Goosefoot (बथुआ/Bathua) Raita

Goosefoot (बथुआ/Bathua) Raita

 Bathua Leaves 

Ingredients

§         Curd (yogurt)          – 2 cups

§         Bathua (बथुआ) paste – 4 tbsp

§         Black salt to taste

§         Salt to taste

§         Cumin (जीरा) powder – ½ tsp

§         Black pepper powder – ¼ tsp

Method

1.      Bathua Paste :

• Put a handful of bathua leaves in boiling water for 2-3 minutes and then blanch it to retain its green color.
• Grind the blanched bathua to thick paste. Do not add water while grinding the blanched leaves.

2.      Whisk the curd, so that you don’t have lumps in it.

3.      Add the bathua paste. Whisk to a smooth consistency.

4.      Finally add black salt, salt, cumin powder and black pepper powder. Mix well.

Serving

Serve chilled with food.

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Spinach Raita (पालक रायेता)

Spinach (पालक) Raita

Ingredients

§         Curd (yogurt)           – 2 cups

§         Garlic                      – 1 clove

§         Spinach (पालक) paste – 4 tbsp

§         Black salt to taste

§         Salt to taste

§         Cumin (जीरा) powder    – ½ tsp

§         Black pepper powder   – ¼ tsp

  

Method

1.      Spinach Paste :

• Put a handful of spinach leaves in boiling water for 2-3 minutes and then blanch it to retain its green color.
• Grind the blanched spinach to thick paste. Do not add water while grinding the blanched spinach leaves.

2.      Whisk the curd, so that you don’t have lumps in it.

3.      Add the spinach paste and garlic paste. Whisk to a smooth consistency.

4.      Finally add black salt, salt, cumin powder and black pepper powder. Mix well.

Serving

Serve chilled with food.

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Garlic Raita

Garlic Raita

Ingredients

§         Curd (yogurt)      – 2 cups

§         Garlic                 – 3 cloves

§         Black salt to taste

§         Black pepper powder – ¼ tsp

Method

1.      Whisk the curd, so that you don’t have lumps in it.

2.      Grate garlic cloves by a grater having very fine/small grating spikes. You can also use garlic press/garlic grater. The idea is, not to have garlic chunks, as they will not release flavor to the curd and crunching raw garlic wont give you the taste J *

3.      Add the grated garlic to the curd along with black salt and black pepper.

4.      You will love the subtle taste of garlic and enjoy the cool curd.

Serving

Serve chilled. This best combines with Biryani. It not only effectuates coolness but also balances the hot spices of Biryani. It also helps in digestion.

* Alternatively you can fine crush the garlic in a mixer with little water and extract its juice through a muslin cloth.

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Wheat Flour Halwa (आटे का हल्वा)

Wheat Flour Halwa (आटे का हल्वा)

Ingredients

§         Wheat Flour (आटा)      – 1 cup

§         Clarified butter (घी)     – 1 cup

§         Warm water            – 2 cups

§         Cardamom powder      – ½ tsp

§         Chopped nuts             – ¼ cup (raisin, almonds, cashews)

§         Sugar                         – 1 cup

Method

1.      Melt the clarified butter (घी) in a wok over low heat.

2.      Now add wheat flour (आटा). Stir constantly till you get a brownish color. Wheat is brown in itself. When it is roasted well, you will see a rich darker brown color. *

3.      While the wheat is roasting, warm the water in another vessel and keep it ready to be poured into the wheat flour mixture.

4.      Now add sugar in the wok. Mix well with the roasted wheat. Make a small well in the mixture.

5.      Pour in warm water in this well and stir immediately. A quick hand work is needed here.

6.      Keep stirring constantly till its done. When the halwa is done, you can see that it is moving easily in the wok without you holding the wok. It will not stick to the wok anymore and withdraw itself from the walls of the wok.

7.      Lastly add in the chopped nuts of your choice and mix the cardamom powder.

8.      A well done halwa is noticed by a smooth, lump free texture J. It just melts in your mouth J.

Serving

Serve hot as it is and sprinkle few more chopped nuts.

* It is very important to stir continuously during the whole recipe, else there are chances of lumps and wheat flour browning un-evenly and burning.

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Gram Flour Halwa (बेसन का हल्वा)

Gram Flour Halwa (बेसन का हल्वा)

Ingredients

1.      Gram Flour (बेसन)       – 1 cup (slightly coarse texture is recommended) (हल्का दरदरा)

2.      Clarified butter (घी)     – 1 cup

3.      Warm water            – 2 cups

4.      Cardamom powder      – ½ tsp

5.      Saffron                       – 1 pinch

6.      Chopped nuts             – ¼ cup (raisin, almonds, cashews)

7.      Sugar                         – 1 cup

Method

1.      Melt the clarified butter (घी) in a wok over low heat.

2.      Now add gram flour (बेसन). Stir constantly till you get a light brownish color and a nutty aroma of the gram flour. *

3.      Now add sugar and saffron. Mix well and keep stirring. Let the sugar dissolve.

4.      While the sugar is dissolving, warm the water in another vessel and keep it ready to be poured into the gram flour mixture.

5.      When the sugar is dissolved, you will see the texture has changed and the color has turned even darker brown. Do not overdo the roasting as it will give a burnt flavor at the end.

6.      Carefully add the warm water and stir the mixture well. Keep stirring. This is very important for the whole recipe.

