Sarson Ka Saag

Ingredients

1 bunch Sarson greens
1 bunch spinach
1 onion grated
1/2 tsp. each ginger & garlic grated
3 green chilies
1 tbsp. grated cheese o r paneer (optional)
1/2 lemon juice
salt to taste
2 tbsp. ghee
1 tbsp. oil
1/2 tsp. gram masala
1 tbsp. maize flour

How to Make:

Chop greens, wash, drain.
Heat oil.
Add both greens, green chilies, stir.
Add ginger, garlic, stir.
Add few pinches salt, 1 cup water.
Pressure cook till done. (2 whistles).
Mash well.
Heat ghee in a pan, add onion, saute till brown,
Add all other ingredients, except cheese.
Stir well and cook till oil separates.
Garnish with cheese.
Serve hot with makki ki roti, or paratha.

Preparation time: 25 minutes
Makes: 3-4 servings
Shelf life: Best fresh

Green All-Purpose Chutney

Ingredients:

15 green chilies
1/2 cup coriander
1/2 lemon
1 tbsp. Sev or potato wafers crushed
1/2 tsp. Jaggery
Salt to taste
1 tsp. oil
1 clove of garlic

How to Make:

Put all the ingredients, except oil and asafetida, to a small mixer.
Heat the oil and add the asafetida and put into the mixer.
Run the mixer till smooth chutney is obtained.
Try using no water or as little as possible to make the chutney keep longer.
Add water as and when required.
Store in a clean glass bottle.

Note: Sev is a fried Indian snack made of gram flour.

Makes 1/2 cup chutney
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Shelf life: 1 week (refrigerated)

Hot Kachori

Ingredients

For cover:

1 1/2 cup plain flour
3 tbsp. oil
Salt to taste
Cold water to knead dough

For filling:

1 cup yellow moong dhal washed and soaked for 1/2 hour
1 tsp. gram masala
1 tsp. red chili powder
1/2 tsp. coriander powder
1/2 tsp. coriander seeds crushed coarsely
1/2 tsp. fennel (saunf) seeds crushed coarsely
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
1 tbsp. coriander leaves finely chopped
Salt to taste
2-3 pinches asafetida
1 tbsp. oil
oil to deep fry
1 tbsp. plain flour for patching

How to Make:

For cover:

Mix flour, salt and oil, knead into soft pliable dough.
Keep aside for 30 minutes.

For filling:

Put plenty of water to boil. Add dhal.
Boil dhal for 5 minutes, drain.
Cool a little. Heat oil in a heavy pan.
Add all seeds whole and crushed allow to splutter.
Add asafetida, mix. Add all other ingredients.
Mix well. Do not smash the dhal fully.
But enough to make the mixture hold well.
Remove from fire, cool.
Divide into 15 portions.
Shape into balls with greased palms.
Keep aside.

To proceed:

Make a paste with water, of flour for patching.
Keep aside.
Take a ping pong ball sized portion of dough.
Knead into round. Roll into 4" Diam. round.
Place one ball of filling at centre.
Pick up round and wrap ball into it like a pouch.
Break off excess dough carefully.
Do not allow cover to tear.
Press the ball with palm, making it flattish and round.
Repeat for 4-5 kachories.
Deep fry in hot oil, on low flame only.
If the kachori get a hole anywhere, apply some paste.
Return to oil and finish frying.
Turn and repeat for other side.
Fry till golden and crisp. Small bubbles must appear over kachori.
Drain and serve hot with green and tamarind chutneys.

Preparation time: 1 hour (excluding soaking and cooling times)
Makes: 10-12 pieces
Shelf life: 2-3 days

Note: Take care to fry on low. Hurried frying will result in soggy and oily kachories.

Malai Kofta

Ingredients:

Gravy:

125 gms. Cream
75 gms. khoya or paneer
150 ml. milk
50 gms. Cashew nuts
3 tsp. White pepper powder.
2 1/2 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. grated ginger
1/4 tsp. nutmeg powder
1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
1 tsp. garlic crushed
1" cinnamon
6 cloves
6 cardamoms
salt to taste
3 tbsp. ghee

Kofta:

50 gms. Khoya
50 gms. Paneer
5 medium potatoes
20 gms. cashew nuts
20 gms. Raisins
4-5 green chilies chopped fine
1/2 tsp. ginger grated
1 tsp. coriander chopped
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
Salt to taste

Garnish:

1 tbsp. grated cheese or paneer
1 tbsp. chopped coriander

How to Make:

Koftas
Boil the potatoes, peel and smash them.
Mix together all the ingredients except raisins and cashews.
Take ping-pong ball sized dough in hand.
Flatten. Place 2-3 cashews and raisins in the centre and shape into a ball.
Repeat for remaining dough. Keep aside.

