DESCRIPTION:
Dal makhani or dal makhni is a popular dish from the Punjab region of India and Pakistan. The primary ingredients are whole black lentil, red kidney beans, butter and cream. The dish gets its richness from the use of cream, however, it can also be prepared with yogurt, milk or no dairy.
Dal makhani is a staple in the Indian subcontinent. The traditional preparation of dal makhani involves a series of time-consuming procedures, which can take up to 24 hours to complete. With the availability of modern cooking equipment, namely electric pressure cookers, the preparation time of the dish has reduced significantly to 2–3 hours.
PREPARATION:
Preperation time: 4 hrs
Cooking time: 3 hrs
INGREDIENTS:
-½ cup whole black lentil / sabut urad dal
-¼ cup rajma / red kidney beans
-2.5 cups water for pressure cooking
-1 small black cardamom/ badi elaichi
-1 small bay leaf/ tej patta
-¼ to ½ tsp turmeric powder/ haldi
-Salt as needed
-2 tbsp oil or butter
-¼…
DESCRIPTION:
Palak paneer is a vegetarian dish from the Indian Subcontinent, consisting of paneer in a thick paste made from pureed spinach and seasoned with garlic, garam masala, and other spices. This dish is served hot with a tandoor selection, like roti, naan or boiled rice.
Dhaba restaurants often specialise in palak paneer.
PREPERATION:
Preperation time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 25 mins
INGREDIENTS:
-1 heaped cup paneer cubes/ Indian
cottage cheese (150 grams)
-2 cups palak tightly packed (100 grams)
-2 to 3 green chilies deseeded
-¾ cup fine chopped onions
-½ cup tomatoes puree
-¼ tsp kasuri methi
-½ tsp coriander powder
-¼ tsp cumin powder
-¼ to ½ tsp garam masala
-1 tsp ginger garlic paste
-1 inch cinnamon stick
-2 green cardamoms
-2 cloves
-⅛ tsp cumin or jeera
-Oil or butter as needed
-2 to 4 tbsp. Fresh cream
-salt as needed
STEPS:
1. Wash cleaned palak thoroughly in a
large pot filled with water. Rinse a few times. Drain…
DESCRIPTION:
Dum Aloo/Alu Dum is a potato based dish, it is a part of the traditional Kashmiri Pandit cuisine, from the Kashmir Valley, in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. The potatoes, usually smaller ones, are first deep fried, then cooked slowly at low flame in a gravy with spices. Dum Aloo is a popular recipe cooked throughout India. In Bengal, it is a specialty dish eaten mostly with Luchi and is known as "Aloor dum".
PREPERATION:
Preperation time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 25 mins
INGREDIENTS:
-250 grams potatoes/25 small baby
potatoes
-¼ cup oil for frying
-1 cup cubed onions
-1 ripe medium tomato deseeded
-10 cashew nuts
-1 tbsp oil
-1 very small or half bay leaf
-1 green cardamom / elaichi
-1 slit green chilli
-1 tsp ginger garlic paste
-½ to ¾ tsp garam masala
-½ to ¾ tsp coriander powder
-½ to ¾ tsp kashmiri chilli powder
-salt as needed
-little turmeric powder
-3 tbsps thick curd / plain yogurt
-¼ tsp kasuri methi / dried fenugreek
l…
DESCRIPTION:
Shahi paneer is a preparation of paneer in a thick gravy made up of cream, tomatoes and spices from the Indian subcontinent. Shahi paneer has a sweeter taste when compared to Paneer Butter Masala.
It is mainly eaten with roti, naan, rice, other breads. Paneer is the word for cottage cheese, and shahi is the term for royal (in reference to the Imperial Court).
PREPERATION:
Preperation time: 5 mins
Cooking time: 30 mins
INGREDIENTS:
-1 ½ cup panner cubes 250 grams
-½ cup thick yogurt
-¾ to 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
-¼ tsp. red chili powder
-⅛ tsp turmeric
-¾ tsp. gram masala
-Pinch of saffron
-Salt to taste
-2 tbsp. Ghee or oil
-Kewra water few drops.
-¾ cup water
-1 chopped tomato
SPICES
-2 to 3 cloves
-1 to 2 one inch cinnamon stick
FOR SHAHI PASTE
-12 whole cashewnuts
-8 almonds
-1 cup cubed onions
-2 green cardamoms
-1 green chili slit
STEPS:
1. Fry paneer lightly in 1 tbsp. ghee and set aside to a plate.
2. For…
DESCRIPTION:
Khichdi or khichri, is a South Asian preparation made from rice and lentils (dal). Khichdi was the inspiration for the Anglo-Indian dish kedgeree, and is also commonly considered to be the inspiration for the popular Egyptian dish, kushari. In Indian culture, it is considered one of the first solid foods that babies eat.
