Kaanji....

Well, if you are Punabi or Marwari, you know what  I am talking about.

Kaanji is an age old body coolant that is made in households of north and north west India. Its not only a body coolant but aids in digestion and is a very good liver tonic. My first memories of kaanji take me to lanes of  Old Delhi... Khari Baoli ... where any food lover can lose his senses... heaps of spices... aromats lacing the air with with a  different aroma every ten steps... Moving from Pungent Chilies... Earthy Henna ... Sharp Mustard.... or fragrant Fennel .There is something for everyone  here...

During the months of early winter when the mornings have a nip ... its perfect time to make kaanji ... which can be made from many ingredients. The one that i am going to show you is Kaali gajar ki Kaanji ...
Kaali Gajar or black carrots are an overtly sweet root vegetable... like parsnips ... avaiable only during winters.. they can be replaced with  equal quantity of regular carrot and beetroot

so here goes .....

Ingredients 

Water 6 lt

Salt 6 tsp 

Sugar 1 tbsp 

Kashmiri Chili Powder 3 tbsp 

Hing ( asafoetida ) 1 pinch 

Black Carrots 1 Kg cut in fingers 

Coarsely Ground Mustard Seeds ( red mustard seeds) 6 tsp 

Method

bring the water to a boil 

add all the ingredients except the mustard 

bring to a gentle boil and simmer for 2 -3 minutes 

pour in a glass jar and wait till it cools to just a little warmer than room temperature 

add the mustard and stir well 

cover with a tight lid and keep in the sun for four days

do not leave outside at night as the dew will spoil it . 

six days later, the kaanji will turn sour and the black water will turn into a bright maroon.... its a sour and salty beverage ..., and the carrots can be eaten with the kaanji or as a pickled vegetable. The process is very similar to what the Middle Eastern cuisines use as pickled vegetables with the shawarma or doner kebab..

Gulaab Ki Thandi Kheer

Seasons of spring brig on floral fragrances, honey colored pleasant mornings, and breezy soothing evenings. The season of spring also brings the onset of festivals like Basant Panchmi and  Holi . The floral fragrances floating in the air inspired me to bring to you a recipe that is a family favorite during this time of the year.

Gulaab Ki Thandi Kheer

Milk 500 ml

Paneer 50g

Khoya 50g (grated)

1 tsp corn flour

Sugar ¾ cup (powdered)

Gulkand 1 heaped tbsp (rose petal relish )

Rose water 1 tsp

Rose petals fr garnish

Method 

         

Heat milk  till it gets a little thicker

 Blend the paneer in the mixer till its a smooth paste and add to the milk

Add khoya and sugar and and stir it for a few minutes on a slow flame

with a little cold milk, dissolve the corn flour

add to the milk and stir till the milk thickens avoiding lumps

Add the gulkand and rose water and stop coking

Serve chilled garnished with rose petals 

P.s. do wash the rose petals before use . soak them in chilled water for better look 

P.s. gulkand can be bought from any paan shop

Let this mild and fragrant dessert bring to u a joyous  Basant Panchami ..and Happy Holi 

Som Tam - Thai Papaya Salad

When it comes to comfort food, this tops my list. Yes, I know, Kachha Papita , Kancha pepe, but just give it a shot. This is pure bliss.. texture  color, freshness and health all packed in a single dish . The cutting is the main thing in this salad for the perfect thin julienne, please use a peeler and make slices  if papaya and carrot and then further shred it down. Grating will not give the same effect. 

Raw Papaya 300g

Carrot 1 nos

Spring Onion 50g

Onion 1 nos Sliced

Coriander stems 1 tbsp Chopped

Crushed Peanuts 50g

Coriander leaves for garnish

For dressing

Oil few drops

Ginger ½ tsp grated

Garlic ½ tsp grated

Green Chili 1 chopped

Jaggery (gur) / palm sugar 2 tbsp

Fish sauce 1/2 tsp

Vinegar 2 tbsp

Salt

Pepper

MSG

• For dressing, heat oil and fry green chili , ginger and garlic,
• add the jaggery and vinegar and cook till a this syrup is formed
• add the seasonings and leave oil on the sides
• finely shred the papaya and the carrot
• soak in iced water for a few minutes till crisp and arrange on a  plate
• top with crushed peanuts and coriander stems and onion
• and gently pour the dressing when cool
• Garnish and serve

P.s. if u dont have fish sauce , or you are vegetarian, this tastes just as good without it.. u can also substitute fish sauce with drop of LEE KUM KEE Oyster Mushroom Sauce. 

Khapun Kahp... see you soon with another recipe

Strawberry Gateaux .... LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT

Winter brings to us a lot of things, pleasant weather, happiness, celebration, and my favorite of them all Strawberries. A strawberry is not a fruit, its a symbol of love, a mouthful of strawberry and cream and feel like a blissful winter morning fulling your sense. 

