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shalgamkasaag_featured1

Turnips are one of the most hated vegetables on the planet, this is a brutal and honest fact. This root vegetable is known as Shalgam in Hindi , শলগম Shalgom in Bengali,  Kalamohare, Sherasa in Marathi, An-tam in Mizo,  Nalla avalu in Telegu, and has many other names worldover like  swede, neeps, rapes, rapa. Irrespective of its repute this vegetable is loved in my family. We not only eat it raw in our salads but also make its curry, which I will share soon and also its pickle, which is a must for the winters. As a kid my mother ensured I eat all types of vegetables which making faces. As I am writing this, a thought comes to my mind. My mother made all these despised vegetables so delicious that I never learnt to make faces. I guess that explains why I always encourage people to try out recipes from my mother if they ever hate any vegetable. You will find plenty on my space. 

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My husband was one of those kids who always hated this sabji. So when my mother in law challenged me that I should make his son try this vegetable I was most happy to successfully convert him into a shalgam acceptor (I am not writing lover because you know old fears die hard :P). This vegetable is full of fibre and nutrition and you must try it out.

Directions:
1. Remove the leaves of the turnips. Dont discard them, the fresh ones can be added to salads. Wash the turnips.

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2. Remove the top thick skin and cut each into four pieces.


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3. In a pressure pan keep a rack in the bottom and place the turnip on it. Add little water.

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4. Also add salt, turmeric powder and red chili powder.


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5. Close the lid of the pan and cook on high till first whistle or when it has reached its optimum pressure, then turn the flame on low and keep it simmering for another 10 minutes. It should be soft on poking.

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6. Drain the water and place the boiled turnips in a bowl. Mash them using a potato masher,


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7. Chop tomatoes, ginger and green chillies.

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8. Add ghee or clarified butter in a wok. This recipe requires a good quantity of ghee as it is a key ingredient for the deliciousness of the dish. Do not cut short.  Also add chopped ginger and saute for a minute then add chopped tomatoes and green chilli and keep sauteing it till the tomatoes turn soft and gooey.


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9. Season with salt this helps to soften the tomatoes faster.


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10. Add mashed turnips and mix well with the tomatoes. 

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11. Add chopped green Coriander and garam masala. Check again for salt or red chilli. If you find it less you can adjust at this stage.


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12. Keep the turnips on a medium  flame and stirring till you see the ghee has started to ooze out and it has just about to start sticking to the base. That’s when you must turn the flame off. 

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13. Transfer it to a serving bowl and enjoy this delicious dish with hot rotis. This will make you fall in love with its flavour. 

Other punjabi recipes you can try are: Dal Ghiya with Punjabi VadiyaPunjabi Pethey Ki SabziPunjabi Style Bharwan TindaPunjabi Style Gobhi DanthalLangar Wali DalPunjabi Style Dum AlooPunjabi Dal MakhaniPunjabi Style Aloo MethiPunjabi Pindi CholeyPunjabi Style Kaddi Chawal.

shalgamkasaag_featured2[whohit]ShalgamKaSaag[/whohit]

[yumprint-recipe id=’259′]

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We all need something to munch and snack on in between our meals. And when you are fasting for Navratri, those hunger pangs can really lower your energy. So instead of buying Namkeens or other snacks from market you can make them at home. They are easy to put together , fresh and hygienic. These can also be enjoyed by those who are not fasting. A word of caution, this Namkeen can be very addictive. Once you start eating this you cannot stop eating it. I loaded this one with dried fruits as I am expecting some guests in the days to come. You can please your guests with such home made snacks and even make it in advance and store for the upcoming festival season.

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I always have loved its khatta meetha flavour with a hint of Kaddi Patta. I have used Nylon Sabudana for this recipe which are bigger in size than the normal tapioca pearls. They puff up on frying and have an incredible crunch. But you can always use the normal sized sabudana for this.

Directions:

1. In a wok heat some vegetable oil. Drop one pearl of sabudana in hot oil to test if its heated optimally. If it rises instantly on the surface you know your oil is ready for frying. Add Sabudana to oil and let them fry and puff up for a couple of minutes without changing colour. Remove them on a plate lined with paper towel to absorb extra oil.


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2. In the similar way fry the peanuts. Be careful not to over fry them for they will taste bitter.


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3. Also remove them on the plate lined with paper towel along with sabudana.

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4. Now in a shallow pan add very little oil and shallow fry Cashews till golden brown. Add them to the peanut sabudana plate.


