Lemon Ricotta Cookies

These cookies have a texture somewhere between a shortbread cookie and a cake.I added some color to the glaze just to make it more colorful.You can totally skip it. They are not too sweet but the combination of Ricotta Cheese and lemon flavor is very tasty.

Recipe: Giada, Ofcourse

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 teaspoon(s) salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 15-ounce whole-milk ricotta cheese
3 tbsps fresh lemon juice
Grated zest from one lemon

Glaze
1 1/2 cups Confectioners' sugar
3 tbsps fresh lemon juice
Grated zest of one lemon
2 drops of green food coloring, optional

• Preheat the oven to 375F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper
• Mix the Flour,baking powder and salt in a bowl.
• Beat butter and sugar until fluffy, about 2-3 min
• Adding one egg at a time, beat until well combined
• Combine the Ricotta Cheese, lemon juice, zest in a bowl
• Stir the dry ingredients in the ricotta mixture
• Drop about 2 tablespoonfuls of dough on to the baking sheet.
• Bake for 15 min until golden on the edges
• Remove them form the oven and let them cool down about 20 min
  

To make Glaze-

• Combine Confectioners' sugar,lemon juice,zest and food coloring and mix till well combined
• Pour about 1/2 tsp on each cookie and spread it evenly on the cookie

Have fun,
Shri

Indo Chinese Fried Rice

The Indo Chinese Style, Veg Fried rice is hard to get in an Indian Restaurant in the States. There are 2 good Indo Chinese restaurants in New Jersey- Naan King and the Ming.Let me know if there are any good places that I need to know -

Basic Recipe:From Anubhavati blog ( I have adapted it by adding ketchup and using short grain rice)

2 cups Short grained rice or basmati rice
1/2 cabbage, shredded
4 carrots, chopped
2 Spring Onions, chopped
1 inch Ginger
2 garlic pods, chopped
1 1/2 tsp Soy Sauce
1 tbsp Ketchup

• Cook the rice with 4 cups water until soft and tender
• In a wok, heat about 2 tbsps oil and add Ginger and garlic
• After a few min, add Cabbage, Carrots and Spring Onions, salt and pepper
• Stir fry the veggies for a few min.
• Add the soy sauce and ketchup and continue cooking till the veggies are soft but not overcooked and mushy.
• Add the rice and combine it well with the Veggie mixture in the wok.
• Garnish with spring onions
• Serve hot with Veg Manchurian

Till next,
Hugs,
Shri

Veg. Manchurian

The Indo Chinese cuisine is very popular all across India. Every Restaurant that serves rice most likely has the Manchurian and Fried Rice on its menu.Once that taste is acquired, it is hard to eat the Chinese food here.

While I have adapted this to my taste, the basic recipe is from a TV show. I believe it is Sanjeev Kapoor's Khana Khazana. I had the recipe written down on a paper but cannot track the source. It was those days when I had Zee TV and when I used to watch his show very religiously.:-)

Veg Manchurian

5 Carrots , peeled, grated
1 Cabbage, Shredded
3/4ths Cauliflower, grated
3 tbsps Maida, more or less depending on the consistency of the mixture
3 tsps Dark Soy Sauce
1" Ginger, chopped
2 cloves, Garlic, Chopped
1/2 Onion, chopped
5 green chillies, chopped
1 1/2 tbsp Tomato Ketchup
2 tsps corn starch
3 Spring Onions, chopped
1 tbsp White Vinegar
Salt

• Mix Carrot, Cabbage, Cauliflower in a bowl
• Add Salt, Maida and half of the green chillies
• Shape into small balls about the size of a marble
• Heat 2 tbsps of oil
• Add onions, ginger, garlic and the remaining chillies and cook till fragrant
• Add Ketchup, Soy Sauce, and Vinegar and cook for a few minutes
• Add about half a cup of water about 4 oz
• Add in the cornstarch and stir it continuously until the mixture is thick. Stirring continuously avoids any lumps' formation
• Heat oil in a wok for deep frying
• Add the balls one by one and fry till golden brown
• Place the balls for a while on the paper tissue but not until they lose the crispy texture
• Add the balls to the sauce and cook for a few min
• Add the spring onions and mix
• Serve with Veg Fried Rice

Up Next Veg Fried Rice

Till then,
Love
Shri

Fried Idli

I have seen this recipe on my visit to India this time. It was aired on a Telugu Channel , I believe Maa TV but I am not sure. This has been by far the best Fried Idli I have ever eaten. It is made like a curry except the main ingredient is Idli.

