Kitchen Tantra

Vellore Fruit Halwa:

Vellore Fruit Halwa. Fruit Halwa.Vellore Jothi Sweet Stall Style Fruit halwa.

Vellore Jothi Sweet Stall Style - 'Fruit Halwa' really tastes better! Maybe generous amount of ghee and freshly prepared kowa, makes it unique and outstanding! Well...its one of my favourite Sweet dish from the town!

Since it is called 'Fruit Hlawa' don't confuse yourself with any kind of fruit! They use just 'pumpkin'! Well...it took me years to figure this! Nothing tough about the recipe....but using fresh ghee and kowa makes it really wonderful!!!

Ingredients:

White Pumpkin/Winter melon - pulp grated 2 cups
Dry Coconut - grated 1 cup
Fresh Kowa(sugarless) 1 cup
Tooty-frooty 1/4 cup(multi colored)
Organic yellow food color/saffron
Pineapple essence few drops (optional)
Cashew nuts halved 1/4 cup
Golden raisin 1/4 cup
Sugar 3/4 cup
Ghee 1 whole cup.

Method:

Prepare a pearly consistency sugar syrup. Stir-in grated pumpkin and grated coconut.

Cook over medium heat...with constant stirring. Add food color, essence, tooty-frooty, cashew and raisins to it. Continue cooking. Maybe till halwa consistency is achieved.

Add kowa and ghee now. Let them blend to it. Remove from heat.

Serve chilled as a dessert.

Labels: Halwa, Sweets

Bread Halwa:(version 2)

Weight watchers Bread Halwa. Easy to fix with left over bread.

Ingredients:

White bread slices 4-6
Sugar 4-6 spoons
Milk 1/2 cup
Cardamom crused 3
Saffron few strands
Kewra essence few drops
Pistachios sliced for decoration
Butter 1/2 cube.

Method:

Trim the brown parts from bread. Tear and soak them in milk. Let it loose its shape.

Melt butter in a wide pot. Add sugar and 1/4 cup of water. Bring this to syrup consistency.

Add saffron and cardamom now. Further add soaked bread along with milk. Continue cooking and stirring. Use a non-stick ware to avoid using more butter.

Well when it comes to halwa like consistency add kewra essence too. Garnish with sliced pista.

Serve chilled or at room temperature. Aromatic low calorie dessert is ready within 4-5 minutes! Isnt that amazing!

Labels: Halwa, Sweets

Cashew Candy:

Cashew Nuts Halwa.

Ingredients:
Cashewnuts 1 bowl full
Milk 1 cup
Sugar 1 bowl full
Saffron 1/2 spoon(optional)I didnt use any today
Ghee 1 cup.

Method:


1. Soak cashew nuts in warm milk for 20-30 minutes.

2. Blend this soaked cashew to thick puree. One should add only milk while grinding it to paste.

3. Optional step: Separately mix saffron to few spoons of milk and grind it. One can do this with simple mortar and pestle manually than a blender.

4. In a non-stick pan add ghee. Try to maintain the whole process on low flame only.

6. Now add sugar and 1/2 cup of water....bring the syrup to pearl consistency.

7. To this syrup add cashew paste and saffron. Constant stirring with well greased wooden spatula is advised. Better smear the spatula with ghee before hand.

8. Once the Halwa consistency is achieved transfer it to well greased container. Smear the container preferably with ghee.

The shelf life is more than a month. If refrigerated it stay long till 3-4 months.

Labels: Halwa, Sweets

Gajjar Ka Halwa:(Marwadi Style)

Carrot Halwa(version 2). 'Shree Mittai' Style Gajjar Ka Halwa.

Myself and my family friend Manoj Malani....used to goof around during college days. He loves sweets. He is really crazy about eating sweets all the time. When ever I visit their house during pooja/any occasion, Aunty serves almost 10-12 sweets in a big thali(plate) as a snack food!:)My gudness.....and he hogs them all! Crazy!

Well...my Dad, Malani uncle and Manoj used to visit me at my hostel quite often. We go out for dinner at one place and then Manoj gets to decide where to go for dessert! As always....he picks ' Sree Mittai' at Egmore, Chennai.

