Ingredients:

1 Cup gram flour

3/4 Cup wheat flour
3/4 Cup bajra flour
1 tsp Cumin seed powder
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
6 Crushed green chilli
2 Inch ginger, crushed
1 tsp Ajwain
1 Pinch asafoetida
6 tbsp Oil
3 tbsp Grated coconut
3 tbsp Chopped coriander
Salt to taste
Sugar to taste
6 Cloves garlic (optional)

How to make Muthia:

• Combine bajra flour, wheat flour, gram flour, salt and sugar in a big bowl.
• Add cumin seed powder, turmeric powder, crushed green chillies, crushed garlic, and crushed ginger.
• Mix properly and knead lightly.
• Shape into long thin rolls with your fingers.
• Steam for half an hour or until cooked.
• Heat oil, add ajwain seeds and asafoetida.
• Add muthia and fry until brown.
• Garnish with grated coconut and chopped coriander leaves.

Ganesh Chaturthi is a festival dedicated to the Lord Ganesha, who is well known for his love and inclination towards sweets like modak and besan ke ladoo. Therefore, it is of prime importance to offer the Lord besan ke laddu on this special occasion. No doubt, these ladoos are very tasty and are loved by almost everyone. So, why not make this auspicious occasion more special by making them at home only. Given below is the recipe giving details on the ingredients as well the method of preparing besan ke laddoo.

Motichur Ladoo

Ingredients

2 cups gram flour (besan)
2 cups clarified butter (ghee)
3/4 cups sugar
2 tbsp. almonds, finely chopped
1/2 tsp. cardamom powder
1/4 tsp. edible saffron color

Method
Mix gram flour with just enough water to make a thick batter. Add color. Heat clarified butter (ghee). Through a sieve, gently place batter drops into the hot ghee. Fry till pink and drain out. Continue till all batter is used. Reserve the fried drops as boondis. Heat sugar with 3/4 cup water and make a sticky syrup of one- thread consistency. Add fried boondis, almonds, cardamom powder and mix well. While still warm, shape the syrup-coated boondis into round ladoos, and leave till dry.

Kaju Barfi

Ingredients
2 cups Cashew Nuts (soaked in water for 2 hours)
1 cup Powdered Sugar
1 tbsp Ghee
1/2 tsp Cardamom Powder
Silver Foil (optional)

Method

Drain and blend the cashews to a fine paste. Use as little water as possible when blending.
Now in a saucepan make syrup with sugar and water and Cook on slow to medium heat.
Cook stirring continuously till a soft lump is formed. Add ghee and cardamom powder and mix well
Remove from heat on to a smooth surface and roll out (thin) quickly with a rolling pin. Cut into squares/diamond shapes.

Shrikhand

Ingredients :

1 kg. Curd (Put in a muslin cloth and hung for 2-3 hours)
1 tbsp warm milk
3/4 to 1 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp cardamom (elaichi) powder
A few saffron strands
Slivers of pistachios & almonds (optional)

Method of Preparation:
Mix saffron in milk and keep it aside. Take a bowl and put Curd, sugar, saffron mixture and cardamom. Mix all the ingredients well either manually or with the help of a blender. Garnish it with almonds and pistachios.

Pedhas

Bhagara Baingan – South indian Recipe

Ingredients

250 gm: Baingans of the small variety
1/2cup: Onions-finely chopped
½ tsp: Garlic paste
½ tsp: Ginger paste
1/4cup: Grated dry coconut
2 tsp: Tamarind paste or to taste
1 tbsp: Coriander seeds-roasted
2 tsp: Cumin, roasted
2 tsp: Sesame seeds, roasted
1/4tsp: Turmeric
1/2tsp: Powdered red pepper
7-8 : Curry leaves
1 tbsp: Hara dhania for garnish
1/4cup: Oil
Oil for deep frying
2 tsp: Salt or to taste

Method

Slit the baingans and deep fry over high heat, till glossy and a little tender.
Remove from oil and keep aside.
Grind the coconut and the roasted coriander, cumin and sesame seeds together, using a little water if need be.
Heat the 1/4cup of oil and sauté the onions, ginger and garlic till onions are soft and a little transparent. Add curry leaves and turn around, then the ground mixture and sauté till the fat separates.
Add the tamarind paste, salt, turmeric, red pepper and mix well, and then add the baingans. Turn around a few times.
Add about a quarter of a cup of water.
Bring to a boil and simmer and cover for about 5 minutes.
Serve hot garnished with the hara dhania.

