Month: September 2016

Broccoli fusion pancake

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Years ago broccoli was a rather unknown vegetable on the Indian table. We Indians know all about the sister counterpart of broccoli , that is the cauliflower or more popularly known as gobi , every region of India has its own tasty version of gobi, with gobi aloo heading the list, imagine eating gobi aloo accompanied by a hot elaichi flavoured moong dal khichdi ,washed down with a glass of  chilled lassi, hmmmm comfort food at its best.

The advent of broccoli in India is quite recent, though India is among one of the top producer of the vegetable, Its popularity is more in the chinese food world. This lovely emerald green vegetable is a storehouse of nutrients and is a great anti oxidant too. It also does not require too much cooking. Having it sauted with garlic and seasoning accompanied by steamed rice makes for a very healthy and tasty dish. This vegetable is also very versatile and can blend with other vegetables such as mushrooms , tofu and young baby corn, it’s also very delicious with a cheddar cheese sauce poured over it and gratinated until golden.I have used broccoli in various ways at home, right from a broccoli tikki up to a broccoli pancake. Today i will share with you a very simple pancake made with semolina and broccoli. This pancake is a great evening snack or it can even be had for breakfast, its made in a jiffy and can be made beforehand and reheated before serving. I normally serve this with a coconut chutney, do try it

BROCOLLI PANCAKE

FOR THE PANCAKES

1 CUP SOOJI( SEMOLINA)

1 CUP SOUR CURD (YOGURT)

1 CUP COLD WATER

1 TSP ENO FRUIT SALT

METHOD…

MIX TOGETHER THE SOOJI, YOGURT AND COLD WATER TILL SMOOTH, KEEP ASIDE FOR HALF AN HOUR, MIX IT GENTLY ONCE AGAIN AND ADD MORE WATER IF IT IS TOO DRY. NOW ADD THE BROCCOLI MIXTURE AND MIX GENTLY. THE CONSISTENCY SHOULD BE  MEDIUM, IT SHOULD NOT BE WATERY .20160601_165108FINALLY ADD ENO AND ADD 1 TBSP OF WATER ON TOP OF ENO, IT WILL FROTH IMMEDIATELY, MIX GENTLY AND DROP SPOONFULS OF THIS BATTER ONTO A GREASED NON STICK PAN. WHEN LIGHTLY BROWNED ON THE UNDERSIDE, FLIP TO COOK ON THE OTHER SIDE, POUR LITTLE OIL DURING BOTH SIDES OF COOKING.. YOU SHOULD GET A PANCAKE WHICH IS CRISP ON THE OUTSIDE AND SOFT INSIDE..

SERVE HOT WITH COCONUT CHUTNEY

 

FOR BROCCOLI MIXTURE

1 CUP FINELY CHOPPED BROCCOLI

1 TSP CUMIN SEEDS

1 TSP MUSTARD SEEDS

10 FINELY CHOPPED CURRY LEAVES

2 OR 3 GREEN CHILLIES SLICED INTO THIN RINGS

SALT TO TASTE

METHOD

HEAT 1 TBSP OIL IN A PAN, ADD MUSTARD SEEDS FOLLOWED BY CUMIN SEEDS. NOW ADD THE GREEN CHILIES AND BROCCOLI, SAUTE FOR ABOUT 5 MINS AND ADD SALT TO TASTE.. REMOVE FROM HEAT , COOL AND ADD TO THE SOOJI BATTER.

 

 

MILK SABJI/KHEERAJI BHAJI

main meal

MILK.. We are fed milk right from day one of our life, mothers milk and then weaned on to cows milk. For thousands of years human beings have grown up consuming cow milk. That is why a cow is treated like a mother in all parts of India, in fact a cow is considered very holy and sacred for all  Hindus. Milk has a very important place in all cuisines worldwide. Desserts from all over the world are mainly made from milk.. from ice creams to kulfis, mithais to toffees, cheese cakes to kalakhand. Milk is incorporated in many forms in Indian cuisine, it forms the very basis for our ghee and butter, and of course yogurt or dahi. No Indian home can function without milk, the average Indian man has at least 2 or 3 cups of milk tea or chai on a daily basis. Tea vendors can be found on most streets in India doing a roaring business at all times of the day, it is not unusual to see small groups of people holding impromptu discussions with their cuppa of chai . Most Indian households also make their own yogurt or dahi at home.

