Bhutte ka Haalwa

Just as Gajar ka Halwa is the king of halwas in winter, Bhutte ka Halwa is the king of halwas in the rainy season.

Ingredeints

Fresh soft Bhutta dana         2 cups
Khoya                                       1 cup
Milk
Sugar
Cashew nuts
Almonds
Resins
Green Elaichi
Ghee

Preparation

• Grind the bhutta dana. Let the paste remain a little granular.
• Pour ghee in a Kadahi and stir fry (bhuno) the bhutta paste till it acquires a slightly yellowish tinge.
• Add Khoya and 1/4  cup of milk and mix till it becomes smooth.
•  Cook till the paste changes colour and become a little brownish.
• Add sugar and cook till the sugar melts
• Add dry fruits ( need not be chopped).
• Remove from fire.
• Add elaichi powder and mix.

Please adjust quantities to taste.

The halwa is ready to serve. It should preferably be eaten warm

Tori Ka Bhartha

Tori ka Bhartha is not a very common bhartha. But it is very tasty and simple to prepare. Ingredients are also very few.

Ingredients

Fresh green Toris        As required
Gralic                                Green chilies
Mustard oil                      Salt

Preparation

• Slit the toris 2-3 inches to allow air to escape while roasting
• Roast the toris directly on fire till the skin turns black and the toris become soft
• Remove the skin and wash the  toris  under running water to remove all the burnt skin
• Put the toris, garlic and green chilies ( both according to taste)  in a grinder and grind a little.
• Add salt and mustard oil according to taste.

The bhartha is ready. Allow it to cool to room temperature. Garnish and serve.

Goes very well with all main meals including Littis.

Baigan ka Kalaunji

Bharwa Baigan is called Baigan ka Kalunji in Bihar, just as   Karele ka Kalaunji, Parwal ka Kalunji etc. The kalunjis make make  good side dishes.

Ingredients

The quantities given below are for 250 gms of baigans.

Small baigans                 250 gms
Dhania powder               1 tea spoon
Red Chili powder           1/4 tea spoon
Haldi powder                  1/4 tea spoon
Amchur                             1/2 tea spoon
Garam masala                1/2 tea spoon
Panchphoren                  1/4 tea spoon
Salt
Cooking oil

Cooking

• Select tender preferably small size baigans.  
• Slit the baigan into four leaving the top joined together and keep aside.
• Heat about 1/2/to 1 table spoon oil – preferably mustard oil.
• Add all the  masalas except amchur and  panchphoren.
• Fry lightly and add two to three tea spoons of water so that the masala becomes like a paste.
• Add salt and amchur and fry some more till the masala becomes brown.
• Remove from fire and allow it to cool.
• Fill the masala between the slits of the baigan.
• Heat  1 table spoon of oil in a Karahi or flat thick bottom pan.
•  Add panchphiren and fry.
• When the panchohoren begins to crackle lower the baigans carefully into it one by one and cover with a lid.
• Cook on slow fire.
• Keep turning the baigans from time to time so that they do not burn.
• Remove from fire when the baigans  are cooked and become soft.

The Baigan ka Kalaunji is ready to be served.

Garnish and serve hot. It goes best with rice dishes and puris and parathas.

Gosht

Gosht or Mutton Curry is the most common and popular mutton preparation. It is prepared in numerous ways. The recipe which I am giving below is one of the most simple ones.

Ingredients

The ingredients given below are for half a Kilogram of mutton. The front leg portion  of the mutton is ideally suited for this preparation. 

Gosht  1/2 kg                                                   Onion  4-5 medium
Garlic-ginger Paste  2 tea spoon                Dhania powder  2 tea spoon
Haldi                            3/4 tea spoon             Red Chili powder  1/4 tea spoon
Garam Masala Powder 1/2 tea spoon       Whole Pepper corn    4-5
Jeera                                   1/4 tea spoon        Big Cardamom             2-3
Small cardamom            4-5                            Cloves                             4-5
Dalchini                              3    1/2 stick           Curd                             1/2 cup
Bay leaves                           2
Cooking oil                        2-3 table spoon

Preparation

• Wash and keep the mutton aside for about 10 minutes so that the water is drained out.
• Peel and chop the onions finely.
• Put a the pressure cooker on fire and put 2-3 spoons of oil,
• When the oil becomes hot add bay leaves, whole pepper, jeera, big cardamom. small cardamom, dalchini and cloves.
• When they start to crackle add chopped onions and fry till golden brown.
• Add red chili powder, haldi, dhania powder and ginger-garlic paste and fry.
• If the mixture appears too dry add one or two  tea spoons of water.
• When the oil starts separating from the masala add curd and fry a little.
• When the masala is done add mutton and and salt and fry on slow fire till the oil starts separating.
• Add two and half cups of water and pressure cook for about 10 minutes or so.
• Remove  from fire.
• When it cools down remove the pressure lid.
• Add garam masala powder and mix and give a boil.

