How to use your left over daal to prepare healthy paranthas?

Ingredients
Left over cooked daal - 1 bowl
Wheat flour - 3 cups
Onion - 1 small (finely chopped)
Coriander leaves - (finely chopped)
Ghee - 5 tbl spoon
Oil - for preparation

Method
Take 3 cups of wheat flour in a bowl add cooked daal, finely chopped onion, coriander leaves and knead into a soft dough. Apply 1 tbl spoon ghee and keep aside.

Devide dough into small equal portions and roll out each portion into a round chapati. Now apply 1 tbl spoon ghee and fold the chapati into half, again apply 1 tbl spoon ghee and fold the chapati into half you will get a triangular shape, further roll them out into parantha. Heat the tawa or non-stick pan, apply 1 tbl spoon oil and place the parantha on it and cook both side till you get the evenly golden colour on both side. Transfer into a serving dish and serve it with chilled curd or mixed pickle or mint chutney.

How to use your cooked left over sabzi to prepare healthy and tasty mix veg paranthas?

Ingredients
Leftover cooked vegetable (dry) - 1cup
Wheat flour - 2 cups
Onion - 1 medium (finely chopped)
Mint       10-15 fresh leaves (finely chopped)
Coriander Seeds - 1 tbl spoon (roasted)
Dried pomegranate seeds - 1 teaspoon
Ghee - 5 tablespoons
Oil - for cooking

Method
Take 2 cups of wheat flour in a big bowl and add 1 cup cooked dry vegetable, finely chopped onion, mint leaves, roasted coriander seeds, dried pomegranate seeds and knead into soft dough with enough water. Apply 1/2 table spoon of ghee and keep aside.

Devide the dough into equal portion and roll out each portion into a round chapati. Now apply 1 tbl spoon ghee and fold the chapati into half again apply 1 tbl spoon ghee and fold the chapati into half you will get a triangular shape, further roll them out into parantha. Heat the tawa or non-stick pan, apply 1 tbl spoon oil and place the parantha on it and cook both side till you get the evenly golden colour on both side. Transfer into a serving dish and serve it with chilled curd or mixed pickle or mint chutney.

How to make shakkarkandi and kiwi chaat?

Ingredients
Sweet potatoes - 2 (boiled and peeled)
Kiwi - 3 medium
Ginger - 1/2 inch piece
Mint leaves - 1/2 cup
Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup
Black salt (kala namak) - 1/2 teaspoon
Chaat masala - 1 teaspoon
Crushed black peppercorns - 1/4 teaspoon
Coriander seeds - 1 tblsp (roasted and crushed)
Lemon - 1 medium
Salt to taste
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon (roasted and crushed)

Method
1. Roughly chop ginger, green chillies, mint leaves, 1 kiwi and coriander leaves and grind into chutney.
2. Cut sweet potato into small cubes. Peel the remaining kiwi and cut into small cubes. Place both in a bowl.
3. Add black salt, chaat masala, crushed black peppercorns, crushed coriander seeds, ground chutney, lemon juice and salt and mix well.
4. Transfer into a serving bowl, sprinkle crushed cumin seed over the chaat, garnish with coriander & tomato wedges and serve.

Sabudana Kheer

Ingredients
Sabudana (tapioca) - 1/2 cup (soaked for 2-3 hours)
Milk - 2 cups
Sugar - 6 tsp
Cardamom - 3 (opened)
Kesar - 1/4 tsp
Rose water - 4 tsp
Almonds - 5 (crushed)
Pistachio - 4 (crushed)

Method
Boil the milk in a deep pan. Add soaked sabudana into boiling milk, add sugar and let it cook on medium gas for 20 mins. Stir occasionally to make sure that the milk does not burn or the tapioca does not stick to the bottom of the pan. Pour cooked sabudana kheer into a bowl and garnish it with crushed almonds and pistachio.

Tip:
If it gets too thick, you can add some more milk and sugar to it.

Servings: 6, Preparation Time: 5 minutes, Cooking Time: 25 minutes

How to make Amarkhand?

Ingredients

Curd     1/2 kg

Paneer (cottage cheese)     100gm

Mango Essence 1/2 tbl spoon or Mango Puree 1 bowl

Sweet Condensed Milk 1/2 tin

Cardamom Powder  1/2 tbl spoon

Mango thin slice   4 (for garnishing)    

Method

Hang 1/2 kg curd in muslin cloth for 10 mins. Now mash 100gm paneer (cottage cheese) with clean hands till smooth and blend with 1/2 tin sweet condensed milk. Add 1 bowl mango puree or 1/2 tbl spoon mango essence (whichever is available), add cardamom powder, mix well with the help of spoon. Remove the curd from muslin cloth and add into the mixture blend well with spoon. Keep the amarkhand in freez for 20 mins. Serve chill amarkhand with mango slices.

