Gajar ka Halwa

Ingredients:

1 kg Carrots
1 litre Milk or Khoya (if you need more richer halwa)

1 cup Condensed milk (to reduce chewy texture of carrots)
1 teaspoon Cardamom seeds
3/4 cup Water
3 tablespoons Ghee
2 tablespoons Raisins
2 tablespoons Almonds
2 tablespoons Pistachios
400 grams Sugar

Silver foil for decoration (if desired)

Preparation  :

• Wash and grate the carrots. Soak the raisins in water for 30 minutes. Blanch and shred the nuts.
• Put the water to boil, when it starts boiling add the grated carrots. Cook for 5-7 minutes.
• Add the milk. Cook on a low flame for 1 hour stirring occasionally. Add sugar, mix well and cook till the sugar has dissolved and all the milk has been absorbed.
• Add ghee and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Add the slightly crushed cardamoms and the raisins. Mix well.
• Remove the gajar ka halwa from heat and arrange in a serving dish. Garnish with almonds and pistachios. Serve cold, hot or at room temperature.
• Coat with Silver foil or Chandi ka Vark, for a richer appeal, if desired.

Vermicelli Upma

Ingredients:

2 cups Vermicelli
1 tsp Chana dal
1 tsp Urad dal
1/4 tsp Mustard seeds
2 tsp Cashewnuts
2 tsp Peanuts
1 Onions
2 Green chillies
1/2 inch Ginger
1 Potatoes
1/4 cup Peas
1 Carrots

1 Capsicum

1 Tomato

4 1/2 cups Water
3 tblsp Oil
2 tblsp Ghee
3 sprig Curry Leaves

Few fried Cashenuts for garnishing.
Salt to taste

Preparation:

• Chop the onions, tomatoes, capsicum, potatoes & carrots into small cubes. Slit the green chilly lengthwise and grate the ginger. Keep them aside
• In a kadai, dry roast the vermicelli stirring constantly till light brown and a sweet aroma is released. Roasting of vermicelli ensures that the vermicelli does not become a mushy pulp on boiling. All the strands are separate.
• Heat the oil and add chana dal, urad dal, mustard seeds and curry leaves. When they start to crackle, add peanuts and cashewnuts. Fry till they turn golden brown.
• Add chopped potatoes, carrots and fry for 4-5 minutes.
• Then add chillies,ginger ,onions, peas and tomatoes.
• Cook until they are done. Sprinkle some water if the vegetables start to stick.
• After that add salt and 4 &1/2 cups of water, cover with a lid and let it boil .
• When the water comes to boil add vermecelli and simultaneously stir ( so that no lumps are formed).
• Cover the upma with a lid for 5-6 minutes and then add 2tbsp of ghee and stir well.

• Garnish with fried Cashewnuts.
• Serve hot with coconut chutney.

Sabudana Khichdi

Ingredients:

1 cup sabudana pearls or grains(sago)
1/2 tsp Sugar
2 Green Chillies chopped lengthwise
1/2 cup peanuts
1 boiled and peeled potato
2 tsp Oil
1 tsp Cumin seeds
1 Pinch Hing (asafoetida)
2 tbsp grated fresh Coconut
1 tsp Lemon juice
Salt to taste
Few Coriander leaves
Few Curry Leaves

        Preparation:

• Washing And Soaking:  

  Wash the sabudana in water 2 -3 times. Then soak them in water just enough to cover 
  the top of the sabudana. Use a flat bottom vessel for soaking. Soak the sabudana in
  water for 6 - 8 hrs before you plan to make the khichdi. Every 2 - 3 hrs fluff them with
  the help of a fork. Later if you feel that the sabudana still has a hard center then
  sprinkle some water on them and wait for 30 mins for them to get soft. Fluff again with
  a fork and check. Repeat the process till you get perfectly soft centered pearly
  sabudana. Each and every pearl will be soft and well shaped. Also the sabudanas will
  double in volume.

• Chop the potatoes into small cubes.
• Heat the oil/ghee in a pan and add cumin seeds and hing. When the cumin seeds crackle add the green chillies and curry leaves.
• Add the chopped potatoes and stir well. Let them cook till they are light brown on the outside. Add sabudana mixture and mix gently. Let it cook for 10 - 15 mins stirring occasionally and scraping the sabudana layer from the bottom of the vessel. When the pearls get translucent and shiny sabudana is ready.
• Then add crushed peanuts, sugar and salt. Stir and make sure every thing gets mixed well.
• Add the grated coconut and garnish with coriander leaves.
• Sprinkle some lemon juice over it and serve hot.

Pav Bhaji

 

Ingredients

 

•	Potatoes,boiled and mashed	4 medium
•	Tomatoes,chopped	4 medium
•	Onions,chopped	2 medium
•	Green capsicum,chopped deseeded	1 medium
•	Cauliflower,grated	1/4 small
•	Green peas,shelled	1/4 cup
•	Ginger,chopped	1 inch piece
•	Garlic	8-10 cloves
•	Oil	3 tablespoons
•	Green chillies,chopped	3-4
•	Pav bhaji masala	1 & 1/2 tablespoons
•	Salt	to taste
•	Butter	3 tablespoons
•	Pav	8
•	Fresh coriander leaves,chopped	1/4 cup
•	Lemons,cut into wedges	2

Method

Boil green peas in salted water till soft, drain, mash lightly and set aside.

