Papdi

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Ingredients
2 cups gramflour
1/4 tsp. soda bicarb
1/4 tsp. ajwain seeds
1/4 tsp. turmeric powder
1 tbsp. oil
salt to taste
oil to deep fry

Method


Mix all ingredients, add water little by little to make very soft dough.
Take a fistful of dough, place on a greased polythene sheet.
With base of palm drag the dough in a straight line, from start.
For support hold the dough at starting point with other hand.
This will for a strip of the lump of dough.
A little practice will make this technique very easy.
Heat oil in a wide heavy pan.
Make 3-4 such strips, put in hot oil.
Fry on medium till crisp but not browned.
Drain and cool to crisp further.
Serve cool with papaya chutney, green chutney and tea.
A good breakfast change.
Making time: 25 minutes Makes: 5 servings
Shelflife: Papdi: 2-3 weeks in an airtight container

Matri

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Ingredients
1 cup plain flour
1 tbsp. ghee or oil
salt to taste
2-3 pinches soda bicarb
1/4 tsp. ajwain seeds
warm water for kneading
oil for deep frying

Method


Mix all ingredients, except oil for deep frying and water.
Add water little by little kneading into a pliable dough.
Cover and keep for 15 minutes.
Break into small portions, roll in 1" wide rounds.
Keep a little thicker than puris. Prick with a fork.
Place on a clean spread out cloth.
Finish for all dough.
Heat oil in a frying pan, add some matri at a time.
Fry till lightly golden, flip side and repeat.
Drain and cool to allow to become crisp.
Store in an airtight container.
Making time: 40 minutes
Makes: 25 pieces (approx.)
Shelflife: 2 weeks at room temperature

Handvoh

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Ingredients
Dry grind together to fine semolina texture:
1 cup rice
1 cup yellow moong dal

Others:
1 medium bottle gourd
3 tbsp. coriander chopped
3-4 green chillies finely chopped
3 cups buttermilk
3/4 tsp. soda bicarb
1 tsp. each urad and channa dal
1/2 tsp. each cumin and mustard seeds
salt to taste
4-5 tbsp. oil

Method


Take butter milk in a large vessel.
Add salt, soda and flour, mix well.
Keep aside for 6-7 hours.
Grate bottlegourd and squeeze out excess water.
Add gourd, coriander and greenchilli.
Heat oil in a pan, add urad & channa dals, and seeds.
Allow to splutter, pour half in the batter, mix thoroughly.
Put in a greased oven proof deep container.
Pour remaining seasoning on top.
Place in a preheated oven at 280C for 10 minutes.
Reduce to 200C or 180C for 40 minutes or till done.
Check by inserting a skewer which should come out clean.
Slice into wedges and serve hot with chutney or lemon tea.
Making time: 30 minutes (excluding fermenting and baking time)
Makes: 5-6 servings
Shelflife: Flour may be stored in a dry airtight container for 3-4 weeks. After baking best fresh.

Note: Handvoh is traditionally cooked in a wide earthen pot, over a slow coal fire, and some coals place above the mouth of the pot in an earthen lid. This slow cooking supplemented by the porous texture of earthenware, gives and excellent lightness to the dish. However, the oven is a modern day substitute, which will give good but not the same results.

Dahi Bhalle (Dahi Vade)

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Ingredients

For bhalle:
1/2 cup urad dal
1/2 cup chawla (blackeyed beans) dal
1 tbsp. green moong dal
1 tbsp. salt
Oil for deep frying

For topping:
1/2 litre fresh curds
1 cup cold milk
2 tbsp. green chutney (refer chutneys)
3 tbsp. tamarind chutney (refer chutneys)
1 tbsp. coriander leaves finely chopped

For sprinkling:
red chilli powder
cumin powder
Salt
Sev (Optional)
Onion finely chopped (Optional)

Method:


For bhalle:

