Carrot Rice Pudding/ Gajjar ki Phirni

 Carrot Rice Pudding/ Gajjar ki Phirni

Weekends are always the time to try out desserts. And I especially like to try out Indian sweet recipes in my kitchen. So today, I am trying a new recipe today, phirni with a twist. Adding carrots to the dish proved to be a good idea in this dish, so before the Indian carrot season (the one we make gajjar ka halwa with) was over I prepared Gajjar ki phirni....

 

 

Ingredients

2 Carrots

4 cups Milk-3 cups

½ cup Jaggery

½ cup Basmati rice

½ tsp Cardamom powder

6-8 Almonds

4-5 strands of saffron

Method

 

1. Start by soaking the basmati rice in the water for an hour. Strain the rice, and then grind the rice with this remaining water in a grinder until you have a fine paste.

2. Grate the carrots and keep aside.
3. Now in a saucepan, heat the milk and add the grated carrot and cook for ten minutes.

4. Add the rice paste and mix it with a whisk so as to ensure that no lumps remain.

5. Add the jaggery granules, and slow cook the mixture.
6. Keep stirring so it doesn’t burn at the bottom.

7. Now add the ground cardamom, and saffron to the thickened mixture.

8. Set the firni in terra-cotta or glass bowls and refrigerate, covered.

9. Garnish with crushed almonds and serve chilled.

Now enjoy a chilled bowl of phirni and give in to your sweet tooth cravings. This is just another a worthy treat, like creamy traditional pudding 'Phirni' loaded with the goodness of carrots. Welcome your weekends on a sweet note.

 

Easy Silky Eggless Mango Pudding

 

For Silky Mango Pudding

Stirred up a simple silky mango pudding before the mango season gets over. Only a few varieties of mangoes are available in the month of August.  And I had to make do with the green variety called Chausa  is Hindi. It's a dark green color skinned mango but very sweet and pulpy.

This was a  really smooth and soft mango pudding and is vegetarian with no eggs used. I used gelatin as a setting agent in the pudding. The original recipe uses gelatin. You can use agar  agar as an option too.

Note the ingredients for the silky Mango Pudding.

Ingredients 

2 cups mango puree
Half cup milk
2 tbsp sugar
Half cup fresh cream
1 sachet gelatin crystals

For Garnish
Few mango pieces
Cashew
Mint leaves 

 

Method

1. First wash the mangoes,  peel the two mangoes. Roughly chop them into pieces. Then add it to a mixer or blender jar. And blend to a fine pulp.

2. Dissolve one teaspoon of gelatin (or one sachet) to half a cup of milk. Make sure the milk is not cold.

3. Now take a pan and add the mango puree. Set the temperature on a low flame and keep stirring.

4. Then add 2 tablespoons sugar. Sugar can be added less or more depending on the sweetness of mangoes. Since the mangoes I used were very sweet, I added only 2 tablespoons of refined sugar.

5. Also add the cream and stir till it's all mixed well together

6. Add the milk and gelatin mixture and stir for 5 minutes till the mango puree thickens ( white sauce consistency)

7. Turn off the fire and let it sit for 5 minutes 

8. Grease the pudding bowls with some cooking oil.  Pour it into the dessert bowls and place it in the refrigerator to set for 4 - 5 hours.

9. When the pudding is set you can unmold it onto a dish. Garnish it with mango cubes, few cashew nuts and mint leaves.

10. Now it's time to enjoy your chilled silky mango pudding. 

 

 

Note

You can use agar agar as a thickening agent instead of gelatin.

Or try it with another fruit if you wish.

Peruvian Dish Rocoto Relleno/ Stuffed Bell Peppers

I simply love my gang of lovely ladies of the Wild Asparagus Table who keep us updated with cuisines from around the world.
This time we were visiting Peru and trying  out Peruvian dishes in our virtual  potluck monthy meet.

Rocoto Relleno is the dish I am trying  for the first time. Even though it was time consuming and had various cooking procedures the end result was fabulous and worth all the efforts.

In Peru, this recipe is made with rocotos, but they are difficult to find in the India so Red bell peppers work well as a substitute. I added bit more spices to even out the sweetness of the raisins. And you can substitute chicken mince for beef in this Rocoto Relleno recipe 

Ingredients

1 onion (chopped)
1/2 cup raisins
1 tsp garlic paste
3 large bell pepperd
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 tablespoon paprika
1 large tomato
1 tbsp chilly sauce
1/2 kg  beef mince
1 hard-boiled egg (coarsely chopped)
1 cup grated cheese
1 tsp chilly powder
1/2 cup boiled green peas
Salt and pepper to taste
1 sprig of parsley

Method

1 Sauté the chopped onions and garlic, and peppers in the olive oil until  they turn soft and translucent.

2. Add hot water to the raisins and let  the raisins swell up and become  plump.

3. Add the cumin powder, chilly powder and stir for 2 minutes more.

4. Add the beef mince and cook until browned. Add one  cup broth or water for cooking at this stage.

5. While the beef is cooking, boil water in another vessel. Slice the tops off of the bell pepper and keep aside. Clean the inside of the peppers, removing the seeds and veins. Now add to boiling water and keep for ten minutes. Drain the bellpeppers and dry with paper towels.

