Sitaphal Aur Kesar Ki Basundi (Custard Apple And Saffron Basundi)
A twist to the traditional Maharashtrian dessert also very popular in Gujarat & Karnataka. This scrumptious dessert is prepared with thickened full-fat milk, fresh custard apple pulp/puree, which is in Season, loads of nuts, and blanched Buchanania Lanzan seeds, mildly flavored with green cardamom powder and saffron, garnished with pistachio nuts and almonds drizzled with rose water.
Sugar-free it is… Due to the inherent sweetness of Custard Apples.
Preparation Time: 8 to 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 01 hour 10 minutes
Refrigeration Time– 1 hour
Serves: 4
Ingredients and Quantity:
- Milk, Full-Fat- 1.5 Litre
- Fresh Sitaphal (Custard Apple), pulp/puree- 1 cup
- Saffron strands steeped in 2 tbsp. lukewarm milk- ¼ th gm.
Green Cardamom Powder- 1/4 th tsp. - Rose Water- 02 tsp.
- Buchanania Lanzan seeds (Charoli) blanched- 1/4 th tbsp.
- Pistachio nuts, chopped/slivered- 01 tsp
- Almonds, chopped/slivered- 01 tsp
For the Garnish:
- Pistachio nuts, chopped/slivered- 02 tsp
- Almonds, chopped/slivered- 02 tsp
- Saffron strands steeped in 1 tbsp. of lukewarm milk- a pinch
Method:
- In a heavy-bottomed non-stick pan, pour milk and bring it to a boil.
- Simmer for 1 hour and let it reduce it to ½ its quantity
- Add broiled saffron strands, green cardamom powder, and rose water.
- Add the slivered nuts and charoli. Let it cook for another 5 to 10 minutes.
- Switch off the flame and let it cool completely.
- Add the fresh Sitaphal pulp/puree, and mix it till well combined.
- Pour into soaked and sun-dried Kasoras / earthenware pots and refrigerate it covered for 1 hour.
- Serve chilled garnished with slivered nuts and broiled saffron
- drizzled with a little rose water.
Chef Tips:
- You may add different fruit purees like when Alphonso Mangoes, when in season.
- Other variations are Figs (Anjeer), Oranges, Rose, Gulkand and the list goes on.
Smoked Black Chickpea Chaat (Dhungar Wali Kale Chane Ki Chaat)
A mouth-watering sweet and tangy chaat is overloaded with nutrition and is prepared with cooked black chickpeas, pomegranate pearls, crunchy peanuts, onion, tomatoes, green chilies, raw mango, fresh cilantro, and powdered masalas, drizzled with lemon juice and given a dhungar with a live coal, desi
ghee with cumin seeds which further imparts a smoky flavour.
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Soaking Time for Chana: Overnight / 08 hours
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Serves: 4
Ingredients and Quantity:
- Black Chana, soaked overnight -1 ½ cup
- Water- 04 cups
- Salt- 1/4 th tsp.
- Peanut oil- 1 ½ tbsp.
- Pomegranate Pearls- ½ cup
- Peanuts without skin, roasted- 01 tbsp.
- Onions chopped- 01 large
- Tomatoes pulp removed, chopped- 01 large
- Green chillies, finely chopped – 02 nos.
- Raw mango, chopped- ½ tbsp.
- Fresh Cilantro, finely chopped -02 tbsp.
- Black salt -to taste
- Freshly ground cumin powder – 01 tsp.
- Chaat masala -1/2 tsp. tsp.
- Dry mango powder- ½ tsp.
- Red chilli powder 1/2 tsp
- Lemon juice – 02 tbsp.
- For the Dungar / Smoking Technique:
- Small bowl-01 no
- Live coal- 02 small
- Clarified butter (Desi ghee)- 01 tsp.
- Cumin seeds- ½ tsp.
- For the garnishing:
- Cilantro, finely chopped -01 tbsp.
Method:
- Wash and pressure cook soaked black chana in 04 cups of water and 1/4 tsp. of salt for seven to eight whistles or till done. Transfer them into a non-stick kadai and simmer till all the water evaporates add peanut oil and sauté for a minute.
- In a large salad bowl add the cooked hot chana. Let it cool. Add pomegranate pearls, peanuts, chopped onions, tomatoes, green chillies, chopped raw mango, chopped cilantro, black salt, roasted cumin powder, chaat masala, dry mango powder, red chilli powder, and lemon juice and mix well.
- Place the small bowl on the prepared chana. In that place the live coal.
- Add the cumin seeds and desi ghee. Once it starts smoking cover the salad bowl with a tight-fitting lid, so that smoke does not escape.
- Serve the chaat immediately garnished with chopped cilantro.
Chef Tips:
- You may add chopped cucumber and boiled and cubed potatoes.
- You may make the same chaat with Green chana, when in season.
- “Dhungar”
Dhungar (Smoked / Smoking) is a technique of imparting a smoky flavour to a dish when a particular dish has finished cooking, live coal is taken and pure ghee is poured on it, when it starts to smoke this is put in the pot, the smoke from the coal must be trapped by tightly closing the lid. The smoke thus trapped for about 25 to 30 minutes, permeates the cooked food/beverage. on the live coal such as Cumin Seeds, Cloves, or Cardamom -Green or Black on the live coal and then add pure ghee and cover it. The spices/flavorings used while giving dhungar vary according to the recipe.