TOMATO SHORBA

Shorbas were made popular by the princes and maharajas in India. The tamatar dhania shorba is a Punjabi’s version of the ever popular tomato soup.Tomato Shorba – Fresh coriander flavoured is a very easy recipe. Why this recipe is called Tomato Shorba and not just tomato soup??? Well tamatar ka sorba or tomato shorba is a thick and spicy version of either a vegetable or meat gravy which has a soup like consistency. This soup is pretty easy to make and is ready in just about 30 miuntes. Warm up your winter evening with a bowl of freshly made tamatar ka shorba- spicy flavoursome Indian tomato soup. This is a tangy soup made from tomatoes, mildly spiced with cumin seeds and green chillies. Besan [gram flour] is used as a thickening agent for the shorba. The curry leaves, mustard seeds and cumin seeds impart a deliciously Indian flavour and the sugar helps restrain the tanginess of the tomatoes.  

INGREDIENTS:

1 teaspoon Besan [gram flour]

10-12 Tomato, roughly chopped

3-4 sprigs Curry Leaves

½ tablespoon Chilli Powder

Salt to taste

2 teaspoon Sugar

2 teaspoon Lemon Juice

1 tablespoon  Clarified Butter [ghee]

1 teaspoon Mustard Seeds

1 tesapoon Cumin Seeds

1

For garnish:

Coriander leaves

METHOD:

STEP 1 – Combine the besan with 1 cup of water. Mix well and keep aside.

STEP 2 – Boil 2 cups of water in a deep non-stick pan. Add the tomatoes and cook for 3-4 minutes. Do not strain.

STEP 3 – Cool slightly, add curry leaves, chilli powder and blend in a mixer to a smooth puree.

STEP 4 – Transfer the puree to a deep non-stick pan and bring to boil.

STEP 5 – Add the besan mixture,

salt,

sugar

and lemon juice, mix well and simmer for 3-4 minutes. Keep aside.

STEP 6 – Heat the ghee in a small pan and add cumin- mustard seeds.

When they crackle, add the tempering to the tomato shorba and mix well.

STEP 7 – Serve immediately garnish with coriander.

Serve hot tomato shorba on a chilly evening.

BESAN LADDOO-1

Besan Laddo is one of the most popular mithai in Indian cuisine. It might be known by various names, but this delicious laddoos of spiced and sweetened based is famous all over the country. When making this, remember that that rich flavour of the laddoo depends upon on how well you cook the besan flour. Under cooking it will leave behind a raw taste, which will ruin the whole recipe.  

Besan Laddoo is a sweet dough-like food made during most so South Asian Festivals. Anyone can make them at home, as long as they’re up for a lot of stirring. Keep a close eye on the laddoo mixture so it does’nt burn. Besan laddo is one of the most popular recipe that I wanted to try since long but it pushed me only when my husband and my elder daughter insisted me to try it as they love besan laddoo. I searched for the recipe on internet and tried it immediately on last diwali..…..which comes out so yummy. This is one of the easy and quick sweet recipe with no prior soaking/ grinding etc. very easy yet delicious , melt in mouth. Here I am sharing this with all of you and hope you will definitely try this one. So what are you waiting for, just bookmark and make it for the coming festival and surprise your loved ones!!!! I made them specially for the coming Raksha Bandhan.

INGREDIENTS:
 2 Cups Besan Flour [Gram flour]
1/2 Cup Clarified Butter
1 Cup Powdered Sugar
1 teaspoon Cradamom Powder
Chopped Nuts for mixing as well as garnishing

METHOD:
STEP 1 – Sieve gram flour once and keep ready. Heat clarified butter in a non-stick pan on low heat.

STEP 2 – Add the sieved gram flour in it and roast it on low flame until colour changes to golden brown.

STEP 3 – Keep stirring continuously to avoid burning at the bottom. This may take 10-15 minutes. Switch off the heat and keep stirring for 1 minute.

STEP 5 - Add chopped nuts in it and mix well.

STEP 6 – Add powdered sugar and mix well while rubbing the mixture in between your palms until completely combined together with beasn flour.

STEP 7 - Add the cardamom powder and mix well.

STEP 8 – Then take small portion of a dough and shape the balls with your hands.

Size depends on your personal liking.

STEP 9 – Repeat the same with the rest of dough and make all laddoos.

STEP 10 - Garnish them with nuts for extra crunch and keep them till set and then serve. 

 Let them cool completely and then transfer to an airtight container and enjoy your homemade laddoos.

NOTES: *Roast the besan flour till the raw smell leaves else it will give a raw taste to the laddoos.
              *Don’t mix all the clarified butter at a time. First add ¾ the of it , check the consistency and if required then add the remaining.
              *If you get Rani Chap Besan Flour to the store then surely use it for laddoos.
              *You can add 2 tablespoon of rawa/ sooji to make the laddo crunchy.
              *While making laddoo, you can even grease your hands with a little clarified butter to avoid sticking.
             To make your laddoo more good-looking you can use silver vork.
             You can store this laddoo in an air tight container at room temperature for about 15 days.