Tip:  You can garnish this amarkhand with dry fruits to make it a Shahi Amarkhand. Enjoy chilled amarkhand in this hot summer.

Mixed Fruit & Mixed Nuts Barfi

Ingredients
• Mawa (khoya) - 2 cups (grated)
• Ghee - 1/2 teaspoon (for greasing)
• Plums- 3
• Peaches (slightly overripe) - 2
• Sugar - 1/4 cup
• Green cardamom powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Mixed Nuts - 1/2 cup

Method
Peel peaches and chop them finely. Finely chop plums. Heat a non-stick pan, add khoya, sugar and green cardamom powder and cook till khoya melts and sugar dissolves. When the khoya melts, add plums and peaches and mix till well blended.

Grease a tray with ghee and spread some of the nuts over it. Spread mawa mixture in the tray over the nuts and sprinkle the remaining nuts over it. Place the tray in the refrigerator and allow it to set. When burfi sets, cut and serve.

Servings: 4, Preparation Time: 10-15 minutes, Cooking Time: 10-15 minutes

Akhrot Ki Barfi (Walnut Barfi)

Ingredients
• Walnuts,blanched, peeled and ground into a coarse paste.
• Mawa (khoya) - 1/2 kg
• Ghee - 1/2 teaspoon (for greasing)
• Green Cardamom Powder- 1/2 teaspoon
• Sugar - 1/2 cup

Method
Place the mawa in a non-stick pan and saute on medium heat for five to six minutes. Add sugar and continue to saute for five to six more minutes. Now add walnut paste, green cardamom powder and saute for two minutes. Spread the walnut mixture evenly on the greased tray and let it cool down to room temperature. Refrigerate for five to six hours. Cut into desired shapes and serve.

Servings: 4 , Preparation Time: 10-20 minutes, Cooking Time: 15-20 minutes

Khus-Khus Halwa

Ingredients
• khuskhus (Poppy seeds/posto) - 1 cup
• Milk - 2 cups
• Ghee - 4 tablespoons
• Cashewnuts - 1/4 cup
• Almonds - 1/4 cup
• Pistachios - 1/4 cup
• Sugar - 3 tablespoons

Method
Soak khuskhus (Poppy seeds/posto) overnight. Drain the poppy seeds and grind with very little water to a thick paste. Heat ghee in a non stick pan, add poppy seed paste and saute till it turns a light brown.

Add milk after reducing heat and cook, stir continuously, till it begins to thicken now add chopped nuts, sugar and mix well. Transfer into a serving bowl, garnish with fried almonds and cashewnuts and serve hot.

Servings: 4 , Preparation Time: 15-20 minutes, Cooking Time: 20-25 minutes

Gur, Nariyal and Chana Dal Barfi

Ingredients for Gur, Nariyal and Chana Dal Barfi

Gur (1 ½ cup)

Coconut, grated (2 cups)

Split chana dal (soaked for 1 hour) (2 cups)

Ghee (3 table spoon+greasing)

Green cardmom pawder (1/4 teaspoon)

Saffron (a pinch)

Refined Camphor (a piece)

Cashewnuts, chopped (3 tablespoon)

Method for Gur, Nariyal and Chana Dal Barfi

Cook chana dal with 3 tablespoon ghee in a non-stick pan sauté for 4-5 minutes.

Strain the ghee from the pan. Now add coconut, mix and sauté for 4-5 more minutes. Add cardamom powder, saffron, mix well and cook for 3-4 more minutes.

 Now add jaggery, mix and cook till it melts. Add cashew nuts, mix and transfer mixture onto greased tray and spread evenly.

Take a piece of aluminum foil and fold it to make a small rectangle. Place a piece of camphor on it, burn and place on the tray. Cover entire tray with another aluminum foil for ½ a minute. Remove camphor and refrigerate till set. Cut into desired shaped and serve at room temperature.

Lauki/ Dudhi/ Bottle gourd Barfi

Lauki/ Dudhi/ Bottle gourd Barfi is a really so tasty and healthy Indian mithai/ sweet which is very easy to prepare and easy to store for some days.