6. Add the chilly sauce and chopped tomato and cook till the beef is cooked.

7. Drain the raisins and add them to the beef. Let it simmer.for 5 minutes until most of the liquid is gone.

8. Stir in the chopped hard-boiled egg and boiled green peas and season it  with salt and pepper to taste.

9.  Lastly add the cheese to the beef mixture.

10. Now fill  each pepper with some of the beef mixtures. And top it with the bellpepper

11. Place the peppers on a baking tray and bake the peppers for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the cheese melts and peppers get tad bit softer.
You can even pan sear the peppers on all sides in a frying  pan with a closed lid.

This was my version of Rocoto Relleno. Bon Appetit!!

Makai no Dano or Makai no Chevdo Recipe

Makai no Dano or Makai no Chevdo Recipe

This recipe of Makai no Dano or Makai no Chevdo is a recipe I discovered while chatting  about food and what to cook with my co sister Ms Meena Parikh. She is a member of my extended  Gujarati family as my daughter is married into that household. 

This is Gujarati snack  or dish made for a meal too. It is made from desi corn or white corn as I was told. This specific recipe is from south Gujarat from the  Panch Mahal Jilah.  However now sweet corn is the best available option. In some part of Gujarat, it is known as Makai khichdi.

The taste of makai no dano is a perfect blend of spiciness and   sweetness.  The heat  comes from ground garam masala ( cloves, peppercorns and cinnamon) and green chilies. The sweetness comes from the corn and added sugar that Gujaratis love to add to any dish they cook. 

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Serves: 2

Ingredients

1 cup sweet corn

1 tsp ghee

1 cup milk

2 tbsp fresh cream 

1 piece grated ginger

2 finely chopped green chillies

1 tsp sugar

Few cloves, peppercorns and one cinnamon stick(grind to a powder)

5 sprigs of coriander leaves

Salt to taste 

Method

1. Roughly grind the sweet corn in a mixer grinder jar.

2.  Heat the ghee in a non-stick pan.

3. Add the ginger paste and chillies to the pan. Saute for a minute.

4. Add the Corn  paste  to the pan now and mix it well.

5. Slow cook for 2 minutes stirring occasionally. You can cover pan and cook to avoid a splatter.

6. Now add one cup milk and cook further for 5 minutes.

7. Add salt, sugar, ground garam masala, and mix it well. Cover the pan and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in between to prevent sticking.

8. Lastly keep the frame on low and add the fresh cream. Switch off the gas.

9. Uncover the lid and add chopped coriander leaves at the end.

10. Now serve it like a snack or baste. Or at mealtime with roti.

Enjoy the Makai no Dano while it hot. Trust me if you cook it once, you will get so addicted to the taste that it will remain on your family menu forever.

Yummy Bread Upma for Breakfast.

Hello friends,

Hope you all are all set to enjoy your Sunday with good food just like me. However a  few days back, I decided to cut down refined flour and sweets, while trying to eat light and healthy. And I am happy to announce that it is working out well with me.
But today being Sunday, it's cheat day. And on cheat day you can indulge a wee bit. Isnt it?
When my cook Sujata came home this morning and saw the untouched loaf of bread, she said “Didi today I will make something different for you.”

 She took out loaf of bread from the fridge and powdered it in the food processor, mixed in a few basic spices  and voila, a delicious Bread Upma was  served up for tea time. The secret of a good recipe is less ingredients. It truly enhances taste and brings out flavours of main component used to prepare the dish.

Ingredients

1 medium size onion
6-7 slices of bread
2 green chillies
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
Juice of one lime
Salt to taste
Chopped corriander leaves
1 tbsp oil
Pinch of sugar

Method 

1. Chop up the onion, green chilly and corriander leaves.

2.Whiz up the bread in a mixer to a fine powder likes consistency.

3. Take a kadai or non stick pan, heat oil. Add the mustard seeds and let them crackle.

4. Add the cumin seeds, onions and green chilly and cook until onions are transparent.

5. Add  the bread mixture and mix well.

6. Now add salt to taste, pinch of sugar, corriander leaves and lemon juice.

7. Serve hot with tea or coffee.

Options

You can add green peas or carrots to the onion frying stage to enhance nutrient value to the dish.

Maharashtrian style stuffed brinjal masala

Hello Friends,

I want to narrate an incident before I start the recipe of the day. This is when l was newly married. I still remember the episode while I was buying brinjals at a vegetable market in Worli. The vegetable vendor asked me how I was going to prepare it. Baingan ka Bharta is what I replied. It's easy to prepare and turns out delicious, I added.
 She then shared a typical Maharastrian stuffed Brinjal recipe with coconut and peanuts.  She even shared a recipe to stuff dry masala in brinjals and cook it quickly without much fuss.

