Athirasam for Indian Cooking Challenge

I like to thank all my friends for wishing Harish
for his exams.The practical exams ends out very
smoothly.Ofcourse the real testing is shecduled from
next tuesday.Ok..

This month's ICC Athirasam is a bit easy for  me.I

used to make this atleast once a month as Athirasam

is one of Harish's fav sweet.My neighbour used to say

those who are making perfect athirasams should be

given golden bangle.A little bit of error in the rice flour

and jaggery totally make athirasam collapsible.

Ingredients

Raw Rice - 200 gms

Paku Jaggary - 250 gms

Sesame Seeds - 2 tsp or less

Gasa gasa or Poppy Seeds - 1/4 tsp

Cardamom powder - a pinch

Method to prepare.

Soak rice for 6 hrs and then shade dry it. Meaning it should not become dry but should still have some wetness in the rice. You can either grind this to fine powder using your mixie or give to mill. The rice flour should have that texture of soft and wet feeling when you take a handful and also it should kind of retain your fist shape. Hope you understand what I am saying. This is very important because if the flour is very dry it wouldn't turn out well.

Have all the things ready when you put the jaggary for cooking.

Take water that is enough to dilute jaggary. Dissolve the jaggary. Remove any impurities that may be present. Then again cook till the pakam is ready. The consistency here is also very important. Hope you know that pakam is calculated as threads.

This is how we check the thread consistency, when the jaggary starts boiling and becomes thick, carefully take a small bit and touch it between your thumb and Index fingers. A thread will be formed when you take your fingers away from each other.

Likewise when the syrup becomes thick, you can find 3 threads being formed. So after 3 thread consistency the jaggary is really cooked well and it become thick. When you take a bit and put it in water, you should be able to make a ball of it. This is when you know the pakkam is ready.

Remove from fire, and add poppy seeds, sesame seeds and cardamom. Mix well. Then slowly add the rice flour and keep mixing well. The consistency is very important, so you need to add the flour little by little. Mix till you get a chapati dough consistency. End of this, you may still have some flour left out.

Divide into lemon size balls. Grease a plastic sheet and your fingers. Place the ball on the sheet, and pat it down to a poori size.

Heat oil for frying and slowly drop these discs into the hot oil. You can simmer for a while until you know the inside is cooked. Turn to the other side and cook till its golden in colour. If you are cooking alone, you can roll out one by one and cook. Else it might get burnt. Once done, remove and drain on a Kitchen towel.

Gulab Jamun - Indian Cooking Challenge

It has been habit for me on taking excuses for my disappearance from the blogosphere for a quiet a long time..This time Son has fractured his middle fingers while playing in the playground.. Nandhu is making fun of her brother as she is seeing her mom feeding , changing the dress and taking care as a baby.. Coming to Jamuns for this month ICC ...Amma used to make Jamuns only with the Kova..But we never made Kova at home..With Kova city ( Srivilliputhur) is so near to my moms place Its so easy to get the fresh and soft Kova. I made Lathamma's version.. I made small changes..I reduced the amount of maida to 1/2 cup. Ingredients * Khova – 11/2 cups/ 1 recipe * Maida – 1 cup * Sugar – 3 cups (if you want excess syrup i.e floating jamuns increase by a cup) * Water – 1 cup (increase if you’re increasing sugar) * Cooking Soda – 3 pinches * Cardamom – 4 pods * Saffron leaves – a few * Oil – 1 cup (for deep frying) Method 1. Combine sugar and water in a flat bottomed broad pan and simmer on a low heat until sugar dissolves. Add cardamom powder and saffron leaves and remove from fire. 2. Knead khova, maida and soda and quickly shape into balls. 3. Heat oil on a meidum flame. Fry the jamuns till golden brown over a low to medium flame, keeping oil temperature uniform. Oil should not smoke. 4. Drain the jamuns and soak in the warm sugar syrup. Serve the jamuns after half an hour. Tips: * You will achieve correct consistency for jamun syrup when 3 cups of sugar dissolves 1 cup water over low heat. * Only when the syrup is ready, mix the jamun dough. Since the dough has soda, if its kept aside the jamuns will disperse while frying and will not hold well. * Right temperature of oil of utmost importance to get soft jamuns. * Never refridgerate jamuns. Jamuns when refrigerated will shrink and become hard. Jamuns will stay fresh for 4 days when stored in air tight containers. * If you like you can add two drops of rose essence to the syrup to make it Gulab jamun. Check out my other two versions of Jamuns.

