Palak ke Pakode

Introduction: Pakoras and with hot Tea is an ultimate combination for any evening. especially in rainy and cold days. There are lots of varieties of pakoras . As this season, palak(spinach) is freshly availble, so let's make palak pakoda for this evening.

Ingredients:
Spinach: 200gm

Besan: 2 Cups

Onions: 1 medium sized
Green chillies: 2
Red chilli powder: 1/2 tsp
Corriander powder: 1/2 tsp
Kasoori methi: 1 tsp(optional)
Salt: to taste
Oil : for frying
Preparation time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 10 mins

Method:
Wash and cut the stem of spinach leaves. Keep the spinach aside for drying. Cut the onions in long thin slices. chop the green chillies. finely chop the spinach. Take besan in a bowl.Add all the dry spices. Add 1 cup of water and make a thick paste without any dumplings. Add chopped spinach, onions and green chillies to it and mix well. Heat oil in a pan. When oil is sufficiently heated, Take a laddle full of mixture and drop in the oil and fry it. Similary add more pakoras to oil for frying. Fre the pakoras from both sides till golden brown.Remove them on a kitchen towl to soak excess oil. Serve the hot pakoras with tomatoe ketchup and green chutney and ofcourse Hot tea.

Apple Jam

Introduction:
 "Apple" is an iron rich fruit and as said an apple a day keeps doctor away. But I don't like apples much. So I always try to find new ways to have apples. Apple jam is a very good recipe in this view. It's eay to make and delicious for your daily breakfast. So why to buy jam for market. Make it your at home.

Ingredients:

Apple: 2 (Medium sized)
Sugar: 1.5 cup
Water: 1 Cup
Elaichi powder: 1.5 tsp
Saffron or edible color: 4-5 strands or 2 drops
Lime juice: 1 tsp

Preparation time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 15 mins

Method:
Wash and peel apples. Grate the apples. Remove the seeds of the apples. Now heat a non stick pan. Add water and sugar to it and let it come to a boil. Then add apples to it and let it cook over medium flame . Stirr occasionaly to avoid sticking. After 5 mins, add saffron or color and elacihi powder. Cook the mixture till the apple softens and mixture starts drying. Add lim juice to it and cook for 5 more minutes. Put off the flame and let the jam cools. When the jam is cooled, fill it in a sterlized glass bottle and save in fridge. Enjoy the delicious jam daily over your breakfast table with toast, bread or paranthas.

Coconut burfi

Introduction: "Coconut burfi" is a very easy to make sweets. The recipes made by cocnut are mostly popular in southern part of india but cocnut burfi is popular in all the parts of india. There are many ways of making cocnut burfi but i'm telling you the easiest way to cook it at home any time in a jiffy.

Ingredients:
Scraped dry coconut powder: 4 cup
Full cream milk: 3 cup
sugar: 2 cups
Desi Ghee: 1/2 cup

Green cardamon powder: 1/2 tsp

Grated dryfruits: for garnishing

Cooking time: 20 mins

Method: 

Take the grated cocnut in a pan. Add milk in it. cook the mixture on medium flame. when the milk starts to boil, add sugar and ghee in it. Let the mixture cook till it gets dry. Stirr occasionaly. Add green cardamon powder to it and mix well. When  the mixture will be cooked, it will be get almost dry and leave the surface of the pan. Place the mixture in a greesed plate and let it set. Decorate with the grated dryfruits and cut into desired shapes. Enjoy the delicious sweet burfi.

TIPS:
1. You can add colors and essence to give the burfi a differentt taste.
2. To grate the coconut, you can directly grind the dry cocnut. It will save a lot of time.
3. This burfi remains fresh for at least 15 days.

Kadhai Paneer

Introduction:

"Kadhai paneer" is an ultimate combination of capsicum and cottage cheese. This curry is really good for those who avoid to eat a lot of gravy dishes. This is so easy to prepare and delicious for day to day servings. I'm telling you the recipe for kadhai paneer without onions and garlic but if you like, you can add onions and garlic to the dish.

