lauki ke kofte

Ingedients for kofta:
2 cups grated bottle gourd or 1 medium size lauki
1/2 cup of gram flour (besan)
1 tsp salt
2 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp ginger (grated finely)
1/2 tsp carom seed (ajwain)
2 cups of oil (for frying the koftas)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For Curry:
2 medium onion paste
2 medium size tomatoes, pureed
2 tsp ginger- garlic paste
1 tsp jeera (cumin)
1 tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
1 tsp dhania powder
1 tsp gaaram masala powder
1/4 tsp sugar
salt to taste
1/2 tsp red chilly powder
2 tblsp oil
Finely chopped corainder for garnish

How to make lauki kofta curry:

• Method for making Kofta - Peel the bottle gourd and grate the lauki finely.
• Grated lauki has lots of water, take some lauki at a time and press gently between palms to squeeze the water out.
• Place the squeezed lauki in the bowl, add gram flour, chili, ginger salt, red chili powder and ajwain.
• Before starting making the koftas heat oil in a frying pan on medium heat.
• While oil is heating up, oil your palms and take a little portion of the dough at a time and roll into small ball. Make 15-16 balls out of it. Place them on the plate.
• Now gently drop 7-8 balls in the hot oil, do not touch the balls, let them fry for 2 minute once the bottom of the balls looks light brown, turn them around. With the spatula flip balls around until they become golden brown.
• Balls should be fried on low heat so that inside of the balls are cooked properly.
• Once the balls become golden brown take them off the oil and place them over a paper napkin so that extra oil could be absorbed. Repeat the process until all the balls are fried.
• Method for making curry - Heat oil in a kadhai, add cumin seeds, when they begin to crackle, add onion paste and let it cook till it becomes pinkish. Then ginger garlic paste. Saute for sometime then add tomato puree. Stir well and let it cook till oil separates.
• Add all the dry masala - red chilly, turmeric, garam masala, corainder powder, sugar, salt and then add 1/2 cup of water. Bring to boil and then reduce heat. Let it simmer for 2 minutes then add fried koftas.
• Cover the kadai and let it simmer for 5 minutes.
• Remove from the dish and garnish with green coriander and serve hot with roti, naan or rice.
• You can increase the consistency as per your choice. But enesure that the gravy does not become too watery.

Idli

Ingredients:

2 cups Rice
1 cup Urad Daal (white)
1 1/2 tblsp Salt
A pinch of Baking Soda
Oil for greasing

 

 

 

 

 

 

How to make idli :

• Pick, wash and soak the daal overnight or for 8 hours.
• Pick, wash and drain the rice. Grind it coarsely in a blender.
• Grind the daal into a smooth and forthy paste.
• Now mix the grinded rice and daal together into a batter.
• Mix salt and set aside in a warm place for 8-9 hours or overnight for fermenting.
• Idlis are ready to be cooked when the batter is well fermented.
• Grease the idle holder or pan well and fill each of thm with 3/4th full of batter.
• Steam cook idlis on medium flame for about 10 minutes or until done.
• Use a butter knife to remove the idlis.
• Serve them with sambhar or chutney.

Sambhar

Ingredients:
Small Onions - 1 cup, peeled
Red Gram Dal - 1/2 cup
Tamarind - 1 medium lime sized
Tomatoes - 2
Green Chillies - 2
Salt as per taste
Oil - 2 tsp
Dhania - 2 1/2 tsp
Black Gram Dal - 1 1/2 tsp
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Bengal Gram Dal - 2 tsp
Red Chillies - 8
Fenugreek Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Roasted Gram - 1 tblsp
Grated Coconut - 1/4 cup






 

Method:
1. Heat a tsp of oil and fry the dhania, black gram dal, cumin seeds, bengal gram dal, red chillies and fenugreek seeds till golden.
2. Fry one onion and 1 tomato with little oil separately.
3. Grind everything with 1/4 cup of grated fresh coconut and 1 tblsp of roasted gram
4. Heat oil in a shallow pan and fry the small onions for a minute or two.
5. Add enough water and boil till soft.
6. Cook red gram dal in pressure cooker and mash well.
7. Soak the tamarind and extract.
8. Mix the onions, mashed dal, tamarind extract, ground paste with salt, slit green chillies, tomatoes.
9. Boil with enough water.
10. When the sambar is thick remove from fire.
11. Heat one tsp of oil and add mustard seeds to splutter.
12. Pour over sambar with little asafoetida powder.
13. Garnish with coriander leaves.
14. Serve with idli or dosai.

Wheat Ladoo

Ingredients:
1 cup Wheat Flour
1/4 cup Gram Flour
11/2 cup Sugar Powder
1/4 cup Grated Coconut
1/4 cup Dry Fruit almonds, raisins, kaju etc
1 cup Ghee





 

Preparation:
1. Heat the ghee.
2. Put both the flours in the heated ghee.
3. When nearly roasted put coconut and sliced dry fruit in the mixture.
4. Now put the ground sugar in the mixture and stir thoroughly.
5. Take off from the heat quickly and make laddus. You may also put the mixture in an oil based thali & make small pieces.