As anyone I thought its a simple sweet and any idiot could make it at home in minutes! When I saw carrot halwa in Sree Mittai, it was too strange for me...I didnt even know that they sell carrot halwa in sweet stall! Moreover my friend was insisting me to try it! Well.....I got to change my opinion...it tasted better than home made! Certainly something is so different from usual gajjar ka halwa. Later somehow figured this recipe and tried to fix it, the result was grand success! Here you go.....

Ingredients:

Caarots 1/2 kilo
Kowa(Milk gova) non-sweetened 2 cups(substitute - Milk powder)
Half n half(tetra pack milk) 2 cups
Whole milk 2 cups
Condensed milk 1/4 cup
Sugar 1 cup
Saffron 2-4 pinch
Ghee / Clarified butter 1 cup.

Method:

Trim the ends of carrot and grate them. Set aside.

Heat a wide, deep vessel. Add sugar + 1/2 cup of water. Bring them to syrupy consistency. (when you drop a syrup in a water filled cup...the syrup should form like a pearl and settle at the bottom of the cup.)

Stir-in grated carrot. Cover and cook. Maybe till it absorbs all the sugar syrup.

Meanwhile wet-grind saffron using mortar and pestle. Add few spoons of milk to grind it. Set aside.

Add whole milk, half and half and condensed milk. Cook wihtout cover. Stir-constantly. Add ghee when ever you feel like. This may really take long time...

Labels: Carrot, Halwa, Sweets

Gothumai Kesari:

Cracked Wheat Kesari. Gothumai Rawai Kesari. Gothumai ravai pongal. Cream of wheat Halwa.

Ingredients:

Cracked wheat 1 cup
Whole milk 2-3 cups
Sugar 3/4 cup
Cardamom pods 3-5 crushed
Cashewnuts 10 halved
Raisins/dry grapes - 15
Ghee 1 cup.

Method:

In a heavy bottomed vessel, heat few spoons of ghee. Toast cracked wheat till fragrant. Then transfer it to a bowl. Set aside.

In the same pan, heat 1/2 cup of ghee. Fry cashew nuts till golden color. Set this aside too.

Add raisins and fry them...till they pop well. Then set this aside too.

Throw away the fried ghee. Rinse the vessel.....then reheat it.

Add sugar and 1/2 cup of water. Bring this to boil. Now add cardamom seeds powder to it. Let this sugar solution turn to nice syrup like condition.

Now stir-in toasted cracked wheat. Cover and cook. When it absorbs almost all moisture...add 2-3 cups of milk and cook. Maintain the stove over medum heat.

When it is almost done...stir-in remaining ghee, fried nuts and raisins. Mix them well.

When oil shows up on sides and wheat is done...transfer it to display vessel.

Serve chilled as a dessert!

Labels: Halwa, Sweets

Poppy Seeds Halwa:

Kasa Kasa Halwa. Cas Cas Halwa. Casa Casa Halwa. Poppy Seeds Sweet Recipe.

This is quite famous recipe in Southern Tamil Nadu. The is no much variation from the usual ‘Halwa’ recipe though!

Ingredients:

White Poppy Seeds 1 cup
Sugar ¾ cup
Milk 2 cups
Saffron few strands
Ghee or Clarified Butter 1 small cup
Cashew nuts 15 – halved
Golden raisins 1 fistful(dry grapes)

Method:

Soak poppy seeds in 1 cup of warm water for about 10-12 hours.

Then filter the seeds alone(discard the soaked water)

Boil milk really well and set aside.

Wet grind the poppy seeds using limited warm milk.

Heat sugar along with ½ cup of water. Add saffron strands to this sugar syrup and continue heating.

Add wet-ground poppy paste tot his syrup and stir well. Allow it to cook over medium heat….with constant stirring.

Meanwhile in a separate pan, heat ghee. Fry cashew nuts in it till golden to reddish color, set this aside.

In the same ghee, add raisins and fry till they pop. Set this aside too.

When poppy puree is almost done without any raw small add few ghee, fried raisins and cashew nuts. Turn them really well.

