Shivratri Special - Shivratri Raita

Ingredients:

1 cup: Fresh thick curd1 no: Sweet potato, boiled, chopped1 no: Potato, boiled, chopped1 no: Cucumber, chopped4-5 no: Waterchestnuts (singhara), boiled, peeled & chopped1 tbsp: Coriander finely chopped 1 no: small Green Chili, finely chopped1 tbsp: Roasted peanuts, whole1/2 tsp: Cumin seed, powder1/2 tsp: Cumin seeds, whole1 tsp: Oil Sugar to taste Rock Salt to taste

Method:
1. Beat curd in a deep salad bowl.
2. Add cumin powder, salt, sugar, chili and mix well.
3. Add all prepared vegetables, peanuts and mix to blend well.
4. Chill well till required.
Before Serving:
1. Heat oil in a small crucible, or tempering spoon.
2. Add cumin seeds; allow spluttering.
3. Pour sizzling tempering over raitha.
4. Garnish with chopped coriander. Note: To save time in chilling raitas, chilled prepared ingredients well ahead of time.

Shivratri Special- Lauki ka halwa

Ingredients:
1/2 lit.-milk(fatty)
1/2 peeled -lauki
3/4cup-sugar
100 gms.-khoya
1 tsp.-elaichi powder
1 tbsp.-dry fruits(almonds,raisins,cahwes)

Method:
1. Peel lauki & grate it with a grater.
2. Boil lauki in a pan in a very small quantity of water(1/2 cup), when it gets boiled drain whole water so that only soft boiled lauki is left.
3. Put milk in a large pan and boil for about 20 min.on medium flame, stir, then put the boiled lauki in the pan, mix well and let becomes semi solid(almost 20 min.), meanwhile grate khoya & mix in the pan.
4. Add sugar, mix till it dissolves.
5. Add dry fruits & elaichi powder.
6. It is ready to serve, it can be taken chilled as well as hot.

Shivratri Special - Singhare ki puri

Ingredients:
2 cups Singhare Ka Atta or Waterchestnut Flour 2 medium potatoes, boiled, peeled and mashed sendha namak / rock salt to taste1/2 cup dhaniya/Cilantro leaves, chopped 1-2 green chillies, chopped fine – optional

Method:
Knead all the above ingredients into a dough. Mix all the ingredients before you add water as potato will also aid in some binding. Add water slowly as this flour is different from regular flour and needs less water.
Make small ball out of this and roll / pat them into puris.
Deep fry the puris in oil / ghee till golden.

Shivrati Special- Shakarkand kheer

Ingredients:

1 sweet potato, boiled and grated thick 3 cups whole Milk / 1 1/2 cup half and half6 tblsp Sugar - Adjust it according to taste1/2 tsp powdered cardamoma pinch of saffron - optional1 tblsp chopped nuts - Cashews, Almonds and Raisins – optional

Method:
Add milk/half and half to a pan and bring to a boil. If using whole milk, simmer and let it thicken till it becomes 3/4-1/2 in volume. If using half and half (which is already thicked), simmer for about 5-10 min. Keep stirring occasionally so that it doesn't burn at the bottom of the pan. Remember that as the kheer cools it thickens a little more.
Add grated sweet potato and boil for another 5 min.
Stir in sugar, cardomom and saffron.
Cool before serving. Some people like it hot/warm. Before serving top with chopped nuts.

Shivratri Special - Sabudana Khichdi

Ingredients:
1 cup Sabudana(sago)

1 Potato (peeled & finely cut)

1 cup Peanut (coarse)

1/2 cup Coconut (grated)

5-6 Green chilies (finely cut)

1/2 tsp Sugar

1 Lemon (juice extracted)

1 small bunch of Coriander leaves (finely chopped)

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds

1 1/2 tbsp Ghee

Rock Salt to taste
How to make Sabudana Khichdi:
Wash sago and make it to soak water.
Add all ingredients (except ghee, potato, coriander and chilies) and mix well.
Now in a pan, heat ghee.
Add potatoes and fry till tender.
Add chilies and stir.
Now add sago mixture to it and stir gently to mix it well.
Cover and cook on low flame for 4-5 minutes. Keep stirring intermittently to cook properly.
Now to garnish, add coriander.
Saboodana Khichidi is ready.

shivratri Special - Sabudana Vada

Ingredients:
• 1 cup Sago (Sabudana)

• 1 Potato (boiled, peeled and mashed)

• 7-8 Green Chilies (chopped)

• Salt to taste

• Oil for deep frying

Method:

Wash sago thoroughly, draining out the excess water. Soak sago in water for 2-3 hours and then drain out the water properly.
Heat the oil in a frying pan.
Mix sago, potato, green chilies, and salt in a bowl to form a paste, and make small, flat and round vadas with moist hands from it.
Slide the rounds in the heated oil on medium flame. Deep fry the vadas until they turn crisp and light brown in color.
Take out the vadas and drain their excess oil on a kitchen towel.
Sabodana Vada is ready to eat.

