I love sweets!

Saffron Puri - a Delicious crisp sweet puri !

Maida - 1 cup

Cashewnuts - 35gms

Powdered sugar - ½ cup

Saffron – a good pinch

Butter - marble size

Salt - a very tiny pinch

Powder sugar very fine.

Sieve maida & sugar & keep.

Soak cashews & saffron in minimum hot milk.

When well soaked grind fine.

Mix powdered sugar, ground paste, salt & maida to a stiff dough, adding little more maida, if necessary.

Roll big chappathis & cut into small puri.

Deep fry in ghee ( or a mixture of oil & ghee) on a very low fire till completely cooked & crisp.

Note:

I used a puri-press & found it very convenient.

It is soft when we take out after frying, but becomes crisp shortly.

 

Kalkandu Vadai - Chettinad Kitchen challenges doughnuts !

Urad dhal - 200gms ( if split white dhal is available, use it – otherwise whole urad dhal is O K)

After measuring the above, take away 1 tbsp from that & replace with raw rice.

Kalkandu ( sugarcandy, misri, kalakanda) - 200 gms

Oil - to deep fry

Wash & soak the urad dhal – rice mixture in 1 ½ cups of water in the fridge for minimum 30 mts.

In the meanwhile, powder sugarcandy fine & keep ready.

Grind the dhal as fine as possible, using very little water ( otherwise on adding sugarcandy, the batter will become watery.)

Keep the ground dhal in the fridge for 15 mts to harden.

Remove & beat in the sugarcandy powder thoroughly.

Refrigerate again for 30 mts for easy handling.

Make small vadais & deep fry initially on medium & then low fire.

Note:

By grinding in a wet grinder, it is easy to avoid water becoming excess.If you grind in mixi, be careful to add minimum water.

The vadais puff up very well, so do not fry more than 3-4 at a time.

If the oil is very hot, vadais tend to become brown & black, which should be carefully avoided.

Spread on tissue paper ( changing 2,3 times) till cold & store airtight.

This keeps well for 2,3 days.

 

Lauki Halwa - very easy to make.

Grated Lauki - 3 cups

Sugar - 1 cup ( or less, to taste)

Milk - 3 cups (preferably full fat)

Ghee - 3 tbsp

Cardamom powder - 1 tsp

Raisins - 2 tbsp

Chopped cashews - 2 tbsp

Grate lauki & keep aside for a while & after sometime squeeze dry.

Fry in hot ghee for sometime & add milk.

Cook till soft & dry.

Add sugar & cook for some more time.

Add cardamom powder .

Fry nuts & raisins in ghee & add.

Serve hot.

 

Dilkush Cake - Don't ask me the reason for the name !

Gram dhal - ½ cup (100gms)

Moong dhal - ¾ cup(100gms)

Cashewnuts - 150 gms

Grated coconut - ¾ - 1 cup

Sugar - as given below

Ghee - 300 gms

Cardamom powder - 1 tsp

Nutmeg powder - ½ tsp

Fry the dhals dry, individually on low flame till aroma comes.

Mix them with coconut & cashewnuts & grind to a fine paste, adding minimum water.

For every cup of ground paste, take 2 ½ cups of sugar.

Make a one-string syrup with the sugar.

Now add the paste & cook on a medium flame.

Keep the ghee warm & go on adding little by little.

When the mixture becomes thick, add the remaining ghee & test for soft ball consistency.

Add spices & remove.

Go on stirring till a dough consistency is reached.

Transfer to a greased plate & cut into cubes.

 

Nenthrampaza Halwa - made with Malabar bananas

Nenthrampazam, big & ripe - 1 kg

Sugar - ½ kg

Ghee - ¾ cup

Chopped nuts - to garnish.

Boil, peel & mash the fruits thoroughly.

Heat sugar with 1 cup of water & boil.

When one syrup consistency is reached, add mashed fruit & stir continuously.

When it starts thickening, add the ghee gradually.

When the ghee starts floating on top & the mass starts leaving the sides of the vessel, remove.

Add cardamom powder,.

Cool, empty on a greased plate spread with chopped nuts, level & cut.

 

Gulabjamun with Milk powder - if you can't get khoa !

For SBS photos, please go to

Gulabjamun with milk powder - 1
Gulabjamun with milk powder - 2
Gulabjamun with milk powder- -3

For the balls:

Milk powder - 1 cup

Maida - ¼ cup

Fine rawa - 1 tsp

Cooking soda - ¼ tsp

Cardamom powder - ½ tsp

Curds - about 2 tbsp ( or more or less to get a dough)

For the syrup:

Sugar - 1 ½ cups

Water - 1 cup

Saffron - ¼ tsp (warm & powder )

Rose water - 2 tsp ( optional)

For frying:

Refined oil

Prepare a sugar syrup by boiling sugar & water till sugar dissolves completely.

Add 1 tbsp milk, remove dirt which collects.

Strain & boil to sticky consistency.

