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. 

Different types of Halwas

 Halwas are favourites for many. A sweet dish originated from the middle east this dish Halwa got quite famous in India and  the most famous one is the Tirunelveli halwa though there are various halwa recipes from all parts of India. Generally halwas are made using flours, nuts and fruits. Ghee, rose water, milk and saffron are used as additives, honey, sugar, milk powder cocoa powder are used as sweetners. Made either with single ingredient or with a mixture of multiple ingredient, halwa have become an integral part of any feast spread. 

Wheat Halwa

Mango Halwa Using Microwave

Mango Halwa

Banana Halwa

Badam Halwa

Easy Badam Halwa

Beetroot Halwa

Carrot Halwa

Carror Halwa using microwave

Moong dal Halwa

Ashoka Halwa

Kasi Halwa

Damroot Halwa

Wheat rawa pineapple Halwa

Oats Halwa

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. 

Poli or Obittu

Stuffed sweet rotis made using maida or wheat or all purpose flour.

Ingredients:       

For outer Cover:

Maida or All purpose Flour or Wheat flour - 1 cup

Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp

Gingely Oil - 2 tbsp

Salt - 1 tbsp

Water as required

For Pooranam:

Bengal Gram Dal - 1 cup

Jaggery - 2 cups

Cardamom Powder - 1 tsp

Grated Coconut - 1 cup

Method:

Make a dough using maida just like chappati dough. But this should be a bit elastic in texture. Rub the dough with gingely oil and cover it with a muslin cloth and set aside for a while. In the mean time make the Pooranam. 

Pressure cook Bengal Gram Dal. Let it cool. Grind it along with cardamom powder. Make a syrup of Jaggery using 1/2 cup of water and when it boils add grated coconut and bring it to a boil in medium flame. Add the ground bengal gram and mix well. Saute well till all the jaggery is absorbed and it becomes thick. Remove and let it cool. 

Make thin chappatis from the dough. Make a ball of big gooseberry size of the bengal gram mixture. Place it in the middle of the chappati. Pull the sides of the chappati and cover the pooranam thoroughly. Flatten it again. Heat a tawa and put the poli. Pour a tbsp of oil around it to help in cooking.  Ensure both the sides are golden brown in colour. Remove from the tawa and spread ghee on both the sides. Serve hot. 

Note: The Poli will come out well and will also taste very good if the outer cover dough is let to set for atleast 2 to 3 hours the best result can be obtained when it is let to set for about 6 hours. 

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.

Dhoodh Peda - Recipe for a simple and easy sweet

It had been more than 15 years since I started full fledged cooking and sweets making. My first sweet was Mysore Pa and it defenitely turned out too well. It definitely gave me enough confidence to try out more and more sweets. I make Basundi quite often as it is my hubby's favourite sweet. Still I kept postponing one particular sweet which is mine and my family's all time favourite and it is none other than dhoodh peda. Whenever we want to eat it, I get a few from our favourite sweet stall and finish it off.

Whenever I plan to make this Dhoodh Peda some thing will stop me and I will end up making up something else. Still the year before last I did attempt it with cocoa but it turned out to be chocolate lolipop and I was never able to make a peda. But this year I was determined to make it as many of my friends said it is very easy to make in microwave. But Saillu's kitchen website gave me even more confidence to do it in stove top. Though I followed the recipe I did make a few alterations.

Ingredients:
Ghee - 1/4 cup
Milk Maid - 2 tins (400 gms each)
Milk Powder - 500 gms
Cardomom Powder - 1/2 sp
Nuts for decoration. I decorated a few with halved cashew nut and a few with unsalted pistachio.

Method:
Took me 15 mins for making it and 30 mins for making the Peda.

In a hard bottom pan add ghee, condensed milk, milkpowder and mix well. In medium flame mix well. Ensure no lumps are formed. Keep stirring till it becomes thick enough and does not stick to the sides of the pan. Transfer it to another plate. Make balls and flatten it and decorate it with nuts.

Refrigerate it and it can be used for a week.

Paal Poli by Sowpernica

Wheat based recipe posted by Sowpernica

Ingredients:

Atta – 1 cup

Milk – 2 ½ cups

Sugar – 10 teaspoons

Cardamom powder – ¾ teaspoon

Oil – to deep fry pooris

Ghee – 2 teaspoons

Cashews – 5 (broken to small pieces)

(This recipe is traditionally made with maida, but I have used whole wheat atta instead, which makes the recipe healthier)

Method:

Boil milk in a thick-bottomed pan/vessel till it becomes 2 cups.

Add sugar & cardamom powder, mix well.

Allow boiling for 2 more minutes.

