Savouries of season

Celebrate Gudi Padwa with delightful recipes

Gulabi Malpua

Ingredients

Maida 200 gm
Wheat flour 50 gms
Corn flour 1 tsp
Powdered green cardamom 1 tsp
Ghee 1 cup
Sugar 250 gm
Saffron 1 pinch
Milk 500 ml
Chopped pistachios 2 tbsp
Water 250 ml
Khoya 50 gm
Gulab syrup 2 tsp
Rose water 1 tsp

Method

• For making sugar syrup- Place water in a pan over medium flame. Add sugar in it and stir until fully dissolved. Allow it to cool. Add little rose syrup , mix and keep aside
• Mix maida, wheat flour, cornflour , khoya, cardamom powder and milk and rose water. Ensure the mixture is of pouring consistency and not too thick.
• Now heat ghee in a pan over low flame. Pour a ladleful of the mixture and spread evenly.
• Keep the flame low and cook till it is light brown on both sides. Remove the cooked malpua and drain the excess ghee.
• Drop the malpua in Rose sugar syrup and allow it to soak for 10 minutes. Repeat the same with the remaining batter.
• Drain the malpuas from the syrup, garnish with pistachios, chopped rose petals and serve hot.

Maharaja Dhokla

Ingredients

Besan (Gram flour) 1-1/2 cups
Sooji (rava, Semolina)2 tbsp
Asafetida (hing) 1/2 tsp
Turmeric (haldi) 1/4 tsp
Sugar 3 tsps
Ginger paste 1 tsp
Green chilli finely chopped 1
Salt 1 tsp
Water use as needed to make pouring consistency 1-1/4 cups
Eno salt (fruit Salt) 2-1/2 tsps
Mustard seeds ( rai / sarson) 1 tsp
Sesame seeds (til) 1 tsp
A pinch of asafoetida (hing)
Curry leaves (kadipatta) 3
Chopped green chillies 1 tsp
Chopped coriander 1 cup
Grated coconut 2 tsp

Method:

• Combine the besan, semolina, sugar, ginger-green chilli paste, lemon juice and salt with approx. ¾ cup of water in a deep bowl and mix well using a whisk to get a smooth batter.
• Just before steaming, add the fruit salt and mix lightly. Pour the mixture immediately into a greased tray
• Steam in a steamer for 10 to 12 minutes or till the dhoklas are cooked. Keep aside.
• Heat the oil in a small non-stick pan and add the mustard seeds.
• When the seeds crackle, add the sesame seeds, asafoetida, curry leaves and green chillies and sauté on a medium flame for 30 seconds.
• Remove from the flame, add ½ cup of water and wait for 5 minutes .
• Pour the tempering over the prepared dhoklas and spread it evenly.
• Cut into pieces, garnish with coriander, grated coconut and serve immediately with green chutney

Dal Baati Churma

Ingredients For The Baatis

Whole wheat flour 1 cup
Ghee 1 cup
Pinch of salt
Water 1 cup
For frying – 1 cup ghee

For The Churma

Whole wheat flour 2 cup
Melted ghee 2 cup
Water 1 cup
Powdered sugar 1 cup

For The Dal

Green moong dal (split green gram) 1 cup
Chana dal 1 cup
Water 2 cup
Ghee 2 tbsp
Finely chopped tomatoes 1 cup
Pinch of salt
Cumin seeds 1 tsp
Haldi 1/2 tsp
Garlic (lehsun) paste 1 tsp
A pinch of asafoetida (hing)
Green chillies 2
Curry leaves 1 tbsp
Finely chopped coriander 1 tbsp

Method
For the churma

• Combine the whole wheat flour and melted ghee in a deep bowl and mix well. Add approx. ¼ cup of water and knead well to make stiff dough.
• Divide the dough into equal portions.
• Shape each dough portion in the round shape
• Heat the ghee in a deep non-stick kadhai and deep-fry, a few dough portions at a time on a slow flame, till they are golden brown in colour from all the sides
• Drain and allow them to cool
• Break the fried dough portions into small pieces with your hands and blend in a mixer into a coarse powder.
• Add powdered sugar , melted ghee and mix well .

For the dal

• Soak the dal for 15-20 minutes
• Clean and wash the dals. Combine the dals, 4 cups of water, pinch of haldi, ½ tsp oil and salt in a pressure cooker, mix well and pressure cook for 2 whistles.
• Do not drain the water and keep aside
• Heat the ghee in a deep non-stick kadhai add the cumin seeds, green chillies, curry leaves, asafoetida and sauté on a medium flame for a few seconds.
• When the seeds crackle, add the garlic paste and sauté on a medium flame for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add the finely chopped tomatoes, turmeric powder, mix well and cook on a medium flame for 2 minutes, while stirring occasionally.
• Add the cooked dals (along with the water) and little salt, mix well and cook on a medium flame for 2 to 3 minutes, while stirring occasionally
• Garnish with coriander.

For the baatis

• Combine all the ingredients in a deep bowl and knead into semi-stiff dough.
• Divide the dough into equal portions and shape each portion into an even sized round
• Heat the ghee in a deep non-stick kadhai, add baatis at a time and deep-fry till they turn golden brown in color from all the sides.

How to serve

Arrange 2 baatis on a serving dish break them into pieces and pour 1 tsp melted ghee evenly over it. Pour ¼ of the dal evenly over it. Serve with churma

By: Maharaj Jodharam Choudhary,
Corporate Chef Khandani Rajdhani