4-5 Idlis, cubed. A day old idlis work best but also fresh made idlis after cooling down works well too.
1 Medium Potato, peeled, cubed and boiled
1 Tomato
3 green chillies
1/4 cup boiled Peas or Carrots or both
3-4 fresh curry leaves
1 tsp ginger garlic paste, optional
1 tsp Red Pepper
1 tsp cumin seeds

• Heat a tablespoon of oil in a pan
• Add cumin seeds, chillies and curry leaves. Fry them for a min
• Stir in the ginger garlic paste
• Add the tomato and potato and cook till soft.
• Add the cubed idlis to the mixture.
• Mix till the idlis get coated nicely with the tomato and potato mixture.
• Add salt and red pepper powder
• Garnish with cilantro and serve with a lemon wedge

Hugs,
Shri

Cucumber & Tomato Raita (with a secret ingredient)!!

Raita is something that I have adored from my childhood. It is very tasty and very easy to make. I like raita to sit in the refrigerator for an hour at the very least before serving it chilled, with rice.

At one of my daughter's birthday party, one of my very dear friends mentioned to me that she adds Sour Cream in her Raita. After I tried her version, it is hard to go back to just yogurt!!

1 cup thick yogurt

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup sour cream

1 medium cucumber grated

10 cherry tomatoes, halved

4 green chillies

1 tsp cumin powder

Salt and Black Pepper

• Whisk the yogurt with water until it is thick
• Add the sour cream to it
• Add the grated cucumber, cherry tomatoes, chillies, cumin powder, salt and pepper
• She also uses her hand to mix all the ingredients by squishing the tomatoes, instead of a spoon
• Serve cold with rice or any rice dish

Shri

Khubani Ka Meetha

Made with apricots and sugar, this dessert hails from Hyderabad and is often used in combination with Vanilla ice cream. Khubani/Qubani means apricots in Urdu.
I ate one of the best in a restaurant called ' Waterfront' on Necklace Road in Hyderabad. Very well made with just the right amount of sweetness...That was the best. This is a try to mimic that.

1 box Turkish Apricots; I got them in Fresh Market. They are dark brown unlike the regular ones which are golden yellow in color
1 cup fine sugar
1/2 - 1 cup of water
1 tsp cardamom powder
1/4 cup blanched almonds

• Soak the Apricots in water overnight.
• Heat a pan and place the soaked apricots in the pan
• Stir in the sugar and add half a cup of water and cook until it is saucy, about 20 min.
• Stir the mixture occasionally
• Add more water as necessary just to make it similar to tamarind pulp, Don't add water if it is of the right consistency
• Add the Cardamon powder and mix in the blanched almonds
• Cool it down
• Serve it over a scoop of cold vanilla ice cream
  

Love,
Shri

Khaman Dhokla

This is the first time I have tried making Khaman Dhokla at home. I have always used the Ready to make version but obviously this is so much tastier.

Recipe: Sanjeev Kapoor

2 cups gram flour, sieved
1 cup yogurt, preferably sour
1 tsp ginger and chillies, paste ( If you do not have the paste, use chillies and ginger)
1/2 tsp turmeric
2 tbsps oil
1 tbsp Lemon juice
1 tsp baking soda
Salt to taste
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
Fresh grated coconut
Fresh chopped coriander leaves

• In a bowl, add yogurt and warm water to the gram flour and mix with out any lumps
• Mix in the salt and leave it on the side to ferment for 3 hours
• After it has fermented, add turmeric and ginger chilli paste
• Whisk lemon juice, baking soda, and 1 tsp of oil. Mix in with the fermented batter
• Grease a plate and pour the batter. Steam it for about ten minutes
• After it has cooled down, cut into squares
• Heat a pan and fry mustard seeds in oil until they splutter
• Pour the mixture on top of the steam cooked dhoklas.
• Garnish with coriander leaves and grated coconut

Hugs,
Shri

Black Eyed Peas Curry

I don't remember eating this in India but after I came to States, it has become one of our favorites for an easy dinner. I like to use the dried peas, soak it in water overnight and pressure cook it. That said, I don't think the canned one compromises the taste. It is just a matter of preference.

1 onion, finely chopped
4 green chillies, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
2 medium potatoes, scrubbed, peeled,cubed & boiled
1 cup black eyes peas, soaked in warm water/ 1 can of black eyed peas
4-5 curry leaves
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp curry powder
1 tbsp cumin coriander powder
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
Cilantro to garnish

• If you are using dry peas and soaking in water, pressure cook them with salted water and turmeric, until 3 whistles
• If you are using canned version, make sure to drain the water and rinse them under fresh cold water.
• Heat a tablespoon of oil in a pan
• Add cumin seeds and mustard seeds. Allow them to splutter.
• Mix in the Green chillies and curry leaves.Fry them for a minute
• Add the onions and saute them till translucent
• Stir in the ginger garlic paste, cumin powder, curry powder
• Add the tomatoes and potatoes and cook until the spices have blended in
• Add the cooked black eyed peas and cover and cook for a few min
• Garnish with coriander and lemon juice
• Serve hot with rice

Hugs,
Shri