NUTS CHIKI / BRITTEL

2 cups roasted nuts and the seeds of your choice

2 cups sugar

Toast the nuts of your choice, and set aside.

Prepare the caramel by meting the sugar over a low heat until it becomes anber colored ( takes about 5 to 6 minutes) When the caramel is ready turn the heat off ,pour the toasted nuts and the seeds, mix well. Pour the mixture on parchment paper greased with ghee then cover with another sheet of parchment paper, level with your hands or rolling pin. Remove the parchment paper, once its little cooled mark with pizza cutter so it will be easier to break into pieces.

Note : Place few drops of the caramel into a cold water, if it breaks its ready. If its gooy keep stirring and cheak until its hard and brittle.

KARELA SHAK / BITTER GOURD

2 cups sliced karela ( washed and deseeded)

1 onion thibly sliced

2 tablespoon oil

1/4 teaspon mastard seeds

1/2 teaspoon asafoetida

1 1/2 teaspoon salt / as per taste

1 teaspoon dhana jeeru

1 1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1 tablespoon gaggerey

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Hand full chopped cilantro

Place sliced karela in a large bowl,add little salt and mix well. Cover and set aside for about 10 minutes. Squeeze out all the excess water from the karela and set aside. In a sauce pan heat the oil, once heated ass the mustard seeds and asafoetida. Once crackedadd sliced onions and soute for about 1 minute ,add the cliced karela,salt and turmeric powder. Mix well, cover the lid and cok on low heay stirring in between for about 15 minutes or until cooked. Add chili powder,dhana jeers, jaggeryand lemon juice. stir and cook for 1 minute. Turn the heat off and garnish with chopped cilantro. Enjoy karela nu shak with masale daar daal and garma garam rotli.

RAJAGRO & SAKARYA NA WADA

1 cup rajagro / moryo

1 cup water

1 teaspoon salt

Pressure cook rajagro with 2 whistle, let cool and transfer in a large bowl. Srt aside

1 rataru grated ( squeese out the water )

1/2 cup peanuts ground

2 to 3 green chilis finely chopped

1/2 teaspon ginger paste

1/4 cup cilantri finely chopped

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper powder

1 teaspoon lemon juice

sesame seeds for garnishing

Mix all the above ingredients with boiled rajagro until well combined. Divide in to small balls and flatten into small discs like wada. Fry on a high heat stirring occasionally until golden brown and crisp. Remove and place on a kitchen towel .Enjoy!! Chatake daar wada from my jikoni to yours.

EGGLESS ORANGE CAKE

1 1/2 cup white flour

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup fresh yogurt

1 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup fresh orange juice

1 tablespoon orange zest

In a bowl,place oil, yogurt, powdered sugar, orange juice,zest and whisk for about 30 seconds or until light and creamy. Place the sieve on the bowl and sieve flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and fold and cut gently with spatula . ( do not over mix the batter) Pour the batter in the mold lined with parchment paper,tap slightly and bake in the preheated oven to 350 degrees for about 40 minutes. Remove from the oven, place on the cooling rack and let cool for about 5 minutes.

RAJAGRO RATARU WADA

1 cup rajagro

2 cups water

1/2 teaspoon salt

Wash rajagro then put into a pressure cooker,add water and salt to taste . Close the lid of the pressure cooker and cook on high heat to 3 whistles. Let cool completely, remove the rajagra khichdi in a large bowl and smash.Set aside.

other ingredients

1 medium size rataru / sweet potato grated

1/2 cup peanuts coarsely ground

3 green chilis finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon ginger paste

1/4 cup cilantro finely chopped

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Combine all the above ingredients with smashed rajagro and mix well. Divide and flatten into small discs like wada.Deep fry on high heat until golden brown.Remove and drain on paper towel.Enjoy!

