Ideas for Indian Cooking Program

Hi All,

The library which I volunteer for holds programs for Teens frequently.
They have asked me to suggest some recipes for "Indian Cooking for Teens" program.
Please help me with this. I want something which is available in stores here like Walmart, Kroger and they dont have to go to inidan stores .Unfortunately we dont have many indian stores around.And something that teens can prepare. Like by using the microwave or oven...
I have done a lot of thinking about this but didnt get anything good.I am sure many ladies are experts in cooking , so please help.
The program is scheduled on 16th of next month, and I have to give them the recipes by 1st week of April.
Thanks in Advance.

Bipasha

hi bipasha

may be you can visit this site for microwave cooking

100% Microwave Cooking

cheers sudhira

Hi bipasha
How abt carrot halwa by microwave method..U can use condensed milk or milk powder..i think all the ingredients will be available in any american grocery store..They wud be familiar with carrot cake recipe,but im sure they will like this recipe which is new to them..

Cheers
Ramya

I would suggest vegetable puff or egg puff.
I hope u have tasted puff back home in india in backerys.
U can use Pepperidge farm brand puff pastry sheets u get them at walmart.
The stuffing is v simple curry like for samosa.
If u like this idea and want the recipe pls let me know,i shall let u know.I dont know how to make egg puff though.

suji

Originally Posted by Sujimallige

I would suggest vegetable puff or egg puff.
I hope u have tasted puff back home in india in backerys.
U can use Pepperidge farm brand puff pastry sheets u get them at walmart.
The stuffing is v simple curry like for samosa.
If u like this idea and want the recipe pls let me know,i shall let u know.I dont know how to make egg puff though.

suji

Hi Suji,

What a coincidence! I was just abt to write the very same thing for one of the ideas.
I also make vegetable puffs using the Puff pastry sheets that we get at Walmart. In fact this is a big hit in my husband's office. All his colleagues (american & Indian) love this veggie puff.

For all the potluck parties at my husband's office, they would specifically ask for my veggie puffs!!

As suji said, if you need this recipe, i am more than willing to share it.
Meanwhile suji, probably we can exchange the recipe for the samosa (filling) we stuff inside the puffs. What do you say?

Thanks
Jithiks (Krithika)

Hi ,
Thanks you all for your suggestions.

Sudhira - Thanks for the link...its really helpful

Ramya - Can you send me the recipe for carrot halwa with microwave.Thank you

Suji and Krithika- Thanks a lot..please mail me the recipe and also the name of the Puff Pastry Sheets.Like is there a particular brand.

Bipasha

Dear Bipasha,

Cooking with teens....sounds good! We can simplify many of our dishes and present it to them.
Puff pastry stuffed with spiced veggie or potatoes is a great idea, something I did for my German cookery classes!
Here are some of my ideas:
-Aloo paranthas....Cook potatoes and spice them...Make dough, stuff with potatoes, roll and roast on a flat frying pan.
-Vegetable pulao.....Chop veggie, start it off in a pan to fry onions, garlic and spices...add the rice and veggie and add enough water and finish it off in Micro or on stove top.
-Raita.....cucumber or mixed veggie like tomatoes, onions and cucumbers or even bell peppers. Goes in a jiffy and is loved by everyone!
-Make either rajma or chole curry. Both chole and kidney beans can be used out of a can. Use canned tomatoes if need be. Can start it off on stove top for frying onions and masalas and when all ingredients are added, it can be baked to finish either in the micro or oven.
-Can make naans...this can be baked in the oven.
For sweets....
-Make a rice payasam/kheer. This too can be made either in micro or stove top...or even baked in the oven.
-Kesari bath or rava kesari....Can be made with the cream of wheat, sugar, milk and spices and nuts. Can extend this to various fruit kesaris like pineapple or apple or even banana.
-Oats kesar....Chitvish has given the recipe for this and also oats kheer!

Hope that helps. Best of luck and have fun!

L, Kamla

Originally Posted by bipasha

Hi ,
Thanks you all for your suggestions.

Sudhira - Thanks for the link...its really helpful

Ramya - Can you send me the recipe for carrot halwa with microwave.Thank you

Suji and Krithika- Thanks a lot..please mail me the recipe and also the name of the Puff Pastry Sheets.Like is there a particular brand.

Bipasha

Hi bipasha,
This is the recipe..I got it from a cooking blog..Ive tried it once..It comes out gud..But pls adjust the timings according to u'r mw...It may differ form one MW to another..
Ingredients

Carrot-250g-grated
Sweetened Condensed Milk-400ml(If you have 'Khova' you could add it instead of the condensed milk,but increase the quantity of milk proportionately)
Milk-1/4 cup
Sugar-6tbsp(If the condensed milk is not sweetened)
Cardamom powder-1 tsp
Raisins-25g
Cashew nut-25g
Clarified Butter/Ghee-50g


Method:

Heat butter/ghee in a wok.Add raisins and cashewnuts.Saute them for a minute, till they are golden.Remove it from the ghee and keep it separate. In the same ghee, add the carrot and saute the carrot for nearly 5 minutes, till they become soft and are cooked partially. Take a deep bottomedmicrowaveable vessel(should be deep bottomed or else the whole halwa may spill over, and do not close it as well.Add the sauted carrot(along with the ghee running out),condensed milk,cardamom powder,a small piece of cinnamon and the milk to it(add sugar if the condensed milk is not sweetened).Mix well.Cook it in the microwave at high for nearly 20minutes.(Time may vary depending upon u'r gadget specifications-so you may cook it till all the water evaporates and the required consistency is achieved).Remove it from the oven and garnish it with the roasted raisins and cashews.Serve hot or cold as you would like it!
HTH
Ramya

PS-Sorry for interfering..i use pepperidge farm puff pastry sheets for my puffs..It comes out flaky just like the store bought ones

Hi Bipasha,

Wonderful programme. From my side i suggest you Microwave Mysore pak& Peanut Pakoda.

