Dates roll / Khajur burfi

Ingredients:

Khajur / Dates - 350 gm
shredded coconut - 4 tbsp
poppy seeds - 1 tsp (optional)
Ghee/ Clarified butter - 2 tbsp
Almonds, Pistachio, cashew nuts - Chopped as required
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp (Optional)

Method:

1) Add ghee and roast dry shredded coconut until golden brown
2) Now add seedless dates in to the same pan.
3) Cook until it becomes soft. It hardly takes about 5 mins
4) when it takes the form of dough, turn off the stove.
5) kneed the mixture well with chopped Almonds, Pistachio, cashew nuts and sprinkle some shredded coconut and poppy seeds on them. I have used sliced almonds and shredded coconut only.
6) wrap them in cling film in desired shape.
7) Freeze them for 15-30 mins. (freezing for more time doesn't harm. But, minimum 15 min is required)
8) Remove them from freezer and then cut in desired shape.

Home made paneer

Ingredients:

Milk - 8 cups
Lemon juice - 1/4 cup
cheese cloth / regular cloth - 1

Method:

1) Boil the milk.
2) Add the lemon juice when it starts to boil.
3) Turn off the stove when it starts to separate the hard and water part.
4) Drain the water using cheese cloth / use regular cloth.
5) After draining the water. Keep it for 30 mins adding some weight on it.

Falafel

Ingredients:

Dried chickpeas or 16 oz. can of chickpeas or garbanzo beans - 1 cup
onion - 1 large chopped 
Garlic - 2 cloves chopped 
Fresh parsley chopped - 3 tablespoons 
Coriander - 1 tsp
Cumin - 1tsp
Flour - 2tsp
Salt - as required
Pepper - as required
Oil for frying

Method:

1) Place dried chickpeas in a bowl, covering with cold water. Allow to soak overnight. Omit this step if using canned beans.
2) Drain chickpeas, and place in pan with fresh water, and bring to a boil.
3) Allow to boil for 5 minutes, then let simmer on low for about an hour.
4) Drain and allow to cool for 15 minutes.
5) Combine chickpeas, garlic, onion, coriander, cumin, salt and pepper (to taste) in medium bowl. Add flour.
6) Mash chickpeas, ensuring to mix ingredients together. You can also combine ingredients in a food processor. You want the result to be a thick paste.
7) Form the mixture into small balls, about the size of a ping pong ball. Slightly flatten.
8) Fry in 2 inches of oil at 350 degrees until golden brown (5-7 minutes).

Iyengar Bakery Khara Biscuit

Ingredients

Maida - 1 cup
Butter - softened 5 tbsp
Baking powder - 3/4 tsp
Salt - 1tsp
Sugar - 2 tsp
Curd - 3-4 tsp
Green chillies - 4-5 (as required)
Curry leaves
Coriender leaves
Ginger - 1/2 inch (Optional)


Method

1) Preheat the oven to 170 C / 380F.
2) Grease the baking tray with butter/ oil or use butter paper / parchment paper. 
3) In a bowl, Mix all the dry ingrdients n wet ingredients separately and blend everything well together.
4) Keep it aside for 20 - 30 mins and then roll the dough into 1/4" thickness.
5) Cut with your cookie cutters / cut using a cup. Place on the baking tray and bake for 15-20 minutes at 170 C / 380 F. 
6) Cool on the wire rack in the sheet and when cool, transfer to an air tight container.

Coriander Rice

Ingredients

Basmati rice/Normal rice - 1 cup
Coriander leaves - 1 cup
Chopped Onion -1 cup (Optional)
Ginger - Around 1 inch piece
Green chillies - as per your taste / required
Salt - as required

seasoning

Oil -1 tbsp
Jeera -1 tsp
Mustard - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - Few
Hing - 1/4 tsp
Urad dal, chana dal - 1tbsp

Method

1) Cook rice such that the grains are separate.
2) Wash coriander leaves well, Chop it roughly and grind it along with ginger and green chilli using very less water / no water into paste. (Add water only if needed). 
3) Heat oil in a pan, add Mustard, cumin/jeera seeds, when it sizzles, add urad dal, chana dal, curry leaves and hing followed by chopped onions and saute till it turns golden brown.
4) Now add the coriander paste, salt and saute till the raw smell goes and oil separates.
5) Mix cooked rice and enjoy the yummy food.


Note: you can serve this with any raita. 

Bitter gourd sambhar

Ingredients

Bitter gourd 
Chillies as required
tamarind pulp - add more to taste better
Salt - as required
Oil - 2 to 3 tsp
Toor dal / lentils - 1 1/2 cup
Chopped coriander leaves
sambhar powder
Sugar - 1/4 tsp

Seasoning

Mustard
Cumin 
Urad dal
Chana dal
Curry leaves
Hing
Oil / Ghee

Method

1) Slice bitter gourd in to pieces (medium) and remove the seeds inside it.
2) Add 1 tsp of salt into water and soak the bitter gourd pieces in water for 1 -2 hours
3) Boil dal / lentils in cooker  for upto 3 whistles.
4) Now  squeeze water from bitter gourd and fry it with 1 tsp of oil.
5) Once the bitter gourd is half cooked, add tamarind pulp and cook for 10mins.
6) Now add cooked lentils/ Dal, chopped chillies and sambhar powder, salt and cook for 5mins.
7) Add the seasoning(fry all the ingredients of seasoning in Ghee/ Oil) to the boiling sambhar and then top it with coriander leaves.

Carrot Payasam

Lets start with recipe of sweet dish which i luved cooking and tastes gud too :-)

Ingredients

Boiled Carrots - 2
Sugar - as required
Milk - as required
Cashews - as required


Method

Grind boiled carrots with 1sp of cashews n 2sps of milk.

Now fry remaining cashews and keep it aside

Boil the paste of carrot, milk and cashews with more milk until it is thick and then add the fried cashews before you turn off .

Look at that stunning natural saffron color of it..i just luv it 

Note: i have not added any saffron or food color to it