Friday 28 October 2016

SEMOLINA ENERGY BITE ( SUJI KI PINNI)

SEMOLINA ENERGY BITE ( SUJI KI PINNI)

THIS IS MY THIRD RECIPE IN THE MAGAZINE, HERE'S THE LINK ONLINE.

HAPPY DIWALI TO ALL MY READERS THOSE WHO ARE CELEBRATING.


This recipe was featured as one of the best recipe of the week in a blog hop called Sweet Inspiration link party. Check here.

This recipe was selected and featured in the blog hop called Cook blog share, Check here 

  


  On Diwali, like any other festival many sweets and savoury items are made. These items are not only made to consume by the family members but also to distribute to family, friends and far relatives. Foodies like me and those who enjoy cooking, are always interested in making new items for festivals. A lot of people are interested in learning simple and easy recipes, which does not take too much of their time but still tastes good enough for special occasions. This is the reasons I am sharing this new recipe, it is easy and not consuming a lot of time, yet very tasty. I have used this recipe and made these energy bites many times, even made them on a very large scale (200 pieces).


 
Darpan magazine has been a part of Vancouver media Industry for the past 11 years. The magazine which releases once in two months, cater to Indians, Canadians, and Indo-Canadian readers and covers topics ranging from renowned Indian and Indo-Canadian personalities, entertainment, politics, global Indians to lifestyle related topics like health, food, tech, travel, and much more.


My recipes were published on the occasion of Basakhi in the month of April. Baisakhi is a famous festival in Punjab, which falls on April 13th or 14th and marks the beginning of the solar year. People in Punjab India, thank God for the good harvest for that season. Baisakhi has special significance for Sikhs, as on this day in 1699, their tenth Guru Gobind Singh ji organised the order of the khalsa. This is a festival which marks the birth of the Khalsa panth, which is celebrated with lots of activities-the famous one is the Baisakhi procession, which is carried out with much gusto in Punjab, India and abroad. It is a day of celebration so different types of sweets and savoury dishes are made on this day, Pinni is one of them.


This is a unique traditional Punjabi sweet, which is often made on festivals and weddings. In Punjab India, pinnis are considered as energy balls for winter, because of its main two ingredients- khoya and plenty of nuts. Many different types of pinnies are made with brown flour, lentil, chickpeas flour etc. In this recipe, which I am sharing with you, the main ingredients are suji (semolina) and khoya (solidified milk). Any nuts of your choice or any spice to give aroma like cardamom/nutmeg/kesar can be used in this.




RECIPE


Ingredients


  • 500 grams fine semolina (Suji)
  • 300 grams fine sugar (castor sugar)
  • 350 grams Mava (khoya)
  • 200 grams ghee or unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon cardamom powder OR half tea spoon nutmeg powder
  • 50 grams sliced almonds/ or any other nuts
  • Few sliced almonds and pistachios for decoration
  • 30 grams raisins
  • 1/4 cup milk for binding the pinni


METHOD


  • On a medium flame heat the ghee in a wok or fry pan. Add semolina and roast for around 10 to 15 minutes till light brown, leave it to cool.


Friday 14 October 2016

CREAMY STUFFED TOMATOES

CREAMY STUFFED TOMATOES



My second recipe in the Darpan magazine

This is my second recipe which was published in the Vancouver-based Daarpan magazine. Here is the link.



When I got the mail from the editor of the magazine, she told me to prepare two snacks, two sweets and two main food items. The editor also told me that she will publish my recipes in a Vaisakhi edition of the Indo-Canadian magazine. Before making the final decision of the six recipes, I considered the fact that though this will be the Vaisakhi edition of the magazine, but my recipes should not focus only Indian recipes. So I prepared all fusion recipes.



Stuffed tomatoes are made of many types with different fillings. This is a fusion recipe, with an Indian touch of khoya in the filling with potatoes, this is my signature dish. I have made it many times for my family, friends and even for parties.


This is a classic dish with an elegant look and taste, which can be served on any occasion, as one of the main dishes which can be enjoyed with naan or roti. In this dish on top, you will find the exquisite creamy colour of white sauce, and from inside tomatoes are peeping out and showing their shining red colour, round shape and awesome aroma. 

 
In this dish you need red, hard, round, single serving sized tomatoes, which can stand straight in the baking dish. They are filled with potatoes and khoya, you can replace khoya by paneer or ricotta cheese. Whatever you replace for paneer, you can never go wrong with this recipe.





RECIPE



INGREDIENTS FOR FILLING



  • 10 serving sized tomatoes cored
  • 2 medium-sized boiled and mashed potatoes
  • 75 grams grated khoya/mava/paneer
  • Salt and chilli powder to taste
  • 1 tsp dhania powder



FOR WHITE SAUCE/ROUX



  • 3 tbs oil or ghee/ 2 tbs for sautéing onion
  • 3 tbs white flour
  • 2-3 cups of milk
  • 1 big onion Finally chopped
  • 2 tbs tomato puree
  • Pulp of tomatoes which we got after coring, chopped finally
  • Salt and chilli powder to taste
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds



METHOD



FOR ROUX/WHITE SAUCE



  • Heat ghee/oil in a fry-pan, add white flour and roast, till light brown.
  • Slowly add milk and continuously stir to avoid any lumps. When it is thick enough, leave it to cool.
  • Heat oil in a saucepan, add cumin seeds, when they change the colour, saute the onions until the onions are golden. Add the tomato puree, pulp of tomatoes and all the spices except the roux and saute for a further few minutes.
  • Add the roux/white sauce when the onions and puree are well cooked with the spices.



Note: To avoid the roux being lump  when combining with the milk, it is important that the milk should be added very hot and in small quantities to the roux while stirring, to ensure proper mixing.




FOR TOMATOES