Spongy Cheese Balls in Syrup
(Resgullas)
2 quarts
milk 4 cups water
Juice of 1
lemon ½ tsp rose essence
2 cups sugar
1.
Bring milk to a boil, lower
heat and add lemon juice top curdle the milk. Milk should separate into
cheese and whey. If not, add the juice of another ½ lemon.
2.
Collect whey (the liquid can
be used in soups) and tie cheese in a cheese cloth. Keep tied for 6 to 8
hours until all the liquid has drained out.
3.
When mixture is completely
dry, knead cheese until it is very smooth (about 5-7 minutes). Form
into 18-20 balls.
4.
In large pot, boil sugar and
water. Turn down heat and simmer.
5.
Add balls to this syrup and
continue simmering for 30 minutes. Do not cover.
6.
Turn off Heat. Add rose
essence and chill. Best made the day before.
Yields 18-20
If syrup is left over use it as a
base for lemonade or other drinks.
Rasgulla Royale
15 rasgullas
1 quart vanilla ice cream
1 cup nectarine segments (cut into pieces)
1.
With a knife slice rasgullas
into halves. Stuff each half with pieces of nectarine.
2.
Arrange stuffed rasgullas
halves in shallow glass bowl.
3.
Whip vanilla ice cream. Pour
whipped ice cream over rasgullas in the bowl.
4.
Arrange the remaining pieces
of nectarine on ice cream.
5.
Cover the bowl; with plaits
wrap and put it in freer for 24 hours.
6.
Serve in individual bowls.
(This dessert can be set in individual bowls.)
Variation: Instead of Nectarine, stuff the
rasgulla halves with chopped nuts and grated chocolate. Garnish the ice
cream with grated chocolate.
Serves 6-8
Chic-Choc Delite
½ cup water
1 quart vanilla ice cream
1 tsp instant
coffee 2 Tblsp grated
chocolate
38 ginger
cookies 3 Tblsp chopped
walnuts (opt.)
Sauce
6 Tblsp
drinking 1 Tblsp instant coffee
chocolate
powder 1 ½ Tblsp corn flour
2 Tblsp cocoa
powder 2 cups cold milk
1.
Mix all ingredients for sauce
thoroughly in pan. On low heat, cook until mixture thickens, stirring
occasionally.
2.
Remove from heat and set aside
to cool.
3.
In a small bowl, mix water and
coffee. Dip cookies in this mixture, one at a time.
4.
In a round glass dish, arrange
a layer of dipped cookies.
5.
Pour a layer of chocolate
sauce over cookies to cover thinly.
6.
Repeat steps 4 and 5 until all
the cookies and sauce has been used.
7.
Beat ice cream and pour over
prepared dish. Decorate with grated chocolate and walnuts.
8.
Place in freezer 5-6 hours or
until set.
9.
Slice Chic-Choc Delite and
serve.
Serves 6-8
Date and Rice Krispy Crunchies
3 Tblsp butter
2 cups Rice Krispies
4 Tblsp sugar
½ tsp vanilla essence
3 Tblsp
milk 6 Tblsp
carob powder
1 ½ cups (6 oz.) pitted
dates 3 Tblsp desiccated coconut
1.
Mix butter, Sugar, milk and
dates in large saucepan and cook over low heat for 10 minutes. Stir
well.
2.
Remove from heat and add Rice
Krispies, vanilla essence and carob powder. Mix thoroughly.
3.
Press mixture into a baking
tray and sprinkle coconut over top. Allow to set hard.
4.
When set and cool into diamond
shapes.
Yields 10 to 12 pieces.
Chocolate Chippers
½ cup shortening
1 tsp vanilla essence
½ cup granulated
sugar ¾ tsp salt
¼ cup
milk ½ tsp baking soda
1 cup sifted all-purpose
flour 1 cup (6 oz.) semi-sweet
(or ½ cup all-purpose
+ chocolate chips
½ cup whole wheat
flour) 1 cup chopped nuts
1.
Cream shortening, sugar, milk
and vanilla together till light and fluffy.
2.
Sift together flour, salt,
banking soda. Stir into creamed mixture and mix well. Add chocolate
and nuts.
3.
Drop by spoonful, 2 inches
apart, onto a greased cookie sheet.
4.
