Sweet Recipe: Boondi Laddu

Boondi Laddu is a sweet delicious recipe most commonly served during festivals in Andhra Pradesh.

Ingredients:

Gram flour 2 cups
Sugar 2 cups
Baking soda- 1/2 tsp.
Cashew nut- 50 grams
Raisins 50 gms.
Cardamom- 15 nos.
Saffron a few drops
Ghee - ½ kg.

Method of preparation:

1. Shell and powder cardamom.
2. Add ¼ cup water to sugar, heat until sugar melts. To check if the sugar solution is ready, take a drop of the solution and drop it in water-if it remains intact and does not dissolve right away in water, the sugar solution is ready. Add saffron and cardamom powder to it.
3. Add soda and water to gram flour, and make a paste, without lumps.
4. Heat ½ kg of ghee. Put gram flour in Boondi maker and fry Boondi. Remove when light yellow.
5. Fry cashew and raisins. Add Boondi, cashew and raisins to sugar solution and mix. Cool.
6. Rub some ghee on your palms. Make laddus by squeezing the Boondi in your hands.

Rice Recipe: Spinach Rice

Ingredients:

Basmati Rice – 400 grams (2 cups)
English spinach, chopped-500 grams
Butter-30 gram
Olive oil-1 table spoon
Onions medium (300g) sized- 2 (finely chopped)
Garlic -2 cloves
Chicken stock- 1litre (4 cups)
Tomatoes medium sized-2 (260 grams)-(peeled, seeded, chopped)
Parmesan cheese grated - 1/4 cup (20g).

How to prepare?

1. Heat butter and oil in medium pan; add onions and garlic, cook, stirring, until onions are soft.
2. Add Basmati rice, cook, stirring for 2 minutes.
3. Add stock, simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes or until liquid is almost absorbed.
4. Remove from heat, stir in spinach, tomatoes and cheese, and stir until spinach is wilted.

Serve this spinach rice to 4-6 persons.

Basmati Rice Recipe: Curry Rice

Ingredients:

Basmati rice - 1 ½ Cup (300g)
1 table spoon vegetable oil
Butter – 20 gram
1medium sized (150g) onion (sliced)
Water – 500 ml (2 cups)
Coconut milk - ¾ cup (180ml)
2 table spoons of chopped fresh coriander

Ingredients for Curry paste:

2 small fresh red chillies (chopped)
1 table spoon chopped fresh lemon grass
2 cloves of garlic (crushed)
2 teaspoons shrimp paste
1tea spoon cumin seeds,
½ teaspoon garam masala
½ teaspoon ground turmeric

How to prepare curry paste:

Blend or process all ingredients until well combined.

Method of preparation of curry rice:

1. Heat oil and butter in medium pan, add onion and curry paste, cook, stirring, until onion is soft.
2. Stir in rice, and then add water and coconut milk, simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes or until rice is tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in coriander.
Serve this curry rice to 4-6 persons.

Wheat Recipe: Mango puris with ice cream

Ingredients:

1. Self-rising flour: 1cup (Self-rising is wheat flour that is sold premixed with chemical leavening agents)
2. Whole wheat flour: 1 cup
3. Cardamom powder: 1/2 tea spoon,
4. A pinch of salt
5. Castor sugar if needed
6. Soda bicarb: 1/2 tea spoon.
7. Mango pulp: 11/2 table spoon cup.
8. Cheese for deep frying
9. Vanilla ice cream
10. Mango pulp.

Method of preparation:

1. Make dough with both flours, at the same time, adding mango juice, soda – bicarb, and cardamom powder. Add the salt, sugar if needed. Knead to stiff dough.
2. Heat ghee in a pan.
3. Roll out 8 cm puris of balls made of the dough.
4. Fry in batches till they turn golden brown.
5. Drain on tissue paper.

Serve three puris to a portion with a dollop of ice cream, chopped with chilled mango pulp.