I love sweets!

Banana Fudge - a very unusual fudge!

A candy thermometer serves the purpose very well & is a must.

I used a substitute for evaporated milk by
WHIPPING UP 2/3 CUP OF MILK POWDER WITH 1 CUP OF WATER.

Evaporated milk - made as above

Water - 3 tbsp

Butter - 60 gms

Sugar - 450 gms

Ripe Bananas - 3 medium or 2 small (mash just befor adding to prevent discolouration)

Lemon rind - 2 tsp

Put the sugar, water, butter & evaporated milk in a heavy saucepan & stir gradually until the sugar has dissolved.

Boil rapidly for a few mtes.

Put in mashed bananas & lemon rind & boil steadily, stirring from time to time till the candy thermometer reafds “soft ball” – 238 deg F.

Remove & beat till slightly cloudy.

Pour into a greased tin & allow to set.

Cut when cold.

 

Lapsi Kesari - this one is with jaggery!

This dish is ideal for naivedyams.

Lapsi (wheat upma rava) - 1 cup

Moong dhal (lightly roasted) - 2 tsp

Jaggery - 1- 1 ½ cups (to taste)

Water - 3 cups

Ghee - 3 tsp

Cardamom powder - ½ tsp

Freshly grated coconut - 2 tbsp (optional)

Cashews - to garnish

Heat 2 tsp ghee in a kadai & roast lapsi on a low flame till a nice aroma comes.

The more patiently the lapsi is roasted, the more grainy the kesari comes.

Heat water & jaggery till the latter dissolves.

Strain into a shallow vessel, add roasted lapsi & moong dhal.

Keep this vessel inside a pressure pan or cooker.

Cover & keep the weight.

When the first whistle comes, simmer & cook for 15 mts.

Cool & open only after one hour.

Add grated coconut, cardamom powder & garnish with cashews roasted in the remaining ghee.

 

Rice and Coconut halwa – mildly sweet!

This is made with jaggery.

Raw Rice - 1 cup (soak for 2 hrs)

Freshly grated coconut - 1 cup

Jaggery - 2 cups (more by choice)

Water - 5 cups

Ghee - 3-4 tbsp

Cardamom powder - 1 tsp

Cashews - to garnish

Drain rice & grind fine with coconut, adding necessary water from the 5 cups

To the jaggery add one cup from the 5 cups, boil to dissolve & strain.

Mix ground paste, jaggery syrup and rest of the water.

Add 2 tbsp ghee & cook to boil stirring continuously to prevent lump formation.

Simmer, adding the remaining ghee, till it becomes one whole mass.

Add cardamom powder & remove.

Garnish with nuts.

 

Penuche - a Mexican fudge!!

Fine ground sugar - 1 cup (try with brown sugar)

Condensed milk - 1 tin (400 gms)

Water - ½ cup

Butter - 2 tbsp

Finely chopped nuts - ½ cup

Vanilla essence - 1 tsp

Cook together first 3 ingredients till sugar dissolves & till mixture reaches soft ball stage, stirring continuously.

Remove from heat & add the other 3 ingredients.

Beat till mixture is thick & creamy & starts to lose its shine.

Quickly spread on a greased plate & cut when cool.

 

CT Vanilla Fudge - delicious, mouth-melting!

This is an ideal recipe to try if you have candy thermometer.

Milk - 300 ml

Powdered sgar - 350 gms

Unsalted butter - 100 gms

Vanilla - 1 tsp

Put the first three ingredients in a heavy saucepan.

Heat slowly stirring till sugar has dissolved & butter melted.

Now boil, stirring continuously for 15-20 mtes.

Introduce a candy thermometer in the mixture.

When the temperature reads 115 C, remove from stove & add vanilla.

Beat with a woodden spoon till the mixture thickens.

Transefer to a greased tin, level with a spoon quickly.

Leave at room temperature & cut when cold.

Store airtight.

 

Semiya Halwa - yummy, yummy, NO GHEE!

PRE-ROASTED SEMIYA - ½ cup

Milk - 500 ml

Milk powder - 3 tsps

Sugar - ½ cup ( or sweetener)

Cardamom powder & saffron

Roast the semiya on low fire in a dry kadai for 5 mtes.

Add hot milk, stirring to avoid lumps.

Simmer till the milk reduces to half the volume.

Add milk powder, sugar & saffron powder.

Mix well, simmer for a few more mtes & remove.

Garnish with saffron.

Best served hot.

 

Wheat–Jaggery Halwa - very easy & very tasty


Whole wheat (samba or Punjab variety) - 1 cup

Jaggery - 2 cups

Ghee - ½ cup

Cardamom powder - 1 tsp

Chopped cashews - 2 tbsp

I used the big grained lapsi which is used for cooking like rice. ou can use reglar lapsi or whol wheat.

Powder the wheat in a mixi, as fine as possible.

Then add water & grind to a dough, like for soft chappathi.

Heat jaggery with 2 cups of water till t dissolves.

Strain & boil to one string consistency.

Now remove & add the dough, blending very well.

This can be done by a whisk or hand blender.

Make sure there is no lump.

Now start cooking on low flame, adding ghee gradually, till the mixture starts leaving the vessel & ghee starts floating.

Add cardamom powder & nuts & remove.

 

Peanut Butter Fudge - for peanut lovers!!

This is best tried with a candy thermometer.

Milk - ¾ cup

Sugar - 2 cups

Peanut Butter - 2 heaped tbsp

Vanilla essence - 1 tsp

Butter - ¼ cup

A greased tin 6” by 6”

Take milk, sugar, peanut butter & vanilla in a heavy sauce pan & start heating.

When it boils, switch over to medium flame & insert the candy thermometer.

When the thermometer reads 236 deg F, remove from flame & add butter.

Keep stirring till it starts solidifying.

Empty into the greased plate, cool & cut.

 

Bombay Thor - very similar to badushah, yet different!

Maida - 1 cup



Ghee - 2 tbsp – ¼ cup

Soda - a pinch



White Til seeds - 1 tbsp



Knead the above ingredients to bread crumb consistency; then add water in teaspoons till you get like a puri dough.



Divide into12 balls, roll a little thick & prick with a fork.

Deep fry in medium hot oil, on a low fire till bubbles stop completely. Remove & cool.



Make a half-string syrup with1 cup of sugar, adding 1/2 cup of water.



Remove; dip each puri in this till coated, remove and arrange on a plate. Garnish with saffron, cardamom powder and sliced nuts.

 

Milk Mithai - minimum ghee!

Full fat milk - 4 cups

Sugar - 2 cups

Besan - 2 tsp mixed in2 tsp melted ghee

Boil milk & sugar together.

When it becomes thick, add besan mixture & go on stirring.

When the mass rises up as a whole, remove. It should form a firm ball on rolling 1/4 tsp.If it cannot be cut into pieces, roll into small balls.