Khaman

Khaman is a Gujarati dish often confused with Dhokla which looks similar. While Khaman is prepared from Besan (Chick Pea Flour), Dhokla is made from Rice and Chana/Urad Daal flour. Khaman is softer, Dhokla is harder.

Preparation Time: 20-25 min

Servings: 4

 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups (200 gms)  Besan (Chick pea flour)
• 2 cups water
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tbsp red chilly powder
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp citric acid crystals
• 1 tsp baking soda 
• 1 sachet of Blue Eno - fruit salt (5 gms)
• 1 tbsp oil for tadka
• 1 tbsp mustard seeds for tadka
• 3-4 green chillies cut into half along length for tadka
• Curry leaves for tadka
• Chopped coriander leaves (for garnishing)
• Salt to taste

  Directions:

1. Add 1tbsp sugar, salt, turmeric and red chilly powder to besan and mix it
2. Heat water in a big pan (big enough to have the steel plate shown below fit inside)
3. Dissolve sugar and citric acid crystals in water and add that water to besan mix. Stir well
4. Add baking soda and Eno and stir vigorously. The dough will rise and become fluffy
5. Apply oil to a steel plate with raised boundary (as below)

     6. Pour the dough in the plate and fit it inside the pan with heating water. Cover it and keep some weight on top, if required

     7. Steam it for 20 min

     8. Cut Khaman into pieces

     9. For tadka, heat oil and add mustard seeds, curry leaves and green chillies. Then add 1/2 cup water with 1 tbsp sugar dissolved in it. Spread the tadka evenly over khaman

    10. Serve with green chutney

Tips : -

• Lemon juice can be use instead of citric acid
• If you are using Green Eno (lemon flavor), then reduce the amount of citric acid

Matar Paneer

A vegetarian dish from North India made from peas and cottage cheese in a tomato based gravy.

Served with steamed rice or Indian breads.

Preparation Time: 30-35 min

Servings: 4

  

Ingredients:

• 2.5 cups (300 gms)  Green Peas 
• 200 gms Paneer (Cottage Cheese)
• 3-4 Green Chillies (deseeded and chopped)
• 3 Medium-sized Tomatoes puree
• 2 Medium-sized Onions (chopped)
• 1 cup Milk or Fresh Cream
• 1 tbsp Ginger-garlic paste
• 1 tbsp Jeera (Cumin)
• 1 tbsp Coriander (Dhania) powder
• 1 tsp Turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp Red chilly powder
• 1 tsp Garam Masala
• 1 tsp Kasuri Methi (Dried Fenugreek leaves)
• Chopped Coriander leaves (for garnishing)
• Salt to taste

  Directions:

1. Fry Paneer cubes in Ghee till they turn very light brown
2. In a pan, heat oil or butter and add Jeera. After 30 seconds, add chopped onions and green chillies. Saute it till onion turns soft and then add ginger-garlic paste. Saute it till it turns light brown
3. Add turmeric powder, coriander powder, Garam Masala and red chilly powder and mix well for 2 min
4. Add tomato puree and salt and saute for 4-5 min
5. Add milk or cream and mix well. Saute for 2 min
6. Add peas and mix well. Cover the pan for 7-8 min till peas turn soft
7. Add Paneer and Kasturi Methi and mix well. Saute for 2 min
8. Serve hot garnished with coriander leaves

Tips : -

• Butter can be used instead of Ghee to fry paneer
• White butter tastes better 
• Fresh Cream can also be added to the gravy to make it more tasty :) ... and a bit unhealthy too :-/
• After step 5 above, taste the gravy. If the tangy flavor of tomato is dominant, add some cream and/or the paste of soaked poppy seeds (Khus Khus)
• Add a small cube of butter with the garnish to give a rich taste and wonderful aroma

Sabudaane ki Khichdi

A popular dish from North India usually relished usually during the fasts. 

You too can enjoy this at home. It is very easy to cook and also tastes good.

Below is the recipe for it -

Preparation Time: 20-25 min

Servings: 2 

  

Ingredients:

• 2 cups (250 gms)  Sabudaana (Sago) 
• 2  Potatoes (medium sized)
• 1/2 cup Peanuts, roasted and coarsely pounded
• 3-4  Green Chilies
• 15-20 Curry leaves
• 2 tbsp Jeera (Cumin)
• 2 tbsp Refined Oil or Ghee
• Coriander leaves (for garnishing)
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• Rock Salt (Sendha Namak) to taste

  Directions:

• Soak the sabudaana for 5 min and drain all the water. Keep the moist sabudaana for 1 hr (so it becomes soft)
• After the sabudaana has become soft, add the roasted and coarsely ground peanuts and rock salt to it. Mix it well  (Warning - Do not grind the peanuts for long else it will become powder)
• Boil the potatoes and peel them. Cut into big pieces
• Cut the green chilies into half longitudinally and de-seed  them
• In a pan, take oil or ghee. After it is hot, add jeera, green chilies and curry leaves. Sauté for 1 min
• Now add pieces of boiled potatoes and sauté it till it turns light brown. Add a pinch of rock salt to make potatoes turn brown faster
• Add the sabudaana+peanut mixture and mix thoroughly
• Cook till the sabudaana turns translucent (Warning - Mix well and take care it does not stick to the bottom of the pan)
• Turn off the flame and add lemon juice
• Serve hot garnished with coriander and green chilies 

Tips : - 

• Cook on low flame.
• It goes well with coconut chutney and  buttermilk
• You can also cover the pan while cooking. This will make sabudaana balls stick to each other. Some people like it that way

Kesar Anjir Rasmalai

Preparation Time: 90 min
Servings: 5 (10 Pieces)




Ingredients:

For Rasmalai balls:
• 1.5 litres milk
• ½ tsp lemon juice
• 5 tsp refined flour (Maida)


For Rasmalai
• 1.5 litres full cream milk
• 8 tbsp sugar
• 10-15 Almonds
• 10-15 Cashew nuts
• 10 Figs (Anjir)
• 10 gms Raisins
• 10 gms Charoli seeds
• 1 tbsp Cardamom powder
• Saffron 15-20 strands
• Pistachio (for garnishing)


Directions:


Rasmalai balls

• Boil 1.5 ltrs milk. Add lemon juice. Separate the coagulated milk (chhena) from water and transfer it to a muslin cloth.
• Wrap it tightly and hang for an hour till the water is removed from chhena.
• Add Maida and prepare saucer shaped balls with chhena.
• Heat ½ ltr water in a pan. Add chhena balls to boiling water. Let the water boil till the balls become spongy (around 15 min).
• Take out the balls and squeeze them very gently to remove the water


Rasmalai

• Boil 1.5 ltrs of milk till it becomes 1/3rd in volume
• Cut Almond, Cashew nuts, Fig and Raisins into small pieces and add to the milk. Soak the saffron in 1tbsp cold milk.
• Add Sugar and let it boil for 5 min.
• Gently pour the chhena balls into the milk.
• Add the soaked saffron and cardamom powder and remove from heat after 2-3 min.
• Let it cool and refrigerate it for 4-5 hours.
• Best served chilled garnished with pistachios.