Kesar Pista Shrikhand

 Shrikhand is an Indian dessert prepared using thick yogurt . It is very popular in Western India , especially Maharashtra and Gujurat and occupies a very important place in the menu during marriages and festive occasions.  

Shrikand puri combination is a match made in heaven and there will hardly be anyone who doesn't like this .  Your taste buds are in for a treat when you dunk piping hot puri into some chilled shrikand and savor it . Shrikand and Basundi are the two must have dessert as a part of Maharashtrian  cuisine . Donot forget to check my Basundi recipe under 15 mins presented on my blog .

Shrikand is made in different flavors like cardamom (elaichi) , badam pista (almonds- pistachio) , kesar pista (saffron- pistachio) and fruit flavored too . Aamrakhand is the most favorite fruit flavor shrikand where sweet Mango puree is used for flavoring the yogurt.

Preparation of shrikand is absolutely easy and a child's play .No cooking is involved absolutely and can be made in just about 5 mins . We need to have patience just to prepare the hung curd by draining out the water from the set yogurt.  This can take anywhere between 2 to 6 hrs depending upon how thick the yogurt is . If there is less water content in the yogurt ,then preparation of hung curd takes only about 2 hrs else it might take more time.  Donot forget to follow the tips mentioned  below to get a thick and creamy hung curd .

This Monday for our Foodie Monday Bloghop we are enjoying some MeethePal (Sweet Moments) to enliven the festive season . Come August , India wears a festive look with lots and lots of festivals lined up till January and there is pomp , glory, colors and people rejoicing with food , beautiful clothes and dhol /bhaja /dances all over.  This year though everything is being celebrated at a very low scale due to social distancing measures , we decided to paint our bloggers group with sweets . Sujata ji of Batter up with Sujata suggested this lovely theme of "Sweets" and now all of you be ready for a Sweet Storm 😀.   If you are a fan of Roshogollas like me then you must try Sujata's recipe of Sugarfree Roshogolla .

Tips to get the perfect hung curd 

• Use thick yogurt set using full fat milk . Donot use left over dahi or curd as it would have released its whey and the dahi will not be thick .
• I personally prefer the store bought yogurt /dahi as they are evenly set and prepared using homogenized milk . Meaning the texture of the yogurt is even and doesn't have too much water content. 
• Those who have an access to greek yogurt, that is the best as you need not worry about draining the water for a long time to get  creamy hung curd.
• A nice clean muslin cloth or even a thick soft cotton cloth can be used for straining the whey from the yogurt.  I have used white cotton dhoti cloth for straining the dahi .
• It is always best to use white color cloth as there is no risk of color running and making the dahi inedible.
• If the weather is very hot , you can strain the dahi and leave it in the fridge so it doesn't turn sour. 
• Keep a separate cloth for this purpose, wash it and dry under sunlight after every use and store it away safely .

Pre Preparation time - 2 to 5 hrs 

Cooking Time - Nil 

Actual Preparation - 5 mins 

Serves - 2 to 3

Ingredients 

400ml thick yogurt or dahi or curd

15 to 20 strands saffron /kesar 

2 to 3 tablespoons chopped unsalted pista

3 tbsp powdered  sugar 

2tbsp warm milk. 

Preparation of Hung curd

Take a wide mixing bowl and place a strainer over it lined with a muslin cloth/ cotton cloth and pour the curd into the cloth . I have used shop bought thick curd for an even consistency. 

Bring the ends of the cloth together, squeeze it once and tie it very tightly . Place a heavy object over the tied cloth and leave the colander over the mixing bowl so that all the whey water will get collected in it . Keep squeezing the cloth occasionally to drain the excess water . 

After about 2 to 3 hrs , you can see all the whey collected in the bowl below and when you open the cloth all that is left is thick creamy mass which is hung curd . Squeeze it once again before removing it from the cloth to ensure there is no water content left.  When you touch the hung curd , it should appear thick and creamy without any excess water.  If you find it watery, leave it for somemore time in  the cloth with the weight on . 

Donot waste the collected whey, you can use it while kneading the dough for rotis or even to prepare buttermilk or Chaas. 

