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Showing posts with label Diwali recipes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Diwali recipes. Show all posts

Sunday, October 23, 2016

Eggless Pumpkin Oats Cookies ( Diwali Collaboration )

Along with delectable desserts that are the highlight of every Diwali celebration, savory snacks like Namak para, mathri, khara boondi, sev and murukku also form an unavoidable part of the festive menu. Unfortunately, most of these call for deep frying or at least kneading with copious amounts of fat to make them crispy and flaky.

While the desserts can be prepared with a Sugar substitute or even replaced to some extent with fruit based desserts, the savory goodies were my primary concern. I was wondering what could be done to introduce some health and nutrition in this part of the menu when I stumbled upon the 'OatoberFest' series being run in the TOI by Quaker Oats and my culinary God Vikas Khanna. That gave me the idea to try something with oats. However I did not want to proceed with any of the usual flavor combinations.

I wanted the cookies to take on some traditional flavor and yet make them seem exotic at the same time. Going though my own blog for inspiration, I stumbled upon this 'Sri Lankan Pumpkin Curry' that I had prepared sometime back. With a large pumpkin siting on my kitchen counter, it seemed a wonderful option. Since I make this curry quite often (whenever I am faced with a deluge of fresh pumpkin), I already had the curry powder in my fridge.

Deciding against the use of wheat flour or maida, I decided to make the cookies with oats, grated pumpkin, freshly grated coconut, a touch of the curry powder, brown sugar and just a little bit of grease. Even as the first batch was taking on a light brown hue in the oven, exquisite aromas enveloped the entire house. As expected the cookies turned out to be moist, chewy and mind-blowing good. Enough to get the compliments flowing.

But that is not all ! This being a part of a blogger collaboration with my talented friends Parinaaz and Saswati , there are more savory goodies to be discovered at the end of this post.

Read on for the recipe -
















Preparation Time - 50 mins

Ingredients -


  • 2 cups Quaker Oats
  • 1 cup grated pumpkin (tightly packed)
  • 1 cup freshly grated coconut ( lightly packed )
  • 2-3 tsp brown sugar (or Demerara sugar )
  • 1/4 cup Rice bran oil
  • 1 tsp Sri Lankan Curry powder (recipe HERE)
  • 1/2 tsp coarsed ground peppercorns
  • salt to taste

Preparation - Take all the ingredients in a mixing bowl. Mix everything thoroughly into a tight dough.

Take a baking tray and line it with parchment paper. Pinch small portions of the dough and shape into flat discs or squares. Put them on the baking tray.

Cooking - Preheat the oven at 180 degrees for 10 mins. 

Pop in the tray and let it cook for 10 mins on the middle rack. 

Remove the tray and flip them over. Put back into the oven and bake for another 6-7 mins. The cookies will have become firm and browned on both sides.

Remove from oven and let them cool down. Store in airtight jars.























Do check out these fabulous snacks by my fellow bloggers -






















and 
















Saswati's Nimki !!

Thursday, October 20, 2016

Gondhoraj Lemonade with Chia seeds and Mint ( Diwali Collaboration)

As the festive season draws to a close, Diwali becomes the perfect excuse to indulge oneself in every possible way. Unfortunately, it is also the time when we pile on the calories and the resulting kilos. Suddenly that skinny pair of jeans that one picked up last month from a sale seems too tight and the love handles just don't go with the halter blouse that one had got stitched for a cousin's wedding. That leaves one with no option other than hitting the gym with renewed vigor and simultaneously praying for a miracle to melt all that lard in less than a fortnight's time.

Enough reason to revisit our eating habits for the festive season. And cut down of the consumption of high calorie foods. One of the key points to be considered while planning a menu is that the brain often confuses between hunger pangs and thirst signals. Hence while our body might just be craving for some liquid replenishment, one can end up mistaking it for hunger and end up stuffing oneself with food.

To reduce the chances of needless calorie consumption, it is important to keep oneself hydrated. And the best way to do it is by introducing a traditional drinks like shikanji, buttermilk and jal jeera in the Diwali menu. Most of them aid in digestion, replenish the water content of our body and also make us feel somewhat full. And in turn, we end up putting less on the plate.

