INDEX - click here!

01) A-1 Mutton frilly chops
02) Alu Ka Palda (Himachali)
03) Alu ko achar (Nepali)
04) Alu Ki Kheer
05) Anda ko achar (Nepali)
Memoirs - anecdotes from the past
06) Bhutwa (Nepali)
07) Biscuit Balls
08) Brain Masala
09) Carrot salad
10) Chara / Masu ko Tandruk (Nepali)
11) Chicken Butter Masala
12) Chocolate Crunchies
13) Chocolate - plain & with filling
14) Cocoa Peanut Balls
15) Corn Crumble Bake
16) Dal Dhokli (Gujarati)
17) Dhakni (Nepali)
18) Dieter's Delite
19) Doodh Poha
20) Egg Barra
21) Egg Halwa
22) Farsi Masu
23) Fish fry - dry masala
24) Floating Island Dessert
25) Gajar Ka halwa
26) Garam Masala
27) Gujarati Batata 'Pattice'
28) Gujarati Dal
29) Holi No Ladwo (Gujarati sweet)
30) Jeeru-Marri Fish
31) Kadhai matar - panir
32) Kadhai Murg
33) Kala chana with hing
34) Kala chana with onions
35) Kashmiri Alu Dum
36) Kashmiri Dry Mutton
37) Kathal Curry
38) Khada Masala meat
39) Kofta in dahi
40) Kofta - Naniji style
41) Lauki ka halwa
42) Lauki Ki Icecream
43) Madra (Himachali)
44) Makai -na-puda (chilla): corn pancakes
45)Makai - ni Khees ( Gujarati)
46) Makai Tareko (Nepali)
47) Malpoa
48) Manbhog (a Nepali sweet)*
48) Mango Puris
49) Marshmallow
50) Mawa stuffed Karela
51) Minty Mutton Rassawala
52) Moola ko achar (Nepali)
53) Mughlai Coconut Sauce/ Gravy
54) Mutton Curry (different style)
55) Mutton Korma Jhal Fareizee
56) Mutton Pickle
57) Mutton Potato Chops
58) Nepali Fish Masala (Nepali)
59) Nepali Pulao (Nepali)
60) Panir Makhani
61) Pantra / Patod (Gujarati)
62) Papaya platters
63) Papri ma meat
64) Parwal-ki-mithai
65) Parwal stuffed with keema
66) Patal Bhaji (marathi)
67) Prawn chops
68) Prawn curry
69) Punjabi / Feni ( Nepali)
70) Raspberry Walnut Slice
71) Rice Mi
72) Sabudana stuffed parathas
73) Sada Bhindi jhol
74) Sel Roti (Nepali)
75) Shan-e-murg (Naniji style)
76) Spring Onion sabji
77) Sweet Drumsticks (Gujarati)
78) Tamatar ko Achar (Nepali)
79) Thandai
80) Tori Meat
81) Undhiyun
82) Vegetable Gulaoti Kebab
83) Vegetable Pickle (Punjabi)

.,.

A - 1 Mutton frilly chops

Ingredients:

• mutton chops
• ginger paste
• garlic paste
• green chilly paste
• haldi
• salt
• eggs
• cornflour
• cooking oil

Method:
Apply adrak-lasun-green chillies masala, haldi and salt to mutton chops and marinate for atleast one hour. Then cook covered on slow fire in its own juice till meat is cooked and water dried up.
Prepare batter by lightly beating eggs with above masala and cornflour. Dip chops in this batter; deep fry till golden and servehot. Keep heat medium.

Alu Ka Palda (Himachali)

Ingredients:

• Really soft boiled potatoes-4 medium
• 2 cups dahi
• salt
• haldi
• mustard oil
• green chillies
• jeera seeds
• fresh jeera powder

Method:
Peel the boiled potatoes and when cold press between palms to break into uneven pieces OR cut into 6\8 long slices Beat dahi till smooth. Add salt and little haldi to give it a nice lemon colour and some crushed green chillies to taste. Mix the potatoes well. Heat little mustard oil and throw in some jeera. When they turn black give this tadka to the potatoes and mix it in well. Sprinkle little roasted and powdered jeera as a garnish before serving. Serve at room temp. Do not heat.

Alu ko achar (Nepali)

Ingredients:

• potatoes
• dry red chillies
• ginger
• timur
• haldi
• lime juice
• salt
• cooking oil ( preferably mustard oil)
• methi
• jhimmu
• green chillies

Method:
Boil potatoes and cut into wedges when cold. Roast some dry red chillies. Grind to a paste with ginger and timur. Add some haldi, warm water, salt, little mustard oil and lime juice to the potatoes (off the fire) and mix well. A few slices of potatoes may be coarsely mashed to make a thickish base. Combination of salt and lemon should be just right. To this add the ground paste and keep aside for sometime.

Heat oil and give tadka of either methi dana or jhimmu and slit green chillies. Mix well and serve. Do not heat - served at room temperature.

Alu Ki Kheer

Ingrdients:

• 1 kg full cream milk
• 1 large new potato
• 1 small new potato
• cinnamon
• bay leaves
• sugar
• almonds
• pista
• copra
• kishmish

Method:
Boil 1kg full cream milk with 2-1" pieces of cinnamon and 2 bay leaves. Grate 1 large NEW potato. Boil and mash\grate 1 small new potato. When the milk comes to a boil add the potatoes and continue cooking on slow heat, stirring constantly, till the milk thickens. Add sugar to taste and cook a further 10-15 mins. Chill. Remove the dalchini and bay leaf. Add some chopped badam-pista, copra, kishmish and decorate with the same before serving

Anda Ko achar (Nepali)

Ingredients:

• eggs
• curd
• cooking oil (preferably mustard oil)
• red chillies
• ginger
• timur
• haldi
• salt
• methi
• green chillies

Method:
Hard boil the eggs. Saute in oil till light golden. Cut into halves after they are cold. Roast some dry red chillies. Grind to a paste with ginger and timur. Beat up thick dahi with this ground masala paste, haldi and salt till smoth and grainless.
Arrange egg halves in a dish. Heat oil and give tadka of either methi dana or jhimmu and slit green chillies. Mix into the dahi. Pour dahi over the eggs. Do not heat - served at room temperature.

Memoirs - anecdotes from the past There was a slight drizzle and my better half - always better than me,(I admit!) thought of doing something better that lovely day.

So, what better than get a duck and cook it.

The boys were sent out to look for one. They found a sitting duck at a dhobi's , bought it and brought it home.

Ah! Just the thing!  So my better half squatted in his pajamas and started dressing (or rather undressing) the poor bird. By this time the drizzle had changed to a downpour, so my BH ( better half) took an umbrella and kept on at his good work. By this time everything had become so smelly and messy that my BH just gave up and gave away the duck and we went back to our "dal and bhaath"!

And "dhobi Ka duck na ghar Ka na ghat Ka"!

Surbhi Rana
Gurgaon / 31 August 2012

Bhutwa - (Nepali)

Ingredients ( Daddy style):

• mutton
• mustard oil
• methi seeds
• haldi
• salt
• ginger paste
• garlic paste
• dry red chillies
• dhaniya paste
• jeera paste
• onions (optional)
• garlic (optional)
• green chillies (optional)

Method:

Cut meat into medium size pieces. Heat mustard oil and add methi. When it turns dark brown add the meat, haldi and salt. Saute till the meat changes colour. Then add very little water and cook on pressure till meat is cooked. Dry up all water.

Move the meat to one side - and to the oil add paste of ginger, garlic, dry red chillies, dhaniya and jeera. Stir in the oil for 2-3 mins then mix it all up with the meat. Cook on slow fire stirring constantly for a further 5 - 10 mins till masala is cooked and meat well coated in masala.

Five mins before removing from fire - flakes of onion, and garlic, and slit green chillies may be added - but this is optional.

Can be served with rice or chewda!

Biscuit Balls

1 cup of any sweet biscuits, dry ground in mixie
1 cup dessicated coconut, roasted in a tspn of ghee/butter on very slow heat
1/2 cup of white til, dry roasted and dry ground in mixie
1 cup castor sugar
4 tspns melted ghee/butter
Mix all the ingredients and knead to a stiff dough using a littla milk Keep in fridge for 1/2-1 hour. Then make into pedas/balls, roll in dessicated coconut, and decorate with kaju/almond/cherry/tuttifruitti.
To get a chocolate flavour, use cocoa powder instead of til.

Brain Masala

Ingredients:

• 4 whole brains (goat's)
• 4 onions sliced lengthwise
• 2 tblespns of adrak-lasun-green chillies in equal proportion, ground coarsely together with salt
• Haldi
• salt to taste,
• Kashmiri \degi mirch powder
• 3\4 tblspn oil
• corriander leaves

Method

Soak brains in cold water for 1\2 hour, then remove gently as many veins and blood clots as possible. Between the 2 parts of the brain there is a small grain like growth which should also be removed. Now wash the brains very gently and cut into 6\8 pieces.

Gently apply the above masalas to the brains. Heat oil and fry onions to a golden colour and add the brains and cook on slow fire stirring very gently for 15-20 mins Take care not to break the brains. It is cooked when the brain is firm to the touch. Check for salt. Garnish with chopped corriander. Serve with chapatis \ nan.

..

