Strawberry Milk Shake

Ingredients :

Fresh strawberrys - 5 to 6
Milk - 1/2 litre
Sugar - 4 to 5 sp
Strawberry essence - Few drop.

Method :

Boil the milk & make it cool. Then cut the fruit & put it in the mixer or blender along with sugar, milk & essence & blend it for 3 mins. Then pour it in a glass & garnish with finely cut strawberrys. Serve it chill & enjoy your drink.

Hommade Ice Creams !!

1.                                                                Kulfi

Ingredients:

• Full cream milk - 1 litre
• Cornflour - 2 tbl sp
• Sweetless mava [kova] - 100 gms
• Sugar - 8 tbl sp
• Cardamom powder - 1 sp
• Fresh cream - 1/4 cup
• Milk masala powder - 1 tbl sp.

Method :

Take one thick bottom vessel & pour milk, cornflour, sugar & mix well. Then keep it on the gas in a high flame. Stir nonstop otherwise the milk will stick in the vessel. When the milk starts boiling & becomes thick, remove from the gas. Then add mava, fresh cream, cardamom powder, mix well & keep aside. When it becomes cool, put it in the mixer grinder & blend it  for 10 mins till the ice cream  mixture becomes soft. Then shift the mixture to either aluminium container or air tight plastic container & keep in the fridge [freezer] for 14 hrs. Your mouth watering  kulfi  is ready to eat. Before serving sprinke milk masala to that [See picture].

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2.                                                          Custard Apple

Ingredients:

• Custard apple - 3
• Milk [Creamed milk] - 1/2 litre
• Custard powder [plain] - 1 1/2 tbl sp
• Corn flour - 1 1/2 tbl sp
• Sugar - 12 sp
• Cardamom powder - 1 1/2 sp
• Fresh cream - 1/2 cup.

Method :

Keep one thick bottom vessel on the gas &  pour the milk. Add the custard powder, cornflour, cardamom powder & mix well. Stir non stop in high flame till it becomes thick. Then remove from the gas. After it becomes cool add 1/2 cup of fresh cream, blended custard fruit to that & grind  in the mixer till it becomes very soft. Then transfer the mixer to a air-tight container. If there is some excess fruit remaining, add that also to the container so that it gives a natuaral taste. Keep it in the freezer for 12 to 14 hours. Before keeping in freezer mix the blend custard apple to that. After 14 hours your ice-cream will be ready to eat.

Note : Remove the seeds from the fruit & blend the fruit in a blender or in the mixer.

Pav Bhaji

Ingredients :

Cauliflower - 1 cup [made into flowerettes]
Big Potato - 3 [cut into big pieces]
Capcicum - 1 [cut into dices]
Ripe red tomatoes - 3 [finely chopped]
Onion - 3 [cut in to big pieces]
Garlic - 2 flakes
Oil - 1 tbl sp
Red chillie powder - 2 sp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 sp
Salt - As per taste
Everest pav bhaji masala powder - 2 tsp
Amul butter - 50 gms
Pav - 6 pieces

For Grinding :

Take the mixer vessel,  put onion, garlic, tomatoes, red chillie powder, turmeric powder. Grind them smoothly & keep aside.

Method :

Keep the pressure cooker on the gas & pressure cook the vegetables with salt, & turmeric powder. Then keep one kadai, heat oil or ghee to that. Add the grained masala & fry for 5 mins. Add chopped tomatoes, smashed vegetables to that & fry for 5 mins more in low flame. Add pav bhaji masala & amul butter to that & mix well. Keep on stirring from bottom till it thickens. Serve with pav halved toasted with amul butter on both sides. Before serving keep 1 tsp of chopped onion, coriander leaves & diced lemon pieces.

Baingan Bhartha

Ingredients:

• Brinjals - 1/4 kg [big purple seedless]
• Onions - 3 [peeled & chopped]
• Green chillies - 2 [cut into tiny pieces]
• Garlic - 2 flakes [chopped]
• Red tomatoes - 3 big [finely cut]
• Coriander leaves - 1/4 cup [finely chopped]
• Salt - As required
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 sp
• Red chillie powder - 1 1/2 sp
• Sugar - 1/2 sp
• Lemon juice- 1 tbl sp
• Ginger - 1/2 inch piece
• Oil - For seasoning
• Cumin seeds - 1 sp.

Method:

Select good purple colour brinjal [seedless], wash well & wipe with a cloth. Then apply little oil & roast the brinjal directly over the fire. Then remove the outer skin. When it becomes cool, blend the brinjal in the blender or in the mixer & keep aside. Then keep one kadai on the gas, pour oil, add cumin seeds. When it splutters, add onion, green chillie, ginger garlic & fry for 5 mins. When the raw smell goes, add chopped tomatoes, put salt, turmeric, red chillie, sugar & fry in low flame. When the oil leaves sideways, add the blend brinjal & mix well. If required, add 1/2 cup of water & boil. Check for salt, add lemon juice & garnish with cut coriander leaves. Remove from the gas & have it with phulkas or paratas.

