Pasta in Cashew-nut Sauce

This is one of my favourite pasta recipe.

200g. pasta(any type)
handful of cashenuts, broken
1/2 onion, cubed
few springs parsely
1 clove garlic (optional)
1 cup milk
boiled vegetables (carrots & green beans), optional
1 tbsp +1 tsp olive oil
black pepper to taste
1/4 tsp ajwain(carom seeds) or oregano
salt to taste

To boil Pasta:
Bring about 1 litre of water to boil. Add pasta, 1 tsp salt & 1 tsp olive oil to it.
Boil the pasta as per instructions on the packet. The pasta should not be over cooked, it spoils all the taste. So make sure you cook it upto the right point.
While the pasta boils you can prepare the sauce.

For Sauce
Grind together cashewnuts, onion, a little parsely, garlic with little milk into a thick paste.
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil & add this paste to it. Saute it for 2 min. & add milk. Mix well so that no lumps remain & simmer until thick. Add boiled vegeatbles.

When the pasta is ready drain the water & add the pasta to the nutty sauce. Add pepper & ajwain or oregano. Adjust salt & Mix well.

Serve warm with Garlic Bread.

Bajra Roti- Flat bread from millet flour

Bajra is one of the most important crops grown in Rajasthan. It is very high in protein. Bajra roti accompanied with raw onion & green chillies was considered as poor man's bread .

In recent times the popularity has grown to such an extent that you may find it in every Rajasthani high-profile wedding parties. Though its a comman man's bread & a very common dish for everyday lunch in Rajasthani homes, most of the people like us living outside crave for it. I always bring some bajra flour with me, I use it miserly so that from time to time we can have our traditional meal. Bajra Roti tastes best with local vegetable curries like cluster beans (gavar fali), kakaria or Tinda. Jaggery also tastes too good with ghee & bajra roti.

makes:4 rotis

2 cups bajra flour

wheat flour for dusting (optional)

1/4 cup ghee for brushing(optional)

Knead bajra flour with some water into a soft dough. Divide into 4 equal parts. Heat the tava(griddle).

Making Bajra Roti is an art. I am listing three different ways to roll the roti.Bajra roti is usually rolled to 1/4 inch thickness or more.

1. Traditionally its made by rotating in between wet palms. For this method you don't need wheat flour for dusting. But if you are new to it , you may find it dificult to make an even roti this way, it also tends to break easily.
2. Another easier way of rolling bajra roti is to place the dough ball in between two polythene sheets & roll gently with a rolling pin.
3. Though I can make any how I find the this method much easier for even round rotis : Make a soft ball out of one portion of the dough & flatten it a little. sprinkle a little wheat flour on a rolling board, place the dough on it & enlarge it by tapping & rotating it with your palm.

Put the rolled roti on hot tava & cook. When the lower part is cooked flip with the help of spatula(sometimes it may stick to the griddle) & cook the other side. Again loosen with the spatula & cook both the side on an open flame, holding the roti with the tongs. Hold it slightly above the flame so that you don't immediately burn it . Apply ghee generously by piercing the roti here & there with the spoon so that it absorbs the ghee properly.

gharkirasoi tip:

1. Bajra flour when kept for long especially in summer turns sour. It should be either ground freshly or stored in refridgirator.
2. The dough should be kneaded just before making roti. if making in large quantities then better to knead in small portions again & again. Dough turns sour very soon after kneading & the roti appears cracked.
3. Griddle should be sufficiently hot & roti should be cooked on high, low heat also causes it to break.

my entry for

Kashmiri Dum Alu

I used to make alu dum but I learnt this recipe all over again with a typical kashmiri flavour from a friend from Ladakh. She made it for us. Living abroad for several years & usually cooking with a subcouncious instinct for less oil, less chilli I actually forgot the real spicy flavours of India. She made it perfect, all flavours well blended yet each spice making one feel its individual existence. so here I share the recipe for this really really spicy dish with all of you.

