palak lifafa

Ingredients to make palak  Lifaf

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup milk or as required
• 1 tablespoon ghee
• Salt to taste
• Oil/Ghee/Butter to cook the parathas
• 1 tablespoon corn flour mixed in 1 tablespoon water to seal the edges
• For the stuffing:
• 250 grams paneer/cottage cheese
• 1 and 1/2 cup palak/spinach, tightly packed
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon roasted cumin powder
• 1/2 teaspoon chat masala
• 1 Onion
• 3 green chilies
• Salt to taste
• 1 teaspoon oil

Steps to make palak  Lifafa

1. In a mixing bowl, add the whole wheat flour, salt, 1 tablespoon melted ghee and mix it well together. Next pour in the luke warm water little by little and knead the dough.
2. Knead till you get soft, smooth dough. (If you are looking for a softer texture, add only milk to knead the dough.) Cover and let it sit for 30 minutes.
3. While the dough is resting we can make the stuffing. Pick and wash the spinach fine as possible. Grate the paneer and keep it aside covered.
4. Heat oil in a pan. Once the oil is hot, add in the cumin seeds and wait till they turn slightly brown in colour. Add onions and green chilies and saute till the onions turn soft.
5. Next, add the finely chopped spinach and cook until the spinach looses all of its moisture. Add salt to taste. Once the spinach is completely dry, turn off the flame and keep it aside to cool down.
6. Now add roasted cumin powder, chaat masala into the grated paneer. Add the cooked spinach mixture and mix them all together. Note that this mixture should be dry. If you find any liquid in it, squeeze it out. Divide them into equal sized balls.
7. Knead the dough once again. Divide them into equal sized balls (lemon sized and roll it thin about 10 inch. Place it on a hot griddle/tawa and cook for 10 seconds on each sides, without oil. Then take it out of the tawa and repeat this process for the rest of the dough.
8. Now place half cooked rotis on a flat surface. Place once portion of the spinach paneer stuffing in the center. Spread the stuffing all over leaving out the edges.
9. Apply corn flour paste on the edges of the roti. Fold the two opposite corners of the roti over the stuffing. Now fold the remaining two edges and seal the filling well. This will look like a folded envelope.
10. Place this over hot tawa, dribble oil/ghee and cook on both sides until they turn brown on both sides.
11. Serve immediately with some curd and pickle.

My Tip: The folding technique: Place the filling in the center. Apply corn flour paste all over the edges. First, bring the 2 opposite ends over the filling and seal. In this fold the ends of the paratha will be overlapping each other. Next fold the other two ends. Please note that the folded ends will neither be touching the ones already folded nor will they be overlapping. Just fold it over the filling to make sure the filling is closed and intact in the center.

kanji drink

Ingredients to make kanji drink

• Water 7 glasses
• Beetroot 1
• Salt 2 tesp heaped
• Red chilli powder 1/2 tesp                                                          
• Mustard seeds 1 tbsp

Steps to make kanji drink

1. Boil water and let it cool.
2. Ground mustard seeds.
3. Cut beetroot in to long thin strips.
4. Add beetroot, salt, mustard seeds powder and red chilli powder in cooled water.
5. Fill in clean glass jar.
6. Place the jar in Sun light for four days.
7. By the time water will get fermented tasting sour and spicy.
8. Happy cooking 

My Tip: Keep the jar in warm place to ferment.

dal moradabadi

Ingredients

• 1 cup moong daal (washed )
• Finely Chopped ginger- 1 tsp
• Finely chopped green chillies-1 tsp
• Roasted jeera powder- 1/2 tsp
• chaat masala -1/2 tsp
• Red chilli flakes- 1/4 tsp
• Salt acc.tp taste
• Butter- 50 gms
• Finely chopped coriander- a handful
• Lemon juice- 1tsp

Steps

1. Cook daal with 4 to 5 cups of water and salt in a pressure cooker for 4-5 whistles.
2. Open cooker and check daal's consistency..Daal should not be too thick and not too watery.
3. Now take daal in a bowl and add green chillies ,ginger,lemon juice ,roasted jeera powder and chaat masala and mix well ..
4. Garnish it with red chilli flakes, corriender and butter and sprinkle some extra roasted jeera powder also..
5. Daal is ready .. Serve hot

My Tip: The secret is to maintain consistency of daal by making it semi-solid. So, add water very carefully.

masala matar

Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh/frozen green peas
• 2 tbsp pure ghee
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 1/2 Tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp asafoetida (heeng)
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 2 tsp Coriander Powder (dhaniya)
• 1 tsp garam masala powder
• 1 tsp Amchur (dry Mango powder)
• 2 tsp Cumin seeds (jeera)
• 1 large Green Chilli – minced/1 tsp Green Chilli paste
• 2 tsp chopped Ginger/1 tsp Ginger paste
• 1 tbsp Coriander leaves – finely chopped

Steps

1. Heat ghee and oil in a pan on medium heat and add the cumin seeds. When they start turning brown, add the asafoetida and stir well.
2. Add the minced green chilli and ginger (or the pastes if using) and fry for 1 minute till the rawness disappears. Now add the peas and salt and mix well to amalgamate.
3. Turn the heat to lowest and let the peas cook for approximately 7 – 10 minutes till cooked.
4. Now add the masala – red chilli powder, coriander powder, garam masala, half the coriander leaves and Amchur and mix again. Cover and cook for 3 – 4 minutes till the masala is nicely mixed with the peas.
5. Let it cool for sometime and garnish with the rest of the Coriander leaves.
6. Serve warm as and when you like!

spinach and cabbage balls

Ingredients

• Grated Cabbage 2 cups
• Chopped spinach 1 cup
• Green chilies 2 chopped finely
• Coriander leaves chopped finely
• Ginger 1 inch grated
• Salt to taste
• Coriander powder 1/3 tsp
• Cumin seeds 1 tsp
• Gram Flour 3 - 4 tbsp
• Corn flour 1 tsp
• Oil for deep fry

Steps

1. Mix grated cabbage, finely chopped spinach, green chilies, finely chopped coriander leaves, grated ginger, salt to taste, coriander powder, cumin seeds, gram flour and corn flour. Mix well.
2. Make small round balls out of it.
3. Fry them in hot oil until golden from all sides.                                  
4. Once done, remove them on paper napkins.
5. Serve hot with coriander - mint chutney or ketchup.