Mysore Pak

Dish type: South Indian Dessert

Time required: 45 min

Yield: 35 to 40 pieces

Ingredients

Besan                                   400 gms

Brown Sugar                       500 gms

Pure Ghee                            500 gms

Cardamom                           2 nos. (powdered)

Sandalwood powder            ¼ tsp

Directions:

Fry besan till you can feel a nutty flavour. Mix this with cardamom powder, sandal powder, ghee and keep it aside. Boil sugar along with water (Sugar: Water = 1: 1.5) till it reaches 1 string consistency. Now pour besan-ghee mixture into this. Keep stirring gently and continuously till the mixture reaches a thick paste consistency and starts leaving ghee on the sides of the kadai. Now transfer it to a greased plate. It takes atleast an hour to set. Cut them to pieces of desired shape and size.

Soft Mysore Pak is ready.

Tete a Tete

Cardamom powder can be added either to sugar syrup or to besan mix.

Softness of Mysore Pak depends on the quantity of ghee (more quantity required than for rough looking textured type) as well as syrup consistency (1 string is must).

Recipe contributor: Ms. Sreeja M

Boondi Laddoos

Dish type: South Indian Dessert
Time required: 45 min

Yield: 12 nos. approx

Ingredients

For batter:

Besan                                  1 cup

Milk                                    Just enough to bring besan to idli batter consistency

Turmeric Powder                1/2 tsp

Sandalwood powder           1/3 tsp

Salt                                      A tiny pinch

For sugar syrup:

Sugar                                  3.5 cups

Water                                  Just enough to cover sugar in bowl

Cardamom                          2 or 3 nos.

Clove                                  5 to 6 nos.

Cashewnuts                        2 or 3 tsps (broken pieces)

Raisins                                2 or 3 tsps

For frying:

Pure ghee (or butter)          100 gms approx. for each batch of frying

Directions:

Mix milk (preferably Good Life milk), besan, sandalwood powder and turmeric powder. Bring it to idli batter consistency.

Heat 100 gms of ghee / butter in an iron kadai.

(to check if ghee is hot enough for frying, drop a drop of besan batter into hot ghee. If it flattens, it means batter is dilute. Add 1 sp of besan to adjust the consistency. If it forms a tail, it means batter is thick. Add 1 sp of water to adjust its consistency)

Before you begin to fry boondis, fry broken cashews and raisins, remove and keep aside.

Start preparing boondis using a boondi ladle. Using one hand, keep boondi ladle a little above the kadai. Using the other hand, pour batter on to the ladle so that it falls into the hot ghee in the kadai through the holes in the ladle. Wipe the ladle clean and dip it back into the batter. Use another ladle for frying and not the one dipped in batter.

Fry the boondis normally, don’t let it brown or burn. Ideally it is to be fried with sufficient ghee so that boondis have space to float. If you are comfortable using the extra ghee, do in small batches with lesser ghee. When boondis are in the last stage of frying, separate stuck boondis with light pressure.

Towards the end of boondi preparation, prepare sugar syrup to one string consistency and transfer fried boondis to sugar syrup.

Preparing Sugar Syrup:

Boil sugar in 500 ml water. Let sugar dissolve and boil for a few minutes till the syrup reaches a light thread consistency.

Add fried boondis, raisins, cashews, cardamom and clove to the boiling syrup. Let it boil for 2 to 3 min. When ladle starts getting sticky or stiff, switch off the flame. If syrup quantity is more, continue frying for another 2 to 3 min.

Let it cool down, enough for you to handle. .Add pinch of camphor and mix well. Transfer it to a wide basin, make portions and then form laddoos. Start making rough balls from these portions. Press well, but don’t squeeze out all the sugar syrup. Laddoos will become dry. Repeat 3 times. At this stage, it will be a well formed laddoo.

Boondi Laddoos are now ready. Offer to Guru/Jupiter

Tete – a – Tete:

For perfect round and dense laddoos, take out a ladleful of soaked boondis, powder them in a mixie and add it back to the rest of soaked boondis before forming them into laddoos.

Cardamom powder can be added either to sugar syrup or to besan mix.

It is important that sugar syrup reaches light thread consistency.

If batter is too thin or if ghee is not yet hot, boondi will absorb more ghee.

It is better to heat just the required amount of ghee for every batch of frying rather than heating larger than required quantity of ghee at a time.

Adding milk to besan softens the boondis.