Keeping this in mind, I prepared a lemonade with the famed Gondhoraj lemons which are found in West Bengal and North-East regions of India. These highly fragrant limes are a rather rare find in Bangalore but then I got lucky on a weekend trip to the vegetable market. I ended up adding some crushed mint (for digestion) and some chia seeds (for fiber) to the lemonade. It turned out quite refreshing, delicious and attractive. The soaked chia seeds settling down on the mint leaves make for a rather pretty sight.

And this being a Diwali Collaboration with my blogger friends Parinaaz ( A Dollop Of That ) and Saswati ( Delish Potpourri ), there are more drinks recipes to be discovered. (Just scroll down to the bottom of this page ! )

Read on for the recipe of 'Gondhoraj Lemonade' -






















Preparation Time - 5 mins ( plus 40 mins soaking time )

Ingredients -
  • Juice of 1 Gondhoraj lime
  • 1 sprig of mint
  • 1 1/2 tsp sugar syrup ( use Sugarfree Natura if you want to avoid calories/sugar )
  • 1 tsp chia seeds
  • 200 ml water
  • a pinch of salt (optional)


Preparation - Mix in the water, salt and sugar syrup in a jar.

Lightly crush the mint sprig and drop it into a tall glass.

Pour in the lemonade. Sprinkle the chia seeds on the top.

Put it in the fridge for 35-40 mins for chilling. The chia seeds will also get soaked in the meantime.

Remove from the fridge and serve.
















Do check out these fabulous drink's by my fellow bloggers -






















Parinaaz's Babri Beol Thresh

and






















Saswati's Ice Creamy Gulkand Shake .

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Masale-wali Mathri ( And a very Happy Diwali )

Oriyarasoi wishes all its readers a Very Happy Diwali !! May the festival of lights spread the holy light and eliminate the shadows of darkness from your lives !! [ I take this opportunity to thank you people for my FB page has recently crossed 5000 likes. Not a huge number but it seems special as I am a late entrant on the social media bandwagon. And Oriyarasoi is now on Instagram as 'Swetabiswal'. Please follow me for some interesting shares.]

Festival time is the time to give in to all sorts of cravings. And the spate of bad weather in Blore has only increased my desire to munch on various kinds of 'Namkeen' or savoury snacks while sipping endless cups of 'Adrak-wali' chai (ginger tea).

I was first introduced to Mathri during my stay in Pune. My room-mate had a special weakness for fried stuff like Laccha, Bhakarwadi and ofcourse the Mathri. Though I found it to be somewhat oily, I loved snacking on it occasionally. Read on for the recipe -


















Preparation Time - 45 mins

Ingredients -

  • 1 cup maida ( refined flour )
  • 1 cup atta ( whole wheat flour )
  • 1 tsp peppercorn
  • 1 tsp kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
  • 1/4 tsp ajwain (carom seeds)
  • salt to taste
  • pinch of baking powder
  • 2 tbsp ghee
  • oil for deep frying



Preparation - Take the maida, atta and baking powder in a big bowl. Add the hot ghee to it. Rub it into the flour so that the texture resembles bread crumbs. This will take about 5 mins.

Then add the crushed peppercorn, carom seeds and kasuri methi to it. Sprinkle salt as per taste. Mix in. Add warm water little by little and knead into a tight dough.

Smear the dough with a few drops of oil. Cover and keep aside for 5 mins.

Cooking - Heat the oil in a wok.

Roll out the dough into a thick circle ( about 2 mm thickness ). Take the cap of a bottle and cut out small circles ( abt 3 cm in diameter ). Pierce holes into the circles with a fork.

Add 4-5 circles to the hot oil and fry till light brown on both sides. Take out and place on paper napkins.

Repeat for the remaining dough.

Once the mathri had cooled down completely, store it in airtight containers.


















Note - This recipe will yield about 30-32 pieces.



Monday, November 9, 2015

Badam Phirni ( Diwali Collaboration with A Dollop Of That! )

The next recipe that I am sharing for the Diwali series is a rich creamy dessert from North India. Known as the phirni, it is basically rice paste cooked in saffron-cardamom flavoured milk and loaded with nuts. While I would have loved to do an Odia recipe (as some of you had requested), I am running short on time and energy as the vacations have started for my kid.


I picked this recipe as it reminds me of yet another Odia recipe known as the 'Gaintha' or 'Attakali'. It is a slightly rustic recipe that is made out of rice paste which is first cooked into a solid mass, broken down into small balls and then cooked in cardamom-peppercorn flavoured milk. To me, phirni always seems to a more glamorized version of the Attakali. My phirni recipe is a slightly more nuttier and richer version of the regular one as I have added almond paste to it while cooking.

