Beetroot Halwa

Ingredients:

2 Kilos of Beetroot Pulp (after extracting for wine) or 2.5 Kgs of Beetroot (cut, peeled and grated).

650 gms of Sugar

2 Cups of Milk

8 spoons of Ghee or clarified Butter

Few almonds (cut into thin slices)

Few Cashewnuts

Cardamom Powder

Method:

In a deep pan, add 2 spoons ghee and fry the cashew nuts lightly and remove. Then repeat the process with Almonds. Add the Beetroot pulp or grated beetroot. Add 2 more spoons ghee and cook till the rawness of the beetroot goes. Already boiled beetroot for wine will progress to next stage faster. When the beetroot has lost its rawness add the milk and on slow fire allow to cook. Keep stirring so it does not stick to bottom. After the milk has evaporated and beetroot has become soft add sugar and mix. The sugar will dissolve and you will get some more liquid. Add 4 spoons of ghee and cardamom powder and mix and fry well till the mixture comes together. Add the fried cashew nuts and almonds. Mix and remove.

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Beetroot Wine

Ingredients:

3.5 kilos of Beetroot

2.75 Kilos of White Sugar

9 litres of Water

25 gms Active Yeast

Earthern Jar or Plastic Bucket with airtight lid (20 litres capacity)

2 Lemons (peel or grate the skin), Juice of lemon

25 gms of ginger (sliced fine), 16 cloves

Muslin cloth or thin cotton cloth for straining the wine.

Method:

Cut the top and bottom part of the beetroot. Wash and peel the beetroots. Grate the beetroots using a hand grater or electric grater. In a big vessel (can use two vessels), add the grated beetroot, ginger, lemon peel, water and boil. Simmer and cook till the beetroot is cooked (becomes light in colour).

Strain through Muslin or thin cotton cloth. Add sugar, lime juice and cloves. Stir and allow to cool. Reserve the pulp to make beetroot halwa. Transfer the beetroot Juice/Water mixture to the Jar or Plastic Bucket. Add the yeast (in a small bowl of luke warm water, add the yeast and a spoon of sugar, when it rises add). Stir well and then close the lid. Close with airtight lid and keep for 21 days. The quantity should not be more than 75% of the container.

After 2 days open, strain and keep for another 20 days. After 20 days, strain the mixture and then bottle it. Leave a gap of 2 inches from the cap of the bottle, to allow for any further fermentation process. If you want you can pour the beetroot wine back into the jar or plastic container for another week, before you bottle it.

Enjoy. You should get around 9 to 10 bottles of Beetroot Wine.

Grape Wine

Ingredients:

4 kilos of Red/Black/Purple Grapes (with seeds or seedless)

4.5 Kilos of White Sugar

12 litres of boiled and cooled water

2 tsps Active Yeast

Luke warm to wash grapes

Earthern Jar or Plastic Bucket with airtight lid (20 litres capacity)

2 Handfuls of whole wheat

Muslin cloth or thin cotton cloth for straining the wine.

Method:

Wash the grapes (in luke warm water) and separate them from bunches. Squeeze the grapes directly into the jar or plastic bucket using your hand or using a lime squeezer. The skin of the grapes give the colour to the wine. If you want white wine remove the skin from the must (grape juice including skin and seeds). After all the grapes are squeezed add 12 litres of water and 3 kilos of sugar. Mix well using your hand. Add yeast (mix in slightly warm water and little sugar, when it rises add). Mix well. Add wheat. Close with airtight lid and keep for 21 days. The quantity should not be more than 75% of the container.

After 10 days open and add rest of sugar, stir and keep for another 14 days. After 14 days, strain the grapes and then bottle it. Leave a gap of 2 inches from the cap of the bottle, to allow for any further fermentation process. If you want you can pour the grape wine back into the jar or plastic container for another week, before you bottle it.

Enjoy. You should get around 15 to 18 litres.

Rice Flour Puttu

Ingredients:

1 Cup Rice Flour ( Lightly Roasted)

Half Scraped Coconut

½ tsp salt

Water

Puttu Steamer

Bananas, Sugar, Ghee

Method:

Mix the Rice flour and salt in a tray. Sprinkle boiled water over it and then using your fingers mix the flour. Keep adding more water till you get a sandy texture of the flour. It should be moist.

Now pour some water in the bottom portion of the puttu steamer and bring to boil. In the top portion drop in some scraped coconut (half a inch) and then the puttu mixture (about two inches) and then repeat the process. At the top you add the scraped coconut. Close the lid and place on top of the bottom portion of steamer.

After about 4 to 5 minutes you will see the steam coming through the perforations on the lid. After a minute take off the stove. Open and with the handle of a spoon or ladle, push through the puttu from the bottom out through the top onto a plate.

How to eat:

Puttu can be had for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It is a South Indian preparation. I have it for breakfast in the following manner:

Sprinkle a spoon of sugar on top of the puttu. 1 tsp ghee and add a cut up banana. Mix them all together by mash them up. Then eat it.

Turmeric Leaves Patholi or Steamed Sweet Rice Cakes

Ingredients:

15 Turmeric Leaves

2 cups of boiled rice or ponni rice. Washed and soaked in water overnight.

Scraped Coconut

Scraped Jaggery

½ tsp Cardamom Powder

1 pinch nutmeg powder

Salt

Method:

Grind the rice with little salt in little water to form thick batter. Make a mixture of scraped coconut and jaggery (to taste). Add cardamom powder and nutmeg powder to mixture and keep aside. Apply the paste to a leaf (face of the leaf) very thinly. Leave 1 cm at the sides dry. Place a little of the mixture along the spine of the leaf. Fold the leaf and keep aside. Repeat this to all the leaves

Heat up a steamer or tondoor (with water in the bottom section). Place the rolls in the top section and steam for 30 minutes. Remove and allow to cool. Peel and enjoy the rice cakes.