Pine Apple Rasam

Ingredients:

• Tuvar dal - 1 cup
• Tamarind paste - 2 sp
• Pine apple pieces - 2 cups [peeled & chopped]
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 sp
• Asafoetida - 1/4 sp
• Salt - As required
• Rasam powder - 1 1/2 sp
• Red chillie powder - 1/2 sp
• Green chillies - 1 [slit]
• Sugar or jaggery - 1 1/2 sp.

For Garnishing:

Coriander leaves & pine apple pieces..

For Seasoning:

• Ghee - 2 tsp
• Mustard seeds - 1 sp
• Dry red chillie - 1 [broken]
• Curry leaves - Little.

Method:

Wash tuvar dal in the pressure cooker, adding 3 cups of water. When the dal gets cooked, smash well, add required water to that & keep the vessel on the gas & add  tamarind paste, turmeric powder, rasam powder, red chillie powder, asafoetida, & sugar or jaggery. Keep in low flame till the quantity is slightly reduced. Put 1/4th portion of pine apple to that & blend the other portion of pine apple pieces in a mixer & keep aside.When the rasam gets boiled well, add the pine apple juice & mix well. When it comes to boil, add curry leaves. As soon as it starts boiling add coriander leaves. Keep the gas in sim position for 2 mins & remove from the gas. If u want, you can also add a few drops of pineapple essence to rasam in this stage. Season with mustard seeds & dry red chillie, curry leaves in ghee. Your tasty pineapple rasam is ready for your lunch.

Medu Vada

Ingredients:

• Whole black gram dal - 2 cups
• Green chillies - 4
• Asafoetida - 1/4 sp
• Ginger - 1 inch piece
• Salt - As required
• Rice flour - 2 tbl sp
• Oil - Enough for deep frying.

Method:

Wash & soak dal in enough water for 2 hrs. Drain water completely & add green chillies, ginger piece, asafoetida, salt & grind it to a fine paste. Sprinkle water, now & then, during the process of grinding to make it a ball like dough. Mix rice flour with this. Then heat oil in a deep curved frying pan. Using wet hands shape little dough into a ball & then pat on top of a plastic sheet, put a hole in the centre. Deep fry in hot oil. [Few vadas can be fried at a time]. Do not disturb till underneath turns to golden colour. Turn once to fry the other side brown & crisp. Remove the vadas gently & keep over a colander to drain the excess oil. Serve hot with coconut chutney & sambar.

Note:  Make vadas as soon as the dough is ready. In this way it will not absorb too much oil.

Different Types of Sambar Powder

1. Sambar Powder [Andhra] :


Ingredients :

Red chillies - 1 cup
Coriander seeds - 1/3 cup
Black gram dal - 1 1/2 tbl sp
Bengal gram dal - 2 tbl sps [heaped]
Grated dry coconut - 1 tbl sp [heaped]
Seasame seeds - 2 tsps
Curry leaves - 2 springs
Ghee - Little for frying.

Method :

Melt ghee in a deep frying pan, add red chillies, coriander seeds, black gram, bengal gram dal & fry till it turns golden yellow. Add seasame seeds, curry leaves, coconut at the end & fry for a minute. Allow it to cool at room temperature & powder coarsely in a mixcer. Then preserve in air tight container & use within 3 weeks.

2. Sambhar Powder [Kerala & Tamil Nadu] :


Ingredients:

Red chillies - 3 cups
Coriander seeds - 2 cups
Bengal gram dal - 1/4 cup
Tuvar dal - 1/4 cup
Black pepper - 1 1/2 tbl sps
Dry turmeric root - 1 piece.

Method :

Dry all the ingredients under hot sun till it dries & then powder the ingredients. Preserve separately & powder together.
Note : 1 or 2 tsps of fenugreek can be added. Dry roast it & powder with other ingredients.

3. Dal Rasam powder :


Ingredients :

Red gram dal - 1/2 cup
Red chillies - 1 cup
Coriander seeds - 2 cups
Cumin seeds - 1/2 cup
Black pepper - 1 tbl sp
Mustard seeds - 2 tsps
Fenugreek - 2 tsps
Curry leaves - 1/2 cup.

Method :

Dry roast each separately & powder together [or] keep under hot sun till it dries & powder them together. Preserve in airtight containers.

4. Garlic Chillie Powder :

Ingredients :

Red chillie powder - 1 cup
[Coarsely powdered at home in mixer]
Peeled garlic - 15 flakes
Rock salt - 1 tbl sp [heaped]
Grated dry coconut - 2 tbl sps.

Method :

Put all ingredients in a mixer & pound to course powder. Then preserve in airtight bottle.

5. Dal powder  :


Ingredients :

Chutney dal - 1 cup [heaped]
Red chillies - 10 to 12
Rock salt - 1 tsp [heaped]
Grated dry coconut [kopra] - 1 tbl sp
Ghee - 1 1/2 tsps.

Method :

Heat ghee in a deep pan & fry red chillies, chutney gram for 1 or 2 mins. Then allow to cool & powder it in a mixer along with salt. Then add dry coconut. Run the mixer in low speed till it blends. Remove from the mixer & then add it to the sieved powder. Blend well using hands & preserve in dry, air tight bottles.
Normally this powder is mixed with plain white rice along with melted ghee.