Gulab Jamuns

If you are searching for a Gulab Jamun recipe that tastes just like you got it from a Mithiawala ( Indian sweet shop ) than stop right here, as this recipe is THE ONE.

This is one of the best tasting, made-from-scratch Gulab Jamun recipe ever. The combination of the milk powder to all purpose flour is just right to make soft, firm, super soaked, melt-in-your mouth Gulab Jamuns.

Just make sure to serve it warm and your guest will never believe you made these and that they are super easy to make.

Modak and Karanji

Modak and Karanji are sweet, coconut-filled, deep fried pastries commonly made in the month of September in India. They are said to be a favorite of Lord Ganesh.

Many a time, I have had modaks that are either so hard that you might just need a hammer to break into it or too chewy that you get a good jaw workout for free ! This recipe, however, makes the most amazing modaks . The cover is crispy, flaky and yet strong enough to hold the filling. And the filling has just the right amount of sweetness. Pop one of these in your mouth and you will be amazed at how the cover just dissolves to give way to the sweet coconutty goodness.

Karanji and modak are essentially the same thing assembled in different ways. It takes much longer to make modaks than karanjis because of the small size. So usually in many households, including mine, we make the customary 21 modaks and for the rest of the dough and filling, we make karanjis out of it. Karanjis are also be made during diwali or any special occasion.

Imarti / Jhangri

Imarti or Jhangri is a deep fried,sugar syrup soaked lentil fritter. I was always fascinated by these glistening saffron colored sweets I would see at our favorite mithia-wala ( Indian Confectioner ). One of his apprentice would always be seen frying these up making sure that fresh batches were made for the never-ending demand for it. Scores of customers can be seen coming out of his shop carrying unevenly shaped newspaper-wrapped parcels or boxes all containing various sweets in a delicious rainbow of colors and flavors.

My son loves this along with its cousin the Jalebi ( made from all purpose flour and yogurt ). He first had it in India when attending my mama's wedding ( my mother's brother ). There my sister Ketaki was serving it to all the guest who came for lunch the day before the wedding and he followed her around telling her to stop serving it as there would be none left for him, much to the amusement of all those present. Later it became his ritual to sit on the motorbike in between Ketaki and her dear hubby Abhishek and drive down to the local mithai-wala to get some more of his favorite sweets.

I tried both Sanjeev Kapoor's recipe and also Tarla Dalal's recipe. The both make great Imartis. Below I have adapted Tarla Dalal's recipe, which I found, made crispier Imartis. Before you embark on this journey, it will help you to also view how the famous chef from Vah Reh Vah makes these.

Singhada cha Sheera ( Singoda Sheera )

Enjoy a nice, warm bowl of this wholesome sheera to drive away your hunger pangs during fasting.

It is the season of fasting in India and I thought I would post one of my favorite fasting foods. This sweet dish made with shudh ghee, sugar and singhada peeth  
( also known as Indian water Chestnut ). A little of this sheera and you will be satisfied for hours.

This delicious sheera was enjoyed by everyone at our home. It is the first time my in-laws and my hubby tasted this and they loved it too.

Besan and Coconut Barfi

This is also called the 7-cup barfi. Barfi is an Indian fudge that is commonly made to celebrate festivals and other wonderful events in our lives. There are so many kind of barfis. This is a very easy to make barfi, it uses a few ingredients and does not take too much time either..

I learnt to make this barfi on my very recent trip to Arizona. We had a family reunion there and spent most of our waking moments, laughing, talking and sharing recipes. My sis-in-law's friend made these barfis for us. They were so delicious that I had to get the recipe. She was very gracious in sharing it with us. This barfi tastes a little like Mysore Pak. Try it and see, you will be hooked too.

Pistachio, Cashew and Almond Chikki

Chikkis are very similar to Brittles. I call this a modified Chikki as this is not exactly how traditional chikkis are made. Usually there is no addition of baking soda in Indian Chikki recipes. I added this, inspired by the American Brittle recipes, to give our Chikkis a more melt in your mouth texture. So when you bite into this Chikki you do not have to strain your facial muscles or test the strength of your teeth. The addition of baking soda adds tiny air bubbles to the Chikki making it easier to break and easier to dissolve in your mouth.

Try this recipe, it is delicious and I dare you to stop at one piece. I love to nibble on something sweet after lunch and this is one of my favorites, the trick, however, is to stop after one piece. I am still working on that !

Churma Ladoo ( Whole Wheat Ladoo )

This is one of my favorite ladoos. It is nutritious - with wheat flour and jaggery - and very easy to make. This is a foolproof recipe and the result is a delicious tasting melt-in-your mouth ladoo.

It is that time of the year again, when we slog over our stoves making sweets and namkeens ( savouries ) to celebrate one of our most important festivals. The Festival of Light or Diwali as we say in India.

Diwali comes from the Sanskrit word Deepavali which means a row of lighted lamps. On this day we light little diyas ( earthernware oil lamps ), to signify the triumph of light over darkness, of truth over ignorance and of good over evil.

On this day families get together and distribute sweets and other home made goodies and wear new clothes and burst all kinds of firecrackers. It is quite a sight to see, flickering lights from little diyas everywhere, people all dressed up in their finery and all ages playing firecrackers together outdoors.




