Recipes

Rasgulla Recipe

Published

3 years ago

November 11, 2022

Diaspora

Prep Time : 30 mins

Cook Time : 10 mins

Total Time : 40 mins

Ingredients

1 litre whole milk
2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice or add as required
2 cups sugar or raw sugar
1 litre water
1 tablespoon milk – optional
1 teaspoon sooji (rava or cream of wheat) or all purpose flour or cornstarch
1 to 2 tablespoon rose water or kewra water or ½ teaspoon cardamom powder

Instructions

Making chenna

Take milk in a pan and keep it to boil on a low to medium heat.
I used organic cow milk which does not have much fat. If you use buffalo milk, it has too much of fat and makes a thick layer of malai/cream floating on top. You have to remove the thick layer of malai, before you proceed with the making of chenna.
So when the milk is heating up, line a strainer or bowl with a cheese cloth or muslin.
Keep on stirring the milk at intervals so that the froth is not formed on top and the base does not get browned or the milk solids get stuck to the bottom.
When the milk comes to a boil, then reduce the heat to its lowest. Add 1 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice. First add 1 tablespoon lemon juice and stir. If the milk has not curdled completely, then add 1 tablespoon more. Keep the lemon juice handy with you.
Depending on the quality of milk, you may need to add 1 to 3 tablespoons of lemon juice. Stir after adding the lemon juice. Sometimes I have added 1 tablespoon lemon juice and the milk has curdled and sometimes I needed to add 3 tablespoons too. Vinegar also can be added instead of lemon juice.
Another option is curd/yogurt. Add 4 to 5 tablespoons of yogurt or more if required. With yogurt you don’t need to rinse the chenna in water later.
As soon as the milk curdles, switch off the heat. The milk should curdle completely with the green watery whey. If the milk does not curdle, then add ½ to 1 tablespoon of lemon juice more.
Now pour the curdled milk in the cheese cloth/muslin lined strainer or bowl.
Gather the muslin from the sides and rinse the chenna or coagulated milk very well in running water. This brings down the temperature of chenna as well as removes the lemony flavor and tangy taste from the chenna.
Now squeeze the muslin with your hands very well, so that excess water is drained from the chenna. Remember there should not be excess water or moisture in the chenna as then the rasgulla will break when cooking.
Place a heavy weight on the chenna for 7 to 8 minutes. You can also hang the chenna for about 30 minutes.

Making rasgulla balls

After 7 to 8 minutes, remove the cheesecloth from the chenna. Note that the chenna should not have too much moisture nor be too dry.
Add 1 teaspoon sooji or rava or semolina. You can also add all purpose flour (maida). Adding either of them helps to bind the mixture. For a gluten-free option, add cornstarch instead of semolina or all purpose flour.
First mix the sooji with chenna and then begin to knead.
With the heels of your palms mash the chenna and knead. Keep on collecting the chenna from the sides and continue to mash and knead.
This kneading process is very important and also decides the texture of chenna. When you feel your palms becoming a bit greasy, its time to stop. Just a bit of greasiness is required.
Avoid kneading to an extent where the whole chenna becomes greasy. I kneaded for about 10 minutes as I have very light hands. So depending on the quality of chenna and the pressure you apply while kneading, you can take more or less time. Note that the chenna should just begin to get greasy.
Knead to a smooth ball of chenna.
Now pinch small portions from the chenna and roll them between your palms to a smooth round ball.
Prepare all small balls this way. Cover all the chenna balls with a moist muslin or kitchen towel and keep aside.

Making sugar syrup

In a large pan, take 2 cups sugar and 4 cups water.
You have to use a large pot or pan so that there is enough space for the rasgulla to cook and increase in size. You can also use a pressure cooker. I used a pot measuring 8.5 inches in diameter and 4.5 in height – a 3.4 litre stainless steel pot.
Keep this pan on stovetop and heat the sugar solution. Stir so that the sugar dissolves. I cooked kneaded the chenna and cooked the sugar syrup simultaneously. You can also do this way.
Add 1 tbsp milk and stir. Adding milk helps in removing impurities. If there are no impurities then you don’t need to add milk and directly proceed to step 6
Once the sugar solution becomes hot, the impurities begin to float on the top. You can either remove it with a spoon. Or strain the impurities in a cheese cloth/muslin lined strainer.
Now from the purified sugar solution, reserve ½ cup in a cup or mug. This ½ cup of sugar solution we will be adding to the cooking rasgulla.
Reserve another 1 cup of the sugar solution in a serving bowl.