Previously I have shared a baingan bharta recipe with you. Today I am attempting to make the same stuffed version with peanuts and other spices. So let's get Cooking with Sweetannu.

 

Ingredients 


250 gms small brinjals 
3 tbsp oil 


For Masala Stuffing 

1 chopped onion 
2 tbsp peanut powder 
2 tbsp grated coconut
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp corriander powder
Juice of one lime
1 tsp sugar or jaggery
1 tap ginger garlic paste
Corriander leaves for garnish
Salt to taste

Method


 -->Wash and cut the brinjal as shown in picture, ready for stuffing. 


Preparing Stuffing

-->Take a pan, add one tbsp oil. Add onions and saute till translucent.

--> Add Peanuts to it. Dry Roast until they are nicely done.

--> Now add the grated coconut and ginger garlic paste to this and roast till it changes colour. 

--> Remove this mix in a plate.

--> To this mixture add dry spices, lime, salt and sugar. 

--> Stuff the slit brinjals with this mixture. 

--> In the pan now add 2 tbsp oil, place the brinjals in it.

--> Cover and cook the dish on low flame.

--> You can add half a cup of water if you feel the brinjals are sticking to the pan.

--> Let the water dry completely.

 Garnish with corriander and serve it with  it on the side with simple daal, rice and sliced tomatoes. 😋😋😋

Chicken Paratha

Hello friends,

This was a recipe which was created for  Sweetannu Snippets, but for some reason couldn't publish. So here is the yummy easy recipe. Every person can make this, even if you  cannot roll out round  chappatis, I will share some tricks to acheive it.

So here is the Chicken Parathas Recipe

Ingredients

For the chicken paratha filling:

• 1 cup shredded Chicken
•  1 tsp Ginger Garlic paste 
• 1 tsp Chilli Powder 
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
• 1 tsp Garam Masala Powder 
•  Salt to taste
• 1 finely chopped green chilly
• 1 tsp chaat masala  
• 2 tbsp chopped Corriander leaves

For the Dough:

•  1 cup Wheat Flour 
•  2 tsp Oil 
• Salt to taste 
• Water –  for kneading

Method

 1. Knead the dough using the flour, oil, salt and warm water. The dough should be soft. Divide dough into eight equal parts. Roll lightly with your palm to form spherical shape and keep aside.

2. For the filling, heat oil in a kadai. Add ginger garlic paste, chopped green chilies and chicken

3. Now add the chilli Powder, turmeric powder and garam masala powder and mix well.

4. Add a little water, cover and cook till its dry. Now add chaat masala once gas is switched off. Keep this filling ready as you need it now.

5. Take one dough ball  and roll it using rolling pin till you get a circular shape. If it is not circular, use a plate, place on the roti and cut around it. Make two rotis and keep aside.

6. Take one of the rolled circles on a flat surface. Place a portion of the filling and spread evenly.

7. Cover with the other rolled dough circle and seal the edges gently.

8. Heat frying pan, place the chicken paratha on the pan. Cook the paratha on a low flame till both sides are cooked adding a little oil for frying.
Repeat the process with the remaining dough and filling.

9. Once cooked on both sides, cut it into wedges and serve hot- plain or with tomato sauce, chutney or curd.  Repeat the process with the remaining dough and filling.

PANEER TAWA FRY

Another very simple stir fry  paneer recipe is what I tried the other day. For a vegetarian a good source of protien is Paneer. In north India if a vegetarian person comes for dinner then paneer dish is a must in the menu. I like in many dishes like paneer-matar, Palak-panner but this Paneer tava is so quick to prepare, very healthy and yummy.

Check out the ingredients and recipe below.

Delicious Meal time 

 

Ingredients

•  500 gms cubed paneer/cottage cheese  pieces
• 2 onions
• 2 green bell peppers
• 1 tbsp ginger 
• 1 tbsp  garlic
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1tsp turmeric powder
• 2 tomatoes ( chopped)
• 1 tbsp ketchup
• salt (taste)
• 2 tbsp curd
• 1 tbsp cream or fresh malai
• 2 tbsp Oil

Method

 

1. Cut the paneer in 1 inch cubes.

2. Chop the onions, bell peppers, tomatoes in rough pieces.
3. Now in a large bowl combine the curd, cream, masalas, salt, ginger garlic, ketchup and give it a good whisk.
4. Add the chopped vegetables and mix. Now add paneer to the mixture.

5. Keep the marinate for at least half an hour in fridge.
 
6 Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the paneer batter and cook. You will notice that it gets watery.
 
7. It is fine, constantly stir and let the water evaporate.

8. Now add this to a tandoor or grill and further grill for 3-5 minutes for the smokey effect.

9. Enjoy it plain or with salad and roti.

Variation 

 

You can also make a good Paneer  frankie with this mixture adding chat masala and raw onions.