Recipe: Sprouted Gram Layered Biryani

To make:  6 servings

Ingredients:

1.  1 cup mixed grams and peas (eg. Whole brown bengal gram, whole white bengal gram, whole green gram, cow pea, moth beans, duly sprouted

2.  4 whole red chillies

3.  12 garlic cloves, minced

4.  2 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves

5.  15 springs finely chopped mint leaves

6.  5 cloves

7.  8 black pepper corns

8.  1 tsp poppy seeds

9.  2” piece cinnamon stick

10.  2 tbsp grated fresh coconut

11.  1-1/2 tbsp salt

12.  4 tbsp clarified butter

13.  4 tbsp millet flour

14.  3 medium tomatoes, blanched and finely chopped

15.  1 big cardamom

16.  1 piece cinnamon stick

17.  2 bay leaves

18.  1-1/2 cup rice

Procedure:

1.   Place sprouted whole brown bengal gram and whole white bengal gram with ½ cup water in a pressure cooker.  Cook under pressure for about 6-8 minutes.  Allow the pressure to fall on its own before opening the cooker.  Strain and remove in a bowl. Set aside

2.  Place sprouted whole green gram, cow pea and moth beans with ¾ cup water in a sauce pan.  Place the pan on fire.  Boil for 8-to 10 minutes till tender.  Strain and remove in a bowl.  Set aside.

3.  Combine whole red chillies, garlic, coriander and mint leaves, cloves, 4 black pepper corns, poppy and cumin seeds, cinnamon stick, coconut and 1 tsp salt.  Grind in a grinder to a smooth lump of masala

4.  Heat 1 tsp clarified in a sauce pan, add masala lump and stir till raw aroma disappears

5.  Add sprouts and pearl millet flour, stir and fry till well mixed

6.  Add tomatoes, stir and cook for few minutes adding ¼ cup water extra to ease stirring.  Remove and set aside the sprout’s gravy

7.  Heat 1 tsp ghee in a sauce pan, add cardamon, 4 black pepper corns, cinnamon stick and bay leaves.  Stir and fry for few minutes

8.  Add rice and salt. Stir and fry for 2-3 minutes

9.  Add water and cook for 5 to 8 minutes till rice is tender.  Remove.  Spread 1 tbsp pure clarified butter over the rice and mix it.

10.  Heat 1 tbsp clarified butter in a heavy bottomed sauce pan

11.  Place a first layer of rice followed by the layer of sprout’s gravy alternatively.  Ensure that the final layer is of rice.

12.  Cover tightly and cook on the very low heat for t to 8 minutes

13.  Place the biryani in a serving dish and serve hot with curd or wafer

Recipe: Sweet Lentil Peas With Gum

To make 12 adadyas

Ingredients:

1.  125 gms (1/2 cup) urad dal (split black gram) powdered

2.  30 gms (1-1/2 tbsp) eating gum (gaund)

3.  5 tbsp clarified butter (pure ghee)

4.  ¾ cup sugar

5.  1 cup water

6.  ¼ cup milk

7.  1/8 tsp nutmeg (jaiphal)

8.  1/8 tsp mace

9.  ¼ tsp black pepper powder

10.  ½ tsp cardamom powder

11.  1-1/2 dry ginger powder

12.  12 gms chironji nut (charoli)

13.  40 gms mixed dry fruits eg. almonds (badam), pistachios (pista) and cashew nuts (kaju) – shredded

Procedure:

1.  Heat ghee in a thick, heavy bottomed pan, add gaund and stir.  As soon as it is fully puffed, remove and pound in a mortar with a pastel to powder.  Set aside.  Preserve remaining ghee.

2.  Heat water in a deep sauce pan, add sugar and stir occasionally till syrup of one-thread consistency is achieved.  Add milk and remove the scum from the surface.  Remove from fire and set aside.

3.  In the same ghee used for frying gaund, add the dal powder and stir for 8 to 10 minutes till light brown in colour

4.  Add powdered gaund, all the spices, dry fruits and sugar syrup.  Mix well and stir constantly till brown in colour and well cooked.

