TASTE IS MY LIFE

CHANDANI CHOCK KI KHASTA KACHOORI WITH ALLU SUBJI AND KANJI VADA

2013-04-12T20:23:00.000-07:00

Few days before it was holi party at our friends place,we all miss typical Delhi ka khana .my friends prepared their delicacies ,so I thought to prepare apni dilli-6 special,means Khasta Kachori with aloo ki sabji and apna dilli-6 ka typical Kanji vada.This was really a hit combo.so thought to share its recipe with all of you as I know you guys love my recipes.

INGREDIENTS
FOR KANJI VADA

Moong Dhuli Dal. 1Cup
Turmeric Powder. 2table spoon
Salt. As per taste
Oil. For frying
Rai seeds. 4 table spoon
Water. 12 cups

Preparations

Grind the rai seeds in a mixer as fine as possible.take a big mouth bottle with lid add water,rai powder,salt and turmeric powder. Keep it in a open place under the sun. For whole two days.

On third day soak moong dal for two to three hours and grind it to make a fine paste,add salt as per your taste.make vadas from this paste and dip it into rai water placed under the sun.but add vadas just after taking out of oil,it increases the fermentation,also enhance the taste.keep this dipped vada mixture also under the sky,vadas will absorb the the texture of rai,your Kaanji Vada are ready on fourth day ideally with typically sour taste.sometime it takes one more day.

TIP:This kanji vada should be used up in two or three day,even after there is some leftover,save it in a fridge.this kanji will last for few more days without being spoiled .

FOR KACHOORI

All Purpose Flour 2 and 1/2 Cup
Salt as per taste
Oil for frying
Urad Dhuli Dal 1 cup
Fennel Seed 1/2 tea spoon
Chat masala 1 tea spoon
Yogurt 2table spoons

           Soak the dal for two or three hours,grind it o make a fine paste.now add two table spoon oil on a high flame,sprinkle half tea spoon wheat flour in this oil.let it to turn brown,this will prevent to stick dal paste to pan .now add dal paste ,fennel seeds and chat masala.keep toasting this paste till it becomes little brown.this will be pitti for the kachories

   Make a dough for kachories by adding curd and oil.the amount for oil should be in a way that you can bind the flour in your palm without adding water.add little salt and little water to make a soft dough. once your dough is ready pat the dough on a kitchen top for about fifty times.this process gives elasticity to the dough and make kachories more crispy.leave this dough for twenty minutes.divide this dough in equal small balls.

   divide the pittis in equal amount of flour balls ,now roll the flour ball a little and fill the pitti and close it as we do for any stuff paranthas . roll it again and try o make ot little thinner from the outside,this helps in puffing up of kachories.

Heat the oil on a high flame ,add the rolled kachories in this heated oil,once the kachories are puffed up,reduce the heat to low and let it to cook for a while to be more crispy and tasty.fry all kachories till it is golden brown.

TIP : You can use onions also while making pitti,just add the shredded onions while toasting the dal

FOR ALLU KI SUBJI

Medium Sized Potatoes 7 or 8
Fenugreek Seeds 1/2 tea spoon
Fennel Seeds 1/2 tea spoon
Cumin Seeds 1/2 tea spoon
Mustered Seeds 1/2 tea spoon
Dry Mango powder 1 tea spoon
Dry Chilli Powder 1tea spoon
Chat Masala 1tea spoon
Coriander Powder 1tea spoon
Turmeric Powder 1Tea Spoon
Asafoetida (Hing) 2 or 3 pinch
Dried Red Chilli 2or 3
Salt as per taste
Ginger Just a small piece
Yogurt     2 table spoon
          Now take a little water in a small glass ,add all the masalas other than ginger and yogurt.let this masala soak for an hour.cut the potatoes in a square pieces.add the oil in a big pan,add ginger ,let it sprinkle for a while and all masala paste,once this masalas starts separating the oil from the sides of the pan, add potatoes and yogurt ,add water about two to three cup ,let it to cook in a open pan,once potatoes are cooked mash the potatoes with spatula to make the gravy little thick.add cilantro and red chili tadka from above.

Serve with green and red chutneys.

PANEER MAHARAJA

2013-01-31T22:28:00.003-08:00

Some days before I was chating with my friend on face book.she asked me why don't I post some paneer recipe in my blog as she is a big fan of paneer,but there was a condition that it should be fat free as much as possible,so I thaught to give a try to this,with my little efforts this delicious paneer maharaja is ready to dig in .

INGREDIENT'S

Paneer 2lb
Onion 2 pieces
cashews 1/2lb
Tomato 3medium sized
Curd 1/2cup
Elaichi small 8 or10
Black pepper whole 8or10
Cinnamon stick small piece
Ginger/garlic paste 2table spoon
Green Chili 2or 3
Chat masala 2table spoon
Dhania Sabut 3table spoon
Kasoorimethi 2table spoon
Milk 1cup
Salt as per taste

PREPARATIONS
   First of all set the oven on broil .than cut the onion lengthwise and spread them on baking sheet and sprinkle little oil over onions . now roast the onions in the oven till it becomes golden brown.you can keep toasting the onions so you can avoid the overcooking of the onions.

   Repeat the process for the cashews by sprinkling little oil too. roast them in broiler till they become golden brown,only you need to keep an eye to avoid overcooking.

           Now take a heavy bottom pan.add little water,now do not make the pieces of tomatoes , only just mark them with knife end, when they are cooked you can peel off their skin easily.add green chili,choti elaichi,and all other sabut masala in this pan.let it to cook for 15 to 20 minutes. take off the skin of tomatoes.

              Now make the puree of roasted onions and cashews.also add curd to this in order to make fine paste.

Also make a puree of the tomato mixture.keep it aside for a while.

