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Moong dal pakode

Posted on December 12, 2013 by Nidhi

Moong Dal Pakode

Moong dal Pakode with methi leaves known as Paush bade is a very popular snack of Jaipur in winters. As I have already told you winters in Rajasthan could be very cold. Paush month according to hindu calendar is the coldest which will be from 18^th december to 16^th January.

Paush Utsav is celebrated during this month in temples in Jaipur and Paush bade and moong dal halwa are prepared. Both these food help in keeping the body warm and hence are perfect for this cold month.

All the ingredients added to these Moong dal pakode are warm in nature. These also act as a homemade remedy to battle cold and I think that is a perfect excuse to eat them in winters

Fresh methi leaves, whole black pepper, Coriander seeds all are warm in nature and then lots of spices are added to these. You can add black pepper powder in place of whole black peppers/peppercorn if your kids are also going to eat these like I do. But the paush bade you get in utsavs are really spicy with lots of whole black peppers and coriander seeds.

How to make Moong Dal Pakode/ Paush Bade

Preparation time: 10 minutes
soaking time 2-3 hours
frying time: 30 minutes
makes around 40 pakode depending on size

Ingredients:

1½ cups moong dhuli dal/ yellow moong dal
½ cup moong chilka dal/ green split moong dal
1 cup fresh methi leaves washed and finely chopped
2 green chillies cut into small pieces
1 tbsp grated ginger
1 tbsp sabut dhania/ coriander seeds
1 tbsp sabut kaali mirch/ peppercorn
½ tsp heeng/ asafetida
½ tsp red chilli powder
¼ tsp garam masala
salt to taste
Note: you can adjust spices according to your family’s taste.

To make Moong dal pakode/ Paush bade

Wash and soak the dals for 2-3 hours. Using as little water as you can grind the soaked dals to a paste. Beat for some time till the paste is fluffy. Add all the spices, chopped methi leaves, green chillis and ginger to the paste.

Heat oil in a kadai and check by putting a small drop of dal mixture in oil. If it comes to the top oil is hot if I sinks heat oil more.

Take small balls of dal batter in fingers and drop it gently in oil.

You can add 8-10 balls at the same time. Let them fry on high for 1 minute. Turn the pakode and change the flame to low. Let the pakode fry on low flame till they are golden brown.

Drain on a paper to remove excess oil.

Serve hot with green chutney or sauce.

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Posted in Appetizers, breakfast, Festival snacks/ namkeen, Fried snacks, indian, Rajasthani dishes, Recipe, winters food | Leave a comment

Roasted tomato soup

Posted on December 6, 2013 by Nidhi

Roasted tomato soup with Croutons

I have been thinking of making Roasted tomato soup for quite some time. Rajasthan known for its scorching heat in summers could be really cold in winters. Though winters are a little late this year when it comes soup is a must in our house in evenings.

I generally make mix vegetable soup or plain tomato soup but my elder son does not drink that at all. So I tried this soup for him. The smell of tomatoes roasting is Awesome. The whole house smelled so nice. I think this prompted him to try this soup. Addition of croutons to the soup also helped a lot.

There is a very mild flavor of onion and garlic which really adds up to its taste. Croutons have been baked in oven and we can use whole-wheat bread also for them instead of white bread to make them healthier.

How to make Roasted Tomato Soup

Adapted from: Sandraseasycooking.com

Preparation time: 2 minutes
Baking time: 20-25 minutes for soup and 15 minutes for croutons
makes around 3-4 cups depending on consistency

Ingredients for Roasted tomato soup:

4 tomatoes
2 onions

4-5 cloves garlic
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Ingredients for croutons:
4 bread slices
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp oregano

To make Roasted Tomato Soup

Preheat the oven on 220 C for 10 minutes.

Arrange garlic, tomato and onion slices on the baking tray in single layer.

Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle salt and pepper on the slices.

Roast in oven for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes turn over the slices and roast for another 10 minutes.