Carrot Salad

Ingredients:

• Grated carrot
• chopped green chillies
• chopped hara dhania
• some raisins (kishmish )
• some chopped walnuts
• lime jice
• sugar
• salt

Method:

Just before serving toss together all the above. Garnish with sliced black grapes (optional).

Tip: When you make Carrot raita boil the grated carrots before adding to the dahi. Same can be done to make lauki raita.

Chara / Masu ko Tandruk (Nepali)

Ingredients:

• 1 Kg chicken - jointed OR 1 Kg mutton cut into largish pieces
• ginger
• garlic
• dry red chillies
• dhaniya
• jeera
• dalchini
• lavang
• small elaichi
• tej patta
• haldi
• salt
• 250 gms dahi
• 2 tblspns desi ghee
• onions
• cooking oil - preferably mustard oil

Method:

Marinate the meat in a paste of ginger, garlic, dry red chillies, dhaniya, jeera, dal chini, lavang, elaichi, tej patta, haldi, salt, dahi and desi ghee. Rub it all in well into the meat and keep aside for 1 hour or more.

Heat oil. Throw in about 4 sliced onions and fry till golden brown. Add the marinated meat and stir till meat changes colour. Lower heat and cook covered in it's own juice - no water to be added - till the liquid dries up and oil floats on top.

This dish can be made without the onions as well. Add the meat to the heated oil and proceed as above. Tandruk can be preserved in the fridge for upto 10 - 15 days.

Chicken Butter Masala

Ingredients:

• chicken
• curd
• ginger paste
• garlic paste
• garam masala
• salt
• chilly powder
• onions
• butter
• 3 large tomatoes
• 50 gms cream
• cochineal colour ( optional)
• chopped corriander leaves

Method:

Marinate one jointed chicken in a mixture of dahi, ginger - garlic paste, garam masala, salt and chillies powder and leave overnight. Next day either fry or roast in oven / tandoor.

Fry four chopped onions in butter till soft. Add chopped ginger, green chillies and 3 large chopped tomatoes. Saute for 5 mins. Add chicken and cook till butter floats on top. Lastly add 50 gms. cream and cochineal colour (optional). Garnish with chopped corriander leaves.

Chocolate Crunchies

Ingrdients:

• 2 tblspns melted butter or margarine
• 2 tblspns golden syrup / honey
• 4 tblspns milk powder (if not using milk powder use 3 tblspns cocoa powder)
• 1 tblspn cocoa powder
• 3 ozs. cornflakes
• 2 ozs. icing sugar
• 3 ozs. raisins (optional)
• rum essence (optional)

Method:

Mix and cream all ingredients except cornflakes. Then add cornflakes. Make little balls and chill on a tray / plate. Little paper cups may be used. Raisins and rum essence may be added for extra flavour.

Chocolates - plain & with filling

Ingredients:

• 4 oz unsalted butter / margarine
• 8 ozs. icing sugar
• 1 tblspns cocoa powder
• whole roasted nuts like almond, walnut, cashew
• caramalised peanuts
• essence
• colouring

Method 1: Melt the butter and add icing sugar and cocoa powder. Dip the roasted and caramalised nuts in it and cool till set.

Method 2: Melt the butter and add icing sugar and cocoa powder. Add essence and colouring to some icing sugar and form into balls and leave to set. Then dip these balls in the choco mixture. This can also be made into desirable shapes. Nuts can also be added into the balls as an option.

Method 3: Follow method 2 but add cocoa to the icing sugar instead of essence and colouring to make the balls for the filling.

Cocoa Peanut Balls

Ingrdients:

• Marie Biscuits
• Peanuts or almonds or walnuts
• Cocoa Powder
• Castor Sugar
• Rum (optional)
• Dessicated coconut
• Milk

Method:

Break up some Marie biscuit into bits. Add coarsely crushed roastedfried peanuts. Add cocoa powder-quantity depending on how dark you want the chocolate. Add castor sugar to taste. (Optional- little rum may be sprinkled). Sprinklle little milk-just enough to bind the above ingredients and form int 11\2" - 2" balls. Roll in dessicated coconut and refrigerate till firm
Roasted almonds or walnuts and be used instead of peanuts.

You can make this into a dessert thus
Line a flat dish with the mixture about 11\2" to 2" thick.Drizzle little rum over it(optional). Whip up some double cream with little castor sugar and vanilla essence and spread\pipe over it . Sprinkle dessicated coconut and decorate with cherries. Chill.

Corn Crumble Bake

Ingrdients:

• Corn
• Milk
• Salt
• Black Pepper
• Chopped Green Chillies
• Cheese
• Fresh Bread Crumbs
• Butter

Method:

Coarsely grind fresh tender corn(makai\bhutta) in a mixie. Cook in milk till soft and creamy. Add salt to taste, freshly & coarsely ground blck pepper, chopped green chillies. (If desired some grated cheese may also be added) Spread this mixture in a flat dish. Make some fresh bread into crumbs. Very lightly mix in some melted butter\ghee. and spread over the corn. Grill till golden brown and crisp. Serve hot.

Alternatively, instead of crumbs spread grated cheese on top and grill till the cheese melts. Serve the corn mixture can be used as a spread on fried or toasted bread as a snack or on salty biscuits attractively garnished with dot of tomato sauce\ bit of capsicum\ bit of green chilli or corriander.

Dal-dhokli (Gujarati)

Ingredients:

• wheat flour
• cooking oil
• haldi
• chilli powder
• dhaniya powder
• salt
• Gujarati dal ( recipe given separately in the blog)

Method:

Make a stiff dough as for poories with atta, little oil, haldi, chilli powder and salt. Roll out into thin chapatis and cut into squares. This is the 'dhokli'.

Make the Gujarati dal.When it is boiling put in the 'dhoklis' gradually stirring constantly so that the dhokli does not stick together. Keep adding water if the liquid becomes less. Boil the dal - dhokli for 20 mins. or so stirring from time to time to keep the dhokli from sticking to the bottom. Garnish with chopped coriander just before serving.

Serve with methia achhar, onion wedges and ghee.

Dhakni - Nepali sweet dish

Ingredients:

• 100 gms chewda/ poha
• 11/2 kg full cream milk (or more if required)
• 50-70 gms desi ghee
• sugar to taste
• raisins

Method:

Heat ghee and fry chewda in it on slow fire. Keep stirring it till it is crisp but still white. (should not change colour) Add the milk and cook stirring from time to time to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

When the milk reduces to half add sugar and continue cooking till the dhakani is semi solid in consistency - like thick rabri and creamy. Add the raisins.

Dieter's Delite

Here are a couple of recipes cooked without any oil/fat

1 Matar-panir/Alu-Matar
Blanche 2 med sized red ripe tomatoes. Remove skin and seeds and mash to a pulp
with the fingers. To it add 1 med onion chopped, 2 tspns adrak paste, 2 spns lasun p
aste, 1 tspn haldi pdr., 1 tspn degi mirch pdr.,plus 1 tspn hot chilli pdr(opt) ,pinch of
hing, pinch of sugar, salt to taste and mix it all up well. Add 250 grms peas and 1 cup
water. Cook on pressre for 2-3 mins or till peas are well cooked. Cut 75 grms panir
into cubes and add. Garnish with chopped corriander and serve with gheeless phul
kas.
To make matar-alu, Cut 1 med potato into cubes and cook along with the peas.

2 Parwal-alu

Blanche and remove skin and seeds from 2 med red ripe toma
toes and mash to a pulp with the fingers. To it add 2 tspns adra
k paste 2 tspns garlic paste, 1 tspn red chilli pdr., 1 tspn wet
ground chilli paste (opt), 2 tspns dhania pdr, 1 tspn jeera pdr 1 tspn
haldi pdr. salt to taste. Mix it all up well.
Peel 250 grms parwal and cut into long slices. Peel and cut 1 med po
tato into long slices. Add 1 cup water and pressure cook for 2-3 min
till vegs are tender. Serve with gheeless phulkas.

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Doodh - Poha

Doodh poha is eaten on Sharad Purnima in Gujarat.

Ingredients:

• poha
• milk
• sugar
• desi ghee

Method:

Soak pohe in water for half an hour. Drain and squueze out all the water. Add little desi ghee. Knead it till soft. Add castor sugar to taste and form into laddoos. This is eaten with cold milk. Add more sugar to milk if you wish.

Egg Barra

Ingredients:

• 3 tblspns chana dal
• 3 eggs
• ginger
• garlic
• green chillies
• coconut
• dhaniya seeds
• corriander leaves
• chopped onions

Method:
Soak dal for minimum 2 hours. Grind to a fine paste with ginger, garlic,green chillies, coconut and dhaniya seeds. Add corriander leaves and finely chopped onions and eggs to this paste and beat till light. Drop in small spoonfulls in hot oil and deep fry till golden brown. Serve with tomato sauce and favourite chutney.

Egg Halwa

Ingredients:

• 6 Eggs
• 12 heaped tspns sugar
• 100 gms desi ghee
• 1 1/2 tspns nutmeg + small elaichi powders
• Badam chopped
• Pista chopped
• Kismis
  

Method:

Mix the first three ingredients and put them in a pan together. Cook on slow heat stirring constantly. Small granules will form like motichur boondi. Take it off the fire. Do not overcook or it will change colour. Mix in nutmeg - cardamum powder and chopped nuts and kismis. Serve warm.

