Chickpea flour sweet

This is a very common sweet in India; it is prepared in every kitchen now and then. Chickpea seeds and flour is widely used in most of the Indian dishes. Chickpea seeds are called as “Chana” and chickpea flour is called as “besan”.  This chickpea flour sweet in India is called as "besan ke ladoo” ,"besan ki barfi”. Barfi means any sweet made and cut into small rectangular or any other shape, if sweet is made like a boll shape (round) then it is called as ladoo, This is one of my favorite sweet. Many of the Indian sweet dishes are made using chickpeas.

Ingredients for chickpea flour sweet:

Gram flour (besan) 2 cup

Sugar ½ cup

Water 2 ½ cup

Ghee (plane unsalted butter) 1 cup

Dry fruits for garnishing 

Preparation of chickpea flour sweet  

• Take thick bottomed pan heat ghee in this pan and fry besan on low flame keep stirring.
• Fry until you smell the aroma of chickpea flour comes out, don’t let it burn keep stirring.
• Make sugar syrup adding sugar and water separately.
• Now add this syrup to the besan which we fried earlier.
• Mix it well and make it into a thick paste.
• Now take it out in a plate and let it cool make small balls
• Garnish with dry fruits like chopped almonds, cashew nuts, pistachio nuts.
• Let it cool for 30 min. then cut it into small pieces of whatever shapes you like.
• It is ready to serve.

Fried rice with mutton curry

This is a very traditional hyderabadi dish.This dish is made during special occasions like festivals/functions. In India this dish is known as "bagara khana metha salan".Dalcha is another dish served as a combination to this fried rice, which I'll post later.

Ingredients for fried rice:

Rice 1 glass

Water 2 glasses

Mint leaves 1 cup

Fried rice

Chopped coriander ½ cup

Green chilies 5-6

Onion finely sliced ½ medium sized

Oil ½ cup

Salt to taste

Fresh ginger-garlic paste 1 tsp.

Garam masala whole made from: cloves 1, Cardamom 1, cinnamon 1inch, Caraway (shah zeera), black pepper.

Preparation of fried rice:

• Wash and soak rice for 15 min.
• Take a big bowl, heat oil and fry onions in oil till it turns into pink color.
• Once the onions turn into pink color add ginger garlic paste fry on slow flame for 1 min.
• Then add mint leaves fry for ½ min.
• Add water, chopped coriander, salt, green chili, garam masala then cover it and let cook for 3-4 min. on high flame.
• Once the water starts boiling add soaked rice.
• Cover it and let it cook for 2 min.
• Cook the rice till the water is absorbed keep stirring don’t let it burn.
• Cook till rice is soft and then cover it with a lid and slow down the flame.
•  Now keep a bowl filled with water on the bowl of cooked rice; this process is called as “dam”. 
• Remove the bowl of water after 5 min. 

Ingredients for mutton curry:

Mutton ½ kg.

Fried rice with mutton curry

Chopped onion 4 big sized

Oil ½ cup.

Red chili powder 2 tsp.

Turmeric powder ½ tsp.

Salt to taste

Ginger garlic paste ½ tsp.

Chopped green chilies 3

Chopped coriander ½ cup

Garam masala powder made from: cloves 1, Cardamom 1, cinnamon 1inch, Caraway (shah zeera), black pepper.

Water as required.

Preparation of mutton curry:

• Heat oil in a pressure cooker, fry onions till golden brown.
• Wash mutton pieces and add it into the pressure cooker.
• Add red chili, turmeric, salt, ginger-garlic paste and green chilies.
• Fry this mutton till the water is absorbed.
• Once the water from the meat is absorbed add 2 glasses of fresh water.
• Cover the pressure cooker and let it cook up to 5-6 whistles and then turn off the heat.
• After some time open the pressure cooker and see whether the meat is softened or not.(If not the let it cook for some more time)
• Cook until the excess water is absorbed and the curry comes to a thick consistency.
• Add garam masala powder and chopped coriander.
• Serve this mutton curry with hot fried rice. 

Upma- Semolina

This is a very simple and easy to make dish using semolina. in India semolina is used in making various dishes such as vada, dosa, idli, etc. 

Ingredients for upma:

Rava (Semolina)                     1 cup

Onions (finely chopped            2 tsp.

Mustard seeds                        ¼ tsp.

Oil                                         4 tsp.

Cumin seeds                           ¼ tsp.

Dried red chilies                      2 no.

Curry leaves chopped              2tsp.

Green chilies chopped             1 tsp.

Water                                    2 ½ cups

Ginger-garlic paste                  ½ tsp.
Salt to taste

Preparation of Upma:

• First heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, dried red chilies,                                curry leaves and green chilies.
• Fry these for 1 min. on a slow flame.
• Add onion and ginger-garlic paste till golden brown.
• Then add rava and fry till you feel the aroma of rava (app. For 2-3 min)
• Then add water.
• Cook for 5 min, stir it constantly, don’t let it burn.
• Cook till the water is absorbed and turn off the flame.
• Take it into a serving plate.
• Garnish with coriander and Serve it hot.

Dosa

This is very simple and easy to make. Try it out a few times, it may not come properly at the first time.  
Remember this is similar to pan cakes.

Ingredients for plane dosa:

rice 3 cups
split black gram lentil (urad ki dal) 1 cup 1 tsp salt
oil as required

salt

Preparation of plane Dosa:

• Soak rice and dal for 6 hours.
• Then grind them into a fine thin batter by adding little water.
• Add salt to it and leave it covered for 12 hours for fermentation.
• Now heat a non-stick pan, heat few drops of oil on pan.
• Spread 1 tbsp. of the batter on the whole of the pan.
• Grease all the corners and then cook on one side only.
• Put little water on the pan and wipe it with a clean cloth before making each dosa.
• Serve them hot with hot rasam or mashed potatoes or coconut chutney.

Apricot sweet

This is my favorite sweet. In India this apricot sweet is called as Khubani ka meetha.
Khubani Ka Meetha is a famous Hyderabadi sweet dish made of apricots.

Ingredients for apricot sweet:

Dried apricots 4 cups.

Sugar 1 ½ cup

Almonds for garnish.

Ice cream any flavor 2 scoops

Water for boiling apricots

Preparation of apricot sweet:

• First wash the apricots well with water,
•  Pour it in a big pan and boil it for 15 min.
• When these are boiled take it in to a bowl and let it cool for 5 min.
• Separate the seeds and pulp from the boiled apricots.
• Make a paste of the pulp by using a blender or it can also be mashed. 
• Crush open the seeds to get inner seeds and keep them aside.
• In a pan pour this apricots paste,1cup of water and add sugar. Cook for 10 min.
• When sugar is cooked turn off the flame and add the inner seeds.
• Let it cool on room temp. for about ½ an hour.
• Then keep in refrigerator for 1 hr.
• When you serve it add ice cream on top and garnish with almonds.