DESCRIPTION:
Dal makhani or dal makhni is a popular dish from the Punjab region of India and Pakistan. The primary ingredients are whole black lentil, red kidney beans, butter and cream. The dish gets its richness from the use of cream, however, it can also be prepared with yogurt, milk or no dairy.
Dal makhani is a staple in the Indian subcontinent. The traditional preparation of dal makhani involves a series of time-consuming procedures, which can take up to 24 hours to complete. With the availability of modern cooking equipment, namely electric pressure cookers, the preparation time of the dish has reduced significantly to 2–3 hours.
PREPARATION:
Preperation time: 4 hrs
Cooking time: 3 hrs
INGREDIENTS:
-½ cup whole black lentil / sabut urad dal
-¼ cup rajma / red kidney beans
-2.5 cups water for pressure cooking
-1 small black cardamom/ badi elaichi
-1 small bay leaf/ tej patta
-¼ to ½ tsp turmeric powder/ haldi
-Salt as needed
-2 tbsp oil or butter
-¼…
DESCRIPTION:
Palak paneer is a vegetarian dish from the Indian Subcontinent, consisting of paneer in a thick paste made from pureed spinach and seasoned with garlic, garam masala, and other spices. This dish is served hot with a tandoor selection, like roti, naan or boiled rice.
Dhaba restaurants often specialise in palak paneer.
PREPERATION:
Preperation time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 25 mins
INGREDIENTS:
-1 heaped cup paneer cubes/ Indian
cottage cheese (150 grams)
-2 cups palak tightly packed (100 grams)
-2 to 3 green chilies deseeded
-¾ cup fine chopped onions
-½ cup tomatoes puree
-¼ tsp kasuri methi
-½ tsp coriander powder
-¼ tsp cumin powder
-¼ to ½ tsp garam masala
-1 tsp ginger garlic paste
-1 inch cinnamon stick
-2 green cardamoms
-2 cloves
-⅛ tsp cumin or jeera
-Oil or butter as needed
-2 to 4 tbsp. Fresh cream
-salt as needed
STEPS:
1. Wash cleaned palak thoroughly in a
large pot filled with water. Rinse a few times. Drain…
DESCRIPTION:
Dum Aloo/Alu Dum is a potato based dish, it is a part of the traditional Kashmiri Pandit cuisine, from the Kashmir Valley, in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. The potatoes, usually smaller ones, are first deep fried, then cooked slowly at low flame in a gravy with spices. Dum Aloo is a popular recipe cooked throughout India. In Bengal, it is a specialty dish eaten mostly with Luchi and is known as "Aloor dum".
PREPERATION:
Preperation time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 25 mins
INGREDIENTS:
-250 grams potatoes/25 small baby
potatoes
-¼ cup oil for frying
-1 cup cubed onions
-1 ripe medium tomato deseeded
-10 cashew nuts
-1 tbsp oil
-1 very small or half bay leaf
-1 green cardamom / elaichi
-1 slit green chilli
-1 tsp ginger garlic paste
-½ to ¾ tsp garam masala
-½ to ¾ tsp coriander powder
-½ to ¾ tsp kashmiri chilli powder
-salt as needed
-little turmeric powder
-3 tbsps thick curd / plain yogurt
-¼ tsp kasuri methi / dried fenugreek
l…
DESCRIPTION:
Shahi paneer is a preparation of paneer in a thick gravy made up of cream, tomatoes and spices from the Indian subcontinent. Shahi paneer has a sweeter taste when compared to Paneer Butter Masala.
It is mainly eaten with roti, naan, rice, other breads. Paneer is the word for cottage cheese, and shahi is the term for royal (in reference to the Imperial Court).
PREPERATION:
Preperation time: 5 mins
Cooking time: 30 mins
INGREDIENTS:
-1 ½ cup panner cubes 250 grams
-½ cup thick yogurt
-¾ to 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
-¼ tsp. red chili powder
-⅛ tsp turmeric
-¾ tsp. gram masala
-Pinch of saffron
-Salt to taste
-2 tbsp. Ghee or oil
-Kewra water few drops.
