3rd, August 1997

This is a very special menu done by these ladies from India. It was during their monthly “Kitty parties” that they put together this menu of Indian Cuisine.

A pot-pourri of dishes from all over the continent, this menu is sure to be a mouth-watering success. Try a light fruit juice before the meal while mineral water is best during the meal.

The dishes can be made more spicy depending on one’s palate by adding more flavour.

The addition of poori instead of the usual rice could make the menu different to the daily meal.

Standing (L to R) Mrs. Anita Aggarwal, Ashima Gupta, Mrs.Geetanjali Chand, Mrs.Kiran Bahal and Mrs. Rama Kalegaonkar. Sitting (L to R) Mrs. Aruna Gupta, Mrs. Sabita Mohanty, Mrs. Asha Dua, Mrs. Manju Verma and Mrs. Shashi Chand

Indian delights

KHEER

Serves 4 - 6

Recipe by Mrs. Anita Aggarwal

Ingredients:
1500 ml fresh milk
100 grams rice
5 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp Milkmaid
3 cardamoms (powdered) 3
Chopped almonds, cashewnuts, pistacchios for garnishing

Method:

Wash rice well and soak for 10 minutes. Boil the milk. Add rice and cook on slow fire stirring occasionally until rice floats on top and milk thickens. Add sugar and Milkmaid. Pour into a serving bowl and garnish just before serving. (Note: This can be eaten hot or cold. For cold kheer, refrigerate for at least an hour.

SPROUTED SALAD

Recipe by Mrs. Geetanjali Chand

Ingredients:
Sprouted Beans 1 packet
Finely chopped onions 2 large
Finely chopped tomatoes 2 large
Finely chopped cucumber 1 small or medium
Diced boiled potatoes 2 medium
(small cubes)
Finely cut apple 1
Finely cut banana 1
Juice squeezed from 1 lime
Salt
Pepper
Red chillie powder
Dry mango powder
Chaat masala (optional)
Grated cottage cheese for garnishing
Salad leaves for decoration

Method:

Mix all the ingredients taking only half the cottage cheese. Lay the salad leaves in a bowl, put the salad mixture on top and decorate with the rest of the cottage cheese.

KADHAI CHICKEN

Recipe by Mrs. Kiran Bahal

The origin of Kadhai cooking was in Peshawar and West Punjab in Pakistan. Kadhai is a deep frying pan similar to the Chinese wok. It is made of various metals and alloys, the most common being iron and stainless steel.

Kadhai cooking is quick, dry cooked in thick tomato based spices. There is no water used. The chicken is cooked in the juice of tomatoes and the meat itself.

When the cooking process is about to be completed the sides are vigorously scraped to prevent sticking. This adds to the flavour and the dish must be served immediately.

Ingredients:
500 grams chicken (cut into 4 pieces)
2 capsicum (cut into long fingers)
2 red chillies (dry)
2 tsp coriander seeds
2" piece ginger (chopped finely)
1" piece ginger juliennes
10 -12 flakes garlic (crushed)
1 green chilli (chopped)
2 tomatoes (chopped)
pinch fenugreek (uluhal)
1 tsp salt
4 tbsp oil
Coriander leaves (washed and chopped) for garnishing

Method:

Pound red chillies and coriander seeds in a pestle. Saute capsicum and keep aside. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a kadhai, add garlic and fry until light brown. Add coriander and chillies. Cook for half a minute. Add chopped ginger and green chillies. Add tomatoes and stir fry for about 5 - 7 minutes on low heat until oil separates. Add fenugreek and salt. Add chicken, bring to a boil and then simmer stirring occasionally until the gravy is thick and chicken is tender. Add the capsicum and stir for two minutes. Adjust seasoning. Put in a bowl and garnish with ginger juliennes and coriander leaves. Serve hot.

