FestivalFood – The Secret Ingredient

Coconut

Ukadiche Modak | Sweet Steamed Dumplings

By anshu September 5, 2019

Ganesh Chaturthi is a Hindu festival celebrated with a lot of sentiments in India. It’s also known as Vinayak Chaturdashi. This festival is to celebrate the birth of Lord Ganesha, the elephant headed God who is the son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. Ukadiche Modak or Steamed Rice Flour Dumplings with Coconut and jaggery is made as an offering to Lord Ganesha. Its believed that these modaks are God’s absolute favourite.

To be honest I had never tasted ukadiche modak in my life before because I live in the northern part of the country and this festival is predominately celebrated in the southern states. Therefore, at the outset of the festivity I decided this is the best occasion to try this new recipe and also to please the God on his birthday. Not to mention I will also get a chance to taste the so raved about modaks. To shape the modaks requires great deal of skill. Its like shaping momos. tibetan dumplings with gluten free rice dough. I chose the easier path (smart me!) I used a modak mould which makes swanky modaks with lesser efforts. How cool it is ! 😉 Before, I go gaga over my crippled skills I will take you to the recipe so that you can even try and enjoy the festivity.

Directions:
1. For the filling of modak grate fresh coconut and roast in a pan on a medium flame.

2. After the coconut has roasted a bit add chunks of jaggery. Also add cardamom powder and mix well.

3. Keep tossing the filling till jaggery has melted and the mixture has come together. The filling will still be sticky because jaggery is still hot. It will become crumbly and less sticky after it has come to room temperature. Therefore, set aside and let it come to room temperature.

4. For the dumpling or the outer covering boil water in a pan. Add ghee.

5. Add sugar and salt and combine and give the liquid a boil.

6. Add rice flour and combine. The flour will absorb all liquid.

7. Cover the pan with a lid and let it simmer on low flame for 3-4 minutes.

8. Now turn the flame off and let the dough cool down a bit. Apply little ghee on your hands. While its still warm knead it together to bring everything together.

9. Cover with a damp kitchen towel till further use.

10. Apply ghee on the modak mould, both sides.

11.Take a small portion of dough and apply on one side of the mould. Make sure its a thin layer. Repeat the same for the other side.

12. Take the coconut jaggery filling and add a little, say half a spoon. Do not over fill it for it will leak out at the time of steaming.

13. Now close the mould and you will notice the extra dough will ooze out. Remove that. Also add a bit of dough on the base of mould to skirt the filling. I missed taking picture of this step. I hope you understood.

14. Carefully open the mould and tada you have a beautiful looking modak.

15.Shape rest of the modaks and place them in a tray covered with a damp kitchen towel till we steam them.

16. For the steaming part, place a steamer with water on the flame. Cover it with a slotted tray greased with ghee. If you have a banana leaf you can top the tray with a banana leaf for it will prevent it from sticking to the base. Cover with lid and let the steam develop.

17. When you notice the steam escaping the steamer, Open the lid and place modaks on the tray. Cover with a lid and let it steam for 20-25 minutes.

18.Once steamed you can garnish it with saffron and offer it our dear Lord Ganesha. He will bring prosperity in our lives and will bless us.

Wishing you all a Happy Ganesh Chaturthi.

Other festive recipes you can try are: Kadda Prashad, Besan Rava Laddoo, Gurr Gajar Ke Meethey Chawal, Gajar Ka Halwa, Kaddu Ka Halwa, Kesari Seviyan, Khajoor Ki Kheer, Makhane Ki Kheer , Mango Saffron Phirni, Paneer Ki Kheer , Rasgulla , Sabudana Kheer, Swang Ke Chawal Ka Halwa, Sooji Halwa, Swang Ke Chawal Ka Halwa, Ragi & Khus Khus Ladoos.

