Dates bites

Ingredients -3cups pitted dates, ½ ts cardamom powder,1tsp ghee, ½ cup roasted poppy seeds (khuskhus), Cashew nuts as required. 

Method - Chop seedless dates and place in half a cup of hot water for ten minutes. Make a puree. Heat ghee in a pan. Add dates puree. Stir well and cook on medium heat, stirring continuously, for 5-10minutes or till excess moisture dries up. Add cardamom powder. Using your fingers, press or roll mixture into bites. Coat every bite with roasted khuskhus (Poppy Seeds). Decorate each with cashew nuts.

Cherry Panna cotta

Ingredients-1/4cup fresh cherry pureeed, 1cup, fresh cream, 1/4cup milk, 2tbsps sugar, 1tsp agar agar powder

Fruit sauces, cherries and mint leaves to garnish

Method -Boil the cream and milk with sugar in a deep non stick pan. Set aside to cool down to room temperature. Mix the agar powder in four tsps of luke warm water and stir it into the milk. Transfer the cream-milk mixture into a bowl, add the cherry puree and mix well. Put the mixture into silicon moulds. Place them in a refrigerator for three to four hours to set. Serve chilled.

vanilla panna cotta

Ingredients-1 cup cream 
1/2 cup milk 
1/4 cup powdered sugar or to taste 
3 to 4 drops  vanilla essence
1/2 tsp agar-agar powder 

Fresh cherries and mint leaves to garnish

To serve with fruit sauces

Method – Just mix the powder in 2 tbsp hot water. In a thick pot add milk and cream together and heat till it simmers. Add sugar to it and mix well until the sugar dissolves. Add vanilla essence. Remove from heat. Add the  agar-agar mixture and mix well immediately .Slightly grease the moulds or serving bowls with oil or immerse them in cold water and keep the molds ready which you would like to serve the pudding in. Pour the mixture into the prepared moulds and let them come to a room temperature. Cover it with cling wrap and keep it refrigerated for a minimum of 5-6 hrs or you can even keep it overnight or till they set. Garnish with fresh cherries and pudina (mint) leaves. Serve chilled.

Aam ka kesaria murabba

Ingredients- ½ kg mangoes, 800 gm Sugar,3-4 cloves, 1 tsp green cardamom powder, ½ tsp strands of saffron

Method-Peel the mangoes and prick them with a fork. Remove seeds and cut into half inch cubes. In a pan heat two cups of water, add the mango-cubes with cloves and cook for five minutes and keep aside. Heat sugar with four cups of water in a thick-bottomed pan and prepare sugar syrup of one string consistency. Add the cooked mango cubes along with the cooking liquor and mix. Add crushed green cardamom seeds and saffron and continue to cook, uncovered, on low heat till the mixture is thick .keep aside. Next day cook it again for five minutes. Cool and store in airtight jars.

Cranberry – RAW papaya golden (chunda) chutney

Ingredients:
1 cup raw papaya grated
1 and 1/2 cup sugar
Juice from 1 lemon, salt 1/2 tsp ,1/4 tsp turmeric powder
handful of dried  cranberries
Handful of Raisins ,1/2 tsp black pepper corns and white pepper powder to taste

Method -Add grated papaya in enough water to cover, add a pinch of salt and turmeric. Boil it. Add a little water if required till done, When papaya is soft, add sugar and raisins.
Keep on mid-low flame to reduce it to half the volume.
In about 10 minutes papaya will become golden in color, Add lemon juice.
Keep on low flame for another 5- minutes..Add cranberries for colour and taste. Add black pepper corns and white pepper powder to taste .The water should have a syrupy consistency.
Cool and serve!
Healthy and easy to make. Use as spread on bread or roti. Serve with snacks. This recipe is ideal for lunch packing. 

Instant Oats Steamed Wada

Ingredients

1cup oats (masala oats or saffola oats of liking)

½ cups fine semolina (rava)

2 tbsps gram flour

1tsp mustard seeds

½ tsp salt (or according to taste)

½ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp citric acid

2 tsp sugar

Handful cilantro cut fine, 4 tbsps sprouted moong

2 tbsp olive oil (or any other oil)

Plain yogurt as required to make thick batter

Method -Dry roast oats for one minute in a heavy bottomed pan on medium to medium high heat stirring continuously until it turns light brown. Keep aside to cool for a few minutes. In the meanwhile, dry roast the semolina on medium to medium high heat for 3-4 minutes stirring continuously, then remove from heat and keep aside to cool.

When the oats are cool, grind coarsely in a spice grinder. Mix the cooled semolina, gramflour and coarsely ground oats together. Add to this mixture salt to taste and yogurt and make smooth thick batter. Just before steaming, add sugar, citric acid and baking soda to the batter. Mix well. Grease doughnuts or wada moulds and place spoonfuls of this mixture into each mould and steam for about 6 to 7 minutes.

Remove from heat, cool for about a minute, remove each mould. Heat oil, add mustard seeds to it, when mustard seeds begin to splutter add sprouted moong to it and sauté for a few seconds. Add salt and coriander leaves.

Fill each oats Wada with moong. Serve with salad and dip of choice.

