Monday, December 22, 2008

KHAJUR BURFI OR ROLLS


INGREDIENTS
1 tin condensed milk
1 kg khajur deseeded (dates)
250 gm mixed dryfruits (badam, cashew, pista)
1/2 cup dessicated dry coconut
Method
Break up khajur coarsely
Add milkmaid and dryfruit all in a heavy, non-stick pan.
Cook on slow flame, stirring continuously.
Do not allow to stick to bottom.
It takes a while to cook
Stir gently till a soft lump forms.
Spread some of the coconut on a butter paper sheet.
Grease hands and take a chunk of the mixture and roll into a thick roll, on the sheet, all the coconut to cover it.
Chill the rolls in the fridge
Cut into slices
Or set in a tray and cut into squares.

KAJU BURFI


INGREDIENTS
150 gm cashewnuts
400 gm sugar
elaichi powdered
silver foil (optional)
500 gm khoya
Method
Dry grind the cashew
Mix khoya (grated) and sugar
Heat in a heavy pan, stirring continuously.
Once the sugar dissolves, add the cashew (powdered) and elaichi
Cooking, constantly stir till soft lump is formed and does not stick to sides
Roll on a flat surface to desired thickness and apply silver foil.

IMARTI


Ingredients
2 cups urad dal
3 cups sugar
300 ml. water
saffron colour
1/2 tsp. cardomom ground
500 gms. ghee to fry
Method
1.Soak urad dal overnight in plenty of water.
2.Wash and drain. Grind to fine thick batter. Put water little by little.
3.Add colour and mix very well.
4.If using a mixie, beat the dal well by hand till fluffy after grinding.
5.Keep aside for 3 hours. More is weather is cold.
6.Make 1 tar sugar syrup as shown in introduction.
7.Add cardomom powder to syrup.
8.Using either an imarti bottle (with nozzle) or cloth as shown in note, form imartis in the hot ghee. Lower flame and
allow to crisp turning once.
9.Remove from ghee, drain and dip in hot syrup.
10.Soak for 3-4 minutes, drain and serve.
11.Repeat for remaining batter.
12.Make 4-5 imartis at a time, depending on size of frying pan.
Note:
Use a flat bottomed frying pan.
The imarti bottle can be substituted with a soft plastic sauce bottle with a nozzle.
If not available, take a 12"x 12" thick cloth, make a buttonhole type hole in centre.
Place over a tumbler and pour in some batter.
Hold like a pouch and press out imartis like icing.
Shape the imartis as follows, make a ring first, then form small ringlets all along the ring.
Till you come to the start.
Making time: 1 hour (excluding soaking and keeping time)
Makes: 20 imartis
Shelflife: (1) Keep unsoaked in syrup for a day. (2) Soak in syrup as required.

MOONG DAL HALWA


INGREDIENTS
500 gm Moong dal (green)
500 gm sugar
500 gm ghee
saffron soaked in a little milk
elaichi powder
water about 250 ml.
Method
Soak the dal for 5-6 hours.
Wash and remove the skins well.
Grind dal fine either in a stone grinder or electric grinder or mixie.
Use as little water as possible.
Put sugar and water in a pan and put to boil.
Once sugar dissolve add a few tblsp. of milk.
As the syrup boils the scum will rise.
Remove with a strain.
Further boil till the syrup become sticky between the fingers.
(One thread should fall when poured from a tilted spoon) keep aside.
Heat the ghee in a heavy kadai (vessel) and add dal.
Keep stirring rigorously to avoid burning.
Once the dal stops sticking to the vessel, stir gradually till golden brown, and ghee begins to separate.
Pour the hot syrup, add elaichi and dissolved saffron.
Stir very carefully, not allowing hand to be scalded. Cook slowly till all water is absorbed.
Decorate with chopped dry fruit.
Serve hot especially on a cold day
See Moong Dal Halwa Photo above

COCONUT BURFI


Ingredients
250 gms. finely grated coconut
250 gms. sugar
150 ml. water
ghee for greasing plate
Method
1.Prepare syrup with sugar and water to 2 1/2 thread consistency.
Use method as shown in introduction.
2.Warm coconut in heavy saucepan, pour in the syrup.
3.Stir well and cook till soft lump forms.
4.Spread in a greased plate. Cool.
5.Sprinkle cardamom powder (optional).
6.Cut into squares, store in airtight container.
Making time: 30 minutes
Makes: 20-25 pieces
Shelflife: 2 weeks

PATISA (SOAN PAPADI)



Ingredients
1 1/4 cup gramflour
1 1/4 cup plain flour (maida)
250 gms. ghee
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cup water
2 tbsp. milk
1/2 tsp. cardamom seeds crushed coarsely
2 tsp. charmagaz (combination of 4 types of seeds) refer glossary
4" squares cut from a thin polythene sheet
Method
Sift both flours together.
Heat ghee in a heavy saucepan.
Add flour mixture and roast on low till light golden.
Keep aside to cool a little, stirring occasionally.
Prepare syrup simultaneously.
Make syrup out of sugar, water and milk as shown in introduction.
Bring syrup to 2 1/2 thread consistency.
Pour at once into the flour mixture.
Beat well with a large fork till the mixture forms threadlike flakes.
Pour onto a greased surface or thali and roll to 1" thickness lightly.
Sprinkle the charmagaz seeds and elaichi and gently press down with palm.
Cool, cut into 1" squares, wrap individually into square pieces of thin plastic sheet.
Store in airtight container.
Making time: 45 minutes
Makes: 20 pieces (approx.)
Shelflife: 2 weeks

RECIPE FOR CHUTNEY SPREAD - Chutney Recipes

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup grated coconut
4 red chillies or 1 tsp. red chilli powder
1 long bean tamarind
2 flakes garlic
1 tbsp. groundnuts
salt to taste
METHOD
Grind all ingredients together to form a firm chutney. Use very little water.
FOR ALL OTHER CHUTNEYS Click Here.

Bar Milano to become another ’Inoteca

December 22

The Denton boys are working the phones to let everyone know that they’re closing Bar Milano (323 3rd Ave, at 24th St., 212-683-3035) on January 1 and redoing it as another unit of their popular Lower East Side restaurant, ’Inoteca.
“We’re just going to do a little facelift,” Joe Denton told me, while Jason was on the phone with my colleague Elissa Elan.
They're going to have beverage consultant Tony Abou-Ganim come back and develop some less expensive cocktails — around $10, instead of $13, which is what most of them cost now — and reopen as ’Inoteca in early February.

Was George W. Bush a brawler?

December 22

Say what you want to about our outgoing president, the man can dodge a shoe. Do you know what would happen to me if someone threw a shoe with such accuracy at my head? I’d be hit by a shoe, that’s what.
But not our president. He knows how to duck. I think his ability not to be hit by shoes is the most impressive thing I’ve seen in his presidency.
“The man’s been in a fight,” Blain Howard told me.
Blain celebrated his birthday on Saturday, and I joined him and a couple dozen of his friends for the festivities at Aces & Eights Saloon on the Upper East Side.
It’s a “beer bomb” place, according to the bartender who handed me a pitcher of Bud Light ($12).
Between rounds of beer pong, Blain, who used to do mixed martial arts and is I think the only friend I have who considers physical confrontation as an option for personal conflict resolution, said the first thing he thought when he saw the hurled-shoe video was that our commander-in-chief had mixed it up himself a couple of times.
Makes sense to me.
The wings at Aces & Eights smelled good, but instead of eating them, after I left the party I stopping by a nearby diner and had a gyro sandwich with fries and a Greek salad.