Chicken Lababdar

Ingredients:

• Chicken cubes - 250 gm boneless (cooked tender)
• Refined oil - 60 gm (1/4 cup)
• Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
• Grated onion - 125 gm (1/2 cup)
• Grated tomato - 125 gm (1/2 cup)
• Chilli powder - 1 tsp
• Garam masala - 1 tsp
• Ground cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Kasoori methi - 1/2 tsp
• White butter - 60 gm (1/4 cup)
• Fresh cream - 50 gm
• Salt
• Chopped coriander - few
• Shredded ginger - 1 tbsp
• Sliced tomato - 1/4 cup

Method:

• Fist of all heat oil in a pan. Saute cumin and chopped onion in the pan until brown.
• Now add chopped tomatoes and cook it till fat separates.
• Now add the cumin powder, red chilli powder, garam masala, and kasoori methi.
• Stir in the chicken. Cook over a low flame for 5-10 minutes.
• Remove it from flame and pour the butter and cream over the top.
• Garnish with shredded ginger, chopped coriander and sliced tomato.
• Serve it hot with naan or paratha.

Shashi Paneer

Ingredients:

• Paneer (cottage cheese) - 250 gm
• Beaten curd - 1/4 cup
• Milk - 1/2 cup
• Tomatoes (chopped fine) - 1 1/2 cup
• Onion (chopped into strips) - 1/2 cup
• Ginger chopped fine - 1/2" piece
• Green chillies chopped fine - 2-3 nos.
• Cardamoms (crushed) - 2-3 nos.
• Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
• Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
• Tomato sauce - 2 tsp
• Ghee or butter - 3 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Grated paneer - 2 tsp
• Chopped coriander - 1 tsp

Method:

• First chop the paneer into 2" fingers and keep it aside.
• Heat half the ghee first. Now add onion, ginger, green chilli and cardamom.
• Fry for 3-4 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook for 7-8 minutes, covered.
• Now add curd and cook for 5 minutes. Add 1/2 cup water and cool.
• Blend it in a mixer till it becomes smooth.
• Now heat the remaining ghee, and add the gravy and other ingredients except milk and paneer.
• Boil to get a very thick gravy.
• Just before serving, heat gravy, add milk and paneer fingers and boil for 3-4 minutes.
• Garnish with chopped coriander and grated paneer.
• Serve it hot with either naan or paratha.

Khoya Paneer

Ingredients:

• Tomato Puree - 4 tbsp
• Grated Khoya - 1 cup
• Onion paste - 3 tbsp
• Chopped ginger - 1 tbsp
• Chopped chillies - 1 tbsp
• Paneer cubes - 150 gms
• Zeera - 1 tbsp
• Uncooked cashewnuts - 6
• Chopped coriander - 4 tbsp
• Garam masala powder - 1 tbsp
• Red chilli powder - 1 tbsp
• Salt to taste
• Ghee - 3 tbsp

Method:

• First of all take a pan, add 2 - 3 tbsp ghee and fry the grated Khoya. Stir it till light brown.
• Then add a paste of chopped ginger, green chillies and 2 tbsp zeera. Stir well.
• Now add uncooked cashewnuts paste and tomato puree.
• Now take another pan, fry the onion paste without oil and add it to the gravy.
• Now add salt, garam masala powder and stir. Pour water and allow it to cook. Now the gravy is ready.
• Now cut the paneer into square cubes and deep fry them in oil till it becomes of golden colour.
• Add the paneer cubes into the gravy and mix it well.
• Serve it in a bowl and garnish with chopped coriander leaves and khoya.
• Serve it hot with paratha or naan.

Mishti Doi

Ingredients:

• Milk - 3 cups
• Jaggery - 2 cups
• Curds - ¼ cup

Method:

• First of all heat milk and simmer. Stir it constantly till it becomes creamy.
• Now add jaggery to it and blend it well.
• Now cool it and while it is lukewarm, add curds and mix it.
• Pour it in a ceramic bowl and cover it with a cloth and keep in a warm place.
• After 4-5 hours when the dhoi will set.
• Refrigerate when dhoi is firm.
• Serve it cold.