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Dessert

Ragi & Khus Khus Ladoos Recipe | Healthy Finger Millet and Poppy Seeds Energy Bites

By anshu July 23, 2017

Rakshabandhan is right around the corner and traditional sweets are a quintessential part of every Indian festivity. This year I wanted to make something which is healthy but still festive. I tried my hands on Ragi Laddoos. These are gluten free and so easy to put together and taste is absolutely top notch. When I was taking pictures my kiddo asked me if these were chocolate balls and I said yes 😉 He gobbled down two instantly and gave me a thumbs up. Isn’t it how you call a recipe successful. These are perfect for people who are watching their weight, for people with celiac diseases, for little babies and even for pregnant woman.

Make for your beloved brother or dear sister these Ragi Khus Khus Laddoos. They are incredible and taste divine. I am sure they will make this festival more joyous! You can even try Besan Rava Laddoos is you want to stick to the traditional recipes.

Directions:
1. In a wok add ghee and melt it. Add Ragi flour, I have used SOS Organics himalayan ragi flour and keep sauteing it till the aroma of roasted flour is felt. You will notice the mixture has separated from ghee. This should take good 10-12 minutes. Keep the flame low and keep stirring it.

2. Add almond meal or ground almonds and also powdered green cardamom powder. Mix well with the ragi slurry and continue to cook for a minute more.

3. Turn the flame off and add castor sugar or powdered sugar and mix well.

4.Let the mixture cool down little bit. Cool enough to make laddoos or round balls with it.

5. Roll the laddoos in roasted poppy seeds and set them aside to set and firm.

6. They also taste great when soft and warm. They stay good for about 20 days if kept at room temperature in an airtight jar.

Other Ragi of Finger Millet Recipes you can try are: Gluten Free Chocolate Ragi Brownies, Ragi Masala Twisters, Ragi & Whole Wheat Biscuits, Instant Ragi Dosa.

Other Traditional Indian Festive Food you can try are: Attey Ka Halwa Gurudwara Style, Swang Ke Chawal Ka Halwa, Apple Lapsi, Kaddu ka Halwa, Sooji Halwa, Gajar Ka Halwa, Mango Saffron Phirni, Paneer Ki Kheer, Sabudana Kheer, Makhane Ki Kheer, Gram Flour Semolina Balls, Gurr Gajar Ke Meethey Chawal, Kesari Seviyan, Rasgulla,

You can order Organic Ragi or Finger Millets from SOS Organics from here.

[whohit]RagiKhusKhusLaddoos[/whohit]

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American Cuisine

Festive Orange Blueberry Pound Cake

By anshu December 20, 2016

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Its almost Christmas and time for us to move our base from the hills to the plains till the winter break is over. This is the time of the year when our school shuts down for almost two months and we get a good time to spend with our family and loved ones. My bags are packed and I am about to empty my pantry. Last few days I am baking with whatever fruit is left in the fridge. Therefore, the productivity of Oven is at its peak. When I saw oranges and blueberry in my freezer compartment I knew I have make this cake which has been on my to do list for such a long time. I wanted a simple Orange Pound cake which makes everything just right.

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And when the cake came out of the oven it was simply to die for. So moist, flavourful with orange zest and the cake was screaming eat me up! So that’s what I did 😉 If you are planning to do something for this holiday season its highly recommended that you include this in your bake list. You will surely thank me 🙂 Until next time…

Directions:

1. In a bowl add All purpose Flour, salt and Baking Powder and combine. Set aside.

2. Take zest of two oranges and juice them. Set aside the zest and fresh orange juice aside.

3. In another bowl add add butter at room temperature. Also add sugar and whisk it till everything is creamy.

4. Add eggs and continue to whisk till everything is light and fluffy.

5. Add Orange Zest and combine.

6. Now add dry ingredients to the wet and also add orange juice. Combine everything.

7. Add blueberries and fold inside the batter.

8. Grease a bundt pan or any pan you fancy. Dust it with dry flour. Preheat the oven to 180 degree Celsius for ten minutes.

9. Pour the batter in the baking pan, remember to fill only 3/4th of it. Because you need to give it room to rise. Bake in the oven for 45- 50 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean. If the cake is getting brown too fast tent it with aluminium foil and continue to bake at the same temperature.

10. While its baking in the oven you can prepare a glaze to pour. Add whipping cream in the bowl lightly whisk it add icing sugar, if its not sweet already and add some orange zest. Combine together.