Diwali Sweets and Savories - Thattai and Adhirasam

I wish all my friends ,readers a belated diwali. Thought of posting this before Diwali itself. Nandhu was asking for Adhirasam and her favorite Boondi Laddu . So I reserved this for this Diwali. I got this thatti recipe from my neighbour.Her Thattai is so hot of so much of red chiili powder combined with lots of whole pepper.I reduced this for our taste buds. Thattai Ingredients Raw flour - 4 cups Urad dal flour - 1/2 cup Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp Hing - 1/2 tsp Crushed pepper - 1/2 tsp Salt - 1 tsp Chopped curry leaves - 2 tblsp Channa dal - 2 tblsp Oil to fry Method

• Soak Channa dal in 1/2 cup of water for 15 min.
• Dry roast urad dal in a medium flame till nice aroma comes out .
• Powder this in a mixie once the dal cools down and sieve it.
• Drain the water from the channa dal.
• Combine rice flour and all the other ingredients and using little water at a time make a soft dough.The dough should not crack.
• Take a white cloth or dhoti . Take a small size of dough and flatten it in a white cloth using middle three fingers to a small discs.if it is sticky apply oil in your hands.
• Heat oil in a kadai . Once it is hot drop the discs one by one.
• Flatten the discs with the back of the slotted spoon to prevent the thattai from puffing up.
• Remove from the fire after the oil sound stops.
• Drain in the paper towel.

Adhirasam Ingredients Raw rice - 1 cup Jaggery - 1 cup poppy seeds - 1 tblsp Oil to fry Method

• Soak the rice with enough water for 1 hr.
• Drain the water and shade dry the rice for 30 min.
• The rice should be still wet when grinding in a mixie.
• In a kadai add jaggery and 1/4 cup of water.
• When the jaggery melts strain the impurities using the white cloth.
• Keep again over the heat and make the syrup.
• Drop the syrup in the small bowl of water to check the consistency.You should make a soft ball of jaggery.
• Remove from fire and add immediately to the wet rice flour. Add poppy seeds. Mix well to get a soft dough.
• You can make this dough ahead and keep in the refrigerator or make adhirasams immediately too.
• Heat oil in a kadai . Take a plastic sheet. Take a 3 " inch ball from the dough and flatten it into small discs . Remove carefully from the sheet and slide in the oil.
• Turn slowly and remove from the fire when both sides become light brown.
• If you want a crispier adhirasams press it in between two plates and remove the excess oil.
• Drain in the paper towel.

Modaks,Sesame Ladoos-ICC Festive Special

Hello Friends , after a long blog hiatus I am back.It has been really tough to get

the kids adjusted to the hot and humid conditions and more specially the schools.

Though it is almost 4 months Nandhu is still missing her school back there. Life is more hectic as Harish is in the board exam .

I missed out the first two months ICC challenge.I made Modak and sesame ladoos. We use to have sugar and coconut pooran for the modak.So want to try this out. The sesame ladoos I never make at home.Both of them came out delicious. Hubby liked the sesame ladoos.