When ‘Halwa’ consistency is achieved and oil shows up on sides, remove it from the stove.

Serve warm or cold as a dessert. Enjoy!

Labels: Halwa, Sweets

Vermicelli Kesari:

Semiya Kesari. Sweet Semiya Recipe. Semya Kesari. Sweet Vermicelli. Vermicelli Halwa. Vermicelli Halva.

I tasted this particular recipe when I was a kid(studying 3rd or 4th standard). I have been to daddy's friends place. They are Tamil speaking Muslims! I call that aunty as 'Parrot Aunty' (as she had parrots in their house....I still call her the same & never asked her real name)! She fixed this dessert on that day! I forgot the event anyway. Well....it was'nt like usual kesari for me. As she had used vermicelli to make this kesari. It was very soft, orange in color and extra fine quality vermicelli!

Later when I grew up and started cooking.....I really had hard time to make the exact version of this kesari. As I could never find such fine vermicelli anywhere! And most of the groceror's had no clue what I am looking far. Finally tried in International market place at Gandhi Road, Vellore....they had this pakitani vermicelli' well it was extra fine!:) The same I was looking for!

Ingredients:

Vermicelli - fine quality 1 cup
Sugar ¾ cup
Milk 1-2 cups(optional...i didnt use any)
Cardamom seeds powder 1 spoon
Saffron few strands
Pista nuts - halved
Kewra essence few drops
Ghee ½ + ½ cup.

Method:

Heat a non-stick skillet. Dry toast ‘vermicelli’ for few minutes…..till fragrant. Transfer it to a bowl. Set aside.

In the same skillet, heat ½ cup of ghee. Add pista nuts and fry them till they turn to golden color. Set aside.

Now add sugar, cardamom seeds and saffron. Add ½ cup of water and continue to boil
When it comes to boiling point. Add vermicelli to it. Use wooden spatula (greased with oil or ghee) for stirring.

Continue cooking. (add either milk or water...its up to you)

When semolina is done…sucking up all the milk and moisture andoil shows up on side. Remove it from the stove and transfer it to display bowl.

Serve warm or cold as a dessert.

Labels: Halwa, Sweets

Kesari:

Semolina Halwa. Semolina Halva. Semolina Haluva. Rawa Kesari. Rava Kesari. Rawa Halwa. Sooji Ki Halwa. Sooji Halva. Sooji Halwa.

Ingredients:

Semolina 1 cup
Sugar ¾ cup
Milk 3-4 cups
Cardamom seeds powder 1 spoon
Orange food color less than ¼ spoon
Cashew nuts 20 - halved
Golden raisins 1 fistful (dry grapes)
Ghee ½ + ½ cup.

Method:

Heat a non-stick skillet. Dry toast ‘semolina’ for few minutes…..till fragrant. Transfer it to a bowl. Set aside.

In the same skillet, heat ½ cup of ghee. Add cashew nuts and fry them till they turn to golden color. Set aside.

In the same oil, fry raisins till they pop. Set this aside too.

Now add sugar, cardamom seeds and kesar color. Add ½ cup of water and continue to boil

When it comes to boiling point. Add ‘semolina’ without forming any lumps. Use wooden spatula (greased with oil or ghee).

Further add 3-4 cups of milk + cashew nuts + raisins + ghee. Continue cooking.

When semolina is done…sucking up all the milk and moisture & oil shows up on side. Remove it from the stove and transfer it to display bowl.

Serve warm or cold as a dessert.

Simple and easy to fix dessert. I like it warm than cold. As it gets hard…when served cold.

Labels: Halwa, Sweets

Fried Bread Halwa:(version 1)

White Bread Sweet Recipe. Brown Bread Sweet Treat.

Though its bread halwa, its different from ‘Hyderabadi Double Ka Meetha’.

Ingredients:

White or Brown Bread – 1 medium size loaf (fresh bakery bought)
Sugar 1 ½ cup (or as per taste)
Whole milk 2 cups
Ghee/Clarified butter 2 cups(for deep frying)
Cardamom seeds powder 1 spoon
Saffron few strands
Cashew nuts 15-20 (made into halves)
Almonds/Badam – 15 thinly sliced
Raisins/dry grapes – 1 fistful.

