Puran Poli

Everyone loves the festival of HOLI. The festival of colours. It is celebrated by all irrespective of caste and creed, young & old with equal enthusiasm. Holi begins with lighting bonfire at night and praying to the bonfire. We make puran poli on the same day, offer it to bonfire while praying. After that apply gulal (red holi colour) to friends, thus begins the festival of colours. Next day morning everyone is in festive mood putting colour, throwing colour water balloons on each other. When friends come home on that day we give them puran polis to eat.

Puran poli is a sweet made using channa dal (yellow gram) also called Bengal Gram dal . It is one of the sweets I like most. It time consuming and requires lots of patience to make the puran poly soft and thin (melting in the mouth). It is a delicate item to make as it breaks easily. But all the hard work is worth it when you see your family enjoying the mouth watering. Puran poli is a Indian bread with sweet filling. In Karnataka puran poli is called hoolige.

Recipe for Puran Poli , the way I make it. I have experimented many times so at last I have a perfect method (without filling coming out) to make soft puran poli.

Ingredients

For Outer Cover
1 ¼ cup Maida ( all purpose flour)

½ cup wheat flour

2 tbsp rava
1 pinch Turmeric Powder
1 pinch Salt
2 tsp hot Ghee
Water enough to make dough
3 tbsp warm Oil
Oil / Ghee for frying

 

Inner Filling
1 1/4 cup Jaggery
1 1/4 cup Bengal Gram Dal (channa dal)
1/4 tsp Cardamom Powder/nutmeg powder (I prefer nutmeg powder)

 

I start a night before I have to make puran poli.

First thing I do is soak channa dal with enough water so it becomes soft (at least you should soak for 4-5 hours). Next day pressure cook the channa dal (3 whistles). Now let it cool.

 

Meanwhile start preparing the outer dough.

Take maida, wheat flour, rava, turmeric powder, salt, hot ghee together add sufficient water.

knead to make smooth dough. Keep aside for 45 minutes wrapped with thin wet white cloth (small pancha).

After 45 minutes take the dough, take warm oil little by little and knead dough again well so it sucks all the oil.

Keep aside for 3 hours covered with pancha, so the dough will rise.

 

By now the channa dal must have cooled down, we can make inner filling.

Sieve the channa dal and remove all water from it.

Make paste out of channa dal by passing through puran yantra (available in market), almond grater or in the mixture (It is bit difficult to do in mixture, you need to add water).

Add jiggery pieces, put the mixture into heavy bottom vessel (kadai/ saucepan) and cook till soft lump is formed (extra water should evaporate).

Add the nutmeg powder just before switching off the gas.

Nutmeg powder is added last so the aroma does not vanish while cooking.

 

We have both the things dough and filling ready we can start by making puran polis.

1. Make small balls of filling, same size balls of dough.
   
2. Take one ball of dough flatten, cover with maida, then roll it into 4 inches round.
   
3. Place filling ball into center, cover and seal up the filling (just like modak) .
   
4. Flatten it cover with maida (keep the sealed side downward while rolling) roll again to make poli (as thin possible).
   
5. Roast on hot griddle (tawa) on both the sides( be careful while turning the sides) till golden brown (I don't put ghee, if you want you can).
   
6. Repeat the process with balance dough balls to make mouth watering puran polis.
   
   
   

 

Fresh Fish Recipes

Pomfret Curry Recipe

All my friends love fish curry especially our (goan style). Many of them take fish curry recipe from me and make it. And for me , it is our staple diet. Any goan and for that matter most people from coastal region would prefer Fish curry ,rice fish fry and sol kadi for lunch- dinner- lunch so on. Of course we do eat vegetables especially on Monday, Thursday and auspicious days.
When you purchase any fresh fish either get it sliced and cleaned from fish monger or get you can cut and clean at home.