Modak\ Stuffing - 2 cups freshly grated coconut (can use frozen unsweetened coconut) 1 cup jaggery (grated) 1 tbsp poppy seeds 1 tsp cardamom powder one pinch nutmeg (optional) 2 tbsp water (mom uses milk) Cover - 1 cup rice flour 1.25 cup water pinch of salt 1 tbsp oil Preparation for Stuffing - Roast poppy seeds in a small skillet and let it cool down. Grind it coarsely and keep it aside. In a heavy bottom kadhai mix all the ingredients for stuffing except poppy seed powder and let it sit for 15 min. Now start heating the mixture over medium heat. In about 10-12 minutes, the mixture starts boiling and stuffing will turn yellowish brown and will be sticky. Take the kadhai off the heat, add poppy seeds powder and mix well. Set it aside to cool down. Preparation for cover - Take vessel that has tight fitting cover. Start boiling water in that vessel, add salt and oil. When water starts boiling, lower the heat and slowely add rice flour. Please do now dump everything at once. Start mixing vigourously with a heavy spoon. Now close the lid and take the pot off the heat. Let the covered pot cool down for 15 minutes or so. Then with wet hands, mix the dough properly. It will warm so be careful and use cold water to keep your hands from burning but do not use too much water. if you think the dough is little sticky, I will suggest add 1-2 tbsp maida to it and make the dough. Making Modak (Final Product) - Start boiling water in a large vessel that can fit a steamer. I use a stainless steel steamer that fits on a pressure cooker and water doesnt touch the steamer and use stainless steel plate to cover it. Oil the steamer and set it aside.

Make about 20 balls of the dough and 20 parts of the stuffing. Start making small puri with the dough ball on a oiled paper/aluminum foil. Keep one part of stuffing in the middle of the puri and gather the puri gently to make shape like modak. You will have to handle the dough very gently. Follow the step to make remaining modaks. Now dip each modak in cold water and put it in the steamer. Put the steamer on boiling water and cover it. Let the modaks steam for 20 minutes on medium to high heat. Take the steamer off the vessel and let it sit for 5 minutes before removing moodak from steamer.

Nugul-untallu (Sesame Laddo0)

Dry roast them in a tawa and let them cool. Once they are cool, take about 2 - 3tbsp of grated or powdered jaggary and run in a mixie. The amount of jaggary normally depends on the formation of laddoo. When you make a laddoo, it should stay in shape. Then you know the amount is enough. Also it depends on the fineness of the sesame powder. When you run in mixie, it becomes little oily which will help in holding the laddo shape.

Butter Cookies

Suddenly the weather has changed and it has been

so cold in the Midwest . Kids preferred to stay inside

and I make them by helping me in making this delicious

butter cookies..They love to add more details to the

cookies..Here is the basic butter cookies which can be

tweaked to any type..orange , lemon , chocolate.....

Ingredients

All purpose flour - 2 cups

Butter - 1 1/2 sticks

Sugar - 1 cup

Egg - 1

Vanilla essence - 1/2 tsp

Baking powder - 1/2 tsp

Salt - 1/2 tsp

Method

• Whisk together flour , baking powder and salt in a small bowl.
• Beat butter and sugar for 6 min.
• Beat in egg and vanilla.
• Then add flour mixture and mix until just combned.
• Form dough into a 6 inch disc and cover it in a plastic wrap.
• Chill the dough in the refrigerator until 4 hrs or until firm.
• Preheat oven to 375 F .Roil out the disc into 9 inch round with 1/4 " thick.
• Cut into desired shaped using cookie cutters.
• Transfer the cookies to the baking sheets and bake for 12- 15 min.
• Cool down in the wire rack.Frost the cookies once it cooled down completely.

Decorating Icing

Powdered Sugar - 1 lb

water - 1/3 cup

Vanilla essence - 1 tsp

Beat everything together . Add more water or lemon juice if it is hard to decorate the cookies

I am sending this to Happy Cooks Home made Christmas Gifts.

