Auluck : Papdi Chaat

Auluck : Papdi Chaat 

Ingredients:

For the papdi chaat,

Flat crisp papdis/puris/flour crispies - 24 nos

Cold smoothened curd/yogurt - 250 gms 

Large potato, boiled and chopped - 1 

Boiled chickpeas/kabuli chana/garbanzo beans - 2 cups  

Onion finely chopped (optional) - 1 

Tomato finely chopped (optional) - 1

Chopped coriander leaves - ½ cup 

Mint coriander chutney - 1 cup 

Tamarind dates chutney -  1  cup 

Red chili powder -  1-2 tsp 

Cumin powder -  1-2 tsp

Chaat masala -  1-2 tsp 

Black salt/rock salt or common salt -  1-2 tsp 

Lime juice (optional) -  1 tbsp 

Sev (optional) -  1 cup       

Method:

1. Cooking the chickpeas:

If you want to add chickpeas to the papdi chaat, then some effort is needed. This is if you don't want to use canned chickpeas. You need to soak the chickpeas in enough water overnight or for a good 6-7 hours and then cook or pressure cook the chickpeas with water and salt/black salt till it is completely cooked.

2. For assembling the papdi chaat:

Arrange the papdis in a shallow bowl or plate. Top it up with chopped boiled potatoes and cooked chickpeas. You can add chopped onions and tomatoes to it, but it’s optional.

3. Sprinkle some chaat masala and red chili powder on it, if you want at this stage. Top these with cold yogurt/curd as much as you want. Top it up with the green chutney as much as you want and then with the sweet chutney as much as you want. Sprinkle some chaat masala, red chili powder, cumin powder and black salt. Garnish with coriander leaves.

4. Sprinkle sev on top and this step is also optional. Add a dash of lemon juice to the papdi chaat if you want. Serve papdi chaat immediately.       

Auluck : Chaats Dahi Bhalla

Auluck : Chaats- Dahi Bhalla

Ingredients:

For preparing Vadas,

Black gram lentil - 1 cup, urad dal without skin, washed, soaked for 3 hours

Yellow moong dal - 2 tbsps, soak for 2 hours (optional)

Ginger - 2 inch piece

Green chilies - 2 to 3

Salt to taste

Oil for deep frying

To prepare dahi bhalla chaat,

Fresh curd - 2 cups, thick yogurt (it should not be sour)

Water - 1 1/2 to 2 cups

Powdered sugar - 1 1/2 heaped tbsps

Red chilli powder - 1 heaped tbsp, approx

Roasted cumin powder - 1 heaped tbsp, approx

C h aat masala powder - 1 heaped tbsp, approx

Pomegranate seeds - 1/2 cup

Green chutney - 3/4 cup, approx

Sweet tamarind chutney - 3/4 cup, approx

Sev for garnish

Fresh coriander leaves for garnish     

Method:

1. Grind the urad dal, moong dal, green chilies, ginger and salt together to a fine pase. Add very little cold water while grinding (approx 2-3 tbsps). Remove to a wide bowl.

2. Using your hand or hand beater, beat the batter for a good 5 mins till it is airy and light.

3. Pre-heat oil in a deep frying vessel, slowly drop large lemon sized quantity of batter into the hot oil. Deep fry on medium heat for sometime and then fry on high heat till golden brown.

4. Remove these deep fried vadas into a bowl of luke warm water and place them in it for a minute. Remove and gently press between your palms so that excess water oozes out. Keep them aside.

5. Finish making vadas with the rest of the remaining batter and put them in water like you did for the earlier batch, remove excess water and keep aside.

6. Beat curd well till smooth and add the water as required, 1/4 tsp red chilli pwd and 1/4 tsp cumin pwd and salt to taste. Place the vadas in a serving bowl and pour the chilled curd mixture evenly all over the vadas, covering them completely.

7. Chill the vadas for sometime before serving. At the time of serving, take 2-3 vadas and place them in a serving plate, pour 2 tbsps of green chutney followed by 2 tbsps of sweet imli chutney, sprinkle some chaat powder, roasted cumin powder and garnish with sev, fresh coriander leaves and pomegranate seeds.  

Auluck: Bhaang Ki Pakori

Auluck: Bhaang Ki Pakori 

Pakoras is again a must have during Holi and there can’t be a better version of pakoras other than a bhaang.