 Ingredients:
Pomfret - 2 medium size ( around 10 slices)
Fresh Coconut ½ coconut or 1 bowl (you can take more coconut as gravy thickens )
Red Chili 4 bedgi chili ( for making spicy) and 3 kashmiri chili (for colour)
Green Chili ½ slit into two parts intact at bottom
Turmeric 1 tsp
Coriander Seeds 1tsp
Tamarind Pulp little(around 1 tbsp)
Kokam 2-3
Onion 1 medium
Garlic 4 cloves
Red chilli powder ½ tsp
Edible Oil 2tbsp (groundnut oil or you can use 1tbsp groundnut and 1tbsp coconut oil)


1) Wash fish slices properly, apply salt, little turmeric ,red chili powder. Keep aside for 15 to 20 minutes .
     Cut onion finely.
2) Take oil in a kadai ,put onion let it sauté till they are cooked (little brownish shade)
3) Take ½ of this onion, grated coconut, red chili, coriander seeds, turmeric powder, tamarind pulp and    garlic cloves together and grind into a paste.
4)Again heat the kadai sauté the balance onion till it is brown in colour.
5) Put the grinded paste and add some water to it to make into a curry.
6)Add salt (only for curry as pomfret already is coated with salt) . Let the curry cook till it starts boiling.
7) Add pomfret slices. Allow pompret to cook (It takes about 7 to10 minutes or 1 boil).
8)Add green chili, Kokam ( If available, even without Kokam curry tastes good). Switch off the gas.


Tips:
1) As this is season of raw mangoes you can add raw mango while cooking curry, at that time reduce tamarind.
2) You should always make curry 2 hours before serving so curry gets taste of fish and does not taste blend, You can heat it again while serving.
3) Stir curry carefully after you put fish slice, as there is chance of fish slice breaking.

How To Select Fresh Fish

When one thinks of making any fresh fish recipes first step is to select fresh fish this is what my mother used to always tell me. Once I went to a mall to their non-veg department . I wanted to make pomfret curry so I wanted to buy fresh pomfret, the salesmen there said pomfret was fresh but when I checked it by pressing near eyes I found red liquid instead of white,so I did not purchase from there. Now I always buy from a lady who sits with fish near my residence. Generally you should try to purchase fish in the morning before 11 am so there are more chances of it being fresh.
In case of any fish to check for its freshness you have to look whether

1. It looks stiff.
   
2. Eyes should be shiny.
   
3. It should be medium size fish in that category as smaller size are tasteless and bigger one has extra strong taste.
   
4. When one opens the gills of fish it should be red in colour (not dull maroon) and it should be sticky (like mucus it should show thread).
   
5. When you press fish and if the daunt remains then the fish is stale
   
6. In case of pomfret when you press near eyes if white colour liquid comes out it is of excellent quality.
   
7. 
   
   If you see rainbow colour on fish even then fish is fresh.
   
   
   
   I am sure this information will be very useful to you . Next I will let u know how to make varieties of fresh fish recipes
   
   
   

YOGHURT ICE-CREAM

Yoghurt or curd or dahi as we all know is very good for health.curd have live culture which can have immune boosting effects. It is supposed that a small bowl of curd every day can keep you healthy. But many a times it is found that children refuse to each curd . You need to be really forceful so instead of plain curd if we can give them an ice-cream made of curd they will happily eat it. Here is a recipe for yummy, soft and fluffy Pineapple Yoghurt Ice-cream.

PINEAPPLE YOGHURT ICE-CREAM

For making Pineapple Yoghurt Ice-Cream you should start by setting curd.

Milk(whole) ½ liter
Curd ½ tbsp

Boil milk and cool it. To 200 ml milk add curds and set it.

While curd is getting set. You can make the basic ice-cream required for yoghurt ice-cream ready.

Milk powder 3 ½ tbsp
G.M.S. powder 1 ½ tbsp
C.M.C. powder 1/8 tsp
Lemon yellow colour ¼ tsp
Sugar 6 tbsp
Liquid glucose 1 tsp
Pineapple essence ½ tsp

To 300ml. milk, add milk powder, G.M.S., C.M.C. and sugar and mix well.
Heat this mixture. Add liquid glucose and boil for 6-7 minutes stirring continuously.
Pass the mixture through a sieve and cool it.
Pour the mixture in a container, cover with a tight lid.
Keep for setting in freezer for 10 hours.
When this mixture sets basic ice-cream is ready.

Place on a sieve( Chalani) the set yoghurt to remove water for 10 to 15 minutes.

Remove in a bowl small pieces of the basic ice-cream .
Add essence, colour and churn till soft and fluffy.
Then add to it the sieved yoghurt.
Churn once again and pour it in a container.
Cover it and keep to set in freezer for 8 hours.

Tilache Ladu

On the 14th january of every year we celebrate makar sankrant. At this time we make many items which include sesame. But the most made is tilache Ladu which everyone loves. Others are tilachya wadya, tilachya polya and many more.

