Ladoo

Ingredients:

• 1/2 kg bengal gram flour
• Enough milk to make a thick batter (use full cream milk)
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 4 cups water
• 1/2 kg sugar
• 1 1/2 tsps cardamom powder (made from green cardamoms)
• 10 strands saffron (optional but highly recommended)
• 3/4 cup finely chopped dried fruits - cashews, almonds, pistachios
• 6 tbsps milk
• Ghee (recipe below) for deep frying (you could use vegetable/ canola/ sunflower oil but ghee gives tastier results)
• Special equipment: A very fine metal sieve

Preparation:

• Heat your oven for 10 minutes at 150 C/ 300 F/ Gas Mark 2 and then turn off. Keep the oven shut to contain heat.
• While the oven is heating, put the 4 cups of water and the sugar in a deep pan and boil. As it boils scum will rise to the top. Skim this off with a metal sieve. The sugar syrup must be boiled till it reaches a one-thread consistency. To see how this is done, take a look at Making Sugar Syrup For Indian Desserts.
• Once the syrup has reached the one-thread consistency, remove from the fire immediately, add the cardamom powder, stir and place the pan in the previously heated oven to keep the syrup warm.
• Now put the bengal gram flour and baking powder in a large bowl and mix well.
• Add a little milk at a time till you get a thick batter. Whisk to ensure all lumps are removed and the batter is very smooth.
• Now heat the ghee on a medium flame till hot. Reduce flame a little.
• Hold the sieve about 4 inches above the hot ghee and fill a ladle with the batter. Pour the batter into the sieve. Now use another spoon to gently press the batter through the sieve and into the ghee. It will fall like tiny drops/ beads - Boondi - into the oil! This is what gives the Laddoos their name! Press through all the batter you had put into the sieve like this.
• Now fry the Boondi till they are a very pale golden colour. When done, drain, remove and put into a separate bowl. The fried Boondi should be cooked but not crispy.
• Repeat till all the batter is used up.
• Once all your Boondi is ready, coarsely crush about 1/4 of it with a fork. Add the finely chopped dried fruits, pour the warm syrup over all the Boondi and keep aside for 10 minutes. The Boondi will soak up the sugar syrup and soften.
• While this is happening warm the 6 tbsps of milk very slightly and then soak the saffron strands in it.
• After the Boondi has sat in the syrup for 10 minutes, pour this saffron milk (remove strands before pouring) over it. Mix well.
• Now grease your hands lightly with some ghee and start forming the syrup-soaked Boondi into walnut-sized (or slightly larger) balls (Laddoo in Hindi). Press gently but firmly to bind the Laddoos together. Arrange as you go, on a lightly greased platter .
• Allow the Laddoos to cool to room temperature before serving.
• Boondi Laddoos can be made ahead of time and stored in a cool, dry place in an airtight container for about a week.

Mysore Pak

Ingredients:

1 cup bengal gram flour
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 cups ghee
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp cardomom powder (optional)

Note: Be very careful while preparing this dish, it is cooked in a matter of minutes and needs your complete focus, a slight distraction and your dish will get burnt and charred.

Method: 

 

-Sieve the bengal gram flour (besan).

-Roast it on a hot griddle/ tava for 2-3 minutes stirring constantly. Set aside.

-Heat half the ghee (clarified butter) (1 1/4 cup) in a pan.

-Put the sugar in another pan and add 1 cup of water to it. Cook till it becomes sticky syrup. It should not become stringy.

-Add the roasted flour to the sugar syrup stirring constantly. Take off the flame for a second while you get the melted ghee ready.

-Pour the ghee in a steady stream into the flour and sugar mixture while stirring. You need an extra hand here.

-Add the rest of the ghee and stir in. Cook till the mixture turns light brown and becomes porous and spongy like bread.

-Sprinkle the cardamom powder over the mixture and turn out immediately into a 9" shallow cake pan or a thali.

-The mixture sets within a minute.

-With a sharp knife cut into 1 1/2 inch squares at immediately.

