Modak for Ganpati

गणपति बाप्पा मोरया पुर्च्या वर्षी लोकर या
Ganpati Bappa Morya ........Purchya Varshi Laukar Ya......

For the outer covering

Rice flour -2 cups
Water – 3 cups
Ghee (Clarified Butter)– 1 tblspn
Salt – a pinch

Method for the covering -
Boil 3 cups water .

Add ghee and salt.
Next add rice flour little by little to avoid lumps.
Keep stirring.

Cover the pan for a few minutes.
Cool the mixture to moderate warm.








 
Grease your palms.
Knead a dough out of this mixture.




For the filling

freshly grated coconut – 2 cups
grated gur (Jaggery) – 1 cup
cardamom pd - ½ tspn
nutmeg powder – a pinch

Method for the filling -

Heat a pan.
Add coconut and gur.
Mix well and keep stirring till it gets browned and well mixed.

Add cardamom and nutmeg powder.
Mix well. Keep it aside and cool.



Preparing the modak –

Take a small ball from the dough.
Roll it on a rolling pin about 3-4 inch diameter.

Fill in 1 tblspn full of the prepared filling.

Cover to form a modak.
Boil water in a steamer.
Place the prepared modaks on a greased steel sieve in the steamer.
Steam for 10-15 mins or till done.

 Serve hot with ghee.

Bihari Bhindi

In Bihar Okra is mostly prepared as a gravied vegetable and served for lunch or dinner. If the Okra is cooked without water then its called bhindi ki bhujia. Try this Bihari style of Okra where mustard is the predominant flavour. Here is the recipe:-

 

Ingredients

Bhindi(Okhra)- 1/2 kg

Onion- 1 medium chopped finely

Mustard Oil - 4 tbspn

Masala-

Yellow whole mustard (Sarso)- 2 tblspn

Cumin whole (Jeera) 1/4 tspn

Peppercorns (Gol mirchi) 15-20

Red Chillies dried - 3/4

Tomato - 1 medium

Tadka-

Paanch Foran - a pinch

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tspn

Salt - to taste

 

Garnish

Tomato - 1 small

Green Chillies - 1

Method -

• 
  
  Grind all the ingredients under the "Masala" using very little water.
• 
  
  Cut each bhindi (Okhra) into 3 parts. Slit each part a little bit.
• 
  
  Heat mustard oil to smoking point.
• Add paanchforan and let it crackle.
• Add to it chopped onion. Saute and let it brown.

• 
  
  Add to this Okhra. Saute till browned.
• 
  
  Add in the prepared masala paste.
• 
  
  Add turmeric powder and mix well.
• 
  
  Add salt and mix well. Bhuno (Saute) it well.
• 
  
  Add water about 300 ml.
• 
  
  Cook on low flame till bhindi is cooked well and there is a perfect blend.
• 
  
  Transfer into a serving bowl.
• 
  
  Garnish with slit tomatoes and chilly.
• 
  
  Serve hot with chapati or rice.

Rose Flavoured - Shahi Tukra

Today am presenting a superlative Indian Dessert which has been specially made for the festival Eid. A very royal dish. This is a modified version of the Vermicelli (seviyan )which has been cooking for ages for Eid. I've made an innovative recipe using bread and candied Amla (Indian Gooseberry) along with dry fruits for the filling. The use of dried rose-petals and white rose essence gives it a delectable taste. When u take a bite u feel the presence of rose and with every bite u just feel like having more n more. The candied amla gives a very lightly sour taste with the extreme sweetness being candied and this just tantalises your taste buds. Try this out for Eid and surprise all your guests. Do mail me your reviews. Easy step by step process would let you prepare this dish very easily.

