Gulab Jamun recipe

4 cups granulated sugar
2 cups powdered milk
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 stick + 2 tablespoon of unsalted butter or (1/2 cup butter + 2 tablespoon)
1/2 cup evaporated milk
3 cardamom pods
A few strands of saffron
4 cups water
rose flavoring optional

To make sugar syrup dissolve sugar in 4 cups water.  Heat the syrup till boiling point, add 1/2 teaspoon of crushed cardamom pods, saffron, and turn heat off.  Divide the cooled sugar syrup into two batches and keep aside.  

Combine the powdered milk, flour, butter and milk in a bowl.  Make a soft dough.  Divide the dough into large marble size balls.  Inside each jamun ball insert a cardamon seed.  

Heat oil for deep frying.  Heat till the oil is hot.  Turn down the heat down immediately to low.  Fry the jamun balls at low heat.  It should cook for a long time at very low heat.  When the jamuns have floated to the top, the color is dark brown and the sizzling has reduced they are ready to come out.  Let it soak in the first syrup for a couple of hours.  The longer they soak the better they taste.  For serving serve it in the second batch of syrup.  Makes approximately 32 gulab jamuns.

Note: While making large quantities change oil after frying two batches.  If the oil is too hot the outside of the jamuns will burn and the inside will not cook.

These gulab jamuns are so good it is nirvana.  It almost impossible to describe these.  The smiles on kids faces when they eat these describes it best.

See also Rasgulla rasmalai recipe

Sambar dal soup made with powder

1/2 cup Tur dal
2 cups vegetables (any or a mixture of these: eggplant, chayote, acorn, any 
squash, radish)
1 1/2 tablespoon tamarind concentrate
1/2 teaspoon turmeric or haldi powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
4 teaspoon of sambar powder(easy home made sambar powder recipe here)  can be substituted with store bought adjust the amount if you are using store bought)
enough water for cooking

Seasoning: 
2 tablespoon of oil
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
2 teaspoon of channa dal
1 teaspoon of urad dal
1/4 teaspoon fenugreek or methi seeds
1 dry red chili
1/4 teaspoon of Asafoetida or hing
1 teaspoon brown sugar optional

Wash and cook toor dal in 2 cups of water for 30 minutes, add the vegetables and 
cook for 10 minutes, add tamarind, turmeric powder, sambar powder and salt cook for 5 minutes. You might need to add more water, sambar is a liquid soupy consistency.

Season: Heat oil in a pan when hot add channa dal, urad dal, when it sizzles add mustard seeds. After the mustard seed crackles turn the heat off add fenugreek seeds, red chili and asafoetida. Pour into sambar add 1 teaspoon brown sugar stir and turn the heat off.  Serves 2.

For normal every day cooking "sambar made with powder" has become very popular.  Quick and easy to make yet tasty.

Date roll or Khajur burfi

2 cups of ripe dates without pits
1/2 cups chopped of pistachios
1/2 cup of chopped almonds
5 tablespoon of oil

Mix the dates chopped pistachios and almonds.  Microwave it for a total 4 minutes.  Stir it at 2 minute interval. Let is cool down nicely in the refrigerator.

After it is cool place it on a greased parchment paper, press it down to make it into a square or rectangular shape.

Place it on a tray and let it cool in the freezer for 15 minutes.
Remove and cut it into squares.

Dates originated from the middle east.  Sweet and crunchy you can never get tired of these.  Eat a couple of these in the morning and they give you energy.  Dates are rich in minerals.

Pulao with Sprouted Mung beans

1 cup basmati rice
1/2 cup sprouted mung beans (ready made sprouted mung are available in most grocers)
1/2 cup frozen mixed vegetables
4 small bay leaves
8 whole cloves
one 2" stick of cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon size whole nutmeg
3 tablespoon of clarified butter or oil
1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
3 tablespoon of chopped almonds
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon of salt or to taste
2 cups of water

Heat a pan with 2 cups of water.  When the water comes to a boil add bay leaves, whole cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg and turn the heat off.  When the water cools strain it discard the spices and keep the water.

In another pan heat the clarified butter, when hot add cumin seeds, when the cumin sizzles add chopped almonds saute for a few seconds add rice saute for a couple of minutes.  The rice needs to be well sauteed.  Add turmeric, powder, garam masala saute, add mixed vegetables and sprouted mung add water add salt and the strained spice water.  Let the rice cook until it is done, takes about 8 to 10 minutes.  Serves 4.

This dish is a meal in itself.  The sprouted mung beans give this dish a crunch.  Serve with yogurt or raita.