The Gosht is ready .

Frying the masala and the mutton correctly is critical. Although any oil can be used, best results are obtained with ghee.

Garnish with chopped green dhania leaves and serve. It goes fabulously well with plain rice, pulao and rotis.

Chane ka Kabab

You can cheat your friends with Chane ka Kabab. It tastes just like mutton shami kabab. Vegetarians also can enjoy it without any qualms.

Ingredients

Soaked  Chana  2 cups                             Onions  2 medium
Garlic           4  cloves                                  Ginger      1/2 inch
Jeera             1 tea spoon                            Dhania powder    1 tea spoon
Red Chili powder      1/2 tea spoon         Black pepper   8-10 grains
Garam Masala whole    1 tea spoon         Resins
Pudina leaves                                                 Green chillis
Cooking Oil                                                     Salt

Please adjust the ingredients according to taste.  

Preparation

• Put the Chana, onions, ginger, garlic, jeera, Dhania powder, garam masala whole and  salt in a pressure cooker.
• Add 2 cups of water.
• Boil till the chana becomes soft.
• Remove from fire and allow it to cool.
• Open the lid and check water. If any water is left, put it on fire and dry the water.
• Cool the chana and grind it fine.
• Mix chopped green chillis and  pudina leaves.
• Take some dough and make round cups.
• Put one or two resins and make round balls.
• Flatten the balls and shallow fry on a tawa or frying pan on medium fire.

Make sure that the dough is not very hard. Otherwise the kababs will turn out hard. The finished kababs should be soft.

The kabas are ready. Garnish and serve. It goes fabulously well with dhania chutney or tomato ketchup. It can be eaten both as a snack or with rotis, puris and  parathas.

If you put more water and do not dry it after boiling, the broth  makes excellent and very healthy soup.

Makhane ka kheer

I had posted a recipe for Makhane ki Sabji which has been very popular. I am now writing about Makahne ka kheer. I am sure you will like this also.

Ingredients

Makhana         2 cups
Milk                 5 cups
Dry fruits         according to taste
Saffron             a few strands
Cardamoms    3-4
Sugar
Ghee or butter

Take good quality fluffy makhanas  for this dish.

Cooking

• Boil the milk till it thickens to half.  
• Fry the makhanas lightly in ghee or butter till they become crisp.
• Break or rather crush the makhanas into small pieces.
• Add makhanas to the milk and cook like any other kheer.
• Add sugar and crushed cardamom seeds and cook till the  sugar melts.
• Remove from fire.
• Add dry fruits and let the kheer cool to room temperature.
• Mix a few strands of saffron in two to three tea spoons of milk.
• Pour it into the kheer and mix.

The kheer is ready. Keep it in the fridge for about half an hour or so and let it cool.

Garnish with sliced dry fruits and a few strands of saffron and serve. It makes excellent dessert.

Chane ka Nimona

Nimona is a kind of curry generally prepared with green peas in Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh. Since green peas are available in winter – now they are available round the year – Nimona is  generally prepared in winter months and eaten with rice. However, I am giving a variation of it viz. Nimona made with black chana.

Ingredients

Bengal  Chana               2 cups
Badiayan                        2   large
Onions                            2 medium size
Tomatoes                        2 medium
Potato                             1 medium
Green chilies                   according ti taste
Dhania leaves
Ginger  Garlic paste      1 1/2 tea spoon
Turmeric powder           1/2 tea spoon
Dhania powder              1 tea spoon
Red chili powder            according to taste
Garam masala whole
Garam masala powder   1/2 tea spoon
Cooking oil
Salt

Preparation

• Soak chana overnight.
• Grind three fourths of the soaked chana coarsely, leaving one fourth whole.
• Slice the onions and tomatoes.
• Peel and cut the potatoes into medium size pieces.

