Rathalee- Sweet Potatoes Dessert

Sweet Potatoes
4-5 medium sweet potato roots22026_869249109815891_8674139206427192270_n
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup Malai / Fresh Cream
1 tsp Ghee
1/4 cup jaggery
1″ piece of cinnamon stick
1 pinch cardamom powder
1 pinch of love 😍
————
Wash and braise the roots
Chop the sweet potatoes in thin discs
Heat the ghee and add cinnamon broken in pieces
Add the chopped sweet potatoes and stir fast
Add jaggery and let it melt ( you can use brown sugar or demerara)
Add the cream and stir
Cook for 5 minutes on low heat
Add the milk, stir gently for a min.
Can be eaten hot and cold too
Ps:
Cinnamon powder doesn’t work the same 😞
You can also try the same with squash or pumkin too

Classic Aloo Sabji

Classic Aloo
3-4 medium boiled potatoes11796175_869365463137589_5301259885028601265_n
1 onion Julienned
2-3 green chilies julienned
1 tsp Urad dal/ popped chana daal
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ginger garlic rough chopped
1 tsp fresh cilantro
2-3 sprigs kadhipatta/ indian curry leaves
1 Tbsp oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp black mustard seeds
1 pinch Asafoetida/ hing
1 tsp lemon juice ( optional)
1/4 tsp salt
1 pinch of love
——–
Peel and cube the boiled potatoes upon cooling
Heat oil and add the Urad dal, bloom the mustard and cumin seeds
Add ginger garlic paste, chilies and kadhipatta
As soon as it sizzles add the onions
Add turmeric and Hing, flash fry the onions for one minute.
( should stay crunchy, but not raw)
Add the potatoes and stir gently, folding the mix outside in
Takes altogether 5 minutes to assemble this when the potatoes are already cooked.
Add salt, fresh cilantro, a pinch of love and lemon juice.
Fold it once more and it is ready to be served.
with Masala Dosa also.

Classic Uppama

Classic Upama-
This all time favorite, instant snack, classic dish was also my launchpad into the culinary world, forced by my grandmothers.
1 cup fine Rava ( semolina)
1 medium onion fine diced11782397_875783222495813_124461850175308971_o
1 small red tomato (roma)
2-3 red chilli peppers
1/2 tsp grated ginger
1 tsp Urad Dal( butter lentils)
5-6 cashews halved
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp ghee
1/4 tsp black mustard seeds
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 pinch Hing ( asafoetida)
1 pinch of love
1/2 lemon for juice
2 sprigs of kadhi patta( indian curry leaves)
1 1/2 cup of warm water
Fresh cilantro for garnish
Optional-
Fresh grated coconut 2 tsp
————
Roast the semolina and keep it aside
Heat oil in a thick bottomed wok
Add the Urad dal and let it fry till pinkish
Add the cumin and mustard seeds and let them bloom, add cashews.
Add the chili peppers, grated ginger,diced onion and fine diced tomato, followed by curry leaves.
Add hing and briskly stir once.
Add the roasted semolina and stirr well folding it outside in and bottom of the pan to up
Roast for 2-4 mins
Add salt and sugar, and pour the warm water from the sides, with one hand while stirring with the other. Smoothen the lumps if any
Make a indented well in the centre and drizzle the ghee in. Fold the mix on top of it
Lower the heat and cover the wok
Let it steam for 3-5 mins.
Stir once and squeeze the lemon juice on top, mix.
Plate it in a nice mound, with an upturned bowl
Garnish with fresh fine chopped cilantro and fresh coconut
You can also add crisp Sev on top if you like.

