Paneer Veg Pulav

Photography by Nandini

Ingredients:
Rice - 2 cups
Onions - 2 (sliced)
Green - 2 (slit lengthwise)
Green cardamom - 2
Cinnamon 1" - 2
Cloves - 3
Bay leaves - 2
Paneer - 200 gm (small cubes)
Beans - 12 (chopped)
Carrot - 1 (chopped)
Cauliflower florets - from 1 small head
Potatoes (small) - 2 (skin peeled and diced)
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp.
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp.
Salt (to taste)
Oil

Photography by Nandini

Method:
1. Wash and soak rice for 20 minutes.
2. Heat oil in a deep pan and add cloves, cardamom, cinnamon and bay leaves. When they splutter add onions and green chilli. Saute till onions are translucent.
3. Add the veggies and saute. Add red chilli powder and turmeric powder.
4. Strain the rice and add with salt to taste. Saute gently for a few seconds. Add 4 cups of water and close the pan with a lid.
5. After 7 to 10 minutes, when the water gets absorbed, remove the lid and cover with aluminium foil. Cover the lid and cook the rice in simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.
6. Meanwhile heat the oil in a pan and shallow fry the paneer cubes till golden brown color. Place them on an oil absorbent paper.
7. Remove the pulav from heat and add the fried paneer pieces. Fluff the rice with a fork.
8. Enjoy the pulav with raita or any hot curry.

Note:
I didn't add garlic, ginger and garam masala. Add them according to your taste.

Sent off to Jay's "Let'z Relish Paneer" event.

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Mohanthal

To begin with, mohanthal is a Gujarati sweet. The process of preparing the dish is very different from that of Mysore Pak. Some recipes include milk powder, heavy cream or khoya. I adapted this recipe from simply.food

Photography by Nandini

Ingredients:
Besan/Gram flour - 1 cup
Ghee/Clarified butter - 4 tbsp. + 1 tbsp.
Milk - 1 tbsp.
Ground green cardamom - 1/4 tsp.
Nutmeg - 1/2 tsp.

For sugar syrup:
Sugar - 3/4 cup
Water - 1/2 cup
Pinch of saffron
(I added saffron food color)

For garnishing:
Slivered almonds
Saffron one pinch and khus khus - 1.5 tsp (I didn't add)

Photography by Nandini

Method:
1. Warm milk and 1 tbsp. of ghee and rub the besan to appear like bread crumbs. Keep aside for 30 minutes.
2. Sieve the besan in a large-holed sieve. The texture of the besan should be similar to that of semolina.
3. Then in a pan, add 4 tbsp. of ghee and start roasting till the besan reaches golden brown colour. Keep aside.
4. In another deep pan, add sugar and water and bring it to boil. When the sugar syrup reaches the one thread consistency, remove the pan from the heat and add saffron colour or saffron and mix it well.
5. Add this sugar syrup to the roasted besan (at this stage besan should be warm) and keep stirring constantly. (This process is not done on a stove top).
6. Add cardamom and nutmeg and continue stirring. When it thickens, it should leave the sides of the pan and pour it on a greased plate. Spread the mixture on the plate very evenly. Garnish.
7. Leave it to sit alone for few hours.
8. Score them when it is warm. Cool them completely and enjoy them or store them in an air-tight container. Consume within a week.

Sent off to Nayna's "Flavours of Gujarat" event.

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Aval Vellam

Aval Vellam (அவல் வெல்லம் ) (Poha in jaggery)
My today's special for Krishna Jayanthi.

Ingredients:
Aval/poha/Beaten rice flakes - 1 cup
Vellam/jaggery/Gud - 1/2 cup (powdered)
Grated coconut - 4 tbsp
Ground cardamom - 1/4 tsp
Ghee 

Method:

1.Wash the aval in the running water on a strainer. Allow the water to drip off from strainer for about 5  minutes.
2.Heat ghee in a kadai and fry the grated coconut for 2 to 3 minutes. Keep it aside.
3. Dissolve the jaggery in 1/4  to 1/2 cup of water and bring it to boil. With a strainer remove the impurities.
4.Again place the jaggery water in heat and add the aval, grated coconut and ground cardamom.
5. Mix gently till you get a consistency as you like . Mix together 1 teaspoon of ghee in it.
6. Enjoy hot or cold.

