Basundi

Basundi, a sweet dish from Maharashtra and Gujarat.  It is a sweet slightly thickened milk with the flavouring of elaichi (cardamom). A sweet dish which is made mostly during festivals or weddings.  I have also come across basundi's with the flavour of custard apple, or even a chickoo flavoured basundi, which are usually made during weddings.  Though, I would any day prefer the cardamom flavoured one, the custard apple is also something which will appeal to your palates if you are a lover of custard apple.  Must say it had a wonderful taste to it.  Ok getting back to the basundi that I am posting up today, it is very easy to make with the ingredients which are mostly available at your home.  A wonderful dish which can be had as is, or can be teamed up with puris, or chappati's too.  So here's my way of making basundi garnished with almonds and cashews.

 INGREDIENTS:

Full cream milk	500 ml
Milk	2 tbsp + 1/4 cup
Corn flour	1 tbsp
Milk powder	1 1/2 tbsp
Sugar	1/4 cup
Cardamom powder	1/2 tsp
Cream 25% fat	1 tbsp
Almonds & cashews	5 each

METHOD:

1.       In a thick wide bottom pan transfer the milk and put in on low medium heat. Stirring in between so that the milk doesn't stick to the sides and bottom.(You sure don’t want a burnt taste to your basundi).

2.       Add milk powder and corn flour in two separate bowls and add about a tbsp of milk each and mix well to form a paste.

3.       Once the milk starts simmering or you see small bubbles rounding up at the sides add in the sugar. Keep stirring till the sugar dissolves and the milk reduces by 1/4 of its quantity. (this took me 10-12 minutes)

4.       Add in the corn flour and milk powder paste and mix well.  (the milk will thicken very quickly once the corn flour is added).  Keep stirring vigourously with a whisk so that the lumps will blend in well.

5.       Cook for 2-3 minutes once the paste's are added.

6.       Once it completely cools, add a tbsp of cream and blend well with a whisk or a hand blender to make it smooth.  Add in the 1/4 cup of milk if you find the basundi too thick.

7.       Garnish with cardamom powder, flaked almonds and cashews.

8.       Serve hot or chilled.

NOTES:

1.       There are other ways of doing it too, for e.g. it can be done without corn flour and milk powder, by just simmering the milk and sugar to get its thickness.  Though constant stirring is required.

2.       I have put cream, which is absolutely optional.  It just adds a little more creaminess.

3.       When serving with puri's you could serve it warm or chilled as per preference.

4.       Adjust sweetness according to your taste.

Bajra Bhakri / Roti with Garlic Chutney

Hello everyone!!!  Today am back with a recipe which is, what I call a healthy one.  A recipe made from "pearl millet flour" or like we call it "bajra".  Though this might seem a very simple recipe/post to be put up, wherein, it might be done in so many households, I thought why not share with all this wonderful yet simple recipe.  It has a lot of health benefits, though I am no expert in this field I do know, it helps in digestion, helps keeping sugar levels in control, lowers cholesterol level and is a great source of energy.  Also, known as a poor man's staple food it is used extensively in rural parts of India.  Ok ok, why don’t I stick to what I know doing.  Giving you all the recipe, so here is how I made it..

INGREDIENTS:

For the roti/bhakri:

Pearl millet flour, bajra atta	1 cup
Whole wheat flour	1/3 cup
Salt	1 tsp (or as per preference)
Hot water	To knead (approx 3/4 cup)
Ghee	To smear on the roti/bhakri

For the garlic chutney:

Coconut	1/2 cup (grated)
Garlic	3-4 cloves
Salt	1/2 tsp (or as per preference)
Chilli powder	1 tsp
Tamarind paste	1/2 tsp
Warm water	1/4 cup to grind

METHOD:

For the roti/bhakri:   
1.       In a wide bowl take the pearl millet flour/bajra atta, add in the whole wheat flour and salt.  Add about half a cup of fairly hot water and knead into a soft dough.  Adding more if required.  I required about 3/4 cup water.
2.       Rest the dough for half an hour.
3.       Make small balls of the flour and roll them in the flour (you could roll them in whole wheat flour or pearl millet flour).  Roll them like you would roll a chappati dusting them with flour while rolling so that it does not stick.
4.       Heat a griddle/tawa and dry roast them till light brown colour. 
5.       Smear with melted ghee on one side and serve hot with garlic chutney.  Enjoy….
For the garlic chutney:
1.       In a mixer jar, transfer the grated coconut, garlic cloves, tamarind paste, salt and chilli powder.  Add warm water to it and blitz it till the mixture turns fine.
2.       Transfer to a serving dish. Serve with bharkri's/roti's.
Notes:
1.       I got 6 small and 2 big bhakri's/roti's.
2.       You could adjust the chilli powder in the chutney according to your taste and the spiciness of the chilli powder.
3.       In place of tamarind paste, tamarind could be used. Say about a tsp of tamarind.
4.       Store the remaining chutney in the fridge.
5.       Pl do not omit adding ghee to bhakri's/roti's

Kulchas

Kulcha's are Indian breads which are soft leavened breads and are usually eaten with chole (Chickpea curry).  But theses kulcha's that am posting today is a little different than the normal kulcha that is served with the chole.  To this kulcha I have added melon seeds and oats and we enjoyed it with the Masoor masala curry.  So here is how the recipe goes.

