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Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Grilled Vegetable Kebabs

Summer is best time to grill outside and have fun with family and friends. One of the popular dish in my household for grilling is Kebabs. You can grilled pretty much any vegetables and fruits and put it in your Kebabs. Some of the vegetables you can use are eggplant,potato,colorful peppers, cucumber, squash, onions , pineapple, grape tomatoes, peeled whole garlic. You can also use paneer or extra firm organic tofu in your Kebabs.

Ingredients:-

For Kebabs:-
(1). One cup red onion cut in big pieces
(2). One cup pineapple cut in big pieces
(3). One cup cucumber cut in big pieces
(4). One cup square thick cut Paneer or Tofu
(5). Any other vegetables if you like such as tomatoes,potato, squash, eggplant
(6). Wooden skewers soaked in water for 45 minutes so that skewer don't catch fire on grill

For Marinade:-
(1). half cup olive oil
(2). half cup lemon juice
(3). 2 table spoon honey
(4). salt to taste
(5). 2 teaspoon black pepper powder
(6). 2 teaspoon Italian seasoning(includes oregano, basil etc)
(7). 1 teaspoon of red chili powder (optional)
(8). 2 table spoon fruit juice or orange juice(optional)

Recipe:-
Take vegetables in big foil pan and pour marinade sauce. Cover it with plastic wrap Keep it for 45-60 minutes in refrigerator. If you are in hurry please at least keep it for 30 minutes in refrigerator.
Marinade Vegetables
If you are using potato, cut it into chunk size pieces and boil it in microwave until it becomes fork Thread marinated vegetables, fruit and paneer(tofu) into skewer in colorful assortment. Keep marinade in cup.

vegetable in skewer
Grill the kebabs on medium flame for up to 7-10 minutes, turn the side often to get charring effect on all sides on vegetables. Add marinated sauce occasionally  to keep kebabs juicy and moisten.
Grilled Kebabs
Enjoy your kebabs.


Monday, July 15, 2013

Bottle Gourd Halwa (दूधी का हलवा )

Desserts make holidays more sweet and memorable. I am sharing recipe of one of my favorite dessert.

Ingredients:-
(1). 2 cup grated bottle gourd
(2). half cup 2% warm milk
(3). half cup mawa (optional)
(4). 14 oz Organic Condensed Milk
(5). 1 table spoon ghee
(6). 1 teaspoon cardamom powder
(7). 1 table spoon chopped almond and cashew

Recipe:-
First of all squeeze the water from bottle gourd by hand, this will help in fast cooking. Take deep nonstick pan and coat all its surface with ghee or unsalted butter. Put this greased nonstick pan on stove, add ghee and grated bottle gourd, saute for 5 minutes. Add warm half cup milk and let it cook for 5 minutes on medium heat, by this time bottle gourd starts to cook and becomes mushy. Stir in between Add condensed milk and cook on low to medium heat until halwa starts becoming thick(approx 15 minute).  At this point add mawa and mix well and cook for another 5 -7 minutes (this step is optional). Switch off the stove. Now add cardamom powder and  mix it well.

Decorate halwa with chopped nuts.Serve hot or chilled.

Tip:- You can add green food color to bring bottle gourd color.

BottleGourd Halwa

Monday, July 1, 2013

Kesar Penda (केसर पेंडा )

Penda is sweet which is made from milk mawa. Mainly there are two type of it white penda and kesar penda which has saffron init. Many put orange color with saffron.  When you don't get mawa and you want to make this yummy sweet, use ricotta cheese as substitute for mawa.

Ingredients:-
(1). 15 oz organic ricotta cheese
(2). pinch of saffron
(3). 1 teaspoon cardamom powder
(4). 2 teaspoon of charoli
(5). 1/4 cup chopped almond
(6). 1/4 cup chopped pistachio
(7). 2 cup organic sugar or to taste

Mawa Recipe:-
Take nonstick pan and coat it with unsalted butter. Start the stove on medium flame and add ricotta cheese in it. Stir ricotta cheese occasionally. Cook ricotta cheese until all water from cheese evaporates. It will take roughly about 10-15 minutes. At this point your mawa is ready.

Penda Recipe:-
Now to make Penda add sugar and saffron in it and mix it well. Cook for another  5 minutes, so that water from sugar also goes away. Switch of the stove. Add cardamom powder and mix it well.

Now make small balls and shape it in any shape you like. Decor each penda with 3 to 4 pieces of charoli, 3-4 piece of almond and 3-4 piece of pistachio.

Enjoy.

Kesar Penda
Kesar Penda
Tips:-
You can use mawa to make gulab jamun, carrot halwa, launki(bottle gaurd) halwa or barfi .

Black Chana Kadhi( काला चना कडी )

Black chana or Kala chana  kadhi is variation to regular kadhi.  You can use green chana, you can find this in Indian store frozen section.I have mentioned regular kadhi recipe here. So once you make the regular kadhi. You follow this steps to make Black Chana kadhi.

Ingredients:-
(1). 1 cup boiled black chana or green chana
(2). 1 tablespoon of oil
(3). 1 teaspoon asafoetida
(4). 1 teaspoon chopped garlic(optional)
(5). 1 teaspoon ginger paste
(6). salt to taste
(7). 2 teaspoon red chili powder
(8). 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
(9). chopped coriander leaves

Recipe:-
Take oil in non stick pan and when it becomes warm add 1 teaspoon of asafoetida, ginger paste and garlic. Cook it for 1 minute. Add boiled Chana , turmeric powder , chili powder and salt. Add little water and cook it for 5 minutes. Switch of the stove and garnish chana with coriander leaves. Now add this masala chana in kadhi. Voila your Black Chana Kadhi is ready.

Serve with hot rice.


Chana Kadhi