Walnut Chikki/ Walnut Brittle

Pea nut Chikki (or) Kadalai Mittai is a tasty delicacy liked by all without any age difference. The demand for this sweet/snack lasts year round without any change. Walnuts are the healthiest nuts as for as i heard about it. The mild bitter taste stays everyone away from this healthy nut. My son sometimes eats this and mostly avoid eating them. To feed him i find a twist on the Peanut chikki by replacing peanuts with walnuts.

So tasty and healthy as it is prepared with jaggery. The best way to feed people those who hates walnuts. This sweet is perfect for the people those who prefer eating healthy stuff always. You can make this as a snack or sweet for this festive season and make your family members happy and healthy.

Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes
Cuisine: South Indian
Makes: 12 pieces

INGREDIENTS:
Walnuts- 1 and 1/2 cups
Jaggery, grated- 1 and 1/2 cups
Water-3/4 cup
Cardamom powder, freshly crushed- 1/2 teaspoon
Ghee- 2 teaspoons

PROCEDURE:

• Apply ghee on a flat tray and sprinkle with maida (APF) and shake off the excess flour.
• Take walnuts and break them into small pieces(4-5 pieces) with hand and keep them inside the pan.

• Dry roast the broken nuts on medium flame by frequently tossing them for around three to five minutes. Check the crispness by tasting the crunch of the nuts.
• Remove them fire and set aside.
• In a pan add the jaggery and water. Cook them till the syrup turns one string consistency. Check the consistency or stickiness using fingers (or) the last drop falls from the ladle forms a string.

• Now add the roasted walnuts and mix well. Add cardamom powder and ghee; mix well.

• Cook for one to two minutes till the syrup almost becomes thick but able to pour stage.
• Transfer the walnut sugar syrup in to the greased tray.
• Roll the top using a rolling pin to get the uniform height and even surface.

• Cut the hot chikki using a knife in to pieces.
• Allow to cool for thirty to forty five minutes and remove the pieces from tray and serve.

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Carrot Halwa/ Gajar Ka Halwa

Carrot Halwa is a popular dessert of Punjab in India and also in Pakistan. Served as a dessert in all Indian Festivals especially Diwali, Holi and Eid and Raksh Bandan. Gajjar ka Halwa has introduced in Mughal period. Carrot Halwa prepared with the combination of milk and carrots named as Milk Flavoured Gajar Ka Halwa. Same halwa prepared with Cream/ Mava (Khoya) is described as Mava flavoured carrot Halwa.

Easy to prepare dessert in minutes with the ingredients already available in your pantry. Kids too love this dessert as it is tasty and also colourful. Perfect for all festive occasions.

Preparation Time:10 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Cuisine: North Indian
Serves- 5-6

INGREDIENTS:
Carrot, grated- 5 nos (or) 500 grams
Milk- 4 cups (1 liter)
Ghee- 2 tablespoons
Sugar- 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup (use according to your taste)
Cardamom powder- 3 pods
Cashew nuts- 10 nos
Raisins- 10 nos
Saffron / Tandoori orange colour- pinch (optional)

PROCEDURE:

• Wash and peel the carrots; Grate them and set aside.
• In a pan add milk and cook till it reduces approximately half on medium flame by continuous stirring.

• Add the grated carrots and cook in milk till soft.

• Add a tablespoon of ghee and sugar cook the carrots till soft and the moisture almost evaporates.

• Add the sugar, food colour few drops and cardamom powder and mix well.

• When the moisture almost totally evaporates add a tablespoon of ghee and cashews and raisins and mix well. It does not tastes similar to other halwa but it tastes similar to palkova/peda.
• Transfer the halwa inside a pan slightly coated with ghee.
• Flatten the surface with a backside of the spoon dipped in ghee.

• Cut in to pieces with knife.
• Chill the slices inside the fridge and remove the slices from tray and serve chilled.
• Can be served hot or chilled.
• Notes: Saute the carrots in ghee and cook them in condensed milk and add nuts and raisins is another super easy method and it saves time.

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Mysore Pak

Mysore Pak is a South Indian traditional dessert prepared and served in all festivals especially Diwali. It is also sometimes served with the Thali meal in weddings and restaurants as a sweet dish. There are two types of Mysore pak in my point of view & they depend on texture. One is  Ghee Mysore Pak which is soft & melts in the mouth and with smooth texture while the other one is normal the Mysore pak which is slightly hard when compare to ghee mysore pak, has a porous texture and dark brown centre with light coloured edges.

Perfectly made Mysore pak tastes heavenly. If it goes wrong it will be hard like a brick. It is an super easy dessert if you know the tricks to make it. Here i have shared the tips that i have learnt while making the mysore pak.

Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Cuisine: South Indian
Makes: 14 big pieces or 24 small pieces

INGREDIENTS:
Gram Flour- 2 cups
Sugar- 2 cups
Water- 3/4 cup
Ghee/ Vanaspathi-1 cup
Oil- 1/4 cup

PROCEDURE:

• Apply ghee in a square or rectangular tin with depth around 3- 4 inches (the depth of pan is important to get the nice brown colour at the middle with yellow edges and for the porous texture) set aside.
• Sieve the gram flour if the pack is already opened otherwise not necessary; set aside.
• Add the ghee with oil together in a pan and heat reduce the flame(4:1 ratio. Ghee for flavour and oil for texture). While adding this should be really hot.

• To make the sugar syrup, add the sugar with water in a pan and cook till it becomes single thread consistency.(Check the consistency between two fingers it should form a thread)
• Now start adding the Gram flour 1/4 cup at a time by constant stirring by breaking the lumps once the flour dissolves in syrup add next lot likewise add the whole 2 cups and constantly stir it.

• Now start adding the hot ghee 1-2 tablespoon at a time into the gram flour syrup mixture.
• Stir well continuously till last stage without break.

