Corn Bread Pudding

ingredients: 1 medium corn muffin or 2 corn toaster cakes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (1 1/4 cups) 2/3 cup whole milk 1 large egg 1 tablespoon molasses 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Accompaniment: butter pecan or maple walnut ice cream
Special equipment: a 12- to 16-oz ceramic baking dish or ovenproof ceramic bowl

Method:

Preheat oven to 275°F.

Put corn bread cubes in baking dish. Whisk together milk, egg, molasses, ginger, and a pinch of salt and pour over bread. Let stand 5 minutes.

Bake on a baking sheet in middle of oven until edge of custard is just set and center is still wobbly, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool pudding to warm (it will continue to set as it cools).

Lassi Patiala

Ingredients

2 cups fresh curds chilled
1 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. cardamom
8-10 strands saffron
2 drops vanilla essence
1/2 cup crushed ice
1 tsp. hot milk

Method

1. Soak saffron in 1 tsp. and rub till dissolved.
2. Mix sugar in curds till well dissolved.
3. Just before serving combine all ingredients.
4. Whip well with a hand or electric beater.
5. The lassi is ready when it is light and frothy.
6. Serve well chilled.

Butter Chicken

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 kg boneless chicken skin removed
• Juice of 1 lime
• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp red chilli powder (adjust to suit your taste)
• 1 cup fresh yoghurt (must not be sour)
• 2 tsps garam masala
• 2 tsps coriander powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 8-10 peppercorns
• 6 cloves
• 1" stick of cinnamon
• Seeds from 3-4 pods of cardamom
• 2 bay leaves
• 8-10 almonds
• 2 onions chopped
• 2 tsps garlic paste
• 1 tsp ginger paste
• 1/2 litre chicken stock
• 3 tbsps vegetable/canola/snflower cooking oil
• 3 tbsps butter
• Salt to taste
• Coriander leaves to garnish

PREPARATION:

• Mix the chicken, lime juice, salt and red chilli powder in a bowl and allow to marinate for 1 hour.
• Roast the cloves, peppercorns, cinnamon, cardamom, bay leaves and almonds till they darken slightly and then grind into a coarse powder.
• Mix the yoghurt, whole spice powder and all the other spices together and add them to the chicken.
• Allow to marinate for another hour.
• Heat the oil in a pan and add the onions. Fry till golden brown and then add the ginger and garlic pastes. Fry for a minute.
• Add only the chicken from the chicken-spice mix and fry till sealed (chicken will turn opaque).
• Now add the chicken stock and remaining part of the mix to the chicken.
• Cook till the chicken is done and the gravy is reduced to half its original volume.
• Melt the butter and pour it over the chicken.
• Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with naans and Kaali Daal.
• For an authentic and traditional cooked-over-the-coals flavour: Heat a briquette of coal till red hot and when the dish is done, put the coal in the pan and cover immediately. Remove just before serving.

jackfruit papad

Ingredients: Raw Jackruit (1 can) or about 250 gms fresh Chana dal 1/4 cup Jeera (cumin seeds) 1/2 tsp Kaale mire (black peppercorns) 1/2 tsp Cloves 3 Cinnamon 1/2 a stick Ginger 1" piece Garlic cloves 2 big Onion 1 medium sized Red dry chillies 1 Green chiilies 1-2 (as per taste) Cilantro 1-2 tsp Water about 1 cup Salt Method:
If using fresh jackfruit, peel and chop it. For canned, just drain out the liquid. In a saucepan, put to boil the jackfruit pieces in the water along with half an onion, green and red chillies, dal, ginger, garlic, jeera, cloves, peppercorns, cinnamon and salt. Simmer till tender and then let all the liquid evaporate completely.
Grind to a fine paste in a blender/food processor. Remove the spices that are difficult to grind. Mix remaining onion (chopped finely) and cilantro. Check for taste. Add a little cayenne pepper if its not spicy enough. Mix well and then make small flat patties. These can then either be deep fried in oil or baked in the oven. I generally bake them in a preheated 375 degrees oven till they are golden brown (this can take a while, say 40 mins). Serve with mint chutney

Pudina chutney(Mint Chutney)

Ingredients:

Pudina (mint) - 1 bunch
Coriander leaves - 1 bunch
Channa dal - 1 tbsp
Channa dalia - 2 tbsp
Red chillies - 3
Ginger - 1/2 inch piece
Garlic - 3 cloves
Tamarind extract - 1 tbsp
Salt - a needed
Oil - 1 tsp

Seasoning ingredients:

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Split urad dal - 1 tsp

Method:

Heat oil in a pan and add channa dal, red chillies, ginger, garlic and chopped pudina and coriander leaves. I also use the upper part of the pudina and coriander stem for the chutney. After the leaves reduce in volume remove from fire and let it cool. Grind the mixture along with tamarind extract, channa dalia, salt and water as needed to make a fine paste. Heat oil in a pan, add seasoning ingredients and once the mustard seeds start to splutter pour the seasoning into the chutney. This can be served with idli, dosa and also roti/chappathi.

Chiroti

Ingredients :

• Refined flour (Maida) - 1cup
• Fine Semolina (suji) - 1cup
• Ghee - 1¹/₂cup
• ^{rice flour-1}/₂cup
• Oil for frying
• Salt - to taste

For Badam Milk

• Badam - 40nos
• Half cream milk - 1litre
• Sugar - to taste
• Saffron - few strands

Method of Preparation :

Badam Milk :
Soak the badam in hot water for half an hour. Peel and grind into smooth paste. Bring the half cream milk to boil, add badam paste, sugar to taste and a few strands of saffron and simmer for some time.

Chiroti :
Mix refined flour and semolina with ¹/₂cup of ghee along with a pinch of salt. Make a soft dough, keep aside for an hour and kneed it again. Make 10 small balls and roll to chapati's size.

Mix ³/₄cup ghee and the rice flour into a paste. Smear this paste on each of the chapattis and arrange one above the other and roll it like a swiss roll. Cut the roll into 2" size pieces and press lightly on swiss roll and flatten to make a small poori. deep fry in refined oil and sprinkle sugar on it. Serve the chiroti's with Badam milk.