Wheat Halwa

Wishing all my friends a Happy Diwali. Here is a delicious wheat halwa to sweeten your day! 

Recipe source:Rakskitchen
Ingredients:
Whole wheat (Wheat berries) - 1/2 cup
Sugar - 1 & 1/2 cup
Cashew nut - 8
Ghee - 3/4 cup
Cardamom- few

Method
Wash and soak the wheat berries overnight(or 8 hrs). Drain the water, grind it with 1/2 cup water till smooth. Strain it using a large metal strainer. Grind the remaining unground with another 1/2 cup water. Strain through a metal strainer.
Keep the collected milk from the ground wheat aside for 30 minutes undisturbed. Drain the excess water. Heat  a heavy bottom nonstick pan, add 1 tbsp of ghee and fry broken cashew nuts until golden brown and  set aside. Add 1/2 cup sugar and 1 tbsp of water to it. Continue heating in medium flame, keep stirring. Sugar will melt, and  turn golden. At this point you should put the flame to low. Make sure you stir all the time when the sugar syrup turns golden in color. Then add 1 cup water (it may splutter at this point so be careful). Stir well so that the caramelized sugar gets dissolved, it will take a few minutes.
Now add the remaining sugar and mix until it dissolves. Continue boiling until you get one string consistency.  Be careful not to miss the consistency, make sure you do it in medium flame otherwise you will get burfi instead of halwa. Add the drained wheat milk.
Keep mixing as you are pouring. The color will change as the milk gets cooked.
Now start adding ghee little by little, say one tbsp at a time and mix until the ghee gets mixed with the halwa  It will absorb (incorporate the ghee)  as you mix and stir for a minute and repeat the process.
At one stage, the ghee will not be absorbed anymore, it will remain as such. All this process should be done in medium heat stirring all the while.  When the whole halwa sticks to your laddle you are stirring with and rotates freely,  add  cashew nuts. Do not switch off now.The texture will be too soft like porridge. Keep stirring until you see whitish spots appear in the halwa. The whole halwa will start turning slightly pale and the ghee will start to ooze out. Mix in the cardamom powder.
Spread the halwa over a greased plate and let it cool down. Optionally you can cut it into pieces or spoon it as such to serving bowls.  

Unniyappam

It is Vishu in Kerala tomorrow. It is the celebration of New Year and it marks the Sun entering the Aries in the Zodiac.  There are a lot of regional variations of how it is celebrated in different parts of Kerala. Thrissur area where I come from, we typically have Vishukatta for breakfast, a sadya including payasam for lunch. The other highlights of the day, especially for kids is the Vishukani  and kayneettam in the morning. In my place we typically have the elders giving the younger ones money as kayneettam, wishing for a prosperous year. But what I  have heard from some of my friends from Southern Kerala is that along with the kayneettam, the kids are also given unniappam, which is also part of their Vishukkani. Hence an unniyappam recipe form me for this Vishu.

I had previously blogged another recipe for Unniyappam, but the ingredients of this are slightly different and the preparation time is a bit longer.
May this Vishu bring happiness your way.
Have a great Vishu.

Ingredients:
Sona masoori rice-1 cup
All purpose flour-1/2 cup
Jaggery/Brown sugar -1/2 to 3/4 cup
Banana-1 ripe or 2 if its small in size
Coconut-1/2 cup grated
Sesame-1 tsp
Baking soda- 1/2tsp
Salt-a pinch
Ghee- for frying
Cardamom and dried ginger powder-1/2 to 3/4 tsp
Method:
Soak rice for 3 hours,grind to a fine paste with as little water, powdered jaggery(use good quality jaggery or brown sugar) and banana.Mix in the all purpose flour, the batter should be thick as an Idlli batter or cake batter.Keep this overnight or 6 to 8 hours for fermenting. After the fermenting add rest of the ingredients except ghee and mix well. Heat an unniyappam pan and add ghee to the indention  ( you can add a few drops of sesame oil first and top it with ghee if using a nonstick pan this will prevent sticking) fill it  with ghee only half way.Now pour the batter and cook at medium heat, at about 2 minutes turn the appam and cook the for another 2 minutes till unniyappam  turns golden brown all over. Remove them and have them to your hearts content.

Basundi

I had been so busy lately that I didn't find time to update the blog for the past few weeks. Here is sweet dish from my drafts, which is an ideal one for you if you have some excess milk that needs to be used up.

Ingredients:
Whole Milk-4 cup
Sugar- 1/3 cup
Cashew nut-3 tbs
Cashew nut powder- 1 tbs
Almond Sliced-3tbs
Nutmeg powder-1/4 tsp
Cardamom-5 powdered
Saffron-1/2 tsp
Method:
Boil milk and when it starts to boil reduce the heat to low and add chopped or sliced cashew nuts and almonds along with saffron and nutmeg. Cook this at low heat stirring every other minute till the milk is reduced to one third. Once its reduced to one third of the original quantity add the powdered cashew along with sugar and cardamom. Stir well till well combined and cook for 3 more minutes. Refrigerate and have it cold.

