Gajar ka Halwa (Red Carrot Pudding)

Come winters and I wait for the red carrots to hit the market. I just love gajar ka halwa. I am today sharing the traditional way of making it. Though the process is time consuming ( not tedious) , trust me its worth all the effort. Once you make it this way you will never eat store bought gajar ka halwa. 

Please use only red carrots not the orange ones. 

I have used 125 gms of sugar  as I like my halwa to be on the sweeter side but you can start by adding 100  gms first and then add more as per your taste. Remember it will taste sweeter once it is done.

Ingredients:

Carrots Milk Sugar Ghee/clarified butter Cashew nuts broken Almond flakes Pistachio flakes Raisins Cardamom pd

1 kg 2 kg ( 1 kg full cream +1 kg toned ) 125 gms 4 tbsp 1 tbsp 1 tbsp 1 tbsp 1 tbsp 1 tsp

Method:

1. Put the milk to boil in a heavy bottom wok.
2. Wash and peel the carrots.
3. Grate the carrots and pressure cook them for two whistles with half cup of milk.
4. Add boiled carrots to the boiling milk once it has reduced to half. 
5. Continue cooking  on slow heat till almost all the milk has evaporated. Keep stirring regularly to avoid it form sticking to the bottom.
6. Add 100 gms sugar. Once it has melted , taste it  add more sugar as per your taste. 
7. Stir continuously as now the chances of it sticking to the bottom are even more.
8. Continue to cook  till the mix is completely dry.
9. Now add ghee, nuts (keep some for garnishing later) and cardamom pd. Stirring continuously roast  on medium to high heat for a 3-5 minutes.
10. Remove from fire . 
11. Garnish with remaining nuts and serve warm .
12. Once completely cool store in fridge in an air tight container. 
13. Warm it before serving.
14. Stays fresh for 7 - 10 days in the fridge.

Strawberry crumble squares

Till a few years back sourcing strawberries was a difficult task so whatever little we could source , we enjoyed them raw. Now with their availability in abundance , I thought of using them in baking. 

While googling one day I came across this recipe for blueberry crumb bars and that's when I decided to try it with strawberries as I didn't have blueberries . I have made a few changes in the recipe. I have not used the egg. Replaced margarine with butter , added almond meal to flour and topped it with almond flakes. Last but  not the least reduced the quantity proportionately to suit my needs.

The recipe has been adapted from : http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Blueberry-Crumb-Bars/Detail.aspx

Ingredients:

Strawberries	250 gms.
Cornstarch.	2 tsp
Butter cubed.	80 gms
Brown sugar	60 gms
Salt  a pinch
Lemon  zest  of	one lemon
Castor sugar	50 Gms
Castor sugar	50 Gms
APF	150 gms
Almond meal	25 gms
Baking pd	1/4 + 1/8 tsp
Almond flakes	25 gms
Strawberries	250 gms.

Method :

1.       Wash and dry strawberries on a clean kitchen towel.

2.       Cut them into 4.

3.       Sprinkle castor sugar and cornstarch on them and mix lightly.

4.       Keep them aside.

5.       Mix flour,  baking powder and butter using your finger tips, till it looks like  coarse bread crumbs

6.       Add sugar , salt , lemon zest and almond meal.

7.       Mix well, the crumble is now ready.

8.       Grease and line a dish measuring ( l,b,h) 9,5,2 inches.

9.       Spread  half of  the crumble mix  in the prepared dish.

10.   Place strawberries along with their juice over this mix.

11.   Cover the strawberries with the remaining crumble mix.

12.   Sprinkle almond flakes on top.

13.   Bake in a preheated oven at 190 deg. Celsius for  35 to 40 min. Or till top is slightly brown.

14.   Let it cool completely. Refrigerate for a few hours . Cut into squares.

Palak Paneer Bhurji ( Shredded Spinach and Crumbled Cottage Cheese)

Spinach and fenugreek leaves are two greens loved by everyone at home. Cottage Cheese in Spinach sauce is on every restaurant 's menu, loved by kids and adults alike

Here is my twist on the famous vegetable, Shredded Spinach with crumbled Cottage Cheese.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients:

 

Spinach. 2 bundles                                        ( 400gms)

Tomato 4 med.                                              (200gms)

Oil                                                                  2 tbsp

Garlic                                                             1 1/2 tsp heaped (crushed)

Ginger paste                                                  1 1/2 tsp heaped

Green chilly                                                   1/2(finely chopped)

Cumin seeds                                                 1/2 tsp

Onion                                                            3/4cup ( finely chopped)

Cottage Cheese                                             250 gms (grated)

