Hash Brown

HASH BROWNS

(Hash browns are a staple breakfast food at diners.They go good with eggs and bread for breakfast and is also a good accompaniment with tea or coffee. Come in handy as an appetizer too)

Ingredients : 

6 medium sized potatoes  , salt to taste , 1/2 tspn onion powder , 1 tbspn rice flour

Oil to shallow/deep fry

Procedure : 

Peel and grate 6 medium sized potatoes. Give them an ice water bath and drain the starchy water and rinse them 2-3 times. Let them sit in the collander to drain off the liquid for about 30 minutes. 

 Squeeze out all the excess water with a muslin cloth. Put them in a microwavable  bowl and cook it for 12 minutes 3 minutes at a time… Stir after every 3 minutes to ensure even cooking. Add salt to taste + onion powder and rice flour or cornstarch. 

Make bite size pieces and shallow-fry or deep-fry till golden brown.

You can freeze them in ziplock bags for later use and fry them as you need. 

Cinnamon Rolls

CINNAMON ROLLS 

(The dropping temperature or an occasional overshadow , call for recipes that comfort our soul and fill our kitchen and house with aroma of spices. A go-to recipe that is bound to be talk of the town is Cinnamon rolls.)

Ingredients : 

For the dough : Dough : 1.5 cup all purpose flour , 1/4 cup sugar , 1 packet yeast (2 +1/4 tspn)

1/2 tspn salt , 1/2 cup milk , 3 tbsp oil , 1 egg , 

For the filling : 1 tbsp unsalted butter , 3/4 cup brown sugar 2 tbsp cinnamon powder

For glaze : 1 cup powdered sugar , 1/2 tsp vanilla extract , 2 tbsp milk.

Procedure :

Sift the measured dry ingredients in a mixing bowl (all purpose flour , sugar , salt , yeast). Add 1/2 cup measured luke warm milk and mix well. This will activate the yeast.

Add 1 egg  + 3 tbsp oil and mix well. At this stage the flour is a little sticky and loose. Scrape the flour mixture on a working platform with a thin layer of all purpose flour on it. Start adding additional all purpose flour little at a time and keep incorporating it to form a nice clean ball of dough. It may take around 1/4 cup all purpose flour to get the desired result. Knead the dough well for about 3 minutes. Cover the dough and let it rest for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile mix 2 tsp cinnamon powder and 1/4 cup packed brown sugar. Grease a baking sheet with unsalted butter.

After the dough has rested well spread a little flour on the platform and roll the dough into a rectangle shape (about 1/2 cm thick). Spread 1 tbsp room temperature unsalted butter evenly on the rolled sheet. Evenly sprinkle the brown sugar + cinnamon mixture. Start rolling the longer edge of the sheet into a roll. Roll it tightly may cause peaks in the center. So make sure to roll loosely. Cut the rolls into 3/4th inch pieces and place them on a baking sheet. Cover the baking sheet and let it rest for 1.5 hrs. 

Preheat oven at 350 degrees and bake for 15 minutes.

To glaze the baked rolls , mix 1 cup powdered sugar , 1/2 tsp vanilla extract. Mix well and add milk little at a time so that you get a thick paste. When the rolls cool down little bit , drizzle the glaze over them and relish the sweet retreat. 

Tea Time Wheat biscuits.

TEA TIME WHEAT BISCUITS

(This baked tea time snack is made with wheat flour, thus making it nutritious. As all biscuits are , this one too is easy to store , easy to carry , long lasting on long journeys. The crumbly buttery texture  and aroma of nutmeg and cardamom makes it a delight to kids as well.)

Ingredients : 

1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter , 1/2 cup sugar 

Dry ingredients :1 cup wheat flour , 1 tbspn besan , 1 tbspn sooji ,pinch of salt , pinch of nutmeg powder , 

1/4 tspn cardamom powder, 1/2 tspn baking powder.

Procedure :

Cut the cold butter in small cubes and mix the sugar.. With a spatula try to incorporate as much sugar as you can. All the butter and sugar may not mix well. 

In a separate bowl mix all dry ingredients (including nutmeg and cardamom) and sift it into the butter/sugar mixture. Try to break all the lumps of  butter by rubbing the flour and butter with your hand. Try not to work the dough too much coz you still want to retain the coldness of the butter. At this stage the mixture may be crumbly but what you need is for all the ingredients to mix evenly rather than forming a dough. Scrape all the mixture in a plastic wrap and try to get it together to at least form a ball. The plastic wrap helps it to stay together also avoiding transfer of heat. Refrigerate it for 15 mins.

