Jangbar-e-maani

1 onion large – chopped
1 tomato – diced
½ lb mutton keema
1 potato – diced
Green peas – ¾ cup (optional)
3-4 eggs
Mustard, jeera, curry leaves, hing, coriander seeds, red/green chilli
Chilli, turmeric, coriander-cumin, garam masala powders, salt

In a pan, heat oil and add mustard, jeera, curry leaves, hing,

coriander seeds, red/green chilli
Once they start spluttering, add onion and fry till golden brown
Add tomatoes and let them cook for 5-7 minutes, until you can mush
them into a paste
Add keema, sauté for 5 mins, add potato sauté for 5 mins, add green peas
Add chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander-cumin powder, salt, garam masala
Stir until masala is cooked, cover and let the keema cook
Once keema is cooked, turn heat on slow, flatten the keema to cover
the entire pan
Break eggs and put them on the keema without disturbing the eggs/yolk.
The eggs should occupy different spots on top of the keema
Cover the pan with lid and steam on slow until eggs are cooked. Whites
will turn from colorless to white and if you jiggle the pan the yolk
will seem cooked.
Eat with paratha/roti.

Dark chocolate chip cookies

3/4 cups flour - 330 cal
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa - 40 cal
1/2 teaspoon baking soda - 0 cal
1/4 teaspoon salt - 0 cal
1/4 cup butter, slightly softened - 400 cal
3/4 cups sugar - 580 cal
1 egg whites - 47 cal
1 teaspoon vanilla - 0 cal
About 30 dark chocolate chips - 160 cal

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a small bowl, mix flour, cocoa, soda and salt using a wire whisk and set aside.
In another bowl, cream butter, sugar until light and fluffy.
Add eggs and vanilla and mix until combined.
Add flour mixture to creamed mixture and mix until combined.
Roll cookie dough into 1-1/4 inch balls.
Top with two chocolate chips each
Place on parchment paper covered baking sheet.
Bake 10 minutes.
Place cookies on cookie rack to cool.
Makes about 18 2-inch cookies.

 86.5 calories per cookie

Kidney and Liver Coriander Masala

Ingredients:
1/4 lb goat kidney
1/4 lb goat liver
1/2 cup cilantro (coriander leaves)
4 green chillis (as per spice level)
Few curry leaves
1 tbsp Ginger garlic paste
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp Red chilli powder
1 tbsp Cumin coriander powder
1 tsp garam masala
1 small onion chopped
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds

Preparation:
Grind cilantro, green chillis and curry leaves to a coarse paste
Boil kidney* (pressure cooker - 2 whistles or 15 minutes regular boil)

In a pan, heat oil
Add mustard and cumin seeds and wait till they splutter
Add the cilantro paste and Ginger garlic paste
Cook for 5-7 minutes
Add liver and cook for 5-7 minutes
Drain the kidney and add to the pan
Add chilli powder, cumin powder and garam masala
Cook for 10-15 minutes, until liver is cooked
Add salt and lemon juice and mix well

Serve warm with paratha or roti

* Do not boil liver as it will become rubbery

Churma na laadva - Cracked wheat laddoo

Ingredients:
4 cups fine cracked wheat
1 cup jaggery
1/4 cup nuts - cashew nut, almond
1 cup ghee
3 tbsp oil
Oil for frying

Preparation:
To the cracked wheat, add oil and water, and knead until a hard dough is formed
Make roughly oval balls of the dough
Fry in oil until golden brown
Allow them to cool
Grind in a food processor, along with the chopped nuts until medium fine (not too coarse, not too fine)

In a sauce pan, heat ghee and jaggery
Mixture is done when the jaggery rises on top of the sauce pan - watch closely as this takes only a few minutes post melting point
Add the mixture to the wheat powder

Cool the mixture until easy to handle
Make into round balls
Garnish with a slice of almond

Sindh Pulao

Ingredients:
1 large or 2 small onions

2 tomatoes
1 medium potato
1/2  - 1 lb mutton
2 cups rice
1/2 cup bengal gram dal (channa daal)
1 cup cilantro (coriander)
1/2 cup mint leaves
Few curry leaves
1 tbsp cumin seeds (jeera)
1/2 tsp whole pepper (5-6 pepper corns)
5 green chillis (add more or less based on spice level)
2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp oil
Salt to taste

Preparation
Soak channa daal for 30 minutes
Boil mutton with 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste and salt in pressure cooker - 2 whistles
Grind cilantro, mint leaves, curry leaves, cumin seeds, pepper corn, tomoatoes into a coarse paste

In a pot or deep sauce pan, heat oil
Add 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste and chopped onions. Saute till golden brown
Add the ground paste, cook for 5 -7 minutes
Drain the channa daal and add to the pot, cook for 5 minutes
Add potato and cook for 5-8 minutes
Add the boiled mutton, cook for 5 minutes
Add rice, mix well and cook for 10 minutes
Add 6 cups of water and lemon and salt
Let the mixture cook with pot open until most of the water evaporates (almost all)
Cover the pot, reduce the temperature (sim heat) and cook for 15 minutes, or until the rice is cooked.