Kalkandu Sadam/ Pongal /Rock Crystal Sugar Rice

I am always on the lookout for an excuse for make something sweet and this weekend as I was looking for one I realized Pongal/ Sankranti is this week. Having found a reason I went ahead and started this dish. Jai was in the shower when I started with the cooking and I wanted to finish the cooking before he was out of the shower as Jai always discourages me cooking desserts, the reason being it is  not good for health. So as I was in a hurry to finish the dish and accidentally put rock salt instead of rock sugar silly me :)
I had to start over and this time around I used rock sugar. To my surprise Jai when he came out of the shower didn't say anything and as soon as it was done asked me if he can have some and even asked for seconds. I think I have managed to convert him to be a sweet lover ;)

Ingredients:
1 cup Basmati rice/ raw rice
1 cup Milk
2 cups Water
1 cup Kalkandu/ Rock crystal sugar + 1/8 cup
4 cardamoms
2 cloves
A pinch of piece of nutmeg powder
2 tbsp Ghee for frying nuts and raisins and an additional 2 tsp
1/4 cup Raisins
1/4 cup Cashew nuts
Method:
Cook the washed rice in a pressure cooker along with the milk and water for 5 minutes till the rice is well cooked. Mean while heat the ghee in a kadai and fry the raisins and Cashew nuts,till golden brown and set this aside
Powder  one  cup Kalkandu with cloves, nutmeg and cardamom,till fine. Add the Powder into the pressure cooker along with 2 tsp ghee and 1/8 cup kalkandu mix well with the rice, till kalkandu crystals are almost dissolved.
Mix the fried Cashew nuts and raisins with rice. Enjoy while still warm.

Gujiya / Karanji

With Diwali around the corner I wanted to post something sweet.
Karanjis are half moon shaped, fried pastries with sweet filling and with fluted ends. Though traditionally these are fried, this year I thought of making a healthier alternative since I was feeling a little guilty after feasting the last entire week celebrating my birthday.
WISHING YOU ALL A JOYFUL AND PROSPEROUS DIWALI!!
Ingredients:
Pie crust or store bought pie crust
Filling:
2 Cups - Sooji/Semolina
3/4 Cup - Mawa/Khoya (optional)
2 Cups - Powdered Sugar
1/2 tsp - Cardamom Powder
1/2 Cup - Grated Dry Coconut/Khopra (optional)
3 tbsp - Raisins
4 tbsp - Chopped Cashewnuts
2 tbsp -Almonds
Method:
Heat clarified butter in a non stick pan  ,add semolina and roast it for 5 minutes.Add chopped nuts and roast them for 5 minutes and take them out.In the same pan break the khoya into small pieces and fry till pinkish in color.In a bowl take all these fried ingredients ,mix with powdered sugar and cardamom and keep aside.
Make 15 to 20 balls from the dough.Take one ball
roll it slightly to the size of Puri and place it  in a greased gujiya or karanji mould. Place 1 tbs of filling on one side of the mould.Close the mould. Press the edges to seal gujiya well and remove excess dough portion from mould and keep it with rest of dough.make sure gujiya/karanji is sealed well, gently open mould and take out gujiya. Repeat same for rest of dough and prepare gujiya.
 If you don't have mould then roll dough and use a circle cutter or bowl to cut dough into round shape. Place filling and close gujiya forming half moon shape, press edges with a fork to seal and make impression or with hand pinch edges and seal it.
Brush gujiyas with some  melted ghee on the both sides this is optional and place  in a preheated oven 400F and bake for 18 minutes.Enjoy when cold.If you have leftovers you can store in a airtight container,and enjoy later.

Elai Ada

Elai ada is made as an offering on Uthradam  and Thiruvonam day to Lord Vamana and the King Mahabali. Today being Atham, the beginning of Onam festivites  and also being Ganesh Chaturthi, I made this delicacy as an offering to Lord Ganesha. Elai ada can be made with rice flour also. The method for making it with rice flour is the same as that of making the Modak covering posted earlier. The method posted today uses ground rice, I find Ada made this way softer and tastier.

Recipe Adapted from: Ammupatti's thought
Ingredients:
Fresh grated coconut: 2 cups
Jaggery: 1 and 1/2 cups
Cardamom powder:1/2 tsp
Ghee:1tbs
Raw rice: 1 cup
Parboiled rice: 1 cup
Vegetable oil: 1 tbsp
Banana leaves- I used 9 pieces ( 8x8 inch pieces)
Salt: a pinch

Method:
Soak the rice for 5 hours and grind to a thick smooth paste. Add the salt . It should be of spreading consistency. Add the oil to this paste and mix well.

Make a syrup using the jaggery. Now strain this syrup and add the coconut to it this. Keep stirring and cooking until all the water is absorbed.  At this stage add the ghee and stir till  the contents leave the side of the pan. Remove from fire and add cardamom powder.

Trim off the tough side of the leaf, run the leaf quickly over a flame to soften it and make it more pliable. When it changes from dull to shiny, it is soft enough.

Now take each leaf, spread a ladle full of rice flour as a thin layer. Now, spread 2 tbsp of prepared filling on top of this layer, but covering only about ¾th of the layer. Fold the banana leaf into half, place it in a steamer. Repeat for all the leaves, and steam for 25-30 minutes. When it is done, the Ada should not stick to the leaf when opened.

Palpayasam

Wishing you all a very Happy Vishu!
Here is an easy recipe for making a delicious payasam to sweeten your Vishu celebration.
Ingredients:
Whole Milk - 3& 1/2 cups
Water-1/2 cup
Basmati rice - 2 tbsp
Sugar - 1/4 cup - 1/2 cup according to your preference
Butter-1tsp
Cardamom powder - generous pinch
Method:
Boil the milk,water and sugar in the pressure cooker. Wash the rice. When the milk starts boiling, reduce the heat to the lowest gas mark and add the rice.  Place a small spoon or a small shallow plate inside the cooker so that it will do the stirring action when the cooker is shut. Stir the contents well and close the cooker. Place the weight on the valve when steam escapes and allow the payasam to cook on a low heat. Switch off the stove after 20 minutes. Open the cooker when possible and add the butter and cardamom stir for a few minutes your delicious, creamy payasam is ready.