Sakkarai ( Sweet ) Pongal

Today is the final day of RM .We are ending up by

making a sweet dish . Sakkarai Pongal is a

traditional sweet dish . It is prepared mainly

during the first day of tamil

month Thai , Krishna Jeyanthi and for other poojas

and festivals.I made this a week back for Sathyanarayana

Pooja at my friends home.Here is the recipe

Ingredients

Raw rice - 1 cup

Moong dal - 1 tblsp

Water - 4 cups

Coconut grated - 1/2 cup

Jaggery - 2 1/2 cups ( can be reduced to 2 cups )

Cardamon powder - 1/4 tsp

Cashew - 10

Raisins - 10

Ghee - 4 tblsp

Method

• Wash rice and moong dal together.Pressure cook dal and rice with 4 cups of water for 15 min.
• Heat 1/4 water in a thick bottomed vessel and add jaggery.
• When the jaggery melts drain it to remove the impurities.
• Add this to the cooked rice .
• Stir together so that all comes together.
• Add grated coconut and cardamon powder.
• Heat ghee in a pan and fry the cashews and raisins.Add this to pongal.

I am sending this to Srivalli's Rice Mela.

Check out my Fellow marathoners.

1) DK 2) Siri 3) Srivalli 4) Ranji 5)PJ 6)Curry Leaf 7)Medha 8)Priya 9)Bhawna 10)Raaji 11)Ruchii 12)Anu 13)Roopa 14)Divya Kudua 15)Rekha 16)Divya M 17)Lakshmi 18)Raaga 19)Lakshmi Venkatesh 20)Sripriya 21)Viji 22)Pavani 23)Karuna 24)Roochi 25)Kamalika

Vegan Brownies

This recipe is from one of my friend..I have

changed little bit to fit for AWED American.

Ingredients

Sugar - 2/3 cup

Dark Cocoa - 1/2 cup

All purpose flour - 2/3 cup

Walnuts chopped - 1 cup

Baking Powder - 1 tsp

Salt - a pinch

Vanilla essence - 1 tsp

Apple sauce - 1/2 cup

Vegetable oil - 1/2 cup

Method

• Preheat the oven to 350 .
• Sift flour , cocoa , baking powder and salt.
• Mix apple sauce and oil . Add sugar and beat well.
• Stir in the vanilla . Now add the flour mix .
• Mix gently without forming any lumps.
• Finally add the chopped walnuts . Pour into the greased baking pan.
• Bake for 20 min or till the tooth pick comes out clean.
• Dust with confectioner's sugar or drizzle with melted cocoa.

And this is off to DK's AWED American.

Check out my fellow Recipe Marathoners.

1) DK 2) Siri 3) Srivalli 4) Ranji 5)PJ 6)Curry Leaf 7)Medha 8)Priya 9)Bhawna 10)Raaji 11)Ruchii 12)Anu 13)Roopa 14)Divya Kudua 15)Rekha 16)Divya M 17)Lakshmi 18)Raaga 19)Lakshmi Venkatesh 20)Sripriya 21)Viji 22)Pavani 23)Karuna 24)Roochi 25)Kamalika

French Toast

French Toast or some may call this as Bombay Toast can be made both savory and sweet versions..Having a sweet tooth I like the sweet version..My Grandma used to make this using the round rusk..The soaking time differs if using rusk..Here I have used the bread to make this toast. Ingredients Bread slices - 5 Egg - 3 Warm milk - 2 tblsp Sugar - 5 tbslp ( depends upon the taste) Ghee - 2 tsp Method

• Beat the eggs and add warm milk and sugar.
• Mix well till the sugar dissolves.
• Take the bread slices and dip in the mix both sides for a min.
• Transfer to the hot tawa . Roast the bread on both sides with 1/2 tsp of ghee .
• Remove when it turns golden.

Serve hot.

Watch out my fellow marathoners.

1) DK 2) Siri 3) Srivalli 4) Ranji 5)PJ 6)Curry Leaf 7)Medha 8)Priya 9)Bhawna 10)Raaji 11)Ruchii 12)Anu 13)Roopa 14)Divya Kudua 15)Rekha 16)Divya M 17)Lakshmi 18)Raaga 19)Lakshmi Venkatesh 20)Sripriya 21)Viji 22)Pavani

23)Kamalika

Paniyaram

Paniyaram is a sweet dish we used to make

at our homes during all kinds of festivals and marriages

for poojas . It is so simple to make without so much

effort too.

