VRAT KE AALU / JEERA AALU

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time : 15-20 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients:

4 large potatoes
2 tbsp desi ghee or oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1" ginger grated
1-2 green chilies finely chopped
salt to taste
1/2 tsp dhania powder
1/2 tsp garm masala powder or sabzi masala
1/4 tsp chili powder or degi mirch powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder (optional)
coriander leaves for garnishing

Method:

1. Boil potatoes in a pressure cooker till they become soft.
2. Peel the potatoes and then chop them in desired shape and size.
3. Heat ghee in a kadahi and crackle cumin seeds then add grated ginger and chopped green chilies and stir for a while.
4. Add salt, all the spices and the chopped potatoes and mix well.
5. Cook on low flame for 5-7 minutes till salt is absorbed in the potatoes and all the spices cat the potatoes well.
6. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve with plain curd or vrat ke chawal ki kheer or sabudana kheer or kuttu ke aate ka cheela or kuttu ke aate ki puri or kuttu ke aate ki roti. 
7. You can simply enjoy this with poori or parantha even if you are not fasting. 

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VRAT KE CHAAWAL KI KHEER / SAMVAT RICE KHEER

Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Serves: 6

Ingredients:

1 Ltr. full cream milk
2-3 tbsp. vrat ke chaawal / barnyard millet / sama ke chawal
3-4 tbsp sugar or as per taste
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
few saffron strands (optional)
handful of dry fruits as per choice like raisins,almonds, pistachios, cashews,chirongi  etc.

Method (Vidhi):

1. Soak barnyard millet or sama ke chawal in enough water for about an hour. later drain and keep aside.
2. Heat milk in a thick bottomed pan and bring it to a boil on a low to medium flame.
3. Add the sama ke chawal. stir well.
4. Cook on a low flame till the barnyard millet gets cooked.Do stir at intervals. Scrape off the dried milk solids from the pan and add it to the kheer.
5. It will take about 18 to 20 minutes to cook on a low flame.
6. Add sugar and stir well till the sugar dissolves.
7. Add cardamom powder and saffron strands. 
8. Add chopped nuts ,stir and simmer for a minute.
9. Serve the vrat ke chawal ki kheer hot or warm garnished with some  saffron threads or chopped nuts or you can also serve this kheer chilled.

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AALU CHAAT

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10-15 minutes
Serves: 2-3

Ingredients:
4 medium size potatoes
50 gms cottage cheese cubed
10-15 cashew nuts
a handful of peas
salt to taste
sweet tamarind chuttney to taste
1/2 tsp degi mirch
1/2 tsp catch sabzi masala
1/2 tsp dhania powder
1/2 tsp chaat masala
a pinch of asafoetida (hing)
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp oil +oil for deep frying

Method:

1. Wash, peel and cut the potatoes in cubes.
2. Heat oil in a wok (kadahi) and fry the potatoes in batches till they are well cooked and become soft from in side.
3. Put cashew nuts in the oil and fry them as well or you can roast them in micro wave or dry roast them in a pan. Don't over cook them.
4. Now deep fry the cottage cheese cubes also.
5. In another pan take a tsp of oil and add asafoetida and cumin seeds to it.
6. When they start to crackle add peas and cook them till they become soft.
7. Now add fried potatoes,cottage cheese,cashew nuts, salt, all the spices and tamarind chuttney and mix well.
8. Serve hot.This can be eaten during fast.

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TILL BHUGGA

Ingredients:

200 gms till (sesame seeds)
300 gms khoya/mawa
200 gms bura sugar (caster sugar) or as per taste
50 gms kaju tukra(optional)
1 tbsp pure ghee

Method:

1. Clean and dry roast sesame seeds in pan.
2. When they start changing color and you hear a crackling sound switch off the gas and keep them aside to cool.
3. Now coarsely grind then in a grinder.
4. Heat ghee in the pan and roast khoya in it till all the water evaporates and khoya stats changing colour and leaves the sides of the pan.
5. Now add ground sesame seeds,kaju tukda and bura sugar to it and mix well.
6. Make small balls by pressing the mixture tightly with your hand. Then give them desired shape.
7. Garnish with cashew nuts, raisin and pistachios.

Note:

1. Khoa or khoya or khawa or mawa is  dried whole milk or milk thickened made by heating milk in an open  pan to condensation.
2. If you don't get khoya then mix 1.5 cup of milk powder with 1 can or condensed milk (400 gms) and cook it in pure ghee or clarified butter . This mixture can be used in place of khoya.