Meanwhile you can grease the cookie sheet with butter and Preheat the oven to 

350 degrees. To make the cookies you need a rolling pin and cookie cutter. Work the now formed ball on the plastic wrap. use a rolling pin to roll it flat. You may have to cover the top with plastic as well so that it doesn’t crumble. Using cold butter may make it a little challenging to form  cookies but stay assured that the crumbly melt in your mouth texture is the fruit all efforts. Once you form the cookies in shapes of your choice , bake them for 10 minutes. Place them on cooling rack for 10 minutes. And the biscuits are ready to serve.

Choco-Coco Rolls.

CHOCO-COCO ROLLS

Who doesn't like chocolate ? However there are very few guiltless chocolate recipes that do not give you jitters when you stand on the weighing scale the next time.This one is good for quick bites that we crave for with a cup of coffee , or when we have friends over for poker nights and do not want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen.

Ingredients :

1 pack of Marie biscuits , 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips , 4 tbspn butter , 3 tbspn dessicated coconut.

Procedure :

Blend all the Marie biscuits to a fine powder.Place the chocolate chips and butter in a microwave proof bowl and heat it for about 30 secs for the chips to melt. Mix Well. Add the melted chocolate + butter mixture to the powdered marie biscuits. Mix well to form a dough. Split the mixture into two equal parts. Place a parchment paper or a thin plastic sheet on a flat surface. Roll the mixture with a rolling pin , sprinkle dessicated coconut over it.

With the help of the parchment paper / plastic sheet below lift the edge and roll it over the sheet. The material at this time is delicate. Using the sheet below to roll , supports the mixture preventing it from falling apart. Keep rolling until you finally reach the other end. Then wrap the parchment paper to the roll place it in the refrigerator for about 5 minutes. This solidifies the butter again and makes cutting the rolls easier. Cut the rolls to 1 inch width and they are ready to serve.

Lemon Cookies.

LEMON COOKIES

Cookies are an all time favorite of all age groups. What more can one ask for when cookies have the refreshing lemon flavor.

Ingredients :-

3 cups all purpose flour , 1.5 cup sugar ,

6 ounces room temperature unsalted butter ,

dash of salt , 1/4th cup lemon juice ,

1/2 tspn baking soda , 1 large egg.

Procedure :-

Beat one large egg . Measure and sift the dry ingredients (flour , sugar , salt , baking soda). Save some sugar to sprinkle on top of the cookie. Add egg and butter and mix well . Do not over mix . Use a spatula to mix the wet ingredients. Form the dough into 2 rolls about 2 inches wide and 7 inches long. Place the dough in a plastic wrap for about 30 mins.

Preheat the oven to 375°.Unwrap the cookie dough and cut into slices about 1/4 th inch thick. Sprinkle slices lightly with remaining sugar and place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake until lightly browned around the edges, about 12 -15 minutes depending on how soft or crisp you like. Cool the cookies on a rack and store in an airtight container.Makes about 5 to 6 dozen cookies.

Chirote (चिरोटे)

CHIROTE (चिरोटे )

Chirote is a sweet flaky pastry made in a glaze or confectioners sugar. Traditionally chirote is an important part of almost all Maharashtrian wedding. They are prepared during Diwali to mark the festival. I bet no one can eat just one.

Ingredients :

For dough : 3/4th cup All purpose flour (Maida) , 3/4th cup Sooji ,

2 pinch salt , 1/2 cup room temperature milk ,

Food color : Green and red.

2 tbspn ghee , 1 tbspn arrowroot or corn starch.

Oil to fry.

For sugar glaze : 1 cup sugar , 3/4th cup water , 1/4th tspn cardamom powder

For dry Chirote : 1 cup Powdered sugar , 1/4th tspn cardamom powder.

Procedure :

Mix all purpose flour , salt , milk sooji and knead a dough. Divide the dough in 3 equal parts. Mix green food color in 1 part , red in the other and let the third part of the dough be white. Roll out all three parts separately to equal sized rounds.

Mix the ghee and arrowroot/corn starch ensuring no lumps exist.Lay the red part of the rolled out dough on a flat surface. Apply very little ghee mixture throughout the red surface evenly on one side. Stack the white rolled dough over the red one. Apply the ghee mixture on the white surface and then stack the third green rolled dough over the white and apply the mixture again.

