Breakfast

Halasina Hannu Guliyappa (Jackfruit Dumplings)

Ingredients:

Rice- 2 cups

Jaggery -2 1/2 cup

Shredded coconut-3/4 cup

Cardamom powder- 1 tsp

Jackfruit– 30 to 32 pods or bulbs, chopped

Water- for soaking rice

  

Preparation:

Soak rice in water for 5-6 hours. Drain the water and grind rice, jaggery, coconut and chopped jack fruit with a little water into a fine paste. (You can add less or more jaggery depending on the sweetness of the jack fruit). The batter should neither be too thick nor too thin.

Allow it to ferment overnight.  Add cardamom and mix well. Pour into each mould and sprinkle a little ghee on top.

Cover with a lid and cook until the sides turn golden brown. Flip onto the other side and cook uncovered.

After 1-2 minutes, remove from heat and serve hot. Some like to eat it with honey.

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Cakes n bakes

Chocolate Dipped Coconut Macaroon

Ingredients:

Sweetened shredded coconut- 11/2 cup

All purpose flour– 1/4 cup

Sugar– 1/2 cup

Egg whites– 2

Vanilla essence– 1/2 Tsp

Salt- 1/8 tsp

For chocolate dipping:

Heavy cream- 1/2 cup

Dark chocolate/ semi- dark chocolate -14 oz

Preparation:

In a heatproof bowl, placed over a pan of warm water, whisk both egg white and sugar. Remove from heat when the mixture is warm to touch and creamy.

Add in salt, vanilla essence, sifted all purpose flour and sweetened shredded coconut and mix well. Cover this mixture and refrigerate for 2-3 hours.

  

On a baking sheet, add a parchment paper or aluminum foil and place a scoop of mixture leaving spaces in between. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 350°F or until it turns golden brown.

Allow the cookies to completely cool down. (We can have these by themselves or coat them with chocolate). In a small bowl, add heavy cream and heat until it comes to a boil. Now add chocolate pieces or chips and allow it to settle for 2-3 minutes. Mix them evenly, dip the bottom of the cookies and on top, decorate the cookies as per your wish. Allow it to completely dry before you put them into a air tight container.

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Cakes n bakes

Date Cake

Ingredients:

Pitted dates- 18 to 20

All purpose flour– 1 cup

Milk-3/4 cup

oil- 1/2 cup  (vegetable oil or olive oil)

Baking soda– 1 tsp

Walnut– 1/4 cup (optional)

Sugar-3/4 cup (powdered)

Preparation:

Soak dates in milk for 2-3 hours.(If using dry dates, you might have to soak it overnight) Blend dates and sugar until smooth. In a bowl add oil and blended mixture and mix well. Now add (sifted) all purpose flour, baking soda and walnuts (optional) slowly and mix well.(I used a hand blender and mixed for 3-5 minutes, scraping the sides often.)

Put the mixture into a 9 inch pan and bake for 35 – 40 minutes at 350°F or until a toothpick comes out clear when inserted into the cake.

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Desserts/Sweets

Amarkhand/ Mango Shrikhand

Ingredients

Full fat yogurt-4 cups

Sugar– 1/2 cup

Mango pulp-1 cup

Cardamom powder-1 tsp

Coarsely ground pistachios– 3 Tbsp

Preparation:

Take 4 cups of yogurt in a muslin cloth. Tie a knot and hang it overnight. This is a very crucial step in making good Shrikhand. Make sure to remove as much as water as possible. 

Add sugar and mango pulp. Adjust the sugar according to the sweetness of mango. Beat the mixture very well. (I used hand blender and blended for 12-15 minutes).

The consistency should be thick and creamy. Add cardamom powder and garnish with pistachios. Serve chill.

Linking the post to Fruit Feista, Holi fest colorful palette, Cakes, Cookies and Desserts

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Desserts/Sweets

ABC halwa

Ingredients:

carrot- 2(grated)

Apple-2(grated)

Banana-2(mashed)

Whipping cream-1/4 tin

Shredded Coconut-4 tbsp

Ghee-3 tbsp

Sugar-4 tbsp (depending on the sweetness of the fruit)

Cardamom powder-1/2 tsp

Cashew and raisins for garnishing

Preparation:

In a heavy bottom pan, heat ghee, add cashews ( I added around 10-12 cashews, and 10-15 raisins) fry until golden brown. Add raisins, remove quickly and keep aside.

Next add grated carrot and apple into the ghee,cover and cook for 5 minutes. Add banana and whipping cream (can use milk too) and mix well. Cook for another 3-4 minutes. Add sugar( if the fruits are sweet enough, add less sugar. Sugar can be added at any point) and mix shredded coconut. Do not cook too much after adding the coconut. You would want to leave it a bit crunchy. Turn off the heat, Mix cardamom powder and garnish with cashews and raisins.

