Penne Pasta with Arrabbiata Sauce

Ingredients:
1. 3 cups cooked penne pasta
2. 1 can peeled tomatoes
3. 1/4 cup chopped basil leaves
4. 4 tablespoon olive oil
5. 5 to 6 cloves garlic chopped
6. 2 fresh red chilies chopped
7. 5 to 6 black olives (optional)
8. 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
9. Salt to taste

Method:
1. In a pan add the oil, chopped garlic and chilies.
2. Let them sauté about a minute and after add the chopped can tomatoes.
3. Stir it well and let it cook for few minutes.
4. Now add chopped basil and pasta mix well.
5. Add some salt, olive and cheese, mix it.
6. Preferably in warm plate. Serve at once. Enjoy!

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Chutney Pulav with Paneer Balls

Ingredients:

For Chutney:
1. 2 to 4 green chilies
2. 1 small piece of ginger
3. 4 to 5 garlic cloves
4. 1 cup coriander
5. 1 cup mint leaves
6. 1/4 cup peanuts
7. 2 tablespoon lime juice
8. Salt to taste
9. water as required
Method:
• Put the all ingredients in grinder and grind until smooth.
• Add some water if the chutney is too thick
For Balls:
1. 1 cup Paneer
2. 1 tablespoon green chutney
3. 1 tablespoon corn flour
4. Salt to taste
5. Oil for deep frying
Method:
• In one bowl add grated paneer, chutney, salt and corn flour, mix well.
• Make small size smooth balls than deep fry until golden brown.

For Rice:
1. 4 cups boiled basmati rice
2. 3 tablespoon ghee
3. 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
4. 1 bay leaf
5. 3 to 4 cardamoms
6. 3 to 4 cloves
7. 2 split green chili
8. 1 small red onion chopped
9. 1 cup chopped green onion
10. 1 cup boiled green peas, French beans and capsicum
11. 1/2 cup green chutney
12. salt to taste
Method:
1. Take a pan and heat the ghee in it.
2. Add cumin seeds, bay leaf, cardamom, and cloves fry them for minute.
3. Now add split chili, and onion cooked them few minutes.
4. Add the all vegetables, green onion and chutney stir well.
5. Mix the rice to it, add salt and cook for few minutes.
6. To Serve, mold rice on serving plate than decorate with paneer balls. Serve with yogurt.

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Paan Kulfi

What is Pann?.... Pann is often served wrapped in a betel leaf, Betel chewing is a part of many Asian cultures. In Gujarat, in fact in the whole of India, Pann is must after lunch and dinner. Paan has been playing an important part in social life and customs for hundreds of years. In the courts of Medieval Rulers, the betel leaf or pan was offered as part of hospitality, friendship and love. Paan is not only a flavor burst in the mouth but the leaf aids digestion. The gulkand - rose leaf preserve is a coolant, and the fennel seeds act as a breath freshener.

This pann / betel flavor kulfi (Indian Ice cream) it’s really easy and  tasty…. 

For 8 kulfi:

Ingredients:

1.      1/8 cup gulkand 

2.      1 tablespoon good quality meetha paan chutney

3.      1 small betel leaves chopped

4.      1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder

5.      1 pint or 2 + 1/2 cup evaporated milk/unsweetened  condensed milk

6.      1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

7.      1/2 cup whipping cream 

8.      Rose petal

Method:

1.      Combine the gulkand, betel leaves and pann chuthey very well.

2.      Put both milk and cream in blander and bland until smooth.

3.      Add in this mixture cardamom powder and pann mixture, mix very well.

4.      Pour this mixture into kulfi cones or popsicle mold.

5.      Keep them in the refrigerator for till set.

6.      Garnish with sweet and colorful fennel seeds and rose petal than serve.     

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South Indian Tomato Rice

Ingredients:

1.      4 cups cooked rice

2.      1 cup chopped onion

3.      2 cups chopped tomatoes

4.      1/8 cup soaked split gram lentils

5.      1 tablespoon  split black gram lentils 

6.      2 tablespoon chopped green chili

7.      1/4 split peanuts

8.      3 tablespoon oil

9.      1 teaspoon mustard seeds

10.  1 teaspoon cumin seeds

11.  1 teaspoon chopped ginger

12.  few curry leaves

13.  1/2 teaspoon red chili powder

14.  1 tablespoon sambar masala

15.  Salt to taste

Method:

1.      Heat the oil in pan and add mustard and cumin seeds.

2.      After popping seeds add chopped onion.

3.      Cook the onions until pinkish color than add both lentils, curry leaves, ginger and green chili.

4.      Add peanuts and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes or until light brown color.

5.      Add the chopped tomatoes and red chili powder, sambar masala, and salt, mix well. Cooked another 3 to 4 minutes.

6.      Now add rice to it and stir well.

7.      Garnish with tomato and serve.

Authentic Dhokla (Steamed cake)

Dhokla is a gujarat (North India State) steamed snack item. It’s made for split gram lentils and rice flour. Dhokla is sometimes confused with Khaman ,Dhokla is entirely made of fermented batter and khaman is make with only chickpea flour. Its place in every gujarati household now increasingly popular around the world. This snack is sponge and soft, and eaten for breakfast, as a main course, as a side dish or as a snack.

