Wednesday, 27 November 2013

How to make makhani arbi masala at home?

Ingredients
Arbi (medium size) - 250 gms
Besan (gram flour) - 2 tblsp
Oil (tel) (tel) - 3 tblsp
Ajwain - 1/2 tsp
Onion (pyaj) (chopped)- one
Green chilli (slit) (deseeded and chopped)- one
Red chilli (lal mirch) powder - 1/2 tblsp
Chopped coriander - 1 tblsp
Salt (namak) - 1/2 tsp or to taste
Lemon juice - 1/2 tblsp
Garam masala - 1/4 tsp

Makhani Gray
Tomatoes (tamatar) (chopped roughly) - 250 gms
Ginger (adrak) paste - 1/2 tsp
Garlic (lasan) paste - 1/2 tsp
Green chilli - one
Red chilli (lal mirch) powder - 1/2 tsp
Laung (cloves)- 2
Choti elaichi (green cardamom)- one
Salt to taste
Butter - 2 tblsp
Honey- 1 tsp
Kasoori methi - 1 tblsp

Method
1. Pressure cook the whole arbi with three cups of water to give one whistle.
2. Keep on low flame for 2-3 minutes.
3. Remove from fire. Cool and drain.
4. To prepare makhani gray, put tomatoes in a bandi, add one cup of water, ginger and garlic paste, green chilli, red chilli powder, laung and chot elaichi.
5. Boil. Cover and cook on low heat till it is reduced to a saucy consistency.
6. Remove from fire. Blend in a mixer. Strain into a clean pan. Add butter. Stir in honey. Add salt to taste. Keep on fire. Boil. Simmer on low flame for 1-2 minutes.
8. Add kasoori methi and remove from fire. Keep the makhani gray aside.
9. Peel and flatten each piece or arbi. Sprinkle some salt and red chilli powder on it. Sprinkle dry besan.
Overturn the pieces and sprinkle salt, red chilli and besan on the other side too, mix well, so as to coat lightly.
10. Heat oil on a large tawa, add half the arbi and sauté over medium heat till golden.
11. Shift the fried arbi from the center to the sides (periphery) of the tawa.
12. Add the rest of the arbi, fry and shift to the sides.
13. In the same oil, add ajwain, when it turns golden, add chopped onions, grated ginger and green chilli and sauté for three minutes. Add 1/2 tsp salt.
14. Return the arbi to the center, add red chillies and half of the coriander. Fry for a minute.
15. Add the prepared makhani gravy and fry until the arbi is coated with the gravy. Adjust seasoning.
16. Sprinkle lemon juice, garam masala and the remaining coriander. Stir and serve immediately. 

Tuesday, 26 November 2013

How to make kashmiri dum aloo at home?

Ingredients for dhum aloo
900gms Aloo (Potatoes)
3/4th cups water
Salt To Taste
Ghee or oil for deep-frying
1 cup ghee
1 large Onion (finely chopped)
4 tbsp tomato puree
140 ml curd
4 tbsp hot water
1 green pepper (seeds removed and sliced)
1tsp garam masala powder

Spices
4 cloves
4 bay leaves
6 black peppercorns
4 green cardamoms
1 brown cardamom
1piece cinnamon stick

Paste
1 large onion (chopped)
12 flakes garlic
2 tbsp ginger
6black peppercorns
1 tsp poppy seeds
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 dry red chilies
1 tsp turmeric powder
A pinch of ground mace
A pinch of ground nutmeg

Method
1. Scrape the aloo (potatoes), prick all over with a fork and soak in the water with little salt for 2 hours.
2. Dry the potatoes on a cloth and heat the ghee or oil.
3. Deep fry the potatoes until golden brown. Drain and set aside.
4. Heat the measured ghee in a flameproof pan and fry onions with all the spices until golden.
5. Grind the paste ingredients to a fairly smooth paste and stir into the onions.
6. Cook for 10 minutes. Stir in the tomato puree, curd and salt.
7. Add the aloo (potatoes) and hot water and stir over a low heat for 5 minutes.
8. Sprinkle the dum aloo with pepper and garam masala and cook for few minutes. 

Saturday, 23 November 2013

How to make stuffed tomato at home?

Ingredients
5-6 medium size Tomatoes / Tamatar
100-150gms Paneer grated or mashed
1 Onion finely chopped
Finely chopped Coriander leaves
2 Green chili (finely chopped)
Salt, Red chili powder to taste.
Gram Masala to taste
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp grated cheese
1 tbsp oil

How to make bharwan tamatar:
1 Wash the tomatoes and set dry.
2 Cut the top of tomato (tamatar ) like a cap. Gently scoop out the centers . Keep aside the scooped portion and chop the cut tops .
3 Heat oil in a kadhai add chopped onions and green chilies till tender.
4 Now add the pulp and chopped tomato and fry for a minute and all dry masalas and fry for a minute more.
5 Add paneer ,mix well and cock for a minute.
6 Fill tomatoes with the mixture.
7 Top with grated cheese and chopped coriander.
8 Place tomatoes in a cooker container . put little butter and pressure cook for one whistle. (or you can also bake it in a hot oven at 200 degree c for 20 minutes.
9 Serve the stuffed paneer tomato hot. 

