Dry Fruit Halwa

Another halwa which is healthy and nutritious that an be made as a prasad for festivals and functions and get togethers. 

Ingredients: 

Almods - 1 cup

Cashew nuts - 1 cup

Dates - 6 nos

Raisins - 6 nos

Pista - 6 nos

Milk - 1/2 cup

Sugar - 1 cup

Ghee - 2 tbsp

Method:

Soak the almonds and cashew nuts seperately over night. Next day morning remove the skin of the almonds and grind it along with the cashew nuts to a fine paste by adding 2 tbsp of milk. 

Chop th pista and dates finely and mix it with the raisins.

Add the paste to a hard botto pan and saute it by tossing it from bottom to up witout burning it but it should become golden colour. Add sugar,mixed dry fruits and 1 tbsp of ghee and keep mixinng it and stirring it constantly. Keep adding milk little by little. Let it thicken. Add the remaining ghee. Once it thickens spread it on a ghee greased plate. Let it cool cut into pieces. 

Dry fruit Kesari

 A sweet dish that could be made in a jiffy in around 15 to 20 mins using dry fruits and rawa. This is similar to Rawa Kesari with extra ingredient of dry fruits added to it. 

Ingredients:

Dates - 6 nos

Raisins - 12 nos

Almonds - 12 nos

Cashew nuts - 12 nos

Pista - 12 nos

Rawa - 1/2 cup

Sugar - 4 tbsp

Ghee - 4 tbsp

Water - 1 cup

Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp

Method:    

Chop the dates finely. Sliver 6 of the  almonds, 6 cashew nuts and pista. Fry these along with raisins in a tbsp of ghee in low flame. 

Stir fry rawa in another tbsp of ghee in low flame till the colour changes slightly golden. Remove from flame and set it aside to cool. 

In a hard bottom pan add water and bring it to boil once it starts boiling add sugar, cardamom powder and bring it boil till the sugar dissolves. Add the fried rawa to it and mix it well. Ensure it does not form lumps. Once it starts bubbbling add the dry fruits to it and mix well. 

Fry the remaining cashew in ghee and once removed from flame add the remaining almonds (sliver them too) and add it to the kesari. 

Mohandal or Mohanthaal

 Mohanthaal or Mohandal is another dish using besan flour and it is my mom's favourite. The first time I had this dish was in 1988 during my brother's upanayanam. The cook who made this cautioned us that it should be consumed as early as possible as it might get bad quite easily. But we made him making it three times almost as the taste was excellent. 
But I did try it once with a lesser quantity at home and it tasted similar as this is the recipe that is shared by that excellent cook. I made it twice once using condensed milk and the other time using milk powder as I could not get unsweetened Khoya. 

Ingredients:
Besan flour - 3 cups
Ghee -  1 1/2 cups
Milk powder - 1/2 cup
      or 
Condensed milk - 1/2 cup
Sugar - 2 1/2 cups
Cardamom powder - 1 tsp
Nutmeg powder - 1/4 tsp
Badam - 20 pices sliced nicely
Pistachios unsalted - 2 pieces sliced nicely

Method:
Heat 11 cup of ghee in a hard bottom pan and add the besan flour and mix it well and bring it to a boil stirring it occassionally. Ensure the flour does not settle at the bottom. Cook it till the mixture turns to slightly golden  in colour. Add the cardomom powder and nutmeg powder and mix it well. 

At this stage add the condensed milk or the milk powder and keep stirring.

In another hard bottom pan add sugar with 1 cup of water and keep stirring it reduce the flame and cook till it reaches 1 string consistency. Add this mixture to the besan flour pan and keep mixing it till the mixture turns into a gooey consistency. Remove from flame and add the cardamom powder and nutmeg powder and mix well.  Add the remaining ghee slowly just like how we do for mysur pak. When the mixture turns fluffy and leaves the sides pour it into a greased pan and garnish it with badam and pista slices. Cut it into squares when cool. 

