Thekua for Indian Cooking Challenge - December 2011

Hello Friends,


Another late entry by me to another wonderful event Indian Cooking Challenge.


This month when Valli announced the dish, I was ecstatic as I grew up eating this on occasions such as Diwali and Chhatth (a festival celebrated in winter months in Bihar). This was a must and we will eat varieties made by our chachis (neighborhood aunties) all over the place. Each house a slight variation and there own taste.


I like them so much that during my 1st pregnancy, one of my aunts, especially made a load of these and sent it through my parents all the way to US. How sweet, right?


Anyways, even if I wanted, I couldn't just let go and had to make it as I have not tried making it by myself ever. Always had it made by mom or chachis. Yes, pampered me, never cooked anything to save my life before marriage :)


So, without further ado, enjoy these cookies from a state called Bihar all the way in India. And, it cannot get any simpler than this recipe. Perfect for newbies as well.


Thekua (Deep Fried Cookies)

Ingredients
All purpose flour - 1 cup
Sooji (Semolia) - 1/4 cup
Sugar - 1/4 cup (you can add a little and then taste the mixture before adding any more)
Ghee (Clarified Butter) - 1-2 tbsp (depending on how khasta or pasry like texture you want, but don't add too much or else you won't be able to fry your thekua)
Dry Coconut - 2 tsp, either coarsely ground or you can even chose to add finely chopped dry coconut. So, basically your like.
Cardamom Powder - 1 pinch
Salt - 1 pinch
Warm water - as needed
Preparation

• Sift all purpose flour and add all dry ingredients in it and mix well.
• Add ghee to it and mix in well.
• Now, add warm water little by little (drop by drop) and mix till you have a nice hard dough. When you take the dough in your fist and close it and open it back, it should take the shape of your first and not break apart.
• Now, if you have cookie cutter or like traditionally used moulds, go for it. 
• I had none, so, I just made small balls and flattened them.
• Deep fry them in hot oil (not too hot) till golden brown.
• Drain on the paper and enjoy.
• These can be kept in air-tight contained for a couple of days.
• I made about 8-9 thekuas with these measurements.

Serving
Serve them anytime, but best with tea or as a snack. In my house, they were gone before I could even let them cool down or put them on a plate (right from the paper towel). Don't you see that my precious picture is right on paper towel.. lol :)


That's all for now. Take care till next post.

Happy Maha Shivaratri to All !!!

Hello friends,


A VERY HAPPY SHIVARATRI TO EVERYONE !!!


For those of you who do not know much or anything about this festival, please follow this. It is celebrated by fasting and worshipping one of the Gods called Shiva to please him and ask for him to fulfill our wishes.


I fast only till dinner and then break my fast by eating specials made for today, which do not include any grains (as per our customs). So, today's menu includes Kuttu ke Aate ki Poori, Malai Mirch, Mango Chutney and Beetroot Halwa.


That's all for now, take care till next post.

Holi Special Recipes - More in next posts

Hello Friends,


I cannot believe that in about 2 weeks' time, we will be celebrating the festival of colors, HOLI. It is my all time favorite festival as we get to play like kids with colors, water and what not. It was a blast as a kid and I still enjoy getting covered in color and enjoyed all those delicacies that we usually make for holi. 


I remember as a kid, we never cared about colored hands and all that and used to get in house (ours and friends', didn't matter), every few minutes (while playing colors) and just grab the treats and run away again to play further. We had a rule where we grew up, we used to play with wet colors during the day time and then around 3-4 pm (whenever it was time), come home, take a shower and then get some rest and visit friends' places with family and then it was a strict dry color only playing. The houses used to be mess for next couple of days and it was fun to even recognize each other for next couple of days, due to layers and layers of colors. 


I know it is not holi yet and I am already typing all this. It is because I am sending the following delicacies from my blog to my new blogger friend Vatsala's very first event called Holi Aayi Re.