Ingredients for Lauki Barfi (Dudhi, Bottlegourd)

Lauki (Dudhi, Bottlegourd), grated     2 cups

Sugar                                                 ½ cup

Khoya/ mawa                                    1½ cup

Ghee                                                  for greasing

Milk                                                   2 cups

Mixed nuts chopped                           ½ cup

Green cardamom pawder                   1 teaspoon

Mathod for Lauki Barfi (Dudhi, Bottlegourd)

Boil milk in a deep non-stick pan. Now add grated bottle gourd and mix with the help of stapula. After 10 minutes add khoya, half the chopped nuts and sugar. Again mix well and cook for five to ten more minutes. Grease an aluminum tray with sufficient ghee.

Remove from heat and pour the mixture into the greased tray, spread evenly. Sprinkle cardamom powder and remaining chopped nuts and set aside for an hour. Cut into desired shapes and serve.

Popular Nariyal Barfi / Coconut Barfi

Coconut Barfi is a very popular and delicious Indian sweet, prepare during every Indian festival. It is very easy to prepare.

Ingredients

•	Coconut,scraped	4 cups
•	Sugar	3 cups
•	Milk	3/4 cup
•	Green cardamoms	2
•	Saffron (kesar)	a few strands
•	Ghee	2 tablespoons

Method

Mix sugar and milk well. Now add scraped coconut and mix well.

Transfer the mixture into a pan and cook, stirring continuously with a spatula.

Peel cardamoms and crush the seeds. Add crushed cardamom seeds to coconut. Mix well and add saffron. Mix again.

Continue cooking for about ten minutes or till the mixture becomes a little dry and begins to leave the sides of the pan.

Grease a tray with ghee. Pour the mixture into it and spread evenly. Cool and cut into pieces and serve.

Gehun Ka Sheera or Wheat Flour Halwa

Gehun ka Sheera or Wheat Flour Halwa  is nothing but a halwa made of wheat flour. It is very delicious and easy to make. It can be made instantly whenever you feel like eating something sweet at home.

Ingredients for Wheat Flour Halwa Recipe

Wheat - 100 gms.

Ghee - 60 gms. (a little more than 1/4 cup)

Sugar or Jaggery - 100 gms. (1/2 cup)

Cashews - 20 (chopped)

Raisins - 25-30 (separate the stems)

Cardamom - 5-6 (chopped)

Method - How to make Wheat Flour Halwa

Sieve the flour and roast it in a pan with 1/2 tea spoon ghee till it turns light brown in colour on a medium flame.

Take out the roasted flour in a plate. Now pour water and sugar/ jaggery into the pan and let them boil. The quantity of water should be thrice the quantity of the flour. Once the sugar/ jaggery dissolves into the water put flour into it and stir slowly and continuously with the spoon. Mix chopped cashews and raisins into the halwa and mix well. Keep on stirring the halwa so that it don’t stick at the bottom of the pan.

Once the halwa gets thick in consistency pour the remaining ghee into it and cook the halwa while stirring continuously. Turn off the flame and mix cardamom and ghee into the halwa.

Wheat Flour Halwa is ready. Take it out in a serving bowl and garnish with chopped cashews and pistachios.

Bengali ChumChum Recipe

Cham Cham is a traditional Bengali sweet that is popular in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan. It comes in a variety of colors, like light pink, light yellow, and white. It is also coated with coconut flakes as a garnish. It is prepared with chena and stuffed with meva and dry fruits.

Ingredients for Bengali Chamcham

Milk - 1 liter (5 cup)

Lemon juice - 2-3 tbsp (2 lemons)

Sugar - 2 cup (450 grams)

Ararot - 1 tbsp

For Stuffing:

Mawa - ¼ cup (60 gram)

Cardamoms - 3-4 (peel and make powder)

Powdered sugar - 2-3 tbsp (30 grams)

Pistachios - 7-8 (thinly sliced)

Kewada essence - 2-3 drops

Yellow color - less then 1 pinch

How to make Bengali Chum Chum

Prepare Chena for Chumchum:

Take milk in any utensil and place it on flame for boiling. When milk starts boiling turn off the gas and let it cool down (it should be 80% hot).

Add water in lemon juice. Add little amount of lemon juice at a time in warm milk. Milk will start to coagulate. Stop adding lemon juice when milk coagulates completely. Now strain the coagulated milk in any muslin cloth, (place the cloth on top of sieve and pour milk on the cloth).

All water will get collected in the utensil kept beneath and chena will be collected on the top. Pour some cold water on the chena and wash it nicely. With this chena will become cool and lemon flavor will get washed.

