Pua

I am reposting this recipe for the event here with some variations to my earlier post. This is a typical recipe right from my state. A must on the festival of holi. This was a common delicacy at my parents home and Mom used to often make it- be it whatever festival. Holi, Diwali, Durga Puja, Saraswati Puja, Independence day - yes! as kids we used to clebrate independence day too back at home...I guess since all of us were "Sweet Toothed", Mom wouldn't hesitate to make such things any day.
Ask any Bihari and he/she would associate Pua with holi. There are a variety of "Puas" made on the eve of holi. My mom made puas in different ways.
However, the one here is a very simple and quick recipe

Ingredients
Maida - 3cups
Milk - 4 to 6 cups
Sugar - 1 cup
Bananas - 4
Khoya -100 gms
Green Cardamoms(crushed) - 8 crushed
Grated Coconut - 250gms
Saunf(crushed)- 3tsp
Raisins(chopped) - 3tbsps
Cashews(crushed) - 3tbsps
Oil for Frying





Method
Mix all the ingredients together blending well.
The consistency should be like a dosa batter
Leave for an hour.
Heat oil in a shallow base pan/wok
Using a ladle pour a little of the batter into the oil.
The Pua should be shaped round like a puri.
Fry on low flame till golden in color
Turn each side using a spatula.
Line a flat dish with kitchen towels
Remove the puas from heat and place on the dish so as to absorb excess oil
The pua can be served hot or cold.

To Serve
You need Rabri, walnuts, almonds, cashews and raisins
Place the puas on a dish
Top with rabri and sprinkle with nuts and raisins (check the pics above)

Combining the pua with Rabri is a slumptuous option. :) My favorite is refrigerated Rabri and Pua.

Note: The oil used for frying puas should be hot in the beginning but you must remember to reduce flame as soon as you pour the batter to the pan else the shape does not come. Do not use the spatula to turn the puas unless the puas look cooked on the other side.

Chilly Chicken

Chilly Chicken

Chilly Chicken is a favorite of mine. For one it is easy to cook or so I feel and second it does not leave you with the oily spicy feeling that most chicken prepations of mine may. I can eat it any day and time and what's more I like it more with roti/paratha rather than with fried rice or noodles. I am posting a quick chilly chicken recipe that I made recently.

Ingredients:

Chicken - 250 gms (boneless & cut into small pieces)
Ginger Garlic paste - 2tsps
Cornflour - 3tbsps
Onion - 1 large (cut into 2 inch cubes)
Capsicum - 2 medium sized (cut into 2 inch cubes)
Ginger - 2Tbsps (very finely chopped)
Garlic - 3Tbsps (very finely chopped)
Green Chilly - 4 (slit)
Aji no moto -1tsp
Crushed Pepper -1tsp
Crushed Red Chilly flakes - 1tsp
Refined Oil - 4tbsps
Salt to taste
Soya sauce -2Tbsps
Chilly sauce -1tbsp
Tomato sauce - 3tbsp

Method

To Marinade
Wash and clean the chicken
Mix togerther the garlic ginger paste and chicken pieces
Add 1tsp each of salt and pepper
Leave for around an hour

To Fry
Heat oil in a pan
Mix the cornflour, salt and pepper
Roll the chicken pieces in this and fry on medium flame till golden

For the sauce mix
In a bowl mix the remaining cornflour, tomato, chilly and soy sauce.
Add a pinch of salt and 1 cup of water to the sauce mixture

In the remaining add teh aji no moto
Add the chopped ginger and garlic
Add the chopped capsicum, onion and slit green chillies.
Saute for some time (app 8-10 mins)
Add the crushed red chillies and pepper
Now add the sauce mix and cook on low heat
Add the chicken pieces and let it come to a boil.

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Kele ke Kofte (Raw banana chops cooked in gravy)

Raw Banana Chops in Gravy/ Kela Kofta Curry

Ingredients

Raw Bananas - 2
Potato - 1(medium sized)
Onion - 3(medium sized)
Tomato - 2(medium sized)
Gram flour - 1tbsp
Ginger Garlic Paste - 3tsps
Coriander Powder - 3tsps
Cumin Powder - 1tsp
Pepper Powder - 1tsp
Hot Spice Mix - 1tsp
Bayleaf - 2
Dry Whole Red Chilly - 2
Cumin - 1tsp
Tumeric Powder - 1tsp
Salt to Taste
Oil for Frying (I use mustard oil as I can't do without it in my daily curries)


Method

To Make Koftas
Boil the bananas and potato in the pressure cooker
Peel and mash the bananas and potato together
Add salt, turmeric powder, a pinch of garam masala and 1 tbsp of gram flour
Mix all the above ingredients together and make small balls

To Fry the Koftas
Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan
Add the koftas slowly on high flame and lower the flame gradually
Let the koftas become golden brown
Remove from heat