Malpua - 1

Kathal/Aloo Ki Sabzi

Dahi Vada

I have few more that I need to post and so will send them later.


So, what are you waiting for, send your holi specials as well for  her event and help her make her very first event a big success.


That's all for now. Take care till next post.

Tried and Tasted - Sooji Ki Kheer (Semolina Pudding)

Tried and Tasted is an online event started by Zlamushka which features some amazing bloggers each month. Participants try and taste some of the recipes of the featured blogger. This month the featured blogger is Raaga who blogs at The Singing Chef. She has over 500 incredible recipes!!


So, I had to pick one out of those 500+ recipes. A very tough choice, but I picked something real simple. Not because it was simple, but because I prepare the same recipe slightly differently and wanted to try it her way.

So, Singing Chef, thanks for such a wonderful blog with so many yummy recipes. Here is the original source of the recipe, Rava Payasam. Here is the recipe just with slightly different measurements as I tried them.


Sooji Ki Kheer - सूजी की खीर (Semonila Pudding)

Ingredients
Sooji (Semolina) - 1 cup
Milk - 4 cups
Ghee (Clarified Butter) - 2.5 tbsps
Condensed Milk - 1 can
Ilaichi (Cardamon) Powder - 1/4 tsp
Saffron strands - a few
Kaju (Cashew) - 1 tbsp
Kishmish (Golden Raisins) - 1 tbsp
Preparation

• Take a wide pan and add 2tbsp ghee and roast sooji in it till a nice aroma comes from it.
• Now add about 3 cups of water to it, mix well, cover and simmer (on your lowest setting) for about 2-3 minutes.
• Add the milk and condensed milk to the cooked semolina and mix well
• Keep stirring till it starts boiling
• Then add the saffron and ilaichi powder and cook for few more minute

Serving
Serve it hot or cold as one prefers it. Remember that once it is cold, it will tend to thicken. So, always add some milk to it and warm or serve cold. Serve it as a dessert or even as a side dish to eat with poori/paratha. It is surely made as a offering for any festival.


Hope you will make and enjoy this kheer. This goes to Shama's - Kheer Festival.

So, till my next post, take care.

Happy Gangaur to all fellow Rajasthani ladies

Yesterday was the famous festival of Rajasthan, callled Gangaur (गणगौर). 


Gangaur is the colourful and the one of the most important festivals of people of Rajasthan and is observed throughout the state with great fervour and devotion by womenfolk who worship Gauri, the consort of Lord Shiva during July-Aug. It is the celebration of monsoon, harvest and martial fidelity in Jaipur. Gana is a synonym for Lord Shiva and Gaur which stands for Gauri or Parvati who symbolizes Saubhagya (marital bliss). The unmarried women worship her for being blessed good husband, while married women do so for the welfare, health and long life of their husbands and happy married life. Courteousy: Wikipedia.


It commences on the day following Holi and continues for 18 days. 


Rituals of Gangaur Festival


The first important ritual of the colourful festival of Gangaur is the collection of ashes from the Holi fire and burying of wheat and barley seeds in it. These seeds are the religiously watered every day until the germination takes place. The ritual is performed with songs of Isar and Gauri (Shiva and Parvati) and the varying of pots of water on the head. 


A week after Holi, women make clay images of Gauri and Isar. The ritual is made colourful and joyous with the traditional folk songs sung in praise of Gauri. 


On the evening of the seventh day after Holi, unmarried girls take out a parade with ghudlia and singing songs related to it. Ghudlia is an earthen pot with holes around and a lamp inside. On their way, the girls are gifted small presents like sweets, jaggery, ghee, oil and a little cash. The ritual continues for ten days, upto the conclusion of the Gangaur Festival. On the last day girls break their pots and throw the remains into a well or a tank and enjoy a fest with their little collections.


However, Gangaur Festival celebrations reaches its peak during the last three days of the festival. At this time women take special care to decorate themselves and also the clay images that they had prepared. At an auspicious hour in the afternoon, a procession is taken out to a garden, tank or a well with the images of Isar and Gauri, placed on the heads of married women. 


