Paratha Love

Garlic Paratha

 

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

• 3 teaspoon ghee

• 6 cloves garlic

• 2 tablespoon coriander leaves

• 1 teaspoon salt

• water as required

• 1 teaspoon sugar

• 1 teaspoon red chili powder

• 2 tablespoon melted butter

How to make:

1. To prepare these delectable parathas, first peel and finely chop the garlic cloves. Also, finely chop the coriander leaves.
2. Take a large bowl and add all purpose flour in it, along with ghee, salt, and sugar. Add water and knead a dough. Keep it aside for a few minutes.
3. Knead it again into a dough like that of chapati. After the dough is made, divide it into small or medium balls. Pat them flat and roll into thin layered discs.
4. Take another bowl and mix garlic, red chilli powder, and coriander leaves in it.
5. Now, put some garlic mixture on the rolled paratha dough. Fold it from all the sides and again make a ball, so that the mixture is well stuffed in it. Roll it into a medium circle again.
6. After that, put a tava on medium flame. Heat some butter over it. Place the paratha dough over it and cook well from both sides with more butter.
7. Repeat the procedure till all the parathas are well cooked.
8. Serve them hot with curd and pickle or any dish of your choice.

Aloo Paratha:

Ingredients:

• 7 mashed,boiled,peeled potato
• 1 handful chopped coriander leaves
• 4 tablespoon melted butter
• 1 1/2 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon chaat masala
• 4 finely chopped green chilli
• 1/2 teaspoon powdered black pepper
• 1 large finely chopped onion
• 1 tablespoon red chilli
• 1/2 tablespoon garam masala powder

How to make:

1. To make this paratha recipe, boil the potatoes and mash them in a large bowl. In the potatoes, add chopped onions, green chillies, coriander leaves, salt, garam masala powder, chaat masala and mix well so that no lumps remain. Ensure that you have finely chopped the onions or the filling will come out.
2. Put wheat flour in a large mixing bowl. Add water gradually and knead into a soft dough. Make small-medium balls of the dough and roll them out into 3 to 4 inch circles. Add a spoonful of potato filling in the centre. Gradually press the rolling pin on all sides while making the parathas. Be very careful to apply pressure evenly. It is very important to insure that your potato mixture is mashed well and not lumpy or you will never be able to make perfect parathas.
3. Seal the dough and round it with the your fingers. Now roll them with a rolling pin into round parathas. Apply the pressure very evenly and gently on all sides.
4. Press very lightly so that the mixture does not come out. Heat a girdle and roast the parathas, cooking them on both the sides with a spoonful of butter. If you want to use less butter on the parathas, first roast them on both the sides on low flame and when they are slightly crispy, apply butter with brush on both the sides.
5. Serve piping hot with chilled yoghurt or pickle. You can also serve the aloo parathas with green chutney or coconut chutney or a light gravy. Ideally a light potato shorba goes best with aloo ka paratha. You can also make a quick onion-tomato-green chilli raita that tastes amazing with this paratha.

POUSH SANKRANTI FOODS

In INDIA,  festivals arrive one after the other to keep us cheerful and active. Poush Sankranti is the spring festival, enjoyed with lots of outdoor activities that keep us close to nature and remind us of how closely we are bonded with our environment. Poush Sankranti, also known as Makar Sankranti is also popular in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra. Makar Sankranti is celebrated in different parts of India with different styles. It is celebrated on 14 January every year in Bangladesh, with kids and adults flocking to terraces and other open spaces with colourful kites. The sky is dotted with bright kites and the atmosphere is abuzz with the festive spirit.

CHANNAPODA ( BAKED COTTAGE CHEESE)

Channapoda is a famous sweet from Odisha. It's made kwith channa or fresh cottage cheese.The entire dish is baked and can also be described as a paneer cake. Channapoda is omade during festivals like DURGA PUJA, DIWALI and POUSH SANKRANTI.

            

Ingredients:-

1. 250g channa 
2. 1/2 cup sugar or jaggery powder 
3. 1/2 tsp cardamom powder 
4. 1/2 tbsp rice flower 
5. ghee
6. large banana leaf 

METHOD:-

• First, line a baking pan with some chopped banana leaves. Grease the banana leaves with some ghee.
• Preheat the oven at 180° C for 15 minutes. Then take fresh cottage cheese and crumble it very well. Add sugar or jaggery and mix well. Continue to mash and knead the cottage cheese.
• The mixture has to become loose, light and attain a cake-batter like consistency. In case the mixture looks dry, you can add a few tablespoons of milk. Add rice flour, cardamom powder, cashews and raisins.
• Mix well. Now pour the mixture in the baking pan. Shake the pan gently. Level the top with a spatula. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes. Remove from the oven once done. Let the cake cool completely in the pan, then remove it. Slice and serve.

MOHANTHAL 

Mohanthal is a traditional Indian dessert which is served on festivals as well as casual times. It is made with chickpea flour and sugar syrup. This recipe originates from Gujrat and Rajasthan (western states of India). Mohanthal is most popular during festivals like POUSH SHANKRANTI, JANMASTAMI, DIWALI.

