Ingredients

1 1/4 cup gramflour
1 1/4 cup plain flour (maida)
250 gms. ghee
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cup water
2 tbsp. milk
1/2 tsp. cardamom seeds crushed coarsely
2 tsp. charmagaz (combination of 4 types of seeds) refer glossary
4″ squares cut from a thin polythene sheet

Method

Sift both flours together. Heat ghee in a heavy saucepan. Add flour mixture and roast on low till light golden. Keep aside to cool a little, stirring occasionally. Prepare syrup simultaneously. Make syrup out of sugar, water and milk as shown in introduction. Bring syrup to 2 1/2 thread consistency. Pour at once into the flour mixture. Beat well with a large fork till the mixture forms threadlike flakes. Pour onto a greased surface or thali and roll to 1″ thickness lightly. Sprinkle the charmagaz seeds and elaichi and gently press down with palm. Cool, cut into 1″ squares, wrap individually into square pieces of thin plastic sheet. Store in airtight container.

Making time: 45 minutes
Makes: 20 pieces (approx.)
Shelflife: 2 weeks

Ingredients

300gms. channa (yellowgram) dal
300 gms. jaggery (molasses)
1 tsp. cardamom powder
150 gms. plain flour
1 tbsp. ghee
warm water to knead dough
ghee to serve

Method

Boil dal in plenty of water till soft but not broken. Drain in a colander for 10-15 minutes. Pass through an almond grater little by little till all dal is grated. Mash jaggery till lumps break. Mix well into dal. Put mixture in a heavy saucepan and cook till a soft lump is formed Take care to stir continuously, so as not to charr. Keep aside. Mix ghee, flour, add enough water to make a soft pliable dough. Take a morsel sized ball of dough, roll into a 4″ round. Place same sized ball of filling in centre, life all round and seal. Reroll carefully to a 6″ diameter round. Roast on warm griddle till golden brown. Repeat other side. Take on serving plate. Apply a tsp. of ghee all over top. OR Shallow fry on griddle like a paratha for a better flavour. But this method will consume more ghee and therefore calories. Serve hot with dal or amti.

Note: The water drained from boiling dal is used to make the amti. ( a thin curry made using black masala, garam masala and some mashed
dal.)

Making time: 45 minutes
Makes: 7-8 puranpolis
Shelflife: Best fresh (puran {filling} may be stored in the refrigerator for a week.

Ingredients

1/2 kg. curds
300 gms. sugar
1/2 tsp. cardamom powder
few strands saffron
1/2 tbsp. pista & almond crushed

Method

Tie curd in a clean muslin cloth overnight. (6-7 hours).
Take into a bowl, add sugar and mix.
Keep aside for 25-30 minutes to allow sugar to dissolve.
Rub saffron into 1 tbsp. milk till well broken and dissolved. Keep aside.
Beat well till sugar has fully dissolved into curd.
Pass through a big holed strong strainer, pressing with hand or spatula.
Mix in cardamom powder and dissolved saffron and half nuts.
Empty into a glass serving bowl, top with remaining nut crush.
Chill for 1-2 hours before serving.

Making time: 20 minutes (excluding tieing and keeping time)
Makes: 6-7 servings
Shelflife: 3-4 days refrigerated

Variations: To make fruit flavoured shrikhand eg. mango, add pulp at the stage of adding cardamom and saffron.

Ingredients

urad dhaal -
chana dhaal -
red chillis -

Following is the thread test (tar) to check required consistency of syrup (chashni). If no thread is formed, but there is stickiness in the syrup when tested, then it is 3/4 tar (thread). This consistency is generally used in dipping sweets like, gulabjamoon, boondi, jalebi, imarti, etc. Boil some more and when 1 tar forms, it is used in soaking pancake pancakes like malpua. On further boiling two tars are obtained and this is used in sweets like burfis, mohanthal, etc. At this stage a drop of syrup dropped on a plate will form a soft ball when cooled. After this stage do no stir briskly and continuously or the sugar will recrystallise. Still further boiling will form 2 1/2 to 3 tars and this syrup is used to get a white coating of sugar on sweets like balushahi, surti ghari, etc. At this stage when the syrup is dropped in a plate it will form a hard ball when cooled. Following are the steps shown to make sugar syrup (chashni) in the right way.

a.Take sugar and water in the ratio of 2 : 1 1/2 unless other wise mentioned.
b.Put both in a deep saucepan to boil, stirring occasionally.
c.When the mixture comes to a boil, add 1/2 cup milk.
d.When a thick scum is formed on the surface of syrup, it is time to strain.
e.Always use a metal strainer or moist cloth to strain the hot syrup, never plas tic.
f.Put back to boil, checking the consistency required as above.
g.Check frequently, because once the first thread forms, it proceeds to thicken to the next stages very quickly.
h.Use as required in the recipe. Make syrup side by side of making the recipe, reheating the syrup too many times will alter
the texture of the resulting sweet dish. To save time, prepare the syrup on a second burner, while making the rest of the
recipe. This will avoid excess wastage of time and unnecessary cooling off, of the fried flours, etc. as the recipe demands.