Method:

Trim the dark sides of the bread. Then chop them roughly into 2” squares.

In a shallow pan, heat ghee. Fry cashew nuts till golden color and set them aside.

Fry almonds and raisins too, set them aside too.

In the same ghee, fry the bread pieces till golden color. Fry them in batches. Fry few at a time.

Leave them over kitchen tissues for few minutes. Then gently tap them and crumble it.

In a deep pan, heat sugar along with ½ cup of water. Add cardamom seeds powder plus saffron to it. Let it come to syrupy consistency.

Now stir in fried and crumbled bread in it. Cook until the syrup gets thickened. Further add milk to it and continue cooking. Maybe till bread is done completely and it comes to ‘halwa’ consistency. Ghee should show up on sides.

Now garnish with fried cashew nuts, almonds and dry grapes.

Serve warm or chilled.

Labels: Halwa, Sweets

Fried Lentils Halwa:

Chandra Kaantha Sweet Recipe. In Andhra they call this Chandra Kaantalu. Fried Halwa. Fried Lentil’s Cake. Fried Dal Halwa. Fried Dal Cake.

Ingredients:

Lentils/Split moong dal – 1 cup
Sugar 1 cup
Grated coconut 1 cup
Cardamom seeds powder 1 spoon
Cashew nuts finely chopped ½ cup
Ghee ½ cup
Oil for deep frying.

Method:

Bring moong dal + ½ cup of water + few spoons of ghee, in a pressure cooker. Cook till the lentils/moong dal is done.

In a heavy bottomed skillet, heat ghee. Stir in the ‘cooked dal’ , sugar, coconut and cardamom seeds powder. Constantly stir it. Cook till all the water evaporates.(melted from sugar & dal cooked water)

Add ½ cup of ghee and reduce the heat. Allow the halwa to consolidate.

Now smear a spoon full of ghee over a tray / wet a cheese cloth (muslin cloth). Then spread the halwa over this (either wet cheese cloth or ghee smeared tray)

Smear a non – serrated knife with oil/ghee/ water. Cut the halwa into 2” size squares or diamonds. Or simple make balls out of it(its up to you)

In a heavy bottomed plus deep kadai/wok, heat oil. Allow it to heat over medium-high range.

When the oil is hot enough, fry the lentils halwa(lentils cut cakes) Fry till it turns to golden color at the edges. Leave them over kitchen tissues for a while.

Always fry few at a time, never load the oil.

Serve this warm or chilled as a evening snack or as a dessert for Indian meals.

Labels: Halwa, Sweets

Ukkarai:(Country Style)

Chana Dal Sweet/Halwa. Kadalai Paruppu Halwa.

Ingredients:

Chana Dal 1 cup
Jaggery 1 cup
Grated coconut 1/2 cup
Cardamon seeds powder 1/2 spoon
Cashewnuts chopped 1/4 cup
Ghee/Clarified butter 1/2 cup.

Method:

Toast Chana dal for 2-5 minutes in dry heater skillet. Maybe till they turn golden to slight reddish.

Then soak this dal in water for 20 minutes.

Slow cook dal with the same water on stove top. When it is done without water....mash them coarsely using a wooden spatula.

Now add grated coconut and grated/powdered jaggerry to this. Mix them thoroughly.

In a wide heavy bottomed non-stick skillet, heat ghee. Add broken cashewnuts and fryt hem till golden color.

Then stir in the chana-coconut-jaggery paste. Fry them real good over medium heat. First it gets thickens and then slowly it looses moisture and gets seperated.

Then tranfer this in a large bowl. Using an electric whipper. Whip them for better results.

Serve warm as evenning tiffin.

Labels: Halwa, Sweets

Halwa Poori:

Fried Halwa Poori. Kesari stuffed in Poori. Sweet Poori.

Generally I use left over 'kesari' to stuff this poori. Its pretty much like 'poli'. Stuff some nice sweet filling and depp fry instead of pan-frying!