Serve hot with yogurt raita

Total time - about 1 hour

Chocolate Shortbread cookies

1 stick of unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract - optional
1 large egg
1 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour
1/3 cup of cocoa powder - unsweetened
1/2 teaspoon baking soda - optional (for fluffy cookies)
A pinch of salt

Mix the butter. egg and vanilla extract. Add the dry ingredients and mix into a dough. Roll into a log, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 mins.

Preheat the oven to 350F
Line a baking tray with parchment paper of spray with oil

Remove the log from the fridge and cut into slices (1/4 inch)
Place the cookie slices on the tray with space between them (typically 12 per tray)

Bake for 12-15 minutes.
Note: The cookies must not change color, they will just look matted (not shiny).

Store in an airtight container.


Note: For vanilla cookies, use 1/3 cup sugar and remove the cocoa powder, add 1 tbsp vanilla extract.
Note 2: You can sprinkle colored sugar or confetti on the cookies to make them fancy

Thanks giving menu - 2010

- Roasted stuffed cornish hen
- Paneer / soya chunk penne alfredo
- Tomato - veggie soup
- Spinach, mango, cucumber salad with raspberry viniagrette
- garlic herb bread
- Baked mushroom paneer
- Apple pie
- Pineapple grape cake
- Bread pudding
- Sugar cookies

Pistachio brittle

Ingredients:
Pistachio 3/4 cup chopped
Sugar 3/4 cup
Ghee or butter 2 tbsp

Process:
On a non-stick tray or aluminum foil, lay out the chopped pistachio.
In a thick bottomed pan, on low heat, heat the sugar and ghee/butter.
Stir the sugar to ensure it does not get burnt.
Once the sugar starts boiling, check on it every minute by dropping a tiny drop of the boiling sugar in water. If the drop hardens like a candy, take the pan out of the stove. This process will not take more than 5 minutes. Note that it is very easy to burn sugar so be very careful.

Pour this sugar melt on top of the pistachio in the tray (be careful, this is really hot!)
Let this cool down - it will harden like a candy.
Break into pieces and enjoy.

Kheer - from the 'Makhani' locker

Ingredients:
Milk - 1/2 gallon
Uncooked Rice - 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp
Sugar (to taste - next time i will remember to measure it)
Elaichi/Cardomom - 1 tsp or 10 pods
Almond + Cashew nuts chopped - 1/4 cup or less
Saffron - few strands - optional

Process:Grind the uncooked dry rice in a food processor (with no water) till most of the grains are broken. Soak the broken rice for 30 mins.
Heat milk in a thick - bottomed pan in medium heat. Add the chopped nuts, saffron, cardomom and sugar to the milk. (Add sugar in increments till you are comfortable with the taste - when the taste is just right, add 2 more tbsp of sugar).
When the milk has reached boiling point, drain the soaked rice and add it to the milk.
Continue to cook on low heat for 20-30 mins until the milk is reduced and the rice is soft and cooked. (Note: if you can identify rice grains floating in milk, you need to cook it some more).

Serve cold or hot.

Chocolate bourbon pecan pie

I love cooking with alcohol, mainly because it requires a fine tuning of alcohol and other ingredients to ensure that the bitterness of the liquor does not hijack the dish. Chocolate and bourbon synergize very well in a pecan pie and I am hoping to start a tradition with this thanksgiving recipe.

Ingredients:
1 unbaked pie shell (you can make this yourself by looking up a recipe in any food book/blog)
1 cup pecans (i prefer glazed)
3 tbsp Ghirardelli cocoa powder
1 1/4 cup light corn syrup (1/2 bottle)
2 tsp corn starch
3 eggs
1/3 cup brown sugar
75 ml bourbon  or whisky

Heat the oven to 350F
Beat the eggs with the brown sugar, add in corn syrup and mix it in
Add corn starch and cocoa powder and mix them into the mixture
Add the bourbon and mix it in
Arrange the pecans on the pie shell
Pour the mixture over the pecans (pecans will rise)
Bake for 50-55 mins until the top cracks and the shell is brown

Serve with whipped cream (if you like)

Khichdi na bhajiya

Khichdi is a traditional gujju dish made with rice and split moong in 3:1 ratio boiled in water and salt. It is generally topped off with pure ghee and served with curd and roasted papad.
While, really yummy when hot and fresh, it is not a very interesting left over dish. So what mamma used to do was make bhajiyas with it the next day at tea time. And unless you knew that it was made from left overs, you would never guess.

