Rice Pudding/Kheer

Rice Pudding or Kheer. mmmm…a sweet delicacy! This traditional sweet pudding is usually made with either rice or vermicelli, prepared in every part of India during special occasions and events. This Kheer is very easy to prepare except the elaborated cooking time. The end product is just mouth-watering and satisfying to your sweet tooth. We both like really thick consistency with mild sweet flavor. This pudding tastes best after having chilled about 5-6 hours. The hint of cardamom, nutmeg and saffron gives a special taste with nice and rich cream color. This Kheer perfectly match with puffed Puri/paratha/roti and any subji or you can enjoy as it is.

Rice Pudding/Kheer Recipe:

Ingredients:

4 cups Milk – preferably whole milk |1/2 cup uncooked Rice (I used Jasmine rice, does work fine) |Sugar – to taste | 1/2 tsp Elaichi (Cardamom) powder |Nutmeg powder – a pinch | Saffron – few strands, soaked in 2 tsp warm milk | chopped Almonds and Pistachio

How to:

1) Wash the uncooked rice 2-3 times and soak at least for 30 mins. In a heavy bottomed pan, bring 3 cups of milk to a boil. Add the drained rice to it and keep stirring on low heat.

2) After 20-25 mins, you will notice that the rice become soft (but not mushy) and overall the kheer become thick and creamier. At this time, add sugar to your taste. Give it a stir. If you feel your kheer is very thick, add some milk. I always need to add extra milk to gain perfect consistency.

3) Cook for 5-7 mins more with occasional stir. Remove from the gas and let it cool for sometime. In a small bowl, mix the remaining milk, cardamom powder, nutmeg powder and saffron milk. Add this to kheer and stir well. Once it cooled down to room temperature, chill it for at least 3-4 hours. Garnish with silvered almonds and pistachio or any nuts you love.

Enjoy with puffed puri/paratha or roti!

Paneer Makhani aka Paneer Butter Masala

This beautiful dish was long time due to post. When Trupti announced the JFI-Paneer, I knew what I was going to send. :) Well, I had no clue about the exact recipe and how I was going to make it. I just made it with some common ingredients what available in my pantry. Most Punjabi gravies, either red or white, the preparation is almost same using common spices. So, I went ahead and made this Paneer Makhani aka Paneer Butter Masala. Trust me, the end result was really awesome! Adding poppy seeds and cashew powder gives you creamier and silky gravy. Overall, it was very tasty and mouth watering.

Ingredients:

Oil|1 tbsp Butter|12-13 Paneer cubes|2 medium Onion-roughly chopped|2 Medium Tomato-chopped|2 tbsp Cashew powder or handful broken Cashew|1tsp Ginger garlic paste|1 tsp Poppy seeds (Khus-khus) – Optional|1 tsp Turmeric powder|1 tbsp Red Chili powder-or to taste|1 tsp Coriander powder|1 tsp Sweet Paprika powder|1/2 tsp Kitchen King Masala powder (optional)|1/8 tsp CCC powder (Cloves-Cardamom-Cinnamon powder) Or 1 whole each|1/2 tsp Garam Masala powder|1 tbsp Kasuri methi|1 tsp Honey|2 tbsp Cream|Salt -to taste|chopped Cilantro-for garnish

How to:

1) Heat a tbsp oil in non-stick pan. Fry paneer cubes till golden brown each side. Remove them on kitchen towel. Drop them in bowl of water for 15-20 mins. Drain and keep it aside. If you don’t have cashew powder, soak cashew in 1/2 cup hot water atleast 30 mins.

2) Heat a tbsp oil in another pan. Add onions, sprinkle some salt and cook them till light brown. Add ginger garlic powder. Sauté for 1 min more. Add all the spices (except Kitchen King Masala pwd). Now add chopped tomatoes and cook it until tomatoes become soft.

3) Add poppy seeds and cashew powder or soaked broken cashew to it. Cook for 2 mins more. Remove from the heat and let it cool completely. Grind into smooth puree adding 1/2 cup water.

