Indian cooking workshop

It was fun cooking in the library setting. The kids and the moms who came with them seemed to enjoy the Indian dishes that I made. We made mango lassi (smoothie), bhel (a snack made with puffed rice, sev, baked potatoes, onions, tomatoes and cilantro) and peda (a dessert prepared with milk powder, condensed milk and butter.)



Recipe for bhel

Ingredients:
Puffed rice: 4 cups
Sev: 2 cups
Baking potato: 1
Onion: 1
Tomatoes: 2
Cilantro: a bunch
Sweet and tart sauce:
Pitted dates: 10
Tamarind paste: 2 spoons
Brown sugar: 1/4 cup
Salt to taste

In a large bowl, mix puffed rice and sev. Bake the potato in a microwave. Let it cool and cut into small pieces. Chop onion and tomatoes and add to the puffed rice and sev mixture. Mix in the chopped potato.

To prepare sauce, pour 1 1/2 cups of water in a saucepan; add tamarind paste, chopped dates and sugar. Keep stirring till the sauce thickens and reduces to half. Garnish the bhel with cilantro and serve by topping it off with 2 teaspoons of the cooled sauce.

Mango lassi (Smoothie)

Ingredients:
Fresh mangoes: 2 or 3 (If using fresh mangoes, 1/2 cup of honey or 4 tablespoons of sugar has to be added)
or
1 can of sweetened mango pulp
Plain yogurt: 1 quart
Buttermilk: 1 cup
Crushed ice: 1 cup

Blend mango pulp, yogurt, buttermilk and ice in a blender. Pour in glasses and serve chilled.
You can keep it refrigerated for 24 hours.

Peda


Ingredients:
Powdered milk: 1 3/4 cup
Sweetened condensed milk: 1 can
Butter: 1 stick
Cardamom powder: 1 teaspoon
Raisins: ½ cup

Pour the condensed milk in a bowl and add milk powder, cardamom powder and butter and whisk them together. Spread on a microwaveable plate and microwave for 2 minutes. Take it out, stir and microwave again for a minute. Let it cool for about 30 minutes and then take a spoonful in your hand and shape into round balls. Flatten each ball and decorate with a raisin in the center. You can keep pedas refrigerated for a week.

Try these recipes and also send in some of your own recipes.