Saturday, September 10, 2011

Lauki Ki Kheer



Lauki Ki Kheer

Lauki ki kheer is an essential celebration sweet dish. It is indispensable in most Hindu ceremonies.It is usually served at the end of meals or may be served as a stand-alone savory as well. It is prepared by boiling the lauki (bottle gourd) in milk. The preparation is sweetened with sugar, flavored with cardamoms, decorated with raisins, cashews and pistachio. Milk maid is also used for preparing lauki ki kheer. Milk maid adds to the richness and taste of the dish. It is very easy to prepare.
I visited one of my friends in the mundon ceremony of her son. There I was served with lauki ki kheer. I liked it a lot. Later I asked my friend about the recipe. She taught me this dish and here I would like to share the recipe with you all.
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients

  • Tender seedless lauki or bottle gourd-1
  • Milk-5 cups
  • Crushed cardamom-1/2 teaspoon
  • Corn flour-1 teaspoon
  • Raisins-1/2 cup
  • Cashews-1/2 cup
  • Pistachio-1/2 cup
  • Milk maid
  • Sugar-2 cups

Method

  1. Grate lauki, extract the seeds and boil in cooker
  2. Take it out and squeeze thoroughly to remove all water
  3. Boil 4 and ½ cup milk in a sauce-pan till it is reduced to half
  4. Add the well drained lauki in to the milk, add crushed cardamom and cover and cook till the contents become thick
  5. In a cup, mix corn flour with the remaining milk. Stir and pour the mixture in to the sauce-pan containing cooked lauki.
  6. Add sugar, milk maid and stir and cook for some more time. Your lauki ki kheer is ready for serving.

Serving Instruction

Serve hot after garnishing with cashews, raisins and pistachios.

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Chicken Korma



Chicken Korma



Chicken korma has its origin in Mughlai cuisine.
Chicken Korma is prepared by cooking the chicken pieces in a mix of yoghurt, spices and nuts paste.  The chicken requires a generous coating of spices and is cooked thoroughly in hot ghee. The cooking procedure involves a careful mingling of yoghurt with the chicken juice. The flavor of chicken korma comes from spices like ground coriander, cardamom, cumin etc.
Chicken korma is a party dish, usually relished with pulao or parathas.
I got the privilege to taste chicken korma during the anniversary party of one of my relatives. It still remains for me a memorable dish.

Doi Potol


Doi Potol


Doi potol is an eminent vegetarian dish belonging to the Bengali cuisine. It is a party dish and functions as a vegetarian alternative to spicy meat dishes.
The potol or pointed gourd is cooked in spicy yoghurt based sauce. This dish finds a sure-short place in the menu card of any Bong party held in the summertime. Doi potol aptly shows off the richness of Bengali cuisine. It goes well both with rice preparations such as pulao, veg-biriyani or ghee rice as well as with luchi or paratha. Doi potol is a traditional dish of our family.
My mouth still waters when I remember the tasty doi potol cooked by my grand mother. She had been an expert cook and used to experiment a lot with potol.

Crunchy Cashew Bites



Crunchy Cashew Bites



These spicy cashew bites make a good evening teatime snack. These delicious crackers have a mild chaat flavor that make these crunchy bites even more tasty. Store these crispy crackers in airtight containers and have them whenever you feel like.
Prep time: 15 min
Serves: 1-2

Cashew Bites Ingredients

  • 4 tsp maida
  • 4 tsp Bombay rava
  • ½ tsp ajwain

Ice Cream Sandesh


Ice Cream Sandesh



Ice Cream Sandesh
Ice Cream Sandesh
Bengali sweets are popular all over the world . Rasgulla that is tofu balls dipped in simple syrup get the most buzz. But Bengal have thousand of mouth watering sweets that once open to world foodies, will be hard to resist.
This ice cream sandesh is one such irresistible recipe.  Soft,  subtle taste and a melt in a mouth cool experience is what makes it one of  Bengalis dearest sweet.
Various sweet shops  have different techniques and specialty of making ice cream sandesh. We always find it handy to go to the sweet shops and buy sweets but sometimes it feels great  when we make something with love and passion and our dear ones appreciate  and all our hard work turns into an unspoken pleasure.  Bring smile into your dear ones face  with ice cream sandesh. This is simple easy and fast to cook  sweet recipe.

Ice Cream Sandesh Ingredients

  • Chena/cottage cheese 3 Cups
  • Sugar 11/2 cup
  • Cream 6 table spoon
  • Rose pink color  3 to 4 drops
  • Vanilla essence   few drops
  • Kesar/saffrontwo to three pinch
  • Pistachio nuts 1 table spoon  chopped
  • Silver wark for garnish (optional)

Procedure

Blend chena, sugar, cream, rose pink color, into a fine smooth mixture.
Now grease a container. Place the cheese mixture evenly on the container then sprinkle saffron over it and steam it for 10 to 15 minutes.
Let it cool then refrigerate for  half an hour.
After that cut the mixture into  square shape.
Garnish it with silver wark and chopped pistachio. Exotic ice cream sandesh is ready to relish.



Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Moong Dal Halwa


Moong Dal Halwa

Moong Dal Halwa is very popular Indian sweet dish. It is a rich, creamy and pudding-like dessert and made with split yellow moong dal.

Ingredients

1 cup split yellow moong dal
1 cup milk
1 cup ghee
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar1/2 tsp cardamom powdera few saffron strands
1 tbsp crushed almonds
1 tbsp crushed pista

Teekha Aaloo




Teekha Aaloo


Potatoes can be used to prepare a wide range of delightful dishes, ranging from breakfast items to dinner table dishes. This range inevitably covers lunch items and snacks too. Teekha aaloo is one such sabji that serves as a mind-blowing breakfast dish. It is an accompanying dish, usually relished with rotis or paratha. It can be used as refreshment too. It is a North Indian preparation of aaloo or potato. It is a hot dish that bears the magic of kasoori methi and other spices. Finally the potatoes are seasoned with chilly powder which makes it teekha or hot.
I learnt this recipe from my aunt. Try this out at home and satiate yourself and your family with the mouth-watering teekha aaloo.
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients

  • Medium sized potatoes-8-10
  • Mustard oil-2 teaspoons
  • Cumin seeds-1 teaspoon
  • Slit green chilies-2-3
  • Salt to taste
  • Kasoori methi-5 teaspoons
  • Dry red chilly powder-1 teaspoon
  • Lemon juice-1/2 teaspoon

Method

  1. Cut potato in to medium slices
  2. Heat mustard oil in a kadhai and add cumin seeds and slit green chilies.
  3. Add the potato slices, sprinkle some salt over potato slices and cook for 2 minutes.
  4. Now add kasoori methi, cover and cook on medium flame for 10 minutes
  5. Remove the cover and stir thoroughly.
  6. Once the potatoes are done, sprinkle chilly powder and also add lemon juice. Stir a bit.
  7. Your teekha aaloo is ready for serving.
Serving Instructions
Serve hot with chapatti/roti or paratha.

Cheese Butter Masala

Cheese Butter Masala
Cheese Butter Masala




Here is one another recipe for cheesy vegetable lovers. Cheese Butter Masala, had been just another name in North Indian Vegetable which is desperately loved by all. It is prepared in red gravy, where cheese has to be dumped a lot to make it a taste yummy.

Ingredients

2 tbsp oil or ghee
1 cup grated cheese
4 - 5 onion
4 - 5 chopped tomatoes
4 - 5 chopped garlic
2 - 3 chopped green chillies
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp asafoetida
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp garam masala
1 bay leaf(tejpatta)
salt to taste