Remove & add saffron & rose water.

Balls:

Mix all dry ingredients.

Add beaten curds little by little till the dough is pliable.

Don’t knead hard, knead soft ( as though you are massaging the dough !). This process is done in the Food Processor.

When you form balls, there should not be any cracks.

Form balls & keep ready.

Heat the oil.

When just hot, add balls & immediately lower the flame ; since it is milk powder, a very low flame is essential as well as gentle cooking. I prefer to use a simmer-rest.

Fry till golden brown.

Strain & cool.

Place balls in syrup & warm them on low heat for 3 mts.

Cool & serve.

 

Corn oil Mysorepak - Has the texture of honeycomb !

This mysorepak has a texture different from the mysorepak made with pure ghee & is more porous .

For this also an important criterion is fresh besan.

Fresh besan - 1 cup

Sugar - 2 cups

Water - ½ cup

Corn oil - 1 cup

Ghee - 1 cup

Mix the raw besan & corn oil without lumps & keep ready .

Warm the ghee & keep it medium, but not very hot.

Mix the sugar & water & keep on a low fire to gradually allow it to boil.

Keep stirring well to dissolve the sugar completely – this is very important.

When it starts boiling, allow to boil for 2 mts.

Now add the besan – corn oil mixture, whisking the mixture well, to prevent lump formation.

When the mixture starts boiling, add warm ghee gradually, mixing it well.

Keep on stirring the mixture.

Keep a greased plate ready, sprinkled with little sugar.

In a shortwhile, the mixture will mass up & try to rise up the vessel.

You can see a spongy & honeycomb texture setting in. Candy thermometer 238-240 deg F

Immediately, empty the contents on the plate & shake the plate to level the contents.

Do not spread with a palette knife on top.

Sprinkle a little sugar on top also.
Wait till it cools & then cut into pieces

 

Badham Burfi - My " sweet" tribute to my very special Indusladies !

For SBS photos, please go to
Badham Cake(1)
Badham Cake(2)
Badham Cake (3)
Badham Cake(1)



Almonds - 1 cup

Ghee - 1 cup

Sugar - 2 cups

Water - 3/4 cup

Saffron - ½ tsp ( warm & powder )

Deskin almonds by immersing in boiling water for 5 mts & then plunging in cold water.

Grind to a paste with 3/4 cup milk - for this, add milk in teaspoons so that the paste is smooth. 3/4 cup is an approximate amount.

Heat water & sugar on a low fire, stirring continuously till it dissolves completely. Take water first, add sugar & simmer on a low flame till sugar dissolves completely.

Make 1-string syrup with sugar. The string should be minimum 1 cm long.

Add almond paste, stirring well with the whisk.

Add warm ghee (not hot) only little in the beginning & keep stirring.

Add rest of the ghee only towards the end ( this is to get a good colour ).

When the soft ball stage is reached (take 1/4 tsp & immerse in a tiny cup of water. You will be able to make a soft but firm ball), add saffron & remove.

Stir for sometime till dough consistency is reached & empty on a greased plate.

Cut into pieces.

 

Jaggery Shakarpara - Wheat & jaggery, a healthy combination.

This is made with wheat flour & jaggery.

This has a different from the usual shakarpara made with maida & sugar.

Wheat flour - 1 cup

Ghee - 1 tbsp

Powdered jaggery - 3 tbsp

Oil - to deep fry

Take wheat flour in a plate.

Add hot ghee & knead into it.

Dissove jaggery in 2 tbsp of water, on a slow fire.

Strain & cool.

Add to the wheat flour – ghee mixture, gradually, kneading to a dough.

Make into lemon sized balls & roll into a chappathi.

Cut into diamonds with a knife or with a cookie cutter.

Heat oil, when it becomes fairly hot, add a batch.

Lower the fire & fry till light brown.

This will fry fairly fast & so, be careful.

Cool & store airtight.

 

Kala Jamun - the Black Beauty of Indian sweets.

Knead the following to a soft dough, adding a little water, if necessary.

Unsweetened khoa - 200 gms

Paneer - 200 gms

Maida - 100 gms

Soda bicarb - ¼ tsp

Powdered sugar - 2 tsp

Cover this dough in a vessel with a wet cloth for 45 mts.

For the filling:

Finely chopped cashewnuts - 1 tbsp

Finely chopped raisins - 1 tbsp

Cardamom powder - 1 tsp

For the syrup:

Sugar - 800 gms

Water 4 cups

Heat sugar & water till the syrup is slightly sticky.

Remove.

Divide the dough into 25 portions.

Mix all filling ingredients & divide into 25 portions.

Take one portion of the dough & flatten it in your palm.

Put one portion of filling in centre & shape into a ball.

Make all the balls.

Make oil hot, deep fry 4-5 balls on a very low fire till dark brown.

This is important for uniform cooking & a deep colour.

Put them in hot syrup.

Soak for 7-8 hrs.

Drain, put in a serving dish.