Beetroot Halwa

Ingredients:

2 cups peeled and grated beetroot

1 cup sugar

1-2 tsp ghee 

1/2 tsp cardamom powder

5-6 Cashew nuts 

Method:

Heat ghee in a thick kadai. Add the beetroot. Keep mixing it once in a while. Keep the heat on medium to avoid burning. When it looks cooked and reduced in quantity, add sugar & mix well to cook it. When the mixture starts looking dry, take off heat. Add cardamom powder and mix.Serve warm or chilled. Add cashews fried in ghee on top.

Mango Burfi

Ingredients:

2 cups Mangopulp  

Sugar

1/2 tsp Ilayachee(Cardmom) powder 

1 tsp ghee

3-4 Cashewnut (cut into medium sized)

Method:

Peel off the mangos and collect the pulp. Make the pulp smoother by using mixer or blender. Take the pulp in a pan and heat it on a medium flame. Go on stirring the pulp till it becomes semisolid. If the stirring is interrupted, the pulp may get stuck to the bottom and get burnt. In order to avoid this,it is better to use nonstick pan. Measure the semisolid pulp and take the same quantity of sugar. Go on heating and stirring the pulp and sugar in the pan till it stops sticking to the sides. Put off the flame once the pulp becomes solid and attains orange color. Mix ilayachee powder with the pulp. Smear ghee to the rolling pad and spread the mixture over it. Spread it with the help of rolling pin. Garnish with cut cashewnut Cut it to suitable size and shape. Allow the burfis to cool and then store them in airtight container.

Sweet Kachori

Ingredients:

For kachori: 

250 gm Plain flour 

1 tbsp Corn flour 

30 gm Ghee

For filling: 

200 gm Khoya (mava)

50 gm Milk powder 

1/2 tsp Nutmeg, cardamom, and cinnamon powder

For syrup: 

250 gm Sugar 

1 Cup water 

1 Big pinch saffron 

Ghee for frying 

Method:

Mix khoya, milk powder and other ingredients for filling. Take a big bowl and combine plain flour, corn flour and ghee. Using water, knead it to pliable dough. Now cover it with a wet cloth. Boil sugar and water to form syrup, add one tbsp of milk also. Boil until the syrup is slightly sticky between the fingers. Crush and add the saffron. Prepare small flat balls from the mixture. Divide the dough into small parts. Roll one ball into a puri and put one mixture ball in the centre. Pull up all the sides to seal the mixture, and press in the centre. Make some kachoris. Heat ghee and fry them on low flame until light brown, turning once. Repeat the process for remaining kachoris. Make a small hole in the centre of each , when slightly cool. Pour 1/2 tbsp of syrup and roll kachori around to let the syrup spread. Allow to stand for about half an hour before serving.

Chikki

Ingredients:

125g raw Shelled Groundnut

200 g jaggery (gul)

2 tsp ghee

Method:

Roast groundnuts in a pan on low heat till they become slightly brown. Let them cool off. Remove its cover. Keep aside. Grease the back of a tray and a rolling pin with 1/2 tsp of ghee and keep aside. Heat the remaining ghee in a heavy wok (kadai). Add gul in small pieces. Start stirring. Gul will start melting. Stir continously otherwise it may burn. Once it starts to become dark in color, turn off the heat. Add groundnuts and mix well so that all groundnuts are coated. Quickly pour the mixture on the greased tray. Flatten the mixture using the rolling pin. Make sure that it’s no more than 1/2 cm thick. Let it dry for a few hours. Remove the chikki and break it into small size pieces. Store it in an airtight jar.

Tip:

The most difficult part of making chikki is the cooking of gul. If you cook it too little, the chikki will not be crispy enough. If you cook it too much, it will burn. You need to flatten it pretty quickly after you pour it on the tray because it solidifies very quickly.

Malpuha

Ingredients:

1 cup wheat flour (gehun ka atta)

1/2 cup sugar

1 tbsp fennel seeds (Badeeshep)

10 peppercorns, crushed

1/4 cup curds

1/2 cup milk

2 tbsp chopped pistachios

Ghee for frying

Method:

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and add 1½ cups of warm water. Mix well to make a smooth batter. Leave aside for 45 minutes. Heat ghee in a kadhai. Pour a spoonful of the batter into the hot ghee and deep fry over a medium flame. Cook on both sides till the malpua is golden brown. Drain on absorbent paper. Repeat steps above steps for the remaining batter. Serve hot, garnished with pistachios.

Kesari Kheer

Ingredients:

3 Cups full cream Milk (Whole Milk)

1/4 cup Sugar

1/4 cup Rice

1/2 cup Condensed Milk

2 tbsp. Golden Raisins (Kishmish)

Small Piece of Nutmeg (jaifal), powdered

15-10 Almonds, blanced and silvered

4 Green Cardamoms (Chotti elaichi), powdered

1/2 tsp. Saffron threads, soaked in little warm milk

Method:

Wash and soak rice in 1/2 cup of water for 1 hour. Cook the rice in the same water until the rice is fully cooked and water has dried up. To the cooked rice add milk. when the milk starts boiling, simmer and leave the kheer to cook till the milk starts thickening, stirring occassionally. Mash the rice a little, add sugar and condensed milk. Add raisins, almonds and saffron. Boil the mixture one more time. Remove from flame, add cardamom powder and nutmeg powder. Keep aside. Allow to cool and then refrigerate. Serve well chilled.

Tips: 

Left over boiled rice can be used in place of uncooked rice. But make sure the leftover rice should not have salt in it.