Ingredients

Rava - 1 cup

Maida - 1 cup

Sugar - 1 cup

Cardamon powder - 1/2 tsp

Cashews chopped - 1 tblsp

Oil for frying

Method

• Soak rava in 3 tblsp of water for 15 min.
• Add maida and sugar and mix well . Don't water unless the batter is too thick.
• The batter should be thick . Now add cardomon and cashews.
• Heat oil in a pan . When the oil is hot pour the batter with a ladle that holds 2 tblsps.
• Fry the paniyaram one by one in a medium flame .
• Turn the paniyaram when the color slightly changes.
• Remove from the oil when the other side changes too.

Check my other marathoners.

1) DK 2) Siri 3) Srivalli 4) Ranji 5)PJ 6)Curry Leaf 7)Medha 8)Priya 9)Bhawna 10)Raaji 11)Ruchii 12)Anu 13)Roopa 14)Divya Kudua 15)Rekha 16)Divya M 17)Lakshmi 18)Raaga 19)Lakshmi Venkatesh

My 100 th post ~ Boondhi Laddu ~ Diwali Special

I wish you all my readers , bloggers a very Happy Diwali.

This post is so special to me as I have touched my century.

I know this is not a big mark since I have been labelled

as lazy during my childhood compared to my so Ideal

and perfect cousin sisters .

Boondhi Laddu is one of the sweet Amma used

to prepare during Diwali.

Ingredients

Besan flour - 1 cup

Rice flour - 2 tsp

Sugar - 1 1/4 cup

cardamon powder - 1/2 tsp

Lemon color - a pinch

Water - 1/2 cup

Cashew chopped - 2 tbslp

Raisins - 1 tblsp

Cloves - 10

Oil to fry

Method

• Take besan and rice flour in a vessel . Add water to form a thick batter.
• Heat oil in a kadai . Meanwhile add sugar and 1/2 cup of water in another vessel and bring it to 1/2 string consistency . ( Take little bit of syrup between thumb and index finger and releases the index finger a half inch string should come.
• Add 1 tsp ghee and color to it and switch off the flame.
• When oil is hot keep the stove in medium flame .
• Hold boondhi ladle to the top of the oil and pour 1 ladle of batter to it . Rub the batter with another laddle.
• Fry the boondhi till it is 3/4 cooked.Donot let the boondhi turn crispy.
• Now Remove it from fire and put the boondhis into hot syrup.
• Repeat the process till the batter is done.
• Leave the boondhi in syrup for 10 min.
• Fry cashews , raisins and cloves in ghee.
• Add this and cardamon powder to the boondhi.
• Make lemon sized balls.

On my 100 th post I would like to show few of my works.

My first glass painting .

Bharath procession in my sister's saree.

Aari work in a blouse.

On this special moment I would like to thank all my readers , friends

bloggers who give continuous encouragement for all my work.

Godhumai ( wheat ) Halwa

Amma makes Godhumai Halwa for every Diwali.

She makes the most yummiest halwa.. My first post

was about Amma's first hit at her in- laws place after her

marriage . But the second one Godhumai Halwa was a total

disaster . Mistakes make us perfect . That made Amma perfect

at making delicious Halwa.And this is the only sweet

that I never eat from sweet shops.

Diwali and my home town could not be divided ....my

home town is none other than Sivakasi .It is

a small town known for fireworks and match factories.

The town contributes 90 % of India's total fire works .

It is surrounded by match factories and fire works .We

couldnot find unemployment in our area..People

here are very active and hard working.. It is popularly

known as Kutty Japan which was given by

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru .

Coming to the recipe ...

