Khajoor Ka Halwa.. Dates Halwa.

Khajoor Ka Halwa is an a very yummy sweet dish, which can be made easily at home and relish with vanilla ice cream. The combination of dates and dry fruits are to die for and can be stored in the fridge for a week or 2. All you need is just a handful of ingredients to make this delicious halwa. Do try and let me know.

Ingredient's.

1/2kg dates (dry one's)

1+1/2 cup of sugar

1 cup dry fruits (almond,cashew,raisin)

1/2 ghee.

Cooking Method.

Soak the dates over night. Then de seed them and grind to a course paste.

In a deep frying pan add the ghee, when the ghee is hot, fry all the dry fruits to golden brown and set it aside.

Now in the same deep frying pan add the ground dates paste and fry till it becomes dry, then add sugar and dry fruits, again fry the halwa till it becomes completely dry and ghee starts floating on top..

Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Dry Fruits And Coconut Kulfi.

Dry Fruits And Coconut Kulfi. Today I'm here with another delicious yet easy kulfi recipe which will leave you speechless after eating this kulfi.. As I have mentioned in my last post that its getting hot in Bangalore and to beat the heat, I just feel like eating kulfi everytime, be it a lunch or dinner. So I'm stocking up my refrigerator with lots and lots of kulfi for upcoming days too.. Since this recipe takes less time and even less ingredients, so why not make and stock up.. Do try and let me know!!

Ingredient's.

1/2 Litre milk

2 pods cardamom

2 tbsp finely chopped almonds, cashews, pista

2 tbsp desicated coconut

2 tbsp fresh cream/malai

1/4 cup sugar.

Cooking Method.

Heat a milk in pan, allow it to boil. Add the cream to the boiling milk. Boil the milk on a medium flame until it reduce to half. keep stirring in between. Once the milk is reduce to half. Now add the chopped dry fruits, sugar and cardamom and allow it to boil for another 5 to 7 minutes.

Then switch off the flame and let the kulfi mixture comes to a room temperature.

Now pour the kulfi mixture into kulfi moulds and cover the top and freeze them for at least 6 to 7 hours or overnight is the best.

Take the kulfi out and by dipping into the water demould the kulfi.

Serve and enjoy.

Hyderabadi Bagara Baingan / Baby Eggplant In Coconut Creamy Gravy.

Hyderabadi Bagara Baingan.. This rich and cream baby eggplant gravy cooked with peanuts, cashew and coconut masala paste, which goes very well with rice, naan, roti and you can make a dry version and serve as a side dish too and this gravy is must in my family when we cook briyani.. This is one gravy which I can eat many times and I won't feel bad. In my childhoods days I use to be not a big fan of eggplants but now it's opposite. My hubby likes the dry version and I like the gravy, so when ever I cook this I have to convince my H to eat the gravy but he only eat's eggplants not a gravy and that's also fine with me because I get to eat the gravy for next day's lunch.

Ingredient's.

6 purple baby eggplants (baingan)

2tbsp cashew, 2tbsp peanuts

2tbsp grated coconut

1 onion (chopped fine)

2 green chilis (whole)

2tsp ginger garlic paste

1/2tsp turmeric, 1tbsp coriander powder, 1tbsp red chilli powder

1 tsp jeera/cumin seeds

2tbsp tamarind paste

Oil and Salt to taste

Freshly chopped coriander leaves for garnish.

Cooking Method.

Dry roast the peanuts and cashew until golden brown. Set aside to cool. Then grind together with the coconut and little water to form a smooth paste.

Slit the eggplants and fry in a 1tsp oil until soft but still holds shape. Drain and set aside. In the same kadai add more oil, add cumin, when they turns brown, add onions and ginger garlic paste fry until golden. Then add the ground paste and fry for a minute.

Then add turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder and salt. Mix well and fry for another minute.

Add the tamarind and 1 cup of water, mix, then add the brinjals and cook for 5-10 mins on a medium heat. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves.

Serve hot with Rice, Roti or Naan.

