VEGETABLE KOFTA

INGREDIENTS

Beetroot- 200 grams
Carrots - 100 grams
Beans- 100 grams
Peanuts - 50 grams
Raisins - 50 grams
Potatoes - 300 grams
Gram flour (besan) - 1 cup
Ginger - 1 inch cube piece
Ginger paste - 1 tsp
Garlic paste - 1 tsp
Onion paste - half cup
Green chillies - 4-5
Tomato puree - 1 cup
Bay leafs - 2
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Dry red chillies - 2-3
Mustard or sunflower oil - 2 cups
Garam masala powder (equal portions of powdered green and black cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon, white cumin seeds, white pepper corns, mace and jayatri) - 1 tsp

PROCEDURE

Make the garam masala powder. Roast the cumin seeds and dry red chillies together. Grind them to a powder. Peel the potatoes and put them in a pressure cooker (do not cut or dice them). Pour water to just cover the potatoes. Close the pressure cooker lid tightly. Put on high flame. When the pressure cooker whistles loud (comes to full pressure) ,lower the flame and keep for 5 minutes. Do not open the cooker by artificial cooling. When the lid opens automatically insert a skewer in a large potato to see if it is cooked fully. If cooked drain the potatoes in a colander. After a minute shift the potatoes on a large tray\ dish and immediately mash with a ladle. You must not keep the potatoes in the cooker once the lid opens up. You must mash the boiled potatoes as quickly as possible. Now cool the mashed potatoes under a fan. Keep it aside. Dice the vegetables (carrots, beet, beans) into the size of peas. In a wok boil the vegetables and peas into bite like consistency. They should be just cooked and not very soft. Drain them on a colander. Let it cool. Soak the raisins for 5 minutes in water. Fry the peanuts in 1 tsp of oil. Grate the ginger cube.

Now take a large bowl and mix together the mashed potatoes, boiled vegetables, fried peanuts, raisins, grated ginger, roasted and powdered cumin seeds and dry red chillies and 2 tsp of salt. Mix well. Shape into table tennis size balls. Make a batter with gram flour and water. First make a paste and then add more water little by little to make a batter thick enough to coat the balls. Heat 2 cups of oil in a wok on high flame. When oil smokes lower the flame. Using your hand dip a ball in the batter to cover it completely. Lift it and let excess batter drain from ball and hand. In this way cover the balls in batter and slowly shift in the balls in hot oil. In this way shift in as many balls the oil can comfortably hold. Fry on high flame till golden brown. Shift hem on a plate covered with tissue. Fry all the balls in batches.

Now shift the oil from the wok but keep 3-4 tsps of oil in the wok. Heat the oil. Shift in the bay leafs and slit green chillies (add the chillies NOW only if you want the curry HOT otherwise add chillies last of all without slitting). Now shift the garlic paste. After 30 seconds add the onion paste and fry for 3-4 minutes. Add the tomato puree. After 2 minutes add the ginger paste. After sometime of stirring when oil shows in the fried mixture add water little by little to make gravy (the water should be enough to cover the koftas). When the water starts boiling observe if the gravy is too thin. If the gravy is thin add a little of the remaining gramflour batter to thicken the grsvy. Add 1 tsp of salt. You can add the green chillies now. Add the koftas and the garammasala powder and shut off the heat immediately. Your vegetable kofta is ready. You can also add a dollop of cream.

Posted by Keya

CARROT DESERT

This is a tasty veg dish that can be enjoyed by one and all. Also known as Gajar ka Halwa in Hindi, this item may be prepared from a few ingredients.

INGREDIENTS

Carrot - 1 kilo
Condensed milk - half tin (200 grams)
Bay leaves - 2
Green cardamoms - 4-6
Sugar (optional) - 4-6 tsp
Cashew, raisins and almonds - 2 tbsp (cut into small pieces)
Ghee (clarified butter) - 2 tbsp (you can use sunflower oil too)

PROCEDURE

Peel and grate the carrots. Heat the ghee in a wok. When it smokes add the bay leaves and grated carrot. Stir on high flame for 2 minutes. Lower the flame and add the condensed milk. Stir well. The mixture becomes watery. Stir from time to time for 5-6 minutes. Now raise flame and stir continuously until quite dry. Lower flame and add raisins, almonds and cashews. Grind the green cardamom into a powder and add to the halwa. Go on stirring till halwa is quite dry. Put flame off. Serve hot.

Posted by Keya

FISH TIKKA

Ingredients:

Fillets of fish (boneless of bhetki) cut into 1 inch cubes -500 grams
Salt - 1 or 2 tsp
Kashmiri red chili powder -1 tbsp
Ginger garlic paste - half tsp
Kasoori methi (dry fenugreek leaves) - one large pinch
Garam masala powder (equal portions of green and black cardamom ,cloves, cinnamon, mace, jayatri, white cumin seeds, white pepper corns.) - 1tsp
Lime juice - 1 tsp
 Chaat masala - 1 tsp ( available under brand names of Everest, MDH, Sunrise and so on.)

