AMBEDI MAHI TIKKA

Ingredients

1,5 kg fish Sole cubes   
100 gm cream
10 g chilli
450 gm yogurt 
50 g coriander paste
5 g butter
30 gm ginger
5 gm fenugreek seeds
2 gm salt
15 g raw mango powder
200 gm raw mango
5 g black pepper
50 g mint chutney
50 ml refined oil
5 g jeera powder
5 g garam masala
10 g garlic

Method

Wash the fish and squeeze the excess moisture and marinate  with ginger, garlic paste and salt.
Mix the yoghurt in a bowl, add raw mango paste  and all powdered spices and mix it well.
Check the marination seasoning and put the first batch of fish in the marination and keep for 6 hours.
Take skewers and put the fish in the skewers and cook in the tandoor till tender.
At the end season it with chat masala and lemon juice.
Serve hot with freshly made mint chutney.

PANEER PAKORA

Ingredients:

500 gms Paneer
1 tsp red chili powder
2 cup Chickpea Flour
3 tsp Salt
4 tsp oil
1 cup Water

Method

Beat the chickpea flour with some water to make a thick batter in a blender for 5 minutes and let rest 1/2 hour in a warm place.
Cut the paneer into thick cubes and sprinkle little salt, chili powder on the cubes.
Dip the cubes of paneer in the batter and deep fry in oil.Drain on paper towels and serve immediately.Serve with coriander or mint chutney

MOHAN THAL

• 
  
• Ingredients 
• 
  
• - 250 gm gram flour 
•  -1/2 tsp cardamon powder
   - 3 Tbsp milk, mixed to a crumbly consistency
   - 50 gm khoya
  - 180 gm sugar
  - 150 gm ghee+ 1 tbsp 
  -  Pistachios 

Method 

Put sugar and half a cup of water over low heat and stir till sugar dissolves. Let it boil and cook till hard ball consistency. Drop a drop into cold water and it should form into a hard lump.While sugar is cooking, cook khoya over low heat, stirring all the time, till crumbly.Heat ghee and add the gram flour mixture and saute till a light brown.Add cardamom, mix well and remove from heat.Add syrup and stir gently to mix well. Transfer to greased thali, pat to level, garnish with pistachios.Cool and cut into squares.

MORU CURRY

INGREDIENTS

2 Tbsp yoghurt
2 cup coconut paste
2 Tbsp oil
1 tsp garlic
1/2 tbsp mustard seeds
2 Tbsp onion-chopped
3 whole red chillies-broken
1/2 tsp fenugreek powder
2 tsp ginger
Handful of curry leaves
1tsp cumin seeds
1/4tsp turmeric

METHOD

Mix coconut, yoghurt and green chillies in a blender, add one cup of water, turmeric and salt.
Bring  to a boil and remove it from heat.
Heat the oil,add cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds and mustard seeds to the oil.
Put in the chopped onion, red chillies, garlic, ginger and the curry leaves.
Now , add this to the paste.
If you want, you can add vegetables like yam but make sure that the vegetables are cooked before you put them in.

MALPUA

3/4 cup water ( warm )
1/ 2 cup flour
1/2  cup khoya, grated


For the malpua:

5 pistachios and 5 almonds blanched and cut into thin pieces
3 Tbsp ghee
2  cups sugar syrup

METHOD

For the malpua batter

Mix the water and the flour to form a smooth lump-less batter and  the khoya with water  to form a thick batter
Mix the khoya and flour batter together to form a lump-less smooth batter of thick consistency.

For the malpua

Melt ghee in a pan and  cook on low heat for a while.
Add the khoya and flour batter - 1Tbsp in circular motion in the center of the pan of ghee.
Put some more spoonful circular structures around the center of the pan of ghee. Turn over the malpuas and cook again.
Cook for a while till the malpua's edges starts getting red.
After this, dip the malpuas in sugar syrup.

 Take out the malpua's from the sugar syrup and layer them in a plate,guarnire with almonds and pistacchio

GUJIYA

Ingredients

  4 cups plain flour
  8 tbsps clarified ghee + 6 tbsp for roasting filling ingredients
  Water knead the dough
  salt to taste approx 1 tsp
  Oil for deep frying

For the filling

  2 fistfuls Almonds  (blanched and peeled)
  2 fistfuls Pistachios
  2 fistfuls   Cashew nuts
  2 tsp Cardamom powder
 1 cup dry coconut or 1 cup  roasted and powdered sesame seeds.
 1 cup Mawa (you can use semolina /roasted chick peas in its place)
 1 1/4 cup Powdered sugar