Ingredients:

Green Capsicum: 250 gm

Cottage cheese: 150 gm

Tomatoes: 4-5 medium sized

Giner: 1 inch piece

Green chillies: 2 (finely chopped)
Curd:1/2 cup
Fresh cream/malai: 4 tsp
Cumin seeds: 2 tsp
Bay leaf-4
cloves-4
Black peppercorn: 4
Cinamon stick: 1/2 inch piece
Red chilli powder: 1 tsp
Turmeric powder: 1/2 tsp
Corriander powder: 2 tsp
Garam masala powder: 1/2 tsp
Black pepper powder: 1/4 tsp
Sugar: 1/2 tsp
Salt: to taste
Oil: 5 tsp
Green corriander: for garnishing
Fresh cream: for garnishing

Preparation time: 20 min
Cooking time: 15 min
Serves for : 4 Persons

Method:

Wash all the vegetables. Soak the paneer in water so that it will get soft. Cut the stem and Deseed the capsicum. cut the capsicum in suitable size square pieces. Finely chop the tomatoes. chop the green chillies. Peel and grate the ginger.

Heat oil in kadhai. Add cumin seeds, bay leaf, cloves, cinamon and black peppercorn to it. Fry till it starts spluttering. Now add chopped tomatoes, green chillies and ginger to the oil and let it cook till the tomatoes get mushy and leaves oil on surface. It will take approximately 3 minute on medium flame. Now add chopped capsicum to it and mix well. Add all the powdered spices and cover the kadhai with lid. let it cook for 5 minuts on slow flame. Open the lid and check that the capsicums are soft. Now add The beaten curd with malai to the kadhai and mix well.Cook for 2 minutes. The mixture will turn into a rich colorful gravy.

Take the paneer out of the water. Cut the paneer into square pieces and add to the gravy. Mix well. Cook for 3-4 minutes or till the paneer is perfectly mixed in gravy. Put off the flame.

Garnish the recipe with chopped green corriander and whipped fresh cream. Serve it with hot chapatis, paranthas and naan.

TIPS:
1. Sugar is added to cut the sourness of curd.
2. You can also make a smooth paste of tomatoes and grren chillies. But the chopped version of tomatoes make it more delicious.
3. Capsicums and paneer can also be deep fried before adding it to the recipes. This will make the curry more quickly, as we do not need to cook till the capsicums are soft but it will result in a more oily dish.
4. Onions and garlic can aslo be added. Add the chopped onions and garlic before adding tomatoes and cook them till it turns golden brown. Then follow the recipes as mentioned above.

Banana Bread

Introduction:

"Banana bread" is an another yumilicious dish in the baking category and that too, is eggless. It's a wonderful use of fully riped bananas and a joyful accompaniment to any tea party. You can easily make this bread and can use it upto 3 days.

Ingredients:

Refined flour: 2 cups

Powdered sugar: 1 and 3/4 cups

Riped Bananas: 3

Butter: 50 gm

Fresh Malai/cream: 1/2 cup

Baking powder: 1 tsp

Baking soda: 1/8 tsp

Elaichi powder: 1/2 tsp

Milk: 1/4 cup

Vanilla essence: 7-8 drops

Preparation time: 35-40 mins

Cooking time: 35 mins-40 mins

Method:

Take the butter and let it get soft at room temeperature. Sieve the flour, baking powder and baking soda together 3-4 times. Sieve the sugar. Peel the bananas and mesh them properly with help of spatulla. Mesh them to get a smooth paste. Beat butter, cream and sugar together to get a smooth paste for 10 mins. Now mix the meshed bananas into it.Beat the mixture again. Add elaichi powder into it. Now mix the flour mixture into it adding little by little at a time. Keep beating the mixture to avoid lumps. Add vanilla essence into it. Add the milk and beat again for 10 mins. You will get a thick paste. The mixture required for making bread is thicker then we have for cake. Preheat the oven at 180 degree C for 10 mins. Now place the bread mixture into a greesed bread/cake tin. Put it in the oven and bake it at 165 deg C for 40 mins.

You can also use the conventional pressure cooker method for baking the bread. Bake it for 35 mins, if using pressure cooker.

Remove the baked bread out of the tin after getting completely cooled by turning the tin upside down. Cut it into square slices and Enjoy the delicious homemade banana bread.

TIPS:

1. You can add dryfruits, nuts and chocolates to the bread.

2. This bread remains fresh upto 3 days.

3. If you don't have Malai, then use butter instead or vice-versa.

4. Do not keep the mixture out for too long. Bake immediately as soon as the mixture is ready otherwise it will reduce the sponginess of the bread.

NaanKhatai

Introduction:

"Naan khatai" is basically an indian cookie. It adds to another recipe in baking category. This indian cookies is ultimate snack. You make it and store it upto 2 months. It makes a good combination when served with tea. I just tried it today and it was so easy to make. I made this in pressure cooker but you can try it in your Oven too.

