Sheerkhurma | Doodh Sev

Imagine Eid morning at your home.. can you smell sheerkhurma already? :D In kokan and I think in many parts of the subcontinent, Sheerkhurma is one of the must haves on Eid. People visit their friends and relatives for sheerkhurma and biryani (which in our case is chicken ke saravle). Every household has their own version of Sheerkhurma and everyone's right when it comes to food but trust me you are missing out if you have not yet tried Sheerkhurma made by me, lol joking. But honestly, I make really good sheerkhurma or doodh sev, as some people call it. Sheerkhura is a simple dessert soup which includes milk, fine vermicelli and roasted nuts as main ingredients, people add flavourings of their choice to make more fragrant and interesting. We prefer, strong flavour of cardamom and saffron along with hints of roasted cinnamon.

here is my sheerkhurma mixture being roasted. Roasting nuts is one of my favourite part of cooking as the I love that aroma. Anyway, let's not watse time and jump to the recipe now.

Sheerkhurma Recipe | Doodh Sev Recipe

Ingredients:

Doodhi Ki Mithai | Calabash Mithai | Bottle Gourd Mithai | Kaddu Ki Mithai | Lauki Ki Mithai

 

One of those healthy kokni/kokani jaggery based sweets made using one of the healthiest vegetable that is Calabash/kaddu/lauki/doodhi or you can say bottle gourd.

As we are having a second nationwide lockdown for four weeks we don't have much to do these days and with the onset of winters during these times when you don't have any exciting plans for weekends and most of the time are sitting in front of PCs for working from home, then the only thing that can comfort you is food! Though every morning we decide to eat healthy that day but then I check my social media foodie groups and all those mouth watering posts take me back to my kitchen and then comes the Samosas, Pakoras and mithais and munchies which keep us full along with tea and coffees in between and then nobody is interested in having proper meals. But then there are days when you get bored of junk, yeah it happens, and feel like eating something warm, wholesome and comforting and when it comes to healthy sweet cravings what can be better than Doodhi ki mithai though it is a mithai but it has got calabash which is a very healthy vegetable and jaggery is used as a main ingredient which a healthy substitute of white sugar. I just love our simple rustic kokni recipes with all the goodness of ingredients like coconut, jaggery, fenugreek and ghee.

Though I don't have proper measure for ingredients and was just following the method and kept adjusting the quantity of jaggery until I felt its right. Also, as I like that reduced milk khoa or khoya in my mithai I have added extra milk in my mitahi.

Doodhi Ki Mithai | Calabash Mithai | Bottle Gourd Mithai | Kaddu Ki Mithai | Lauki Ki Mithai Recipe

Ingredients:

1 Calabash or Doodhi of approximately 1 kg

1L Milk

200g Jaggery (or as per taste)

Dal Kichri Recipe | Khichdi | Kedgeree | Khichri

Rice is a staple food in most parts of India so is in Kokan. Kokanis prefer rice in lunch and roti for dinner but it is a norm to eat dopeher ka bacha you chawal (leftover rice from lunch) in dinner and siblings literally fight for it haha..

Kokanis prefer curry or salan with rice and stir fried of  dry gravies with roti. A typical kokni lunch consists of i) White Rice, Fish Haldoni (Salan), Baghar ki Dal, Fried Fish, Papad and Achaar (Loncha)

ii) Khichri, Prawns or Fish Curry, A Sabzi, Dahi, Papar, Achaar

iii) Bagara or Narli Rice, Meat or Chicken Curry, Bhindi/Baingan or any other sabzi, imli or aam ka murabba and papar

All these typical traditional meal combinations are delish and wholesome if you can control your portions lol.

You can see my plate of khichri with my favourite sides. Papad and achaar are missing though.

Humble Kichri with a dollop of taaza ghee (desi ghee/clarified butter) and a piece of fried fish is a all you need no matter what day it is!

Dal Kichri Recipe | Khichdi | Kedgeree | Khichri

Ingredients:

Ghowney Recipe | Kokni Style Folded Crepes Recipe | Kavlitche Ghawne | Lapatlyale Ghawne

Ever woke up to tempting sweet aroma of Ghawney? :) we usually do, at least once a week. These deliciously divine crepe are so unique and so much fun to make that you will just fall for them once you try them. So, Beware! you cannot resist Ghawney once you get acquainted with the taste 😋😃

Making Ghawney is not really easy as you need to master some techniques like making batter of right consistency, very thin layers folded with one over the other, and that crisp golden colour without using a lot of ghee/butter and not burning the crepe. But I love Ghowney so much that I don't mind spending 1 to 2 hours in front of hob at least once a fortnight. In fact I made a big batch for uni eid celebration all alone and felt really proud telling my family about my Kaarname! :D

First thing first the batter! you have to get it right without any lumps and neither too thick nor watery. It is advised to first mix the dry ingredients with eggs and the add the liquid ingredients gradually and keep mixing with rubber or steel spatula or you can use the whisk.