Besan ki barfi

Ingredients :
Besan 1 kg
Sugar 1 kg
Water 1/2 liter
Ghee 1 kg
For garnishing: Pistas, Almonds

 



Preparation :
1. Fry besan in ghee on low flame for about 30 mins till it becomes pink and ghee separates.
2. Mix sugar and water into a syrup.
3. Add this syrup to the besan and mix well.
4. Pour this mixture into a greased tray.
5. When it cools cut into cubes and garnish with pistas and almonds.

Mushroom in onion gravy

Ingredients :
200 gm Mushrooms
3 Onions
2 Tomatoes, finely chopped or pureed
3 Green chillies, finely chopped
Coriander leaves
Salt as per taste
Red chili powder as per taste
A pinch of garam masala powder
A pinch of cardamom powder
Oil






 

Preparation :
1. Slice mushrooms, boil them and keep aside.
2. Make a paste of the onions.
3. Heat oil in a wok and add the onion paste; cook till the paste turns golden brown.
4. Add the tomatoes, green chilies, salt and red chilli powder.
5. Cook the tomatoes till the gravy leaves the sides of the wok.
6. Add water if required.
7. Add the mushrooms and cook for a while.
8. Season with garam masala powder, cardamom powder and coriander leaves.

Maalpua

Ingredients:
1/2 kg maida.
750 gm sugar.
1/2 ltr.milk.
1 cup grated coconut.
6 bananas.
25gm dry fruits.
5-6 ilaichi.
1 ltr. Refined oil.








 

Process
1 Boil the milk and stir it till it becomes thick. Then cool it.
2 In the milk add maida, sugar, dryfruits , coconut and ilaichi powder .Stir it till it becomes a paste.
3 Make banana paste and add it into the maida paste.
4 Hot oil in a pan. Make round shaped balls of the paste.
5 F ry these till they turn red.

Namak paarey

Ingredients:
3 cups of Maida (all purpose flour)
1 Tbsp of Ghee (clarified butter)
3-4 tsp of Ajwain
3/4 Cup+ 1 Tbsp of Water
Salt to taste
Oil to fry.

Method :
 
1. Sieve the maida and add salt and ajwain to it and mix well.
2. Now add the ghee and try to spread it all through the maida.
3. Add water to the maida 1/4 cup at a time and make it into a tight dough. I tried to capture the exact amount of water that gave me a tough dough.
4. Now make small balls of maida dough around 1" in diameter and roll it like a roti/chappati in shape but thicker in width.
5. Cut it diagonally once from N-W to S-E and then once from N-E to S-W to get rhombus shaped pieces. The pieces can be around 1/2 " to 3/4 ". Try to use a jagged end sharp knife since its easier with it.
6. Using the knife Scrap the pieces off the rolling board on to a plate. Repeat the process with the entire dough.
7. Heat oil in a wok and fry the Namak Paare on high flame till they are golden brown. The oil should be so hot that the Namak paare should kind of boil in it. Remove it from the oil onto a tissue paper to absorb the extra oil.
Namak paare are ready!

Kaju Katli

Ingredients : 

Cashew powder(finely grounded) - 2 cups 
Milk - 1/4cup
Sugar - 3/4 cup 
silver vark( for decoration)

Method:

Heat milk in a big pan and add sugar.
Remove it form the flame, when it starts bubbling
Add cashew powder little at a time. 
Mix well making a thick form.
Pour the mix on a thali.
Spread it with your palms for making thin burfi and then put verk on it.
Before cutting it in burfi shape, let it cool completely.

Sooji (semolina) ka halwa or sheera

Ingredients:

• 1 and a 1/2 cups sooji/ rawa
• 1/2 cup ghee
• 3/4 cup mixture of cashews (coarsely chopped ) and whole raisins/ sultanas
• 3 cups hot water
• 1/2 cup whole/ full cream milk
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 5 pods of green cardamom split open

Preparation:

• Heat a deep pan on a medium heat and when hot add the ghee. When it melts, add the Sooji and mix well.
• Roast the Sooji (stirring frequently) till it begins to turn a very light golden color and give off a faint aroma. The roasted Sooji will have the grainy consistency of wet sand. Now add the cashews and raisins to the Sooji and mix well.
• While you are roasting the Sooji, in a separate pot and on medium heat, bring a mixture of the milk, water, sugar and cardamom to a boil, stirring often.
• When the Sooji is roasted, gently add the water and milk mixture, stirring all the while to prevent lumps from forming. If any do form, make sure to break them with the back of the stirring spoon so you get a smooth paste-like consistency. Cook the mixture till it is thick and begins to come away from the sides of the pan.
• Turn off the heat and allow the mixture to cool to a warm temperature. Serve now in individual bowls.

Besan ke ladoo

Ingredients of besan laddoo :

2 cups gram flour (besan)
11/2 cup sugar (grinded)
1 cup ghee
1 tsp each almonds, pistachios, cashew nuts (chopped)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Preparation of besan ke ladoo:

• In a kadhai mix gram flour and ghee over a low heat.
• Keep constantly stirring to avoid lumps.
• When it releases an appetizing smell, it is ready.
• Remove from the heat and allow it to cool.
• Add sugar and nuts to the gram flour and mix thoroughly.
• Now form ping-pong size balls of the mixture.
• Besan Laddoo are ready to be served.