Now heat the oil in a pan,roast the ginger/garlic paste till they becomes golden brown.now add onion/cashews paste.roast this ,till it becomes brown and leaves the sides .now add tomato paste,also roast this paste till it leaves sides.add little water and milk to make the consistency little thin.add salt as per your taste.sprinkle chat masala and mix it with gravy. cut the paneer lengthwise and add them to prepare gravy . now heat the just one spoon butter in a small pan ,sprinkle kasoori methi and degi mirch.sprinkle this tadka from above to enhance the taste.

Sprinkle hara dhania and serve it with tandoori roti.

TIP: This gravy can be used with aloo or chicken.choice is yours,you can explore any thing, only sky is a limit.

EGG BIRYANI HYDRABADI

2013-01-02T20:32:00.001-08:00

My husband is a big fan of egg and loves to eat egg in any form.one day when I was making chicken biryani for kids he asked me why don't you make egg biryani for me.it is very easy to make and delicious to eat.so here is my version of egg biryani hydrabadi which is perfect for these chilled night's diner.

INGREDIENTS

Egg(Boiled) 5
Rice basmati 1and 1/2cup
Desi ghee 1cup
Onion 2medium sized
Tomato puree 1cup
Cumin seeds 1table spoon
Green chilli 3or 4
Ginger/garlic paste 2tea spoon
Saffron strings 8or9
Coriander seeds 1table spoon
milk chilled 2or3table spoon
Cloves 2or3
Butter 2table spoon
Mint leaves 7or8
Chat masala 2table spoon
Milk 1/2cup
Salt As per taste

PREP RATIONS
Soak the rice for half an hour ,drain the extra water.now just add half cup water and half cup milk,add little salt and cloves .than cook it only for 8to10 minutes.you need to be little careful while cooking rice,the rice seed should not be full cooked,it should be cooked only half.drain the extra water .leave the rice aside.also soak the saffron in a milk

                  Cut the onion length wise and fry it till it becomes golden brown,now keep the half of fried onion aside and grind the rest in a fine paste.

Take the cumin seeds,ginger/ garlic paste,coriander and green chilli.grind it also in a fine paste.you can add little water to make paste if needed

                  Now add ghee in a pan,add onion and cumin seed paste and stir this paste till it leaves the side.add tomato puree salt,chat masala now mix everything properly.add little water if needed.now cut the egg in two halves ,and mix it in gravy.

   Hence everything is ready,arrange everything for the biryani,first of all arrange the first layer of rice then add little butter,mint leaves fried onions ,than add one layer of egg gravy.

               Now sprinkle little saffron milk from above.than add rice from above this,repeat the same process again but always keep the rice layer from the above.

               Now cover the the biryani with silver foil properly.then cover it with lid.last but not least take the dough than bind the lid and pan with this dough.this is good for dum,as it is best for the dum biryani.now take the flat pan on the medium heat than put the dum pan over the flat pan .

             Keep it on dum for 8to10 minutes till the dough binding is little hard from outside.now before opening the lid from the pan , shake the pan hence everything will mix properly.now open it, your aromatic and delicious biryani is ready to serve with chatni and raita

MAH DAL KI PINNI

2012-12-15T22:44:00.003-08:00

Few days before I presented my mithai platter for diwali on my blog.this is a first meetha prepared on that day.it tastes best and really good for this winter season too.above of all easy to make .so I recommends to all mithai lovers that one should give try this mitha too.

INGREDIENT'S

kali dal(dhuli) 3cup
suji 1table spoon
atta 1tablespoon
khoya 1cup
desi ghee 1 and 1/2cup
sugar 2cup
water 1 and 1/2cup
almonds 1cup

PREPARATIONS

      Soak dal overnight .grind it in a mixer and try to make fine paste as much as possible with less water.

      make the ek taar sugar syrup.then keep it aside for a while.

      Now take a heavy base pan,roast the grated khoya till it leaves sides and becomes brown in color.take this khoya from the pan and let it to cool.

       Now add ghee in the pan,than roast the almonds till it becomes brown,then crush it in a small pieces. keep them aside for a while.

        Than add suji and atta in the ghee let it fry in the ghee till it becomes golden brown.once it attains color, add dal paste and keep toasting till it leaves sides and becomes golden brown now add crushed almonds and khoya .keep toasting the paste once you find that water in the dal has absorbed very much, now add sugar syrup slowly and try to keep stirring it with spatula.once you find that now this mixture is somehow like dough and has less moisture. turn off the heat.let it to cooled down a little while.

     Now apply ghee in your both palms and take 2 tablespoon paste in your palms ,then give them a round shape with your palms.it takes little effort but result is really awesome.

now your dal ki pinni is ready you can garnish it with almonds. you save them for a little while for meetha after diner everynight.

TIP OF THE DAY

2012-12-14T22:32:00.001-08:00

Today I was sitting with my friends and were talking about the marinating the chicken,they asked you how one can marinate chicken in wine,so my answer was yes we can do ,as this process enhance the flavor of the dish.we all know that chicken has a tendency to absorb the flavour,so when we marinate this with wine it becomes magical and aromatic.it is well tried and tasted by my dad who is a big lover of chicken as my son.so here is a process.this can be used for grilled chicken or chicken gravy both.

for this we only need white wine,yogurt,garlic paste,salt,and haldi.the ratio for the white wine and yogurt must be1:4,means if yogurt is 1 cup than white wine should be 1/4 cup.rest is the same as i had written in murgh nawabi

so all chicken lovers must try this recipe too

PAV BHAJI MAKHAN WALI

2012-12-12T21:30:00.002-08:00

It is winter time and having something hot like pavbhaji makhan wali is just too awesome.this is a must eat dish in cold and icy Sunday mornings.my kids just love to eat this and I don't mind to repeat every Sunday mornings as it is healthy and tasty.it is very quick to make it too.so here is a recipe ,hope you all will enjoy this with your family and friends

INGREDIENTS

Cabbage 1 medium sized
Cauliflower 1medium sized
Potatoes 4medium sized
Green bell pepper 1mediumsized
Pav bhaji masala 4tablsepoon
Tomato puree 2cup
Haldi powder 1table spoon
Aamchoor 1table spoon
Green peas 1cup
salt as per taste
butter 1lb
oil 2table spoon

For garnishing

Hara dhania 1bunch
Onion 1small sized
Lemon 1small
Tomatoes 1small

PREPARATIONS

          Cut all the vegetables lengthwise cook it in a pressure cooker by adding haldi ,water and salt.once it is cooked strain the extra water and keep it in a side.

