Shrikhand

Ingredients:

1/2 kg. curds
300 gms. sugar
1/2 tsp. cardamom powder
Few strands saffron
1/2 tbsp. pista & almond crushed

How to Make:

Tie curd in a clean muslin cloth overnight. (6-7 hours).
Take into a bowl, add sugar and mix.
Keep aside for 25-30 minutes to allow sugar to dissolve.
Rub saffron into 1 tbsp. milk till well broken and dissolved. Keep aside.
Beat well till sugar has fully dissolved into curd.
Pass through a big holed strong strainer, pressing with hand or spatula.
Mix in cardamom powder and dissolved saffron and half nuts.
Put into a glass serving bowl, top with remaining nut crush.
Chill for 1-2 hours before serving.

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Makes: 6-7 servings
Shelf life: 3-4 days refrigerated

Variations: To make fruit flavored shrikhand eg. mango, add pulp at the stage of adding cardamom and saffron.

Adai

Ingredients

Rice - ½ cup
Urad dhal - ¼ cup
Chana dhal - ¼ cup
Thoor dhal - ¼ cup
Yellow Moong dhal - ¼ cup
Red chilies
Salt

How to Make:

Wash and soak the following in in 4 cups of water for 3-4 hours - Rice, Whole Green Mung, Toor Daal & Channa Daal.
Drain out the water.
Add the rice and dhal mixture and all of the remaining ingredients (except for oil) in a blender and grind using a little fresh water. The consistency should be that of pancake batter.
Heat a griddle/skillet/tava on medium to high heat.
Heat a couple of drops of oil on the griddle and once it is hot, smear and wipe off the oil with a paper towel.
With a flat-bottomed ladle, pour a scoop of batter in the center of the griddle.
Place the bottom of the ladle flat on the center of batter. In an outward circular motion, spread the batter evenly.
Drizzle oil sparingly on the Adai and allow it to cook for a couple of minutes.
Run the tip of your spatula around the outer edge of the Adai allowing it to flip over easily.
Flip the Adai to the other side. It should be golden-brown in color.
Serve immediately with a blob of butter or chutney.

Ulundu vada

Ingredients

Urad dhal
Hari mirch
Salt

How to Make:

Soak dhal in water over night. Grind dhal in little water.
Then make vada shape and deep fry in oil.

Sarson Ka Saag

Ingredients

1 bunch Sarson greens
1 bunch spinach
1 onion grated
1/2 tsp. each ginger & garlic grated
3 green chilies
1 tbsp. grated cheese o r paneer (optional)
1/2 lemon juice
salt to taste
2 tbsp. ghee
1 tbsp. oil
1/2 tsp. gram masala
1 tbsp. maize flour

How to Make:

Chop greens, wash, drain.
Heat oil.
Add both greens, green chilies, stir.
Add ginger, garlic, stir.
Add few pinches salt, 1 cup water.
Pressure cook till done. (2 whistles).
Mash well.
Heat ghee in a pan, add onion, saute till brown,
Add all other ingredients, except cheese.
Stir well and cook till oil separates.
Garnish with cheese.
Serve hot with makki ki roti, or paratha.

Preparation time: 25 minutes
Makes: 3-4 servings
Shelf life: Best fresh

Green All-Purpose Chutney

Ingredients:

15 green chilies
1/2 cup coriander
1/2 lemon
1 tbsp. Sev or potato wafers crushed
1/2 tsp. Jaggery
Salt to taste
1 tsp. oil
1 clove of garlic

How to Make:

Put all the ingredients, except oil and asafetida, to a small mixer.
Heat the oil and add the asafetida and put into the mixer.
Run the mixer till smooth chutney is obtained.
Try using no water or as little as possible to make the chutney keep longer.
Add water as and when required.
Store in a clean glass bottle.

Note: Sev is a fried Indian snack made of gram flour.