-¾ cup water
-1 chopped tomato
SPICES
-2 to 3 cloves
-1 to 2 one inch cinnamon stick
FOR SHAHI PASTE
-12 whole cashewnuts
-8 almonds
-1 cup cubed onions
-2 green cardamoms
-1 green chili slit
STEPS:
1. Fry paneer lightly in 1 tbsp. ghee and set aside to a plate.
2. For…
DESCRIPTION:
Khichdi or khichri, is a South Asian preparation made from rice and lentils (dal). Khichdi was the inspiration for the Anglo-Indian dish kedgeree, and is also commonly considered to be the inspiration for the popular Egyptian dish, kushari. In Indian culture, it is considered one of the first solid foods that babies eat.
The Greek ambassador of Seleucus mentioned that rice with pulses is very popular among people of South Asia. The Moroccan traveller, Ibn Battuta mentions kishri as a dish in India composed of rice and mung beans, during his stay circa 1350. Khichdi is described in the writings of Afanasiy Nikitin, a Russian adventurer who travelled to the South Asia in the 15th century. Khichdi was very popular with the Mughals, especially Jahangir. Ain-i-Akbari, a 16th-century document, written by Mughal Emperor, Akbar’s vizier, Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak, mentions the recipe for khichdi, which gives seven variations. There is an anecdotal story featuring Akbar, Birbal…
DESCRIPTION:
Malpua is a pancake served as a dessert or a snack, popular in India and Bangladesh. It is a very popular dish of Odisha and is also served to Lord Jagannath of Puri in his Sakala Dhupa (morning food served to the lord). Apart from other dishes like Pheni, Rabidi, Kheera sara and other cheese or chhena based items malpua is one of the most popular buyouts in the streets of Puri in Odisha. Malpuas are also prepared in Odia homes during Raja sankranti.
HISTORY:
Barley was the most prolific grain eaten by the arya of the Vedic period. One preparation was a sweet cake called apūpa, where barley flour was either fried in ghee or boiled in water, and then dipped in honey. Malpua preserves both the name and the essentials of this preparation.
PREPERATION:
Preperation time: 25 mins
Cooking time: 25 mins
INGREDIENTS:
-1 ¼ cup maida / plain flour
-2 green cardamoms
-1 tsp fennel/ saunf crushed
-½ cup milk
-¼ cup water + more water if needed
-Ghee or oil…
DESCRIPTION:
Gulab jamun (also spelled gulaab jamun) is a milk-solid-based South Asian sweet, particularly popular in India, Myanmar, Nepal (where it is known as lalmon), Pakistan and Bangladesh. It is also common in Mauritius and the Caribbean countries of Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Suriname and Jamaica. It is made mainly from milk solids, traditionally from freshly curdled milk. It is often garnished with dried nuts like almonds to enhance flavour.
The word "gulab" is derived from the Persian words gol (flower) and āb (water), referring to the rose water-scented syrup. "Jamun" or "jaman" is the Hindi-Urdu word for Syzygium jambolanum, an Indian fruit with a similar size and shape. The Arab dessert luqmat al-qadi is similar to gulab jamun, although it uses a completely different batter.
PREPERATION:
Preperation time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 20 mins
INGREDIENTS:
-1 cup milk powder
-¼ cup
-2 tbsp all-purpose flour / maida
-1 tsp ghee
-1 tsp ghee for greasing
-1…
DESCRIPTION:
Mattar paneer is a vegetarian north Indian dish consisting of peas and paneer in a tomato based sauce, spiced with garam masala. It is often served with rice and an Indian type of bread (naan, paratha, poori, or roti depending on region). Various other ingredients are often added, such as "aloo" (potato), corn, yogurt or cream.
In the UK it is often referred to as 'cheesy peas'.
PREPERATION:
Preperation time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 15 mins
INGREDIENTS:
TO MAKE A PASTE
-1 cup chopped onions
-1 ¼ to 1 ½ cup ripe tomatoes
-8 to 10 cashew nuts
-1 green chili
FOR GRAVY
-1 to 1.5 tbsp butter
-1 ½ tsp ginger garlic paste
-½ cup green peas
-1 ½ cups paneer(indian cottage cheese)
-2 green cardamoms
-½ tsp cumin / jeera
-1 bay leaf
-half inch cinnamon stick/ dalchini
-2 cloves/ laung
-½ to ¾ tsp kashmiri red chili powder
-¾ to 1 tsp garam masala
-salt as needed
-¼ tsp kasuri methi
-Coriander leaves chopped finely
-¼ cup cream
STEPS:
…
DESCRIPTION:
Laddu or laddoo are ball-shaped sweets popular in the Indian Subcontinent. Laddus are made of flour, minced dough and sugar with other ingredients that vary by recipe. They are often served at festive or religious occasions.