Start folding about 1.5 inches dough from two sides across as shown in the picture. Fold the close end away from you and the far end towards you alternatively till both sides meet and stack on one other.

Fold the close end away from you and the far end towards you alternatively till both sides meet and stack on one other.

Use a knife to cut the long roll of dough into 1/2 inch pieces as shown in the picture.

Place the dough cut side down and roll out the dough pieces to small rounds. Heat oil in a frying pan just enough to fry one chirota at a time. Fry the rolled chirota . Notice the colored swirls blossom like a flower . Place it on a cooling rack.

For glazed chirota make a sugar syrup and add cardamom powder. Place the fried Chirota in the syrup and slather the syrup all over the chirota . Place it in a serving plate.

For dry chirota drop the fried chirota in the powdered sugar + cardamom powder mixture. Sprinkle the powdered sugar in all the nooks and crannies of the Chirota. Dust away the excess sugar and the chirotas are ready to serve.

Enjoy any one of the two methods to sweeten the chirota according to your convenience and taste.

Nachni (Ragi) Laddu.

NACHNI (RAGI) LADDU.

Ragi can be without doubt titled as a WONDER GRAIN due to the nutritious richness that it offers. While ragi is an ideal first food after an infant reaches at least 6 months of age , it can be incorporated in adult meals in many ways. Bhakri (Maharashtrian Bread) , Biscuits , porridge , Dosa , Laddu are some ways in which you may increase consumption for a healthy living.

Ingredients : (Makes 8-10 Laddu)

1 cup Ragi Flour , 1/2 cup melted ghee ,

1/2 tspn cardamon powder , 3 tbspn milk/cream,

1 cup powdered sugar.

Procedure :
Heat the ghee in a nonstick pan and add the Ragi flour to the pan. Roast the flour for 10-15 minutes on medium high heat. Keep stirring from time to time to roast the flour evenly. Add the milk/cream and quickly stir. The milk will not cook the flour but will just leave required amount of moisture to make laddu. Turn off the heat and let cool. Mix the powdered sugar and cardamon powder. When making laddus if you feel that the mixture is too dry , moisten your palms with Ghee . Do not use milk as more milk you use lesser would be the shelf life.

Variation : To add to the nutritious value you may add powdered dryfruits like cashews , almonds to the flour. However cashews /almonds release natural oils over a period of time which may considerably reduce the shelf life. You may have to refrigerate them for storage for longer periods.

Jalebi.

JALEBI

Jalebi is a syrupy sweet that is shaped like a slightly large, chaotic pretzel and is traditionally prepared in India and Pakistan. Well-made jalebi has a tart element with a sweet taste.

Ingredients :
2 cup All purpose flour (Maida) , 1tbspn rice flour , 1 tbspn besan
1/4 tspn salt, 1/8th tspn baking powder , 1/8th tspn yeast
2 tspn oil (warm) , 2 tbspn yogurt , yellow color
3/4th cup room temperature milk overnight @ room temperature.

For Sugar Syrup : Salt , cardamon powder , lemon juice, sugar, water .....

Procedure :
Mix the ingredients well. Add milk to the ingredients little at a time to form a paste that can be piped with the sauce bottle. Set aside for 4 hrs at room temperature. Stir after 4 hrs and let it sit for another 2 hrs.

Heat the water + sugar +lemon juice + yellow color + cardamon powder to make a one string syrup.

After the rest period mix the batter well and fill it in a sauce bottle with a spout on top. Start piping the jalebis in the oil in a circular motion. Ensure that the oil is not too hot. It needs to be just enough hot so that the jalebis float to the surface when piped . Evenly fry both sides. Some like light brown jalebis while some prefer the fresh-crisp-yellow colored jalebis. Fry the jalebis to the color you like. Drain the oil and drop the jalebis to the warm sugar syrup for about 2-3 minutes . Yummy jalebis are ready to serve.

Wheat Flour Sheera ( कणकेचा शीरा )

WHEAT FLOUR SHEERA ( कणकेचा शीरा)

Sheera is a traditional Maharashtrian sweet, usually served as ‘Prasad’ for Satyanarayan puja. Although sheera is known to be made of Semolina (Sooji/Rava) you may try this variation. Both have a unique differentiating taste. Its difficult to say which is better because both are delicious.