Gangaur aptly reflects the rich cultural heritage of Rajasthan and is celebrated with great pomp and show in Bikaner, Jodhpur, Marathwara and Jaisalmer. Gangaur Festival is also observed at some places in Gujarat. Courteousy: holifestival.org

Picture Courtesy

Different parts of the state have different traidions and so different foods that they make on this day. The place that I belong to, Jaipur, is famous for it's Ghewar. Some other recipes are Choorma, Kheer, Feeni etc. 


Ghewar is a delicious Rajasthani sweet, consists of rounded cakes of wheat flour which suger syrup is poured. Ghewar sweet known for its matchless sweetness comes in varieties such as plain, desi ghee, paneer and mawa. Paneer ghewar is garnished with paneer and is highly demanded for their tasty flavor. 

It is little bit complicated recipe and even in Rajasthan, pretty much everyone gets it from the market, very rarely makes it at home.


I will hope I can make it some day.


Till my next post, take care.
Priya

Happy Chetti Chand and Ugadi Recipes - Boorelu, Idli Rawa Pullihora, Chawal Ki Kheer

Good morning friends,


Happy Chetti Chand and new year to all my Sindhi friends.


Here are my recipes that I made yesterday for Ugadi. 


Boorelu (बूरेलु) - Moong Dal and Coconut Laddu

Ingredients
Moong Dal - 1 cup
Sugar - 1.25 cup
Shredded Coconut - 1 cup
Ilaichi (Cardamon) - 3-4 (in powder form)
Wheat Flour - 1 cup
Salt - as per taste
Oil - 3 tsp
Preparation

• Wash and soak moong dal for 4 hours
• Grind soaked dal (don't add lot of water as dal has already soaked a lot of water)
• Add 1/2 tsp of salt, oil to the ground dal and mix well. The consistency should be that of idli batter
• Now, take your idli moulds and make idlis out of the batter
• While idlis are hot, grind them to a pulp with no lumps.
• Now, in another pan, take 3/4 cup water, heat it
• Add sugar, ilaichi, coconut and ground idli pulp. 
• Simmer and keep mixing till it is of chapati dough consistency.
• Remove from fire and let it cool down just lightly, don't cool it down all the way. 
• Grease your palms and Make lemon size balls out of it.
• Now, take flour in a bowl, add 1 tsp of salt, water and mix it to a poting consistency (enough to coat moong dal balls)
• Heat oil in a kadahi till
• Dip each moong dal ball in flour mix and deep fry them till they are golden brown
• Take them on paper towel to drain excell oil

Serving
Just enjoy it anytime with anything. You can eat it as a snack or a dessert.


Idli Rawa Pullihora (इडली रवा पुल्लिहोरा)

Ingredients
Idli Rawa - 1 cup
Water - 2 cup
Tamarind  - 1 lemon size ball (if you do not like tamarind, you can substitute this with equal amount of lemon juice)
Chillies - 3-4 slit in the middle (as per taste)
Ginger - 1 inch piece grated
Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp
Curry Leaves - 4-5
Udad Dal - 2 tsp
Chana Dal - 2 tsp
Hing - 1 pinch
Rai (Mustard Seeds) - 2 tsp
Roasted Peanuts - 1 tbsp
Salt - as per taste
Oil - 2 tbsp
Preparation

• Heat water in a pan to a boil
• Add 1 tbsp oil
• Add rawa slowly and mix well. Let it simmer on the lowest stove setting for 5 min.
• Remove it from fire and let it cool down (as it will be all mushy when it is hot).
• Now take another pan, add 1 tbsp oil and let it heat.
• Add rai, udad dal, chana dal, hing, peanuts, slit green chillies, grated ginger and curry leaves and fry for 2 min. or till all the tempering is fried
• Add thick tamarind pulp, salt, tuemeric to the tempering and bring it to a boil (should be done in next 2 min.)
• Now, to this add the cooked rawa and mix well.
• Enjoy the pulihora !!!
• Add rawa and mix well.

