Saturday, August 30, 2008

BANANA PEPPER WAFERS

Preparation Time : a few mins.
Cooking Time : 5 mins.
Makes 1 cup.

Ingredients
1 raw banana, peeled
salt to taste
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Method
1. Peel the banana and slice them using a wafer slicer.
2. Place them on a microwave safe plate lined with a thick paper tissue.
3. Microwave them on HIGH for 3 minutes turning them over once after 1 minute.
4. Sprinkle salt and pepper and microwave on HIGH for 2 minutes.

Papaya Halwa

Ingredients:
papaya (papeeta)
sugar (cheeni)
khova
ghee and cardamom powder

Method:
1. Use a heavy or nonstick pan.
2. Heat pan, add khova, stirring till light pink in colour. Remove keep aside.
3. Add papaya pulp to pan, allow to come to boil.
4. Add sugar a little at a time, till all is used up, and dissolved.
5. Add citiric acid, allow to boil till thick like gravy.
6. Crumble and add cooled khova, stir and cook on low.
7. When mixture is like a soft ball, add ghee and cardamom powder.Stir and remove from fire.
8. Add half dry fruit, keep remaining to garnish while serving in individual bowls.Serve hot.

Banana Fritters

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup water
4 firm bananas
5 cups vegetable oil (for frying)

Method:
1. In a large bowl combine 1 cup of flour, baking powder, soda and salt. Gradually blend in
the water and beat with whisk until smooth.
2. Cut each banana crosswise into 3 pieces. You should have 12 pieces altogether. Coat
bananas with remaining 1/2 cup of flour.
3. Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Dip banana pieces in flour water mixture, coating
well. Cook 4-6 pieces at a time until golden brown, about 3-5 minutes.
4. Drain on paper towels.

STUFFED CAULIFLOWER PURIS

Preparation Time : 20 mins.
Cooking Time : 30 mins.
Serves 4.

Ingredients
2½ cups whole wheat flour (gehun ka atta)
½ tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
1 tbsp ghee
½ tsp salt

To be mixed into a stuffing
1½ cups finely grated cauliflower
½ cup freshly grated coconut
¼ cup roasted and coarsely pounded peanuts
2 tsp finely chopped green chillies
2 tbsp chopped coriander
Salt to taste

Other ingredients
Oil for deep-frying

For the sweet and sour sauce (for serving)
10 to 12 green chillies, slit lenghtwise
½ cup jaggery (gur)
3 tbsp tamarind (imli)
½ tsp mustard seeds (rai / sarson)
1 tsp fenugreek (methi) seeds
1 tbsp oil
Salt to taste

Method
1. For the sweet and sour sauce (for serving)
2. Soak the tamarind in ½ cup of water. Strain and squeeze out the tamarind water.
3. Mix the tamarind water, jaggery and green chillies. Boil on a low flame for a few minutes. Keep aside.
4. Heat the oil and add the mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds. Cook until the fenugreek seeds become red. Pour over the sauce.
5. Boil again for 2 minutes. Keep aside.

For the dough
1. Mix all the ingredients and add enough water to make a soft dough.
2. Knead for 5 minutes and divide the dough into 32 equal portions.
3. Roll out each portion in to small puris. Keep aside..

How to proceed
1. Divide the stuffing mixture into 16 equal portions.
2. Spread a one portion of the stuffing mixture on one puri and put another on top.
3. Stick the edges, applying a little water if necessary. Roll once and keep aside. Repeat with the remaining puri to make 15 more puris.
4. Deep-fry in hot oil till they puff.
5. Serve hot with the sweet and sour sauce.

MUGHLAI TOFU

Preparation time: 10 minutes.
Cooking time: 20 minutes.
Serves 4.

Ingridents:
½ cup tofu (bean curd/ soya paneer) cubes
¼ cup boiled green peas
¼ cup boiled and cubed carrots

For the white paste (makes approx. ¼ cup)
1 onion peeled and roughly chopped
2 tsp poppy seeds (khus-khus)
2 tsp watermelon seeds (charmagaz)

For the gravy
2 tbsp soya oil
1 green chili slit
½ tsp chilli powder
¼ tsp fennel seeds (saunf) powder
1/8 tsp cardamom (elaichi) powder
½ tsp garam masala
Salt to taste
3 tbsp fresh cream (malai)

Other ingredients
2 tbsp chopped coriander (dhania) for the garnish

Method:
For the white paste
1. Combine together the onions, poppy seeds, watermelon seeds and ½ cup water and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes or till they become soft.
2. Remove from the flame and keep aside to cool.
3. When cool, blend in a mixer to a smooth paste. Keep aside.

For the gravy
1. Heat the soya oil in a kadhai, add the white paste and green chilli and sauté till the paste turns golden brown in colour.
2. Add the chilli powder, fennel seeds powder, cardamom powder, garam masala and salt and mix well.
3. Cook for 5 minutes while stirring continuously.
4. Add the tofu, green peas, carrots, cream and ¾ cup of water, mix well and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes.
5. Serve hot garnished with coriander.

The magic touch of the Mughals transforms tofu into a royal treat! The white paste is the key ingredient of this delicacy as it imparts the required taste and rich texture. Make sure you soak the seeds in warm water as it softens and forms a smooth paste on grinding. You can also make white paste using cashewnuts, poppy seeds and watermelon seeds if you do not like onions. The spices and pastes used are unique to this gravy… so, go ahead and binge on this rich treat!