          Now prepare the tadka,for this take the heavy base pan ,add half butter,than tomato puree and let it cook ,till it leaves the sides ,now add salt,pav bhaji masala and little water.now keep toasting this paste for a while,once this paste starts leaving the sides of the pan,add all the boiled vegetables and little water.keep toasting and try to grind these vegetable with the help of spatula.

         Once all the vegetable are blended in the form of paste,add
aamchoor powder,than add butter and oil from the above and let it simmer on a medium heat for a while,but don't forget to toast the bhaji in between in order to prevent it from burning.

        Now garnish the bhaji with finely cut hara dhania,serve it with pav toasted in butter and onion strings and tomato slices.

MURGH NAWABI

2012-12-07T12:42:00.002-08:00

My seven year son and four year daughter is very fond of eating chicken and love to eat chicken recipes prepared by me.One day my son was reading about nawab and their lifestyle ,all of sudden he asked me, can I prepare something of nawabi cuisine.so I thought to give a try and this was really a hit, though this recipe has little different flavor but it is worth trying again and again.Every time I repeat this recipe, my son love to eat all of it.I would like to share this recipe with everyone too.

INGREDIENTS

Chicken Lollipops 9or 10
Yogurt 2 cup
Onion 2 medium sized
Cashews 1cup
Milk 2cups
Haldi(turmeric powder) 1teaspoon
Red chili powder 1teaspoon
Dhania powder 1teaspoon
Saffron 7or8 strings
Ginger/garlic paste 3spoon
Rose water 1teaspoon
Desi ghee for frying
Tomato 2medium sized
Green chili 4or5
Salt as per taste

SHAHI MASALA

Shahi jeera 2teaspoon
Peepli 1small piece
Dhania Sabut 1teaspoon
Jaiphal 1/2 piece
Dalchinni stick 1small one
Javetri 2pieces
Cloves 7or 8
Green elaichi 7or 8
Badi elaichi 2or3

Now take all masala ,roast and grind them in a fine powder,while using it don't forget to strain it through the strainer as nawabi cuisine is famous fir their smoothness and creamy flavour

PREPARATIONS

First of all clean the chicken lollipops.take 1 cup yogurt,add 1teaspoon haldi powder,1 teaspoon ginger/garlic paste,salt as per taste and marinate the chicken lollipops for two hours.
Take the all whole onions and roast them in a oven till they become brown,peel the outer leaf then fry it as is in the ghee till it is golden brown ,make a fine puree of it
Fry the cashews till it becomes golden brown ,make the puree of it too.
Take the tomatoes and make a marks on it with sharp knife all around and roast them and peel of the outer layer and make a puree with remaining yogurt,green chili and haldi.
Take the extra ghee from the pan,now add the onion and cashew paste ,keep sting it till it leaves the sides now add the chicken and little water.let it cook for a while .
After 15 minutes add tomato paste and masala and salt,add little milk so it can be creamy.let the chicken to absorb the all flavour.
Once chicken in cooked ,take out it from the gravy ,add milk as per required to make the gravy little thin,than add rose water in the gravy. let it cook for 5 minutes than add chicken in the gravy and hara dhania from above for garnishing
Your murgh nawabi is ready to eat with paranthas

KUCH MITHA HO JAYE

2012-11-13T21:11:00.001-08:00

Diwali ka tyohar or mitha na ho, namumkin,so dear friends i prepared some MITHAI at home ,hope you will like it and recipe of these mathais will be posted in future so please keep visiting my blog for these mouthwatering recipes.

HAPPY DIWALI TO ALL MY VIEWERS

2012-11-12T14:38:00.001-08:00

HAPPY DIWALI TO ALL

FROM ME AND MY KIDS

GOBHI AWADHI

2012-10-27T13:48:00.000-07:00

My father was in railways,so I had a privilege to live in many cities as my father had a transfers after every three to four years. so I was in Lucknow for three years there I had a privilege to taste the real Awadhi cuisine .nawab has gone but their cuisine and invention for food still present in Lucknow and trying this awadhi Gobhi is awesome and I will say those who love to eat variety they must try this dish.

INGREDIENTS

CAULIFLOWER(Gobhi) 1 medium sized
Onion 2 medium sized
Kaju Split 1cup
Tomato Puree 1cup
Saffron soaked in milk 8or9 string
Khoya 1/2cup
Rose Water 2 or 3 drops

DRY MASALA

Elaichi choti 7or8 seeds
Tej Patta 2or3 seeds
Sabut Dhania 2tea spoon
Cloves 5or6 seeds
Black Pepper 9or10 seeds
Javetri 2or3
Badi Elaichi 2or3
Cumin 2teaspoon
Dalchini just a small stick

OTHER INGREDIENTS

Fresh Cream 1/2cup
Curd 1/2cup
Red Chili Dry 2or3
Dhania Powder 2teaspoon
Salt as per taste
Desi Ghee for frying

PREPARATIONS
       First of all make dry garam masala by using all dry ingredients by roasting all in tawa for a while in order to make them crispy.once they loose heir moisture grind them in a fine powder and strain it in a sieve.so it should be real fine.

