduces the risk of stroke and heart attack.

Jackfruit contains good amount of dietary fiber, which improves digestion and prevents constipation. Its dietary fats help to clean toxins from the colon, thus giving protection from colon cancer.

 I love ripened jackfruits, its smell is heavenly for me.

Ingredients:

Ripened jackfruit – deseeded and blended- 2 cups

Wheat flour      - 1 cup

Baking soda     - ½ tsp

Rice flour          - 3 tbsps

Ghee    - 2 tbsps

Cinnamon powder – ½ tsp

Cardamom powder – ¼ tsp

Jaggery             - 1½ cups. Add 1 cup water to the jaggery and put on fire. When it dissolves, sieve and keep aside

Method:

-         Add the jackfruit pulp to the jaggery syrup while the syrup is still warm and mix well.

-         Sieve the wheat flour with baking soda and add to this.

-         Mix in the rice flour and then add cinnamon powder, cardamom powder and ghee. Again mix well.

-         Heat the oven to 200 degrees.

-         Oil the muffin tins, put in the butter paper cups, and pour the batter.

-         Bake for about 30 minutes.

-         The muffins will come out clean only when it is thoroughly cooled, or a lot of it will stick to the butter paper. 

Handvo

Handvo is a traditional Gujarati dish. It is a savory lentil cake, with a nutty sesame seed crust. 

Ingredients:

1/4 cup urad dal (split black lentils)

1/4 cup green moong dal (split green gram)

1/4cup chana dal (split bengal gram)

1/2 cup rice

1/2 cup sour curds

3/4 cup grated bottle gourd (doodhi / lauki)

3 tsp oil

2 tsp lemon juice

½ tsp soda bi-carb

1 1/2 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1/4 tsp chilli powder

1 tsp ginger-green chilli paste

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

¼ tsp jeera

11/2 tsp sesame seeds

1/4 tsp asafoetida

Method:

- Clean, wash and soak the dals and rice separately in water for about 6 hours. Drain and keep aside.

- Grind the rice to a slightly rough consistency, then add all the dals and again grind to a rough consistency. You can add a little water if needed.

-  Take this out, mix with the curds,cover and keep aside to ferment overnight.

- In the morning, add the bottle gourd, lemon juice, sugar, chilli powder, turmeric powder, ginger-green chilli paste and salt and mix well. Keep aside.

- Heat the oil in a kadhai and add the mustard seeds.

- When the seeds crackle, add the jeera, sesame seeds, asafoetida and cut coriander leaves and sauté on a medium flame for a few seconds.

- Pour half of this to the batter and mix well. Finally, add the baking soda and mix.

 - Preheat the oven to 200ºc. Grease a baking dish, pour half of the remaining seasoning onto the bottom of the baking dish and pour the batter.

- Pour the remaining seasoning over the batter and bake for 40- 45 minutes, till the crust is golden brown in color.

- For breakfast, serve with coconut chutney. For lunch, with green chutney and buttermilk.

- There is an easy version of Handvo that is made with semolina and bottle gourd. 

   For recipe, CLICK HERE