Kesar Shrikhand. (Low Calorie Yogurt Dessert)

Kesar Shrikhand is healthy Indian dessert made from strained curd. This is a low calorie, rich and creamy yogurt. Shrikhand is generally flavoured with saffron, cardamom and dry fruits even it is served with fresh fruits or as a standalone dessert... I was not knowing what is shrikhand and how it taste, I had heard about it but never tasted before I meet my H, I still remember that day when he had got a pack of Haldiram's shrikhand and I told him that why did you get such a expensive curd, you should have just bought a pack of curd which will not cost more then 10rs. He look at me and said you don't know what is this? and I told him yes ofcourse I know this some weird color curd. He started laughing and said this is shrikhand my dear and I can't belive you have still not tasted this and my reaction was ohhh this is shrikhand from then I know what is shrikhand and how it taste like..

I made this dessert last week and it tasted better then the store bought and I did not get the perfect color of saffron while I was taking pictures and I did take the pictures soon just because I knew that it will be over and I was not sure when I will make this dessert again.. After 2 hours I had got the perfect saffron color and it was looking beautiful... Do try this wonderful low fat dessert and serve as you like...

Ingredient's.

2 cups yogurt

1/2 cup powdered sugar (add more if you like)

10 to 15 saffron strands

3tbsp finely chopped dry fruits (pistachio, almond, raisin and cashew)

2tsp milk

Pinch of cardamom powder.

Method.

Spread clean muslin cloth on a big plate. Place yogurt in the center. Wrap and tightly tie muslin cloth.

Hang yogurt for 2 to 3 hours or until all water is drained off from yogurt. It should become very thick.

After that untie muslin cloth and transfer thick strained yogurt to bowl.

Add sugar and cardamom powder and mix well until smooth.

Dissolve saffron in milk and add it to the yogurt mixture and mix well. Then refrigerate for at least 1 to 2 hour before serving.

Garnish it with dry fruits nuts and serve chilled.

Choba Ki Poori..(Diwali Snacks)

Choba Ki Poori.. You can call them as a (Big Gujia). choba ki poori method is same as gujia but without khova and they are big in size. This is muslim family recipe, they cook this on special occasions like marriage. From a bride side they have to cook this and send it to the grooms house before the day of marriage.. There are many other occasions we cook this if I start then I don't think one post will be enough to tell every thing.

This is my Husband's first Diwali away from home and I don't want him to miss anything because of that only I'm trying my best to make him not to miss anything. I cook gujia very often as he loves to eat them , but this time I wanted to try out something new for him so I thought of this recipe and it turn out to be tasty and he loved it. This is not the only thing, I have lots of plans and many dishes to cook. Hoping for the best :-)

Happy Diwali to my all blog readers and to my friends. May god bless you all with lots of happiness and many more years like this with your family and friends :-)

Ingredient's For Filling.

100gm dry coconut

1+1/2 sugar

1/4cup dry fruits (almonds, raisin, pistachio and cashew)

Ingredient's For Poori.

2 cups of maida

2tbsp ghee/oil

Water (to make a dough)

Oil for deep frying.

Cooking Method For Filling.

Grate the dry coconut.

Chop the almonds, cashew and pistachio into vertical small pieces.

In a vessel, add sugar, grated coconut and all the dry fruits. Give them a nice mix and set it aside. 

Filling is ready.

Cooking Method For Poori's.

Mix maida and ghee. 

Now add water and make dough.

Take small amount of dough and make a small chapatti, put the filling, apply water to the corners of chapatti and fold it giving a semi- circular shape. Press the corners of the puri with your nails.

In a deep frying pan heat oil, and deep fry the pooris to golden brown. Take out on to a paper towel.

Choba Poori is ready to serve.

Store them into Airtight container for more then a week..

Bisi Bele Bath.... (Pressure Cooker Version)

This is one of the easiest and simplest way to cook BBB and it taste awesome... It has been a long time i ate BBB, it was there in my mind to cook at home from a long time but was not having right idea to cook. Then i asked my sister how to cook this BBB. She told me one very easy way to cook. It is in pressure cooker, and i laugh at her. She told me it is true and it will taste delicious. I will tell you the recipe you can also trying cooking in this version then tell me or laugh at me ok... Today morning i thought why not cook BBB for brunch and it is true you can cook BBB in pressure cooker too, and it taste delicious :)

Ingredient's
1/2 cup rice, 1/2 cup toordal
3 cup of chopped vegetable. ( cabbage, capsicum, beans, green peas, cauliflower)
1 onion, 1 tomato, 3 green chilies (finely chopped)
1tsp red chilly powder, 1tsp coriander powder, 1/2tbp turmeric
3tbsp bisibele bath masala powder, 1tbsp sambar powder
1tsp ginger garlic paste


Tempering
2tbsp penuts, 1tbsp cashew
4 dry red chilly, 5 garlic cloves, 10 curry leafs, 1tsp mustard
Salt and Oil to taste.