BATETA MASALA PURI

1 cup wheat flour

1 tablespoon sooji

1 potato boiled and smashed

1 tablespoon ghee

1 teaspoon salt or to taste

1 teaspoon chili flakes

1 teaspoon sesame seeds

1/4 teaspoon carom seeds

1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

handful of cilantro finely chopped

1 to 2 tablesppons water

Place all the above ingredients in a large bowl except water. Mix all together until well combined. Add water as needed approx 2 tablespoons, and knead the dough. Cover and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Divide the dough into about 18 equal portions, roll out into small puris ( little thicker then normal puris) . Deep fry on high heat on both the sides until golden brown. Remove and drain on a kitchen towel. Enjoy bateta masala puri with masala chai.

LACCHA PANEER PARATHA

1 cup white flour

1 cup wheat flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon ghee

water to bind the dough

4 teaspoos of corn flour + 6 teaspoons of melted ghee ( prepare slurry) for later use.

In a bowl,place all the above ingredients and prepare semi soft dough,add little water at a time. ( almost like roti) Cover the dough and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Divide the dough into 2 pieces,roll them out into thin flat disc and brush melted ghee onto the disc. Roll the disc into tight swiss roll, cut into 8 equal pieces by slicing through with a sharp knife and press with your palms( you will see the layers swirling) set aside. Dip each disc into the dry flour and roll them out into thin falt disk like puri. Cover and set aside.

Stuffing

1 cup paneer

1 tespoon salt

2 green chillies finely chopped

1 onian finely chopped

dandful chilanro finely chopped

Gree for frying

In a bowl combine all the above ingrediend and set aside.

Take one rolled disk,place on the surface or patlo and place the paneer stuffing in the centre. wet the sides of the disc with just little water top with another disk and seal the edges. Dust with flour and roll into a quarter inch thick paratha. Roast on tawa or skillet on medium heat with ghree until crispy and golden brown.

KARACHI HALWA

1 cup corn starch

2 cups water

2 cups sugar + 1/2 cup water

1/2 cup melted ghee

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon food color of your choice

handful of almond slivers

In a bowl combine corn starch and water until throughly mixed. set aside. In a heavy skillet,place sugar and water and let simmer on a medium heat until just slithly sticky. Stir in the lemon juice and mix well. Add the corn stach mixture slowly mixing continuosly on a low heat for about 10 to 15 minutes. Add tablespoon of melted ghee at a time and keep stirring untill all the ghee is absorbed. Add color and nuts mix until the mixture leaves the sides of the pan and will look glossy. Transfer in a greased tray.Allow to cool for about 30 minutes,once set cut into the pieces.

SPINACH AND POTATO PAKODA

Enjoy these crunchy and extremely delicious pakoda,from my jikoni to yours.

1 cup spinach chopped

1 medium size potato grated ( keep in the water)

1 medium size onion thinly sliced

4 green chilies finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger paste

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon black pepper coarsly ground

1 teaspoon criender seeds coarsly ground

3/4 cup gram flour

3 tablespoons rice flour

water as needed

oil for deep frying

In a bowl,combine all the above ingredients and mix well. Heat the oil in kadai,once heated take a small portion of the pakoda mixture and press with your palms. Gently drop into the hot oil, fry on medium heat. With the slotted spoon turn the pakoda to ensure they are golden brown all over. Remove them from the oil and onto a plate lined with kitchen paper. Serve these piping hot pakoda with chutney of your choice.

Note: Fry the pakodas on medium heat, low heat makes pakoda to soak up oil. And high heat they wont cook well from inside.

PITA POCKETS

2 cups white flour

1/2 cup wheat flour

1 teaspoon active dry yeast

1/4 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

In a bowl add 1 cup lukewarm water,add yeast and sugar mix well. Cover and set aside for 5 minutes. In a large bowl place flour,salt oil mix and stir in the yeast mixture and knead until soft and pliable. Grease the bowl place the dough and cover. Set in a warm place for 1 hour . Punch the dough knead for couple minutes. Divide the dough into 8 equel pieces and shape into balls. Cover with tea towel allow to rest for 10 minutes. Roll each piece into a roti about quarter inch thick. Heat the skillet place the roti/ pita and cook until bubbles start to form. Flip over and cook for about 1 minute, flip again it will start to puff up .Remove and set aside while you work on the rest.