8 baby potatoes

1/3 cup yogurt

3 cloves

3 green cardamoms

1 inch stick cinamon

1 bay leaf

2 tbsp oil

1 1/2 tsp red chilli powder

2 tsp fennel powder

1/2 tsp garam masala

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp roasted cumin powder

salt to taste

extra oil to deep fry

1. Boil the potatoes in salt water until half cooked.
2. cool & peel the potatoes. Prick here & there with a skewer or fork.
3. Heat oil for frying & fry the pricked potatoes until golden in color. Drain on an absorbant paper.
4. Take out the extra oil in another container leaving about 2 tbsp of oil in the pan.
5. Mix in red chilli powder & fennel powder in yogurt.
6. Add cumin seeds to moderately heated 2 tbsp of oil.
7. When they crackle Add whole spices like bay leaf, cloves, cardamom & cinamon.
8. when they change color & start releasing flavour add spiced yogurt & stir continuously until it starts boiling.
9. Add salt, Potatoes & garam masala & cook until the fat starts separaring. Switch of the gas. Garnish with cumin powder.
10. Serve hot with chapati or rice.

Inspired by: Nilza's cooking

Capsicum Toast

This recipe is probabaly one among my first experiments during my good old school days. I learnt about it from a friend of mine and wanted to try it. Though the recipe is very very simple, myself being a complete stranger in kitchen ended up with lumpy dough like uncooked white sauce. Well good old memories.

makes: 4 sandwiches
1 capsicum, any color (or a mix of green, yellow, bell pepper), diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 tomato sliced into rounds
2 tsp plain flour
1 cup milk
3 tbsp butter or olive oil (I prefer butter)
salt & pepper to taste
For Indian spicy taste you can also add 1 chopped green chilli

8 White or brown bread(for health counscious people) slices

1. Heat half of the butter, add diced capsicums & onion & saute them for 2 to three minutes so that they are slightly cooked but still crispy.Remove.
2. Heat remaining butter & saute the plain flour . You can see it foaming when done. It will again take 2 to 3 min.
3. Add milk little by little stirring continuously prefarably with a whisk, so that no lumps are formed. Cook until thick (spreadable on bread). Add seasoning & sauted vegetables. Mix well.
4. spread some of the white sauce mixture on a bread slice, place tomato slice on top & cover with other bread. If you want you can brush the outer parts of the bread with butter for a buttery toast. Repeat foe remaining breads.
5. Grill in a sandwich maker until brown. Serve warm with ketchup or any sauce of your choice.

Dal makhani

1 cup whole black urad dal

1/4 cup Rajma(kidney beans)

1 tbsp ginger, grated

2 tbsp minced garlic

1 green chilli,finely chopped

2 medium onion, finely chopped

3 medium tomatoes, finely chopped

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 bay leaf

1 tsp red chilli powder

2 tsp garam masala

100g. butter

salt to taste

1/4 cup Sour cream or fresh cream(optional)

1. Soak whole urad dal & kidney beans over night. Drain & Pressure cook for 3 whistles or until done with 5 cups of water, salt, ginger & 1 tsp garam masala.
2. Heat butter & add cumin seeds & bay leaf. When they crackle add chopped onions, minced garlic & chopped green chilli. Saute until the onions are slightly brown.
3. Add tomatoes, Red chilli powder & cook until the tomatoes are soft & mushy.
4. Beat the cooked dal & beans lightly & add to the gravy.
5. Adjust salt & desired consistency by adding some water if too thick & simmer for 10 min.
6. Add remaining garam masala, cream & simmer for another 2 minutes.
7. Serve hot.

Serves: 6

It tastes best with naan.

kheer- Rice porridge

1 litre milk

1/3 cup rice

1/3 cup sugar or more

few strands saffron

few cardamoms peeled & crushed

few almonds & pistachios, sliced

Bring the milk to a boil.

Add washed rice to it & gently stir.