Cooking Method
Wash dal and rice and put it in the pressure cooker with 5 cup of water and salt. Allow 4 whistle (1 in high flame 3 in low flame) after the pressure is gone from the cooker then add all the vegetable, onion, tomato, green chilly, ginger garlic paste, and all the masala powder. mix it gently and again cook for 3 whistle (1 in high flame 2 in low flame) In the mean time take a frying pan, add oil and fry cashew and penuts, and set it aside. After the pressure is gone from the cooker open the lid and add the fried cashew and peanuts, Then prepare for the tempering, in the same frying pan add oil, mustard, curry leafs, red chillis and garlic cloves, when they start turning golden brown remove from the heat and add in to the BBB and mix it well.
Bisi bele bath is ready to Serve. 
Serve hot with Ghee and Mixture. 

Cashew & Butter Cookies...

This recipe is from Rashmi Mahesh... I must thanks to her for such a easy and lovely recipe. I had baked long time back butter cookies but in a different ingredients.. What i loved in her ingredients is the custard powder which made me to bake this cookies again. I had lost my interest in baking cookies, thanks to her for bringing back that interest in me.. They had come out very well and very tasty too..... 

Ingredient's
All Purpose Flour-1cup
Corn Flour and custard powder- 1/2 cup
Unsalted Butter- 200gms
Icing Sugar-1/2 cup
Vanilla essence-1 tsp
Cashew- 2tsp (finely chopped)

Baking Method
Preheat the oven to 325F. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper. Beat butter, vanilla and sugar till light and fluffy. Add the flour mixture, cashews to this and mix. Make a soft dough and set it aside for 15 to 25 minutes. Dust your hands lightly with flour, take tsp full of dough and roll it round with hands, place it on the baking sheet with space for spreading between them and press it slightly with the back of lightly dusted fork. Bake cookies for 15 min or until lightly golden.Cool for 5 mins on tray and then on rack. Store in airtight container...

Gur Ki Kheer (Jaggery Sweet)

Ingredients

1cup Basmati rice
Jaggery as per taste
3cup Milk
3tbs Ghee
Dry fruits (cashew, almond, dates, Raisin)

Cooking Method
Soak the rice for 1hour. Boil the jaggery separately with little water and set aside to cool it down. Heat the pan add ghee and cashew fry it for 20sec. Add milk wait till it starts boiling, then add rice and cook it well on medium flame. Keep stirring in between till it become’s thick. after the rice is cooked completely add jaggery juice and mix it nicely. Keep in the fridge for 30minutes and then serve.
Garnish with almond, kismis, and dates.

Kesari Bhath (Rawa Sweet)

I had been thinking from a long time to prepare some sweet dish but here in Seoul its hard to find all the required ingredients(Grocery stores selling Indian food items are very less) so i had to settle with something simple but delicious sweet dish that is nothing but kesari bhath. Kesari bhat is very simple to cook and more ever its very gentle on stomach so you dont feel heavy after eating it :-)

Ingredients
1 cup Semolina (rawa)
1 cup Sugar
5 pcs Almonds, 5 pcs Pistas
1/4 tsp Cardamom powder
2 pinches Saffron, soaked in 1 tbsp warm milk
Few drops orange colour (optional)
3 tbsp Ghee
2 1/2 cups Water

Cooking Method
Heat ghee in a large heavy pan, add rava.
Stir and roast on low for 7-8 minutes or till aroma exudes.
Side by side, put water to boil, add sugar, bring to a boil.
Add boiling water to the rava, little at a time stirring continuously. Take care to protect hands from the spluttering.
When well mixed, check rava grain between fingers and taste for sweetness.
Adjust sweetness, and add more boiling water if grain is hard.
Add the remaining ingredients, cover and simmer till ghee separates. Save a small amount of almonds and pistas for garnishing.
Add colour if desired and mix well.
Grease a steel cup. Press hot bhath inside it, and unmould onto a plate.
Garnish with a few slices of almonds and pistas, serve hot
Kesari bhath is ready to serve..