ANGOORI RASGULLAS

Angoori rasgulla also called as chenna angoor is one of the popular Bengali sweets. The mini soft and spongy are quite a favourite with kids and adults too.

I have been trying to get the perfect recipe for a long time now. After trying a number of recipes, I have got this tried and tested the recipe with some important tips.

Soft and spongy rasgullas can be made with the cow as well as buffalo milk. The first important step is to get the right type of chenna, not too moist and not too dry. Homemade chenna gives the best results. Refer to my previous post of Homemade chenna to get it right. Remember not to boil the milk once split. Immediately wash the chenna with cold water. Here we want to stop the cooking process of chenna.

Secondly, ensure that the sugar syrup is always boiling. The rolling boil shouldn’t subside as it may change the texture of rasgullas.

Chenna made from one-litre milk yields almost 40 rasgullas.

 Recipe for Angoori rasgulla

Ingredients for Angoori rasgulla

• 1 litre milk
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 cups water

How to make

Refer to my previous post to make Homemade chenna.

Rub the chenna with your palm for 10 minutes continuously. The chenna will come together like a soft dough.

To test the chenna, take a small portion and roll it into a ball. If the ball is soft and doesn't have cracks it is ready or else rub it for few more minutes.

Divide the chenna into 2 equal portions. Further, divide one of the portions into 20 portions and roll them into balls.

Add a hint of pink colour to the other portion. Mix well.

Divide the pink chenna into 20 portions and roll them into balls. Cover and keep aside.

For the syrup put sugar and water into a deep saucepan and bring it to rolling boil.

Now add chenna balls to the syrup, two at a time. Remember the syrup should be continuously boiling.

Now let it boil for 10 minutes.

Remove from heat. Transfer to another bowl.

Once the rasgullas come to room temperature, keep in the refrigerator.

Let the rasgullas sit in the syrup for atleast 4 hours. Serve chilled.

JODHPURI MIRCHI VADA

Nai sarak in Jodhpur use to be the hub for shopping and eating. Good shopping followed by a couple of mirchi vadas at Janata sweets is one of the many memories from Jodhpur.

Mirchi vada is the most popular rajasthani street snack. Its is similar to batada vada or alu bonda from south.

Mirchi vada big, fat green chilli stuffed and covered with spicy, tangy potato mixture; then coated with gram flour batter and finally deep fried.

One mirchi vada is quite filling. It can be sliced into three to four pieces and served with ketchup as an appetizer.

Any large and non-spicy variety of chilli can be used such as bhavnagari chillies. I have used jalapeno chillies here as these were the only variety available with the supermarket. I have deseeded the chillies to reduce its pungency. Depending on the chilli you can adjust the red chilli powder to be added. The given proportions are totally at level with the rajasthani palate.

The number of potatoes required is equal to the number of green chillies to be used for this recipe. This is my rough proportion of green chillies and potatoes. I find it easier this way than weight measurements.

Recipe for Jodhpuri mirchi vada

Ingredients for Jodhpuri mirchi vada

• 6 green chillies (fat and non-spicy variety)
• 6 medium-sized potatoes
• ½ tsp roasted cumin powder
• ½ tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 1 tbsp dry mango powder/ dried pomegranate seeds
• ¼ +¼ tsp turmeric powder
• 2 cups gram flour
• 10 cashew nuts (chopped)
• ¼ cup raisins (chopped)
• ¼ cup coriander leaves (finely chopped)
• Salt to taste
• Oil for frying

How to make

Boil the potatoes. Remove its skin and lightly mash it. Avoid mashing it completely. Finely mashed potatoes, it does not hold on to the chillies and slips away.

Add salt, turmeric, cumin powder, coriander powder, dry mango powder, red chilli powder, cashews, raisins and coriander leaves.

Combine all the ingredients and keep aside.

Make an incision in chillies and deseed them.

Stuff the chillies with the potato mixture and cover the chillies with the same. The thickness of the potato coating should be 3/4th to 1cm.

Make a smooth batter of gram flour with a ¼ teaspoon of turmeric powder, salt and a cup of water.

The batter should be of coating consistency.

Now coat the chillies with the batter and deep fry for one minute on each side or until the coating is cooked.

Serve with sweet and sour tamarind chutney.

ORANGE BUTTER CUPCAKES

This is a super easy recipe for orange butter cupcakes. Soft and buttery from the inside, these tasty treats are loved by all.

Mention of oranges brings back memories of winter afternoons,  post lunch, where making orange and carrot juice use to become a family affair. Peeling, cutting and then putting oranges and carrots through the juicer, all the jobs were equally shared. This was an outdoor activity after which the session continued with the shelling of peanuts and having it with jaggery and lots of chit chatting.
Winters are all about enjoying hearty food and some quality time with dear ones.

Orange cupcakes made from real orange juice are always on the list of things to do in winters. Orange juice and orange zest impart a fresh orangy flavour to these delicious cupcakes. The vanilla essence compliments the orange flavour very well.

Recipe for Orange butter cupcakes

Ingredients for Orange butter cupcakes

• 1 cup maida or all purpose flour
• 100gms butter
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 3 eggs
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ¼ cup fresh orange juice
• 1 tsp orange rind
• A pinch of salt (if using unsalted butter)

How to make

In a mixing bowl beat butter, powdered sugar and vanilla essence till light and fluffy.