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Doodhi Thepla

Thepla is a popular Gujarati dish. It is an unleavened flat bread which is cooked on a tawa. Theplas are prepared with veggies and greens with spices in Gujarat. Today, I prepared bottle gourd flat bread with a side dish-Batata Nu Shaak (or in simple words, potato curry).

Ingredients:
Whole wheat flour - 200 gm
Bengal gram flour/besan - 100 gm
Rice flour - 2 tbsp.
Grated bottle gourd/doodhi - from 1 medium bottle gourd
Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp.
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp.
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp.
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp.
Salt - 1/4 tsp.
Oil - 2 tbsp.
Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp. (chopped)
Oil (to cook thepla)

Method:
Squeeze out the juice from the grated bottle gourd. Collect the juice in a separate bowl. In another bowl, mix all the ingredients including the bottle gourd juice except oil to cook the rotis. Add sufficient amount of water and knead the mixture into a soft dough. Make a lemon-sized ball from the dough and roll them into a roti . Cook the roti on the tawa by adding a little oil. Continue with the remaining dough. Serve hot with potato curry.

Batata Nu Shaak

Ingredients:
Potatoes - 4 (diced)
Tomatoes - 2 (finely chopped)
Ginger (grated) - 1 tsp.
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp.
Kashmiri red chilli powder- 1 tsp.
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp.
Cumin powder - 1/4 tsp.
Coriander powder - 1/4 tsp.
Oil
Salt (to taste)
Coriander leaves - few (chopped)

For tempering:
Kalonji seeds - 1/2 tsp.
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp.
Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp.

Method:
Heat the oil and add the tempering ingredients. When the seeds splutter, add the turmeric and red chilli powders. Add the chopped ginger and tomato pieces. Saute till the tomatoes become mushy. Add the coriander powder, cumin powder and salt. Add the potatoes and 1.5 cups of water. Cover and cook till the potatoes are soft. Lightly mash the potatoes. When the gravy is thick, add the garam masala and coriander leaves. I didn't add sugar. If you want to add, do so with salt.
Only adapted this potato curry from Archana's kitchen.

Sent off to Nayna's "Flavours of Gujarat" event.

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Kalakand

Ingredients:
Condensed sweetened milk - 1 can (400 gm)
Fresh paneer - 500 gm
Milk powder - 30 gm
Ground cardamom - few pinches
Pistachios (chopped) to garnish

Method:
Mash or grind paneer. Add the paneer, condensed milk and milk powder in a non-stick kadai. Start to stir constantly. After few minutes, when the kalakand starts to leave the sides of pan i.e it forms like a dough oozing out lot of oil, remove and spread the kalakand on the greased plate. Sprinkle ground cardamom and chopped pistachios. Cool and cut into desired shape. Serve immediately or chilled.
Recipe: Nestle

Sent off to Jay's "Let'z Relish Paneer" event.

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Almond Chewy Macaroons

Ingredients:
Ground almonds - 200 gm
Superfine sugar - 200 gm
Egg whites - 2
Ground Cardamom seeds - 1/4 tsp.
Rose water (to moist the hands)
Blanched almonds - 18 to 20

Method:
Preheat the oven at 200°C and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. In a bowl, add ground almonds, ground cardamom seeds, sugar and egg whites and mix together. Knead with hand or with the mixer till you get a coherent paste. Moist your hands with rose water and form a walnut sized ball out of the paste. Place them on the paper and lightly press them flat. Place the balls each 1 inch apart. When you are finished with the paste, place one blanched almond in the centre of each macaroon. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes (But mine took 15 to 18 minutes) and remove from oven when you see the golden color around the edges. Carefully lift them with a spatula (they're fragile) and place it in another sheet and cool completely.The macaroons at this stage will brown more at the edges.  After cooling, store them in an air tight container. Enjoy the chewy macaroons along with their crispy coats!

Recipe: Nigella Lawson

Sent off to Akila's Dish Name Starts with 'A' event.

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