Kesar Peda (Indian Milk Dessert)

Kesar Peda (Indian Milk Dessert) is a Saffron infused milk sweet. 

Pedas originated in the city of Mathura in present-day Uttar Pradesh. Traditionally it is made with Khoya. However instant recipe uses condensed milk and milk powder and can be made in microwave in hardly 10 minutes.

Kesar Peda

Ingredients
Milk Powder - 120 gram 
Condensed milk - 200 gram 
Unsalted Butter - 20 gram (room temperature)
Cardamom Powder - 1/3 teaspoon 
Pistachio - 5-6 (thinly sliced)
Saffron - pinch in 2 tea spoon milk

Recipe

1. Soak saffron threads in warm milk to get a nice colour from it
2. Add melted butter to a microwavable bowl
3. Add milk powder one spoon at a time and keep mixing with a spatula
4. Add Condensed milk and keep mixing
5. Microwave for a minute
6. Add Saffron milk
7. Add Cardamom powder
8. Mix with spatula
9. Microwave for a minute
10. Mix with spatula
11. Microwave for a minute
12. Leave to cool down in fridge for about an hours
13. Roll it  in a round shape and then flatten gently giving it a shape of peda
14. Garnish with pistachio, Cardamom powder and saffron(optional), sticking them to centre

Expresso Cookies

I used to get these cookies from Bon Bon Pastry Shop in New Friends Colony, New Delhi and I have loved these since.

Expresso Cookies

Ingredients

Granulated sugar - ¾ cup
Unsalted Butter - ¾ cup (room temperature)
Vanilla - ½ tea spoon
Salt - ¼ tea spoon
Egg - 1
Plain flour - 1 and ¾ cup 
Cocoa - 3 tablespoon

Expresso filling
Full cream - ¼ cup
Choc chips or broken pieces of a dark chocolate bar - 1 cup
Instant espresso coffee or regular Nescafe - 2 tea spoon


Recipe

1. Preheat oven to 175°C/ 325°F
2. Beat sugar, butter, vanilla and egg in a large bowl. 
3. Stir in flour, cocoa and salt.
4. Shape dough by rounded teaspoonfuls into small balls. 
5. Place about 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. 
6. Press thumb or end of wooden spoon into centre of each cookie, but do not press all the way to the cookie sheet.
7. Bake 10 mins or until edges are firm. Mine took 10 mins. 
8. Quickly remake indentations with end of wooden spoon (or thumb) if necessary. Immediately remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely, about 30 mins.
9. Meanwhile for expresso filling, mix cream and instant coffee in saucepan. 
10. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly until coffee is dissolved, then remove from heat.
11. Stir in chocolate until melted. 
12. Cool about 10 mins.
13. Spoon rounded ½ tsp expresso filling into indentation in each cookie and leave to set for an hour.

Galawati Kebab

Melt in your mouth kebabs from the Awadhi table. Try this aromatic and flavoursome Galawati kebab recipe (also called Galouti Kebab).

The history of Galawati kebab is interesting. This kebab was created for the ageing Nawab Wajid Ali Shah of Lucknow. The Nawab had lost all his teeth. But his passion for meat remained intact. So, this melt in the mouth kebab was prepared in his royal kitchens to satisfy the Nawab's love for meat.

The Galawati kebabs are traditionally prepared by marinating the finely ground meat with unripe papaya and a mix of exotic spices. The keema is then shaped into patties and fried in oil or ghee. The Galawati kebabs have taste that you just cannot compare with anything else. So, whether a foodie or not, you must try this exotic and mouthwatering Galawati kebab recipe and refresh your taste-buds.

Galawati Kebab 

Here's the lip-smacking recipe for the speciality of Lucknow:

Ingredients

Meat – ½ Kg finely minced meat of your choice (lamb, mutton, veal or beef)
Papaya (raw) – 3-4 tbsp
Onions – 1 medium (finely chopped)
Ginger garlic paste – 1 tablespoon
Red chilly powder (Kashmiri lal mirch) – 2 tbsp
Roasted Chickpea flour (Besan) – 2 tbsp
Saffron – 2 to 3 strands
Rose water – 1 tbsp
Kewra water - 1 tbsp
Milk Powder – 1 tbsp
Salt – to taste
Desi Ghee –to fry

Dry Spices for Galawat Spice (galawat masala)
Cumin Seeds (Jeera) – 1/2 tsp
Cinnamon stick (Daalchini) – 1 inch
Cloves (Laung) – 4
Green cardamom (Choti elaichi) - 4
Black cardamom (Badi elaichi) - 2 to 3
Black Pepper (Kali Mirch) - 4
Mace (Javitri) – 1/4 tsp
Nutmeg (Jaifal) – one pinch
Poppy seed (Khas Khas) – 1 tsp
Mustard seeds (Rai) – ½ tsp
Bay Leaves – 2

For Dum
Coal - 1
Cloves (Laung)– 3
Green cardamom (Choti Elaichi) - 2

Recipe

1. Clean papaya, remove the seeds and make a paste. Add papaya in finely minced meat and leave it for 2 hrs.
2. Heat a pan and slightly roast chickpea flour (besan). Be careful that it shouldn’t get burnt.
3. Heat a pan and carefully dry roast Cumin Seeds (Jeera), Cinnamon stick (Daalchini), Cloves (Laung) , Green cardamom (Choti elaichi), Black cardamom (Badi elaichi), Mace (Javitri), Nutmeg (Jaifal), Poppy seed (Khas Khas), Mustard seeds (Rai) and bay Leaves. When spices leave the beautiful aroma and are roasted, switch off the heat and let it cool down. Grind it into fine paste after spices are at room temperature.
4. Now cut the onions and sautee in 3 tablespoons of ghee. When onion is golden brown, switch off the heat and let it cool down.
5. Grind onion and ginger garlic into fine paste.
6. Soak saffron in 2 tablespoon warm milk around 15-20 minutes before use.
7. Add roasted masala powder, sautéed onion and ginger garlic paste, roasted chickpea flour, red Chilli Powder (Kashmiri lal mirch), saffron, rose water, kewra water, milk powder and salt in marinated meat.
8. Mix the ingredients very finely with the meat
9. Cover the meat with cling film and put in refrigerator for 4 -5 hrs.
10. After 4-5 hrs meat is ready, just one more final step to give it authentic flavor.
11. Heat a small piece of coal till it starts burning. Put it in a metal bowl and keep it in the center of the vessel containing meat. Add some ghee and put cloves (laung) and green cardamom (Choti elaichi) in it. This will release pleasantly aromatic flavor and flavoured smoke into the meat . Quickly cover the vessel with meat and burning coal with foil so that meat absorbs all very earthy flavour of ghee and coal. Leave it covered for about 15-20 minutes.
12. Meat is now ready for kebabs. Make flat patties of the meat. Heat 2 table spoons of ghee in a pan. Fry the patties on very low flame till cooked.

Galawati Kebab

Here it is!! Mouthwatering, softest (melt in mouth) kebabs in world are ready. Serve it with paratha or naan accompanied with onions lemon and mint chutney. Mint Dip (Pudina Chutney) is one must have accompany for any kebabs.