Vrat Dosa with Peanut Chutney

Ingredients:

Ingredients for dosa:
1 cup – rajgiri flour (Vrat Atta)
Sour buttermilk as required
Rock salt to taste
Black pepper pinch
Cooking oil as required

For stuffing:
2 medium – boiled potatoes
2 small – green chillies
1 tbsp – chopped Coriander leaves
1/4tsp – cumin seeds
1/2tsp – cooking oil
1/4tsp – turmeric powder
Rock salt to taste

For chutney:
1/2 cup – roasted and husked peanuts
1/2 cup – grated coconut
2 small – green chillies
1tbsp – tamarind pulp
Rock salt to taste

Method
Mix Rajgiri flour with buttermilk, salt and pepper and make a batter of pouring consistency and keep aside.
Mash potatoes, add finely chopped green chillies and salt and mix.
Heat 1/2 tsp oil in a frying pan, add cumin seeds when they begin to sputter add turmeric powder
Stir a little, now add mashed potato mixture and stir till cooked evenly and slightly browned
Add chopped coriander leaves and remove from heat.
Grind all ingredients for chutney in a blender adding sufficient water to make a medium thick chutney.
Now take a dosa tawa or non stick pan, heat on medium and lightly grease it with cooking oil.
Add a ladle full of batter and spread it make a dosa.
When one side is cooked, flip very carefully to cook the other side.
Flip back, add a tbsp of Potato filling in the middle and fold dosa over.
Remove from heat and serve hot with peanut chutney.

Idli Sambhar – South Indian Recipe

Ingredients

4 cup: Long grain rice
2 cup: Uncle Ben’s Converted rice
1 cup: Urad dal whole
Salt to taste

Method

Soak the long grain rice for 6-7 hours and urad dal for an hour.
Dry grind the Converted rice.
Grind the soaked rice to a coarse paste & urad to a fine paste.
Mix all three, add salt and let it ferment at least for a day.
Steam them and serve hot with chutney or sambhar.

Dosa – South Indian Recipe

Ingredients

For Dosa
2 cup: Rice – preferably parboiled
1/2 cup: Split and husked Black Gram (Dhuli Urad) – soaked with rice for 5-6 hours
1/2 tsp: Fenugreek Seeds
Oil to smear the pan for cooking the dosas
2 tsp: Salt

For Masala
500 gm (3 cups): Potatoes – boiled, peeled and cubed
1 1/2 cups: Onions – sliced not very thin
1/4 tsp: Powdered Turmeric
2-3: Green chillies – chopped coarsely (optional)
6-7 : Curry leaves or 1/2 tsp dried curry leaves
2 tbsp: Oil
1 tsp: Mustard seeds
2 tsp: Salt
1/2 cup: Water

Method
Grind daal mixture together to a very smooth consistency. Add salt and enough water to make into a dropping consistency. Leave to ferment for about 5-6 hours, till a little spongy.

If thickened too much, add a little water to thin a bit. Heat tawa, and brush oil over it. When really hot, splash a little water over it, and immediately pour batter onto it, spreading it thin, with a circular motion. This will have to be very swift and will need a bit of practice.

After spreading the batter, lower the heat and dribble a little oil around the edges so that it seeps under the dosa. When edges start browning a bit, pass a flat spoon under it to ease the dosa off the pan.

Put desired filling in the centre and fold the two edges over. Serve accompanied with sambhar and chutney

For the Masala Filling

Heat the oil in a heavy based pan and add the mustard seeds, then onions, curry leaves and green chillies, and sauté over high heat till the onions are a little transparent.

Add the salt and the turmeric and mix well before adding the potatoes. Turn the potatoes around till well mixed and add the water and let it simmer for 2-3 minutes.

For Chutney :

1\2 cup grated coconut
2 roasted red chillies
3 green chillies
1\2 tsp. mustard seeds
1\2 tsp. black gram dal (udad)
8-10 curry leaves
1 tsp. oil
1\2 tsp. coriander seeds
a little tamarind (soaked in water)
salt to taste

Grind the coconut, red chillies and tamarind. Add green chillies and coriander seeds while the coconut mix is being ground. Make a fine paste and add a little water.