Coconut Barfi

Ingredients:

Cardamoms 10-12 nos

Cashew nuts (small pieces fried in ghee) 12-15 piece

Coconut whole 2 nos

Ghee 250g

Jaggery 500g

Khaskhas (Gasgase) 50g

Maida Flour 500g

Oil 250g

Turmeric Powder 1/2 tsp

Wheat flour 500g

Method: 

Grind fresh grated coconut and put it in a container to heat. Add grated jaggery, ghee, khaskhas, cashew nuts to it. Stir it continuously , until it mixes well and forms a paste. Take out from the stove and add cardamom powder to it. When it is cooled, make small balls out of it and keep aside. Take Myda and wheat flour (or use Maida only). Add oil 5 tsp, turmeric and water, and mix it Well into a smooth dough. Add 2 tbsp of oil on the top of that and keep it aside 15 minutes. Divide dough into small balls, make a hole, insert a sweet ball and cover that hole. Roll them into round shape (Like Parathas). Grease the tava (pan) with ghee and place this over it. When done one side turn and apply ghee on other side. It should be golden brown in color when you remove, Store it in a dry container and eat with ghee on the top.

Rice Kheer

Ingredients:

1/4th cup long grain rice (washed and drained)

4-5 cups milk

2-3 cardamom seeds (crushed)

2 tbsp. almonds (blanched silvered)

A pinch of saffron threads, soaked in a little hot milk

1tbsp skinned pistachio nuts (chopped)

1tbsp raisins (optional)

2-3tbsp. sugar or as desired

Method:

Put the rice, milk and cardamom in a pan, bring to boil and simmer gently until the rice is soft and the grains are starting to break up. Add almonds, pistachio, saffron and raisins and simmer for 3-4 minutes. Add the sugar and stir until completely dissolved. Remove from heat and serve either warm or chilled.

Chocolate Coconut Cake

Ingredients:

6 tbsp cocoa powder (unsweetened)

6 tbsp chocolate paste

2 cups flour / whole wheat flour

2 tbsp baking powder

3 tbsp corn flour

4 tbsp vanilla powder

1 tbsp vanilla essence/ vanilla extract

4 tbsp milk powder

1 tbsp salt

1 egg

1.5 cup thick coconut milk

3 tbsp olive oil/butter

2 tbsp expresso coffee

1 cup castor sugar/ brown sugar

8 to 10 crushed cashews

Method:

Preheat oven at 180°C exactly 10 mins before baking. Grease the pan with olive oil Or butter just at the bottom not at the sides. Place a butter paper Or parchment paper at the bottom. Sift flour, corn flour, salt, milk powder, vanilla powder baking powder. Keep it aside. Take thick coconut milk in a wok Or vessel. Place on low heat for about 3 to 4 mins. Don’t keep it for too long. Now mix coffee, cocoa powder, chocolate paste. Stir well with a spatula until all blends nicely. Keep this mixture aside. Reserve about 3 tbsp mixture for the cake icing. In the meanwhile cream olive oil / butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and beat until all combines well. Add warm coffee-cocoa-coconut milk mixture. Now beat this mixture for 3 to 4 mins on medium speed. Just ensure the mixture is not warm else your egg will start cooking. Mix dry with wet ingredients. Fold the mixture nicely. Lastly add crushed cashewnuts, vanilla essence. Bake at 180°C for about 40 to 45 mins Or until it starts leaving the edges of pan Or until skewer comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool. Spread the reserved cocoa-coffee-coconut milk mixture on the cake. Chill in the fridge. Serve chilled on a platter with a dollop of icecream.

Tip:

You could add chocolate chunks if chocolate paste not available. If coconut milk not available you could use cows milk. But the cake wouldn’t be as dense as coconut cake.Skip nuts if you wish to. Skip nuts if you wish to.

Kele Ki Barfi

Ingredients:

4 large ripe banana (pake kele)

11/2 cup milk (doodh) 

2 cup sugar

2 tblsp clarified butter (ghee) 

75 gm coconut (nariyal) 

1/2 cup crushed walnut (akhrot) 

Method:

Peel banana and mash them. Now cook mashed banana along with milk in a pan until milk dries up. Now add butter and stir continuously till it turns brown in colour. Now add sugar, grated coconut and walnut and stir. Remove it from the flame. Grease a plate with butter and spread the mixture in the plate. Its thickness should be 1/2”. When it settles to be cut in pieces, cut barfi in desired shape. Garnish with dry fruits and serve.

Sweet and Sour Beetroot

Ingredients:

Beetroot – 1 lb (1/2 kg), peeled and diced

Oil – 1 Tbsp

Mustard Seeds – 1 tsp

Asafoetida – pinch

Curry Leaves – 1 sprig

Green Chilies – to taste, finely chopped

Salt – to taste

Tamarind Concentrate – 2 tsp or to taste

Water – 1 cup, heated

Jaggery – 1 to 2 Tbsp (to taste)

Method:

Heat Oil in a medium pan on medium heat. Add Mustard Seeds and allow them to pop. Add Asafoetida, Curry Leaves and Green Chilies. Stir. Add Beetroot and Salt and mix well. Mix Tamarind Concentrate with hot water to dissolve. Add Tamarind Water into the Beets. Mix well, cover and cook until tender. Sprinkle Jaggery and mix well. Serve hot with chapati or roti.

Sweet Mango Chutney

INGREDIENTS:

2 mangoes

2 tablespoon salt

Water to cover

2 cups sugar

2 1/2 cups white vinegar

1 piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped

6 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 teaspoon chili flakes

2/3 cup chopped, pitted dates

2/3 cup raisins

METHOD:

Peel and chop the mangoes. Place in a bowl with salt. Pour in enough water to cover and let stand for 2-3 hours. Strain, discarding the liquid. Place sugar and vinegar in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Add mangoes to the sugar-vinegar syrup with all remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 1-1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally, or until chutney is of a thick consistency. Ladle the chutney into warm, sterilized jars. Cool and seal. Will keep indefinitely.