Gajar Ka Halwa Recipe

Gajar ka Halwa is a popular sweet dish of Northern India and it is found in abundance in all North Indian sweet shops in the winter i.e. from November to February. The preparation is quite easy and you can also make it at home. And the taste will be same as in any sweet shop, may be even better. So, lets see the procedures of preparation of Gajar ka Halwa and savor its delicacy.

Preparation time: 20-30 minutes.

Cooking time: 30-40 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• Carrots of medium size ( 10 pcs)
• Chopped almonds, dates, cashenuts, raisins and other dry fruits (3/4 cup) 
• Sugar ( according to the taste  Skimmed Milk ( 2 cups)
• Green Cardamom Powder ( ½ tsp)
• Ghee or Clarified Butter ( 2 tbsp)

Preparation:

• Wash the carrots propert and peel the upper skins. Finely grate these carrots
• Add the butter or ghee in a frying pan and when it strats cackling add eth finely grated carrots
• Fry the carrots for about five minutes
• Add sugar and skimmed milk to the half fried carrots and fry the mixture at mild flame further for 15-20 minutes
• Add the cardamom powder and garnish the mixture with chopped dry fruits
• Serve it hot.

Barbecued Pork Chops Recipe

Barbecued Pork Chop is one of the tastiest non-vegetarian items, especially if you enjoy eating pork meat.  Though the total cooking time is far greater than other items but it involves hours when you would be doing nothing but merely waiting. Let us try to see the simple recipe that can keep you licking the finger.

Preparation time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 8 Hours

Serves: 8

Ingredients:

·      Small red potatoes cut into quarters (6)

·      Carrots of medium size cut into pieces of 1 inches (6)

·      Bone-in pork loin or rib chops weighing 8 ounces and ½ inches thick ( 8 pcs)

·      Salt ( 1 tsp)

·      Pepper (1/4 tsp)

·      Barbecue Sauce ( 1 Bottle of 28 Ounces)

·      Ketchup ( 1 Cup)

·      Cola ( 1 Cup)

·      Worcestershire sauce (2 tbsp)

Preparation

Place the potatoes and carrots in a 5 qt slow cooker. Place the pork chops on eth top of these vegetable pieces and add salt and pepper. Mix the barbecue sauce, ketchup, cola, and Worcestershire sauce in a bowl and pour the mixture over the chops.

Cover the mixture properly and cook on low for 8 hours or till the meat and vegetable become tender.

Beef Stew

Preparation Time : 30 minutes

Cooking Time: 2 Hours 15 Minutes

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

Stewed beef (2 pounds)

Vegetable oil (2 tbsp)

Water (2 cups)

Worcestershire sauce (1 tbsp)

Peeled clove and garlic (1 each)

Bay leaves (2-3)

Sliced onion of medium size (1)

Salt (1 tsp)

Sugar (1 tsp)

Pepper (1/2 tsp)

Paprika (1/2 tsp)

Ground cloves (2-3)

Sliced large carrots (3)

Chopped celery (3 ribs)

Cornstarch (2 tbsp)

Procedure:

Fry the meat in the hot oil until it changes color.

Once the meat has been browned, add water, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, bay leaves, onion, salt, sugar, pepper, paprika, and ground cloves (allspices).

Sauté for some time and cover the pan and let the mixture simmer for 1.5 hours.

Remove the bay leaves, garlic and cloves from the mix and add carrots and celery and cook further for 40 minutes.

If you want to thicken the gravy then you can remove the water from the preparation.

Prepare a smooth mix of starch in ¼ cup of water (hot water would be better) and pour it into the pan.

Keep on stirring the mixture till it turns bubbly and when the meat can be penetrated easily.

Dal Makhani Recipe

Dal Makhani is an authentic Punjabi dish that involves the spicy preparation of Rajma and Urad Dal (mixed). The dish does not only satiate your taste buds but it is highly rich in protein and calcium. These are important ingredients for a healthy body. You can deviate a bit from the original Punjabi cuisine by preparing the dish in tomato puree. This new preparation will make the dish a bit tangy and it will also be enriched with folic acid and Vitamin A.

Preparation Time: 15 Min

Cooking Time: 20 Min

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

·         Whole black lentil Urad Daal  (1/2 Cup)

·         Kidney Beans Rajma ( 2 tbsp)

·         Milk ( 1 Cup)

·         Cumin Seeds Jeera (1/2 tsp)

·         Chopped Onion ( 1/2 tsp)

·         Ginger paste (1/2 tsp)

·         Garlic paste (1/2 tsp)

·         Chilly powder (1/2 tsp)

·         Finely chopped Green Chilly ( 2-3 pcs)

·         Turmeric Powder (1/4 tsp)

·         Coriander Powder (2 tsp)

·         Finely grated tomato or tomato pulp (3/4 Cup)

·         Oil ( 1 tsp)

·         Salt ( according to the taste)

For Garnishing

·         Chopped Green Coriander Leaves (2 tbsp)

Cooking Procedure

·         Soak rajma and urad for 8-12 hours and drain them from the water.

·         Put the mixture in 2-3 cups of water, add salt, and pressure cook. Once the mix is overcooked, mash it.

·         Add milk and 1 cup of water and let the mixture simmer at medium flame for 10 minutes. Keep on stirring the mixture.

·         Take the oil in non-stick pan and heat it for 3-4 minutes at low flame, add the cumin seeds and once they start crackle apply the onion and ginger-garlic paste. Sauté the mixture till the onions assume golden brown color.

·         Add chilly powder, grated chilly, turmeric powder, coriander powder, and tomato and sauté the mixture for a while at low flame.

