CHENNA PODA (RICOTTA CHEESE CAKE FROM ORISSA)

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It's the begining of a festive week for several communities in India and every Indian wants to celebrate this festival in very traditional way with lots of mouth melting sweets. 'Chenna Poda' (burnt cheese) is the quintessential cottage cheese dessert from the state of Orissa in Eastern India. It is made of well kneaded ricotta cheese or chenna, sugar, cashew nuts and raisins; baked for several hours in earthen fire untill it browns. The burnt smell is amazing and it is very delicious in taste. It must be cooled down for hours before serving. Lord Jagannath, the lord of this universe's favorite dessert is to be said Chenna Poda. So friends, don't waste your time, tryout and relish this mouth melting Oriya dessert.

INGREDIENTS:

2&1/2 Cups Fresh Warm Chenna  / Ricotta Cheese / Fresh Paneer (hung chenna)

1&1/4 Cups Granulated Sugar

2 tsp Clarified Butter (ghee)

½ tsp Cardamom Powder

2 tbsp Rice Flour

Some Cashewnuts (chopped)

Some Raisins

METHOD:

Mash the chenna nicely by using your palms, this process will make the chenna soft.

Add Sugar little by little and mix it thoroughly.

Put clarified butter (desi ghee), rice flour and cardamom powder and mix well again. Now chenna mixture is ready.

Preheat oven to 200’C. Place a baking paper in a baking pan, grease with clarified butter (ghee) and pour the whole mixture into the pan.

Top with cashew nuts and raisins. Press lightly by using your palms. Now it is ready to insert in oven.

Bake for 40 minutes. Cool down completely.

Cut into desired shape and serve. 

Sending to: Holiday Recipes ~ 3rd Blog Anniversary Event

GAJAR KA HALWA

Gajar ka Halwa or Gajrela (in Punjabi) is a traditional dessert made with milk and carrot. I used mawa with little milk, it gave a nice creamy texture. A delectable dessert of Northern India and Pakistan. The Arabic word, "halwa" means sweet. It is treated as a light nutritious dessert as it contains less fat. This toothsome dessert just melts in your mouth and tempts you to eat more and more... 
Recipe Source & Acknowledgement: Homely Food

INGREDIENTS:
325 gm Carrot
3 tbsps Clarified Butter
1/2 Cup Milk
1/2 Cup Sugar
1/2 tsp Freshly Pounded Cardamom powder
1/4 Cup Grated Mawa (khoya)
Few Almonds (Chopped)
Few Cashew Nuts (Chopped)
Few Pistachios (Chopped)
1 tbsp Raisins
6-7 Strands of Saffron

METHOD:

Wash, peel and grate carrots.

Heat clarified butter in a non-stick pressure pan.

Add grated carrot in it. Fold nicely.

Saute for 4-5 minutes on medium heat. Stir occassionally.

Add 1/2 cup milk in it. Mix and pressure cook for 1 whistle.

Allow to escape steam naturally. Open the lid now.

Again place pressure pan on a stove top. Add grated mawa and cardamom powder in it. Fold nicely for 3 minutes.

Now add sugar, raisins and chopped nuts in it. Keep stirring continuously for 7-8 minutes on high heat. Add saffron strands and mix nicely. Remove from heat now.

Garnish with chopped nuts, raisins and few saffron strands. Serve hot or warm.

Sending to:  Chandrani's Holiday Recipes

PANEER BAHAR

Every now and then, I would like to prepare a special paneer dish to go with rotis, naan or simply with any rice dish. When you are getting monotonous with regular palak paneer and paneer butter masala, away from that just try this delightful paneer dish, it could be a yummilicious party dish or you can safely include this recipe in any menu as it is usually liked by most people. A great dish for anyone, who have a busy lifestyle. Cook this paneer dish over the weekend, refrigerate and consume within 2 days. Coconut cream enhances its flavor and texture just like a restaurant style gravy.

INGREDIENTS:

250 gm Paneer, cut into medium sized cubes

1/2 Cup Plain Yogurt / Thick Sour Curd

1/2 of a Coconut, cut in thin slices

2 Bay Leaves

1 Medium Onion (paste)

2 tsps Ginger Paste

2&1/2 tsps Garlic Paste

1 tsp Coriander Powder

1 tsp Garam Masala

1 tsp Kashmiri Red Chili Powder

2-3 Green Chilies (finely chopped)

1 tsp Sugar (for flavor)

1/3 Cup Oil

Salt to taste

1/2 Cup + 1/2 Cup Warm Water

METHOD:

Grind coconut slices nicely. Add ½ cup warm water in it. Leave it for 15-20 minutes. Strain coconut to get a flavorful coconut milk.

Heat oil in a wok. Fry Paneer pieces lightly. Remove those paneer pieces from oil and keep on a kitchen pepper to absorb excess oil.

Add bay leaves on the same oil, followed by onion paste, garlic paste and ginger paste in it. Fry nicely for 5-6 minutes on medium heat till spices leave oil from the side of wok.

Mix red chili powder, coriander powder, sugar and salt with fried onion mixture; fry for another 2 minutes. Add beaten sour curd this time, mix well for few minutes.

Add fried paneer pieces and ½ cup warm water now. Cover and cook for 6-7 minutes on low heat.

When everything is nicely incorporated, add coconut milk, chopped green chilies in it. Cover and cook it for 3-4 minutes on low heat. Turn off heat now.

Serve hot with any Indian flat bread or any rice dish. Look at the silky creamy gravy, isn’t luscious?