Dry Fruits Kheer

A kheer or payasam is always a relishing dessert. Dry fruits kheer is another wonderful dessert which every one will like more. It is also a healthy one.

Ingredients:
Dry fruits powder mix - 1/2 cup
Sugar - 1 cup
Milk - 2 cups
Water - 1/2 cup
Cashew sliced - 8 nos
Badam sliced - 8 nos
Safron strands - a ew
Condensed milk - 1/2 tin

Method:
Warm the water and mix the powder in it to make a paste. Ensure no lumps are formed. Boil milk and add sugar to it. Mix well. Add the powder paste to the boiling milk. Mix well and keep stirring ensure no lumps are formed and no burning at the bottom happens. When the kheer thickens remove from flame and transfer to a serving bowl immediately. Add condensed milk to it and mix well. Decorate it with sliced Cashew nuts and Badam.

Can be served hot or chilled. 

OPOS Rawa Kesari

I have already posted Rawa Kesari in traditional method. After learning the OPOS method, I tried it so many times, and my hard anodised cooker never failed to give me a hand.

Ingredients:
Double roasted rawa - 1 cup

Ghee - 1/4 cup
Sugar - 1 1/2 cup
Water - 4 cups
Food colour - 1/2 tsp
Roasted Cashew Nuts - 10 nos

Method:
Mix water, sugar, 2 tbsp ghee and food colour in a pressure cooker and cook for 1 whistle. Lift weight to release steam. Add the double roasted rawa. Mix well, close the cooker and put the weight  again and close for 20 mins. Before serving add the remaining ghee and roasted cashew nuts.

Recipe for Rawa Kesari in traditional method. 

Coconut Ladoo

One another sweet that can be made using Coconut is Coconut Ladoo. Simple and easy to make sweet with very basic ingredients. 

Ingredients

Rawa - 1 cup

Grated Coconut - 1 1/2 cup (fresh)

Condensed Milk - 1 tin

Powdered Sugar - 1 cup

Method:
Roast Rawa in a dry pan, till it turns golden brown. Add one cup of grated coconut and mix well. Dry roast the remaining 1/2 cup of coconut and grind it to a fine powder.  Mix in the powdered sugar and add 1/2 tin of the milk maid and mix well. Make small balls of the mixture and roll in the ground coconut. Place it in the refrigerator. 

Oats Halwa

Many of us eat Oats at home regularly. So there is always a stock of this at home. When we have guests at home, it is one easy dish that can be made quickly.

Ingredients:
Oats - 2 cups
Sugar - 4 cups
Ghee - 3/4 cup
Elaichi Powder - 2 tbsp
Cashew nut - 20 nos
Food colour - 1/4 tsp
Milk - 1 cup
Water - 4 cups

Method:
In a hard bottom vessel add Oats, water and milk and mix well and keep stirring till all mix together and forms a lump. Add sugar mix well. In 2 spoons of water mix the food colour and add to the mix and stir completely. Add ghee little at a time and mix well. Add cardamom powder and mix again. When the mixture starts becoming non sticky add the remaining ghee, fried cashew nuts and mix well.

Wait for the OPOS version of the same. 

Carrot Halwa or Gajar ka Halwa

The traditional method of making carrot Halwa is to grate it and add with Khova or milkmaid. But tried a new method today. It did turn out to be yummy and delicious.

Ingredients:

Carrot - 1 Kg
Sugar - 1 cup
Milk - 1/2 litre
Cashew Nuts - 8 to 12 nos
Ghee - 1/4 cup

Method:
Steam the carrots in pressure cooker and grind them to a fine paste. Break the cashew nuts and fry in a tbsp of ghee.