       Roast the khoya in heavy bottom pan till it leaves the sides and keep it to be cooled.

      Now take a big pan and heat the ghee till it is very hot now fry the whole cauliflower in it,till it becomes golden brown.we need to fry from both sides.keep this aside for a while carefully.

      Now cut the onion length wise and fry till it became golden brown and make puree by adding curd, homemade garam masala,dhania powder,dry red chili .

      Now fry the cashews and grind it by adding water to make fine paste.than take out the extra ghee from the pan.Add the onion puree till it leaves the side ,than add tomato and kaju puree, keep toasting the paste once all the paste gets brown in color add mava and little water,again toast everything so they get mixed properly.now add salt as per the taste and cream and saffron . you can add little water to make the consistency little thin . your gravy is ready.

       Now take the bowl in which you need to serve the dish.settle the whole gobhi carefully in the middle, flower upside than pour the gravy from the above leave it for a while hence gobhi can absorb the gravy.you can add two ,three drops of rose water from above if you like little fragrance in your food .this enhance the taste and flavour too

ALLU KASHMIRI

2012-10-08T20:29:00.002-07:00

I have fascination for food and love to explore different Cuisine and I think KASHMIRI Cuisine is really worth trying. ALLU KASHMIRI is one of the best recipe of this cuisine to try . The flavour ,the taste,the aroma everything is awesome.but how can I prepare anything without my extra zing.so I prepared this recipe to share with all of you. though it is really tedious to prepare but i will must say it is worth trying this dish.

INGREDIENTS

Small Size White Potatoes 9or10
Shredded Onion Lengthwise 1 and 1/2 Cup
Kaju Tukda 1Cup
Popyee Seeds (Khaskas) 2 Tablespoon
Ginger/Garlic Paste 2 Tablespoon
Saffron 10 or 12 Strings
Turmeric Powder 1 Tablespoon
Salt As Per Taste
Cumin 1Teaspoon
Curd 1Cup
Dhania Powder 1/2 Teaspoon
Fresh Green Chili 2 or 3
Oil To Fry
Tomato Puree 1/2 Cup
Milk 1/2 Cup
Cream 1/2 Cup
Desi Ghee 5or6 Tablespoon

For Filling

Paneer 1Cup
Chat Masala 1Tablespoon
Dhania Powder 1Tablespoon
Kala Namak As Per Taste
Green Dhania Chopped 1Tablespoon
Fried Kaju Tukda 4Tablespoon

PREPARATIONS

             Peel the potatoes and make the hole from middle by using knife,for this just insert the knife in the potato lengthwise and rotate three,four time than takeout the potato peel from this hole.now potato will look like hollow cup,by using same process make the hole in all potatoes
( always take extra care while making hole in these potatoes,knife should not come out of the sides)

            Now Fry these hollow potatoes till they became golden ,prepare paneer at home and add all filling ingredients than mix them all,now fill this mashed paneer in to the fried potatoes carefully.

             Fry the cashew till it became golden brown ,now fry the onions golden brown and take it out than grind it by adding curd,turmeric powder and fried cashews.

            Soak the Popyee seeds overnight and grind it with cumin,and green chilies in a coffee grinder. you can reduce or increase the quantity of chili as per your taste.also soak the saffron in a cup of milk for a while.

             Now we have everything is ready,take the pan and add desighee,now add ginger/garlic paste,saute it till it becomes brown then add onion/curd/cashew paste ,keep whisking this paste till it leaves the side than add popyee seed pastes,tomato puree,salt,dhania powder and keep whisking them properly till it leaves the sides. now add cream and saffron milk to give some extra zing.then add fried potatoes in this gravy ,add some water to make the consistency little thin.cover this dish for a while and let it simmer for a while,so potato can absorb the gravy.last but not the least add tadka from above.

              your ALU KASHMIRI is ready to eat with paranthas or naan.

MOTH KACHORI

2012-10-02T22:16:00.003-07:00

My hubby is from motinagar in Delhi,believe me motinagar has many famous eat outs for snacks like Natraj ke cholebhature and moth kachori .one day I was sitting with my husband and he told me that how he used to enjoy moth kachories and still love to eat those kachories. even shifting from motinagar,after our wadding we used to visit to have these kachories.must say it is worth traveling from east Delhi to west Delhi.after shifting U.S. we used to remember those days and missed moth kachori so I thought to try this at home.believe me it was worth trying and finally got the taste and will suggest you all must try this recipe.

INGREDIENTS

FOR KACHORIS

Maida 2 Cup
Oil 1 Teaspoon
Salt As per taste
Curd 2 Teaspoon
Oil For Frying

FOR MOTH

Moth Ki Dal 2Cup
Imli(Tamarind)Soaked 1Cup
Ginger/Garlic Paste 1TeaSpoon
Salt As Per Taste
Mustard Oil 2Table Spoon
Vegetable Oil 1/2Cup

FOR GARNISH

Rice 1/2Cup
Onion Shredded 1 Cup
Green Chutney 1Cup
Mithi Chutney 1Cup
Chatmasla As Per Taste

PREPARATIONS

Now make the dough by adding maida,salt,baking powder,oil,curd and water.try to make the dough as tight as possible in order to make kachories crispy.

Heat the oil on a high flame and take small portion of the dough,and roll it like a small chapati,insert it in a hot oil.now in same way make 4,5 kachories and insert them in a oil at a time,once all kachories are puffed,reduced the flame let all kachories to simmer till they became golden brown

Soak the moth overnight.now take the big pan and cook this moth in this pan.add ginger / garlic paste,salt,and mustard oil in the begining.let it to cook for a while once the moth is cooked add imli ka pani to give this sour taste.after adding imli water it will become reddish in color .now add oil in this and let it to simmer for little while.

