As the pot is Hot add oil ( I have used coconut oil ).
Add cumin seeds in hot oil.
Add onions, amsul/kokum, ginger, curry leaves and little salt to speed up the cooking process of onion.
As the onions are getting translucent, add all the spices like red chili powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, salt and chopped coriander leaves mix everything.
Add black eyed beans ( lobia ) water.
Put the stand / wire rack in curry to put rice which is washed and soaked for 10-15 minutes.
On top of rice add potatoes ( as potatoes were big I chopped them into quarter size).
Stop the instant pot ( press CANCEL button ), cover the lid set the whistle on SEALING mode.
Pressure cook for 10 minutes and open the lid after NPR( Natural Pressure Release).
Curry is ready, add coconut milk and boil on saute mode for 5-7 minutes.
Food is ready to be served.
Tips
You can replace kokum with tomatoes, amchur powder, lemon juice.
Coconut milk is optional. You can replace coconut milk with desiccated coconut.
Instead of potatoes any other vegetable can be steamed using Pot In Pot in Instant pot.
This is a Meditternian dish. Hummus is very easy to make recipe. One can use it as dip, salad dressing, chutney, spread. This is how I make hummus, there are many versions of hummus.
Ingredients
1 cup (Soaked, Boiled and cooled ) Chickpeas Or use canned chickpeas Note: After soaking for 4-5 hours or overnight cook in instant pot for 40-45 minutes.
4-5 Green chillies (Adjust spice level according to taste)
4-5 Garlic
1 tsp Roasted Cumin seeds
1 tsp Salt (Adjust according to taste)
2 Tablespoons Tahini
1/4 cup Oil
1/2 cup Coriander leaves
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Process
It is easy if you make this in food processor, in the shown video I made hummus in blender.
1. Add Chickpeas, Chillies, Garlic, Cumin seeds, Salt in the blender and blend.
2. Add Tahini, oil, Coriander leaves and blend.
3. Lastly add lemon juice. Note: Always use cold chickpeas.
Compote is basically a chunky fruit sauce. This compote can be used in cakes, desserts or spread them on tortilla to make dessert wraps. Also you can use it in shakes, summer drinks to make mock tails.
Let’s start with recipe
Ingredients
Quantity
Ingredient
1 Cup
Strawberry
1/4 Cup
Sugar
1 Teaspoon
Lemon juice
Method
Take strawberry in a pan, add 1-2 tablespoon water. Cover and cook for 5-6 minutes on medium flame.
Add sugar and cook for 3-4 minutes.
Add lemon juice, and switch off gas as compote thickens.
Note: When you slide spatula in pan compote should come together slowly.
4. Compote is ready, let it cool down and store in a clean, dry airtight jar.
Tips
Compote stays good for 15 days in fridge.
Any other fruits like blueberry, blackberry, raspberry, pineapple compote can be made using the same process.
Any sweetener of choice can be added to replace sugar like brown sugar/ raw cane sugar/ maple syrup/ honey.
Soak all dry fruits in the fruit juice for 2 hours to 8 hours.
Heat jaggery and water in a saucepan on low to medium heat till jaggery dissolves in the water.
In a mixing bowl take cold jaggery water and oil, whisk it till oil and water gets combined.
Preheat oven at 355 deg F for 10 minutes.
Sift whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder in jaggery and oil mixture.
Add salt, spice powder and mix it well.
Add soaked dry fruits in wheat flour mixture and use cut and fold method to combine everything.
Grease and line cake tin with parchment paper.
pour cake batter in cake tin and spread the batter evenly and tap it 3-4 times to remove air bubbles.
Decorate cake with dry fruits to your likings.
Bake cake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes. I have used 8″ x 3″ round cake tin. Cooking time will be different if different size or shape cake tin is used.
After 30 minutes check with toothpick or knife for cake ( if any batter stick to toothpick then bake it for more 3-4 minutes else take it out from oven) and let it cool down on wire rack.
After 10-15 minutes take out the cake from cake tin and decorate it with powder sugar, I have used edible silver varkh on it. Cut and serve.
Tips
You can soak dry fruits in any fruit juice or wine to your liking.
Do not over mix the batter. If over mixed the batter then cake will become dense and will not get the spongy texture.