Cooking rasgulla

The rest of the 2.5 cups of sugar solution you add it back to the same large pot and bring it to a boil on a medium high heat.
Slid the rasgulla gently into the sugar solution.
Once all the rasgulla have been added to the sugar solution, shake the pot. Don’t stir the rasgulla with a spoon. Just gently shake the pot.
Cover immediately with a lid and let them cook. Keep the heat to a medium or medium high.
After 4 minutes, open the lid and add ¼ cup of the reserved sugar solution. Shake the pan. Adding this reserved sugar solution ensures that the temperature and consistency of the sugar solution is maintained and the sugar does not cook to its thread consistencies.
Cover again and continue to cook.
After 4 minutes, again add ¼ cup of the reserved sugar solution. Cover and again cook for 2 minutes. I cooked for 10 minutes. The timing will vary depending on the thickness & quality of pan, the depth of the pan and heat intensity.

To check the doneness of rasgulla

There are two ways. First place the rasgulla in a bowl or cup of water. If the rasgulla sinks to the bottom its cooked.
Second method is to press a small portion of the rasgulla with your finger. If the pressed portion bounces back to its original shape, its cooked
Once they are cooked, switch off the heat and keep the pan down on the countertop.

Soaking rasgulla in sugar syrup

Now take each rasgulla with a spoon and place it in the bowl containing the 1 cup of sugar solution. Cover and keep aside.
Let the sugar solution in which the rasgulla were cooked, become warm. Then add this to the serving bowl containing the rasgulla.
Once the whole mixture has cooled down, add 1 to 2 tablelsoons rose water.
If you don’t have rose water you can also kewra water (pandanus extract) or ½ tsp cardamom powder. Stir gently and allow them to be soaked in the sugar syrup for 30 minutes.

Serving and Storage Suggestions

You can serve the rasgulla now or refrigerate them and serve later cold or chilled.
When serving place the required amount of rasgulla in each serving bowl. Pour a few tablespoons of the sugar syrup in each serving bowl. If you prefer garnish rasgulla with some slivered almonds or pistachios.
Keep them covered with the sugar syrup in an air-tight container. They keeps well for about a week in the refrigerator. Do not store them at room temperature.

Recipes

Vegetable Fried Rice Recipe

Published

1 year ago

October 1, 2024

Diaspora

Prep Time : 15 mins

Cook Time : 30 mins

Total Time : 45 mins

Ingredients

For cooking rice

1 cup basmati rice or long grained rice – 190 to 200 grams
4 to 4.5 cups water
½ teaspoon salt or add as required
2 to 3 drops toasted sesame oil or any neutral oil

Other ingredients

3 tablespoons oil – any neutral flavored oil
1 star anise
¾ to 1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic or 3 to 4 small to medium garlic cloves
½ teaspoon finely chopped ginger or ½ inch ginger – optional
¼ cup chopped spring onion whites (scallions)
¼ cup finely chopped french beans
¼ cup finely chopped carrots
¼ to ½ cup finely chopped cabbage – optional
¼ cup chopped bell pepper or capsicum – red, green or yellow
1 cup chopped button mushrooms
1 tablespoon finely chopped celery – skip if you do not have
3 tablespoons soy sauce (naturally brewed) or tamari – can add as required
1 teaspoon rice wine or rice vinegar
½ teaspoon black pepper powder or add as required
2 tablespoons chopped spring onions greens
salt as required

Instructions

Cooking rice

Rinse rice very well till the water runs clear of starch. Soak rice in water for 30 mins. Drain and keep aside.
In a pot, bring water to a gentle boil with salt and 2 to 3 drops of toasted sesame oil.
Add the soaked and drained rice to the hot water.
On a low to medium to medium-high heat simmer rice without the lid.
When rice becomes al dente or just about cooked, remove the pot from the heat. Strain the rice in a colander or sieve.
You can also gently rinse cooked rice in water so that they stop cooking and don’t stick to each other. Cover the cooked rice and set aside until the rice cools completely. You can even refrigerate rice with a covered lid for 30 minutes.