Let the roasted tomato cool down. Puree in your blender the roasted slices with all the olive oil from the tray. After blending pass the soup through a sieve/ strainer.
Shift the soup to a pan and give it a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add water to get the desired consistency.

Serve hot with Croutons.

To make Croutons

Cut bread slices in cubes.

Add salt pepper and oregano to olive oil. Toss the cubes in olive oil and spread on the baking sheet in an even layer.

Bake the cubes at 200 C for 1o minutes. Take out of the oven and turn the cubes. Bake for another 5 Minutes. Croutons are ready.

Take them out of the oven and let them cool down. Store in an air tight container.

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Posted in baked, Drinks, For beginners, healthy, quick and easy, Recipe, Vegetables, winters food | 4 Comments

Roasted Munakka

Posted on November 24, 2013 by Nidhi

Roasted Munakka

Munakkas are powerhouse of nutrients. These are really good for stomach ailments. These cure constipation, give energy to body, increase hemoglobin, clean blood and help in curing cough and cold. These also increase appetite. This is my Mother in laws home remedy for curing cold, constipation and increasing appetite.

There are many ways of eating Munakka. You can soak these at night and in the morning you can eat these and drink the water they are soaked in. You can wash them and have them as it is in morning. Or you can roast these and sprinkle salt and pepper on them like I have done. Some people even make chutney of these.

When I was suffering from high fever last month I did not feel like eating anything. I used to take these Roasted Munakkas daily as these not only gave me energy they also increased my appetite.

Black salt improves your taste, black pepper takes care of cold and Munakka is good in constipation. Together these three are a sure shot cure. And they are tasty too.

Sometimes my kids do not like to eat soaked munakka as they get soft but they love these roasted munakkas.

How to make Roasted Munakka

Wash the Munakkas thoroughly.

Keep on a strainer for 5 minutes to drain off water.
You can remove seeds from the munakka now or after roasting them. Just open the munakka a little to remove the seeds.

Arrange 12-15 munakkas in a skewer.

Roast over medium flame for 1minute rotating continuously to ensure even roasting.

Roasted Munakka is ready. Sprinkle some black salt and black pepper powder over it before eating.

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Posted in healthy, indian, Nuts, quick and easy, Recipe, snacks, under 10 minutes, winters food | 2 Comments

Wheatgrass Juice

Posted on November 19, 2013 by Nidhi

Wheatgrass Juice

Wheatgrass juice is full of nutrients and can be made easily at home. Though the juice takes 5 minutes to prepare it takes some planning to grow wheatgrass (around 6-7 days).

It is quite popular nowadays. You can see vendors selling these in parks where people come for morning walk, yoga and jogging. It is best drunk on an empty stomach. Its taste may seem strange at first but after taking it regularly we develop a taste of it. Even my 6 year old son loves to drink it.

Now days when it is becoming difficult to feed kids (and yourself ) proper nutritional food a glass of wheatgrass juice in the morning seems like a very good option. Wheatgrass juice not only provides nutrients to the body but it also helps in fighting diseases.

How to grow Wheatgrass

We have kept four separate pots for growing wheatgrass. Wheatgrass from one small pot is enough to make two half glasses. If you want to drink it daily (for 2 glasses) use 4 large pots or 7 small pots.

Start with one pot and spread evenly about 1 tbsp of wheat in them. Press them lightly into the soil. Water all the pots daily. Next day plant wheat in the second pot and so on. You will see some growth in 3-4 days and wheatgrass will be ready in 7-8 days. Cut the green part of the wheatgrass and use that for making juice. Water the pot and remove the remaining part of the wheatgrass from the pot. Discard it and sow new wheat grains in the pot.

How to make Wheatgrass Juice

When the wheatgrass is around 7-9 inches long cut the green part with the help of scissors and wash them thoroughly in running water.

Cut the wheatgrass into small pieces and run in your blender with 1 cup of water.

Now pass the mixture through a sieve. Discard the pulp that is left in sieve.

You can drink this juice as it is or add lemon juice or black salt/ kaala namak to it. You can also dilute it with water if you do not like its taste.

