Khoya | Mawa

Khoya | Mawa step by step instructions:

Khoya or Mawa is a must for traditional Indian sweets. It is reduced milk.
At my home, it is a custom to make homemade mawa and especially during festive seasons. It is although a time-consuming procedure but it is very simple to make.
So why not prepare mawa at home and stay healthy by eating all the healthy and yum sweets prepared by it.

Let us start cooking!!!

Ingredients:
Full cream milk: 1 liter

Method:
1. Grease a heavy bottomed pan with ghee and pour the milk into it.

2. Let the milk boil. Slow the flame and let the milk simmer until it gets reduced to crumbles. Make sure you stir the milk occasionally so that it does not stick to the base or corners of the pan.

3. Switch off the flame.
4. Let the mawa (khoya) cool down.
5. Keep in an air-tight container in the freezer.
6. It remains fresh in the freezer for almost 3-4 months.
7. Use as and when required by taking it out from the freezer.
8. Homemade “Mawa|Khoya” is ready!

Tips:
1. 1 liter of milk yields 215 gms of khoya.
2. Stir occasionally to avoid the milk sticking to the pan.
3. 1 liter of milk takes approximately 1 ½ hours to get reduced.
4. To make gulab jamuns we need mawa which is prepared from full cream + skimmed milk. Hence, as per the sweet demands, we can change the milk and get the desired mawa.

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

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Onions Stuffed Moong Dal Dhokli

Onions Stuffed Moong Dal Dhokli step by step instructions:

Dal dhokli is a traditional Gujarati recipe. Basically, it is prepared from tuvar dal (arhar dal/pigeon peas) or skinless moong dal.
But you can try making dal dhokli from other dals also. All will taste wonderful.

Check here the recipe of “Tuvar dal Dhokli”!

Today I thought of stuffing the dhokli with finely chopped onions which gave the dal dhokli a wonderful flavor. If you don’t like onions you can certainly remove it and the dal dhokli would be a perfect meal for Jains even.
Dal dhokli is very healthy and one pot meal. I prefer making it for my dinner. I usually smear a tablespoon of ghee on the dal dhokli which enhances its flavor greatly. I simply relish it.

Let us start cooking!!!

Ingredients:
Skinless Moong dal: ½ cup (110 gms, washed and soaked for 1-2 hours)
Water: 1 ½ cups + 2 cups
Coriander powder: 1 tsp
Turmeric powder: ¼ tsp
Ghee: 1 tbsp
Asafetida: a pinch
Mustard seeds: ¼ tsp
Cumin seeds: ½ tsp
Ginger: a small piece (grated)
Salt as per taste
For the dhokli:
Whole wheat flour (gehun ka atta): ½ cup
Coriander powder: ½ tsp
Turmeric powder: 1/8 tsp
Red chili powder: ¼ tsp
Water: ¼ cup
Salt as per taste
Onion: 1 (65 gms, finely chopped)
Chaat masala: 1 tsp

Method:

For the dhokli:
1. In a plate mix together whole wheat flour, coriander powder, turmeric powder, red chili powder, and salt.

2. Add water and knead into a semi-smooth dough

3. Let the dough rest covered for half an hour.
4. Make two equal balls from the dough.

5. Take one ball and roll it thinly into a circular shape.

6. Similarly, make other roti also.
7. Keep chopped onions on one roti as shown in the image. Sprinkle chaat masala all over.

8. Apply water on the empty spaces of the roti.
9. Keep the other roti on the top of it and press nicely.

10. With the help of a cookie cutter cut into small circles.

11. Press the edges and then give it a design with a fork.

12. The dhoklis are ready!

For the dal:
13. Add 1 ½ cups of water to the dal and pressure cook it along with salt, coriander powder, and turmeric powder. Let it cook for just a whistle.

14. Let the pressure release by itself.

15. Take out the dal in a bowl.
16. Heat ghee in the pressure cooker.
17. Add mustard seeds and let them crackle.
18. Add cumin seeds and fry for a few seconds.
19. Add ginger and fry until it is cooked.
20. Add red chili powder and immediately add water.

21. Add the dal. Mix well.

22. Add the dhoklis and close the cooker lid.

23. Let the cooker make one whistle and then switch off the flame.
24. Let the pressure release by itself.

25. Add coriander leaves and mix well.
26. Serve hot with ghee drizzled all over.
27. Yummy “Onions Stuffed Moong Dal Dhokli” is ready!

Tips:
1. Don’t pressure-cook the dal for a long time.
2. Adjust the water quantity as required.
3. If you don’t like onions, you can skip adding them in the dhokli. Instead, make a thin roti and cut into small pieces and put these pieces in the dal.
4. You can cook the dal and dhokli in a pan also but it will take some more time.