Common flours used for laddu include gram flour (chickpea flour), wheat semolina and ground coconut. These are combined with sugar and other flavorings, cooked in ghee and molded into a ball shape. Some laddu recipes are prepared using Ayurvedic medicinal ingredients, including methi laddu, multigrain and resin laddu. Nuts such as pistachios and almonds are commonly stuffed into laddus.
Whole wheat ladoo as the name suggests are made from whole wheat ( Atta ).
PREPERATION:
Preperation time: 5 mins
Cooking time: 10 mins
INGREDIENTS:
-2 cups atta / whole wheat flour
-¾ to 1 cup sugar
-¼ cup solid ghee
-½ cup desiccated coconut
-¼ tsp cardamom powder or 3 elaichi
-½ cup raisins
-½ cup cashews
STEPS:
1. Heat ¼ cup…
DESCRIPTION:
Halva is any of various dense, sweet confections served across the Middle East, South Asia, Central Asia, West Asia, the Caucasus, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, the Balkans, Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Malta and the Jewish diaspora.
Suji halva is slightly gelatinous and made from grain flour, typically semolina (suji- India). The primary ingredients are clarified butter (ghee), flour, and sugar.
Halva can be kept at room temperature with little risk of spoilage. However, during hot summer months, it is better kept refrigerated, as it can turn runny after several days.
PREPERATION:
Preperation time: 2 mins
Cooking time: 15 mins
INGREDIENTS:
-½ cup suji / rava / semolina
-½ cup sugar
-3 to 4 tbsp ghee
-1 ¼ cup water
-2 generous pinches of green cardamom -powder / elaichi
-8 to 10 cashew nuts
-8 to 10 raisins
STEPS:
1. Add half cup sugar to a pot.
2. Add 1 ¼ cup water to the pot. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Heat it up.
3. While…
DESCRIPTION:
Jeera rice or Zeera rice is an Indian dish consisting of rice and cumin seeds. This rice dish is known as "Zeera rice" in Pakistan. It is a popular dish in North India, an everyday rice dish. It is easy to prepare, unlike a biryani. "Jeera" is the Hindi word for cumin seeds, a mispronunciation of the Urdu word, Zeera. The ingredients used are rice, cumin seeds, vegetable oil, onions and coriander leaves.
Jeera rice is generally garnished with finely chopped fresh coriander leaves, but is also garnished with onion rings in some Indian hotels and restaurants.
PREPERATION:
Preperation time: 10 mins
Cooking time : 20 mins
INGREDIENTS:
-2 cups basmathi rice
-2 ½ to 3 tsps. Jeera / cumin
-1 bay leaf
-1 strand mace
-2 to 4 green cardamoms
-2 inch cinnamon stick
-4 to 6 cloves
-Salt as needed
-2 tbsp ghee
-1 large onion thinly sliced
-2 to 3 green chili slit
-3 ½ cups water
STEPS:
1. Wash basmathi rice properly and soak it for 20 mins. Drain…
DESCRIPTION:
A samosa, samoosa, sambusa, or samboksa is a fried or baked dish with a savoury filling, such as spiced potatoes, onions, peas, lentils, macaroni, noodles, cheese, minced lamb or minced beef. Pine nuts can also be added. Its size and consistency may vary, but typically it is distinctly triangular or tetrahedral in shape. Indian samosas are usually vegetarian, and often accompanied by a mint chutney. Samosas are a popular entrée, appetizer or snack in the local cuisines of the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, Southwest Asia, the Arabian Peninsula, the Mediterranean, the Horn of Africa, North Africa and South Africa. Due to cultural diffusion and emigration from these areas, samosas in today's world are also prepared in other regions.