INGREDIENTS:

White flour/Maida	1 1/2 cup
Yeast	1 1/2 tsp
Warm water	1/2 cup
Sugar	1 tsp
Curd (optional)	2 tbsp
Rolled oats	1/4 cup
Melon seeds	1 tbsp
Salt	1 tsp
Oil	1 tbsp
Butter	As required (for smearing)

METHOD:

1.       In a bowl dissolve sugar, warm water and add the yeast and mix well.  Leave it untouched for 5-10 minutes until it froths.

2.       In a mixing bowl add in the flour, oats, melon seeds and salt and mix well.  Make a well in the centre. 

3.       Once the yeast has frothed well, pour the yeast infused water in the flour an start kneading.  If using curds add the curds at this point and knead to a soft dough using more water if needed.  Add a little oil (about half tbsp) and knead well again.

4.       Let the dough rise in a well greased bowl in a warm place for about an hour or till it doubles in size.

5.       Punch back the dough and knead for 2 minutes.  Make medium sized balls and roll them into a round shape.

6.       Heat a tawa/griddle on high flame.  Brush the kulcha with a little water and place the kulcha on the griddle water side facing down.  Cover and cook the kulcha till small bubbles surface.  Turn the griddle so that the kulcha faces the flame directly, rotating the griddle so that the kulcha doesn’t burn and cooks well.

7.       Smear with butter and serve hot with the gravy of your choice.

NOTES:

1.       I felt adding curds, tends to give softer kulcha's.

2.       You could use half white flour and half wheat flour if you want to avoid using only white flour.

3.       You could cook the kulcha even without turning the griddle.  Just turn the kulcha on the griddle itself.

 

Masoor Masala

Today's recipe is a lentil (whole red lentils or sabut masoor dal) recipe which is mildly spiced and goes well with breads, Indian breads or with rice too.  A power packed side-dish.  It is very simple and probably a day to day curry which most of you might be cooking it as a regular dish.  But today when I cooked it along with kulcha's I thought why don’t I transform it into a post.  So here goes, my version of this yum and wonderful recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

Sabut masoor dal/whole red lentil	1 cup
Onions	2 medium
Tomato	1 big
Ginger garlic paste	1 tsp or 1/2 tsp each
Coriander & cumin powder	1 tsp or 1/2 tsp each
Garam masala	1 tsp
Turmeric powder	1/4 tsp
Red Chilli powder	1 tsp
Salt	3/4 tsp or as per preference
Oil	1 tbsp
Coriander leaves	To garnish

METHOD:

1.       Wash and soak the lentils for half an hour(these lentils do not need to be soaked overnight).

2.       Cook these lentils in the pressure cooker up-to 4-5 whistles.  They should be soft yet hold its shape.  If cooking them in a pan, cover the lentils with enough water and cook it till soft.

3.       In the meanwhile, finely chop the onions and tomatoes.  Reserve.

4.       In a pan/kadai, pour a tbsp of oil and bring to heat.  Add the ginger garlic paste, sauté, add in the chopped onions and sauté till they turn soft.  Add in the tomatoes and sauté till soft and mushy.

5.       At this point, add the turmeric powder, chilli powder and coriander & cumin powder and sauté well. 

6.       Add the cooked lentils to this masala and about 1/2 cup of water and mix well. 

7.       Add the garam masala and salt and stir well.  Let it come to a boil.  Add more water if you find the dish too thick.  (this dish should be semi thick).

8.       Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with rice, breads or Indian breads.

NOTES:

1.       You could use about an inch of ginger and 3 cloves of garlic which are finely chopped, in place of ginger garlic paste.

2.       Pl add chilli powder as per your level of pungency.

3.       I added about 3/4 cup of water.

4.       Masoor masala is served here with kulcha's (Indian Bread)

5.       The recipe that I have given here serves 3 people.

 

Crispy fried Okra

As promised I am back with a back to back recipe.  This dish can be had as an accompaniment or served as a starter if u like it so.  I know, it is fried and to all the calorie conscious people, once a while to indulge in such goodies is not a bad idea.  Haven't tried shallow frying or sautéing it.  You could even air-fry it.  Though I cannot say if it would be as crispy as it would be if you fried them.  Let's get to the making of these yum and crispy okra's.