Serving
This can be eaten at lunch as a side dish and also eaten as a breakfast or snack. It tastes even better the next day as tamarind is all soaked properly and the spices are mixed well. That is why make this before hand and does not need to be served hot. If you really want to eat it warm, use the microwave. My husband likes to eat this with as usual some plain yogurt.


Chawal Ki Kheer (चावल की खीर) - Rice Pudding

Ingredients
Rice - 1 cup (you can use any kind, I had Sona Masoori at home, so used that)
Milk - 9 cups (I used skim milk, feel free to use any kind that you like)
Nestle Sweet Condensed Milk - 1 small can
Ilaichi - 1/2 tsp
Kaju (Cashews) - 1/2 cup friend in ghee
Kishmish (Raisins) - 1/2 cup friend in ghee
Ghee (Clarified Butter) - 2 tsp (for frying kaju and kishmish)
Preparation

• Wash and soak Rice for 15 min. in water.
• Meanwhile, boil milk in a pan
• Once milk is boiling, add rice and cook it on a slow flame (very important on a slow flame as otherwise milk tends to stick to the bottom and burn)
• Keep stirring every few minutes
• Once rice is all cooked, add the condensed milk and mix well
• Let it cook for few more min. (about 10 min. or so). Taste the kheer at this point and if needed, add sugar.
• Remove from fire and garnish with fried kaju and kishmish

Serving
Of course kheer can be eaten at any time, breakfast, lunch, dinner and just as a dessert. This is also used as prasad. 


Hope you guys will like and enjoy these. This recipe is going for EVENT : KHEER FESTIVAL AT EASY2COOKRECIPES.

Till next post, take care.


~ Priya

A Day of Many Festivals - Ugadi/Gudi Padwa, first day of Chaitra Navaratri

Wow, what a day !!! Different parts of India celebrate different festivals this day of Chaitra Maasa. All in all, it is a festive day for many of us.


In states of Andhra and Karntaka, people welcome the Hindu new year, new harvest and new season and call it UGADI or YUGADI (उगादी ఉగాది). 


In State of Maharashtra, people welcome the new Hindu new year, new harvest and new season and call it GUDI PADWA (गुडी पडवा).


In most of the India, today marks the first day of CHAITRA NAVARATRI (चैत्र नवरात्रि). It is also called Vasanta Navaratri in some regions. This is a 9 day festival.


So, pretty much entire Hindu community of India celebrates one or the other festival this day of the year.


And of course, every festival means lots of good yummy food. In Andhra, the specialties include  Ugadi Pachhadi (A chutney made of different flavors like Neem flower, tamarind, jaggery, raw mangoes, honey etc.) Abbatlu/Bobbatlu, Boorelu, Paravannam, Pullihora etc. In Maharashtra the specialties include Shrikhand, Poori, Puran poli etc. For navaratri, there is nothing special as such, I mean make anything you like to eat as mostly people fast.


What am I making today? Hmmm... 


I am planning to make Boorelu, Idli Rawa Pullihora and Rice Kheer tonight. I say tonight as I am fasting for Navaratri, so no special food for lunch.


I will post the recipes later, may be tomorrow or late tonight. 


I wish everyone HAPPY UGADI/GUDI PADWA & NAVARATRI.


Take care,
Priya

Ariselu / Aathirasallu for February Indian Cooking Challenge

A wonderful Indian Traditional dish tried out for Indian Cooking Challenge. It was a real challenge for me as I have eaten it only a few times as my mom did not make it that much. But, shall I say, I loved the experience.


I tried Recipe 1 of the challenge.