Ingredients:

Bhang Leaves - handful, tender (or use 1 tsp Bhang Seed Powder)

Potato - 1, chopped

Onion - 1, chopped

Brinjal - 1, chopped

Cauliflower - 1 cup, chopped

Gram Flour - 1 cup

Red Chilli Powder - 1 to 2 tsp

Oil as required

Salt as per taste

Dry Mango Powder - 1/4 to 1/2 tsp

Pomegranate Seeds - 1/4 tsp

Coriander Leaves - small handful, finely chopped

Cumin Seeds - 1/4 tsp (optional)

                                                           Water as required

Method:

1. Finely chop the bhang leaves and crush them well. Add all the ingredients except oil into a large bowl. Add the bhang leaves and mix well, adding enough water, to form a thick batter.

2. Heat oil in a deep frying pan over medium flame. Drop small portions of the batter and deep fry until golden brown. Remove and drain excess oil.

3. Serve hot with chutney of choice.

Auluck : Bhaang

 Bhaang

Ingredients:

Cannabis - 1/2 ounce  

Warm whole milk -  2 cups 

Sugar - 1/2 cup 

Coconut milk - 1 tbsp 

Almonds, chopped - 1 tbsp 

Ginger, powdered - 1/8 tsp 

Garam masala - 1 pinch 

Grenadine - 1/2 tsp 

Water - 1 cup 

Method:

1. Bring water to a boil in a teapot and add cannabis to it. Brew for about 7 to 10 minutes, then strain. Gradually grind the strained cannabis along with 2 tbsp of milk, repeat this process several times. Strain the milk into another bowl and keep aside.

2. Add a little more milk to the cannabis and grind it along with the almonds, repeat this several times.

3.Remove the cannabis and pour the milk, coconut milk, grenadine and boiled water into a container. Combine ginger, sugar, and garam masala with it, keep stirring. Bhang Lassi is ready to serve.

Auluck: Thandai Mousse

Thandai Mousse

Ingredients:

Thandai syrup - 2 tbsp 

Agar-agar (china grass) - 10 gms 

Whole milk - 1 cup 

Sugar - 2 tbsp 

Whipped cream - 1 cup 

Lemon juice - ½ tsp 

A few pistachios for garnish 

Method:

1. Combine the agar-agar, 1/2 cup of water and milk in a deep pan and bring to boil, while stirring continuously. Add the sugar and thandai syrup, mix well and cook on a medium flame for 1 to 2 minutes, while stirring continuously.

2. Remove from the flame and strain the mixture using a sieve. Transfer the mixture into a steel bowl and place the bowl in a deep vessel filled with ice-cubes for 8 to 10 minutes or until the mixture cools and thickens.

3. Whisk the mixture vigorously and continuously till it is in ice cube vessel to avoid any lump formation.

4. Add the beaten whipped cream and fold gently. Add the lemon juice and fold gently. Pour equal quantities of the mixture into 2 individual bowls/glasses and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours or till the mousse sets. Garnish with pistachios and saffron and serve chilled.      

Auluck : Imli Panna

Imli Panna

Ingredients:

Tamarind - 100 grams
Sugar - 300 grams
Salt - 1 tsp
Black salt - 1 tsp
Roasted and ground cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
A few mint leaves

Method:

1. Wash and soak the tamarind in warm water for 30 minutes. Mash and strain the tamarind pulp.

2. Add about 4 cups of water to the sugar and bring it to boil to make a syrup. Mix the tamarind pulp and the sugar syrup together.

3. Add salt, black salt, cumin powder and mint leaves. Chill and serve with ice cubes.

Auluck: Masala Thandai

Masala Thandai

The most traditional cooler served during Holi.
Ingredients:Milk - 1/2 litre
Sugar - 3 tbsps
Pistachios - few tsp, chopped finely for garnishing
Saffron - a pinch for garnishing
Water - 1/2 cup
Rose Essence - few drops
For Masala:
Badam/Almonds - 20
Cashewnuts - 15
P oppy Seeds/Khus Khus/ Kasa Kasa - 1 tsp
Fennel Seeds/Sombu/Saunf - 1 tsp
Whole Pepper - 1/2 tsp
Cardamom Pods - 5
Saffron - a pinch
Milk - 2 tbsp, for soaking saffron





Method:

1. Bring milk to a boil, add in sugar and mix well. Chill this till cold.

2. Soak saffron in 2 tbsp of milk and set aside.

3. Take badam, cashews, poppy seeds, fennel seeds, pepper, cardamom in a bowl and pour in 1/2 cup of hot water over it and soak it for 15 mins. Now take this in a blender and puree smoothly. Pour this mix into the milk and add a tbsp of saffron milk and mix well. Leave this to sit for 15 mins.

4. Now strain this and add in remaining saffron milk and rose essence. Chill this for an hour. Serve with some pista and saffron toppings.