Add one egg at a time and beat till well combined.

Sieve in the maida and baking powder. Mix well.

Finally, add orange juice and rind. Mix with a spatula.

Put the batter in 12 cupcake liners or cupcake moulds.

Bake at 180 deg Celsius for 20 minutes.

AVOCADO DIP

As the name suggests Avocado dip is mainly made with avocado and yoghurt. The creamy texture of the dip makes it perfect to be served with cucumber, carrots, radish, corn chips and so on.

While selecting an avocado remember that it should be shiny, firm but not hard. Avocado tends to lose its colour and turn black after it is cut. The lemon juice prevents it from oxidation.

Avocado dip can also be used as a spread over chapatti or slice of bread.

I just love the pastel colour of the dip. The colour of the dip is so inviting.

Recipe for Avocado Dip

Ingredients for Avocado Dip

• 1 medium-sized avocado
• ¼ cup curd
• 1 bird eye chilli
• ¼ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tbsp lemon juice/ vinegar
• Salt to taste

How to make

Scoop out the flesh of the avocado and set aside.

Put the curd, chilli, garlic powder, lemon juice and salt In a mixer jar along with the avocado. Make it into a fine paste.

Serve it with chips, toasties, crackers and veggies.

SPINACH CORN RICE

Spinach corn rice is a healthy variation of rice. This is a quick recipe with few ingredients. This dish is mildly flavoured and one can enjoy the taste of spinach and corn without any overpowering flavours.

Regular cooking rice like sona masuri, surti kolam or any other variety can be used. I have used basmati rice in this recipe. Pre-boiled or steamed corn kernels are used in this recipe. I prefer steaming the corn than boiling them.

It is very essential for this dish to look good and be attractive enough to convince the hesitant eaters who may resist from the spinach and rice combination. Be very gentle while mixing the rice with the veggies. In short, the sight of this dish should be welcoming! Once you taste this rice dish you will surely get hooked on to it.

Recipe for Spinach corn rice

Ingredients for Spinach corn rice

• 2 cups cooked rice
• 2 cups spinach (finely chopped)
• 3/4^th to 1 cup corn kernels (steamed or boiled)
• 1 big onion (finely chopped)
• 4 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

How to make

Heat the oil and butter in a nonstick pan. Add the garlic and onion. Saute for one minute or until onions become translucent.

Add corn and spinach together. Saute for one minute.

Once the spinach wilts, add rice and mix well with a light hand such that the rice grains do not break.

Add salt and pepper to taste and mix again.

Serve hot with your favourite raita or salad. I have teamed it up with carrot and pomegranate raita.

SESAME POTATOES

 Sesame potatoes my way! Such dishes add variety and flavour to parties. This is a popular snack at my parties. During one of the dinner party preparations, I wanted to make something tongue tingling with baby potatoes. I wanted to take advantage of the fact that baby potatoes are bite-sized and round in shape which can serve as a good starter. A little experimentation… and that is how this dish has never gone out of my favourite party snacks list. One more reason for Sesame potatoes being my favourite is it doesn’t require any elaborate preparation and a very simple procedure.

All the baby potatoes should be more or less of the same size. Do not take too small or too big ones. Sweet dark soya sauce can be substituted with dark soya sauce and sugar. Remove the potatoes that are over boiled as they may get squashed and spoil the dish.

Recipe for Sesame Potatoes

Ingredients for Sesame Potatoes

• 500 gms baby potatoes
• 6 green chillies (finely chopped)
• 10 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
• 2 tbsp sweet dark soya sauce
• 2 tbsp roasted sesame
• 3 tbsp oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

How to Make

Boil the baby potatoes till half done. Peel and keep aside.

Heat oil in a kadhai (skillet). Add finely chopped garlic and green chillies. Saute for a minute.

 Add the baby potatoes and saute on medium heat till it turns golden and crisp from outside.

Reduce the heat to low and now add soya sauce, salt and pepper. Saute for 3 to 4 minutes on low heat.

Sprinkle the sesame on the potatoes and remove from heat.

Pierce with toothpicks before serving.

TEA MASALA/ CHAI MASALA

A good cup of tea is an ideal way to start a day. There are a number of versions or recipes for preparing tea. The most popular is the Masala chai, an Indian spiced tea with milk.

Either the whole spices or the pre-mixed spice powder can be used to prepare the masala chai. The second option is more convenient and one more advantage is that your tea will always taste the same. It is advisable to make the tea masala in small portions as over the time it may lose its aroma. The given measurements will yield you 60gms of tea masala.

 Recipe for Tea masala

Ingredients for Tea masala

• 3 inches cinnamon stick
• ¼ cup cloves
• ¼ cup green cardamom
• 1 tbsp black peppercorns
• 2 tbsp dried ginger powder or 25gms dried ginger
• 1 small nutmeg or 1tsp grated nutmeg

How to make

Break the dried ginger, cinnamon stick and nutmeg (if using whole) into smaller pieces.

Dry roast the spices accept dried ginger in a thick bottomed pan on medium to low heat for five minutes.

Let all the spices cool before putting them in a mixer jar. Grind it to get a coarse powder. 

Store it in a small airtight jar.