Ariselu (अरिसिलू)
Makes 4-5 pieces of regular poori size

Ingredients

Raw Rice - 1 cup
Jaggery - 3/4 cup (I did not have paku jaggery, so I used the normal one we get in all grocery stores)
Sesame Seeds - 2 tsp or less
Khas-Khas (Poppy Seeds) - 1/4 tsp
Cardamom powder - a pinch
Preparation

• Soak rice for about 6 hrs and then shade dry it (don't dry it in sun and not too long, it should still be lightly wet but not wet enough that it becomes a paste, we need to make a powder by grinding it). 
• Grind the dry rice to fine powder using mixie. The rice flour should have that texture of soft and wet feeling when you take a handful and also it should kind of retain your fist shape.
• Take water that is enough to dilute jaggery in a wide pan. Dissolve the jaggary. Remove any impurities that may be present. Then again cook till the pakam is ready. Please make it into a 3-thread syrup.
• Once syrup is ready, remove it from fire, and add poppy seeds, and cardamom. Mix well. Then slowly add the rice flour and keep mixing well. The consistency is very important, so you need to add the flour little by little. Mix till you get a chapati dough consistency. End of this, you may still have some flour left out.
• Divide into lemon size balls. Grease a plastic sheet and your fingers. Place the ball on the sheet, and pat it down to a poori size.
• I added Sesame seeds at this stage (if you want you can add them before when mixing khas-khas). Just sprinkle a little over each arisi (poori).
• Heat oil for frying and slowly drop these discs into the hot oil. You can simmer for a while until you know the inside is cooked. Turn to the other side and cook till its golden in color.
• Once done, remove and drain on a Kitchen towel.

Serving

Just serve it as a dessert or anyway you like it. It can also be eaten as just a handy snack :)


Guess what, it was my first time beating rice at home and my first time making jaggery pakam. The final product didn't hold as good as on this picture, but tasted super yummy.


Till next post, take care.


~ Priya

Basoda Festival - Sheetala Ashtami - Happy Women's Day

Hello everyone !!!


Today is a very important Hindu festival in Rajasthan and many other states/cultures. It is commonly knows as Basoda बसोडा or like many people may call it Shitala Ashtami शीतला अष्टमी.


On this day, all 'mothers' make things to be eaten the whole day (or at least one meal), previous night itself. Which means, that they eat "Basi" food (food from previous night) and that is why the name, Basoda. Or, as the food is eaten cold, so the name "Shitala Ashtami". 


In some parts of Rajasthan, people also go to Shitala Mela, to worship Shitla Mata, which is celebrated in Chaitra Masa, Krishna Paksha. This festival comes on the 8th day after Holi (the festival of color).


All cultures have their own menu for this day. But, in my family, we usually make, Roti (रोटी), Kair Sangari (कैर सांगरी) and Gulgule (गुलगुले). I did not have all ingredients for Kair Sangari, so I made Roti (and poori as my son loves it), Aloo Toru Ki Sabzi (आलू तोरू की सब्जी) and Gulgule. I also made some Mawa Malpua last night.


So, at lunch, we will be enjoying our cold lunch from last night.


You can read a little bit more about this festival @ Shitala Ashtami


Wish everyone a very Happy Shitla Ashtami and of course how can I forget Happy Women's Day to fellow women.


Have a wonderful day everyone and take care.
~ Priya

Happy Holi - Dahi Vadas

Hi friends,


होली आपको बहुत बहुत मुबारक हो.


This is the last installment of my holi recipes.


I am pretty sure everyone knows this very well. This is just my version (not much different from usual ones), but surely one of our all time favorite recipes, not just holi but anytime.