INGREDIENTS:

Okra/ladyfinger/bhendi	100 gms
Buttermilk	1/2 cup
Rice flour	1/2 cup
Chickpea flour/besan	3/4 cup
Turmeric powder	1/4 tsp
Chilli powder	1 tsp
Salt	1 tsp
Oil	To fry
Chaat masala	1 tsp
Coriander leaves	To garnish

METHOD:

1.       Wash the okra and dry them on a kitchen towel until completely dry.

2.       Once dry, slit them into half.  Keep aside.

3.       In a bowl add the rice flour, chickpea flour, turmeric powder, chilli powder and salt, mix well.

4.       In another bowl take the buttermilk and add half tsp of salt.

5.       In a pan heat the oil on high flame, once hot lower the flame to medium. 

6.       Take the okra and dip them in the buttermilk.  Coat these okra's by rolling them in the dry mixture of rice and chickpea flour.  (it should be coated well with the dry flour mixture)

7.       Fry them in hot oil until golden in colour.  Drain them on kitchen/tissue paper.

8.       Sprinkle them with chaat masala when hot.

9.       Serve hot garnished with coriander leaves.  Enjoy…

NOTES:

1.       You could slit the okra into four.  I preferred slitting them half.

2.       Dipping them in buttermilk not only helps them coat well.  But also helps get rid of its stickiness.

3.       Best served and eaten when hot. You can enjoy with a mug of beer or with Vodka.

Rajma rice

Feels like ages!!! But am back with back to back recipes.  It is not that I have not been cooking.  It's just that I couldn’t get myself to get to the writing, posting and clicking bits.  So hoping that you all did miss me, I am presenting to you all, recipe of a yum rice dish which I combined with raita and okra n crispy fried okra might I say..  Rajma rice or kidney bean rice, a very healthy and flavoursome dish of rice which can be eaten as is or with raita or a simple dal.

There are smaller varieties of these kidney beans which are from Kashmir, but here I have used the bigger version.  Kidney beans in any form are yum and tasty, thou I have heard that the smaller variety are very tasty n full of flavour.  So here's how the recipe goes.

INGREDIENTS:

Kidney beans (Rajma)	1 cup (cooked)
Rice	1 cup
Onions	2 big (thinly sliced)
Tomato	1 medium (finely chopped)
Green cardamom	2 nos
Cinnamon	1 small piece
Cloves	4 nos
Turmeric powder	1/4 tsp
Chilli powder	1 tsp
Coriander &cumin powder	1/2 tsp each
Garam masala	1 tsp
Salt	1 tsp or as per preference
Ghee	2 tbsp
Coriander leaves	To garnish

METHOD:

1.       Wash and soak the rajma/kidney beans with enough water (water should cover the beans by 2 inches) overnight.  Next morning drain the water and pressure cook the kidney beans putting fresh water in the cooker so as to cover the kidney beans.  Cook for approx 4-5 whistles. 

2.       Meanwhile, slice the onions, chop tomatoes and keep aside.  Wash n soak the rice for about half an hour.

3.       Drain the water from the rice. 

4.       In a pan or cooker add a tbsp of ghee, add the whole spices and sauté till you get a mild fragrance.  Add in the sliced onions and sauté till they turn translucent.

5.       Once the onions are done, add in the finely chopped tomatoes.  Sauté till soft.

6.       Add the turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander & cumin powder and garam masala and stir well for a minute.

7.       Add the rice and sauté it on high flame for 2 minutes.  Add the cooked rajma and salt, stir well again.

8.       Add 2 cups of water to the rice and stir well again.

9.       Cover the pan or the cooker with a lid.  If cooking in a cooker, cook up-to two whistles.  If cooking in a pan, cover with a lid and cook on a medium flame until done.

10.   Once the rice is cooked add the other tbsp if ghee and garnish with coriander leaves. 

11.   Serve hot with raita or dal and papaddams.

NOTES:

1.       If you have water/stock remaining from the cooked rajma you could add the same.

2.       I have served the rice with onion raita.  You could serve with the raita or a salad of your choice.

3.       For the raita I have used a little less than a cup of curd, 1 medium onion finely chopped, salt as per preference and just a sprinkle of chilli powder.  Garnished with coriander leaves.

4.       I haven't added ginger garlic paste, if you do wish to add pl feel free to do so.  It will add to the flavour.

5.       With the measurements that I have given it serves 2-3, so pl do adjust according to your requirement.