Samosa

Ingredients

For cover: 

1 cup plain flour (maida) 2 tbsp. warm oil water to knead dough

For filling: 2 potatoes large boiled, peeled, mashed 1 onion finely chopped

2 green chillies crushed 1/2 tsp. ginger crushed 1/2 tsp. garlic crushed 1 tbsp. coriander finely chopped 1/2 lemon juice extracted 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder 1/2 tsp. garam masala 1/2 tsp. coriander seeds cru shed 1 tsp. red chilli powder salt to taste oil to deep fry

Method

For dough: Make well in the flour. Add oil, salt and little water.Mix well till crumbly. Add more water little by little, kneading into soft pliable dough. Cover with moist cloth, keep aside for 15-20 minutes. Beat dough on worksurface and knead again. Re-cover.

For filling: Heat 3 tbsp. oil, add ginger, green chilli, garlic, coriander seeds. Stir fry for a minute, add onion, saute till light brown. Add coriander, lemon, turmeric, salt, red chilli, garam masala. Stir fry for 2 minutes, add potatoes. Stir further 2 minutes. Cool. Keep aside.

To proceed: Make a thin 5" diam. round with some dough. Cut into two halves. Run a moist finger along diameter. Join and press together to make a cone. Place a tbsp. of filling in the cone and seal third side as above. Make five to six. Put in hot oil, deep fry on low to medium till light brown. Do not fry on high, or the samosas will turn out oily and soggy. Drain on rack or kitchen paper. Serve hot with green and tamarind chutneys (refer chutneys), or tomato sauce.

Making time: 45 minutes Makes: 20 pieces (approx.) Shelflife: Bestfresh

Malai Kofta

Ingredients:

Gravy: 125 gms. cream 75 gms. khoya or paneer 150 ml. milk 50 gms. cashewnuts 3 tsp. white pepper powder. 2 1/2 tsp. sugar 2 tsp. grated ginger 1/4 tsp. nutmeg powder 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder 1 tsp. garlic crushed 1" cinnamon 6 cloves 6 cardamoms salt to taste 3 tbsp. ghee

Kofta:

50 gms. khoya 12

50 gms. paneer 5 medium potatoes 20 gms. cashewnuts 20 gms. raisins 4-5 green chillies chopped fine 1/2 tsp. ginger grated 1 tsp. coriander chopped 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds salt to taste

Garnish:

1 tbsp. grated cheese or paneer 1 tbsp. chopped coriander

Method:

Koftas Boil the potatoes, peel and smash them. Mix together all the ingredients except raisins and cashews. Take a ping-pong ball sized dough in hand. Flatten. Place 2-3 cashews and raisins in the centre and shape into a ball. Repeat for remaining dough. Keep aside.

Gravy: Roast the cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg and cloves together. Dry grind and keep aside. Wet grind all the other ingredients, except ghee, to a paste. Heat ghee in a skillet, add powdered spices and fry for 2-3 seconds. Add paste and fry further for 5-7 minutes stirring well. Add 2 cups water and simmer on low for 15 minutes. Warm the koftas either in the oven or on the tava.Optional: You can deep fry the koftas also. To serve place warm koftas in a casserole. Either pour boiling hot gravy on the koftas or pour and bake in hot oven of 5 minutes. Garnish with grated cheese and chopped coriander. Serve hot with naan or parathas.

Making time: 45 minutes. Makes: 10 koftas with gravy. Shelf life: Best fresh.

Navratan Korma

Ingredients

2 cups peas boiled 

1 large carrot chopped and boiled 

1/2 cup tomato sauce 

1/4 cup curd 

1/4 cup malai (cream) 

3 tbsp. butter 

1 small sweet lime 

1 small apple 

1 banana 

2 slices pineapple 

10-15 cashew nuts 

20 raisins 

2 glaced cherries for decoration 

1 tbsp. coriander chopped 

1 tbsp. ghee salt to taste

Dry Masala

 1 tsp. cuminseeds 

2 tsp. khuskhus (poppyseeds) 

1 tsp. cardamoms

Wet Masala

 1 large onion 

1/4 cup coconut shredded 

3 green chilies

Method

Grind the dry and wet masalas separately. Chop all the fruit fine. Heat ghee and fry cashews, drain and keep aside. Add butter to ghee and heat, add the wet masala and fry for 2 minutes. Add the dry masala and salt and fry 2 more minutes. Add the carrots and peas, mix together curd and cream and add to gravy.

Allow to thicken a bit, add fruit, cashews and raisins and boil till the gravy is thick and the fat separates.

Garnish with grated cheese ,coriander and chopped cherries. Serve hot with naan, roti or paratha.