Now for the garnish boil the rice just by adding haldi.and cut the onion lengthwise and

prepare green and mithi chutney.

Once everything is ready now serve the kachories,for this first make the hole in the kachori and fill boiled moth then add both chutneys ,onion,chatmasala and yellow rice from above.

Your yummmy moth kachories are ready to dig in.

DAL MAHARANI

2012-09-18T21:18:00.002-07:00

Few days before I had a get together at my home ,so I prepared many dishes for main cuisine but I was little confuse that which type of dal I should prepare as my friends always expect me to prepare something new,I thought of making rajma ,chole or dal makhani but all these are usual dishes than I remembered my used to make something by mixing all dals,with little twist and experiments I made this dal and named it DAL MAHARANI .it is very delicious in taste and yuummmmmmm.so you all must try this too.

INGREDIENTS

Kali Urad Sabut 2TableSpoon
Channa Dal 2Tablespoon
Tur Dal 2TableSpoon
Moong Dhuli 2TableSpoon
Moong Sabut 2TableSpoon
Moth Ki Dal 2TableSpoon
MalkaMasoor Sabut 2TableSpoon
Badi Elaichi 3Pieces
Hari mirch Sabut 4 or 5
Mustard oil 3 Table Spoon
Onion Chop 1 Cup
Tomato Puree 1/2Cup
Butter 4 Oz.
Ghee Desi 4Oz.
Milk 4Cup
Ginger Paste 1 Table Spoon
Ginger/Garlic Paste 2 Table Spoon
Dhania Powder 2TableSpoon
Garam Masala 2TableSpoon
Salt As per taste

Preparation
First of all soak all dals overnight as my mother says for any dal preparations it is necessary to soak dals properly as to get the best result.

Now cook the dal in a heavy base pan.I do not prefer to cook dal in a pressure cooker as i believe if dal is prepared in a open pan slowly it always gives better results.this will not take much time as dal was soaked a night before .add water as per the need.

Add mustard oil,garlic paste,green chili,salt and Bari elaichi.let it to simmer in a medium heat.once dal seems cooked add butter,it works as binding agent. now add milk and let it simmer for a while. this will give a creamy texture to dal and enhance the taste.

Let the dal to simmer in a low heat meanwhile you can prepare tadka just by saute the onion , tomato puree and ginger garlic paste than add dhania powder and garam masala .you can add chat masala if you want to increase the taste.otherwise it is also fine without it.add this tadka in dal and let it simmer for 10 to 15 minutes more.

Your DAL MAHARANI is ready to dig in with paranthas,hope you will enjoy every bit of it.

TIP:I like to prepare garam masala fresh, just by grinding jeera,,kali mirch,long,sabut dhania,jaiphal and choti elaichi. this masala is really awesome and can enhance the taste of any dish.

KADI CHAWAL

2012-09-13T22:25:00.002-07:00

Mine is a Punjabi family and kadi chawal is one of our family's favorite dish,for me it is a dish for which I can live.I liked it since my childhood and love to try everywhere , whether it is roadside dhabba or five star hotel.I like the most is rajhasthani version as it is speciality of this state,the taste and texture is really tremendous.so I tried their version and till date it is my favorite preparation.So here I am to share my best est recipe with all of you.

INGREDIENTS

For Kadi

Besan 2 Tablespoon
Curd 2 Cup
Turmeric Powder 1 Teaspoon
Coriander Powder 2 Teaspoon
Red Chili Powder 1 Teaspoon
Salt As Per Taste
Fenugreek Seeds(methi) 10 or 12
Funnel Seeds 10 or 12
Dry Coriander Seeds 10 or 12
Whole Red Chili Dry 2 or 3
Cumin 1/2 Teaspoon
Curry Leaves 7 or 8
Hing Powder Just A Pinch
Degi Mirch 1/2 Teaspoon
Mustard Oil 3 Tablespoon
Desi Ghee 4 Tablespoon

FOR PAKORAS

Besan 1 Cup
Salt As Per Taste
Haldi Powder 1 Teaspoon
Kasoori methi 1 Teaspoon
Oil For Frying

PREPARATIONS

Whenever I make kadi my first step is to prepare batter for pakoras,for this mix all ingredients and add water in a such a way that batter neither watery nor very thick.it's consistency should be flowing not dripping.this help to make pakoras soft, keep this batter aside for a while.

Now for kadi take curd add besan,haldi,salt,lal mirch powder,and dhania powder.If you like kadi little sour keep the curd outside the fridge for at least 3 to 4 hours.If you are in hurry and wants to make kadi ,add about 1 teaspoon dry mango powder(aamchoor) .this will also make kadi sour and tasty.now whisk the all ingredients so there should not be any lumps.add water if required.

Now heat the mustard oil in heavy base pan for a while.wait till the oil is burnt,add little salt to remove the flavour of mustard oil.now add methi dana and whole red chili,coriander seeds and funnel seeds.keep in a notice that these two ingredients should not be burnt otherwise the taste of kadi will spoil.now add dahi batter in this oil.keep stirring the kadi and add water if it is needed.

Now let it boil for a while .according to my mother if you want tasty kadi than there should be 100 boils in there than only kadi is prepared and tasty anyways it is her believe. I personally keep this kadi on a medium flame for 30 to 40 minutes.

Now prepare pakoras,some people add onion or potatoes while making pakoras but I like simply besan pakora.heat the oil in a pan and drip pakora batter, spoon by spoon in the hot oil.fry them till they are reddish brown.

Now if your kadi is ready than add pakoras and let it be on flame for more 10 to 15 minutes.now give tadka from the above.

