Mixed nuts Ladoo

Ingredients:

1 cup Roasted unsalted peanut powder

1 cup Roasted Cashew nuts powder

1 cup Roasted almonds powder

1/2 cup grated jaggery/ gudh/ gul

1 tbsp mix dryfruit powder

1/4 tsp Cardamom powder

1 tbsp clarified butter / ghee or as required

Method:

Take roasted peanut/cashew nuts/almonds powder in to a bowl.

In that add grated jaggery, dry fruit powder, cardamom powder and mix.

Now add tbsp of ghee and start to mix everything by hand.

It is not mandatory that the mixture should come together like chapati dough.

Roll in to small lemon size balls.

Garnish with raisin, pistachios or your favorite topping!

For Youtube video  Click here

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Peanut-Jaggery balls/Peanut-Jaggery chikki

Ingredients needed 

Peanuts - 1 cup
Jaggery -3/4 cup
Cardamom powder - a pinch (optional)
Dry ginger powder - a pinch (optional)
Ghee or rice flour (little)

Preparation

Roast peanuts nicely and remove the red skin completely, if you have bought peanuts with the skin. Break as much as possible into half by rubbing the peanuts with your palms.

Method 

Preparation of jaggery syrup is the most important part of this recipe. Dissolve jaggery in 3 tbsp of water on low flame. Filter it to remove impurities. 

Boil the jaggery syrup until it reaches the soft ball stage. If you are adding cardamom powder or sukku powder, add it to the jaggery syrup. (I did not add)

Keep a cup of water ready besides you. Drop a tsp of jaggery syrup in the water. It should not dissolve and you should be able to collect it and make a ball out of it as shown in the picture below. When the jaggery syrup reaches this stage, switch off the flame.

Keep the peanuts ready on a plate. Pour the prepared hot jaggery syrup on the peanuts and mix it well with the back of the ladle. When it is warm, either grease your fingers with ghee or dust your fingers with rice flour and make even sized balls out of the mixture. 

As it cools,the balls will harden. Delicious Peanut chikki is ready.

Note - You can add sukku powder also along with cardamom powder if preferred.

In case, if the mixture harden, when you are making balls, you can reheat it again for a few seconds and continue to make balls when the mixture is warm.

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Peanuts Ladoo

Ingredients:

1 cup Roasted unsalted peanut powder

1/2 cup grated jaggery/ gudh/ gul

1 tbsp mix dryfruit powder

1/4 tsp Cardamom powder

1 tbsp clarified butter / ghee

Method:

Take roasted peanut powder in to a bowl.

In that add grated jaggery, dry fruit powder, cardamom powder and mix.

Now add tbsp of ghee and start to mix everything by hand.

The mixture should come together like chapati dough.

Roll in to small lemon size balls.

Garnish with raisin, pistachios or your favorite topping!

For Youtube video  Click here

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Home made Chocolates

Ingredients needed

Sweetened Condensed milk -400 grams
Unsalted Butter -100 grams
Cocoa powder -6 tsp
Sugar -6 tsp
Liquid Glucose - 1/4 tsp
Milk - little

Preparation

Dissolve liquid glucose in 2-3 tsp of cold water nicely.

Mix cocoa powder in a little milk and keep it aside.

Grease a plate and keep it aside.

Method

Take a kadai or pan and mix all the ingredients well first. (condensed milk, cocoa powder mixed with milk, butter, sugar and liquid glucose )

Then lit the flame and keep on stirring it on medium flame until it leaves the sides of the pan. Look at the picture below. The important point to be noted here is that the dough should not stick to your hands.

Then put it on a greased plate to cool. After it cools a little, scoop it in a spoon and put them in slightly greased heart moulds or any other mould and press it nicely. Leave it for an hour to set. (Plastic moulds of different shapes are available in the market for making chocolates )

How to make Nutties 
(If you do not have plastic moulds, you can make nutties)

Blanch and roast almonds. (Put them in hot water, remove the skin, dry it well and roast it slightly)

Take a small amount of dough, flatten it in your hands, place half an almond inside it and roll it into a smooth ball. You will get chocolate nutties.

Go one more step further if you like- Roll them in coarsely powdered cashew nuts to make it even more delicious.

Or you can insert a plastic lolly pop stick to the nutties and make chocolate lollipops.

Note - It will set in room temperature and need not be refrigerated and it will not melt if kept outside. It has a self life of 10 days.

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How to prepare Cake in pressure cooker/preparing cake using pressure cooker

Ingredients:

1 cup All purpose Flour / Maida

1/4 cup Oil

1/3 cup Sugar

3 tbsp unsweetened Cocoa Powder

3/4 cup hot water

1/4 tsp Baking Soda

1/2 tsp Baking Powder

1 tbsp Lemon Juice

1/4 tsp Vanilla Essence

Method:

Mix together Oil, Sugar, water and vanilla essence in mixing bowl.

Stir in all wet ingredients well until sugar is dissolved.

Sift all dry ingredients maida, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, in wet ingredients.

Mix dry ingredients well with wet ingredients.

