Going nuts!

Wondering how to utilise the dry fruits that you got in bulk as Diwali gifts Here are some quick recipes such as dry fruits salad, dry fruits samosa etc. that give a new avatar to the humble, nutritious and tasty nuts

Dry fruits samosa

Ingredients

For dough:

Flour 1 cup Ghee 1tbsp Water as per requirement Salt to taste Pinch of Ajwain

For stuffing: Pistachio, grated 5 tbsp Cashewnuts, chopped 3 tbsp Peanuts 4 tbsp Almonds, chopped 2 tbsp Salt and pepper to taste Oil to fry

Method For dough, take maida, salt, ajwain and ghee in a big bowl and mix thoroughly and knead a stiff dough. Cover and keep aside for 10-15 minutes. For stuffing, mix all chopped dry fruits and roast them for a minute. Divide the dough into 10 equal parts. Roll one ball into a thin disc and cut it into equal portions. Take one portion, grease it with little oil and make a cone out of it by joining the two ends. Stuff the dry fruit mixture inside the cone and apply water on both the sides to seal it. Deep fry till golden brown. Serve hot and relish with mint coriander and tamarind chutney.

Recipe courtesy: chef Harish Joshi, Imly- a chatpata stopover

Nutty almond mousse Ingredients Almond milk 200 ml Gelatin 3 tbsp Sugar 100 gm Vanilla sugar 10 gm Cream 300 ml Cheese 500 gm Mango sweet murabba and chopped apple murabba mixed with chopped dry fruits for garnish

Method Mix gelatin with 6 tablespoons of almond milk and soak for five minutes. Heat cheese, almond milk, sugar and vanilla sugar in a saucepan. Remove from heat when vapours appear above the surface. Add gelatin and stir until completely dissolved. Allow it to cool completely before adding cream. In a separate bowl, beat the cream into a soft foam and fold it gently into milk. When the mousse begins to thicken, mix in the dry fruits and pour into the mould. Refrigerate for several hours. Garnish with dry fruits, mango and apple murabba.

Recipe courtesy: chef chef Pankaj Rana, Bailamos

Dry fruits milkshake Ingredients Cashew nuts 8 pieces Almonds 6 pieces Dates 3 pieces Dried figs 2 pieces Raisins 10 pieces Pistachios 8 pieces Walnut 1 piece Chilled milk 3 cups Honey 2 tbsp Cardamom powder tsp

Method Chop figs and dates. Soak them in cup of milk for 15 minutes. Blend the soaked figs, dates, almonds, raisins and pistachios to form a smooth paste. Add rest of the milk, honey and cardamom powder. Blend to make a smooth and frothy liquid. Pour into tall glasses and serve the chilled milkshake. Recipe courtesy: Vivanta by Taj, Gurgaon

Cashew and almond pie Ingredients Cashew nuts 1cup Almonds 1 cup Eggs 3 Dark corn syrup cup Bourbon 2 tbsp Brown sugar cup Melted butter 4 tbsp Vanilla 1 tbsp Nutmeg tsp Chocolate powder 500 gm

Method Preheat the oven to 175°C. Melt chocolate in a microwave. Brush the interiors of a piecrust generously with chocolate, avoiding the fluted edges and set aside. In a large bowl, take eggs, dark corn syrup, brown sugar, melted butter, vanilla, bourbon, nutmeg and salt and whisk them together. Stir in cashews and almonds and then pour into the piecrust. Bake until center is thickened but not quite set for Transfer the pie to a rack and set aside to cool completely. Serve at room temperature.

Recipe courtesy: chef Vijayant Rawat, Mosaic Hotels

Almond and prune cake Ingredients Almonds, ground 200 gm Almond essence tsp Prunes, pitted 250 gm Unsalted butter, softened 120 gm Sugar 1 cup Eggs 2 Method Preheat the oven to 160°C. Grease and flour a 27 cm spring form tin. Stir the ground almonds in a dry frying pan over high heat for five to ten minutes or until fragrant. Set aside to cool. Cream the butter and sugar in a food processor until pale. Add eggs, ground almonds and almond essence and mix well. Pour the mixture into a cake tin and arrange prunes on top. Bake for 40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Allow it to cool down. Serve at room temperature.

Recipe courtesy: chef Santosh, Radisson Blu MBD

Dry fruits salad ingredients For dressing: Red wine vinegar 10 ml Walnut oil 10 ml Olive oil 20 ml Salt to taste Black pepper, crushed 3 gm

method Whisk together red wine vinegar, walnut oil and olive oil. Add salt and crushed black pepper. Check seasoning.

Ingredients For salad: Dried prunes 40 gm Dried apricots 40 gm Almonds, soaked and peeled 50 gm Walnut 30 gm Dried figs 40 gm Organic quinoa 50 gm Barley 50 gm Fresh mint, parsley and dill 40 gm Goat cheese 80 gm Flax seeds 5 gm Maldon salt 6 gm Black pepper, crushed 5 gm

Method Bring 400 ml of water to boil, add quinoa and salt. Cook until quinoa is cooked. Drain excess water and refrigerate. Take another pan with boiling water, add salt and cook barley, until soft. Drain excess water and refrigerate. Slice prunes, apricots, walnut, figs and fresh herbs. Toss together quinoa, barley, dried fruits, goat cheese, flax seeds, fresh herbs, maldon salt, black pepper and dressing. Transfer to a salad bowl and serve.

Recipe courtesy: chef Gagandeep Sawhney, Shangri-La’s-Eros Hotel