GAJAR KA HALWA RECIPE

Ingredients for carrot halva:

1 kg Carrots
1 litre Milk
1 teaspoon Cardamom seeds
3/4 cup Water
3 tablespoons Ghee
2 tablespoons Raisins
2 tablespoons Almonds
2 tablespoons Pistachios
450 grams Sugar

Preparation of carrot halwa :

* Wash and grate the carrots. Soak the raisins in water for 30 minutes. Blanch and shred the nuts.
* Put the water to boil, when it starts boiling add the grated carrots. Cook for 5-7 minutes.
* Add the milk. Cook on a low flame for 1 hour stirring occasionally. Add sugar, mix well and cook till the sugar has dissolved and all the milk has been absorbed.
* Add ghee and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Add the slightly crushed cardamoms and the raisins. Mix well.
* Remove the gajjar halwa from heat and arrange in a serving dish. Garnish with almonds and pistachios. Serve cold, hot or at room temperature.

DOODH PAK RECIPE

Ingredients:

Ingredients
1/2 cup Almonds
1 litre Milk 250 grams Sugar
1 teaspoon Cardamom powder
1 teaspoon Saffron
1 tablespoon Pistachios
1 1/2 tablespoon Raisins


Preparation:

* Soak the almonds in warm water for 1 hour. Peel and grind to a fine paste. Dissolve the saffron in 1 tablespoon of warm milk and keep aside.
* Boil the milk in a heavy bottomed pan, stirring constantly. Add the almond paste and simmer for 30-35 minutes, stirring regularly.
* Add the saffron, sugar, pista and raisins. Cook on a very low flame till thick. Sprinkle cardamom powder.
* Serve doodh pak hot or chilled.

CRULLERS

Ingredients:

4 slices Bread
1 cup Condensed milk
1 cup Sugar
1 tblsp Powdered sugar
2 cups sieved Refined flour
2 Eggs
1/2 tbsp Cinnamon powder
2 tbspn Milk
A pinch Nutmeg (Jaiphal) grated
A pinch Baking powder
3 tblsp Butter
2 cups Oil for deep frying

How to make crullers:

* Cream the butter and sugar in a basin with a wooden spoon.(creaming is mixing the sugar with the butter till the sugar gets dissolved or partly dissolved in the butter.)
* Add the beaten eggs into the basin and mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon till the sugar is completely dissolved.
* Eve the refined flour along with the baking powder into the basin.mix thoroughly all the ingredients in the basin adding the milk.
* Add the cinnamon and the nutmeg.
* Make a dough using a little water.
* Knead until smooth and soft and the dough is free from stickiness.
* Allow the dough to stand for 20 minutes.
* Divide the dough into even sized balls.""""""i know that many of u might be amateurs at cooking, but dont worry if you cant make balls make whatever shape u can manage-- the final product is going to be the same.
* Roll the balls into 3" diameter rounds having a thickness of 0.5 cms.
* Make a hole in the centre of each rounds so that it resembles like doughnuts.
* Deep fry in a kadai till golden brown in colour.drain.
* Sprinkle the powdered sugar on top.

COCONUT BARFI RECIPE (Nariyal Ki Burfi)

Ingredients:

225 gms Khoya
225 gms coconut (dry and ground)
1 tsp cardamom seeds (ground)
1 tbsp ghee
2 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups water
1/2 tsp almonds (grated)
1/2 tsp pistachios (grated)

How to make coconut burfi:

* Mix khoya and coconut and fry them lightly with ghee on a low heat.
* Add cardamom and mix well.
* Prepare one-string syrup by dissolving sugar in the water.
* Now stir the coconut mixture into the syrup.
* Grease the plate and spread the grated nuts on it.
* Spread the prepared evenly over the plate and allow it to cool.
* Now with the knife, cut it into desired shapes.
* Turn them over so that nuts covered part appears on the top.
* Nariyal ki burfi is ready to be served.