·         Apply ¼ cups of water and sauté the mix for 5-7 minutes.

·         Add dal and stir the mixture for 10-15 minutes or till the dal becomes thick and creamy.

·         Garnish with chopped coriander.

Healthy Chinese Food

Chinese fried rice, noodles, dimsums, moms, chilly chicken , chilly paneer, choupsey…there is whole range of items that have become staple meal of more than a third of world’s population. Well, the delectable taste and the ease of preparation are two important attributes of popularity of Chinese dishes. The yummy food recipes with the generous usage of sauce and delectable culinary herbs can enrich your palate and that too within no time.

However there is a common misconception that these are junk foods. Let us peep through the facts from the fallacy.

·         The authentic Chinese cuisine is acknowledged as one of the healthiest food in the world.

·         Saturated fats account for only 4-7 % of the total calories whereas the other popular dish, Pizza has 20 % of the total calories in the form of saturated fats.

·         Chinese inculcate Yin and Yang philosophy in their food which is evident in the texture, color, and flavor.

·         The common ingredients include plenty of vegetables, lean poultry, and sea food.

Let us now look at the calorific value of the important Chinese food.

Name of the Chinese Food Item	Total Calories
1 Dim Sim Fried(Appetizer)	100
3 Large Prawn Crackers(Appetizer)	45
Wantons, Medium, Fried(Appetizers)	110
1 Small Spring Roll Deep Fried	115
1 Cup Chow Beef	320
1 Cup Beef: Braised w. Chinese Vegetables	250
1 Cup Crispy Skin Chicken	410
1 Cup Barbecued Pork	545
1 Cup Fried Rice	365
1 Medium Bowl Wanton Soup	240
1 Medium Bowl Chicken And Corn Soup	160

Having said these, I know that the original Chinese preparation is missing and they are presented in eth localized versions which can alter the aforementioned figures. Still, if you are eating the original preparation then you can rest assured that you are taking a wholesome healthy food.

Time to take those forks out and eat the authentic Chinese food.

Recipe of Some Popular Sweet Delicacies in Winter I

Winter is not always about tearing through the non-veg delights or spicy food. In fact, there are no substitutes for some hot sweet dishes in winter. They are irresistibly tasty and healthy too. Let us try our hands in preparing theses dishes.

Badam ka Halwa

This sweet dish has rich ingredients and you need to take a limited amount else it becomes too hot to handle for your stomach. Usually, people in North Indian cities consume it on routine basis. Consuming it in the morning keeps you warm throughout the day. Cooking this dish merely takes 15 -20 minutes but the taste can leave you satiated for hours.

Prepartion time 15 Mins

Cooking Time 30 Mins

Serves 4

Ingredients

• Almonds soaked overnight (2 Cups)
• Milk (1 ½ Cups)
• Sugar (16 table spoons)
• Cardamom (Elaichi) powder (1 tea spoon)
• Ghee (12 table spoons)

For Garnishing

Peeled and sliced almonds ( 8-12 pcs)

Cooking procedure

• Take out the soaked almonds and pour 1-2 cups of boiling water. Leave the mix for 5-8 minutes.
• Take out the water (drain the almonds) and peel the outer skins.
• Add 5 tbsp milk and make a purée viz. smooth paste by grinding the mixture.
• Heat ghee in a non-stick kadhai on slow flame and add the purée. Regularly stir the mixture for 15 minutes or till the mixture appears golden-brownish.
• Pour the remaining milk (it should be bolied)  in the mix and cook for 5 minutes on slow flame.
• You can now add sugar and the cardamom powder and keep on stirring till the crystals of sugar are completely dissolved.
• Serve it hot with the systemic garnishing.

In the next post we will see some other hot sweet dishes. Till then, enjoy cooking and I bet you will certainly enjoy the taste.

Chicken Seekh Kabab

Seekh Kabab is one of the favorite starters for those who relish having non-veg items. Imagine the slightly moistened hot piece of charcoal baked chicken meat. Fluffy and soft chicken meat, yummy! If you have microwave oven in your house then you can enjoy this delicacy at home, all you need is 30 minutes and some ingredients. Let us try to prepare this unique dish.

Preparation Time : 10 Min

Cooking Time : 15 Min

Serves: 4

 Ingredients:

·         Minced meat of Chicken ( ½ Kg)

·         Finely chopped onions ( 2 Pieces)

·         Powdered Red Chilly (1/2 tbsp)

·         Peppercorns ( 6 Pieces)

·         Cloves ( 4 Pieces)

·         Cardamoms ( 6 Pieces)

·         Daal Cheeni ( ¼ tbsp)

·         Grams (Chana)

·         Finely grated fresh Coriander leaves ( 50 grams)

·         Chopped green chilly (4 pieces)

·         Bread Slices ( Grinded to crumbs, 2 pieces)

·         Corn Flour ( 1 tbsp)

·         Beaten egg ( 1)

·         Salt (depending on taste)

·         Oil and butter  

Cooking Procedures

1. Take all the dry items together and grind them, mix the grinded material with minced meat and mix with the breadcrumbs.
2. Grind the dough as prepared.
3. Add egg, chopped coriander leaves, chopped green chillies, corn flour. Mix and leave the mixture for half an hour.  
4. Wrap the mixture around a skew and prepare the raw seekh kabab.
5. Roast in a moderately hot tandoor or charcoal grill or microwave oven (at 150° C).
6. While roasting keep on rotating the skew and constantly baste it with oil.
7. Remove from the skewers once the golden brown color appears.
8. Serve with tamarind chutney, onion rings, and lemon wedges.