PREPERATION:
Preperation time: 15 mins
Cooking time: 25 mins
INGREDIENTS:
FOR THE DOUGH
-2 cups maida / plain flour
-¼ cup oil
-¼ cup + 2 tbsp water
-1 tsp ajwain / carom seeds
-¾ tsp salt
FOR THE…
DESCRIPTION:
Namak para / namakpare / nimki / nimkin / namkin is a crunchy savoury snack eaten in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Namak para is ribbon-like strips of pastry delicately seasoned with ajwain, cumin seeds, carom seeds, and caraway seeds and deep fried in pure ghee (clarified butter). It requires approximately 10 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
The name derives from namak ("salt"), the main seasoning for the pastry, other ingredients include atta flour (whole wheat), maida flour (refined) or semolina and baking powder and baking soda.
PREPERATION:
Preperation time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 20 mins
INGREDIENTS:
-1 ½ cups maida / all purpose flour
-1 ¼ tbsp oil
-⅛ tsp hing/ asafoetida
-Pinch of soda
-¾ to 1 tsp salt
-1 ½ tsp ajwain /carom seeds
-½ to ¾ tsp pepper crushed
-Oil for frying
STEPS:
1. Add flour, salt, ajwain, pepper, hing,
oil to a mixing bowl and mix well.
2. Add water slowly as needed and mix
well.
3. Make a…
Paneer tikka masala is an Indian dish of marinated paneer cheese served in a spiced gravy. It is a vegetarian alternative to chicken tikka masala.
PREPERATION:
Preperation time: 25 mins
Cooking time: 25 mins
INGREDIENTS:
-200 grams paneer
-1 ½ cup onions cubed layers seperated
-½ cup capsicum
-½ cup of hung curd/yogurt
-3 tsp ginger garlic paste
-1 ¾ tsp chili powder
-1 ¾ tsp garam masala
-⅛ tsp turmeric
-salt to taste
-1 tsp oil
-½ tsp dried fenu greek leaves
-12 to 15 cashew nuts
-1 to 1 ¼ cup of tomatoes chopped
-1 small bay leaf
-2 green cardamoms
-2 to 4 tbsp of cream
-few coriander leaves chopped
STEPS:
1. Cube onions and separate the layers.
Cube capsicum as well. Set these aside.
2. Add ½ cup hung curd yogurt, 1 ½ tsp.
ginger garlic paste, ¾ tsp red chili
powder, ¾ garam masala, 1/8 tsp
turmeric, ¼ tsp kasuri methi, 1 tsp oil
and salt as needed in a bowl.
3. Mix everything well.
4. Add paneer and cubed veggies. And …
DESCRIPTION:
Paneer makhani /Paneer butter masala is a slightly sweet creamy dish of Paneer, in which the gravy is prepared usually with butter, tomatoes, cashews or cream. Masalas such as red chilly powder and garam masala are also used to prepare this gravy. A survey found that Paneer Butter Masala was one of the top 5 food ordered at night in India.
PREPERATION:
Preperation time: 5 mins
Cooking time: 25 mins
INGREDIENTS:
-8 to 10 cashews
-2 heaped cups tomatoes
-200 grams paneer
-1 tbsp. butter
-2 green cardamoms / elaichi
-1 small cinnamon stick
-2 cloves
-1 green chili slit
-1 tsp ginger garlic paste
-¾ to 1 ¼ tsp red chilli powder
-salt as needed
-½ tsp sugar
-1 tsp garam masala
-¼ tsp kasuri methi
-¼ cup cream
STEPS:
1. Add 2 heaped cups of tomatoes and 8
to 10 cashews ( soak in hot water for
5 mins ) in a blender jar and make
smooth puree.
2. In a pan add butter and heat it. Add
slit chilli, 2 cardamoms, 2 cloves and 1 …
DESCRIPTION:
Kheer is a rice pudding from the cuisine of the Indian Subcontinent, made by boiling rice, broken wheat, tapioca, or vermicelli with milk and sugar; it is flavoured with cardamom, raisins, saffron, cashews, pistachios or almonds. It is typically served during a meal or as a dessert. It is also known in some regions as payesh, payasam, payasa, phirni, gil-e-firdaus and fereni.