Milk also gives us Paneer or home made cottage cheese which is the strained  residue left after the milk has been curdled. Paneer based dishes are a must in most family gatherings especially amoung the sindhi, punjabi and bengali communities.Normally when the milk is curdled ,the remaining clear liquid , which is called  whey,  is discarded. Whey actually has a lot of nutrients, and there are many households who will put the whey to some use like kneading the bread or roti dough with it.

Todays recipe is based on milk which has been curdled, this easy to make dish is based on a long lost memory. Years ago milk was delivered early in the mornings by the milk man, it used to come in glass bottles. Even then the aluminium cover was an indication of low fat and full cream, the blue cover was for full cream milk and the green colour for low fat milk. I remember my grandfather collecting the milk at 5.30 am from the doorstep as he was an early riser. Baba then took the blue topped milk bottle and gently kept tilting it back and forth for a good 15 to 20 miniutes . Ater that when the bottle was opened, the milk had already separated with the fat rising to the top and forming a layer of white butter at the top, which mummy used to scoop out into a bowl for our breakfast. The remaining milk hence turned into fat free naturally.I remember once my mother was in the kitchen boiling milk and the milk happend to curdle, but she coolly went on boiling it and when the whey had reduced considerably, she added some green masala paste to it and lo behold it had turned into a delicious sabji..So based on that is todays recipe, the milk sabji or as we say in sindhi, kheeraji bhaji.. It is a very simple dish and is delicious at the same time, best eaten with phulkas and a side dish of potato sabji.

MILK sabji/ kheeraji bhaji

INGREDIENTS

2 ONIONS.. FINELY CHOPPED

3 MEDIUM TOMATOES …THINLY SLICED

1 TBSP FINELY CHOPPED GARLIC

1 TBSP GRATED GINGER

FINELY CHOPPED CORRIANDER LEAVES

12 CURRY LEAVES

2 TBSPS OF DRY KASOORI METHI

1 TBSP CUMIN SEEDS

1 TSP AJWAIN ..( CAROM SEEDS)

RED CHILIE POWDER, TURMERIC POWDER ,  GARAM MASALA AND SALT TO TASTE.

FEW DROPS OF VINEGAR

1 LITRE OF FULL CREAM MILK

METHOD..

1.. HEAT 3 TBSPS OIL IN A BROAD SAUCEPAN AND ADD THE CUMIN AND CAROM SEEDS( JEERA AND AJWAIN). WHEN THE SEEDS STOP SPLUTTERING, ADD ONIONS, GARLIC, GINGER AND CURRY LEAVES.. SAUTE TILL ONIONS START TURNING A GOLDEN BROWN, TAKE CARE NOT TO BURN THE ONIONS.

2.. ADD THE TOMATOES, RED CHILIE POWDER, TURMERIC POWDER , GARAM MASALA POWDER AND SALT . MIX GENTLY TILL EVERYTHING COMES TOGETHER AND FORMS A THICK GRAVY.. AT THIS POINT ADD THE DRY 20160911_185639 KASOORI METHI AND SOME CORRIANDER LEAVES.

3.. POUR THE MILK DIRECTLY INTO THE GRAVY AND STIR GENTLY , BRINGING IT TO A BOIL. ADD FEW DROPS OF VINEGAR AND CHECK IF THE MILK CURDLES , IF NOT ADD FEW DROPS MORE. BY THIS  TIME THE MILK SHOULD HAVE SEPARATED INTO SMALL GRAINS…

4.. KEEP THE MILK ON A ROLLING BOIL , UNCOVERED FOR ABOUT 15 MINS, AND THEN CONTINUE COOKING ON A MEDIUM FLAME UNTIL THE WHEY HAS REDUCED TOTALLY AND YOU ARE LEFT WITH A VELVETY  GRANULAR MIXTURE.. ADD SOME MORE CORRIANDER LEAVES AND SERVE HOT..