Coriander pd.                                                1 1/2 tsp

Red chilly pd.                                                1 tsp

Turmeric pd.                                                 1/2 tsp

Garam masala pd.                                          a pinch

Salt to taste

Asafoetida                                                    a pinch

Sugar                                                            1 tsp

Lemon juice                                                 1 tsp ( optional )

 

Method:

 

 

1. Blanch , peel and chop tomatoes. Keep them aside.
2. Pick, clean and wash spinach .Chop it very finely.
3. Heat oil in a pan.
4. Add asafoetida and cumin seeds.
5. Add onion and garlic when cumin seeds turn brown.
6. Sauté till onions turn golden but are still soft.
7. Now add tomatoes and ginger paste.
8. Cook till slightly thick, add coriander pd, red chilly pd. and turmeric pd.
9. Stir and cook till almost dry.
10. Add shredded spinach, salt and sugar. Mix well.
11. Cover and cook till spinach is done.
12. Add grated cottage cheese. Mix well.
13. Sprinkle garam masala pd .
14. Cook till all the water evaporates.
15. Add lemon juice, if using
16. Taste and adjust salt.
17. Serve hot with any Indian bread of your choice.

 

Rasavangi

Rasavangi , a South Indian curry, pairs very well with plain rice.

 

  

Ingredients :

Black gram  ( kala chana )                          1/2 cup

Toor dal ( split pigeon peas)                      1/4 cup

Brinjal                                                       1 med sized ( of the big variety)

Salt to taste

Water                                                       350 ml.

Tamarind paste                                         2 tbsp

Turmeric pd.                                             1/2 tsp

Chopped coriander.                                   2 tbsp.

Paste

Whole coriander seeds                             1 tbsp

Chana dal                                                1 /2 tbsp

Urad dal                                                   1/2 tbsp

Peppercorn                                              14 no.

Cloves                                                      4 no.

Whole red chilly                                        4 no.

Fresh coconut                                           1/2 cup ( grated)

Tempering:

Ghee/ clarified butter                                1 tbsp

Asafoetida                                                a pinch

Mustard seeds                                          1 tsp

Urad dal                                                    1/2 tsp

Curry leaves                                              12

 

Method :

1. Wash and soak  black gram overnight.
2. Pressure cook with salt and sufficient water till done.
3. Meanwhile wash and soak toor dal.
4. When pressure drops add toor dal and pressure cook till both chana and dal are done.
5. Wash and chop brinjal into 1" pieces.
6. In a separate pan boil brinjal pieces with turmeric , salt and tamarind paste with 350 ml water.
7. Boil till brinjal is mushy. Crush a few pieces with the back of a ladle.
8. Dry roast all ingredients except fresh coriander  till light brown , mentioned under paste.
9. Switch of the gas and add coriander , mix well.
10. When cool grind  into a fine paste using little water.
11. Now mix all three-- black gram, toor dal mix, brinjal mix and the paste.
12. Check the consistency of the gravy. It should be medium thick.
13. Give it a boil .  Adjust salt
14. For tempering : heat ghee in a pan and add tempering ingredients in the order they are mentioned. Pour tempering over the curry.
15. Garnish with chopped coriander.
16. Serve with plain rice.
17. Tastes better with a dollop of ghee.

Tip :

1. Add water if curry too thick.
2. Quantity of tamarind can be adjusted depending on how tangy you like your curry.
3. I have made it medium tangy because my husband doesn't like too tangy  a stuff

Raw Banana Roast

Bananas are really a versatile vegetable/ fruit. Raw banana roast is a crispy dry side dish that can be served with any curry and plain rice. Simple and quick to make.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients :

Raw bananas                       3

Salt to taste

Oil                                       3 tbsp

Mustard seeds                    1 tsp

Curry leaves                       12

Fresh coriander                  1 tbsp( chopped).   

 

Spice Powder

Coriander seeds                 2 tbsp

Chana dal                           1 tbsp

Urad dal.                            1 tsp

Peppercorn                        1/2 tsp

Whole red chilly                 3

Anardana ( dry pomegranate seeds ) 1 tsp

 

Method:

1. Scrape the banana skin a little to remove fibre.
2. Wash and pressure cook in sufficient water for two whistles.
3. When cool, peel and  cut them into 1" thick quartered cubes.
4. Dry roast all the ingredients  until golden and fragrant (given under spice powder).
5. Grind them into a fine powder.
6. Spread the banana cubes in a large flat dish.
7. Sprinkle the spice powder and salt . Gently mix well.
8. Heat oil in a non stick pan.
9. Crackle mustard seeds. Add curry leaves.
10. Now add the spiced banana cubes and sauté for a couple of minutes so that they become crispy.
11. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Note : don't throw away the banana leaves.  You can make a dry side dish with them . I'll soon post a recipe for the same.