Ras Malai --- Indian Cooking Challenge

  I didn't participate  in indian cooking challenge since last two months as i didn't had muruku presser with me and other one i didn't had guts to attempt it.At home we all love bengali sweets and i have blogged about Rasgulla .We always buy halidram's tin almost 2-3 times a month,my hubby loves it and gobbles half of the tin.Half of the procedure is similar to Rasgulla and is quite easy to make.Just check manjula's video for the detailed procedure.I recommed that website because i learned making rasgulla's from that site.

Before marriage my mom used to get these always when there is a birthday at home and my younger sister loves this.Next time when i visit my mom will make these for her.Here is the recipe given by srivalli .:-

Ingredients:-

Milk 1 liter for making panner and 1/2 liter for milk syrup
Lemon 2 tbsp
Sugar 6 tbsp for sugar syrup and 3 tbsp for milk syrup
Water 1 big glass of water
Corn flour 1 tbsp
Cardamom 1 crushed
Almonds grated 4-5
Safforn (optional and my addition)

Method:-

1. Boil milk.Add lemon and boil till it breaks
2. Strain the curdle milk in a strainer,run through the water so that the taste of lemon goes off.Then wrap in a cloth and hang it,so that all the water drips out
3. Take a cooker,add water and sugar.Let it boil for sometime.
4. Knead the panner and corn flour for 5-8 minutes or till your hands are oily.Make small size balls and slightly press on the top.Be careful when making balls and they tend to increase the size when cooked.So always make small size balls.
5. Slowly drop these balls in the boiling sugar syrup.And close the cooker and wait till u get one whistle and switch of the stove.
6. Remove the balls and squeeze the water. Keep aside.
7. Take the 1/2 liter of milk and boil till it is reduced to half.
8. Add sugar and cardamom .Mix well.
9. Slowly add the panner balls to the milk syrup and switch off the stove.
10. Let it cool and refrigerate it.Sprinkle almonds and pista when serving.

PS:-The panner has to be knead very well.There should not be any cracks while making the balls,if there are any  cracks the panner balls disintegrate in the sugar syrup.If you find any cracks just knead it again and if you think it is too dry just add 2-3 drops of water and knead again.Your ras malai shapes depends on your kneading the panner dough.

Kasta Kachori --- ICC challenge

I was first introduced to kachori when i was doing my graduation.My mom used to get samosa but never brought kachori.Gokul chaat bandar is very famous chaat bandar in koti, hyderabad.My college was just opposite to that chaat bandar.I frequently used to eat kachori ragada there and i used to love the taste,back then the cost of one plate was 4rs and now i heard it is 20 rs plate.Every time i plan to go there when ever i go to hyderabad but never i went and ate there. Once i started working we collegues used to order samosa and kachoris at the office.


This is my first attempt and they came out very well but my kids removed the filling and ate the kachoris.


Ingredients


1 cup All Purpose flour (plain flour or maida)
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons oil
1/2 cup-1 tablespoon chilled water


Make a soft dough and keep it covered until use.


Filling:-

Split Moong Dal (yellow) - 1/2 cup
Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp
Hing / Asafoetida - a pinch
Curry Leaves - 2 tsp chopped fine
Sauf / Fennel seeds powder - 1 tsp
Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp
Red Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Mango powder / Amchur - 1 tsp
Oil - 1 tsp
Salt to taste


Method

Wash and Soak dal in water for atleast 2-3 hour.

Drain the water well.

Grind the dal to a coarsely. (Will resemble Idli Rawa)

Heat oil in a pan

Add the hing and cumin seeds

Once the seeds splutter add the curry leaves

Add the dal

Lower the heat and keep stirring for 5 minutes till the dal stops sticking to the pan

Cook for another 10 minutes on low till the dal turns slightly brown

Add all the masalas. Cook for few minutes

Add Salt

Remove from heat and keep aside to cool.


Make small puris which are thick in the center and thin around.

Place the filling in the middle and bring all the corners.

Press gently and avoid using rolling pin.

If you try to press out using a rolling pin, the filling may come out and make holes in the kachori.
Fry the kachori's on medium low to get a crisp outer layer.


This is my entry to the ICC.

Chegodilu --- Indian Cooking Challenge

Chegodilu is mostly done in the telangana region in andhra.This is a wonderful snack which i used to eat when i was kid.I had a neighbour ammamma(granny) who used to make this during dusheera and diwali.We kids used to wait for her to give this snack during festivals.