Ingredients

Whole wheat - 1 cup

Sugar - 3 cups ( can reduce to 2 cups )

Cardamom powder - 1/ 2 tsp

ghee - 1/2 cup

Saffron color - pinch

Cashew - 1 tblsp

Method

• Soak whole wheat with enough water for overnight.
• In the morning drain the water and grind the wheat in the mixie using 1 cup of water.
• Using a sieve squeeze the wheat milk.
• Repeat this for 3 more times.
• Keep the wheat milk aside for atleast for 1/2 hr.
• The thick wheat milk sets at the bottom . Drain away the extra water that sets in the top.
• Now in a heavy bottomed vessel ( I usually use 5 lr cooker ) Bring wheat milk, saffron color and sugar to boil.
• Keep stirring continuously in a low medium flame.( otherwise it will form lumps).
• Start adding ghee 2 tblsp at a time when halwa sticks at the bottom.
• Fry cashews in 1 tsp of ghee in a separate pan.
• Add cardamon powder and cashews to halwa.
• Halwa is done when the ghee separates out from the pan.
• It will take around 30 - 40 min for ghee to ooze out from the sides for 1 cup of wheat.
• Serve in a bowl or cut into desired shapes.

And this is my entry to Srivalli's JFI : Festive Treats

GulabJamun

I am so fond of sweets . My hubby warns me

to check for diabetes as I make sweets all the

time . I have already posted Amma's way

of making Gulab jamuns using unsweetened

Kova . This is another version of making with

non fat dry milk powder.

Ingredients

Dry milk powder - 1 cup

Yoghurt - 4 tblsp

Ghee - 2 tsp

Maida - 4 tblsp

Baking soda - 1/2 tsp

Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp

For making syrup

Sugar - 3 cups

Water - 3 cups

Rose essence - 1/2 tsp ( optional )

Method

• In a wide bottomed vessel heat sugar and water.
• Allow it to boil. Switch off the flame.
• Mean while in a bowl mix milk powder , baking powder and maida . Mix well.
• Add yoghurt and ghee.Knead softly to form a dough.
• Add little milk if you can't make a dough.
• Close it with wet cloth for 15 min.
• Heat oil in a kadai . The oil should not be too hot.
• Make small rounds of the dough.
• Drop the balls slowly into the oil.
• Oil should be in the low medium flame.
• Fry it till golden brown.
• Remove from the flame and drop the jamuns in the sugar syrup.
• Serve it after 2 hrs.

I am sending this to Mythreyee's this month's deep fried sweets.

Microwave Rava Kesari

I love all sweets . Rava kesari is my next most fav sweet after mysore pak.Amma used to make this on my birthdays every year . Ingredients Rava ( semolina ) - 1 cup Sugar - 1 1/2 cup water - 2 cups Ghee - 2 tblsp Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp Lemon color - a pinch Cashew - 10 Raisins - 10 Method

• Roast cashew and raisins in one tsp of ghee in a microwave dish.
• Remove the cashews and raisins and in the same dish roast the rava for 1 min in micro high.
• Take another microwave dish add 2 cups of water , lemon color and microwave high for 3 min or let the water boil.
• Now take out the dish carefully from the oven and add the roasted rava in the boiling water and mix well.
• Cook again in micro high for 2 min.
• Now add sugar slowly to this and cook again till done or approximately 5 min .
• In the end add cashew , raisins, cardamom and ghee and mix well.

This is my entry to Srivalli's MEC : Potluck Party.

Peanut Chikki ~ Click Lemon

Dear friends, My posts in TOI are now appearing under the name Gromit . I am trying to solve this problem soon.So kindly bear with me . Thank You.

Peanut chikki is another Amma's popular snack.

Asusual she prepares it in a large amount ..Amma

used to send us for the School picnics.Great

snack for all ages.

Ingredients

Peanut - 1 cup

Jaggery - 1/4 cup

Sugar - 1/4 cup

water - 1/4 cup

Method

• Roast the peanut in Microwave in high for 5 min.
• Cool it down . Remove the skin and broken into pieces.
• Heat jaggery and sugar with water in a heavy bottomed vessel.
• When the jaggery melts drain it using the sieve to remove the impurities.
• Keep it again in the stove .
• Stir often.
• Meanwhile in a small bowl take 1/2 cup of cool water.
• Check the consistency of jaggery by dropping little bit in water.
• It should be like a hard ball .At this stage add the peanuts and switch off the flame.
• Mix well . Pour in the greased plate or kitchen top.
• Flatten it out with the rolling pin and cut into slices while it is hot .
• Store in a airtight container.