PROCEDURE

Wash the fish pieces well. Smear with 1 tsp of salt and a little red pepper and put to drain on a colander. Make a paste of all the spices (execpt chaat masala), salt and lime juice. Smear the fish pieces with the spice mixture. Keep in the refrigerator to marinate for 4-12 hours. Pierce the fish pieces in wooden skewers. Probably 2 skewers should be enough to hold the fish pieces. Put in the oven in mode of grill for 5-7 minutes. You must brush oil in between grilling. Check if the fishes are done and  drier outside.Take care as fishes are tender and turn soft very quickly which is not at all desirable. If the fishes are not done yet put to grill again for 2-4 minutes. Your tikkas are ready. Sprinkle chat masala over tikkas. Serve hot with mint sauce or chutney, thinly sliced onions (smeared with salt and lime juice).

Another fish dish you may like is sour fish. Steamed fish is no exception.

Posted by Keya

STEAMED FISH

This is a non veg dish prepared very easily.

INGREDIENTS

Fish (Rohu or Hilsa) -500 grams (cut into 5-6 pieces)
Mustard seeds- 2-3 tsp
Green chillies-5-6
turmeric powder- one fourth tsp
Salt- 1 tsp Mustard oil - 2-3 tsp

PROCEDURE

Soak mustard seeds in water overnight.
Remove all scales of fish. Clean inner part of fish well. Wash fish and smear a little salt and turmeric powder and keep on a colander to drain out water for 30 minutes. Meanwhile wash and drain out water from mustard seeds. Put seeds and 1 tsp of water in small jar of mixer and grind at high speed for 2 minutes . Open jar to check if a smooth paste has formed. If not, put a little more water and grind at high speed till a smooth paste is formed. Strain the mustard paste through a strainer pressing with a spoon. In this way you would get a smoother paste without seeds. Smear the fish with this mustard paste, 2 tsp mustard oil , one fourth tsp turmeric powder and whole green chillies. Put in a flat metal box with a tight lid. Let water boil in a larger vessel. Put the covered box of fishes in the water when it starts boiling . Put a cover. Let steam on high flame for 5 minutes .and on lower for 15 minutes. When cool enough to handle open the container ( box ). Serve hot. Can be served with plain rice.

Posted by Keya

QUICK KHEER

This kheer is tastier than the one prepared by the traditional method of boiling a lot of milk for long hours . Anyone can prepare it with ease.

Ingredients:-
Small grained and fine quality rice with aroma( gobindo bhog rice) -100 grams
Milk- one liter
Condensed milk - one 1 tin(400 grams)
Sugar- 100 \200 grams (optional- according to personal taste)
Green cardamoms - 6-8
Cashew nuts and raisins -2 tbsp

PROCEDURE
Soak rice in water for 1 hour. Drain water from rice and boil with the milk in a pressure cooker. After full steam, lower flame and keep for 2 minutes. When the pressure cooker opens up -check whether the rice is fully cooked( it should be a little overcooked) . If it is OK , put on high flame. When it starts boiling add condensed milk and sugar(optional) and boil for 5 minutes stirring continuously. Add the cashew nuts and raisins. Coarsely grind the green cardamoms( black grains only) and add to the kheer stirring it. Shut off the heat after 30 seconds. After the kheer cools down put in the fridge for at least 4 hours. The kheer can also be can also be served warm.

Serves 8-10 persons.
Posted by Keya

CHOLAR (BENGAL GRAM ) DAL

Ingredients:-

Split yellow bengal gram-250 grams
Salt-1-1.5 tsp
Turmeric powder-1tsp
Sugar -4-5 tsp
Ghee(clarified butter)-2-3tsp
Bay leafs-2-3
Whole green chillies-4-5
Whole dry red chillies-2
Whole cumin seeds-1tsp
Whole garam masala spices of green cardamoms, cloves and cinnamons-1tsp
1 Coconut of medium size-half

PROCEDURE

Soak gram in water of twice the grams amount for 4-5 hrs or overnight. Wash and drain out water from gram.In a pressure cooker put the gram. Add salt, turmeric powder, and sugar. Now add water till water level is just 1 inch above gram. Close the cooker.Turn the stove on . After full pressure steam comes out -lower the flame. Let remain in the low flame for five to seven minutes. Turn off the stove.
Meanwhile slice half the coconut. Cut the slices to still smaller pieces of fingertip sizes. In a heavy bottomed deep vessel heat one tsp of ghee and fry the coconut pieces on medium flame for 3-4 minutes. Take them out of the oil and keep aside. With the hand molar grind the garam masala very coarsely. Heat 2 tsp ghee or oil in the same vessel. When oil is hot, add dry red chillies and bay leafs. Lower the heat and after a minute add cumin seeds and garam masala. After a minute shift the boiled gram very slowly in the vessel. Raise the flame and when it just starts boiling add the fried coconuts and whole green chillies and let boil for 5 minutes. Stir to avoid sticking at the bottom. Serve hot or cool. This is best served with puris , chappaties etc. This is easy to prepare as it requires little ingredients and time.

Serves 4-5 persons.

You may also like this dessert that goes well with chholar dahl.
Posted by Keya