Farsi Masu - Nepali

Nepali dish: mutton cooked in tender pumpkin (kaddu)

Ingrdients:

• 1/2 kg mutton cut into 1" pieces
• 1/2 kg kaddu (use the small tender green streaked skin pumpkin)
• ginger
• garlic
• dry red chillies
• haldi
• salt to taste
• cooking oil (preferably mustard oil)
• ajwain
• green chillies
• corriander leaves

Method:

Grind ginger, garlic and dry red chillies together. Apply little masala with haldi and salt to meat and cook on slow fire in it's own juice till the liquid is agsorbed. Mutton is half cooked by this time.

Heat oil. Add some ajwain and then the pumpkin which has been very finely chopped. Add haldi, salt and the masala paste. Stir and cook for 5 minutes. Add the half cooked mutton and cook till all the liquid is absorbed and the mutton is well cooked. Keep stirring from time to time.

Just before removing from fire add a few slit whole green chillies and sprigs of corriander (not chopped - just the tender tops of corriander)

Fish fry - dry masala

Ingredients:

• fish slices - 500 gms
• copra (coconut) - grated
• lemon
• haldi
• salt
• 3 large onions - grate and squeeze out juice
• 25 gms ginger - chop fine
• 25 gms garlic - chop fine
• garam masala powder - 3 teaspoon
• chilli powder
• green chillies
• cooking oil
• chopped corriander

Method:

Marinate fish slices in lemon, haldi and salt. Then drain and deep fry to a golden brown. Then fry grated copra, grated onion, finely chopped ginger and finely chopped garlic separately to a golden colour. Mix the fried fish in all the above ingredients. In a pan arrange the fish slices with the masala. Sprinkle the onion juice and marinade over the fish - may need little water. Cover and cook on dum till the masala is moist. Should be cooked on very low heat. Suggested keep tawa under pan when on flame. Toss, sprinkle with hara dhaniya.

Floating Island

(Also called Snowball Dessert)

Ingredients:

• 500ml full cream milk
• eggs
• custard powder
• sugar
• vanilla essence
• raspberry jam (optional)

Method:

Whip 3 egg whites till very stiff ( to test whether they are done, turn the bowl over---they should not drop out). Scald 500ml. full cream milk Keep it just below boiling on simmer. Drop the egg white from a tblespn in rounds into the milk. They will bloat up - flip over immediately. Poach for a while more - and then lift out carefully with a slotted spoon\jhari and put them in the serving dish.

Make custard with the left over milk- more may be added - by beating in the egg yolks, custard powder sugar and vanilla essence. Cook over gentle heat till it thickens ( should coat the back of a spoon) Taste for sweetness.

Different ways of serving:
1. Pour the custard over the poached egg whites (meringues) dot with raspberry jam (or any other) Chill and serve
2. Before pouring the custard add some strained pineapple pieces or mixed fruit cocktail pieces over the egg whites then decorate with cherries. Chill well.
3. Flavour the custard with cocoa powder( rum can also be added) Then sprinkle some large pieces of walnuts over the snowballs. Pour the choco. custard over it. Decorate with cherries and halves of walnuts. Chill well
Can be made either in a flat bowl or individual cups\ glasses.

Gajar Ka Halwa - without milk

Ingredients:

• carrots
• sugar
• elaichi powder
• raisins
• chopped nuts
• ghee
• khoya

Method:

Grate carrots and cook in very little water till water dries up. Now add sugar - half in proportion to the carrots: eg: for every one cup grated carrot use 1/2 cup sugar.

Stir and cook till sugar dissolves and carrot becomes glassy and transluscent. Remove from fire. Add elaichi powder, raisins and chopped nuts and 2-3 teaspoons ghee for flavour. When cold add crushed khoya. Mix lightly and serve after heating it lightly. The khoya should not dissolve. Can be heated in microwave.

Garam Masala

Ingredients:

• 250 gms whole dhaniya
• 2 jaiphul (nutmeg)
• 20 gms dalchini ( cinnamon)
• 20 gms black pepper
• 20 gms star anise (badiyan - optional)
• 20 gm small elaichi (cardamum)
• 10 gms javatri (mace)
• 20 gms lavang (cloves)
• 20 gms jeera
• handful bay leaf (tez patta - optional)

Method:

Dry in sun or dry roast in kadhai putting dhaniya first and then other ingredients. Powder fine when cold. Store in air tight jar.

Gujarati Batata 'pattice'

Ingredients:

• Boiled potatoes
• salt
• corn flour or maida
• fresh coconut
• green chillies
• ginger
• hara dhaniya
• sugar
• kishmish
• salt
• For chutney: hara dhaniya, green chillies, adrak, green tomatoes/lime juice, salt, sugar

Method:

Mash well some boiled potatoes with salt. No pieces of potatoes should remain. Mix in some corn flour or some maida to bind it.

To make stuffing: Grate fresh coconut. Add chopped green chillies, chopped ginger, chopped hara dhaniya, sugar, kishmish and salt. The stuffing should be slightly sweetish.

Take a little potato and flatten it out on the palm of your hand. Oil your hands first so that the potato does not stick. Put some stuffing in the centre, close it. Roll it in your palm and flatten a little. Deep fry to a golden colour after rolling it in some cornflour. Serve with dhaniya chutney.

Chutney:Hara dhaniya, green chillies, adrak lasun (optional) and salt ground together with green unripe tomato. If green tomato not available squeeze in some lime juice. Sweeten it slightly with sugar if desired.

Gujarati Dal

Ingredients:

• arhar dal (toovar dal)
• hing
• sugar
• ginger
• green chillies
• tomatoes
• cooking oil
• rai seeds
• methi seeds
• dry red chillies
• haldi
• chilli powder
• salt
• corriander leaves

Method:

Boil the dal to a very soft consistency with hing and pinch of sugar. Grind ginger and green chillies to form a paste. Chop up a good amount of red tomatoes.

Heat oil. Put baghar (tadka) of rai, methi, hing and whole dry red chillies. Add the masala paste and tomatoes along with haldi, chilli powder, salt and sugar. Whisk the dal till it is very smooth - no grains should remain.Add this to the masala when it is well cooked. Add water to get desired consistency.Boil on low heat for 15-20 minutes. Check the sugar and salt. Add chopped corriander just before serving.

Variation: the taste can be changed by doing baghar differently.

1) baghar of rai, methi, hing, dry chillies whole, jeera and cloves. Add grated copra to the dal and boil.

2) Curry patta can be added in baghar.

3) Vegetables such as bhindi or karela can also be added.

Holi No Ladwo (Gujarati sweet))

Ingredients:

• Atta 1 kg.
• Sooji 300 grms
• Desi ghee 100 grms + 250 grms
• white til - 4 tablespoons
• one copra (dry coconut)
• 50 grms mungfali (peanuts)
• Khuskhus seeds 4 tblspns
• gur (Jaggery) 500 grms

Method:

Step 1: Mix the atta and sooji and rub in the ghee (100 gms), and make into a very stiff dough with a little warm water and keep aside ( in short the dough should be stiff enough to make "shakkarparas"). Roll out the dough into thick chapatis cut into squares and deep fry slowly till golden. Crush and when cold dry grind in mixie to resemble sooji or atta.

Step 2: Roast 4 tblspns white til (sesame seeds) and one copra - dry coconut cut into very thin 1\2" slices. Fry 50 grms mungfali (peanuts) to a golden colour. Khuskhus seeds 4 tblspns ( no need to roast or fry)

Step 3: Mix together Gur (Jaggery) 500 grms crushed\grated\broken up with 250 grms desi ghee. Mix together and beat till it is soft and creamy and no lumps remain. Alternatively the gur and ghee can be melted together till it is bubbly--cool

Step 4: Now mix all the ingredients of step 1, 2 and 3 and shape them into 3"\4" balls which is the traditional size but you can make them to any desirable size. Will keep well up to 6 mths if stored well or in the fridge, but to be eaten at room temperature.

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Jeeru Marri Fish

Ingredients:

• fish slices (pomfret, rohu, katla, mahaser - any)
• whole jeera
• whole pepper
• garlic
• green chillies
• salt
• haldi
• degi / kashmiri chilli powder

Method:

Coarsely powder whole jeera and pepper(will powder better if soaked for few hours). Add garlic, green chillies, chilli powder, salt and haldi and grind to a coarse paste. Apply to fish and keep aside for at least 1/2 hour or more.

Put oil in pan. Arrange fish side by side. Put pan on high heat - then cover and cook on low heat till fish is done. Do not use spoon to stir. Shake the pan occasionally. If you wish to have gravy- add water and boil till oil floats. Garnish with hara dhaniya.

Hint: Can also be cooked dry by cooking on low heat and covered but with water in the lid which will form steam and cook the fish. This may need little more oil than above.

Kadhai matar- panir

Ingredients:

• Peas
• hing
• jeera
• ginger
• green chillies
• tomatoes
• panir
• coriander leaves

Method:

Boil peas (1\2 kg) Heat oil in a kadhai (NOT iron kadhai) Add hing and jeera, and some adrak-green chillies coarsely ground. Stir and add fresh tomato puree of two large tomatoes obtained by blanching the tomatoes, removing skin and seeds and blending in mixie. Alternatively, ready tomato puree may be used about 2-3 tspns.. Stir. Add peas. Mix well and cook for 5 mins. Add panir (100 grms) cut into small cubes.