Chopping veggies

When the cooked rice is cooling, chop the veggies finely and keep aside.
Remember to chop the french beans very finely. They take more time to cook than other veggies. You can also blanch them first and then cook. Another option is to add the beans first and then add the other vegetables.

Making fried rice

Heat oil in a wok or a pan. First add the star anise and fry for a few seconds or until the oil becomes fragrant.
Add the garlic, ginger and sauté for some seconds. No need to brown the garlic.
Add the spring onions whites and sauté for about 2 minutes.
Then add finely chopped french beans.
Stir fry french beans for 2 to 3 minutes over medium to medium-high heat.
Add the remaining finely chopped veggies, including mushrooms and celery. Increase the heat to a high to thoroughly cook all of the vegetables.
You have to continuously toss and stir while frying so that the veggies are uniformly cooked and do not get burnt.
The vegetables have to be stir-fried, until they are almost cooked and yet retain their crunchiness and crispiness. Stir-frying vegetables on high heat takes about 4 to 6 minutes.
Add the soy sauce, salt and pepper. Stir quickly and add cooked and cooled rice. Stir fry for a few minutes until the sauce has coated the rice well. Keep a check when adding salt, as soy sauce already has salt in it.
Serve the fried rice hot as it is or with with your favorite Chinese side.

Serving suggestions

Though fried rice tastes great on its own, you can pair it with Veg Manchurian, Gobi Manchurian, Chilli Paneer, Spring Rolls or Chilli Mushroom. More side recipes for veg fried rice are linked and listed in the main post.

Storing fried rice

Vegetable fried rice stays good for a couple of a days. But I would recommend it to be eaten as soon as you can since many days old rice is not good for health.

Recipes

Methi Matar Malai Recipe

Published

1 year ago

August 4, 2024

Diaspora

Prep Time : 10 mins

Cook Time : 20 mins

Total Time : 30 mins

Ingredients

For the paste

⅓ cup chopped onions or 1 medium-sized onion
¼ cup cashews – whole cashews
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon chopped garlic or 4 to 5 medium-sized garlic cloves
1 teaspoon chopped ginger or 1 inch ginger
1 teaspoon chopped green chilies or serrano peppers or 1 to 2 green chilies

Other ingredients

2 tablespoons oil or ghee
1 cup chopped fenugreek leaves (methi leaves)
½ cup water or the stock/water of boiled green peas – add as required
½ cup green peas – boiled or steamed
½ cup light cream or low-fat cream, check notes below for whipping or heavy cream
½ teaspoon sugar or add as required
salt as required

For garnish

1 to 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)
1 to 2 tablespoons green peas boiled or steamed – optional

Instructions

Preparing the ground paste

In a grinder jar or blender, add cumin seeds, chopped onions, cashews, garlic, ginger and green chilies.
Blend or grind to a smooth paste withput adding any water.
If you are not able to blend, then you can add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water.
For cooking the green peas, you can either boil them in a pan with 1.5 cups water for 7 to 8 minutes until tender or steam them in an Instant pot for 3 to 5 minutes adding about 1 to 1.25 cups water in the steel insert.
You can also boil the green peas in a stove-top pressure cooker for 5 to 6 minutes. Reserve ½ cup of the cooked water if you have boiled the peas.

Sautéing ground paste

Heat ghee (clarified butter) or oil in a pan or kadai.
When the ghee melts or becomes lightly hot, add the ground paste.
Sauté the paste for 6 to 7 minutes on a low heat until you see the fat separating from the sides.
Stir often when sautéing so that the paste does not stick to the pan. You should see fat releasing from the sides and the paste will also have a nice aroma.
You will see the paste coming together and becoming glossy. Do not brown the paste.
If the ground paste sticks to the pan or gets browned add a few splashes of water. Mix, deglaze and continue to sauté.