I made very less quantity when i did this for first time as i was not sure of the making.They came out very well.Few days back i again made it for the Indian cooking challenge.The recipe is given my valli and i have not done any changes.

Ingredients:-

Rice flour 1 cup

Water 1 cup (a 1-2 tbsp can be added)

Yellow moong dal/Pesarapappu 3 tbsp

Cumin 1tsp

Sesame seeds 1tsp

Red chilly powder 1tsp

Ghee 1 tsp

Oil for deep frying

Method:-

Soak moong dal for 1/2 hr in water.Then strain it and keep aside

Boil 1 cup of water,add moong dal,salt and ghee.

Then slowly add rice flour continuously stirring the water with a laddle (pappu guti)

Remove it from the stove and stir again.Cover it for 10-15minutes.

Once cool add chilly powder,cumin and sesame seeds and with hand make a dough similar to chapati dough.

Heat oil in a pan.Once the oil is hot enough,put the stove on a low flame.

Grease hand with oil and take a lemon sized ball.Roll the ball in between palms to form a thick rope.

Bring the ends together and press it.It resembles a ring.

Now slowly leave the rings into the hot oil.When leaving the rings in the oil the flame should be high.

Once they raise up in the oil put the flame to medium until they are golden brown in colour.

Remove it on a tissue or kitchen towel and once cool store them in a air tight container.

Jantikalu or Murukulu for Indian Cooking Challenge

I am very fortunate to have got included in the cooking challenge and i thank srivalli for accepting me in the challenge.This is 4th challenge and since the beginning i had my own doubts whether i deserve to be in the challenge.After i made this muruku all my doubts are cleared,muruku came out so well just like what we get to eat from swahagruha back home.I can't wait to make this for my mom and sisters.

Thanks so much valli for including me in the challenge.You have given the recipe so well that the muruku came out well and the taste is awesome,it got over within a day.My kids had that for breakfast,lunch and evening snacks.Only thing i altered is that i didn't take raw rice,as i found it difficult to grind the raw rice into fine powder.Now the recipe

Ingredients:-


Rice flour 3 cups (raw rice 4 cups given by valli)
Udad dal 1 cup
Water 1/2 cup or more

For Seasoning

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Sesame seeds- 1 tsp
Asafetida/ Hing - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Butter - 75 gms

How to prepare:

Wash and drain the rice. Shade dry the Rice for 1/2 hr. Dry roast the Urad dal to light brown. Allow it to cool.
If you are using more quantity, you can get it ground in rice mil, else use your mixie to grind both Rice and Urad dal.

First grind rice into a fine flour, keep it aside. then grind the urad dal to fine powder.

In a wide vessel, take both the flours along with salt. Mix well.

Add cumin, Sesame seeds and asafetida powder to the flour, mix well.And finally add the butter.

Gather everything well and you will get more of a crumbling mixture.

Now slowly add water and knead a dough which is little more softer than the puri dough.

Heat a kadai with oil enough to deep fry. Once the oil is hot enough, simmer to low flame.

Take the Muruku Aachu, wash and wipe it clean. Then divide the dough into equal balls.

Fill the Muruku maker with the dough. You can either press it directly over the flames or press over a paper and gently slide it down the hot oil.

Cook over medium flame, using a slotted spoon, turn it over to other side to ensure both sides turn golden colour. You will know by seeing the colour that its cooked. Remove to a kitchen paper and store it in a air tight container.

Thank you srivalli for this wonderful recipe.

This is my entry to the cooking challenge started by srivalli.

Boorelu and Sesame (nuvullu) Laddu--- Indian Cooking Challenge

Boorelu

Ingredients :-

For the outer layer

Black gram dal/ Urad dal - 50 gms
Rice 5 tbsp

For the Filling

Bengal gram/Channa dal - 1 cup
Grated Jaggery - 1 cup
Fresh Coconut - 1/4 cup (grated)
Cardamom powder - 3/4 tsp
Oil for deep frying

How to make:-

Wash and soak Urad dal and rice for 4-5 hrs. Grind both to fine paste adding very little water.The batter should be thick.

For the filling

Pressure cook the channa dal.
Then once the dal is well cooked, drain and cook it along with the jaggary.
Cook till dry and make a smooth paste in the mixer and grated coconut and mix it thoroughly and cool.
Divide them into equal balls.
Heat oil in kadai ,once the oil is hot,then dip each ball in the Urad dal batter.
Then drop them into the hot oil. Turn and cook on all sides. It hardly takes more than 2-3 mins to get cooked. Drain them on to a tissue.

