" Modak "

" Modak "
  By Chef Prashant Adsule.

The sweet filling inside a modak is made up of fresh grated coconut and jaggery, while the soft shell is made from rice flour, or wheat flour mixed with khava or maida flour. The dumpling can be fried or steamed. The steamed version, called ukdiche modak, is eaten hot with ghee.
Modak has a special importance in the worship of the Hindu god Ganesh; modak is believed to be his favorite food, which begets him the monicker modakapriya (the one who likes modak) in Sanskrit. During the Ganesh worship ceremony, known in India as Ganesh Chaturthi the puja always concludes with an offering of modaks to the deity and as prasad.

Serves : 8-10
Preparation Time : 90 mins

Ingredients :- For Stuffing:

250 gms coconut (grated)
250 gms jaggery (gud)
1½ tablespoon sesame (til)
1 tablespoon ghee
10 cashew nuts (kaju), crushed
15 raisins (kishmish), yellow variety

For Modak base:

400 gms maida or all purpose flour
2 tablespoon oil
Salt to taste

Method :-

1. Make soft dough of the flour (maida) by adding oil and salt.
2. Heat ghee in a vessel, add jaggery, coconut, and sesame seeds. Keep stirring continuously on medium flame. The jaggery dissolves and a sticky solution is formed. Leave it to cool thoroughly.
3. Make small balls of dough and roll it; let the diameter be 3-4 inches approximately.
4. Start stuffing the above ingredients and pack it by taking all the corners up, thus giving it a shape like a cone on top. This is a modak.
5. Dip these in water and place on a light muslin cloth (this keeps the modaks soft).

Steaming the modaks:
1. Boil water in a large vessel and place the modaks in a plate (like ?idli? plates or in a steamer) and steam but see to it that they do not get pressed. 
2. Serve with ghee, spread on the modak.
3. Serve hot or cold, both ways it tastes good.

" Kakori ke Kebab "

" Kakori ke Kebab "
  By Chef Prashant Adsule.

The Kakori Kebab is an old recipe from the kitchens of the Lucknow’s , while royalty that has been preserved through the ages. It is essentially minced lamb meat, infused with raw papaya and then smoked in a large closed container by way of a lump of smouldering coal and a dollop of ghee.

Ingredients: 

Mince meat (from leg without any white ligaments) 1kg

Raw papaya (paste) 1oogms
Salt to taste
Kidney fat 100gms

Kakori masala (A) (Roast and make powder)
Green cardamom 10 pcs
Black cardamom seeds ½ teaspoon
Clove 5 nos.
Nutmeg 1 pinch
Mace 1 small blade
Shahi jeera ½ teaspoon
Rose petal 1 teaspoon
Kebab chini 10pcs
White pepper ½ teaspoon
Kashmiri mirch 1tablespoon
Yellow chilli ½ teaspoon
Roasted gram powder 100gms

Kakori masala (B) (Make paste)
Desiccated coconut 50gms
Khuskhus 10gms
Khoya 50gms
Onion (to be sliced and fried) 100gms
Cashew nut 25gms
Fresh cream 100gms
Saffron 1 gm
Rose water 2 tablespoon
Kewda water 2 tablespoon

Method:
1. Mince meat and fat thrice to very fine consistency
2. Add papaya paste, salt, and powder masala (A). Mix well with both hands.
3. Add masala paste (B) along with rose water, Kewda water and saffron
4. Mix thoroughly and keep for half an hour
5. Clean and wipe skewers. Take a portion of mince mixture and stick it to the skewers evenly in round shape like a Seekh Kebab
6. Roast on charcoal grill. Remove carefully from the skewers.
7. Serve Hot with green chutney.

" Chatpata Corn Chat "

" Chatpata Corn Chat "
By Chef Prashant Adsule.

Ingredients:

2 cup sweet corn
1/2 tsp salt(according to the taste)
1 chopped green chili
1 tsp chopped cilantro (green coriander)
1/2 tsp Red Chilli Powder 
1 tsp Chaat Masala
1 table spoon Lime juice
1 chopped tomato
1 chopped onion

Method:

1. Boil corn for 5-7 minutes.
2. Mix all ingredients and enjoy! 

Variations:

Try adding 1 spoon butter in boiled corn, this will give a different flavor to your chat.

