SuvaiArusuvai - Veg Recipes of India

While we had been to Olives in Deccan Plaza, we were served this Moong Dal Halwa, it was dry and coarse, not the regular halwas that we had always. Ingredients: Moong Dal - 100 1 cup Ghee - 2 cups Sugar - 1 cup Water - 1/2 cup Badam - 10 to 12 pieces Pista - 6 pieces(unsalted) Raisins - 6 Method: Soak moong dal in water for 2 hours, drain and grind it coarsely. In a pan add sugar and 2 spoons of water and make sugar syrup. In another pan heat ghee and add moong dal to it. Keep mixing till it turns golden brown and leaves the sides. Put moong dal in sugar syrup and cook on low flame till all the ingredients mix well and blend together. Remove from fire and decorate it with badam, pista and raisins.

Early in the morning, the brain is fresh after a good amount of sleep, to make it more energetic, a glass of milk that is added with nuts helps. Ingredients: Cashewnut, Baadam - 50 gm each Walnut - 20 gm Khus Khus - 2 tbsp Cardamom - 2 pieces Kesar Strands - 5 gms Sugar - 100 gms Method: Dry roast all the nuts and powder them. Grind the kesar strands separately. Grind the sugar separately. Mix all the three ingredients together and store it in a cool dry container. As sugar is added to it already, it is better to avoid sugar while preparing this drink.

Inspired by the drink that we had in Olives, I got this recipe from one of my friends. This is a very popular Rajasthani drink and is prepared whenever there is a festival or Puja in the house. Though this is a Rajasthani dish, this is famous all over North India it seems. Ingredients: Milk - 1 litre Sugar - 1/2 cup (powder it well) Pepper corns - 10 to 12 Saffron Strands - A few Almonds - 1/4 cup or 12 to 15 nos. Poppy Seeds (Khus Khus) - 2 tbsp Cardomom Powder - 1/4 tspn White pepper corns - 20 (optional) Method: Boil the milk and make it to 3/4th. Grind Almonds, Poppy Seeds, Cardomom Powder and White Pepper Corn and add it to the boiled milk and refrigerate it for 3 to 4 hours. Then drain it through a seive and add sugar, pepper corns and saffron stands. Chill again. Just before serving add a few pieces of soaked and peeled almonds and cashewnuts.