Make Paneer at Home in Various Shapes

I have rarely bought paneer from the store ever since I started making paneer at home three years ago, buying only if I do not have sufficient time.  And the many people who make paneer at home, I have seen them mostly make their paneer and cut into cubes to use in their recipe.

But guess what?  The benefit of making paneer at home is that you can actually shape them any way you want, not just cubes!  I totally make use of that to my advantage and make paneer in various shapes to use in the different paneer recipes.

Dal Baati Choorma Recipe | Rajasthani Cuisine | Marwari Food

He came home early that evening.  He felt that day the elevator was ascending the slowest.  He was excited, he was hungrier than ever before.

Because I told him I made Dal Baati Choorma for dinner. 

You know Dal Baati Choorma is a popular combination in Rajasthani cuisine.  Every family has their own style of making these three dishes.  The Dal for Dal Baati comprises of five lentils and several spices.  Some families use different lentils to make the dal, some may or may not add chickpea flour or semolina flour in their baati recipe, and some people might fry or bake the dough to prepare the choorma.  I like to keep it simple and use the same baati recipe to make choorma and bake them together.

Here’s how I make Dal Baati and Choorma - all recipes in this one post.

Homemade Graham Crackers Recipe

You are going to LOVE making and eating these graham crackers at home.  Period.  Graham Crackers are real easy to make to use as pie crust, to munch on randomly during the day, to make as the cheesecake base, or to have it along with tea or coffee.

When Alok tried few of these graham crackers (while there were still plenty remaining!)...
Alok: can you make more of these?
Me: sure.
Alok: is it difficult to make?
Me: not at all.
Alok: so addictive.

Simple Jalebi Recipe (using leftover rice)

A post on jalebi made with leftover rice on a foodie group I follow intrigued me.  Jalebi made from leftover rice?  Wow.  I have heard of baking soda used in jalebi batter, heard of yeast used to ferment jalebi batter, but using leftover rice was a first.

When the batter did not rise and did not smell sour after fermentation like it usually does for a regular jalebi, I wasn't sure what was happening.  So I tried piping out some jalebis in oil with a small amount of batter first in a ziploc bag to see what would happen.  Drained and dipped them in sugar syrup and tasted one, wondering – would this taste like jalebi?

Apple Crumble (Apple Crisp) Recipe | Quick and Easy Dessert Ideas | Eggless Baking

Apple Crumble, also known as Apple Crisp, is a wonderfully simple and delicious dessert consisting of apples as the base filling and a crumbly nutty crisp topping - hence the name.  Is it the same as apple pie?  No.  Making an Apple Pie demands a little more work with the dough.  Besides, apple pie has a pie dough base and a pie dough crust on top.  Whereas for Apple Crumble - you toss the apple mixture in a bowl and fill it in your baking pan, you mix the crumble topping and layer it on top, you bake it cool it and eat it and it's all possible within 35 minutes.  What's more - Apple Crumble does not need eggs, so it's a great eggfree dessert if you're looking for one!

What is different about my apple crumble recipe?  I have made the quantities as 2 tsp, 2 Tbsp, 2 of each so that it's easier to remember, measure, and follow the recipe.  My recipe also uses less sugar while being moderately sweet and less butter while being just as delicious.

Dal Chawal Kath Recipe | Rajasthani Cuisine | Marwari Food

Kath, also known as khat or khatta, is a popular Rajasthani/Marwadi dish, but surprisingly I have not come across any information about it on the internet.  Dal Baati Choorma, and gatte ki sabji are some of the famous Rajasthani dishes that will probably come to your mind first.  While Dal-Baati-Choorma is meant more as a special meal, the lesser known Dal-Chawal-Kath combination from Rajasthani cuisine is more of an everyday meal, simple food.

Each family has their own style of making kath, and in this post I will show you different ways of making kath that I learned from my father, granny, and mother-in-law.