Gravy:
Roast the cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg and cloves together.
Dry grind and keep aside. Wet grind all the other ingredients, except ghee, to a paste.
Heat ghee in a skillet, add powdered spices and fry for 2-3 seconds.
Add paste and fry further for 5-7 minutes stirring well.
Add 2 cups water and simmer on low for 15 minutes.
Warm the koftas either in the oven or on the tava.

Optional: You can deep fry the koftas also.
To serve place warm koftas in a casserole.
Either pour boiling hot gravy on the koftas or pour and bake in hot oven of 5 minutes.
Garnish with grated cheese and chopped coriander.
Serve hot with naan or parathas.

Preparation time: 45 minutes.
Makes: 10 koftas with gravy.
Shelf life: Best fresh.

Shahi Paneer

Ingredients:

250 gms. Paneer (cottage cheese)
3 tbsp. ghee or butter
1 onion chopped into strips
1/2" piece ginger chopped fine
2 green chilies chopped fine
4 tomatoes chopped fine
2 cardamoms crushed
1/4 cup beaten curd
1/2 tsp. red chili powder
1/2 tsp. gram masala
Salt to taste
1/2 cup milk
2 tbsp. tomato sauce
To garnish:
2 tbsp. grated paneer
1 tbsp. chopped coriander

How to Make:

Chop the paneer into 2" fingers.
Heat half the ghee. Add onion, ginger, green chili and cardamom. Fry for 3-4 minutes.
Add tomatoes and cook for 7-8 minutes, covered.
Add curd and cook for 5 minutes.
Add 1/2 cup water and cool.
Blend till smooth.
Heat remaining ghee; add gravy and other ingredients except milk and paneer.
Boil till gravy gets very thick.
Just before serving, heat gravy, add milk and paneer fingers and boil for 3-4 minutes.
Garnish with chopped coriander and grated paneer.

Preparation time: 45 minutes.
Makes for: 6
Shelf life: best fresh.

Sindhi Sai Bhaji

Ingredients:

1 each - carrot, capsicum, onion, small cabbage, potato, brinjal, tomato, ladyfinger (okra)
100 gms. French beans
1/2 bunches each spinach, coriander, khatta (3 leaved) greens.
1/2 bunches any other leafy greens.
1 cup green gram dhal
1/2 cup horse gram dhal (channa dhal)
4-5 green chilies
2-3 cloves garlic
1 tsp. red chili powder
1 tsp. coriander seed powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. turmeric
3 tbsp. oil
1/2 tbsp. ghee
2 pinches asafetida

How to Make:

Clean and wash dhal.
Clean, wash and chop spinach and vegetables except tomato.
Heat oil in a pressure cooker; add all the vegetables, spinach and dhal.
Mix well; add enough water to cover the contents.
Add all masala and mix.
Place whole tomato on top, cover and pressure-cook for 3 whistles.
Cool the cooker, open and hand blends the contents.
Heat 1/2 tbsp. ghee add a pinch of asafetida add to the mashed vegetable.
Serve hot with paratha or steamed rice

Preparation time: 30 minutes (excluding cooling time)
Makes for: 6
Shelf life: Best fresh

Gobi Manchurian

Ingredients:

1 medium. Cauliflower (clean and broken into big florettes.)
1 small bunch spring onion finely chopped
2 tsp. ginger finely chopped
1 tsp. garlic finely chopped
1/4 cup plain flour
3 tbsp. corn flour
1/4 tsp. red chili powder
2 red chilies, dry
3 tbsp. oil
1 1/2 cups water
1 tbsp. milk

How to Make:

Boil the florettes for 3-4 minutes in plenty of water, to which a tbsp. of milk has been added.
Drain and pat dry on a clean cloth.
Make thin batter out of flour and 2 tbsp. corn flour, adding 1/4 tsp. each of ginger and garlic and red chili powder and salt to taste.
Dip the florettes in the batter one by one and deep fry in hot oil. Keep aside.
In the remaining oil, add remaining ginger, garlic and crushed red chili and fry for a minute.
Add the salt and spring onions.
Stir fry for a minute. Add 1 1/2 cups water and bring to a boil.
Add 1 tbsp. corn flour to 1/4 cup water and dissolve well.
Gradually add to the gravy and stir continuously till it resumes boiling.
Boil till the gravy becomes transparent. Add florettes and Soya sauce.
Boil for two more minutes and remove.
Serve hot with noodles or rice.

Variations:

Dry Manchurian can be made by omitting the gravy.
Make florettes as above and instead of adding water as above, add fried florettes, spring onions and Soya at this stage.
Sprinkle 1 tsp. corn flour on the florettes and stir-fry for 2 minutes.
Serve piping hot with toothpicks or mini forks and chill garlic sauce or tomato sauce.
Same procedure for vegetable Manchurian (with gravy or dry), but instead of using only cauliflower, use finely chopped minced vegetables and bind with some corn flour or bread crumbs and make small lumps the size of a ping pong ball.
Fry as above and proceed as above.

Preparation time: 45 minutes
Sufficient for: 6
Shelf life: Best fresh