11. Add the glaze in a piping bag and make a very small cut in the tip. You dont need a nozzle for this.

12. When the cake has baked take it out of the oven and let it cool down completely before taking it out of the pan. When it’s at room temperature drizzle some glaze on top and serve.

Other festive things you can try: Gingerbread Man Cookies, Greek Traditional Christmas Cookies , Chocolate Vanilla Marble Cake, Persimmon Rum Cake, Sorghum and Wheat Flour Persimmon Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting.

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[whohit]OrangeBluebberyCake[/whohit]

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American Cuisine

Halloween Special Pumpkin Puree Pancakes Recipe

By anshu October 27, 2016

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Pancakes are my favourite breakfast as they bring out the child in me. I love the fluffy, cakey texture and then you get to decorate it with chocolate, maple syrup, honey… fresh fruits… chocolate chips and every sugary thing on earth!! Its time for Halloween and I have roasted a huge pumpkin and made fresh Pumpkin Puree. Today I made these fluffy pancakes with pumpkin puree which were to die for.

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I plan to make a lot of other things in the days to come. Adding Pumpkin to recipes is not only delicious but pulls up the nutritional quotient of the dish. If you wanna hide pumpkin in your kids food try these pancakes. I am sure they will love it.

Directions

1. In a bowl add All purpose flour, Pumpkin Pie Spice and Baking Soda. You can make it at home very easily. Follow this recipe.

2. Also add salt and sugar. Combine everything well and set aside.

3. In another bowl add evaporated milk, Pumpkin Puree (Oh you can also make this at home. Learn to make it how).

4. Add egg and oil and combine everything well.

5. Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and combine till everything is moist. Add a little water and make the consistency pourable.

6. Heat a pan or griddle and brush it with butter or spray with some oil. Pour a ladle full of batter in the centre.

7. When you see some bubbles emerging on the cake batter that’s when you must flip it to cook on the other side. Cook the other side for a few minutes or till the top is golden in colour.

8. Stack a few pancakes on top of each other and generously drizzle with some maple syrup and even a cube of butter. Indulge in the festivity with style, taste and nutrition.

Other Pan cake recipes you can try are : Blueberry Buttermilk Pan Cakes , Eggless Walnut Pan Cakes , Apple & Cinnamon Pan Cakes.

Other recipes with Pumpkin Puree you can make: Pumpkin Puree Bread Buns, Halloween Special Baked Pumpkin Doughnuts, Pumpkin Cake Rolls.

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[whohit]PumpkinPancakes[/whohit]

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Dessert

Paneer Ki Kheer | Cottage Cheese Milk Pudding

By anshu March 19, 2016

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I am already here with my family for the upcoming festival of colours, Holi. Although each day is a festivity when you are with your loved ones but nevertheless something delicious and rich always makes the festival more beautiful and meaningful. I took my Vanilla & Pomegranate cake for my family and at the same time I tried to make this Paneer ki Kheer for my cousins. It was outrageously delicious. I know it sounds weird but trust me it was divine. It tastes just like Ras malai but much more quick and easy.

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Its a very forgiving recipe. You simply cannot go wrong. You can make this exciting dessert in less than 25 minutes. So if you have some guests coming over make this for them, serve hot or chilled. They will be delighted with this appetizing bowl of kheer.

Directions:

1. In a wok or heavy bottom pot, boil milk. When it comes to a boil reduce the flame and let it simmer for good 15 minutes or until the milk has reduced and thickened a bit. Do not forget to stir time to time for you don’t want milk to burn from the bottom.

2. Add sugar to the milk and let it simmer for another 5 minutes.

3. Also add crushed Cardamom seeds and combine.

4. Sliver some Almonds and Pistachios and also half cashews. Add these along with raisins to the milk and combine.

5. Add strands of saffron and rose essence or rose water to the milk for an amazing flavour.

6. Crumble fresh paneer or cottage cheese with your hands and put it in the reduced milk. If you have fresh chenna or paneer it will be easier to crumble with hands or otherwise you can even grate the paneer.