For tadka heat the desi ghee,add cumin seeds,hing,curry leaves and degi mirch.add in to the prepared kadi from the above.keep in notice this tadka should not burn otherwise this can spoil the taste of kadi

Your Kadi is ready to eat with rice

TIP OF THE DAY

2012-09-10T21:29:00.002-07:00

When I shifted to U.S.,I started using lot of frozen food,whether samasos , fries or anything I observed that whenever I dip these frozen snacks in oil, once oil is hot,it takes lot of time as oil gets cooled down due to froze snacks and absorbs more oil than normal,so finally I thought to experiment ,one day while frying samosas I dipped frozed samosas in the beginning even oil was not hot. once oil started heating the samosa also started frying in this oil and believe me these samosas were ready in less time and they all were as crispy as it had to be and always fresh.

DAHI BHALLA IN MY STYLE

2012-09-09T16:21:00.002-07:00

My mother in law is from Lahore,she always miss the dahi bhalla's of Lahore Ki famous food gali even after the so many years. one day she told me about this, so I thought to give a try .With little effort and experiments I was able to satisfy her and for my surprise once I shifted to U.S. she keeps on saying that now she miss my dhai bhalla.must say it is really a big compliment for me.So i thought to write this recipe for my mother in law.hope you all will also give try to this dish along with her.

INGREDIENTS

FOR BHALLAS

Mah Ki Dal Dhuli (Split) 4 Cups
Besan 4 Tea spoon
Ginger Paste 1 Tea Spoon
Hing Just a Pinch
Green Chili 2 or 3
Vegetable Oil For Frying
Salt As per Taste

FOR DAHI

Dahi 4 Cups
Sugar 4 Table Spoon
Salt As Per Taste
Hing Just a Pinch
ChatMasala 1TeaSpoon
CuminSeedPowder (Roasted) 1 Tea Spoon
FreshMint Paste 1/2 Tea Spoon
ChiliPowder As Per Taste
Black Salt As Per Taste

PROCEDURE

Soak the Dal over night.so it will absorb water togive better result.

Grind the Dal , ginger paste,hing and green chilli to make a fine paste.

Now keep this aside for a while and prepare the dahi for bhallas.

Whisk the dahi, so there should not be any lumps and add sugar while whisking the dhai.

Now add mint paste,chili powder ,hing,black salt and little water in this dahi

Now add besan and salt in the Dal paste and whisk it in such a way that there shouldn't be any lumps

Heat the oil and with the help of spoon start dipping paste in oil.

After every dip clean the spoon with water,so Dal paste will not stick the spoon and will result in round shape bhallas

Once all bhallas are done soak the bhalla in the water and microwave it for 2 minutes.

This process will help in making bhallas soft and extra oil will also drain out.

Now drain the extra water just by taking each bhalla in between the palms carefully

Now add these bhallas in prepared dahi

Add chat masala,fresh cilantro and few mint leaves from above keep it in the refrigerator for half an hour. so it can absorb dahi

Your dahi bhallas are ready to eat you can add mithi chatni if you want other wise it is not really needed

TIP: You can preserve these bhallas in the freezer and serve them anytime when you have guest suddenly just by heating them in microwave,but for this process all the bhallas should be well dipped in water. rest is the same.

KAJU ROLL

2012-09-07T09:57:00.002-07:00

Few days before I had a satyanarayan Katha, so I thought of making some sweet for this day,one of my friend used to say that it is very difficult to make kaju barfi. so I thought why I should not try this only with little effort I made these kaju roll believe me this was a showstopper of that day.Now I find easy to make this mithai with little ingredients,so wants to share this recipe with all of you.

INGREDIENTS

KAJU(TUKDA) 2cups
SUGAR 1and 1/2 cup
GREEN EDIBLE COLOR just a pinch
ORANGE EDIBLE COLOR just a pinch

PROCEDURE

Make sugar syrup by adding just one cup of water in it and boil it till it becomes ek taar chashni.
Grind the kaju in fine powder .it is better if you grind the kaju in coffee grinder.
Once the sugar syrup is ready take a thick bottom pan and add sugar syrup and kaju powder
Now keep toasting and stirring this paste till it leaves the sides and become little transparent.
Now separate the dough in three equal parts
Leave the one part as is and add green color in one part and orange in other part
Now we have three dough of three different colors original white,orange and green.
Roll each dough like chapati one by one.
Now keep each chapati on each other one by one like white,green then orange.
Now roll them lengthwise to make a log.
Now cut the log into small pieces.
Your kajuroll is ready to dig in

SOME TIPS FOR RICE

2012-08-26T20:57:00.002-07:00

1.It is very simple but very useful tip.whenever you cook rice. just to mix the rice once it is cooked , we use spatula which is actually wrong.instead of using spatula I advise use butter knife or any knife.this will not harm the rice grain and you will see that each and every grain of rice is intact and rice is no more sticky.you will get each and every grain is separated properly .

2.When you cook simple rice or boiled rice. while cooking add 3 or 4 cloves and little bit of salt. once rice is cooked.you have strained the rice(if you have made steam rice)then add two or three spoon of desi ghee .this will give extra taste and fragrance to rice

MOTICHOOR KE LADDU

2012-08-22T23:23:00.001-07:00

My hubby always likes to eat something meetha after diner .So I keep making something for him.
this weekend I tried motichoor ke laddu.it was little lengthy but taste was heaven and also easy to make with little ingredients.So I thought of sharing this recipe with everyone.......

