GAJAR HALWA / CARROT HALWA

Here is a easy to make punjabi dessert Gajar ka Halwa recipe. Though there are many ways to prepare gajar halwa, I found this method to be easy and less time consuming. The same method can be used to prepare beetroot halwa too, just replace the carrot with beetroot. Here we go for the recipe...

PAPAYA VERRINE

Here is a simple yet a very delicious dessert to satisfy our sweet tooth. Verrine is a confection, orginally from france, made by layering ingredients in a small glass, it can be either sweet or savory, making a dessert or snack. If you have planned for a party or gathering, and have less time to prepare dessert, this dish comes in handy. Here you go for the recipe.....

NEI APPAM / VELLA APPAM / UNNI APPAM / SWEET APPAM

Appam is a traditional southindian sweet recipe. This can be made in several ways and methods using different flour combination. Here is one such recipe which is very tasty at the same time easy to prepare also. It is also called unni appam in kerala.  Here we go for the crispy and tasty Ghee Appam ( Nei Appam - Nei stands for Ghee in tamil ) recipe.

KALKANDU PONGAL / SWEET PONGAL RECIPE

Here is a easy and tasty sweet pongal ( Kichdi ) recipe for you all to try for this Pongal / Makarasankrathi / Lohri festival. A good alternative for sakkarai pongal ( made with rice and jaggery ) 

Ingredients :

Raw rice - 1 Cup
Rock candy / Sugar Candy/ Kalkandu  -  1 Cup
Milk - 1/2 Cup
Ghee - 5 Table Spoon
Cardamom ( Elachi ) Powder - 1 Teaspoon
Cashews - 10 No.s
Raisins - 10 No.s
Fresh Cream ( Optional ) - 2 Table Spoon
Saffron strands - Few.

Method :

Grind the rock candy to a smooth powder.  Fry Cashews and raisins with little ghee . Wash rice well and pressure cook with 4 cups for 3 to 4 whistles. When the pressure is completely released, open the cooker lid and mash well. Now add milk, saffron and mix well. Again keep it in medium low flame and add the powdered rock candy to it. 
Keep stirring it with half of the ghee, when it thickens add fresh cream, elachi, remaining ghee, fried cashews, raisins mix well. Serve the yummy pongal hot or cold. Tastes heavenly. Try it out now :-)))

Notes :

You can replace rock candy with sugar too. Just increase the quantity to 1&1/4 cup.
Fresh cream is optional you can very well skip it.
You can add chopped almonds too.

BADAM HALWA

Me and my hubby love badam / Almonds. I generally use badam in most gravies / sabzi's instead of coconut. I wanted to try some sweet recipe, the first thing that came to my mind is badam halwa :-) I referred few sites to get an idea, and came up with my version. It came out perfect and tasted really really yum. My hubby said it said so good :-) So give it a try once, you will for sure agree with me.

Phirni / Rice Pudding

Phirni / Rice Pudding is an rich creamy dessert, and a very popular north indian sweet. It taste pretty much same like Kheer or Payasam, but the difference is of texture and cooking time. Here is the recipe...

Carrot Kheer (In a Jiffy)

Ingredients :


Carrot - 2 Table Spoon (Finely Grated)
Milk - 1 Cup
Sugar - 3 Table Spoon or (Adjust accordingly)
Cardamom / Elachi powder - 1/4 Teaspoon
Saffron (mix with a teaspoon of milk) - A Pinch (Optional) 
Ghee (Clarified butter) - 3 Teaspoon
Cashews / Badam / Pista - for garnishing.


Method :


Heat pan, add ghee  and fry cashews till golden brown, and take out the cashews and keep it aside. In the same pan and carrot (Grated), saute in medium flame for about 2 to 3 minutes, now add milk and sugar and bring it to a boil, and simmer for 5 minutes. Add cardamom powder, saffron and mix well. Enjoy the Kheer hot or cold :-)


Notes :


In my opinion the kheer tastes good even more .... when served chilled :-)

Rasgullas

For making 15 balls :

Ingredients :

Milk - 500 ml
Curd / Plain Yogurt - 2 Table spoon
Water - 1 and 3/4 Cups
Ice Cubes - Few (5 to 6 Pieces)
Sugar - 3/4 Cup
Cardamom / Elachi - Powder - 1/4 Teaspoon
Almond Flakes / Pistachios Flakes  - Few for decoration

Method:

Heat milk in a pan and allow it to boil, then simmer it, and add the Curd/Yogurt to it and mix well, keep stirring gently the milk will start curdling, keep stirring till the whey water becomes clear. Now switch of the stove and add ice cubes and allow it to melt completely.

Take a thin muslin cloth and pour the curdled milk in it and filter the whey water completely. Squeeze the extra water from it and hang it for about 30 minutes so that the water will drip from it completely. After 30 minutes the panner would be crumble in texture. 
Take the panner in a mixing bowl and knead for about 10 minutes, gather to a smooth pliable dough, without any crack on it, and make a smooth balls from it and keep it aside, for this measurement you can get around 13 to 15 balls.

