Rava Laddu

Ohh! you hear the word LADDU and your taste buds start working overtime..............well for me it surely does :)
I plan to illustrate here recipes of all possible laddus I can think of, but here's the first.
I guess its by far the simplest and tastes amazing..........so here we go!!

1. Take some rava (semolina) in a "kadahi" and dry roast the same.

2. Ensure that you keep tossing and turning the rava so that it roasts evenly. Continue till the entire rava is roasted (changes color) and is fragrant , just like the picture below:

3. Grate about the same amount of coconut as rava.

4. Put the roasted rava in grinder and grind it.

5. Also grind about 3/4 cup of sugar and 4-5 cardamoms to make fine powder.

6. Put 2-3 spoons ghee in the kadahi and fry some raisins and almonds. You might add some other dry fruits as per your taste.

7. Now add the rava , grated coconut , sugar and cardamom powder and roasted fry fruits and mix with a little amount of milk.

The milk should be just enough to help bind the mixture.

8. Now make round laddus with your hands and let them dry under the fan for about half an hour.

Tasty rava laddus are ready. Store these in an air tight container and you can relish them for a couple of weeks :)
Try and do let me know how it came out.

Tasty Punjabi Chhole

Tasty punjabi chhole are a welcome change from the daily regular fare of daal and vegetable curries. Besides the variation they provide along with the yummy taste, they are also a good source of protein for vegetarians. They are also low in cholesterol and high in vitamins, minerals and fibers.
I guess these are reasons enough to make it a weekly affair :)
Lets then get about the recipe, which I have elaborated step by step with pictures leaving little to imagination.

1. Use the chhole masala available in markets or prepare the same from all raw spices. I prefer the latter because the taste and aroma are just not comparable. For this take all whole spices, (For 1 cup of chhole, take the following quantities):

• 2 bayleaves
• 1 inch of cinnamon stick
• 3-4 badi elaichi
• 2-3 cloves
• 2-3 cardamoms
• 1.5 tsp fennel seeds(saunf)
• 1.5 tsp cumin seeds(zeera)
• 1.5 tsp coriander seeds(dhaniya)
• 2-4 dry red chillies

Dry roast the spices till they are aromatic but not burnt and ground them :

Chhole masala is ready :)

2. Chop 2-3 onions, 4-5 tomatoes and slit 4-5 green chillies:

3. Heat oil in a pan. When hot add cumin seeds , chopped onions and green chillies:

4. Once the onions are transparent , add ginger garlic paste and fry till the raw smell goes

5. Further add the ground spices, turmeric, salt and red chilli powder.

6. Fry for some time and add chopped tomatoes.

7. Fry the mixture till it leaves oil. Once done add the soaked and pressure cooked chhole.

8. Fry for some time so that chhole and the masala mix properly. Then add water, and simmer for 10-15 mins.

Tasty chhole is ready :)
Garnish with corainder leaves and serve with zeera rice/ plain rice/ pulao / puri or the ever famous bhature. I leave that up to you !!
Do try and let me know how it turns out.