Renus Kitchen

For the very long time I was confused between phirni and kheer. They both are made of rice and almost cooked the same way. The only difference is how you process rice for cooking. Phirni is made from ground rice and served chilled. Kheer is made from whole rice and can be served chilled or warm. Ingredients: Basmati ice (or any other rice of your choice)- 3 tbsp Whole milk - 1.5 cups Sugar - 1/2 cup Silvered almond - handful Saffron - 3-4 strands Ground cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp Method: Soak saffron in 2 tbsp warm milk.  Soak rice in water to 10-15 minutes. Drain and pat dry rice on a paper towel. Grind in a mixer to make coarse powder. Boil milk, add ground rice and sugar. Cook till rice is completely cooked.  Add saffron, cardamom powder. Portion it in small serving bowls. Garnish with almonds and chill before serving.  Note: Normally phirni is of a thicker consistency than rice kheer. You can also garnish with pistachios and other nuts.

This is a easy breezy recipe for making naan at home and requires bare minimum ingredients. This does not require tandoor or any other fancy equipment to cook naan. The secret is in the dough that makes it different from a regular roti. Ingredients: Wheat flour - 1 cup All purpose flour - 1/4 cup Yogurt - 1/2 cup Baking powder - 1/8 tsp Salt  - pinch Warm water - as needed Method: Mix all the ingredients and prepare a soft dough. Leave the dough covered at room temperature for 2 h. Punch the dough and knead it again. Pinch small balls and roll it like a typical roti (circle) or shape it like a naan (triangle). Cook on medium heat on hot griddle. Flip naan to cook evenly on both sides. Cook till you see brown spots and then do the final cooking on the flame. If you don't have gas stove, then finish cooking on the griddle. Smear ghee on hot naans and serve with your favorite curry .

Daal Amritasri, is the new addition in my menu of things I cook regularly. It is very easy to make and tastes lie heaven. The flavors come out best when cooked slow in an open pot. I don't have luxury to cook slow due to time constraints, but I have tied this cooking in rice cooker and it came out awesome. For everyday purposes, I cook in pressure cooker and simmer for 20-30 minutes on very low heat. Ingredients: Whole black / urad daal - 1 cup Chana daal - 1/4 cup Water - 4 cups Red onions - 1 small, finely chopped Ripe tomatoes - 1 small, finely chopped Green chillies - 1-2 chopped (optional) Ginger - 1 tbsp, finely chopped Garlic - 1 tbsp, minced Bay leaf - 1-2, medium Garam masala - 1tbsp Coriander powder - 1 tbsp Salt - to taste Turmeric powder - 1 tsp Cilantro - handful for garnish Ghee - 1 tbsp (optional) Vegetable oil - 2 - 3 tbsp Cumin seeds (jeera) - 1.5 tsp Method: Soak urad and chana daal overnight or at least for 4-5 hours. Rinse the daal ...