Ingredients:

For Making Halwa:

Rawa/Sooji/Semolina - 1 cup
Sugar 3/4 cup
Saffron 1/4 spoon
Milk 1-2 cups
Salt 1 pinch
Ghee 1/4 cup.

For Making Poori:

All purpose flour - 1 cup
Salt 1 pinch
Soda 1 pinch
Warm milk 1/4 cup
Ghee few spoons
Oil for deep frying.

Method:

Halwa Preparation:

In a pan, heat ghee. Toast emolina till fragrant and then set aside.

Wet-grind saffron using few spoons of milk.

In a deep, heavy bottomed pan.....heat sugar. Add 1/4 cup of water...bring it to bubbly syrup like condition.

Now stir-in toasted semolina without forming lumps. Further add saffron.

Cook over medium heat. Add milk and ghee.

When the halwa is done. Transfer it to display bowl. Then refridgerate it to cool down.

Poori Preparation:

In a wide bowl, sift...flour, salt, soda and ghee. Using warm milk knead them into tuff dough.

Mae equal part out of it.

Making Halwa Poori:

Knead the dough into small poori. Place 1-2 spoon of halwa in the centre. Fold it and knead again. Repeat the same to all the dough.

Heat oil in a deep frying pan. When the oil is smoky hot. Fry poori one by one.

Then leave this over kitchen tissue for some time.

Serve warm as a snack.

Labels: Halwa, Indian Bread, Sweets

Potato Halwa:

Aloo Halwa. Urulaikizhangu Halwa.

Ingredients:

Potatoes 2 large.
Sugar 1/2 cup
Ghee/clarified butter 1 cup
Saffron strands few
Almond essence/Badam essence 1 spoon
Silved/sliced Almonds for decoration.

Method:

Boil potatoes till tender. Peel off their skin. Mash the potatoes and set aside.

In a heavy bottomed vessel. Heat sugar along with 1/4 cup of water. Boil them till it comes to syrup consistency. Do not heat beyond this point.

Now add mashed potaoes to it. Further add saffron and almond essence too. Mix them thoroughly. Let it blend well and reduce in moisture content. Stir in ghee.

Once it throws up from vessel. That is.....it wont be sticky and comes to 'Halwa Consistency'. Remove from stove. And keep it refridgerated for a while.

Serve them chilled. Maybe garnish with silvered almonds.

Labels: Halwa, Potato, Sweets

Power Food:

Brain Boosters-Nuts:

Akhrot Halwa:(Vellore Style)

Walnut Halwa/Akhrot Halwa.

Nuts:Brain requires lots of Oxygen rich blood. So anything that keeps your heart strong, such as exercise, ensures a steady supply to it. Besides include plenty of nuts in your diet. They prevent heart diseases.

Its again my favourite Mughalai Style recipe. Myself and my Brother like to have it quite often. It is Yummy and has very different taste from regular halwa's. Propably because they use lots of 'milk gova/khoya' here. Hmmmm, cant wait to have it!!!

Ingredients:

Walnuts 2 cup slightly toasted and grated
Ghee 2 cup
Sugar 2 cup
Milk gova/khoya 2 cup
Heavy cream/milk 1 litre
Condensed milk 1 cup
Cardamon seeds powder 1 spoon.

Method:

Mix sugar and heavy cream and boil them, reduce it into half(maybe add cardamon seeds powder too)

In a seperate pan, heat ghee and add gova, fry it real good. let it get loosened up first and slightly change color. That is golden brown. Do not fry beyond this point. It may become too brown.

So now to this fried gova add redused milk. Further add condensed milk to.

Toss your grated walnuts and cook them. When the halwa consistency is acheived, it leaves the pan. Maybe one can run few more spoons of ghee at this point.

It turns up into dark velvety brown color. With distinct aroma. Serve this after heavy meals. Heaven!!!

Labels: Halwa, Sweets

Fruit Halwa:(Vellore Style)

This is one of my ever favourite Sweet from my native town. As a matter of fact, I rarely found it good.....anywhere other than from Vellore. Hey, one important thing! Though its called 'Fruit Halwa'.....it doesnt actually has any fruits in it, to my knowledge. But still they call this same. Anyways.....here it goes!