Preparation of Shrikhand

Soak the saffron strands in the warm milk ..this enables the saffron to release its flavor and color and makes it easy to blend in with the shrikand .

Take the hung curd in a wide mixing bowl. Add in the powdered sugar and saffron mixture and whisk well until it appears creamy and the sugar is mixed well into the hung curd . Adjust sugar if you feel you need it a little more sweeter .

Lastly add the chopped pistachios, mix it and refrigerate it until serving . Shrikand tastes best when served chilled .

Some more traditional sweets on my blog 

Akki Kadlebele Payasa (rice channa dhall kheer) 

Kerala traditional Paal Payasam 

Gass Gasse Payasa (poppy seeds kheer) 

Semia Payasam

Jawwarsi semia paysam  ( sago vermicelli kheer)

Chakka Pradhaman (jackfruit kheer) 

Linking shrikhand to FMBH week 260 Meethe pal 

Orange Granita - Vegan Dessert

 Granita is a frozen fruit based dessert made using fresh fruit juice and a sweetening agent like honey or sugar and then freezing it . Granita has its origin somewhere in Italy and is popular all over Italy and relished in various flavors . 

Granita is also known as Granita Sciciliana as it was originally made in Sicily . 

To  me this Granita personally reminded of the Indian ice slush delicacy "Gola" ,"Chuski" or "Ice Gola"  where flavored syrup is poured over slushed /crushed ice and topped with some spices like chat masala. When I took a bite of this Orange Granita , I was transported to my childhood where we would occassionally get to indulge into a Gola and my favorite was Kala Khatta or Orange Gola.

I donot mind calling Granita as "Desi Gola Videshi Andaaaz mein"  

If you are wondering, why am I posting this Italian Dessert out of the blue especially when it is chill and raining in many cities in India , well you guessed it right ! It is Monday and time for our weekly post on Foodie Monday bloghop . This week it was Archana's turn to suggest and majority of us opted for Fruit Based Dessert and that is how Orange Granita was born in my kitchen. Archana has some delectable recipes on her blog "The Mad Scientist's kitchen" and true to the name she definitely experiments a lot like a Scientist with her ingredients and recipes. Some of her recipes on my To Do list are Ice Cream Loaf Cake , Samosa Chat . Do check out her space for some really delicious bakes and desserts. 

How does a Granita look like ?

Granita has a crystalline texture and resembles more like crushed ice .

How do we achieve the texture ? 

We must not let the fruit juice freeze completely. In intervals of 30 to 45 mins we must take it out of the freezer and scrape off the slushy mixture and this must be done till the entire mixture appears like crushed ice .

How long does it take to set the granita?

Minimum setting is around 3 hrs. It may take longer depending on the freezer's temperature control.

What is the shelf life ?

Granita stays fresh upto a week when kept properly stored in the freezer.

What are the main ingredients in a Granita?

There are just 3 main ingredients fruit juice , water and sweetener . Sweetener can either be sugar or  honey . Any kind of fresh fruit juice or even flavored fruit juice can be used . The quantity of sugar or honey to be used depends on the sweetness of the fruit juice. We can adjust the level of sweetness accordingly.

How is granita served ?

It is served more like a slush based drink in either small cups or little bowls with a spoon or straw.  Keep the granita frozen  until you serve.

Ingredients

300ml fresh orange juice. 

**you can also used canned orange juice if you donot have fresh oranges. 

1 tbsp lemon juice

2 to 3 tbsp sugar 

Method

Melt the sugar in 1/2 cup water  and boil until it melts. Let the sugar syrup cool for a while.

Now stir in the orange juice and lemon juice into the sugar syrup and mix it well.

Transfer it to a freezer safe container , cover it with a lid or cling film and place it in the freezer.

After 45 mins, take it out of the freezer and you can see that it has set partly and appears semi frozen. Take a fork or spoon and break all the semi frozen crystals and put it back into the freezer. The mixture will appear like a slush now. Donot worry about it.

After the next 45 mins take it out again and break the crystals . This time it would have frozen a little more than the last time. 

Repeat this process of breaking the crystals until the entire juice now appears like crushed ice and has a granular teaxture . Keep it frozen until you serve.