Ingredients:

1.      2 cups old rice

2.      1 cup split Bengal gram /chickpea

3.      1 cup curd

4.      Water as required

5.      1 tablespoon oil

6.      1 teaspoon turmeric powder

7.      Salt to taste

8.      1/2 teaspoon  (Saji na phool) meetha soda/baking soda

9.      Water for steaming

10.  coriander for garnish

For tempering:

1.      2 tablespoon oil

2.      1 teaspoon mustard seeds

3.      1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

4.      1 teaspoon sesame seeds

5.      1 bay leaf

6.      1 whole dry red chili

7.      1/2 teaspoon red chili powder

8.      1 tablespoon sugar

9.      few curry leaves

10.  1/2 cup water

Method:

1.      Combine the rice and lentils and wash until water runs clear. Than soak for 2 to 3 hours.

2.      Drain the water and grind the mixture into a coarse paste adding enough water.

3.      Now in large pot add this batter, add yogurt and mix thoroughly.

4.      Once done, cover and keep aside in a warm, dry place to ferment for over night.

5.      Once the batter is fermented heat the oil and after cool completely adds in this batter.

6.      Prepare the steamer and grease a 2 to 3 round pan (2”-3” deep) with oil.

7.      In a batter add salt, turmeric powder and meetha soda or saji na phool. Mix well.

8.      Pour the enough batter immediately so as to fill half the height of the pan.

9.      Place the pan in a steamer and stem for 10 minutes or until the Dhokla’s are cooked completely. (Just like cake when you insert a knife or toothpick, it should come out clean).

10.  Repeat the cooking steps with remaining batter.

11.  After cool completely cut into squares.

12.  To temper, heat the oil in pan and add all seeds.

13.  Fry till the seeds stop stuttering. Add bay leaf, red chili and curry leaves.

14.  Now add water red chili powder and sugar cook for one minute than add Dhokla and mix very well OR sprinkle this mixture all over the prepared Dhokla..

15.  Garnish with the chopped coriander and serve with Tamarind Chutney and Mint-Coriander Chutney.

Note:

·       The batter has the same consistency as the Idli batter or pancake batter.

·       "Saji na phool" is very mild baking soda and we use mostly in Dhokla , Handvo and many kinds of fritters. For substitute you can use meetha soda or normal baking soda in less quantity.

·       You can prepare Dhokla in microwave also..

·       Sprinkle some chili powder /soaked fenugreek seeds or split gram/whole black pepper at the time of steaming on Dhokla pan it’s give really nice taste….  .

·       Dhokla served warm with garlic chutney and peanut oil and enjoyJ 

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Gazpacho ~ Cucumber Soup

Even though the days are hot, you can eat your favorites soups, some of classics Cool & chilled soup versions like gazpacho and cucumber, Gazpacho, the famous soup from the Andalusia region of southern Spain, is an amazingly refreshing foil to a hot summer day. This soup (Raita) has been around since Roman times and originally consisted of just a mixture of bread, garlic, oil and water seasoned with vinegar. It was a poor man's food. The discovery of the New World brought the addition of flavors and variation.

Ingredients:
1.      4 cups peeled, diced and deseeded cucumber
2.      1/2 cup chopped red onion
3.      1/2 cup chopped capsicum
4.      2 to 3 cloves chopped garlic
5.      1/4 cup chopped mint leaves
6.      1/4 cup chopped coriander
7.      3 tablespoon olive oil
8.      2 to 3 drops Tabascosauce
9.      2 cups yogurt
10.  2 cups vegetable stock
11.  1 tablespoon lemon juice
12.  1 slice white bread
13.  Salt and pepper to taste
14.  chopped tomato for garnish
15.  few drops lemon oil (here I omitted)

Method:    

1.      Heat the oil and sauté onion, garlic and capsicum for few minutes.

2.      Allow to cool this mixture for few minutes.

3.      Place all ingredients in the food processor.

4.      Bland until smooth puree.

5.      Refrigerate until chilled.

6.      Garnish with chopped onion, capsicum, tomato and mint leaf.

7.      Serve chilled.

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Shrikhand

Shrikhand is a very popular classic dessert made of hung yogurt and sugar. It is one of the main desserts in Gujarati and Maharashtrian cuisine. In Gujarati cuisine, shrikhand is eaten as either a side-dish or with poori. It is commonly served as part of a vegetarian thali in Gujarati restaurants and is popular as part of wedding feasts. A popular variation of shrikhand in Maharastra is Amrakhand, which is shrikhand blended with mango pulp. Another variant of shrikhand, Matho, is served as a sweet dish or dessert. The preparation method is almost the same, but some fresh fruits are always added in Matho.

Ingredients:

1.      1 liter good quality milk or ready 2 cups of hung yogurt

2.      1/2 cup sugar powder

3.      1/2 teaspoon cardamom

4.      1/4 teaspoon nutmeg powder

5.      Few strands of saffron

6.      2 tablespoon milk

7.      1/4 cup sliced almond, pistachios and kismis  

Method:

1.      Boil the milk in a pot, after cool completely add in 1 tablespoon of plain yogurt and mix well.

2.      Cover this pot with lid and keep aside in warm place for 5 to 6 hours or till it set.

3.      Spread the muslin cloth over a bowl, pours the yogurt on it.

4.      Tie a knot and hang the yogurt in a muslin cloth in a cool place.

5.     Move the yogurt with strainer and vessel into the refrigerator overnight or until all the liquid has drained off.

6.      Rub the saffron into the warm milk.

7.      Yogurt will become a hung yogurt.

8.      In a bowl mix 2 cups of hung yogurt, sugar and saffron. Mix very well.

9.      Now add cardamom, nutmeg, almond, pistachios and kismis, mix well.

10.  Once shrikhand is done refrigerated.

11.  Garnish with some pistachio and also rose patel.

12.  Served with Poori. Store for week in refrigerator.

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