Christmas Mawa Gujiyas

Growing up in Delhi, we would go over to Appa’s friend’s home on Christmas. I remember the lunch spread being extensive and delicious. But what I most looked forward to were the desserts. They would have the usual suspects of course – Plum cake, Christmas cake, cookies, rum cake, and candies and then there was Gujiya. In our family we made gujiyas during Holi but at uncle’s home it was their tradition to have gujiyas at Christmas. It has been many years since I attended a Christmas lunch at uncle and aunty’s place but those memories still linger on in my heart. N this Christmas as a tribute to them and the fun we had I share the recipe for ‘Mawa Gujiyas’ with you and hope you all have a wonderful & blessed Holiday Season 🙂

Mawa Gujiyas

Ingredients for the filling

400 gms – Mawa (khoya)
100 gm – Semolina
2 Tbsp – Ghee (melted)
400 gms – Powdered white sugar
100 gms chopped – Cashews
50 gms chopped – Raisins
2 tsp – Green cardamom powder
100 gms – Coconut (frozen or dry and grated)

Ingredients for Gujiya shell

500 gms – All purpose flour
50 gms – Milk
125 gms melted – Ghee
A pinch of salt

Ghee for frying gujiyas

Method

1. In a heavy bottom pan add a tsp of ghee and add the dry fruits and fry till light brown in color.
2. Take out of the pan and keep aside on paper towel to drain excess ghee
3. Add the rest of the ghee and then add the semolina to it and roast till light brown in color. Remove from pan and cool on a plate
4. Mix the dry fruits, mawa, sugar, semolina, coconut, green cardamom powder together in a bowl and keep aside the cotton
5. Sieve the flour with the salt into a large bowl
6. Add the ghee and rub together with the flour to form a crumbly mixture
7. Now add the milk and mix and then add slightly warm water to form a tight dough
8. Dampen a cotton cloth and cover the dough and let it rest for an hour
9. Remove the cloth and then knead the dough once again to make it soft and pliable
10. Make small roundels of the dough and make sure to cover the roundels with a damp cloth
11. Take a roundel and roll it out with a rolling pin to a small poori (approx 4 inches in diameter)
12. Place the flattened dough into the gujiya mould and put a tablespoon of mixture. dampen one end of the dough poori and close the mould to seal the gujiya
13. Open the mould and place the gujiya onto a plate
14. Make the rest of the gujiyas and place on the plate
15. Heat ghee in a heavy bottomed pan and once hot add a few gujiyas and fry till light brown
16. Remove and drain onto a paper towel and cool for 10 mins and serve to family & friends

TIPS :

1. If you don’t have a gujiya mould you can place the flattened dough onto your hand and add the mixture and then once you seal the gujiya, you can pinch the edges with your fingers
2. You can choose to add yogurt to the dough mixture instead of milk
3. You can also add saffron to the gujiya mixture

‘ Mixed Vegetable Parathas’ A.K.A. ‘ Mixed Vegetable stuffed Indian Bread’

Growing up in Delhi I was exposed to Punjabi cuisine from a young age. I loved almost everything that I tasted but one of my faves was Paratha. My darling Amma and Nani made the most delicious parathas and come winter we would have parathas for dinner at least once a week :-). Even though I liked parathas I didn’t make them for the longest time as thought that there was too much work involved in making a paratha. I would instead buy the frozen ones n yet the yearning to have a homemade paratha remained in my heart. Then when I met my dear hubby and came to know his fondness for parathas, I decided to try my hand at making parathas. I started with the simple parathas and then slowly started making variations to my parathas. This particular paratha came about as I was cleaning my freezer and came across a bag of frozen mixed vegetables. As didn’t want to make the usual stuff with a mixed vegetable base , I decided to make a dry subzi and then stuff it and try to make a paratha. Once it was appreciated by hubby dear, I tweaked the recipe a little n now I present to you ‘ Mixed Vegetable Parathas’ A.K.A. ‘ Mixed Vegetable stuffed Indian Bread’ and hope it becomes your family’s fav paratha 🙂