Ingredients:

Thinly grated White Pumpkin 2 cup
Thinly grated Coconut 2 cup
Tootty Fruity - 1 cup (green + red + yellow)
Green grape raisins(dry grapes-green)-1/2 cup
Cashewnuts 1/2 cup(splitted)
Cardamon seeds powder 1 spoon
Fresh Milk Gova sweetened 1 cup
Sugar 1 cup
Ghee 1 cup
Saffron Strands 1-2 pinch(or yellow food color)

Method:

In a wok heat few spoons of ghee and add sugar to it. Further add, 1/2 cup of water to it. Let it boil and come to syrup consistency.

To this syrup add saffron strands and cardamon seeds powder.

When pearl consistency is acheived, add pumpkin,coconut, cashew nuts and dry green grapes in it. Let it get well cooked. One could further add ghee if needed. (No need to fry cashews or grapes for this recipe)

Once halwa consistency is acheived, add tootty-fruity, milk gova and drizzle ghe on top.

Mix them thoroughly. Serve chilled.

Labels: Halwa, Sweets

Wheat Halwa:(Thirunelveli Style)

Thirunelveli Iruttukkadai Style Halwa/ Gothumai Halwa/Gyehoo`n Ki Halwa.

Its a world famous mouth watering sweet dessert. It is traditionally prepared in 'Thirunelveli city in Tamil Nadu'. The city is 2000 year old. Has rich history right from 1-2 century B.C. 'Thiru-nel-veli' literally means 'sacred-rice-fence' or one can understand it was and still it is rich in rice feilds.

One great thing that makes the sweet very tastier is because the water they use.......'the Thamirabaranii river water' which flows into the city.

This particular sweet is very famous when it is from 'Irrutukkadai' which literally means 'A Dark Shop'. The shop doesnt have any modern trends, its still as old as 200 years old back. The shop doesnt have even the 'name board' for itself. One cannot beleive, that from this shop they export and run business/sell Halwa through out the world.

I have given this recipe......with my own alteration here, I threw in lots of nuts to have my signature on this! It turned up really good. Give a try. If you want it too 'Authentic'.....dont use last two ingredients. Ofcou

Ingredients:

Good quality whole wheat 1 kilo
Clean extra white Sugar 2 kilo
Good quality Ghee 2 kilo
Cardamon seeds powder 2-4 spoons
Crystal Clear Water 3-4 litres
Ghee fried splitted cashew nuts
Red/ any dark food color 1/4 spoon(optional)
Powdered saago 1-2 spoons(optional)

Nut of my Choice:

Cashew nuts halved 10-15
Almonds whole 10-15
Saarai Paruppu(not sure what thy call in other languages)
Raisins(brown & golden)
Akhrot/walnuts (optional)
Ghee 1 cup.

Method:

Wash wheat several times in running water or until water runs clear.

Then soak the wheat in crytal clear water for atleast 8-10 hours.(overnight)

Wet gring the wheat, using the soaked water. And filter it for clear 'wheat milk'.

Place this 'wheat extract/wheat milk' in the fridge for 20-30 minutes.

The milk separates....bottom with thick milk and on top with water. Now carefully discard the water.

To this thick milk add sugar and wait till they dissolve. The milk thickens at this time again.(if you want to color it, you can add color to it now)

Bring a large 'Iron wok' on stove top. Add few cups of ghee and start adding the 'wheat milk' to it. Stir constantly.....cook over low-medium heat.

When the halwa is bubbly and about to consolidate, Pour in the ghee now. Stir in.

One can add cardamaon seeds powder, fried seperately fried nuts and raisins now.

When Halwa consistency is acheived.....it will leave from the wok.

It turns up into glassey/glossy-brown color.

If someone wants to have their 'Halwa' still more 'glossy' or 'bead like' or 'glass-like'......one can add powdered saago to it.

Labels: Halwa, Sweets

Pine Apple Halwa:

Ingredients:

Ripe Pine Apple - 1 medium size
Sugar 1 cup
Cardamom 6-8 pods
Saffron few strands
Pistachios fistfull
Yellow food color(optional)
Pine apple essence(optional)
Ghee/melted butter 1 small cup.