To serve, take a scoop and scrape out a mixture of the granita and place it a dessert bowl or small cups and serve. You can drizzle some honey for extra sweetness or garnish with some cherries or mint as well. 

Some delicious and unique fruit based desserts from my blogger friends that will surely interest you all -

Lip smacking Mango & Passion fruit paletas by Mayuri ji of Mayuri's Jikoni 

Innovative Watermelon Pizza by Poonam who blogs at Annapurna

Evergreen Mango Mastani by Kalyani of Sizzling Tastebuds 

Healthy watermelon berry smoothie by Swaty who owns Foodtrails25

Refreshing Lemon icecream by Priya of Photowali

Granita is being linked to week 259 - Fruity Bites

Pottukadalai Chutney - No coconut Fried gram chutney - Vegan

Chutney is the most essential part of breakfast be it  Idli , dosa, upma or Dhoklas & cheelas .

Every morning the first thing that comes to our mind is what chutney to make? Albeit, coconut chutney is the most loved as well as preferred chutney in most households ,sometimes we would like to have a different chutney to be paired with our breakfast. 

Pottukadalai Chutney is a delicious and spicy chutney which is made using fried gram and is a keeper when you have run out of coconut or want to prepare chutney for someone who does not eat coconut.

What is pottukadalai or fried gram ?

Roasted bengal gram or channa dhall is known as pottukadalai . There are various names such as hurigadle/putaani (kannada) , udaicha kadala / pottukadalai (tamil) , chutney dhall (hindi) . This dhall is very rich in Iron and low in calories. Also as it is rich in fiber it helps with digestion.

What are the uses of roasted gram ?

In south Indian cuisine it is used in preparation of chutney, fried snacks  and a very delicious sweet called Maa Ladoo . 

I love this chutney personally and it goes very well with most variety of dosas . Make it a little runny , you can dunk the idlis and vadas into them and savor every bite of it as the chutney gets absorbed very well into soft fluffy idlis or crunchy vadas. 

Chutney varieties on the blog 

Peanut Ginger Chutney

Ginger Curryleaves Chutney 

Phalli Chutney (Andhra Special)

Pudina Chutney 

Coconut Chutney 

Tomato Chutney

Preparation Time - 5 mins
Cooking Time - 1 min
Serves - 2 to 3
Complexity- easy

Ingredients 

1 cup fried gram / pottukadalai /chutney dhall

2 to 3 green chillies 

2 tbsp Finely chopped corriander 

1 tsp oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

Pinch of asafoetida 

Salt as needed 

Method

• In a blender jar , add the fried gram , green chillies , salt and corriander and give a quick run to make it crumbly .
• Add 1/2  cup water and grind it once more to get the desired chutney consistency. 
• Transfer to a serving bowl and pour a tempering of mustard and asafoetida prepared in hot oil .
• You can adjust the spice level based on the chilly variety you are using . If you want your chutney to be a little runny , add some water and adjust salt accordingly.  

Kothimbir Wadi - vegan & deep fried

A classic traditional recipe from Maharashtra prepared with lots of fresh corriander, fresh spices and gram flour . I have already posted the shallow fried version of kothimbir wadi in my blog but the traditional and authentic version calls for deep frying of the Vadis. 

These vadis are cooked twice; once while steaming and second time while frying in oil or shallow frying , so the raw flavors of cilantro /coriander and gramflour are totally gone and the vadis tastes absolutely delicious. 

Maharashtrians love to have this snack and never miss an opportunity to indulge when fresh coriander is available in plenty .

Some other popular Maharashtrian delicacies which you may want to try

• Masale Bhaat
• Sabudana Vada 
• Kothimbir Vadi (shallow fried)
• Batata Vada (video recipe)
• Faraali Chivda 
• Moongacha Ambat (guest post)
• Basundi
• Dry fruit Chikki (video recipe)

It is Monday already and time to post our weekly FMBH theme post. This week it was my turn to suggest a theme and most of them voted for #MeeMarathi  - traditional Maharashtrian cuisine.  #CracklingPeanut was another choice which also had a good number of votes but MeeMarathi won hands down . So dear friends keep checking out my Facebook space for the wonderful recipes dished out by my fellow bloggers in the coming days which I shall be posting . It is my 8th week since I joined this lovely group of bloggers who have been dishing out lovely theme based recipes for 250+ weeks and now we are in the 258th week of Foodie Monday Bloghop. 