Serve it hot with green chutney

Shivratri Special -Saboodana Kheer

Ingredients:

4 cups: Milk

1 tbsp: Sago granules

3/4 cup: Sugar

1/4 tsp: Cardamom powder

1 cup: Water

Method:
Wash and drain sago, keep aside for 10 minutes.
When moisture is absorbed, loosen grains.
Heat water. Add sago, bring to a boil while stirring.
Reduce heat, simmer for 5-6 minutes, and add a tbsp. more water if required.
Add milk; bring back to a boil.
Simmer for 5 minutes. Add sugar, cardamom.
Stir occasionally, simmer till sago granule is cooked, but not mushy.
Check by pressing it between thumb and finger. It should flatten on pressing.
Serve hot, with nuts if desired.

Shivratri Special -Cashew Nut Barfi (Kaju Katli)

Ingredients:

(makes 20 pieces)

200 ml: Milk

250 gms: Cashew nuts

250 gms: Sugar Silver foil for decoration (optional)

Method:
Blend together cashews and milk very finely, in a blender.
Put the paste in a kadhai, add sugar and cook over low flame. Stir till the sugar dissolves and then bring to a boil.
Continue stirring over medium flame, till mixture collects together and becomes dough-like.
Remove from flame, cool enough a hit, roll on to a greased surface with a greased rolling pin to ¼ cm/1/8" thickness.
Cover with silver foil and cool.
Cut into diamond shaped pieces and transfer onto a serving dish.

Tip: Those not allowed to eat fats may use singhara flour to dust pin, surface and dough while rolling.

Shivratri Special- Thandai

Ingredients(makes 8 glasses):
1 cup: Milk
1½ cups: Sugar
1/4 cup: Dried or fresh Rose petals (gulkand variety)
1½ litres: Water
1 tbsp: Almonds
1 tbsp: Kharbooj/Tarbooj seeds skinned (commercially available)(these are skinned dried seeds of watermelon and cantaloupes)
1 tsp: Peppercorns (whole)
½ tbsp: Khuskhus (poppy seeds)
½ tbsp: Saunf (aniseed)
½ tsp: Cardamom powder or 15 whole pods
½ tsp: Rose Water (optional)

Method:
Soak sugar in ½ litre of the water used. Keep aside.
Wash clean all other dry ingredients, except cardamom if using powder.
Soak in 2 cups of remaining water. Keep aside.
Allow each soaked item to stand for at least 2 hours.
Grind all soaked ingredient (not sugar) to a very fine paste.
Use a stone grinder (manual or electric) if possible.
When the paste is very fine, mix remaining water.
Place a strong muslin strainer over a large deep vessel. Or tie a strong muslin cloth over rim of vessel and use to strain.
Press through muslin with back of palms, extracting the liquid into vessel.
Add remaining water, a little at a time to extract more.
Pour - back some of the extract and press, repress.
Repeat this process till the residue becomes dry and husk-like.
Add milk, sugar and rosewater to the extracted liquid.
If using cardamom powder mix it in with the milk.
Mix well. Chill for an hour or two before serving.

Tiranga Sandwich - Republic day special

Ingredients
Bread slices 6 pieces
Cheese slices or Boiled egg chopped in very small pieces
6 piecesOrange
Carrots grated
2Green Peas boiled & Mashed
1 cup Mayonnesse
2 table spoonTomato sauce
2 table spoonSalt according to taste
Method
Cut the sides of the bread and then cut into half in triangular shape.Sauce mixtureMix mayonnesse and tomato sauce and salt in a bowl. Now take 1 triangular slice, apply a very thin layer ot sauce mixture. Now add mashed peas layer on it and put another triagular bread piece on top of it. Again put the thin layer of sauce mixture and add Cheese Slices or chopped egg and again put the triangulat bread slice and add a thin layer or saucwe mixture on it.and add grated carrots on it. And put the final layer of traingular slice.Serve this with sauce and potato waffers to children.

