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CHRISTMAS RECIPES
Christmas
CHRISTMAS COOKIE RECIPES
CHRISTMAS PUDDING RECIPES
  
GINGERBREAD COOKIES TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS PUDDING MINT RICE
PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES RAISIN PUDDING  

For the Punjabis, the Rotis and Lassi give them the vigor and energy they are noted for. The sarson ka saag and the makke di roti is a good combination. The Punjabis also place a lot of stress on the ginger, garlic, onion and tomato combinations. Altogether the northern part is famous for its tongue tickling Mughlai dishes. They are a gift to us from the Mughals who probably got it from their Persian ancestors. The succulent kababs, kormas and the parathas are good examples. The blending of spices over low heat is an important factor of the Mughal style of cooking.

Most of the vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes are famous for their distinctive tastes. Though rice is sparingly used throughout northern India, Wheat is their staple food. They take wheat in the form of rotis and chappathis. They come in a wide range, which includes parathas, puris, naans, kulchas, rotis and chapathis, and stuffed parathas.

 

 

 

GINGERBREAD COOKIES Vegetarian Dish

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup Molasses
  • 1 tsp White Sugar
  • 1/2 cup Butter
  • 1 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
  • 1 tsp Ground Ginger
  • 1 tsp Cocoa Powder
  • 1 pinch Ground Black Pepper
  • 1 tsp Ground Clove
  • 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
  • 1 pinch Ground Nutmeg
  • 1 pinch Cayenne Pepper
  • 1 pinch Salt

Gingerbread cookies

Method

  • In a saucepan, combine butter and molasses. Heat the mixture over medium flame until it begins to boil, while stirring continuously.
  • Remove the mixture from the flame and allow it to cool for sometime.
  • In a large bowl, mix all-purpose flour, ginger, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, clove, cayenne pepper, black pepper, nutmeg and fold in salt. Blend the mixture well.
  • Pour the warm molasses-butter mixture into the mixture made in the above step. Stir continuously to form a thick dough.
  • Cool the dough in refrigerator for about 10 minutes, until it sets.
  • Form small lemon sized balls of the dough, using 2 tablespoons of batter, each time. Now, pat the balls using your finger, to flatten them into the shape of cookies.
  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  • Grease a baking sheet with butter and place the cookies on it.
  • Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for about 8 minutes.
  • Cool the baked cookies in the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, before transferring them to wrack to cool completely.
  • Store the cookies in an air-tight container.

PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES Non-Vegetarian Dish

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup Peanut Butter
  • 1 3/4 cups All-Purpose Flour
  • 1/2 cup Packed Brown Sugar
  • 1/2 tsp Salt
  • 1 tsp Baking Soda
  • 1/2 cup Butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup White Sugar
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 1 Egg, beaten
  • 2 tbsp Milk

Peanut Butter Cookies

Method

  • Sieve all-purpose flour, baking soda and sugar in a bowl and reserve.
  • In a bowl, blend sugar, peanut butter, brown sugar and butter together with an egg beater, until it becomes fluffy. Fold in egg, milk and vanilla extract.
  • Add the sifted flour mixture to the mixture prepared in the above step. Blend well, to form a dough.
  • Shape the dough into small balls. Place the balls in your palm and using your fingers, flatten them to form the shape of cookies.
  • Grease a baking sheet with butter.
  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  • Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for about 8 minutes.
  • Remove the baked cookies from the oven and leave them in the sheet, for about five minutes.
  • Transfer the baked cookies to a wrack and then leave them to cool completely.
  • Store the peanut butter cookies in an air-tight container.

TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS PUDDING Non-Vegetarian Dish

Ingredients

      
  • 1 cup Suet
  • 1 cup Currants
  • 2 cups Raisins
  • 1 cup Sultanas
  • 1 cup Mixed Peel
  • 6 level tbsp Sugar
  • 1 tsp Baking Powder
  • 6 heaped tbsp Plain Flour
  • 1 tbsp Almonds, blanched and chopped
  • Juice and rind of 1 Lemon
  • 3 Eggs
  • 2 cups Breadcrumbs
  • Pinch of salt
  • 4-5 tbsp Brandy
  • Milk (to mix)

