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Baisakhi the harvest festival of Punjab is celebrated on 13 April. The enthusiastic,
energetic people of Punjab take a lot of pleasure in a good
meal and when there are celebrations then food is what sets
the mood. Here are a few traditional Baisakhi Recipes to try
out on this joyful and colorful festival.
Chole Bhature
Chole
Ingredients:
1 cup Chickpeas (chole)
21/2-inch Ginger, 3/4th of it shredded finely for garnish
2tsp. Garlic, finely crushed
2 Onions (chopped)
3 medium sized Tomatoes, chopped
2 Green Chilies, sliced
Finely chopped coriander leaves
2tsp. Ground Coriander
11/2 tsp. Ground Cumin
1/2tsp. Turmeric powder
1/2tsp. Garam Masala
2 teaspoons chole masala
1/2 - 1tsp. Red chili powder or as per taste
2-3 tbsp. Oil
Salt to taste
Method of Preparation:
Soak Chole in water overnight or for about 6 hours. In the
morning cook chole in the cooker with salt and enough water
for about 20 minutes or till it is fully done. After that,
heat oil in a kadhai / deep saucepan and add onions to it.
Sauté the onions till they are golden brown. Then add
garlic, chopped ginger and green chilies. Now add tomatoes,
coriander, cumin, turmeric, chili powder and chole masala.
Sauté over low heat and wait for the oil to separate.
After this add salt and coriander leaves to the kadhai. Keep
it on a low flame, uncovered till the liquid in it gets absorbed.
Once done, add a pinch of garam masala and sprinkle it with
the remaining coriander leaves. Chole are ready to be served.
Bhature
Ingredients:
Maida - 2 cups
Yeast - 1 pouch
Yogurt - 1 cup
Vegetable Oil - 2tbsp
Salt to taste
Method of Preparation:
Mix maida, yeast, yogurt, vegetable oil and salt in a utensil.
Add some warm water and mix it into thick dough. Cover the
dough with a wet cloth and keep it aside for 5-6 hours. Though
the longer it is kept the better it turns out to be. After
the dough becomes soft roll it like puri but remember that
it needs to be thicker than puri. Deep fry it in kadhai /
deep saucepan till both sides turn golden brown.
Tip: if want to get the dough ready in half an hour then
soda, little sugar and salt to the flour.
Gajjar Ka Halwa/ Carrot Halwa
Ingredients:
Carrots - 1 kg
Milk - 1 litre
Cardamom seeds - 1 teaspoon
Water - 3/4 cup
Ghee - 3 tablespoons
Whole dried milk (mawa) - 200 gms
Raisins - 2 tablespoons
Almonds - 2 tablespoons
Pistachios - 2 tablespoons
Sugar - 450 grams
Method of Preparation:
First wash and grate the carrots. Blanch and shred the nuts
and soak the raisins in water for ½ an hour. Put water
in a kadhai/deep saucepan. When the water starts boiling add
the grated carrots. Cook for 6-8 minutes and then add the
milk. Now, cook on a low flame for an hour and stir occasionally
to prevent any sticking. Add sugar and mix it well. Cook till
the sugar gets dissolved and milk gets absorbed. After that
add ghee and mawa and fry on low flame for 2-3 minutes. Wait
for the ghee to start separating. Now add the slightly crushed
cardamoms and raisins. Arrange the gajjar ka halwa in a serving
dish and garnish with almonds and pistachios. Serve hot.
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