Serving Suggestions:

It can be serve as side dish or as a salad in lunch.

" Unni Appam "

" Unni Appam "
By Chef Prashant Adsule.

Appam is traditional south Indian sweet made during special Holidays and Festivals . It looks similar to kuzhipaniyaram, except it is made mainly with rice and jaggery. They are always available as prasad in most kerala temples. It's soft and fluffy inside with a slight crisp to bite outside. Adding banana, especially " poovan" variety makes it very soft. Adding ghee to the batter makes it quite flavorful and that's the trade off for frying it in ghee!

Ingredients :

Rice powder-2 cups
Maida or flour-’ cup
Banana-2 (squashed)
Jaggery-1.5 cups
Ghee-4 tablespoons
Cardamom powder-2 teaspoons
Cinnamon powder-1 teaspoon
Coconut pieces-20
Oil-2 tablespoon

Method :

1. Heat 1 cup of water in a pan and when it it is steaming add the jaggery to it. The jaggery will eventually melt and take on a syrup like consistency.
2. Cut small pieces of coconut and fry them in ghee. Add them to the molten jaggery and simmer for a few minutes.
3. Meanwhile, make a mixture of rice powder and flour in a mixing bowl.
4. Take the bananas, mash them and add it to the boiling jaggery soup. Let it simmer for another 2 minutes for the flavours to bleed.
5. Pour the jaggery syrup over the mixture and stir it simultaneously to prevent the formations of chunks of unmixed flour.
6. Add the cardamon and cinnamon powder for flavour now and mix it well.
7. The paste like semi solid mass you have is your batter for appams.
8. Pour the the batter into appam moulds and give it the sitting time of an hour to solidify.
9. Now fry both sides of the appam in ghee or oil as you choose and serve hot on Onam.

" Sheer Korma, Eid Special Dessert "

" Sheer Korma, Eid Special Dessert "
  By Chef Prashant Adsule.

Sheer Korma Recipe, An Eid special dessert, it is made in almost all Muslim households on the day of this pious festival. The word ‘Sheer’ stands for Sweetened Milk and ‘Korma’ signifies Dates or Khajoor.

Ingredients :

1 package vermicelli / seviyan
3 cups fresh whole milk
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder
Dry Fruits – 1 cup slivered almond, cashews and pistachioes
7-8 small pieces of Dry Coconut
1/2 cup fresh cream (optional)
1/2 teaspoon saffron strand
3 tablespoons charoli (piyali seeds)
1/2 cup light brown raisins
1/2 teaspoon rose water
1 tablespoon butter
2 tbsp Dates / Khajur

Method : 

1. Heat butter in a non-stick pan and fry vermicelli till it attains a golden brown color.
2. Add milk and sugar and bring to a boil. Keep stirring till the sugar dissolves.
3. Now add the prepared dry fruit, raisins and cardamom powder and mix well. Cook for 4-5 min.
4. By now the milk would have halved in quantity and the vermicelli would become very soft.
5. Now add the dates, rose water, charoli seeds and fresh cream and cook on low heat for over 8 min.
6. Serve hot or cold, garnished with saffron strands and dry coconut pieces.

*The dry fruits should be soaked in water overnight.

Tip: If you forget to soak them, boil a cup of water and put all raisins in it. Cover with a lid and let it simmer for 5 min. Once they are properly plumped, remove from fire and keep aside.

" Parsi Mutton Dhansak "

" Mutton Dhansak "
  By Chef Prashant Adsule.

Dhansak is a Mutton Dish. It is a blend of mutton and dal in a delicious mix of vegetables and aromatic masalas.

Ingredients:

½  kg mutton 
11/2 cup tur dal preferably wet ½ an hour before cooking
2 small brinjals cut into 4 pieces each
Few mint leaves, coriander leaves and curry leaves
1 big tomato diced nicely
½  tsp haldi powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
11/2 tsp dhanajeera powder
11/2 tsp dhansak masala powder
½  tsp garam masala
Salt to taste
1 or 2 green chillies slit into 2
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 tsp oil or ghee

Method:

1. wash the dal and mutton .