Churma Ladoo

Besan Ke Ladoo

I would like to wish all my friends and family a very Happy Diwali. So Diwali is here again and in the flurry of getting the home all spic and span and making sweets, I have neglected to post these recipes sooner. And now that there is only one day left I thought I will post a recipe that requires minimum effort and gives maximum pleasure !

So here is my very easy to make, delicious Besan Ke Ladoo recipe. This recipe is from my college days and was part of one of the menus in our cookery class. When I brought some of these ladoos home, my mom and grandma loved them and my grandma even made me make these again for her.

The only thing to keep in mind is to let the mixture cool down thoroughly. Also do not worry if your mixture feels too soft and your balls are flattening. If this happens, make all the balls and keep them on a plate and after 15 minutes roll each ball again between the palm of your hands. The mixture would have hardened a little and the balls will maintain their shape, this time.




Besan Ke Ladoo

Pistachio and Rose Coconut Burfi ( Nariyal ki Burfi )

This is one of my favorite Indian sweets or mithai as we call it. Moist, chewy and full of coconut flavor. I remember my mother making this whenever we had a party in our home and sometimes even for Diwali  ( Festival of Lights ). She would make different colored layers and it would look so beautiful and festive. You can try it if you are feeling ambitious or you can even leave it plain white. I admit that I love the color pink, I can't help myself I am just drawn to that color.

I garnished my barfi with pistachios, you can even garnish with cashews or almonds or any other kind of nuts. I used rose essence to flavor my barfi as I love that flavor and pistachios complement this very well.

Adding the mava and the sugar makes this barfi moist and chewy which is very similar to my favorite candy bar the ' Bounty ' , or ' Almond Joy ' as it is known in the US, sans the almond and the chocolate covering.




Coconut Barfi

Hayagriva ( a lentil based sweet )

This is an Indian sweet dish made up of cooked bengal gram dal, jaggery, freshly grated coconut and poppy seeds. It is very popular in the south of India especially in Mantralayam.

I love making this sweet as it is very delicious, nutritious ( when was the last time you heard of a sweet dish being nutritious too !) and very quick and easy to make. Hayagriva is very similar to the puran in Puran Poli / Holige .

Some people like their Hayagriva to be a little runny in consistency. However, I like mine in a soft, semi solid state. This depends on personal preference, so if you like it a little more runny do not evaporate a lot of the moisture out during the cooking process. Also when cooking the channa dal / split bengal gram dal , some opt to cook it in the pressure cooker. I, personally, prefer the stove top method - cook it in a saucepan with lots of water - as this allows me to control the texture of the cooked dal. I like my dal to maintain its shape and integrity and putting it in a pressure cooker can be a hit or miss in that. Again there is no hard and fast rule here, as this is not going to change the taste of the dish, just the visual appeal.



Hayagriva

Doodh Peda

I fell in love with these silky, soft, melt-in-your-mouth delicacies when visiting India, as a kid, to attend marriages. Toffee-styled wrapped pedas were distributed to all guests attending the marriage ceremony along with a small packet of colored rice. The rice was to be showered upon the bridegroom and bride when the marriage mantras were over. This used to be our favorite part as this was the time to aim and throw rice at all adults around us, when else would we get to throw something at an adult and get away with it...

Anyway getting back to the peda, after eating the one we were given and begging for the ones that our parents had.... we would walk through the entrance again and again just to collect some more. I miss those times.

In India the milk is boiled down to leave a semi-solid mass behind and this is called Khoya / Mawa. Nowadays I make these on special occasion or festival day. I just run out to my local Indian Grocer and buy these pounds of Khoya slabs from his freezer section. I get the Nanak brand which I like, and I am ready to go.....

 
If you live in an area where Khoya / Mawa is not available, you can make your own at home. Heat some store bought Ricotta Cheese in a heavy bottom saucepan over medium low heat stirring occasionally, it is ready when it looses its water content and becomes dry and creamish in color.


Doodh Peda
 

yield - 8-10 pedas

Ingredients

1 pkt (341gms) Khoya - ready made
1 1/2 - 2 cups fine granulated sugar ( depending on how sweet you want it)
1/4 tsp cardamom / elaichi powder
Cashew or Pistachio pieces for garnish


Method

1. Grate Khoya and mix it with the sugar. Set aside.

2. Heat a non stick pan and put this khoya mixture in it.

3. Keep the heat at medium and keep stirring occasionally.

4. As soon as the khoya and sugar melts and forms one big mass, take it off the heat. This should take approximately 5-10 minutes.

5. The mixture at this point will be very hot and soft. Let it cool thoroughly.

6. When cooled scoop up a small portion and roll it into a ball between the palms of you hand. Flatten the ball a bit and place on a serving dish. Makes about 8-10 pedas depending on the size of the ball.

7. Sprinkle the top with a little cardamom powder and garnish with a sliver of cashew nut or pistachio. It is now ready to serve. Enjoy.

I am also sending this entry to Kalyani's Indian Mithai Mela food event. Thank you Kalyani for hosting this