Kaasi Halwa (White Pumpkin Halwa)

I wanted to try this for a long time and now only I had find time for it to try. First time trying and it really came very good. I took the recipe from kamala's corner, with very little changes. Original recipe goes with milk, sugar and pachchai karpooram, but i didnt use the pachchai karpooram and used condensed milk.

Ingredients
White Pumpkin - 1/2 kg
Sweetened condensed milk - 1 can
Ghee - 1/2 cup
Cashew nuts, raisins, pista - 1 tsp each
Cardamom powder - a pinch
Saffron - a pinch (optional)
Any colour - i used green to make it different.

Method
Peel off the skin of pumpkin and Grate it.
Filter/squeeze out the water as much as you can.
Now in a big pan, add 1 tsp ghee and fry the nuts and keep aside.
In the same pan, add the grated pumpkin and start cooking it with its own water.
When its water is fully dry, add condensed milk and keep on stirring in medium flame.
Little by little add ghee to it.
Add the green colour.
Keep stirring well until the ghee, start coming out from halwa.
Now add in the nuts and raisins, mix well and switch off the stove.
Serve hot or cold (i like both)

This goes to my event Dish Name Starts with K

Junnu/Kadambu

Hope many of us have heard this and have tasted this in our early childhood days. For those who have not tasted, it is a sweet which is made up of cow's first 3 days milk, after it gives birth. In my early childhood days, our paalkaramma used to give this and either my mom or my grandma used to prepare kadambu for me and I just love it. But I am not sure whether our children will ever get a chance of tasting this kadambu. If they get, I would say, they are really lucky. Though I have seen the recipe (without using the kadmbu paal/lactating milk) from net long before, I got chance to try this out last sunday.

The recipe calls for eggs to be added. But my mom would not eat eggs and mostly I try to avoid eggs in my recipes when it calls for egg. So here i used the egg replacer. It tasted great and took me to my childhood days in India.

Ingredients

• Warm Milk - 2.5 cups
• Egg replacer - 2 tsp ( if egg is used, add 2 eggs)
• Condensed Milk - 1 can
• Jaggery - 2 tsp
• Pepper - 1 tsp
• Cardamom Powder - 1/2 tsp
• Pista - few (crushed)
• Water - 2 tsp
• Saffron strands - few

Method

• Add the 2 tsp water to the egg replacer and beat until fluffy.
• Now add the condensed milk, warm milk and Jaggery and mix well until the jaggery melts.
• Add the pepper, cardamom, and pista mix
• Now keep in a pressure cooker and without whistle pressure cook it for 40 min in medium flame.
• Then remove from steam and cool it in fridge for atleast 1 hr.
• Serve it by garnishing with saffrons.
• Tasty Kadambu/Junnu is ready to eat.... 

This goes to my event - Dish Name Starts with J

Makkan Peda - The Famous Arcot Sweet

I always love the famous Arcot Sweet "Makkan Peda". Arcot is my mother's native and even mine as i too born in Arcot but brought up in Chennai from my age one onwards. Whenever i go during school holidays, i used to have it. But now a days, whenever i go Chennai, my uncle get this sweet from Arcot specially for me. I love it so much. I just love the crunchy taste of nuts and the soft and sweetness of the peda. After i saw the peda from Jay of Tasty Appetite, i started craving for it and now is the time for it. I did it with the gulab jamun formula instead of khoya. Here comes the recipe.

Ingredients

• Milk Powder - 1.5 cup
• All Purpose flour - 1/2 cup
• Unsalted Butter - 1/4 cup 
• Baking Soda - 2 pinch
• Milk - 1/4 cup (can be increased or reduced accordingly)
• Curd - 1 tsp
• Nuts and Raisins - as required for the stuffing (i used Pumpkin seeds, almonds, cashews, water melon seeds)
• Oil - for frying

Sugar syrup

• Sugar - 2 cups
• Water - 1.5 cups
• Cardamom - 2 pinch
• Saffron - few strands

Method

• In a bowl, mix the milk powder, all purpose flour, baking soda and butter nicely.
• Now add the curd and mix again.
• Add milk, little by little and make it into a soft dough. 
• Let it rest for 15 min.
• Now take the dough and it will be bit dry by this time, add some more milk (or water) little by little and keep it soft.
• Now take small quantity of dough and stuff it with nuts and raisins and make in to small balls.

