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Rakshabandhan is right around the corner and traditional sweets are a quintessential part of every Indian festivity. This year I wanted to make something which is healthy but still festive. I tried my hands on Ragi Laddoos. These are gluten free and so easy to put together and taste is absolutely top notch. When I was taking pictures my kiddo asked me if these were chocolate balls and I said yes 😉 He gobbled down two instantly and gave me a thumbs up. Isn’t it how you call a recipe successful. These are perfect for people who are watching their weight, for people with celiac diseases, for little babies and even for pregnant woman.


Make for your beloved brother or dear sister these Ragi Khus Khus Laddoos. They are incredible and taste divine. I am sure they will make this festival more joyous! You can even try Besan Rava Laddoos is you want to stick to the traditional recipes.

 
Directions:
1. In a wok add ghee and melt it. Add Ragi flour, I have used SOS Organics himalayan ragi flour and keep sauteing it till the aroma of roasted flour is felt. You will notice the mixture has separated from ghee. This should take good 10-12 minutes. Keep the flame low and keep stirring it.





2. Add almond meal or ground almonds and also powdered green cardamom powder. Mix well with the ragi slurry and continue to cook for a minute more.




3. Turn the flame off and add castor sugar or powdered sugar and mix well.

4.Let the mixture cool down little bit. Cool enough to make laddoos or round balls with it. 


5. Roll the laddoos in roasted poppy seeds and set them aside to set and firm. 


6. They also taste great when soft and warm. They stay good for about 20 days if kept at room temperature in an airtight jar.

Other Ragi of Finger Millet Recipes you can try are: Gluten Free Chocolate Ragi BrowniesRagi Masala TwistersRagi & Whole Wheat BiscuitsInstant Ragi Dosa. 

Other Traditional Indian Festive Food you can try are: Attey Ka Halwa Gurudwara StyleSwang Ke Chawal Ka HalwaApple LapsiKaddu ka HalwaSooji HalwaGajar Ka HalwaMango Saffron PhirniPaneer Ki KheerSabudana KheerMakhane Ki KheerGram Flour Semolina BallsGurr Gajar Ke Meethey ChawalKesari SeviyanRasgulla

You can order Organic Ragi or Finger Millets from SOS Organics from here.

[whohit]RagiKhusKhusLaddoos[/whohit]

[yumprint-recipe id=’289′]

orangeblueberrycake_featured1

Its almost Christmas and time for us to move our base from the hills to the plains till the winter break is over. This is the time of the year when our school shuts down for almost two months and we get a good time to spend with our family and loved ones. My bags are packed and I am about to empty my pantry. Last few days I am baking with whatever fruit is left in the fridge. Therefore, the productivity of Oven is at its peak. When I saw oranges and blueberry in my freezer compartment I knew I have make this cake which has been on my to do list for such a long time. I wanted a simple Orange Pound cake which makes everything just right.

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And when the cake came out of the oven it was simply to die for. So moist, flavourful with orange zest and the cake was screaming eat me up! So that’s what I did 😉 If you are planning to do something for this holiday season its highly recommended that you include this in your bake list. You will surely thank me 🙂 Until next time…

Directions:

1. In a bowl add All purpose Flour, salt and Baking Powder and combine. Set aside.


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2. Take zest of two oranges and juice them. Set aside the zest and fresh orange juice aside.

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3. In another bowl add add butter at room temperature. Also add sugar and whisk it till everything is creamy.


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4. Add eggs and continue to whisk till everything is light and fluffy.


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5. Add Orange Zest and combine.

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6. Now add dry ingredients to the wet and also add orange juice. Combine everything.


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7. Add blueberries and fold inside the batter.

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8. Grease a bundt pan or any pan you fancy. Dust it with dry flour. Preheat the oven to 180 degree Celsius for ten minutes. 

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9. Pour the batter in the baking pan, remember to fill only 3/4th of it. Because you need to give it room to rise. Bake in the oven for 45- 50 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean. If the cake is getting brown too fast tent it with aluminium foil and continue to bake at the same temperature.

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10. While its baking in the oven you can prepare a glaze to pour. Add whipping cream in the bowl lightly whisk it add icing sugar, if its not sweet already and  add some orange zest. Combine together.


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11. Add the glaze in a piping bag and make a very small cut in the tip. You dont need a nozzle for this.

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12. When the cake has baked take it out of the oven and let it cool down completely before taking it out of the pan. When it’s at room temperature drizzle some glaze on top and serve.

Other festive things you can try: Gingerbread Man CookiesGreek Traditional Christmas Cookies , Chocolate Vanilla Marble CakePersimmon Rum CakeSorghum and Wheat Flour Persimmon Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting.

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[whohit]OrangeBluebberyCake[/whohit]

[yumprint-recipe id=’265′]

 

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Pancakes are my favourite breakfast as they bring out the child in me. I love the fluffy, cakey texture and then you get to decorate it with chocolate, maple syrup, honey… fresh fruits… chocolate chips and every sugary thing on earth!! Its time for Halloween and I have roasted a huge pumpkin and made fresh Pumpkin Puree. Today I made these fluffy pancakes with pumpkin puree which were to die for.

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I plan to make a lot of other things in the days to come. Adding Pumpkin to recipes is not only delicious but pulls up the nutritional quotient of the dish. If you wanna hide pumpkin in your kids food try these pancakes. I am sure they will love it.

Directions

1. In a bowl add All purpose flour, Pumpkin Pie Spice and Baking Soda. You can make it at home very easily. Follow this recipe.


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2. Also add salt and sugar. Combine everything well and set aside.


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3. In another bowl add evaporated milk, Pumpkin Puree (Oh you can also make this at home. Learn to make it how).


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4. Add egg and oil and combine everything well.