It is best to drink it immediately. Fresh Juice should not be kept for long time and should be consumed immediately as they start losing their nutrients after some time.

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Posted in breakfast, Drinks, healthy, Homemade, indian, No cooking required, quick and easy, Recipe, under 10 minutes | Tagged breakfast, healthy | 4 Comments

Choco mawa rolls

Posted on November 7, 2013 by Nidhi

Choco Mawa Rolls

I made these choco mawa rolls on Diwali but was not able to post them. These are so easy to make took less than 10 minutes and were loved by all the family.

I have adapted the recipe from the blog scratching canvas. I loved the recipe as I had some mawa left with me after making Gunjiya. Axat wanted me to make Gulab Jamun which is equally easy but I wanted to try some new recipe so this one won hands down.

Addition of Cocoa to mawa definitely works for kids. In the original recipe saffron has been used but I had some desiccated coconut powder with me so decided to add that. Do check the original recipe if you would like to try saffron layer.

How to make Choco Mawa Rolls

Adapted from: Scratchingcanvas.com
Preparation time: 2 minutes
cooking time: less than 5 minutes
makes around 20 Choco mawa rolls

Ingredients:

300 grams Mawa

¼ cup Sugar
1 tbsp Cocoa
2 tsp desiccated coconut powder
1 tsp slivered almonds
1/8 tsp cardamom/elaichi powder

To make Choco Mawa Rolls

Cook mawa on low flame in a non stick pan. It will get liquidy first then it will start leaving the sides of the pan.

Switch off the gas when it comes together. Let the mawa cool for some time.
Add sugar to the mawa. Taste and adjust sugar according to your taste.Now divide mawa into two parts.

Add cocoa powder to one and dessicated coconut, almonds and elaichi powder to the other. Spread cling wrap or butter paper on the back of a thali. Now roll the cocoa dough with the help of a rolling pin. Take another cling wrap and roll the coconut powder mixed mawa to the same size. Place this layer on top of the cocoa layer.

Roll the layers. Wrap these tightly with a cling wrap and refrigerate for around 30 minutes. Remove the cling wrap and cut rolls. I got around 20 choco mawa rolls but they can vary depending on the size you cut.

Keep refrigerated and take them out for some time before serving.

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Posted in chocolate, Diwali Sweets, Festival sweets, For beginners, indian, No bake sweets, quick and easy, Recipe, under 10 minutes | Tagged chocolate, coconut, desserts, Diwali Sweets, milk, quick and easy | 10 Comments

Gunjiya

Posted on November 2, 2013 by Nidhi

Gunjiya
Gunjiya is the most popular sweet made during Diwali and Holi. Though they take some time to prepare these are the most sought after sweet at Diwali.

You can understand the importance of Gunjiya by this fact that you can get kids to organize the room , take bath, eat their food by simply saying that don’t disturb me otherwise I will not be able to make Gunjiya. Trusted and tried method

I have learned to make Gunjiya from my MIL. our method of making Gunjiya is easier as we do not add sugar syrup to Gunjiya. Mawa mixture is sweet enough for that.
How to make Gunjiya
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes + 45 minutes
Makes around 30-35 Gunjiya

Ingredients:

For wrapper
2 cup plain flour/ Maida
¼ cup oil
½ cup water

For filling
250 gms Mawa
100 gram grated dry coconut
1 cup powdered sugar
½ tsp elaichi/ cardamom powder
¼ cup raisins
¼ cup slivered almonds
Oil for deep frying

To make Gunjiya

First we have to prepare the dough. Seive the Maida in a wide bowl. Warm the oil for moin. Make a well in the centre of the maida and add oil to it. Now uniformly add the oil to the maida rubbing between your palms. Now warm the water for making the dough. Use as little water as required to make the dough. Dough should be harder than the chappati dough but softer than the mathri dough. Let it rest for 20-30 minutes.