Method:

Remove the outer skin of pine apple. Chop them into tiny chunks possible....without loosings its water content(maybe chop in a deep plate) or better never try in damaged fruit.

In a pan, roast saffron and then tap it with back of your spoon.

In the same pan add ghee, followed by cardamom seeds(remove the skin of cardamom and semi-crush it, before adding)

Now add sugar and 1/2 cup of water. (One can add yellow food color and pine apple essence to this sugar syrup.)Let it boil. When it comes to pearly consistency add pine apple chunks. Cover and cook over medium heat.

When pine apple is cooked and appears in glassy color.....remove the lid and cook over high heat. Obviously stirring constantly. Let it loose all its water content by the way.

When it comes to 'Halwa Consisteny' Run few spoons of ghee over it.

Decorate it with roasted pistachios or ghee fried pista nuts. Serve chilled.

Labels: Halwa, Sweets

Ulundhu Kali:

Black-gram Halwa / Urad dal Halwa

Ingredients:

Black gram flour(urad dal) - 1 cup(karuppu ulundhu in Tamil, whole urad dal with black skin on it)
Jaggery 1/2 cup
Milk 1 cup
Ghee 2 cups
Cashew nuts 10-15
Raisins 20.

Method:

Mix jaggery with milk and make it thin syrup(not necessary to heat) Run this liquid over gram flour and make it to thin batter. Maybe runny consistency.

In a pan, heat 1/2 cup of ghee. Fry cashew nuts till reddish color and set them aside, Fry raisins in the same ghee till they pop. And set them aside too.

In a thick bottomed non-stick vessel, heat remaining ghee. Add the thin batter to this. Maintain the stove over medium flame.

Constantly stir them....let it get cooked in this way. Maybe you could cover for few minutes. Don't add any water. Once they turn to halwa consistency and ghee shows up on sides...it is done.

Now run the fried cashew-nuts and raisins along with the ghee over this.

Serve them hot or chilled

Labels: Halwa, Sweets

Coconut Halwa:

Naariyal Ki Halwa/Thengai Halwa.

Ingredients:

Coconut 1/2 kilo(finely grated)
Cashew nuts 1 cup(slitted)
Dry grapes 1 cup(raisins)
Ghee 2-3 cups
White sugar 2 cups
Condensed milk 1 cup
Milk 1-2 cup
Cardamom powder 1 spoon(made from its seeds alone)

Method:

In a wide non-stick pan, add 1 cup of ghee. Add sugar and little water up to sugar level...will be fine. Use wooden spatula to mix it well. Wait till the sugar syrup attains pearly consistency.

Now add grated coconut, milk(both condensed and normal) and cardamom to this. Cover and cook.

In a separate pan heat ghee, fry cashew nuts and dry grapes. Add it to the halwa too. Add the remaining ghee too.

Once coconut is cooked. Remove the cover and cook...till all its water content evaporates. If needed add few spoons of ghee just before removing from stove.

Serve chilled.

Labels: Halwa, Sweets

Chow Chow Halwa:

Ingredients:

Chow Chow 1/2 kilo(finely grated)
Cashew nuts 1 cup(slitted)
Dry grapes 1 cup(raisins)
Ghee 2-3 cups
White sugar 2 cups
Condensed milk 1 cup
Milk 1-2 cup
Cardamom powder 1 spoon(made from its seeds alone)

Method:

In a wide non-stick pan, add 1 cup of ghee. Add sugar and little water up to sugar level...will be fine. Use wooden spatula to mix it well. Wait till the sugar syrup attains pearly consistency.

Now add shredded chow chow, milk(both condensed and normal) and cardamom to this. Cover and cook.

In a separate pan heat ghee, fry cashew nuts and dry grapes. Add it to the halwa too. Add the remaining ghee too.

Once chow chow is cooked. Remove the cover and cook...till all its water content evaporates. If needed add few spoons of ghee just before removing from stove.

Serve chilled.

Labels: Halwa, Sweets