7. Let the paneer get cooked with the milk for another 5-7 minutes and then put the flame off. Garnish with Rose petals and serve hot or chilled.

Other Desserts you can try on The Secret Ingredient are: Apple Lapsi, Kadda Prashad, Basbousa, Coconut Milk Mango Pudding, Gram Flour Semolina Balls, Kaddu Ka Halwa, Gajar Ka Halwa, Kesari Seviyan, Makhane Ki Kheer, Sooji Halwa , Swang Ke Chawal Ka Halwa, Swang Ke Chawal Ki Phirni.

PaneerKiKheer_Featured5 [whohit]PaneerKiKheer[/whohit]

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Baking

Gingerbread Man Cookies | Festive Gingerbread Man Cookies with Molasses

By anshu December 11, 2015

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Few days from now and it will be Christmas!! And I will be home with my parents. I may have been raised Hindu but having studied in a Christian School makes me yearn for Christmas and fun & frolic associated with it. I remember as a little kid I would decorate a potted plant in my house 😛 Now that I am a mommy, the spirit of Christmas hasn’t died in me, rather it is coming out in the form of baking and cooking delicious food which makes the festivity more joyous.

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A little while back I had posted Melomakarona : Greek Christmas Cookies and since then the vicious circle of baking is on. The next on my list if to bake my Rum Cake for Christmas. I smell the rum soaked dry fruits everyday and greedily imagine when the cake will be baked. Well looks like I will do that in a day or two, cant wait beyond this 😛 Nevertheless here are my authentic ginger bread man cookies which are made with molasses syrup. It has a distinct spiced flavour to it which makes you warm and feel good about the weather around. Not to mention, its so much fun to decorate them using royal icing. You need a little practice and patience to decorate them perfectly. Clearly I lack both 😉 My kiddo had fun baking these cookies with me. He ate the entire first batch by dunking them in his glass of milk. Definitely, he is mumma’s boy <3

Directions:
1. In a bowl add All Purpose Flour.

2. Add to it ginger powder, ground cinnamon and cloves powder.

3. Add baking soda and salt. Mix all the dry ingredients well and set aside.

5. In another bowl add butter at room temperature and add brown sugar to it. I used light brown sugar as it was the only thing I had on hand. Add molasses and give everything a good whip until creamy and soft. I used my electric whisk but you can always do it manually.

6. Add an egg to it whisk again. Now its time to add your dry ingredients little by little till everything comes together in the form of a dough.

7. Divide the dough into two or four balls and wrap them in a cling wrap and refrigerate for an hour or until the dough is set.

8. Preheat the oven to 180 degree Celcius (Learn more about Oven temperature and Conversion).Take one ball of dough and let it sit on counter till it is workable. Dust your counter well with dry flour and roll it into a 1/8 inch circle. Cut it into gingerbread man shape using a cutter. If you think your cutter gets sticky you can dip it into flour and continue to cut the shapes. You can buy gingerbread man cookie cutter from our online store The Gourmet Shop

9. Place them on a baking sheet lined with Oddy Uniwrap Parchment paper. Bake them for 10 minutes in a center rack until they turn a little brown.

10. Cool them completely and decorate them with Royal Icing and candies. Learn to make Royal Icing easily at home.

11. You can dunk them in milk or enjoy them as it is. Its a treat for kids and you can even gift it to your loved ones to melt their heart this season.

Other Cookies you can try here are:Melomakarona : Greek Traditional Christmas Cookies, Ragi & Whole Wheat Biscuits, White Chocolate Chip Cookies, Italian Almond Biscotti, Peanut Butter Cookies with Chocolate Chips, Coconut Chocolate Cookies.

gingerbreadmancookies_featured3

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Dinner

Italian Chicken Meatballs with Spaghetti | Meatballs Napoletane

By anshu December 9, 2015

After Thanksgiving its time for Christmas. Festivity in true sense is spending ample time with family and loved ones. What can be more cherishable than eating together a meal with your family. I love those family reunions. During such get togethers I personally like to serve food which is easy to put together and can be made way in advance. Of course I don’t want to end up cooking in kitchen while rest of the family is having fun together. 😉 Casserole dishes like Lasagnas are best for such holiday get togethers. Sometime back I made Cheesy Chicken Lasagna and Mushroom Lasagna in Bechamel Sauce. But there is another interesting dish Italian Meat balls, which can be made well before time and served with freshly boiled spaghetti pasta.

