Shahi Tukda

Shahi Tukdas are my all time favourite Indian Sweet dish. It is both sweet and crunchy at the same time. I always try making it in different ways so that every time I eat it has something new to offer. I came across this recipe on Facebook on Nestle Milkmaid Sweet Moments Page, so I couldn't resist to make it.

Shahi Tukda

Ingredients:
1/2 tin Milkmaid (Condensed Milk)
1cup Milk
1tbsp Cornflour
2-3tbsp Milk (Separate)
1tsp Cardamom Powder
8 Slices Bread
Mixed Nuts ( Almonds+ Pistachios + Cashews)
Oil/ghee to Fry
Silver Vrak

For the Sugar Syrup:
1cup Sugar
1cup Water

Procedure:
For the Milk Mixture:

• Make a paste of cornflour with 2-3tbsp of milk. Mix well so that no lumps are made.
• Take a Pan, add in milk in it. Bring it to a boil.
• Add in cornflour paste. Stirring continuously so that no lumps are made.
• Lower the flame, add in Condensed milk + Cardamom powder. Mix well.
• Cook until the mixture becomes slightly thick.
• Remove from Flame. Keep it aside.

Preparation of the Bread:

• Cut the Bread slices in triangular shapes. Keep it aside.
• Heat Oil/Ghee in a Kadahi to fry the bread slices.
• Fry the bread slices. Keep it on a tissue paper to remove the excess oil.
• Now prepare sugar syrup by boiling sugar and water together. Add in 1/2 tsp of Cardamom powder in it.
• Boil it till it becomes one string consistency.
• Now dip each fried bread slice in the sugar syrup. 
• Just for a fraction of a minute so that it remains crisp.

Plating of the dish:

• Take a serving plate, place the sugared bread slices horizontally one over the other like a stair-case.
• Pour the thickened milk mixture over these bread slices.
• Garnish it with chopped nuts and silver vrak
• Serve hot or cold.

Tawa Pulao

Originally tawa pulao, is a famous street food from Maharashtra. But now it has made its way to various cities all over India.
In Lucknow, on the Shahnajaf road, just opposite to St. Francis school, there is this thela  (Street Hawker) who serves this awesome pav bahj, tawa pulao and bhel puri. Whenever i am in Lucknow I definitely go to his stall to have this sumptuous pulao and pav bhaji. So one day I just happened to stand next to his stall and see how does he makes it. So I am posting the original recipe of this tawa pulao straight from the thela.

Tawa Pulao

Ingredients:
1 cup Long-grained Rice (I used Basmati)
2 medium sized onion (julienned)
3 medium-sized tomatoes (diced)
1/2 cup Carrot (diced)
1/2 cup Green Peas (boiled)
1/2 cup Green Capsicum (diced)
2 Green Chilies
3-4 cloves of Garlic
1 smal piece of ginger
Fresh Coriander
2tbsp Pav Bhaji Masala
1tbsp Red Chilly Powder
Salt to taste
3tbsp Butter or ghee or oil. (butter is preferred)
1tsp Cumin seeds
1 pinch of Asafoetida
Lime juice

Procedure:
For the Rice:

• Soak rice for 1 hour before cooking.
• After 1 hour boil the rice in 3 cups of water with 1tsp ghee and salt.
• Cook for 10 minutes. Do not over cook.
• Drain the rice. Keep it aside.

For the Masala:

• Heat butter in a skillet, add in asafoetida. when it leaves smell add in cumin seeds.
• When it stops to clutter, add in ginger + garlic+ green chillies.
• Now add in the onions.
• Let it cook till it turns pink.
• Now add in chopped tomatoes and carrots.
• Add in little salt. (dont add much as you have already added it at the time of cooking rice)
• Close the lid and let it cook for 10 to 15 minutes till the tomatoes and carrot gets tender.
• Now add in green peas. If required add little water. and again close the lid.
• After 5 minutes add in capsicum.
• Take a potato masher and mash these vegetables just little bit. (little just 2-3 times)
• Add in pav bhaji masala + red chilly powder + coriander leaves + lime juice.
• Mix well.
• Now add in the cooked rice. Mix well.
• Taste little bit to check the seasonings.
• If required add more.
• Garnish with fresh coriander leaves.
• Serve hot.

Plating of the dish:

• To give a true rustic look i used a paper plate.
• You can use any white plate to serve.
• To serve, take a bowl fill it up with rice. press.
• Invert it on the plate so that the rice comes out in a doom shape.
• Garnish with chopped onions + lime wedges.
• You can serve it  with left bhaji. it tastes great.
• You can even add more butter on top of it.

Apple Crumble

Its evening time and I am craving for something sweet. No chocolates, no mithai, its pudding that I want to eat. Various pudding recipes was running in mind like the triffle, chocolate but all this required a lot of time and patience. So finally I settled with a very simple and quick recipe of an Apple Crumble. All those who like the awesome flavours of Apple and Cinnamon, will surely love this recipe.