• While making the balls, you can start preparing the sugar syrup, in a large bowl, by adding the sugar and water. When sugar gets dissolved, add the cardamom and saffron, and keep in low flame.
• In another pan, add the oil and keep in low to medium flame.
• When the oil is hot, add the balls one by one and start frying as like jamuns.
• Fry till the balls comes to golden brown color fully.
• Take out the balls, and dry it with kitchen tissue and transfer in to the hot sugar syrup immediately.
• Let it rest for 1 to 2 hrs or till the balls absorbs the syrup.
• Serve it by garnishing with some nuts.

Note: 
1. The softness of dough is that, it should not stick more in your hands and you should be able to make it into a small balls.
2. For frying, instead of oil, ghee can also be used.
3. Instead of butter, even ghee can be added.
4. The sugar syrup must be hot, when you add the makkan peda in to the syrup.

This goes to the event - Celebrate Sweets - Stuffed Sweets - Guest hosted by me and brain child of Nivedita.

Godhumai Urundai (Wheat Balls - Semi Shaped)

Ingredients

• Wheat flour - 1.5 cups
• Milk Powder - 1/2 cup
• Ghee/Butter - 1/2 cup (can be adjusted + or -)
• Sugar - 1/2 to 3/4 cup
• Powdered Cardamom - 1/2 tsp

Method

• Fry the Wheat flour till slight brown. Dont over fry it.
• Allow it to cool.
• Now add the Milk powder, sugar, cardamom and ghee and mix well .
• Now make it into desired shapes. (With small tsp i made it into semi balls).
• Store it in an air-tight container for 3 to 4 days.

This goes to the following events

My event: Dish Name Starts with G

Food Palette - Brown @ Torview

Cooking with Seeds - Wheat  by Suma and Priya

Falooda

When i announced Event F, the first dish which came to my mind was Falooda icecream. Who will say no to this wonderful dessert. But when i checked the net for the recipe, i got to know that, the recipe needs some special seeds like Tukmaria Seeds ( also known as Falooda seeds ) which i wont get in nearby shops. So i need to go to Mustafa centre. I found time only 2 days before to get the seeds but unfortunately, didnt get the sev. so thought i could manage with semiya. But today, when i soaked the seeds and checked for semiya but it was over and really disappointed. So thought, i should give a try to make the sev on my own and forced myself to do it with the lemon squeezer itself as i dont  have the sev press. Somehow, i managed to make it and the finally the falooda was really a big hit at my home. Here comes the recipe.

Ingredients


For Falooda

• Vanilla Icecream - 1 to 2 scoop
• Tukmaria Seeds - 2 tsp
• Falood Sev - 1/2 cup (Semiya can also be used)
• Apple - 1/4 cup (cut into small cups)
• Pineapple - 1/4 cup (cut into small cups)
• Strawberry - 1/4 cup (cut into small cups)
• Rose syrup - 2 tsp
• Cold Milk - 1 cup
• Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
• Green colour - a pinch (Optional)
• Sugar - as needed
• Nuts - (cashews, almonds) - 1tsp ( crushed )

For Falooda Sev

• Corn flour - 3 tsp
• Water - 1/2 cup (can be adjusted)
• Sev Press - 1 ( i dont have one and hence used lemon squeezer)
• Cold Water - 5 to 6 cups

Method

To make Falooda Sev

• Mix the corn flour and water nicely.
• In a pan, add it and heat on low flame, stirring continuously. 
• The mixture becomes transparent and switch off the stove immediately.
• Allow it to cool for 2 min (not more than that, as they become harder).
• Now put it into the Sev press and press into the cold water.
• Put back the sev and cold water into the fridge. 
• (Since i used lemon squeezer, my save size was only 2 to 3" long)

To make Falooda

• Soak the Tukmaria seeds/Falooda seeds for nearly 2 hours.
• Filter it and keep aside.
• If you have Falooda sev, cook as per the instruction on the pack or else you can use the semiya also. But you can make the sev on your own as above.
• Take 1/2 cup milk and add the rose syrup, 1/2 of the cardamom powder, half of the falooda seeds, half of the  sev, if needed add the sugar.
• In the remaining milk, add the green colour, remaining cardamom powder, falooda seeds, falooda sev and add the sugar and mix well.
• In a tall glass, pour the green coloured milk mixture, add the apple, pineapple, strawberry, and the rose coloured milk mixture.
• Add the nuts.
• Finally add the icecream and pour the little syrup and on the icecream.
• Garnish with Strawberry and nuts and serve.