Its a classic Italian dish which is flavourful and loved by everyone. It requires just a few basic ingredients and you can pull it off with ease. Traditionally meatballs is done with some kind of meat but I am sharing this recipe which uses chicken, which is lean and has less calories. You can replace the chicken with any red meat of your choice.

Directions:

1. Finely chop Onions, garlic and Fresh Basil.

2. In a large mixing bowl add fresh bread crumb* and milk.

3. Add to it an egg and finely chopped basil and grated garlic.

4. Add chopped onion and parmesan cheese.

5. Garnish with Salt and Pepper and mix everything well with a fork.

6. Add minced chicken or any other meat you are using. Mix everything with your hand to form a homogenous mixture but do not over work the meat or you will end up getting tougher balls.

7. Take little mixture in hand and form golf size balls.

8. Add Olive oil to a flat bottom non stick pan and heat it over medium heat. Add the balls into it carefully ensuring not to break them. You can cook them in batches. Cook them for a couple of minutes on both sides. They must get that golden brown colour. Be careful when you flip them.

9. Place them in a tray until you finish cooking all the balls.

10. In a blender add ripe tomatoes and make a smooth puree. You can use canned tomatoes as well.

11. In the same pan add a little more oil and add onions. Saute them for a while and then add wine and cook for a minute more.

12. Add the tomato puree to the pan and give it a good stir. Carefully drop meatballs to the pan ensuring the meatballs are completely covered in the sauce. Put the lid on and let it cook on low heat for good 1 hour and 45 minutes. Keep stirring in between to ensure the bottom doesn’t get cooked quickly

12. Season with Salt and Pepper and top it up with torn basil.

13. Serve hot with boiled Spaghetti or any pasta of your choice. Learn how to boil pasta perfectly.

Other Pasta dishes you can try here are Pasta Alla Vodka, Avocado Parsley Pasta , Healthy Broccoli Pasta, Sautéed Red Bell Pepper and Olive Pasta Salad, Spaghetti Vegetable Pasta, Sundried Tomato Pasta Salad.

Other Italian food you can try : Mushroom Risotto, Frittata with Mushrooms and Spinach, Garlic Rosemary Focaccia Bread, Cherry Rosemary & Sea Salt Focaccia Bread, Italian Almond Biscotti, Roasted Rosemary Garlic Potatoes.

[whohit]ChickenMeatballs[/whohit]

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Dinner

Mutton Rogan Josh | Kashmiri Lamb Curry | Kashmiri Goat Curry

By anshu September 25, 2015

This is that post of the month where I cook and present according to the theme in Spatula Force’s Monthly Challenge. It’s a group of talented bloggers who have come together to try new cuisines, new dishes out of the ordinary. This month’s theme was hosted by me and it was an opportunity to explore Kashmiri Cuisine. I had never cooked lamb before so when it was time to make something Kashmiri I knew I had to debut cooking Mutton or Lamb or Goat and the signature Dish from Kashmiri Cuisine was none other than Rogan Josh.

Rogan Josh is an aromatic Lamb dish of Persian Origin. Rogan Josh the name has many interpretations. Rogan or Roughan means ‘Clarified butter’ or fat and Josh means the ‘passion, the intensity, the heat’. Rogan Josh thus means cooked in oil in intense heat. The colour of gravy is crimson red due to Kashmiri Red Chilies which gives more colour than the heat to the dish. Apart from this Ratan Jot or Alkanet a dried herb from the region is used to give its amazing red colour. I have used Ratan Jot infused in oil for the colour.