Mixed Vegetable Parathas

Ingredients

¼ cup finely chopped – Onion

1 cup grated – Broccoli

1 cup grated – Carrots

1 cup finely shredded – Cabbage

1 cup steamed and mashed – Peas

1 cup boiled and mashed – Potatoes

1 cup boiled and mashed – Corn

1 cup grated – Cauliflower

1 Tbsp finely chopped – Green chillies

4 Tbsp – Oil

Salt to taste

1 ½ tsp – Red chilli powder

1 ½ – Carom seeds (Ajwain)

1 ½ tsp – Dry roasted cumin seeds powder

3 cups – Whole wheat flour

Oil / Ghee for frying

Method

1. Heat 2 Tbsp oil in a pan and add asafoetida. Immediately add the onions. Fry till golden brown and add cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, peas, corn, potatoes, carrots , green chillies and mix well
2. Add the salt, red chilli powder, dry roasted cumin seeds powder and mix well and stir fry for 7 mins
3. Remove from flame and cool
4. Take a bowl and add flour, carom seeds and 2 Tbsp oil and rub together to make crumbly dough.
5. Add water to make soft dough. Cover with a damp cloth and let it rest for 10-15 mins
6. Divide the dough into equal sized roundels
7. Roll out each roundel into a small circle. Take a Tbsp of the vegetable mixture and place in the center of the circle
8. Pick all sides towards the center and pinch towards the top. Tear off the excess dough and form the rest into a roundel once again
9. Roll out the roundel into a 5-6 inch diameter parathas
10. Heat a large griddle plate
11. Once it is hot place the parathas on the griddle. Cook for 2 mins on one side on medium flame and then flip to the other side
12. Apply oil / ghee to the side that has been cooked and then flip again
13. Press down a little with a flat spatula in order to cook evenly on both sides and get a golden brown color
14. Once cooked remove from girdle and serve with yogurt and pickle

TIPS:

1. You can choose to add grated paneer , bell peppers or any other vegetable to the filling
2. You can omit the carom seeds if you aren’t fond of this flavor or you can substitute it with cumin seeds
3. You can make the dough using milk instead of water if you want extremely soft parathas / want the parathas to last longer

‘Whole Wheat Mathris’ A.K.A. ‘Crispy Whole Wheat and Semolina Indian style cracker’

The first memory of having this dish is at Nani’s home during Holi where this would be a part of all the delicacies that Nani and Nu Nani (her mom) would make for family and friends. With the passage of time as our lives got busier we didn’t make mathri at home, however bought them from the store. The store bought mathris were good, but yet I missed the home-made ones. I got the recipe from Nani and try to make it but gave it up when it didn’t turn out good the first time. After my wedding I got to taste fresh home-made mathris at my sis-in-law’s home and that is when the yearning to make them crept in again. I got the recipe from Jiji and then as hadn’t written it down forgot it by the time I decided to make it ;-(. Even though I had given up making mathris in the past, this time around with encouragement from my dear hubby I decided to try to make it once again. N I kept making them until I could get all the proportions right (so that no one broke their teeth while biting into it and neither was the mathri breaking into a million pieces if u tried to bite into it). Now with great pleasure I share the recipe for ‘Whole Wheat Mathris’ A.K.A. ‘Crispy Whole Wheat & Semolina Indian style cracker’ 🙂

Whole Wheat Mathris

Ingredients

2 cups – Whole wheat flour

¾ cup – Semolina flour (sooji)

½ cup – Oil (for kneading dough)

¾ tsp – Carom seeds (ajwain)

¾ tsp – Salt

1tsp – Red chilli powder

Water to make dough (approx ½ cup)

Oil for frying

Method

1. Mix whole wheat flour, semolina flour, salt, red chilli powder, carom seeds in a bowl
2. Add oil and rub flour between fingers to make it crumbly
3. Add a little water at a time to make a dough (needs to be a hard and tough dough, tougher than poori dough)
4. Dampen cloth and cover the dough and let it rest for 30 mins
5. Remove cloth and re-knead the dough
6. Place oil in a heavy bottom pan and heat well
7. Make roundels of the dough and then roll them out to small poories (need to be thick and round) approx 2 inches in diameter
8. Take a fork and make piercings on the flat mathris
9. Once oil is hot, slowly add a few uncooked mathris into the oil (best to slide it from the side so as to avoid having the hot oil burn you)
10. Fry till light brown on one side and then flip over and fry
11. Remove from flame and place on kitchen towel/ tissue paper (to absorb excess oil) mathri is golden brown on both sides
12. Serve with chai/ coffee and achaar (pickle) and enjoy

