Kaju Mattar Makhana

Ingredients

1. 3 cups of fresh green peas

2. 2 cup Makhana

3. 4 Onions grated

4. 4 Tomatoes pureed

5. 1 ½ tbsp of ginger and garlic minced

6. ½ cup of heavy cream

7. 2 cups of milk

8. 1 tsp red chili powder

9. ¼ tsp turmeric / haldi powder

10. ½ tsp of dry pudina / mint leaves

11. 1 ½ cup cashewnuts / kaju chopped in small pieces

12. ½ tsp garam masala

13. 1 tbsp of dhaniya leaves chopped finely

14. 4 tbsp of clarified butter / desi ghee

Directions

1. Heat 1tsp of clarified butter in a pan.

2. Fry makahana in the ghee.

3. Heat clarified butter in a pan.

4. Add onion, tomato, garlic, ginger paste and brown it, stirring continuously.

5. Add peas and fry for 5 minutes.

6. Add salt, red chili pepper, turmeric and dried pudina leaves and then turn off the gas.

7. To this mixture add makahana and cream.

8. Keep this mixture aside for half an hour.

9. After half an hour put the pan on the flame and add milk. When it comes to a boil add 1 cup of water.

10. Simmer it till the makahana are completely done and soft.

11. Then add cashew nuts and garam masala. After 1 minute put off the flame.

12. Transfer the mixture to a dish and sprinkle some coriander and 1 tsp of clarified butter on it.

13. Serve it hot with nan, roti or parantha.

-Chitra

Saffron Besan Halwa

Ingredients

1. 2 cups of besan ( gram flour)

2. 2 cups of sugar

3. 1 tbsp of saffron soaked in 1 cup of water

4. 2 green cardamom seeds(break it down)

5. 1 cup of toasted almonds and cashews

6. ½ cup of kish mish

7. 1 ½ cup of desi ghee / clarified butter

8. 1 tbsp of rose water

Directions

1. In a non stick pan roast the besan until dark orange yellow on medium low heat.

2. Now add ghee and cardamom and roast until brown.

3. Add sugar, and mix it well.

4. Does not increase heat instead reduce it to low heat now and let it cook for 2 minutes.

5. Now add kishmish and half of cashews and almonds.

6. It’s time to add saffron water along with saffron soaked and additional 2 ½ cup of water. While adding the water stir continuously. Be careful halwa does not stick and cook till it leaves ghee alongside the pan.

7. When cooked turn down the heat and transfer in bowl.

8. Garnish with rose water and rest of almonds and cashews.

-Chitra

Spicy Butter Paneer Masala

Ingredients

1. 300 gms Paneer / Indian Cottage Cheese

2. 3 medium tomatoes or two small diced tomato can

3. 1 cup tomato ketchup

4. 2 big onions puree

5. 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste

6. 3 tbsp butter

7. 3 tbsp fresh cream

8. Salt to taste

9. 1 tsp red chilli powder

10. 3 tbsp cashewnut paste

11. ½ tsp turmeric powder

12. 1 tsp dhania / corriander powder

13. ½ tsp kasuri methi / fenugreek

14. 2 tsp garam masala powder

15. 1 bay leaf dry or fresh

16. 2 cloves

17. 1 tsp of vegetable oil

Directions

1. Puree the Tomatoes in a blender and cut the paneer in triangle pieces.

2. In a non stick pan heat the vegetable oil with butter. (If you will heat the butter alone it tends to burn soon).

3. Add the bay leaf and cloves.

4. When they change little color add ginger garlic paste. Let the garlic cook for two minutes.

5. Add Onion paste and sauté till light brown.

6. Add salt and chili powder.

7. Add tomato puree, tomato ketchup, crushed kasuri methi, coriander powder, turmeric powder, garam masala.

8. Now add the cashew paste and fry for two minutes.

9. Add a small cup of water and let it cook on medium heat till you get the desired curry consistency.

10. Stir and let it simmer for some time with closed lid.

11. Add the paneer and simmer for 2-4 minutes on low heat.

12. Garnish with fresh cream.

13. Serve the Butter Paneer Masala with Naan (Indian flat bread) or zeera / steamed rice.

Tip of the Day :-

To puree the onions for tadka, Skin the onions and blanch them in hot water for 3 - 4 mins then puree them to form a paste.

-Chitra

Cashew Brownies

Ingredients

1. 1 box Ghirardelli brownie mix ( if you don’t have Brownie Mix then make you own, refer recipe below)

2. ½ cup of semi chocolate chips (milk or white)

3. 1 ½ cup chopped cashew nuts.

