Lauki ka Halwa\ Dudhi Halwa

Lauki or Bottle gourd has many names in local dialects like dhudhi, calabash, hulu, etc. Lauki is generally disliked by many people.

But lauki provides ample of health benefits. It is rich in vitamin B and C. It also contains minerals like sodium, iron, etc. It is good for the heart and the liver. It helps in digestion. And there are many more.

Due to all these health benefits, I try to include it in the menu in some special way. One way of consuming lauki is by extracting its juice which tastes awesome. Another way is by preparing the delicious lauki ka kofta.

Yesterday I tried this Lauki ka Halwa and that came out really awesome. Now this would be frequent on my menu card :)

Ingriedients:
Lauki\ Bottle gourd - 1 cup
Grated coconut -  half cup
Cloves - 1
Boiled Milk - 1 cup
Sugar - one third cup
Elaichi powder(Cardomom) - 1 teaspoon
Cashews - around 7-8
Ghee - 3 tablespoon
Saffron - 3-4 strands (Optional)
Khova (Optional)

Procedure:
1. Grate the bottle gourd and squeeze the excess water by pressing in between your palms. Repeat this 2-3 times, till most of the water is extracted. Do not discard this water, you can drink it as it is very healthy.
2. Take a thick kadhai and add 3 tablespoon ghee. Add the cashew nuts and roast it till it is golden brown and keep them aside.
3. In the same kadhai,  add one clove and then add the grated bottle gourd and fry for 5 mins.
4. Next add grated coconut. and fry for 5 minites.
5. Finally add the boiled milk and let the bottle gourd cook in the milk.
6. Also add the suagr and elaichi powder.
7. Keep stirring on a low flame, till the milk is absorbed by the beetroot.
8. Khova can be added optionally.
9. Garnish with dry fruits

Bottle Gourd Halwa is ready to be served.
It can be served hot or cold.

Notes:
1. Consume the lauki juice imemediately after squeezing the water else it may upset your stomach.
2. You may also like the below recipe
Lauki ka Kofta

Palak-Spring Onion Paratha

Palak-Spring Onion Paratha sounds very strange right!!

Yesteday, I planned to prepare palak paratha. But unfortunetaly, there was very less palak in my pantry. So I thought this is a great chance for me to try out something new. I just mixed it with the spring onion and guess what, it was just amazing.

Here goes the recipe...

Ingriedients:
Palak\ Spinach
Spring Onion\ Kandhychi paat
Wheat flour - 3 cups
2 table spoon salt
1 table spoon ajwain
Water for preparing dough
Oil for frying

Procedure:
1. First seperate the Palak leaves from the bunch and clean the palak leaves with water 2-3 times and then cut it and keep aside.
2. Next discard the lower part of the spring onion. You can use it in other curries insated of onion. Take the upper part, wash it and chop it finely and keep aside
2. To the chopped palak leaves, add the choped spring onion. Add wheat flour, salt, ajwain and suffucient water and prepare the dough.

3. Make small balls from the dough.
4. Take each ball and roll it into a thin paratha.
5. Fry with oil

Serve the parathas with chutney.

Garlic Bread

This is one of the simplest and tastiest recipes i have known...

Only thing is you need a microwave or a oxy fryer to prepare this. 

If not, you can also try it over a pan.

Ingredients

Bread - 4 slices

To prepare Garlic butter:

2 tbsp softened butter\ghee.

Pinch of salt

Crushed garlic - 4-5 petals

Black pepper powder - half teaspoon

Procedure:

1. Prepare garlic butter by mixing all the ingredients together.

2. Spread some garlic butter on each slice. I have used brown bread. 

3. Pre-heat Oxy Fryer for 5 minutes at 160° C. Arrange the bread in fry basket and

close it properly. Keep the fryer at 160° C for 10-12 minutes to toast the bread.

Serve hot with tomato sauce. 

Notes:

1. You can also add cheese after spreading garlic butter to prepare Cheesy Garlic Bread

Methi Matar Malai

Methi Malai Matar is a North Indian delicacy. Methi meaning fenugreek , matar meaning green peas and  malai is butter\cream. All put together, fenugreek leaves is cooked together with green peas in a sweet gravy which is prepared using cashew nut paste and cream.

It is a very healthy and nutritious food packed together with great taste.

It is a great way to make both elders as well as kids to eat methi (fenugreek).

Here goes the recipe...

Ingriedients:
1 Onion -chopped
10-12 Cahewnuts

Ginger

Garlic - 2-3 petals

Khuskhus - 1 tsp
Matar\ Green peas- 1 cup - soaked in hot water for 20 mins
Methi\ fenugreek - 1 bunch
Cloves - 1
Garam masala - 1 teaspoon
Cream\ Malai - 1 tablespoon
Water

Ghee

Salt as per taste

Procedure:
1. Add ghee in a kadhai and add the ginger and garlic and fry for some time.

2. Next add chopped onions and fry nicely for a couple of minutes with a pinch of salt.

3. Next add the khuskhus and the cashews
4. Grind the above to a fine paste in a mixer and keep aside.
5. Wash the methi leaves and finely chop it and keep aside.
6. Take the same kadhai, add 2 tablepoon ghee. Next add the cloves and and the ground onion-cashew paste and let it cook for some time. Add some boiling water as required. Also add some salt as per taste.
7. Next add the finely chopped methi leaves and let it cook for some time
8. Next add the green peas.

9. Finally add some garam masala and give it a nice mix.
10. Add water if required. Also add 1 tablespoon cream.
11. Let it cook for around couple of minutes

Methi Malai Matar is ready to be served.

Serve it hot with chapati or fulka.

Mathri

Mathri is one of the simplest and the tastiest snack item I have known. The only reason that kept me away from this was that it needs to be deep fried.

But now I have my oxy fryer :) So I can prepare low oil mathris..

With these low oil mathris, we can just indulge in guilt free gobbling ;)

Ingredients
Maida - 1 cup
Oil - 2 tablespoon
Salt to taste.
Enough water to make a stiff dough.
Ajwain - half teaspoon

Procedure:
1. Sieve the maida. Next add salt, ajwain and oil. Mix well.
2. Add just enough water to collect and make a stiff dough.
3. Make lemon size balls of the prepared dough and just press between palms.
4. Pre-heat Oxy Fryer for 5 minutes at 140° C. Arrange the mathri in fry basket and close it properly.
5. Keep the fryer at 140° C for 20 minutes. In between remove the mathri from the fryer and turn them to cook uniformly. Now fry at 180° C for 10-15 minutes to bring desired colour.
6. Store and keep in air tight container.

Have it with a cup of hot chai!!

Notes:
1. In case you do not have a air fryer, you need to deep fry the mathris.