4) Heat 1 tbsp oil in same pan. Add the onion-tomato puree and cook on low heat for 4-5 mins. Add more 1/2 cup of water if needed and let the gravy to be thicken. Add salt, kasuri methi and honey. Finally add paneer cubes and reserve some for garnish. Let it cook on low heat for 2 mins. Adjust the seasoning. Add the butter and cream. Garnish with cilantro and cubed paneer.

Enjoy with naan or roti or paratha or rice. We had it with Carrot Paratha and Jeera Rice. Recipe coming soon!

I am happy to send my entry to JFI- Paneer for the month of November, 2009 hosted by Trupti, originally started by Indira of Mahanandi.

Gujarati Daal/Pegion Pea Soup

This recipe is goes to dear friend’s request. Actually, I was going to post it sooner or later. But, my friend Rush has threatened me with short deadline, will be over on 7th Nov, 2009. So, I am posting it today without any delay. :)

In every Gujarati famiy, this Daal is staple food and goes well with hot phulka, subji and rice. This lentil soup has a blending taste of sour, sweet and spicy. If you don’t have any tiniest sweet tooth, you probably not going to like this daal because original Gujarati Daal has a sweeter taste comes from jaggery. Of course, you can increase or decrease the sweetness level of your daal. One of the important part is boiling on low heat for a long time. Finally, when you’ll give a tadka to your daal, you will be freaking out with divine and delicious aroma. :)

Here, I am sharing you simple recipe, very easy to prepare. If you don’t have Kokum at home, don’t worry. Add more lemon juice in the end OR add 1 small chopped tomato into daal.

Gujarati daal recipe

Ingredients: (serves 3-4 people)

• 1 cup Tuver dal/ Pigeon pea
• 1 tsp Dry Fenugreek seeds
• 10-12 Raw Peanuts
• 1 small wedge of Ginger
• 2-3 dried Kokum (I didn’t have) OR 2 tbsp Lemon juice
• 1 tsp Turmeric powder
• 1 tbsp Coriander powder
• 1 tbsp Red Chili powder (or to taste)
• 1/2 tsp Garam Masala
• 1/4 cup Jaggery powder OR Dark Brown Sugar (or to taste)
• Salt to taste

For the tempering/Tadka:

• 1 tsbp Oil
• 1 tsp Mustard seeds
• a pinch of Asafoetida (hing)
• A few Curry leaves

For garnish:

• 2 tbsp chopped Coriander leaves

1. First wash the daal about 3-4 times using hot water. Soak in hot water atleast 20-25 mins. It will help to cook faster. Pressure cook with adding about 2 cups of hot water, 1 tsp fenugreek seeds, a pinch of turmeric and 1 tsp oil. Cook until fully mashed and soft. (about 3-4 whistles)

2. When your cooked daal is still hot, mash it well with blender into smooth puree. Add 4 cups of hot water, salt, kokum (if using), jaggery, raw peanuts and ginger. Bring it to boil on low-to-medium heat. Allow it to boil about 15 minutes. (Note: The consistency of the daal should be of pouring consistency. Just make sure it’s easy to drink).

3. Now, add all the spices except Garam masala. Let it boil about 5 mins more.

4. For tadka, I use cast iron small bowl (with handle) brought from India. Heat oil in small saucepan, add mustard seeds, when mustard seed starts to crackle, add curry leaves and hing to it. Add tadka into the daal. Cover with lid immediately. Switch off the gas. Let it cover for 2 mins to blend with nice aroma.

5. Add garam masala and lemon juice. Check for seasoning. Garnish with coriander leaves. Enjoy hot daal with rice, roti and any curry.

Tip: It taste better after 5-6 hours. Sometimes I enjoy it with Dhokla (not Khaman dhokala), it taste like Idli-sambhar. :)

UPDATE: Dear Trupti reminded me to add ‘Achar Masala‘ (Pickle Masala), available in any Indian grocery store. It will add an amazing taste to your daal. You can add a tsp of pickle masala when you add all the spice powder.