Now cook the mawa in a nonstick pan. It will get liquidy first and then it will dry. When mawa starts coming together and leaves the sides of the pan switch off the flame. This should take around 3-4 minutes. Let the mawa cool.

Add the grated coconut, nuts, sugar and elaichi powder to the mawa.

Taste the mixture and adjust sugar according to your taste.

Make small balls of dough. Keep the dough covered all the time with a damp cotton cloth. Roll out the dough to a round shape to fit your gunjiya mould. Fill 1tbsp of mixture and seal the gunjiya by applying a wet hand on the corners.

Heat oil in a kadai. Fry 4-5 gunjiyas at a time. These should be fried at low flame to ensure even frying. The flame should be high only at the time of adding and removing the gunjiyas from the kadai. Fry these to a light brown color.

Store the gunjiyas in an air tight container. There is no need to refrigerate.

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Posted in Diwali Sweets, Festival sweets, Homemade, indian, Indian Sweets, Recipe, sweets | Tagged coconut, desserts, Diwali Sweets, Gunjiya, indian, mawa, mawa sweets, milk, nuts, sweets | 1 Comment

Diwali sweets and Snacks

Posted on October 31, 2013 by Nidhi

Here is a list of Diwali sweets and snacks that I have posted on the blog. Have a fun filled safe Diwali. Cook lots of sweets and snacks and enjoy with your family.

Diwali Sweets:

Coconut Burfi

Rasgulla

Diwali snacks/ Namkeens:

Posted in Bengali, Diwali Sweets, Festival snacks/ namkeen, Festival sweets, Fried snacks, Homemade, indian, Indian Sweets, Rajasthani dishes, Recipe | Tagged besan, chocolate, coconut, desserts, Diwali, Diwali snacks, Diwali Sweets, gram flour, indian, milk, nutella, nuts, snacks, sweets | Leave a comment

Besan ki Sev

Posted on October 31, 2013 by Nidhi

Besan ki Sev

Besan ki sev are quite easy to make at home. These are crispy, crunchy, yummy, and my kids love them. So will yours.

Hardly took 35-40 minutes to make which is quite quick if compared to some other snacks we prepare around Diwali. Beasn ki Sev can be stored for a long time another bonus point in their favor.

How to make Besan ki Sev

Cooking time: 25-30 minutes
Preparation time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:
2 cups Bengal gram flour/besan
½ tsp red chilli powder
¼ tsp carom seeds/ajwain
¼ tsp asafetida/heeng
¼ tsp garam masala
½ tsp fennel seed powder/ saunf powder
salt to taste ( I have used around 1 ½ tsp salt)
4 tbsp oil
water to make dough

Oil for deep frying

To make Besan ki Sev

Take a large bowl and add all the ingredients except water and oil for deep frying.

Mix thoroughly. Make soft dough with water.

Divide the dough into 5 equal portions.

Take one portion and put it in the press. Heat oil for deep frying.

Press long strands of besan in the hot oil.
Turn the flame to low and let the sev cook on low flame to ensure even frying.

Take the sev out when they change color to a light brown and are crisp.
Serve with Diwali Sweets and Snacks.

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Posted in Appetizers, Festival snacks/ namkeen, Fried snacks, Homemade, quick and easy, Recipe, snacks | Tagged besan, Diwali snacks, gram flour, indian, quick and easy, snacks | 1 Comment

Atte ke Ladoo

Posted on October 30, 2013 by Nidhi

Atte ke Ladoo

Atte ke Ladoo are the easiest to make of all the laddos. These are quite popular in our house and are a must in Diwali sweets.

I am sure you all must be very busy with Diwali preparations. I had also made a long list of Diwali sweets and snacks I wanted to make this Diwali. Seems like yesterday when I was saying there is still a lot of time there are ten days left. Now it seems Diwali has come and I have not made anything. And Axat is giving me those looks, See I told you

While travelling we always carry Atte ke ladoo, mathri and chivda with us. I just love Atte ke Ladoo for lots of reasons. First they are delicious. Second my kids love them. Then they are healthy as they are made of wheat flour. These can be kept for a long time and there is no need to refrigerate these.