2. Take oil or ghee in the cooker put curry leaves , mint leaves and Ginger garlic paste and slit green chillies last.

3. Add nicely diced tomatoes and fry over sim for Few moments then add mutton and cook till the mutton is nicely coverd in the masalas.

4. Then add all the dry masalas let the mutton roast for sometime now add the dal and 1 glass Full of water and put the cooker lid on.

5. Cook for ½  an hour. Open and Garnish with finely chopped Coriander leaves.

6. Serve Hot with Brown rice.

" Apple Rabri "

" Apple Rabri "
  By Chef Prashant Adsule.

Janmashtami festival is dedicated to Lord Sri Krishna to commemorate his birth ceremony.Janmashtami is observed with great fervor throughout the country. Apart from various rituals and customs, on the birthday of Lord Krishna, all his devotees prepare various kinds of sweets and dairy products to welcome him. One of the most commonly prepared dairy prod

ucts on this day is the Rabri.

 

Servings : 4
Time Taken : 30-45 mins

Ingredients: 

2 cups - milk 
3/4 cup - grated apple
1/4 cup - sugar 
1/2 tsp - cardamom powder 
Ghee roasted almonds 

Method:

1. Heat the milk in a heavy bottomed pan and boil on a low flame until it reduces to half quantity.
2. When the milk is reduced to half, add the sugar and cardamom powder and cook for a few minutes.
3. Now add the grated apple and cook for another 2 minutes.
4. Switch off the flame and let it cool completely.
5. Garnish with chopped almonds and refrigerate for some time.

6. Serve it chilled.

" Konkani Crab Curry ( Kurle Ambat )"

" Konkani Crab Curry ( Kurle Ambat )"
  By Chef Prashant Adsule.

Crabs are my all time favourite. Whenever I have a trip planned to Pune, I ask my Mom to keep the crab curry ready - that is my sole demand on each of my visit.  Here is my mom's recipe for Kurle Ambat.

Ingredients:

Medium size crabs - 6, if they r too big cut it into half
One half of full big coconut - grated
Green chillies - 6, slit
Red chilli powder - 2-3 tbsps
Tamarind - a small ball
Ginger - 2" piece, finely chopped
Turmeric powder - a pinch
For seasoning:
Oil - 2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 5-6
or
Onion - 1 medium sized, chopped

Method:

1. Grind coconut with tamarind and red chilli powder in to smooth paste. Keep aside.
2. Wash the crabs 4 to 5 times. Remove the yellow stuffs from its shell while washing.
3. Cook crabs adding little water with chopped onions, chopped ginger, slit green chillies and salt.
4. Add the masala paste and simmer. Don't add too much water to avoid becoming too much watery.
5. Then season with mustard seeds and curry leaves or season it with chopped onion. 
6. Serve Hot.

" Baked Alaska "

‎

" Baked Alaska "
By Chef Prashant Adsule.

Basically Baked Alaska in simple terms is a clever combination of cake, ice cream, and meringue. A simple concept - a block of ice cream set on a layer of cake and then all covered with meringue.The meringue acts as an insulation, allowing to brown the meringue without letting the ice cream melt. The secret to a good baked Alaska is keeping everything frozen. Making Baked Alaska is really simple and takes absolutely no time to assemble.

Ingredients:

For the Base:
1 cake of any flavor
Filling:
1 tub vanilla icecream, softened
1 tub strawberry icecream, softened
1 tub Chocolate icecream, softened
Meringue:
4 egg whites
1/2 cup castor sugar
1/2 tsp lemon juice
pinch of salt


Method:

1. Layer the ice cream. Line the bottom of your bowl with clingfilm for easier removal.
2. Fill the base of the bowl with vanilla ice cream, then put in the chocolate and lastly finish with a layer of strawberry ice cream. Cover surface with a clingfilm and freeze for atleast 4 hours to 24 hours.
3. Place the cake onto a large oven proof plate. ( I sliced the cake horizontally in half). Unmold the ice cream dome on top of the brownie layer. Place back in the freezer.
4. In a mixing bowl, beat egg whites with lemon juice and a pinch of salt to soft peaks. Gradually add 1/2 cup sugar, beating until stiff and glossy; mound over ice cream. Freeze 1 hour. According to Chili Peppers, a meringue is ready when you turn your bowl upside-down and the mixture holds on.
5. Cover the ice cream dome with the meringue, covering it completely, using the back of spoon to make swirly peaks. Freeze for at least 3 hours.
6. Heat the oven to 250C. Bake for 3 to 5 minutes or until the peaks start to turn a golden brown color. Serve immediately.
7. For easier slicing, dip the knife in hot water before slicing.

" Narali Bhat / Sweet Coconut Rice "

" Narali Bhat / Sweet Coconut Rice "
  By Chef Prashant Adsule.


This delicacy is prepared during Rakhi Poornima in particular. Coconut Day festival or Narali Purnima takes place in Maharasthra & Kerala. It is celebrated mostly by the fishing community who offer their prayers for their safety to the sun-god Varuna. On the full moon day of Sravan is celebrated the Narli Purnima to appease the fury of the Sea-god Narli Purnima.


Serves 4 persons


Ingredients:


2 cups Basmati rice 
3 cups sugar 
1 cup milk
1 ½ cups scraped fresh coconut 
5 cloves/Lavang
5 cardamom/ Velachi
2 teaspoon raisins/Bedane 
1 teaspoon saffron/Keshar mix with 2 tbsp milk
2 teaspoons lemon juice
20 Kaju/cashew nuts (chopped into pieces)
4 cups warm water to cook rice
½ cup pure ghee


Method:


1) Wash rice and drain excess water. Keep aside for an hour.
2) Put 2 teaspoons ghee in a thick-bottom pan or rice cooker. Add cloves and cardamom and fry for a minute. Then add rice and fry for 2 minutes. Add a pinch of salt, lemon juice and water in it and steam it till the rice is cooked.
3) Spread the rice on a plate and keep aside to cool.
4) Put sugar, milk and coconut in a thick-bottom pan and stir it constantly with the gas on low flame. When the mixture becomes thick and dry such that it leaves the sides of the pan, remove from flame. Add to it the mixture of milk-saffron, cashew nuts and raisins and mix it well.
5) Fold in the cooled rice into the above mixture and mix it together gently. Put the pan on a low flame and cook it for 1 to 20 minutes (the rice will absorb most of the sugar syrup). Remove from flame, add remaining ghee and cover it.
6) Keep the rice covered for about an hour and then serve.

" Citrus Grilled Chicken Breasts "

" Citrus Grilled Chicken Breasts "
  By Chef Prashant Adsule.


Chicken breasts, marinated in lemon and black pepper, and grilled to perfection.


Ingredients:


6  skinless chicken breasts
4  lemons, halved
1/3  cup olive oil
1/4  cup chopped fresh oregano
1/2  teaspoon salt
1 1/2  teaspoons black pepper
2  garlic cloves, smashed


For Balsamic Dressing:


 Salt and pepper to taste
1  garlic clove, minced
3  tablespoons finely chopped oregano
1/2  cup+ 1 tablespoon canola oil
1/4  cup+ 2 tablespoons olive oil
3  tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/2  cup+ 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar.


Method:


1. Place the chicken breasts in a large shallow pan. Squeeze the juice from the lemon halves into a separate bowl, then whisk in the oil, oregano, garlic, salt, and pepper.
2. Pour this marinade over the chicken. Place the lemon halves in between the chicken breasts, cover the pan tightly. Refrigerate 6 hours or overnight.
3. Grill the chicken, occasionally turning and brushing with any remaining marinade, until the juice runs clear or the inner temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
4. Remove from the grill and place on a plate of greens and garnish with lemon slices and sprigs of oregano.
5. For the Balsamic Dressing: whisk ingredients together in small bowl and drizzle over the greens and chicken. Serve immediately.