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5. Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and combine till everything is moist. Add a little water and make the consistency pourable.


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6. Heat a pan or griddle and brush it with butter or spray with some oil. Pour a ladle full of batter in the centre.  


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7. When you see some bubbles emerging on the cake batter that’s when you must flip it to cook on the other side. Cook the other side for a few minutes or till the top is golden in colour.


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8. Stack a few pancakes on top of each other and generously drizzle with some maple syrup and even a cube of butter. Indulge in the festivity with style, taste and nutrition.

Other Pan cake recipes you can try are : Blueberry Buttermilk Pan Cakes Eggless Walnut Pan Cakes , Apple & Cinnamon Pan Cakes.

Other recipes with Pumpkin Puree you can make:  Pumpkin Puree Bread BunsHalloween Special Baked Pumpkin DoughnutsPumpkin Cake Rolls

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[whohit]PumpkinPancakes[/whohit]

[yumprint-recipe id=’253′] 

TapiocaCoconutMilkPudding_Featured1

Time for Navratras, the nine days of fasting and feasting. I personally feel I end up hogging more during this week. The variety of food available is simply lip smacking, so eventually you end up eating more. I have earlier posted many recipes made from Sago, both sweet and savoury, like Sabudana Tikki, Sabudana Kheer, Sabudana Khichdi. You can also use tapioca if you don’t find Sago.

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But this time I wanted to try something out of the ordinary. I had plenty of Sabudana lying so I looked for some pudding options. I found a couple of thai recipes of Tapioca with Coconut Milk. Unfortunately that called for addition of eggs which defeats the entire purpose of Navratras. I took the challenge and proceeded to try without eggs. To my food fortune the pudding came out amazing. Never felt it needed eggs. I tried to club it up with my Strawberry Preserve I had made a week back. The combination was simply fabulous. You got to try it to believe me. My husband took three helpings and still he was asking for more. He has all the fun in Navratras without fasting. Hunh!

Directions:

1. Wash and Soak some Sago/ sabudana or Tapioca in water for an hour till the time you see it has swelled up. 

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2. In a saucepan add some Coconut Milk. I have used canned you can use fresh home made if you like. Bring it to a simmer. Do not boil for it will split.

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3. Add sago pearls to the coconut milk and continue to cook on low flame.

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4. Add Vanilla Essence and Sugar. Continue to cook till it has thickened to desired consistency, It will not take long so keep an eye for you don’t want the pudding to become like a wallpaper paste and worse stick to the bottom of the pan.


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5. Spoon the serving bowl’s bottom with the home made Strawberry Preserve , you can use any flavour. I used this because I know it doesn’t have any pectine nor anything else which I cant consumer during fasting.

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6. Top it up with the pudding. Make sure its not very hot. You can splurge with an additional spoon of preserve on top and garnish with a mint leaf. 

Other Tapioca Recipes for Fasting you can try here are: Sabudana Tikki, Sabudana Kheer, Sabudana Khichdi

If you are looking for other Strawberry Recipes you may try: Strawberry Preserve, Italian Focaccia Bread with Strawberries and Rosemary, Strawberry Cookies.

Other Navratri Recipes which may interest you:  Swang ke Chawal ki Khichdi Khajoor Til Ke LaddooArbi Masala CurryGajar Ka HalwaMakhane Ki KheerRasgullaSwang Ke Chawal Ka HalwaSwang Ke Chawal Ki PhirniAnaar Aloo ka RaitaPalak Dhaniya ChutneyCoriander Chutney without Onion Garlic.

TapiocaCoconutMilkPudding_Featured4[whohit]TapiocaPuddingwithCoconutMilk[/whohit]

[yumprint-recipe id=’203′]

PaneerKiKheer_Featured2

I am already here with my family for the upcoming festival of colours, Holi. Although each day is a festivity when you are with your loved ones but nevertheless something delicious and rich always makes the festival more beautiful and meaningful. I took my Vanilla & Pomegranate cake for my family and at the same time I tried to make this Paneer ki Kheer for my cousins. It was outrageously delicious. I know it sounds weird but trust me it was divine. It tastes just like Ras malai but much more quick and easy. 

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Its a very forgiving recipe. You simply cannot go wrong. You can make this exciting dessert in less than 25 minutes. So if you have some guests coming over make this for them, serve hot or chilled. They will be delighted with this appetizing bowl of kheer. 

Directions:

1. In a wok or heavy bottom pot, boil milk. When it comes to a boil reduce the flame and let it simmer for good 15 minutes or until the milk has reduced and thickened a bit. Do not forget to stir time to time for you don’t want milk to burn from the bottom.

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2. Add sugar to the milk and let it simmer for another 5 minutes.

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3. Also add crushed Cardamom seeds and combine.

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4. Sliver some Almonds and Pistachios and also half cashews. Add these along with raisins to the milk and combine.


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5. Add strands of saffron and rose essence or rose water to the milk for an amazing flavour.


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6. Crumble fresh paneer or cottage cheese with your hands and put it in the reduced milk. If you have fresh chenna or paneer it will be easier to crumble with hands or otherwise you can even grate the paneer.


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7. Let the paneer get cooked with the milk for another 5-7 minutes and then put the flame off. Garnish with Rose petals and serve hot or chilled.

Other Desserts you can try on The Secret Ingredient are:  Apple LapsiKadda PrashadBasbousaCoconut Milk Mango PuddingGram Flour Semolina BallsKaddu Ka HalwaGajar Ka HalwaKesari SeviyanMakhane Ki KheerSooji Halwa , Swang Ke Chawal Ka HalwaSwang Ke Chawal Ki Phirni.

PaneerKiKheer_Featured5[whohit]PaneerKiKheer[/whohit]

[yumprint-recipe id=’200′]