How to Cook Indian (120 page)

4. Remove from the steamer, remove the foil, and set aside to cool to room temperature. Place the
bhapa doi
in the refrigerator to chill. Slice and serve chilled.

Chhenar Payesh

Chhena
-and-nut dessert

I adore this delicious, very easy dessert from the eastern Indian state of Bengal. You can find
chhena,
a fresh cheese, at Indian grocery stores, or you can make it yourself as described in the Notes.

Serves 4.

5 cups (1 liter) milk

¼ cup (65 grams) sugar

½ cup (50 grams) cow’s milk
chhena
(fresh cheese; see Notes)

5 or 6 almonds, blanched (see Note page 40) and chopped

7 or 8 pistachios, blanched (see Note page 40) and chopped

1. Place a nonstick saucepan over high heat and add the milk. When it comes to a boil, lower the heat to medium and simmer, stirring frequently, for 20 minutes or until the milk is reduced by half.

2. Add the sugar and cook until it dissolves.

3. Mash the
chhena
in a bowl, then add it to the milk mixture. Simmer for 2 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl and set aside to cool.

4. Sprinkle with the almonds and pistachios, and serve.

If cow’s milk
chhena
is not available,
chhena
made from buffalo’s milk is fine. I recommend
chhena
made from cow’s milk because it is lower in fat.
To make
chhena,
put 2
½
cups (500 ml) milk in a deep saucepan and bring it just to a boil. Squeeze the juice of 1 lemon into the milk and stir until it curdles. Drain away the whey and transfer the solids to a double layer of cheesecloth. Weight it down with a plate and something heavy so that all the excess liquid is drained away. This will yield ½ cup
chhena.

Chocolate Walnut Buri

Chocolate-and-walnut dessert

In India, it is customary to give your friends desserts during festivals. In my opinion, homemade
mithais
(sweet, milk-based desserts) are much better than store-bought for gifts, and I would be flattered if someone made this
burfi—which
is not found in sweet shops—and gave some to me on Diwali, the Indian festival of lights.

Makes 16.

3½ cups (500 grams) grated
khoya/mawa
(unsweetened solid condensed milk; page 37)

½ cup (60 grams) roughly chopped walnuts

2/3 cup (125 grams) sugar 3 tablespoons whole milk

11 ounces (300 grams) dark chocolate, chopped

Vegetable oil for greasing

1. Place a nonstick sauté pan over medium heat. Add the
khoya
and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes.

2. Reserve a few chopped walnuts and add the rest to the pan, along with the sugar and milk. Stir well and cook for 15 minutes or until the mixture thickens.

3. Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler over simmering water. Pour the chocolate through a fine sieve if there are any lumps, then let it cool to room temperature.

4. Divide the
khoya
mixture into 2 equal parts. To one part, add the melted chocolate and stir well.

5. Grease a 9-by-13-inch (23-by-33-cm) baking pan with oil.

6. Pour the plain
khoya
mixture into the baking pan and shake it so that the mixture spreads evenly (this should give you a ½ inch (1-cm) thickness). Spread the chocolate
khoya
mixture over the first layer. Sprinkle with the reserved walnuts. Set aside to cool for 45 minutes to 1 hour. When completely cooled, cut into squares or diamonds and serve. This sweet does not have a long shelf life and therefore should be consumed within a day.

Double Ka Meetha

A rich bread pudding

I do not know exactly why, but in North India, bread is known as “double roti.” One explanation is that the yeast-leavened bread dough doubles in size.
Double ka meetha
is an Indian version of bread-and-butter pudding. Serve this after a fairly light meal.

Serves 4.

1 loaf white bread, cut into thick slices

2½ cups (450 grams) ghee (page 37)

1 tablespoon
kakdi magaz
(dried cucumber seeds)

1 tablespoon
chironji/charoli
(melon seeds)

1 tablespoon chopped cashews

1 tablespoon slivered almonds

1 tablespoon slivered pistachios

1¼ cups (250 grams) sugar

1 cup (200 ml) milk

Generous pinch of saffron threads

¼ teaspoon ground green cardamom (see Note page 559)

Heavy cream

1. Trim the edges of the bread slices.

2. Place a small nonstick sauté pan over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of the ghee. When the ghee melts, add the
kakdi magaz, chironji,
cashews, almonds, and pistachios and cook until golden brown. Set aside.

