Vacation!!

Currently enjoying my vacation in India. Will be back soon with yummy recipes...

Thanks and Regards,
Krishnaveni

Rasmalai

Ingredients:
14-15 Rasgullas
5 cups Milk
1-1.5 cups Sugar
2 tsp Pistachio
2 tsp Almonds
2 Cardamoms / Elakki / Elachi
Pinch of Saffron
Recipe:
Prepare the rasgullas as specified in Rasgulla Recipe link.

Scratch and remove the outer thin cover of almonds and pistachio. Crush them in mixer for few seconds.

Put milk in a thick bottomed vessel and bring it to boil. Add sugar and keep stirring the milk in medium flame for about 30 - 40 mins. 

Add crushed saffron, little amount of crushed nuts and mix them well. Stir this mixture in medium flame for about 10 mins.

Squeeze the rasagullas and put them slowly to the vessel containing prepared milk. Keep this in low flame for about 4-5 mins.

Sprinkle remaining crushed nuts over the rasmalai and switch off the flame.

Once they are cooled to room temperature, refrigerate and serve chilled.

Rasgulla

Ingredients:
10 cups Milk
3-4 tsp Lemon Juice
15-20 Ice Cubes
1-1.5 cups Sugar
1 Cardamom / Elakki / Elachi
5-6 cups of Water
Recipe:
Cut the lemon, squeeze it and keep the fresh lemon juice aside.

Put milk in a heavy bottomed vessel and bring it to boil.

Add the lemon juice slowly and mix them well. The milk starts curdling. Once the water is separated, add the ice cubes and switch off the flame.

Transfer this to a clean cotton cloth and squeeze it gently. Hang this for about 1 hr to drain the remaining water content. (Note: If still there is extra water content, rub the cotton cloth using a kitchen paper towel.) Remove the cheese from the cotton cloth and kneed.

Take small lemon sized cheese, make a round ball and flatten it little bit as shown in the picture below.

Put 5 cups of water, 1.5 cups sugar, mashed cardamom in a pressure cooker and bring them to boil. Transfer these flattened cheese balls slowly to the pressure cooker and cook.(1 whistle)

After 5 mins, keep the pressure cooker under the cold tap water until the pressure goes off. Remove the lid and transfer the rasgullas carefully to another bowl. Add the required amount of sugar water and keep it aside.

Once they are cooled to room temperature, refrigerate and serve chilled. This can be used to prepare Rasmalai.

Tomato Soup

Ingredients:

2 medium sized Tomatoes

1 strand of Celery

Small piece of Capsicum / Bell Pepper

3-4 leaves of Basil or Tulasi

1/4 small Onion

Small piece of Ginger

1-2 pods of Garlic

1/4 tsp Black Pepper powder

1/2 tsp Sugar

1 tsp All Purpose flour

4-5 toasted or fried Bread pieces

1/4 cup Whipping Cream or Milk

Salt to taste

1/4 tsp Cumin seeds

2 tsp Butter

Recipe:

Chop tomatoes, capsicum, celery, onion, ginger, garlic into medium sized pieces as shown in the picture below.

Put 1 tsp butter in a pan and heat. Add cumin seeds and fry. Once it starts spluttering, add ginger, garlic pieces and fry them for about 1 min in medium flame. Add chopped onion, celery, capsicum and fry them for about 2-3 mins in medium flame. Add chopped tomatoes, basil/tulasi, salt, pepper powder and saute them for about 1 min.

Add around half cup of water and cook them well by covering a lid.

Once the tomato mixture is cooked, put them in a blender and grind them into smooth paste. Strain the ground mixture to get rid of the pulp ingredients.

Put 1 tsp butter, around 1 tsp all purpose flour and fry them in low flame until it turns light golden in color. Add strained tomato puree slowly and mix them well. Bring them to boil. Add the sugar and keep the soup in low flame for about 10 mins. (Add salt if required). Add whipping cream and mix them well. Transfer this to a soup bowl, add 4-5 pieces of fried bread and serve. I tried this recipe from vahrehvah. Thanks Sanjay for the recipe.

Gobi Burji

Ingredients:

2.5 cups grated Cauliflower /Gobi

1 medium sized Onion

2-3 Green Chillies

Pinch of Pepper powder

Pinch of Garam Masala powder

1/4 tsp Chilly powder

Salt to taste

Pinch of Turmeric powder

4-5 Curry leaves

4-5 strands of Coriander leaves

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds

3-4 tsp Oil

Recipe:

Grate the cauliflower and chop the onion, green chillies, coriander leaves into small pieces as shown in the picture below.

Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and oil in a thick bottomed vessel/pan. Once it starts spluttering, add curry leaves, green chillies, chopped onion, pinch of salt and turmeric powder. Fry them for about 3-4 minutes in medium flame until onion turns golden in color.

Add chopped grated cauliflower, chilly powder, garam masala, salt and fry them in medium flame for around 20-25 mins. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot. It goes well with Rice/Chapathis.

Hagalakayi Chutney / Bitter Gourd Chutney

Ingredients:

1.5 cups finely chopped Bitter Guard / Hagalakayi

1.5 cups grated Coconut

1 tsp Sesame seeds / Ellu

10-12 Curry leaves

5-6 Red Chillies

Large grape sized Tamarind

3-4 tsp Jaggary

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

Oil

Recipe:

Cut bitter guard into two pieces and remove the seeds. Chop bitter guard into small pieces and put it in a vessel containing salted water for about 1 hour. Remove chopped bitter guard from salted water and spread it over the tissue or clean cotton cloth to dry for about 10-15 mins.

Put grated coconut in a pan and saute them in medium flame until they turn light golden in color. Transfer this to another bowl /plate. Add 1 tsp oil, 5-6 red chillies and fry them in medium flame for about 1 min. Add sesame seeds, 7-8 Curry leaves and fry them for about 1-2 mins.

Keep oil in a thick bottomed vessel and heat it. Add the chopped bitter guard and fry them in oil until they turn golden in color.

Put fried coconut, bitter gourd, red chillies, tamarind, salt, jaggary in a mixer/blender and grind them to smooth paste by adding little amount of water.

Add mustard seeds, 1/2 red chilly and 1 tsp oil in a pan. Once it starts spluttering, add 3-4 curry leaves and add it to Chutney. Mix well before serving. It goes well with rice & ghee, dosas, etc.