Cooking

• Put oil in a deep frying pan or Kadahi.
• When the oil is heated fry the badiayan and the potato pieces separately. 
• Take out the Badiyan and potato pieces.
• Leave two to three table spoon of oil  in the pan.
• Add 1 inch stick of dalchini,  4-5  lawang , 2 Badi elaichai, 2-3 choti elaichi, a few grains of kali mirchi and  tej patta.
• Add sliced onions and fry till golden brown.
• Add turmeric powder, dhania powder, ginger garlic paste, red chili powder.
• Add one or  two spoon of water and fry the masalas.
• Add tomatoes and slit green chilies and cook till the tomatoes become soft.
• Add whole as well as ground chana and  potatoes.
• Add water and let it simmer on slow fire.
• Keep stirring till  chana and  potatoes are cooked. .
• Add the badiyans and cook till they  soften.
• Add chopped dhania leaves.
• Remove from fire.

The Nimona is ready.

  

Garnish with dhania leaves and sliced tomatoes and serve. Chane ka Nimina goes very well with both rice and rotis or parathas.

Malai Rasbhari

Malai rasbhari is perhaps the simplest and the easiest dessert  to prepare. Ingredients are also only  three – rasbhari, sugar and malai or cream. About half kilograms  of rasbhari would be adequate for 3-4 persons and sugar and cream according to taste.

Preparation

• Wash the rasbharis carefully and cut them into half.
• Cook the rasbharis on slow fire and keep stirring so that it does not stick to the pot.
• Cook till the water is almost dried.
• Add sugar and cook till the sugar dissolves and it gets jam like consistency.

Remove from fire and allow it to cool.  Add beaten cream and serve cold.

Beaten yoghurt may also be used in place of cream.

Ghiaye ka Kheer

Ghiaye ka kheer is one of the simplest and tastiest desserts to prepare.   Ingredients for this kheer are also few and easily available in every kitchen

Ingredients

Ghiya                           1 kg                        Milk    1 1/2 litre
Sugar                                                            Ghee
Green Cardamom     4-5                        Saffron
Cashew nuts                                               Almonds
Resins                          10-12

Method 

1. Peel and  grate   the ghiya. Take care not to leave the raw grated ghiya outside for long otherwise it will turn brown.
2. Slice almonds and cashew nuts.Keep some nuts whole for garnishing.
3. Fry grated ghiya lightly.
4. Add ghiya and boil the milk till it becomes thick.  You can also use Khoya to thicken the milk.
5. When done add sugar and boil till the sugar is dissolved.
6. Remove from fire  add dry fruits, cardamom seeds and saffron.
7. Allow it to cool to room temperature. Then put it in the fridge for an hour or so.           

The kheer is ready to serve.

Garnish with saffron strands and  almonds.  Serve cold.

Mixed Seasonal Pickle

This is a seasonal pickle using green vegetables generally grown in winter months. It takes three to four days to  mature  and lasts for up to a week or so. It is pungent in taste due to use of mustard seeds and  mustard oil. If kept for longer period, it becomes too sour.

Ingredients

The ingredients given below can be used for many combinations of vegetables such as carrots, cauliflower, turnips, potatoes, radishes, flat beans, cluster beans   etc.

Common ingredients

Ajawain                                 1/2 tea spoon                       Mangrail      1/2 tea spoon
Haldi                                      1/2 tea spoon                       Red chili powder  1/2 tea spoon
Mustard   seed powder    1 tea spoon                           Green chilies  4-5
Mustard Oil                          3-4  table spoon                 Salt

Please see Glossary of terms for English names.

The above ingredients would be adequate for 1/2 kg of vegetables. The quantity of the ingredients may vary according to taste.

 Vegetables

In the above photograph carrots,  cauliflower, turnips and  potatoes have been used.

Preparation

1. Boil, peel and cut the potatoes into 3/4 to 1 inch cubes.
2. Cut other vegetables also to  3/4 to 1 inch cubes.
3. Slit the green chilies to half the length.
4. Boil the vegetables till half cooked.
5. Remove from fire and drain the water.
6. Leave the vegetables to dry for 4-5 hours.
7. Add all the ingredients and green chilies
8. Add mustard seed  powder. Although black mustard seeds would be preferable, yellow mustard seeds can also be used.
9. Put them in a glass jar and keep in the sun for 3-4 days.
10. Shake the jar twice or thrice a day  so that all the ingredients get properly mixed with the vegetables.

This pickle goes with almost all Indian dishes.

Mixed Pickles