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SHAKARKANDI CHAAT

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time : 10 minutes

Serves: 6

Ingredients:
1/2 kg shakarkandi - boiled, peeled, cubed
1/2 tsp chaat masala(optional)
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp roasted cumin seeds powder
1 tsp rock salt (sendha namak) or to taste
1 tbsp lemon juice or to taste
cubed cucumber and apples (optional)
coriander leaves to garnish

Method:

Mix all the ingredients and serve.

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KUTTU KE AATE KE PAKORE

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time : 10 minutes

Serves: 6

Ingredients:
2 potatoes
1.5 cup ogle(kuttu) ka aata/water chestnut flour(singhare ka aata)/vart ka aata
Sendha namak to taste
1/4 tsp degi mirch
1/2 tsp garam masala
oil for frying
1 cup curd
1 tbsp ginger Julian
2 tbsp pomegranate seeds
2 tbsp tamarind chuttney
coriander leaves for garnishing
Method:

1. Sieve flour and mix flour ,salt ,degi mirch and garam masala along with water to make a batter of coating consistency.
2. Peel,wash and slice potatoes into not very thin and not very thick slices.
3. Coat each slice with the batter and deep fry in hot oil.
4. When it is cooked from both sides drain it out from oil on an absorbent paper.
5. Garnish with curd ,tamarind chuttney,pomegranate seeds,ginger julian and coriander leaves and serve.

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AALU KA HALWA/POTATO HALWA

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time : 10 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

4 potatoes, boiled and mashed
2-3 tbsp ghee
1/2 cup sugar
a pinch of cardamom powder
1/4 cup boiling water/milk
saffron (kesar) strands

1 tbsp dry fruits of your choice

Method:

1. Heat ghee in a non stick pan and roast mashed potato in it stirring constantly.
2. Stir this on medium heat til it starts changing color.
3. Dissolve saffron in hot milk or water.
4. Pour in the boiling water/milk,sugar and cardamom powder in the roasted potatoes and mix well.
5. Stir this till it leaves ghee or starts leaving the sides of the pan.
6. There shouldn't be any lumps in it.
7. Serve hot garnishing with dry fruits.

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SABUDANA CHEELA

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Cooking time : 10 minutes

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sabudana (sago)

2-3 boiled potatoes

1/2" ginger grated or finely chopped

1 green chili finely chopped
2 tbsp coriander chopped (dhania)
1/4 tbsp red chilli powder
1/2 tbsp garam masala
salt to taste
oil for shallow frying

Method :

1. Boil ,peel and mash potatoes
2. Soak sabudana in water at least for 2 hrs.
3. Mix it with mashed potatoes.
4. Mix  potatoes, sabudana and all other ingredients except oil.
5. Take a small polythene sheet or a clean polythene bag and place it on the rolling board(chakla).
6. Grease it with a little oil or sprinkle a few drops of water on the polythene sheet. 
7. Take small or medium sized balls from the dough and spread the balls with wet hand on the polythene sheet.
8. Now pick up the polythene sheet and carefully remove the cheela from it.
9. Place it on greased hot non stick tava(griddle) and cook the cheela from both the sides while pressing with the help of a spatula.
10. Serve with,vart ke aaloo or a dip or chuttney of your choice.

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BAADAM HALWA BADAAM KA HALWA /ALMOND FUDGE

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time : 20-30 minutes

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:
1 cup almonds
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup desi ghee
1/2+1/2 cup milk
1/4 tsp cardamom powder

Method:

1. Soak almonds at least for two hours and pour hot water on them and keep aside for five minutes to blanch them and then peel them.
2. Now coarsely grind them along with 1/2 cup milk in a grinder.
3. Heat ghee in a non-stick pan and cook the coarsely ground almond paste in it on low-medium heat till it becomes golden brown in color stirring continuously.
4. Now add remaining 1/2 cup milk,sugar and cardamom powder and mix well.
5. Remove from fire when the sugar dissolves completely.
6. Garnish with almonds and serve hot.