White til (Sesame)                  1/2 cup
Chikkicha gul (jaggery)           ½ cup
Ghee                                      1 tbsp
Shengdane (peanuts)               1 ½ tbsp
Nutmeg (jaiphal) powder / Ilaichi powder   a pinch

Roast sesame till brown keep aside .
Roast peanuts properly then pill them and keep aside.
Let both sesame and peanuts cool down.
After peanuts cool down , crush them a bit so pieces are big enough.

Now in a heavy bottom kadhai (vessel) put chikkicha gul ( if it is not available take normal jaggery but for laddus we generally use chikkicha gul ) .
Heat the vessel , let jiggery start melting .
Now add ghee and heat again .
when jiggery starts turns semi- liquid (pak) add sesame seeds, crushed peanuts .
 Mix Well. Switch off the gas.
Add nutmeg powder. Mix well again.

When the mixture is semi hot ( so that your hands don’t burn) , apply little ghee on your palms, then take small portion of mixture on one palm and roll with other to form ladu. Repeat this for balance mixture.

Show the laddus to god and you can distribute among your family & friends .

Chocolate Based Ice-Creams

In the previous section we have seen plain basic ice-cream of which we can make different ice-cream by adding colour, flavor , dry fruits, fresh fruit pulp etc . But when it comes to children we see that they love chocolates more& that too any form of chocolates . So when you give them chocolate based ice-creams the joy on their face is worth all the efforts. These ice-creams are easy to make and not much time consuming. You can always make basic ready & keep it in freezer. Whenever you want to make ice-cream you can remove some portion & make ice-cream. The ice-cream turn out just like one available in ice-cream parlor if you follow the recipe properly.  7K7EW4UHYQX2

CHOCOLATE BASIC ICE-CREAM

One Recipe

Milk(Whole)        ½ liter
C.M.C. powder  1/8 tsp
Milk powder       1 ½ tbsp
Sugar                  6 tbsp
Cocoa                 2 tbsp
 Liquid glucose     1 tsp
G.M.S. powder    1 ½ tbsp


Boil ½ liter whole milk.
Remove ½ cup milk from it cool it slightly.
Add to it milk powder, G.M.S., C.M.C, sugar , Cocoa and mix well.
Then add the rest of the milk to this mixture.
Now add liquid glucose and boil the mixture for 6-7 minutes.
Pass the mixture through a sieve. Cool it stirring constantly.
Pour this mixture in a container, cover with a tight lid.
keep to set in freezer for 10 hours.
When this mixture sets the chocolate basic is ready.

CHOCOLATE ICE-CREAM

Chocolate Basic ice-cream     One recipe

Cut this basic into small pieces.
Churn till fluffy and soft.
Pour it in a container, cover with a tight lid.
Keep to set in the freezer for 8 hours.

CHOCOLATES WITH CHOCO CHIPS

Chocolate Basic ice- cream  One recipe
Chocolate chips                     ½ cups

When the basic is churned pour in a container.
Mix lightly the chips, cover with a tight lid.
Keep to set in the freezer for 8 hours.

ICE CREAMS

When any icecream has to be made most important is making basic recipes from which different ice-creams can be made . One is basic icecream and other is chocolate basic ice-cream. Today I will tell you all about how to make basic icecream and varitey of icecreams from the same.basic ice-cream can be made & kept for about 20 days.

Churner: You get electric churner of different companies in market costing from Rs. 1500/ to Rs.2000/. These churners are usefull for making cakes also. It is worth investing in one.

BASIC ICE-CREAM

Ingredients for one recipe of basic ice-cream
 Milk(whole)         ½ liter
 C.M.C. powder  1/8 tsp
 Milk powder       3 ½ tbsp
 Sugar                  6 tbsp
G.M.S. powder   1 ½ tbsp
Liquid glucose      1 tsp

1) Boil ½ liter whole milk. Remove ½ cup milk from it cool it slightly and
2) Add to it milk powder, G.M.S., C.M.C, sugar and mix well.
3) Then add the rest of the milk to this mixture.
4) Now add liquid glucose and boil the mixture for 6-7 minutes.
5) Pass the mixture through a sieve. Cool it stirring constantly.
6) Pour this mixture in a container, cover with a tight lid and keep to set in freezer.
7) When this mixture setsafter about 10 hours the basic ice cream is ready.