Ingredients : (serves 4)

1 cup wheat flour , 3 tbspn Ghee ( Clarified butter) ,

1 cup Sugar , a pinch of salt , 1/2 tspn cardamon powder ,

3/4th cup water , 3/4th cup milk. 10-12 cashews

Procedure :

Heat ghee in a nonstick pan till it melts. Add the cashews till they change color and fish them out. Add the wheat flour to the same pan which still has ghee. Roast on medium heat for about 15 minutes or till the wheat flour turns golden brown. Make sure you stir at regular intervals to avoid browning in patches. It has to be evenly roasted through out. After about 15 minutes the aroma of the roasted flour will indicate that its ready.

Heat oil + water together to a boil and add it to the roasted flour. Stir quickly to avoid formation of lumps. Immediately add sugar and a pinch of salt and stir well . The sugar releases moisture and eases stirring. It now gets a dough like consistency. Add the cardamon powder and roasted cashews. Sheera is ready to serve.

Besan Laddu.

BESAN LADDU (बेसनाचा लाडू )

Besan laddu is a very easy sweet to make and is popular throughout India, especially at festivals and celebrations, especially Diwali. Enjoy the sumptuous besan laddoos with friends and relatives

Ingredients : (Approx. 20 Laddus)

1 cup besan (chickpea flour) , 3/4 cup Ghee ( Clarified butter)

2 tbspn milk , 1.25 cup powdered sugar , 1/2 tspn cardamon powder.

Procedure :

Heat ghee in a nonstick and add the besan to it. Stir well for about 15 minutes on medium heat. Keep an eye on the pan all the while so that it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. After 15 minutes it changes color . Then add 2 tbspn milk. Quickly stir the mixture as it has lost all the moisture and adding milk/cream adds moisture. It fluffs up and if not stirred continuously , it might get charred.

Turn down the heat and keep stirring for another 5 minutes. Your nose knows that its done. Turn off the heat now and let get to room temperature. Add the powdered sugar and cardamon powder. Mix well with hands and make laddus. You may add raisins at this stage if you like.

Carrot Dessert (गाजर हल्वा)

CARROT DESSERT (गाजर हल्वा)
(This is another favorite dessert served by filmy mothers . A simple recipe and liked by many.A way in which carrots can be incorporated in the meals. )

Ingredients :

8 -10 grated carrots , 1 tbspn pure ghee , 10-12 cashews cut into pieces ,

1/4th cup heavy cream , 1/4 tspn cardomon powder,

3 cup sugar , a pinch of salt.

Procedure :

Cook the grated carrot in a preassure cooker . You may cook it in a microwave for about 15 minutes . Heat pure ghee in a pan and get the cashews toasted till golden brown. Fish out the cashews out off the ghee and add the cooked carrot to the pan. Add sugar , heavy cream , salt . The mixture will loose water and will be flowy after you miix all the ingredients. Cook on medium high heat so that the excess moisture evaporates as they share flavor and taste. Once you get close to the right consistancy add cardomon powder and let cool. (Do not leave a lot of moisture and do not make it too dry.) Mix the cashew pieces with it and Halva is ready to serve.

Stuffed Sweet Puri (सांजोर्या)

STUFFED SWEET PURI (सांजोर्या)

(A mother's recipe is a child's delight. This one comes from my mother. These Puris have longer shelf life . Just like fine wine , they get better with each passing day.)

Ingredients :

1 Cup All Purpose Flour ,1 tbspn Rava Sooji , Salt , 1 tbspn oil

For stuffing :

1 Cup Sooji / Rava , 1 cup Jaggery ,

1/4 tspn nutmeg powder , a pinch of cardomon powder

Procedure :

Roast Sooji well and let cool. Heat jaggery in the microwave or over the flame just so that it melts. Do not overheat. Mix the roasted jaggery , sooji , nutmeg powder and cardomon powder after turning off the flame. Keep the mixture in the refrigerator overnight so that the sooji absorbs moisture and flavor from the other ingredients.

After 8-10 hrs refrigeration get the stuffing to room tempreture.

Knead a dough of the All purpose flour , Rava , Salt and oil.

Make a small ball of the dough , roll it half way , place the stuffing in the center and join all ends to form a ball. Roll this ball again to make a Puri.

Heat oil in a pan to fry these till golden brown. Let cool and the Stuffed Sweet Puris are ready to serve.