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LAUKI HALWA / DOODHI HALWA / GHIYA HALWA

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time : 20 minutes

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

500 gms bottle gourd (doodhi / lauki/ghiya)
2 cups milk or 1 cup mava (khoya)
1/2 cup sugar or as per taste
2-3 tbsp ghee
cashewnuts (kaju)/almonds as per taste
1/2 tsp cardamom (elaichi) powder
2-3 drops green color or 2 tsp brahmi badam syrup (optional)

Method:

1. Peel,wash and grate bottle gourd.
2. Heat ghee in a pan, add the bottle gourd and saute on medium flame for 2 minutes.
3. Add the hot milk and keep stirring till it reduces and become thick or add mava and stir till lauki and mava blends completely.
4. Add the sugar, mix well and cook ,till the water released by sugar evaporates.
5. Add cashews/almonds and cardamom powder and mix well.
6. When the halwa is cooked and becomes thick, add green color or brahmi syrup and mix well.
7. Serve hot.

Note:

1. If you are using mava instead of milk then cook bottle gourd in ghee till it becomes tender.
2. If using brahmi badam syrup instead of color then take care while adding sugar as some sugar is present in syrup also.

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KUTTU KE AATE KA CHEELA

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking time : 15 minutes

Serves: 4
Ingredients:
4 tbsp kuttu ka aata
2 small or 1 big potato
1/4 tsp red pepper powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder (dhania powder)
1/4 tsp cumin powder(jeera powder)
sendha namak to taste
oil for shallow frying

Method:

1. Peel and grate potatoes and mix rest of the ingredients in it except oil.
2. Now pour approximately 1/2 cup water in it to make a batter of pouring consistency.
3. Heat a non-stick griddle (tava) and grease it with a little oil.
4. Now pour a ladle full of batter and spread it on tava in a circular motion  like dosa but don't make a thin cheela otherwise you wont be able to flip the side.
5. Cook it from one side on medium heat for 2-3 minutes and gradually flip the side with the help of a spatula and cook from the other side also.
6. Pour a little bit of oil all around the cheela and gently press it with the help of the spatula.
7. When both the sides are done then serve it hot along with vart ke aalo,petha(pumpkin),lauki (bottle gourd),tamarind chuttney or simply with curd.

Variations:

1. You can replace potato with grated cucumber ,bottle gourd or raddish etc.

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KALAKAND / MILK CAKE

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking time : 30 minutes

Serves: 4
Ingredients:

1 litre or 6 cup full cream milk
1-2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp pure ghee
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp cardamom powder
a few strands or saffron (kesar)
sliced pistachios for garnishing

Method:

1. Boil milk over low medium heat in a heavy bottomed pan.
2. Let it boil for 3-4 minutes and then add lemon juice to it till it starts curdling.
3. Now when the whey separates from milk solid pour out one to two cups of whey water from it to reduce the sourness.
4. Cook the milk solid and the whey water on medium to high flame stirring occasionally till all the liquid evaporates.
5. Now add ghee,cardamom powder and sugar and cook further for 3-4 minutes till the mixture completely binds together and the water released by the sugar evaporates.
6. Grease a rectangular try and evenly spread the mixture in it, sprinkle the sliced pistachios and saffron strands on it and keep it aside to get cool.
7. Cut the pieces of desired shape and size and serve.

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SABUDANA KHEER

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking time : 20-30 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:
½ cup sabudana or tapioca pearls
2 cups full cream milk
4 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp green cardamom powder
2 tbsp sliced blanched almonds
½ tbsp raisins
3-4 saffron strands (optional)

Method:

1. Wash and soak sabudana in 2 cups of water at least for 1 to 2 hours.
2. Heat milk in a thick bottomed pan and add the soaked sabudana along with water in the pan
3. Cook for 20-25 minutes on a low to medium flame stirring occasionally.
4. When you reach the desired consistency add sugar and cardamom powder and sliced blanched almonds. 
5. Garnish the sabudana kheer with saffron strands and pistachios and serve sabudana kheer hot or warm.
6. You can also serve cold kheer and add fruits of your choice.
   

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AALOO CHEELA

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking time : 5 minutes

Serves: 1
Ingredients:
1 potato
sendha namak or regular salt to taste
pepper to taste
oil for shallow frying

Method:

1. Peel the potato and wash it.
2. Heat a non stick griddle(tava)  on low medium heat and grease it with a little oil.
3. Grate the potato directly on the tava and spread it evenly on it with the help of a spoon or with your hand.
4. Now cook it on high flame and flip the side and cook from the other side as well.If required apply some oil on it.
5. When it turns out to be golden brown in color remove from fire sprinkle salt and pepper and serve hot along with a dip or sauce of your choice.

