Wheat Payasam

Ingredients

• 1  cup broken wheat
• 1 ½ cup grated jaggery
• 2 cups milk
• 2 cups water
• 1 tbsp ghee
• 8 to 10 almonds roughly chopped
• 8 to 10 cashew nut roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp of dry grapes (kishmish)
• ¼ cup grated coconut ( optional)

Method

1. Wash broken wheat and cook in cooker with 2 cups of water for 2 whistle.
2. In a heavy bottom pan transfer the cooked wheat, discard excess water if any and add milk to it.
3. Once the milk is boiling add grated jaggery and keep stirring. (More jaggery can be added to make it sweet)
4. Add grated coconut.
5. Heat ghee in a separate pan and roast almonds, cashew nut and kishmish in it. Add the roasted nuts to the payasam.
6. Server it hot or chilled.

Garlic Chicken

Ingredients

• 250 gms bone-less chicken
• 1 big onion chopped
• 1 big capsicum chopped
• 2 tsp garlic paste for marinating
• 1 tbsp of melted butter
• 1 tsp of garlic paste for gravy
• Salt to taste.
• 5 – 6 tbsp of fresh cream
• 2 tsp vegetable oil
• Water

 Method

1. Clean, wash and cut the bone-less chicken in to bite size cubes. Marinate the chicken pieces with garlic paste, melted butter and salt for 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Heat oil in a pan add chopped onions and roast well.
3. Add garlic paste and capsicum and roast for few minutes.
4. Add marinated chicken pieces and roast.  Add about ¼ cup of water and cook covered till chicken is completely cooked.
5. Add salt and mix well.
6. Add fresh cream and cook till the gravy thickens.
7. Serve hot with rice or roti.

Okra Fry

Ingredients

• 10 to 12 okra/bhendi
• 1 sprig of curry leaves (leaves separated)
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp grated jaggery
• 2 to 3 green chillies
• 5 tbsp grated fresh coconut
• Salt to taste
• Vegetable oil

Method

1. Wash okra and pat them dry with a kitchen towel. Remove the stem and cut the okra in bite size pieces
2. In  a non-stick  pan add 1 tbsp of oil, when the oil is hot add mustard seeds, when the seeds crackle add curry leaves and green chillies and roast.
3. Add okra and roast for some time, cook covered on low flame till okra is cooked completely. (If the okra is sticking to the pan you can sprinkle 1 tsp of water and cook covered. Do not add more water )
4. Add turmeric powder, salt, jaggery and mix well.
5. Add grated coconut and mix well.
6. Serve hot with rice or roti.

Cauliflower stir fry

Ingredients

• 1 medium sized cauliflower
• 2 green chillies ( chopped length-wise)
• 1 sprig of Curry leaves ( leaves separated)
• ½ tsp mustard seeds
• ¼ tsp asafoetida (Hing)
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp vegetable oil
• Salt to taste
• 2 tbsp of chopped coriander leaves
• Little water

 Method

1. Clean and cut the cauliflower into bite size florets.
2. Heat little oil, add asafoetida. Add mustard seeds.
3. When mustard seeds splutter add  green chillies and curry leaves.
4. Add turmeric powder and cauliflower and mix well.
5. Add little water about 1 tablespoon and cook covered till the cauliflower is almost cooked.
6. Add salt  and mix well.
7. Garnish with coriander leaves 
8. Serve hot with roti or rice.

Puffed Rice Ladoo

Ingredients 

• 2 cups Puffed rice) (½ cup more can be added if you want the ladoos to be medium sweet)
• 1  cup grated jaggery 
• 2 tbsp of water
• 2  tbsp peanuts unsalted , roasted and skin removed (optional)
• 2 tbsp channa - dal (marathi : phutane) (optional)
• 1/2 tspn cardamom powder
• 1 tsp ghee (optional)

Method 

1. Heat jaggery in a pan and let it melt.  Let the heat be medium after the jaggery has melted as it will get burnt easily.
2. Take water in a bowl. Once the jaggery has become frothy, add a drop of the jaggery in the bowl of water. The jaggery should sit like a drop, it should not get mixed with water. This is the indication that the jaggery is cooked to the required consistency.
3. Turn off the heat
4. Add the puffed rice, peanuts, channa dal and cardamom powder and mix well.
5.  Let it cool slightly.
6. Coat your hands with very little water/ghee and roll it into ladoos ( balls).

