Ingredients for Carrot and Potato Soup:
Potatoes (peeled and roughly chopped) 2-3
Roughly chopped carrots 2
Bay leaf 1
Black peppercorns 4-5
Vegetable stock 2 cups
Salt to taste
Thyme 2-3 sprigs
Oil 1 teaspoon
Crushed garlic 3-4 cloves
Roughly chopped onion 1
Milk 1 cup
Crushed black peppercorns 1/2 tsp
Method:
Place potatoes, carrots, bay leaf and peppercorns in a pan.
Add vegetable stock, salt, thyme and cook till done.
Remove the bay leaf.
Blend to a smooth puree.
Heat oil, add garlic and onion and sauté till the onion becomes light brown.
Add the puree and mix well and let the mixture get heated through.
Add milk and crushed peppercorns and mix well.
Adjust the consistency by adding more stock if the mixture is too thick.
Serve hot.
Ingredients for Carrot Coriander Soup:
Carrots (chopped) ½ kg
Coriander leaves 1 bunch
Butter 2 tbsp
Bay leaves 2
Black peppercorns 1 tsp
Onion (chopped) 1
Garlic (chopped) 6-8 cloves
White pepper powder 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Method:
Chop fresh coriander leaves finely and reserve the stems.
Heat butter, add bay leaves, black peppercorns, onion, garlic and sauté for two minutes.
Add carrots, coriander stems and five cups of water and bring to a boil. When the carrots are completely cooked, remove them and put in a blender to make a fine puree.
Boil and reduce the stock slightly and strain.
Take the puree in a deep pan and add strained stock to reach the desired consistency. Bring to a boil again.
Add white pepper powder dissolved in a little water.
Add salt to taste.
Stir in finely chopped fresh coriander leaves.
Ingredients for Sweet Carrot Rice:
Carrots, grated 2
Rice (soaked and drained) 1-1/2 cups
Ghee 3 tbsp
Cloves 2-3
Green cardamoms 6-8
Cinnamon 2-inch stick
Sugar 5-6 tbsp
Nuts (chopped) 2 tbsp
Milk 1-1/2 cups
Method:
Heat ghee.
Add carrots, cloves, green cardamom, cinnamon, and sauté well.
Add sugar, rice and sauté for 2-3 minutes.
Add milk and 1½ cups water and mix well.
Cover and cook.
Serve hot.
Ingredients for Gajrella:
Grated carrot 1
Ghee 1 tbsp
Raisins 1 tbsp
Cashewnuts (roughly chopped) 8-10
Milk 1 litre
Rice (soaked and drained) 4 tbsp
Khoya 4 tbsp
Sugar 1/4 cup
Green cardamom powder 1/4 tsp
Method:
Heat ghee, add raisins, cashewnuts and sauté till light brown.
Add carrot and mix.
Add milk and cook for 15-20 minutes.
Coarsely grind the soaked rice.
Add khoya, sugar and green cardamom powder to the pan and cook for 4-5 minutes. Add the ground rice little by little, stirring continuously.
Cook stirring continuously till the gajrella thickens.
Take the pan off the heat, let the gajrella cool down to room temperature, then set in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
Serve chilled.
Gajrela by Zarnak Sidhwa