Thursday, 21 November 2013

How to make sindhi kadhi?

Ingredients
Oil- 5 tblsp
Asafoetida (hing) a pinch
Green chillies - to taste
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Fenugreek seeds (methi) - 1 tsp
Gram flour (besan / chane ka atta) - 6 tblsp
Coriander/cumin powder- 1 tsp
Turmeric powder (hadli)- a pinch
Mmixed vegetables (carrots, ladyfinger, brinjal, drumsticks, bottle gourd)- 2 cups/200 gms
Tamarind (imli) pulp - 2 tblsp
Salt (namak) - to taste
Coriander leaves (dhania patta) - 2-3 sprigs

Method
1 Heat oil in a pan. Add asafoetida and after a few seconds, add the chopped chillies, cumin and fenugreek seeds.
2 Allow them to splutter, then add the gram flour, stirring continuously.
3 Fry it, till the flour becomes brown in colour and aromatic.
4 Add around 5-6 cups (1 lt.) of water, stirring continuously to avoid forming lumps.
5 Cook on a simmering flame for at least 15- 20 minutes and then, bring it to a boil.
6 Stir in the vegetables and the spices.
7 Add the tamarind pulp and cook further, till the vegetables become tender.
8 Add the salt and garnish with chopped coriander. 

Tuesday, 19 November 2013

How to make stuffed capsicum at home?

Ingredients
5-6 Capsicum (simla mirch)
2 boiled potatoes
2 tbsp boiled green peas
1 Onion finely chopped
1/4th tsp turmeric powder
Red chili powder to taste
1/4th tsp Garam masala
1/4th tsp Dry mango powder (amchur)
Salt To Taste
Oil/ghee for frying

Method
1 Wash the capsicum and boil them whole till they are tender (not too much), drain water and keep aside to cool.
2 Mash the boiled potatoes.
3 Now in a pan heat 2-tbsp oil/ghee and add chopped onion and fry till it turns golden brown.
4 Now add all spices, mashed potatoes and peas and fry for few moments.
5 With a sharp knife cut the stem of the capsicum and take out seeds from the top gently and add the stuffing in it.
6 Now take oil/ghee in a kadhai and fry the stuffed capsicums on all sides.
7 Garnish the bharawan shimla mirch (stuffed capsicum) with grated paneer, chopped coriander leaves and thinly sliced rings of tomato. Serve hot. 

Sunday, 17 November 2013

How to make khajoor karanji (khajoor na ghugra) ?

Ingredients
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup ghee
2 tsp poppy seeds ground
6 green cardamoms powdered
200 gm dates (seeded and coarsely grounded)
1 cup refined flour
1/4 cup coconut desiccated
ghee for frying
salt to taste
1/2 cup sugar

Method
1. Rub 1/2 cup ghee into the flour. Mix in a pinch of salt and milk and prepare dough.
2. Smoothen and knead the dough well for 15 minutes.
3. Make small balls and keep covered.
4. Prepare a smooth mixture of poppy seeds, desiccated coconut, ground dates, green cardamom powder and sugar.
5. Make small balls of even size. Roll out maida balls into small rounds.
6. Put the date stuffing on one side, fold to look like semi circle and seal the edges.
7. Cut edges with fluted cutter. Make all the gujiyas similarly.
8. Heat up ghee in a deep frying pan and deep fry gujiyas in batches till golden brown.
9. Drain. Serve as sweet snack. 

Friday, 15 November 2013

How to make gunda?

Ingredients
500 gms gunda (a kind of berry)
oil as required
1/4 cup salt
3/8 cup turmeric powder
3/8 cup fenugreek seeds coarsely grounded
a big size pinch asafoetida
1/8 cup mustard seeds coarsely grounded
150 gms mango pieces
1/4 cup red chilli powder

Method
1. Cut the gunda and scrape the seeds with a salted knife.
2. Mix in a little salt and turmeric powder.
3. Wash the mangoes completely and wipe them completely dry.
4. Cut into cubes and take off the soft seeds.
5. Mix everything fenugreek, mustard and turmeric powders.
6. Heat up 2 cup oil in a pan.
7. Set it aside till it cools down to lukewarm.
8. Pour out the oil over the powders and mix well.
9. Heat up salt slightly in a dry pot on low heat.
10. Take it off and in the same pan, heat up red chilli powder similarly.
11. Mix in both these ingredients to the oil masala.
12. Mix in the gunda and the mango pieces cubes to the masala mixture and mix till all of them are well coated with the masala.
13. Transfer into a dry ceramic or a glass jar.
14. Set it aside for 4 – 5 days without mixing.
15. Heat up enough oil to completely cover the pickled gunda and mango cubes.
16. When the oil has cooled down completely mix in to the jar.
17. Keep the jar covered tightly.

18. The pickle will be ready to serve in about a week.