Bake in moderate oven 3750F
for 10-12 minutes. Remove from cookie sheet immediately.
Yields
12-14 chippers
Fudge Brownies
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate morsels
14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
8 ½ ounces chocolate wafers, finely crushed
1 cup chopped walnuts
1.
Place the chocolate in double
boiler and melt it stirring constantly until smooth.
2.
Add condensed milk, crushed
chocolate wafers and half a cup of walnuts. Stir well to mix
thoroughly.
3.
Pour the fudge mixture into a
non-stick 8-inch square pan and press fudge until even.
4.
Press the remaining half cup
of walnuts on top of fudge brownies.
5.
Let stand at room temperature
until firm. Cut into 2-inch squares
Yields 16 pieces
Frozen Fruit Ice Cream
8 oz. Packet of cream cheese
¼ cup maple syrup
1 ½ cu whipped cream
½ cup chopped dates
½ cup chopped walnuts
1 ½ cups chopped fruits (pineapple
strawberries and peaches)
1.
Beat cream cheese and maple
syrup together with fork.
2.
Add whipped cream and heat
again to a smooth consistency.
3.
Add remaining ingredients and
mix well. Set in a shallow dish or bowl and place in freezer.
4.
Serve in individual bowls when
set, approximately 5-6 hours.
Serves 4-6
Avocado Pudding
1 large ripe
avocado ¼ tsp saffron powder
6 Tblsp
yogurt ½ tsp ground cardamom
8 tsp
sugar ½ up grated apples
¼ tsp grated
nutmeg 1 Tblsp slivered pistachio nuts
1.
Peel avocado and remove pit.
2.
Puree in a blender avocado,
yogurt, sugar and spices.
3.
Empty puree into a serving
bowl. Gently add grated apples, mix and chill.
4.
4 Serve in individual bowls.
Garnish with slivered pistachio nuts.
Serves 4-6
Avocado is actually a fruit, but is
generally used as a vegetable in salads and dips. To test for ripeness,
take the fruit and press with your fingers for softness. It should be
soft tos the touch. A cut avocado can be refrigerated for several days,
if the pit is left in.
Fruits with Walnuts and Cream
2 cups cream
1 medium banana, cut into cubes
1 medium apple, cut into cubes
1 medium pear, cut into cubes
15 seedless green grapes, sliced
15 seedless rad grapes, sliced
1 cup nectarine segments
½ tsp ground nutmeg
½ cup chopped walnuts
¼ cup golden raisins
½ cup sugar
1.
Place all ingredients in a
large serving bowl.
2.
Mix well and chill.
3.
Serve in individual bowls.
Serves 4-6
Coconut Dreams
2 oz. Cocoa
butter 1 cup unsweetened
¼ cup butter or
margarine desiccated coconut
1/3 cup brown
sugar 1 cup flour
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp banking soda
1.
Preheat oven to 3000F.
2.
Melt cocoa butter over low
heat,. Stirring until melted.
3.
Cream butter with a spoon and
mix with cocoa butter. Add sugar, mix thoroughly. Add coconut and
vanilla essence, mix well.
4.
Sift flour and baking soda,
gradually adding to butter. Mix well with your hand to form smooth
dough.
5.
Shape into small balls (the
size of marbles).
6.
Place them on an ungreased
cookie sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes till lightly browned.
Yields
approximately 30 dreams
Cocoa butter is the vegetable fat that’s
extracted when chocolate liquor is pressed under high pressure. This
butter has a distinctive melting quality.
Spice Cookies
¾ cup (1 ½ sticks)
butter 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup brown
sugar 1 ½ tsp ground
cardamom
Rind of 1 lemon,
grated ¼ tsp ground cloves
2 ¼ cups wheat
flour 1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking
soda 2 Tblsp milk
1.
Cream butter till soft. Add
sugar and mix well. Add lemon rind.
2.
Sift together flour, baking
soda and spices. Add sifted ingredients gradually to butter and sugar.
Mix well.
3.
Add milk and knead for 5
minutes until it becomes a smooth dough.
4.
Flour a board and rolling
pin. Roll out dough to ¼ inch thickness.
5.
Cut cookies with cookie
cutter. Transfer cookies onto a greased cookie sheet.
6.