Ingredients
1 cup khichdi - cold
1 small onion - finely chopped
Coriander - chopped
2 tbsp gram flour (besan atta)
1 slice bread (preferably old)
Masala - chilli powder, turmeric, dhanya powder, garam masala, salt to taste
Dash of lemon juice

Pre heat oven to 400F
Line a baking tray with aluminum foil and spray with oil.
Mush the khichdi with your hand, add in all the ingredients and mix well.
Make small balls of the mix and flatten it in the palm of your hands.
Place it on the prepared baking tray and spray oil over the patties
Bake for about 20  minutes, turning them mid way, until golden brown

Serve with ketchup, green chutney and hot chai!

Smiles :)

Brinjal based extra terrestrial looking curry

So here I go again...doing exactly what I said I would not, which is posting stuff that is not related to the idea I said I was about to post, never mind.
I made a really ugly looking, but sort of tasty vegetable curry made of random veggies at home and I wanted to capture the recipe so that I can repeat the atrocity again and again ... muahahahahhah (evil laughter!)

Ingredients
1 capsicum - orange or red
1 onion - chopped
Frozen veggies - a handful, any kind will do
Egg plant / brinjal - big one (warning - multiple little ones wont work)
Mushrooms - whatever kind you like
EVOO, salt, chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, green chillies, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves, hing, and any other masala that you may have stocked in your pantry and want to get rid of !

Recipe
Pre heat oven to 350F
Spread a little oil over the egg plant, make a few cuts on it and roast in the oven for about 35 minutes or until soft
Heat the oil in a pan.
Add curry leaves, mustard seeds, cumin seeds and hing and saute until the seeds crackle
Add green chillies and fry for a bit
Add the chopped onion and saute until golden brown
Add chopped capsicum and saute until cooked
Add the frozen veggies and saute until cooked
Add mushrooms and saute for a bit
Scoop out the soft part or the insides of the roasted egg plant and mash it
Add the mashed egg plant insides to the pan and saute, until cooked
Add salt, and all the masala to this mixture, cook for 10 minutes
Add a dash of lemon juice and top with coriander leaves.


There you go! Enjoy!

Lassan na ladva - Garlic ladoos

This is a very old recipe that probably comes from the time when my ancestors lived in villages in Gujarat. It is a very rustic and simple dish that is generally made during winter - when it is cold, because all ingredients are 'hot' for the body. These laddoos are generally eaten with curd and baingan bharta (eggplant).
The lasan/garlic for this dish is not the fully grown garlic that we get in the market. It requires the green shoots of young, freshly grown garlic. Typically, I have not found these ever in a grocery store, so it is best to grow it yourself. Just get some soil in a pot and bury in a few pods of garlic. Give it some water and sunlight and in a few weeks green shoots will sprout out of these pods. Once these shoots are about 10-12 inches tall, they along with the pod underground can be used to make these laddoos.
The laddoos are made using bajra flour. (Bajra = pearl millet, kambu in tamil)
First 'bajra na rotlas' - bajra flat bread /. chappatis are made.

Ingredient:
1 cup Bajra flour
Salt to taste
Warm water
Ghee
Green garlic 5-6 shoots

Mix salt and Bajra flour. Add water, a little at a time and kneed into firm dough. The dough should be soft enough to be pressed into a roti with your hand but firm enough to hold its shape.
Heat a pan.
Take a round ball of the dough and clap it into a flat roti using the palm of your hands. Apply a little water over the roti as you clap it flat to ensure that it does not crack. The roti will be a thick as a naan or a pita bread.
Cook it in the pan over a low flame. Once a side is cooked, turn it over, apply some ghee, cook the other side and flip over to cook a little more.

Let the rotlas cool down a bit. Once they are cool enough to handle crumble them (with hand or in a food processor). Note: make sure the crumbles are small but not powdery.

Chop the green lasan/garlic into fine pieces. Add them to the crumbled rotlas. Add ghee to this mixture - enough to make the mixture soft and such that it can hold together. Roll this mixture into a ball.

Serve the laddoos with curd, roasted papad or baingan bharta in winter.

Contributed by Makhani Family.

Food has always been an integral part of my childhood. Every ocassion in my house was associated with a special dish, so much so, that some dishes could be made only on those certain days. Of course this meant that I was spoilt and pampered, such that I would eat a particular dish only if it was made my mom or granny or that one person known for making it a particular way. Experimenting was unheard of and the men in my family would make a criticizing comment even if one ingredient in the dish changed. All this gave way when I came to the US. Here cooking was putting things together and dicovering for myself which combinations tasted decent and which did not. But now, five years later, I still yearn for that special combination of ingredients that can only produce that one given taste, the one taste that can trigger a remote memory from childhood and that I can associate with a certain ocassion, like 'mag na bhajiya' and 'seero' during rains, or 'lassan na ladva' in december.
When remeniscing about these tastes with friends, I realized that all of us have that craving of mom's food that never goes away, no matter how far or how grown up we are. Being away from home and living in nuclear families where fast food and restaurants are a way of life, I wonder how many of these traditional family recipes will disappear with no one to remember or record them. This is a small attempt to try and capture those recipes that are handed down from generations and that can only be found in 'mom's kitchen'.