Mix well and serve garnished with chopped hara dhania and decorated with a tomato rose.

Kadhai Murg

Ingredients:

• chicken
• cooking oil
• onions
• jeera
• garlic
• ginger
• degi/ kashmiri mirch powder
• salt
• black pepper
• tomatoes
• jeera powder
• garam masala powder
• boiled egg (optional for garnishing)

Method:

Cut 1\2 kg chicken into pieces. Heat oil in a kadhai and fry 3 sliced onions till golden and crisp. Remove. In the same oil add 1 tspn jeera; then add sliced cloves of garlic ( 2 tblspns) and fry till golden. Then add jullienne cut ginger (2tblespns) and fry for a further 5 mins. Now add the chicken pieces and fried onions, degi\ kashmiri mirch powder, salt to taste. and freshly crushed blck pepper. Stir well and add one large tomato jullienne cut after removing seeds. Cook on medium heat, stirring from time to time till chicken is well done. Add some jeera powder and 2 tblspn garam masala powder

Mix well Will look attractive if served in a kadhai, garnished with chopped boiled egg. It's a dryish preparation.

Kala Chana with Hing

Soak chana overnite and pressure cook till soft.
Heat oil. Temper with rai, hing and curry leaves. Stir and add adrak-greenchilli paste, Dhania-jeera pdr in good amount, haldi, chilli pdr, little gur, and imli water, and salt to taste. Add the chanas, mix well and cook on slow heat for 5 mins, stirring. Mix in some chopped corriander.
Garnish with strips of adrak and green chillies and serve with green and gur-imli (sweet) chutneys.

Kala Chana with Onions

Soak chana overnite. Pressure cook till soft. Thickly slice same quantity of onions. Cut one fourth
quantity of boiled potatoes into cubes.
Heat oil, add onions, curry leaves, split green chillies, adrak-lasun-green chilli paste, haldi, chilli pdr.,salt to taste and a good amount of dhania-jeera pdr and mix well and cook till onions are soft. Add the chana and potatoesand mix well. Add chopped corriander leaves.
Serve with lemon slices, green and sweet(gur-imli) chutneys
t

Kashmiri Alu Dum

Ingredients:

• Even sized medium potatoes
• Cooking oil
• degi / kashmiri mirch powder
• haldi
• curd
• 2tspns saunf (roasted and powdered)
• 1 tspns jeera (roasted and powdered)
• 1/2 tspn saunth powder
• little garam masala
• salt to taste

Method:

Boil potatoes. Peel and prick them all over. Deep fry on slow fire till evenly browned. Remove and put them in water. This makes them spongy.

Heat oil. Turn off fire and quickly add degi / kashmiri chillies powder and haldi (taking care not to burn it)and immediately add water in which potatoes were soaked. When water boils, whip up the curd well and add to water, stirring at the same time to form grains. Add potatoes and cook till water becomes nearly half. Sprinkle saunf, jeera, saunth and garam masala powders. Add salt to taste. Mix well. Thickish gravy should remain.Serve with paratha, puri or nan.

Kashmiri Dry mutton

Ingredients:

• mutton 1 kg.
• milk 1\2 litre
• curds1\4 litre
• Sm elaichi 3-4
• ghee
• Lime juice 1 tblespn
• Few strands saffron
• Salt to taste

Method:
Cut mutton into 1" pieces. Cook all ingredients except saffron and lime juice till meat is tender and all liquid is absorbed. Now add enough ghee to fry the mutton well. Sprinkle kesar soaked in lime juice over the mutton. Serve hot with nan\paratha or as snack with drinks.

Kathal curry

Ingredients:

• 1/2 kg kathal, cut into medium sized cubes
• 2 large potatoes, cut into 4 pieces each
• 3 Red tomatoes. Blanche, remove skin and seed and mash
• Ginger garlic paste
• Dalchini
• lavang
• sm. elaichi
• big elaich seeds
• pinch hing
• Haldi
• kashmiri\degi mirch powder
• salt to taste
• Garam masala powder
• Oil
• 4 large onion
• coriander leaves

Method:

Heat oil in a kadhai and lightly fry the kathal and remove. Blanche the potaoes in boiling water, then fry lightly and remove. Slice one onion and fry to a golden colour with 1/2 tspn sugar and remove. In a pressure cooker boil v. little water with the whole spices and hing and 3 onions cut into semi-circular slices. Cook on pressure for 5 mins. Dry up the water Add the mashed tomatoes and adrak lasun paste and oil from the kadhai and fry till oil separates. Add the haldi and chilly powder. salt and garam masala powder and little water and fry again till oil separates.

Now add the fried kathal, potatoes and onions. Mix well and add sufficient hot water and pressure cook for 5-7 mins. Check whether vegs are well cooked. Remove to serving dish sprinkle some garam masala powder. Garnish with corriander. It should have a thick gravy Goes well with plain rice also.

Khada Masala meat

Ingredients:

• Boney meat cubes
• diced ginger
• whole garlic flakes
• sliced onions ( semi circular slices)
• whole dry red chillies
• little badi elaichi
• little small elaichi
• little lawang
• little dalchini
• dhania
• jeera
• whole black pepper
• haldi
• salt

Method:

Mix all ingredients well with oil. Keep aside for half an hour. Add hot water and pressure cook. The gravy should be like soup - shorba.

Serve hot with steamed rice.

...

...

Kofta in dahi

Ingredients:

• finely minced mutton
• cooking oil
• salt
• chilli powder
• curd
• elaichi (big and small)
• hing
• saunf
• garam masala (ready made or freshly ground)
• saunth( dry ginger powder)

Method:

Knead finely minced mutton with salt, chilli powder, powdered small elaichi and big elaichi. Form into balls (koftas). Beat up some dahi with chilli powder. Heat oil. Lower heat and add hing and then dahi stirring constantly. When it boils add koftas slowly. Cook till koftas are done.

Make garam masala with elaichi, lowang, dalchini, dhania, jeera, jaiphal and javitri. When the liquid is nearly dry and koftas are cooked - sprinkle the garam masala, saunth (dry ginger powder) and saunf.

Dry gravy to the consistency of liking. Eaten with rice.

Kofta - Naniji style

Ingredients:

• 250 gms finely minced mutton
• ginger
• garlic
• green chillies
• hara dhaniya
• methi leaves OR kasuri methi
• 1 large onion
• haldi
• salt
• cooking oil
• potato (optional)
• chilli powder (degi or kashmiri)
• garam masala

Method:

Mince onion finely. Squeeze out the juice and keep aside. Grind together equal proportions of ginger and garlic with green chillies (chillies to taste). Chop the hara dhaniya and methi leaves finely.

Mix the mince, ginger-garlic-chillies paste(3/4th of the entire amount), chopped hara dhaniya, chopped methi leaveshaldi, salt, one teaspoon oil and the minced onion ( leave the onion juice aside). Knead like atta for 5-7 minutes till you can form balls easily. Shape into koftas (balls) - makes about 30.

Heat oil - about 2 tablespoons in a wide bottomed pan. If you like - cut a potato or two into wedges and add to the oil. Saute for 2-3 minutes. Lower heat and add the koftas. Be careful the koftas are not overlapping. Increase heat and roll the pan from side to side till the koftas change colour. In the onion juice add a haldi, salt and chilli powder and the left over ground masala paste and water. Slowly add to the koftas and cook on low heat till potatoes are done and oil floats on top.

Add garam masala powder. Garnish with hara dhaniya. If you wish to serve koftas as snack - do not add water - cook dry. Do not stir with spoon. Roll pan from side to side till koftas are done.

Lauki ka halwa

Ingredients:

• lauki
• sugar
• elaichi powder
• raisins
• chopped nuts
• ghee
• rose essence
• khoya

Method:
Grate lauki and cook in very little water till water dries up. Now add sugar - half in proportion to the lauki: eg: for every one cup grated lauki use 1/2 cup sugar.

Stir and cook till sugar dissolves and lauki becomes glassy and transluscent. Remove from fire. Add elaichi powder, raisins, rose essence and chopped nuts and 2-3 teaspoons ghee for flavour. When cold add crushed khoya. Mix lightly and serve after heating it lightly. The khoya should not dissolve. Can be heated in microwave.

Lauki ki Icecream

Ingredients:

• One small lauki(500grms)
• 500 ml full cream milk
• sugar
• 500 ml cream
• elaichi powder
• rose essence
• almonds
• pista

Method:

Grate the lauki and put in boiling water. Cook till it changes colour i.e. becomes a dark green-- about 3-4 mins. Strainwell and blend to a smooth puree in a blender. Boil 500 ml full cream milk with sugar. Add the blended lauki and cook till it is slightly thick. Check for sugar then cool.
Beat 500 ml cream\malai till thick and fold it in well into the milk mixture. Add powdered cardamum powder 1-2 tspns, a few drops rose essence and some chopped badam-pista. Put in kulfi moulds and freeze OR put in a bowl and put in freezer. When nearly set beat with electric hand egg-beater (NOT in the mixie) till it is well blended Freeze and serve.

