POMEGRANATE AND CILANTRO FRIED RICE

This is an extremely easy peasy recipe of fried rice made with pomegranate pearls and coriander leaves. The pomegranates in it look like cute little rubies studded in the rice and also give it a lovely sweet freshness.

Make it when ever you have guests coming over at your place, they are sure to feel that you are treating them with Royalty.

POMEGRANATE AND CILANTRO FRIED RICE

INGREDIENTS

Basmati rice OR any long grained rice	1 cup
White Pepper pdr	½ tsp
Salt	T.T.
Oil	1 tbsp
Dalimb / Pomegranate pearls	½ cup
Coriander leaves / cilantro chopped	¼ cup
Hot water	2 – 2 ¼ cups

METHOD:

1.       Wash and drain the basmati rice.

2.       Heat oil, add in the rice, stir a little on low heat till the grains start to separate out and look a little stiff. They will also turn a little opaque.

3.       Add in the boiling hot water, salt and pepper, then cover and simmer till the rice is cooked.

4.       Don’t stir it around too much or the grains will break.

5.       When the rice is cooked remove it out on to a flat surface and allow it to cool down a little.

6.       Flip it around lightly with a flat spoon so that the grains do not stick to each other.

7.       When the rice gets to the stage where it is warm to tough put a little rice at the base of the serving bowl.

8.       Sprinkle some coriander leaves and pomegranate pearls and again layer with a little rice.

9.       Keep on alternating with the rice, pomegranate and coriander leaves till you consume up all the rice. This is done just like you would layer a biryani.

10.   Garnish on top with the remaining pomegranate and coriander and serve warm immediately.

11.   If you try to reheat it then the pomegranate will start leaving out its juices and the coriander will turn dark. So make sure you keep your rice warm before layering it.

12.   This is served best with dal makhani.

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GAHU SHENGDANA USAL / WHOLE WHEAT AND PEANUT STIR FRY

This recipe is shared by one of my dear friends Arpita Kulkarni. Its been such a long time ago that she had mentioned about it and I had even decided on making it but some how it went on the back burner. Last week while going through my notes i came across it again and decided thats its now that this needs to be made before it remains back again just in the book. So here is the usal and it turned out fabulous. Serve it as an accompaniment as its quiet filling and at a time you cant eat much of it. So also make it in small portions.  This recipe would serve around 6 portions.

GAHU SHENGDANA USAL / WHOLE WHEAT AND PEANUT STIR FRY

INGREDIENTS

Gahu / whole wheat	1 cup
Shengdane / peanuts	¼ cup
Fresh coconut scraped	3 – 4 tbsp
Kokum agal / unsweetened kokum juice	½ tbsp
Gul / jaggery	1 tbsp
Salt	T.T.
Coriander leaves chopped	2 – 3 tbsp
TADKA
Oil	1 tbsp
Jeera / cumin seeds	¼ tsp
Rai / mustard seeds	¼ tsp
Heeng / asafoetida	¼ tsp
Whole red chillies	2 – 3 nos

METHOD:

1.       Soak the wheat grain for 10 – 12 hours and peanuts for 3 – 4 hours.

2.       Wash the wheat, add fresh water and pressure cook the wheat and peanuts for 8 – 10 whistles till the wheat grain is tender.

3.       Heat oil, add rai, when it splutters add in the jeera, Heeng and the whole red chillies.

4.       Now add in the wheat and peanuts along with the juices.

5.       Add in the coconut, kokum agal, salt, jaggery and chopped coriander leaves.

6.       In case you want it saucy add in a little water.

7.       The usal will be thick and saucy.

8.       Serve it as an accompaniment along with fried sandgi mirchi.

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CHEESY SPRING ROLLS

These cheesy gooey spring rolls I had during a family function at a restaurant. These starters were an instant hit then and even at home. Though they resembled more like slimmed down rolls or more like fingers then, this fatter spring roll version is delicious too. The taste is exactly the same though the look is quiet different here.

Since they are a little mild make sure you use a nice spicy chutney or dip, schezwan chutney preferable but you can really use whatever you like. They taste awesome even as it is without a dip.

CHEESY SPRING ROLLS

INGREDIENTS

STUFFING
Cheese cubes grated	6 nos
Capsicum finely chopped	¼ no
Spring onion with greens finely chopped	1 no
Pepper pdr	¼ tsp
Red chilli flakes	½ tsp
OUTER COVERING
Maida / Refined Flour	1 cup
Salt	T.T.
Water	As needed
Oil	½ tsp + for deep frying

METHOD:

STUFFING

1.       Mix all the ingredients together.

2.       Put the stuffing in a cling film and roll it tightly in the shape of a rectangle.

3.       Refrigerate till further use.

OUTER COVERING

4.       To the maida add salt and water to create hard dough.

5.       Apply a little oil and knead well till it is no more sticky but its elastic.

6.       Keep covered for 30 min.

7.       Divide the dough into marble sized balls. Will make around 15 – 16 nos.

ASSEMBLING

8.       Using dry flour roll out each ball into a thin elongated saucer sized oval.

9.       Remove out the stuffing from the cling film and cut 15 – 16 pieces. The same as the number of dough balls.

10.   Keep a piece if the stuffing in the centre of the rolled oval and cover it with the two sides first, then overlap with the top and bottom to create a small parcel.

11.   Repeat the same for all the dough balls. Sprinkle a little dry flour on the top and bottom of the parcels or them may stick.

12.   Deep fry in hot oil till golden brown. Serve hot immediately with tomato ketchup.

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PAAN ICE CREAM

PAAN ICE CREAM

INGREDIENTS

Basic ice cream base http://paripoornapaksiddhi.blogspot.in/2014/05/basic-icecream-base.html	½ no
Paan leaves / Betel leaves	6 nos
Green food colour (optional)	1 drop
Meetha gulkand paan mix  (excluding betel nuts)  OR all the below ingredients	For 2 paans      OR
Sugar coated Saunf / fennel seeds	1 tsp
Dhana daal	½ tsp
Gulkand / rose petals jam	2 tbsp
Elaichi / cardamom pods	2 nos
Tutti fruity	1 tsp
Candied cherries	2 nos
Desiccated coconut	2 tsp

 

METHOD:

1.        Blend the basic ice cream till creamy.

 

2.       In a grinding jar grind to a smooth consistency 2 roughly torn paan leaves  (discard the stem)and the maghai meetha paan mix obtained from your local paan wala. Make sure to instruct him not to put in the betel nuts.

 

3.       Otherwise you can use all the remaining ingredients listed below except the tutti frutti and cherries, but a trip to the paan wala sure eases things out for you.

4.       Add a little melted basic ice cream in case the mix is too sticky to grind in the jar.

5.       Pour the mix into the creamy ice cream base. Stir it with a spoon.

 

6.       Now add in 2 finely shredded paan leaves, tutti frutti and stir.

7.       I forgot to add green food colour but you can add a drop if you want to get pale green shade.

8.       Cover with a plastic sheet and put on a tight fitting lid.

9.       Chill freeze for 6 – 7 hours.

10.   Serve scoops garnished with a little gulkand and cherries on a bed of betel leaves.

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