TIPS:

1. If the dough is too tough (after resting) then add a little bit of water to make it soft and knead able
2. You can choose to add crushed black pepper to the dough to give it a different flavor
3. Make sure to pierce the mathris with a fork so that the mathri doesn’t fluff up like a poori

‘Khatta Meetha Kadhu’ A.K.A. ‘Sweet n Tangy Pumpkin’

Being born in a Bengali family that hailed from UP ensured that I was exposed to UP ka khana from childhood. And maybe that is why I love almost everything from UP including this kadhu preparation which even though it is a simple dish manages to take the urad dal kachori / poori up a notch thanks to the play of khatta-meetha flavors. I learnt how to make this dish from my Nani who would make sure she made it every time I visited Delhi. Initially I didn’t make it too often for myself but once I married a UPwallah who also loved this dish it became a staple at every puja celebration as was part of the ‘pukka khana’. Sharing the recipe for ‘Khatta Meetha Kadhu’ A.K.A. ‘Sweet n Tangy Pumpkin’ and hope you enjoy it as much as my hubby and me 🙂

Khatta Meetha Kadhu

Ingredients

2 tbsp – Oil

1 tsp – Fenugreek seeds (methi)

1 inch finely chopped – Ginger

¼ tsp – Asafoetida

2 nos – Green chillies

2 cups chopped – Yellow pumpkin

Salt to taste

½ tsp – Turmeric powder

½ tsp – Sugar

¾ tsp – Dried mango powder (amchoor)

Method

1. Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan and once hot add the fenugreek seeds
2. As soon as they are golden add asafoetida and then add the ginger
3. Mix well and cook for 1 minute
4. Add the pumpkin, salt, turmeric powder , green chillies and mix well
5. Cover and cook on medium low flame until the pumpkin is tender
6. Add amchoor and sugar and mix well and check for seasoning to ensure the balance of sweet n tangy/sour (khatta/meetha) is perfect
7. Remove from flame and serve with urad dal kachoris / white rice / poories

TIPS:

1. Leave the skin on as it gives a good taste to the dish, however make sure to wash the pumpkin well so that there is no dirt
2. In place of amchoor you can add lemon juice for tanginess
3. If you use butternut squash for this dish, you might want to make this in a pressure cooker and give 1-2 whistles to make it soft as butternut squash is tougher than the yellow pumpkin from the Indian store

Aatte ke Laddoo

I have never been fond of laddoos and thus never ever tried to learn how to make them from Amma or Nani. The only time I would eat a laddoo was if it was given as prasad at the temple or a pooja at home. However, my hubby loves laddoos and thus I decided to learn how to make them especially for him. Plus they are very auspicious and thus they are made at almost all UP poojas and celebrations. N being a true UP ki bahu, now I make laddoos for most of the poojas :-). For Ganesh Chaturthi I share with you the recipe for ‘Aatte ke laddoo’

Aatte ke laddoo

Ingredients

2 cups – Whole wheat flour

1 cup – Brown sugar

¾ cup – Desi ghee (clarified butter)

12 nos finely chopped – Cashew nuts

5 nos peeled and powdered – Green cardamom

Method

1. Heat heavy bottom pan and add ghee
2. When the ghee melts completely add flour and sauté well till they are completely mixed together and are a little crumbly
3. Add the sugar and mix well till mixture turns light brown
4. Remove from the flame and add the chopped cashew nuts and mix well
5. Cool for 5 minutes and then add the green cardamom powder
6. Now take a small amount of the dough and roll into a round shape (pressing every so lightly in order to get the perfect shape)
7. Set on plate and you can add a piece of cashew nut as decoration and serve

TIPS:

1. You can substitute ghee with Splenda / sugar free / white sugar/ coconut sugar
2. If you want you can use half ghee and half oil for the laddoos. However the smell of ghee makes them more enticing and thus I use ghee J
3. You can choose to add chopped pista (pistachios), chopped badam (almonds) instead of chopped cashew nuts or in addition to cashew nuts

 

 

 

‘Matar ki Kachori’ A.K.A. ‘Deep fried Indian bread with Pea stuffing’

My darling Appa is a Tamilian who has lived in Delhi for more than half his life. Being in the airline industry he has traveled extensively across the globe which helped him expand his taste to cuisines other than Tamilian. This recipe has been made by my Nani (Bengali, but born and raised in UP) has made religiously every year during winters for my Appa as he loves it so much. I remember my brother and my task would be to shell the peas and the of course taste the masala/kachoris to ensure the balance of masalas to peas was perfect ;-). Over the years this dish has been perfected by Amma, my mami and moi as we all love it and it is a simple dish to make yet fancy enough to serve to company too. The recipe for ‘Matar ki Kachori’ A.K.A. ‘Deep fried Indian bread with Pea stuffing’ is the one passed on from my Nani to Amma to moi and I share it with you all in the hope this becomes one of your family’s favorite dishes.

Matar ki Kachori

Ingredients

2 cups – Whole wheat flour (Atta)

¾ tsp – Salt

4 Tbsp – Oil

Water to make dough

1 Tbsp – Oil

½ tsp – Cumin seeds

¼ tsp – Asafoetida

¾ tsp – Ginger paste

2 cups boiled and mashed – Green peas

¾ tsp – Green chilli paste

1 ¼ tsp – Fennel seed / saunf powder (dry roast fennel seeds and ground to a fine powder)

½ tsp – Coriander powder (dry roast coriander seeds and ground to a fine powder)

¾ tsp – Amchoor powder (Dried mango powder)

Salt to taste

Oil to fry kachoris

Method

1. Place the flour either in a wide mouthed bowl or on the kitchen countertop
2. Mix in the salt and oil and mix into the flour rubbing with hands to make it look kind of crumbly
3. Add water to make dough. Make sure the dough has to be firm not soft.
4. Once done, cover with damp cloth and keep aside to rest
5. Heat oil in a pan and add the cumin seeds
6. Once they splutter add the asafetida
7. Add the ginger paste and cook till light brown and then add the green peas paste
8. Add the green chilli paste and mix well
9. Add the fennel powder, cumin seed powder, dried mango powder, salt and mix well
10. Cook on low flame while stirring for 5-7 mins
11. Let the mixture cool completely
12. Uncover the dough and make roundels the size of a golf ball
13. Roll them out to a small roti/chapatti size then take a heaped Tbsp of the green peas mixture and add to the center of the rolled out dough
14. Bring together the edges of the roti/chapatti and form a pouch.
15. Twist the tip and take off the extra dough
16. Press down with heel of your hand onto the pouch of dough and filling and flatten lightly
17. Roll the kachoris a little (making sure to leave it nice and thick around the edges and smoother and flatter in the center area)
18. Heat oil in a wide mouthed deep frying pan
19. Gently slide in the kachoris and fry on medium high flame to ensure both sides are golden in color
20. Remove from pan and place on paper towel to absorb and get rid of excess oil
21. Serve with Aloo Tamatar / Khatta Meetha Kadhu / Raita

TIPS

1. In order to reduce time and use resources wisely, you can roll out the kachoris and keep them on a plate. Make sure to cover them with a damp cloth so that they don’t become tough
2. You can choose to add garam masala and red chilli powder to the filling , however I avoid it so as to be true to the green peas taste
3. Make sure the oil is hot before sliding the kachoris into the pan and don’t crowd the pan as the kachoris need space to float and cook properly

 

 

‘Aloo Tamatar’ A.K.A ‘Potatoes in Tomato gravy’

