January, 2023 - Vinaya's Culinary Delights

Sheermal.

Posted on January 18, 2023January 18, 2023 by vinayaprabhu2

Kashmir famous for its scenic beauty and the variety of dried fruits is also a food lover’s paradise.

Amidst the love for the famous ultimate banquet wazwan, the Kashmiris also have a special place in their heart for bakery items. . Kashmiri cuisine also known as “Kashur Kyon” in the native language has a heavy influence from the Central Asian and Persian cuisine. The custom of having these breads for breakfast and dinner was adapted from them. In the local language, Tsot is a bread which is enjoyed with fresh apricot jam.. Out of the many, most sought out are the Katlamas, Sheermal, Lavas, Tsot and Tsotchovru. These are either had for breakfast tea or had as snack.

Ingredients:

250 ml Warm milk

2 tsps Sugar

1 tsp Saffron

300 gms Maida

1/2 tsp yeast

1/2 tsp Salt

100 gms melted Ghee

Dried fruits of choice slivered to garnish the Sheermal

1 tsp Ghee to apply on each Sheermal.

Method:

Dissolve saffron in a quarter cup of milk . Keep it aside. Dissolve the sugar and yeast in the remaining milk. Allow the yeast to rise for about five minutes. Tip the flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk sugar mixture, two teaspoons of saffron milk, and the melted ghee.
Start mixing gently and knead to make a soft dough.
Cover with a damp kitchen towel and set aside for about an hour. In colder climates you would need to rest it for about two hours or till the dough doubles in size.
Divide the dough into eight equal-sized portions. Shape them into balls.
Cover with a damp kitchen towel for a further fifteen minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease a baking tray or line with parchment paper.
Working with one ball at a time, roll it out into a disc about 5 inches in diameter. These should be rolled thick .
Place the discs on the prepared tray and bake for 5 minutes. Take the tray out, brush the flatbreads with saffron-infused milk. Immediately return to the oven for another 7 minutes or until the breads are golden and done.
Smear with ghee as soon as you take them out of the oven, top it with the slivered dried fruits and serve warm.

Alternatively, you may roast the Sheermal on a tava/ griddle as I have. Roast it till the side turns light golden yellow. Flip. Roast the other side as well. Brush both sides with the saffron milk and roast to a golden brown.

For more vegetarian recipes please join Vegetarian Culinary Delights by Vinaya on Fb.

Urad Dal ke Pakode

Posted on January 18, 2023January 18, 2023 by vinayaprabhu2

Urad dal ke pakode is a tasty treat made on all auspicious occasions – marriages, birthdays, Mundan, and also during Diwali. It is also made as an offering to the Gods. Urad is considered an auspicious grain in Uttarakhand. Therefore a celebration is never complete without these delicious urad dal pakodas. On days when it is not used as an offering, finely chopped onions and coriander leaves are added. Posting the traditional one today.

Ingredients:

250 gms Urad dal/ split black gram

1 tsp coarsely crushed seeds

6 green chillies chopped fine

1 tsp garam masala

Sesame seeds (optional)

Salt

Oil to fry the pakoda

Method:

Wash and soak the Urad dal for five hours. Drain and grind the dal in a wet grinder or in the mixer to a smooth and fluffy batter. Tip into a bowl. Add the finely chopped chillies, coarsely crushed cumin seeds, garam masala and salt. Mix thoroughly.
Heat oil in a pan. Drop in tiny portions of the batter into the hot oil and deep fry them to a deep golden yellow. Transfer them on to a paper towel. Serve with chutney or tomato ketchup.

Note: if using the sesame seeds, balls of the batter have to be dropped into sesame seeds and then fried.

For more vegetarian recipes please join Vegetarian Culinary Delights by Vinaya on Fb.

Kashmiri Radish raita.

Posted on January 16, 2023January 16, 2023 by vinayaprabhu2

Muji chetin or radish raita from the Kashmiri cuisine is served with a Modur pulao or even with rice and Rogan Josh. The slight sharpness of the radish is toned down in the sweetness of curd . It is a very simple but delicious raita.

Ingredients:

1 tender radish

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 cup thick yogurt

2 green chillies minced

A pinch of pepper

Salt .

Method:

Wash and peel the radish. Grate it and set it aside. Tip the cumin seeds into a pan and lightly toast them until fragrant. Crush the seeds coarsely. In a medium sized bowl mix together the grated radish, yoghurt, coarsely crushed cumin seeds, pepper, minced chillies and salt. Refrigerate.. Allow the flavours to infuse for about an hour. Serve chilled.

For more vegetarian recipes please join Vegetarian Culinary Delights by Vinaya on Fb.

