Sabudaana kheer

                 Kheer is a famous dessert of India with infinite variations. The main component being milk which is paired with another ingredient to get the desired kheer. Bottle gourd kheer, rice kheer and Sabudana kheer are some of my favorites.

                Sabudana is the Hindi name for Sago. These white little pearls are rich in carbohydrates and act as a fuel for the body. We consume sago water mostly when we are sick or have an upset stomach. If you are skinny and wish to gain weight in a healthy way then Sago is the best option.

                Today's Sabudana kheer is a delight for sweet lovers. It is easy to put together the only time consuming step being the soaking of sabudana or sago pearls. Sabudana kheer is mostly served with pooris, the pooris in this case being similar to gujiyas that are made during the festival of Holi. Here comes the detailed recipe :-

Ingredients:

1.  Sabudana - 1 cup
2. Milk -2 1/2 cups
3. Sugar - 3/4 cup
4. Cardamom powder - 1 tsp
5. Cashews - few
6. Almonds - few
7. Ghee - 2 tbsp

Method:

• Wash and soak the sabudana in water for approximately 30 minutes in a cooking vessel.
• Place the vessel on stove (containing both sabudana and water used for soaking) and let the sabudana cook through. May take around 10 to 15 minutes. 
• Now add the sugar. You may adjust the sugar level to your liking.
• Once the sugar has dissolved add the cardamom powder. Mix well. Turn out the flame.
• Soak or boil cashews and almonds and cut them very finely.
• In a pan heat ghee and add cashews and almonds and fry till browned. Remove to a plate. (If you wish you can skip this step and add the nuts directly while serving). Add the remaining ghee to the sabudana mixture.
• Heat milk and add it to the prepared sabudana mixture. 
• Garnish with fried cashews and almonds.
• Serve immediately or chilled.

                                             

You may also like to try other desserts like Vermicelli kheer, Orange kheer, Bread Rasmalai, Aloo ka meetha and Gulgule from My Mom's Kitchen.

Happy Cooking!!!

Turai kheema (Ridge gourd & minced meat curry)

             Turai which is known as Ridge gourd in English when paired with minced meat or kheema gives a beautiful delicious side dish that tastes best with chapathis or soft phulkas. An ideal dish for breakfast.

           Ridge gourd is an excellent blood purifier and beneficial for diabetes and a cure for jaundice. Being low in calories it aids in weight loss and has a good content of Vitamin C and B. It is also a good source of zinc, iron, manganese, magnesium, calcium and phosphorus.

          There are few points to remember while preparing this curry. First, do a taste check - the turai or ridge gourd can be bitter so it is important that you taste all the raw gourds before you cook lest the entire curry will turn bitter even if one gourd was bitter. Next the gourds reduces significantly in volume while cooking and finally, while peeling the gourd leave a little bit of green here and there like in the picture added below to keep the gourd firm or it will turn too soft and mushy. Here comes the recipe in detail :-

Ingredients:

1. Ridge gourd - 1 kg
2. Minced meat - 250 gms
3. Onion - 1 no
4. Red chilli powder - 2 tsp
5. Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
6. Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp
7. Methi (small variety) - 2 bunches
8. Coriander leaves - few
9. Green chillies - 2 to 3 nos
10. Salt - to taste
11. Oil - 2 tbsp

Method:

• Peel the ridge gourd. Do a taste check (refer paragraph above). Wash and chop finely like in the picture below.

• Wash and clean the minced meat. Drain the water completely.
• Heat oil in a deep bottomed vessel.
• Add finely chopped onion. Saute over a minute.
• Add salt, ginger garlic paste, red chilli powder and turmeric powder. Mix well.
• Add the minced meat. Give a quick stir. 
• Now add the ridge gourd. Mix very well. Cover and cook on low flame while stirring occasionally. 
• Add the chopped methi leaves along with chopper coriander leaves. Slit and the green chillies as well. Continue to cover and cook on low flame for another 5 to 7 minutes or till the water dries up.
• Serve hot.

                                                       


         You may also like to try Palak kheema, Kheema baingan masala, Aloo kheema, Beans & minced meat curry and Kababchini ka kheema from My Mom's Kitchen.

Do come back to tell me your experience.

     I will meet you with my next post till then....

Happy Cooking!!!