Tip:

• The puffed rice and jaggery mixture cools down rapidly. The mixture will not roll into ladoos  once it cools down completely. If you are unable to roll the entire mixture into balls and it has hardened try heating the mixture on very low flame and then make the ladoos.
• Puffed rice is called by various names like marathi : chirmure, Hindi: kurmura

Jaggery chocolate

Ingredients

• 2 cups of grated jaggery
• 1 tsp of ghee

Method

1. Heat jaggery in a heavy bottom pan. Once the jaggery is frothy reduce the flame. Stir continuously.
2. Apply ghee on a plate and keep it ready. Keep a bowl of water ready.
3. When the jaggery starts changing it colour drop a small ball of jaggery mixture in the bowl with water. If the drop dissolves or is soft continue cooking the jaggery if it hard then turn off the heat.
4. Pour the cooked jaggery on the prepared plate and let it cool completely. Cut and serve.

Chavada (Mandige/Mande)

Ingredients 

• 4 cup all purpose flour ( Maida)
• ½ cup oil.
• Oil for frying
• 1 cup dry grated coconut
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 tsp cardamom powder
• 1 tsp khu- khus
• 1 tsp white sesame seeds
• ¼ tsp nutmeg powder. (optional)
• Water to knead the dough.
• Pinch of salt.

Method

1. Make hard dough with all purpose flour, ½ cup oil and a pinch of salt. With enough water to make a dough like chapatti dough. Rest the dough for 30 mins.
2. Dry roast grated dry coconut, sesame seeds and khus-khus till the coconut if nice and crispy. Do not burn the mixture. Once cooled add powdered sugar and cardamom powder and nutmeg powder (optional) and keep aside.
3. Make small balls and roll them into small thin chapattis. Ensure that the chapattis are as thin as possible.
4. Heat oil and reduce the flame to medium. Fry each chapatti one at a time, do not over fry them, else they will become stiff and cannot be shaped.
5. Dry on a kitchen towel and fill one side of the chapatti with sugar mixture when it’s hot. Fold the chapatti into a semicircle and then fold it again to make it look like a triangle.
6. Cool completely and store.

Shankarpali

Ingredients:

• 1 cup melted ghee
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup milk at room temperature 
• A pinch of Salt
• 3 to 4 cups of All purpose flour ( Maida)
• Oil for frying

Method

1. Heat milk, ghee and sugar till sugar completely dissolves. Cool to room temperature.
2. Add all purpose flour, little by little to the cooled sugar mixture and knead the dough. Add enough flour to make a dough like puri dough. Rest the dough for 20 to 30 minutes. (Note:  3 cups of all purpose flour or more might be needed; it’s not an exact measure. Mix enough to make tight puri dough)
3. Divide the dough into balls and roll each ball into a thick chapatti just like paratha.
4. Cut into desired shape with a knife, traditionally diamond or square shape shankarpali’s are made.
5. Deep fry on low to medium flame till it gets nice light brown colour.
6. Drain on a kitchen towel and cool the same. 

Chiroti

Ingredients

• 2 cups All purpose flour (maida)
• 1 cup Rava ( semolina)
• ¾ cup melted ghee + 2 table spoon
• 2 table spoon of rice flour for dusting
• 4-5 table spoon of rice flour for rolling the dough.
• Water to knead the dough
• 2 cups of Powdered Sugar 
• ¼ tsp cardamom powder
• Oil for frying.

Method

1. Heat ghee and let it cool to room temperature.
2. Mix powdered sugar and cardamom swift the same and keep it aside.
3. Mix all the ingredients (expect for 2 table spoon of ghee and water) and knead the dough with required amount of water. (Note that the dough should be slightly tighter than chapatti dough)
4. Make balls of the dough in multiples of 3.Roll three balls into big and thin chapattis applying minimum rice flour as and when required.
5. Apply ghee on each chapatti and dust with rice flour.  
6. Press one chapatti a little from one end and role it into a cylindrical shape. Place this over the second chapatti and repeat with the first cylindrical roll in center. Repeat the same for the third chapatti. Repeat the procedure for the remaining dough. OR Place second chapatti over the first one slightly down. Place the third chapatti over the second again slightly down and then roll all three together into a cylindrical roll.
7. Cut each cylindrical roll into 2 inch pieces and keep aside.
8. Take one piece and roll it into small circles. Be gentle while rolling. If you press too hard at this point then layers will not be formed after frying the chiroti.
9. Heat oil in a pan and deep fry the chirotis on medium flame. Slightly press the chirotis to separate the layers. Drain them on a kitchen towel. 
10. After the chirotis are slightly cooled dust them with powder sugar mixture. Note: do not dust powdered sugar mixture when the chirotis are hot, else the sugar will melt