Tag Archives: recipes

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

Desserts, Kids Special Menus, Sweet Dish

Choco Almond Burfi

During the festival, we prepare sweet dishes as an offering to the God and Goddess. This time especially on the occasion of Dussehra I am preparing a sweet dish as an offering (Naivedhya) which is quick and simple,i.e. Choco Almond burfi

Ingredients :
1 cup soaked Almond (Badam) ( 18 to 20 approx )
1 tbsp fresh cream
2 tbsp Cocoa powder
1 tsp Cardamom (Elaichi) powder
Few drops of chocolate essence
Powdered sugar 3/4 cup
2 tbsp clarified butter(Ghee)
Method:
Soak the Almond (Badam) for 1/2 an hour. After completely soaking peel the skin and grind it into a smooth paste by adding the fresh cream.
Now heat a pan and add ghee. Once ghee melts, roast the paste till it stops sticking to the pan. Now add Cocoa powder and powdered sugar, stir for another 5 to 7 min. Add Cardamom powder and chocolate essence and stir well. Finally, pour the mixture into a greased plate and give it the desired shape and garnish it with syrups, dry fruits or dusting powdered sugar over it.

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Breakfast, Kids Special Menus, Snacks

Bajra Apple Nankatai

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 Bajra Apple Nankatai
 
Ingredients
1 Cup Bajra Flour
1/2 Cup Wheat Flour
1/2 Cup Ghee
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Baking Soda
1 Cup Powder Sugar
1 tsp Cardamom Powder
1/4 Cup Grated Apple
Mixed Dry Fruits Powder
 
Method
Roast the Bajra Flour with little ghee. Dry roast the grated apple in the same kadai. Combine Ghee and Powdered Sugar in a bowl and whisk well till fluffy and white in color.
Add the flour and dry fruit powder, roasted apple, cardamom powder. Mix well to form soft dough. Divide the dough in small portions to make a round shaped Nankatai.
Place Nankatai on a baking tray and bake in preheated oven at 190 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. Allow it to cool for 10 to 15 minutes.
 
Note
You can add Ragi Flour, Semolina too. For a different flavor try adding Rose or Orange syrup.
Snacks

Rava Bonda

Rava Bonda
For the stuffing
1 Cup of Rava (Suji)
1/2 Cup of Coriander Leaves Chopped
1 Tsp Mustard Seeds
1 Tsp Jeera
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1/2 Tsp Hing
1/2 Cup Grated Coconut
Salt To Taste
2 Green Chillies finely chopped
A pinch of Sugar
5-6 Curry Leaves
1/2 Tsp Urad Dal
1/2 Tsp Chana Dal
2 Tbsp Oil
1 to 2 Cups of Hot water
 
For the batter
1 Cup Besan
1/2 Tsp Turmeric Powder
1/2 Tbsp Chilli Powder
Salt to Taste
Oil for Deep Fry
 
Method
Heat 1 Tbsp Oil in a Kadai and add the mustard seeds and when they splutter add chana dal, urad dal, hing, curry leaves, green chillies. Roast till they turn light brown. Add roasted Rava(Suji), sugar, salt and lemon juice. Add hot water and stir the mixture till it turns thick. Add Coriander leaves and set aside. Let it cool for 10 to 15 minutes.
 
Now, you can shape it as you wish.
 
In a bowl, mix all the ingredients for the batter. Dip the Suji Mixture ball, making sure that the batter covers all the sides.
Deep Fry on a medium flame. Serve with coconut chutney..