Boil the milk and reduce it to 3/4th of the original quantity. Add the ground paste and mix well with the milk. (Do not cover the vessel, as the mixture will definitely overflow, even if you keep in medium flame). When the mixture thickens add the sugar (this will make the mixture a little watery). Keep stirring so that it does not stick to the bottom of the pan. Add ghee little by little and keep stirring. The mixture have to thicken and should not stick to the sides of the pan. Add the fried cashew nuts and stir for a few more mins. Remove from flame and let it cool. Store in an airtight container. 

Rawa Kesari - A very easy to make sweet.

How I missed to post this recipe which I make quite often at home is a million dollar mystery. This is one sweet which is very easy to make and always turns out very good. It can be made for Poojas, guests in a jiffy. This Rawa Kesari can be made both with and without food colour. It is very easy to easily flop this recipe but once it is mastered any one can make it quite easily. If the rawa is not cooked well, the kesari becomes chewy or turn hard. If less water is used Rawa turns lumps. The knack of making a good rawa kesari lies in the ratio of water, sugar and rawa.

Ingredients:

White Rawa - 1/2 cup
Water - 3 cups
Kesari Colour -2 pinches
Sugar - 1 cup
Ghee - 1/4 cup
Cardamom Powder - 1/4 tsp
Cashews - 5 nos

Method:
In a hard bottom pan fry the rawa well. Let it cool in a plate. Fry the cashew nuts in 1 tbsp of ghee and set them aside. Add another tbsp of ghee to the pan and add the roasted rawa. Roast the rawa again till it emits a roasted smell. Ensure no lumps are formed and spread it again to let it cool. Add 3 cups of water to the pan and add food colour. When the water starts to boil, add the cardamom powder and kesari powder. Reduce the flame and add sugar to it and mix well. When all the sugar dissolves add the roasted rawa and mix thoroughly. Ensure no lumps are formed. Cover the pan and cook in low flame. Add ghee inbetween. When it gets thick add the roasted cashew nuts and the remaining ghee. Mix well and cover the pan. Serve in a cup or spread it in a plate and put pieces.

Wheat Rawa Pineapple Halwa

Recipe posted by Gowri Suresh

Ingredients
Wheat Rava- 1cup
sugar 1 cup
Ghee- 3tbspoon
Pineapple small tin
safforn
roasted cashewnuts for decoration


Method:
Dry roast wheatrava with little ghee.Powder this along with sugar in a blenderIn Vanali(only sweet making vanali) mix this along with 2 cup waterIn 2 cups water we can use pineapple syrup also.Stir well by adding little by little gheeAdd pineapple pieces in last 5 mtsFinally add saffron soaked in milk It takes 15-20 mts to get cooked well.Transfer this to ghee greased tray Decorate this with roasted cashew .We can cut this into diamond or square shape or appdiye sapdalam.

7 Cup Sweet

For every Diwali one of the sweets will be this 7 cup cake. As the name suggests, the ingredients used are taken in such a proportion of 7 cups.


Ingredients:

Milk Powder- 1 cup
Besan Flour or Gram flour - 1cup
Sugar - 3 cups
Grated Coconut - 1 cup
Ghee  - 1 cup

Method:
In a pan heat sugar with just 1/4 cup of water and bring it to a string consistency. Heat ghee, add besan flour, milk powder and grated coconut to it and make a fine paste of it. Add the paste to the sugar syrup mixing it slowly, ensuring no lumps are formed.

Keep stirring untill the whole mixture turns soft and bubbles and comes out of the sides of the pan without sticking.

Keep a greased plate ready. Pour the mixture in the plate and spread well. Make pieces when warm. Delicious 7 cup cake is ready.

Imarti or Emarti

The south Indian Jelabi is called as Imarti or Emarti in North.  This happens to be a Vrat recipe and so is made mainly during Karwa Chauth

Ingredients:

Urad Dal - 2 cups

Sugar - 3 cups

Saffron colour - 1 pinch

Cardomom powder - 1/2 tsp

Ghee - 500 gms or refined oil for frying

Water - 3 cups

Method:

   Soak urad dal overnight. Wash and drain and grind it to a thick batter. Better grind it with a grinder if grinding it with a mixie then then beat the batter well till it becomes fluffy. Add the Saffron colour and mix thoroughly. Keep aside for about 3 to 4 hours.