Madra (Himachali)

Ingredients:

• rajma/ chana - 2 cups
• cooking soda
• ghee
• elaichi
• full cream curd
• chilli powder
• cashew nuts
• salt to taste
• kishmish

Method:
This dish can be made with either rajma or kabuli chana. Soak2 cups rajma \ chana overnight with pinch soda. Next morning discard this water, add some fresh water and pressure cook till done. Only desi ghee should be used as this gives the main flavour to the dish. Heat 1\2 to 3\4 cups ghee to just below smoking point. Add 4 -6 small elaich pods crushed to bring out the flavour. Then add 1 1\2 cups well beaten full cream curd. Keep cooking and stirring till ghee separates Then add chilli powder and rajma with the water in which it was boiled. Keep cooking in medium heat till ghee floats Add salt to taste and some cashew nuts and kishmish. If you are using chana add little haldi also. Serve either with rice or chapatis

Makai-na-Puda(chilla)--Corn Pancakes

1 cup chana dal, soaked for a couple of hours, then ground very fine with minimum water in a mixie
1 cup coarsely ground fresh corn kernels(should be very tender)
Mix the two then add,
1/4 cup sooji
1/4 cup rice flour
1 tspn oil
2 tspns green chilli paste or to taste
1 tspn jeera
4 -5 tspns dahi
Some chopped hara dhania
Salt to taste

Mix all ingredients well and keep aside for atleast 1/2 hour. Before frying the pancakes check for consistencey--- it should be a thick but spreadable batter. Add water if needed.. Then mix in 1 med onion finely chopped. On a non-stick tawa put a few drops of oil and spread batter to make a 3" pancake ,1/4" thick. Cover and cook on slow heat. Sprinkle a few drops of oil on the pancake, , turnover and cook till golden brown on both sides.
Serve hot with green chutney/tomato sauce,
As a variation a vareity of vegs. ,preboiled, may be added to the batter, e.g. peas, carrots, cabbage, cauliflower all finely chopped. Tomatoes, capsicums should not be preboiled. Either one or mixed vegs. can be added
Another suggested flavour----omit jeera& onion, and add ajwain & finely chopped garlic.
In another variation,, if the batter is kept thick as for vadas. it can be deep fried as pakodas.

Makai -ni Khees (Gujarati)

Ingrdients:

• 12 tender corn cobs
• Ghee
• Cloves
• Cinnamon Sticks
• Full Cream Milk
• Ginger
• Green Chillies
• Grated Coconut
• Cinnamon powder
• Clove Powder
• Sugar
• Salt
• Lemon Juice
• Kishmish
• Hara Dhania

Method:

Grate and remove the kernels from the corn cob or coarsely grind in mixie. Heat 2 tblspn ghee and add 5-6 cloves and 3-4 1' pieces of cinnamon sticks. Then add the corn and fry till it is pink\gold in colour. Add 500-750ml full cream milk, 2 tspns of adrak-green chillies ground together, 1\2 fresh grated coconut, and 2 tblspns of cinnamon and cloves powdered together, and 1 tblspn of sugar. Cook till ghee seperates (more ghee may be added if necessary). Remove from fire. Add salt to taste and some lemon juice. Add some kishmish. Garnish with chopped hara dhania and fresh rated coconut. Serve hot. Can be made in oil but tastes best in ghee.

Makai Tareko (Nepali)

Ingredients:

• 4 very tender corn cobs-- remove the kernels
• 2 tblspns adrak-lasun paste (may use whole dry chillies in the paste)
• 1\2 tspn. methi seeds (fenugreek)
• 2 green chillies cut into slanting slices
• 2 tblspns mustard oil (preferably)
• Haldi
• salt to taste

Method:
Heat oil and throw in the methi. When it turns black add the corn kernels. Stir and when the corn is nearly cooked (barely 5 mins.) push it aside, and add the masala paste in the oil with haldi and salt. Stir it and then mix it up with corn. Cook a further 2-5 mins. Add the green chillies and serve. Good as a tea time snack.

Malpoa

Ingredients:

• wheat flour
• saunf
• sugar
• black pepper
• cooking oil

Method:

Make a thick pourable batter with atta and sugar, Add saunf and freshly crushed blck pepper Let it stand for 1\2 to 1 hour. Heat oil in a FLAT frying pan The oil should be just about 1\2 to 3\4 inch deep. Heat the oil and then lower the flame. Pour the batter in ladlefuls one at a time. The trick is to start pour in from about an inch above the oil and take the hand up to about 6 to 8 inches high. the poa will become round. Turn it once and take it out on a paper towel when it is nice and brown.

Best eaten hot but may be reheated in an oven-- NOT in microwave.

Manbhog (a Nepali sweet)

1 cup maida
or
1/2 cup maida and 1/2 cup besan
1 cup desi ghee
1 cup sugar
2 cups milk (full cream)
1 tspn cardamum powder
some sliced almonds/pista
little kesar dissolved in milk


Method:
Heat ghee in karai and fry the maida in slow heat till pink in color. Slowly add the milk and keep stirring and add sugar. Cook on slow heat, stirring till Manbhog leaves sides of karai. Add cardamum, nuts and kesar. Serve hot.
Note: this preparation is very much like the sooji-ka-halwa.

Mango Puris

Ingredients:

• 1 cup atta
• 1 cup sooji
• salt
• 4 tablespoons castor sugar
• white til
• mango pulp
• cooking oil

Method:
Rub in enough oil into atta and sooji to represent bread crumbs. Add a pinch of salt and 4 tblespns. castor sugar. Some white till (sesame ) seeds. Mix well and knead to a stiff dough with ripe mango pulp. Roll out into 2" puris and deep fry till golden brown.
Sprinkle some chat masala on the puris and serve as a tea-time snack, if preferred with green chutney. or khatta achaar. Can also be eaten with whipped dahi.

Marshmallow

Ingredients:

• 2 level tblspns gelatine
• 2 egg whites stiffly whipped
• 10 ozs. sugar
• 1 tblspn glucose
• essence
• colouring

Method:

Dissolve sugar in water and boil till a drop hardens in cold water. (To test - drop a little syrup in a saucer of water. If it does not spread, it is ready) Add glucose. Then gradually add the egg white and well dissolved gelatine. Continue beating this mixture to which desired colour and essence is added, till it is stiff. Turn out on a greased plate. Cut into pieces and when it sets well roll the pieces in a little icing sugar.

Mawa stuffed Karela

Ingredients:

Mawa (residue from malai after making ghee)
Karela, Kothmir, onion, adrak, green chillies, dhana-jeera powder, haldi, chilli powder, garam masala, little sugar, lime juice and salt to taste

Method:

Peel and roll Karela with your palm to loosen the seeds. Then boil in salted water till it changes color and is partially cooked. Cool. slit on one side and remove the seeds.
In the Mawa mix, kothmir, onion, adrak, green chillies all finely chopped. Add dhana-jeera powder, haldi, chilli powder, garam masala, little sugar, lime juice and salt to taste. Mix well addling a little of the karela seeds/pulp. Stuff this mixture into the karela.
Now prepare a thick paste/batter with atta and water and seal the slit side of the karelas with this, instead of using thread.
Heat oil and slip in the karelas, slit side downwards and fry till golden brown. Serve with parathas or puris. Since these karelas keep well for two/three days and taste good even cold they can be taken while travelling.

Minty Mutton Rassawala

(Naniji style)
Ingredients:

• 1\2 kg mutton with bones
  2 onions sliced semi circular wise
  2 tblespns of adrak-lasun-green chilli ground together in equal proportion
• salt
• Hand ful of mint leaves
• 2 tblespns of oil
• Haldi
• chopped corriander for garnish
• 2 whole potatoes may be added (optional)

Naniji sometimes also added brinjals cut into fours lengthwise just before it finished cooking. In this case potatoes may be avoided.

Method:
Heat oil. Saute onions till glassy. Add mutton and saute till it changes colour. Then add the potatoes, if used, the masala paste, haldi and salt. Mix well. Add water and cook on pressure. Just before it is ready add the brinjals, if used, and put on pressure for one more minute. Add the mint leaves and mix them in well. Garnish with chopped corriander. Should have a good amount of "rassa"\soup\shorba. Tastes well with rice or Satpadi Rotlis or thick chapatis

Moola ko achar (Nepali)

NOTE: Kakro ko achar (cucumber) can also be made in the same way.

Ingredients:

• Mooli/ cucumber
• dry red chillies
• ginger
• timur (schezuan pepper)
• haldi
• lime juice
• salt
• cooking oil ( preferably mustard oil)
• methi
• jhimmu (Nepali herb)
• green chillies
  
  Method:
  Cut mooli into cubes. Crush the cubes lightly. Roast some dry red chillies. Grind to a paste with ginger and timur. Apply haldi, lime juice, salt and ground paste to the mooli.
  
  Heat oil and give tadka of either methi dana or jhimmu and slit green chillies. Mix well and serve. Do not heat - served at room temperature.

NOTE: In Nepalese cooking - achars do not have preservatives like pickles. They are accompaniments to a main dish and cannot be preserved.

