Chena Murki

Chena Murki step by step instructions:

Before marriage I had never thought that I would be so involved in cooking and will ever make chena murki; as this sweet seemed tough to me because my mom had never made it, and hence, I never learnt it.

Among many, Chena Murki has always been very dear to me. On every Diwali, I always got a chance to relish chena murki at my friends’ home and at my home. I used to tell my mother to bring this sweet from the market. And I say Diwali specifically because on other days of the year sweets like kaju katli, mysore pak, besan chakki etc were prepared at home itself. Ours is a family where market brought sweets is a rare affair. Hence this diwali I will treat myself with this tasty sweet.

Chena murki is very simple to make; Paneer (cottage cheese) cubes coated with sugar. I have made paneer at home itself. You can use either homemade or store bought paneer. Do try this recipe and share your feedback.

Let us start cooking!!!

Ingredients:
Milk: 1 litre
Vinegar: 2 tbsp
Sugar: ½ cup
Milk: 1 tbsp
Water: little less than half cup
Vanilla essence: ½ tsp (optional)
Kewra essence: ½ tsp
Rose water: 1 tsp (optional)

Method:
1. Boil milk. Take it off the flame and put vinegar into it. The milk will curdle.

2. Separate the fresh paneer from whey by using a muslin cloth over a sieve.

3. Wash the paneer with cold water so that the sour taste of vinegar goes off. Squeeze it well.

4. Now flatten it inside the cloth itself and place some heavy weight over it. Let it be like this for half an hour. After that refrigerate it for an hour or more.

5. Paneer will be set. Take it out from the cloth and cut into small pieces.

6. In a non-stick pan add sugar and water. Stir it continuously. After the first boil comes, add milk to remove the scrum. You will find brown color froth being collected at the edges of the pan. Remove that. This procedure makes the sugar syrup clear.

7. Once the syrup reaches one thread consistency add paneer cubes.

8. While keeping the flame on low only, mix the cubes and syrup continuously. We don’t want our paneer cubes to stick to the bottom and change their color to brown.

9. After 10-12 minutes you will notice that the syrup is completely frothy and have become very less. All our paneer cubes will be well coated with sugar. At this stage add the essence and rose water. Switch off the flame.

10. Take the paneer cubes out on a new plate. Let them cool.
11. Store in an air-tight container in a refrigerator.
12. Yummylicious chena murki is ready.

Tips:
1. One litre of full cream milk makes approximately 150-200 gms of paneer.
2. Do not wait for the stage when the syrup has completely disappeared. The coated sugar might come out of the paneer cubes.
3. You can use lemon juice or curd instead of vinegar for making paneer.
4. Adding vanilla essence changes the color of the paneer cubes to light brown. You can skip adding this essence.

See you soon with a new recipe till then Happy Cooking!!!

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Puran Poli

Puran Poli step by step instructions:

Puran poli is a Marathi delicacy. The puran is prepared from chana dal (split yellow gram) and jaggery as its main ingredient. The poli can be prepared from wheat flour, all-purpose flour (maida) or even rice flour.
In Gujarat the puran is prepared from toor dal.

Puran poli is easy to prepare. The method of preparation is similar to that of making stuffed parathas. So in just one or two tries you will accomplish the perfect puran polis.

The first time I had the puran poli at one of my friend’s house in Mumbai. She is a Marathi and undoubtedly she had prepared the best puran poli. At first I wondered how to eat a plain paratha with ghee but after having a bite of it I realized that it tastes wonderful with ghee. Other accompaniments to it can be curd, aloo ki rasedar sabji, etc.

Let us start cooking!!!