Ground ginger powder also can be added.
If you are using lots of dates just like me then you can reduce the amount to jaggery to your taste.
The cooking time will differ with the different oven temperature or different size or shape of cake tin. Adjust the cooking time accordingly.
The Anarse recipe is a five day process. Do plan accordingly.
Ingredients
220 grams rice
100 grams sugar
100 grams jaggery
100 grams poppy seeds
Ghee or oil for flying
Process
Take one cup of rice in a bowl. Wash it thoroughly 3 to 4 times. Let the rice soak in water for 10-12 hours.
Wash rice 1-2 times and let it soak again for 10-12 hours. Repeat the process for 3 days.
We basically doing is we are fermenting rice.
after three days, take out all the rice on the strainer. let all the excess water drain out. spread rice on a cotton cloth / paper towel to absorb remaining water. let them dry for 10 to 15 minutes. At this point, rice grains are moist but not wet.
Grind this moist rice in grinder. Sieve the rice flour using strainer. Grind big particles of rice again. Finally we should have a fine rice flour that is little moist.
Add 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/2 of jaggery. You can vary proportion of sugar and jaggery as per your taste. You can also use only sugar or only jaggery too.
Mix it well with rice and cover it. Keep it aside for 24 hours. Moisture and sugar/jaggery combination make it soft like dough during this time.
If you cannot form the dough that means the mixture was drier than expected. Mash a small chunk of banana. Add a teaspoon of mashed banana to the mixture. Add up to 2-3 teaspoons of mashed banana – 1 teaspoon at a time – to form the dough. Alternatively, you can use yogurt/curd. Add 1/2 teaspoon of yogurt/curd and mix it well until dough is formed.
Take a spoonful poppy seeds in a plate plate or parchment paper or plastic bag. Place a small ball of dough on poppy seeds. Dip first 2 fingers in oil and spread to 2 fingers of other hand. Lightly press the ball and roll it in round motion. Repeat press and roll motion few times until you get even and flat Anarsa. It takes some practice to make circular shape. Don’t worry if you don’t get it in very first attempt.
Tip: Thin Anarsa is crispy. Keep them a little thick to get soft texture.
Heat ghee in frying pan and heat it on medium setting for 3-4 minutes. It is very important to get the temperature just right. Too low and Anarsa will stick to bottom; too high and Anarsa will get burnt on outside and remain undercooked inside.
Put a tiny ball of dough in ghee to check temperature. The dough ball should take 2-3 seconds to float to top. If it takes longer, let ghee heat for a minute or two and check again. If it pops to top right away, turn off the heat and wait a minute or two. Turn on heat on medium setting and check again.
Pick up Anarsa and slide it into ghee with poppy seed side up. Use a spoon to splash some ghee on top of Anarsa from time to time. We are not going to flip it over. This ghee will fry top side of Anarsa and also make is porous.
Take out Anarsa when it has turned pink. It is super hot at this time. Let it sit for few minutes. Hot ghee remaining in Anarsa will cook it and turn little darker. Avoid getting darker tone in frying pan to avoid burnt taste.
I usually let Anarse cool down in a strainer sitting on top of roasted Besan – also known as chickpea flour. Excess ghee from Anarse will be soaked by Besan and I will use it later to make Laddoos.
Tips
Use the rice which is harvested in previous seasons.Rice should be washed after every 10-12 hours, otherwise they will stink a lot.
Rice should be ground very fine and sifted through fine sieve.
Proportion of rice to sweetener should be perfect, else Anarse will spread.
After 1 day of adding rice flour and sweetener if the dough is very dry then you will need to add banana puree or curd. Start adding 1/2 tsp.
Ghee should be medium heat temperature only.
Poppy seeds side should be facing upwards.
Do not turn Anarsa while frying.
If you want crispy Anarsa then make then thin, else make them thick for soft texture.
Sieve all purpose flour twice and keep aside. Cream sugar and curd until sugar completely dissolves. Add baking powder, baking soda to the creamed mixture and mix well.
Leave aside for 2-5 minutes and you can see the bubbles appearing. Now add vanilla essence, cooking oil and mix well.
Next slowly add all purpose flour in small batch at a time and blend with wet ingredients. Beat well with a whisk until creamy and thick.
