Traditional Gujarati Khichdi and Kadhhi

Prep time 5 min

Cook time 15 min

Total time 20 min

Serves: 4

Ingredients

for the kadhi:

• 1 cup curd
• 2 to 2.5 cups water
• 2 to 2.5 tbsp gram flour/besan
• ½ tbsp ginger chili paste or crushed ginger chili
• 1 tbsp sugar or jaggery… add more for more sweetness
• salt as required
• coriander leaves for garnishing

for the tempering:

• 1 inch cinnamon stick
• 2 cloves
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• a pinch or two of asafoetida/hing
• 2 broken red chilies, deseeded
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• ½ tsp mustard seeds
• ¼ tsp fenugreek seeds
• 1 tbsp oil or ghee
  
  Instructions
• mix the chickpea flour, ginger-garlic paste, yogurt, sugar and salt with water.
• beat to a smooth mixture.
• fry all the ingredients meant for tempering.
• add the yogurt-water mixture.
• give a boil first and then simmer for 5 minutes more.
• continue to stir in between to avoid lumps from getting formed.
• garnish with chopped coriander and serve hot kadhi with rice or phulka Khichdi 
  
  
  
  Ingredients For Khichdi
  3 cups moong dal
  2 cup basmati or plain rice
  3 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)
  7-8 whole black pepper-corns
  1 cup onions - finely chopped
  1 cup potatoes - finely diced
  1 cup fresh/frozen green tuvar (lilva)(optional, but you can get it in Indian stores)
  3 tsp turmeric powder
  2 green chillies - chopped
  2 tbsp cumin seeds (jeera)
  salt - to taste (about 1 1/2-2 tbsp)
  lemon juice - to taste (about 2 tbsp)
  
  Method - Khichdi
  Take the rice and moong dal and wash them under running water for a couple of times. Then take a pressure cooker, add add 3 tbsp ghee and add the cumin seeds, black pepper-corns, onions, and green chillies. Saute for 2 mins, then add the diced potatoes and the rice and moong dal mixture. Add in the turmeric powder and saute again so everything is mixed well. Now add the required amount of water(I generally use the ratio of 1 cup rice to 1-1/2 cup water), cover with the lid and cok it for 4-5 whistles.
  
  Alternately, you can cook the khichdi separate in a rice cooker, and saute the remaining ingredients (use boiled potatoes in this case) in a frying pan, and add the cooked khichdi to the vegetables late

Palak Lachha Paratha

Palak Lachha Paratha Recipe

Prep & Cooking Time: 30 mts

Serves 3-4 persons

Cuisine: North Indian

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Ingredients: 2 cups atta/whole wheat flour/godhuma pindi
pinch of salt (optional)
1 cup spinach puree (wash, blanch and puree 2 bunches of spinach)
1/2 – 3/4 tsp red chili powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
3/4 tsp carrom seeds/ajwain/waamu
salt to taste     

Method

Method

  

Method

                                                                                      

1. 1 Prepare a soft pliable dough of the atta/whole wheat flour, palak puree, carrom seeds, red chili powder, coriander powder and salt. Add little water if necessary while preparing the dough. Allow to sit for 3-4 hrs (minimum an hour).
   2 Pinch off large lemon sized balls from the dough. Dust some flour on the working surface and roll each ball to about 5-6″ in diameter. Drizzle a few drops of ghee or oil and spread it around the paratha. Dust a little flour all over.
   3 Use a knife and cut 3 inches from the center of the paratha to one end of the rolled out paratha. Take the cut end of the paratha and roll it towards the other end of the paratha (towards the cut side). See picture above.
   4 Flatten it lightly with your palm. Dust the working surface and roll out a thick paratha. Prepare with the rest of the dough.
   5 Heat a tawa and place on high flame. Place paratha on the hot tawa. Cook on both sides till brown spots appear and the paratha is cooked. Drizzle ghee on both sides and serve hot with dal tadka, yogurt, salad and pickle of your choice. Makes for a complete meal.

Dry Fruit Modak Recipe | Kharjur Modak | Ganesh Chaturthi Recipes

Easy Dry fruit Modak Recipe:

Yields 15 modaks roughly

Prep time: 40 mins | Cooking time: 15 mins | Total time: 45 mins

Cuisine: Indian | Category: Sweets/Festival Sweets

Ingredients:

1.5 cups of Seedless Dates

1/4 cup Almonds

1/4 cup Cashew nuts

1/4 cup Walnuts

1/4 cup Raisins

1/4 cup Dry coconut pieces

2 tbsp Poppy Seeds (Khus Khus)

1tspGhee                                                                                                                                        Method:

• Chop all the nuts - cashew nuts, almonds and walnuts finely. Also chop the seedless dates and dry coconut pieces to fine pieces.
• Dry roast the chopped nuts one by one separately for 1-2 mins taking care that they would not get burnt, remove them and keep aside in a plate.
• Dry roast coconut pieces until they turn slight brown in color and remove them aside too. In the same pan add poppy seeds and roast them slightly until they start popping, remove and keep aside.
• Heat ghee in the same pan and add chopped dates and raisins and fry continuously until it comes together and becomes like a thick mass.This takes 4-5 mins roughly. Do not leave it unattended as the raisins might get burnt. Switch off and let it cool slightly.
• Grind the roasted nuts with dry coconut pieces and poppy seeds to a coarse powder in pulse mode. I like the bite of dry fruits, so I do not powder them completely and hence keep them very course. It is your wish to grind them how you want.Remove the mixture aside into a plate.
• Now add the date-raisin mixture and pulse it in the mixer to get a coarse mixture. Again it is you wish here to grind it smoothly or keep it coarse like I did.
• Take out the mixture into the same pan and add coarsely ground nuts and mix nicely and bring it back on the flame and stir continuously for 2-3 mins until the mixture becomes slightly sticky and hold the dry fruit mixture nicely.
• Remove the mixture into a plate and let it cool slightly until you can handle with bare hands.
• Press the mixture slightly hard to form a sticky mass.
• Make gooseberry sized balls out of it and place them in a modak press(as shown in pic) and press it tightly by levelling the down and pressing it firmly to get modak shaped ladoos. If you do not have modak press you can make into ladoos.
• Prepare all the modaks(ladoos) and store them in an air tight container.                                                                           

Notes:                    

• You can add nuts like pistachios or any other nuts of your choice.
• Anjeer(figs) can also be added along with dates, in that case reduce the dates to 1 cup and add 1/2 cup of figs and follow the same process.
• If you like cardamom flavor add 1/4 tsp of Cardamom powder to the mixture when you are mixing it.
• There are no hard rules for this recipe, you can make it a per your wish. You can grind the mixture smooth to get smooth modak(ladoo) or keep it coarse to enjoy the dry fruit bites.
• You can even alter the nuts and dry fruit quantities according to your wish, the mixture should hold its shape when we try to make ladoos.

Dal Paratha Recipe

Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Wheat flour
• A pinch of asafoetida
• 1 cup yellow moong dal
• 1/2 tsp roasted cumin seeds
• 2 green chillies finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
• Salt to taste
• Oil for making parathas

How to make Dal Paratha:

1. Combine the wheat flour, asafoetida and some salt.
2. Sieve thoroughly and then gradually add water for making soft paratha dough.
3. Soak moong dal at least for 30 minutes.
4. Drain and boil it in 2 cups of water by adding little bit of salt.
5. Heat 2 tbsp of oil in the skillet and add cumin seeds.
6. When the seeds start crackling, add asafoetida and fry continue for few seconds.
7. Now add boiled dal, salt and all spices.
8. Mix very well to firm the dal with all flavorful spice mixture.
9. Cook on medium low flame till dal thickens for making parathas.
10. Cool down dal mixture.
11. Now take a small portion of prepared dough, roll out into thin roti, stuff dal mixture in the center.
12. Close the paratha from all sides and dust some flour.
13. Roll again into a round, thick paratha.
14. Heat a griddle/tawa and spread some oil.
15. When tawa is properly heated, place the paratha on it and cook on low flame for grabbing the flavors.
16. Spread some oil and cook it from both sides very well.
17. Serve hot with any Indian curry recipe or enjoy this paratha with curd, pickle and papad.

Kaju Butter Masala

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 25 mins

Serves: 2

Ingredients

• Cashew nuts – ⅔ cup
• Oil – 2 teaspoons
• Onion – 1 medium, chopped roughly
• Ginger – 1 inch piece, chopped roughly
• Green chilies – 2, chopped roughly
• Tomatoes – 2, chopped roughly
• Butter – 1 ½ tablespoons
• Bay leaf – 1
• Cloves – 4
• Cinnamon stick – 1 inch piece
• Turmeric powder – ¼ teaspoon
• Coriander powder – 2 teaspoons
• Red chili powder – ½ teaspoon
• Dried fenugreek leaves (Kasoori methi) – 1 teaspoon
• Heavy whipping cream (Malai) – ¼ cup
• Water – ½ cup (More or less depending on your liking gravy consistency)
• Cilantro – few sprigs, chopped finely (Do not skip)

Instructions

1. Heat remaining teaspoon of oil in a pan on medium heat. Once hot, add chopped onions, ginger and green chilies. Sauté it for few minutes till onion becomes translucent.
2. Let the onion mixture cool a bit and grind it into a blender into smooth paste. Remove in a bowl and keep aside. In same blender add chopped tomatoes and make smooth puree.
3. In the same pan, heat butter. Once hot add bay leaf, cloves and cinnamon stick. Sauté till you get nice fragrance.
4. Then add onion paste. Mix well and sauté it till it becomes golden brown or it leaves the sides of the pan. It will take about 7-8 minutes.
5. Add turm
6. Heat a teaspoon of oil in a pan on medium heat. Add cashew nuts and fry till it becomes light brown. Take out in a bowl and keep aside.
7. eric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder and Kasoori methi. Mix well. Sauté it for one minute. Then add pureed tomatoes. Mix well.
8. Cook this mixture till it leaves oil or reduces. Then add salt, cream and water. Mix well.
9. Let the gravy come to a boil.
10. Then add fried cashew nuts and cook for a minute. Add chopped cilantro just before serving. (Please Do not skip chopped cilantro it gives inviting look to the dish.)
11. Mix well. Serve hot