   Make 1 string syrup using the sugar and add cardomom powder to it. 

Heat oil or Ghee in a shallow pan. Using the imarti nozzle or cloth  make jelabis/ Imartis in the oil and fry till they become crisp and golden in colour. At a time make not more than 2 to 3. Drain and dip in the sugar syrup. Soak for about 2 to 3 mins. Drain and serve hot.

Recipe for simple and easy cashew cake

Ingredients:
Cashew Nuts - 1 cup
Sugar - 1 1/2 cups(can alter it according to one's taste)
Milk - 1 tsp
Water - 3/4 cup
Ghee - 4 tsp

Method:
Grind cashewnuts to a fine powder. It should not be sticky or oily so have to leave some gaps while grinding it. Mix sugar in water untill it dissolves thoroughly. Bring the mixture to a boil. Add milk which will remove the impurities from sugar, remove the impurities and reduce the flame. Sprinkle the ground cashewnut powder slowly into the sugar syrup constantly stirring it. Never leave it unattended. Keep mixing and stirring till it comes to a thick form and doesnot stick to the sides of the vessel. Add 2 tsp of ghee and mix well.

Grease a plate with ghee and pour the mixture into it. Spread evenly. When it is cold cut into square or diamond shape as desired.

Banana Halwa - Recipe to surprise your sudden visitors.

A simple and easy to make sweet when there are excess bananas available at home.


Ingredients:
Banana - 6 nos (ripe)
Sugar - 1/4 cup
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
Ghee - 1/4 cup
Cashews - 8 nos

Method:
Mash the bananas thoroughly (If needed can also be blended in a blender without adding water).

In a hard bottom pan add the mashed bananas, 4 tbsp of ghee and sugar and stir constantly till mixture bubbles and turns to a nice brown colour. Add the cardamom powder and mix well. Add the remaining ghee and when the mixture leaves the sides of the pan and when it is able to roll into a ball, it can be removed from flame. Spread on a ghee smeared plate and let it cool. Cut into square or diamond shaped pieces.

Heat 1 tbsp of ghee and fry the cashew nuts. Decorate each piece with one fried cashewnut piece.

Cashew Chikki

Ingredients:
Cashew nuts - whole 1 1/2 cups or about 250 gms.
Ghee - 1/4 cup
Sugar - 1 cup

Method:
Take a flat surface - chappati stone or any marble surface and coat it with ghee. Coat the roller pin also with ghee.

Put the cashew nuts in a plastic bag and crush it slowly either with the help of a chappati roller or with any small flat stone. This will help the cashewnuts to break evenly. Heat a flat bottom pan and add 2 tbsp of ghee to it. Add the sugar when the ghee melts. Let the sugar melt and turn to a honey color (caramelize sugar). Put off the flame and add the broken cashew nut pieces and mix well with a spoon. (mixing should be done as fast as possible). Transfer it immediatly to the ghee coated surface and roll it with chappati roller pin. Cut it into square cubes.

Store it in an air tight container.

Recipe to make Apple Burfi

Apple is one fruit that almost all like the most. Just like the way we make Mango Halwa we can make burfi out of Apples.

Ingredients:
Apple - 2 to 3 nos (depending upon the size)
Pineapple - 1 no
Sugar - 3 cups
Ghee - 1/4 cup

Method:
       Make a fine pulp out of apple which should be equal to 1 cup. Make pulp out of pineapple equal to 1/2 cup. Add these two pulps along with sugar to a hard bottom pan. Keep stirring in moderate heat till the pulp getts thicker. When thick add ghee little by little till the pulp starts coming out of the sides of the pan. Pour the mixture to a ghee smeared plate. When cold cut into pieces.