Ingredients:
For the puran (stuffing)
Chana dal: ½ cup (washed and soaked for an hour)
Jaggery: ¼ cup + 1 tbsp
Cardamom: 4 (skin removed and powdered)
Saffron: few strands (powdered)
Dried ginger powder (Saunth): 1 tsp
Nutmeg (Jaiphal): ¼ tsp  (powdered)
Mace (Javitri): an inch (powdered)
Fennel seeds powder (saunf): 1-2 tsp
Ghee: 2 tbsp
For the poli (dough)
Whole wheat flour: 1 cup
Water: ½ cup less 1 tbsp
Ghee: 1 tbsp
Salt: 1 tsp
Ghee for making the puran polis

Method:
1. Wash the soaked dal again and pressure cook for 4-5 whistles with half cup of water.

2. Meanwhile, knead dough. Take whole wheat flour, salt and ghee on a plate and mix well. Add water and knead into soft dough. Cover and keep aside for half an hour.

3. When the pressure releases, strain the dal. Do not throw the water as it can be used to make dals or you can knead dough from it.

4. In a pan heat ghee. Add Cardamom, Saffron, Dried ginger powder, Nutmeg, Mace, Fennel seeds powder. Roast for a few seconds.

5. Add strained chana dal and jaggery. Cook for 12-13 minutes (or until the mixture have turned dry) stirring occasionally. Try to mash the dal while stirring.

6. Take out on a plate and let it cool. If big pieces of dal are there then mash those with the help of a potato masher.

7. Make small balls from the dough.
8. Take one ball of dough and roll it a little.

9. Place 2 tbsp of puran upon it and fold the rolled dough and pinch it tight from the center.

10. Flatten it with the help of your hands.

11. Dust some flour and roll the dough into a circle.

12. Heat tawa and apply ghee over it.
13. Put the puran poli on it and let cook from one side for a minute. Flip it and let it cook. Apply ghee on both the sides.

14. Delicious Puran Poli is ready.

15. Serve it hot with ghee.

Tips:
1. The cooking time of dal varies as per the time of soaking the dal.
2. I made the poli from whole wheat flour. You can take maida, or atta+maida or any ratio of your choice.
3. Do not overcook the dal. It should not be very mushy.
4. You can replace jaggery with sugar.
5. The jaggery should be grated before use.

See you soon with a new recipe till then Happy Cooking!!!

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Rajasthani Masala Makkai Bati

Masala Makkai atta baati step by step instructions:

Rajasthan is famous for dal bati. I know many of you must have had whole wheat dal baati at least once. But have you ever tried masala bati made out of makkai atta? If not, then you must try it at least once. You will start loving batis even more.

Papad khar is an important ingredient of makkai bati just like it is important for making papad. Adding papad khar makes the bati flaky.

You can check my dal bati and sweet corn masala bati.

Let us start cooking!!!

Ingredients:
Makkai Atta (Maize flour): 2 cups
Red chili powder: 1 tbsp
Papad Khar: 1 tbsp
Water: 1 ¾ cup
Cumin seeds: ½ tbp
Carom seeds (ajwain): 1 tbsp
Asafetida: 2 pinches
Salt as per taste
Cooking Oil as required

Method:
1. In a big plate mix together makkai atta, asafetida, salt, papad khar, cumin seeds, and ajwain.

2. Add water and knead semi-soft dough. Cover it and keep aside for half hour.
3. Divide the dough into 8 equal parts.
4. Make smooth balls and flatten them. Press a little bit in the center.

5. In a big kadai boil water. Put the prepared batis into the water and let them boil on medium flame for about 10-12 minutes stirring occasionally.

6. Take them out on a plate.

7. Heat bati oven or tandoor.
8. Keep the batis inside the oven and cover the oven.
9. Let the batis cook for 40-42 minutes on medium to high flame. Check the batis during cooking and flip them when cooked from one side.
10. Take out the batis. Break the batis slightly from the center.

11. Put oil in the batis.
12. Perfect “Rajasthani Masala Bati” is ready.
13. Serve hot with oil, curd, green chutney.

Tips:
1. Do not overcook the batis in water. The bati will not be flaky.
2. If the batis are cooked on low flame, the outer crust of batis will be soft and not crisp.
3. While cooking the batis in water make sure you stir properly as they tend to stick to the kadai base.

See you soon with a new recipe till then Happy Cooking!!!

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