Puran Poli

Puran Poli

Puran Poli is a traditional & popular Maharashtrian dish made on occasion of "Gudi Padwa" the beginning of the new year as per the Hindu calendar. This new year is celebrated by the names of Ugadi, Gudi Padva, Sukladi, Navreh, Chaitra Cheti Chand & Sajibu Cheiraoba in different parts of India.

Puran Poli a classic Maharashtrian delicacy is a stuffed bread with sweet lentil filling. It has 2 parts: 1.puran-stuffing 2.poli-outer covering.The puran is made by boiling chickpea lentils & poli is made of wheat flour. It is served piping hot with a spoonful of ghee, aamras (ripe mango puree with sugar,milk) or shrikhand (a sweet made with hung curd or yogurt) or katachi amti (spicy & tangy dal water soup).

So here is the recipe of this irresistibly delicious Maharashtrian festive sweet. It just melts in your mouth!

Ingredients:

Stuffing:

1 cup split chana dal (bengal gram)

1 cup jaggery (gur) grated or sugar

1/4 tsp green cardamom powder

1 tbsp ghee 

For dough:

2 cups flour

2 tbsp pure ghee

Pure ghee as required

Method:

1. Wash & boil chana dal. Drain & coarsely grind it.

2. In a pan add ghee, chana dal, jaggery & mix well.

3. Cook, keep stirring all time till dry. Add cardamom powder, mix well.

4. Remove, let it cool. Make 8-10 balls of the stuffing (puran)

5. Take flour in a bowl, add 2 tbsp of ghee, sufficient water to make a soft dough.
    Cover with a damp cloth & keep aside for one hour.

6. Divide dough into 8-10 balls. 

7. Flatten each ball in palm, stuff with one portion of puran (stuffing), cover & seal edges. 

    Dust it with flour & roll out into circle.

8. Cook on a tawa (griddle) over a medium flame till it turns golden brown in color on
    both sides. Repeat same with remaining dough & puran.

9. Smear a spoon full of ghee on each puran poli, serve piping hot with shrikhand.

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Lemon Pickle

Lemon Pickle

(Sour)

Pickles are very important part of Indian cousin.Lemon pickle is one of the most popular one.
A juicy combination of limes with authentic spices.

Lemon pickle or Nimboo ka achar is a tangy, spicy & tongue tickling pickle goes well with all kinds of snacks, meal, very easy to prepare, need just 4-5 ingredients & add a splash of color
& intense flavor to meals.

Lemon pickle can be sweet & sour in taste. Here i chose the sour taste.The most important thing about this recipe is the lemon should be fresh & shiny, they should not have any blemishes or black spots on them.

Ingredients:

30 lemons

4 tsp red chilli powder or as per taste

1 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp asafoetida

1/2 cup lemon juice

8 tbsp salt

Method:

1. Wash lemons & wipe them dry using a dry cloth.

2. Cut lemons into quarters, separate seeds from them & keep aside.

3. Add all spices in a large bowl & mix well.

4. Now add lemon quarters to spices & mix well.

5. Transfer it into an air tight jar.

6. Pour lemon juice over lemons in the jar & mix well.

7. Cover jar with a clean cloth, leave out in sun & toss pickle occasionally.

8. The pickle should be ready within 2 weeks.

9. This pickle can be stored for up to 1 year in a cool & dry place.

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Thandai

Thandai

Holi the festival of colous, fun & special food like kachori, dahi vada, gujjiya & most popular 

"Thandai"- a traditional Indian milk based cool drink with nuts, seeds & pepper. A touch of saffron adds to its taste & color.

Thandai is very healthy drink full of calcium & vitamins. It is a drink prepared with a mixture of almonds, fennel seeds, watermelon seeds, rose petals, pepper, poppy seeds, pistachio, cardamom, saffron, cashew nuts, milk & sugar.

Thandai is a refreshing summer drink, an instant energizer in scorching summer heat.

During dry summer days, Thandai makes you feel cooler & have many health benefits
also.

So go ahead, enjoy this refreshing milk based cool & healthy drink filled with bold aromatic flavors. !! Happy Holi !!

