Luchi aloor dum

Luchi is a Bengali poori very popular with aloor dum.Usually poori is prepared with wheat flour and just deep fry in oil.But Luchi traditionally prepared with all purpose flour ,ghee which is very tasty.I tried luchi few months back, but this time the recipe is more tasty, one of my hit recipe at home.Being very attached to oriya foods  which are very similar to Bengal recipes I got more inputs from my husband.Luchi which goes very well with aloor dum,a popular Bengali  dish made during breakfast and festivals. I Cooked  aloo dum in my style and added spices which suits our taste.I'm posting this recipe in Blogging Marathon#46 under the  theme "Combo dishes"..Here goes my both recipes

 Luchi:

Ingredients: 

• Maida 2 cups
• Ghee 2 tbspns
• water to knead the dough
• salt a pinch( or salt needed for the dough per your taste)
• Sooji 1 tbspn
• oil for deep fry
  
  
  
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PROCEDURE:

• Take a deep bowl add all purpose flour,ghee, Sooji,salt, mix it well.Slowly add enough water to knead the dough.Knead the dough until soft and smooth.Cover the dough with moist cloth.Wait for 15 to 20 mins
• Make a lemon sized balls from the dough and cover it until you cook.
• Roll each dough into round balls without using much flour( you can roll without flour)
• Heat oil in a deep pan or kadai,when it is hot slowly drop pooris in the hot oil,and apply little pressure with a slotted spoon so as to puff the pooris.
• Turn the other side when it just puffs and fry few secs.Remove luchi or poori and drain it on a kitchen towel to remove excess oil.
• Serve luchi with Bengali aloo dum or any curry of your choice.

 Aloor dum

Ingredients;

• Small dutch potatoes around 15 to 20
• Mustard oil 3 tbspns
• Onions 3 small( or 1 big one)
• Poppy seeds 2 tspns
• Ginger 3 to 4 small pieces
• Tomatoes 2 small or 1 big one
• 1 tspn corriander powder
• 1/2 tspn cumin powder
• 1/4tspn turmeric powder
• 2 tspn red chille powder.( kashmiri red chilli powder)
• Dry spices( 3 cardamom,3 cloves 2 cinnamon 1 tbspn fennel seeds,1 red chille..grind all these into fine powder)
• Oil to fry potatoes.( you may deep fry or shallow fry)
• Salt to taste

Procedure

• Boil and peel the  potatoes.Prick them all over with a fork.( Boil until they cook 60 to 80%don't boil until they are soft)
• Heat 5 to 6 tbspn of oil and fry potatoes until they are fried well.no need to fry until golden brown( just fry few mins 5 to 8)
• Take out potatoes on a paper towel just to remove extra oil.
• In the same pan add chopped onions,ginger and fry few mins or until onions just browned lastly add poppy seeds and fry one more min
• Take out the fried onions and let it cool.And grind into fine paste.In the same pan add chopped toamtoes and fry well until we get rid of the raw tomato smell.( around 5 to 6 mins) keep aside and let cool.Grind into  fine paste.
• Now get ready the spice powder and keep aside.
• Heat 3 tbspn of oil or you may use the same pan with left over oil,when it is hot add onion paste,jeera powder,daniya powder,chilli powder, turmeric salt..Fry few mins.
• Add fried potatoes and mix it well.Now add tomato paste, and 1/2 cup water or as per our taste..we can add less water.mix well cover with a lid and let it cook in the gravy around 15 to 20 mins in the medium flame or until potatoes soft ,absorbs masala)
• Now remove the lid and add dry spice powders let it cook few more mins and switch of the stove.Yummy aloor dum is ready.Have it with Luchi..the best combo I ever tasted.
  
  
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Raw banana chips

Raw banana or plantains carry more vitamin A than bananas.Fresh plantains have more  potassium.Plantains make delicious savory recipes used in place of potatoes in baking.Boiled and mashed plantains are used in many recipes.I usually cook fry, cutlet ,dal ,bajji...Usually i replace some of my potato dishes with raw banana whenever raw banana is available to me.This the first time i tried very simple easy recipe which is good while travelling.I'm posting this recipe in BM#46 under the theme car snacks.