Apple Crumble

Ingredients:
1 Cup Self Raising Flour
100gms Butter
2-3 Medium sized Apples
2+3 tbsp Brown Sugar
1stick of Cinnamon

Procedure:

• Pre-heat the oven 180degree Celsius for 25 minutes.
• Take nice Red apples to make this Crumble.
• Peel the apples and dice them.

• Cook the apples on low flame for 10 minutes till they become soft and tender.
• Make sure that it does  not becomes too soft. Little crunchy apples will make it even more tastier.
• In the meanwhile, take a bowl add in self raising flour + 3tbsp sugar + melted butter.
• Mix all this well until the mixture resembles bread crumbs.
• Grease a pie plate with butter.

• Now the apples will also be cooked.
• Spread all the apples on the bottom of the pie plate.
• Top it with maida mixture.
• Sprinkle some brown sugar over it.
• Place it in the oven and let it bake for 35-40 minutes at 180degree Celsius.
• Serve hot with a dollop of vanilla ice cream or chocolate or strawberry sauce.

Plating of the Dish:

Apple Crumble

• To plate the dish, cut two slices of apple crumble.
• Put it on a plate.
• Sprinkle some chocolate and strawberry sauce over it.

Chocolate Sponge Cake with Eggs and Butter!!

I am posting a very simple recipe of a chocolate sponge cake which cane be used in various cakes, deserts, puddings and all. This can also be eaten at with tea or coffee. This recipe is adapted from the book Cakes and Pastries by Tarla Dalal.

Ingredients:
150 gms Self Raising Flour
170 gms butter (unsalted or salted)
20 gm cocoa powder
170 gms Castor sugar
3 eggs
1tsp vanilla essence
1/3 cup milk








Procedure:

• Pre-heat the oven at 200degress Celsius for 20 minutes.
• Grease and dust 7" mould. Keep it aside. 
• Sieve flour and cocoa powder. Keep aside.
• Cream the butter and sugar till it becomes like a creamy mixture.

• Now gradually add in eggs one by one whipping continuously.
• Fold in the flour slowly.
• Add in milk. 
• Mix in the folding action.
• Add in vanilla essence.

• Pour the batter in the mould.
• Bake for 20 minutes at 200 degree Celsius.

Chocolate Sponge Cake

Notes:

• Butter and eggs should be at room temperature.
• Take them out of the refrigerator 1 hour before baking the cake.
• while adding eggs if the batter starts to cuddle you can add 1 tbsp flour.

I used a heart shape mould you can use any shapes.....

Paneer Kathi Roll

I remember when I was a child and used to hate eating normal chapatis my father used to say "isko aati maati kar ke khila do roti" which meant roll the cooked vegetable into the chapati and eat it like a roll. then i used to finish the chapati asap. These rolls are not old and r there in out houses since ages. I will give it a fancy name as Paneer Kathi Roll. Its a famous street food, popular among all the people. Its healthy and a complete meal by itself.

Paneer kathi Roll

Ingredients:
For the Filling:
250gms Cottage Cheese (Paneer)
2 medium-sized onions (thinly sliced)
1 medium-sized capsicum (cubed)
1medium-sized tomato (cubed)
1tbsp ginger-garlic paste
1 green chilly (finely chopped)
1tsp cumin seeds
1tsp Garam Masala powder
1tbsp Coriander Powder
1tsp Fenugreek leaves
1tbsp Curd
1tsp Turmeric Powder
Salt to taste
2tbsp Olive Oil


For the Tortillas:
1cup Wheat Flour
1/2cup Maida
Salt to taste
1tbsp Curd
1tbsp oil
Water to knead

For assembling the rolls:
Coriander & Mint chutney
Oil to cook the tortillas

Procedure:

For the filling:

• Heat oil in a pan, add in cumin seeds.
• When it starts cluttering, add in finely sliced onion.
• Add in ginger-garlic paste.
• Let this cook till onions turn pink.
• Then add in cubed tomatoes. Mix well. let this cook on low heat.
• Add in salt to increase the cooking procedure.
• Now add in capsicum.
• Mix well.
• Add in paneer cubes.
• Mix well. 
• Take a bowl, whip the curd well.
• Add in all the seasonings. (garam masala powder + coriander powder + turmeric powder + kasturi methi.)
• Now add  this curd + seasoning mixture in the paneer.
• Mix well.
• Let this cook for a while on medium flame.

For the tortillas:

• Take a bowl, add in wheat flour + maida + salt + curd + oil.
• Use enough water to knead.it.
• Cover it with wet cloth and keep it aside for 20 minutes.
• Divide the dough into equal balls.

• Roll out each portion into thin chapati.

• Spread oil on top of the roti.
• Now start folding from one end to other like a spiral. Refer to the image.

• Now roll it in the shape of a disc.

• Again roll out each disc into a chapathi
• Cook this on a tawa with oil..

Assembling the Kathi roll.:

• Divide the paneer filling into equal portions.
• Spread 1tbsp of mint chutney over the chapati.
• Spread 1 portion of the paneer filling over it.
• Do all this keep the chapati on the tawa.
• Roll it tightly.
• Wrap it in aluminium foil.
• Serve hot with sliced onions and ketchup.