CHAWAL KI KHEER or RICE KHEER

SERVES - 3-4 

PREP TIME - 20 MIN

COOK TIME - 40 MIN

INGREDIENTS :

• 1 litre full fat organic milk
• ¼ cup basmati rice
• 5 to 6 tbsp sugar or as required
• 6 green cardamoms/hari elaichi, powdered
• A pinch of saffron/kesar
• 15-20 almonds/badam, blanched and sliced
• 12-15 cashews/kaju
• 1 Tbsp golden raisins

METHOD:

1. Rinse the rice till the water runs clears of the starch.
2. Soak the rice in enough water for 30 minutes.
3. Heat milk and let it come to a boil.
4. Meanwhile drain the rice and keep aside.
5. Reduce the flame and add the rice.
6. Stir and simmer the milk and let the rice grains cook.
7. The whole process of cooking the rice in the milk takes about approx 35-37 minutes on a low flame.
8. You want the rice to really cook well and the kheer also thickened somewhat.
9. After the rice is added, add the sugar.
10. Stir and continue to stir often so that lumps are not formed.
11. Scrape the sides of the pan and add this dried milk into the pan.
12. Meanwhile in a microwave/gas safe bowl take the almonds and cover it with water.
13. Microwave/ gas on high for 2-3 minutes.
14. Let the almonds cool and then peel them.
15. Slice them along with the cashews. rinse the raisins and keep aside.
16. Take the cardamoms in a mortar-pestle and then powder them finely.
17. Remove the peels and keep the powdered cardamom aside.
18. When the rice is almost ¾th done, add the almonds, cashews,cardamom powder and saffron.
19. Cook further till the rice grains are completely cooked.
20. The kheer would also thicken by then.
21. Remember to keep on scraping the sides and adding the dried milk from the sides in the simmering kheer.
22. Switch off the flame and add the raisins. stir.
23. You can serve the rice kheer, hot or warm. or pour in serving bowls and refrigerate.
24. This rice kheer stays good for 1-2 days in the refrigerator.

Jeera Rice / Indian cumin rice

Servers - 3 to 4

Prep Time - 15 min

Cook Time - 20 min

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups basmati rice.(american measuring cup used, 1 cup = 250 ml)
• 2 tsp cumin/jeera
• 1 inch cinnamon/dalchini
• 1 black cardamom/badi elaichi
• 2 green cardamom/choti elaichi
• 1 bay leaf/tej patta
• 5-6 black peppercorns/kalimirch
• 3 cups water
• 2 tbsp oil or ghee
• some coriander leaves for garnishing 
• salt as required

METHOD:

1. soak the basmati rice in water for 30-40 minutes.
2. drain the rice and keep aside.
3. heat a pan.
4. add oil or ghee.
5. on a low or medium flame when the oil becomes hot, add the cumin and all the whole spices mentioned above.
6. let the cumin get browned and the oil fragrant from the spices.
7. add the soaked rice.
8. stir and saute for 1-2 minutes.
9. add salt and water.
10. cover and cook the rice is cooked.
11. the rice should get cooked but not mushy or pasty.
12. keep checking in between whilst the rice is cooking.
13. when the jeera rice is done, fluff the rice and serve jeera rice hot.
14. garnish jeera rice with some coriander leaves before serving.

Notes:

few tips for jeera rice recipe:

1. you can also make the jeera rice in the pressure cooker. then add 2 and ¼ cups water.
2. to add some color, add a pinch of turmeric or a pinch of saffron to the rice.
3. this jeera rice recipe can be double or tripled.
4. if using onions, then slice them. brown/caramelize the onions first before adding them to the soaked rice. the rice gets a nice light brown color due to the browning of the onions.

Home Style Dal / Dal Tadka

Servers - 3 to 4

Prep Time - 20 min

Cook Time - 15 min

Ingredients: 

Main ingredients:

• 1 cup arhar or tuvar dal/pigeon pea lentils
• 2.5 cups water for pressure cooking the lentils
• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
• ¼ tsp turmeric powder
• salt as required

For tempering:

• ½ tsp mustard seeds
• ½ cumin seeds
• a pinch of asafeotida (optional)
• 2-3 garlic cloves, crushed or finely chopped (optional)
• 1 green chili, slit
• 10-12 curry leaves
• 1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves for garnish
• 1.5 tbsp ghee or 2 tbsp oil

METHOD :

1. rinse the lentils well in water.
2. pressure cook the lentils with tomatoes and turmeric powder for 7-8 whistles on medium to high flame.
3. when the pressure settles down on its own, open the lid and mash the dal with a wired whisk or wooden spoon.
4. add 1 cup water plus salt.
5. keep to simmer on low flame till you get the desired consistency, which is neither thick nor thin.
6. switch off and keep covered.
7. heat oil or ghee in a pan.
8. pop the mustard seeds first.
9. then add the cumin and crackle them.
10. add the asafoetida, curry leaves, garlic and green chilies.
11. fry till the garlic gets light browned and the curry leaves become crisp.
12. pour the whole tempering in the dal.
13. cover and let the tempering flavors infuse with the dal for about 5-6 minutes.
14. Garnish Dal with coriander leaves.
15. serve hot dal with steamed rice/ jeera rice.

GERMAN  PANCAKE - Dutch baby

servers - 4 - 5.

Prep time -15 min

cook time - 20 -25 min

Ingredient:

1/2 cup butter
6 large eggs
1 and 1/2 cups milk
1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
for the lemon syrup:
juice of two lemons
powdered sugar

METHOD:

• Place butter in a cast iron skillet or glass pie plate and set in a preheated 425 degree oven. In a large mixing bowl, lightly beat eggs with a wire whisk. Add milk and flour. Mix with a wire whisk until large clumps disappear and the batter is fairly smooth. Don’t over-mix or your Dutch Baby will be tough.
• Carefully remove pan from oven and pour batter into the hot, melted butter. Return pan to oven and bake until well browned and puffed on the edges, 20 to 25 minutes, depending on pan size. Cut into wedges and serve with the lemon syrup! Fresh berries are a wonderful addition to this romantic breakfast dish.
• To make the syrup ~ juice the lemons, discard seeds and add powdered sugar, a Tablespoon at a time until the syrup tastes sweet enough to you. Mix with a wire whisk.