Recipe contributor: Ms. Sreeja M

Dessert Recipes

Gulpaavate - Quick Version
Banana Fritters (Yeridevu/Suttevu)
Red Rice Laddoos
Wheat Flour Halwa
7 Cups Barfi
Boondi Laddoos
Haldi Leaf Ada (Sweet Rice Dumplings using Turmeric Leaves)
Carrot Halwa (Gajar ka halwa)
Rava Cake (Semolina Cake)

CARROT HALWA (Gajar ka Halwa)

Tale of Two Pussies

2 pussy cats (a Dad-Son duo)  caught in a dilemma. Hear them mewing….

(For the sake of this fictional story lemme name this duo as Madhu-Rishab)

Pussy 1 asks Pussy 2: ”Hmmmew…. which one shall we pick sonny…This Good Old Angel (glass of milk) or that New Orange Beau…ty?”

Pussy 2 replies:  “Hey poppy…I can’t see any milk in that orange fella, but did you get that milky aroma? Come let’s try it”.

Pussy 1 reacts: “Yeh no Rishew ….look I can see some cashews. Let’s first read this cashew carrotty recipe n find out if there’s any milk. We can then take a call!”

Off shall we run along with these pussies to link and find out if that orange beauty truly has milk in it? Correct Alwa ?

Towering atop a host of Indian delicacies is this classic Indian dessert, Carrot Halwa, also known as Gajar ka halwa. Carrot when consumed traverses quite a journey within our body beginning with its rich content of beta-carotene (orange coloured pigment) converting itself into Vitamin A in the liver and Vitamin A in turn travelling right up to the retina where it transforms itself into rhodopsin (purple coloured pigment that enables vision at night) The crux however lies in the crunch. Carrot when chewed behaves like a brush cleaning our teeth and mouth, piercing through that plaque to scrape it off, triggering saliva, a clear liquid and a vital contributor to a healthy body….

Can we afford to stay off from this delicious veggie that is low in salt and calorie, high in fibre, a natural body cleanser, age retarder, blood sugar regulator and much more?

Dish Type:  Indian Vegetarian Dessert

Time taken:  60 min (15 min prep + 45 min cooking)

Serves:  5 to 6 persons approx.

Ingredients

Carrots                        8 nos. medium size (4 cups approx.)

Ghee                            3 tbsps

Milk                             2 cups

Sugar                           1 cup

Cashewnuts                 10 nos.

Raisins                         1 tbsp

Cardamom                  2 nos. 

Crushed Saffron threads    A pinchful

Directions

Wash carrots (select sweet and juicy ones) thoroughly in water. Drain out the water. Peel the skin and grate the carrots. Soak saffron threads in a tbsp. of milk in a small bowl. Keep it aside.

Crush cardamom seeds just enough to release their flavour.

In a heavy bottom pan, melt ghee. Fry cashewnuts till golden brown, also fry raisins. Remove them from the pan and keep aside.

In to the same pan, put grated carrot and sauté for few minutes stirring constantly over gentle flame. Now add milk and let it boil on medium flame. When it begins to boil, reduce the flame, let it simmer, but keep stirring and scraping the sides. If not, milk can scorch. Also make sure the spatula is dug deep down to the bottom of the pan while stirring. Add the soaked saffron threads.  Continue simmering till the quantity reduces to a third. At this stage, the milk should nearly be not seen and the mixture should look thicker. To this mixture, add sugar. The mixture becomes watery again. Keep stirring at intervals till the sugar is completely dissolved and the dish starts thickening once again and changes colour to deep red. Switch off the flame. Add cardamom powder, fried cashews and raisins.

Serve it hot, warm, cold or at room temperature. A blob of hot carrot halwa over a scoop of vanilla ice cream makes for a great hot n cold combo dessert!

Tete - a - Tete:

Unsalted Pistachio nuts, blanched almonds can be used for garnishing.

Regular milk, sugar and ghee can be replaced by Almond milk, date paste and cashew butter respectively.

Adding sugar early i.e., along with milk prevents halwa from gaining a soft texture.

Khoya or mawa lends a soft, creamy texture to the halwa. Either sweetened or unsweetened variety can be used, but quantity of sugar has to be adjusted accordingly. Khoya has to be added and allowed to mix and melt before adding sugar.

Condensed milk makes for a richer, creamier, sweeter halwa. Again it calls for adjustment of sugar quantity.

Shorter route to make carrot halwa:

Cook carrot in pressure cooker.

Use condensed milk instead of skimmed milk and sugar.

Shredding vs Grating (in brief):

1 medium size carrot when shredded measures ½ cup.

