Rasgulla

Ingredients:

• 1/2 litre - Milk
• 2 tsp - Maida
• Citric acid dissolved in water or lemon juice - 1/4 tsp dissolved in 1/2 cup water or lemon juice 2-3 tbsp.
• 1 cup - Sugar
• 1 cup - Water
• 2-3 drops - Rose essence 

Method:

• Heat milk in a pan and bring it to boil. Remove from heat.
• Add citric acid or lemon juice.
• Stir slowly and gently until white curd forms on the surface and separates from whey.
• On straining this milk, the curd that is obtained is called "chenna". Wash chenna well under cold running water and twist the cloth that was used for straining to extract water.
• Knead chenna to make a smooth dough. Add flour and knead again.
• Make small balls of equal size (6-7) of the dough and keep aside.
• Next make sugar syrup. Mix sugar and water in a saucepan and bring it to boil.
• Add chenna balls to the syrup and cook for 15 minutes with lid partially covered. Chenna dumplings will puff up.
• On cooling, add rose essence.
• Refrigerate and serve chilled.

Kesar Jalebi

Ingredients: 

• 1/4 kg - ghee
• 2 cups - water
• 250 grm - sugar
• 2 cups - water
• strands of saffron  

Method: 

• Bring the sugar and water to a boil, make a thick syrup, add saffron strands.
• Add curd and two cups water to the flour and mix well.
• Cover and keep aside overnight for at least 20 hours to ferment.
• Heat the ghee.
• Put the jalebi mixture in a cloth with a hole or in a sauce bottle and gently squeeze the cloth making round shaped jalebis directly in the hot ghee, fry till brown, remove in strainer and put them immediately in sugar syrup.

Black Forest

Ingredients: 

• 225 gms - Maida
• 400 gms - Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 2-3 tbsp - Cocoa Powder
• 1 tsp - Baking Powder
• 1 tsp - Cooking Soda
• 125 gms - Butter
• 200 ml - Cola Drink
• A pinch of Salt
• 125gms - Dairy Milk Chocolate
• 250 gms - Fresh Whipped Cream
• 10 - Cherries


Method:

• When it is done, let it cool and then slit it horizontally into two. 
• Whip the cream till light and fluffy. 
• Sandwich the two layers of cake with whipped cream and cherries. 
• Top with whipped cream and cherries.

• Place a thick bottomed pan on very low flame and melt butter in it. 
• Remove from the flame and let the butter cool. 
• Add condensed milk and mix well. 
• Sift maida, cocoa powder, baking powder, cooking soda and salt together. Make sure there are no lumps in the mixture. 
• Grease a baking tray with little butter. 
• Dust it with maida and keep it aside. 
• Take a pan with little butter and put the maida mixture with the condensed milk-butter mixture. 
• Now add aerated cola and mix it well. 
• Pour the batter into the greased baking tray and bake for 35 to 40 minutes at 175 degrees C. 

Chocolate Pudding

Ingredients:   

•  1-1/4 cups Dark chocolate, chopped
•  1/2 cup Milk
•  1 cup Fresh Bread Crumbs
•  2 tbsp Butter (softened)
•  1 tbsp granulated Sugar
•  1/2 cup Condensed milk
•  1/2 tsp Vanilla essence
•  1/4 cup walnuts (chopped)

 Method:

•  Melt the dark chocolate and milk over gentle heat in a pan and mix well. 
•  Add the bread crumbs to it. Mix well and keep aside. Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl till light and fluffy. 
•  Add the condensed milk, vanilla essence, walnuts and Dark chocolate mixture.Mix well. 
•  Pour this mixture into a greased cake tin, cover it with a foil paper. 
•  Put the cake tin in a pressure cooker and pressure cook for 2 whistles. 
•  Unmould, cut into wedges and serve hot. 

Spinach Soup

Ingredients:

• 6 cups - Spinach leaves, washed, chopped
• 1/2 cup - Cream
• 1/2 - small onion, chopped
• 4 - cloves garlic
• 8 cups - Water
• 1 tsp - olive oil
• Salt, Pepper
• Butter

Method:

• Heat oil and add garlic and onion
• When soft, add half of the water and bring to a boil.
• Add spinach leaves and boil for 4 min or until leaves wilt.
• Take off the heat immediately, cool and liquidize
• Add cream, salt, the rest of the water and liquidize again
• Heat on a medium flame, stirring continuously.
• Serve topped with pepper and a blob of butter.

Tomato Soup

Ingredients:  

•  500 gms. Tomatoes
•  2 tbsp. Sugar
•  2 1/2 cups water
•  2 bayleaf
•  1/4 tsp. cinnamon-clove powder
•  1/4 tsp. red chili powder
•  1/4 tsp. cumin powder
•  1 tsp. butter
•  1/2 tbsp. plain flour
•  2 clove garlic 

Method:  

•  Pressure cook the tomatoes till 2 whistles, Blend till smooth. Strain to remove seeds  and peels.
•  Heat butter in a pan, add the bay leaf, whole garlic and cook for a few seconds.
•  Add tomato puree. Stir. Dissolve the flour in a little water till smooth.
•  Add the flour paste, stirring continuously, bring to a boil. Add the seasoning, salt and sugar. Simmer for 10 minutes.
•  Serve hot with bread croutons, a swirl of fresh cream, and pepper.

Dhokla

Ingredients :

• 2 cups - besan flour
• 1 cup - water 
• 1/2 - cup plain yogurt
• 1 tsp - soda bicarb 
• 1 tsp - green chili paste
• 1/2 tsp - ginger paste
• 1/2 tsp - garlic paste 
• 1 1/2 tsp - sugar
• 1/2 tsp - Turmeric powder 
• salt to taste
• 2 tsp - coriander chopped .
• 1 tbsp - oil 
• 1/2 tsp - mustard seeds 
• 1/2 tsp - cumin seeds 
• 8 - Curry leaves 

Method:

• Put gram flour in a large bowl. Mix in yogurt, water and beat to a smooth paste. Leave aside to ferment for 4-5 hours. The mixture will increase in size.
• Add chili paste, ginger paste, garlic paste, salt to the batter.
• In a small bowl, mix soda bi carb and 1 tbsp water.
• Heat the steamer or pressure cooker with about 1 ½ cups water for steaming the dhokla.
• Add the soda bi carb mixture to the flour mixture and mix well. Pour immedietly into flat greased vessel or a thali or a cake tin.
• Steam for about 15 minutes. Do not place the weight if you are using pressure cooker.
• After 15 minutes, remove the lid and switch the stove off. Let cool for a few minutes.
• Cut into squares.
• Heat oil in a small pan. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds.
• When they stop spluttering, add curry leaves.
• Pour over dhokla squares. Sprinkle chopped coriander.

Serve hot with green chutney or with oil and garlic chutney or with tomato ketchup.