Bake at 3500F for
about 10 minutes (watch so the bottom does not burn).
7.
Do the same with the remaining
dough.
Yields
3 dozen cookies
Pineapple Cupcakes
½ cup
shortening 2 ½ tsp baking powder
1 1/3 cups sifted all-purpose
flour 1 cup milk
1 cup sugar
1 tsp pineapple
essence
1.
Place shortening in a mixing
bowl. Sift in dry ingredients. Add ½ cup milk. Mix until flour is
moistened.
2.
Beat for 2 minutes at low
speed with an electric mixer. Add remaining milk and pineapple essence
to mixture and beat one minute longer.
3.
Place the paper cups in muffin
pans and fill cups half cull with mixture.
4.
Bake at 3750F for
18-20 minutes.
Yields 12-14
cupcakes
While making a cake, warm the mixing bowl
to speed the creaming process.
Raisin Nut Cake
2 cups
water 1 tsp
baking soda
1 cup black
raisins ½ tsp salt
½ cup butter or
margarine ½ tsp cinnamon
1 cup unbleached
flour ½ tsp nutmeg
¾ cup wheat
flour 1 cup chopped nuts
1 cup brown sugar1.
In a saucepan, bring water and
raisins to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add butter and set aside to
cool.
2.
Sift together flour, sugar,
baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
3.
Add sifted ingredients to the
raisin mixture and mix thoroughly. Stir in nuts.
4.
Pour mixture into a grased
9-inch a square pan.
5.
Bake at 3500F for
40 minutes.
Serves 4-6
Chocolate Applesauce Cake
(eggless and butterless)
2 cups flour
1 ½ cups sugar
3 Tblsp cocoa or carob powder
2 tsp vanilla essence
1 ½ tsp baking
soda 2 cups applesauce
½ tsp
salt 1 ½ cups
semi-sweet
½ cup
oil chocolate bits
1.
Stir together flour, cocoa,
baking soda and salt.
2.
In a bowl, cream together, oil
and sugar until light and fluffy. Blend in vanilla. Add flour mixture
and applesauce. Stir vigorously and mix well.
3.
Pour into a greased 9” x 13” x
2” pan. Sprinkle with chocolate bits and chopped walnuts.
4.
Bake in a 3500F
oven for 35-40 minutes. Cool in pan.
Yields 12 to
14 pieces
If a cake fails to rise and is heavy in
texture, slice and shallow fry in hot butter, roll in powdered sugar and
serve.
Strawberry Cake
1 can condensed
milk ½ cup water
2 level tsp baking
powder 1 cup chopped strawberries
1 level tsp soda
bicarbonate 2 tsp strawberry essence
1 cup self-rising
flour 1 9-inch diameter cake pan
½ cup melted butter
1.
Butter cake pan and dust with
flour, set aside.
2.
Preheat oven to 4000F.
3.
Sift flour, baking powder and
soda bicarbonate. Mix remaining ingredients together and stir well with
a wooden spoon. Pour into the cake pan.
4.
Bake for 15 minutes and lower
oven temperature to 2500F and bake another 15 minutes or
until done.
5.
Cool cake, ice and decorate.
Serves 4-6
Strawberry Ice-Cream Cake
1 ½ cups crushed butter biscuits
1/3 cup melted salted butter
1 quart strawberry ice cream (taken out half
hour ahead)
½ cup sour cream
½ cup water
4 Tblsp agar-agar flakes
2 Tblsp powdered sugar
Few slices strawberries
Whipped cream
1.
Mix butter and crushed
biscuits together.
2.
Press mixture into a 9-inch
round cake pan. Put in freezer for half an hour.
3.
Put strawberry iee-cream in a
bowl.
4.
Boil water and let simmer.
Add agar-agar flakes slowly and stir until all the flakes are
dissolved. Add this agar-agar mixture, sour cream and sugar to soft
ice-cream and mix thoroughly. Put this mixture over warm water until it
becomes a smooth sauce and the agar-agar is dissolved thoroughly.
5.
Take out crust from freezer
and pour ice-cream mixture over crust. Put cake in refrigerator to set.
6.
When set, arrange strawberry
slices and whipped cream over cake. Cut into desired slices and serve.