The Royal touch..Shahi Tukde

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Any Indian food lover, especially those who have a sweet tooth , will have definitely tasted this amazing dessert at some point in their lives. This sinfully rich dish has paved its way down the Moghul era,with its route passing the courts of the nawabs and royal households too.. which is why it has an important place in wedding menus and is also very popular during the ramzan festival second only to the amazing sheer khurma..This elaborate looking dish is actually very simple to make, needing just few ingredients. Many families have their own version of this dish , some serve it chilled, some at room temperature, even the way it is served varies from region to region.The Hyderabadi people call it DOUBLE KA MEETHA.. because of a type of milk bread that they use which literally swells to double its volume when soaked. The bread is always fried first till golden and then soaked in a warm saffron syrup, once the bread slightly softens up, it is topped with a rich rabri and nuts..This wonderful marriage of flavours which are a sheer delight in gastronomy is India’s delicious answer to the bread pudding of the western world..

The simpler Sindhi version of this dessert is known as chash ji dabroti, it was a standard once in a week dish in our home during winters, which my mom made on most saturdays , basically the bread was fried until golden then dunked in a warm sugar syrup flavoured with saffron and cardamoms.. my grandmother , amma loved this dish so much that she always asked for second helpings, with me not far behind.:) the Sindhi version does not include rabri. Today I will share with you my version of the recipe, enjoy it , though this rich dessert will make calorie conscious people think twice, do try a small portion.

SHAHI TUKDE

INGREDIENTS FOR THE RABRI

750 ML OF MILK

200 ML OF SWEET CONDENSED MILK

1/2 TSP CARDAMOM POWDER

METHOD TO MAKE RABRI..

BOIL THE MILK , CONDENSED MILK AND CARDAMOM POWDER TOGETHER AND SIMMER TILL THE QUANTITY HAS REDUCED TO HALF, STIR IN BETWEEN.. WE WANT A CONCOCTION WHICH IS THICK BUT NOT DRY, SHUT THE FIRE, COOL THE REDUCED MILK AND THEN ADD 1/2 TSP OF ROSE ESSENCE..KEEP ASIDE. THIS CAN BE MADE AHEAD OF TIME AND KEPT COVERED IN THE REFRIGERATOR.

INGREDIENTS FOR SUGAR SYRUP

500 ML HOT WATER

100 GMS SUGAR

1/2 TSP CARDAMOM POWDER

1/2 TSP SAFFRON STRANDS (soaked

20160903_193611
shahi tukde

METHOD

BOIL THE WATER AND CARDAMOM POWDER ALONG WITH GROUND SAFFRON TILL IT REDUCES BY ALMOST HALF… KEEP WARM

INGREDIENTS FOR THE BREAD BASE..

6 SLICES OF WHITE BREAD CUT INTO 4 PIECES EACH

OIL OR GHEE TO FRY THE BREAD

2 TBSP PURE GHEE

METHOD TO FRY AND ASSEMBLE

HEAT OIL OR GHEE IN A WOK, I USE OIL AND ADD 2 TBSPS OF GHEE FOR THE FLAVOUR, DEEP FRY THE BREAD PIECES UNTIL GOLDEN AND PUT ONTO A FLAT PLATE, POUR THE SAFFRON SYRUP ONTO THE BREAD AND ONCE THE BREAD SOAKS UP THE SYRUP TRANSFER TO A SERVING DISH, USE HALF THE PIECES FIRST, TOP WITH RABRI AND NUTS, AND TOP AGAIN WITH BREAD PIECES, GARNISH WITH MORE NUTS, ROSE PETALS AND SILVER VARKH.. SERVE AT ROOM TEMPERATURE OR COLD.