Sesame Laddu

Indredients:-

Seasame 1 cup
Jaggery 1/4 cup (can be adjusted according to taste)

How to make it:-

Dry roast seasame in a tawa and let them cool.
Once they are cool, take grated or powdered jaggary and run in a mixie.
When you run in mixie, it becomes little oily which will help in holding the laddo shape.

This is my entry to indian cooking challenge started by Srivalli.

Khaman Dhokla --- Indian Cooking Challenge

Ingredients:-

For Batter:

Bengal Gram flour / Besan - 250 gms (1 & 1/2 cup)
Curd - 1/2 cup (not very sour)
Water - 1/2 cup
Cooking Soda - 1/2 tsp

For seasoning to be mixed to the batter (to be added just before cooking)

Oil - 1 tbsp
Turmeric a pinch
G. Chili paste - 1 - 2 long (as per taste)
Sugar - 1 tsp
Citric acid - quarter tsp
Eno - 1 packet (green colour fruit lime) + sprinkle or dust few bits on the plate

For tempering

Sesame seeds
Mustard Seeds
Curry leaves
Grated coconut
Coriander leaves
Little water + Oil to be topped on dhoklas

Method to prepare:

1.Mix curd with water. Add besan and mix well and see to it that there are no lumps.The batter should be of idle batter consistency.

2.Add water if needed and add the soda.

3.Keep it aside to rise for 1 hour.Fill the pressure cooker with water and place a small bowl so that you can keep a plate with dhokla batter.

4.To the batter mix in the citric acid, oil, salt, sugar, green chili paste and turmeric powder. Mix well. This has to be done just before pouring to the plate.

5.Meanwhile have the pan on stove, and let the water start boiling. When the water reaches the rolling stage, you can mix the eno to the batter (Save little of eno for dusting on the plate), mix gently, you will see bubbles coming out.Dust or sprinkle the plate with eno. Then immediately pour the batter to the plate.

6.Place the plate carefully inside the pressure pan and cover with lid. You need not use the whistle.

7.After covering you will find steam coming out of the outlet, simmer and don't disturb for almost 5 -7 minutes.After 5 -7 minutes, remove the lid and proof it using toothpick or knife. If the knife comes out clean and does not have any batter sticking, then its done. Cover back and let it remain on flame for 1 min and switch off the gas and allow it for 5 minutes.

8.In a bowl, mix 3 tsp of water along with a tsp of oil

9.Remove the plate from the pan, pour the water and oil mix over the top.For seasoning, heat a pan with oil, add curry leaves, sesame seeds, mustard seeds and finely chopped green chilies. When mustard starts popping, remove and pour over the dhokla.

10.Cut the dhokla's into shapes of your choice.

I followed exactly the ingredients and the procedure mentioned by srivalli and the dhoklas came very softly.Dhoklas are my hubby's fav and i don't like dhoklas but i ate most of them.

This is my entry to indian cooking challenge started by Srivalli.

Rava Ladoo -- Indian Cooking Challenge

Indian cooking challenge is the event started by srivalli where in she features a recipe all the members have to prepare it and post it before the deadline.I came to know about this from my dear friend rekha.

Ingredients:-

Rava / Semolina - 1 cup
Sugar - 1 cup
Ghee - 25 gms
Milk - 25 ml
Cardamom powder - a pinch
Cashew nuts - 10 whole nuts
Raisins - 10 nos
Grated fresh coconut - 25 gms

Method:-

1.Heat 2 tsp of ghee in a kadai, roast cashew nuts and raisins.
2.Roast the coconut. Keep aside.
3.Add the remaining ghee and roast the Rava till nice aroma starts coming.
4.In a bowl take all the roasted Rava, Nuts, Coconut and add the Cardamom powder.
5.Then add the sugar. Mix well.Then slowly add the warm milk into the bowl. Check if you are able to gather as balls. When you find that milk added is enough to get you laddos, transfer it back to the kadai and cook in sim for 2 mins. Mix well and then cover it and let it rest for 2 mins. Then immediately make balls or laddoos.

PS.I followed srivalli recipe.But when i started making the balls milk was not enough so i sprinkled 4-5 tbsp of hot milk and made the ladoos.

This laboo is my entry to indian-cooking-challenge