My Amma is a Bengali, who was born and brought up in Delhi. Her parents, my Nani and Dadu were born and brought up in Benares and so were their earlier generations. Thus one could say that they are more of UPwallahs than Bengalis. This dish was made as part of the special khana for my first Karvachauth and I was pleasantly surprised that my sis-in-law knew how to make Bengali food. When I asked my hubby how jiji knew how to make the dish, he said it was a traditional UP Baniya dish which was always made as part of ‘Pukka Khana’. It took me a minute to realize that as my mom’s family was from UP, they must have incorporated this dish into their arsenal and as we had it so often we took it for granted that it was a Bengali dish. I often make ‘Aloo Tamatar’ A.K.A ‘Potatoes in Tomato gravy’ especially on our Hindu festivals where I keep a fast as it is yummy to eat with poories when one breaks the fast at night ;-). Hope you all love and enjoy this recipe as much as my family and my hubby’s family and our friends.

Aloo Tamatar

Ingredients

2 Tbsp – Oil

½ tsp – Cumin seeds

1 pinch – Asafoetida

½ inch finely minced – Ginger

1 ½ cups chopped – Tomatoes

Salt to taste

1 tsp – Turmeric powder

1 tsp – Red chilli powder

1 tsp – Coriander powder

½ tsp – Dry roasted cumin seeds powder

1 cup cubed – Potatoes

½ cup – Water

¼ tsp – Sugar

½ tsp – Garam masala powder

Method:

1. Heat oil in a cooker and once hot add cumin seeds
2. Once the cumin seeds splutter add asafetida and then immediately add the ginger
3. Mix well and after 1 minute add tomatoes
4. Add salt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, dry roasted cumin seeds powder and mix well and cover for 2 mins
5. Add the potatoes and add the water, close the cooker lid and cook on medium flame
6. Once the cooker gives 2 whistles, remove from the flame
7. Once pressure has escaped completely open the cooker, add the sugar , garam masala powder and mix well
8. Smash / mash some pieces of potatoes in the gravy and cover and keep for 5 mins
9. Ladle into serving bowl and garnish with chopped green chillies or chopped cilantro and serve with poories/ kachoris/ tahiri/ chawal / rotis

TIPS

1. You can also make this with boiled potatoes instead of raw potatoes
2. Cooking time for the dish will depend on the potatoes, make sure they are cooked through and are soft when you remove from the flame
3. You can choose to add more water in order to make the gravy more watery. Also, remember that potatoes once smashed / mashed into the gravy will absorb the gravy so you might need to add water (hot water) and boil the gravy before serving the dish. Do check seasoning before serving as adding water would change the balance of flavors

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Khatta Meetha Karela

As a child when Amma used to make this vegetable my brother and I used to push it around on our plates and perhaps take a bite or two n then pass on the rest to Amma or Appa. However as I grew older I developed a taste for this vegetable and then decided to try to make it on my own. Thus, came a lot of permutations and combinations and of course some failures and finally success. This recipe is a new one that I came up with recently and once I received the approval from my hubby darling I decided to share it with you all. Sharing the recipe for ‘Khatta Meetha Karela’ A.K.A. ‘Sweet n Sour Bitter Gourd’ and hope enjoy it.

Khatta Meetha Karela

Ingredients

2 Tbsp – Oil

½ tsp – Cumin seeds

A pinch of Asafoetida powder

½ cup chopped – Onions

¾ cup chopped – Tomatoes

1 cup chopped – Karela (Bitter gourd)

1 tsp – Turmeric powder

1 tsp – Coriander powder

½ tsp – Star anise powder

¾ tsp – Dried mango powder (Amchoor)

1 tsp – Sugar

Salt to taste

Method

1. Heat oil in heavy bottomed pan and when hot add cumin seeds.
2. Once cumin seeds turn light brown add asafoetida powder and then immediately add the chopped onions
3. Stir the onions till light brown in color and then add chopped tomatoes
4. Mix well and then add chopped bitter gourd and all the spices and salt (except sugar and amchoor)
5. Mix well and cover and cook on low flame for 10 minutes
6. Uncover , check for tenderness of bitter gourd and then if tender add sugar and amchoor
7. Mix well and cook for another 5-7 minutes to make it dry
8. Remove from flame and enjoy with daal, rotis, chawal