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5. Then add raisins to the same pan and toss it in oil till they puff up. Remove them and them saute, washed and dried Kaddi Patta and chopped green chillies.


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6. Transfer everything to a bowl add powdered sugar and salt and ground black pepper. 


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7. Toss everything together and transfer to an airtight container on coming to room temperature. Enjoy whenever hunger kicks in. It tastes incredible as a evening snack with your favourite cup of chai or coffee.

Other Fast recipes you can try are: Kuttu Singhara Sama Ke Atta Ki ThalipeethVrat Wale Dahi-Paneer KebabsSabudana KheerSabudada KhichdiSabudana TikkiTapioca Coconut Milk Pudding with Strawberry PreserveKaddu Ka HalwaPaneer Ki KheerRasgullaSwang Ke Chawal Ka HalwaSwang Ke Chawal Ki PhirniSwang ke Chawal ki Khichdi .

sabudananamkeen_featured3[whohit]Sabudana Namkeen[/whohit]

[yumprint-recipe id=’244′]

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Ever since my husband gifted me this Air fryer I cant stop trying recipes which I had earlier put in abeyance for I never wanted to eat fried food. This Navratri I was very excited because a lot of fasting food is fried and I gotta a chance to try variety of dishes in air fryer. Yesterday when I noticed my facebook friend Geeta di had posted the Dahi Paneer Kebabs for Vrat or Fasting, I could not control myself and made these in a jiffy. They were so delicious that my boys (Fully grown as well as my little kid) ate them tastefully.

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The taste was enhanced by the fact that they were healthy. I used half a teaspoon of oil for 9 kebabs, which isn’t bad at all. Ishall be posting more of my trial in my new Airfyer <3 Oh man! I am loving this.. 

Directions:

1. Wash and Boil some potatoes and peel off their skin. Place them in a mixing bowl.

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2. Add crumbled paneer or Cottage Cheese to it.

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3. Add Chopped Green Chillies and Grated Ginger.


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4. Add Plain Thick Yogurt. You can even use hung curd. I had a creamy thick curd which wasnt runny, so I used that.

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5. Add salt, red Chilli Powder and Garam Masala.


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6. Add chopped Coriander leaves.

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7. Add Singhara flour or also known as Water Chestnut Flour and combine everything well.


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8. Take small portions and shape them into patties and place them all on a plate.


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9. In the meanwhile preheat your Air Fryer to 180 degrees for 10 minutes.

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10. Place the kebabs into the basket of air fryer and brush them with little oil on top.

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11. Air fry them for 15-18 minutes till you get a golden colour on top. If you wish you can brush them with more oil in half time. I did not. Serve them hot with Phalahari Chutney

Other Navratri recipes you can try are:  Sabudada KhichdiSwang ke Chawal ki KhichdiSabudana Tikki Khajoor Til Ke LaddooArbi Masala CurryGajar Ka HalwaMakhane Ki KheerRasgullaSwang Ke Chawal Ka HalwaSwang Ke Chawal Ki PhirniAnaar Aloo ka RaitaPalak Dhaniya ChutneyCoriander Chutney without Onion Garlic, Vrat Ki Roti.

VratWaleDahiKebab_Featured3[whohit]DahiKebabForVrat][/whohit]

[yumprint-recipe id=’207′]

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This is no ordinary food. Its special food we eat during Navratri, the nine day Fasting period of Hindus. The fasts are more like feasting. So much of mouth watering dishes are made during this time that its hard to stay empty stomach 😉 Oops!! I hope I dint offend the Gods 😛  This is my mom’s recipe which is soo delicious and different from the usual recipes you make during fasting. It has Buckwheat flour also known as Kuttu ka Atta, Water Chestnut Flour also known as Singhara Atta and Barnyard Millet Flour also known as Sama or Swank k Chawal ka Atta. The  flours are tossed in shredded pumpkin and radish and mixed with boiled mashed potato. 

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The rotis or flatbread are very flavourful and filling at the same time. You will not need anything to eat for a good time after gorging on to these. You can eat them with a dollop of butter or at the same time team them up with Vrat wale Aloo and Chaach. Ohh its Divine!

Directions:

1. Grate or shred Radish and a little pumpkin in a bowl.


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2. Add a boiled potato to the bowl.

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3. Add all the three flours. Buckwheat, Water Chestnut and Barnyard Millets Flour.


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4. Season it with salt and red chilli powder.


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5. Mix the flour and vegetables together with your hand. You should not require any extra water as the radish with salt will release its own juices enough for you to make a pliable dough.