Read on for the recipe - ( And do not forget to scroll down to the bottom of this post for another surprise by Parinazz of A Dollop of that !)


















Preparation Time - 30 mins

Ingredients -


  • 5 heaped tbsp of any fragrant rice ( Basmati /Jeera/GobindoBhog )
  • 1/2 liter + 2/3 cup milk
  • 15-16 almonds
  • 4 heaped tsp sugar ( as per taste )
  • 2 pinch saffron strands
  • a pinch of cardamom powder
  • pistachios for garnishing
  • rose petals for garnishing


Preparation - Wash and soak the rice for 2-3 hours. Grind into a smooth paste with 3-4 tsp milk. Dissolve in another 1/2 cup of milk.

Soak the almonds in hot water for 1 hour. Remove and peel them. Grind into a smooth paste with 2-3 tsp milk.

Soak saffron strands in 3-4 tbsp hot milk.

Cooking - Heat a wide mouthed nonstick saucepan. Add 4-5 tbsp water to it. This prevents milk from sticking to bottom and getting burnt.

Pour in the milk and bring it to boil on medium flame. Let it reduce by 1/3 rd.

Pour in the rice paste and cook with continuous stirring (preferably using a whisk) to prevent the formation of lumps. Do this for 7-8 mins. The mixture will become thick and take a creamy texture.

Then pour in the saffron milk (just remember to rub the strands with your fingers to get a deeper colour), sugar, almond paste and cardamom powder. Cook for 3-4 mins while stirring continuously.

Remove from the flame. Pour it into the serving bowls and pop it into the fridge.

Garnish with saffron strands, pistachios and rose petals. Serve chilled.


















Do not forget to check out these interesting recipes too !!






















Parinaaz's - Kesar Pista Biscuits









Saturday, October 10, 2015

Chocolate and Jaggery Sandesh

Sandesh. These moist yet flaky sweets ( excuse me but I have not been able to figure out the right adjective to describe a Sandesh ) of Bengali origin have a special place in my heart. While I never had much of a sweet tooth, but I cannot resist the lure of these beauties. Maybe it the beauty in their shapes or the amazing texture or even the low sugar content, I can never have enough of these. And I would promptly pester anyone coming from Calcutta to get a packet for me.

While the preparation itself is nothing much to talk about, the kneading time of the chenna and the cooking time play an important role in the final taste of the product. Most of us would be able to get it right with a few trials. Here is a very simple recipe that I refer to whenever I am in the mood for some low calorie cocoa indulgence. This is a sugar-free chocolate version of Sandesh.

Read on -





















Preparation Time - 10 mins

Ingredients -


  • 1/2 liter milk
  • 1 1/2 tsp vinegar
  • 3 tsp grated/powdered palm jaggery
  • 2 tsp cocoa powder
  • few drops ghee to rub on the palm and the molds


Preparation - Bring the milk to boil on a medium flame in a thick bottomed vessel. Once it gets to a rolling boil, keep on the flame for another 2-3 minute.

Dilute the vinegar with 1/2 cup warm water.

Remove from flame and keep aside for 4-5 minutes. Add the diluted vinegar in one corner of the vessel till the milk shows signs of curdling. Using a spatula, mix the contents of the vessel thoroughly till the greenish water (whey) and milk solids (chenna) get completely separated. ( You might not need to add the entire cup of citric acid but use sufficient amount needed to split the milk )

Place a thin cloth on a metal strainer ( Do not use  plastic as the mixture is still very hot at this point ). Pour the contents of the vessel over it. Wash the chenna under running water for 2 minutes to remove all traces of citric acid. Bundle/gather the corners of the cloth and squeeze out all the water but do not squeeze too hard.
Hang it for 1 hour or till the chenna is dry.

Remove the cloth and place the chenna on your sanitised kitchen counter / chopping board. Start kneading it with the heel of your palms. Then gather the chenna into a ball and start kneading again. Do this for 10 minutes.

Now add the powdered jaggery and cocoa powder and knead again till completely incorporated.

Cooking - Heat a nonstick pan on low flame. Add the chenna mixture and spread it all over the bottom. Let it cook for 5-6 mins with regular stirring till any residual mositure evaporates.

Once the mixture starts to come together, remove from the stove and allow the dough mixture to cool down till it is just warm to touch.