Tiranga Pulao- Republic day Special

Ingredients:
• 3 Cups basmati rice
• 6 Cloves
•3 Medium-piece cinnamons
• 3-4 Cardamoms
• 1 Carrot, grated
• 1 Cup orange juice
• 1 Cup chopped onion
• 1/2 Bunch coriander leaves
• 1 tbsp Coconut, grated
• 1 Cup paneer, grated
• 1 Cup ghee
• 3-4 Green chilies
• 2-3 Garlic cloves
• Small piece ginger
• 1/2 Cup green peas
• 1/2 tsp White pepper powder
• Salt to taste
• Few drops of orange color
Methods:-
1 Divide rice into 2/3 and 1/3, i.e. 2 cups separately and 1 cup separately.
2 Wash the rice thoroughly and soak in water for 30 min.
3 In a pan, put 1 tbsp ghee and add cloves, cinnamons and cardamoms.
4 Strain 2/3 rice (2 cups) and add to it. Fry for 2 min.
5 Add double the amount (4 cups) of water, stir, cover and cook till 3/4th done. Pick with a fork
to separate the grains.
6 Separate the remaining ghee into 3 parts.

For the White Layer:-

Heat one part of ghee in a pan and add chopped onions. Fry till transparent.

Add the grated paneer, salt and white pepper. Sauté for few minutes.Add half of the cooked rice and mix well.
For the Green Layer:-

Grind together coriander leaves, coconut, green chilies, ginger and garlic.

Heat the next part of ghee.

Add jeera and ground paste.

Sauté for a while.Next, add green peas, salt and 1 tbsp water. Sauté and cover.

Cook till the green peas get cooked.Add remaining part of cooked rice and mix well.
For the orange layer:-

Heat the remaining ghee and add the grated carrot.

Sauté till cooked.

Add the 1/3rd soaked rice and fry for a while.

Add the orange juice, 1 cup water, salt and a few drops of orange color and cook the rice, covered, till done.

Final Preparation:Take a heavy bottomed pan and grease it with ghee.

First spread the orange rice fully in the bottom of the pan.

Sprinkle some grated cheese.Next spread the white rice.

Sprinkle some grated cheese over it.Finally, add the green rice and cover.

Keep the heat on low and cook for 10 min.After a few min, invert the rice on the serving dish.

Enjoy it with raita and papad.

Tiranga Pulao is ready.

January Special - TIL GAJAK RECIPE

Make Indian gajak by making thin sheets of roasted sesame and jaggery syrup. Learn how to make gajak.





Ingredients:


1 cup sesame(till)


3/4 cup sticky jaggery(gur)


1/2 tsp cardamom powder(elayachi)


2 tbsp clarified butter(makhan)





How to make til gajak:
· Take a pan and put it on medium heat.
· Roast sesame on it.
· Stir continuously.
· When roasted nicely cool them.
· Make thick syrup by adding jaggery and water.
· Add sesame and mix well.
· Apply oil to a plate and spread the mixture into a thin sheet.
· Let it cool.
· Cut and store.

january special -DRY FRUIT CHIKKI RECIPE

Indian dry fruit chikki is made by cooking dryfruits with grated jaggery. Learn how to make dry fruit chikki.





Ingredients:

Badam(almonds) 1 cup (chopped)


Pista() 1 cup (chopped)


Cashew(kaju) 1 cup (chopped)


Jaggery(gur) 1/4 cup (grated)


Kesar(saffron)-few soaked in milkghee 2 big spoons

How to make dry fruit chikki:
· Take a pan and put ghee and heat it.
· When it melts add grated jaggery.
· Let it blend.
· When it becomes thick add kesar and the dry fruits and mix well.
· When it is done it will start leaving pan’s sides.
· Grease a plate and pour into it.
· Cool and cut into pieces.

January Special -COCONUT CHIKKI RECIPE

Indian coconut chikki made by cooking coconut with sugar. Learn how to make coconut chikki.


Ingredients:

400 grams Dry grated coconut(nariyal)


150 grams Brown sugar( bhuri cheeni)


150 grams Sugar(cheeni)


2-3 tbsp. Ghee(tel)
Food spice
How to make coconut chikki:
· Take a pan and put ghee.
· When it melts put grated coconut.
· In another pan mix brown sugar, sugar and water and boil.
· When the mixture becomes hard add coconut and mix.
· Take a bit plate with high sides and apply a little oil.
· Pour the mixture in it.
· Cut and let it cool.