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

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Aloo Bhujia

Aloo Bhujia - Aloo Sev step by step instructions:

Sev (namkeen) is one among the most liked item at my mother’s place. And undoubtedly she prepares wonderful sev. Making sev is no rocket science but just involves proper use of the sev maker machine for making sev.

This bhujia is in comparison with the store bought ones or I can say even much better. You can adjust the taste according to your taste buds and a wonderful snack we have to munch upon with our evening tea.
Adding potatoes make the bhujia crispy and tastier.

For plain sev; check out my besan sev recipe.

Let us start cooking!!!

Ingredients:
Potato: 1 (180 gms, boiled, peeled and grated)
Chickpea flour (besan): 1 cup (125 gms)
Rice flour (Chawal ka atta): 1/4 cup (50 gms)
Dried Mint leaves (Pudina): 1 tbsp (crushed)
Lemon juice: 1 tsp
Red chili powder: 1 tsp
Turmeric powder: 1/4 tsp
Black pepper powder: 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida: 1/4 tsp
Carom seeds powder (Ajwain): 1/2 tsp
Salt as per taste
Oil for frying

Method:
1. In a big plate mix together besan, chawal atta, pudina, lemon juice, red chili powder, turmeric powder, black pepper powder, asafetida, carom seeds powder, and salt.

2. Now add the grated potato and mix well.

3. Knead into a smooth dough. No water will be required. In case you find the dough hard then add some water and knead again.

4. Take a sev maker and grease it well with oil.

5. Wet your hands and take the entire dough and put it into the sev maker.

6. Heat oil. It should be moderately hot.
7. Now keep the sev maker above the oil and twist the maker so that the sev starts coming out of it. Try to move the maker in circular motion over the kadai so that we get rounds of sev.

8. Fry from both sides until the oil stops sizzling and the color of the sev changes.

9. Similarly, do for the remaining dough.
10. Let it cool and store in an airtight container.
11. Serve it as a tea time snack or use in any chaat, bhel etc.
12. Crispy “Aloo Bhujia” is ready.

Tips:
1. Don’t keep the flame on too high otherwise, the sev will burn. And on low flame, the sev will absorb more oil.
2. The sev maker comes with a number of perforated plates. The thickness of the sev depends upon the type of plate you are using.
3. Kneading the flour with the palms helps in achieving crispier sev.
4. Quantity of dried mint leaves can be adjusted as per one’s taste.
5. You can use fresh mint leaves also. Grind the leaves and then add it to the dough.

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

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Chola Palak

Chola Palak step by step instructions:

Chola is liked by many of us. We can surely enhance its flavor by adding palak (spinach). Palak gives a healthy twist to the regular chola and tastes wonderful also.

Do try this recipe and share your feedback!

Let us start cooking!!!

Ingredients:
Chickpeas (Chola): ¼ cup (50 gms, soaked overnight)
Tomato: 1 big (125 gms)
Onion: 1 medium (70 gms)
Garlic clove: 1
Ginger: a small piece
Curry leaves: 4-5
Spinach (palak): 100 gms (made into puree; 1 cup)
Oil: 1 tbsp
Asafetida: 1 pinch
Mustard seeds: ¼ tsp
Cumin seeds: ½ tsp
Red chili powder: ¼ tsp
Turmeric powder: ¼ tsp
Coriander powder: 1 tsp
Chola masala: 1 ½ tsp
Chaat masala: ½ tsp
Kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves): ½ tsp
Water: 2 cups
Coriander leaves: 1 tbsp (finely chopped)
Salt as per taste

Method:
1. Boil the chickpeas with 1 cup water and salt in a pressure cooker for about 20 minutes or for 8-10 whistles. Switch off the flame and let the pressure release by itself.

2. Grind together onion, garlic, and ginger.

3. In a pan heat oil. Add asafetida and mustard seeds. Let the seeds crackle. Add cumin seeds and curry leaves. Fry for a few seconds.
4. Add the onion paste. Mix well. Stir continuously until the raw smell of onion has gone.

5. Grind the tomato.
6. Add red chili powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, and chola masala. Mix well.

7. Add the tomato paste. Mix well. Cook until oil is released from the tomatoes.

8. Add the spinach puree. Mix well and cook for about 7-8 minutes.

9. Add the boiled chickpeas cook for other 10-15 minutes. Add chaat masala and kasuri methi. Mix well.

10. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with roti, paratha, puri, or bhatura.

11. Super delicious “Chola Palak” is ready!

Tips:
1. Always boil the chola with salt. It aids in faster cooking and makes the chola tastier.
2. If you want you can skip adding poppy seeds. But trust me it gives a very good flavor to the gravy.
3. The quantity of water can be adjusted as per one's choice depending on how much gravy you want.

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

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