Preparation Time : 20 mins

Steaming Time : 15 mins

Frying Time : 10 mins

Complexity : medium

Ingredients 

1 medium bunch fresh corriander/kothimbir 

3 to 4 green chillies

150 gms besan/gram flour

1 tbsp rice flour

1 tsp finely chopped ginger 

2 small cloves garlic pods (optional)

2 tsp white sesame/safed til 

1 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp dhaniya powder 

1/2 tsp baking soda

1tsp sugar

Asafoetida as needed 

Salt as needed 

Method 

Wash the corriander to clean all the mud, remove all the roots, yellow and wilted leaves and chop them finely or give it a quick pulse in a food processor /chopper.

In a blender jar grind the ginger , green chillies and garlic to a fine paste with a little water..if yiy don't want garlic, skip that . I have not used garlic in my recipe .

In a wide mixing bowl, add the chopped corriander, ginger green chilli paste , salt , sugar , red chilli powder,haldi, dhaniya powder , Asafoetida and mix it nicely with your fingers such that all flavors get incorporated. 

Add the gram flour , sesame seeds , baking soda and rice flour to this corriander mixture and rub it well till it appears crumbly . Check for salt at this stage, if you want you can add some salt and spices.

Add water little by little and form a soft but stiff dough . 

Grease your palms and make cylindrical logs from the dough and place it in a steamer for 10 to 12 mins . Insert a knife into the steamed dumplings and it should come out clean.  That means they are steamed perfectly.  If you feel that they are undercooked continue cooking for another few mins.

Let them cool well. Now slice them into small roundels.  I kept these slices in the refrigerator for 30 mins before frying . By doing this the slices held the shape well and didn't crumble while frying .

Heat oil in a kadai and drop these slices one by one in the hot oil and fry them on medium flame .Donot crowd the oil with many slices.

Fry till they turn golden brown and appear crispy. Repeat the steps until all the slices are fried . Serve hot with chutney or tomato sauce. 

Linking this to week 258 - MeeMarathi 

Amiri Khaman | Sev Khamani

This month's theme for our Shhh Secret challenge group on Facebook is Steamed Foods which was suggested by  Annu Kollon who has amazing and healthy recipes on her blog "Entethattukada" .I for one , fell for this name she has given to her blog , it is so catchy and attractive and will make everyone want to visit her blog . Among the many healthy recipes, what I loved the most was her No Milk , No sugar , No cornflour Banana and Almond flavor icecream . I have bookmarked it for trying and I would suggest you all to try it as well . An Icecream yet so healthy !! Bumper Bonus isn't it?? 

When myself and my partner for this month ,Sujata were discussing about the secret ingredients we must share with one another , this recipe struck to me instantly and I decided to go about with this for the theme.. Sujata ji  blogs at " Batter up with Sujata" and her blog is a buffet of various recipes and a nice melange of vegetarian , non vegetarian cuisines , Eggless bakes , authentic Bengali recipes and yummy cookies and healthy salads .All which have been explained in simple and easy way . I have book marked some of her recipes to try. Hope to do at earliest.  The first thing I plan to try is her yummy melt in mouth Gulab Jamuns. You must check her recipe and it will get you drooling right away .

Secret ingredients that we exchanged ;ginger & hing/Asafoetida is what she gave me and I gave her poppy seeds and curd . Check back this space to know more about a lip smacking recipe dished out by Sujata ji  and as usual  she has prepared an authentic Bengali recipe Channar Patauri which looks absolutely delectable and yummy. 

What is Amiri Khaman?
 Amiri khaman is a very unique way to use up left over dhoklas and it serves as a perfect tea time snack or even a breakfast .

The khaman is crumbled and sautéed with some spices and pomegranate pearls ,fine sev are garnished over this amiri khaman which give a nice crunch.  I was out of Pomegranate so have skipped using them here. 