Ingredients:

1 litre milk

15 almonds,blanched & peeled 

15 cashew nuts,soaked 

15 pistachios,blanched & peeled 

2 tbsp melon seeds (magaz) soaked 

2 tbsp poppy seeds (khuskhus/posto),soaked 

A few strands of saffron (kesar)

2 tbsp fennel seeds (saunf) 

5-6 green cardamoms 

15-20 rose petals 

8-10 black pepper corn

1/2 cup sugar or as per taste

Method:

1. Grind together almonds, cashew nuts, pistachios, melon seeds, poppy seeds, fennel
    seeds with a little milk to a fine paste. 

2. Take milk in a pan, heat it. Add saffron & mix. 

3. When milk begins to boil, add sugar, simmer till sugar melts. 

4. Grind green cardamoms, dried rose petals, cinnamon, black peppercorns to a fine powder. 

5. Add paste to milk, mix well. Simmer for 4-5 minutes. 

6. Add powdered masala to the milk, mix it, boil milk for 4-5 minutes again.

7. Remove from heat. Let it cool & refrigerate for 3-4 hours.

8. Pour the milk into serving glasses,

9. Garnish with chopped almond,cashew nut, rose petals & saffron. 

10. Thandai is ready to serve.

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Sweet Saffron Rice

Sweet Saffron Rice

(Kesaria Bhaat / Meethe Chawal)

Sweet Sarron Rice is traditional Indian sweet also known as kesaria Bhaat or Meethe Chawal. It is a rich dessert & tastes heavenly.

This is a flavorful sweet dish with a mild sweetness & the richness of nuts & saffron. The main 

ingredients are rice, sugar, ghee, saffron & lots of dry fruits.

The looks & fragrance of saffron rice is delicious & tempting. Rice cooked with sugar, ghee, cloves & cardamoms .... just a pinch of saffron makes this dish full of its fragrant & great in taste.

This dish is very simple to cook. Once done, it is very hard to stop eating it.

Ingredients:

1 cup basmati rice
3/4 cup sugar
3 cups of water
1 tbsp ghee 
4-5 cloves
1/2 tsp seeds of cardamom
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
2 pinch of saffron strands soaked in milk
1 tsp chopped almond
1 tsp chopped cashew nuts
1 tsp raisins
1 tsp dry coconut slices 

Method:

1. Wash & soak rice for 15 mins. 

2. Heat ghee in a pressure cooker, add cloves, cardamom seeds. stir it for few seconds

3. Now pour 3 cups of water. Add rice, sugar, saffron, cardamom powder & dry fruits.

4. Bring it to a boil, stir it & boil for 5 mins on low flame.

5. Now close the lid of pressure cooker & steam it for 15 mins with out whistle on low flame.

6. Take it off the heat & let it rest for 5-6 mins.

7. Transfer the rice to a sarving bowl.

8. Garnish it with chopped almond, cashew nuts, dry coconut slices & serve.

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Kalakand

Kalakand

Kalakand is one of the most popular & traditional dessert made in India during different festivals & celebrations such as Holi, Diwali, Navratri, Eid. It is also known as Malai burfi, Milk cake, Kalakand burfi.

It is made with paneer (cottage cheese), milk & sugar that is topped with dry fruits. Saffron & edible silver foil can also be used.The traditional way of making this sweet is very time consuming, but using paneer/cottage cheese make it easy & quick, instead of making paneer at home, readymade fresh paneer can also be used.

Kalakand is one of the easiest sweet to make at home. Its main ingredients are milk, sugar,
Cardamom powder & dry nuts. That is why it is a very healthy, packed with calcium & protein.

This sweet is soft, grainy in texture which is just mouth watering fresh & rich in taste & loved by many. Kalakand is made of cheese, sweetened milk, some varieties can also be made by using fruits that blend well with this milky dessert.

So lets start :

Ingredients:

2 liters milk 

1/2 cup sugar 

1/2 tsp citric acid 

1/2 cup water 

1/4 tsp cardamom powder

1/2 cup chopped nuts (pistachio, almonds)

1 sheet of edible silver foil

Method:

1.  Dissolve citric acid in water. Boil 1 liter of milk in a pan.

2. Add citric acid solution to milk as it comes to boil.

3. Once chenna (cottage cheese) settles, sieve through muslin cloth, press out excess    
    water, take in a plate & press down.

4. Now put the remaining milk to boil. Add cheena & boil till it turns thick.

5. Add sugar, cook till mixture turns lumpy, add cardamom powder, chopped nuts.

6. Spread it over a greased plate, allow to cool, apply silver foil, garnish with chopped nuts.

7. Once set, cut it into square or desired pieces & serve fresh.

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