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Festivals are a time of togetherness when you cherish spending quality time with your family and loved ones. In India the list of festivities is endless. If someone tries to maintain a countrywide list of festivals , every day of the year will be some rejoiced occasion or the other. More festivals means more food and desserts. And when you say more food I am sold out. I thing good food sparks up the festival. This Rakshabandhan I am making Dates Milk Pudding for my family. Its creamy, rich and decadent. 

Directions:
1. Take some dates and remove their stones. Chop them into small pieces and set aside.




2. In a thick bottom vessel add milk and bring it to a boil. Once it has come to a boil turn it on simmer and let it reduce to half. Keep stirring occasionally.


3, In the meanwhile in a wok add some ghee and add halved cashews and raisins.Saute them till they are lighted roasted in ghee. Set aside.





4. In the same wok add chopped dates and water.  Cook them on medium low flame for 8-10 minutes till they have become mush and soft.





5. Add reduced milk and bring everything to a boil. Also add little condensed milk to make  everything a bit more creamy.




6. Add roasted cashews and raisins and cardamom powder. Reserve a few cashews for garnish.




7. Garnish with saffron and more roasted cashews.

Other Desserts you can try are: Makhaney ki Kheer , Ragi and Khus Khus Ladoo, Besan Rava Ladoo, Sewiyan Kesari, Rasgulla,  Til ke Laddoo , Tilkoot, Mango Saffron Phirni, Paneer Ki Kheer

[whohit]DatesPayasam[/whohit]

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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]

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Sabudana kheer
Since I was a little girl I love Sabudana Kheer. More for its texture and less for its taste. The swollen tapioca /sago pearls makes it gooey and creamy.  I personally like it cold and refrigerated for the kheer becomes thick and dense. The only time I get to eat this is during Navratras when I am fasting.

It is definitely a delicious delight. But if you have some guests coming over you can make this in a jiffy. Just that you have to soak Sabudana in water few hours in advance.

Directions:

1. Soak Sabudana Pearls in water for atleast 2 hours. Overnight is Best. Pour water only to the level of sabudana.

2. In a deep pan put ghee and roast the dry nuts until crisp. Set aside.

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4.  Add milk in a wok or milk boiler and bring it to a boil. Let it simmer on low flame for 10-15 minutes till it reduces to almost half.

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5 . Add soaked sabudana discarding the water, if any. Keep Stirring till milk reduces and sabudana absorbs the milk.

 

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5.  Add saffron strands and crushed cardamom. You must not miss adding rose water to give it that extra deliciousness.

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6. Add sugar and stir.

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7. Garnish with roasted dry fruits, fresh rose petals and even dried rose petals will add glamour to the pudding.  Serve Hot or refrigerate to serve cold.

Other recipes for fasting you can try are: Healthy Kachalu Aloo ChatTangy Mint PotatoesKhajoor Til Ke LaddooVrat Wale Dahi-Paneer KebabsSwang Ke Chawal Ka HalwaSwang Ke Chawal Ki PhirniTapioca Coconut Milk Pudding with Strawberry PreservePaneer Ki Kheer, Swang ke Chawal ki KhichdiKaddu Ka Halwa,  Sabudana Khichdi .

[whohit]Sabudana-Kheer[/whohit]

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Rasgulla_Featured1
Rasgulla is a traditional Indian sweet, popular all across the globe. They are cottage cheese balls soaked in sugary syrup. Its widely available in all sweet shops in India. You can also buy them in cans, which makes them available  in Indian stores even outside India.

I am a member of a Food Group on Facebook Chef at Large . It is one of the largest food groups in India. Its members are very talented and inspire everyone to cook better and new things every day, every minute or I should say every second :P. That is where I came across this easy recipe to make rasgulla. Its Garima Sarolia Narera’s most popular recipe. I am sure all the members would have tried it at least once and I am not kidding 🙂 So I thought why shouldn’t I also give it a try. After all who minds delicious rasgullas.