Preheat pressure cooker over medium heat for 5 mts.

Grease cake tin well using cooking oil.

In a cake mixture add lime juice, mix and immediately pour cake mixture in baking tin.

First put one empty pot in a pressure cooker and on the to of empty pot put cake tin.

Make sure that cake tin doesn't touch the bottom of the cooker.

Cover with the lid without putting whistle on.

Bake on medium heat for first 5 mts.

Lower down the heat to low to medium and cook for 30 to 35 mts.

After 30 mts leave the cake in hot cooker for 5 more minutes.

After 5 mts insert a tooth pick in the middle of the cake, if it comes out clear that means cake is done.

If some batter sticks to the toothpick then continue to bake cake for 10 more minutes.

Allow the cake to cool down for 10 minutes.

After 10 minute run the knife around the edges of cake tin.

Pu one dish on the top of cake tin and flip this over.

The cake should come out without sticking to the bottom of cake tin.

Allow it to cool down on cooling rack before putting icing on cake.

Serve just as it is or with dollop of cream or ice cream!

Tips

If you are using thick bottom pressure cooker, in that case bake the cake over medium high heat only.

Cooking time may vary depending on thickness of pressure cooker, temperature settings of stove.

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Easy method to prepare Rasagulla

Ingredients:

4 cups milk

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 1/2 cups sugar

4 1/2 cups water

Pressure cooker

Method

How to make Paneer:

Mix lemon juice in half cup of hot water and keep aside.

Boil the milk in a heavy bottomed pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, making sure not to burn milk.

As the milk comes to a boil, add the lemon juice gradually and stir the milk gently. The curd will start separating from the whey, turn off the heat.

Once the milk fat has separated from the whey, drain the whey using a strainer line with cheesecloth or muslin cloth.

Wrap the curd in a muslin cloth, and rince under cold water, and squeeze well. This process takes out the sourness from the lemon.

To take out the excess water squeeze the cloth, or press the wrapped paneer under a heavy pan for about one hour.Taking the right amount of water out of the paneer is the most important part of this recipe.

To check if enough water is out of the paneer, take a little piece of paneer on your palm and rub with your fingers. After rubbing the paneer for about 15-20 seconds, you should be able to make a firm but smooth ball.

Once the paneer is drained, place on a dry, clean surface and knead the paneer for 3-4 minutes until the paneer is almost rolls into smooth soft dough.

Knead the paneer by dragging the palm of your hand hard on the paneer. Keep scooping it back to togather and knead more. If the paneer is too crumbly, add a teaspoon of water. Your palm will be little greasy.

Preparation of Rasgulla:

Divide the dough into 12 equal parts and roll them into smooth balls.

To make the balls apply some pressure at the first and then release when forming the balls.

Mix the sugar and water in a pressure cooker on medium high heat and bring to a boil.

Add the paneer balls and close the pressure cooker. After the pressure cooker starts steaming, turn the heat to medium and cook for about seven minutes.

Make sure the pressure cooker is large enough to accommodate the finished Rasgullas, as they will expand to about double in the volume while cooking in the syrup.

Close the heat and wait a few minutes before you opening the pressure cooker. Pour cold water over the pressure cooker before opening.

Rasgullas should be little spongy. After rasgullas are refrigerated the sponginess will reduce and will be soft in texture.

Serve the Rasgullas chilled.

Suggestions:

If the Rasgullas don’t turn out exactly the way you want, they are hard or not the right shape, do not worry. There’re many ways to create new dish out of the imperfect Rasgullas!

For example, if the Rasgullas are too hard or broken, try cutting them into small pieces and mix with soft vanilla ice cream or cover with melted chocolate.

You can use the Rasgulla pieces to make kheer, replacing rice with the Rasgulla pieces.

The bottom line is to enjoy your creation!

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Fried Mutton Kheema Balls

Ingredients :

Mutton Keema:  250 gms
Coriander leaves:  1/2 cup
Ginger :  2"
Garlic : 5-6 cloves
Green Chilies:  3 medium
Red Chili powder:  1 tsp
Coriander Powder:  1 tsp
Salt to taste

Method:

Wash and drain the keema really well.  Make sure The keema is really dry.

Take a mixer, add half of the coriander leaves, green chilies, ginger, garlic and grind to a smooth consistency without adding water.

Now,  add chilli powder, salt, half the drained keema, top it with rest of the coriander leaves, coriander powder, remaining keema, cover and grind to a smooth paste.

Remove and make balls of Lemon size.

Divide the entire batch into equal size balls.

Take a pan, add water and allow it to boil, simmer, gently drop in the keema balls and cover. It takes about 10 - 12 mins to get cooked. 

Drain the water from the cooked keema balls. Save the water for making the gravy.

Heat a small pan with just enough oil for frying the balls. 

Dry in batches on both sides till the balls turn brown and cooked well on all sides.

Serve hot and enjoy with your family/friends.