Linking this post to Fruit Feista, HITS~Fiber Rich Foods

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Cakes n bakes

Banana, Walnut Bread

Ingredients:

All purpose flour-2 cups

Powdered sugar– 1 cup

Bananas- 3 (fully ripened and big ones)

baking soda-1 tsp

walnut-1/4 cup (chopped into small pieces)

olive oil– 1/4 cup

Preparation: In a large bowl mash the bananas really well and add powdered sugar and mix well. Add olive oil and walnut, mix until it has incorporated well into the mixture. Sieve all purpose flour along with baking soda. Divide the flour into 3 to 4 batches and add each batch of flour to the mixture slowly and mix. Make sure to have mixed the flour in one direction to avoid uneven mixing. Grease and flour the baking pan (I used 9 inch loaf pan) and add the mixture evenly. Preheat oven to 350°F and bake the bread for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes clear when inserted in the center. Cool it for 5-10 minutes, Make sure the edges of the bread are clear from the pan (Insert a blunt knife and make it clear, making sure not to touch the base of the pan) before inverting. Do not keep the bread out for too long as it might loose its softness.

 

Linking this post to Fruit Fiesta.

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Side dish

Mutter Paneer

Ingredients:

Onions- medium size 2, chopped

Tomato- medium size 2, chopped

Peas- 1 cup, cooked

Paneer-18 to 20 cubes

Heavy cream/milk – ¼ cup

Roasted and coarsely ground cashew- 3 tbsp

Cumin seeds- ½ tsp

Cumin powder- 1 ½ tsp

Coriander powder-1 ½ tsp

Garam masala powder-1 ¼ tsp

Red chilli powder-2 tsp

Ginger garlic paste- 1tsp

Coriander/cilantro- ¼ cup finely chopped

Oil- 2+2+1 tbsp

Salt- to taste

Preparation:

In a heavy bottom pan, heat 2 tbsp of oil. Add chopped onions and fry for 2-3 minutes, then add ginger garlic paste and fry until the raw smell disappears (approx- 4 minutes). Add tomatoes and ¼ tsp of salt, cover and cook for 5-6 minutes more.

     

Add garam masala, cumin powder, coriander powder, red chilli powder and mix well. Turn off the heat and allow it to cool for some time. Blend the mixture to a fine paste, meanwhile heat 2 tbsp of oil and add cumin seeds. Allow it to splutter and add the blended mixture. Let the mixture come to a boil. Add cooked peas, heavy cream or milk and cashew nut powder and adjust salt to your taste.

In another pan, heat 1 tbsp of oil and add the paneer cubes. Shallow fry the cubes until it turns golden brown on all sides. Remove from heat and add the fried cubes to the gravy and cook for 2-3 minutes. Garnish with cilantro/ coriander and serve hot with Jeera rice/ Roti/Naan or chapathi.

 

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Breakfast

Couscous Upma

Ingredients:

Couscous (roasted)- 1cup

Beans- 200 gms chopped

Carrots -1 chopped

Peas-1/4 cup

Onion-1 finely chopped

Green chillies/ jalapenos – 4 cut lengthwise

Coriander/cilantro- small bunch, finely chopped

Coconut- 3 tbsp

Lemon juice- 2 tbsp

Sugar- ¼ tsp

Red chilli powder- 1/2 tsp

Cumin seeds- 1/2 tsp

Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp

Oil – for seasoning

Salt- to taste

Preparation:

Heat 4 tbsp of oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and cumin seeds and allow it to splutter. Add green chillies, onions and fry until onions turn translucent. Also add red chilli powder and salt, mix well. Cook beans, carrots and peas until tender. Add 1½ cup water, coconut and allow the water to boil. Add couscous and close the lid. Turn off the heat when couscous has become soft but not chewy. Finally add lemon juice and sugar, mix well, garnish with cilantro and serve hot.

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Appetizers/Snacks

Tandoori Paneer Tikka

Ingredients:

makes for 4 people

Paneer- 16 pieces (cut into 2 inch cubes)

Bell pepper (red, yellow, green) – ½ of each (cut into 1 inch pieces)

Onion- ½ cut into 1 inch pieces

Black pepper powder- ½ tsp

Wooden or metal skewers (If using wooden skewers, dip them in cold water for half an hour to avoid burning of the skewers)

Oil

For marinating:

Thick yogurt – 1 cup

Cumin podwer-1 tsp

Coriander powder- 1 tsp

Red chilli powder- 1 tsp

Garam masala- ½ tsp

Lemon juice – 1 tbsp

Salt- as per your taste

For garnishing:

Garam masala, red chilli powder, lemon juice

Preparation:

In a bowl mix all the ingredients listed above for marinating. Add Paneer cubes and marinate for 5-6 hours (can marinate overnight for better results).  Take skewers, grease it with oil. Arrange bell peppers, onions and paneer in the fashion you like.

Sprinkle black pepper powder and oil and roast it in the oven for 6 minutes at 400ᵒF. Now turn the skewers upside down and roast for 5 more minutes. Make sure that paneer or the vegetables don’t get burnt.  Sprinkle garam masala, red chilli powder and lemon juice before serving.

 

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Side dish

Instant Garlic Pickle

Ingredients:

Garlic- 30 cloves peeled and sliced lengthwise

Mustard and fenugreek powder-3 tsp

Red chilli powder-2tsp

Olive oil– 3 tbsp

Jaggery– 3 tbsp

Tamarind paste-3 tbsp

Salt- to taste

Preparation:

Heat olive oil in a vessel(can use peanut or sunflower oil too). Add garlic and fry until golden brown, add all the above ingredients mentioned. Cook for 10 minutes or until you see little oil floating on top. Add salt to taste and mix well. Can store the pickle in the refrigerator for  a long time.

PS: To make mustard and fenugreek powder, dry roast 3 tbsp of mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds, grind them into fine powder and then use it.

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