5.  Remove, cook for a while and divide int o 12 portions

6.  Take each portion in your palm and give a pear shape.  Cool.

8.  Store in a tin lined with wax paper and use as required.

Recipe: Sprouted Whole Red Lentil Curry

Ankurit Sabut Masoor Ki Amti

To make:  6 portions

Ingredients:

250 gms whole red lentil (sabut masoor dal), duly sprouted

For ground masala paste:

1.  4 tbsp oil

2 small onions, finely chopped

3.  8 tbsp grated dry coconut

4.  8 garlic cloves, chopped

5.  2 tsp grated jaggery

6  10 pieces of 1” tamarind (imli)

7.  4 tbsp water

For Curry:

1.  4 tbsp  oil

2.  4 small onions, finely chopped

3.  A pinch asafetida (hing)

4.  3 tsp red chilli powder

5.  1 tsp garam masala powder

6.  2 tsp coriander powder

7.  ¼ turmeric powder

8.  2 tsp salt

9.  2 cups coconut milk

10.  2 cups hot water

11.  2 cups hot water

12.  2 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves

Procedure:

1.  Heat oil in a frying pan, add onions, coconut, and garlic.  Stir and fry till light brown in colour.  Remove.

2.  Add tamarind and jaggery.  Grind the mixture in a grinder to a smooth paste, gradually adding water to ease churning

3.  Heat oil in a sauce pan, add onions and asafoetida, stir and fry till light brown in colour

4.  Add red lentil, red chilli, garam masala, coriander and tumeric powders.  Stir and cook for few minutes

5.  Add hot water, stir well and cook covered on reduced heat till red lentil is tender

6.  Add masala, salt and coconut milk.  Simmer for a few minutes.

7.  Remove in a serving bowl, garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with chapati or rice.

Recipe: Fried Brain Masala Curry

To make:  6 Portions

For Frying Brains:

1.  4 sheep brains (bheja), cleaned, washed and deveined

2.  1-1/2 tsp coarse salt

3.  3 ktsp oil

4.  ½ tsp salt

5.  ½ tsp turmeric (haldi) powder

6.  ½ tsp garam Masala powder

For Curry:

1.  4 ktsp oil

2.  2 nos (medium sized) onions

3.  2” piece ginger, ground to paste

4.  20 flakes garlic, ground to paste

5.  4 cloves (laung)

6.  2 black cardamoms

7.  2” piece cinnamon

8.  1 tbsp poppy seeds

9.  1-1/2 tsp cumin seeds

10.  2 tbsp water for grinding paste

11.  1 cup blanched and pureed tomato

12.  1 tsp red chilli powder

13.  1 tsp garam masala powder

14.  ½ tsp salt

15.  1-1/2 cup water

For Garnishing:

1.  2 tbsp finely chopped coriander

Procedure:

1.  Rub brain with salt and leave for 25 to 30 minutes, wash and set aside

2.  Heat oil in pan for frying.  Add brains, salt, turmeric and garam masala powders and saute for 1 to 2 minutes

3.  Remove from fire, cool.  Cut into medium sized pieces and set aside.

4.  Dry roast together cloves, cardamoms, cinnamon, poppy seeds and cumin seeds and grind with 2 tbsp water to form a smooth paste, set aside

5.  For curry heat oil in pan.  Add onion and ginger and garlic pastes, stir and cook for 2 to 3 minutes

6.  Add prepared paste, stir and cook for 1 to 2 minutes

7.  Add tomato puree, red chilli powder, garam masala powder and salt, stir and cook till oil oozes out.

8.  Gradually add water, stir and cook till curry is semi liquid

9.  For serving, reheat curry, stir and add brain pieces, stir and cook for 5 minutes

10.  Remove brain curry in serving bowl and serve hot garnished with coriander leaves.

How to Make an Attractive and Fancy Salad Bar

Let us see how we make a fancy salad far

To make:  6 take ups

Ingredients:

1.  ½ cup, shelled peas (matar)

2.  1 tbsp butter

3.  1 pinch salt

4.  A pinch black pepper (kali mirch) powder

For Potato:

1.  2 potatoes

2.  A pinch salt

3.  ¼ tsp white pepper (safed or degi mirch) powder

4.  1 tsp lemon juice

For Tomato:

1.  1 tomato

2.  1 tbsp salad oil

3.  1 tsp vinegar (sirka)

4.  ½ tsp powdered sugar

For Cucumber:

1.  1 cucumber (kakdi)

2.  1 tbsp vinegar

3.  1 tsp salad oil

4.  1 pinch salt

For Onion:

1.  1 onion

2.  1 tbsp lemon juice

3.  A pinch salt

For Beetroot

1.  1 beetroot

For Capsicum:

1.  1 capsicum (Simla mirch)

2.  3 ml/1 tsp lemon juice

For Carrot:

1.  ½ carrot (gajar)