Punjabi Papad.

Posted on January 14, 2023January 14, 2023 by vinayaprabhu2

The Papads made in North India invariably have cumin seeds and pepper added to them. The flour used is either Urad dal/ black gram or Moong dal/ green gram or a combination of both. Sharing the recipe of the Punjabi Papad which uses only urad dal flour. You can fry, roast or microwave these papads as per preference. I have already posted the recipe to the Rajasthani papad… Just replace the moong dal flour with another measure of urad dal flour. Rest of the ingredients remain the same.

https://vinayasculinarydelights.com/rajasthani-papad/

For more vegetarian recipes please join Vegetarian Culinary Delights by Vinaya on Fb.

Thali Meal – 144

Posted on January 14, 2023January 14, 2023 by vinayaprabhu2

Posting a traditional Punjabi thali prepared on Lohri, the harvest festival celebrated in Punjab, a region in North India. Groundnuts, mustard, sugarcane and radish are harvested after the winter season. This is a festival dedicated to the girl child.

The links to each of the items is given below.

https://vinayasculinarydelights.com/makki-di-roti-sarson-da-saag/

https://vinayasculinarydelights.com/mooli-ki-subzi/

https://vinayasculinarydelights.com/baingan-ka-bhartha-roasted-aubergine-with-tomatoes-recipe/

https://vinayasculinarydelights.com/cauliflower-pakora-recipe/

https://vinayasculinarydelights.com/green-chilly-pickle/

https://vinayasculinarydelights.com/caramel-popcorn-with-jaggery/

https://vinayasculinarydelights.com/til-bugga-sesame-and-khoya-fudge/

For more vegetarian recipes please join Vegetarian Culinary Delights by Vinaya on Fb.

Mooli ki subzi.

Posted on January 14, 2023January 14, 2023 by vinayaprabhu2

Mooli ki subzi is prepared in Punjab and Rajasthan and the ingredients used in both regions is almost the same. Radish is chopped fine and cooked along with the leaves with a few spices . The leaves have a distinct pungent and peppery flavour.

Ingredients:

1 Mooli/ Radish chopped into bits

1 cup Mooli Ke Patte /Radish Greens chopped fine

1 tsp oil of choice

1/2 tsp Ajwain/Carom seeds

1/4 tsp Asafoetida / Hing

1/4 tsp ginger grated

2 Green chillies chopped fine

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

Salt .

Method:

Wash the radish and its leaves thoroughly under running water. Chop radish into fine pieces. Chop stem and leaves of radish fine.

Heat the oil in a pan. Add asafoetida and the carom seeds. Once the carom seeds change colour add the grated ginger and green chillies.

Add the chopped radish, leaves and stems . Cook them covered until the leaves wilt. Add salt, turmeric and red chilly powder. Mix well and cook till the radish is done.

For more vegetarian recipes please join Vegetarian Culinary Delights by Vinaya on Fb.

Til Bugga/ Sesame and Khoya fudge.

Posted on January 13, 2023January 13, 2023 by vinayaprabhu2

Til Bugga is a traditional dessert prepared in North India on Makar Sankranti . It is specially prepared in the winter season as Til/ sesame is believed to keep the body warm. It consists of dry roasted sesame/til seeds with mava/khoya and sugar. Only with these three ingredients a delectable dessert is ready in no time.

Ingredients:

250 gms Til/ sesame

200 gms Khoya/ mava

1 tsp cardamom powder

200 gms powdered sugar

Cashewnuts and kishmish as required.

Method:

Dry roast the sesame seeds on a low flame till they turn golden brown and start to splutter. Tip them on a large plate and allow them to cool. Keep aside two tablespoons of the sesame seeds for garnishing and powder the remaining coarsely. Heat a pan and roast the khoya on a low flame . At first it melts and then starts coming together leaving the sides of the pan. Allow it to cool. Tip the powdered sesame seeds, sugar, khoya and cardamom powder into a bowl. Knead well. Roll into balls and garnish with cashewnuts, raisins and a sprinkling of roasted sesame seeds as shown in the above picture.

For more vegetarian recipes please join Vegetarian Culinary Delights by Vinaya on Fb.

Makki di roti, Sarson da saag.

Posted on January 13, 2023January 13, 2023 by vinayaprabhu2

Makki di Roti Sarson da Saag, is a traditional Punjabi delicacy. It is prepared mainly in the winter season in the Punjab region as mustard leaves are in abundance. Makki ki roti is a flat unleavened bread made from corn meal/ flour primarily eaten in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand in North India. Like most rotis in the Indian subcontinent, it is baked on a tava and served hot drizzled with ghee.