Knead it again for 2-3 mins.

Break of small bits of the chenna dough and shape it using us fingers or use a mold.

Allow it to cool down.

Serve or keep refrigerated till consumption.


Saturday, September 20, 2014

Mawa Gujiya

The first of my posts leading up to the Diwali festivities ( I know it is still a long way but was feeling quite happy after a thorough cleaning session ). Mawa gujiya is one of those classic Holi/Diwali recipes that are on the must-do list of everyone. They are deep fried pastries stuffed with a spiced khoya (solidified milk ) and dry fruits filling. They can be stored in an airtight container for upto a week. The vegan version uses a mix of roasted semolina and fried coconut instead of the milk solids.

Read on for the recipe -




For the dough -

  • 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  • 5 tsp hot oil
  • 2 tsp semolina
  • 2 pinch baking powder
  • salt to taste
  • cold water for making dough
  • oil for deep frying


For the stuffing -

  • 2 cups khoya
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 12-14 cashews
  • a fistful of raisins
  • nutmeg powder


Preparation - Take the all purpose flour, semolina baking powder and salt in a bowl. Add the hot oil and rub in. Then add water, very little at a time and knead into a stiff dough. Cover with a damp cloth/little oil and keep aside for sometime. Knead it once again after 30 mins. It should feel smooth else repeat the process once again.

Cooking - Fry the khoya in a wok till it just starts to brown. Remove and keep aside.

Fry the raisins and cashews in the same wok with a little ghee. Remove and add to the khoya. Also add the powdered sugar and mix lightly using your fingers.

Pinch small portions of the dough and shape into a flattened disc. Dust a working surface and roll out the discs into small circles. Put some of the khoya mixture in one half of the circle leaving out some space on the edges. Apply water along the circumference before folding it into a half moon shape. Use a fork to make crimp patterns on the sealed edge. Repeat the process with the remaining dough and stuffing.

Heat sufficient oil in a wok. Add the gujiyas one or two at a time. Fry on one side till brown before turning over and frying the other side as well.

Allow to cool down a bit before serving. Keep the rest in an airtight container.

















Thursday, September 11, 2014

Vegan Empanadas ( A LATAM cousin of the desi Karanji/Gujiya )

Ok....plz try not to look too shocked/septical!! Why on earth is she calling the good old Karanji/Gujiya something so alien ? Empanadas......what next ??? Long forgotten memories of a grandmother stuffing up the rolled out dough with a sweetened coconut/mawa filling and crimping it before frying it in oil evoke a strong sense of nostalgia which makes the rebellion even more poignant.

I would like to share that even my first reaction was on the same lines. It was the market challenge of Masterchef Australia Season 6 that made me aware of the existence/popularity of this fried/baked snack in the Latin American region. It is simply defined a snack made by folding dough around a sweet or savory stuffing. The savory variety is definitely more popular going by the sheer number of recipes on the net and it could be anything ranging from meat, cheese, corn, mushrooms and even sauteed/fried veggies.

The baked variety is healthier in comparison but as far as the taste is concerned, the fried stuff definitely takes the crown. Maybe I will stick to the baked variety on regular days and just save up on the calories for a festive occasion. Read on for the recipe -






Preparation Time - 1 hour

Ingredients -

For the dough -

  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 2 tsp hot oil
  • 1/2 tsp pepper powder
  • 2 pinch baking powder
  • salt to taste
  • cold water for making dough
  • oil for deep frying


For the stuffing -

  • 1 1/2 cup green peas
  • 1 small potato (boiled & peeled)
  • 1 small onion (finely chopped)
  • 1/ 3 tsp grated ginger
  • 1/3 tsp grated garlic
  • 1/2 tsp red chili powder
  • 1/4 tsp cumin seeds
  • 2 pinch garam masala
  • 2 pinch turmeric
  • 2 tsp oil
  • salt to taste


Preparation - Take the all purpose flour, baking powder, salt and pepper in a bowl. Add the hot oil and rub in. Then add water, very little at a time and knead into a stiff dough. Cover with a damp cloth/little oil and keep aside for sometime. Knead it once again after 30 mins. It should feel smooth else repeat the process once again.

Cooking - Heat 2 tsp oil in a wok. Add the cumin seeds followed by the onion, ginger and garlic. Fry for sometime till the raw smell goes away. Add the potato and the green peas along with all the spices. Cook covered for 5-6 mins. Lightly mash the potato and green peas mixture with the back of a heavy spoon. Allow it to cool down to room temperature.