MUTTON ROGAN JOSH

Mughal cuisine consists of dishes developed in Medieval India by the people of the Mughal Empire. It represents the cooking styles used in North India [specially Uttar Pradhes and Delhi], Pakistan [particularly among Muhajir people] , and the Indian city of Hyderabad. The cuisine is strongly influenced by Central Asia cuisine, the region where the Turco-Mongol Mughal rules originally hailed from, and it has in turn strongly influenced the regional cuisines of modern India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.The taste of Mughal cuisine vary from extremely mild to spicy and are often associated with a distinctive aroma and the taste of ground whole spices. A Mughlai course dishes with a variety of accompaniments. Mughali cuisine also gave rise to the Awadhi cuisine of Lucknow…

 

         
                                             [This is Mughlai dinner spread at my place]

         Rogan Josh is one of the signature dishes from the magnificient state of Kashmir. Beginning with flavours of fennel, ginger and marked by the srinking red type, it is indeed a celebration of all senses. Also all the spices which are added in this curry is must because that what makes rogan josh, Rogan Josh . Rogan josh should be red in colour that’s why it is called as rogan josh because once you finish making this curry the rogan red oil should float on the top of the curry. In the authentic recipe they add a root of a herb called as rattan jot which gives the red colour to it.

Popular, it might be in Kashmir, but this had never been an everyday dish in our home. In fact, in my life the delights of Roagn Josh were observed only occasionally in restaurants. Rogan Josh has been adapted to be made in various ways around the country, but the traditional recipe comes in two kinds. One rendition is without the use of onion or garlic as I have done it today. This is the way it used to be cooked by Kashmiri Pandits and is probably the original version. This is very similar to the Kashmiri Dum Aloo. The other translation of Rogan Josh uses onion and garlic along with the same spices that we have today. The signature spices for this dish are Asafoetida/ Hing, Fennel Seeds Powder and Dried Ginger Powder. There are no tomatoes added to the traditional dish, not even enhance colour. But here I am making it for the very first time, so I made this with the tomatoes not for colour but to make the gravy thick. The meat used for the recipe should not be lean. The fat in the meat enriches the dish and also allows you to cook with less amount of oil. Here is my little try to give justice to the traditional Mutton Rogan Josh. Hope you all like this recipe of mine.

INGREDIENTS:

500g Mutton Pieces

2 tablespoon Cumin Powder

2 tablespoon Yogurt

1½ teaspoon Garam Masala

1¼ teaspoon Asafoetida

2 Tomatoes, blanched to pulp

2 Cinnamon (1” piece)

6-8 Cloves

4”-6” pieces Ratanjot

1 piece Mace

5-6 Black Peppercorn

1 Onion, finely chopped

4 Black  Cardamom

1 tablespoon Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder

2 teaspoon Fennel Seeds Powder

1 tablespoon Dry Ginger Powder

3 tablespoon  Oil

1 tablespoon Coriander Powder

Salt to taste

1 cup Yogurt, Whisked

Chopped Corianders

METHOD:

STEP 1 – Heat oil in a thick bottomed pan. Add asafoetida, cinnamon, cloves, black peppercorn and black cardamom. Sauté till fragrant.

STEP 2 – Add chopped onions and fry for 8 to 10 minutes. Stirring regularly or until golden brown.

STEP 3 – Add the lamb pieces, and fry for 3-4 minutes.

Stirring continuously, until the lamb pieces are golden brown all over.

STEP 4 – Meanwhile, in a food processor, blend the garlic cloves and ginger, with 1 tablespoon water to a fine paste.

Add the garlic and ginger paste to the lamb mixture.

STEP 5 - Stir it and combine and then reduce the heat and continue to cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently.

STEP 6 – Stir in the  coriander powder, cumin, red chilli powder, fennel seeds powder, garam masala, tomato pulp, yogurt and salt to taste.

Cover the pan with a lid and then reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until the sauce has almost completely dried out.

STEP 6 – Add 2-3 tablespoon of boiling water to the sauce. Stir well and simmer for a further 7-8 minutes. Stirring continuously and adding splashes of water as necessary until the volume of liquid has reduced and the sauce has thickened.

STEP 7 – Add enough boiling water to almost cover the lamb and bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until the lamb is cooked through.

STEP 8 – Stir it well and add chopped fresh cilantro just before serving.

Serve hot Mutton Rogan Josh with chapatti, paratha, naan  or steamed rice and enjoy the restaurant food at home.

NOTE: Total time required for the recipe is near about 1 hour to 1 ½ hour depending upon the mutton quality and quantity.