Making them was easy as the recipe is very well written with tips and tricks to make mouth melting rasgullas. Here is my take on them.

Directions:

To Make Chenna:

1. Boil milk in a milk boiler. I used full fat milk, let it cool and removed all the cream. Then reboiled it.

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2. When the milk comes to a boil put the flame off and put in it lemon juice to curdle the milk. You can even use distilled white Vinegar.

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3. The milk mass and whey will start separating like this. If it doesn’t happen you should add more lemon juice or vinegar till it starts to curdle. Add ice cubes and let it rest for a minute.

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4. Strain this in a mesh colander. You can even line it with a cheese cloth. I did not.

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5. Let the entire whey pass through the colander and you will be left with a crumbly milk mass. Do not throw whey away. You can use it to make dough for rotis. It makes nutritious Rotis.

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6. Put the colander under running water and with the help of your hands thoroughly rinse the milk mass. You are looking to remove the sourness and taste of lemon from the cheese. 

 

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7. Once clean you can transfer it on to a cheese cloth and tie it tightly and hang it so that all the liquid seeps out. You can even give it a squeeze before hanging it. It should take 10-15 minutes.

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8. The chenna should be dry enough to knead into a ball. If it is wet it will not com together.So it should be dry and just a little moist.

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9. Transfer it to a smooth surface where you can knead it with your fingers and palm ends into a smooth dough. It will take 5-8 minutes. You have to knead till the fat comes out. It will be like grease coming out.

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10. This is the most crucial step. The right texture of rasgulla depends on how well you knead. It should come together like this ball.

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11. Divide the dough into more or less equal sized balls. Try to make them crack free balls. I failed 😛 It should ideally make 15 balls. You can make them bigger or smaller. Word of caution:the balls will double up in size on boiling. You can line them up on a kitchen towel and cover them up till your sugar syrup gets ready. You don’t want them to dry out.

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For the Sugary Syrup: We will make two types of syrup for the rasgullas. Both made with sugar but with different consistency. One Light Sugar Syrup and the other little more Sugary. The same light sugar can be made into more sugary syrup after boiling the rasgullas.

12. So for the light syrup add water, sugar and cardamom powder to a wide container. You can use a milk boiler also. I used a wok which can make room for more rasgullas in one go. Remember they double up. Cook till sugar dissolves.


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13. Just as the light syrup comes to a boil add the balls to it, cover the lid and cook for 12-15 minutes. I never wanted to crowd the space so added 8 of them for the first batch.


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14. The test to determine if the rasgulla balls have properlycooked is to drop one of them in a bowl or glass full of water. If it sinks to the bottom consider it ready. If they float you will have to boil them further for a couple of minutes more. Remove them from the vessel into a bowl full of plain drinking water. There should be ample water to accommodate all the rasgullas for they will loose their shape.

 

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To make thicker Sugar Syrup

15. Add more water and more sugar to the light syrup.  Boil the water till sugar dissolves and then turn the flame off. At this stage you can add saffron strands and or Rose water. I only added rose water for that wonderful aroma. Let the syrup cool down and come to room temperature. It should take 30 minutes or so.


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16. Carefully squeeze the water from the rasgullas and drop them gently in sugar syrup.


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17.Refrigerate them for 3 hours before serving. I garnished them with Saffron and chopped pistachios. 

If you looking for more Navratri or Vrat recipes you can checkout Sabudana KhichdiMakhaney ki KheerSwang ke Chawal ki Khichdi, Gajar ka Halwa, Kaddu ka Halwa.

Rasgulla_Featured2

[whohit]Rasgulla[/whohit]

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Rakshabandhan or Rakhi is the festival of Brothers and Sisters, where the sister ties a thread or rakhi on the wrist of his brother asking him to protect him. This is sacred festival of Hindus when special food and sweets are made.  