Now heat water in a heavy bottomed pan and add sugar and cardamom powder to it, allow it to boil till the sugar dissolves completely, keep stirring till the sugar syrup boils and starts bubbling now add the balls one by one slowly and simmer it for after 3 to 4 minutes the balls will go to the corners of the pan, now move them to the middle and increase the flame to medium and close the pan with a lid and allow it to cook for about 10 minutes opening the lid every 3 minutes (this is to ensure that the vapor goes out and the sugar syrup does not ooze out) , after 8 to 9 minutes the balls would have doubled in size.

Switch off the stove and allow it to cool completely add badam flakes or pistachios and chill it for 1 hour. 
Serve chilled. Yummy rasgullas are ready to eat. Sluurrp ;-)

Sakkarai Appam

Ingredients:
• 1 cup Maida (All purpose flour)
• 4 Teaspoon Arusimavu (Rice flour)
• Little more than ½ cup Sugar
• 3 Teaspoon grated coconut
• 3 Teaspoon Rava
• 1 Teaspoon Elachi powder
• 1 Tablespoon Cashew nut (cut in to small pieces)

Mix all the above ingredients with water in a bowl, the consistency should be thick and pourable. Rest the batter for about 15 mnts. Heat oil in a deep pan, and pour the batter slowly using a ladle, fry until golden brown on both sides. Drain excess oil using a tissue paper.

Milk Poli

Ingredients :


For Making Poli :
1 cup - Maida
pinch of salt
1 Tablespoon - Ghee
Oil - enough to deep fry

Mix maida, ghee, salt in a bowl, gradually add water and knead to a stiff dough. Roll out into thin round shape and then fold it, so that it forms a semi circle, then roll again, and deep fry it in oil and keep them aside.

For Sugar Syrup :

Sugar - A little more than a cup
Water

Boil sugar in a pan with water to a string consistency, dip the fried puris one by one in this syrup, so that both the sides of puri is coated with the syrup.

For Flavoured milk:

Boil milk with saffron and add cardaomom powder. Pour this milk over the sugar dipped puris, and garnish it with grated almonds.

Poli is ready to be served.....

BADUSHA

I am trying badushas for the first time, and glad that it turned out well and crunchy, Do try it once , iam sure you will just love the taste.

Ingredients:

Maida/All purpose flour - 1 cup

Butter - 50 grams

Cooking soda/Sodium-bi-carbonate - 1/4 Teaspoon

Water - As needed.

Oil - for deep frying

For Syrup:

Sugar - 1 Cup

Water - Just enough to immerse sugar

Rose essence - Few drops

Saffron - a pinch (optional)

Method :

 In a mixing bowl add softened butter and cooking soda and mix well, then add maida to it and mix well so that ir forms bread crumbs like texture. Then sprinkle water, to it and knead for about 10 mnts so that it becomes a soft dough without any lumps. Then make small balls out of the dough. Now take a ball and pinch the edges and fold it inwards, to make the rims decoratively. Repeat the process and finish everything and keep it covered.

Heat oil just enough, i.e if you put a pinch of batter, it should slowly raise, then add few badushas and lower the flame, let it get cooked in slow flame atleast for about 5 minutes. so that it gets cooked inside well. and turns golden colour. Drain it in paper towel.  Add the next set of badushas now.

Mean while add sugar to a pan, just add water just to immerse it, and boil until half string consistency add rose essence  and mix well. Add the first set of badushas, pour sugar syrup and turn each badusha's few times, and then lay in a tray, by then the next set of badushas would be ready so add and do the same way like before. 

Enjoy the super crunchy badushas, it tastes even better the next day :-)

Notes :

• If you reduce the quantity of oil / butter, then there will be a drastic change in the texture of badushas too, it will be hard, and not crunchy, you wont get the layers inside too.
• Dont hurry up while frying badushas, please do as mentioned, otherwise the texture gets affected too. It has to get cooked in very low flame for atleast 5 minutes.
• Consume within a week, donot refrigerate.
• You can simply make the shape like doughnuts (mini).
• You can add elachi powder or saffron also instead of rose essence.

Sakkarai valli kizhangu / Sweet potato poli

I normally bake sweet potatoes, or put it in vathakuzhambu (Tamarind gravy) and have it along with rice. But then my mom was asking me to try this sweet poli recipe. Poli is also called holige, obbattu or gud poli. I tried it and really loved the taste. So here is the recipe of sweet potato poli.

Ingredients :


Maida - 1 cup
Pinch of salt
Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Gingely oil- 3 table spoon

For Filling :
Sweet Potatoes - 2 no.s (Medium size)
Jaggery - 100 grams
Elachi powder - 1 teaspoon
Finely powdered fresh coconut (Optional ) - 2 table spoon


Method :


For filling boil sweet potatoes (or microwave it for 7 or 8 mnts ) and mash it with out any lumps. Boil jaggery with little bit of water and filter it to remove any impurities. When jaggery becomes slightly thick in consistency (No need for any 1 string consistency) add coconut, elachi powder, mashed sweet potatoes to it, mix well and keep aside to cool down.
Mix maida with salt, turmeric powder and oil and knead for sometime, then add water to make it a pliable soft dough. No need to soak the dough in oil, as we do for normal poli. Make medium size balls from the dough. Flatten each ball and keep the filling inside. Close and seal well all around. Press and dredge in maida flour and roll out into thin chappathis. Heat tawa and fry these poli using ghee until it turns golden brown on each side.


Enjoy sakkaraivalli kizhangu poli while hot with ghee/butter over the top :-)