Halwa

Halwa is a sweet dish made out of grain and a sweetener such as jaggary, dates, or sugar. It can be a part of heavy breakfast, brunch, or evening party. Halwa is often combined with other dishes in combinations such as "Halwa-Puri-Sabji" or "Halwa-Pohe." Other names for Halwa include Laapshi in Marwad or Satyanaryan Pooja Prasad on Hindu religious occasions.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

• 1 cup cream of wheat ( 10 minute variety )
  
• 1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
  
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 cups water or milk
• 6 pods of cardamom powdered
• 8-10 strands of saffron, powdered or soaked in 1 tablespoon of water
• Almond or cashews and raisins for decoration

Directions:

1. In a 10" non-stick pan, add the butter and let it melt on medium heat. Cover the bottom and sides by swirling 1-2 times.
2. Add cream of wheat and using wooden spatula mix it and move it to and fro until it turns brownish and is uniformly roasted.
3. Add water/milk slowly while mixing it and cover.
   
4. Let the pot simmer for 10 minutes at low heat.
5. Add sugar and mix well. If the halwa still looks dry, add a little liquid. Again cover and let it simmer for 10 minutes at low heat.
6. Turn off the stove. Add cardamom and saffron. Decorate with dry fruits.
   

There are many variations of this. If you master the basic Halwa dish, then you can easily learn to make Gajar Halwa, Doodhi Halwa, Daalka Halwa, Badamka Halwa and other Halwa varieties.

Kheer

In north kheer and in South Payasam are the names given to a preparation similar to rice pudding. Instead of rice vermicelli, almonds , doodhi, dates can be used. When nothing else is added but milk is concentrated resulting dish is known as rabdi in hindi and Basundi in Marathi.

Ingredients (Serves 4):

• 1 Gallon of homogenized milk
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup rice
• 1 tbsp Ghee
  
• Pistachio w/o salt, powdered or sliced
• Saffron 1/4 tsp
• Cardamom 5 pods, seeds powdered fresh
  

Directions :

1. In a big pot put ghee and fry washed and dried rice till it turns reddish brown
2. Add milk gradually with continuous stirring.
3. On medium heat with stirring reduce milk to about 2-3 quarts ( One can use condensed milk to shorten the time)
4. Add Pistachio and continue heating for 5-10 minutes
   
5. Add sugar, mix well and take off the heat
6. Add Saffron, Cardamom, pistachio and cover
7. This dish can be served hot or cold

There are many ways to modify the procedure, beauty is it comes out good always. This is the simplest delicacy.

Cucumber Raita

Raita is generally a semi-liquid preparation with a yogurt base. It usually goes well with greasy food. Cucumber, doodhi, and boondi raita are well known types of raita. Since yogurt is used, tadka should be made of ghee (separated butter).

Ingredients (Serves 4):

• Cucumber about 5" long and 1- 2" diameter
• Ghee (separated butter) 1 tbsp
  
• Jalapeno about 2" long sliced in to 10-12 circles or 1 tsp crushed pepper
• Mustard seeds 1/2 tsp
• Cumin seeds 1/2 tsp
• Fresh green cilantro finely chopped 1tbsp or dried crushed mint leaves 1/2tsp
• Salt to taste
• Yogurt or sour cream
  

Directions:

1. Peel cucumber and shred it using larger mesh or dice it to very small size pieces
   
2. In a pan put ghee and heat till a mustard seed added makes sound, at this point add all mustard seeds. when they stop making noise add cumin seeds followed by jalapeno or crushed pepper. Take off the heat. For jalapeno make sure that all pieces get fried. crushed pepper does not need extra frying as it is dried.
3. Add cucumber, cilantro or mint and mix well and let it cool down to room temperature.
   
4. Add yogurt, salt and mix well.

In cucumber raita chopped tomato can be added also. Use of sour cream increases calories but gives thicker consistency to use it as a dip with chips. Doodhi raita can be prepared similarly but in step 3 steam it for 3 minutes. Roasted bellpepper raita is made by substituting bell pepper in place of cucumber. On picnics and barbecue parties it is a good addition

Sabzi

Sabzi is a general term for vegetable. Here I am going to describe a tri-color mix of fried vegetables, specifically carrot, potato, and bell pepper.

Ingredients (Serves 4):

• 2 bell peppers
• 3 carrots
• 2 potatoes
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/4 tsp hing (asafoetida)
• 3 tsp subrus
• 2 tsp salt to taste
• 2 tsp amchur (dried mango powder)
• Sugar or jaggery to taste

Directions:

1. Peel potatoes and carrots, and cut into 1" julian strips.
2. Cut bell peppers in half, seed them, and cut into 1" julian strips.
3. In a nonstick pan, put oil on medium heat. Add 1-2 cumin seeds to the pan. When they puff up, the oil is sufficiently hot.
4. Add the remaining cumin seeds, asafoetida, and subrus. Fry it by moving the pan 2-3 times.
5. Immediately add the potato and carrot. Coat the vegetables by moving them to and fro with spatula (Chefs do this by tossing). Cover and let steam for 10 minutes.
6. Add cut bell pepper, mix them well, cover and let steam for another 7 minutes.
7. Sprinkle salt, amchur, and sugar. Mix well and cook for 3 more minutes.
8. Turn off the heat.