I spent the last three years in Mexico away from my brothers on this occasion. This year I wanted to be with them in person but unfortunately circumstances are different. So I’ll be celebrating the festival at home with my husband and my little one. Also tomorrow is my little one’s Mundan, a hindu ceremony where the first hair of the babies is shaved. It has a great significance so I decided to make Besan Laddoos for this ocassion. If you follow my blog you will know I come from a family of Halwais, sweetmakers. My Grandfather whom I called Bauji was a proud owner of a famous sweet shop. I can never match the quality and taste of ‘Matta Sweets’ but I still tried. The outcome surprised me. The laddoos came out top notch. I am sure Bauji will be very proud of me wherever he is. 

Directions:

1. In a large wok melt ghee on low flame.


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2. Add Besan and Semolina.


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3. Combine them evenly to make a thick paste. Keep roasting besan in ghee on LOW FLAME by continuously stirring for at least 15 minutes or the besan has started turning little darker in colour. The aroma of roasted besan will fill your home. Stirring continuously my sound like a lot of work but the outcome depends on how well the besan has roasted. It is advised to be patient and continuous.

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4. In the mean while, sliver the almonds in length and keep aside.

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5. Take some almonds and pistachios and grind them coarsely in a dry blender or coffee bean grinder. Keep aside.


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6. After fifteen minutes when the besan is fully roasted and has started to become little creamy and gooey turn off the flame. 


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7. Add castor sugar while besan is still warm, otherwise it would not mix properly. Mix thoroughly and evenly.

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8. Add coarsely ground Cardamom powder and slivered almonds.


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9. Mix well to combine. Let the mixture cool down little bit. Cool enough to make laddoos or round balls with it.

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10. Take the mixture in your fist and press it. The mixture will come together. Give it a round shape using both your hands.It will require a little practice but after two three  trials you will master it. 🙂


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11. Melt little ghee in a bowl and dip one end of the laddoos in ghee.

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12. Rub the buttered face with ground almond pistachios.
 
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13. That is how we garnish the Laddoos.


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14. Store them in an air tight container and thank me with each bite. 😉 Wish you all a Happy Rakshabandhan!

Other Festive Indian Sweets you can try are: Ragi Khus Khus Laddoos , Atta Halwa Gurudwara StyleGurr Gajar Ke Meethey ChawalGajar Ka HalwaKaddu Ka HalwaKesari SeviyanMango Saffron Phirni Paneer Ki KheerRasgulla.


   [whohit]BesanLaddoos[/whohit]

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Kesari Seviyan is the most easy breezy recipe when some unannounced guests come over. Its ready in minutes with ingredients you probably will have at home. Traditionally, Seviyan or Sewai or Semiyan or Vermicelli in English or Pasta Fideo in Spanish were made at home with whole wheat dough and then sun-dried in the open. 

I remember I used to sit with my mother and grandmother during summer days and try help making these. Although my little hands wouldn’t be of much help but it was fun imitating the ladies. They made them with sugar syrup or with milk. Both of them tasted phenomenal. I thought to make with sugar syrup the other day and my little one loved it.  Thought to share the recipe with you as Rakshabandhan is around the corner. I used store bought vermicelli pasta which was pre roasted. You can use home made sewai or the nylon vermicelli both roasted or unroasted. You can also made Savoury Vermicelli Upma or Pulao also with the same Sewai. Its an incredible breakfast option.

Directions:

1. In a wok add some ghee or clarified butter and add roasted Vermicelli to it. Toss them around for a minute so that vermicelli absorbs the flavour of ghee.


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2. In a separate pan heat some water. It should be boiling hot.

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3. Now pour this water into the vermicelli wok.

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4. In the meanwhile chop some dry fruits of your choice and put them with the water into the pan.


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5. Cover the lid and let it cook for 5 minutes or until water has slightly but not fully reduced.

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6. Add crushed or powdered Cardamoms.


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7. Add sugar and combine well.

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8. Add few strands of Saffron and continue to cook by stirring till all the water has absorbed. Keep stirring for it can stick to the bottom of the wok.

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9. Serve hot in small bowls and relish it.

 

 

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