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RAW BANANA CHIPS

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time : 10 minutes

Serves: 3

Ingredients:
3 Raw bananas
oil for frying
salt to taste
pepper powder to taste
chaat masala to taste

Method:

1. Wash and peel the raw bananas.
2. Heat oil in a kadahi.
3. Using a mandoline slicer, carefully slice the banana directly into the kadahi.
4. The slices should fall in the oil.
5. Slice rest of the bananas in a similar way.
6. When they become crisp remove the fried banana chips with slotted spoon and drain them out on a paper towel.
7. Sprinkle salt pepper and chaat masala and bana chips are ready to be served.
8. You can store these in an air tight container after they are cooled completely

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INSTANT CHATPATE AALU

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking time : 5 minutes

Serves: 2

Ingredients:
3-4 boiled potatoes
2 tbsp tamarind chuttney
oil for frying
salt as per taste

Method:

1. Take boiled potato(without removing the skin) between your palms and press it.
2. Do the same with rest of the potatoes.
3. Deep fry them in hot oil till they become brown and crispy.
4. Drain out on an absorbent paper.
5. Put them in a bowl and drizzle tamarind chuttney and salt.

Notes:

1. Sprinkle salt keeping in mind that tamarind chuttney also contains salt.
2. You can sprinkle red chili powder,jeera powder and chhat masala if you like it to be more spicy.

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SABUDANA CUTLET

Ingredients:

1 cup sabudana (sago)

5 boiled potatoes

1" ginger grated or finely chopped

1 green chili finely chopped
2 tbsp coriander chopped (dhania)
1/4 tbsp red chilli powder
1/2 tbsp garam masala
salt to taste
oil for frying

Method :

1. Boil ,peel and mash potatoes
2. Soak sabudana in water for 2 hrs.
3. Mix it with mashed potatoes
4. Mix  potatoes, sabudana and all other ingredients except oil.
5. Make small balls of desired shape and fry till brown
6. Serve with dip or chuttney of your choice.

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KUTTU KI ROTI/SINGHARE KE AATE KI ROTI

Ingredients
3 cups singhare ka atta/water chestnut flour/kuttu ka aata
2 medium sized potatoes boiled ,peeled and mashed
1 tsp cumin powder/garam masala

1/2 tsp degi mirch (red chili powder)
rock salt or sendha namak as per taste

Method:

1. Mix all the ingredients and very little water if required and knead the dough.
2. If the dough is sticky add some more flour.Now put a little oil on your hand and pat your hand on the dough and kneed it again and keep it on rest for five minutes.
3. Take a small polythene sheet or a clean polythene bag and place it on the rolling board(chakla).
4. Dust it with some chestnut flour or grease it with a little oil or sprinkle a few drops of water on the polythene sheet. 
5. Take small or medium sized balls from the dough and spread the balls with wet hand on the polythene sheet.
6. Now pick up the polythene sheet and carefully remove the roti from it.
7. Place it on hot non stick tava(griddle) and cook the roti from both the sides while pressing with the help of a spatula.
8. You can apply oil on both the sides and cook it like parantha or deep fry it in hot oil like poori. 
9. Serve the roti hot with vrat ke aloo, ghiya (bottle gourd) sabzi curd,tamarind chuttney and gajar ka halwa etc.

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SABUDANA (SAGO) KHICHDI

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time : 10-15 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:
Sabudana (sago) 1 1/2 cups
2 tbsp Peanuts
4-5 Green chilies finely chopped
1 Potato diced
2 tbsp Ghee/oil
1/4 tsp asafoetida powder  (hing)

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp garam masala

8-10 Curry leaves
1 tsp Cumin seeds

1/2" ginger grated
Salt to taste
1 tsp Lemon juice
2 tbsp Fresh coconut scraped (optional)

1 tbsp Fresh coriander leaves chopped

Method:

1. Wash sabudana  and then soak it in one-cup water for three to four hours.Meanwhile keep stirring the same after regular intervals. It should become fully moist.
2. Heat ghee in a pan,add asafoetida powder,curry leaves, cumin seeds ,grated ginger and chopped green chillies.
3. When cumin seeds crackle add peanuts and stir them in ghee for 2-3 minutes.
4. Now add the potato cubes. Cook till the potatoes are done.
5. Add sabudana and scraped coconut, black pepper and garam masala ,saute for four to five minutes, stirring well. Add 2-3 tbsp water add salt and lime juice and mix well. 
6. Remove from heat. Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves and serve hot along with tamarind chuttney or curd.

Note:

1. You can add vegetables of your choice like carrot, peas,cauliflower,capsicum etc.along with potatoes and you can add cheese as well.But put the cheese at the end.

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