Sending to: Holiday Recipes ~ 3rd Blog Anniversary Event

WHEAT FLOUR HALWA (ATTE KA HALWA)

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 Cup Wheat Flour (atta)
1/4 Cup Sugar (as per taste)
5 Cashewnuts (chopped)
4 Almonds (chopped)
1 tbsp Raisins
5-6 Pistachios (chopped)
1/4 tsp Pounded Cardamom
1/4 Cup Clarified Butter (ghee)
1&1/4 Cups Water

METHOD:
Heat 2 tbsps clarified butter in a pan or wok. Add wheat flour in it. Keep stirring till it becomes dark brown. Be careful, not to burn the flour.

Now simmer the heat and add water and sugar in it.

Stir until all lumps get dissolved.

Cook on medium flame. Add 1 tbsp clarified butter more. Keep a nice stir.

Add chopped dry fruits and raisins in it. Fold well.

Add remaining clarified butter now. Cook till it gets thick consistency.

Turn off the heat, add pounded cardamom in it.

Delicious 'Halwa' is now ready to serve.

Serve hot by garnishing with chopped almonds and pistachios.

Sending to:  Chandrani's Holiday Recipes

LAUKI / DUDHI HALWA (BOTTLE GOURD DESSERT)

Bottle gourd / lauki / dudhi halwa is a very popular dessert made by grated bottle gourd, mawa, sugar and clarified butter (ghee). Bottle gourd is a light vegetable with mild flavour, so many kids or adults are not much fond of eating bottle gourd, but trust me they will surely love this yummy dessert. When I saw this recipe on Homely Food, could not resist myself to prepare this toothsome sweet which I inherited  from my Mom, it is made in our house at the time of Durga puja or Lakshmi puja. As I saw, how she cooked this dessert in a fast way, I tried to follow her. Hope you will enjoy this traditional Halwa.

INGREDIENTS:
3 Cups Grated Bottle Gourd
4 Strands of Saffron Soaked in 3 tbsps Warm Milk
2 tbsps Clarified Butter (ghee)
Sugar 5-6 tbsps (as per taste)
1/3 Cup Grated Mawa (khoya)
1/4 tsp Coarsely Pounded Green Cardamom
5 Cashewnuts (chopped)
5 Almonds (chopped)
5 Pistachio (chopped)
1 tbsp Raisins
1 tsp Poppy Seeds/khus khus (optional)

METHOD:

Heat clarified butter in a wok or pan. Add grated bottle gourd in it. Saute for 2 minutes. Don't get bottle gourd brown.

Add saffron milk in it, mix nicely. As bottle gourd leaves lots of water, so cook on high flame. Stir continuously for 2 minutes. (Alternatively may use condensed milk too)

Add coarsely pounded cardamom powder in it. Stir for another 5 minutes till the excess water from bottle gourd evaporates.

Now add chopped nuts and raisins in it. Fold nicely.

Pour sugar and mawa in it. Mix well. Stir continuously for another 3 minutes on high.

Once the water evaporates completely, add khus khus, stir nicely and turn off the heat now. Take it out in a serving bowl. Garnish with cashew, almonds and pistachio. Serve hot.

Linking to:  Chandrani's Holiday Recipes

CHICKEN SEEKH KABAB

Chicken seekh kabab is the special delight of minced chicken and other Indian spices. Kabab is a traditional dish of sliced or minced meat originating in the Middle East and later adopted by the Central Asia, before spreading worldwide. The traditional meat for kabab is lamb, but depending on local tastes, it may be beef, goat, chicken, pork, fish and seafood or even vegetarian foods like falafel or tofu. In Iran or Middle East, kababs also serve with saffroned rice or Persian rice named 'KAPSA'. Kababs in India are more or less similar to most other kababs preparations along with their distinct taste i.e seekh, chapli, kakori, boti, kalmi, tikka, shammi all can be credited to the spices native to the Indian subcontinent.

INGREDIENTS:

500 gm Mince Chicken
1 Onion (finely chopped)

1 tsp Freshly Pounded Black Pepper Powder

1 tbsp Coriander Seeds (coarsely pounded)

1 tsp Red Chili Flakes (or chili Powder)

½ tsp Roasted & Crushed Fennel Seeds (Saunf)

1 tsp Roasted  Cumin Seeds ( Coarsely Pounded)

1 Egg White (Beaten till peak form)

1 tbsp Soya Sauce

½ Cup Very Finely Chopped Coriander Leaves / Cilantro

1 tbsp Finely Chopped Green Chilies

1 tbsp Rice Flour

1 tbsp Corn Starch

1 tbsp Melted Clarified butter (ghee)

3 tbsp Oil (for shallow frying)

12 Bamboo Skewers (soaked in water for 4 hours)

1 tsp Salt

METHOD:

In a large bowl, combine onion, black pepper powder, pounded coriander-cumin-fennel, coriander leaves, chili flakes, green chili, rice flour and corn starch with minced chicken.

Add salt, soya sauce and clarified butter (ghee) in it. Lastly add egg white and combine everything very well. Cover and refrigerate the chicken mixture for overnight or 7-8 hours.

Heat 1tbsp oil in a non-stick pan or tawa. Grease bamboo skewers with few drops of oil. Make seekh kabab by moulding some minced chicken around a skewer about 4" in length and place immediately on the heated pan, like the same way fry 4-5 kababs at a time. Brush with a little oil and keep turning time to time till each kabab is tender and golden brown from outer. After frying remove from the pan and place immediately on the serving plate.

Serve hot with onion rings, salad and chutney of your choice n enjoy!!!

TIPS: Chicken should be very fresh. Soya sauce gives a nice smokey flavor to kababs. Seekh kababs are not supposed to an uniform shape, while making  people are usually using their hands and shape accordingly. So shape can be varied. You may bake, fry, grill or BBQ the kababs.
Sending to:  Cook with Comfort ~Blog Anniversary Event, Holiday Recipes ~ 3rd Blog Anniversary Event