Pathrade in Mutton Curry

Ingredients:

2 Cakes of Steamed Pathrade Shredded and steam (cut into slices) – see my recipe to get this.

½ Kilo Mutton or Lamb cut into small pieces

1 Can Coconut Milk (425 ml)- ¼ use as thick. Remaining add a cup water to form thin juice.

5 Red Chillies

1 flat tblsp chilli powder

¼ tsp mustard seeds

5 pepper corns

1 tsp cumin seeds

1tsp Turmeric Powder

2 cloves garlic

A small ball Tamarind

1 tsp boiled rice

1 tblsp coriander seeds

1.5 tsp Salt

2 tblsp ghee or clarified butter

6 spoons of scraped coconut

1 sliced onion for Masala

1 sliced onion for cooking

Method:

Boil the mutton in 2 to 3 thin coconut and 1 tsp of salt till well cooked. Roast the ingredients one by one and remove (except chilli, turmeric powder and tamarind). Fry the coconut along with onion and garlic, when half done add the chilli and turmeric powder and fry till you get a good aroma. Roast the boiled rice and remove. Grind all together along with tamarind using thin coconut juice.

Place a deep vessel on stove. Heat two tblsps ghee and when hot add the sliced onion. When onion turns slightly brown add the ground masala and fry for some time (5 Minutes). Add boiled mutton and gravy. Add masala water. Cook for sometime (3 minutes). Add thick coconut juice and salt to taste. Mix well and bring to boil. The gravy should not be thick. The pathrade will absorb the gravy, so keep it slightly thin. Add the pathrade slices and bring to boil and put off.

Patrade (Shredded leaves Method) and Fried Slices

Ingredients:

6 Allu or Colococia Leaves

2 Cups of boiled or ponni rice

1/4 cup raw rice

2 tblsp Urid Dhal (black gram)

Wash and Soak the rice and dhal in water for 6 hours

5 Red Chillies

½ tsp Turmeric Powder

1 tsp Cumin Seeds

A small ball Tamarind

1.5 tsp Salt

Method:

At the back of the leaves, cut the thick remaining stalk and spine of the leaf. Roll and cut fine into thin shreds.

Drain the soaked rice and dhal. Grind along with chillies, turmeric powder, cumin seeds, tamarind, salt and water to form a thick batter. Add to the cut Allu leaves and mix well. Place some quantity on a baking paper or banana leaves and fold the sides to form thick cakes. Make as many as you can.

Heat up a steamer or tondoor (with water in the bottom section). Place the rolls in the top section and steam for 60 minutes. Remove and allow to cool. Use to either fry them or can add to mutton or chicken curry.

Fried: Once it has cooled cut a cake into thick slices. Make a paste of salt, chilli powder, turmeric, vinegar and water (Salt and Chilli Paste- see my video on youtube). Apply lightly to the sliced pieces and shallow fry on each side to get crisp Patrade Slices.

Patrade or Allu Vadi (Rolled leaves Method)

Ingredients:

6 Allu or Colococia Leaves

2 cups Gram flour or Channa Atta

¼ tsp Asofoetida or Hing

1 to 1.5 tsp Chilli Powder

2 tsps Sesame seeds or Teel

1 tsp Turmeric Powder

Water

1.5 tsp Salt

2 tblps Jaggery

1 tblsp Oil

Method:

Wash and wipe the leaves. Cut the remaining stalk at the back of the leaves. Keep aside. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Add little water to form a paste.

Apply the paste to the back of a leaf (big) leaving the edges (about a cm) dry. Then place a smaller second leaf and apply paste to it. Then the third and repeat. You can add more leaves to make a thicker roll.

Now fold in the sides to meet at the middle (broader sides). Then the other two sides. This will form a rectangular flat cake. Now roll from one side to meet at the other end. Keep aside. Repeat to form the second roll. You may use more leaves and have more rolls. Make more paste as required.

Heat up a steamer or tondoor (with water in the bottom section). Place the rolls in the top section and steam for 30 minutes. Remove and allow to cool. Once cool cut into slices to form Patrade Pinwheels. Shallow fry each side in a little oil for a few minutes. You can store the remaining Rolls in refrigerator for future use.

Sheera or Kesar Bhath

Ingredients:

1 Cup Semolina or Rava or Soji (Medium to Coarse)

Few Cashewnuts (10)

Few Raisins or Sultanas (10)

2 Cardamom Pods

2 Cloves

1 Cup Milk

1 Cup Water

Ghee or Clarified Butter

1 Cup Sugar

½ tsp Orange Colour

Saffron (few strings) to add to milk

2 Tblsp Oil

Method:

In a deep bottom pan, heat and add 2 tablespoon oil. When hot lightly fry the cashew nuts and remove. Then fry the raisins till they puff up and remove.

Fry the cardamom and cloves for 30 sec and then add Semolina and fry on very low flame. Fry for about 5 mins continuously stirring so that it does not burn. Fry till slightly brown. Add sugar and continue stirring for a minute or two. Add saffron to milk and stir.  Add water and mix well. Stir and then add milk and continue stirring. Add the cashew nuts and raisins. When it starts boiling reduce the flame. It will start thickening up. Add one spoon of ghee and keep stirring. Mix well and keep stirring. Add Orange Colour. Add one more spoon of ghee and keep stirring till the mixture leaves the side and come together. That’s it Sheera or Kesar Bhath. Allow it to cool a bit and then serve.