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Breakfast, Fasting Snacks, Kids Special Menus, Snacks, Sweet Dish

Diwali Special Besan Laddu

Besan Laddoo for the Diwali festival for my near and dear ones

Besan Laddu(Laadu) is a typical Maharashtrian sweet delicacy which brings water in the mouth the moment we hear its name. But along the year’s originality of the dish is lost in commercial viability. Earlier days Deepawali means preparing sweet dishes, buying new clothes and gifts. Decorating the house, drawing rangolis and it was truly a major festival in Hindu calendar. But nowadays everything is ready made and readily available. In such readymade world, local delicacies get lost. To revive the dish I am sharing the recipe of Besan Laddu I learned over the years from my mother and added little twist but retained its originality.

Here I am sharing my secret of making laddoo; crispy and soft

Ingredients :

2cups of Besan (Gram flour)
1 1/2 cup of Powdered sugar
1 cup of Ghee (Clarified butter)
1 tsp Elaichi (Cardamom) powder
1/2 tsp Jaayphal (Nutmeg) powder
Sliced Pista (Pistachio) for garnishing
1 tbsp milk

Method :

In a large bowl mix the besan and the milk and knead the mixture with your bare hands so well till you get dry crumbs of the mixture. Keep it aside for 15 min. till that time heat the ghee in a pan and add the mixture we prepared and roast the mixture on a very low flame for about 20 to 25 min until it changes the colour and the texture by spreading a nice aroma. Gram Flour should be roasted on a low flame until the ghee releases from the flour. If gram flour not roasted well then it will stick to the teeth.

Now cool the mixture and add Elaichi powder, Jaayphal powder, and powdered sugar and mix well.
Putting few ghee drops to your palm start making small or medium-sized laddoo.Store it in an air-tight container.

Important note from the chef:
• Any roasting process should be done on low flame.
• Ghee and sugar according to diet and taste.
• Nutmeg powder should be used in sweet recipes as it helps in digestion and gives nice aroma to the food.

Happy Deepawali once again

Snacks

Rice Papad Churi

Ingredients: 

Rice Papad Churi
Rice Papad Churi

2-3 Rice Papads
½ cup Onions finely chopped
½ cup Tomatoes finely chopped
½ cup Roasted Peanuts
1 tsp Chilli Powder
½ cup Scraped Coconut
Salt to taste
Fresh coriander leaves for garnishing

Green Chutney (Spicy), Red Chutney (Sweet and Sour) as per taste.

Method:
Roast or fry the rice papad, crush it, put it in a bowl. Add all the ingredients, toss well and garnish it with coriander.

Note:  Consume immediately before the papads gets soggy.

Snacks

Masala Pav

Ingredients:

Masala Pav
Masala Pav

 

For The Chilli-Garlic Paste (Makes Approx. 1/2 Cup)
5 to 6 whole dry Kashmiri red chillies, deseeded
8 to 10 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

For the Bhaji:
2 tbsps butter
1 tbsp oil
1 tbsp cumin seeds (jeera)
3/4 cup finely chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped capsicum
1 1/2 cups finely chopped tomatoes
1 1/2 tbsp Pav bhaji masala
2 tsp chilli powder
Salt to taste
1/2 cup boiled and lightly mashed green peas
1 1/2 cups boiled, peeled and mashed potatoes
2 tbsp finely chopped coriander (dhania)
1 cup boiled mixed vegetable (cauliflower, carrot), optional…

For The Bread
8 Bread
8 tsp butter for cooking
1 tsp pav bhaji masala

For Serving

1 cup finely chopped onions
4 lemon wedges
4 roasted papad
4 tsp butter

For The Garnish
4 tbsp chopped coriander (dhania)

Method
For the chilli-garlic paste
Soak the red chillies in enough warm water for at least an hour.
Drain the chillies, add the garlic and blend in a mixer till smooth, adding little water. Keep aside.

For the bhaji
Heat the butter and oil in a kadhai and add the cumin seeds.
When the seeds splutter, add the chilli-garlic paste and sauté on a medium flame for 1 to 2 minutes.
Add the onions and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes, while stirring occasionally.
Add the capsicum and sauté for 1 more minute.
Add the tomatoes and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, mash well using a masher.
Add the salt, pav bhaji masala, chilli powder and cook for another 2 minutes.
Add the green peas, potatoes, mix well and cook along with 1/2 cup of water for 1 to 2 minutes. Keep on mashing till the vegetables blend well.
Add the coriander, mix well and cook for 1 minute.
Make the bhaji little thicker.

For the Bread:
Shape the bread  as per your choice.
Heat a large flat pan, add 2 tsp of butter and place the bread on it.
Cook on a medium flame till it turns light brown and crisp on both the sides

Place ¼th of bhaji on the bread, green chutney, sev and serve immediately.
Note:

You can also add finely chopped onions, crushed papad on the bread. Now press lightly. Serve hot..
Pav bhaji masala is a spice blend, which is readily available under different brand names at most grocery stores…