Grind garlic to a fine paste.

Heat oil in a pan and add three fourth quantity of onions. Saute till light brown.

Add green chillies and ginger-garlic paste. Stir-fry for half a minute. Add half the quantity of tomatoes and cook on medium heat for three to four minutes, stirring continuously or till oil separates from the masala.

Add capsicum, mashed peas, cauliflower, potatoes and one and half cups of water. Bring it to a boil and simmer for ten minutes, pressing with back of the spoon a few times, till all the vegetables are completely mashed.

Add Pavbhaji Masala, salt and remaining tomatoes. Cook on medium heat for two minutes, stirring continuously.

Heat half of the butter in a thick-bottomed pan or a tawa. Slice pav horizontally into two and pan fry in butter for half a minute, pressing two or three times or till pav is crisp and light brown. Garnish the bhaji with chopped coriander leaves, remaining butter and serve hot with pav accompanied with remaining chopped onion and lemon wedges.

Garlic Chicken Fry

Ingredients:

 1 kg- boneless chicken

 4-5 tbsp - corn flour

 2 tsp - gramflour

 1 tsp -garlic paste

 3 - eggs, beaten

 1 tsp - soya sauce

 2 tsp - vinegar

 2 - green chillies, slit into smaller pieces

 Salt -as per taste

Preparation:

• Cut the boneless chicken into medium longitudinal pieces.
• Mix all the ingredients (corn flour, gram flour, garlic paste, eggs, soya sauce, vinegar, green chillies) with the chicken and keep in refrigerated condition for minimun 5-6 hours.
• Be very careful while slicing and marinating the chicken as it is a very important criteria for this item.
• When you would like to fry them just remove from the fridge and allow to stand for 30 minutes minimum in order to bring to normal temperature.
• Heat oil in a container and release the battered chicken pieces in it.
• Watch the pieces sizzle and fry till it takes a golden brownish color.

• When the desired color is obtained then place on a serving dish and garnish with onion rings, mint leaves and curry leaves.

Cheese Paratha

Cheese paratha is Indian flat bread stuffed with grated cheese and shallow fried with oil from both sides.



Ingredients:

2 cup whole wheat flour

Water for kneading a dough
1 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 tsp black pepper powder
Salt to taste
Chopped green coriander leaves
3-4 tblsp oil

Preparation:

• First knead a simple soft dough by add water to the flour
• Now make small equal balls of the dough
• Roll each ball into a small round.
• Mix the cheese, salt, pepper and coriander together and stuff a spoonful in the rounds.
• Seal all the sides together and make small patties
• Now roll these back again into sizeable rounds keeping in mind that the cheese does not break the pastry and come out.
• Heat the tawa and put one rolled round on it.
• Once it starts getting half done from the bottoms side, switch sides and rub oil well on the previously bottom side.
• Now switch sides again and rub oil on the other side.
• Keep pressing both the sides on the tawa so that the paratha becomes crispy and serve hot cheese paratha with green coriander-mint-garlic chutney.

Sicilian Onion and Tomato Salad

3 -4 large ripe tomatoes

1/2-1 medium sweet onion, depending on how much onion you like .

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1 tsp salt

1/8 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper

Fresh Mint or Basil leaves for garnishing.

Preparation:

1. Cut tomatoes into bite size pieces.
2. Sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper.
3. Peel a cut onion in half vertically.
4. Along edge of open side, “sliver” cut onion and add to tomatoes.
5. Add the rest of ingredients and toss lightly.
6. Marinate for at least an hour.
7. Serve with  bread/rice/fried rice, provolone or emmenthal cheese or chicken/meat.

Kaju Shimla

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon oil
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
• 2 medium onions, sliced
• 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste (equal quantities of ginger and garlic)
• 200 gms mixed peppers, deseeded and sliced
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• Salt
• 2 tablespoons cashew nuts
• 2 tbsps grated fresh coconut
• 1 large tomato, sliced
• chopped fresh coriander leaves to garnish

 Preparation:

1. Heat the oil in a heavy saucepan and add the cumin seeds. When they begin to turn dark add the onion.
2. Chop the peppers finely.
3. Stir until the onion turns translucent then add the ginger garlic paste, turmeric, salt and cashew nuts. Stir and allow to cook for 7-8 minutes to just soften the mixture. 
4. Remove th saucepan from heat & cool the mixture.
5. Pour the cooled mixture in a mixer -grinder jar & grind it into a fine paste.
6. In a shallow pan , stir fry the peppers & let it cool.
7. Remove the stir fried peppers from heat , pour little ghee or oil & add the coconut & cashew mixture in the same saucepan .
8. Donot add water at all.The consistency of the gravy should be thick.
9. Beat some fresh cream & add in the coconut & cashewnut gravy.
10. Add the stir fried peppers to the gravy & simmer for 2 minutes so that everything mixes well.

11. Garnish with saffron threads or fresh coriander leaves along with a dollop of fresh cream, as desired.
12. Kaju Shimla is ready to eat.
13. Serve with Pulav , plain steamed rice or roti.