7.      Keep mixing and stirring till it’s done. When the halwa is done, you can see that it is moving easily in the wok without you holding the wok. It will not stick to the wok anymore and withdraw itself from the walls of the wok.

8.      Lastly add in the chopped nuts of your choice and mix the cardamom powder.

9.      A well done halwa is noticed by a smooth, lump free texture J. It just melts in your mouth J.

Serving

Serve hot as it is and sprinkle few more chopped nuts.

* It is very important to stir continuously during the whole recipe, else there are chances of lumps and gram flour browning un-evenly and burning.

Try this recipe and share your comments and/or suggestions.

Banana Sooji Halwa

Banana Sooji Halwa

Ingredients

§         Sooji (semolina)            – 1 cup

§         Sugar                          – ¾ cup

§         Cardamom powder         – ½ tsp

§         Banana (mashed)          – ½ cup

§         Raisins & chopped Almonds – ¼ cup

§         Ghee (Clarified Butter)    – 4 tbsp

§         Water                          – 2 cups

   (For coarse semolina granules, else 1 cup is sufficient. Hot
             water is recommended)

Method

1.      Heat clarified butter (ghee) in a wok over low heat.

2.      Add sooji (semolina) and roast it lightly. Stir constantly till its pale golden in color (like sand). You will get a nice aroma when it reaches its golden brown color. If its roasted to a bit more darker color, no worries, it will still taste great J. *

3.      Add raisins, chopped almonds and mashed banana. Stir for few seconds.

4.      Now add sugar and hot water. Stir well and let it simmer till it absorbs all the water.

5.      Lastly sprinkle cardamom powder and few more chopped almonds and raisins.

Serving

Serve hot as it is. Enjoy the great taste of traditional Indian Sooji Halwa.

* Sooji (semolina) roasted to different levels, gives different end result both in texture and taste. You can adjust its roasting level based on your taste buds. Ideal roasting is, to get a light golden brown color like sand or a bit more darker than this. Too much of roasting will give a burnt taste to the halwa.

Try this quickest and simplest recipe and share your comments and/or suggestions.

Pineapple Sooji Halwa

Pineapple Sooji (Semolina) Halwa

Ingredients

§         Sooji (semolina)                – 1 cup

§         Sugar                             – 1 cup

§         Cardamom powder            – ½ tsp

§         Saffron                           – 1 pinch

§         Raisins & chopped Almonds – ¼ cup

§         Cloves                            – 2  nos. (coarsely crushed)

§         Pineapple pulp                  – ¼ cup

§         Pineapple chunks/grated     – ¼ cup

                                            (Use only the outer soft portion of the pineapple.)

§         Ghee (Clarified Butter)       – 4 tbsp

§         Water                             – 2 cups

   (For coarse semolina granules, else 1 cup is sufficient. Hot
             water is recommended)

Method

1.      Heat clarified butter (ghee) in a wok over low heat.

2.      Add sooji (semolina) and roast it lightly. Stir constantly till its pale golden in color (like sand). You will get a nice aroma when it reaches its golden brown color. If its roasted to a bit more darker color, no worries, it will still taste great J. *

3.      Add raisins, chopped almonds, pineapple pulp, pineapple chunks (or grated pineapple), crushed cloves and saffron. Stir for few seconds.

4.      Now add sugar and hot water. Stir well and let it simmer till it absorbs all the water.

5.      Lastly sprinkle cardamom powder and few more chopped almonds and raisins.

Serving

Serve hot as it is. Enjoy the great taste of traditional Indian Sooji Halwa.

* Sooji (semolina) roasted to different levels, gives different end result both in texture and taste. You can adjust its roasting level based on your taste buds. Ideal roasting is, to get a light golden brown color like sand or a bit more darker than this. Too much of roasting will give a burnt taste to the halwa.

Try this quickest and simplest recipe and share your comments and/or suggestions.

Sooji Halwa (original plain sooji/semolina halwa)

Sooji Halwa (original plain sooji/semolina halwa)

Ingredients

§         Sooji (semolina)                – 1 cup

§         Sugar                             – 1 cup

§         Cardamom powder            – ½ tsp

§         Raisins & Chopped Almonds – ¼ cup

§         Ghee (Clarified Butter)       – 4 tbsp

§         Water                             – 2 cups

   (for coarse semolina granules, else 1 cup is sufficient. Hot
             water is recommended)

Method

1.      Heat clarified butter (ghee) in a wok over low heat.

2.      Add sooji (semolina) and roast it lightly. Stir constantly till its pale golden in color (like sand). You will get a nice aroma when it reaches its golden brown color. If its roasted to a bit more darker color, no worries, it will still taste great J. *

3.      Add raisins & chopped almonds. Stir for few seconds.

4.      Now add sugar and hot water. Stir well and let it simmer till it absorbs all the water.

5.      Lastly sprinkle cardamom powder and few more chopped almonds and raisins.

Serving

Serve hot as it is. Enjoy the great taste of traditional Indian Sooji Halwa.

* Sooji (semolina) roasted to different levels, gives different end result, both in texture and taste. You can adjust its roasting level based on your taste buds. Ideal roasting is, to get a light golden brown color like sand or a bit more darker than this. Too much of roasting will give a burnt taste to the halwa.

Try this recipe and share your comments and/or suggestions.