Chawal ka kheer

Chawal ka Kheer is a very popular dessert cooked in every auspicious occasion. It is made with rice, full cream milk, sugar, cardamom powder, lots of dry fruits and saffron. It is served during  meal or alone as a dessert.

 

Ø Ingredients:

• ¼th cup long grain rice (washed and drained)   
• ½ litre milk.
• 2 cardamom (powdered)
• 2 tsp almonds (crushed)
• 2-3 threads of saffron
• 7-8 tsp sugar or as desired. 

Ø Procedure:

 

1. First take a thick bottomed non-stick pan.   
2. Heat the pan on medium flame.
3. Then, pour milk into the pan.
4. Now, boil the milk.
5. Add rice and sugar to the milk into the pan.
6. Then, add cardamom powder, crushed almonds, threads of saffron.
7. Now, stir continuously and cook the rice till it gets soften.
8. When the rice becomes soft, remove the pan from heat.
9. Serve the kheer hot or chilled as desired.

 

 

Lauki (Bottle Gourd) ka raita

Raita is one of the main side dish . The bottle gourd raita is not very famous, but it's a perfect combination that goes very well with any stuffed parathe. Lets explore a simple receipe to make this delicious raita.

Arrange the following ingredients before starting the actual preparation: 

Ingredients:

• Bottle gourd -1/2
• Curd - 2 cups
• Roasted cumin powder – ½ tsp
• Turmeric powder – a pinch
• Sugar – ½ tsp
• Salt (according to your taste)
• Cooking oil – 1 tbsp 

Ø  For tadka:

• Black mustard (rai) – ½ tsp
• Cumin seeds - ½ tsp
• Red chilli - 2
• Green chilli - 1
• Ginger (finely chop) – ½ tsp
• Fresh Curry leaves – 7-8
• Asafetida (hing) – a pinch
• Oil – 1 ½ tbsp 

Procedure :

1.     First scrub the outer skin of bottle gourd.

2.     Then wash it and grate finely.

3.     Now, squeeze out the juice* and keep the grated bottle gourd in a vessel.

4.     Take a non-stick pan and heat it on medium flame (temperature).

5.     Now pour oil into the pan and heat it on low flame.

6.     Put grated bottle gourd into the pan and keep stirring for 5 mins.

7.     Then add turmeric powder to it and stir properly. If  the grated bottle gourd gets dry, then sprinkle bottle gourd juice into the pan.

8.     On the other side, take a glass bowl and pour curd in it.

9.     Add sugar and salt to the curd in the bowl.

10.    Now take a frying pan and heat it on medium flame.

11.   Put jeera in the pan and roast it.

12.   When the jeera gets roasted , cool it and grind it.

13.   Now add jeera to the curd, mix well and keep aside.

Ø For tadka :

 

1.     Take a non-stick pan and heat it on medium flame.

2.     Pour oil in the pan and heat it.

3.     Put black mustard in the heated pan.

4.     When it starts sprinkle, put cumin seeds and curry leaves in it.

5.     Now add red chilli, green chilli and ginger in it and fry it.

6.     Then add a pinch of asafetida in it.

7.     Fry it for 5 minutes and cool it.

8.     Mix the grated bottle gourd and tadka to the curd.

9.     Mix well and chill it.

10.   Serve the raita chilled. 

*Juice : Keep the juice in a bowl. It can be used while frying grated bottle gourd. If it gets dry, then sprinkle the juice over the dry grated bottle gourd.

 

Besan ki Kadhi-Bari

Kadhi bari is one of the main Bihari cuisine. The fried soft dumplings made of besan (gram flour) are cooked in a spicy gravy of yoghurt (curd) and besan. It goes well with plain rice and salads of tomato and onion, and pickles.

Arrange the following ingredients before starting the actual preparation:

Ingredients -

For Kadhi :

•  4 tsp besan  
• 500 gm yoghurt (curd)
• 1 ½ cup of water

 For Tadka:

•   ½ tsp rai (Black Mustard)
• 7-8 fresh curry leaves
• 3-4 red chilli
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• 1tsp garlic paste
•   Salt (according to your taste)
• 1 tbsp cooking oil

 For pakoda :

• 150 gm besan
• 1 tsp of turmeric powder
• Salt
• A pinch of baking soda
• Water (to make batter)
• 300 ml of cooking oil

 Procedure : 

 For pakoda: 

1.  Take a glass bowl and put 150 gm of besan in it.
2.  Now add turmeric powder and a pinch of baking soda to the besan.
3.  Add salt according to your taste.
4.  Pour water in the bowl and mix well the mixture.
5. Keep bowl aside for half an hour.
6. After half an hour, take a thick bottomed frying pan.
7. Keep the pan on medium flame (temperature).
8. Pour oil in the pan and heat it for some time.
9. Put small portions of batter in the oil to make pakodas.
10. Take the pakodas out of the pan and keep in a plate.

