Recipe | Panjiri - A Nourishing Indian Dessert

The Panjiri is a winter specialty made in many houses in North and West India. This dessert is heavily laced with dried fruit and nuts and many other medicinal herbs to boost immune system and provide extra calories to sustain the extreme cold conditions there.
In many parts of India Panjiri is given to new mothers as an aid to increase lactation and to provide extra nourishment after delivery.

Recipe | Churma Ladoos - Traditional Diwali Sweet

Hmm...traditional sweet recipe from Rajasthan -  and I could not think beyond Churma Ladoos. 

The instant flashbacks I get when I think of Churma Ladoos is - firewood, smoke filled kitchen, large black iron kadai (wok) and my grandma with a ladle sitting on a small wooden stool, slow roasting coarse whole wheat flour adding ladlefuls of fresh homemade cow’s ghee from a copper burni (pot) beside her and a funnel in another to fan the hearth.

Recipe | Quick Saffron Fudge or Kesar Peda

Kesar Peda is one of the 30 recipes I did for an assignment for a regional magazine. The issue is out and is liked by many who called to say the same. Here is quick saffron Peda recipe; 

Recipe | Kesari

Semolina Kesari is a popular sweet in South India. In my hometown Udaipur we make Suji ka halwa which has almost the same ingredients but proportions are different. Halwa has fluffy texture while Kesari is fudgy and seta like burfi.

  

Ingredients;

• 1/2 cup Semolina or rawa
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cup milk
• 3 tbsp. Ghee
• 10-12 cashew nuts
• 1/2 tsp. cardamom powder
• A pinch of orange food colour

Method; Heat ghee in a thick bottomed pan and roast cashew nuts till they turn brown in colour.

Add semolina to the same pan and roast till it turns light brown in colour.

Boil milk in another vessel and add roasted rawa and orange colour in it. Stir it well so that there is no lump formed in the milk.

Cook for  3-4 minutes till rawa gets cooked.

Add sugar and keep cooking for another 4-5 minutes till Kesari leaves the sides of the pan.

Add ghee, cardamom powder and fried cashew nuts in it. Grease a large plate with oil and spread the cooked Kesari on it. Flatten the top with a ladle and let it cool completely.

Slice it in desired shapes and serve. 

 

Notes;

1. Replace water with the same quantity of milk for a slightly different taste. Milk makes this Kesari recipe richer and denser. 
2. Avoid orange colour if you are allergic to food colours.

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Anarsay - An Easy Indian Traditional Sweet with Poppy seeds

The peculiar look of this sweet studded with white pearls of poppy seeds makes Anarsay very special festive recipe. And it has been long time since I made this crunchy and scrumptious sweet at home. I wanted to make something different this festival which is easy and fuss free. A long telephonic discussion with mom resulted in zeroing upon Anarsay.
Except for the soaking hour the sweet is really very quick to make and tastes different from other traditional sweets.

Gulab Jamuns with Cottage Cheese - A Delightful Indian Dessert

Yummy delight!

The festival of lights Diwali, brings back the memories of colorful sweets and bursting noisiest of crackers during our childhood days. Times have changed and now we hardly make any sweets at home.
But there are a few sweets which are a staple during the festive seasons at my home, and Gulab Jamun is one of them. These spongy balls made with reduced milk and dipped in sugar syrup is a delight to eat. You can avoid cottage cheese and make the same recipe with only thickened milk as the main ingredient.

Adhirasam - A Traditional Indian Sweet

Come Diwali and you could smell jaggery, cardamom and coconut everywhere! There are many special sweets from South India which are uncommon in other regions, and Adhirasam is one of them.
This traditional sweet requires a little proficiency in making the exact dough which will hold its shape when fried in oil.

Cashew Fudge or Kaju Katli - A Melt-in-Mouth Indian Sweet

Indian festivals and sweets are synonyms to each other. Festivals in India are not complete without a plateful of colourful sweets. These Cashew Fudge or Kaju Katli as called in Hindi is one of my favorite sweets and is a permanent feature in my house during all festivals. 

Seven Cup Cakes - An Indian Delicacy

As the name suggests this Indian sweet 7 Cup Cakes is done with exactly 7 cups of ingredients. This is a long due post and the very first post in 2011. My co-sister S made the sweet during Diwali festival. Though she was not quite happy with the results as she thought the mix got overcooked and did not taste exactly like what she wanted. But I thoroughly enjoyed the slight caramelized version of this delicacy and would love to do it this way if I am making it again :) 

Nutty Chandrakalas - a delicacy worth indulging

The sweet looks and taste as beautiful as its name - Chandrakala which might have got its name due to the crescent shape similar to moon (chandra). The shape and the stuffing may vary from one region to other region, but the sweet is surely a delicacy worth indulging in. Moreover these sweets can be prepared ahead of time and kept, saves loads of time during the hustle & bustle of festive seasons.
Normally Chandrakala has the stuffing of mawa or the condensed and thickened milk, I prefer the filling of nuts and honey.

A Sweet Indulgence - Imarti

The next few days are going to be sweet indulgence with festivals around the corner. The women folks are all geared up to plan for the variates they are going to prepare this Diwali. Sweets, sweets and more sweets!
Normally I avoid making sweets on festivals, but my hubby insists that I make a few sweets so that the kids get to know of our traditions and customs.
My mom always makes this traditional sweet Imarti on festivals, it looks similar to Jalebis but taste different and requires a little extra effort.

A Simple Dessert of Semolina to Celebrate

This Simple dessert of Semolina to celebrate is for Tasty Bites, an interactive platform for readers and bloggers alike. As is a tradition in India, every good news accompanies a sweet, here is the easy and quick dessert for the same.

Thanks Giving With a Sweet Note

This post is dedicated to all those beautiful people who believed and connected with me & my work. This simple and delicious sweet is my dedication to all of them.
This Vermicelli Kheer is a famous & instant sweet prepared down South of India by many at all occasions.Be it a birthday, a function or any festival, the first thing that my mother-in-law prepares is this sweet concoction.

A Tasty Sweet Treat - Puran Poli

People with sweet tooth do not wait for any occasion to indulge in sweets. Puran Poli is one such sweet which I often make in excess and store in refrigerator to sink my teeth in whenever I crave for sweets.
Again there are many ways to make these Indian delicacies, some use sugar as a filling while others make jaggary Puran polis. If coconut is the main stuffing down South of India, Channa Dal or Bengal gram dal are boiled to make tasty Puran polis in Northen parts. To each his taste.

A Delicious Indian Kulfi

Indian Kulfi a delicious dessert, is very popular sweet from the olden days. Many fancy ice-cream parlours have sprung up with irresistible menu and varieties galore in every nook and corner of my city. But nothing to beat the traditional Kulfi which is rich, creamy and most important made from all natural products.
When the supply of milk in my refrigerator surpass the demand, the end results are always Kulfi with different flavors.
This one is the simplest and easiest one I often make, with very few ingredients to go in the recipe.

Any Time Treat Carrot Halwa

Carrot halwa, is normally made during winter season in North of India. I suppose it helps give boost to the calorie requirement and provide extra energy to the people of colder regions when the temperature dips below normal. But for me carrot halwa is any time treat. And I don't wait for any reasons to devour carrot halwa. Moreover it sounds good to start my postings on a sweet note.

One easy and quick way to make this recipe is to use condensed milk instead of the regular milk. But I prefer the traditional method of making carrot halwa, which gives the dish an extra richness ...