Making methi matar malai

Add in the chopped fenugreek leaves and sauté further for 2 to 3 minutes.
Then add ½ cup water or the stock/water in which the green peas were cooked in two parts. Mix thoroughly and simmer the gravy for 3 to 4 minutes. Stir at intervals.
Add the boiled peas and cream.
Simmer the gravy for 5 to 6 minutes on a low heat.
Finally add the sugar and salt. Mix again. At this step, you can opt to sprinkle 2 to 3 pinches of garam masala powder.
Garnish with coriander leaves and serve methi matar malai hot or warm with naan, paratha or roti.

Recipes

Rava Idli | Suji ki Idli

Published

2 years ago

May 28, 2024

Diaspora

Prep Time : 35 mins

Cook Time : 12 mins

Total Time : 47 mins

Ingredients

For frying & roasting

2 tablespoons Ghee (clarified butter)
14 halved cashews
½ teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon chana dal (husked and split bengal gram or split & husked chickpeas)
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
10 curry leaves – chopped
1 pinch asafoetida – optional
1 teaspoon or 1 inch finely chopped ginger
1 green chilli – finely chopped

For batter

2 tablespoons finely grated carrots – optional
2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)
½ teaspoon salt or add as required
1 cup or 175 grams cup rava (sooji, semolina, cream of wheat)
½ cup Curd (yogurt)
½ to ¾ cup water or add as required
1 teaspoon eno (fruit salt) or ¼ teaspoon or 2 to 3 pinches of baking soda

Instructions

Frying & Roasting

Heat 2 tablespoons ghee in a pan. Keep the heat to low or medium-low. Add the halved cashews. Stirring often fry the cashews till golden. Remove fried cashews with a slotted spoon draining the ghee and keep aside.
To the same pan add mustard seeds and let them begin to splutter. Keep the heat to low or medium-low
When the mustard seeds begin to splutter add the chana dal. Stirring often fry chana dal till they look golden and crunchy. Then add the cumin seeds and fry for 4 to 5 seconds.
Now add the chopped curry leaves, asafoetida, finely chopped ginger and green chillies. Mix well and fry for 10 seconds. Keep the heat to a low.
Next add rava (cream of wheat, suji, semolina).
Mix well and stirring often roast the rava till they become aromatic, change color a bit (but should not get browned or golden) and the grains look separate. Roasting rava will takes about 5 to 7 minutes depending on the thickness and heaviness of the pan, and the flame intensity. Once the rava is well roasted, keep the pan aside. Let the rava become warm.

Making Batter

To the roasted rava, add 2 tablespoons finely grated carrots, 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves and ½ teaspoon salt or add as required.
Next add curd (yogurt) and water as required. Depending on the quality of rava and the thickness of curd, you can adjust the water from ½ to ¾ cup. If the curd is liquid and has whey in it, then add ½ cup water. If the curd is very thick, then add ¾ cup water. Basically you need to get a medium consistency batter.
Mix very well and let the batter rest covered for 20 minutes. The rava idli batter is neither thick nor thin in consistency and has a medium consistency.
Brush oil or ghee on the idli pan moulds. Place a fried halved cashew in the center of the moulds. Also heat 2 to 2.5 cups water in a pot. Keep a small length trivet stand or a rack in the pot. Heat the water till it comes to a boil.
After 20 minutes this is the consistency of the batter after resting. If in case the batter looks thick, rava idli batter looks thick, then add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water to get a medium consistency. Rava absorbs water and so the batter might thicken after 20 minutes. If the curd is thick, then also you may need to add more water. If you have added more water in the beginning, then you may not need to any water at this step.
Sprinkle 1 teaspoon eno or ¼ teaspoon baking soda evenly over the batter. Quickly mix very well.

Steaming

Pour the batter in the idli moulds. Place them in the pot with the hot water. Cover with a lid and steam rava idli for 10 to 12 minutes.
To check the doneness, a toothpick or wooden skewer inserted in the rava idli should come out clean. Remove the idli plates carefully and let them rest for 3 to 4 minutes. Then with a spoon remove the rava idli.
Serve the steaming hot rava idli with sambar and your favorite coconut chutney.