Mughlai Coconut Sauce/ Gravy

Ingredients:

• Coconut milk
• Ghee
• Onion
• Jeera
• Chilli Powder
• Garlic
• Salt
• Sugar
• Saffron

Method:

Extract thin and thick milk from one coconut OR use coconut milk in packet. Dice one small onion very fine and fry to an even light golden colour in ghee. Grind to a very fine paste 1\2 tspn jeera, 1 tspn chilli powder., 2-3 flakes garlic and add to the onion and fry well Add the thin milk and bring to a boil. Add thick milk just before removing from fire. Add salt to taste, pinch of sugar and some saffron. Serve with rice, pulao. khichrie.

Mutton Curry ( different style)

Ingredients:

• mutton
• onion
• ginger
• garlic
• methi (fenugreek)
• ajwain
• hing
• mustard oil (preferable)
• haldi
• chilly powder
• salt
• tomatoes

Method:

Grind onion, ginger and garlic. Powder a little roasted methi, ajwain and hing. Heat oil. Fry masala paste till brown. Add haldi, chillies powder and salt. Add mutton cubes. Fry till oil separates. Add chopped tomatoes and powdered masala. Mix well and pressure cook. Necessary amount of water may be added.

Mutton Korma Jhal Fareizee

Ingredients:

• 1/2 kg mutton
• 2 large onions
• 1" stick cinnamon
• 4 small elaichi
• 4 cloves
• bay leaf
• salt
• cochineal colour (optional)
• curd
• khoa / cream

Method:

Fry two large sliced onions with mutton pieces. Add cinnamon, small elaichi, cloves and bay leaf. Add salt to taste. Cook on slow heat till mutton is cooked. Add a little cochineal colour, hung curd whipped smooth and a little khoa or cream. Serve with nan or paratha.

Mutton Pickle

Ingredients:

• Mutton 1kg boneless cut in small pieces
• Onion 250 grms grind coarsely
• Garlic 250 grms " "
• Garam masala 3 tblspns( cloves, big elaichi, dalchini, black pepper, jeera roasted and powdered)
• Mustard oil 750ml
• vinegar
• chilli powder 3 tblespn
• salt

Method:
Apply half the ground masala to the meat with salt and leave aside for 1 hour. Pressure cook till half cooked. Heat oil, and fry the meat till brown. Remove. Then fry rest of the ground masala in the same oil till golden. Then add the meat and cook till oil floats on top. When cool, add the garam masala, chilli powder and vinegar. Taste for sourness and adjust quantity of vinegar. Bottle.

N.B. Sometimes I add 250grms of coarsely ground adrak also.

Mutton potato chops

Ingredients:

• mutton chops
• ginger paste
• garlic paste
• green chillies
• haldi
• salt
• cooking oil
• onions - sliced
• chilli powder
• vinegar
• sugar
• garam masala
• potatoes - boiled and mashed
• maida
• cornflour
• milk
• bread crumbs

Method:

Marinate meaty mutton chops in paste of adrak lasun, green chillies, haldi and salt for atleast one hour. Heat little oil. Fry sliced onions till golden. Add the chops with marinade, chilli powder, little vinegar, sugar and garam masala powder. Cook till water dries up and mutton is cooked well.

Prepare some mashed potatoes. Add little maida / cornflour to bind it. Cover chops when cold with this potato to resemble lollipops. Dip in maida, then milk and then fresh bread crumbs. Bread the chops and keep in fridge for sometime before frying. Deep fry till golden.

Serve with tomato sauce and green chutney.

Nepali Fish Masala

Ingredients:

• fish slices
• lemon juice
• Salt
• Haldi
• Ginger
• Garlic
• Red Chillies
• Dhaniya
• Jeera
• Cooking oil (mustard oil preferable)
• Green chillies

Method:
Marinate fish slices in lemon juice, salt and haldi for at least one hour. Remove from marinade and deep fry to a nice golden colour.
In the lemon juice marinade add pastes of adrak lasun, red chillies, dhaniya, jeera. Mix well. Remove excess oil from karai and fry this masala in the remaining oil, sprinkling little water from time to time, till masala is well cooked and oil separates. Now add the fried fish slices and coat them well with the masala. Little water may be sprinkled. Add some slit green chillies. Cover and cook on dum on slow fire till fish becomes little soft to touch.

Alternate method: Boil fish slices in very little water with haldi, lemon juice and salt.
Drain and separate bones from fish carefully, taking care to keep the slices as intact as possible. Now deep fry these pieces to a golden colour and till crisp. Use the same masala as above with lemon juice and proceed in same manner. Use any left over water from boiled fish to moisten the masala.

Nepali Pulao

Rich and heavy. Made generally in winter time.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups Basmati rice
• 750 gms. mutton
• ghee
• dalchini
• cloves
• small elaichi
• big elaichi
• sliced onions
• salt
• 250 gms ginger
• 200 gms flake of garlic
• cashewnuts (optional)
• almonds (optional)
• Bouquet garni: chopped ginger, chopped garlic, chopped onion, dhaniya seeds, jeera seeds, big elaichi, whole red dry chillies, dalchini, tej patta and cloves tied in a muslin cloth.

Method:

Soak rice for 1/2 an hour. Boil mutton with bouquet garni and salt. Strain, squeeze out all liquid from bouquet garni. Should make about 7 cups of stock. Separate meat from bones.

Heat ghee. Add dalchini, cloves, small and big elaichi. Then fry sliced onions till golden brown. Add soaked rice. Saute till it starts sticking. Add the stock - check for salt and cook till done.

In a separate frying pan, fry 2 sliced onions till brown. Cut 200 gms of ginger into thin round slices and fry till brown. Fry 200 gms of garlic flakes till brown. Fry the meat as well. Each item has to be fried separately. If desired also fry some cashewnuts and blanched sliced almonds.

Now gently mix all the fried ingredients into the rice and serve.

Panir Makhani

Ingredients:

• 100 gms butter
• ginger
• garlic
• green chillies
• 600 gms panir
• 500 gms tomato puree
• 200 gms cream
• corriander leaves
• salt to taste

Method:

Melt 100 gms butter. Add chopped ginger, garlic and green chillies. Add 600 gms panir cubes and saute, and then add 500 gms. tomato puree. Cook for 3-4 mins. Add 200 gms cream. Simmer for 2 mins. Garnish with chopped hara dhaniya. Add salt to taste.

Pantra / Patod (Gujarati)

(Colocasia or Arvi leaves Roll)
Ingrdients:

• Arvi leaves
• Besan
• Oil
• Ginger
• Green chillies
• Hing
• Powcered Cloves
• Haldi
• Chilli Powder
• Gur/ Jaggery
• Imli Paste
• Salt to taste
• Lime juice
• Mustard Seeds (optional)
• Sesame seeds (optional)
• Dry whole chillies (optional)

Method:
Make batter with besan to which add little oil, adrak-green chillies paste, hing, powdered cloves, haldi. chilli powder, little gur, imli paste, salt to taste. Beat well to make a batter which is neither too thin nor too thick. Keep aside for atleast 1/2 an hour.
Cut off stems from the leaves and wash them well. Keep away from you as they stain badly. Spread out and flatten them by running a rolling pin over them to break the veins. Lay the leaves with the dark side down. Now evenly spread the batter over it. If the leaves are big a couple will suffice other wise use more spreading batter over each leaf. The topmost leaf must have the batter on it. Now fold over from both sides and spread some more batter over it and roll it up into a tight roll. Steam it at pressure for 15 mins. When cold cut into fingerwide slices Best if cut after keeping it overnight in the fridge.

The slices may be deepfried after dippng in the same batter very lightly or use mix of water and cornflour OR it can be given a tadka of dry whole chillies, mustard seeds and sesame seeds. Squeeze some lime juice over them.

Variation: To the batter add lasun paste or dhania-jeera powder or whole dhania or ajwain

Papaya platters

Papaya is a very healthy fruit eaten either ripe or green. The grenn or raw fruit can be cooked like any lauki dish, but is also delicious served as an accompaniment or relish.

1, Peel ,remove seeds and pith and grate a raw papaya. Apply haldi, salt, hing powder. Add slivers of ginger and green chillies. Heat a little oil. Put a tadka of black rai, whole red dry chillies and curry patta and pour over the papaya. Mix well and serve.

2. Peel a papaya. Remove seeds and pith and cut into paper thin slices, 21\2 "-3" long. Apply haldi, salt lemon juice, and mustard paste ( optional), and keep aside for 1\2 hour or more Mix in some slivers of green chillies. Heat oil-preferably mustard- and give tadka of either meti dana or jimmu. Mix well and serve.

3. Peel and cut green papaya into 1" slices not too thin. Mix with haldi, salt lemon juice. Add clices of green chillies cut on a slant. Keep aside for some time. Roast some sesame seeds ( til seeds ) with dry red chillies. Grind to a paste with garlic, ginger and timur ( seschswan pepper ) Mix this paste nicely into the papaya. Heat oil- pref. mustard- and give tadka of methi dana or jimmu Mix well and serve.

4. Peel and cut a ripe papaya into 1" cubes. and semi mash. Add sugar to taste. Add sliced grapes, both green and black, some chopped walnuts. Mix well and fold in dairy cream or malai. Decorate with anardana, cherries etc. Serve cold.

Papri-ma-meat

Ingredients:

• 250 gms bony meat
• 500 gma papri (sem) – preferably the very small variety
• Ginger paste
• Garlic paste
• Green chilli paste
• Coriander leaves
• Fresh green garlic (optional)
• Salt
• Turmeric
• Ajvain
  
  Method:
  
  Apply masala paste, haldi, salt to meat and cook on slow fire in its own juice till dry and nearly done. Apply masala paste, etc to papri and keep aside.
  
