Nan Khatai

Ingredients

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• ½ cup ghee, melted
• ½ cup powdered sugar
• ½ tsp powdered cardamom
• ¼ cup cashew nuts, finely chopped
• a pinch of baking soda
• pistachios, roasted (optional)

Directions

1. Mix sugar and cooled ghee and stir well. Add flour, cardamom and cashews and knead well.
2. Drop rounded teaspoons on a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Press slightly and then add few pistachio pieces on top.
3. Bake at 350 deg F for 15-20 min.

Makes 15-20 pieces

Corn Flakes Chivda

Ingredients

• 4 cups cornflakes, slightly crushed
• 1 cup baked potato sticks
• ½ tsp mustard seeds
• ¼ tsp asafoetida
• ½-1 tsp red chili powder
• ½ tsp fennel seeds
• 2-3 green chili, sliced
• 2-3 sprigs curry leaves
• ½-1 cup ground nuts, roasted
• ½-1 cup chana dalia or roasted chana dal
• ½-1 cup cashew nuts, roasted
• ½ cup raisins
• salt to taste
• 1-2 tbsp oil

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large sauce pan, add mustard seeds and cover the pan.  When the seeds have popped, add asafoetida, green chili and curry leaves and stir for a minute.
2. Add nuts, dal and raisins and stir for 2 minutes.
3. Add chili powder and fennel seeds and mix well.
4. At low heat, add cornflakes and potato sticks, add salt to taste, stir for a minute and then turn off heat.
5. When completely cooled, store in an air-tight container.

Manoharam

Ingredients

• 2 cups moong dal
• 1 cup boiled rice
• oil for deep frying
• 2 tbsp ghee
• 1½ cups jaggery
• 1tsp ginger powder
• ½ cup coconut, cut to small pieces

Directions

1. Soak moong dal in water for about 2 hours and then grind to get a thick dough.
2. Lightly fry boiled rice, grind to a fine powder, add half of the powder to moong dal dough and mix well. Reserve the remaining powder.
3. Heat oil in a wok or kadai.
4. Press the dough directly into the oil, using a cookie or chakli press, to make ¼ cm thick strings, and cook until lightly browned, turning once.
5. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel, to absorb the excess oil. Break the strings to 1-2 cm long pieces.
6. Heat ghee in a kadai, add jaggery and enough water to get a thick syrup. Add coconut. When the syrup starts bubbling, turn off heat and add the sev, ginger powder and mix well.  Add the reserved rice powder and stir to coat so that manoharam is not sticky to touch.
7. Cool completely and then store in an air tight container.

Murukke (Chakli)

Ingredients

• 4 cups rice flour
• ¾ cup urad dal flour
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• ¼ tsp asafoetida
• salt to taste
• oil for deep frying

Directions

1. Mix flour, cumin seeds, asafoetida and salt with enough water to get a soft dough (consistency same as pizza or chapathi dough). Knead well.
2. Heat oil in a wok.
3. Fill a cookie press or a chakli press and press the dough directly into the oil. Cook until lightly browned, turning once.
4. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel, to absorb the excess oil.
5. Cool completely and then store in an air tight container.

Serves 12-15

Ribbon Pakoda

Ingredients

• 1 cup besan (gram flour or garbanzo flour)
• 2 cups rice flour
• 2 tsp chili powder
• ½ tsp asafoetida (hing)
• salt to taste
• oil for deep frying

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients with enough water to get a soft dough (consistency same as pizza or chapathi dough).  Knead well.
2. Heat oil in a wok.
3. Fill a cookie press or a chakli press with ribbon mould and press the dough directly into the oil. Cook until lightly browned, turning once.
4. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel, to absorb the excess oil.
5. Cool completely and then store in an air tight container.

Serves 12-15

Vegetable Sabji

Ingredients

• 2 cups zuchini, cubed
• 1 cup carrot, cubed
• 1 small potato, cubed
• ¼ tsp turmeric powder
• ¼ tsp cumin powder
• ½-1 tsp red chili powder
• salt to taste
• ½ cup moong dal
• ½ cup yellow onion, finely chopped
• ½ cup red onion, finely chopped
• ½ tsp black mustard seeds
• 2-4 cayenne pepper to taste
• Curry leaves, to taste
• 1 tsp oil

Directions

1. Cook dal in 2-3 cups water and set aside.
2. Cook zuchini, carrot and potato in 2 cups water with turmeric powder, chili powder, cumin powder and salt.
3. Mix cooked dal and vegetables. Add additional chili powder or salt, as needed. Boil and then simmer for 10 min. Remove from heat.
4. Heat oil in a sauce pan, add mustard seeds and cover the pan.  When the seeds have popped, add onions, cayenne pepper and curry leaves, stir until onions are lightly browned, and then pour into the dal-vegetable mixture.

Serves 6-8

TIC
Moong dal can be substituted with Toor dal.  Also, other vegetables like cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, beans or peas can be added.

French Apple Tart

Ingredients for the Pastry Crust

• 1½ cups all purpose flour
• ¼ cup sugar
• A pinch of salt
• ½ cup unsalted butter
• 1 large egg

Ingredients for the Apple Filling

• 5 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cubed
• 3 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced, ¼ inch thick
• 6 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp freshly grated lemon zest
• ½ tsp cinnamon, divided
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter, divided

Ingredients for the Glaze

• ½ cup apricot preserves
• 1 tbsp water

Directions

Pastry Crust:

1. Place the butter in a large mixing bowl and beat until softened.  Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Gradually add the egg and beat until just incorporated.
2. Add flour and salt, then mix just enough to form a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about an hour.
3. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a 12" diameter circle of uniform thickness and gently transfer to a 8"-9" tart pan with a removable bottom.  Lightly press into bottom and sides of the pan and roll rolling pin over top of pan to remove excess pastry.  Cover and allow to rest in refrigerator for 30 min.
4. Line tart pan with parchment paper, fill with pie weights or beans and bake in a preheated 400 deg oven for 20-25 min until the crust is lightly browned.
5. Remove the weights and parchment paper.  Cool the crust on a wire rack.

Apple Filling:

1. Heat a large skillet and melt 1 tbsp butter, then stir in 3 tbsp sugar, the lemon zest, and ¼ tsp cinnamon. Add the cubed apples and cook over medium heat until the apples are soft. Gently mash the apples and stir the mixture until most of the liquid has evaporated. Remove from heat and let cool.
2. Melt 1 tbsp butter in a large skillet over medium heat and stir in the other 2 tbsp of sugar and ¼ tsp cinnamon. Add the sliced apples and gently stir until they begin to soften.  Set aside to cool.
3. Place the tart shell on a baking sheet and transfer the applesauce mixture into the tart shell.  Arrange the apple slices over the applesauce, and brush with 1 tbsp melted butter. Bake in an oven preheated to 350 deg F for 25-30 min, or until the apples are slightly browned and soft. Remove from oven and sprinkle the tart with 1 tbsp sugar, cover the edges of the tart with foil, and broil it for 3-5 min, until the edges of the apples are golden brown and crisp. Allow the tart to cool slightly.

Apricot Glaze:

1. Mix apricot preserves and water in a saucepan, bring to a boil and then pass through a strain to remove lumps.
2. Glaze the apple slices with warm apricot glaze.