Bread Halwa

Bread Halwa is a yummy innovation of traditiona halwa, that is easy to make and delicious to devour.

 

Ingredients:

• Bread Loaf - 1
• Milk - 1/2 liter
• Cashew nuts - 100 gm
• Raisins - 25 gm
• Sugar - 150 gm (1 cup)
• Ghee - 100 gm

Method:

1. Cut bread slice in to small pieces.
2. Boil the milk in a separate pan.
3. Now heat ghee in a wok.
4. Then add the crumbled bread & stir fry. Once the bread crumbs soak the entire amount of ghee & turns golden brown in color, add the cashews and raisins then stir fry.
5. Once the cashews & raisins turn golden brown, add the boiled milk. Keep stirring as the milk would start throwing out. Mix well & keep stirring for 2 minutes even after the milk has been absorbed completely.
6. Once the bread looks dry, add the sugar & stir it well for at least a minute. And turn of the flame. Once the sugar has been absorbed, you are ready to relish the yummy Bread Halwa.  

Note: You can add Khoya for more taste. 

Badam Puri

Badam Puri is a very tasty sweet recipe for this colorful Holi festival.

Ingredients:

• 2-1/2 cup Maida 
• 1/2 cup Badam (paste) 
• 3-1/2 cup Sugar 
• 1-1/4 cup Rice Flour 
• 100 ml Milk 
• 1 gm Saffron 
• 1 tsp Cardamom 
• 25 ml Ghee 
• 1 cup Oil 
• 1 cup Water 

Method:

1. Knead dough with rice flour, maida, milk and alomond paste.
2. Heat water in a pan and add saffron and cardamom to it. Stir it to make sugar syrup.
3. Make small balls of the dough and roll each ball into a small round puri.
4. Apply ghee on the puri and stack one on the top of other with three puries in each stack.
5. Roll and cut each stack into small pieces. Again, roll the pieces into a round shape and deep fry until golden brown.
6. Now put all the puris in the sugar syrup. Leave it for 10 minutes and take them out of it.
7. Badam Puri is ready to serve.

Fish Manchurian

Fish Manchurian is a very popular and tasty Chinese recipe.

Ingredients:

• ½ kg Fish Fillets (cubed and washed) 
• ½ tsp Ajinomoto 
• 1 Egg (beaten) 
• 2 tbsp Corn Flour 
• 2 tbsp Lemon Juice 
• 2 tbsp Ginger-Garlic Paste 
• 2 tbsp Tomato Puree 
• 3 Green Chilies (chopped) 
• 4 tsp Soya Sauce 
• 4 cloves Garlic (finely chopped) 
• 4 tbsp All-Purpose Flour 
• 1/8 tsp Black Pepper Powder 
• Salt to taste 
• Oil for frying 
• 2 tbsp Coriander Leaves (chopped)

Method:

1. Mix salt, pepper, lemon juice with fish cubes in a bowl and marinate for 10-12 minutes.
2. In a seperate bowl, combine corn flour, flour, beaten egg, salt and ginger-garlic paste with little water to form a thin batter.
3. Heat the oil in a frying pan and dip the marinated fish into the batter.
4. Fry the fish cubes into oil on medium heat until golden brown. Set aside.
5. Heat around 2 tbsp oil in a separate frying pan and saute garlic and green chili until turning color.
6. Add tomato puree, soya sauce and fried fish, mix well.
7. Pour in a cup of water along with ajinomoto and simmer on low heat, until gravy is very thick.
8. Garnish with coriander leaves.
9. Serve hot.

Methi Dal Dhokli

Methi Dal Dhokli is a delicious treat from the Gujarati cuisine.

Ingredients:

 For Dal 
• ½ cup Toovar Dal (arhar) 
• ¼ tsp Mustard Seeds 
• ¼ tsp Cumin Seeds (jeera) 
• ¼ tsp Fenugreek Seeds (methi) 
• 10 Curry Leaves (kadipatta) 
• 2 Cloves (laung/ lavang) 
• 2 sticks Cinnamon (dalchini) 
• 1 Bay Leaf (tejpatta) 
• 2 small Red Chilies 
• ¼ tsp Asafoetida (hing) 
• 4 pieces Cocum (soaked) 
• ¼ cup Chopped Tomatoes 
• ½ tsp Turmeric Powder (haldi) 
• ½ Lemon Juice 
• 4 Green Chilies (slit) 
• ½ tsp Chili Powder 
• 1 tsp Ginger (grated) 
• 1 tsp Ghee 
• ½ tsp Jaggery 
• Salt to taste

