Ghee (Clarified Butter)

Ghee is a type of clarified butter that is prepared by simmering butter and removing the residue. The texture, color, and taste of ghee depend on the quality of the butter and the duration of the boiling. Ghee is widely used in Indian cuisine, especially goes well with steamed rice and can be dabbed on roti (and Naan as well). Mostly, all Indian sweets are prepared with ghee as their base. Although, ghee may sound high in saturated fats, it is still considered healthy and used as ingredient in most of the Ayurvedic medicines.

Ingredients

Organic Butter (unsalted) – 2 lbs

Preparation:

Add butter to the crock-pot and set it on low for 4 hours 30 mins. Make sure that the lid is partially covered to allow for moisture to be evaporated. After 4 hours 30 mins, turn off the crock-pot and allow the ghee to cool to arrive at room temperature. After the ghee is cooled, transfer to an airtight glass jar and store in room temperature. Optionally, ghee can also be stored in the freezer for longer shelf life. Just remove from the freezer and heat in microwave for about 30 seconds before serving, as you would melt normal butter.

Carrot Halwa

Carrot halwa is a classic indian dessert that goes for any celebrative occasion or season. It’s an evergreen indian dessert made all over india. Simple ingredients such as freshly grated carrots, milk, sugar and ghee make this recipe a great treat for all!

Ingredients:

      1)     Carrots – 2 lbs, grated

      2)     Condensed Milk - 1can (14oz)

      3)     Whole Milk - 1cup

      4)     Milk Mava powder – 2 cups 

               (or substitute with Ricotta cheese, 2 cups)

      5)     Sugar – 1 cup

      6)     Ghee (Clarified Butter) – 4 tbsp

      7)     Cashews – 2 tbsp, chopped

      8)     Raisins – 1 tbsp

      9)     Cardamom powder- ½ tsp

Preparation:

Add 1 tbsp ghee to an empty pot and grease well on the bottom and to the sides. Add grated carrots, condensed milk, whole milk, milk mava powder, 2 tbsp ghee & sugar to the 6 quarts crock-pot. Mix well and set on high for 5 hrs. After 3 hrs briefly stir the contents and continue to cook for 2 more hrs. If you still see moisture left in the crock-pot, remove the lid and cook it on high for another 30 minutes. Finally, fry cashews and raisins in the remaining amount of ghee (1 tbsp) in a separate pan and add to the cooked halwa and mix well. Serve hot or chilled, left in the refrigerator (not the freezer) for about 6 hours.

Sambar

Sambar is a very popular South Indian lentil-based vegetarian stew made with tamarind. You can add choice of vegetables with most common ones that are used in the Sambar being, Carrots, Green Beans, Onions, Tomatoes, Squash (mostly all kinds), Eggplant, Drumsticks etc. Sambar goes well with white rice, or can be used as a side dish for Idly, Dosa etc.

                                                                                

Ingredients:

1. Toor Dal – 1 cup (soaked for 3-4 hours and made into a paste)
2. Tamarind – 1 tbsp (soaked in ½ cup of water and made into a pulp), alternatively you can use concentrated tamarind paste, about 1 tsp.
3. Vegetables – 2 cups, chopped (I used carrots and green beans)
4. Onion – 1, chopped
5. Tomatoes – 1 big or 2 small, chopped
6. Sambar Masala – 1.5 tbsp (available in Indian groceries stores)
7. Garlic – 3 cloves, crushed
8. Red Chili Powder – ½ tsp.
9. Sugar – 1.5 tbsp (if you like more spicy and less sweetly, reduce sugar to ½ tbsp)
10. Water – 7-8 cups
11. Salt to taste
12. Cilantro – for garnish

For Tempering

1. Vegetable Oil – 2 tbsp
2. Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
3. Cumin seeds – 1tsp
4. Hing (Asafoetida) – ½ tsp
5. Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
6. Curry Leaves - about 10 (optional)

Preparation

• Add all ingredients (except tempering) into a 6 quarts crock-pot and put it on low for 8 hours.
• For tempering, heat oil in a small saucepan; add the tempering ingredients and turn-off the heat as soon as you hear crackling sound.
• To finish off, add tempering to the cooked sambar and garnish with chopped cilantro. Server will white rice and ghee (optional).

Red bells mushroom soup

Red bells mushroom soup for Paleo food lovers.

Ingredients:

• 2 big red bell peppers (about 1 pound), seeded/chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 can of Coconut Milk
• 8 oz. Mushrooms
• Salt to taste
• Jalapeños (optional)
• Cilantro for garnish

Preparation:

Blend red bells, garlic and coconut milk to make it into a purée (add a jalapeño for that little extra kick!) Transfer the mixture from the blender into the crockpot. Add salt and chopped mushrooms and set the crock-pot on high for 2 hours. Cooking times vary based on the crock-pot used. I used a 6-quart crock-pot; for a smaller crock-pot, increase the cooking duration by 30 minutes. Add a dash of olive oil, if desired at the end. Ladle soup into bowls. Garnish with fresh cilantro and enjoy!