Besan 2Cups
Sager 2cups
Water 1/12cup
Green Color just a pinch
Desi Ghee to fry
Saffron 7 to 8 threads

PREPARATIONS

First of all make the batter of besan by adding water.
The consistency of this batter should not be very thick or not very watery.
Heat the ghee in karahi (fryer) or deep bottom pot .
Now add one spoon besan batter in the stirrer
Keep toasting the mixture over the hot ghee.
The small droplets of mixture will drop from the stirrer in the fryer.
Once these droplets of besan mixture turns brown,take it out from the fryer.
Once boondi is ready ,keep it aside.
Now make the sugar syrup of ek taar .add saffrons in the syrup.
Crush the boondi by hand and add this boondi in to the sugar syrup
Now make the some boondi by adding green color.this will enhance the look of laddus
Now make the balls of this boondi and sugar syrup while it is hot
Once balls are ready take a little ghee in your palm and reshape the balls again
Reshaping the ball with ghee will add the texture and smoothness to the laddus.

AAM(MANGO) KA ACHAAR

2012-08-20T01:16:00.000-07:00

I have seen my mother making pickles since my childhood.She makes the tastiest pickles in the world.I like the mango pickle the most.The taste ,flavor,aroma everything is superb.when I shifted to USA I missed that aam ka achaar.So I thought to try my hands for this too.I took some tips from my mother and just tried it.result was awesome.I succeeded to achieve taste ,flavor,aroma everything which I wanted.So here I am to share the recipe with all of you.....

INGRIDIENS

Raw Mango 5Lb
Mustered Oil 1Lt.
Fenugreek Seeds (methi) 100Gms
Fennel Seeds(Sauf) 100Gms
Mustered Seeds 100 Gms
Kalonji 50Gms
Salt As Per Taste
Chili Powder 3 Tablespoon
Turmeric Powder 5 Tablespoon
Red chili Sabut 7 or 10
White Chickpeas 1/2 Cup
Hing Powder 1/2 Teaspoon
Black Salt 3 Tablespoon

PROCEDURES

Mix all the whole spices, dry them for 5 to 6 hours under the sun.
Grind them little coarse.
Wash the mango properly before cutting and dry them.
Once mangoes are dried cut them in a small pieces.
Now Add the about 1 and 1/2 cup salt in the mangoes.
Also add the white chickpeas at this time only.
Let these mango pieces and chickpeas overnight.
In the morning you will find some water in the pan and chick peas must have swollen by then.
Stir the salted water in the different pan and keep it aside.
Now dry these mango pieces by spreading under the sun for 3 to 4 hours.
By doing this, there will be no moisture in the mangoes and hence pickle can be store for long.
Once the mangoes are dried well ,take a big pan or dish.
Transfer the mangoes in to this pan.
Clean and dry your hands before making pickle very well.
Now add dry spices,salt,turmeric powder,chili powder,and whole chilies and mix them properly.
Now add about 2cups of salted water which we had stored earlier and mix again everything.
At the end add mustard oil and mix in a such a way that masala is applied on each and every mango piece.
Transfer this pickle in to air tight jar and keep this jar under the sun light for 3 to 4 days.

The best time to make aam ka achaar is between end of the July to mid august after the first rain.As my mother says, if we make acchar between this period, it never gets spoils.

TIP: In USA mangoes are no that sour, in order to achieve this sourness you can add 2 to 3 tablespoon of ammchoor powder in the masala and mix it well.results will be very delicious.

After keeping the jar under the sun ,acchar is ready to eat with anything like parantha or biryani, whatever you like with that's your choice.

KHOYA WALI SAVIYAN

2012-08-16T23:06:00.001-07:00

Eid is around the corner .so I thought to share this recipe as it is simple to make and delicious in taste.this recipe is good for the beginners also as it has minimum ingredients.they can give surprise to their love one with this dish .after all it is time of Eid or kahte hai na MAUKA BHI HAI OR DASTOOR BHI HAI .so Eid Mubarak to everybody,hope you all will enjoy this recipe.

INGREDIENTS

Thin Roasted Saviyan 1 Packet
Khoya 1/2 Lb
Sugar 1 Lb
Dry Fruits Mix 1/2 Lb
Kewra Water 4Tablespoon
Desi Ghee For Frying
Water For Sugar Syrup
Milk 2 Cup

PREPARATIONS

Make the sugar syrup first of all
In order to make sugar syrup ,add water in a pan such as sugar is dipped into it.
We just need to melt the sugar,no need to make tar of it
Now roast the khoya so it becomes brown
keep khoya aside
Now crush all the dry fruits in to small pieces and deep fry them till they becomes brown in color.
Now roast saviyan in this ghee
Strain the extra ghee from the pan
Now add khoya,dry fruits in the roasted saviyan.
Now add sugar syrup carefully to this mixture
Add milk into this .keep it on heat till saviyan are cooked and everything has been mixed so well that they acquires each others texture.
Let saviyan to absorb all milk and syrup.
Let it be cool for a while.now add kewra water in to this seviyan

(We can use almonds,cashews,pistachio as a mixed dry fruits)

MATHURA KE PADDE

2012-08-11T23:36:00.002-07:00

My seven year son is born with sweet tooth.he can live on sweets. his favorite one is Mathura ke padde. which is very simple to make and delicious in taste.It just need patients, so here I am to share the simplest and easiest recipe which I have been using since many years.

INGREDIENTS

Khoya 1 Lb
Sugar 1Lb
Cardamon Powder 1 teaspoon

Keep the khoya in room temperature to soften it.
Transfer the khoya and sager in thick bottom pan.
Keep stir the mixture till it becomes golden brown separates from the sides of the pan.
Add cardamon power in this golden brown mixture.
Wait till the mixture is properly cool.

Once this mixture is cooled down,take a small portion and bind it in the shape of ball.

( you can prepare the khoya at home but you need patience.keep the milk in a low heat till it becomes semi solid )

TIP: If you are making khoya at home then keep the spatula in milk .so milk will not boil over from the pan.