Keep aside till it cools.

Fry cashew pieces in a teaspoon of oil till golden brown.

Heat oil in a deep kadai.

Mix atta & a teaspoon of ghee, make dough.

Make small balls.

Roll them into pooris.

Fry in hot oil.

Keep aside till it cools.

Arrange pooris in a plate.

Add milk on top till pooris immerse.

Garnish with fried cashew pieces & serve.

Suggestion:

Keep in freezer compartment for about 15 minutes before serving.

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.

How to make Karthigai Pori Urundai

Ingredients:
Aval Pori or Nel Pori- 3 cups
Jaggery - 1 1/2 cup
Sukku (Dry ginger powder) - 1/2 tsp
Coconut - 1/2
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
Water - 1 cup
Ghee - 1 cup

Method:
Clean the Pori to remove the husk. Ensure that is crisp enough. Spread it on a plate.

Mix jaggery to water and bring it to boil and ensure that the jaggery dissolves completely. Strain it through a seive to remove the impurites.  Cut the coconut into small pieces (about 1/4 cup of coconut pieces are enough for 3 cups of pori). Bring the jaggery mix to boil and bring it to a syrup consistency. Add the coconut pieces, dry ginger powder and cardamom powder. Bring it to a one string consistency.

Pour the syrup over the pori using a laddle little by little. Ensure all the pori is covered with syrup. While pouring the syrup, ensure it is mixed thoroughly. Better use a wooden laddle.

Smear ghee in hand, shape small balls. Ensure it is not pressed very hard because if done so, it will get too hard when cold. Roll them in the palm of your hands.

Note: In general rice flour is used while making balls, but ghee is used to give a shine to the urundais.

While adding the jaggery syrup for the nel pori do it little by little so that the crispness of the poris dont go off.

Recipe for Mango Halwa

Ingredients:
Mango Extract - 2 cups (extracted without adding water)
Sugar - 1/4 cup
Ghee - 2 tbsp
Honey - 2 tbsp
Almonds - 12 nos
Cashew Nuts - 12 nos
Dry ginger powder - 1/4 tsp

Method:
In a pan add sugar and 1 tbsp of water and make it a syrup. When the syrup becomes sticky add mango juice and honey. Mix well and when the mixture starts thickening sprinkle the dry ginger powder and mix thoroughly again. When the mixture becomes thick add ghee. Remove from flame when the mixture comes as a ball and does not stick to the sides of the vessel. 

Spread on a ghee smeared plate and put slices when it becomes cool. Decorate each piece with cashew and Almond pieces.

Note: Choose Alphonso mango for making this Halwa. Avoid ghee if you are diet conscious. Increase the  honey, if you are avoiding or reducing the quantity of sugar. 

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.

Vella Cheedai

Sweet Seedai or Vella seedai is another dish that is made for Krishna Jayanthi/ Gokulashtami/ Janmashtami neivedhyam.


Ingredients:
Processed rice flour - 4 cups
Urad Dal flour - 1/2 cup
Coconut - 1/2
Sesame seeds - 1/4 cup
Cardamom powder - 1 tsp
Jaggery - 2 cups
Ghee - 1 1/2 cups
Oil to fry

Method:
Fry the processed rice flour till it turns slightly red in colour. Measure the flour and for every cup take equal cup of water in a hard bottom pan and bring it to boil. Add the jaggery to it and keep stirring till it dissolves completely.

Grate or cut the coconut into small pieces and add it to the boiling water. add cardamom powder and bring it to boil again. Add the processed rice flour slowly and make it to a dough form.

Remove from flame and spread it on a shallow plate. Add urad dal powder and sesame seeds to it and mix thoroughly. Make gooseberry sized balls of the dough and fry it in oil. Remove from flame when it is between golden brown and dark brown in colour. Drain the excess oil.

Shahi Turka - A royal dish from Mughalai Cuisine

Ingredients: 
Bread - 8 nos
Ghee - 1/2 cup
Milk - 1 ltr
Sugar - 1 cup
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
Dry grapes - 8 to 12 nos
Cashew nuts - 10 to 12 nos

Method:
Chop off the edges of the bread and cut it diagonally. In a flat bottom pan toast the bread slices till they become golden brown on both the sides. Let them cool.

In a hard bottom pan heat the milk when it boils add sugar to it and stir it continuously till it reduces to half. Remove from flame and let it cool. Add cardamom powder. Break the cashewnuts into pieces. Fry that and cashewnut in ghee add it to the milk.

While serving, place the bread slice on a shallow plate and pour milk on top. Sprinkle a few nuts. This can be served either hot or cold.

A royal dish from Mohalai Cuisine.