How to make Atte ke Ladoo

Cooking time: 20-25 minutes

Preparation time: 15 minutes
makes around 35-40 depending on size

Ingredients:

2 cups atta (whole wheat flour)
¾ cup ghee

1 cup powdered sugar/ boora
½ tsp powdered cardamom powder (elaichi powder)
15-20 almonds cut into small pieces
2 tbsp raisins
To make Atte ke Ladoo

Take ghee in a heavy bottomed pan. Add atta to the hot ghee and stir on high flame for 2-3 minutes.

Turn the flame to slow and cook for around 15 minutes stirring continuously till the atta changes its color and turns brown in color.

Let it cool a little. Add nuts to the atta.

Add boora to the atta. Make sure that atta is not very hot when you add boora.

Mix thoroughly.

Shape the Ladoos with your hands.

And they are ready to serve. No need to refrigerate. These you can store these in an airtight cantainer for a long time.

Note: If ladoo does not hold its shape add some warm Ghee to the mixture and then make Ladoos.

Other Diwali Sweets you can make are:

Posted in Diwali Sweets, Festival sweets, Indian Sweets, No bake sweets, Nuts, Recipe, sweets | Leave a comment

Kaju Katli

Posted on October 24, 2013 by Nidhi

This is my first attempt at making Kaju Katli and it came out really well. It is so easy to make at home. It hardly takes 15-20 minutes and there is no hard work involved. Just make sugar syrup add cashew powder and cook for 2-3 minutes and you are done.

I had no idea that making Kaju katli is so easy. I saw the recipe on Hari Chandana’s wonderful blog Blend with Spices. She has explained the whole recipe with step by step photos and that really tempted me to try it out.

Kaju Katli was so delicious that Axat could not tell these were made at home. He was asking me where I got these from.

I had planned to post a lot of sweets and snacks recipes for this Diwali. But because of viral fever and severe cough and cold I was not able to cook and post anything. I had pinned this recipe on my sweets pinterest board a long time back. With my busy schedule ( Cleaning the house, attending kids school functions, maid falling ill and only 10 days left for Diwali) this seemed like the perfect recipe to start.

I know you guys are busy with cleaning of house and all that. So this is the perfect sweet to make this Diwali. It is rich, delicious and perfect for serving guests on Diwali. And not to forget ready in 15 minutes. What else can one ask for ..

How to make Kaju Katli
Recipe Source: Blendwithspices.com (Visit the site to see step by step photos)
Preparation time: 2 minutes
cooking time: less than 15 minutes

Makes around 20 – 25 Kaju Katli depending on size

Ingredients:

1 cup Kaju/Cashew nuts
½ cup sugar
¼ cup water
1 tsp Ghee

To make Kaju Katli

Grind Cashew nuts in a dry grinder to get a fine powder. If you have kept the Cashew nuts in freezer keep them out for some time and let them come to room temperature before grinding.

Grease a thali lightly with ghee.

Now we have to prepare the sugar syrup. Take sugar and water in a non stick pan and give it a boil. Reduce the flame to medium and cook the syrup till it reaches 1 string consistency around 7-8 minutes.
Switch off the flame and add the cashew powder to the syrup. Mix thoroughly. Cook again for 2-3 minutes stirring consistently till the mixture comes together. Wet your hands and try rolling a small piece of kaju mixture in your fingers. If you are able to roll it into a non sticky ball kaju katli is ready.

Switch off the flame and let the mixture cool. After some time while the mixture is still warm knead it till it is soft and smooth. I started kneading the mixture while it was still hot so I was not able to do it properly. For a smooth look we have to knead the kaju dough properly. If the dough looks a little hard grease your hands with a little ghee before kneading the dough.
Roll out the dough to the desired thickness on the greased thali. Cut the Kaju katli into diamond shape or any other shape you like.
If you plan to eat these right away there is no need to keep in fridge but if you plan to use these after some days keep these in fridge in air tight container.