Sevaiyya Kheer (शेवईया खीर)

SEVAIYYA KHEER (शेवईया खीर)

( This desert is a favourite of all - kids , youngsters , adults , oldies and filmy characters too. A filmy mother cannot serve a meal without saying " मैंने अपने हाथों से तुम्हारे पसंद की खीर बनाई है ।" Here is the recipe.)

Ingredients : (Serves 5 people)

3/4 cup Vermicilli (शेवईया) , 1 teaspoon ghee ,

4 cup milk , 1.5 cup sugar

8-10 Cashews split into halves and then cut into 2.

Flakes of 4-5 Almonds , pinch of saffron , 2 pinch cardomon powder .

Procedure :

Heat Ghee in a pan and roast the cashew till it turns brown. Add vermicilli to the pan and roast till it gets golden brown. Add milk , sugar , almond flakes let it boil till vermicilli cooks well.

Meanwhile heat the saffron just for few seconds so that it becomes crisp and falls apart when crushed. Mix the saffron in a tablespoon milk so that it gives away the flavor. Add saffron and cardomon to the kheer. It tastes better cold. Refrigerate the kheer and its ready to serve.

Variation : You may use sooji / rava to substitue vermicilli. It takes less time to cook.

You may add Everest Milk Masala to substitute for almonds and saffron. It enhances taste and saves efforts.

Puran Poli. (For Holi)

PURAN POLI

Ingredients :
For Puran : 1 cup chana Dal (split Chickpea) , 1 cup grated jaggery , 1/4th tspn nutmeg powder , pinch of salt
(chana dal and jaggery 1:1 proportion)

For Dough : 1 cup Wheat flour , salt to taste , water, 2 tbspn oil.

Procedure :

Cook the chana dal (split chickpea) in a pressure cooker. Mix the Chana Dal and Jaggery together and heat it in a nonstick pan. The jaggery melts and mixes well . Keep mixing well till it turns into a thick mixture so that you can form a ball after it cools down. (Remember that the mixture becomes more dry after cooling down. So do not make it too dry) . Add a pinch of salt and nutmeg powder . Mix well .

You may blend the mixture in a food processor to break the Dal. You may also use the traditional Puran Yantra if you have one.

If you do not have either of those , blend the Dal before you mix with jaggery in a mixer and then cook with jaggery.

Make the wheat flour dough . Make sure you add 2 tbspn oil and mix the dough well. This dough is more loose as compared to the normal roti dough.

Make a small cup of the dough and fill in Puran to form a stuffed ball. Roll out the ball and make the Roti on Medium heat. Puran Poli is ready to serve.

Tastes best with Ghee or Coconut Milk.

Sheera.

SHEERA

Ingredients :

½ Cup Sooji (Rava) , ¾ cup sugar ,

1cup mixture of milk and water in 1:1 proportion ,

1 tspn Cashew , 1 tspn Raisins , 2 tbspn Ghee ,

½ tspn cardomon powder , a pinch of salt .

Procedure :

Evenly roast the Sooji in a pan till it changes colour. Set it aside for some time .

Heat ghee in a nonstick pan and add chashews broken into halves . Roast them till golden brown Add the roasted sooji and keep roasting till it gets a darker shade of golden brown .

Meanwhile heat the milk + water mixture till it starts boiling. Add raisins to the mixture so that they cook and fluff-up in size.

Add the liquid mixture to the sooji and mix well till the mixture cooks up evenly . Then add the sugar and salt to the sheera . Mix well till the sugar melts . Add cardomon powder to the sheera for flavour at the end .

Variation : If you are making the sheera for "Prasad" for some religious ritual , you may use only milk to cook the Sheera . You may also add small bite size pieces of banana . It adds to the flavour of Sheera.

Pudding / Caramel Custard .

PUDDING / CARAMEL CUSTARD

INGREDIENTS :
1/2 Litre Milk , 4 slices of bread ,
4 Eggs , Sugar , 1 tspn Vanilla Extract .

PROCEDURE :
Take 3 tspn sugar in a round baking pan . Heat the pan in the oven / Over heat to form a dark brown caramel. Move the pan in circular motion to form an even layer of caramel . Let it cool to form a crust .

Mix milk + sugar + eggs + Vanilla extract + bread in a blender. Pour the mixture in the baking pan over the crust . Place the pan in a double boiler. Cover the boiler with a lid or with aluminium foil so that steam doesn't excape out of the boiler. Cook for approximately 25 mins.

Let it cool and then turn the pan over onto a plate . Refrigerate the Pudding / Caramel Custard before you serve .