Ingredients

• Raw banana 2
• Red chilli powder less than 1/4 tspn
• pepper powder 1/4 tspn
• Chat masala sprinkle on top(less than 1/4 tspn)
• Oil for deep fry

PROCEDURE

• Take 2 raw banana and peel out the skin and cut into thin slices with vegetable slicer.
• In another bowl add raw banana slices,red chilli powder,salt,pepper powder.Mix it well
• Heat oil in pan,when it is hot  drop slices slowly in the oil and fry them until golden brown in medium flame.
• Drain it on a paper towel and sprinkle some chat masala on top and enjoy crispy snack.

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Tutti frutti cookies

Tutti frutti cookies are very delicious and a great snack for everyone.When I bought tutti frutti from Indian grocery I thought to make yummy cake.When i finished  baking cake rest of them store it in refrigerator.Thought cookies goes well with tutti frutti  and addition of custard powder and milk powder gave it a rich taste with very good flavor.I followed Vahrehvah recipe.When I was baking cookies my kitchen filled with nice aroma,my kids who are not sweet lovers rushed to kitchen and keep asking me cookies.Thank god my younger one who is a picky eater loved it.I'm posting this recipe in BM#46 under the theme "car snacks".Here goes my yummy recipe..

Ingredients:

• All purpose flour 1 cup( 250 ml)
• Butter 1/2 cup
• Baking powder 3/4 tspn
• Cardamom powder 2 tspns
• Milk powder 4 tspns
• Custard powder 1/4 cup( 50 gms)
• Tutti frutti 1/2 cup
• Sugar powdered 1/2 cup( you can increase sugar quantity)
• Pineapple essence 1/2 tspn
• Milk 3 tbspn

Procedure:

• Take a large bowl add all purpose flour,tutti frutti,custard powder,milk powder,cardamom powder,Baking powder and mix it well.
• In another bowl cream butter,powdered sugar,fruit essence,milk.
• Slowly add flour mix to the butter cream mix and make it as tight dough.Roll the dough into thin sheet and cut them into desired shapes.
• Preheat oven 375F and bake for 20 to 25 mins.( check after 15 mins if the edges are brown)
• When the edges are brown taken out from the oven and let it cool.Enjoy yummy cookies.

NOTE: Add 1 or 2 tbspn of all purpose flour when you feel the dough is not firm.
       
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Besan pare or spicy crackers

Besan pare is a great snack for everyone.It is one of the delicious snack with few ingredients.Besan pare is crunchy and spicy which is more popular in North India.Namak pare is often made with all purpose flour and wheat flour.I adapted this recipe from Manjulas kitchen.Both kids liked it very much and finished in 2 days.Even while travelling this is great snack for all of us.Just prepare it in one hr and store in a airtight box enjoy your travel munching with spicy snacks.I'm posting this recipe in BM#46 under the theme "Car snacks".Here goes yummy snack.

Ingredients:

1 cup all purpose flour or maida
1 cup besan or gram flour
2 tbspns fine semolina or sooji
4 tbspoons oil
1 tspn salt or per taste
1 teaspoon red chili flakes
1/4 tspn carom seeds(ajwain)
Pinch of hing or asafoetida
1/2cup water
oil for deep fry

Procedure;

• Combine all purpose flour,sooji,gram flour,salt,carom seeds.asafoetida,chiliflakes and oil together.
• Add water as needed to make firm dough( not smooth dough)cover with a damp cloth and set it aside for 10 to 15 mins
• Now knead the dough another min and divide into four equal parts.
• Take each part of the dough and flatten it,,roll them into round circles like chapathi and prick them with a fork all over the dough(this helps not to puff when frying)
• Cut each of round circle into desired shapes,with knife or pizza cutter.
• Heat oil in a frying pan on medium heat,When the oil is ready slowly drop besan pare and fry them both sides until golden brown( always fry in a medium heat)
• When they come to room temperature they should become crispy.They stay fresh and crispy for 2 weeks if we store in a air tight container.
  

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Pesara boorelu( Kudumu boorelu)

kudumu Boorelu or pesara boorelu is a traditional sweet prepared commonly during festival seasons in south India.Moondg dal and grated coconut stuffing gives very good taste to Boorelu.This recipe is my favorite one.During my childhood days Amma used to cook on festivals and our family's most liked traditional sweet recipe.

Ingredients:                                                                                                                                                          

• Rice 1 cup
• Urad dal 1/2 cup
• Moong dal 1 cup
• sugar 1 cup
• Elachi or cardamom powder 1 tspn
• Fresh or frozen grated coconut 1 cup
• Cashews chopped ( small pieces)1/4 cup
• Salt a pinch
• oil for deep fry.
  