INGREDIENTS -

For the Seviyan-

Full Fat Milk - 1 1/2 ltrs

White Sugar - 2/6 the cup

Roasted (Vermicelli) Seviyan - 2/6th cup

Dried Rose Petals - 3-4 tblspn

White Rose Essence - 8-10 drops

Chironji (Charoli) – 1 tspn

Kesar - a few strands

Cardamom Powder - 1/2 tspn

Pistachio (Pista) Powder - 1 1/2 tspn

Cashew nut Powder - 1/2 tspn

Almond Powder - 1/2 tspn

Mace (Javitri )Powder - a slight pinch

Nutmeg (Jaiphal) Grated - a very slight pinch

METHOD-

Boil Milk and reserve ½ cup milk for the shahi tukra.

Reduce flame and keep boiling till the milk is reduced.

Keep stirring and this process would take about 20 minutes.

Add sugar and keep stirring.

Add cardamom, pista, cashewnut, almond, mace and nutmeg powder.

Keep stirring.

Add Chironji. Mix well.

Add Kesar strands. Stir.

Add rose essence. Stir.

Add rose petals. Stir.

Add seviyan and cook on very low flame till done.

Keep it aside.

See picture below for consistency.

For the Shahi Tukra-

White bread - 8 slices - preferably 1 day old.
Pure Ghee - 1 tspn
Refined oil - 2 tblspn for about 3 pieces of bread

Milk – ½ cup
Sugar – 1 tspn
White Rose Essence – 2-3 drops

Method -
 
Cut bread in to roundels like below picture:
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Heat Oil and Ghee together in a pan.
Put bread slices and shallow fry.
Turn sides and brown them on the other side.
See pictures.
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

Pour the reserved milk in a bowl.

Add sugar, rose essence and stir.

Dip bread slices and after 40 seconds take them out of the milk.

Place the dipped bread in the serving bowl.

See pictures

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the filling-

Candied Amla – 10-12 chopped finely
Pista (Pistachio) – 20-25 chopped finely
Almonds - 8-10 soaked and chopped finely
Cashew nuts - 7-8 chopped finely chopped
Dried Rose Petals – a few petals

Method-

Mix well all the above ingredients.

Place 1 tbspn each of the filling on the fried bread.

 
 
 
Cover it with other piece of fried bread.
Cover the entire bread with the prepared Seviyan.
See pictures.
 

 

 

 

 

Garnish with a few dried rose petals.

Serve chilled.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Note - Refined oil and ghee are mixed together for fragrance. Ghee is absorbed by bread very quickly hence oil is used for shallow frying the bread.

Bihari Litti aur Tamatar Ka Chokha (Bihar's famous cusine "Litti" with Tomato Salsa)

INGREDIENTS FOR टमाटर का चोखा (Tomato Salsa)

Fresh Tomatoes - 4 Large

Onion - 1 Medium Finely chopped

Dry Red Chillies - 4-5

Lime Juice - 1 tblspn

Finely Chopped Garlic - 1 tspn

Salt - to taste

METHOD-

1. Roast the tomatoes on gas flame.
2. Roast the red chillies on gas flame.
3. Grind the roasted tomatoes and chilles in the traditional सिल or food processor.
4. Mix in the onion and garlic.
5. Add lime juice.
6. Sprinkle salt. Mix well.

Note- Chillies can be reduced or increased as your choice.

Ingredients for the filling:

Sattu ka atta (Roasted Chana flour) - 1 cup
Onion - 1 Large chopped
Green Chillies - 3/4 chopped finely
Garlic - 4/5 flakes chopped finely
Ginger - 1 inch piece chopped finely
Coriander leaves - 2 tblspn chopped finely
Onion Seeds (Kalaunji) - 1 tspn
Carom Seeds (Ajwain) - 1 tspn
Salt - to taste
Fresh Lime Juice - 1 tspn
Pickle (Achaar Masala) - 1 tblspn
Water - as required

Method for the filling -

In a bowl mix all the ingredients under filling and mix well. Add 3-4 tblspns water, to make it a wet filling. The water acts as a binding agent. See above pic for the prepared filling.