Paneer Parathas

Ingredients
1 recipe paratha dough (refer introduction)
1 cup paneer crumbs
4-5 green chillies finely chopped
1 onion finely chopped
1 tbsp. coriander finely chopped
1 tsp. mint leaves finely chopped
salt to taste
2 tbsp. ghee
ghee or oil to shallow fry

Method
Roll dough to a large square.
Spread some ghee all over.
Fold in half. Spread ghee.
Fold in quarter. Spread ghee.
Roll again to full size. Repeat above procedure.
Roll into a tight swissroll. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
Break off lumps and use as regular paratha dough.
Mix all filling ingredients.
Take a lump of dough.
Roll halfway. Spread some filling.
Make a tight swissroll. Twist to a spiral.
Press roll to full size.
Shallow fry. Serve hot with any gravy vegetable.

Spinach Parathas

Ingredients
1 recipe paratha dough (refer introduction)
1 cup spinach cleaned & finely chopped
1 tsp. red chilli powder
1/2 tsp. chat masala
salt to taste
2 tbsp. plain flour
oil to shallow fry

Method
The spinach must be towel dried well.
Or else the filling will ooze out and make rolling difficult.
Mix all dry ingredients together.
Roll a lump of dough as for paratha.
Spread some spinach over it.
Sprinkle some dry mixture all over.
Make a tight swiss roll. Now twist into a coil.
Press together and reroll to full size.
Shallow fry as given in introduction.
Serve hot.

Variation: Use chopped fenugreek leaves instead of spinach.

Introduction to Parathas

A corollary to the rotis and naan, a variety of parathas, I present this week, hoping
you will like the novel and traditional tastes alike.
Basic dough for the parathas is same, and the fillings and their methods change.
Though most paratha makers would use nothing less than maida for the dough, I
prefer to use wheat flour instead, since it is easier to digest. So feel free to interchange
the two flours as you like.

Basic paratha dough:

Ingredients
2 cups flour
1 tbsp. fat (oil or ghee)
salt to taste
water to knead

Method
Mix all ingredients except water. Add a little at a time and form a soft pliable dough.
Keep for 30 minutes before using.
Always keep covered with a moist cloth, and see that the cloth is kept moist.
One paratha requires a pingpong ball sized lump of dough. Henceforth in this
section 1 lump means this size.
For rolling, use dry flour as in phulka, etc., to roll easier. Dust the roti with dry flour
now and then.


General rule about filling the paratha:


Roll a thick roti about 4" diameter.
Place a tbsp. of filling at centre.
Brings the ends to the centre from 4 or 5 points.
Overlap ends so they do not leave an opening.
Press gently.
Dust with dry flour, proceed to roll to 6" diameter


General rule about frying the parathas:


Heat a heavy griddle, place paratha on it.
Allow one side to cook have brown golden patches.
Turn repeat for other side. Drizzle some oil and flip.
Drizzle oil on other side. Sizzle till done.

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

ATTE KA MALPUA

Cooking Time : 30 mins.
Preparation Time : 15 mins.
Makes 20 malpuas.

Ingredients
1 cup coarsely ground whole wheat flour (gehun ka atta)
½ cup sugar
1 tablespoon fennel seeds (saunf)
10 peppercorns, crushed
¼ cup curds, beaten
½ cup milk

Other ingredients
ghee for deep frying

For the garnish
2 teaspoons chopped pistachios

Method
1. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and add approx. 1½ cups of warm water. Mix well to make a smooth batter. Leave aside for 45 minutes.
2. Heat ghee in a shallow kadhai (the ghee should be approximately 25 mm. (1") deep).
3. Pour a spoonful of the batter into the hot ghee and deep fry over a medium flame. Cook on both sides till the malpua is golden brown.
4. Drain on absorbent paper.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for the remaining batter.
6. Serve hot, garnished with pistachios.

Tips
You will find coarsely ground wheat flour at some provision stores.
You can use 2 tablespoons of semolina with 1 cup whole wheat flour (gehun ka atta) instead of coarsely ground wheat flour for the above recipe.

BHINDI DO PYAZA

Cooking Time : 15 mins.
Preparation Time : 10 mins.
Serves 4.

Ingredients
3 cups bhindi (ladies finger), sliced
1½ cups onions, chopped
3 teaspoons cumin seeds (jeera)
1 teaspoon nigella seeds (kalonji)
¼ teaspoon turmeric powder (haldi)
3 teaspoons ginger paste
1 to 2 green chillies, chopped
¾ cup thick curds, whisked
3 tablespoons oil
salt to taste

Method
1. Heat the oil in a pan, add the cumin seeds and nigella seeds and allow the seeds to crackle.
2. Add the onions, turmeric powder, ginger paste and green chillies and cook till the onions are tender.
3. Add the bhindi and salt and cook over a medium flame till the bhindi is tender.
4. Add the whisked curds and cook till the curds dry out.
5. Serve hot with parathas or rotis.

Tips
Bhindi tends to get sticky while cooking. Do not cover the pan while cooking and the stickiness will dry out without the presence of steam.
Cook the bhindi over a slow flame for best results.