Indian Snacks Dishes - Yogurt Kebabs

Serves: 6
Preparation time: 30-40 minutes

Ingredients:

1 kg yogurt (curd)
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
4 green chilies
1/4 tsp garam masala
3-4 tbsp cashew nuts
4-5 sprigs coriander leaves
3 tbsp corn flour
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Method:

1. Remove the water from the curd by placing it in a cloth and tie it with a thread very tightly.

2. To this curd, add ginger-garlic paste, chopped green chilies, chili powder, chopped cashews, salt, corn flour and mix well.

3. Make kebabs from the mixture, roll them again in corn flour and fry in hot oil until they are golden brown.

4. Serve hot with any chutney or ketchup.

Indian Dessert Dishes - Almond Strawberry Cake

Makes : 8 shortcakes.
Preparation Time: 45 minutes + Baking Time: 20 minutes.

Ingredients:

For the pastry:
200 gms plain flour (maida)
100 gms butter
30 gms ground almonds
2/3 cup icing sugar
A pinch of salt
2 - 3 tbsp ice-cold water
For the strawberry sauce:
2 cups strawberries
2 tbsp icing sugar
Juice of 1/2 lemon

For the filling:
1 1/2 cups strawberries, sliced
1 1/2 cups whipped cream

For the garnish:
Icing sugar to sprinkle
A few strawberries

Method:

1. Sieve the flour and salt together. Mix with the ground almonds. Rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips.

2. Add the sugar and mix well. Add enough ice-cold water to make a dough. Chill for 30 minutes.

3. Preheat the oven to 200 degree C (400 degree F). Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface and using a cutter, cut sixteen rounds of 3mm (1/8") thickness. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until pale golden. Cool and keep aside the cakes.

4. For the strawberry sauce, puree the strawberries in a blender. Add the icing sugar and lemon juice. Strain and refrigerate.

5. For arranging the cake, place one cake on a plate. Pipe some whipped cream on top and place some sliced strawberries. Sandwich with another cake. Make the other 7 cakes in the same manner.

6. For garnishing, dust icing sugar on top of each cake and garnish with strawberries. Serve surrounded by the sauce.

Indian Dessert Dishes - Shahi Tukre

Serves: 10-12
Preparation time: 20-25 minutes

Ingredients:

8 slices bread
4 cups milk
1/2 tin condensed milk
1 tbsp corn flour
1 tbsp chopped nuts
1 tsp cardamom powder
Oil/ghee or butter to fry

For syrup:
1 cup sugar
1 cup water

Method:

1. Make a paste of corn flour with some milk. Mix condensed milk with the rest of the milk.

2. Bring milk mixture to boil. Add corn flour paste. Cook stirring constantly until thick. Add cardamom powder.

3. Prepare syrup by boiling water and sugar together. Strain and keep aside.

4. Cut bread slices into two and deep fry in ghee till golden brown.

5. Immediately put the fried bread into sugar syrup. Dip for a minute. Remove from syrup, and arrange in a serving dish.

6. Top each piece of bread with 1 tbsp mixture of condensed milk and nuts.

7. Serve chilled.

Indian Dessert Dishes - Mango Kheer

Serves: 4
Preparation time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:

1 kg ripe mangoes
200 gms sugar
1 liter milk
2 tbsp. chopped nuts


Method:

1. Peel and extract mango pulp from the ripe mangoes and sieve it.

2. In a deep pan, cook mango pulp with equal quantity of water.

3. Prepare sugar syrup (boil sugar with little water and boil until it is slightly thickened) and mix it with mango mixture while continuously stirring.

4. Add milk to it. Mix well and keep it to boil till mixture thickens. Decorate it with nuts and serve.