Does this recipe taste good only with left over khaman?

There is no hard and fast rule that only left over khaman needs to be used, freshly prepared ones can also be used.  This time I exclusively made khaman to try out this recipe. 

How to prepare khaman/yellow dhokla?

You can look up the detailed recipe here 

Preparation Time - 5 mins 

**if khaman is ready 

Cooking Time - 7 to 8 mins

Serves - 2 to 3 

Complexity- simple

Ingredients 

10 to 15 khaman pieces 

(Khaman recipe. - click here )

1 tsp ginger finely chopped

2 to 3 green chillies finely chopped

1/2 tsp jeera/cumin

1/2 tsp mustard /rai

8 to 10 fresh curry leaves 

2 tbsp fresh grated coconut 

1/2 tsp sugar

pinch of asafoetida 

Salt if required 

Handful of fine sev

Handful of Pomegranate pearls

Finely chopped coriander. 

**note - for this month's theme as it is "steamed foods" I specially made khaman for trying out Amiri Khaman and have not used left over dhoklas . I let them rest for about  1 hr so it is easy to crumble without the moisture .

Method 

Khaman (dhoklaa) freshly prepared and left for cooling before it can be crumbled. 

Crumble the khaman well until it appears grainy. 

Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard followed by jeera then curry leaves,green chillies and ginger . Lastly add hing and give it a quick stir.

Now add the crumbled khaman, little salt , sugar, pinch of haldi and mix it nicely. Sprinkle some water and cook covered for 2 to 3 mins.

Open the lid, add freshly grated coconut, chopped corriander .

Serve hot with a fresh garnish of sev and pomegranate pearls. I dint have pomegranate handy so haven't used it here. 

Linking this to our facebook group's secret challenge event for month of July 2020 - steamed foods 

 

Mysore Masala Dosa

Does dosa really need any introduction?? In the earlier days , dosas were an important part of breakfast menu in Southern India but slowly and steadily this delicious recipe found a place on the Global menu map and there will be hardly anyone who would hate dosas . 

The thin crunchy crepes drizzled with right amount of oil and cooked to a perfect golden brown color is a heavenly treat to our taste buds and is  generally  served with variety of chutney , sambar and Molagapudi (gun powder) mixed in gingelly oil .

We are more of dosa loving family than idlis .Though I grind batter for idli , I end up making dosas most of the time.  We love it with mildly spiced  Coconut Chutney  and spicy tomato Chutney more than sambar . Molgapudi of course always has a special place without a mention.

This week's Foodie Monday Bloghop theme was a choice between dosa varieties and fusion cooking.  Needless to say Dosa emerged victorious and here we are enjoying week #257 DosaDen as suggested by Priya Iyer . Priya has yummy recipes on her blog "the world through my eyes" and her latest recipe is my favorite  melt in mouth home made Chocolate Truffles

When it comes to making dosas , main thing that is required is the perfect Dosa batter , which is the key ingredient .  One  can either use dosa batter made at home or the store bought ones that are readily available these days . Ensure that the batter is not sour . Do check the FAQs regarding the batter and grinding techniques at the end of this post.

Coming to today's recipe, as the name suggests mysore masala dosa has it roots in the city of Mysore . What makes it different from the regular masala dosa is a spicy red chutney that is smeared on the dosa before placing the aloo masala inside the dosa .

Mysore masala dosa involves 3 components.

• The dosa 
• Aloo masala 
• Fiery red chutney

Please excuse  me for the not very great presentation as we all like to eat our dosas piping hot and continuing a prolonged photosoot would make the dosa soggy and lose the crunch :-( 

You can serve this with sambar and chutney but I like mine with molgapudi and coconut chutney , so that is what you are seeing in the picture. 

