Tuesday, January 22, 2008

20. Puranpoli

20. Puranpoli

Ingredients

300gms. channa (yellowgram) dal
300 gms. jaggery (molasses)
1 tsp. cardamom powder
150 gms. plain flour
1 tbsp. ghee
warm water to knead dough
ghee to serve

Method

Boil dal in plenty of water till soft but not broken.
Drain in a colander for 10-15 minutes.
Pass through an almond grater little by little till all dal is grated.
Mash jaggery till lumps break. Mix well into dal.
Put mixture in a heavy saucepan and cook till a soft lump is formed
Take care to stir continuously, so as not to charr. Keep aside.
Mix ghee, flour, add enough water to make a soft pliable dough.
Take a morsel sized ball of dough, roll into a 4" round.
Place same sized ball of filling in centre, life all round and seal.
Reroll carefully to a 6" diameter round.
Roast on warm griddle till golden brown.
Repeat other side.
Take on serving plate. Apply a tsp. of ghee all over top.
OR
Shallow fry on griddle like a paratha for a better flavour.
But this method will consume more ghee and therefore calories.
Serve hot with dal or amti.

Note: The water drained from boiling dal is used to make the amti. ( a thin curry made using black masala, garam masala and some mashed dal.)

Making time: 45 minutes
Makes: 7-8 puranpolis
Shelflife: Best fresh (puran {filling} may be stored in the refrigerator for a week.

19. Shrikhand

19. Shrikhand

Ingredients

1/2 kg. curds
300 gms. sugar
1/2 tsp. cardamom powder
few strands saffron
1/2 tbsp. pista & almond crushed

Method

Tie curd in a clean muslin cloth overnight. (6-7 hours).
Take into a bowl, add sugar and mix.
Keep aside for 25-30 minutes to allow sugar to dissolve.
Rub saffron into 1 tbsp. milk till well broken and dissolved. Keep aside.
Beat well till sugar has fully dissolved into curd.
Pass through a big holed strong strainer, pressing with hand or spatula.
Mix in cardamom powder and dissolved saffron and half nuts.
Empty into a glass serving bowl, top with remaining nut crush.
Chill for 1-2 hours before serving.

Making time: 20 minutes (excluding tieing and keeping time)
Makes: 6-7 servings
Shelflife: 3-4 days refrigerated

Variations: To make fruit flavoured shrikhand eg. mango, add pulp at the stage of adding cardamom and saffron.

Monday, January 21, 2008

18. Dhaal vada

18. Dhaal vada

Ingredients

urad dhaal
chana dhaal
red chillis

Method

Following is the thread test (tar) to check required consistency of syrup (chashni). If no thread is formed, but there is stickiness in the syrup when tested, then it is 3/4 tar (thread). This consistency is generally used in dipping sweets like, gulabjamoon, boondi, jalebi, imarti, etc. Boil some more and when 1 tar forms, it is used in soaking pancake pancakes like malpua. On further boiling two tars are obtained and this is used in sweets like burfis, mohanthal, etc. At this stage a drop of syrup dropped on a plate will form a soft ball when cooled. After this stage do no stir briskly and continuously or the sugar will recrystallise. Still further boiling will form 2 1/2 to 3 tars and this syrup is used to get a white coating of sugar on sweets like balushahi, surti ghari, etc. At this stage when the syrup is dropped in a plate it will form a hard ball when cooled.

Following are the steps shown to make sugar syrup (chashni) in the right way.
a.Take sugar and water in the ratio of 2 : 1 1/2 unless other wise mentioned.
b.Put both in a deep saucepan to boil, stirring occasionally.
c.When the mixture comes to a boil, add 1/2 cup milk.
d.When a thick scum is formed on the surface of syrup, it is time to strain.
e.Always use a metal strainer or moist cloth to strain the hot syrup, never plas tic.
f.Put back to boil, checking the consistency required as above.
g.Check frequently, because once the first thread forms, it proceeds to thicken to the next stages very quickly.
h.Use as required in the recipe. Make syrup side by side of making the recipe, reheating the syrup too many times will alter the texture of the resulting sweet dish. To save time, prepare the syrup on a second burner, while making the rest of the recipe. This will avoid excess wastage of time and unnecessary cooling off, of the fried flours, etc. as the recipe demands.