This goes to the following wonderful events

My event: Dish Name Starts with F

Kid's Delight - Restaurant Creation by Versatile kitchen and srivalli

Holi Aayi Re by Vatsala

Celebrate sweets by Rasoi and Nivedita

Mango Payasam / Mango Kheer

Ingredients

• Ripe Mango - 1
• Condensed Milk - 1/2 tin
• Warm Milk - 1 cup
• Ghee - 2 tsp
• Raisins - few
• Cashew nuts - few
• Saffron - few strands
• Cardamom powder
• Water - 3 to 4 tsp

Method

• Cut the mango and make a paste in blender with little water.
• In a pan, add ghee and fry the raisins and cashews till golden brown and keep it aside.
• Now in the same pan add some more ghee and pour the mango paste and stir continuously until it thickens a little.
• Now add the condensed milk and warm milk and stir well.
• Add the cardamom powder, saffron and allow to boil for 5 min.
• Switch off the stove and add the raisins and cashews.
• Decorate with few strands of saffron and serve hot.

sending this to cooking with fruits  @ Taste buds

Dry Fruits Strawberry Icecream

Ingredients

• Milk - 1 litre
• Paneer - 1/2 cup (grated)
• Strawberries - 6 to 8
• Sugar - 1 to 1.5 cup
• Dry fruits - Dates, Raisins - few
• Nuts - Cashews, Almonds - few
• Strawberry Essence - few drops (optional)
• Saffron - Garnishing - few (optional)

Method

• Boil the milk until it reduces to half its quantity.
• Meanwhile, grind the strawberries with little milk in a processor or mixier to fine paste.
• Add this paste, sugar, dry fruits, nuts, strawberry essence, grated paneer to the milk and allow it to cook for another 5 to 8 mts keeping in simmer.
• Now switch off the stove and allow to cool.
• Then pour them to a bowl and keep in fridge (freezer).
• Every half an hour take it out and mix well and again keep in freezer. Do this for 4 to 5 times, untill it becomes a soft and smooth icecream. [ i am doing this as i dont have icecream maker with me]
• Garnish with some dry fruits and nuts and saffron and serve cool.

This goes to my event Dish Name Starts with D

Banana in Chocolate Sauce

Ingredients

• Banana - 1
• Cocoa powder - 2 tsp
• Condensed Milk - 4 tsp
• Warm water - 2 tsp
• Dry fruits (Dates, Raisins, Apricot) - few (Chopped nicely)
• Nuts (Cashews, Almonds, Pistachios) - few(Chopped nicely)
• Jelly - as we need (Crushed)
• Honey - 2 to 3 tsp

Method

• In a wide pan, add the cocoa powder, Condensed milk and warm water and cook on simmer.
• Mix well so that no lumps found and a fine chocolate paste is formed.
• Allow it to cool.
• Meanwhile crush the jelly and keep it aside.
• Now in the banana, pour the chocolate sauce, chopped dryfruits, chopped nuts, crushed jelly, honey and serve.

Note: Instead of preparing the chocolate sauce, you can melt any milk chocolate and use as chocoloate sauce.

This goes to the following wonderful events

• Veggie/Fruit a month - Banana by Aipi and Priya
• Choco-Delite's Event by Smitha 

I received an award from the lovely bloggers - Savitha of Savitha's Kitchen and Gayathri of Gayathri's Cook Spot. Thanks a million to both Savi and Gaya for giving this award to me. They both have a wonderful blog. Please do visit theirs for lovely recipes.

I would love to share this with the following 12 bloggers  

• Krishnaveni of Krishnaveni's Kitchen
• Satya of Super Yummy Recipes
• Priya of Bon Appetit
• Sowmya of Vegetarian Cultural Creatives
• Divya of Divya's Recipes
• Anu of Kitchen Skills
• Sameena of My Culinary Creations
• Priya of Mharorajasthanrecipes
• Ramya of Simple Vegetarian Recipes
• Jay of Tasty Appetite
• Mehnaz of Chef Naaz
• Priya of Priya's Easy n Tasty Recipes