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Preparation:

• Soak rice and urad dal in water over night and drain the water from urad dal and rice and grind into smooth paste with very little water.It should be like thick paste,add salt and keep aside
• Soak moong dal in water atleast 2 hrs.After drain the water and grind into coarse  paste by adding little water.( don't blend too soft)
• Now pour 1or 2 tbspn of  moong dal batter in idli moulds and steam cook around 10 to 15 mins.Then allow it to cool.Then chop it and put it in a blender  blend it coarsely.
• In another pan fry grated coconut with just 1 tspn of ghee,fry well until it releases nice aroma.(around  5 to 10 mins)Keep aside.In the same pan fry chopped cashews well.
• Take moong dal mixture in a bowel add sugar,cardamom powder,roasted cashews,roasted grated coconut.Take a lemon size ball in your palm and make into round balls.
• Now dip each moong dal ball in the urad dal batter  and coat it evenly,drop them slowely in oil.Deep fry until golden brown(medium heat.

Note: For  best results of outer layer( more crispy and tasty) ferment the batter over night or keep the batter aside for 6 to 7 hrs before coating.

Cashew pista rolls

Kaju pista roll is a traditional Indian sweet made with cashew,pistachios,condensed milk,milkpowder.It is very easy to prepare when you have all ingredients.I prepare this recipe on occasion of Diwali.Here goes yummy recipe.

Ingredients:

•  2 cups of cashew nuts unsalted
• 1 tin condensed milk( appromimately 1 cup ).
• 2 teaspoons of ghee
• 1 teaspoons of rose water
• 2 cups of pistachio unsalted
•  Green food coloring a pinch(optional)
• 1 tspn of grounded cardamom
• 4 tbspn of milk powder.

Procedure:

• Blend cashews and pistachios to fine powder and keep aside.
• Take a deep non stick pan add grounded cashews,  half of condensed milk,1 spn ghee and mix well in a medium to low flame  around 10 mins or until it is combined well.
• In another pan take grounded pistachio add 1 tspn ghee, remaining condensed milk, cardamom powder,green color mix well around 10 mins or until it is well combined.
• Now stir 2 to 3 tbspn off milk powder in each pan until firm dough is formed.
• Remove from the pan and allow them cool separately.
• Now roll cashew mixture on a zip-lock to form a small rectangle,nearly our palm size.
• Take pistachio mixture and form into a small log less than cashew sheet size.
• Tightly roll cashew around pistachio log and allow it cool in a refrigerator.

Note: I haven't use any sugar as i used sweetened condensed milk.
         Add extra milk powder if you want the pista more firm.

Carrot cake

Carrot cake closely resembles a quick bread in method of preparation (all the wet ingredients, such as the eggs and sugar, are mixed, all the dry ingredients are mixed, and the wet are then added to the dry) and final consistency (which is usually denser than a traditional cake and has a coarser crumbsMany carrot cake recipes include optional ingredients, such as nuts or raisins.The mere fact that the carrot is the main ingredient in this dessert makes the carrot cake one of the healthiest dessert options available.  Carrots are rich in vitamin A, which is reportedly an excellent way to improve night vision. The carrot has also been credited improving the appearance of the skin, hair and nails and lowering cholesterol and blood pressure. Iam posting this recipe in BM#45 UNDER THE THEME "CAKE AND MUFFINS " WITH FRUITS AND VEGETABLES.

Ingredients:

• 1cup of all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup of sugar( I added only1/2 cup of sugar)
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1teaspoon of cinnamon powder
• Pinch of salt
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup of vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup chopped almonds(optional)
• 2 cups of grated carrot
  

Procedure:

• Preheat oven 350F.
• Take a large mixing bowl,mix all dry ingredients together flour,sugar,baking soda and baking powder,cinnamon,salt.
• In another bowl mix wet ingredients eggs,vegetable oil.
• Pour the egg mixture in the bowl with the flour.
• Blend all ingredients together until,combined.,be careful not to overwork the dough.
• Now add grated carrots and chopped almonds.Mix well.
• Grease the baking tray lightly with oil.
• Pour this batter into the baking tray and bake for approximately around 40mins.
• After 40 mins remove from the pan and cool completely.
• Yummy cake is ready.

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