After you have prepared the batter let it rest for some time before making crepes so that everything is well incorporated well and you can be sure about the consistency.

Before you pour the batter your pan has to be hot enough, wiped clean and sparingly greased with ghee or butter. Adding too much fat will make your crepes oily which is considered as lack of "kartook" in our culture :P ;)
Ghowney should look dry with cripy brown outer layer and soft melt in mouth inner layers.

Ghowney Recipe | How to make Ghawney

Ingredients:

1 cup plain flour (you can substitute with whole wheat flour)
1 large egg
1/2 cup sugar (you can replace with jaggery, melt 1 cup grated jaggery in 1/2 warm water)
1 cup full fat milk
1/2 cup thick coconut milk (optional)
1 teaspoon cardamom powder
A few strands of saffron
Ghee or butter for frying
Pinch of salt
Water as required
Finely chopped nuts of your choice (for filling)
Raisins (for filling)

Method:

1. Break egg in a mixing bowl and beat well and gradually add flour, milk, coconut milk and water to form a uniform batter without any lumps.

2. Add salt, sugar, cardamom powder, saffron and mix well. Adjust the consistency by adding water. The thickness of the batter should be like evaporated milk.

3. While the batter is resting, chop the nuts and mix with raisins.

4. Now heat and grease a pan with butter or ghee and pour a quantity of batter that you spread over the pan in very thin layer. Sprinkle chopped nuts and raisins and cook for 2 minutes on medium heat the started folding from one side (as shown in the picture above) and pour batter to make second layer follow the same steps and start rolling from the first layer side. Like this make 3-4 layers and finally roast well to get nice golden brown colour on both the sides on Ghowney.

5. Remove in a plate and cut into pieces as shown. Enjoy!

Cauliflower Florets with Black Pepper | Keto-Friendly Low Carb Recipe

Some of my friends are following keto diet for weight loss (N.B: I am NOT recommending any diet here as I believe in healthy balanced eating), and they asked me to share some easy, quick, low carb keto friendly recipes. As keto is a very restrictive diet you have to be careful while choosing the ingredients and most of our traditional recipes are either high in carbs or contain sugar, jaggery etc. But then this recipe popped up in my head which authentic traditional kokni recipe but 100% keto friendly! as it contain only a few ingredients that are highly recommended in these low carb, high fat diets.

Zam Zam Pulao | Wedding Style Zam Zam Pulav Recipe

Zam zam pulao or zam zam biryani - A fusion dish of basmati rice, meat, chicken, kebabs, chips, eggs, nuts and vegetables. There are too many flavours in this one dish and everything with perfect balance.

it's a famous wedding day main course in Kokan and Bomaby region which is followed by Rava or Soji ka Halwa or Kaddu ka Halwa as dessert. Zam Zam Pulao recipe may seem a bit complicated with too many steps and looks like a lot of work but trust me, the end result is worth it. Anyway, I have tried to make it look as simple as it could be. Just give it a try once and you will want to make it again and again.

Instant Rava Idli Recipe | Suji Idli Recipe

When you are tired of fried, unhealthy foods and fancy something light, steamed and quick to make try this rava idli or suji idlis. I was so fed up of oil and ghee that I did not even grease the moulds (laughing) and as a result the idli did not have very smooth finish but I and the household was satisfied with the taste and texture. though traditionally idli is made with fermented rice and white dal batter but this one is a instant version using semolina and some instant raising ingredient. I served these suji idlis with all-time favourite green coconut chutney. You can serve the way you want. These idlies make perfect quick and healthy breakfast with all the goody ingredients.

In this recipe I am using home made curd and not Greek yogurt. There is difference

Butter Chicken Recipe

I hate adding artificial colours to my food hence the colour of my butter chicken is not very bright.

I just love a decent, flavourful curry that doesn't burn your mouth and you can actually savour the flavours. Indian curries are famous worldwide for their unique, rich taste and texture and Indian Butter Chicken is one of the most popular curry dishes as it has a creamy, milder yet amazing aromatic taste. After trying many different masala and curry paste brands and many trials and errors I came up with my own butter chicken masala and believe me it turned out so good that I have never bought pre-mixed butter chicken masala or paste ever since. Though I am open to trying some nice ones so you can go ahead and recommend your favourite brand of butter chicken curry masala. Anyway, here I am sharing my recipe from scratch!