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6. In order to roll it you need a clean plastic sheet. You can also use a ziplog bag. Place it on top of your counter and grease it with ghee or oil.


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7. Place a ball of dough double the size of a golf ball on the greased plastic sheet. Place the other end of sheet on top of the dough.


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8. Press with your fingers to spread the dough to take the shape of a flatbread or roti.

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9. If you like to make the shape perfect which is purely optional, you can cut the perfect round using a lid. Uneven shape will also taste as good as even shaped roti 😛

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10. Put little ghee on a hot flat skillet or tawa.

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11. Remove the Plastic Sheet and carefully place the roti on a well heated tawa.


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12. Cook on one side and add ghee on the top side and flip. Cook on the other side till you get a slight brown colour on both sides.


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13. Serve hot with a dollop of butter. You can serve Aloo ki sabzi, curd and chaach along with it.

Other Navratri recipes you can try are:  Sabudada KhichdiSwang ke Chawal ki KhichdiSabudana Tikki Khajoor Til Ke LaddooArbi Masala CurryGajar Ka HalwaMakhane Ki KheerRasgullaSwang Ke Chawal Ka HalwaSwang Ke Chawal Ki PhirniAnaar Aloo ka RaitaPalak Dhaniya ChutneyCoriander Chutney without Onion Garlic.

VratKiRoti_Featured4[whohit]VratKiRoti[/whohit]

[yumprint-recipe id=’175′]

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This Ajwaini Arbi is my mother’s recipe and I love it! In Mexico I missed eating Colocasia or Arvi or Abri as it is called. So when I came back I ensured I made this every week in the season. The usual way of making is to simply fry it with some basic spices but then this way of cooking it with carom seeds makes it special and oh so delicious. 

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A lot of people get rashes or itchiness when they peel colocassia. Undeniably I am one of those. I have tried putting mustard oil before peeling the skin, but that also doesn’t seem to work. So last resort is I have bought latex gloves and wear them. That seems to have worked wonders. Now I can cook my favourite vegetable without scratching like a puppy 😛

In Almora we get plenty of Arbi and also its leaves. This gives me opportunity to try out various versions of this humble root vegetable.I made Arbi Curry Masala specially for Navratri Fasting, as it is without Onion Garlic. I also made Arbi Ke Patton Ke Pattode, which is Colocasia leaves rolled fritters. You must try these they are amazingly lip smacking.

Directions:
1. Wash Arbi and remove all the grit. 

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2. Put the Arbi in Pressure pan with some water and  cook for 3 whistles or 5-7 minutes. Make sure the arbi doesn’t get overcooked and retains its shape. It will taste awful if becomes frail.


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3. After boiling arbi drain it in a colander and let it cool down to room temperature.

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4. Peel the skin off using a knife. The skin will be easy to remove once its boiled.

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5. If the pieces are big in size cut them into halves.

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6. In a wok heat some ghee or clarified butter. You can use other cooking oil as well. 

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7. Add carom seeds or ajwain, cumin seeds and Amchur.


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8. Once the seeds begin to crackle add the arbi and toss with the seeds. 

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9. Add salt, red chilli powder and coriander powder and a little turmeric powder.


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10. Mix everything together and cover with a plate or lid barely fitting the vegetables. Press down under and let it cook for 5-8 minutes, Then toss again and keep cooking till the arbi is crisp. Keep an eye don’t burn it 🙂

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11. Sprinkle with Garam Masala and Chopped Fresh Coriander Leaves. Serve hot with Roti or Tawa Naan.

Other Colocasia or Arbi recipes you can try : Arbi Curry Masala, Arbi Ke Patton Ke Pattode.
You can also try other every day dishes: Aloo Methi, Tori Wadi, Dahi Wala Karela, Methi Matar Malai.

AjwainiArbi_Featured1[whohit]Ajwaini Arbi[/whohit]

[yumprint-recipe id=’165′]

 

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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.

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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.


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


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 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.


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

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

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

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6. Add coarsely  crushed coriander seeds.

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


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


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 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.


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 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.

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

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

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13. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves.

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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.

DryBlackCholley__Featured4 - Copy[whohit]KaleCholleyDry[/whohit]

 

[yumprint-recipe id=’111′]

 

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I tried my hands numerous times to bake a perfect bread. After a lot of hit and trial I finally figured out what goes into that perfect loaf of bread. Since then I have been experimenting with new recipes and have stopped buying bread from market. Its been half a year now and I oo don’t miss eating that crappy bread.