CHANNA DAL PAYASAM

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Split Bengal Gram (Chana Dal)
1 cup grated Coconut (Khopra/Narial)
4 tblsp Clarified Butter (Ghee)
1 cup Jaggery
5 crushed Cardamoms
2 tblsp chopped Coconut (Khopra/Narial)
5 Cashewnut (Kaju)

How to make channa dal payasam:

* Wash and soak the gram.
* Melt a part of the ghee in a pan , add the coconut pieces and fry till golden brown over a medium flame drain, remove and keep aside.
* In the same ghee add the cashew nuts and over a low flame fry till golden brown and keep aside.
* Extract coconut milk by soaking the grated coconut in about half a cup of hot water for 10 minutes and then pass the mixture through a strainer.
* Boil the gram in a sauteuse with just sufficient water to cook the gram.
* When the gram is cooked add the jaggery and the coconut milk.
* Cook till the mixture is thick stirring once in a while so that it does not get burnt.(make sure the mixture does not become very thick, it should be of pouring consistency).
* Add the remaining ghee and the cardamoms. mix thoroughly.
* Serve garnished with the fried coconut pieces and the cashew nuts.

CHANNAR PAYESH RECIPE

Ingredients:
1/2 litre Milk
1 tin Condensed milk
2 tablespoons Sugar
1 cup Water
2 tablespoons Nuts
2 tablespoons Raisins


How to make channar payesh:
* Make a thin syrup of the sugar and water. Put the chenna (cottage cheese) in a bowl and add the hot syrup into it, blending it thoroughly.
* Boil milk in a deep bottomed pan. Add the condensed milk. Simmer for 1-2 minutes.
* Cool till just warm. Add the milk mixture into the channa, a spoon at a time. Mix vigorously to form a homogenous mixture till all the milk is used up. Pour into a bowl.
* Mix in the nuts and raisins. Serve the channar payesh chilled.

Serves : 4-5
Time : 20-25 mins

BOONDI LADOO RECIPE

Ingredients:

1 cup Besan
1 pinch Kesari
1 pinch Cardamom powder
1 tbsp Rice flour
1 pinch Baking Powder
1 tbsp Melon seeds
1 tbsp Broken Cashew nut
2 cups Oil Sugar
1 cup Water

How to make boondi laddu:

* Mix the flour, rice flour, baking powder and colour.
* Make a smooth thick batter. Heat the oil. Take the batter and pour it over a sieve with round holes.
* Tap it gently with a spoon so that small balls of dough fall into the oil. Make the balls and keep aside. Heat the sugar and water till reaches 1/2 thread consistency.
* Mix in the kesari melon seed and cardamom powder and fried boondies. When the mixture is still warm make into balls. Bondi Ladoo are ready to be served
* If the mixture cools balls cannot be made as the sugar crystallizes.

BESAN LADOO RECIPE

Ingredients of besan laddoo :

2 cups gram flour (besan)
11/2 cup sugar (grinded)
1 cup ghee
1 tsp each almonds, pistachios, cashew nuts (chopped)

Preparation of besan ke ladoo:

* In a kadhai mix gram flour and ghee over a low heat.
* Keep constantly stirring to avoid lumps.
* When it releases an appetizing smell, it is ready.
* Remove from the heat and allow it to cool.
* Add sugar and nuts to the gram flour and mix thoroughly.
* Now form ping-pong size balls of the mixture.
* Besan Laddoo are ready to be served.

BESAN BARFI RECIPE

Ingredients:

200 gms Bengal Gram
200 gms Sugar (powder)
10 gms Ghee
10 gms Kismis
1/2 tsp Cardamom powder


Preparation of besan barfi :

* Heat the ghee and cook the besan on medium flame till the raw smell disappears.
* Make sure the colour of the besan does not change. Add the sugar and turn.
* Remove from fire. Mix in the kismis and cardamom powder.
* Spread out on an inverted greased plate. When firm cut into squares. Besan ki burfi is ready to be eaten.

BASUNDI

Ingredients:

2 litres Milk
2 tblsp Lemon Juice
1 cup Sugar
8 crushed Cardamoms
5 chopped Almond (Badam)
10 roughly chopped Charioli nuts

How to make basundi:

* Boil the milk in a kadai.
* Keep stirring constantly and reduce it till it becomes thick and the quantity of the milk is approximately half a litre. remove from the flame and keep aside.
* D the lemon juice to the milk and stir the mixture so that it becomes granular in consistency.
* Return to a medium flame.
* Add the sugar and cook for another 10 minutes. stir the mixture occasionally.remove from the fire.
* Transfer to a bowl and add the cardamoms and the nuts.mix thoroughly.
* Serve hot or cold.