Preparation time - 45mins 

**considering dosa batter is ready on hand

Cooking Time - 30 mins

**inclusive of preparing the aloo masala 

Complexity - medium 

Serves - 3 to 4 

Ingredients

Aloo Masala 

4 to 5 medium sized potatoes

1 medium onion chopped 

1 tsp finely chopped ginger 

2 green chillies finely chopped 

1 tsp mustard seeds 

1 tsp channa dal

1 tsp udad dhall

1/2 tsp turmeric 

Asafoetida as needed

Salt as needed 

Freshly chopped corriander 

Red chutney

8 to 10 byadgi chillies 

Small piece of tamarind 

2 tsp chutney dhall 

Salt as needed

1 tsp jaggery 

Dosa 

Dosa batter as needed 

Oil to make dosas 

Method 

Red chutney

• Soak the red chillies and tamarind in warm water for about 20 mins.
• Slightly squeeze out the water and blend the chillies , tamarind, chutney dal(fried gram) , salt and jaggery to a fine paste .
• Donot add too much water while grinding as the chutney  has to be of flowing consistency so as to spread easily on the dosa .
• Those who like garlic can add one or two cloves of garlic while grinding. 
• Keep this chutney aside or refrigerate it incase you are going to prepare the dosas later during the day.

Aloo Masala / Aloo gadde palya

• Wash the potatoes nicely, cut them into half and pressure cook with enough water .
• Cool the potatoes ,peel and crumble it roughly.
• In a pan , heat some oil and crackle mustard seeds followed by channa dhall and udad dhall until they turn golden brown. 
• Fry the green chillies and ginger with asafoetida .
• If using onions, saute them until they turn pink else skip this step. 
• Add turmeric, salt and the crumbled potatoes and mix it well .
• Add about 2 tbsp of water , pinch of sugar and cook for another 3 to 4 mins . 
• Garnish with coriander leaves and keep it ready .

Preparation of Mysore Masala dosa

Heat a tawa and spread the dosa batter on it such a way that the center is slightly thick .

Drizzle some oil around the dosa and let it cook for a minute. 

Now smear the chutney over the dosa as much as you like.

Place some aloo masala in the center and spread it slightly. By now, the dosa would have cooked nice and crisp from the underside . It is now time to roll the dosa and serve hot .

Using a spatula , run it around the edges of the dosa and lightly lift it. 

With the help of your hands and spatula for support,start rolling the dosa from one end and proceed till the end .

Serve it hot with chutney, sambar , molagapudi and a dollop of butter if you want to have butter mysore masala dosa. 

FAQs on Dosa batter 

Can we use idli batter to make dosa?

Yes ..no problem . I generally grind a common batter and use it for both idli and dosa .

Can dosa be made from freshly ground batter ?

You can prepare, but the taste will  differ when the batter is fermented well . The mild sourness after fermentation will make the dosa taste yummy and also come out crunchy and crisp. 

How to prepare Dosa Batter at home ?

You can grind the batter either in the Mixer/Mixi/blender or using the wet grinder. There is a mild difference in the proportion of ingredients used when you are using the mixie to grind the batter as against the wet grinder.  When the batter is ground in a wet grinder, the udad dhall gets ground very well to a bouncy texture and yields a good amount where as when we grind it in a mixie the udad dhall tends to yield a lesser quantity as the mixie tends to get heated up due to heat.

How to grind batter in mixie ?

You can refer to this recipe of mine which is a tried and tested recipe and gives soft idlis, crispy dosas and fluffy paniyarams.

 Recipe here

How to grind batter in a wet grinder ?

Different tried and tested proportions for getting a perfect idli/dosa batter

Proportion 1 

2.5 cups idli rice

1.5 cups regular rice (except  basmati)

1 cup whole udad dhall (udad dhall gota)

1 tsp methi seeds 

 

Proportion 2 

3 cups idli rice

1 cup regular rice (except basmati)

1 cup whole udad dhall (udad dhall gota)

1 tsp methi seeds 

Proportion 3 

3 cups idli rice 

1 cup udad dhall (udad dhall gota)

1 tsp methi seeds .

Video recipe to grind in a wet grinder.

** If you don't find full udad dhall , you can use split udad dhall . 

** Proportion to use 1 cup and  a handful of split udad dhall.

** if idli rice is not available you can use idli rava in the same Proportion. 

**never use basmati rixe or any rice that has a natural fragrance as it will spoil the taste of the dosa or idli 

Accompaniments for the dosa. 

Coconut chutney    

Tomato Chutney  

Idli Molagapudi