INGREDIENTS :

Maw(khoya)-1 1/2 cup
Chenna-1/4 cup
Soda bicarbonate-1/4 teaspoon
Refined flour (maida)-3 tablespoons
Green cardamom powder-1/4 teaspoon
Sugar-2 cups
Ghee to deep fry

METHOD :

Make the dough by combining the milk powder, Bisquick, butter. Add just enough whole milk to make a medium-hard dough. Divide the dough into 18-20 portions. Make balls by gently rolling each portion between your palms into a smooth ball. Place the balls on a plate. Cover with a damp yet dry kitchen towel.

Heat the oil on high and then lower the heat to medium. Slip in the balls into the hot oil from the side of the pan, one by one. They will sink to the bottom of the pan, but do not try to move them. Instead, gently shake the pan to keep the balls from browning on just one side. After about 5 mins, the balls will rise to the surface. The Gulab Jamuns should rise slowly to the top if the temperature is just right. Now they must be gently and constantly agitated to ensure even browning on all sides.

If the temperature of the oil is too high then the gulab jamuns will tend to break. So adjust the temperature to ensure that the gulab jamuns do not break or cook too quickly.

The balls must be fried very slowly under medium temperatures. This will ensure complete cooking from inside and even browning.

Courtsy :  sanjeevkapoor.com

Ingredients
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 cup plain flour (maida)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp soda bi-carb
1/2 cup condensed milk
1/2 cup melted butter
1 tsp vanilla essence

Method

1. Sieve the cocoa powder, plain flour, baking powder and soda bi-carb on a plate.
2. Combine all the ingredients together with 1/2 cup (100 ml.) of water in a bowl and mix well using a whisk.
3. Pour the mixture into a greased 150 mm. (6″) diameter baking tin.
4. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180°c (360°f) for 20 minutes or until a knife inserted in the cake comes out clean.
5. Remove from the oven, cut into 1″ square pieces.
6. Serve or use as per required.

Deep-fried popular snack usually made during festive season in every house.
Preparation Time : 1 hour
Cooking Time : 1 hour
Servings : 4

INGREDIENTS

Rice 6 cups Split Bengal gram (chana dal) 3 cups Split black gram skinless (dhuli urad dal) 1 1/2 cups Split green gram skinless (dhuli moong dal) 3/4 cup Cumin seeds 2 tablespoons Coriander seeds 2 tablespoons FOR DOUGH Chakli ka atta 3 cups Turmeric powder 1/4 teaspoon Red chilli powder 1 tablespoon Salt to taste Sesame seeds (til) 2 tablespoons Oil to deep fry

METHOD
Lightly roast ingredients of chakli atta. Grind to a coarse powder. Bring one cup of water to a boil. Put on sim and add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, salt, sesame seeds and finally chakli atta. Remove from heat. Stir mixture well. Leave it aside for twenty five to thirty minutes, mixing the mixture at regular intervals. Remove from vessel and knead it into very soft dough, by adding a little water. Put mixture in chakli mould and make chaklis on a piece of paper. Heat sufficient oil in a kadai till moderately hot. Deep fry chaklis to a light golden brown and crisp. Drain onto an absorbent paper and allow to cool. Store in airtight tins.

Courtsy :  sanjeevkapoor.com

A lay man’s delight in maharashtra
Preparation Time : 1/2 hour
Cooking Time : 1/2 hour
Servings : 4

INGREDIENTS

Jawari flour 300 grams Sesame seeds (til)  2 teaspoons Ghee as required

METHOD
Make a stiff dough with flour and enough water. Divide it into eight equal portions. Line a flat surface with a small plastic sheet. Take a portion of the dough, roll it into a ball and place it on the plastic sheet. Wet your hands with water and pat the ball into a thick, flat disk. Heat a griddle and place the disk on it. Sprinkle some of the sesame seeds. When the bottom is crisp, turn over and cook the other side. Remove when crisp and cooked. Smear pure ghee and serve hot.

A good and a very light south indian delight
Preparation Time : overnight
Cooking Time : 1/2 hour
Servings : 4

INGREDIENTS

Rice 1 cup Parboiled rice (ukda chawal)  1 cup Coconut water  1/4 cup Salt  to taste Coconut, scraped  3/4 cup Baking powder  1/4 teaspoon Oil, grated  to coat

METHOD
Clean, wash and soak both the rice together in four cups of water for two to three hours. Drain and grind to a smooth paste adding coconut water, as required. Add salt, stir well and keep ground rice for at least thirty-six hours in a warm place to ferment. Soak the scraped coconut in one and a half cups of warm water, grind and extract thick milk. Add the coconut milk to the fermented batter and dilute it to a thick creamy consistency. Mix in the baking powder and adjust salt.Heat an appam tawa (small cast-iron kadai), brush with a little oil. Add one ladle of batter, tilt the kadai all round to spread the batter. The edges should be thin and the excess batter should collect at the centre. Cover with a thick heavy lid and cook on medium heat for two to thee minutes. Check to see if the sides start leaving the tawa. The edges of the appam should be crisp and thin and the centre soft and spongy. Serve hot with your choice of ishtew.