This is also an entry for my very first content entry @ "Let's Play With Colors @ Asankhana Blog"


Dahi Vada (दही वडा)

Ingredients
Split Udad Dal (Split Black Gram Lentils) - 1 cup
Ginger - 1 inch piece
Green Chillies - 2-3 (increase or decrease based on your taste)
Salt - Per taste
Dahi (Yogurt) - 2 - 3 cups (based on how much dahi you like in your dahi vada)
Tamarind and Dates Chutney (1 tsp per 2 dahi vadas) - I use Deep one, you can try it from Indian grocery store
Roasted Cumin Powder - to sprinkle on dahi vadas (to make it you can roast cumins lightly without oil and then grind them to a coarse powder)
Red Chillie Powder - to sprinkle on dahi vadas
Oil - For deep frying vadas
Preparation
Soak Dal for at least 4 hours. Then grind it into a paste along with ginger/green chillies and very little water. I use regular mixie, but if you have a wet grinder, great :)
Now heat oil in a kadahi. Once the oil is hot (it shouldn't be smoking hot or else your vadas will get the color faster and not cook from inside). I use my hand, but you can use a small spoon as well and pour batter in round shapes (or any shape you want your vadas to be). Fry them for 2 min. or so. Remove them when they turn light brown. Let it drain oil on paper and then after 30 seconds, put the vadas first in some water (I take a small bowl of water). Let them soak in water for about 1 min.
In a separate bowl (I usually take a wide serving utensil), take dahi and use a spoon to convert it into a smooth silky liquid. You may want to add little water as well.
Now, add soaked vadas in dahi one by one in layers (don't add more than 2 layers, if you made a lot, use another bowl). Let it chill in referigerator for at least 5-6 hours before you serve. I usually make them the previous night, that way vadas soak dahi nicely and are soft.
Serving
Now, take desired amount of vadas and dahi in a serving bowl and pour the chutney on it and then sprinkle both cumin and chilli powder. Bus ho gaya !!!


Enjoy dahi vadas. OK, that was enough for one day. I will post some more yummy recipes again soon.


Have a wonderful and colorful holi.


~ Priya

Happy Holi - Kathal/Aloo Ki Sabzi

Happy Holi once again !!!


As promised here is one more recipe from my Holi favorites. It brings back lot of childhood memories.


I am sure many of you may not know the vegetable by this name, so, I will try to a little about this vegetable. Curry is made from the raw vegetable and the ripe vegetable is actually used as fruit (Just like plantain/banana combination where we make curries with plantain and eat banana as fruit).


This is what Kathal/Jackfruit looks like.

And, here is little more about it from Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackfruit


Kathal Aloo Ki Sabzi (कटहल की सब्जी)

Ingredients
Kathal (Jackfruit) - 1 can (in United States, we hardly get the raw fruit, but we rather use canned version, if you have the vegetable itself, it is about 2 cups) cut in about 1.5 inche pieces.
Aloo (Potato) - 1 cup (in 1 inch pieces)
Onion - 1 medium sized chopped finely
Tomato - 2 roma tomatoes chopped finely
Garlic - 4 cloves (crushed)
Giner - 1 inch piece (shredded or paste)
Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp
Coriander Powder - 1 tsp
Cumin Powder - 1 tsp
Garam Masala - 1 tsp
Tejpatta (Dry Bay Leaf) - 1 piece
Cilantro - Chopped (for garnishing)
Salt - Per taste
Mustard Oil - 1 tbsp (Mustard enhances the curry, but any oil will work)
Preparation
Add oil in a cooker (directly). Once the oil is hot, add tejpatta and let it make frying noises. Then add onion. Let it fry till it is light brown and then add tomato and all the dry masalas. Fry it till the oil starts separating from it. Then add Kathal and Aloo and mix it well with the mushy gravy and let it fry for one minute. Then, add just enough water (remember the curry should not have a runny gravy) and close the lid and let it cook for about 10-15 minutes (can jackfruit will only take 10 min., but the cut vegetable will take about 15 min.). Once the curry is done, open the cooker lid and take it out in serving bowl and garnish it with chopped cilantro.
Serving
The yummy curry is ready and it is usually eaten on holi with yummy hot puris. But, when made on any other occasion can even be eaten with roti/paratha or rice.


Enjoy this curry tonight !!! I will be back with just one more recipe for today :)


This is also an entry for my very first content entry @ "Let's Play With Colors @ Asankhana Blog"


~ Priya