How to boil Chamcham:

Mix 2 cup sugar and 4 cup water in a pressure cooker and place it on flame for heating.  Meanwhile make Chamcham from chena.

Divide chena in 8 equal parts, take one part and bind it nicely like a ladoo. Now give Chamcham an oval shape and place it on a plate. Like wise prepare all Chamcham balls.

Sugar-water has started boiling in pressure cooker (Note: Don’t make thread sugar syrup, just boil it so that sugar melts). Add all prepared Chamcham one by one in boiling water. Cover the pressure cooker with lid. When it whistles for once, reduce the flame and cook Chamcham for 7-8 minutes. Now turn off the gas and place the cooker in any utensil carrying cold water so that it becomes cooled quickly or place it under water tap Open the pressure cooker and take out Chamcham in any big bowl along with sugar syrup. Stuff Chamcham when it cools down completely.

Preparing Chumchum Stuffing:

Peel cardamom and make powder. Mash mawa very finely with help of a spoon. Add powdered sugar and cardamom and really well. Stuffing is ready.

After soaking Chamcham for 3-4 hours and cooling it down, take it out from sugar syrup. Chamcham has become cold, sweet and hard. Take when Chamcham and slit it from center keeping it joint from one side. Keep Chamcham in one hand and stuffing it with other hand. Garnish with 5-6 pistachios pieces. Like wise stuff all Chamcham.

Mouth watering Chamcham is ready. Place them in freezer and then. Chamchum can be stored in freezer for 7 days.

Suggestion:

You can also prepare stuffing with a fine paste of cashew nuts, malai, rabdi, anjir or dates and make a dry fruits stuffing.

OR 

For making mawa stuffing, roast the mawa or microwave it as this increases the shelf life and taste of mawa.

Boondi Ladoo Recipe

Boondi Ladoo is a great, mouth watering snack-time dessert and is a must have at all special occasions all over India. Boondis are very small, round deep fried balls that have been soaked in fragrant sugar syrup. After soaking, the syrup is drained and the syrup infused boondi are formed into balls (ladoos).

     Ingredients for Boondi Ladoo

·         Gram flour - 1 cup

·         Sugar - 1.5 cup

·         Green cardamom - 6

·         Pistachios -1 tbsp (optional)

·         Melon seeds - 1.5-2 tbsp (optional)

·         Oil - 1 tbsp (for mixing in gram flour mixture)

·         Desi ghee - for frying boondi

Method To Prepare Bundi Ladoo

Firstly strain the gram flour with help of a sieve. Add little water at a time and stir until all lumps gets dissolved. Add some more water and oil. Whisk the batter rigorously until it gets pouring consistency (for making batter from 1 cup gram flour we have used ½ and 1-2 tbsp water). Keep it aside for 10-15 minutes.

Method To Prepare Sugar Syrup

Take sugar in any utensil and add 1 cup water into it. Let the sugar melt completely. After sugar gets dissolved cook for 3-4 more minutes and then check. Take 1-2 drops of syrup in a bowl, make it cool down and check with help of your thumb and forefinger. It should have one thread consistency. If thread is not formed cook syrup for 1-2 more minutes. Sugar syrup for ladoo is ready.

Take oil in a pan and place it on flame for heating. Stir the gram flour mixture for one more time nicely. Place the ladle 6-7 inch above the pan and pour gram flour batter on top of it with help of a spoon. Mixture falls in the pan and boondi gets ready. Fry until boondi turns golden brown in color. Like wise fry all boondi.

Add cardamom, cashew nuts and melon seeds in the sugar syrup. Also add boondi in the syrup and mix all ingredients nicely. Soak the boondi in syrup for ½ hour. Boondi will absorb syrup into it.

Wet your hands with some water and take 2-3 tbsp mixture or accordingly. With help of both hands press the mixture making round ladoos. Like wise make all ladoos. Keep the ladoos open in air for 5-6 hours they will dry up.

Tempting and mouth drooling boondi ladoo are ready.

Useful Tip:

If you prefer eating colored boondi ladoo, then add red, green or whichever you like eating, food color in the boondi and make ladoos.

How To Prepare Kaju Katli

Kaju katli also known as Kaju Katri or Kaju barfi is an Indian dessert similar to a barfi. Kaju means cashew nut in Hindi. There are different version of Kaju Barfi like Kesar Kaju Barfi (kesar is mixed while preparing), kaju paan, kaju roll, and also available in different shapes like apple, watermelon etc.