ROGAN JOSH

A mutton dish

Recipe by Mrs. Shashi Chand

Ingredients:
500 grams mutton
1/4 tsp saffron (kesar) strands
1 tbsp milk
125 grams ghee
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tbsp coriander powder
1 tbsp cumin seed powder
1/2 tsp pepper powder
1/2 tsp dry ginger powder
1 tbsp red chilli powder
3/4 tsp turmeric powder
large pinch nutmeg or mace
250 grams tomatoes
50 grams onions (chopped)
Salt to taste
A few sprigs coriander leaves

Method:

Dip the tomatoes in boiling hot water then peel and slice them. Cut mutton into serving portions. Soak the saffron in one tbsp hot milk for 5 minutes and then crush to paste. Heat ghee in a pan and fry the mutton to a rich red colour on all sides. Add onions, tomatoes, all the spices, and salt. Cook for 5 minutes and then add 1 1/2 to 2 cups hot water. Cover and cook in a pressure cooker until mutton is tender and dry. Sprinkle saffron on top and garnish with coriander leaves.

PANEER MAKHANI

Recipe by Ashima Gupta

Ingredients:
Cottage cheese 250 grams
Fresh curd 2 tbsp
Tomatoes (large) 3
Onions (grated) 3
Garam masala 1 tsp
Coriander/cuminseed powder 2 tsp
Chilli powder 1 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
Fresh cream 75 ml
Butter 2 tsp
Ghee/oil 4 tbsp
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying
Coriander leaves chopped for garnishing

Method:

Cut cottage cheese into fingers and deep fry lightly in oil. Drain. Apply curd to the fried pieces. Put tomatoes in hot water for 5 minutes. Remove the skin and chop finely. Heat oil/ghee in a deep pan and fry onions until light pink in colour. Add garam masala, coriander cuminseed powder, chillie powder, turmeric and salt and fry for one minute. Add tomatoes and fry for 5 minutes or until the oil separates. Add one teacup water and the cream and cook on medium flame for a while. Add butter, cottage cheese and cook again for a few minutes. Garnish with chopped coriander and serve hot.

CHHOLEY

(kadala curry)

Recipe by Mrs. Asha Dua

Ingredients:
500 grams white gram (kadala)
1/4 tsp Soda bi carb
2 tsp coriander powder
2 tsp dry mango powder
1 tsp garam masala
2 tea bags (for colour)
Red chilli powder to taste
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp cummin seed
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tbsp oil
Chopped onions, green chillies and coriander leaves for garnishing

Method:

Soak the Kadala overnight. Clean and put in a pressure cooker next morning. Add double the quantity of water, salt, soda bi carb and tea bags (wrapped in a thin cloth). Close and cook for 7-8 minutes until soft. In a separate pan, roast coriander and mango powder until it is brown. Keep aside. Heat oil in a large pan (or kadhai) and add 1/2 tsp cumminseed until it begins to crackle. Add ginger-garlic paste and stir for 30 seconds. Mix red chilli powder and temper the kadala with this paste. Mix the roasted mango-coriander powder, garam masala and put in a serving dish. Garnish with sliced/chopped onions, green chillies and coriander leaves. Serve hot.

DUM ALOO

Recipe by Mrs. Manju Verma

Ingredients:
1/2 kg medium sized potatoes (washed and peeled)
2 medium sized onions
1/2 cup curd
2 Tomatoes
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp Turmeric powder
1 tsp red chillie powder
1’2 tsp garam masala
salt to taste
1 tsp ginger juliennes
oil for deep frying

Method:

Fry the whole potatoes until golden brown. Drain well. Grind onions and tomatoes in a mixi. Cook the onion and tomato mixture in a deep pan on slow fire until dry. Add 2 tbsp oil and fry until oil separates. Add chilli powder, coriander powder, salt turmeric, garam masala and fry for a minute. Add the potatoes and mix well. Add 2 glasses water and cook on slow fire until gravy thickens. Serve hot.

BRINJAL BHARTA

Recipe by Mrs. Asha Dua

Ingredients:
1 kg brinjal
7 medium sized onions
3 -4 medium sized tomatoes
2 tbsp oil
red chillie powder to taste
salt to taste chopped green chillies and coriander leaves for garnishing

Method:

Roast the brinjal on a gas stove/grill/oven until the skin softens. Immerse in water to cool. Remove the skin and the stem of brinjals and mash finely. Peel, wash and chop onions. Chop tomatoes finely. Chop green chillies. Heat oil in a saucepan and fry onions until golden brown. Add tomatoes and green chillies. Reduce to low heat and cook for two minutes. Add chilli powder and salt and cook the paste until the oil separates. Now add the mashed brinjal paste. Mix well. Cover pan and cook on low flame for 8 - 10 minutes. Garnish with coriander leaves and green chillies and serve in a bowl. (See Page 12)

MALPUAS

A sweet dish from Orissa (makes 25)

By Mrs. Sabita Mohanty

The Batter:
3 cups plain flour/American flour
3 ripe bananas
1/2 litre milk
3 tbsp sugar
a pinch of salt
1 tsp fennel (mahduru)
Mash the bananas. Mix all ingredients and make the batter.