Another interesting fact about this dish is that there are two distinct way of cooking it. The Hindu way and the Muslim way. Muslims use Praan, local shallots tasting like garlic whereas the Kashmiri Brahmins avoid onion and garlic and use Yogurt to bring down the spice in their curry. Also it is noteworthy that in India instead of Mutton Goat is unvaryingly used since genuine lamb is less widely available than goat meat.

I have made the dish without any fresh vegetables. It made me think loud as to how treacherous can the cold be in the Kashmir Valley where not a blade of grass grows in thick winters and the valley is covered in a blanket of snow. It is where the human being learns to adapt with whatever is available, preserved, and dried.

I totally enjoyed cooking this specially reading about the Kashmiri Cuisine. Special mention goes to Farrukh Shabad for her incredible lip smacking recipe of Rogan Josh from her blog Cubes n Juliennes. What can be more appropriate than adding this recipe on Bakra Eid. I wish my readers Eid Mubarak!

Directions:

1. In a bowl marinate chopped mutton pieces with Cinnamon Powder and Fennel or Saunf Powder.

2. Also red Kashmiri Chili Powder, Black pepper Powder and Cardamom Powder or Crushed Cardamom.

3. Rub the lamb pieces rigorously with the spices and let it sit for an hour or so.

4. After an hour or marination add mustard oil in a pressure pan. You can use open pot also for slow cooking. Let the oil smoke out. As you spot the smoke turn the flame off.

5. Add Bay leaf, Black Cardamom and Green Cardamom.

6. Also add Cinnamon Sticks, Cloves and Black Pepper Corns. Roast the spices in oil on low flame till aroma starts coming.

7. In a small bowl whisk some thick creamy yogurt, make sure its without lumps. Add Red Chilli Powder and Fennel Powder to it. Set aside.

8. When your whole spices have roasted add the marinated mutton pieces to the pressure pan and fry in oil for 6-8 minutes stirring occasionally. At this stage the colour of mutton will change from red to brown.

9. At this stage add Asafoetida and Dry Ginger Powder to the pan and combine with the mutton.

10. Add a cup of water and simmer for good 10 minutes.

11. Turn the flame on low and then add Yogurt mix to the mutton and combine till whole of mutton is combined in yogurt.

12. Add salt.

13. In a bowl add ratanjot or alkanet with little oil and microwave it for a minute. This will infuse the colour in oil. It is important to mention that ratan job only infuses in alcohol and oil and not in water.

14. Add this ratanjot infused oil to the curry and combine.

15. Close the lid and bring in 3 whistles and then turn the flame on sim. Let it cook for another 20 minutes undisturbed. If you are cooking in a crock pot cook it covered. It can take upto 1 and 1/2 hours to 2 hours. Do not forget to stir at regular intervals. Serve hot with Rice or simple Roti or Tawa Naan.

Other Popular dishes from Indian Cuisine you can try Butter Chicken, Dal Makhani, Shahi Paneer, Palak Paneer, Mushroom Do Pyaaza.

[whohit]RoganJosh[/whohit]

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Dinner

Sookhey Kale Channey | Dry Spiced Black Bengal Gram | Kale Channey for Durga Ashtami

By anshu March 28, 2015

Durga Ashtami or the Eight day of the holy week, Navratras, where most Hindus fast in respect to the deity Durga. Its a Nine Day festival. During these nine nights and ten days, nine forms of Shakti or Goddesses are worshiped. This festival comes twice in a year, at the beginning of Spring and then at the beginning of Autumn. These two periods are taken as sacred opportunities for the worship of the Divine Mother Durga.

As part of the festival Hindus keep fasts where certain type of food is abstained while fruits and few vegetables along with milk products can be consumed. On the eighth day the fast is formally ended followed by a ritualistic ceremony. A special food is cooked which is offered to the God and then shared amongst devotees as Prasad. The food consists of Halwa, a dessert made from Sugar and Semolina, Dry spicy Black Bengal Gram, which are from the family of chickpeas and Puris, they are small, inflated, round shaped bread which is made from unleavened wheat flour deep dried in oil. This is a divine meal in the true sense.

