(This article is sponsored by Milan Restaurant)

LAGANSHALA
(Spicy Vegetable Stew)

INGREDIENTS:

sweet potatoes ½ kg.
potatoes ¼ kg
carrots ¼ kg
cherry tomatoes 6
onions, finely sliced ¼ kg
garlic – ground to paste 8 cloves
dry red chilies – ground to paste 3
cumin seeds – ground to paste 1½ teaspoons
water 1 ½ cups
salt 2 teaspoons
vinegar. 1 tablespoon
Worcestershire Sauce 1 tablespoon
sugar 1 tablespoon
Vegetable oil or ghee as required

Peel sweet potatoes and potatoes, Scrape and clean carrots. Cut sweet potatoes, potatoes and carrots into tiny cubes. In a “kurhai” or bowl shaped vessel or deep frying pan pour oil or ghee to a depth of 4 cm and heat. Fry and cut vegetables separately in it and keep aside. In a pan, fry the onions in 4 tablespoons oil or ghee till golden brown. Drain excess oil, it sticks to bottom of pan. Add masala paste to onion and cool 5 minutes adding 1 tablespoon water, if it sticks to the bottom of the pan. Add all the fried vegetables and mix well, Add salt and water and cook, covered, on slow fire for 15 minutes. Add cherry tomatoes and continue cooking till tomatoes are soft and the stew is almost dry. Add vinegar, Worcestershire Sauce and sauce and sugar and cook 5 to 10 minutes longer. Serve as a separate vegetable dish or as an accompaniment to cutlets, chops or patties.

DHANSAAK ( Meat & Vegetables with lentils )

Ingredients : For the Dhansaak dal:

Chicken skinned and washed
( or Spring Lamb, Goat Meat) 1 lb
Tuvar Dal washed and soaked for 30 minutes 1½ cups
onion, chopped 1 large
Tomato chopped 1
fresh coriander leaves chopped. (optional) ½ cup
fresh mint 5 leaves
yellow/orange pumpkin 3 inch pieces
Potatoes, peeled and quartered 2
salt 2 tsp
Turmeric 1 tsp
Water enough to cover the contents

Put the above in a Pressure cooker and cook for 10 minutes only. Open cooker and remove meat and potatoes. Mash the dal with electric blender or by hand. Put in a large pot and bring to a simmer.

Ingredients: For the Vahghar/seasoning

onion, finely chopped 1 small
oil 2 tbsp
Ginger/Garlic/Chilli Paste 2 tsp
(Make paste by grinding 1 inch piece of gingerroot, 4 cloves garlic and 2 hot Jalapeno chillis.)
Dhansaak Masala. (available in Indian Stores) 2 tsp
Dhanajeera Masala 2 tsp
Salt and Black Pepper powder to taste

Fry the onion in hot oil till brown. Lower heat and add the paste. Add the rest of ingredients and fry 1 minute on very slow heat. Immediately add this Vahghar to the simmering dal. Add water if needed. Taste and add salt/spices to your taste. Add the meat and potatoes and simmer 5 more minutes. Serve Dhansaak with Hot Brown Rice, Kavab and Kachumber.

BROWN RICE

Basmati rice washed and soaked for half hour 2 cups
water 4 cups
oil 1 tbsp
onion (or caramel sugar of instead the onion ) 1 small
stick cinnamon ½ inch
Cardamon pods 3
cloves 2
peppercorns 2
Salt 1 tsp

Chop the onion into fine slices. Heat oil and brown onion till dark brown, keep water handy and add immediately before the onion becomes black. This is the way to give the flavor and color to the rice. ( Or add caramel sugar ). Add Rice and the rest of ingredients. Bring to a boil uncovered, Now put on lowest heat and cook 20 minutes.

KACHUMBAR

onion 1 large
tomato 1
Cucumber 1
Coriander Leaves
Mint Leaves
Green Chillies
Salt or Vinegar to taste
Lemon Wedges

Chop onion into very fine slices. Crumble with hands and mix in salt or vinegar. Add chopped tomato, cucumber, chillies, coriander and mint. Garnish with Lemon Wedges and serve with Dhansaak.

Dessert: MANGO CHEESECAKE

INGREDIENTS:

For the sponge cake:
Eggless sponge cake 1
For the cheesecake mixture
Cream cheese (prepared like paneer from full fat milk) 1½ cups
Mangoes, peeled and cut into pieces 2
Thick curds 4 tablespoons
Cream ½ cup
Castor Sugar ¾ cup
For the Garnish
A few mango slices

For the Sponge Cake Slice the sponge cake into two, horizontally. Use only one layer of the sponge. For the Cheesecake mix Liquidise the cream cheese, mango pieces, curds and sugar to a smooth puree in a blender. Whip the cream till soft peaks form and mix gently with the mango mixture. To proceed Place one layer of the sponge cake on the bottom of a loose bottomed 150 mm ( 6 inches ) diameter cake tin. Sprinkle the soaking syrup over the sponge. Pour the cheesecake mixture over the sponge and refrigerate till set. Unmold from the tin. Serve chilled with mango slices.

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