Recipe Tip :
Traditionally fresh toddy is used to ferment this batter. In the above recipe, the coconut water acts as the fermenting agent. A special type of tawa made in cast iron is available to make these appams. You may also use a small non-stick kadai for this purpose.

Courtsy :  sanjeevkapoor.com

An unusual parantha stuffed with chhunda

Servings : 4

INGREDIENTS Whole wheat flour (atta) + for dusting 2 cups Salt to taste Mango pulp 1/2 cup Oil to shallow fry+2 tablespoons Chhunda 1 cup

METHOD
Make dough with wheat flour, salt, mango pulp and two tablespoons of oil. Divide into eight equal portions. Dust each ball in flour and roll out into a diskette. Apply some oil and sprinkle a little flour. Put a tablespoonful of chhunda on one side of the diskette and roll to make a cylinder. Fold over the sides and press slightly. Rest them for a while. Gently roll out again into squares. Shake off excess flour. Heat a tawa. Put the parantha on it and roast both sides on medium heat. Dribble some oil and roast till both sides are golden and crisp. Serve hot with chhunda.

Courtsy :  sanjeevkapoor.com

paratha flavoured with carom seeds
Preparation Time : 1/2 an hour
Cooking Time : 1/2an hour
Servings : 4

INGREDIENTS Whole wheat flour (atta)   for dusting+3 cups Salt to taste Carom seeds (ajwain), crushed 1/2 teaspoon Ghee 4 tablespoons Oil to shallow fry

METHOD
Mix together atta, salt and carom seeds. Rub in two tablespoons of ghee. Add sufficient water and knead into a stiff dough. Cover and rest it for fifteen minutes. Divide the dough into eight equal portions. Roll in dry flour and roll into a round chapatti. Spread a little ghee on one side and lightly roll that side in dry flour. Fold the chapatti into half and then again into half to make a triangle Roll into a triangular parantha. It should be a little thick. Heat a tawa. Place the parantha on the tawa and cook for a minute. Flip and apply ghee. Cook for a minute and flip again and apply ghee. Cook till both the sides are golden. Serve hot.

Courtsy :  sanjeevkapoor.com

Sweet and sour mango drink

INGREDIENTS Fresh mint leaves, 1 cm cubes test 6-7 sprigs Salt to taste Rock salt (sendha namak) to taste Roasted cumin powder 2 teaspoons Powdered sugar 1 cup Black peppercorns, crushed 1 teaspoon Lemons, cut into roundels 2 Raw mango 1 kilogram

METHOD
Place serving glasses in a refrigerator to be chilled. Boil and peel raw mangoes and extract the pulp. Keeping aside a few mint leaves for garnish, grind the rest.

Crispy batter fried onion rings
Preparation Time : 10-15 minutes
Cooking Time : 10-15 minutes
Servings : 4

INGREDIENTS

Onions, thickly sliced  4 large Refined flour (maida)  2 cups Cornflour/ corn starch  3 tablespoons Salt  to taste White pepper powder  1/2 teaspoon Baking powder 1/2 teaspoon Oil 1/2 cup+ to deep fry

METHOD
Separate the onion roundels into rings and keep the center part aside. Use only the outer big rings. Sieve together refined flour, cornstarch, salt, white pepper powder and baking powder. Add half cup of oil and sufficient water to make a thick batter. Whip this batter with whisk or hand continuously for a long time – say five to ten minutes. Heat sufficient oil in a kadai. Dip onion rings in the batter and deep fry till crisp. Remove and drain on an absorbent paper. Serve hot.

Potato wedges sprinkled with sea salt, chilli flakes and peppercorns and baked.
Preparation Time : 15 minutes
Cooking Time : 15-20 minutes
Servings : 4

INGREDIENTS Potatoes  6 large Olive oil  2 tablespoons Cumin seeds 1/2 teaspoon Sea salt  to taste Black peppercorns 6-8 Red chilli flakes  1 teaspoon Lemon juice 1 tablespoon

METHOD
Parboil potatoes for two minutes in five cups of water. Drain, cool and cut into thick wedges. Preheat oven to 200?C. Grease a baking tray with half tablespoon of olive oil. Lightly roast cumin seeds on a griddle. Take sea salt, roasted cumin seeds, peppercorns and red chilli flakes in a mortar and crush coarsely with a pestle. Take potato wedges in a bowl and sprinkle three fourths of the crushed masala over them, add remaining olive oil and mix with a spoon. Spread these potatoes on prepared tray evenly. Put in the preheated oven and bake at 200?C for fifteen minutes till done. Sprinkle with remaining crushed masala and lemon juice and serve hot.