 

 For tadka:

1. Take a deep bottomed non-stick pan and heat it on medium flame.
2. Pour oil in the pan and heat it.
3. Then put rai in the pan.
4. When the rai starts splitter, then put curry leaves and red chilli in the pan.
5. Now add garlic paste, turmeric powder and salt.
6.  Fry the mixture on low flame.

For kadhi:

1. Take a glass bowl and put besan in the bowl.
2. Add curd and water to the besan.
3.  Mix well the mixture of besan and curd.
4. Now, pour the mixture of besan and curd in the tadka.
5. Mix it properly and let the mixture boil for 5 minutes on low flame.
6.  When it gets boiled, then take out the mixture in a casserole.
7. At the time of serving, add pakodas to the kadhi.

Shahi Pulao with Nutrela

Shahi pulao with nutrela is a palatable dish. The mixture of Indian spices with nutrela makes the pulao delicious.  In this post, we will explore the receipe in detail for preparing shahi pulao with nutrela. The preparation takes place in the following manner:

1. First we prepare “Spiced  & sautéed nutrela”.
2. Then prepare “Curry” for the base.
3. Now prepare “Spiced white rice”.
4. And then , mix the nutrela, curry, and rice. And final garnishing.

Let’s explore the ingredients & respective procedure for each of the above mentioned steps.

Arrange the following ingredients before starting the actual preparation:

Ø  For  Spiced and Sautéed Nutrela:

•   1 cup  raw nutrela
•   ¾ tsp  of chilli powder
•   ¼ tsp turmeric powder
•   1 tsp of coriander powder
•   ½ tsp of cumin powder
•    Salt (according to your taste)
•    2 tbsp ghee (or any refined oil) 

Ø  For Curry:

•     2 ½ cups finely chopped onion
•        3 tsp ginger-garlic paste
•        2 tsp chilli powder
•        3 inch cinnamon stick (broken into pieces)
•        8 cloves
•        6 peppercorns
•        4 green cardamoms  (grind together  for garam masala)
•        ¼ tsp turmeric powder
•        ½ cup well whipped curd
•        3 ½ tbsp of ghee 
•        Salt (according to your taste)

Ø  For Spiced White Rice:

• 2 cups Basmati rice
•  3 ½ cups of water
• 15 peppercorns
• 2 inch cinnamon sticks ( broken into pieces )
• 8 cloves
• 4 green cardamoms
• 1 tsp shahjeera
• 4 bay leaves
• Salt (accodding to your taste)
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 4 tbsp ghee (Instead of ghee, you can also use refined oil)

 

Ø  For Garnishing the Pulao:

•  1 ½ cups finely and deep-fried onions
•  2 tbsp ghee

Procedure :

 

 v  For Spiced and Sautéed Nutrela:

 1.      Take a glass bowl. Put a cup of nutrela in the glass bowl.

2.      Now add ghee and all the spices in the nutrela.

3.      Then add salt (according to your taste) to the nutrela.

4.      Mix well the nutrela with added spices and ghee for marination.

5.      Keep aside.

6.      Just before serving, sauté this preparation in hot ghee and add it to the curry.

 

v  For Curry:

1.      Take a medium sized pan and heat it on low flame.

2.      Put ghee into the pan and add onion.

3.      Fry onion till the color of onion change to golden brown.

4.      Then, add ginger-garlic paste and turmeric powder and cook for 5 minutes.

5.      Add curd to the pan and again cook for 10 minutes.

6.      Then add little water for thick gravy.

7.      When the gravy becomes thick add garam masala*.

8.      Now cook for about 10 minutes and keep aside.

 

*garam masala (powder of cloves, cardamoms, peppercorns and cinnamon sticks)

 v  For Spiced White Rice:

1.      First take a thick bottomed non-stick pan and heat it on low flame.

2.      Put ghee into the pan.

3.      Add shahjeera and bay leaves to the ghee in pan.

4.      Add all the spices to the ghee and fry it in the medium flame.

5.      Now pour rice into the pan and fry it for 5 minutes on low flame.

6.      Now add water and cover the pan with lid.

7.      Let it cook on low flame.

8.      Add salt and lemon juice when the rice is about to cook completely.

 

v  For Garnishing:
 

1.      First take a Non-stick pan.

2.      Pour 2 tbsp of ghee and heat it on medium flame.

3.   Now sauté the preparation (marinated nutrela).

4.   Take out the spiced and sautéed nutrela and add it to the Curry.

5.   Again, take 1 tbsp of ghee and heat it on low flame.

6.   Deep fry onion and keep aside.

7.   Now take the pulao in a palte.

8.   Mix the curry to the spiced white rice.

9.   Sprinkle the deep fried onion on it.

10.  Serve the hot shahi pulao with Nutrela.