Makes 1/2 cup chutney
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Shelf life: 1 week (refrigerated)

Hot Kachori

Ingredients

For cover:

1 1/2 cup plain flour
3 tbsp. oil
Salt to taste
Cold water to knead dough

For filling:

1 cup yellow moong dhal washed and soaked for 1/2 hour
1 tsp. gram masala
1 tsp. red chili powder
1/2 tsp. coriander powder
1/2 tsp. coriander seeds crushed coarsely
1/2 tsp. fennel (saunf) seeds crushed coarsely
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
1 tbsp. coriander leaves finely chopped
Salt to taste
2-3 pinches asafetida
1 tbsp. oil
oil to deep fry
1 tbsp. plain flour for patching

How to Make:

For cover:

Mix flour, salt and oil, knead into soft pliable dough.
Keep aside for 30 minutes.

For filling:

Put plenty of water to boil. Add dhal.
Boil dhal for 5 minutes, drain.
Cool a little. Heat oil in a heavy pan.
Add all seeds whole and crushed allow to splutter.
Add asafetida, mix. Add all other ingredients.
Mix well. Do not smash the dhal fully.
But enough to make the mixture hold well.
Remove from fire, cool.
Divide into 15 portions.
Shape into balls with greased palms.
Keep aside.

To proceed:

Make a paste with water, of flour for patching.
Keep aside.
Take a ping pong ball sized portion of dough.
Knead into round. Roll into 4" Diam. round.
Place one ball of filling at centre.
Pick up round and wrap ball into it like a pouch.
Break off excess dough carefully.
Do not allow cover to tear.
Press the ball with palm, making it flattish and round.
Repeat for 4-5 kachories.
Deep fry in hot oil, on low flame only.
If the kachori get a hole anywhere, apply some paste.
Return to oil and finish frying.
Turn and repeat for other side.
Fry till golden and crisp. Small bubbles must appear over kachori.
Drain and serve hot with green and tamarind chutneys.

Preparation time: 1 hour (excluding soaking and cooling times)
Makes: 10-12 pieces
Shelf life: 2-3 days

Note: Take care to fry on low. Hurried frying will result in soggy and oily kachories.

Malai Kofta

Ingredients:

Gravy:

125 gms. Cream
75 gms. khoya or paneer
150 ml. milk
50 gms. Cashew nuts
3 tsp. White pepper powder.
2 1/2 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. grated ginger
1/4 tsp. nutmeg powder
1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
1 tsp. garlic crushed
1" cinnamon
6 cloves
6 cardamoms
salt to taste
3 tbsp. ghee

Kofta:

50 gms. Khoya
50 gms. Paneer
5 medium potatoes
20 gms. cashew nuts
20 gms. Raisins
4-5 green chilies chopped fine
1/2 tsp. ginger grated
1 tsp. coriander chopped
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
Salt to taste

Garnish:

1 tbsp. grated cheese or paneer
1 tbsp. chopped coriander

How to Make:

Koftas
Boil the potatoes, peel and smash them.
Mix together all the ingredients except raisins and cashews.
Take ping-pong ball sized dough in hand.
Flatten. Place 2-3 cashews and raisins in the centre and shape into a ball.
Repeat for remaining dough. Keep aside.

Gravy:
Roast the cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg and cloves together.
Dry grind and keep aside. Wet grind all the other ingredients, except ghee, to a paste.
Heat ghee in a skillet, add powdered spices and fry for 2-3 seconds.
Add paste and fry further for 5-7 minutes stirring well.
Add 2 cups water and simmer on low for 15 minutes.
Warm the koftas either in the oven or on the tava.

Optional: You can deep fry the koftas also.
To serve place warm koftas in a casserole.
Either pour boiling hot gravy on the koftas or pour and bake in hot oven of 5 minutes.
Garnish with grated cheese and chopped coriander.
Serve hot with naan or parathas.

Preparation time: 45 minutes.
Makes: 10 koftas with gravy.
Shelf life: Best fresh.