Very easy to prepare, more over everyone will enjoy and sure love to munch.

So one Sweet &Savouries is ready.

For Mysore Pak: Mysore Pak Recipe Indian Kerala Kannada Karnataka Recipes, tamil, andhra, hyderabad recipe India south indian recipes

PEANUT PAKODA:

Peanut - 1 cup
Besan-2tbsp
Water- 2tbsp
Chilli powder& Salt- as per taste
Tumeric- little(optional)
No-stick oil(spray)

Method: To make peanuts little crisp, first microwave it for 1 minute.
Then mix all the ingredients except oil. Place the mixture on microwave plate, spray the no-stick oil on it.
Microwave it for 4mts.

Originally Posted by bipasha

Hi All,

The library which I volunteer for holds programs for Teens frequently.
They have asked me to suggest some recipes for "Indian Cooking for Teens" program.
Please help me with this. I want something which is available in stores here like Walmart, Kroger and they dont have to go to inidan stores .Unfortunately we dont have many indian stores around.And something that teens can prepare. Like by using the microwave or oven...
I have done a lot of thinking about this but didnt get anything good.I am sure many ladies are experts in cooking , so please help.
The program is scheduled on 16th of next month, and I have to give them the recipes by 1st week of April.
Thanks in Advance.

Bipasha

Originally Posted by bipasha

Hi ,
Thanks you all for your suggestions.

Sudhira - Thanks for the link...its really helpful

Ramya - Can you send me the recipe for carrot halwa with microwave.Thank you

Suji and Krithika- Thanks a lot..please mail me the recipe and also the name of the Puff Pastry Sheets.Like is there a particular brand.

Bipasha

Hi Bipasha,

I have included the recipe for VEGGIE PUFF here. Though it may seem long, if you make the stuffing the previous day, it is easy to prepare the puffs next day morning.
Anyway, it is upto you. If you feel this is too laborious for this library programme, you can always try this at home on a relaxing day and enjoy this tasty snack with .


RECIPE FOR VEGGIE PUFFS

Puff Pastry Sheets:
These are available in Walmart and the brand name is Pepperidge farm.
They also have pastry shells sold separately and these contain only 6 shells per packet.
I usually make 18 puffs from one packet of puff pastry sheets( these are 2 separate sheets – 9 puffs out of each)
These need to be stored in freezer. When ready to use, thaw them in room temperature for abt 45 mts to an hour.
Stuffing:
Ingredients:
· Potatoes- 9 or 10 medium sized
· Carrots – Chopped or Shredded
· Peas – Frozen or fresh

Spices:
· Dhaniya Powder ( I usually make them with dhaniya (coriander seeds), channa dal and red chillies which are dry roasted in a kadai and coarsely powdered in a blender)
· Jeera (Cumon seeds)
· fennel seeds (Sombu/Saunf)
· Turmeric powder (Haldi/Manjal podi)
· Asofoteida Powder (Hing/perungayam)
· Salt (according to taste)
Preparation Method:
1. Pressure-cook the potatoes in the pressure cooker. Drain the water, peel the skin and mash them. Add the dhaniya powder, turmeric powder, salt, and asofoteida to this and mix this well. Keep this aside.
2. Heat a kadai /pan and add a little amount of oil.
3. To this add, jeera, fennel seeds.
4. After they heat up, add turmeric powder and asofoteida powder.
5. Add the chopped/shredded carrots and the frozen peas.
6. Now add the dhaniya powder and salt according to taste.
7. These need not be cooked fully on the stove since they will be completely cooked when baking in the oven.
8. Now combine the mashed potatoes with the carrots and peas. Let this cool down.
(You can make this stuffing the previous day also and store it in the fridge.)
Meanwhile the puff pastry sheets will be thawed and easy to handle. Keep them on the wax paper when cutting them according to the desired shape. You can also add a bit of all purpose flour under the sheets so that they do not stick)
9.They can be cut into rectangles/squares/triangles. I usually make them in rectangle shapes.
10.Place the stuffing in the rectangles and close them tight by pinching the sides with a little water/flour.
Make sure they are not over filled since they may be burst at the seams when baking if there is too much filling. Poke the puffs gently with a fork before placing them in the oven. This acts as a vent for the steam and the puffs retain the shape well.
11. Preheat the oven to 400*F (this may take 10-15mts depending on the oven’s capacity)
12. Place the stuffed puffs on a cookie tray in the upper section (lined with aluminum foil) inside the oven for abt 20-25mts. Make sure it is not very near the heat. Place them well spaced as they tend to get bigger when baking.
It is better to keep a close eye on the puffs when they are baking even though it takes 20mts.
VOILA!! You have GOLDEN BROWN PUFFS WHICH ARE CRISPY ON THE OUTSIDE AND SOFT ON THE INSIDE!!
Take them out; let them rest for abt 2 mts. Then they are ready to eat!!
They are a sure hit all the time whenever I make them at home for parties, potlucks etc.
When making more puffs, you can make them in batches.
Hope you have fun making and tasting them just like I do all the time!

Thanks,
Jithiks (Krithika)