This is my entry to this month's sweet series Chikkis and ladoos.

This is my click for this month's event Click - Lemon by Jai Bee of Jugalbandhi.

Kozhukattai for Aadi velli

Aadi is a tamil month which falls from mid July to mid

August.Both Aadi chevvai ( Tuesdays ) and Velli ( Fridays )

are auspicious for the worship of Goddess Sakhti .

In our places the women used to do poojas

starting in the late night.These poojas are performed

only by women and no men are allowed to enter . Group

of women joined together and performed at the homes with

no men . Since it used to be in the night I never

attended the poojas . As a child all I knew is eating the

kozhukattais . My grandma gave us secretly the kozhukattais

in the morning .

My MIL used to do this kozhukattais other days for

men at home. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients

Rice flour - 1 cup

Salt a pinch

water to form a dough

Method

Combine flour , salt and water to form a soft dough.

Make different kinds of shapes like round , oval etc..

In a thick bottomed vessel boil 4 cups of water.

When water comes to boil take a handful of kozhukattais

and drop them slowly into the water . Take a laddle and

stir slowly . Allow it to cook for 5 min . Take the

kozhukattais out of the vessel without water

using the laddle It is best eat with coconut flakes.

Note

The water should be at rolling boil when dropping the balls.

Coconut Fudge

When I was searching Nupur's Blog for Zlamushka's

event I came across this simple and delicious fudge.

It is very quick and easy to make.

Ingredients

Coconut grated - 1 cup

Milk - 1/2 cup

condensed milk - 2 tblsp ( optional )

Sugar - 1/3 cup

Ghee - 2 tblsp

Cardamom powder - 1 tsp

Almond slices - 8 - 10

Method

• Combine coconut , milk , sugar , condensed milk and ghee in a sauce pan.
• Bring it to boil and stir continuously under low flame till the mixture gets thick and dry.
• Stir in the cardamom and 3/4 th of almond slices .
• Fill 1 tsp of fudge in the mini muffin cups and decorate it with almond slices.

This is my entry to AFAM - Coconut by Suganya of Tasty Palettes.

Puran Poli

As the schools are closed the kids make me very busy . So I am rushing here for the events.Since I have sweet tooth I like all kinds of sweets.Boli or Poli finds a special memory under my heart. It was one Diwali Eve and my sister's first one after marriage.Amma was busy making sweets for the special occasion.She prepared the dough and filling for poli . I got little labor pain. I urged Amma to make Boli as soon as possible ( Since it was the second one I was more confident!!!) and we both started making Bolis quickly. After cooking all the Bolis we rushed to the hospital. So whenever I make Boli I remember those tension moments. Ingredients Maida - 1 cup Oil - 2 tsp water to make dough For Filling Jaggery - 1 cup Channa dal - 3/4 cup Cardamom - 1 tsp Coconut - 2 tblsp Method

• Take Maida in a bowl .Rub 1 tsp of oil in Maida.Add water and knead to form a very soft dough.
• Add remaining oil on top and leave it for 2 hrs.
• Cook Channa dal in the pressure cooker with 2 cups of water for 2 whistles.
• Once the dal is cooled grind channa dal and jaggery to a coarse paste.

• Add cardamom and coconut.
• If the paste has more water, Pour the paste in a kadai and under medium flame saute it till you make a soft ball.
• Divide the filling and dough equally.
• In a plastic sheet or banana leaf apply some

oil.Take one round of dough.

• Spread it on the sheet.Now place one dal filling in the centre.

• Cover the ball.

• Do like this for remaining .

• Heat a tawa.Take one ball in the plastic sheet.
• Apply some oil.Spread the ball with the middle three fingers.
• Slowly lift the boli from the sheet and place it on the tawa.
• Apply 1 tsp of oil or ghee.
• Cook well on both sides.

