Shahi Tukda - Royal dessert flavoured with Seasonal Mangoes.

Shahi Tukda is a popular classic royal dessert, which was originated during Mughal times. It is also known as shahi tukra which was enjoyed during Ramadan and was favorite in the Mughal kingdom. The word “Shahi” means royal and “Tukda” means a piece. Hence the word describes a royal piece of classic dessert was enjoyed by royal authorities of royal kingdom.

This royal dessert is prepared by deep frying white bread slices into the ghee, soaked into the flavored sugar syrup .These  delectable pieces are topped with delicious  rabdi (thickened milk) and nuts.

To bring in a twist to the dish, I flavored rabdi or thickened milk with freshly made mango puree. Though, traditionally plain rabdi is been used. Just to game the season, I came up this idea and it was a big hit.

This delicious dessert is a perfect dessert to be made on day of Eid .Hence sharing this post, so that you all can enjoy its royal taste and enjoy with your family.

INGREDIENTS

• White Bread – 10 slices (I recommend you to use white bread for better taste)
• Melted Ghee – 1&1/2 cups (more or less)

To Make Sugar Syrup

• Sugar -1 cup
• Water – 1 cup
• Cardamom powder – 1tsp
• Rose essence – ¼ tsp

To Make Mango Rabdi

• Full fat milk – 1 liter
• Mango puree – 1 cup
• Sugar – ½ cup + 1/4 cup
• Cardamom powder – 1tsp

To Garnish Shahi Tukda

• Dried Rose petals
• Crushed almonds and cashewnuts

 METHOD

• Cut the bread slices into halves diagonally.
• Heat ghee in a frying pan.
• Deep fry all the bread slices till golden brown in color.
• Darin any excess ghee from them by placing on kitchen paper towel lined plate. Keep it aside for later use.
• To Make Sugar syrup
• Combine sugar and water in a pot. Mix well and cook on the medium flame till syrup slightly thickened.
• Add in cardamom powder and rose water. Mix well and turn off the flame.

 To Make Mango Rabdi

• Bring milk to boil in a heavy bottom pot.
• When milk starts to boil, lower the flame. Stir milk continuously because the milk solids may stick at the bottom.
• When the quantity of the milk reduces to half the quantity, add 1/2 cup of sugar and cook for another minute.
• Also add cardamom powder and mix well.
• Turn off the flame and let the rabdi mixture cool down.
• Meanwhile , combine mango puree and 1/4 cup of sugar into a pot.
• Stir well and cook till mango puree becomes thick and slightly changes its colour.
• Let the mango puree cool down and then add it into the rabdi mixture.
• Cooking mango puree before adding into the rabdi enhances the flavor of mango into the rabdi.
  
• Mango flavored rabdi is ready.

To Assemble

• Arrange the fried bread slices into the wide tray.
• Pour the hot sugar syrup on the top of the fried bread slices.
• Let the fried bread slices absorb all the sweetness of the syrup.
• When you see the bread slices are little soggy. This is the right time to pour in rabdi.
• Then pour in mango rabdi over the bread slices. Spread the rabdi evenly on all the bread slices.
• Finally garnish it with dried rose petals and crushed nuts.
• Here we go Shahi Tukda or Shahi Tukra is ready to serve.
• Shahi tukda can be served warm or cold. Both ways it tastes best.

HAPPY UGADI!!!!!!! SHEERA POLI

Hello everyone...Wish you all a Happy Ugadi. May this new year filled with all the wealthy and prosperous essence of life. Today on this day I would like to post sheera poli. Sheer Poli is kind of obattu or poli with semolina and coconut filling. I hope you will try and enjoy this dish.

Talking about this festival, Ugadi symbolizes the wealthy essence of our life that is happiness, sadness, anger, fear, disgust and surprise. Traditionally this occasion is celebrated by having ugadi mix or you can say as ugadi pachadi. It is mix of few ingredients which symbolizes the flavors of our life.

Like
The sweetness of jaggery symbolizes the happiness
The bitterness of neem leaves symbolizes the sadness
The tangyness of raw mango symbolizes the surprise
The spicyness of pepper symbolizes the anger
The sourness of tamarind symbolizes the disgust
The saltiness of salt symbolizes the fear 

INGREDIENTS

For Outer Cover

• All purpose flour – 1 cup
• Semolina - 1/4 cup
• Salt - a pinch
• Water – To knead
• Oil - 1/8 cup

For Filling

• Semolina - 1 cup
• Coconut - 1/2 cup
• Water - 1 1/4 cup
• Milk - 1 1/4 cup
• Sugar - 1 1/2 cup
• Rice flour - 1 tbsp
• Ghee – 1 tbsp

PREPARATION

For Making Outer Cover

• Into a wide add all the ingredients that is all purpose flour, semolina, salt and water
• Knead the flour by adding water to make a soft dough.
•  Now add oil and smear all over the dough
• Cover and keep it aside for 4 hrs.

For Making Filling

• Roast the semolina with 1/4 tsp of ghee and switch off the flame.
• Parallely heat the milk  and water.
• Add the rice flour and coconut to the roasted Semolina and mix well. Do need of roasting. Keep it aside.
• Now add the hot milk to the semolina – coconut mixture, mix well to avoid lumps.
• When the mixture  thicken, add sugar and mix well.
• Once all the liquid is absorbed, switch of the flame and allow it to cool. When the filling is hand bearable make 14 equal sized small balls.
• Similarly divide the dough to 14 equal sized balls
• Using a plastic sheet, take a dough ball and flatten to small round disc. Then keep the stuffing in the middle of disc.
• Now pull the edges of the disc in the middle. Seal it and make a ball out of it.
• Flatten the ball using your hands and then using the rolling pin make a very  thin disc like chapathi .Make sure edges are equally thin.
• Heat the tava. Spread some oil onto the tava and place the poli . Fry them on both the sides on medium flame by smearing little oil.
• Remove the poli once  you see small golden patches on both the sides.
• Sheera Poli is ready to serve.