Simmer until the rice is cooked & soft, stirring now & then in between to avoid sticking to the bottom. For a thicker & richer kheer its a good idea to overcook the rice.

Rub the saffron with 1 tsp of milk & add it to the kheer. Add sugar. Adjust sweetness to your taste and Simmer for another few minutes.

Garnished with sliced nuts & cardomom powder.

Serve warm or chilled as per your taste.

I personally like it chilled.

Kheer can be served just like that or popular accompaniments include poori or jalebi.

Left overs- Dried-Fried Rice

Its just another way of using the leftover rice other than making some sort of vegetable pulav the next morning.. My family enjoys it as an accompaniment to rice & dal in place of papad & its also great for appetizer bowls for any party.

To make this I just spread them evenly in a plate & place it under sun until dry (one or two days depending on weather conditions). You can store the dried rice in air-tight container for any period of time . When required fry them little by little in very hot oil. The fried rice will rise up in the oil when done. Drain immediately to prevent burning. Sprinkle with salt & red chilli powder immediately. Cool & store.

Puffed Rice Laddu

I never tried these laddus until recently my daughter saw a picture on net & started asking for it. First I tried Tarla Dalal's recipe which asked for the jaggery to be melted without water. It came out very tasty but I could not shape into laddus as it hardened very soon. The murmura (puffed rice) remained crisp & the whole thing tasted like a sweet mixture. May be I should have just spread the mixture into greased tray & cut into squares. But anyway I tried it with a few changes again & this time it came out perfectly. Though some how I liked the taste of the first one better as it was crispier & sweeter than the second one.

1 cup jaggery, grated or crushed

1 1/2 cup puffed rice or murmura

1/4 cup white til(sesame seeds)

1 cup water

few cardomoms peeled & crushed

ghee or oil for greasing

1. Roast Murmura & til separately in a hot pan for one or two min to remove any moisture.
2. Keep a greased Plate ready to place the laddus.
3. Melt jaggery with 1 cup water in a heavy bottomed pan over a medium flame. Keep stirring until it becomes very frothy. You can check if the jaggery has caramalised by dropping a drop into a glass of cold water. If it hardens that means its done. Its almost like 2 thread consistency. Even then if you are unsure check on a small portion of murmura, if you can form it into a ball then its done.
4. Add murmura, til & cardomom powder to the caramalised jaggery & stir in quickly. Grease your hands & take small portions & shape into laddus. You have shape the laddus while the mixture is still warm.

Poori

Poori is a fried Indian bread which is consumed all over India . It is popularily paired with chola(chick pea curry) & Alu ki sabji(potato cury) but it tastes good with any curry or pickle. Whenever I throw a party I prefer pooris or naan over chapati. Its because I can serve speedily hot-hot pooris for a big group. I am quite slow when it comes to rolling thin chapatis, it takes hours for me to make in large quantities. Poori though its fried its the perfect Indian bread for any gathering. Don't worry if you end up making more as it stays good for 3 to 4 days unrefridgirated. My husband doesn't know to cook & since we are pure vegetarians food is always a problem while travelling. And whenever he has to travel I pack around 50 pooris for him with mango or chilli pickles . Once I even tried refridgirating them for more than 20 days for my hubby when he was alone & we went for holidays to India. Beleive me they were good until I came back. Just make sure you cool them before storing. Tear the poori apart to find out whether its good or bad. If you see sticky threads while tearing it means its time to throw.

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp oil

oil to deep fry

Mix all the ingredients & knead into a tight dough using water. Here we have added sugar, as the carbon di oxide released while frying the pooris will make them puff up.

Allow the dough to rest for 10 min. Roll out small rounds using a little oil, make sure its not be rolled very thin.

Fry one by one in hot oil, lightly pressing with perforated spoon to make it puff.

For the pooris to puff up properly the dough should be tight, there should be enough oil for the poori to dip & the temperature should be sufficiently hot.