  Heat oil. Throw in ajwain and then papri. Saute a little and then add meat. Cook covered on slow fire. Water can be put on the lid. Stir from time to time. When the papri is slightly soft toss instead of stirring so as not to break the papri. No water is to be added to the papri meat. Check to see if papri and meat are cooked. Chop coriander and green garlic (with leaves).Turn out on serving dish. Sprinkle plenty of chopped hara dhania and chopped green garlic
  
  Note: If fresh green garlic is not available – finely chopped dry garlic can be used.

Parwal-ki-Mithai

1/2 kg parwal
For the stuffing:
250 grms khoa
50 grms badam-pista -chironji together.(chop the badam & pista)
20 grms misri
1 tspn elaichi powder

300 grms sugar for the syrup
Few drops rose essence/gulabjal

Silver warq


Roll the parwal in the palm of the hand to loosen the seeds, and peel. Boil in water till cooked. Take care not to over cook.Drain well and when cool. slit from end to end and remove the seeds carefully.
Now prepare the sugar syrup to one thread consistency. Flavour with Rose essence/gulabjal. Add the parwal and cook till the parwal take on a glassy, shining look. Cool. This can be kept in the fridge till needed.
Prepare the stuffing by crumbling the khoa. Mix all the ingredients lightly.Shape like parwal.
Remove parwals from syrup and drain well, then stuff with this filling. Coover with warq on slit side. Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.

Parwal stuffed with keema

Ingredients:

• keema
• onions
• ginger - ground to a paste
• garlic - ground to a paste
• green chillies - ground to a paste
• garam masala powder
• tomatoes chopped
• chilli powder
• haldi
• salt
• vinegar
• sugar
• methi seeds
• cooking oil
• corriander leaves

Scrape parwal and peel in stripes. Keep whole. Boil some water with salt and put in the parwal. Cook for ten minutes or so till parwal changes colour. Drain and run under cold water. When cold - cut from one end and remove the seeds and pulp (making the parwal look like an empty barrel). Some of the tender seeds and pulp should be kept aside and added to the keema while it is cooking.

Stuffing:

Heat oil in karai. Throw in methi seeds and then keema, chopped onions, ginger-garlic - green chillies paste, garam masala powder, chilli powder, haldi, salt, little vinegar and pinch of sugar. Cook on slow fire stirring constantly till water dries up and keema is cooked.

When the stuffing is cold fill it into the parwal.Now heat oil in a pan. Add sliced onions and saute till translucent. Then add ginger garlic green chilli paste, haldi, chilli powder, salt, garam masala and little chopped tomato. Stir till oil separates. Then add some hot water and arrange parwal in the gravy. Spread any left over stuffing over the parwals and cook till parwals are well done. In pressure cooker it should take 2-3 mins. Garnish with chopped corriander leaves.

Patal Bhaji (Marathi)

Wash and chop up 6to8 arvi leaves. Add 2 handfuls (muthis) of preferably arhar or mung dal, little hing, crushed green chillies to taste, 2 tspns. of haldi pdr. and 2 tspns.of chilli pdr. Add just enough water to pressurs cook it really soft-about ten mins. on pressure. When really soft add 1 tblespn. of besan, little imli pulp and gur, salt to taste and mix it up well. ("ghuto it")with a mathani. Add bits of copra, kaju/mungfali and temper with either garlic or hing, rai and whole dry red chillies.
Serve with steamed rice.

Prawn chops

Ingredients:

• Prawn(small shrimp variety)
• jeera
• black pepper
• chopped tomatoes
• chopped onions
• haldi
• chilli powder
• salt
• little sugar
• vinegar
• maida (flour)
• mashed potatoes
• milk
• bread crumbs

Method:
Soak jeera and pepper for a few hours and grind to a paste.Heat oil add onions and saute till glassy. Add all other masalas and cook till tomatoes are soft and oil separates a little. Then add prawns and stir and cook on high heat for 5-7 minutes. Cook till no gravy is left. Add little vinegar. Stuff inside mashed potato patties - roll in maida. Then roll in milk follwed by crumbs and deep fry till golden.

NOTE: Same stuffing can be used instead of keema in stuffed parwals.

Prawn curry

Ingredients:

• Prawn
• jeera
• black pepper
• chopped tomatoes
• chopped onions
• curry patta (optional)
• haldi
• chilli powder
• salt
• sugar
• coconut milk (optional)
• coriander leaves

Method:

Soak jeera and pepper for a few hours and grind to a paste.Heat oil add onions and saute till glassy. Add all other masalas and cook till tomatoes are soft and oil separates a little. Then add prawns and stir and cook on high heat for 5-7 minutes. Just before removing from fire add coconut milk which is optional. Use curry patta if you are using coconut milk. Garnish with chopped hara dhaniya.

Punjabi / Feni (Nepali)

Ingrdients:

• 200 grams Ghee
• 500 grams Maida
• Rice flour
• Cornflour
• Castor Sugar

Method:

Rub in 200 grms ghee into 500 grms maida to resemble bread crumbs. Knead to a slightly stiff dough with cold water. There should be enough ghee in it to shine on the palms when you roll the dough in your hands. Divide the dough into 2-3 and roll out each into a 1\4' thick chapati
Beat rice flour with little corn flour and ghee together. Apply this mixture on the chapati and roll it up tightly. Cut int 1" thick slices. Cool in the fridge for 1\2 hour or so. This makes the rolling out easier. Now flatten each slice and roll into thin puris. Put 3-4 long cuts in the puri. Heat oil\ghee then lower heat and slowly fry the puris to a light pink colour Remove and immediately sprinkle castor sugar liberally on each puri\feni\punjabi. Can be stored for sometime

Raspberry Walnut Slice

Ingredients:

• 2 ozs margarine/ butter
• 2 ozs sugar
• 1 egg
• 3 ozs flour
• raspberry jam / strawberry jam
• 3 ozs castor sugar
• 2 ozs chopped walnuts

Method:

Cream together 2 ozs margarine / butter and 2 ozs sugar. Add the yolk of one egg and 3 ozs flour, making a stiff dough. Roll this out on a floured board to fit a greased 10" X 8" tray. Bake in hot oven for ten minutes.

Remove from oven and when slightly cool spread a thin layer of raspberry jam / strawberry jam. Whisk the egg white stiffly with 3 ozs castor sugar. Spread over the jam and top with 2 ozs. of chopped walnuts.

Bake in moderate oven for 15 mins. Serve when cold cut into slices / pieces.

Rice Mi

Cooke rice 1 large plateful
Mutton cut into small pieces and boiled 250 grms
Tomatoes 4-5
Ginger 1 1/2" piece
Garlic 1 pod
Onion 1 large
Dry red chillies 4-6
Green chillies 3-4
Curry leaves
Eggs 2
Vinegar 3 tblespns
Sugar 4 tspns
Salt
Cookong oil
Method
Grind Red chillies, ginger and garlic to a smooth paste. Slice tomatoes ,onions and green chillies.
Heat 1 tblespn oil in a karhai and add the onion, green chillies 2 sliced tomatoes, curry leaves and mutton and saute well. Remove and keep aside.
Heat little more oil ane fry the eggs stirring, to resemble scrambled egg. Add to the meat.
Heat 1 tblespn oil in karhai and fry the ground masala. Add the remainder of the tomatoes and mash well with the masala. When the gravy thickens add 1 tblespn vinegar and 2 tspn sugar and salt. Then add the meat and rice. Mix gently and cook on slow heat for a few mins.
Serve hot with sauce made from 2 tblespn of sugar dissolved in 2 tblespns of vinegar.

Sabudana stuffed Parathas

1 cup maida
1/2 cup atta
1 tblspn oil/ghee
salt to taste
Knead into dough as for parathas
STUFFING
1 cup sabudana(sago)--soak for 30 to 45 mins. Then drain well till almost dry.
1' piece adrak chopped fine
2-3 green chillies(or to taste) chopped fine
1/2 cup chopped hara dhania
1 tspn ajwain
2 tspn jeera powder
1 tspn lime juice
1 tspn sugar
Salt to taste
Mix all the above ingredients well. Roll out chapatis and putting some of the stuffing in the middle, fold from all sides and press to resemble a patty. Roll out again then fry on a tawa on med heat as for any stuffed paratha. Serve hot with green chutney/dahi/raita.
For the stuffing you can use any masala of your choice with the sabudana----will taste just as good.

Sada Bhindi Jhol

Ingredients:

• whole small bhindid slit
• some green chillies slit
• onion sliced in semi circles
• methi seeds
• lime juice
• haldi
• salt
• cooking oil
• ajinomoto (optional)

Method: Heat little oil in a pressure cooker. Add methi. Let it splutter till light brown. Add onion slices, haldi, salt and cook till onion is transparent. Add the bhindi and chillies, lime juice and water. Should be a little sour. Stir. Close cooker and remove from fire at the first whistle. Open when pressure is down. Add a little ajinomoto (optional but tastes good with it).

