Daawat-e-khaas to make every day special

♦ Chatpata baby potato

Ingredients
baby potatoes (boiled and peeled), coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, black peppercorns, dry red peppers, a pinch of asafoetida, oil, ginger-garlic paste, tamarind paste, sugar, water, salt to taste, coriander leaves

Method
Heat a heavy-based pan; add coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, black peppercorns and dry red chilies. Toast them for a few seconds. Add the roasted dry masala in a mixer and grind it into a coarse powder.

Heat oil in a wok/kadhai. Add asafoetida and after a few seconds add ginger garlic paste. Fry well for one to two minutes. Add the potatoes and cook until the color turns golden brown.

Meanwhile, mix the tamarind paste and sugar in water and add it to the potatoes. Add salt to taste and the roasted dry masala. Mix and cook the chatpata aloo for another two minutes and serve hot.

♦ Bagiche ki tikki

Ingredients
Potatoes (boiled and mashed), tomato (diced), onion (diced), pepper (diced), black pepper powder, spice mix powder / garam masala, black salt, salt to taste, chaat masala, oil

Method
Place the boiled potato in a bowl. Add tomato, onion and capsicum along with black pepper powder, all the spice mix powder, black salt, salt and chaat masala. Mix well.

Take a small ball-sized portion of the mixture. Press it with hands and prepare tikkis.

Meanwhile, heat a tawa on medium heat. Lubricate it with oil.

Place the tikki on the tawa. Add oil and roast them on low heat for 2-3 minutes. Turn it over and fry it on the other side on low heat. Cook all the tikkis in the same way and serve hot.

♦ Navratan kheer

Ingredient
White pumpkin (lauki), sabudana, milk, sugar, khoya paste, seasonal fruits, pomegranate seeds

Method
Lightly scrape and grate Lauki. Soak sabudana in water for about half an hour.

Boil the grated pumpkin in at least ½ liter of milk for about 10 minutes. When it has cooled, blitz it into a paste.

Boil the remaining milk with sugar. Add lauki paste, soaked sabudana and khoya. Let it cook until the mixture has reduced to almost half its volume and reached a smooth texture.

Remove from heat and let it cool. Add chopped fruits to the kheer. Place in the refrigerator for at least two hours. Garnish with pomegranate seeds and serve chilled.

♦ Paneer dil khush tikka

Ingredient
Paneer, yellow chili powder, red chili powder, garam masala, ginger-garlic paste, kasuri methi, curd, lemon juice

Method
Cut the paneer into heart shape. Mix the curd and masala in a bowl to form a paste. Marinate the paneer pieces in this paste for two hours.

Cooking in the tandoor or gas pan grill. Serve with coriander chutney.

♦ Ladoo choor besan

Ingredient
Besan, desi ghee, cardamom powder, sugar, almond shavings, pista kernels

Method
Pour besan into a heavy bottomed pan and cook, gradually adding desi ghee.

Stir and cook until the besan turns light brown. Add sugar and set aside until warm. Roll into the shape of a ladoo.

♦ Paneer aloo pakora

Ingredient
Potato (boiled and mashed), paneer, besan, ajwain, salt, garam masala, fresh coriander, cheese

Method
Place mashed potatoes, masala and cheese in a bowl. Mix well and keep aside.

In another bowl, mix besan, ajwain and water into a batter.

Cut the paneer in half so that it resembles bread slices. Place the mashed potatoes between two slices of paneer and join in.

Dip this in the batter and deep fry it. Serve hot with mint chutney.