Ingredients:-

1. 1 cup chickpea flour 
2. 1/2 cup mawa, crumbed 
3. 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup ghee
4. 2-3 tbsp milk
5. 1/4 tsp cardamom powder 
6. almond anfd pistachios ( for garnish )
7. 1/2 cup water 

 METHOD:-

• Take chickpea flour in a mixing bowl, add 2 tablespoons of ghee to it and mix until well combined. Then add the milk to the flour mixture and knead it well to make dough. Cover and set aside for 15-20 minutes.
• In a pan, add sugar and water and let the sugar dissolve completely. Let the syrup boil for 2 minutes. To roast the flour dough, heat the remaining ghee in a heavy bottomed pan. Add the flour dough to the ghee and roast.
• Stir continuously on medium flame for 7-8 minutes or till it stops smelling raw. Now add the crumbled mawa and continue roasting for another 3-4 minutes. Add the prepared sugar syrup and cardamom powder and mix well. Keep stirring until it becomes very thick and leaves the sides of the pan. Pour the mixture on a greased plate. Sprinkle the roasted nuts on top and press gently. Let it cool completely to set and cut into pieces. Store in an airtight container.

PINNI

Pinni is a dessert prepared in Punjabi houses. Made using only very few ingredients —whole-wheat flour, mawa, ghee, sugar, and nuts, the following recipe is simple and easy. In traditional preparations of pinni, mawa is not included, but the addition gives a nice flavour to the dessert. You can also add jaggery.

Ingredients:-

1. 300g wheat flour
2.  300g ghee
3. 3 tbsp milk, ½ cup mawa
4. 300g powdered sugar
5. ¼ cup mixed dry fruit, slivered

 METHOD:-

 Heat ghee in a large heavy-bottomed pan. Add flour, stir-fry on low heat. When the flour is evenly browned and aromatic; remove from heat. Spread contents of pan on to a plate, allow it to cool. Add sifted powdered sugar, cardamom, mawa, and dry fruit. Mix very gently, but thoroughly. Use milk as the binding mixture when required. Shape into balls, no bigger than ping-pongs. Cool completely before storing in airtight boxes.

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CHEESY FOODS

Cheesy affairs

Serious cheese lovers will tell you that it is best to enjoy a creamy addictive versatile awesome cheese on its own, but the truth of the matter is that there is such nothing wrong with changing things up a bit now and then. Check out some new ways to enjoy cheese with these given recipes.

1.TOASTY PANEER SANDWICH

Ingredients

• 1 cup local cheese ( salty, crumbled)
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter 
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 large onion (chopped, very fine)

Optional:

• 2 green chilies 
• 2 tomatoes (medium size) 
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder 
• 1/4 tsp red chili powder 
• salt
• 8 slices fresh, soft sandwich bread

Method:

1. Heat a pan on a medium flame and add butter to it. Allow to melt and then add cumin seeds. When they stop spluttering, add the green chillies and onion. Fry till the onion is soft. Add the tomatoes, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt to taste. Stir well. Cook for 2 minutes stirring frequently.
2. Add the paneer and mix well. Stir fry for 3-4 minutes and then turn off the fire. Allow to cool a little
3. Lay the slices of bread on a clean cutting board, and butter. Now put a generous amount of the prepared paneer mixture on 4 of the slices. Spread to cover entire slice. Top with another buttered slice.
4. Grill or toast the sandwich till crispy and golden.

[N.B: This is specially nice when done in a sandwich toaster which seals the edges, preventing the paneer falling out later. Serve hot with tomato ketchup.

2.PANEER SZECHUAN

Ingredients

• 750g  paneer - cut into 1" cubes
• 5 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 3 tbsp corn flour
• salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• cooking oil ( for deep fry)
• 3 tbsp vegetable/canola/sunflower cooking oil
• 3 spring onions, chopped coarsely ( bulb and leaves)
• '1 cup Indo-Chinese Szechuan sauce
• 1 large green bell pepper 
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 1 tbsp corn flower - for thickening gravy

Method:

1. Start to heat the cooking oil for deep frying. The temperature should ideally be between 170-180°C/ 338-356°F.
2. While the oil is heating, put the flour, corn flour, salt to taste and pepper into a large mixing bowl. Add a little water at a time to the mix to make a medium thick batter — the same consistency as pancake batter. Mix well till there are no more lumps and the batter is smooth.
3. Add paneer cubes and stir to coat them well with the above batter. Once the oil is hot, gently add a few battered cubes at a time and fry till crisp and golden in colour. Drain well and remove from the oil. Keep aside on paper towels for later use.
4. In another pan or wok, heated on high, add the 3 tablespoon vegetable/canola/ sunflower cooking oil. When the oil is smokey hot, add the spring onions (reserve a little to garnish the dish later). Sauté for a minute.
5. Now add the Indo-Chinese Szechuan sauce and chicken stock. Mix well. Cook for 2 minutes.
6. Omit this step if you want the dish to be dry or would like to serve it as an appetizer; instead — mix 1 tablespoon of corn flour with ½ cup of cold water and stir to mix well. Make sure there are no lumps in this mixture. Pour into the above gravy and stir well. The gravy will start to thicken. Once this happens, turn off the heat.
7. Now add the previously fried cubes and the chopped bell pepper to this gravy. Stir well to coat all the chicken and peppers with the gravy. Spoon into a serving dish, garnish with reserved, chopped spring onions and serve.

Enjoy!