2.  1 tsp butter

3.  A pinch salt

4.  A pinch white pepper powder

For Cheese:

1.  2 cubes cheese

For Cabbage:

1.  1 leaf cabbage

2.  1 tsp lemon juice

3.  1 pinch salt

4.  A pinch sugar

5.  2 raddish (muli), sliced

6.  ½ head lettuce leaves, shredded

Procedure:

1.  For preparing shelled peas, saute it in butter, salt and pepper and set aside

2.  For preparing potatoes, boil, peel and slice it.  Sprinkle salt, pepper and lemon juice over potatoes and set aside

3.  For preparing tomato, cut into slices and dip in oil, vinegar and sugar and set aside

4.  For preparing cucumber, cut slant and dip in vinegar, oil and salt and set aisde

5.  Fore preparing onion, cut it into slices and severed into rings, dip in lemon juice and salt and set aside

6.  For preparing beetroot, boil it and cut in round slices and keep aside

7.  For preparing capsicum, core and cut into rings and dip in lemon juice and set aside

8.  For preparing carrot, cut slant, boil and saute in butter, sprinkle salt and pepper and set aside

9.  Fore preparing cheese, slice and cut the edges in zigzag manner and set aside

10.  For preparing cabbage, shred it finely and dip in lemon juice, salt and sugar and set aside.

11.  For arranging fancy salad bar, take a flat rectangular serving tray.

12.  Arrange peas in straight line.  Next arrange potatoes, tomatoes, cucumber, onions, beetroot, capsicum, carrot, cheese, raddish, lettuce and cabbage in a straight line, next to each other

13.  This tray is arranged in a pattern to catch the eye in colour scheme.

All the best in your endeavour to make such a delicious and attractive looking salad.

Recipe: Caramel Custard Pudding

A mixture of sugar, milk and egg, steamed together is a legendary light textured pudding with an appealing look.  This pudding has, perhaps, the most universal appeal.

To Make:  6 Servings

Ingredients:
1.  3 tbsp sugar for caramel
2.   5 cups milk
3.  1/2 cup sugar
4.  4 eggs, lightly beaten
5.  1/2 tsp vanilla essence
6.  4 to 5 inch dia baking tin

Procedure:
1.  Melt sugar in dry pan on low flame gently
2.  When brown, pour immediately into tin
3.  Coat the entire bottom, turning the sides round so that sugar spreads in bottom and sides of the tin
4.  Cool and set aside
5.  Boil milk till reduced to half, Strain and Cool.
6.  Combine sugar, egg and essence.  Add into reduced cold milk and beat lightly
7.  Pour milk mixture into prepared tin
8.  Cover the tin tightly with lid
9.  For steaming the pudding, place pressure cooker on fire and add water.
10.  Place pudding tin in pressure cooker
11.  Steam pudding for 25 to 30 minutes.  Remove and cool.
12.  Remove tin, open lid, cool and keep in refrigerator to chill.
13.  For serving, remove tin from refrigerator and slightly scrape the sides with knife.
14.  Place serving dish on top of the tin and turn the pudding upside down so that the caramel layer can be seen on top.  Serve chilled.

How to Make Crunchy and Delicious Brown Cookies At Home

These cookies with demerara sugar is quick to make and are crunch and delicious

To make:  40 Cookies

Ingredients:

1.  6 tbsp margarine

2.  2 cups demerara sugar

3.  1 egg, mixed with soda bicarbonate & beaten well

4.  ½ tsp soda bicarbonate

5.  3 cups flour, sifted

6.  1-1/2 cups walnuts, crushed

7.  1 tsp vanilla essence

8.  Pre-greased baking tray

Procedure:

1.  Mix margarine and demerara sugar in a bowl and lightly beat till creamy

2.  Add egg and flour; beat till well mixed

3.  Add walnuts and vanilla essence, mix and knead lightly to smooth cookie dough

4.  Dredge the dough with flour

5.  Divide the dough into 4 equal portions

6.  Make rope roll of each portion of dough in approximate size of 2” dia and 2-1/2” in length.  When done, put all the rolls in polythene bags and refrigerate for 4 hours

7.  Remove, cut each roll into 10 nos.  1/4” thick circular slices.

8.  Place the slices in pre-greased baking tray dusted with flour

9.  Preheated the oven for 5 minutes and bake for 30 to 35 minutes to 175 degree C or 350 degree F

10.  Remove, cook and store brown cookies in sterilised airtight container lined with wax paper