Note: Can be decorated with pista pieces. And if it is been served for a party then can be decorated with finely chopped pieces of apple and pineapple too.

Shankarapalli - A sweet tea time snack

Shankarapalli is a triangle shaped tea time snack which can be made very very easily in about 20 to 30 mins.

Ingredients:
Maida - 3 1/2 cups
Milk - 1 1/2 cup
Sugar - 2 cups
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Ghee - 3/4th cup
Oil to fry

Method:
Seive the maida to avoid forming lumps. In a hard bottom pan add ghee, sugar and milk and boil it. When the mixture starts boiling remove from flame and let it cool.

Mix the seived maida to the above mixture slowly and making a dough out of it. The dough have to be stiff enough to make be able to make chappatis out of it.

Divide the dough into equal parts and make balls out of it. Heat oil in a kadai and when hot reduce the flame to medium. Make chappatis out of the balls (the chappatis should not be very thin). Cut the chappatis with a knife or shankarapalli cutter into square or diamond shape. Fry it in oil in the medium heat itself. Keep turning it till it becomes golden brown in colour.

Note: If the sugar is very sweet, reduce the quantity by half cup.

Badam Burfi|Almond Burfi

Very quick and easy to make sweet, if the ingredients are kept ready.

Ingredients:
Badam (Almond) - 250 gms
Ghee - 1 cup
Condensed milk - 1 tin (250 ml)
Milk - 1/5th cup
Sugar - 1/4 cup (optional)

Method:
Soak Badam in hot water for about 10 to 15 mins. Peel the skin and grind it to a fine paste along with sugar and milk. Heat ghee in a hard bottom pan. Mix condensed milk and badam paste together and add it to the hot ghee. Keep stirring till the mixture leaves the sides of the pan.

Pour it on a ghee smeared plate and let it cool. Cut into diamond shapes or square shapes.

Rawa Ladoo|Rawa Laddo

Ingredients:
Bombay Rawa or Cheeroot Rawa - 1 cup (Semolina)
Ghee - 1/2 cup
Sugar - 3/4 cup
Cardamom Powder - 2 pinch

Method:
In a hard bottom pan add 1/4 cup of ghee and add the rawa and fry it till all the ghee is absorbed fully by the rawa. Add 1/2 cup of water to it and close with a lid for a min. Rawa would have got cooked by this time. Add sugar to it and mix well. Add another cup of ghee to it and when it all turns to a mixture, remove from flame and add cardamom powder. Make small balls of the mixture when warm. 

Rawa Ladoo is ready

Badam Halwa|Almond Halwa

Ingredients:
Almonds - 1/2 kg
Sugar - 7 cups
Cashew Nuts - 25 to 30 nos
Cardamom - 12 nos
Pachai Karpooram (edible camphor) - a pinch (optional)
Saffron strands - a pinch
Kesari colour - 1 pinch
Ghee - 1 1/2 cups

Method:
Soak and peel the skin of almonds. Grind it to a very fine paste. Wash the mixer with 1/4 cup of water and add it to the badam paste and make it to a batter consistency. In a hard bottom pan, add sugar and 1/4 cup of water and make a thick 1 string consistency sugar syrup. Add the badam paste to it and keep stirring till both mixes well. In a tbsp of water mix saffron strands and kesari colour and add it to the paste. When the whole mixture starts hardening, add the ghee slowly. (The entire quantity of ghee might be a bit too much, so it have to be added little by little). 

Break the cashewnuts into pieces and fry them in ghee. Add it to the hardening paste and mix well. Grind cardamom to a fine powder and add it to the pan. Crush the edible camphor into fine powder and sprinkle on top of the mixture and mix thoroughly so that it blends in evenly.

When the ghee starts separating from the sides of the pan, remove from flame and spread it in a ghee smeared plate and let it cool. 

Note: The almonds can be ground to a fine paste using 2 cups of water too to enhance the taste.