Ingredients of Kaju katli

• Kaju (Cashew Nuts) - 500 gm
• Sugar (Grinned ) - 400 gm
• Cardamom (Grinned ) - 1 Spoon
• Pure Ghee - Two spoons

Method To Prepare Kaju Katli

Soak cashew nuts in warm water for one hour. After one hour, break a cashew and check if it has become soft from inside. If it is soft, then remove water from the cashews and grind them very finely, in a grinder. Now, mix grinned sugar in the cashew nuts paste.

Place a frying pan on the burner on low flame, and cook the paste of cashews and sugar. After sometime this mixture will become thick. Now turn off the burner. Mix the grinned cardamom in it and let the paste cool for 10 to 15 minutes.

After the mixture has cooled off, roll it like a thin bread, and spread it in an oily plate or tray. Now cut this sweet into your preferred size pieces. Delicious Cashew Nuts Katli is now ready to serve. It can be stored in a refrigerator for up to 10 days.

Sponge Rasgulla Recipe

Rasgulla is a cheese-based, syrupy sweet dish popular in the Indian subcontinent, particularly in the Indian state of Odisha. The dish originated in Odisha. The dish is made from ball shaped dumplings of chhena (an Indian  cottage cheese) and semolina dough, cooked in light syrup made of sugar. This is done until the syrup permeates the dumplings.

History

The Rasgulla has been the traditional offering to the Hindu goddess, Lakshmi, the consort of the Puri temple's main deity, Jagannath. It is the first syrupy Indian cheese desserts. Originated in Odisha, where it is also known by its original name, Khira mōhana. It has been a traditional Oriya dish for centuries.  In the middle of the nineteenth century, the popularity of rasgulla spread to neighboring West Bengal. This was during a period when Bengali cuisine borrowed heavily from Oriya culinary traditions. In Bengal, rasgulla and a variety of other chhena sweets such as sondesh, are collectively referred to as Bengali sweets.

Nutrition

Typically, a 100 gram serving of rasgulla contains 186 calories, out of which about 153 calories are in the form of carbohydrates. It also contains about 1.85 grams of fat and 4 grams of protein.

Sponge Rasgulla Recipe

Bengali rasgullas are made from fresh chena with mixing ararot. They can also be made without mixing ararot. Rasgullas made with mixing ararot tend be less spongy but taste awesome. Rasgullas made without mixing ararot are spongier.

Ingredients for Bengali Sponge Rasgulla

·         Milk - 1 liter (5 cup, full cream)
·         Sugar - 300 gram (1.5 cup)
·         Lemon - 2 (squeeze out the juice)

Method for Bengali Sponge Rasgulla

Wash any big utensil and pour milk for boiling. Once milk starts boiling, turn off the gas and make milk cool down (keep it 80% hot). Add water in lemon juice.

Mix little lemon juice at a time in milk and mix well. Add lemon juice until milk starts to coagulant.  Once milk starts to coagulate stop adding lemon juice in milk. Strain the coagulated milk in any muslin cloth. Spread cloth over sieve and place a utensil beneath the sieve. Pour coagulated milk on top of the cloth. All water will drain out in utensil kept beneath the sieve and chhena will be left on the top. Pour 1-2 cup cold water on chhena so that it becomes cool and the savory flavor of lemon juice gets washed away. Cover chhena from all sides and squeeze rest of water. Soft chhena is ready.

Take out chhena in any plate and with help of your hands mash and knead to make it soft and tender. Divide the chhena in 10-12 parts. Take one part and bind it with hands giving it a shape of small ball. Place this ball in any plate and like wise prepare all balls.

Cook rasgullas in pressure cooker as its very less time consuming. For making rasgullas high temperature is needed, this is why use pressure cooker.

Add sugar and 4 cup water in pressure cooker and let it boil. When it starts boiling place the entire prepared balls in cooker one by one. Cover it with lid and let it simmer once. After it simmers once reduce the flame and cook for 7-8 minutes more.

Take cold water in any utensil and place pressure cooker in it. Cool the cooker or place it below water tap so that it becomes cool quickly. Open with alertness and take out rasgullas along with sugar syrup in a bowl and make them cool down. After 5-6 hours rasgullas become more sweet and tasty. Serve chilled sponge rasgullas.

Usefull Tip:

To make chhena make sure you cool down the milk a bit. Add 1 cup water in milk for making it cool quickly. This makes chhena softer and rasgullas comes out spongier.