Most Indian fried vegetables follow the basic pattern laid out in this recipe. Similar tri color combinations can be made with cauliflower, peas and tomatoes, or with green beans, carrots and potatoes. Fried okra sabji can be made same way. For okra, one must add amchur, as it removes the strings that steamed okra will have. Enjoy!

Zesty Red Beans And Rice (Rajma Chawal)

Vegetarian red beans and rice (Rajma Chawal) is a common dish in the northern part of India, specifically Punjab, Kashmir, and Hariyana. The dish is simple to prepare, yet hearty, making it a good vegetarian recipe for beginners. We usually eat it dinnertime, but it can be eaten earlier in the day. Over the years while living in America, we have modified the dish into a zesty vegetarian red beans and rice using ingredients found in our local supermarket.

As an overview, this meal requires 3 separate preparation sequences (detailed below in the Directions). The 3 parts are the red beans, the rice, and the tadakaa. The tadakaa is a special Indian preparation of spices. The spices are first heated in oil before being added to the main dish, which in this case is the red beans. However, tadakaa can be used in other lentil-based dishes for flavoring.

Ingredients (Serves 2 adults):

• 1 cup red beans
• 1 cup rice (Jasmine rice)
  
• 1 teaspoon of butter
• 1 can (12 fl oz) of V8 vegetable juice. You can also substitute this with your own diced tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
  
• 1/2 teaspoon of spices in a 6:3:1 ratio of coriander powder : chili powder : tumeric powder. We feel these spices are mild but feel free to adjust this to your own tastes
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
  
• 9 cups water
• A pinch of asafoetida (optional)
  

Directions:

For red beans:

1. Soak the red beans in 4 cups of cold water 6 to 8 hours prior to cooking in order to soften the beans.
2. After soaking, drain the water and add 3 cups of fresh water to the red beans.
   
3. Heat the red beans on medium heat to boil.
   
4. After the beans begin to boil, add the tadakaa (see preparation details below).
5. Next, add the entire can of V8 juice.
6. Keep the beans simmering 20-30 minutes after they start to boil. Stir occasionally. The beans are ready when they are soft. To test, remove one bean using a spoon and see if it can be crushed against a plate easily.
   

For rice:

1. While the beans are cooking, measure out 1 cup of rice and rinse it.
   
2. Boil 2 cups of water in a pot.
3. Add 1 teaspoon of butter.
   
4. When it begins to boil, carefully add the cup of rice.
   
5. Cover the rice and heat it on low to medium heat for 10-15 minutes. Do not let the rice sit for too long, otherwise it will become sticky. The rice should have soaked up all the water. To test if the rice is ready, use a spoon to take a grain of rice and see if it easily mushable.
   

For tadakaa:

1. In a small 1 cup pot, add the tablespoon of olive oil.
   
2. Start heating the pot.
3. To see if the oil is hot enough, add 1 or 2 cumin seeds first. If the oil is ready for the spices, the seeds will dance vigorously in the pot. If not, wait another minute and add another seed. Repeat until the seeds are moving in the oil.
   
4. Add the spices in the ratio described above.
   
5. Add a pinch of asafoetida (optional)
6. Stir it for 1/2 to 1 minute and then add the mix to the pot of red beans.

That's it! Your vegetarian red beans and rice are ready to serve! Simply plate the rice and add the beans in the middle. You can also add plain yogurt as a side, which has the effect of blunting the spices. Enjoy!

Zesty Grilled Cheese Sandwich

A grilled cheese sandwich is a simple quick snack or meal replacement. However, with a simple additions, it can become a much more zesty meal.

Ingredients:

• 2 slices of bread (I prefer wheat)
• 2 slices of American cheese
• 2 tbsp of pasta sauce or salsa
• Diced bellpepper
• Several sliced olives
  

Directions:

1. Grill the inner surfaces of the bread slices, where you will eventually put the cheese. Use a frying pan with stove set at half max.
   
2. Wait til the inner surfaces are crisp and lightly brown, then flip the slices and put the stove on quarter max heat.
3. Lightly spread one tablespoon of pasta sauce (or salsa) on each side.
4. Place one slice of cheese on top of the sauce.
5. Place the diced bellpepper and several olives on one side.
   
6. Flip the other side on top of the side with the olives and bellpeppers after the cheese has slightly melted.
   
7. Grill both sides until lightly brown. Then, place on a plate and turn off the stove.
   

So, a straightforward grilled cheese sandwich, but with a few extra steps, it is now a more flavorful experience. Enjoy!

Patriotic Pasta

Pasta is a very simple dish to make. I personally prefer tricolor rotini (see above). I also like to add peas, and top it off with pasta sauce and parmesan cheese. Pretty simple, but pretty filling as well. Why patriotic, you ask? Well, orange, white, and green are India's national colors.

Ingredients (for one serving):

• 3/4 cup of tricolor rotini
• 1/2 cup of frozen green peas
• 1 tsp of salt
• 3 cups of water
• Pasta sauce
• Parmesan cheese
  

Directions:

1. Add salt to water and let it boil. Set stove to half of maximum heat.
   
2. Once boiling, add pasta and peas.
3. The pasta will start boiling in 2-3 minutes.
   
4. Once it starts boiling, set timer to 10 minutes.
5. After 10 minutes, drain the water from the pasta and turn off the stove.
   
6. You can garnish the pasta with pasta sauce and parmesan cheese as you like.
   

Bon appetit!