Butter Chicken Recipe:

Ingredients:

1 kg of chicken

2 large onions

2 large tomatoes

3 cloves

Shami Kebab Recipe

Shami Kebab is another very famous variety of  kabab. Shaami kebabs can be made with chicken, mutton/lamb or beef but traditionally beef shami kebab are considered as authentic and taste better than chicken or mutton and lamb. But you can use the meat of your choice and as per convenience. Usually, shami kebabs are shallow fried but I like mine deep fried with those crispy edges formed by egg wash you can also coat shami kebabs with bread crumbs, I do sometimes, as it perfectly compliments the soft, gooey kebabs. Shami kebab can be made ahead and freeze well for about three weeks hence very popular item during Ramadan food preps.

Here is my recipe for Shami Kebab which I have been making since last few years or you can say since I started cooking :D

PS: Excuse me for bad picture quality as sometimes you are just not in the mood of photography but later you decide to share is publicly, that's what happened here. Hope you all will find the recipes useful. Feel free to leave a feedback on recipe once you have tried it. All the best! :D

Chicken Reshmi Kebab

Well the name "Reshmi Kebab" comes from the texture of these kabab. Resham means silk silk in Urdu language and most of these kebabs and korma were invented during mughals and nawaabs era hence the names of mughlai dishes are really unique and better not be translated. Chicken reshmi kebab are also known as malai kebabs or murgh malai kebabs for the same reason that is soft as malai (cream). This recipe can make a perfect starter at the dinner as well as a great recipe for iftar during Ramadan as these kebabs are really nutritious, easy to prepare and are light on stomach. You can freeze the marinated and prepare kebab and grill just before serving. Though usually these kebabs are made with pieces marinated and grilled on skewers but as I have tweaked the recipe to bring that smokey flavour, I prefer grinding the the chicken along with all other ingredients for marinade and trust me the kababs turn out very juicy and full of flavours.

My twist to the Chicken Reshmi Kebab Recipe may sound weird at first I mean who roasts almonds with dried red chillies? but guess what?

Instant Saravle Recipe

Though I have already uploaded traditional sweet saravle recipe but here I am posting this another recipe with a twist to make it an instant recipe and trust me it tasted great! or may be even better with less efforts! So, what I have done is I skipped coconut milk as scraping, grinding and squeezing milk out of coconut is such a task and requires a lot of time. Instead, I used sweetened condensed milk as well as evaporated milk which gives amazing creamy flavour to the saravle and I just love it. You can use full cream milk instead of evaporated milk and skip water altogether it's up to you! If youdon't like egg you are free to skip it but I personally like egg in saravle it balances the sweetness really well and looks good too if you want to take a picture for your instagram! ;) Some people use poppy seeds (khaskhas) for garnishing the saravle which I don't like for no reason so never used it instead I like lots of cardamom powder and saffron.

You can also check my Chicken Saravle recipe which happens to be my all time favourite dish. In this savoury saravle recipe you can replace chicken with mutton or lamb and follow rest of the recipe without any changes or extra ingredients but if you are using beef instead of chicken the replace coconut milk with water or meat stock as coconut milk doesn't go with according to elders. :)

Anyway, let's get back to the recipe;

Rasmalai Recipe | Homemade Ras Malai

After many failed attempts at Rasmalai/ Ras Malai I finally found this perfect recipe that results into soft spongy malai balls that absorb great amount of ras or rabri.

I remember first trying the recipe when I was in high school and in bad read the recipe in some news paper in the school library. It was looking and sounding so easy and tempting that we friends decided to Make it on the coming weekend and we were all excited to share our results with each other. And then came the weekend when we all bought the ingredients with great enthusiasm, went home and followed the recipe to the T (at least I did) and lo! We needed up with some hard chewy balls and a very sweet milk syrup lol.. next day in the school all three of us were trying to avoid the ras malai topic but somehow we finally discussed and laughed together deciding that we are not going to make it again hehe..

Anyway, coming back to the recipe, to get perfect ras malai you need to use unsweetened milk powder if you're making this instant version or else you can go the chenna way. But in that case you will have to boil and then curdle and then drain the milk to remove all the moisture and it's such a hassle you know hence I prefer this instant recipe using powdered milk and it is just so simple so easy that I'm sure anyone can make it successfully if they use right ingredients and follow the recipe step by step.