PREPERATION
Preperation time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 45 mins
INGREDIENTS:
-1 liter full fat milk
-¼ cup rice ( any )
⅓-½ half sugar
-2 to 3 green cardamoms powdered
-¼ cup blanched and chopped badam and
pista
STEPS:
1. Wash and soak rice for about 60 - 30 mins. Drain and keep aside.
2. Blanch the nuts in hot water and peel off their skin. Chop them and keep aside.
3. Take a heavy bottom pan and add milk in it. Bring the milk to boil on medium flame.
4. Add drained rice when the milk comes to boil.
5. Keep stirring on low to medium flame to prevent burning.
6. Cook…
DESCRIPTION:
Peda is a sweet from the Indian subcontinent, usually prepared in thick, semi-soft pieces. The main ingredients are khoa, sugar and traditional flavorings, including cardamom seeds, pistachio nuts and saffron. The colour varies from a creamy white to a caramel colour. The word peda is also generically used to mean a blob of any doughy substance, such as flour or khoa. Variant spellings and names for the dessert include pedha, penda (in Gujarati) and pera.
Pedas originated in the city of Mathura in present-day Uttar Pradesh. The Mathura Peda is the characteristic variety from the city.
As with laddoos, pedas are sometimes used as prasadam in religious services.
PREPERATION
Preperation time: 2 mins
Cooking time: 15 mins
INGREDIENTS:
-½ tin condensed milk
-1 ½ cups crumbled khoya/ mawa
-Fat pinch of cardamom powder
-Few strands of Saffron soaked in milk
-1 tsp. ghee or coconut oil
-Few pistachios chopped for garnish
STEPS:
1. Add khoya,…
DESCRIPTION:
Rabri is a sweet, condensed-milk-based dish made by boiling the milk on low heat for a long time until it becomes dense and changes its color to pinkish. Sugar, spices and nuts are added to it to give it flavor. It is chilled and served as dessert. Rabri is the main ingredient in several desserts, such as rasabali, chhena kheeri, and khira sagara.
Rabri is usually eaten at lunch. It is mostly made in north, central and western India. Flour of pearl millet (bajri) is mixed with buttermilk to make a thick sauce which is kept in the sun to ferment.
PREPERATION
Preperation time: 2 mins
Cooking time: 1 hr
INGREDIENTS:
-4 cups full fat milk
-3 tbsps sugar
-¼ tsp elaichi or cardamom powder
-6 to 8 strands of saffron or kesar
-¼ cup almonds and pistachios
STEPS:
1. Take a heavy bottom pot. Pour milk in it and heat it up.
2. Stick the layer of cream formed over the milk on the sides of the pot.
3. Stir the milk at the bottom to prevent the fats…
Rajma or Razma is a popular South Asian vegetarian dish consisting of red kidney beans in a thick gravy with many Indian whole spices and usually served with rice. Although the kidney bean is not of South Asian origin, it is a part of regular diet in Northern India and Nepal. The dish developed after the red kidney bean was brought to South Asia from Mexico. Being a popular dish, it is prepared on important occasions. Rajma chawal, i.e. Rajma served with boiled rice, is a popular dish throughout northern India and Nepal.
The combination of Rajma and rice generally lists as a top favorite of North Indians and Nepalis. Rajma is prepared with onion, garlic and many spices in India, and it is one of the staple foods in Nepal. This dish is popular throughout the Indian subcontinent.
PREPERATION
Preperation time: 6 hrs
Cooking time: 40 mins
INGREDIENTS:
-1.5 tbsp ghee or oil
-½ tsp cumin
-1 tsp ginger garlic paste
-1 large onions chopped
-2 medium tomato chopped
-½ cup…
Rasgulla is a syrupy dessert popular in the Indian subcontinent and regions with South Asian diaspora. It is made from ball shaped dumplings of chhena (an Indian cottage cheese) and semolina dough, cooked in light syrup made of sugar. This is done until the syrup permeates the dumplings. The dish originated in East India; in the past the present-day states of Odisha and West Bengal have variously claimed to be the birthplace of the dish.
To prepare rasgulla, the cheese (chhena) mixture is formed into small balls. These balls are then simmered in a sugar syrup. It can also be prepared using a pressure cooker or an oven. While serving add a drop of rose water to enhance the flavor and taste.
PREPERATION
Preperation time: 20 mins
Cooking time: 15 mins
INGREDIENTS:
-1 liter whole milk
-½ cup curd / whisked yogurt
-1 liter ice cold water
-1½ cups sugar
-2¼ cups water
-¼ tsp. cardamom powder
-½ tsp. rose water
-Few saffron stands for garnishing
STEPS:
1.…