Ingredients:

Refined flour(Maida): 2.5 cup

Gram flour(Besan):1/2 cup

Semolina(suji): 1 tsp

Baking powder: 1 tsp

Sugar: 2 cups(powdered)
Ghee: 1 cup
Green cardamon powder: 2 tsp
Milk: 4 tsp

Preparation time: 15 min

Cooking time: 10-15 min

Method:

Take melted ghee and sugar in a bowl and whisk it till a smooth paste is formed. Sieve maida, besan, suji and baking powder together. Add green cardamon powder to it and mix well. Add this mixture to the ghee mixture and mix it properly. A doughy mix will be formed. Add milk to it and make a soft dough out of it. The dough won't be like the dugh of chapatis but it will like the dough we have for laddoos.Cover it and keep aside for 2-3 hours.

Take small balls out of the dough and make a smooth ball with your palms. Press it slightly to give it a flat shpae.Try not to brake them from the ends. It's usual to have some cracks in it. Heat the oven to 180 degree centrigrade. Take a lightly greesed plate. Place the naankhatai in it leaving sufficient space between two. Place then in oven and bake for 10 mins. Check after 10 mins. It will be slightly brown. Bake for another 5 mins and take out of the oven. Let them cool completely.

If you are using pressure cooker, then bake them for 10 mins over the low flame. It will be ready.

When the Naankhatai is cool, you can store them in an air tight container or serve them right away.You can decorate them with Almonds or chopped dryfruits.

TIPS:

1.When you will take out those cookies from oven or cooker, you will find that these are soft but when they will get cooled, It will automatically turn out to be crisp and hard as biscuits. So don't overcook them to make hard.

2. Greese the tin with ghee.

3. Leave sufficient space between the two naankhatai. It expands during cooking.

4.It's usual to have some cracks in the cookie after baking.

Kashmiri Pulav

Introduction:

"Kashmiri Pulav" is another great dish in party cooking list. It's a very nice and aromatic preparation of rice with whole indisn spices and cottage cheese topped with pineapple and dryfruits.

Ingredients:

Basmati rice: 1.5 cup

Water: 4.5 cups+ for soaking the rice

Cottage cheese(Paneer): 100 gm(cut into small cubes)

Onions: 2 medium sized(sliced)

Bay leaf: 2

Cinnamon: 1 inch stick

Saffron: 1/2 tsp

Green cardamon: 5

Cloves:5

Black peppercorn(Kali mirch): 5-6

Salt: to taste

Cumin seeds: 1 tsp

Almonds: 6-7(broken into half)

Cashewnuts: 6-7(broken into half)

Dry grapes(Kismis): 6-7

Milk: 1 tsp(For diluting saffron)

Pineapple: 1/2 cup (Chopped)

Ghee: 3 tsp+ for frying the paneer

Red Cherries: for decoration

Preparation time: 20 mins

Cooking time: 15 mins

Serves for: 2 persons

Method:

Soak the rice in water for half an hour. Put the 4.5 cups of water to boil. Add bay leaf, cinnamon, green cardamon, cloves,salt and black peppercorns to it. Let it boil on high flame. After one boil, simmer the flame. Cover it with a lid and let it cook for 10 mins. Meanwhile Heat some ghee in a pan for frying the paneer. Fry the paneer cubes till golden brown.Fry the onion slice in it. You can also fry the alomnds and cashewnuts in it.Keep the fried items aside.

Strain the water stock after 10 minutes of cooking. This stock will be used to cook the rice.

Heat ghee in pan for cooking the rice. Add cumin seeds to it. Now add soaked rice and the water stock to it. Cover it and let it cook on medium flame. Check every 5 mins. When the rice is almost done, gently add the diluted saffron, cashewnuts, almonds, kishmish, paneer and onion slices to it. Mix it gently.Cook for another 2 minutes. Adjust the salt.

Just before serving add pineapples to it. Garnish it with red canned cherries.

TIPS:

1. While cooking the rice, if you feel the water is not sufficient, then add some wore water.

2. Add pineapple just before serving and in hot rice. Do not cook the pineapple. It may loose it's taste.

3. You can also add any fruit of your choice.

4. This pulav is not spicy. But if you like to have spicy rice, then add green chilli, instead of red chilli powder.

5. You can add dryfruits of your choice in this recipe.