The festival is very popular with small girls as they are considered as little deities known as kanjak. The little kanjaks are invited by the neighbourhood in their houses , worshipped and offered halwa, puri, channey and small gifts. I remember going to several houses and eating delicious food and counting my gifts at the end of the day 🙂 What beautiful memories!

I have been fasting for Navratras ever since I was a 9 year old girl. Now I invite small kanjaks to my house and follow the the ritual. I made these delicious halwa puri and channe . I previously shared recipe of Sooji ka Halwa on my blog. On popular request I am sharing my mother’s recipe of Sookhey Kale Channey.

Directions:

1. Soak Kale Channey or Black Bengal Gram in water overnight for at least 6-8 hours. Put good amount of water for soaking. They will swell after soaking.

2. Put them in the pressure pan for boiling along with water. Add more water.

3. Add salt and close the lid. Cook on high flame till the pressure builds up and you get the first whistle or hissing sound.Turn the flame on low and further cook for 45 -50 minutes or till the channey are soft and cooked.

4. Drain the water. Do not throw it away. You can use it as a broth for soups or making lentils.

5. In a wok or large kadhai add Clarified butter or ghee. Let it melt.

5. Add cumin seeds and let them crack. It will take less than a minute.

6. Add coarsely crushed coriander seeds.

7. Now turn the flame on low and add salt, red chili powder and amchur.

8. Also add dry channa masala, Garam Masala and coriander powder.

9. The masalas will get fried in the ghee and start bubbling. At this stage add the boiled channas. I added a little water reserved from boiling them.

10. Keep tossing it on high flame till the water evaporates and the channas are coated with spices. It will take 10-15 minutes depending on the quantity.

11. When the channas are ready to dry add additional channa masala and salt if you feel its less.

12. After little patience this is how your channas will start looking, beautifully smeared in dry spices..

13. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves.

14. Serve hot with Puris and Sooji ka Halwa.

You can make Dry Punjabi Cholley Masala at home and try our Punjabi Style Pindi Cholley.

[whohit]KaleCholleyDry[/whohit]

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Baking

Persimmon Rum Cake

By anshu January 11, 2015

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Some days back the food groups on facebook were infested with posts to guess this new kind of fruit ultimately revealed as Ram Phal, Japani Phal and in English Persimmon. I couldn’t restraint myself when I saw these babies in the market. They were at a throw away price so I bought them a kilo. Now after eating a few I was thinking where else can I utilise them. I found this incredible recipe to make a spiced cake with persimmon, just perfect for the cold weather.

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The persimmons were sitting on my shelf for a few days now so they had become super ripe just the way they are needed for this cake. The cake came out so moist and delicious that my husband declared it the best cake baked by me so far.

Directions:

1. Wash and Cut the persimmons into half.

2. Scoop out the pulp with the help of a spoon and throw away the peels.

3. Put the pulp in a blender and make a smooth puree. Set aside.

4. In a small saucepan pour some rum and raisins and bring them to a boil on medium low heat. Remove from heat and cover. Let them come to a room temperature.

5. In a bowl add All purpose Flour, Cinnamon powder, Baking Soda and salt.

6 . Also add nutmeg powder for that extra spice.

7. In the same bowl add castor sugar and mix everything. Set aside.

8. In a different bowl crack eggs and add the persimmon puree and also add rum soaked raisins.

9. Also add to this vanilla extract. Combine everything making sure everything mixes evenly.

10. Grease a ten cup pan spring pan or bundt pan. Also preheat your oven to 175 degree Celsius.

11. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour the wet ingredients into it.

12. Also add melted butter. Also add toasted walnuts or pecans.

13. Combine everything using a spatula till everything is moistened. But do not overmix.

14. Transfer it to a greased pan and even out from the top by tapping the pan.

15. Bake in preheated oven between 40 minutes to 1 hour or until the inserted toothpick comes out clean. Remove from Oven and let it cool completely. Invert the cake into a serving plate.

Slice it like that only or you can top it with Cream Cheese Icing.

You can even try Persimmon Sorghum Cup Cakes with Cream Cheese Frosting, Pumpkin Cake Rolls and Spiced Raisin Cake.

[whohit]PersimmonCake[/whohit]

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