BHINDI DAHI WALI

2012-08-09T22:44:00.002-07:00

My husband loves variations in food and likes to give me a challenge for variety in food.one day we were sitting and suddenly he asked me can you make bhindi in dahi as he knows that bhindi is very slimy in nature even a drop of water can spoil its texture.I took the challenge and prepared bhindi with dahi .it really taste good .now whenever we have some guests at our place, he asks me to prepare this dish and everybody loves it.so I am sharing this recipe with everybody

INGREDIENTS

Bhindi(Okra) 2Lb
Dahi(curd) 1 cup
Onion 1/2 Lb
Turmeric Powder 1teaspoon
Mirch Powder 1/2teaspoon
Chat Masala 1teaspoon
Salt as per taste
Kasoori Methi 1teaspoon
Dhania Powder 1 teaspoon
Oil to fry

PREPARATION

Cut the bhindi lengthwise and deep fry it till it becomes brown
Cut the onion lengthwise and saute it in another pan
Take a bowl and blend the curd as there should not be any lumps
Add tumeric powder,dhania powder,mirch powder,kasoori methi and chat masala in this bowl
Blend all masala properly with dahi so it should look like a paste
Now add fried bhindi in saute onion
Stir it properly and add dahi paste in to it
Keep stirring till oil separates from the side
Add salt as per taste

Your bhindi dahi wali is ready to eat with paranthas.

SOYABIN CHAPPE IN MY STYLE

2012-08-07T23:36:00.000-07:00

I have friend in India who is fond of soybean chap prepared by me. when I started blogging, she immediately asked me to write chaap recipe but I saved it as I wanted to write it on August 8 only because it is her birthday,Even my family member also loves to eat chap,my little four year old daughter calls chap as chicken as it look like chicken. I like to prepare this dish according to my mother recipe .she prepares special chap masala at home .so it is little bit lengthy process but it is really worth.the taste is really heaven.you must try this recipe

INGREDIENTS

FOR CHAP MASALA

Cashew(tukda) 2 tablespoon
Red chili 1/2 teaspoon
Turmeric Powder 1/2 teaspoon
Kasoori Methi 1 teaspoon
black Pepper 1/2teaspoon
cumin Seeds 1/2 teaspoon
Black Cardamon 2pices
Cinnamon Stick 1cm (length wise)
Cloves 5pices
Nutmeg (jaiphal) just a small piece
Green Cardamon 3pieces
Long Peeper(pipli) 2 pieces

Take all spices and dry them in a open heat like keeping under the sun for 2or 3 hours .once all the spices are dried,grinned them in a mixer to make a fine powder.this masala can be stored also.

TIP

If you are in a hurry to prepare this dish and you have no time to dry spices under the sun then you can roast all the spices over tawa and grind it as accordingly.

Soybean chaap 8 pieces
Chap Masala 4 teaspoon
Curd Blended 1/2 cup
milk 1 cup
Onion 2 pieces
Tomato 2 pieces
Ginger/Garlic Paste 2 teaspoon
Green Chili Paste 1/2 tea spoon
Kasoorimethi 1 teaspoon
Degimirch 1/2 teaspoon
Salt as per taste
Oil for frying

In U.S. we get dry chaap,soak these chaaps in a hot water for half an hour
Drain the extra water by squeezing them in a hand
Deep fry them till they become red and keep them aside
Take the 3 or 4 able spoon oil for gravy
Cut the onion lengthwise and saute it in the pan
Boil and grind the tomato to make it puree
Once onion are saute then add ginger/garlic paste and tomato puree
Roast the masala ill it leaves oil from the sides
Now add chaap masala in to this ,do not add salt
Keep stirring so the gravy masala is not overcook
Add the blended curd and keep stirring the gravy to avoid curdling
Now add fried chaaps in this gravy
Add milk to this gravy, so chaap can absorb milk and masala into it
Now chaaps are soft you can add little water to make gravy little thin now salt can be added as per the taste
Now give the final touch by giving the tadka from above

For Tadka heat the butter on a high flame once butter is melt add kassorimethi and degi mirch .remove it immediately to avoid over burning and add it to the main dish

TACO KACHORI

2012-08-05T23:50:00.003-07:00

Yesterday I had some guests at my home for a tea party,they are little health conscious.when I invited them they requested me not to make fried dishes .I had planned to make rajkachori which everybody knows that it is a very much fried dish .so I planned little different I used taco shells instead of fried kachories.believe me it was a hit.everybody liked it and my hubby asked me to repeat again in future too,so I thought I should share this recipe with everybody .

INGREDIENTS

Taco Shells 4
Boiled Chick Peas(white) 1/2cup
Boiled chick peas (black) 1/2cup
sprouts 1/2 cup
Bhalla 4
Chat masala 1 tea spoon
Curd 1 cup
Black Salt just a pinch
Roasted Cumin Powder 1/2 tea spoon
Red chili powder 1/2 tea spoon
Green Dhania Chatny 1/2 cup
Mitthi Sauth Chatny 1/2 cup
Sugar 4 teaspoon
Salt as per taste
Dhania Green for the decoration

PREP RATION

Take a curd in a bowl and add sugar and little salt and mix it properly hence their is no lumps in a curd
Soak the bhallas in a water for little while to make them soft
Drain the extra water from the bhallas
Now tack the TACO Shells
Dip the Bhallas in a curd
Add this dipped bhalla in taco shell and add little curd
Now Sprinkle 1 table spoon of both chickpeas and sprouts
Now add both chutneys over it
Sprinkle cumin powder,chat masala,black salt , red chili and green dhania.
Your Taco kachories are ready to dig in

Tip: To make sprouts, soak the moth ki dal overnight and put them in cooker

by adding little salt and turmeric powder and keep it on flame till cooker

begins to whistle.remove the cooker and delicious sprouts are ready to use