Have been making this Gateaux for years now.... and its never failed to bring a smile .. 
A gateaux can be good and with a little care it can become mind blowing. Here is a recipe for a gateaux as light as cotton.. 

For Cake 

100 g sugar

5 eggs 

Red Colour few drops 

Maida 110 g 

• beat eggs and sugar till sugar is dissolved and the eggs become stiff like whipped cram 
• add few  drops red colour 
• fold in the maida with a fork, be very gentle 
• bake in a lined cake tin at 190 degrees for 25 mins.. 

For Icing 

300 g whipped cream 

4 tbsp icing sugar

chopepd strawberries 1 cup 

light sugar syrup with a hint of strawberry essence  1/2 cup 

• mix suagr and cream together 
• cut the cake into three and layer soaking cake with sugar syrup 
• add a layer of cream and strawberry 
• repeat the process with second layer
• top with third layer and cover in cream 
• garnish as desired with chopped strawberries 

Drunken Christmas ... HIC HIC HIC !!!

Cooking is  BAD BAD profession, one does not realise where time flies, cooking transports one to a level where people, money, sorrow, joy, they all just become hazy and one one can thing of is ... aroma, magic, texture, presentation, and to top it all off intoxication.

speaking of intoxication, we are at the time of the year when intoxication is at its all time high, yupp you guessed it right, Chirstmas. with every single cake shop already working on the fruit cake, I too decided to soak my fruits in an ocean full of booze .

what went in .

Almonds
Prunes
Figs
Cranberries
Dates
Walnuts
Cashew
Raisin
Glazed Cherries
tutti-fruity

and then came the spices
Mace
Nutmeg
Cinnamon
All spice

and the Booze

Rum
Whisky
Red wine
Port
Brandy
vodka

well, some people tell me that my cake is a tad bit Boozy, well whats a Christmas without the warmth of spices and the rum filling you up..

The Mixture is soaked.... sealed... and locked away for a month... and will open and get baked ..

Christmas cake baking is addictive, the combined aromas of the spices and even beacon people to come over and just forget the mundane-ity of day to day like, grab a piece... or two.... or maybe three....
and just here soft Christmas carols and slip away into a place call Happiness...

Karha Prashad.. (aate ka halwa)

When it some to some sweets of daily eating, punjabi households bring up halwas. Be it religious ceremonies, or the arrival of a new bride, or any festivity, the Halwa holds a rather important place in the culinary repertoire of most Indian house-wives. I have grown up eating some of the best versions and this particuar one is a monsoon favourite. The Aaate ka Halwa is the Karha Prashaad served in Gururdwaaras all across the world and i have grown up eating this on rainy days.

an easy recipe, just a few places one needs to be careful 

Ghee 1 cup 

Atta 1 cup 

Sugar 1 cup

Water 2 cups 

cardamom powder 1/2 tsp 

Cashew nuts 1 handful 

• Make a sugar syrup with sugar, water and cardamom powder 
• melt ghee in a pan and add atta before the ghee is too hot 
• cook the atta in the ghee till u get a biscutty aroma 
• add cashew till the atta turns golden 
• gently add the sugar syrup and stir vigorously 
• cook till the halwa thickens and leaves the edges of the kadhai clean.

sugar syrup

ghee 

atta ( whole wheat flour)

Voila...

this recipe is super easy... and still a comfort food.. try and lemme know how it was...

Adios....

Instant Pizza Dough !!

Wonder why we hesitate to make pizza at home? Well, for the people i know mostly because of the dough. one can never really get that same flavor with that of a market made pizza base. As a chef I like my pizza thin, crusty and fresh. What does one do if they don't have yeast at home? I came up with this innovative idea and tried and Voila ! it worked

Instant Pizza Dough

Refinef Flour 2 cups
Curd 2 tbsp
Salt
sugar 1 tsp
Eno (fruit salt) 1 tsp
water

• Knead the dough and keep aside for 20 mins 
• Knock back 
• and use 
• This recipe will yield dough doe 4 8 inch pizzas 

follows steps as shown in the pictures

you will need the following

Pizza Sauce 2 cups
Parmesan cheese 100g
mozzarella cheese 100g
processed cheese 100g
chopped olives 3 tbsp
chopped jalapenos 3 tbsp
handful of golden corn
few slices of capsimum

Layer as shown in Pictures

Roll Dough on Baking tray

Top with Generous amount of Pizza Sauce

Spread Evenly all over the base

Sprinkle Parmesan Cheese 

Add Processed Cheese and Mozzarella 

Add The Veggies 

Preheated oven at 250 degrees Celsius 

10 - 15 mins of baking til crust is golden 

 Voila !! The thin crust pizza is ready.... serve hot.....