Vegetables, when shredded, look like long strips (long and thin similar to noodles) whereas, when grated, the result is very tiny pieces to the point of being powdery.

Time taken for cooking is longer when shredded as compared to gratings.

Shredded vegetables look smoother and uniformly textured whereas gratings appear uneven.

Taste however doesn’t alter.

Recipes viewed here are a part of  "Mangala's Potluck" section in this blog  

7 CUPS BARFI

Are you game for a race (nah, not the rat kind please!) to brace up for the day?

Ready, steady, 1.2..3…4….go for this miniathon that’s sweetly different…just 7 laps long! Chase those cups… all same size, 7 of them. 1 of rava, 2 of sugar, 3 of ….. Oomph! Off you zoomed to the finish line in no time!! Tip yourself to a delicious dessert you duly deserve!

A dessert that tempts you to devour, yet sweet signals sent from it simply say “Taste me… just a bite and I shall see you savour me bits by bit by wee bit”. 7 ingredients coming together to submerge in a syrup prepared “with no strings (consistencies) attached” and lo! watch those diamonds emerge flat on a plate, glittering. Are u scaling up to seventh heaven all ready!  

Dish Type:  South Indian Dessert 

Time required:  30 min approx.

Yield:  16 pcs (approx.)

Ingredients

Chiroti Rava                        1 cup (Semolina fine quality)

Sugar                                  3 cups (2.5 cups is enough if you don't want it too sweet)

Ghee                                   1 cup

Milk                                    1 cup

Raw Coconut                      1 cup (grated)

Cardamom                          2 pcs. (powdered)

Essence                               very few drops (pineapple / vanilla flavour)

Directions

Mix all the ingredients except milk in a kadai. Now add milk, mix again and let it stand for about 10 mins.

Before you begin boiling, keep a clean, flat plate or tray ready. Grease it by smearing ghee uniformly all over including the sides.

Now keep the kadai for boiling on low flame. Keep stirring the contents at intervals. Continue stirring till it starts bubbling. Ghee will start oozing out and flowing on the sides of the kadai. Keep mixing….oh can’t mix any more? Well, that’s a good sign to transfer contents from pan to plate!

Pour the contents in the kadai on to the greased plate. Spread the mixture evenly on the plate. Slowly and gently flatten and smoothen the top surface with a spatula. After a minute or two, using a sharp knife, mark lines to divide them. Mark either diagonally into diamonds or straight to from squares or rectangles. When it is warm, run the knife deep over the marked lines to slit them to pieces. Let it stand uncovered till it reaches room temperature (takes about an hour). Remove the pieces carefully and stack them on a plate. 7 cups barfi is now ready. Serve them rightaway.

Store them in an air tight container. Store in fridge if needed for later use.

Tete a tete

While stirring, every time make sure spatula reaches right down to the bottom of the kadai and all round the sides for uniform frying.

Texture of the mixture is perfect when it appears smooth and shiny sans any bubbles.

Adding cashewnuts is optional. If used, it can be powdered and added towards the end while frying.

Cup of any size can be used. No. of pieces vary accordingly. I used cup size that holds 100 gms and treated my family to atleast 16 diamonds!
According to my friend Smt. Padmini Prasanna, using coconut milk (1 cup) instead of just raw grated coconut enhances the taste and flavour of barfi.

While there are few other ways and options for making 7 cups barfi, I found this way to be the easiest.

Recipe contributed by octagenarian Smt. Meena Lakshminarayana, an expert cook and aunt in law of my dear friend Arati Rangaswamy

Recipes viewed here are a part of  "Mangala's Potluck" section in this blog 

WHEAT FLOUR HALWA

Figure conscious folks, here’s a boon grown just for you! A type of grass grown the world over, say 2’ tall, can even shoot up to six when measured in quarters of meters. Long stalk with beardly bristly spikes enclosing a tight well-formed kernel cluster, nutrition packed food ingredient culled into a class called grain, called by the name of wheat. The flour of this milled using the whole of wheat, when used in various dishes imparts a “filling” feeling, chasing away that extra weight. Worried that it can’t hold you tight, this flab will simply flee! Feels fab…right?

Despite our eyes on weighing scale, once in a way don’t we wish to indulge. Here’s a dish, a dessert made using wheat flour that grants us both: Our wish to indulge and that extra weight to expunge.

Tempted by its taste when offered as Prasadam on Rathasapthami day, a couple of days ago at Bimba Art Ashrama, I wasted no time in trying it out and needless to say, share this recipe with you.