A lot of people say that they just cant get the bread right, the dough never rises. Its because the yeast is either expired or the temperature of water is not perfect for yeast to rise. Always check the colour of your yeast it should be whitish and not brown in colour. If its brown it means it is of no use, simply throw it in the bin. If you want to under yeast better you must read “All you ever wanted to know about yeast“. I have started using instant yeast which can be mixed with the dry flour and kneaded into a dough, leaving no room for any error. You can buy Instant yeast from our online store The Gourmet Shop

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I had earlier posted a  recipe of White Sandwich bread which come out beautiful. But lately, I have tried to cut All Purpose Flour from my daily life, therefore eating Whole Wheat bread is always a better open. But to make a whole wheat bread is a little different. If you are using whole wheat flour or atta the bread comes out dense and bulky. The reason being that unlike All Purpose Flour Whole wheat flour doesn’t have that much gluten which is essential for making a airy light bread.  Therefore, if you add additional gluten to the flour while kneading the bread will come out just amazing.

Directions:

1. In a bowl add wheat flour and salt.

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2. Also add milk powder, Gluten and oil. If you dont know what vital gluten looks like, its just like any other flour. You can always buy at our Online store.

4.  In a container take some lukewarm water. It should neither be hot nor cold, just hot enough to comfortably put your finger into it. The right temperature of the water is very important for yeast to activate. Put yeast into it. Along with yeast add some sugar.


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5. Give it a gentle stir with a fork and let the mixture sit and activate for 10 minutes or until you see some bubbles on top and mixture has become frothy and milky.


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6. Add the proofed yeast to the flour little by little and mix till it comes together. You dont have to knead at this stage. Just mix it with hands or even a wooden spatula. Let this sit for 10-15 minutes. This is known as autolyze. 


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7. After 10-15 minutes dust your counter with some flour and place your dough on it and start to stretch and knead. This kneading is different than kneading a dough for roti. You have to knead for 10-15 minutes in order to gluten to develop. Read more about Bread baking techniques in “Basic Steps to Bake a Perfect Bread


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8. How would you know if you have kneaded the dough properly. Give it a finger test. Make a ball of dough and slightly poke with your finger if you see it bounces back it means its ready to be proofed. Remember the bounce will be very slight and if it doesn’t happen you need more kneading time. Start again and check with your finger.


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9. Transfer the dough to a greased bowl. Cover with a kitchen towel or cling wrap. Turn the dough upside bowl so that it is also coated with a layer of oil. The size of the bowl should be big because on proofing the dough will become double in size and there should be ample room for it in the bowl. Let it sit for an hour or so to double up in size. The time of proofing depends on the temperature of the kitchen. If the weather is cold it might take longer and if its hot the dough will rise quickly so time it accordingly.


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10. Punch it down and deflate the dough. Knead for another 5-7 minutes. Divide the dough into two.

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11. Grease two bread pan with oil and dust with some flour. I have used  two 8 inch rectangular bread mould

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12. Roll half dough into a circle using a roller pin.

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13. Take one end and roll it together . Fold in the sides and pinch the seam.


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14. Place the rolled dough in the baking pans with seam side down. Cover the dough loosely with a towel or cling wrap and let it rest again for 30 minutes or till it rises again. The dough will reach the lip of the pan that’s when you have to bake it. Preheat the oven to 180 degree Celsius for 10 minutes. (Learn more about Oven temperatures and Conversions)


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15.  If you wish you can score the bread with a sharp knife. You can choose to brush the top gently with milk wash or egg wash. This time I chose to just dust it with flour for a rustic look.

 


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16. Bake it in the center rack of your preheated oven for 35-40 minute. Change sides half way for even cooking. If you feel your bread is browning too fast tent it with aluminium foil and continue to bake.

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17. Remove from the tin after 5 minutes you have removed them from the oven or else the bottom with become soggy.  Let the bread cool down completely on a wire wrack before slicing it.

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18. Smear some butter and enjoy the delicious home made whole wheat bread.

You can also try Honey Oats Bread, Rosemary Garlic Foccacia Bread, Domino’s style Garlic BreadsticksVegetarian homemade PizzaRussian Bublici,  Chinese Black Sesame Steamed BunsCherry Focaccia Bread with Rosemary and Sea Salt, Cinnamon Raisin BreadBeetroot Bread with Garlic and Thyme.


Sending this Bread to YeastSpotting

 [whohit]WholeWheatBread[/whohit]

[yumprint-recipe id=’86’]