Method

In a bowl, add the flour, salt and ghee and rub with your palm and fingers such that the dough appears like bread crumbs. Add water to make a pliable dough. Divide the dough and shape into small balls. Keep aside for half an hour.
 Heat a pan, add 1 tbsps ghee, add the grated coconut and roast over medium flame for  approx 5 mts till it turns golden brown.  Keep aside.
In the same pan, add 2 tbsp ghee, add the nuts and roast till golden. Remove and  once cool, make a coarse powder and set aside.
In the same pan, drizzle 1 tbsp of ghee and add the mawa and roast for 5 mts. Keep aside to cool.
Powder the sugar and mix with the roasted dry coconut, ground nuts and mawa. Add the cardamom powder and mix well. Set aside the prepared filling.
Roll each ball with the rolling pin into a thin puri of approx  4 in diameter.
Spread a tablespoon of the filling on one half of the rolled out dough. Wet your finger and run it along the edges of the spread out dough with water and fold over to the opposite end, enclosing the stuffing to form a semi-circle shaped gujiya. Press the ends firmly so that the filling doesnt come out during the deep frying process and use a fork to seal the edges.
Heat the oil in a wide vessel to deep fry the stuffed kajjikayalu. Slowly drop 3-4 gujiyas into the oil and deep fry them on medium flame till golden brown. Turn them carefully to cook the other side as well. Drain the gujiya with a slotted ladle and remove to a plate.
 Gujiya remain fresh for atleast a week and can be stored utp 2 weeks.

SHIVARATRI FAST

Shivaratri Fast

Shivaratri Fast is considered to be the most important fast for the devotees of Lord Shiva. Shiva Purana goes on to say that if a devotee observes Shivaratri Vrata with sincerity, pure devotion and love he is blessed with the divine grace of Lord Shiva. Every year devotees observe Maha Shivaratri fast with devotion and sincerity. Though many go on a diet of fruits and milk, some do not consume even a drop of water all through the day and night of Shivaratri Festival.

Merits of Mahashivratri VratAccording to Hindu mythology, observance of mahashivratri Vrat with discipline helps a devotee to control the two great natural forces that afflict a man, rajas guna (the quality of passionate activity) and tamas guna (the quality of inertia). When a devotee spends an entire day in the Feet of Lord and worships with sincerity, his motion is controlled and evils like lust, anger and jealousy, born of Rajas are ignored and subdued. Besides, when a devotee observes vigil throughout the night (jaagran) he manages to conquer the evils of Tamas Guna too. It has also been mentioned that when a devotee observes a round of worship every three hours, the Shivaratri Vrata becomes perfect.

Devotees of Lord Shiva believe consider Shivratri fast to be extremely auspicious and rate it equal or more than performing an Ashwamedha Yagna. Some believe that a devotee who observes a Shivaratri Fast with sincerity and utters the name of Lord Shiva with perfect devotion is absolved from all sins. Such a devotee reaches the abode of Lord Shiva and lives there happily. He is also liberated from the cycle of birth and death.

Customs and Traditions of Shivaratri FastAs a tradition, devotees who are on a strict fast on Shivaratri take bath with the water that is boiled with black sesame seeds to wash away bodily impurities. After putting on fresh new clothes, a devotee visit the nearest Lord Shiva temple to perform the ritual Shiva Linga bath with milk, honey etc. While bathing the Lingam a devotee prays, "O Lord ! I will bathe Thee with water, milk, etc. Do Thou kindly bathe me with the milk of wisdom. Do Thou kindly wash me of all my sins, so that the fire of worldliness which is scorching me may be put out once for all, so that I may be one with Thee-the One alone without a second."

Following the sacred bath, devotee applies haldi-kumkum on the lingum and place a garland of white and pink lotus flowers on it. Bel leaves are also placed at the top of the Lingum. Aarthi and bhajans in praise of Lord Shiva are also sung to invoke his blessings. Devotee also light incense stick and ring temple bell to invoke the blessing of the large-hearted Lord Shiva
It may be noted that unlike most other festivals, where after performing the Puja of the deity a feast follows, a Shivratri fast continues all through the day and night. Devotees observe an all night vigil while chanting the mantra, "Om Namah Shivaya" and singing devotional hymns and songs. Even during the night, Shiva Lings is given the holy bath every three hours. An offering of fruits is also made to the deity. There is also the tradition to listen to the recital of various legends and stories related to Shivaratri and Lord Shiva and to understand its deeper meanings. It is only in the following morning that a devotee breaks the fast by consuming the prasad offered to Lord Shankar.

DILLI KI FRIED ALOO CHAAT

INGREDIENTS


4 potatoes (boiled, peeled and cubed)
2 chopped onion
1/2 tbsp chaat masala
2 green chilly
fresh coriander leaves
8 Tbsp fresh tamarind chutney
4 Tbsp hot mint chutney
2 lime
2 spring onion
Salt to taste

METHOD

Deep fry the boiled potatoes until golden and crisp, drain excess oil and put them into a bowl.
Add the chopped onion, green chilly and coriander leaves, the tamarind and mint chutney.
Squeeze in the lime juice, add the chaat masala, spring onion and season with salt and mix well
Serve hot or warm in small bowls.

YOGURT WITH MANGO AND MINT- MANGO MINT RAITA

- 2 cups - fresh curd
-2 - 3 tsp sugar
- 1/2 cup mango puree
-2 cups mango cut in cubes
-1/2 tsp roasted cumin powder
-10 chopped Mint leaves
-salt to taste

Method

Whisk the curd till it is smooth and creamy and add all ingredients and mix well.
Chill for a few hours before serving.