Rajasthani Ghevar

Ghewar is a Rajasthani dessert traditionally associated with the "Teej" festival. There are many varieties of Ghevar, like Plain Ghevar, Mawa Ghevar or Malai Ghevar. Ghevar is a special dessert for the festival of Sawan, Teej and Raksha Bandhan.

Ingredients

All Purpose Flour - 150 gm.
Pure Ghee - 60 gm (¼ cup)
Besan (Gram Flour) - ½ tbsp
Water - ½ litre
Lemon Juice - 1 tbsp
Oil, Ghee or Vanaspati - For deep frying
Ice cubes - 8-10 pc

For Sugar Syrup:
Sugar - 1 cup
Water - ½ cup
Kewada Essence - 1 tsp
Dry Fruits - For garnishing

Method

Step 1: In a mixing bowl add ghee and ice cubes. Rub the ghee with hand, making sure that the ghee gets cold with the ice. Use your palm to smoothen the ghee until no grains are left in the ghee and it gets a creamy texture, instead of a grainy texture.

Step 2: Add the all-purpose flour and besan to the creamy ghee.

Step 3: Add a little water and make a thick batter. Whip the mixture well for about 5 min, until there are no lumps remaining the in the batter.

Step 4: Add lemon juice and the remaining water to the mixture. It will form into a thin batter.

Step 5: The batter needs to be cold. So now keep the batter in the fridge for about 30 min.

Step 6: In a wok, heat the ghee for frying. When the ghee is hot, pour the batter by using spoon or sauce bottle. Pour 1-2 tbsp batter at one time.

Step 7: Make a little space in the centre so that it becomes easy to move the Ghevar.

Step 8: Pour the batter after every 10-15 seconds from a little height only in the centre of the wok. Repeat same process 10-15 times. Heat should be medium.

Step 9: Once poured enough batter for the Ghevar, pour hot oil on the top of the Ghevar with ladle.

Step 10: When sides start to release, take a wooden stick or tongs to take out the Ghevar. Keep it on a wire rack. Repeat this to prepare all Ghevar.

Step 11: In a pan, add sugar and water to make the Sugar Syrup. Cook on medium heat for 3-5 mins.

Step 12: Pour it on the top of the Ghevar and repeat it 2-3 times until syrup spreads properly all around it. Garnish with chopped dry fruits

Tip: To make mawa Ghevar, lightly roast the mawa until it gets light golden. Then spread evenly on the Ghevar.

"Indian Style Chili Paneer"

Ingredients

Paneer (Cottage Cheese) – 250 gms

Onion – 1 Large

Bell pepper (green) – 1 Large

Garlic – 5-6 cloves

Green Chilis – 3

Tomato ketchup – 2 tbsp

Soya Sauce – 2 tsp

Green chili sauce – 1 tbsp

Vinegar – 1 tsp

Vegetable oil – 1tbsp

Sugar – 1tsp

Salt – to taste

Black pepper powder – 3tsp

Ajinomoto – 1 pinch

Spring onion green part – handful

All-purpose floor – 3tbsp

Corn flour – 6tbsp

Vegetable oil for frying

Method:

Step 1: Prepare the vegetables by cutting the panner in square cubes of size 1 inch by 1 inch. Onion and bell pepper in 1-inch cubes. Garlic, ginger, green chili finely chopped.

Step 2: Make a slurry batter by missing the All-purpose flour, corn flour, salt and black pepper (2tsp) in a bowl and add little water gradually to make the slurry.

Step 3: Take cubed paneer in a bowl and sprinkle some corn flour on the paneer and dip the paneer in the slurry prepared in step 2.

Step 4: Fry the paneer on a medium hot oil until light golden brown. (Take paneer out of oil when it is one shade lighter than you need as it will cook in its own heat after removing from oil)

Step 5: In another wok, add 1tbsp vegetable oil and ginger, garlic, and green chili. Sauté this on high flame for a minute and add onions and bell pepper and sauté for another minute.

Step 6: Add salt, vinegar, sugar, and black pepper. Also add all the sauces and mix well and cook for 3 minutes.

Step 7: Now add the fried paneer cubes to this and toss in the mixture lightly. Do this only for a few seconds as we do not want the paneer to remain crisp.

Step 8: Take off the flame and transfer to a bowl immediately and sprinkle the spring onion greens and it is ready to serve.

Green Chili Pickle

Ingredients

Green chilies (Big) – 300 gms

Turmeric powder – 1tbsp

Salt – 1tbsp

Fennel seeds – 25 gms

Fenugreek seeds – 25 gms

Mustard seeds – 20 gms

Mustard oil – 50-60 ml

Asafetida – ½ tsp

Method

Step 1: Wash the chilis and dry them for an hour in sunlight. Make sure there is no moisture as it will spoil the pickle later.

Step 2: Now for all the chilis, remove the top and slit them in between from one side but do not cut in half.

Step 3: In a bowl, mix fennel seeds, fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds. Add 2 tbsp of oil in this and grind this coarsely

Step 4: Fill this preparation in the slit chilis and heat the remaining oil on low flame and add asafetida to this oil.

Step 5: Put the chilis in a glass jar and pour this prepared oil in this jar and the pickle is ready.

Tips

1.      Keep the jar in sunlight for 3-4 days and keep it covered with muslin cloth.

You can add 1tbsp vinegar to the pickle as a natural preservative.

Cornflakes Cookies

Ingredients

All Purpose Flour - 1 cup
Pure ghee - ½ cup (thick consistency)
Powdered sugar - ½ cup
Egg - ½ (Beaten)
Egg White - 1
Corn flakes - 1 cup
Baking Powder - ¼ tsp
Soda - ¼ tsp
Biscuit Essence - ½ tsp
Salt - 1 pinch

Method

Step 1: In a mixing bowl, sieve all purpose flour, salt, soda and baking powder.

Step 2: Crush the cornflakes with hands.

Step 3: In a large mixing bowl add pure ghee and knead it with your hands very well.

Step 4: Add powdered sugar, biscuit essence and mix vigorously along with ghee. Now add the beaten egg.

Step 5: Add dry ingredients to this and mix properly. Continue kneading the dough. If it is not sticking to the hand or the bowl, then it is ready. If it sticks, add 1 tsp all purpose flour (maida) to the mixture. On the other hand, if the dough is hard, add 1 tbsp beaten egg.

Step 6: Divide the dough into small lemon-sized round balls.

Step 7: Break the egg can keep yellow part separate, use only white part and beat lightly

Step 8: Now dip the dough ball into white egg and roll it in crushed cornflakes properly.

Step 9: Meanwhile preheat the oven on 160°C for 5-10 minutes and grease the baking tray

Step 10: Keep in the cornflakes coated dough balls on the tray at some distance from each other Bake on 160°C for 12-14 minutes.

Enjoy with evening tea or coffee