Double ka Meetha

This is a dessert recipe made with bread as base. Its simple to make and a sure treat for parties.



Ingredients
White Bread- 8 slices
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Water - 2 cups
Milk - 2 cups
broken Cashews - 2 tbsp
Pistachios - 2 tbsp
Raisins - 2 tbsp
Oil - for deep frying

Procedure

1. Slice the bread and keep it out overnight to remove the excess moisture. Else you can even keep in it oven over 300F for 15 mts

2. Heat the milk in a pan. When it comes to a boil simmer it. This has to boiled on low flame until it reduces to 1/2 cup. Keep stirring it every now and then so that milk doesn't settle on the corners. After it reduces to 1/2 cup turn off the flame

3. When the milk is boiling, make the sugar syrup parallel. Heat 2 cups of water in a bowl and add sugar to it. Boil this for 10 minutes and keep it ready

4. Deep fry the sliced bread pieces in hot oil/ghee until dark brown on both sides. Be careful not to burn itas bread tends to cook fast. Fry the nuts and raisins in the same oil and keep it aside

5. Soak the fried bread pieces in the sugar syrup and remove it quickly once it absorbs the syrup and keep it on a serving dish. Do the same for all the bread pieces and arrange them in a serving dish preferably a large tray

6. Over these bread slices pour the simmered milk and on top arrange the fried nuts and raisins.

7. Double ka Meetha is ready to serve. This can be served hot or cold.

Note:
Since bread is deep fried it takes too much oil. If u r very health consious, just toast the bread pieces in oven on 400F for 15-20 mts. This may not be evenly browned. After this follow steps 5 to 7 and its equally good.

Naan with Gobi Manchurian

Naan

I wanted to try home-made Naans for a long time but got missed somehow (except for my first failure long back). I saw a Naan recipe without yeast in rakskitchen and wanted to try. Believe me it was really good. My husband didn't believed its homemade and it was soft and fluffy. Check out here for the actual recipe and I replaced cooking soda with Eno fruit salt.



Gobi Manchurian

Ingredients
Cauliflower florets- 2 cups
Chopped Onion - 1 cup
cut Capsicum - 1 cup
Green chili - 1
Tomato sauce/ketchup - 2 tbsp
Soy sauce - 2 tbsp
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Salt
Oil

Gobi masala
Corn flour - 1 tbsp
Plain flour - 1 tbsp
Rice flour - 1/2 tsp (optional for crispiness)
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
soy sauce - 1/2 tsp
salt

Procedure:

Marinate the cauliflower florets with the ingredients mentioned under Gobi masala. sprinkle little water and mix them well and keep aside for 20 mts

After 20 mts deep fry the marinated gobi florets and keep aside (too tempting and may get over before gravy gets ready..make sure to make a little more)

Pour oil in a wide pan and saute onions till they become soft.

Add ginger garlic paster and green chill. Fry while till the raw smell goes away.

Mix the capsicum and fry for a while.

Its now time to add the sauce. Add enough tomato and soya sauce according to taste. If you want gravy add 1/2 cup water.

Now add the fried cauliflower and mix well.

Garnish with spring onions and coriander leaves and serve hot


Tip:

If you are preaparing ahead, warm up the gravy and add cauliflower just before serving as it tends to become soggy.

Sugar Cookies

Simple sugar cookies to win the hearts of kids..even elders too...



Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour/maida

1/2 tsp baking pwd

1 pinch cardamom powder

1 egg

1/2 cup melted butter

3/4 cup sugar

pinch of salt


Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a baking tray with parchment paper/foil.

Sift salt, flour and baking pwd and keep aside. Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, approx 3 mts. Add cardamom powder and egg and combine well. Add the flour mixture, mix until well combined. Refrigerate dough covered with a plastic wrap for an hour until firm enough to roll.

Remove half of the chilled dough from the refrigerator and on a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of 1/4 “. Keep turning the dough as you roll. Cut out desired shapes using a lightly floured cookie cutter and transfer cookies to the baking tray.

Place the baking tray with the unbaked cookies in the refrigerator for 10-15 mts to chill. This prevents the cookies from spreading and losing shape while baking.

Make any of the decorations below or simply sprinkle sugar over them. Bake for about 10 mts till the edges are slightly toasted or till done.

Cool on a wire rack. The cookies will harden. Repeat with remaining dough.

Cool completely. Store in airtight containe


Decoration:

Chocolate:

Place some chocolates in a bowl and keep it over boiling water to melt them. Dip edge of spoon or fork into the melted chocolate and decorate over the cookies just before putting into the oven to bake.




Jam:

Make a ball out of the cookie dough and slightly press them to form a circle shape. Slightly make a dent in the center of the cookies; fill with jam and put into the oven to bake

Apple sauce chutney (Microwave)

This is an instant chutney which you can prepare with few readily available stuffs. I had some apple sauce which I wanted to finish before its expiry. So I browsed some recipes and made some alterations and cameout with this easy instant chutney. This has a sweet and very mild spice taste and the crunchiness of the onions adds the extra flavor for this. I tried with dosa and it tasted awesome. This can be used as the sweet chutney for chats too.

This can be made on stovetop also.



Wat u need:

Apple sauce - 2 tbsp
grated ginger - little
grated orange peel- little
finely chopped onion - 2 tbsp
water - 1/2 cup
chilli powder - 1/4 tsp
oil - 1/2 tsp
salt


How to do:

Mix onions and oil in a microwave safe bowl and cook on high for 1 min

Add all the other ingredients except water, mix well and cook covered for 1 min

Now add water and cook covered(or else it may boil over) for 3 mins stirring inbetween every min. Check for the desired consistency. If its too watery cook for some more time.

Garnish with coriander leaves, mix well and serve.