Serves 6-8
Crunchy Square Treat
1 cup creamy peanut butter
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup corn syrup
3 cups Rice Crispies
6 oz. Semi-sweet chocolate morsels
(optional)
2 tsp vanilla essence
1.
In a pan, heat peanut butter,
sugart and corn syrup on low heat until dissolved thoroughly.
Approximately 5 minutes.
2.
Turn off heat, add rice rispy,
chocolate morsels and vanilla essence. Mix well.
3.
Empty into a large cake pan,
pack evenly.
4.
Refrigerate for 2-3 hours.
Cut into desired squares.
Yields 50-60 one-inch squares
Indian Cone-Shaped Ice Cream
(Kulfi)
1 cans condensed milk (400 gms.)
2 Tblsp milk masala
7 oz. Heavy cream (200 gms.)
¼ tsp ground cardamom
2 ½ cups
milk ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp
saffron powder
1.
Bring milk to a boil and add
to milk, masala, cardamom, nutmeg and saffron.
2.
Remove from heat and add
condensed milk and cream, and allow it to cool.
3.
Fill cone-moulds with this
mixture.
4.
Arrange them upright in the
freezer and chill for 8 to 10 hours.
5.
When set, take each cone and
wash quickly in water. The Kulfi will slide out easily. Arrange in a
shallow dish.
6.
Cut into ¼” slices and serve.
Yields: 12 Kulfis
Note: The cone-shaped mould can be bought at
Indian Grocery Stores, or Kulfi can be set in any other container
or mould with a lid.
Drinks and Beverages
With the growing knowledge of the
ill effects of alcoholic drinks o the liver and heart, every hostess in
faced with the problems of wheat to serve her family and guests as
drinks. To solve her problem, the connoisseurs of the world have come
up with bright, new ideas if fruit juice mixtures and spice combinations
to substitute alcoholic drinks with non-alcoholic beverages.
India known for its and tropical
climate, offers varieties of delicious fruits and vegetables which
provide a wide range of choices in each season. Commonly called “Jal-pan,”
the drinks and beverages are a common sight for tourists. Favorite
drinks of many Indians are water, called the thirst quencher, fresh
sugarcane juice and tea, called “chai” which acts as a stimulant. Be it
a railway station or the road, in the airport or in a theatre house, one
always sees small booths of tea, cold drinks and snacks. But today
fresh juice centers have opened everywhere.
Fresh fruit juices can serve as a
prelude to many formal meals and parties. There is another kind of
drink served as an appetizer in Indian wedding feasts, called “jaljeera”
(cumin water). Tea is usually taken at breakfast and again in the late
afternoon. Often it is served at lunch or dinner, if requested.
The recipes given in this section
are simple, yet sensational. The results will amaze you and your family
and friends. After attempting some of the recipes try out your
imagination and create your own concoction. You may be surprised to
find out that you can also produce something extraordinary.
Tropical Fruit Shake
2 cups pineapple
juice 1 cup grape juice
2 cups orange
juice 6 scoops vanilla ice-cream
1 cup apple
juice ½ cup apple cut into tiny
pieces
1.
Mix all the juices together
and chill thoroughly.
2.
Before serving, whip the
juices with the vanilla ice-cream in a blender, till it becomes frothy
and light.
3.
Serve in individual glasses
topped with tiny pieces of apples.
Yields 6 large glasses
Buttermilk Shake
(Lassi)
½ cup buttermilk
OR ½ cups buttermilk
½ cup
water ½ cup
water
2 Tblsp maple
syrup 2 Tblsp maple syrup
¼ tsp
rosewater ¼ tsp ground cardamom
5-6
saffron strands (soaked in
water for a few minutes)
1.
Mix all ingredients in a
blender. Serve in tall glass.
An excellent summer refresher!
Yields one large glass
Gur and Lemon Drink
(Gur pani)
2
lemons 8 ice cubes
8 Tblsp gur
1 tsp fresh ginger juice
4 cups water
1.
Squeeze the lemons.
2.
In a pot, soak the gur in
water and let stand for 2 hours.
3.
Add lemon juice and ginger
juice to soaked gur and mix well until all the gur is dissolved.
4.
Strain over ice cubes directly
into glasses and serve. If it is not sweet enough,. Add more gur.