Mushroom Masala

Mushroom - 1 whole packet (200gms).
Onion - 1 1/2 medium sized ( blanched and pureed)
Tomato puree - 3tbsp
Ginger - Garlic paste - 3/4 tsp
Cashew nut paste - 2tbsp
Kashmiri Chilli Powder- 2tsp
Coriander Powder-1 tsp
Turmeric Powder - 3/4 tsp
Garam masala - 1/4tsp
Butter/oil - 2tbsp

Method:-

Initial Preparation:-

1) Soak about 1 1/2 tbsp of cashewnuts in water for about 2 hrs and grind them to a paste. This paste makes the gravy rich in taste.

3) Blanch the onion cut into pieces for about 15mts. If you are using microwave for blanching then keep the onions for about 10mts on high. And puree them.

Actual Preparation:-

1) Heat butter/oil in a kadai and add the onion puree and saute till they turn light brown in color.(This is also known as brown paste)

2) Add Ginger-Garlic paste to the brown paste mixture and saute for sometime.

3) Then add the Kashmiri chilli powder, coriander powder, cashew paste, tomato puree, turmeric powder, garam masala powder and salt and saute for sometime.

4) Add the mushrooms, little water and allow it to cook till the gravy becomes semi-solid.

5) Finally garnish it with freshcream/coriander.

Jalebi

Ingredients: Refined flour (maida) : 1 1/2 cups Soda bicarbonate : 1 teaspoon Sugar : 2 1/2 cups Green cardamom powder : 1/2 teaspoon Saffron (kesar) : few strands/a pinch Oil/Ghee : to deep fry Method: -Mix refined flour and soda bicarbonate. Add two cups of water and make a smooth batter. Make sure that there are no lumps. Leave it overnight to ferment (7-8 hrs).  -Make a syrup with sugar and two and a half cups of water. (That is to make sugar syrup boil sugar and water in 1:1 ratio)  -Add green cardamom powder and saffron.  -Take a squeeze bottle and fill it up with the batter. -Heat sufficient ghee/oil in a flat pan.  -Pour the batter into the hot ghee in spiral shapes. Turn and fry till both sides are golden. Drain and soak in the syrup for at least fifteen minutes. Garam Garam Jalebies ready! Variations: -Some would prefer to make instant Jalebies by adding to the above two spoonful of curd and letting it sit aside for 2 hours and then to make them. -If you want it in a different color like yellow then add the appropriate food color to the mix before putting it into the squeezer.

Pizza Time...!

Thin Crust Pizza with all the toppings.

Ingredients:

For the Dough:

185 gm (1 ½ cup) plain flour

Or

¾ cup whole wheat flour and ¾ cup plain flour

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp salt

125 ml (1/2 cup) lukewarm water

¾ tsp sugar

1 ¼ tsp active dried yeast

For Topping:

Tomato sauce or could use the pizza base sauce readily available in the market.

Vegetables of your choice: tomatoes, onions, capsicum, mushroom, olives, pickles etc... (use your creativity)

Non-veg: salami, chicken minced/barbecued/sliced/diced, same with other meats (use your creativity)

Mozzarella Cheese

A generous spread of Mozzarella cheese.

Method:

-In a bowl, add the sugar, yeast and water and allow to stand for 10 minutes or until frothy.

-Sift the flour (or flours if using a combination of whole wheat flour and plain flour) and the salt in a large bowl, make a well in the centre, add the yeast mixture and the oil and mix into a firm dough. 

-Knead briefly until the dough is smooth and elastic, about a minute or two. 

-Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover and leave in a warm place for an hour or two hours, until it is double in size.

-Punch the dough until it is reduced in size, knead into a small ball. 

-Preheat your oven at its maximum temperature, about 250 degree centigrade(475 degree F or gas mark 9) and on a lightly floured surface, roll into an approximately 10” base.

-Carefully transfer the rolled pizza dough to a lightly oiled/greased baking sheet or pizza stone. 

-Spread with a tomato sauce/pizza base sause and sprinkle the toppings of your choice over the pizza, leaving a 1/4″ border around the edges. 

-Toss in some good cheese for added measure.  

-Bake it for about 10 minutes, until the edges are nicely browned and the pizza looks irresistible.

(Few prefer to bake the base alone in the preheated over for a few minutes until half baked and then to bake it along with the topping for 10 minutes as 10 minutes is enough for the mozzarella to melt down. But it depends on you give it a try. If it is a thin crust pizza you are making 10-15 minutes should be enough in total, but if your base is thick you will have to reconsider).

Thin Crust yummy Pizza ready!

Post your comments once you have tried!