Pinch small portions of the dough and shape into a flattened disc. Dust a working surface and roll out the discs into small circles. Put some of the potato and green peas mixture in one half of the circle leaving out some space on the edges. Apply water along the circumference before folding it into a half moon shape. Use a fork to make crimp patterns on the sealed edge. Repeat the process with the remaining dough and stuffing.

Heat sufficient oil in a wok. Add the empanadas one or two at a time. Fry on one side till brown before turning over and frying the other side as well.

Serve immediately.





















Note - If preparing for Navratras, leave out the onion and garlic. Add some shredded cabbage or grated carrots instead. Add some raisins and nuts also if you like.

Monday, September 1, 2014

Milkmaid Coconut Laddoo

After the Ganapati festivities were over, I realized that I had quite a bit of leftover coconut in the fridge. But I was feeling a little bored of eating dosa/idli chutney every other day. And not being too fond of desiccated coconut, preserving it for later use was hardly an option. Then I remembered my 'bua' or father's sister making these Milkmaid laddoos during my childhood days. Those were the days of DD and there were hardly any cookery shows on the telly. She used to patiently note down the recipes from magazines or any other books if she found them interesting. And boy.....she had an amazing repertoire of recipes. I wondered what she would have done if she had the power of the internet at her disposal.

Coming back to the recipe, these laddoos are as simple as it can get. Made with just two ingredients, they are just plain addictive. Read on for the easy recipe -


















Preparation Time - 15-20 mins

Ingredients -


  • 3 cups grated coconut
  • 1 cup milkmaid (or any other condensed milk) (approx)
  • 1/2 cup grated coconut for rolling the laddoos (optional)


Cooking -  Heat a wok. Add the grated coconut and milkmaid. Keep stirring continuously till the mass begins to leave the sides of the wok. Remove and keep aside till it is bearable to touch.

Take small portions and shape into balls. Sprinkle the grated coconut on a plate or a working surface. Roll the balls lightly over the coconut. Keep in the fridge for half an hour to set.

Serve cold or at room temperature.


Note - These stay fresh up to one week when refrigerated.

Monday, August 25, 2014

Sweet Appams

With Ganesh Chaturthi around the corner, cleaning the house in in full swing. Replacing/washing the sofa covers/curtains/bed-sheets, dusting, removing the cow-webs, throwing out/giving away the old clothes/toys and cleaning out my pantry is what I plan do achieve by Wednesday. That would give me ample time to make the sweets/delicacies for the big day, i.e., 29th August (friday). People from Odisha do not celebrate the Gowri-Ganesh puju that is being observed on Thursday by folks from down South.

Unlike Maharashtra and some of the other states where it is a ten day long festival, Ganesh Chaturthi celebration in Odisha is a comparatively low key affair. Mandaps/Pandals of varying sizes come up in most schools, colleges, offices and market places. The most common prasad distributed at such Pandals is the 'Chuda Ghasa' and 'Khaee ukhuda' ( scroll down to the bottom of this post for more recipes ). In western Odisha, the harvest festival of 'Nua khai' is observed on the following day. It also heralds the beginning of the festive season in  Odisha. It is closely followed by festivals like Vishwakarma Puja, Dwitibahana Osa, Durgashtami, Kumar Purnima/Lakshmi Puja and Diwali/Kali Puja, and the holy Odia months of Karthik and Margasira.

Sweet appams happen to be one of the important offerings/Neivaidyam made to Lord Ganesh in Southern India. While it is traditionally made from rice flour, I have made these with store bought batter. Saves time and the taste is also preferred by toddlers/kids. Read on for the easy recipe -


















Preparation Time - 10-15 mins

Ingredients -


  • 1 cup idli/dosa batter (should be thick)
  • 1 tbsp wheat flour
  • 1 ripe banana (peeled)
  • 2 tbsp grated coconut
  • 2 pinch cardamom powder
  • 1/3 cup jaggery powder
  • a pinch of salt
  • oil/ghee for deep frying



Preparation - Take all the ingredients (except for oil/ghee) in a mixing bowl. Blend into a uniform mixture using a hand blender. Allow to stand aside for 20 mins.