Preheat oven to 380 Deg Fahrenheit for 10mins. Meanwhile grease a butter paper, lay it in the cake tin and pour the batter to the tin and keep it ready.
Bake in preheated oven at 380 Deg Fahrenheit for 10 mins, then reduce temperature to 370 Deg Fahrenheit and bake it for 28-30 mins or till a fork inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool down for 10mins, then invert and remove the butter paper. Then cut/slice them into pieces and enjoy!
Tips
Use all ingredients at room temperature.
Use unflavored oil or oil can be replaced by butter.
Do not over mix batter. After the batter is ready, don’t allow the batter to sit for more than the preheating time as baking soda reacts faster.
And while inserting fork or toothpick try checking in the center if its cooked completely or not. If suppose even after the specified time, the center of the cake isn’t cooked and is slightly sticky?! don’t worry just cover the top of the cake with butter paper/foil and bake it for 5 more mins, it will be perfect. The butter paper covering will avoid more browning on top at the same time the center will be cooked perfectly.
You can use icing sugar too, I used normal sugar only. I felt 3/4 cup of sugar was enough but the original recipe called for 1 cup. If you have a very sweet tooth then use 1 cup of sugar.
Cooking time will vary if the size of cake tin is different.
You can add dry fruits, chocolate chip or tutti frutti.
We are going to make Shankarpale. It is Indian sweet snack with crispy and flaky texture.
Lets start with the recipe.
Ingredients
Butter/Ghee
3/4 Cup
Sugar
1 Cup
Milk / Water / Milk & water
1 Cup
All Purpose Flour ( Maida )
4 1/2 Cup
Ghee / Oil
For Frying
Process
Prepare dough in KitchenAid
Secret of good Shankarpale is in dough. KitchenAid makes it easy to prepare dough that will give flaky and crispy Shankarpale.
Take 3/4 cup butter or ghee in a saucepan, add 1 cup sugar and 1 Cup milk. You can replace milk with water or add 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 cup water.
Heat till sugar and butter melt.
Meanwhile, take 4 cups of APF (All Purpose Flour) in the KitchenAid bowl. Keep 1 cup APF aside to adjust the consistency of the dough.
Add the melted butter, sugar and milk in APF.
Attach dough hook and bowl of KitchenAid in place, and START on STIR till dry flour is getting mixed. Flour will spill over if you use higher speed at this time.
Once mixed, increase speed to 2 or 4 to knead the dough.
Stop kneading and scrape all the sides of bowl as needed. Then start again on speed of 2 or 4.
Tip:- This is the perfect time to check the consistency of dough.
If the consistency of dough is sticky then add 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup APF and start to knead again.
Dough consistency should be like chapati (soft).
Let it rest for 10-15 minutes.
Take a fistful ball of dough and roll it.
Thickness should be about 5 mm, cut in required shape and size(diamond or square shape).
Frying Process
Fry on medium to high heat.
If you add dough ball in oil/ghee, it should stay at bottom of pan.
After adding Shankarpale in oil increase temperature little bit.
Flip them after 1 minute and decrease the temperature. Fry Shankarpale until they are pink.
Drain and take out on paper towel, let them cool and store in airtight container.
Important Tips
2 Cups of APF can be replaced with Whole wheat flour ( atta ).
If dough dries while rolling then knead dough with wet hands and then roll.
The dough should be semi soft while rolling, if it soft then we may not get the flaky texture.
Kharwas is an Indian milk pudding made from cow or buffalo Colostrum, the first form of milk produced within one or two days of giving birth. It originates in the western Indian state of Maharashtra. It is prepared by steaming mix of colostrum, milk and jaggery or sugar until it coagulates into a jiggling solid.
Note : We are trying to bring the same taste and texture without the colostrum milk.
Ingredients
1
Whole milk
500 ML
2
Sugar
1/4 Cup
3
Agar agar
1 Tablespoon
4
Cardamom powder
1 teaspoon
5
Saffron strands
5 to 6
6
Water
1/4 Cup
Process
Soak agar agar in 1/4 cup of water
Boil milk in the heavy bottom pan I have doubled the quantity of the ingredients which are given.