For Dhoklis 
• 1 cup Whole Wheat Flour 
• 3/4 tsp Fenugreek Leaves (methi) (chopped) 
• ½ tsp Turmeric Powder (haldi) 
• ½ tsp Chili Powder 
• ¼ tsp Asafoetida (hing) 
• 1 tsp Oil 
• Salt (to taste) 
• ¼ cup Chopped Coriander Leaves (to garnish)

Method:

For Dal

1. Wash the toovar dal and soak it in water for 15 minutes.
2. Thereafter, cook it in the pressure cooker, till it whistles thrice. Keep it aside and allow it to cool.
3. When it is slightly cool, whisk dal until it gets smooth.
4. Take a pan and heat ghee in it. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, curry leaves, cloves, cinnamon sticks, bay leaf, red chilies and asafoetida in it and saute, till the mixture starts emitting fragrance.
5. Now, add cooked dal to the above mixture, along with 3 cups of water, cocum, tomatoes, turmeric powder, lemon juice, salt, green chilies, chili powder, ginger and jaggery and cook it on simmer flame for 10 minutes. 

For Dhoklis

1. Mix all the ingredients required for preparing dhoklis and knead to form firm dough.
2. Now, divide this dough into six equal pieces and roll out into thin chapattis.
3. Put a non stick tawa over the flame and roast the chapattis on it, from both the sides. Keep them aside. 

To Serve

1. Before serving, boil the dal, put dhoklis in it and turn the flame on simmer.
2. Stir it every 2- 3 minutes.
3. Remove from the flame and garnish with coriander leaves.
4. Serve hot.

Spinach & Tomato Rice

Spinach & Tomato Rice is a Greek dinner recipe.

Ingredients:

• 2 Pounds fresh spinach 
• 2 Cups olive oil 
• 1 Large onion, minced 
• 2 Sprigs fresh mint 
• 2 tbsp Tomato paste 
• 1 Cup uncooked rice 
• 2-1/2 Cups water 
• Sea salt 
• Freshly ground pepper 
• 1 Lemon, cut in wedges

Method:

1. Wash the spinach, chop and set aside to drain.
2. Preheat a heavy-bottomed pot on low heat.
3. Put olive oil in the pot and increase the heat to medium. Add onion and sauté till it is translucent.
4. Add fresh mint and spinach. Sauté for 5 minutes, until wilted.
5. Dilute the tomato paste in the water and add to the pot, with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Increase heat and bring the mixture to a boil.
7. Add rice, stir, and cover.
8. Reduce heat and allow to simmer for 20 minutes or until the water has been absorbed.
9. Do not stir during simmering.
10. Serve with lemon wedges.
11. Spinach & Tomato Rice is ready.

Bombay Halwa

Bombay Halwa is a tasty Maharashtrian Recipe that can be prepared on occasions.  

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Ghee 
• 1/3 cup Sago 
• 1/3 cup plain Flour 
• 2/3 cup Corn Flour 
• 4 cups Sugar 
• 2 tbsp Lemon Juice 
• 2 tsp Cardamom Powder 
• 1 cup crushed assorted Nuts (cashews, pistachios, almonds, and peanuts) 
• Foods colors (green, yellow, orange, or red)

How to make Bombay Halwa:

1. Soak sago in 2 cups water overnight.
2. Combine plain flour and corn flour. Soak overnight in 2 cups water.
3. Make a thick syrup from 1½ cups water and sugar, boiling and stirring on medium heat.
4. Add lemon juice and stir.
5. Combine sago with flour mixture and pour into a non-sticky pan on low heat.
6. Add 1 tsp ghee, alternating with 1 tsp syrup, to the flour mix, until both the ingredients remain half of their actual volume.
7. Add a pinch of color and cardamom powder, stirring constantly.
8. Add the remaining ghee and syrup in the same manner, stirring after each addition.
9. Add nuts and mix well.
10. Simmer until the mixture turns translucent and starts leaving the pan.
11. Butter a deep platter and pour the mixture in it and cool to room temperature.
12. After 1 hour, cut the halwa in squares. This yummy delight is ready to be served.