Cooking - Heat oil in a wok. Drop spoonfuls of the batter into the hot oil. Take 4-5 teaspoons at a time. Deep fry on both sides to a light brown. ( Alternately cook in a nonstick appam pan or even a tawa. It tastes as good and absorbs much less oil )

Remove from wok and keep aside to drain on a paper towel.

Repeat for the remaining batter.

Serve hot/warm.


















Note - If you wish to make the appams with rice flour, use about 1 cup water for about 1 1/3 cups of rice flour.

Other popular Ganesh Chaturthi recipes -

Chuda Ghasa
Chuda Kadamba (avalakki laddoo)
Paal Undrallu ( Attakali )
Modak (Manda pitha)
Pal Payasam
Channa Sundal


Saturday, June 28, 2014

Chocolate-Gajar Halwa-Gulkand Truffles

I find working with chocolate a bit intimidating. Hence one will rarely find experimenting with chocolate recipes on my blog. But I do look at the posts put up by my fellow bloggers and dream of doing something like them someday. Finally, it was a contest that propelled me to try something new with chocolate.

While I been eyeing Chocolate truffles recipes in all kind of forms, from the simple ganache ones to the ones containing liquor, I wanted to try an Indian version. That is when i got the idea to use 'Gajar Halwa' inside the truffles. But it seemed a bit too simple. Wanted to add another dimension so went for a white chocolate core with 'gulkand' infused in it. The outer layering is made with dark chocolate. It was time consuming but loved the results (especially the white chocolate-gulkand core which was quite a revelation). Even my husband (who is not much of a chocolate person) quite liked it.

This is my entry for the 'Chocolate Girl' contest launched by Shoppal, one of India's leading coupon shop. Read on for the recipe -

















Preparation Time - 1 hour 15 mins ( the gajar halwa itself takes up around 45-55 mins )

Ingredients -

For the Gajar Halwa -

4 small carrots (grated)
1 1/2 cup whole milk
4 tbsp sweetened condensed milk
2 tbsp khoya
a pinch of cardamom powder
2 tbsp unsalted butter

For the inner white chocolate core -

5-6 tbsp white choco chips
1 tsp gulkand

For the outer layer -

40 gm dark chocolate chips
2-3 tsp grated white chocolate
2-3 tsp grated chocolate ( i used Cadbury's Dairy milk)

Butter/shortening for greasing the hands

Preparation -

For Gajar Halwa -
Heat the butter in a frying pan/wok. Add the grated carrot and fry on medium flame for 7-8 mins.





Around the same time, boil the milk separately. Allow it to reduce to 3/4 th. Then add the fried carrot and cook till the water has almost evaporated and it starts to looks lumpy.

















Add condensed milk, khoya and cardamom powder to it and mix well. Cook till it almost turns into a solid mass. This will further solidify on cooling.

Remove from flame and allow to come down to room temperature before you pop it into the fridge.


Assembling the truffles -

For the inner core -

Put a bowl on double boiler. Add the white choco chips and allow them to just melt. Switch off flame.

Add the gulkand and stir it to incorporate it uniformly. Keep it aside till it starts to solidify again.

Rub shortening on hands. Pinch small portions of white chocolate and shape them into smooth balls about the size of a hazelnut.





For the middle layer -

Take a lemon sized ball of gajar halwa. Spread it into a thin layer on your palm. Place the white chocolate ball in the middle and close it from all sides. Using gentle pressure, mould it into a smooth round shape.

















Keep these in the fridge for 2-3 hours to allow the gajar halwa layer to firm up.

For the outer layer -

Put a bowl on double boiler. Add the dark choco chips and allow them to melt. Stir a bit till they turn into a dark liquid. Switch off flame.

Remove the balls from the fridge and dip into the melted chocolate one by one, coating each one uniformly. Keep aside on a greased and chilled plate.

Spread the grated chocolate ( both white and regular ) on a plate.

Roll each ball over the grated chocolate to form a uniform coating. The truffles are now ready.





Serve immediately or store upto 3-4 days in a airtight container in the fridge.

















( Note - If the gajar halwa has more water content/moisture, then the truffles gets spoiled too soon )

Monday, March 10, 2014

Quick Kesar Kalakand (Holi Special)

Kalakand is a classic Indian dessert that requires hours of slogging in the kitchen to prepare a single batch and undoubtedly years of practice to perfect it. But the crumbly melt-in-the-mouth goodness more than makes up for the effort. It was quite by chance that I came across this quick version of 'Kalakand' when leafing though Tarla Dalal's cookbook. First, I was not looking for a dessert. Secondly, while I had seen the recipe pics earlier, I had not even glanced at the time required to prepare it. But this time when I noticed that it would take less than 20 minutes to get a batch ready, I promptly added it to my 'Holi Special' menu.

