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.

Rawa Idli

These steamed, savory semolina cakes are a popular breakfast, lunch or even an evening snack item amongst South Indians. These are very easy to make and do not require any lengthy prior preparation. You can whip this up within 1/2 an hour preparation and about 20 - 30 minutes of cooking time. I sometimes even add one large grated carrot to this batter for added nutrition.

Try this recipe out for a quick nutritious breakfast or brunch. All you'll need is an idli mold/stand.

Upma ( Indian Polenta )

Upma is a savoury dish made from semolina and could be easily be termed as Indian Polenta*. This is a very popular South Indian breakfast dish. You can also have it in the afternoons with a cup of hot chai.

There are people who like sweet dishes for breakfast and then there are those who like spicy and savoury dishes for breakfast. I belong to the latter group, though I will make an exception for a little Sheera . I cannot imagine waking up in the morning to doughnuts and assorted jam filled danish pastries. Don't get me wrong, I love these things, but not early in the morning and definitely not as breakfast. Whenever we travel and have to eat the continental breakfast served in our hotels, I know that day I am going to be hungry. I do have a big sweet tooth but I like my sweets only as desserts.

So if you are like me, you will love Upma. It is mildly spicy and savory, it is very nutritious too. I love it when the Upma is all fluffy and the cooked grains are not clinging to each other forming a tight mass of ball that when you take a bite you find yourself groping for a glass of water to help you swallow it down. The trick to achieving the right consistency is the ratio of water to semolina, as given in the recipe below. Also do not skip the roasting-the-semolina step, if you do omit this step the taste of the Upma will be a little off.

This is my mom's recipe. Adding tomatoes to Upma is not the traditional way to make it, but I had it this way once at one of my aunt's house, Rita Maushi makes delicious food and her Upma was really tasty. She is a great cook among many of her other talents. Try this recipe and you will have the most delicious Upma ever. Enjoy a bowl of warm Upma in the morning and suddenly life will seem so much better !

I found this interesting article on Wikipedia and I thought I will share it with you all ,
" Rava is often translated as Semolina in cook books and by various authors on the Internet. While this is not wrong, it is not entirely accurate either. Semolina is most commonly made from Durum wheat, which is thicker and yellow in color with a higher protein and gluten content than Rava. Rava on the other hand is specifically semolina made from soft wheat also known by the trade name of Cream of wheat or farina (food), which is a softer white cereal . " And I always thought of suji and rava as semolina.




Upma

Aaji's Rava Ladoos ( Semolina Sweets )

My Grandmother makes the best Rava Ladoos ever. In India we make ladoos for festivals or any celebratory function at home. There are so many kinds of ladoos, some of the most prominent ones are the quintessential besan ladoo, the revered boondi ladoo and the festive rava ladoo.

I love them all but the rava ladoo holds a special place in my heart because this recipe has been passed down from my grandma to my amma and now to me. When we were small we spent three year at my grandparents house. This time with them made us more Indian then we ever were -  we learnt the language, the customs, the food and the festivals and also we got to meet most of our extended family. Grandma made sure that all festivals were celebrated properly and she and my aunties made all the foods and sweets.

Rava ladoo is her speciality, she makes the best ladoos I have ever had. They are moist and fragrant and they melt in your mouth. Her rava ladoos are so addictive that it is difficult to stop at just one. I love the contrast of textures offered in the slightly chewy coconut, plump raisins and nutty cashew nuts.

So if you are looking for the best tasting, moist and fragrant ladoos then this is your recipe. Your teeth will thank you as you will not have to test their strength while biting into them.


Rava Ladoo

Sheera

It was Purnima ( the day of the full moon ) last week and we made sheera. I love this sheera recipe, even though it is very rich in calories it tastes divine.

In India we make this sheera for a special puja called Sathyanarayan puja. This puja is performed to mark any major occasion like marriage, birth of child, purchase of a new car or new house. However due to its popular nature this sheera is also made in maharashtrian homes for evening snack times. The quantity of ghee is reduced and the milk is increased in such cases.

In maharashtra we use the 'savva praman' ie measurements of 1 1/4 cup of everything -  so sugar is 1 1/4 cup, rava is 1 1/4 cup, ghee is 1 1/4 cup and milk is 1 1/4 cup.This measurement is special for the sathyanarayan puja only. Some also use one mashed up banana *, and that tastes quite good actually, but since I did not have a banana that day I made it without that. Now this is the maharashtrian way, in other parts of India they do not follow this recipe, they use varied quantities of the various ingredients - some use twice the amount of milk to rava and some substitute the milk for water. In this recipe I did decrease the quantity of sugar and ghee a bit.

This recipe produces the best tasting sheera . It reminds me of my grandma's house and all the special occasions. If you are looking for a full flavored, non-mushy, open grained sheera than this is your recipe. The end result was this soft, fragrant sheera that will dissolve on your tongue once you put it in your mouth. Do try it and see, you will be pleased with the results. However, do remember to have it in small quantities due to its high calorie content.