Supplies
Paneer Koftas in Makhni Sauce
- 3 Tbsp ghee or vegetable oil
- 3 onions, roughly chopped
- 6-8 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 2½ cm piece of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
- 15g cashew nuts
- 1 can tomatoes
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 stick cinnamon
- 4-6 green cardamoms
- ¾ tsp salt
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp Kasoori methi
- 1 Tbsp double cream
- 2 potatoes, peeled, boiled and mashed
- 200 gms pack paneer, coarsely grated
- Handful of coriander leaves, finely chopped, plus extra to garnish
- Salt to taste
- 1 green chilli, finely chopped
- 1 Tbsp cornflour
- 1 Tbsp raisins
- Vegetable oil, to deep fry
Spinach Raita
- 2 cups of Greek Natural yoghurt
- 200 gms spinach leaves, finely chopped
- 1 large onions, finely sliced
- 1 Tbsp ginger, grated or finely chopped
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- Sugar – ¼ teaspoon
- Salt to taste
- 1 tsp roasted cumin powder
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp red chilli powder
- For tempering /baghar
- Oil – 1 Tablespoon
- Mustard seeds – 1 teaspoon
- Red chillies – 2-3
- Chopped garlic 1 tsp
- Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Diwali Special Rice
- Ingredients
- 2 cups of basmati rice, wash and soak in water for 20 min
- Butter 20 gms
- Oil 2 tsp
- Cinnamon – 1 large stick
- Black cardamom – 2
- Green cardamom – 5-6
- Cloves 2-3
- Bay leaves – 2-3
- Cumin seeds 1 tsp
- Black pepper whole 4-5
- 2 onions, finely sliced
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely chopped
- Unsalted cashews 3 tablespoons
- Raisins 2 tablespoon
- 1 cup green peas, thawed if using frozen
- To garnish
- Pomegranate seeds
- ½ cup chopped coriander
Minty Sesame Potatoes
- 250grams baby potatoes
- 5 Tbsp white sesame seeds
- 2 green chillies, chopped
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 4 Tbsp mint leaves, chopped
- 4 Tbsp coriander leaves, chopped
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 2 Tbso vegetable oil
- Salt to taste
Perfect Poori
- 2 cups of wheat flour
- Oil – 2 tsp
- Pinch of salt
- Water to make the dough
Coconut and Choco Ladoos
- 1 cup desiccated coconut
- 1½ cup milk (full fat)
- ½ cup sugar
- 3 teaspoon dark coco powder
- 3 tablespoon desiccated coconut powder to roll the coco balls
Steps
Paneer Koftas in Makhni Sauce
- Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a large pan add the onions and cook for 5-6 minutes until golden. Add the garlic, ginger, cashews and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes until softened.
- Leave to cool slightly, then blitz to a purée with a handheld blender, or in a food processor, and set aside. Return the empty pan to the heat and add the remaining oil. Add the bay leaf, green cardamoms and cinnamon and sizzle for a few seconds before returning the tomato and onion purée. Cover and cook over a low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the salt and spices and cook for another minute. Add 100ml water and kasoori methi, bring to a boil. Now add the cream and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, combine the kofta ingredients and shape into 12 walnut-sized balls.
- Heat the oil in a large pan and once hot, fry the koftas in batches for 2-3 minutes until golden and crisp. Keep warm.
- Add the koftas in the prepared gravy and leave for 15-20 minutes.
- When serving drizzle with a little cream and scatter with some coriander to serve.
Spinach Raita
- Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan; add the cumin seeds and allow it to crackle.
- Add the sliced onion and fry till it is golden brown
- Then add the ginger and cook on medium heat for 3-4 minutes
- Add the chopped spinach and sauté on high heat until tender and most of the water is evaporated. Add the salt.
- Set aside and allow the spinach to cool completely.
- Whisk together the yogurt, cumin powder, red chilli powder, black pepper, sugar and and salt.
- Fold in the cooled spinach mixture into the whisked yogurt. Transfer to a serving dish and refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.
- The final step is the make the seasoning.
- Heat oil in a tadka pan; add the seasoning ingredients and allow it to roast and crackle. Once it roasts and crackles, turn off the heat.
- Pour the seasoning onto the Palak Raita
Diwali Special Rice
- Cook the washed rice as per normal way of cooking rice. Drain and keep aside.
- Melt butter and oil in a pan. Add all the bay leaves, whole spices. Toast for a minute.
- Add the sliced onions and sauté until golden brown.
- Add chopped ginger. Mix well
- Now add the green peas, cashews, and raisins.
- Add salt and mix well. Cover and cook on low heat until the peas are done.
- Now add the cooked rice to the mix in the pan, stir gently with a fork to avoid breaking the rice
- Garnish with pomegranate, and coriander leaves.
Minty Sesame Potatoes
- Boil the potatoes, peel, and set aside
- Lightly roast the sesame seeds, and grind with 3 Tbsp water to a thickish
- Heat the oil in a pan, add the onions and green chillies and sauté for 3-4 minutes on medium heat
- Add the sesame paste and cook on a slow flame for 4-5 minutes until the water has evaporated
- Add the boiled potatoes and mix well. Cover and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
- Now add the chopped mint, coriander, and lemon juice.
Perfect Poori
- Take 2 cups of wheat flour in a big mixing bowl, salt and oil.
- Now knead little stiff and tight dough for poori by adding water in small portions. Make sure the dough is not too stiff. Cover and keep the dough aside for 20 to 25 minutes to rest.
- After 20 minutes, divide the dough into small dough balls. You can keep the size of pooris small or big as desired.
- Now roll the dough balls into round-flatten dough ball. Take one dough ball and roll it out into round and thin poori.
- Meanwhile heat some oil in a wok to deep fry the pooris. Check if the oil is heated well, drop little dough to the ghee. If the dough balls immediately starts floating on the surface that means the oil is rightly heated. Slide the rolled poori in the hot oil, pat gently with the ladle to puff it up (as in the video). This takes about 50 seconds.. The poori will get hard if you leave longer in the oil.
- Life the poori and hold the ladle on the edge of the wok so that extra oil drains back to it.
- Leave it on absorbent paper .
- Enjoy your fluffy poori.
Coconut and Choco Ladoos
- Take a frying pan, heat, and dry roast the coconut powder for couple of minutes. Keep stirring and make sure it doesn’t become brown.
- The colour of the coconut after roasting should be a cream colour.
- Take a large heavy bottom pan, add the milk, and bring to boil
- Now add the coconut powder
- Stir continuously until the milk evaporates
- Now add the sugar, mix continuously keeping the flame on low.
- The sugar will start to melt and make the mixture slightly watery.
- Keep stirring keeping the flame on low until the moisture evaporates completely and mixture turns crumbly.
- The process so far takes about 20 minutes.
- Cool the mixture slightly.
- When it comes down to a warm temperature, roll the mixture to balls. You can roll them in desiccated coconut. You should get about 12 balls from the mix.
- Rolling the coco balls in desiccated coconut is optional.
- You could add cashew powder or any of your favourite nut powders.
- Store in fridge for 2 hours, so it gets little hard and sets a little.
- Always serve this at room temperature or little cold.
- You can keep this in fridge for up to a week.