The only thing that we need to take care of is the quality of the paneer.  It should be fresh (no frozen ones allowed) and soft ( Check out the Delhi Panner at Total Superstore or Hypercity) . Also do not overcook the mixture. I have a confession to make. I would never have dared to prepare this dessert had it not been for Tarla Dalal's recipe. Read on for the recipe:


















Preparation Time - 15 mins

Ingredients - 3/4 cup finely grated paneer, 1/2 cup fresh cream, 1/4 cup sugar, 8 tbsp milk powder, 1/2 tsp cornflour, a generous pinch of saffron, 4 tbsp milk.

Preparation - Soak the saffron in 2 tbsp warm/hot milk.

Dissolve the cornflour in 2 tbsp of milk at room temperature.

Cooking - Heat a wok. Add grated panner, fresh cream, sugar and milk powder to it. Mix everything and cook on a low flame.

Add the saffron milk after 2 minutes.

Cook till the mixture starts coming together and leaving the sides of the wok. (continuous stirring is required throughout the process)

Add the cornflour mix at this time. Cook for another 2 minutes and remove from flame.

Spread uniformly on a flat vessel or thali into a layer of about 1.5 cm thickness. Keep it in the fridge for half an hour to set the mixture. Remove and cut into cubes.

Garnish with a few strands of saffron and nuts and serve.








Note - I have used Kesar or saffron as the flavoring. One can also stick to cardamon flavor as mentioned in the original recipe or experiment with a range of flavors like chocolate, mango and even pineapple.



Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Instant Gajar Halwa (Microwave Method)

Merry Christmas to All !!!!

Holidays are a time to catch up with friends and take a much needed break from work. However one does feel the need to savor/cook up a special meal on such days, especially when a friend decides to drop by. While I usually make a Chicken Biryani and raita for the main course, I used to be stumped when it came to desserts.

But since I discovered this very quick version of my favorite sweet, the Gajar ka Halwa, desserts have been a breeze. No more stirring the milk and carrots till one's arm went numb. And the best part is that it tastes as good as the one made by the traditional method. Read on for the recipe:

















Preparation Time - 10 mins ( + time taken to grate the carrots )

Ingredients - 2 cups grated red carrots, 4 tbsp ghee, 1/3 cup whole milk, 4 tbsp milk powder, 3 tbsp sugar, pinch of cardamon, nuts for garnish (optional).

Cooking - Take the ghee in a microwave safe container and heat on high for 10 seconds.

Add the grated carrots and mix well. Microwave on HIGH power for 2 mins. ( Stir once in between )

Add the remaining ingredients and mix thouroughly. Microwave on high for 7-8 minutes . (Stir at interval of 2 mins)

Remove from microwave, garnish with the nuts and serve hot/cold.






Sending this to Cook With Red Event at Shweta's blog Merry Tummy.

Saturday, November 2, 2013

Mahalabia

Happy Diwali to All.

The blogosphere has been bombarded with traditional Diwali recipes. While I do not hold anything against following our customs, I simply did not want to ruin my vacation slaving over those laddoos/kalakand or even kheer. That is when I zeroed in on Mahalabia. Also known as Muhellabia, this is one light milk and easy pudding recipe from the Middle East . The first time I read about it in a travel magazine, I was bowled over by the ease and simplicity of this dish. While it does remind me of another Indian dessert (Phirni), this one makes use of cornflour rather than rice flour. It has a light custard or thick yogurt like texture.

Read on for the recipe:
















Preparation Time - 15-10 mins

Ingredients - 2 cups whole milk, 1/2 cup milk powder, 3 tbs corn flour, 1/2 cup sugar ( or less as per preference ), 3 tbs rose water, 2 whole cardamoms, nuts for garnishing.

Cooking - Bring the milk & milk powder to a boil. Allow to boil for 7-8 minutes. Dissolve in the sugar.

Dissolve the corn flour in a little milk. Add slowly to the boiling milk and stir continuously till it thickens to a custard consistency. Add the rose water and cardamon at this point and mix in.

Pour in glasses & put into the refrigerator.

Garnish with chopped pistachios & almonds. Serve chilled.


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