Ingredients for the Covering/dough-

Whole wheat flour - 2 cups
Salt - to taste
Carom Seeds (Ajwain) - 1/2 tspn
Onion Seeds (Kalonji) - 1/2 tspn
Water - for kneading dough

Method for the Dough -
Mix all the ingredients under the "dough" and prepare a dough. Rest it for 15-20 mins.
See above pic for the dough.

Method to make Litti

Follow steps like the pictures.

1) Shape small balls. Roll them on a roller pin of about 3 inch diameter.
2) Form small cups like the picture below:

3) Put one to one half tblspn of filling in each cup and roll them like the picture below:

4) Gently press with the palm to get a flat litti. See picture below for different stages.

5) Heat a non stick griddle. Dry roast the litti on very low flame so that it's cooked well from inside also.

6) If the littli swells up means it's done.

7) Remove from the griddle and hold it on a gas flame directly to cook well.

See pic below:

8) The final out come would be like the picture below:

9) Drizzle Ghee and  टमाटर का चोखा (Tomato Salsa) and serve.

Makhane ki Kheer - Janmashtmi Special

Tomorrow i.e. 2nd September is Janmashtmi. Birth of Lord Krishna is celebrated on this date not only in India but in all parts of the world. Janmashtmi is also known as Gokul Ashtmi. Devotees keep fast whole day and at midnight the birth of Lord Krishna is celebrated. Idol of Bal Gopal is bathed with Panchamrit. Panchamrit means a mixture of five holy products i.e. milk, ghee, curd, honey and Gangajal (Holy Ganges water). The deity is dressed in new clothes and then the "Sringar" is done. The idol is then kep't in a well decorated Jhula (cradle) and sweets are offered to the deity. The cradle is rocked by each family member depicting a welcome.  People lit incense sticks and lamps and whole family prays together. Lord Krishna was very fond of milk and milk products hence for the 'Bhog' aur "Prasad" the deity is offered Pedha, Makhan (White Butter), Kheer, Sreekhand and Gopal kala. Today I wish to share the recipe of  Kheer made out of Makhana (Lotus Seeds). Makhana is a dry fruit. People have this for fast. In Bihar Lotus Seeds or Makhana is found mainly in Darbhanga, Purnea, Supaul, Sitamarhi and Madhubani districts. Makhana is considered to be very pure, pure enough to be offered to the god.

INGREDIENTS -

Makhana (Lotus Seeds) - 100 gms

Milk (Full Fat) - 1 1/2 ltrs.

Sugar - 1/2 cup

Condensed milk - 1/2 tin

Saffron Strands - 1/2 tbspn

Green Cardamom Powder - 1 tspn

Nutmeg Powder - a pinch

Pistachios (Pista) - 10-12 - finely chopped

Almonds - 10-12 finely chopped

Chironji Seeds - 1/4th tsp

METHOD-

1. 
   
   In a bowl soak makhana in 1/2 ltr room temperature milk for 1/2 an hour.
2. 
   
   Soak the saffron strands in 1 tblspn luke warm milk.
3. 
   
   Grind the makhana with milk in a food processor.
4. 
   
   Boil the remaining milk in a heavy bottomed pan.
5. 
   
   Slightly reduce the milk.
6. 
   
   Add saffron strands with the milk.
7. 
   
   Add to it the makhana puree and the sugar.
8. 
   
   Keep stirring on medium flame.
9. 
   
   Add condensed milk and keep stirring on low flame.
10. 
    
    Add to it cardamom powder, nutmeg powder, almonds, pista, chironji.
11. 
    
    Mix well. Keep stirring till a you get a thick consistency.
12. 
    
    Transfer to a serving dish.
13. 
    
    Garnish with a sprinkle of cardamom powder, pista, almonds, chironji and saffron strands.
14. 
    
    Prasad is ready. After offering to the deity one can have the kheer hot or chilled.

NOTE - Sugar can be reduced or increased as per liking.