3. Place a nonstick wok over high heat and add the remaining ghee. When the ghee melts, lower the heat to medium, slide in the bread slices, and cook until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

4. Place a nonstick saucepan over medium heat. Add the sugar and 1 cup (200 ml) water and cook, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Add ¼ cup (50 ml) of the milk and cook. When the scum rises to the top, scoop it off carefully with a spoon and discard.

5. Add the cardamom and saffron to the syrup and stir. Add the fried bread and stir. Add the remaining ¾ cup (150 ml) milk and cook until all the syrup is absorbed and the bread is very soft.

6. Add the nut mixture and stir to combine.

7. Serve hot, drizzled with cream.

Gajar Halwa

Warm carrot pudding

Gajar halwa,
or
gajrela,
as it is sometimes fondly called, is a famous sweet made in all Punjabi homes during winter. Some like it hot, some like it cold, some even like it nine days old! It refrigerates well, and some families always have a large tin of
gajar halwa
on hand.

Serves 4.

1½ tablespoons ghee (page 37)

4 medium carrots, grated

½ cup (100 grams) sugar

Pinch of ground green cardamom (see Note page 559)

½ cup (75 grams) grated
khoya/mawa
(unsweetened solid condensed milk; page 37)

1 cup (200 ml) milk

2 or 3 cashews, chopped

2 or 3 almonds, blanched (see Note page 40) and sliced

6 to 8 raisins

1 sheet
chandi ka varq
(edible silver foil; see page 188)

1. Place a nonstick heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat and add the ghee. When small bubbles appear at the bottom of the pan, add the carrots and sauté for 10 minutes or until the carrots are soft.

2. Add the sugar and cook for 1 minute more. Add the cardamom and stir well. Add the
khoya
and cook for 1 minute or until it melts and mixes with the rest of the ingredients in the pan.

3. Add the milk and stir. Lower the heat to low and cook for 12 minutes or until the mixture is thick.

4. Add the cashews, almonds, and raisins, and stir. Remove from the heat and transfer the
halwa
to a serving bowl.

5. Decorate with the silver foil and serve hot or at room temperature.

Gil-E-Firdaus

Bottle gourd cooked in milk

This is one of the best-selling desserts at our Yellow Chilli restaurants, where we make it with a sugar substitute.

Serves 4.

5 tablespoons (75 grams) raw rice

1¼ cups (250 grams) grated bottle gourd

2 tablespoons ghee (page 37)

5 cups (1 liter) milk

2/3 cup (100 grams) grated
khoya/mawa
(unsweetened solid condensed milk, page 37)

2/3 cup (125 grams) sugar

A few drops of rosewater

10 almonds, sliced

A few untreated rose petals

1. Put the rice in a bowl, wash it in plenty of water 2 or 3 times, and drain. Add 1 cup (200 ml) water and soak for about 1 hour. Drain the rice in a colander and spread out to dry for 1 hour.

2. Put the rice in a spice grinder, and coarsely grind to a semolina consistency.

3. Place a nonstick saucepan over high heat and add 1 cup (200 ml) water. When the water begins to boil, add the bottle gourd and cook for 3 minutes or until soft. Drain well and set aside.

4. Place a nonstick saucepan over medium heat and add the ghee. When the ghee melts and small bubbles appear at the bottom of the pan, add the rice and sauté for 10 seconds.

5. Add the milk and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to low and cook, stirring continuously, for 25 minutes or until the rice is soft.

6. Add the bottle gourd and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the
khoya
and sugar, and cook until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Stir in the rosewater.

7. Pour into individual serving bowls and set aside to cooled to room temperature. Place the bowls in the refrigerator to chill.

8. Sprinkle with the almonds and rose petals, and serve chilled.

Gulab Jamun

Deep-fried sweet dumplings dipped in sugar syrup

A
gulab
is a rose and
jamun
is a fruit. However, this dessert contains neither! I am not quite sure how it got its name, but this is one of the most beloved (and sweetest) of all Indian desserts. In my restaurant I serve a very special version called
gulab-e-gulkand,
which is stuffed with candied roses.

Serves 4.