Maneet Chauhan Body Recipes

HALWA CARROT CAKE

Steps:

• For the carrot cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9-inch springform cake pan.
• In a bowl, whisk the oil, sugars, vanilla and egg together until combined.
• In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, chai masala powder, baking powder and salt until well blended. Add the dry ingredients to a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and add the carrots, nuts and dates. Turn the stand mixer on stir and gradually add the liquid ingredients until just combined.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until the top of the cake is springy when touched and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 to 45 minutes. Allow to cool.
• For the halwa: Add the milk, carrots, cardamom powder and saffron to a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat, then add the raisins and cook, stirring occasionally, until the milk dries up and the raw smell of the carrot disappears, another 15 to 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, add the ghee to a small saute pan over medium heat and allow to melt. Add the almonds, cashews and pistachios and stir to coat in the ghee. Allow to toast, stirring often, about 5 minutes.
• Add the paneer, toasted nuts, condensed milk and granulated sugar to the pot with the milk mixture and stir to combine. Pour the mixture onto sheet trays to cool quickly, then refrigerate to cool completely.
• For the assembly: Remove the cake from the pan and split into two layers horizontally. Put 1 cake layer back into the springform pan to help with filling the cake. Put 1 cup of the whipped cream into a pastry bag and line the rim of the cake with whipped cream. Fill the middle of the cake with the halwa. Top with the remaining cake layer, then frost the entire cake with the remaining whipped cream. Garnish the cake with the pistachio dust, edible flowers and gold leaf. Slice and serve.

POORI

Steps:

• Mix the atta, semolina, rice flour, ajwain, sugar and salt in a bowl. Mix in the ghee with a spoon until the mixture is crumbly. Add the water and knead with your hands to make a tight dough. Add a little more water, 1 teaspoon at a time, if needed. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and set aside for 15 minutes.
• Knead the dough again for a minute and then divide into 4 lemon-size balls. Using a rolling pin, roll each ball into a 4-inch disk (if the dough is sticky, rub a little bit of oil on it to prevent it from sticking).
• Fill a Dutch oven or other pot with 3 inches of oil and heat over medium heat to 350˚ F. Slip a disk of dough into the hot oil. Press down gently with a slotted spoon or a spider and fry until the poori puffs up, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Flip the poori over and fry on the other side until golden brown, another 30 seconds to 1 minute. Drain the poori on a plate lined with a kitchen towel. Repeat with the remaining dough.

SAMOSAS

Steps:

• For the dough: Place the all-purpose flour, rice flour, ajwain seeds and salt in a bowl and stir to combine. Add the ghee and use your fingertips to rub the ghee into the flour until the dough resembles breadcrumbs. (This step is key to making flaky samosa pastry.) Mix in the water, mixing until you can form a pliable, soft ball of dough. Cover the dough in the bowl with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes.
• For the potato filling: Grate the boiled potatoes on the large holes of a box grater. Set aside.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds, fennel seeds and coriander seeds. Stir the spices until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the ginger, serrano chile and peas and continue to stir and cook another minute. Add the garam masala, amchur, asafetida, fenugreek and cumin and cook a further 30 seconds. Add the grated potato and gently stir to coat in the spices, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Cool the mixture, then fold in the cilantro.
• To make the samosas, cut the dough into 6 equal portions and roll each into a ball. Keep the balls on a plate covered with a damp kitchen towel or paper towel so they don't dry out.
• One at a time, place a ball on a sheet of parchment paper. Press down to flatten, then cover with another sheet of parchment. (Do not flour the dough or paper as this will dry the pastry out; a tortilla press can also be used to form the discs.) Roll the dough into a disc. Cut in half, creating 2 semicircles.
• Brush the straight side of one semicircle with water, then fold the straight edge over to form a cone. Fill with potato filling. Brush the open pastry edge with water, then press the edges together to seal. Place sealed-edge down on a work surface and press down to keep the cone shape. Repeat with the remaining dough, making 12 samosas.
• Pour about 6 inches of oil into a medium pot. Place over medium-high heat until the oil registers 350 degrees F on a deep-fry thermometer. Line a plate with paper towels.
• Working in small batches, fry the samosas, turning once or twice, until golden brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and transfer to the prepared plate to drain.
• Serve hot with tamarind or mint chutney or ketchup.

CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the tandoori masala and toast, stirring often, until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Whisk the spice mixture into the yogurt in a large bowl. Then mix in the ginger, lemon juice, salt and garlic. Add the chicken and toss to coat well. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour, preferably 6 hours and no more than 8 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Arrange the chicken on a greased baking sheet and bake until cooked through and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the chicken measures 165 degrees F, 12 to 15 minutes. Increase the heat to broil and broil 3 minutes.
• Add the chicken to the Tikka Masala Sauce. Toss to combine. Serve the chicken with the sauce.
• Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the fenugreek leaves and tandoori masala and toast, stirring often, until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the marinara sauce and bring to a simmer. Add the cream, honey and salt to taste and simmer until the oil and butter start to float on the surface, about 5 minutes.