TIPS:

1. You can use lemon juice instead of amchoor in the recipe
2. You can use Splenda instead of sugar in the recipe for the sweetness
3. If you like the bitter gourd to be less bitter, then wash well, scrape the bitter gourd and then cut in half lengthwise and soak in salted water for approx 20 minutes. Drain and use in recipe

 

Pyaaz Baingan ki Subzi

This recipe is a variation of an eggplant dish I had at my mausi saas’s home in Cleveland and loved so much that I tried recreating it as soon as I got home. After playing around with various spices this blend seemed perfect to me and now am sharing the recipe for ‘Pyaaz Baingan ki Subzi’ A.K.A ‘Crispy Eggplant and Onion’ and hope you all enjoy it as much as me and my family.

Pyaaz Baingan ki Subzi

Ingredients

4 nos cut into ½ inch cubes – Chinese eggplant

1 medium sized roughly chopped – Onion

1 ½ tbsp – Oil

½ tsp – Kalonji (black onion seed)

1 tsp – Turmeric powder

1 tsp – Caribbean spice mix

1 tsp – Anardana powder (pomegranate seed powder)

Salt to taste

Method:

1. Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan
2. Once oil is hot add kalonji (black onion seeds)
3. Add the onions and fry till translucent
4. Add the eggplant and then add salt, turmeric powder, Caribbean spice powder
5. Mix well and lower the flame and cover with a tight fitting lid
6. Open the lid after 7 minutes and add anardana powder (pomegranate seed powder) and mix once more but with a gentle hand.
7. Recover and cook for 5 – 7 minutes until the eggplant is cooked and soft
8. Uncover, check for salt and cook on high flame for 1-2 minutes to get the eggplant pieces crispy.
9. Remove from flame and dish into serving bowl and garnish with chopped cilantro or green chillies

TIPS

1. If you don’t have Caribbean spice mix then mix together allspice, ginger powder, garlic powder, cinnamon powder, black pepper, red pepper in equal proportions and use as homemade Caribbean spice mix
2. You can also use mustard oil instead of canola oil as gives a more pungent flavor
3. This is a quick and easy recipe, perfect for a week night as taken approx 20-25 minutes from start to finish to prepare this dish.

 

 

Bharwaan Shimlamirch

Sometimes one makes a dish because they love it or they want to be creative or because they read a recipe and have to make it before they forget the details. And then there are times when one makes a dish because it is a fav of the love of their lives and thus begins a process of perfecting the dish to his/her taste. The recipe for ‘Bharwaan Shimlamirch’, A.K.A ‘Potato stuffed Bell Pepper’ happens to fall in the last category as it is one of my husband’s favorite preparations. Sharing the recipe for you and hope you like it as much as my husband 🙂

Bharwaan Shimlamirch

Ingredients

1 nos medium sized – Bell pepper

1 nos medium sized – Potato

1 small finely chopped – Onion

1/2 small finely chopped – Tomato

1 nos finely chopped – Green chilli

¼ tsp – Dry roasted cumin seeds powder

1/2 tsp – Dried pomegranate seed powder

Salt to taste

½ tbsp – Oil

Method:

1. Boil potato, remove skin and mash well.
2. Add salt, dry roasted cumin seed powder, dried pomegranate seed powder, onion, green chilli, tomato to the mashed potato and mix well (so that there are no lumps)
3. Preheat oven to 350° F (bake), line an oven safe tray with aluminum foil
4. Cut the top of the bell pepper and scoop out the seeds. Keep the top part to use later.
5. Stuff the potato mixture into the bell pepper
6. Smear oil on the bell pepper and on the potato filling (to keep it moist) and place on the oven safe tray
7. Bake for 45 minutes or until tender from outside the and the potato filling turns slightly brown on top (depends on size of bell pepper)
8. Remove from oven, make sure to place the top of the bell pepper, let it cool for 5 minutes and then serve.

 

TIPS

1. You can add grated paneer to the potato mixture to make it creamier and richer
2. You can use colored bell peppers so as to have a colorful display on the table
3. If you want, you can cook the potato mixture before you stuff it into the bell pepper