Cabbage curry

Ingredients:
Cabbage green or white - 500 gms,(  finely shredded )
Onion -1 large ( finely sliced ),
Curry leaves -7-8,
Green chilli -2 ( slit in the center),
Urad dal -1 tsp,
Mustard seeds -1 tsp,
Turmeric -1/4 tsp,
Lemon half - juice ,
Oil - tbsp,
Water -50 ml ,
Salt to taste.

Method:
Heat oil in pan .As oil heats up add ural dal ,mustard seeds ,curry leaves and green chilli .Let the spices crackle . Add the sliced onions and saute till soft .Add turmeric and saute .

After half second add cabbage ,salt , cumin pwd and water . Toss the vegetable and then lower the heat and cover .

Let it cook for 7 minutes .Remove the cover and raise the heat and taste salt .Pour lemon juice and stir fry the cabbage for 30  seconds and close gas.

You can use jaggery or sugar instead of lemon juice .
It is a side dish .
Serves - 5

Balushahi

This is for you Tutu :)
Ingredients:
All purpose flour or maida - 300 gms ,
Sugar 250 gms ,
Dalda - 75 gms ,
Baking soda -1/4 tsp,
Curd -50 gms ,
Water for sugar syrup -1 cup ,
Small cardamom -4 ( powdered ),
Pistachio- a handful ( shelled and slivered)

Method:
Sieve the flour with baking soda and keep in a bowl .
Pour beaten  curd and mix.

Pour dalda and mix the dough.The state of dough will be crumbly .Add very little water and make a dough .Dont punch too much air as the dough edges has to be rough not smooth .

Cover with a wet cloth and leave for 20 minutes.

We have to make sugar syrup with one thread consistency for balushahi.
Pour sugar and water in pan and let it boil in medium heat till it reaches one thread consistency ( 7 to 10 minutes).Add few drops of lime juice so that the sugar does not cristalize.If the sugar becomes thick add little water and boil .Keep the sugar syrup aside .
Take the maida dough and make a log and divide into small dumplings .Make a ball and flatten

 each dumpling like a tikka and press in the middle with your thumb.Cover with a wet cloth.
Heat dalda in karahi and when it is slightly warm add the flatten dumplings in it .The heat has to be low.

After a minute the dumpling will rise and then you turn it with a spoon and let it fry till the colour is light brown.( the heat has to be low through out the frying )

Both sides should be evenly fried .Take out and keep on a tissue so that excess oil is absorbed.Close the gas for 1 minute and then put the next batch of balushahis in the karahi .

Then light the gas ,and let it fry in low heat .

Put all the fried balushahis in a bowl  or deep plate and pour the sugar syrup over it .Let the balushahis stay in sugar syrup for sometime .

Put the balushahis  in the serving plate and sprinkle cardamom pwd and slivered pistachios .

Enjoy hot or cold balushahis any time of the day .

Makes -17 balushahis

Eggplant with okra

Ingredients:
Eggplant -1 ( medium ,cut into 2 cms pieces ),
Okra or bhindi -300 gms ( small pieces ),
Onion -1 (medium ,chopped ),
Cumin pwd -1 tsp,
Dried red chilli -1 ,
Sugar -1/4 tsp,
Salt and pepper to taste ,
Turmeric -1/4 tsp,
Oil -2 tsp.

Method :
Cut eggplants into small pieces and rub salt and pepper and keep aside for 10 minutes .
Heat 1 tsp oil and stir fry the eggplant for 3 or 4 minutes till soft .You can cover for a minute .

Take out and keep aside .
In the same pan add 1 tsp oil .Stir fry the onions in high heat for 5 minutes.

Add dried red chilli ,turmeric pwd and cumin pwd . Stir fry for a minute ,then add bhindi or cut okra .

Cook for a minute and then cover for a minute .Raise the heat and stir fry the okras for a minute till the stickiness is not there . Add the eggplant ,sugar ,salt and some coriander leaves . Mix and close the gas .

Eggplant okra is ready .
Can enjoy with roti or rice .

Serves 3

Fruit custard pudding

This is for you Nazia :) 
Ingredients :
Full cream milk -1 litre ,
Custard pwd -4 tbsp ,
Sugar - 2 tbsp (grounded ),
Cream -400 gm ( whipped ),
Sugar - 2 tbsp ,
Marie biscuits -1 small pkt ,
Krack jack biscuits -1 small pkt,
Vanilla essence - few drops ,
Apple -1 ( peeled and cubed ),
Pear -1 small ( peeled  cored and cubed ),
Orange -1 ( peeled and deseeded and  segmented ),
Pomegrenate -1 small ( cut and seeds seperated ),
Dry fruits - few almonds ,raisins ,pistachios  slivered ),
Cinnamon -1 stick ( crushed and powdered ).
Gelatin - 2 tsp dissolved in 2 tbsp of  warm water for 10 mints .

Method:

You can use any light biscuits for this recipe .
Crush the biscuits with a rolling pin .
Take out 1/4 cup cold  milk from 1 litre and mix 4 tbsp of custard pwd and make sure there are no lumps .
Heat milk and reduce it to half or  let it simmer in low heat for 15 minutes). Raise the heat and then add 2 tbsp of sugar .

Add the custard pwd ( mixed with cold milk) . The milk will thicken as you pour the custard  . Stir continously for 7 to 8 minutes .Close gas .
When custard is luke warm add the gelatin .Mix.

Sprinkle some cinnamon pwd in the custard .Sieve the custard in a bowl and keep in the fridge to set for an hour .

Take out the cream in bowl and with a blender whip the cream till it forms  peak .( 15 -20 minutes 
( Place the cream bowl on a  bowl of  ice water while you are whipping the cream )

Mix 2 tbsp of powdered sugar  and mix with a spoon very gently or whip for half a second.
Grease  the dish in which you plan to serve  the pudding .

Spread half of crushed biscuits and then spread a layer of ( half ) custard ,then half of fruits ,then half of cream layer .sprinkle some dry fruits .

Top it with left crushed biscuits ,and repeat the same process .
Decorate the top layer of cream with pomegrenate seeds and sprinkle dry fruits and cinnamon pwd .

Keep the fruit custard pudding in the fridge overnight to set or at least  6 hours to set .

Serves 8 to 10 

Pyaaaz keema

This is Nazia `s Ammi`s recipe .Tasty and delicious ! Thanks again :)

Ingredients :

Minced lamb meat or keema - 500gms ,

Onion -6 ( finely chopped ),

Dried red chilli -6 ,

Cumin seeds -1 tsp ,

Ginger - 1 inch ( chopped or crushed ),

Garlic small -7 or 8 ( chopped or crushed ),

Bay leaves -1 ,

Small cardamom - 4 ,

Black  pepper - 8,

Tomato -1 Medium ( chopped ),

Oil  or ghee - 2 tbsp.

Salt to taste .

Method :
Take a pan or kadhai and put some oil or ghee in it .Let it heat up then add the sliced onions.

Raise the heat and stir fry the onions in medium and high heat till brown .

Add crushed  ginger and garlic .Fry for a minute then add dried red chilli ,cumin seeds ,and whole spices.Add keema and raise the heat and fry for few minutes . Add salt and tomatoes .Stir and then put the keema in cooker with 1/2 cup water .

Close the cooker lid .
One whistle in high heat and 10 minutes in low heat .

Pyaaz keema is ready .
Enjoy with laache paratha .
Serves - 5