Boil milk till it thickens keep stirring continuously to avoid milk stick to the bottom of the vessel.
Add sugar and stir continuously
Heat agar agar and water mixture and stir continuously till it looks like a gelatinous texture or all the agar agar flakes get dissolved in the water.
Add agar agar to the boiling milk and stir. When the mixture looks thick texture , then pour in the container, sprinkle cardamom powder and saffron , let it cool down and cover and keep in the fridge for 2-3 hours.
This is a very quick, less ingredients and easy recipe which is cooked in pressure cooker. This recipe can be made in instant pot also.
Introduction to Tinda/Apple gourd
Tinda is small to medium in size, averaging 5-8 centimeters in diameter, and is globular, squat, and slightly lopsided in shape, similar to a cross between a green apple and a pumpkin. The skin can be green, yellow, to brown and has shallow dimpling, lumps, and very small, soft, semi-prickly hairs that cover the surface. When immature, the skin will be thin and edible, but when overly mature, the skin will turn thick and tough to eat. The white flesh is tender, moist, and spongy and contains many small, edible, cream-colored to pale yellow seeds. When fresh, Tinda is soft with a mild flavor similar to a cucumber.
Selecting Tinda
Try pressing your nail into Apple gourd. Nail would enter easily when it’s tender. You should buy such apple gourds.While preparing, cut apple gourd/tinda in half. Small and soft seeds indicate a tender tinda.
Thick and hard seeds means tinda is over ripe. Hard seeds can be removed and can be roasted and consumed as a crunchy snack (We will not use hard seeds in preparing the curry). You may also want to chop it into smaller pieces to get cooked well.
Sr No.
Ingredients
Quantity
1.
Apple gourd/ Tinda
1.5 Cups
2.
Oil
1 Tablespoon
3.
Mustard Seeds
1 Teaspoon
4.
Cumin seeds
1 Teaspoon
5.
Asafoetida (Hing)
1/4 Teaspoon
6.
Soaked Chana Dal
1/4 Cup
7.
Green Chilli
2-3
8.
Curry Leaves
3-4
9.
Garlic Crushed
2-3 Pods
10.
Tomato
Medium size chopped
11.
Coriander Powder
1 Tablespoon
12.
Turmeric Powder
1/2 Teaspoon
13.
Red Chilli Powder
1 Teaspoon
14.
Garam Masala
1 Teaspoon
15.
Salt
To Taste
16.
Sugar
1/4 Teaspoon
17.
Water
1/4 Cup
18.
Fresh Coriander Leaves
2 Tablespoon Chopped
Process
Heat pan/kadhai on stove and put little oil in it. Let it get hot.
Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, asafoetida(hing), garlic, green chilli, soaked chana dal and tomato in oil and mix it. Sauté it for minute or two.
Add all the spices like coriander powder, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala and mix it for 1 minute.
Finally add apple gourd/tinda, salt, sugar and water. Deglaze the base of the pot.
Lock Pot lid and and let it whistle for 1and then switch OFF the gas.
Open the pot with care. Contents are steaming hot.
If you think the gravy is watery then you can heat for 1-2 minutes.
If you are cooking this recipe in instant pot
Follow all the process till closing the lid on SAUTE mode of IP.
Close the lid , set the whistle/knob on sealing mode.
Pressure cook for 1 minute, and then Natural Pressure Release (NPR).
I am using this shampoo from last 2-3 year. It is working out very beautiful. It is very mild on hair. After every wash hair are smooth, shiny and strong. Everyone gives compliments to my daughter when they see her hair.
( I am not any doctor, just sharing my experience.)
Ingredients
1/3 cup Aveeno baby shampoo (you can use any kids/mild shampoo)
1/4 Cup coconut milk
1 Tbsp aloevera gel
1 tsp Vitamin E oil OR almond oil
Essential oil 10-15 drops (Optional)
Procedure
Measurements can be approximate.
Add ingredients one by one in a bottle. Mix them well.
Shake bottle well before use.
Wet hair and apply the shampoo as usual. Use a little more quantity than usual.
Tips
Shampoo is good to use for 2-3 weeks.
Essential oil is optional, you can add it for nice fragrance.
Ingredients quantity can be decreased to make small quantity shampoo.
Kalpa Creations by Ruchita 