Dish Type: South Indian Dessert

Time taken: 45 mts
Yield: 12 nos. approx.

Ingredients

Wheat flour     250 gms

Sugar               125 gms

Water              250 ml

Cardamom      1 or 2 nos.

Raisins             2 tsps  

Cashewnuts     2 tsps

Ghee                2 tbsps            

Directions:

Dry fry wheat flour in a kadai over low flame till it turns golden brown and emits a nice aroma. Transfer it to a plate. In the same kadai, fry cashewnuts and raisins in 1 - 2 tsps of ghee. Transfer them to a plate. Pour water and sugar into the kadai. When sugar melts and water starts bubbling, add roasted wheat flour slowly into the boiling syrup. Keep stirring while adding. Continue to stir till the flour with syrup turns into a mass. Start adding ghee little by little, keep stirring and when the mass leaves the sides of the kadai, add fried raisins, cashewnuts and cardamom powder. Mix well. Switch off the flame. Make round balls and keep them on a plate. Let it stand for a few minutes.

Wheat Flour Halwa is now ready to be served.

Tete - a - Tete

Whole wheat flour contains bran, germ and endosperm of the grain and is more nutritious than refined flour wherein bran and germ are removed during milling.

Whole wheat flour contains iron, thiamin and niacin, is rich in fibre and provides an earthy taste.

Recipe contributed by septuagenarian Smt. Uma Nagaraj, mother of my dear friend Smt. Deepika Dorai

Also view:
Gulipaavate (Wheat flour - Semolina Laddoos)
Banana Fritters (Yeridevu/Suttevu)
7 Cups Barfi
Red Rice Laddoos
Bun Gulkand Sandwich
Chocoats Ragi Malt Porridge

Recipes viewed here are a part of  "Mangala's Potluck" section in this blog  

ARAVANA PAYASAM

Payasam popular naivedyam of Lord Ayyappa at Shabarimala.

Sharanam Ayyappa! Let’s start

Dish type: Traditional Desert

Time required: 45min

Yield: 1 bowl (200 ml approx.)

Ingredients

For boiling:

Rice                                        60 gms

Jaggery                                 120 gms

Water                                      150 ml

Ghee                                        45 to 50 gms

Edible Camphor (paccha karpoora) tiny pinch

Cardamom                            2 or 3 nos.

For garnishing:

Dry coconut  finely chopped   4-5 tsp (few small pieces)

Black til                                ½ tsp

Cashewnuts                            1 tsp

Raisins                                 2 tsps.

Directions:

Dry fry organic handpound raw rice for two mins. Stop when grains start spluttering. Add a tsp of ghee. Do not allow rice to splutter too much or turn crispy. Now add water and let it soak for 15-30min depending on the rice which you are using. Close with a lid. Let it boil. When rice is cooked, no water should remain and you should be able to mash the cooked rice with mild pressure between your fingers. Transfer rice from kadai to a vessel. Add half portion of ghee. Let ghee coat the rice well.

Now put jaggery into the kadai. Add water (quantity enough to dissolve jaggery). Boil till jaggery melts. Open or lightly crush the cardamom and add. When the syrup starts frothing, add cooked rice to it. Keep stirring till the contents in the kadai thicken (not too thick, as it will further thicken when it cools). Let the payasam cool down in the kadai a bit say 10-15 min. In the Naivedyam offering bowl, add remaining ghee, camphor. Mix well. Now transfer the payasam to offering bowl.

Now, let’s garnish. Let it look stylish!

Fry chopped dry coconut pieces in ghee. Let it turn golden brown in colour. Now add black til, cashewnuts and raisins. Add it to the payasam and mix well. The real aroma is in the garnishing !

Aravana Payasam is now ready for offering. Leave the payasam for 1-2 hrs and the ghee will thicken back. Best tastes this way.

Tete a Tete

Red rice, handpound rice, Rajamundri rice or any raw rice can be used.

Blackest possible variety of jaggery is preferred. (paak bella)

Important : Best tastes when cooked in an iron or brass kadai / pan

When jaggery melts completely on boiling, sieve if required to filter out any impurities and pour the filtered jaggery syrup back into the kadai and resume boiling.

In case too much water is left out after cooking rice, drain out the water

Can reduce the ghee, if you can compromise the taste a bit

Rice can be pressure cooked, provided it doesn’t get smushy

Recipe contributed by my dear friend Ms. Sreeja M

Recipes viewed here are a part of  "Mangala's Potluck" section in this blog