Ingredients

Rice – ½ cup
urad dhaal – ¼ cup
chana dhaal – ¼ cup
thoor dhaal – ¼ cup
yellow moong dhaal – ¼ cup
red chillis
salt

Soak everything in water over night. Grind with little water.

Ingredients

urad dhaal
hari mirch
salt

Soak dhaal in water over night. Grind dhaal in little water. Then make vada shape and deep fry in oil.

Ingredients (for two people) :-
Moong dhal – 1/2 cup.
Rice – 1/2 cup.
Milk
Coconut
cashew
jaggery
raisins (khish-mish – dry grapes)
cardamom
ghee.

Fry the moong dhal (before washing) till it becomes little light brown (it will start smelling). Then soak rice and dhal separately for 10 minutes. Thoroghly wash and keep it in cooker with the right water (lesser is o.k)and cook it seperately (in two different containers). Meanwhile cut coconut in very small pieces and fry in ghee. Fry cashew and raisins also separately. Break the jagerry and put in water (very little) and make a syrup. This is done because sometimes jagerry has mud and stones. After we make the syrup strain it through tea strainer. Put the rice and dhal in a big vessel and add milk (may be one cup) and cook it till all the milk gets absorbed. Add jaggery syrup and again cook till even it gets absorbed. Add three big table spoons of ghee, powdered cardamon and cook again for a while. Add fried coconut, cashews and raisins.

Serve hot in two cups with a spoon of ghee.

Ingredients

1 bunch sarson greens
1 bunch spinach
1 onion grated
1/2 tsp. each ginger & garlic grated
3 green chillies
1 tbsp. grated cheese or paneer (optional)
1/2 lemon juice
salt to taste
2 tbsp. ghee
1 tbsp. oil
1/2 tsp. garam masala
1 tbsp. maize flour

Method

1.Chop both greens, wash, drain.
2.Heat oil in the pressure cooker direct.
3.Add both greens, green chillies, stir.
4.Add ginger, garlic, stir.
5.Add few pinches salt, 1 cup water.
6.Pressure cook till done. (2 whistles).
7.Mash well.
8.Heat ghee in a pan, add onion, saute till brown,
9.Add all other ingredients, except cheese.
10.Stir well and cook till oil separates.
11.Garnish with cheese.
12.Serve hot with makki ki roti, or paratha.

Making time: 25 minutes (excluding pressure cooking time)
Makes: 3-4 servings
Shelflife: Best fresh

Ingredients:

15 green chillies
1/2 cup coriander
1/2 lemon
1 tbsp. sev or potato wafers crushed
1/2 tsp. jaggery
salt to taste
1 tsp. oil
1 clovette garlic

Method:

Put all the ingredients , except oil and asafoetida , in a small mixie.
Heat the oil and add the asafoetida and put in the mixie.
Run the mixie till a smooth chutney is obtained.
Try using no water or as little as possible to make the chutney keep longer.
Add water as and when required.
Store in a clean glass bottle.

Note: Sev is a fried Indian snack made of gramflour.

Makes 1/2 cup chutney
Making time: 5 minutes
Shelf life: 1 week (refrigerated)

Ingredients:

250 gms. raw firm mango
250 gms. pears.
500 gms. sugar
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. red chilli powder
1 tsp. garam masala
1 tbsp. marshmelon (kharbooja) seeds.
1 tbsp. raisins.
2 cloves powdered
8 each almonds and cashews chopped finely.

Method:

Peel and mash and pear.
Put 1 tbsp. sugar in a heavy saucepan.
Heat on a low flame, stirring and cooking till it turns brown.
Add 500 ml. water and boil.
When the sugar has fully dissolved in the water add remaining sugar.
When it begins to boil again add the mashed fruit, cashew, raisins, seeds, chilli and salt.
Boil till a thick jam consistency is obtained. Stir occasionally.
Add the clove powder and garam masala.
Cool a bit and transfer to clean airtight jar.

Making time: 1 hour
Shelf life: 1 month
Makes 1.5 kgs. chutney.