Wash and soak dals together for 4-5 hours or overnight.
Grind to a smooth thick paste (preferably in stone grinder).
Do not discard green skins of green moong dal. Grind along.
Batter should be thick enough to put lumps in oil.
Heat oil in a frying pan.
When hot, let down dumplings the size of ping pong balls.
Fry on medium heat, till very light brown.
Drain, keep aside. Repeat for all batter.
Take plenty of water in a large vessel.
Add half the salt, dump in fried bhalles.
Keep them soaking for 10 minutes.
Drain out water. Add fresh water, drain, repeat 2 more times.
Now add remaining salt to more water, add bhalles, keep aside 30 minutes.
Press out each dumpling, till water is squeezed out well.
Place them in a bowl lined with a moist muslin cloth.
Refrigerate covered for further use.

For topping:

Beat curds and milk together till smooth. Chill.

To proceed before serving:

Place 2-3 bhalles in individual bowls.
Top with curds till covered.
Drizzle some green and tamarind chutneys over curds.
Sprinkle red chilli powder, cumin powder, salt to taste.
Garnish with coriander, sev and chopped onions as desired.
Serve right away.
Making time: Bhalle- 30 minutes
Other steps: 15 minutes (excluding soaking, grinding and chilling times)
Makes: 25-30 bhalles
Shelflife:
Unsoaked bhalle - 1 day
After soaking 6-7 hours, refrigerated
After topping etc. best fresh

Besan Ke Laddoo

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Ingredients

1 1/2 cup gram flour
3/4 cup ghee
3/4 cup sugar ground
1 tsp. cardamom powder
10-12 threads saffron
1 tbsp. hot milk

Method:


Heat ghee in a heavy frying pan.
Add gramflour, cook on low heat, stirring constantly.
Flour is done when it changes to a golden brown, ghee separates.
Allow to cool to room temperature.
Rub saffron strands in hot milk till smooth.
Add saffron milk, cardamom, sugar to flour.
Take lumpfuls, shape into laddoo of desired sizes.
Cool completely, before storing in airtight container.
Making time: 45 minutes
Makes: 15 (approx.)
Shelflife: 3-4 weeks

Roomali Roti

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Ingredients
1 1/2 cups wheat flour
50 gms. plain flour
1 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. melted ghee or butter

Mehtod


Sift flours, salt together.
Rub in ghee till flour is crumbly.
Add water, knead into soft, pliable dough.
Cover and keep aside for 45 minutes.
Knead again till smooth, divide into six parts.
Shape into rounds.
Roll as thin as possible using dry flour for dusting.
Place one on back of palm.
With circular movement in one direction, flip and rotate roti.
This procedure will make the roti very thin.
Invert deep tawa or heavy cast iron pan, and heat over gas.
When hot, spread roti over inverted griddle and allow to cook.
Tiny black spots will appear on it when done.
This roti cooks very fast. Approx. 45- 50 seconds each.
Fold like a handkerchief (roomal) before serving.
Serve hot with gravied or other vegetables.
Making time: 45 minutes(excluding dough maturing time)
Makes: 6-7 rotis
Shelflife: Best fresh only

Taftan

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Ingredients

3 cups plain flour 3 tsp. dry yeast
2 tbsp. curds
2 tbsp. ghee
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
salt to taste
1/2 cup milk
1 tbsp. poppy seeds (khuskhus)

Method


Warm milk in a cup. Sprinkle sugar and yeast over it.
Keep aside for 10 minutes or till frothy.
Sieve together flour and salt. Make a well in centre.
Pour curds, ghee, milk mixture into well.
Mix in dough, knead well till very elastic.
Add more milk if required.
Grease a large bowl, place dough in it.
Cover, keep aside for 7 hours or till dough has almost doubled.
Knead again, divide in 6 parts, make balls, cover.
Keep aside for 20 minutes.
Take one, place between palms and pat into a thick round.
Keep edges slightly thicker than centre.
Pull on one corner to give it a drop shape.
Brush with ghee, sprinkle khuskhus seeds.
Bake either in a preheated oven or tandoor till done.
Small golden spots must appear on the roti.
Serve hot with vegetables, dals, etc.
Making time: 40 minutes (except maturing time)
Makes: 6 taftans
Shelflife: 1 day (dough only. After baking serve immediately)

Variation: Use nigella seeds (kalonji), or saunf (aniseed) for varied flavours.