Sel Roti (Nepali Doughnut)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Basmati rice
• 1 tblspn ghee
• 1\4 cup sugar
• 2\3 cups water
• Ghee\oil for frying

Method:

Soak rice for at least 2 hours. Drain and dry grind fine in mixie. Rub in the sugar and ghee well and mix in the water to make a thick batter. Beat it well for 15 to 30 mins. Keep aside for at least 4 hours (May keep overnite in fridge) Heat oil\ghee in a flat frying pan. Lower heat. Make little circles with the batter straight into the oil and fry till brown, turning it once. Can be stored for sometime. Tastes well with alu-ko-achar or Masu Tandruk or meat bhutwa or any dry mutton praparation
Hint: to make the circles round put a katori upside down in the oil and pour the batter round it.

SHAN-E-MURG (Naniji Style)

Joint a chicken and marinate in adrak lasun paste and salt and haldi for atleast teo hours or overnite in fridge.
Heat ghee/oil or half- half .Put in the chicken and cook in its own juice on sliw heat till chicken is tender and all wate is dried up.
Heat more ghee/oil . Slice a good amount of onions lengthwise and fry to a dark brown color. put in the chicken and roll it in the onions and cook a little till the onions are soft.
In a mixie , powder coarsely a good amount of dalchini, bari elaichi, lavang, kala /shah jeera, little black pepper, and badiyan (star aniseed) which have been dry roasted.
Hard boil eggs and grate them.
Remove seed and juice from ripe red tomatoes and chop finely.
Sprinkle the powderd masala over the chicken and stir it in well.
To serve take out the chicken in a flat dish. Put some warq over it. Sprinkle the egg, tomatoes, kismis,and chopped kaju over the chicken and serve with nan/satpadi roti/tandoori roti.

-.-

Spring Onion Sabzi

Ingrdients:

• spring onions
• oil
• rai
• hing
• dry red chillies
• haldi
• salt
• ginger
• green chillies
• besan
• grated coconut

Method:

Chop up some spring onions including green leaves. Heat oil in karahi. Put baghar of rai, hing and Dry red chillies. Throw inthe onions and coarsely ground ginger-green chillies masalas, haldi, salt to taste. Saute till onions are soft-- about 5 mins.-- Sprinkle besan(good amount) on top and mix it up well Cook further 4-5 mins stirring constantly, Garnish with grated coconut.

Alternatively-- use jeera for baghar and masala of ginger-garlic- green chillies. Proceed in the same manner.

Sweet drumsticks (Gujarati)

Ingredients:

• drumsticks - 250 gms
• wheat flour
• haldi
• chilli powder
• hing powder
• cooking oil
• sugar
• ginger paste
• green chillies paste
• tomato
• coriander leaves

Method

Peel and cut drumsticks into 2 1/2 inch pieces. In a katori take about 3 tblspn atta. Add haldi chillies powder and hing powder (1 teaspoon) to it. Heat a little oil. Take it off the fire - when it is slightly cooler, add the above to it and stir quickly. Add about 2 1/2 - 3 katoris water and stir - no lumps should remain.

Put it back on fire. Add salt and sugar to taste, about 1 tablespoon adrak - green chillies paste, and one medium sized red tomato chopped. When it comes to a boil add the drumsticks and close the cooker. Put off heat when it comes to pressure and gives one whistle. Do not open immediately - let it cool down. Check whether drumsticks are cooked - otherwise boil a little more till the vegetable is well cooked but not broken. Garnish with chopped hara dhaniya.

Tamatar ko achar (Nepali)

Ingredients:

• tomatoes
• cooking oil (preferably mustard oil)
• red chillies
• ginger
• timur (schezuan pepper)
• haldi
• salt
• methi
• jhimmu (Nepali herb - optional)
• green chillies
  

Method:
Roast tomato over fire or in onen till skin turns black and water has dried up. Remove skin and wash up the pulp. Roast some dry red chillies. Grind to a paste with ginger, garlic and timur. The garlic flavour is quite prominent. Mix this paste with tomato pulp and blend well.
Heat oil and give tadka of either methi dana or jhimmu and slit green chillies. Mix into tomato mixture. Do not heat - served at room temperature.

NOTE: In Nepalese cooking - achars do not have preservatives like pickles. They are accompaniments to a main dish and cannot be preserved.

Thandai

Ingrients

• saunf,250grms
• 2 tblspns black pepper,
• 2 tblspns khuskhus,
• 50 gms badam
• 50 gms kaju
• kesar
• rose essence
• sugar,
• water
• milk(full Cream)
• some cream,
• coarsely powdered badam, kaju for garnish
  

Method

Dry grind saunf and blck pepper to fine powder and soek in water overnight. Next day wet grind with more water, strain and grind the remains again and repeat this process 3-4 times till the strained fluid comes out watery. Prepare chasni with sugar and water and add the saunf mixture to it. Now grind the nuts to a very fine paste. No grains should remain. Add to the above along with dissolved kesar and rose essence and chill. Mix with cold milk in individual glasses. Garnish with cream and nuts.

Tori Meat

Ingredients:

• 1 kg tori (ridge gourd)
• 1/2 kg mutton
• 2 large onions
• garlic
• ginger
• jeera
• black pepper
• green chillies
• haldi
• salt
• sugar

Method:

Scrape the gourd first to remove the thick skin and then wash and cut in to cubes. Grind ginger, garlic, jeera, black pepper and green chillies to a paste. Chop the onions.

Apply haldi and salt to mutton and cook on slow fire in it's own juice till it is dry. Heat oil. Saute onions till translucent. Add tori, above masala and pinch of sugar. Stir for 2-3 mins. Add meat and cook covered till meat is tender and all liquid dries up.

Note: If ridge gourd not available then plain gourd (gilki) or snake gourd can be used.

Undhiyun (Gujarati winter speciality)

Ingredients:

• Papri – preferably small variety
• Potato – cut in four cubes
• Yam – small piece cubed
• Sweet Potato – cut in cubes
• Peas – handful
• French beans – few cut into large bits
• Small round brinjals – slit into 4
• Ripe banana
• Cooking oil
• Ajwain
• Ginger
• Garlic
• Green Chillies
• Hara Dhaniya
• Coconut (optional)
• Salt
• Sugar
• Haldi
• For Muthia - besan, atta, methi leaves
• Garnish - corriander leaves and fresh green garlic
  
  Method:
  Papri is in major proportion. Keep whole – remove vein from sides. Make paste of adrak lasun and green chillies, hara dhaniya and coconut (dessicated coconut can be used), salt and pinch of sugar. Coconut is optional.
  
  Mix all the vegetables except brinjals and banana. Apply the masala paste, some ajwain, haldi, salt and oil in good amount. This can be done directly in the pan in which undhiyun is to be cooked. Cover pan tightly and place on fire. Lower the heat once the vegetables get heated up. Add muthia. Do not stir the vegetables but toss from time to time. Stuff the brinjals with the masala paste and add to the vegetables when they are half done.
  
  To make muthia: take besan, little atta (1/4 in proportion to the besan). Add oil and rub in to resemble bread crumbs. To this add some chopped methi leaves – kasuri dry methi may be used if fresh methi is not available – salt, ajwain, adrak green chiliies paste and pinch of sugar. Knead with very little water into tight dough. Then shape into either little balls or elongated shaped muthiyas. Deep fry in oil till brown in colour.
  
  When all the vegetables are cooked, cut the ripe banana into 1” slices with the skin and place on top of the vegetables about 5 minutes before removing pan from fire.
  
  Sprinkle some dhaniya-jeera powder and red chillies powder and toss (this is optional)
  Sprinkle plenty of chopped hara dhaniya and finely chopped hara lasun before serving.
  Some people like to pour oil – preferably ground nut or til oil – unheated individually on the vegetables. Serve with rotis – preferably ‘saat padi’.

Veg gulaoti kebab

Soak rajma overnite with soda. Next morning, drain the water and cook in pressure cooker till soft. Drain all the water.and mash well or puree in mixie. add boiled mashed potatoes, cream/malai, hung curd, finely chopped onions, green chillies. garlic, ginger, hara dhania (all finely chopped), garam masala pdr., red chilli pdr., amchur pdr., cornflour, salt to taste. Mix well,shape into tikkis and shallow fry on non-stick tawa with very little oil to a nice brown colour. Serve hot with mint chutney. ( All ingriedents are "andaze se")

Vegetable Pickle (Punjabi)

Punjabi gajar - gobi - shalgam achar

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 kg cauliflower if using just cauliflower

OR

• 1/2 kg carrot
• 1 kg cauliflower
• 1 kg shalgam

• 1/2 kg gur
• 1/2 kg sarson oil
• 1 cup vinegar
• chillies powder
• haldi powder
• 1/2 kg salt

Coarsely powder:

• 2 tblspns dalchini
• 2 teaspns cloves
• 8 tblspns rai (black)
• 8 tblspns pepper

Grind coarsely in vinegar:

• 125 gms garlic
• 125 gms ginger
• 125 gms onion

Put cauliflower florets / vegetables in boiling water for few minutes (blanche) then remove. Spread on cloth and dry well. Cook jaggery in 1 cup vinegar. Heat oil and fry ground masala. Remove from fire and add powdered masala and salt. Add jaggery mixture. When cool add the vegetables. Mix well and bottle. Ready to eat in 3-4 days time.

Cooking done with care is an act of love. Happy is said to be the family which can eat together. They are, for the time being, separate, from the world, and have a harmony of aspiration.

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