Kesar Paantuas/Bengali Saffron Rasgulla

Kesar Pantua/Saffron rasgulla
For paneer-
1 ltr. Cow milk (3% makes best)11794129_875978095809659_2061638799544422954_o
1 tbsp lemon juice
Cheesecloth/ old kitchen towel
1 tbsp fine semolina/ rava
For syrup-
300 gms sugar
4 cups water
1 tbsp milk
1 tsp rosewater
1 pinch saffron strands
1 pinch of love
—————–
Boil the milk, add lemon juice to it as it foams
Keep stirring and add a couple tsp of water, it helps to split the milk faster.
Turn the heat off as soon as the solids separate
Strain it into a cheesecloth or an old kitchen towel. Tie it into a tight bundle and hang to drain. Squeeze it once when cooled to remove excess water. Drain for 20-30 mins.
Open the bundle, crumble it with fingers, breaking all lumps.
Add the fine semolina
Mix well and cover it with a plate and set aside for 10 minutes
Simultaneously prepare the syrup-
Add 4 cups of water to the sugar and boil on medium low heat.
Once it comes to a boil, add the 1 tbsp milk, to clean the sugar syrup,
Skim off the top if any muddly foam comes up.
Add the rosewater
To prepare the milk solids-
Knead the Chhenaa/ milk solids with the heel of your palm, folding in and out
Alternating with pressing it in with your knuckles,
Until it is super soft and no crumbs fall out of the milk ball.
Break it into small pieces and form them into tiny balls with your palms
Bring the sugar syrup to a boil and start gently putting these milk balls into the syrup, cover the pot and let it boil for 20-25 mins
Make sure the pot is wide enough for the rasgulla to roll around without breaking.
You can also use a pressure cooker, without the whistle
Keep a large bowl of cold water ready.
Gently transfer the rasgulla to cold water
Add a 1/2 cup water to the existent syrup, bring it to a boil and turn the heat off.
Add saffron strands to this syrup and let it cool.
Drain the cold water out of the bowl and add the rasgullas to the syrup,
Cool it and refrigerate
Serve cold

Akkhaa Massoor (lentils)

Akkhaa Masoor
1 cup whole Masoor ( common lentil)
1 tomato cut in 8 pcs
1 onion chopped fine11111066_874375212636614_3259251824112334846_o
1 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp black mustard seeds
1/2 ” fresh ginger root
6-7 peeled garlic cloves
1 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp coriander seeds powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp red chili powder
1/2 tsp salt / as per taste
Cilantro fine chopped
————
Wash the Masoor and put it in a container, add the chopped tomato in it with enough water to cook. Average 2 cups
Pressure cook the masoor lentils for 15 mins/ or boil until soft
Bruise the fennel seeds slightly to release aroma
Grate the ginger root
Garlic to be rough pounded
( if you are using frozen garlic, grate it frozen, on the braiser strip)
Heat the oil in the pan
Add the bruised fennel seeds and black mustard seeds
Quickly add the ginger garlic, followed by chopped onions and stirr
Add turmeric and chilli powder
Leave the onions slightly crunchy
Add the cooked Masoor and add salt
Sprinkle part of the chopped cilantro to add aroma
Cook for 3-5 mins
Serve hot with buttered rice or Parantha
PS: you can also add more water to it and make it soupy, enjoy with a warm buttered dinner roll or a slice of Sour dough

Raseelii Gobhi

Cauliflower in tomato sauce
1 small head of fresh cauliflower
( sorry the Fleurette dont work the same)
2 large ripe roma tomatoes/ or country tomatoes if you like a sweetish flavor
1″ piece of fresh ginger root grated
1 purple onion medium cubed
1 tbsp coriander seed powder
1/2 tsp red chili powder ( preferably kashmiri mirch)11796286_869374459803356_6049836968341574170_n
1/4 tsp turmeric
2 bay leaves
1/4 tsp roasted cumin seeds powder
1/2 tsp black mustard seeds
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp besan
2-3 cups of warm water
1/2 tsp salt
1 pinch of love
————
Cut the stem off and cut out 1″ Fleurette, cube the remaining stems too, you can use the core of the center stem
Boil a pot if water. Add the turmeric in the water.
Blanch the cauliflower lightly in boiling water, turn the heat off. Let it sit for two minutes and drain the water. Let it cool
Grate the tomatoes, and add the coriander seeds powder and chili powder and mix well until the powders soak the juice in
Heat the oil in the pan
Bloom the mustard seeds,
Add the grated ginger, saute for 1 minute and add the Besan, and bay leaves,
stirr around and add the diced onions. Flash fry for one minute, as soon as the onions are all coated with a sheen of oil, add the grated tomato mixed with the masala
Saute till the tomato paste starts glistening.
Add the cauliflower Fleurette and stir till all pieces are wrapped in the sauce
Add salt and a pinch of love
Add the warm water, stir well and bring it to a boil
Garnish with fresh cilantro
Serve with hot buttered rice.