The Greek ambassador of Seleucus mentioned that rice with pulses is very popular among people of South Asia. The Moroccan traveller, Ibn Battuta mentions kishri as a dish in India composed of rice and mung beans, during his stay circa 1350. Khichdi is described in the writings of Afanasiy Nikitin, a Russian adventurer who travelled to the South Asia in the 15th century. Khichdi was very popular with the Mughals, especially Jahangir. Ain-i-Akbari, a 16th-century document, written by Mughal Emperor, Akbar’s vizier, Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak, mentions the recipe for khichdi, which gives seven variations. There is an anecdotal story featuring Akbar, Birbal…
DESCRIPTION:
Malpua is a pancake served as a dessert or a snack, popular in India and Bangladesh. It is a very popular dish of Odisha and is also served to Lord Jagannath of Puri in his Sakala Dhupa (morning food served to the lord). Apart from other dishes like Pheni, Rabidi, Kheera sara and other cheese or chhena based items malpua is one of the most popular buyouts in the streets of Puri in Odisha. Malpuas are also prepared in Odia homes during Raja sankranti.
HISTORY:
Barley was the most prolific grain eaten by the arya of the Vedic period. One preparation was a sweet cake called apūpa, where barley flour was either fried in ghee or boiled in water, and then dipped in honey. Malpua preserves both the name and the essentials of this preparation.
PREPERATION:
Preperation time: 25 mins
Cooking time: 25 mins
INGREDIENTS:
-1 ¼ cup maida / plain flour
-2 green cardamoms
-1 tsp fennel/ saunf crushed
-½ cup milk
-¼ cup water + more water if needed
-Ghee or oil…
DESCRIPTION:
Gulab jamun (also spelled gulaab jamun) is a milk-solid-based South Asian sweet, particularly popular in India, Myanmar, Nepal (where it is known as lalmon), Pakistan and Bangladesh. It is also common in Mauritius and the Caribbean countries of Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Suriname and Jamaica. It is made mainly from milk solids, traditionally from freshly curdled milk. It is often garnished with dried nuts like almonds to enhance flavour.
The word "gulab" is derived from the Persian words gol (flower) and āb (water), referring to the rose water-scented syrup. "Jamun" or "jaman" is the Hindi-Urdu word for Syzygium jambolanum, an Indian fruit with a similar size and shape. The Arab dessert luqmat al-qadi is similar to gulab jamun, although it uses a completely different batter.
PREPERATION:
Preperation time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 20 mins
INGREDIENTS:
-1 cup milk powder
-¼ cup
-2 tbsp all-purpose flour / maida
-1 tsp ghee
-1 tsp ghee for greasing
-1…
DESCRIPTION:
Mattar paneer is a vegetarian north Indian dish consisting of peas and paneer in a tomato based sauce, spiced with garam masala. It is often served with rice and an Indian type of bread (naan, paratha, poori, or roti depending on region). Various other ingredients are often added, such as "aloo" (potato), corn, yogurt or cream.
In the UK it is often referred to as 'cheesy peas'.
PREPERATION:
Preperation time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 15 mins
INGREDIENTS:
TO MAKE A PASTE
-1 cup chopped onions
-1 ¼ to 1 ½ cup ripe tomatoes
-8 to 10 cashew nuts
-1 green chili
FOR GRAVY
-1 to 1.5 tbsp butter
-1 ½ tsp ginger garlic paste
-½ cup green peas
-1 ½ cups paneer(indian cottage cheese)
-2 green cardamoms
-½ tsp cumin / jeera
-1 bay leaf
-half inch cinnamon stick/ dalchini
-2 cloves/ laung
-½ to ¾ tsp kashmiri red chili powder
-¾ to 1 tsp garam masala
-salt as needed
-¼ tsp kasuri methi
-Coriander leaves chopped finely
-¼ cup cream
STEPS:
…
DESCRIPTION:
Laddu or laddoo are ball-shaped sweets popular in the Indian Subcontinent. Laddus are made of flour, minced dough and sugar with other ingredients that vary by recipe. They are often served at festive or religious occasions.
Common flours used for laddu include gram flour (chickpea flour), wheat semolina and ground coconut. These are combined with sugar and other flavorings, cooked in ghee and molded into a ball shape. Some laddu recipes are prepared using Ayurvedic medicinal ingredients, including methi laddu, multigrain and resin laddu. Nuts such as pistachios and almonds are commonly stuffed into laddus.
Whole wheat ladoo as the name suggests are made from whole wheat ( Atta ).
PREPERATION:
Preperation time: 5 mins
Cooking time: 10 mins
INGREDIENTS:
-2 cups atta / whole wheat flour
-¾ to 1 cup sugar
-¼ cup solid ghee
-½ cup desiccated coconut
-¼ tsp cardamom powder or 3 elaichi
-½ cup raisins
-½ cup cashews
STEPS:
1. Heat ¼ cup…
DESCRIPTION:
Halva is any of various dense, sweet confections served across the Middle East, South Asia, Central Asia, West Asia, the Caucasus, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, the Balkans, Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Malta and the Jewish diaspora.
Suji halva is slightly gelatinous and made from grain flour, typically semolina (suji- India). The primary ingredients are clarified butter (ghee), flour, and sugar.
Halva can be kept at room temperature with little risk of spoilage. However, during hot summer months, it is better kept refrigerated, as it can turn runny after several days.
PREPERATION:
Preperation time: 2 mins
Cooking time: 15 mins
INGREDIENTS:
-½ cup suji / rava / semolina
-½ cup sugar
-3 to 4 tbsp ghee
-1 ¼ cup water
-2 generous pinches of green cardamom -powder / elaichi
-8 to 10 cashew nuts
-8 to 10 raisins
STEPS:
1. Add half cup sugar to a pot.
2. Add 1 ¼ cup water to the pot. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Heat it up.
3. While…