Veg Spring Rolls

Ingredients -For the pancake- ½ cup refined flour, ¾ cup corn flour, ½ cup milk, salt to taste, oil as required, water as required

For the filling- 2 tsp oil, 1 tsp ginger  julienned, 1 carrot, shredded 4 tbsp cabbage, shredded, ½ shredded capsicum ,1 shredded onion, 1 Spring onions with greens, finely chopped ,salt to taste, 1 tsp white pepper powder, 1 tsp Soya sauce,

(1/4cup thick batter of refined flour to seal the edges)

 Method-

For the filling- Heat oil in a non-stick pan. Sauté ginger and onion for a minute. Add all the shredded vegetables, Sauté for two minutes. Add seasoning and Soya sauce. Stir well. Remove from heat. Keep aside to cool.

 For the pancakes- Add both the flours with milk and mix to a smooth paste. Beat for 4 minutes. Add salt. Gradually add water to obtain a batter of thin pouring consistency. Strain the batter mixture to remove any lumps. Heat a non stick pan and lightly grease the fry pan. Pour in a ladle of the batter and rotate the pan to spread the batter evenly on to the fry pan. Cook without coloring and using little oil. When done, remove the pancake. Thus prepare more pancakes. Dust with corn flour and keep aside to cool.

For assembling pancakes:

Take pancake and put around 3 tbsp of stuffing mixture and roll the pancake by folding the sides inside. Seal the pancakes with little batter and repeat the process until all vegetables stuffing is used. Heat oil in a wok and deep fry all the rolled pancakes till crisp and golden brown. Drain and place on an absorbent paper. Cut each spring roll into four pieces. Serve them with accompaniment sauces.

Potato Empanadas

Ingredients –

For the Potato crust -1/2 cup refined flour, ½ teaspoon salt, Black pepper powder and dried oregano to taste, 2 large potatoes, boiled, peeled and mashed

For the filling – 1/4cup cooked corn kernels, 2tsp chopped onion, ¼ cup chopped three colored bell peppers, 2 tomatoes, 2 tbsp grated cheese, jalapenos and black olives to taste, 2 tbsp oil, Salt and black pepper powder to taste

 

Other ingredients –oil to deep fry

 

For topping –grated cheese, jalepenoes, black olives, tomato ketchup

 

Method - For the Potato crust –

Combine all the covering ingredients together and make dough using few drops of water. Keep aside.

For the filling- Put the tomatoes in hot water for 5 minutes. Take off the skin and chop them finely. Heat the oil in pan and sauté the onions for 1 minute. Add the bell peppers and tomatoes and sauté for at least 3 to 4 minutes. Add the corn, salt, pepper and cheese, jalapenos and black olives. Remove from heat.

For empanadas – Form the dough into 2 inch balls. On a floured surface, roll each ball into a 4- inch circle. Spoon some of the filling into the center of the potato crust round, leaving 1/4-inch border. Wet the edges with a finger dipped in water, fold into half moon shapes and seal the edges with the tines of a fork .Heat oil in deep-fryer .Place one or two pieces into the fryer at a time. Fry for about 5 minutes, turning once to brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels.

Top with grated cheese, jalepenoes, black olives and tomato ketchup before serving.

 

BREAD DOSA

Ingredients-For the dosa -8 slices white bread

1/4cup rice flour

½ cup rava

1tsp gram flour

1/4 cup curd

Salt to taste

Water as required

For tempering-

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

10-12 curry leaves

Oil 4tsp +to shallow frying

For the potato filling –2 tablespoons ghee or vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon mustard seeds,½ teaspoon cumin seeds,1 small dried hot red chili,1 medium onion, diced,½ teaspoon salt, Pinch of asafoetida,1 tablespoon grated ginger,6 to 8 curry leaves,4 garlic cloves, minced,2 small green chilies or to taste , finely chopped,6 large sized potatoes, boiled, peeled and cubed and mashed ,½ cup roughly chopped coriander leaves 

Method-   Make the potato filling: Put ghee or oil in a wide skillet over medium heat. When oil is hot, add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Wait for seeds to pop, about 1 minute, then small dried hot red chili,and onion. Cook, stirring until onions have softened, about 5 minutes. Season lightly with salt, asafoetida, ginger, curry leaves, garlic and green chilies. Stir to coat and let sizzle for 1 minute. Add mashed potatoes with 2 tbsps water. Cook, stirring well on low heat to combine. Season well with salt, add coriander leaves. then set aside at room temperature.

For the dosa- Trim the edges of the bread slices and soak in water for 2-3 minutes. Squeeze all the water and grind it without adding any water. Add rice flour rava, gram flour and curd to the bread puree and grind again. The batter will be very thick. Add some water, salt and bring to dosa batter (Thicker than rava dosa) consistency. Put the mixture in a mixer and blend.  Transfer to a clean bowl and adjust the consistency. Heat some oil in a kadai and temper with all the ingredients. Mix the tempering to the batter and mix well. Heat a tava,add some oil and pour a ladleful of batter from outside to inside (Like rava dosa). Cook from both sides till golden brown. Once the edges start browning and the dosa is cooked, reduce the heat, add 2-3 tbsp of potato masala, fold the dosa in desired shape. 

Serve bread dosa hot with chutney of your choice.

Watermelon Granita

Ingredients -2 ½ cups watermelon, deseeded and cubed, 2 tbsps sugar or to taste, 1 tsp lemon juice, 4-5 mint leaves, 1/4 tsp black salt

To garnish –slice of water melon, pudina leaf and tutti-frutti

Method - Blend all ingredients in a blender and pour into a shallow dish. Freeze for at least 2-3 hours. When hardened, scrape top with a fork. Place shavings into dishes to serve. Garnish with tutti-frutti, mint leaf and slice of water melon, 

Enjoy! Watermelon - Full of flavor and refreshing.