Syrup:
2 cups sugar
2 cups water
2 -3 drops rose essence

Method:

Boil water and sugar to make slightly thick syrup.

To fry the Malpuas:

Kotmale ghee or half oil/ half ghee

Method:

Heat oil in a frying pan. Put 1tbsp batter, spread it like roti, and deep fry until brownish. Drain and soak in sugar syrup for 2-3 minutes. Take out and decorate in serving dish. Garnish with powdered cardamom and chopped almonds. Serve hot.

CURD

Ingredients:
500 ml fresh/pasteurised milk
1/2 level tbsp curd (for starter)

Method:

Warm the milk . In a small bowl put the starter and 2 tbsp milk. Mix well. Stir the rest of the milk into the mixture. Cover and keen in a warm place until set (approx 4 hours). Refrigerate after it is set.

POORI

Recipe by Mrs. Rama Kalegaonkar

Ingredients:

2 teacups atta flour 1/2 tsp salt water to make stiff dough oil for deep frying

Method:

Sieve the atta flour and mix salt. Make a very stiff dough and keep aside for 10 minutes. Divide the dough into 1" balls. Roll out evenly into 3" diameter rotis using a little oil. Heat oil in a kadhai until very hot. Deep fry each poori singly on hot flame. When it puffs up, turn it over and fry until golden brown. Drain well while taking out. Serve hot.

COTTAGE CHEESE

By Ashima Gupta

Ingredients:

2 litres fresh milk
2 limes (juice)

Method:

Boil the milk while stirring continuously .Add lime juice and stir gently until all the milk curdles and greenish yellow water separates. (If it does not, add more lime juice). Leave covered for some time and strain through a muslin cloth. Press into a rectangular shape, squeezing out all the water, using a heavy weight. Leave for two minutes. Remove cloth. Use as required.

TAMARIND CHUTNEY

Recipe by Mrs. Manju Verma

Ingredients:

50 g tamarind
150 grams sugar/jaggery
1 cup water
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp roasted and ground cummin seed

Method:

Wash and soak tamarind for 2 - 3 hours. Clean, mash and strain. Add all the remaining ingredients and cook on a slow fire until it thickens.

DAHI VADA

Recipe by Anita Aggarwal

Ingredients:

200 g white ulundu
2 green chillies
1/4" piece ginger
1 tsp red chilli powder
50 g. raisins
few cummin seeds
oil for deep frying
salt to taste
curd made from 1 pkt milk
6" x 6" pieve of aluminium foil
Tamarind chutney for garnishing and accompaniment
Chopped coriander leaves, roasted cuminseed powder, red chilli powder for garnishing

Method:

Soak ulundu dal for 2 hours. Drain the excess water and grind to a medium-consistency paste along with green chillies and ginger. Add salt and red chilli powder and mix well. Heat oil in a deep pan (kadhai) . Holding the aluminium foil in the palm of your hand lightly wet it with water. Put one serving spoon of batter on the foil and flatten with hand. Place 3-4 raisins in the centre and fold in half along with foil. Raise the top half of foil away from batter gently and put a few cumin seeds on top. Slide the oval shaped vada into hot oil and fry until golden brown. Drain well and put the fried vadas into a pan of hot water to remove excess oil and soften the vadas. Take out the vadas one by one out of the hot water, squeezing out excess water with your palms. Arrange in a shallow dish.

Lightly beat curds until smooth. Add salt and mix well. Pour on top of arranged vadas and garnish just before serving with redchilli powder, roasted cumin seed powder, chopped coriander leaves and tamarind chutney. Serve cold.

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