Ingredients for Makki di roti:

2 cups Makki ka atta/ flour

1½ cups Lukewarm water

½ tsp Carom seeds

Ghee

Salt

Method:

Tip the flour into a large bowl. Add salt and carom seeds. Mix it well until combined.

Gradually add water . Mix it well. Make sure you add water slowly to the dough to maintain the dough’s consistency. Keep adding water until the liquid is fully incorporated and the mixture comes together like a dough. Gently bring the dough together, cover and let the dough rest for 8-10 minutes.
Divide the dough into 4 equal parts.

Heat a griddle/ tawa.
Now, take a plastic sheet . Grease the plastic sheet and place it on a rolling board.

Take one dough ball and place it in between the sheets of plastic. Drizzle some oil on top of it.
Fold the plastic sheet over the dough ball. Flatten the dough ball with your hands.
Move your fingers in a circular motion and pat the dough until it forms a large circle.

Carefully lift it and transfer it on to hot griddle/ tawa. Cook the roti from one side until you see some bubbles on the surface. Flip and roast on the other side as well.

Once evenly brown, remove from heat and apply ghee on the roti. Repeat the process with the remaining dough.

Serve the roti hot drizzled with ghee.

Ingredients for Sarson da saag:

Sarson da saag

1 bunch Mustard leaves

½ bunch Spinach

1/2 bunch Bathua leaves

2 Onions roughly chopped

1 inch piece of ginger

7 cloves of garlic

7 green chillies chopped

2 tbsps corn meal/ makki ka aata

4 tbsps Ghee

Salt .

Method:

Wash the mustard, spinach and bathua leaves under running water thoroughly. Roughly chop the leaves and blanch them.

Drain the water and make a smooth paste of the leaves. Make a paste of the ginger, garlic and green chillies.

Add two tbsps Ghee in a pan. Drop in the chopped onions and fry for around 3-4 minutes till translucent.
Add the ground ginger, garlic and green chilly paste. Saute for a couple of minutes. Add salt and the paste made of the leaves. Add the cornmeal to the mixture and sauté for two more minutes.
Check for salt. Cook the mixture for about fifteen minutes.
Add the remaining Ghee and switch off the flame. Serve with a dollop of butter.

For more vegetarian recipes please join Vegetarian Culinary Delights by Vinaya on Fb.

Rajasthani papad.

Posted on January 11, 2023January 11, 2023 by vinayaprabhu2

The legendary Rajasthani papad is thin, crisp, round shaped made from pulses along with black pepper and cumin seeds. You can roll them out either large, medium or small depending on preference. These papads can be served as an accompaniment, can be cooked as a subzi, crushed to make a churi – along with ghee and spices, served with fresh onions, tomatoes and masalas for a quick snack.

Ingredients:

250 gms moong dal flour

250 gms urad dal flour

250 ml water

2.5 tsps salt

1 tsp Papad khar

3/4 tsp Cumin seeds

3/4 tsp pepper corns coarsely crushed

1/2 tsp turmeric powder.

Method:

Sieve the flours together. Tip the water into a pan and add the cumin seeds, turmeric powder, papad khar and salt. Bring to a boil. Switch off and allow to cool down for around ten minutes. Keep about 7 tbsps of flour aside to dust the pellets while rolling them out. Take the flour in a large bowl. Drop the crushed pepper corns into the flour. Pouring a little water at a time bind a stiff dough. Divide the dough into four portions. Take each portion and pound it in a mortar till it becomes smooth and elastic. It takes about fifteen minutes to pound all the four portions. Keep them covered for about five minutes. Take one portion and pinch off equal sized balls depending on how big you want the papad to be. I prefer making small sized ones as they are easier to roll out and fry too.

Dust the ball/ pellet with a little flour and roll out the papad as thin as possible. Similarly finish off with the remaining dough. At no point of time the dough should be left uncovered.

Spread a cloth or a plastic sheet and place the rolled out papad on them. Allow to dry thoroughly in strong sun for around four hours. Dry them for a longer time if you are making a large batch and plan to store them.

These papads can be fried or roasted as per preference.

For more vegetarian recipes please join Vegetarian Culinary Delights by Vinaya on Fb.

Strawberry Lassi.

Posted on January 11, 2023January 11, 2023 by vinayaprabhu2

Here is a strawberry Lassi…. Lassi loaded with sweet strawberries that are in season. This is a winter speciality.

I have already posted the basic Lassi recipe in this website. Just blend fresh strawberries along with the Lassi..

https://vinayasculinarydelights.com/basic-sweet-lassi-sweetened-yoghurt/

For more vegetarian recipes please join Vegetarian Culinary Delights by Vinaya on Fb.