Banana-Guava Milkshake
1 medium ripe
banana 4 tsp sugar
1 ripe
guava 8 cups
chilled milk
1 Tblsp lemon
juice 1 cup water
1.
Blend all ingredients in
electric blender.
2.
Strain through a coarse
strainer to remove guava seeds.
3.
Chill and serve in small
glasses.
Serves 6-8
Orange Julius
1 ½ cups frozen orange
juice Few drops vanilla essence
1 ½ cups milk
Ice cubes (optional)
1 ½ cups water
1.
Blend all ingredients in
electric blender.
2.
Serve in tall glasses.
Serves 4-6
Summer’s Surprise
2 cups orange
juice 1 bottle plain soda
2 cups apple juice
1 med. Apple cut small
2 cups pineapple
juice A few mint leaves
1.
Mix all juices together and
chill.
2.
Before serving, pour some
plain soda in an individual glass. Fill with chilled juice.
3.
Spoon apple pieces and mint
leaves into the glass.
4.
Do the same for other glasses.
Yields 12 small glasses.
Squeeze lemon juice in ice-trays and
freeze. Flavor your soft drink by adding a couple of lemon ice cubes.
Mango Shake
1 ½ cups chilled mango pulp (bought from
Indian grocery)
4 ½ cups chilled milk
6 tsp brown sugar
6 drops rose essence
1.
Put all ingredients in
liquidizer and blend thoroughly.
2.
Serve in individual glasses.
Serves 6 tall glasses.
Coconut Fizz
- cool summer drink -
4 cups chilled
buttermilk 1 tsp ineapple essence
2 cups cold
water ½ cup freshly
grated coconut
12 tsp sugar (or any
sweetener) (or desiccated coconut)
½ cup chopped pineapple
1.
Mix buttermilk and water
together in a pot.
2.
In a blender make a paste of
sugar,. Coconut, pineapple and essence. To facilitate blending, add a
little buttermilk at the beginning of the blending process.
3.
Add paste to the buttermilk
and water mixture. Mix well.
4.
Whip the mixture with a hand
beater or an electric beater until; frothy.
5.
Serve Coconut Fizz in
individual glasses with forth.
Serves 6-8
Spiced Buttermilk
3 cups
buttermilk 2 tsp roasted cumin
seed powder
2 cups
water Salt to
taste
1.
Mix all ingredients in
blender.
2.
Serve in individual glasses
along with food or as a drink by itself.
Serves 6
Indian Milk Drink
(Thandai)
4 cups skim
milk Spices
2 cups water
30 almonds
12 tsp brown
sugar 4 tsp fennel seeds
4 tsp
poppy seeds
1 tsp
grounds white pepper
2 tsp
ground cardamom
1.
Grind all spices into a paste
(a coffee grinder does this well. You may need 2 tsp water or more to
facilitate grinding).
2.
In a blender mix together
milk, water, sugar and paste. Chill in refrigerator.
3.
Serve in small individual
glasses.
Yields 12 small glasses.
Spiced Indian Tea
(Masala chai)
3 cups
milk 6 tsp loose black
tea leaves
3 cups water
Sugar or any
sweetener to taste
1 ½ tsp tea masala
1.
Bring milk, water and tea
masala to a boil. Add sugar and simmer for 5 minutes.
2.
Add tea leaves and brew for 2
minutes.
3.
Turn off heat and cover
immediately. Let tea seep for a few minutes, stirring once. Tea is
ready when it is orange in color.
4.
Strain in a tea kettle and
serve piping hot.
Yields 6 cups
Strawberry Fruit Shake
2 cups plain lowfat yougurt
4 Tblsp brown sugar
1 cup lowfat
milk 2 cups sliced strawberries
1.
Place ingredients in blender
and blend until smooth, 1-2 minutes.
2.
Serve immediately or chill,.
Whip once just before serving.
Serves 4-6
Spiced Milk
(Masala Dudh)
4 cups
milk 4 Tblsp sugar
4 Tblsp milk masala
2 Tblsp slivered almonds
1.
In a pan bring to a boil;
milk, spices and sugar.
2.
Remove from heat and cool
immediately by stirring to avoid forming film on the milk.
3.
Put in refrigerator and chill
completely. Serve in glasses topped with almonds.
Yields 4-6 glasses.