Traditional Christmas

Method

  • In a large bowl, stir together all the dry ingredients of the recipe.
  • Beat eggs well in a separate bowl. Add the beaten eggs to the mixture, made in the above step, and then stir in brandy and lemon juice.
  • If the mixture seems to be too stiff, add a little amount of milk to it. Stir continuously, so that all the ingredients blend well.
  • Pour the mixture into three 1 ½ pint pudding basins.
  • Cover each pudding basin with greaseproof paper or foil. Now, tie a cloth over the top of the pudding basins, by fastening it around the rim of the basin with a length of the string.
  • Take the four corners of the cloth. Now, tie them to make the handle of the pudding basin.
  • In a saucepan, steam the puddings for about 8 hours. Another option is to make use of a steamer.
  • After the puddings are steamed well, serve them immediately. You can also store them in air tight containers. In case you want to preserve the pudding for later use, steam them 2 to 4 hours before serving.
  • Serve the pudding in serving plate, with a teaspoon of brandy poured on it. You may also serve the pudding with Cumberland rum.

RAISIN PUDDING Non-Vegetarian Dish

Ingredients

  • 2 cups Raisins
  • 2 cups Brandy
  • 1 1⁄2 oz. Candied Fruits (including pitted apricots, cherries, and melon
  • 1 1⁄2 oz. Citrus Peel, cut into thin strips
  • 5 tbsp cold Beef Suet, diced
  • 1 3⁄4 cups day-old Bread Crumbs
  • 1 cup Blanched Almond Meal
  • 1⁄4 cup Dark Muscovado Sugar
  • 3 tbsp All-Purpose Flour
  • 2 tbsp Shredded Unsweetened Coconut
  • 1⁄2 tsp Lemon Zest, finely grated
  • 2 tbsp Peeled Carrot, finely grated
  • 1⁄4 tsp Orange Zest, finely grated
  • 2 tbsp fresh Orange Juice
  • 3⁄4 tsp fresh Lemon Juice
  • 1⁄3 cup Guinness stout
  • Pinch Ground Cinnamon
  • Pinch Nutmeg, freshly grated
  • 1 Egg
  • 1⁄2 tsp Molasses
  • Brandy Butter (optional)
  • Whiskey Cream (optional)

Raisin

Method

  • Cut raisins into fine pieces and then put them into brandy for about 1 hour. Drain the almonds and reserve about 1/3 cup of the brandy, for later use.
  • Put the soaked raisins, suet, bread crumbs, candied fruits, sugar, coconut, carrots, zests, cinnamon, nutmeg, all-purpose flour and almond meal into a large bowl and mix together well.
  • In another bowl, combine molasses and egg. Beat well and then add beer, juices and the reserved brandy into the mixture. Fold in the fruit mixture and stir well.
  • Grease two glass bowls with butter and put half the batter into each of them.
  • Cover each bowl with buttered paper, and then foil. Secure the foil and buttered paper with twine.
  • Transfer the bowl into a wide deep pot. Pour boiling water to the pot in such a way that it reaches 2" up sides of the bowls. Now, cover the pot with a lid and then steam the puddings in an oven that is preheated up to 450 degrees F, for about 4 ½ hours.
  • Remove the bowls from the pot and allow them to cool, completely. Store the puddings in a cool, dry and dark place, away from direct sunlight. Every time you take the pudding, steam it by still covering the bowl with foil, for about 1 hour.
  • You may serve the pudding with brandy butter.

MINT RICE Vegetarian Dish

Ingredients

  • 500g basmati rice
  • 60g ghee
  • 75g onions, finely chopped
  • 20g green chilies, chopped
  • 1 bunch coriander leaves
  • 1 bunch mint leaves
  • 15g garam masala
  • 20g coriander seeds powder
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 2 cups yogurt
  • 100g tomatoes, chopped
  • 25g ginger garlic paste
  • 100g cashew nuts
  • 10g nutmeg
  • 10g mace
  • Salt to taste

Mint Rice

Method

  • Clean and soak the rice in warm water.
  • Mix the mint and coriander leaves, green chilies and blend them to fine paste. Also powder the nutmeg and mace.
  • Heat ghee in a pan and fry the onions until golden brown. Also add ginger garlic paste, ground paste, cashew nuts, coriander powder, turmeric and fry for another 5 minutes.
  • Then add yogurt, chopped tomatoes to the above mixture along with 1 litre of water and boil by covering with a lid.
  • Drain all the water from the rice and add to the boiling mixture.
  • Add enough salt and ground powder to the rice and mix well. Cook the rice until it is done.
  • Garnish with tomato slices and serve hot.

 
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