LACCHHAA PARAATHAA

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tbsp ghee
1/4 tsp salt
Water to knead. Approx. 1/2 cup is more than plenty.
Add the ghee and salt in the flour and mix well.
Sprinkle water on the flour and fluff-knead with gentle hands.
Make a dough slightly tighter than the normal roti dough, loose than the poori dough. ( softer than pie crust)
Take a fist size chunk of dough. image(6)
Roll out a roti halfway.
Make a paste of 2 tsp oil and 2 tsp rice flour.
Smear that paste on th rolled chapati.
Sprinkle a little bit of rolling flour dusting on it.
Start pleating the roti in tiny pleats.
I just start gathering with fingers.
Coil that pleated strip.
Dust it with rolling flour.
Roll it out gently, tuck any loose sides in and slide it on a tavaa or flat griddle.
Roast it well on both sides on low heat.
Baste it with ghee or oil while roasting.
Makes about 3-4 Parathaas.
Serve hot n crisp with anything.
PS:
I also use chutney or jiraman or simple mith mirchi ( salt and Chili)or leftover chutneys in the layers, anything that adds color and flavor.

PAALAK PANEER

An all time favorite veg dish.
8-10 cubes of paneer fried lightly
4 cups of Paalak/ spinach11745965_865332813540854_9187731946754653155_n
7-8 cloves Garlic
1″ piece of fresh ginger root
( make a paste of ginger n garlic or grate it)
1 medium onion ( yellow)
1-2 medium tomatoes ( Roma)
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp red chilly powder
2 tsp coriander seeds powder
1 tsp Garam Masala
2 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
4-5 black pepper corns cracked
Salt to taste.
———
Blanch spinach till the midriff becomes soft
Dice it fine and let it cool
Fine dice onion and tomatoes.
Make a paste of ginger garlic or grate it on a braiser
Make 1″x 1″ cubes of Paneer and fry it light golden. Set aside one cube of plain paneer, un-fried.
Heat oil in a shallow pan
Add cumin seeds and cracked pepper. Let it bloom
Add ginger garlic paste flash fry
Follow by quickly adding all the dry ingredients- turmeric, chili powder, coriander powder and garam masala.
Quickly add the fine diced onion and tomatoes and fry till the onions look glazed.
Add diced blanched spinach and stir well till all is uniformly blended.
Cook for 3-5 mins on low heat
Add salt to taste. Be easy on the salt as spinach has its own saltiness.
Add the fried paneer cubes and stir.
Turn the heat off.
Transfer to a serving dish and grate the un-fried cube of paneer on top for garnish
Serve with roti or rice.
Makes enough for 3-4 people

METHI (Fenugreek) PATALBHAJI

2 cups fenugreek leaves
3 tbsp besan ( black gram flour)
8-10 peeled garlic cloves
4-5 dry red chili peppers
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp red chili powder
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
2-3 cups water
1 pinch hing
1 pinch of Love
———-
Chop or shred the fenugreek leaves. Fresh is always best, but can also use dried
Rough pound the garlic( not paste)
Add water in the fenugreek and bring it to a boil. 11760103_864832640257538_867861189260923769_n
Add besan to this n stir simultaneously. Doesn’t have to be a paste. The lumps if any get cooked and lend a great texture n taste.
Add turmeric and salt, bring it to a boil.
In a small kadhai (wok) or pan heat oil, add mustard seeds, bloom them n add garlic and Hing. Last add whole dry red chili and take it off the heat
Put the chili powder on the surface of the bhaji, do not stir, dump this oil seasoning on top of the chili powder. It will hiss n sizzle and give a great yummy smoky flavor.
Add a pinch of love and stir
Serve hot with rice/ bhakri/ parathas.
PS: you can buy fenugreek ( methi ) seeds in any grocery store and grow it on the window sill or patio with minimal sunlight.
You can also add raw peanuts.