4. 1 tsp of vanilla extract

5. 2 Egg white

6. 1 cup of olive oil or 1 stick of unsalted butter

7. 2 tsp of fat free yoghurt ( to make brownie softer)

Directions

1. Mix Ghirardelli brownie mixture with egg whites, oil or butter, yoghurt and vanilla slowly one by one.

2. Grease an 8* 8 inch pan with little butter or oil and preheat the oven at 350 for 10 minutes.

3. Pour ¼ of the mixture in pan and spread add chocolate chips.

4. Pour little brownie mix again.

5. Now add cashew nuts and spread all over.

6. Now pour rest of the brownie mixture.

7. Now bake it for 20 minutes or until the fork comes out clean if you dip in the mixture.

8. Cool it down for 15 minutes and cut into pieces.

9. Dust the sugar if you want.

10. Enjoy with coffee or tea and remember they are low fat as you have decreased little fat with egg whites and butter.

Brownie mix: - Add all ingredients. 1 cup all purpose flour, 3 tbsp cocoa powder, 1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt, 1-1/4 cup sugar (or adjust to your taste)

-CHITRA

Badaami Moong Daal Halwa

Ingredients

1. 1 ½ cup of Yellow Moong soaked overnight (split yellow lentils)

2. 1 cup of Sugar

3. 1 cup of soaked overnight Almonds

4. 1 stick or 1 cup of Unsalted Butter / Desi Ghee ( Clarified Butter)

5. ½ tsp. of Cardamom powder

6. ½ cup of sliced Cashew Nuts and Raisins ( Kaju /Kishmish)

7. ¾ cup of Water

Directions

1. Grind soaked Almonds into paste.

2. Grind soaked Moong Daal into paste.

3. Heat sugar and water to boiling level and add cardamom powder.

4. Stir the mixture till it turns little thick and add half almonds paste to the sugar mixture / chashni.

5. Now heat Butter / Ghee in a non stick deep dish pan on a medium heat.

6. Add slowly all Moong Paste into the pan and stir it continuously till you can start smelling from other room or till it starts leaving oil in sides.

7. When Moong turns little orangish brown add half almonds paste to it and stir it.

8. Now add cashew nuts and raisins.

9. After 2-5 minutes when the mixture turns fully cooked add sugar mixture to the moong daal paste.

10. Stir it continuously till it turns thick and all water is evaporated.

11. Serve hot or cold with grated almonds garnished.

Note :- Mung bean, also known as green bean, mung, moong, mash bean, munggo or monggo, green gram, golden gram, and green soy, is the seed of Vigna radiata which is native to India and Pakistan.

-Chitra

Chocolate Almond Biscotti (Italian)

Biscotti is Italian for "biscuits". In North America, the word has been taken to refer to a specific type of biscuits.

It is very popular in coffee shops, often eaten as a snack.

Ingredients

1. 1 cup of chopped Almonds and Cashew nuts.

2. 1 ½ cup of All purpose flour/Maida

3. 2 cups of Chocolate melted

4. ¼ cup of melted Unsalted Butter

5. 1 cup of Sugar

6. 1 tsp. of Vanilla essence

7. ½ tsp of Baking Soda

8. 2 Eggs without yolk beaten

9. 2 tsp of flour

Directions

1. Mix Flour, Baking Soda and Sugar in one bowl with fork.

2. Melt Chocolate in microwave or melt it on stove top. Boil 3 cup of boiling water and keep another bowl on top of it with chocolate cubes to melt.

3. Till Chocolate is melting start melting butter.

4. Add 1 tsp of Vanilla in butter now. Mix Vanilla essence in Butter slowly and keep stirring until whole mixture is smooth.

5. Beat the Egg white and slowly add sugar till it turns little foamy.

6. Preheat the Oven at 300 degrees for 10 minutes.

7. Mix all wet ingredients in dry ingredients slowly one by one and stir it continuously.

8. Now add Cashew nuts and Almonds.

9. After they are mixed the ingredients will be turn it dough, if it sticky add little dry flour.

10. Now form the dough into two vertical loaves and keep on adding on Cookie sheet or parchment paper or greased foil paper.

11. Bake it until it is golden brown for 20 - 30 minutes.

12. After it is baked take out and let it cool down for 5 minutes.

13. Now cut the loaves into diagonal pieces and bake for another 5 minutes.

14. Cool down and serve with Milk, Coffee or Chocolate milk. You will forget the store bought Biscotti.

-Chitra