I am sending this to Sweet series By Mythreyee

Gulab jamun

Amma makes soft gulab jamuns.This is one of her

popular recipe .

Ingredients

unsweetened kova - 1/4 kg

All purpose flour - 1 1/2 cup

Ghee - 1 tblsp

Baking soda - 1 pinch

milk to mix

For Syrup

sugar - 3 cups

water - 3 cups

cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp

Method

melt ghee and mix it to the flour with fingers.

Add kova,baking soda to the flour.

Sprinkle milk just enough to make like soft ball.

It should not have any crack when you make balls.

Make small balls and cover it with wet towel.

Meanwhile add sugar and water in a wide bottomed vessel.

Heat it till it boils .Add cardamom powder.

Heat oil in a kadai.Be sure to keep it in a low flame.

Put the balls slowly in the oil and fry it will golden brown.

Now drop the fried jamuns in the sugar syrup.

Serve after 2 hrs.

Rasagulla - RCI Bengal

Tomorrow Appa is celebrating his birthday.Appa

is more like a friend to me and my sister.He is a great

guide , advisor to all of us.But when coming to food ,

Appa likes food only when it is perfect.It is very

difficult to satisfy Appa.So I never enter kitchen

at my mom's place.For one Diwali I made Rasagullas

and took to Amma's place.Thank God....Appa

liked that very much and he asked me to make

it for his birthday too.Indeed it was a great

compliment for me.This recipe is adopted from

Ms.Mallika Badrinath's 100 sweets.

Ingredients

Milk - 1 lr

Lemon juice - 1/4 cup

Maida - 1 tsp

Sugar - 2 cups

water - 3 1/2 cups

Rose water - 1 tsp

Method

1.Boil the milk in a big pan.

2.Add 1 tsp of water to lemon juice.

3.When the milk starts boiling add lemon juice

slowly.

4.The milk begins to curdle and the water separates.

5.Remove from fire.

6.Drain off the water and tie the paneer in the cheese cloth

and let it hang for 1 hr.

7.Take the paneer and add maida .

8.Knead slowly to form a soft ball.

9.Make small sized balls.

10.Add sugar and water in a wide vessel.

11.When the syrup gets boiling , take away

1 cup of syrup from it .

12.Add 1/2 cup of cold water to 1 cup of sugar syrup

and keep it aside.

13.This is the diluted syrup.

14.Now add paneer balls to the sugar syrup which is

boiling.

15.Close the lid .

16.After 5 min add 1 tsp of diluted syrup on each paneer balls.

17.Again close the lid .

18.Repeat the same for 3 times.

19.Adding diluted syrup is important to get

paneer balls puffy.

20.Remove from fire and let it cool completely.

This bowl of Rasagullas goes to my Appa

and Sandeepa's RCI -Bengal.

Starting with my favourite sweet-Mysore Pak

Like all the girls I too inherit cooking and craft interest from my dear mom. This sweet is special one for both my mom and me. Few days after my mom's marriage my grandma asked the sweet she knows to make.Since mom is known for her favourite mysore pak she said this cute melting moments. And the next minute she was asked to do that and she won all hearts .And for a surprise I too first made mysorepak at my in laws place a week after my marriage.So for both of us this has become memorable one.

Ingredients

Besan flour-1 cup

sugar- 2 cup

water- 1 cup

ghee 2-2 1/2 cups

Method

1.First sieve the besan flour and

roast it in 1 tsp ghee till u get the aroma.

2.In another kadai melt the ghee.

3.In a heavy bottomed pan or cooker,

add sugar and water.

4.Once u get 1/2 string consistency add

besan flour.

5.Now add ghee little by little to this.

6.Keep on stirring till the ghee separetes from the pan.(as in picture 2)

7.Pour it in a greased plate.After 3 min cut it

to the desired shape.

Tips

Never use old besan flour.

if besan is not handy amma used to

powder roasted bengal gram .You never fail with roasted bengal gram.