Making time: 45 minutes Makes for: 6 Shelf life: Best fresh

Sindhi Saibhaji

Ingredients:
1 each -carrot, capsicum, onion, small cabbage,potato, brinjal, tomato, ladyfinger (okra)
100 gms. french beans

1/2 bunch each spinach, coriander, khatta (3 leaved) greens.
1/2 bunch any other leafy greens.
1 cup green gram dal
1/2 cup horsegram dal (channa dal)
4-5 green chillies
2-3 clovettes garlic
1 tsp. red chilli powder
1 tsp. dhania (coriander seed) powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. turmeric
3 tbsp. oil
1/2 tbsp. ghee
2 pinches asafoetida

METHOD:

Clean and wash dals.
Clean, wash and chop spinach and vegetables except tomato.
Heat oil in a pressure cooker, add all the vegetables, spinach and dals.
Mix well, add enough water to cover the contents.

Add all masalas and mix.
Place whole tomato on top, cover and pressurecook for 3 whistles.
Cool the cooker, open and handblend the contents.
Heat 1/2 tbsp. ghee add a pinch of asafoetida add to the mashed vegetable.
Serve hot with paratha or steamed rice

Making time: 30 minutes (excluding cooling time)
Makes for: 6
Shelf life: Best fresh

Gobi Manchurian

INGREDIENTS:

1 medium. cauliflower clean and broken into big florettes.
1 small bunch spring onoin finely chopped
2 tsp. ginger finely chopped
1 tsp. garlic finely chopped
1/4 cup plain flour
3 tbsp. cornflour
1/4 tsp. red chilli powder
2 red chillies, dry
3 tbsp. oil
1 1/2 cups water
1 tbsp. milk

METHOD:

Boil the florettes for 3-4 minutes in plenty of water, to which a tbsp. of milk has been added.
Drain and pat dry on a clean cloth.
Make thin batter out of flour and 2 tbsp.cornflour, adding 1/4 tsp. each of ginger and garlic and red chilli powder and salt
to taste.
Dip the florettes in the batter one by one and deep fry in hot oil. Keep aside.

In the remaining oil, add remaining ginger, garlic and crushed red chilli and fry for a minute.
Add the salt and spring onions.
Stir fry for a minute. Add 1 1/2 cups water and bring to a boil.
Add 1 tbsp. cornflour to 1/4 cup water and dissolve well.
Gradually add to the gravy and stir continuously till it resumes boiling.
Boil till the gravy becomes transparent. Add florettes and soya sauce.
Boil for two more minutes and remove.
Serve hot with noodles or rice.

Variations:

Dry manchurian can be made by omitting the gravy.
Make florettes as above and instead of adding water as above, add fried florettes, spring onions and soya ce at this stage.
Sprinkle 1 tsp. cornflour on the florettes and stirfry for 2 minutes.
Serve piping hot with toothpicks or miniforks and chilligarlic sauce or tomato sauce.
Same procedure for veg. manchurian (with gravy or dry), but instead of using only cauliflower, use finely chopped minced
vegetables and
bind with some cornflour or bread crumbs and make small lumps the size of a pingpong ball.
Fry as above and proceed as above.

Aloo Palak

Ingredients

3 cups chopped spinach
2 large onoins chopped fine
2 large potatoes boiled and peeled
1 tomato grated
2 green chillies
1" piece ginger
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. wheat or other flour
1 tsp. red chilli powder
1 tsp. cinnamon-clove powder
1/4 tsp. turmeric powder
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2 pinches asafoetida
1/2 tsp. garam masala
1/2 tbsp. butter
4 tbsp. ghee
salt to taste

METHOD:

Put the washed spinach in a pan, add very little water (just a sprinkle) and a pinch of salt.
Cover and boil over a high flame for 2 minutes. Cool quickly, or hold under running water in a colander.
Put in a mixie, add green chilli and run for a minute. Keep slightly coarse, do not make very smooth.
Keep aside.

Cut the potatoes into big pieces. Heat ghee and fry potatoes till light brown.
Drain the potatoes, keep aside.
In the same hot ghee add the cumin seeds.
Add the ginger, onions and fry till very tender.
Add the tomato and further fry for two minutes.
Add all the dry masalas and fry till ghee separates.
Add spinach and potatoes.
When it resumes a boil sprinkle the flour and stir well. Boil for 2-3 minutes. Add lemon juice
Just before s erving heat butter in a tiny saucepan and add the asafoetida.
Pour over the vegetable and mix gently.
Serve hot with naan or parathas or even rice.

Note: You may use boiled peas, boiled corn kernels or paneer chunks in the above dish, instead of atoes.

Making time: 45 minutes
Makes for: 6
Shelf life: Best fresh