Garlic Naan -Eggless Version

  

Naan is very popular Indian bread not only in India but worldwide. Naans can be made with varieties of flavours.Today I am here  to share Garlic naans .The best thing of these garlic naan is, they are egg free naans.These soft and fluffy naans can be easily prepared  at home. Naan is traditionally cooked in a clay oven or tandoor. This recipe uses a regular home oven. For the healthy version naans can be prepared using whole wheat flour and very soon I will come up with the best whole wheat naans.

INGREDIENTS

• All purpose flour - 2 cups
• Warm water - 1/3 cup
• Sugar - 1 tbsp
• Yeast - 1tsp
• Yogurt - 1 cup (replaces the eggs)
• Melted butter - 3 tbsp
• Salt to taste
• Minced garlic - as needed
• Cilantro,chopped - as needed
• Butter - for spreading

PREPARATION

• Add yeast and sugar to the warm water and mix well. Let it rest and rise for 10 minutes.
• Combine all purpose flour and salt into a large bowl.Mix well and keep it aside.
• After 10 minutes,check the yeast mixture.Add yogurt and melted butter into the yeast mixture.Mix the mixture well.
• Then add this yeast mixture to the flour mixture and knead the dough well.If the dough will be stiffy,do not worry .It will be correct after it will rise.
• Cover the dough with the plastic wrap or clean kitchen towel. Keep it in the warm place and leave to rise for 30 minutes.
• After the dough is risen, punch the dough and  divide the dough into equal portions balls and place them into another greased bowl.If required lightly coat your hands with oil while dividing the dough.Cover the dough and leave again to rise for another 20 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 500 F.
• Meanwhile prepare the toppings by mixing minced garlic and chopped cilantro into one bowl.
• Dust the rolling place  and roll out each balls into triangular or oval shape about 1 cm thick.
• Place the naans on the baking tray, brush the top with little oil and sprinkle 2 tsp of topping mixture.Press the topping mixture lighty on the naans.
• When oven is hot, place the baking naan tray in the oven and bake the naan for about 7 to 10 minutes.Flip the naans in between and bake till you see light brown spots on the naans.
• When done,apply the butter on the naan and serve hot.
• Garlic naan can be served with Paneer Makhni, Palak Paneer and many more.

Punjabi Chole Batura

 Chole Bhatura is most popular delightful and comfort punjabi meal. Chole is the gravy made with grabanzo beans or chickpeas. Bhatura is deep fried soft bread  made actually with all purpose flour or white flour. Looking at the healthier side, I prefer to make bhatura with wheat flour. The end result was exactly the same, the soft bread. Bhatura and puri does not make much difference in its appearence but you can find the difference when you taste them and also it differ in its size. Bhatura are quite bigger than puris.


INGREDIENTS
 For Making Batura - Makes 10

• Wheat flour - 3 cups
• Semolina - 2 tbsp (soaked into little water for 10 minutes)
• Baking soda - 3/4 tsp
• Sugar - 1 tsp
• Salt - 1 tsp
• Oil - 2 tbsp
• Water or Milk - extra for kneading the dough, as required

For Making Chole Masala

• Kabuli chana (Chickpeas or Garbanzo) - 1&1/2 cups
• Onion, chopped - 2 medium
• Tomato puree - 1 cup
• Ginger garlic paste - 1tbsp
• Chole masala powder - 2 tbsp
• Red chilly powder - 1tsp
• Coriander powder - 1 tsp
• Kasoori methi - 1/2 tsp
• Chat masala - 1/2 tsp
• Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Cilantro - 3 tbsp
• Water as required
• Salt to taste
• Oil - 3 tbsp

PREPARATION
For  Making Batura

• In large bowl,add wheat flour, baking soda, sugar and salt.Mix well.
• Then add soaked semolina, yogurt and oil. Incoraporate everything and start kneading the dough by adding little water or milk. Make a semi soft dough.
• Apply little oil in the dough. Cover the dough and let it rest for 20 minutes.
• After 20 minutes, check the dough and divide the dough into 10 equal sized balls.
• Roll out each balls into 1/4 inch in thickness of circle and deep fry them.

For Making Chole Masala

• Soak the kabuli chana overnight or for about 7 to 8 hours.
• Boil the kabuli chana into the pressure cooker by big pinch of baking soda and salt.
• Heat the oil into the pan and add cumin seeds. Fry for 20 seconds.
• then add chopped onion and fry till  onions are light brown in colour.
• Then add red chilly powder, coriander powder and chole masala powder. Fry for another 3 minutes.
• Then add tomato puree.Stir well and cook till oil separates out from gravy.
• Add boiled  kabuli chana into the gravy. Mix everything well
• Check for the salt. If required add more salt. Mix well and cook for 5 to 10 minutes with the lid closed.
• Add crushed kasoori methi and chat masala. Mix well. If you need more gravy into masala. Add more water and bring it to boil.
• When done ,add chopped cilantro  and serve hot with Bhatura.