Note: The first kneading must be done well with patience, since the texture and elasticity will depend a lot on kneadin

Sabut Masoor Curry

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Ingredients

1 cup whole masoor washed & soaked overnight
3 tomatoes chopped
3 onions chopped into slivers
6 shallot onions peeled (tiny sambar onions in India)
1 tbsp. coriander leaves finely chopped
1 stalk curry leaves
1/4 tsp. mustard seeds
3-4 pinches asafoetida
3 tbsp. oil
1 tbsp. ghee
Salt to taste
Juice of 1/2 lemon

Grind together:
1/2 pod (small) garlic cleaned
2" piece ginger peeled
8-10 whole red chillies (kashmiri)
1 tsp. each coriander & cumin seeds lightly roasted
1/2" stick cinnamon crushed coarsely

Method:


Drain soaked masoor. Add 2 - 2 1/2 cups water.
Add shallot onions whole, pressurecook till tender.(4 whistles approx.)
Add 1/2 cup water to ground paste, mix thoroughly.
Heat oil in a large saucepan.
Add mustard seeds, asafoetida, allow to splutter.
Add onions, stirfry for 3 minutes.
Add masala paste, stir, cook for further 3 minutes.
Add boiled masoor, water and onions, stir.
Simmer covered for 5 minutes.
Add tomatoes, stir, cook further 7-8 minutes.

Before serving:

Transfer hot curry to serving bowl.
Add lemon juice.
Heat ghee in a small saucepan.
Add curry leaves, pour hot over curry.
Stir gently.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
Serve hot with rice, rotis, sheermal, etc.
Note:
Masoor may be substituted with any other whole lentils of your choice. Keep in mind that different required different times to be pressurecooked.

Making time: 30 minutes (excluding pressurecooking & soaking time)
Makes: 6 servings
Shelflife: Best fresh (though boiling of masoor and grinding of masalas may be done hours ahead)

Coconut Burfi

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Ingredients
250 gms. finely grated coconut
250 gms. sugar
150 ml. water
ghee for greasing plate

Method


Prepare syrup with sugar and water to 2 1/2 thread consistency.
Use method as shown in introduction.

Warm coconut in heavy saucepan, pour in the syrup.

Stir well and cook till soft lump forms.

Spread in a greased plate. Cool.

Sprinkle cardamom powder (optional).

Cut into squares, store in airtight container.

Making time: 30 minutes
Makes: 20-25 pieces
Shelflife: 2 weeks

Fresh And Dry Veg. Pickle

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Ingredients:
6 orange carrots peeled
1 small raw papaya peeled
100 gms green chillies
3" ginger peeled
3 garlic flakes peeled
100 gms dried dates deseeded
1/2 bottle white vinegar
1 tsp. turmeric powder
2-1/2 tbsp. mustard seeds
Salt to taste
1 tsp. oil

Method:


Slice carrots, papaya and ginger (separately).
Marinate with carrot papaya in2 tsp. salt for 2 hours.
Marinate ginger in 1/2 tsp salt separately as above.
Drain liquid and put on a clean cloth to dry in sun for 2 hours.
Slit chillies, rub with a little salt and vinegar.
Heat oil, and add chillies, ginger stir for few seconds, add vinegar.
Cover and keep aside to cool.
Pound and husk mustard seeds coarsely.
Add to pickle with turmeric powder
Add the dates. Mix well.
Store in a clean sterilized jar.
Allow to mature for 2 days before using.
Serve as desired.
Making time: 6-7 hours.Maturing 2 days.
Makes: Approx. 1/2 kg. Pickle.
Shelflife: 1 month or more. Preferably refrigerated.