BADAM PHIRNI RECIPE (Almond Pudding)

Ingredients:

2 cups milk
2 tbsp rice
3 tbsp sugar
1/4th cup blanched almonds (sliced)
1 tsp green cardamom (crushed)
1/2 tsp kewra essence
silver or gold foil paper (varak)

How to make badam phirni:

* Soak rice in water for few hours, then drain water and grind rice into a smooth paste.
* In a non-stick saucepan bring milk. Over a moderatly low heat add rice, sugar and cardamom and stir constantly till milk turns thick.
* Remove from heat and add almonds.
* Put in serving bowl and chill.
* Garnish the badam phirni with silver or gold foil paper (varak) and serve.

BADAM KHEER

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Almond (Badam)
2 cups Milk
3 tblsp Sugar
5 crushed Cardamoms
a pinch of Saffron (Kesar), soaked in lukewarm milk

How to make badam kheer:

* Boil half a litre of water in a sauce pan . add the almonds when the water is boiling and cook for 2 minutes. remove from the flame and drain.
* Remove the skin of the almonds and grind to a fine paste.
* Boil the milk in a thick bottomed pan. when the milk begins to boil add the almond paste and the sugar and cook for 5 minutes over a low flame stirring continuously.
* Remove from the flame.. add the dissolved saffron and the crushed cardamoms.
* Allow to cool and serve chilled.

BADAM KA HALWA

Ingredients:

2 cups Badam
2 1/2 cups Sugar
2 drops Kesar Colour
1 cup Ghee
1 cup Milk

How to make badam halwa:

* Leave the almonds in hot water for 1 hour.
* Remove the outer skin and grind to a paste with the milk.
* Make sugar syrup and boil till it reaches a one string consistency.
* Add the badam paste and cook till it thickens.
* Add the kesar colour.
* Add ghee little by little stirring continuously on low heat.

Lentil Dahl

Ingredients
* 1/2 cup dry chick peas
* 6 cups dry black lentils
* 2 1/2 cups onions, pureed
* 1 tsp salt
* 1/3 cup garlic, crushed
* 3 medium-large potatoes, cut into chunks
* 1 cup green beans, chopped 2cm long (optional)
* 1 1/2 cups green pepper, chopped small cubes
* 2 1/2 TBSP ground coriander seeds
* 2 TBSP paprika
* 1 1/2 TBSP onion powder
* 1 TBSP mustard seeds
* 1 1/2 tsp ginger powder
* 1 tsp cumin
* 3/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
* 1/2 tsp celery seeds
* 1/2 tsp turmeric
* 1-2 tsp molasses
* 2 cups coconut
* 2 1/2 -3 cups thick tomato sauce

Description
Makes a simple dish of lentils taste gourmet! Serve with a tomato-onion salad and cashew yogurt and finely chopped fresh coriander for garnish.

Instructions
1. Soak chickpeas overnight, cook until well done, blend with minimal amount of cooking water.

2. Wash lentils and cook with minimal amount of water on lowest heat until cooked but firm, strain extra liquid and set aside to use for coconut milk.

3. In a wide skillet, cook onion puree (with some salt) until the onions puree begins to become golden.

4. Blend 3 cups coconut with 3 cups water, strain, mix additional 2 cups of water in strained coconut pulp and strain again (freeze coconut pulp remaining from milk and use in baked goods).

5. Add garlic, potatoes, green beans, green pepper, seasonings, coconut milk, tomato sauce and simmer on low heat until potatoes are just done.

6. Once potatoes are just done add blended humus and add this mixture to lentils. Add salt to taste. Cook together 10 minutes.

Creamy White Beans

Ingredients
* 2 cups dry white beans
* 2 cups onions, sliced
* 2 cups green peppers, sliced
* 2 tsp cumin
* 2 tsp ground coriander seeds
* 1 1/2 tsp sweet paprika
* 1 1/2 tsp onion powder
* 2 tbsp garlic, minced
* 1/4 cup whole-wheat flour
* 1/4 cup peanut butter
* 3 cups approx. water from cooking white beans
* salt to taste

Description
Unless someone told you, you could never guess by tasting it where the creaminess came from!

