Srihas Birthday Party Food

Paneer Butter Masala:

Ingredients:


250 gms paneer - cubed and deep fry in oil or ghee till golden brown,
2 big onions Fry with 2tbsp oil or butter and make it into paste along with 2 big ripe tomatoes.
1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tsp red chilli pwd or as desired
½ tsp coriander pwd
pinch of turmeric pwd
1/2 tsp kasuri methi
garam masala pwd
salt to taste
3 tbsps butter
2 tbsps fresh cream (I added light sour cream)

Method:

Heat 4 tbsp of butter in a pan, add the onion -tomato paste and sauté till brown. Add ginger-garlic paste. Add chilli pwd and combine.
Add turmeric powder, crushed kasuri methi,coriander pwd,garam masala and salt. Stir and let it simmer for 10 mts.
Add the paneer and simmer for 4-5 minutes. Add a cup of water or can use the water drained from paneer and let it cook on medium heat for 10 mts or till you get the desired curry consistency .Remove from fire, stir in remaining butter and fresh cream.
Garnish with coriander leaves.

Chole: Ingredients:

Channa : 2 cups (Soaked over night and pressure cook until soft)

onion: 1 big (Fry in a tbsp of oil and make paste)

Tomato: 1 big ( make paste)

Channa masala: 2 tbsp

Ginger garlic paste: 1 tbsp

Salt to taste

Red chillie pwd: 2 tbsp.

Oil : 4 tbsp

Spices: 3 cloves,2 green cardamom, 3 bay leaves, and 1” cinnamon

Corriander pwd: 1/2 tbsp

Method:

Take a pan and add oil to it. Heat the oil and add the spices, once the spices turn brown add the onion paste to it and fry for 4 minutes. Now add the ginger garlic paste and fry it for 2 minutes. Now add the tomato paste along with salt, red chillie pwd, corriander pwd and cooked channa along with little water. Let it cook for 10 minutes. Now add the channa masala and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and garnish with diced tomatoes, onion and cilantro. Serve hot.

Saada laddu or Thokudu laddu:

Ingredients:

Besan: 2 cups

sugar: 2 cups

water: 1/2 cup

oil: to deep fry

elachi pwd: 1/2 tbsp

raisins: to decorate.

Method:

Take besan in a bowl, add water and mix it to make a dough. Heat oil in a pan for deep frying and make some chakidalu with the dough. Do not let the chakidalu to change colour.

After using all the dough, powder the chakidalu with a blender(not too soft) and keep aside.

Take a heavy bottomed vessel. Add sugar and water to the pan and let it boil on medium heat. Wait until you get the consistency of a thin string and add the elachi powder to it. Now slowly add the blended powder to the sugar syrup. Stir continuously to avoid lumps and let the mixture get thicken. Turn off the heat and let it cool.

Make them into small balls and decorate with raisins.

Store them in air tight container.

Makes approximately 20 laddus.

Gulab Jamun:

Ingredients:

1 packet Gits gulab jamun mix

Milk to make dough.

Oil for deep frying

Elachi pwd: 1/4th tbsp

vanilla essence: 1 tbsp.

sugar: 300 gms

water: 320 ml.

Method:

Take the gits gulab jamun mix into a bowl. Add little milk and make it into a soft dough. knead well until soft. Let it rest for 15 min.

In a heavy bottomed vessel take sugar and water and let it boil for about 10 minutes. Add elachi pwd and vanilla essence to it and keep aside.

In a pan heat oil on medium heat for deep frying and make sure the oil is not too hot. Make small balls from the dough and slowly deep fry the balls untill golden brown. Add the balls to the sugar syrup and let them cool.

Rasgullas

Ingredients:

For Paneer:

Whole milk : 1 Gallon

Vinegar : 1/4th - 1/2 cup

Clean Cloth

Method:

Boil milk. Add vinegar and stir until milk gets curdled. Drain it with a filter to seperate channa from the water. Then take the channa in a clean cloth and tie a knot and place that under a heavy vessel to drain off the excess water for about 15 minutes.

Ingredients:

For Syrup:

Sugar: 31/2 cups ( 1 cup = 8 oz)

water : 9 cups

vanilla essence: 1 tbsp

Elachi powder: 1/2 tbsp

Method:

Take the chenna in a big plate or dish and knead it very well to remove any chunks. This is very important to get good quality rasgullas. Knead it untill it becomes just like chapathi dough (If the channa is not kneaded well the balls don't hold the shape when added to the syrup). Now make small balls, and remember when they are cooked they increase in volume, so don’t make them too big. Try to give them as smooth surface as possible just like marbles.

In a big vessel, heat sugar and water. When the sugar is dissolved and syrup comes to boil, add the cardamom powder and vanilla essence, and then slowly add the balls. The balls increase in size by 2-3 times so make sure to use a big vessel.

After adding the balls to the syrup bring down the heat to medium and close the lid. Let it cook for about 30 - 40 minutes or until they are cooked. You can see that they are cooked when they have increased in size. Take one rasgulla out and slightly apply pressure, if it comes back to original shape, it is cooked.

Serve them chilled.

Makes approximately 80 rasgullas.