For the seasoning, splutter udad dal, mustard seeds and curry leaves in hot oil and pour over the chutney.

Add salt to taste and serve with a hot, hot dosa

Ghever – Rajasthani Recipe

Ingredients:

3 cups Plain Flour
1 cup Ghee
3-4 icecubes
4 cups water
1/2 cup Milk
1/4 tsp Yellow Colour
1 kg Ghee

Syrup:

1 1/2 cups Sugar
1 cup Water

Topping:

1 tsp Cardamom Powder
1 tbsp Almonds chopped
1 tbsp Pistachios
1 tbsp Milk
1/2 tsp Saffron dissolved in milk
Silver foil

How to make rajasthani ghever :

Prepare sugar syrup of 1 thread consistency and keep aside.
In a large bowl put ghee.

Add milk, flour and 1 cup water. Mix together to make a smooth batter.
Dissolve colour in some water and add to batter. Add more water as required.
Batter should be of running consistency.

Take an aluminium or steel cylindrical container.
The height should be at least 12″. And diameter 5-6″.

Fill half with ghee. Heat.
When ghee is hot, take a 50 ml, glassful of batter.
Pour in centre of ghee, slowly in one continuous threadlike stream.
Allow foam to settle. Pour one more glassful in hole formed in centre.
When foam settles again, loosen ghevar with an iron skewer inserted in hole.
Place on a mesh to drain excessive oil.
Keep sugar syrup in a wide flat bottomed container to fit in ghevar.
Dip ghevar in it, and remove, keep aside on mesh to drain excess syrup .
Cool a little, top with silver foil.
Splash a few drops of saffron milk, sprinkle some chopped dryfruit and a few pinches of cardamom powder.
Ghevar is ready to be served.

Daal Bati / Dal Baati -Rajasthani Recipe

Ingredients:

1/3 cup split Bengal gram (chana dal)                      ,    1/3 cup toovar (arhar) dal
1/3 cup green moong dal (split green gram)         ,    1 tablespoon urad dal (split black lentils)
1 tablespoon whole moong (whole green gram)  ,    3 teaspoons chilli powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder (haldi)                    ,    1 teaspoon coriander (dhania) powder
1/2 teaspoon garam masala                                         ,     3 cloves
2 bay leaves                                                                        ,   1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
2 green chillies, slit
a pinch asafoetida (hing)
2 teaspoons amchur (dry mango powder)
2 teaspoons tamarind (imli) pulp
3 tablespoons ghee
salt to taste

For the baatis (for 10 baatis)

1 cup whole wheat flour (gehun ka atta)
1/2 cup semolina (rawa)
2 tablespoons Bengal gram flour (besan)
8 tablespoons milk
4 tablespoons melted ghee
salt to taste

For serving

melted ghee
1 recipe churma

For the panchmel dal
1.Clean and wash the dals and add 4 cups of water. Pressure cook for 2 to 3 whistles or till the dals are cooked.

2.In a bowl, combine the chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, garam masala with 3 tablespoons of water and mix well. Keep aside.

3.Heat the ghee in a pan and add the cloves, bay leaves, cumin seeds, green chillies and asafoetida. When the cumin seeds crackle, add the prepared masala paste and saut for 1 to 2 minutes.

4.Add the cooked dals, amchur, tamarind pulp and salt and simmer for 5 to 7 minutes. Adjust the consistency of the dal before serving and if required, add some water.

For the baatis :

Vermicelli Kheer

Ingredients

1cup Roasted Vermacili

1.5 liter Milk
½ tsp. Cardamom Powder
½ tsp. Saffron
Dry fruit and resins

Method :

Boil the milk in a broad mouth pan add the roasted Vermicelli and sugar to taste. Let it boil till thick. Dissolve saffrom in 1tsp. Water. Add cardamom and saffron to the thick vermacelli and milk mixture Garnish with soaked almonds and resins.

Khoya Burfi /Kaju Katri

Ingredients
1 Lt. Milk
75 gms sugar
50 grams naryal chura (coconut powder)
20 grams pistachios, chopped
20 grams almonds, chopped