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Mutton Kheema Curry

Ingredients:

Onions: 2 big, finely chopped

Ginger garlic paste: 1 tbsp

Turmeric powder: 1/2 tsp

Red chili powder: 1 1/2 tsps

Coriander powder: 1 tbsp

Cumin powder: 1/4 tsp

Garam masala powder: 1/4 tsp

Curry leaves: 1 sprig

Tomato: 1 cup (chopped)

Coconut milk: 1/2 cup

Salt to taste

Cooking oil: 3 tbsps

Coriander leaves: 2 tbsps, finely chopped

For the Meatballs:

Mutton Kheema: 1/2 kg

Garam masala powder: 1/4 tsp

Green chilies: 2 ( chopped )

Coriander leaves: 4 tbsps ( chopped )

Salt as required

Method:

Take a bowl, add the thoroughly washed and drained mutton kheema/minced meat. Add garam masala powder, salt, chopped green chilies and coriander leaves and mix well. Make small balls and keep aside.

Heat oil in a heavy bottomed vessel. Add curry leaves and chopped onions and saute for 4 mts on low to medium flame. Once the onions turn transparent, add the ginger garlic paste and saute for 3 mts.

Add red chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and turmeric powder. Mix. Add tomato puree and cook on low to medium flame for 7 mts or till the oil separates.

Add salt to taste and garam masala powder and mix. Add 1 1/2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Allow to simmer for 6-7 mts.

Drop the minced meat balls carefully, one at a time, into the gravy and allow to cook on medium flame for 3 mts. Reduce flame, place lid and cook for 20 mts.

Add coconut milk and cook for 2 mts and turn off heat.

Serve warm with coconut rice/Plain rice/Masala rice.

Tips:

If you do not have coconut milk, add 2 tbsps of coconut paste at the time of cooking the tomato puree.

Fresh coriander leaves gives a good flavor, so do not omit it.

Add more water for a thinner consistency gravy/curry.

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Chicken Butter Masala

Ingredients :

Chicken : 1/2 kg(Boneless), Cut into pieces of your choice
Butter: 100 gms or 1 stick
Oil: 4 tbsp
Cashew nut : 12-14
Milk: 1 cup
Dried kasoori methi leaves: 1/2 tbsp
Honey/sugar: 2 tbsp
Green chilli : 3
Onion: 1 medium
Garlic paste : 2 tbsp
Ginger paste : 2tbsp
Tomato paste : 1 cup
Coriander powder : 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder : 1tbsp
Garam masala powder : 1tbsp
Tomato Ketchup: 2tbsp  (Optional)
Green cardamom : 2
Cloves: 2
Bay leaves : 2
Cinnamon sticks : 1/2 inch
Cumin seeds : 1 tbsp
Asafetida (heeng) : 1 pinch
Salt : As per taste

Method:

Marinate Chicken with salt, turmeric powder and chilli powder, 1/2 tbsp each for one hour. Take 2 tbsp oil in a pan, heat it and deep fry our marinated chicken pieces at a medium- low flame. Keep them aside.

Now, lets work with our spices:

1. Make fine paste of cashew nuts and green chilli with milk. Keep aside.

2. Make paste of onion.

3.Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan and add 1/2 stick butter when oil gets heated. Turn the flame to medium -low.

4.Add cumin seeds, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, cardamons, cloves, and asafetida.

5.Add onion, ginger-garlic paste and fry them till the onion turns to golden brown.

6.Add tomato puree. At a low flame, cook it till it starts separating oil.

7.Add kasoori methi powder and mix it well.

8. Add chicken at this time and wrap them in spices.

9.Now add the cashew paste and stir it. Cook it for another 3-4 min at a low flame. Keep stirring it in between.

10. Add rest of the milk. Keep stirring. Add honey/sugar.

11. If required, you can add water at this time. But it tastes better with thick paste.

12.Your Chicken Butter Masala is ready... Garnish with green coriander leaves and serve with Naan or Plain rice or Fried rice or Paratha. 

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Easy method to prepare Paneer Chicken Masala

Ingredients:

Chicken - 1/4 kg

Salt to taste

Turmeric powder a pinch

Lemon juice - 1 tsp

For the Fry:

Paneer - 100 gms

Cheese - 50 gms

Capsicum - 1

medium Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tsp

Onions paste - 1

Tomato paste - 1/2 cup

Chili powder -1 tsp,

Garam masala - 1/2 tsp

Oil - 2 tsp

Salt to taste

Method:

Wash and cut chicken into bite size pieces. Marinate it with Turmeric powder, lemon juice for 1/2 hr.

Heat a non stick pan, add oil, saute ginger garlic paste, followed by onion paste, Fry for couple minutes.

Then add cubed capsicum pieces, fry for a while till the capsicum softens a bit.

Next add the tomato puree, fry for a minute. Once this is done, add chicken marinade, fry well.

Add chili powder, 1 cup water, bring to boil. Then simmer for 4 mins for the chicken to get cooked well.

Once chicken is cooked, add paneer cubes, garam masala, fry for few mins. Just before taking the dish off, garnish with grated cheese and finely coriander leaves. If you wish for the cheese to mix in, saute it, else you can serve as such.

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