So we had friends over, and one of them doesn't eat onions and garlic..so I thought up a chat menu that can be customized both ways..It turned out to be a huge hit..Here's what I came up with..
1. Mung dal wada with or without onions and spring onion dip. Mummy's recipe from here.
2. Khaman Dhokla. Used Talod na Dhokla and followed the package directions exactly (it's important to follow the proportions exactly). Then for the tadka, added mustard seeds, green chillies, sesame seeds, curry leaves and water. Boil and spread. Garnish with cilantro, fresh coconut and Sev.
3. Radga Pattice. Recipe follows.
4. Kulfi - Hugely popular..Ideas from showmethecurry.com, but modified quite a bit. Recipe follows.
Ragda Pattice:
Pattice:
Boil, peel and mash potatoes (use Russet for good results since they have more starch). Add salt, lime juice, chat masala, red chilli powder, chopped cilantro, and corn starch. Make medium sized tikkis and shallow fry with very little oil.
Ragda:
Soak white peas (You get it in the Indian grocery stores under the name "safed matar" or "safed vatana") overnight. Next morning, drain the water, rinse it well and pressure cook till soft with plenty of water, salt and turmeric powder. Soak tamarind in water for about half an hour. Add the tamarind water to the ragda, add some red chilli powder, chat masala and roasted cumin powder (go easy on the spices. Ragda should be very lightly spiced for the flavors of the toppings to shine). Adjust the consistency with water and boil some more.
Toppings:
Salt, red chilli powder, chat masala, fresh grated coconut, chopped cilantro, chopped onions, chopped tomatoes, pieces of lime, Sev, three chutneys (recipes follow).
Date Tamarind chutney:
Soak tamarind for about 2-3 hours. Also soak some seedless dates and jaggery. Grind together the dates and jaggery, and sieve through a big strainer, along with the tamarind. Add salt, roasted and crushed cumin seeds and red chilli powder.
Green Chutney:
Grind together cilantro, mint, green chillies, ginger, Dalia (roasted chana), whole raw zeera, hing, turmeric powder, and water. Squeeze some lime juice. May also add garlic.
Garlic Chutney:
Grind together garlic cloves, red chilli powder, salt and water.
To Assemble (can adapt as per your preference):
In a bowl, start with 2-3 tikkis. Ladle out Ragda on top of the tikkis, spread the three chutneys, sprinkle other toppings and serve.
Kulfi
Boil about half a gallon of whole milk on medium heat and stir to avoid scorching. Reduce to almost one third the volume. Dissolve about one tbsp of cornstarch in some cold milk and add to the boiling milk. let the milk thicken slightly more. In the mean time, soak a few strands of saffron in milk for about half an hour, and create a paste using a pestle. Add this to the milk. Add one can of evaporated milk, one can of condensed milk, about a cup of sugar, stir and let cool. Add about 8-10 fl. oz. (3/4 carton of the 16 ounce pack) heavy cream. Add fresh cardamom powder and coarsely crushed cashew nuts, almonds and pistachios. (The flavors can be adapted..think plain malai, Mango, Rose, fruits, etc). Now, fill small plastic disposable cups upto about 3/4th full. Cover with a small piece of aluminum foil, and insert an ice cream stick (The foil helps keep the stick in place before freezing). Freeze for 6-7 hours or overnight. Rub the kulfi with palms before serving to release. May use kulfi molds, if available. Enjoy!!
Tip: I didn't try this, but I saw this tip twice in my research: grind a slice or two of white bread and add to the boiling milk to avoid crystals. Cornstarch worked fine for me, though.
1. Mung dal wada with or without onions and spring onion dip. Mummy's recipe from here.
2. Khaman Dhokla. Used Talod na Dhokla and followed the package directions exactly (it's important to follow the proportions exactly). Then for the tadka, added mustard seeds, green chillies, sesame seeds, curry leaves and water. Boil and spread. Garnish with cilantro, fresh coconut and Sev.
3. Radga Pattice. Recipe follows.
4. Kulfi - Hugely popular..Ideas from showmethecurry.com, but modified quite a bit. Recipe follows.
Ragda Pattice:
Pattice:
Boil, peel and mash potatoes (use Russet for good results since they have more starch). Add salt, lime juice, chat masala, red chilli powder, chopped cilantro, and corn starch. Make medium sized tikkis and shallow fry with very little oil.
Ragda:
Soak white peas (You get it in the Indian grocery stores under the name "safed matar" or "safed vatana") overnight. Next morning, drain the water, rinse it well and pressure cook till soft with plenty of water, salt and turmeric powder. Soak tamarind in water for about half an hour. Add the tamarind water to the ragda, add some red chilli powder, chat masala and roasted cumin powder (go easy on the spices. Ragda should be very lightly spiced for the flavors of the toppings to shine). Adjust the consistency with water and boil some more.
Toppings:
Salt, red chilli powder, chat masala, fresh grated coconut, chopped cilantro, chopped onions, chopped tomatoes, pieces of lime, Sev, three chutneys (recipes follow).
Date Tamarind chutney:
Soak tamarind for about 2-3 hours. Also soak some seedless dates and jaggery. Grind together the dates and jaggery, and sieve through a big strainer, along with the tamarind. Add salt, roasted and crushed cumin seeds and red chilli powder.
Green Chutney:
Grind together cilantro, mint, green chillies, ginger, Dalia (roasted chana), whole raw zeera, hing, turmeric powder, and water. Squeeze some lime juice. May also add garlic.
Garlic Chutney:
Grind together garlic cloves, red chilli powder, salt and water.
To Assemble (can adapt as per your preference):
In a bowl, start with 2-3 tikkis. Ladle out Ragda on top of the tikkis, spread the three chutneys, sprinkle other toppings and serve.
Kulfi
Boil about half a gallon of whole milk on medium heat and stir to avoid scorching. Reduce to almost one third the volume. Dissolve about one tbsp of cornstarch in some cold milk and add to the boiling milk. let the milk thicken slightly more. In the mean time, soak a few strands of saffron in milk for about half an hour, and create a paste using a pestle. Add this to the milk. Add one can of evaporated milk, one can of condensed milk, about a cup of sugar, stir and let cool. Add about 8-10 fl. oz. (3/4 carton of the 16 ounce pack) heavy cream. Add fresh cardamom powder and coarsely crushed cashew nuts, almonds and pistachios. (The flavors can be adapted..think plain malai, Mango, Rose, fruits, etc). Now, fill small plastic disposable cups upto about 3/4th full. Cover with a small piece of aluminum foil, and insert an ice cream stick (The foil helps keep the stick in place before freezing). Freeze for 6-7 hours or overnight. Rub the kulfi with palms before serving to release. May use kulfi molds, if available. Enjoy!!
Tip: I didn't try this, but I saw this tip twice in my research: grind a slice or two of white bread and add to the boiling milk to avoid crystals. Cornstarch worked fine for me, though.
Comments
DEAR PALLI,
here is very easy method to make kulfi instead of boiling milk for a long time.
ingredients-
milk- 1 litre
milk powder-200 gm
milk maid tin- 1
milk cream-100 gm
mango pulp-2 cups[ any fruit pulp]
MIX ALL INGREDIENTS WITH HAND BLANDER AND SET IT IN KULFI MOULDS.
NO BOILING , NO HEATING.... ITS VERY EASY METHOD.
JUST TRY OUT....TASTES BETTER THAN OUTSIDE KULFI...