To Make the Curry/Gravy
Chop 1 onion
Make onion paste with the remaining 2 onions
Chop the tomatoes
In the oil, add the cumin, bay leaf and whole red chillies
Add the chopped onion and fry till the onion changes colour to pink
Add the onion paste, ginger garlic paste and fry for some more time
Now add all the spices (coriander, cumin,pepper and turmeric powder)
Now add chopped tomatoes and salt
Fry till the oil separates from the spice mixture
Add a pinch of garam masala (hot spice mix)
Once the tomatoes are well blended with the spice, add water
Let it simmer for sometime
Add the koftas and the curry is ready
Serve hot with rice or roti/paratha
Tastes good with fried ice or vegetable pulao

Note: It is best to add the koftas right before serving else they may tend to break

Gujhia/Perrakiya

The festival of Teej is celebrated in Bihar/Jharkhand by married women. This falls a day before Ganesh Chaturthi, when women fast. The fasting is rigorous as you cannot drink water the whole day and ends the next morning before sunrise, when women pray to Goddess Parvati for the well being of their husbands.
Gujhia is a home made sweet that is a must on this ocassion. I still miss the ones prepared by mom although I have bettered with time and make those too. I am sending this to the event at Purva's blog.

Gujhia/Perrakiya

Ingredients
Maida/Refined Flour - 1/2Kg
Ghee - 100gms
Khoya - 1/2 Kg
Sugar -100gms
Cashews - 50gms (coarsely crushed)
Raisins - 50gms (cut into pieces)
Grated Coconut - 50gms
Green Cardamoms - 8-10(crushed)
Refined oil for frying

Method
In a pan fry the khoya till the color changes to

golden.
Remove from heat and mix sugar, cashews,

grated coconut,raisins and cardomom seeds
Leave the khoya to rest

Mix the flour and ghee together
Knead into a tight dough using little water at a time

Take a little dough and smoothen between the palms
Roll into a thin puri.
Now place this on the mould (see pic) and add a spoonful of Khoya mixture
Close the lids of the mould tightly
Remove from mould and place on a flat dish
Repeat this with the remaining dough

Heat oil in a wok/heavy bottomed pan
Fry the gujhias till till golden (see pic)
Place on paper towel for sometime.
Store in airtight containers

P.S. If the weather is too hot, it is better to consume the gujhias else they may not saty right because of khoya. However, the gujhias can be stored for around a month or so if placed in the refrigerator in airtight containers

Thekua/Khajoor

August 23rd , Sunday was the festival of Teej. On Teej, married women pray to Goddess Parvati for well-being of their husbands. In India, Teej is a traditional festival celebrated in Bihar, Jharkhand, parts of Eastern UP and MP.
Teej (Hindi: तीज) is a fasting festival for Hindu women of some parts of India and Nepal. It takes place in 3rd day of Shukla Paksha in Bhadrapad or Bhado month of hindi calender normly in the month of August or early September. It is celebrated for marital bliss, well-being of spouse and children and purification of own body and soul. The festival is a three-day-long celebration that combines sumptuous feasts as well as rigid fasting. (source: Wikipedia)

Khajoor/Thekua and Perrakiya/Gujhia are homemade sweets prepared essentially on the ocassion of Teej. Here is the recipe for Thekua/Khajoor:
Sending this to the "State Specials" hosted by Shanthi

Thekua/Khajoor

Ingredients
Maida - 1/2Kg
Sugar-2 and a 1/2cup
Ghee- 1/2 cup
Water - 1/2 cup
Green Cardamom (crushed)- 10-15pcs
Grated Dry coconut - 1/2 cup
Refined oil/Ghee for frying

Method
Boil 1/2 cup water and remove from heat
Add the sugar to the boiled water and mix till sugar melts
Let the mixture cool
Mix the maida and ghee together
Add the grated Coconut and Crushed cardamom and mix well
In the Maida, add the sugar syrup slowly and knead into a tight dough.
Take a small quantity of the dough and make a ball.
Press the dough against the sancha (A wooden frame with design on it to create impression on the dough. This resembles the wood block. Please check the pic)
Alternately if the sancha is not available, the dough can be pressed against a basket to create impressions.
Repeat this with the remaining dough.
Now heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan and deep fry the khajoors till golden brown.
Remove from oil and place on a paper towel for some time.

Balushahi

Balushahi

Ingredients

Maida/Refined flour -1/2Kg

Ghee - 100gms

Sugar -250gms

Water - 1/2 cup

Oil for Frying

Method

Prepare Sugar Syrup:
Mix sugar and 1/4 cup of water together in a bowl
Heat on low flame till the sugar starts to melt
stir and cook till teh syrup starts thickening
The sugar syrup should acquire a two thread consistency
Remove from flame and let it rest

Make the Balushshis

Mix the flour and ghee together

Knead adding very little water at a time

Knead into a tight dough

Make balls from the dough, the size you would do for a puri

Press genty in the centre (see pic below)

Repeat the same with the remaining dough

Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan
Fry the balushahis till golden in colour (check pic below)

Dip the balushahis in the sugar syrup and remove
The balushahi is now ready
Serve hot or cold as a side snack item

I made the balushahis (the right one on the pic at the top) first and since I like shakarparres a lot, I used the balushahis to taste the same and so I just thickened the sugar syrup a bit and added the balushahis in it and let it cool there.