Dahi bade with Tamarind Chutney

Ingredients:

• Sabut urad dal (black lentils) - 1 cup
• Yellow moong dal (split green gram) - 1/4 cup
• Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
• Yogurt (dahi) - 2 1/2 cup
• Roasted cumin powder - 2 tsp
• Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
• Rock salt (kala namak) - 1 tsp
• Sugar powder - 1/2 tsp
• Chopped coriander leaves - 3 tbsp
• Tamarind chutney
• Salt to taste
• Oil for frying

Method:

• First of all wash the dal thoroughly and soak it in cold water overnight.
• Grind the soaked dal to a smooth paste the next day, adding very little amount of water if necessary.
• Now mix 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds into the batter.
• Now take a muslin cloth and cover a small round utensil with the cloth and hold it tightly from underneath so that the top side of the
• utensil is tightly covered with the cloth giving a flat and firm platform for making bade.
• Now heat oil in a frying pan. Take 1 tablespoon of the batter and make a round dumpling on top of this covered utensil with one hand
• and hold the cloth from below tightly with the other.
• Drop round dumplings in the oil and fry until light golden brown.
• Now remove it and drain it on absorbent paper.
• Soak bade in salty water for 5 minutes, drain and squeeze out the water between the palms of your hand.
• Whisk the yogurt well with rock salt, sugar and salt.
• To serve, place the bade on a plate and cover it with yogurt.
• Add tamarind chutney over it.
• Sprinkle red chilli powder, cumin powder.
• Garnish with coriander leaves and serve it chilled.

Extra:

Tamarind Chutney


Ingredients:

• Tamarind (Imli) - 200gms
• Jaggery (Gur) - 300gms (grated)
• Roasted cumin (Jeera) Powder - 2 tsp
• Red chili powder - 2 tsp
• Salt
• Black salt - 1 tsp
• Garam masala - 1 tsp

Method:

• First add 5 cups of water to tamarind and bring it to the flame and cook for 10 minutes.
• Strain it and add jaggery, chilli powder, cumin powder, salt, garam masala to it and mix it well.
• Now cook it again on medium flame till jaggery dissolves completely and the chutney gets semi thick.
• Take out the pulp from the tamarind mixture.
• This Chutney thickens more on cooling so check for consistency when using.
• Now you can also store it and can also use it for different purposes.

Gulab Jamun

Ingredients:

• Carnation Milk Powder - 1 cup
• Flour - 1/2 cup
• Baking soda - 1/2 tsp
• Butter - 2 tablespoons (melted)
• Milk

Method:

• First we make the dough by combining the milk powder, baking soda and butter.
• Add just enough milk to make a medium-hard dough. Divide the dough into 18-20 portions.
• Make balls by gently rolling each portion between your palms into a smooth ball.
• Place the balls on a plate and cover it with a damp yet dry kitchen towel.
• Heat the oil on high and then lower the heat to medium. Slip in the balls into the hot oil from the side of the pan, one by one.
• They will sink to the bottom of the pan, but do not try to move them. Instead, gently shake the pan to keep the balls from browning on
• just one side.
• After about 5 mins, the balls will rise to the surface. Now we must gently and constantly agitated them to ensure even browning on all the sides.
• The balls must be fried very slowly under medium temperatures. This will ensure complete cooking from inside and even browning.
• Now take the sugar syrup prepared before and transfer it into a dish and keep it warm.
• Add the fried gulab jamuns directly into the warm syrup. Leave gulab jamun balls in sugar syrup overnight for best results.
• Add grated dry fruits over it and serve it hot.

Extra:

• The preperation of the sugar syrup is the same as was for rassogolla.
• The Gulab Jamuns should rise slowly to the top if the temperature is just right.
• If the temperature of the oil is too high then the gulab jamuns will tend to break. So adjust the temperature to ensure that the gulab jamuns do not break or cook too quickly.

Jalebi

Ingredients:

• Maida - 2 cups
• Rice flour - 11/2 tbsp
• Baking powder - 1/4th tsp
• Curd (plain yogurt) - 2 tbsp
• Warm water - 11/4th cups
• Saffron threads - 1/2 tsp (slowly dry-roasted and powdered)
• Sugar - 3 cups
• Water - 22/3rd cups
• Green cardamom seeds powder - 1/2 tsp
• Rose water - 11/2 tbsp
• Ghee for frying

Method:

• First of all mix the flour, semolina or rice flour, baking powder, curd and 3/4th cup of the water in a bowl.
• Mix it well with a whisk.
• After this add the remaining water and 1/8th tsp. of saffron powder, and whisk until it becomes smooth.
• Set it aside for about 2 hours to ferment.
• Again whisk it thoroughly before use.
• Now prepare one string syrup by dissolving sugar in the water.
• Just before the syrup is ready add saffron and cardamom powder.
• Heat oil in a kadhai and pour the batter in a steady stream ( or through a muslin cloth with a hole) into the kadhai to form coils.
• Make a few at a time.
• Deep fry them until they are golden and crisp all over but not brown.
• Remove from the kadhai and drain on kitchen paper and immerse in the syrup.
• Leave it aside for at least 4-5 minutes so that they soak the syrup.
• Take the jalebi out of syrup and serve hot.