Instructions
1. Soak beans overnight, boil uncovered on high until foam forms, drain wash, and add new water. Bring to boil, lower heat and simmer until soft. Drain (saving beat water for later) and set aside.

2. In separate pot, cook onions covered with some salt until translucent gold and green peppers, garlic and seasonings. Cook for 5 minutes.

3. When peppers are soft mix in flour, cook few minutes, stirring. Mix in peanut butter and slowly mix in bean broth. Once well mixed stir in drained beans. Season to taste with salt.

4. Pour into trays and bake covered 30 minutes.

Baked Beans

Ingredients
* 2 cups dry white beans
* 3 cups water or vegetable broth
* 2 cups onions, cubed fine
* 1 cup green and red bell pepper, chopped
* 1/4 cup garlic, minced
* 1 tbsp paprika
* 1 tbsp ground coriander seeds
* 1/2 tsp turmeric
* 1/4 cup whole-wheat flour
* 2 1/2 cups very thick cooked-down tomato puree (
* salt to taste
* 1 tbsp molasses
* 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
* 1 1/2 -2 cups bean broth

Description
This is a versatile recipe that can be transformed into many different dishes.

It freeze really well (as long as it does not have the pasta) so you can double the batch and save time.

Instructions
1. Soak beans overnight, boil uncovered until foam forms, drain and add new water. And do this again.

2. Add water and vegetable broth to white beans simmer on low covered until cooked.

3. In separate pot cook onions, green pepper, garlic, paprika, ground coriander seeds and turmeric until onions are soft.

4. Add flour, tomato puree, salt, molasses, lemon juice and cook 10 minutes.

5. Add beans, whole-wheat pasta cooked al dente, seitan and adjust water and seasoning to taste.

6. Pour in pans and bake 20 minutes covered. Decorate with black olives upon serving.

7. Or pour in oven casserole pans top with thin layer of mashed potatoes or cooked cornmeal mush and bake uncovered 20 minutes.

Note
Variation:

For even more delicious baked beans at the end before adjusting the flavors add:

1 cup of dry elbow whole-wheat pasta that has been cooked to al dente and is still a little crunchy in center.

2 cups bite-sized torn pieces of seitan or sliced seitan sausages.

And to make a complete meal in one dish, after pouring baked beans in oven casserole spread another layer of vegan creamy mashed potatoes. Bake uncovered 20 minutes. Yummy!

Or rather than topping with mashed potatoes top with cooked cornmeal and spread. Bake uncovered 20 minutes.

Chili Kidney Beans

Ingredients
• 1 cup dry kidney beans, soaked overnight
• 1 cup seitan pieces or frozen hard tofu defrosted
• 2 tbsp bean broth
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp peanut butter
• 3/4 tsp garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander seeds
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1 cup onion, sliced julienne
• 1 cup green peper, sliced julienne
• 1 1/2 tbsp garlic, minced
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 1/4 tsp cumin
• 2 tbsp whole wheat flour
• 2 cups water from cooking kidney beans
• salt to taste

Description
No one who has tried this recipe has not loved it. Even those who do not like tofu or kidney beans enjoyed this chili.
Instructions
1. Soak kidney beans overnight. Change water, bring to boil and change water. Bring to boil again, simmer uncovered on very low heat until soft, drain set aside. Saving water for later.
2. Whip together next 6 ingredients.
3. Pour this over the seitan pieces or tofu cubes, mix and spread on oiled tray and bake 20 minutes flip tofu over and bake 10 minutes on the other side, or bake until crisp a little.
4. In soup pot, cook onion covered, cook until yellowish, add pepper, garlic and seasonings, cook until pepper in soft add flour.
5. Add cooked beans, water, salt and baked seitan or tofu.
6. Simmer covered for 10 minutes or until flour thickens.
Serve hot with salad and toasted bread.

Note
This recipe freezes really well so you can double the recipe and freeze a batch to take out and heat to have a meal ready pronto.