• Atone stage the mixture does not stick on the pan and become frothy bubbly and looks pale Allow to bubble the mixture around two minutes or till u get the roasted smell of the gram flour.
• The gram flour sugar mixture start absorbing ghee and at one stage it stops and ghee starts to float and the mixture start leaving the pan. (Some times you may not require the whole oil ghee mixture but you will require 1 cup for sure and be generous with ghee and add till the ghee floats well)

• Now transfer the whole mixture into the greased pan. I used a card board paper to get height for my mysore pak. Because i love the taste of the brown colour part :-). I transferred the mysore pak to the pan and using the paper pulled the whole mixture at one side and it starts to stick on the mysore pak as a barrier.(If you follow this method cut the paper to the exact size of the pan to prevent the ghee seeps through the space to the other side and your mysore pak turns hard.)
• Flatten the surface with a backside of the spoon dipped in ghee. Do not apply pressure while flatten the surface.
• Draw the marker lines on top of mysore pak after 10 minutes. Do not give deep cuts. 
• Further cool down 10 more minutes to give deep cuts (mysore pak still will be hot). When you cut the mysore pak it should not stick  on the knife. It is the perfect heat for the mysore pak to give deep cuts. Donot separate them now because it tend to break.

• Once it almost cools down around 20 minutes after transfering separate the cut pieces.
• To make the pan full of mysore pak 8x8x3 size pan you will require 5 cups of gram flour, 5 cups of sugar and add ghee half a cup more i.e  1.5 cups of ghee and 1/2 a cup of oil. So if you are planning to prepare in a big batch you will get more deeper colour mysore pak.
• Note: Continuous stirring is essential from starting to finishing stage.

See my Porous slightly brown centered Mysore Pak!!!

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Bread Gulab Jamun

I love like these super easy recipes and  that too with leftover bread slices. The best way to clear out the leftover bread. No need for Gulab Jamun mixes any more. When ever u have left over bread, you can give a delicious make over to them.

My son and me finished almost all jamuns and had even not allowed them time to soak in sugar syrup. My kid was asking for more and more. Same thing will happen when u prepare them at your home for sure. You could make this with any left over bread you have it in fridge.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Cuisine: North Indian
Makes: 10 large or 15 medium sized Jamuns

INGREDIENTS:
Bread slices- 8
Milk- 1/2 cup
Milk powder- 2 tablespoons
Baking Soda- 1/4 teaspoon (optional)
Oil- 1 cup

For Syrup:
Sugar- 1 cup
Water- 1/2 cup
Cardamom pods- 3 pods
Rose water/ essence- 1/2 teaspoon (optional)

PROCEDURE:

• In a pan add the sugar with water and make the sugar syrup by constant stirring till the sugar get dissolved well forming sticky consistency just before the single thread stage.(pisukku padam- You can check by keeping the syrup in between thumb and index finger)

• Take the bread slices and trim the brown edges.
• Take the milk in a broad bowl and dip the bread slices one by one and squeeze well the wet slices to remove the moisture from it.

• Add the squeezed bread slices in a blender jar and add the milk powder with it and grind as a paste to get a uniform mixture.
• The mixture will be slightly sticky but if you roll them on your palm it should not stick to your palm.
• In case if it sticks tear a bread slice into small pieces and add without dipping into milk then pulse again to grind well.

• Take a small gooseberry sized mixture and roll as small smooth surfaced ball without any cracks on surface.
• While rolling on your palm roll smoothly do not give pressure else your jamuns turns hard.
• Like wise make 10 big sized or 15 medium sized jamuns.
• Heat oil in a pan on medium flame till hot. Reduce the flame to low and start frying the jamuns.

• Do not keep the flame to medium or high, because the outside only gets cooked and the inside stays uncooked. Infact at times the surface of jamuns would get burnt at high flame.
• Heat the sugar syrup and put off the gas immediately transfer the warm jamuns into the sugar syrup for soaking around 4-5 hours.

• Note: 
• Fry the bread balls in low flame or medium low flame never fry them in medium high or high flame.
• Add 1/4 teaspoons of baking soda if you want to get soft Jamuns. If you add more the jamun balls starts to disintegrate while frying.
• Adding milk powder in this recipe is optional but squeeze well the bread slice dipped in milk. 
• Health watchers can avoid  milk powder or you could replace it with fat free milk powder too.
• Adding rose water is also optional as it can also be avoided.

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Pineapple Cake/ Three Layered Pine apple Cake/ Pine apple Cake with Whipped Cream Frosting

      I often bake up this moist Pineapple Cake. This is one of my favourite cakes. Together with the icing looks both gorgeous and rich in taste. I baked this cake on the occasion of my Birthday.
 

INGREDIENTS:

FOR THE CAKE:

Butter- 175gms

Sugar- 1 ½  cups

Salt-pinch

Eggs-3

Milk- ¾ cup

Self-rising flour- 2 cup

Baking powder- pinch

Pine apple essence- 2 teaspoons

yellow food color- 2 drops (optional)

FOR THE ICING:

Whipping cream- 500ml

Icing sugar- 3-4 teaspoons

Pine apple essence- 1 teaspoons

yellow food colour- 2 drops

green food colour – 4 drops

PROCEDURE:

CAKE PREPARATION:

• Take three 18 or 20 cm cake pans and line with baking parchment paper/ wax paper/ butter paper or grease with butter. Then dust with flour to cover all over the pan by shaking the pan and tap out the excess flour by inverting and tapping the pan. If you use spring form pan follow the procedure by keep the paper on the base and fix the tin and cutting the excess paper (or) if you use normal cake tins without loose bottom take a square piece of wax/ butter paper and fold it in the middle and again fold once again to get four equal sides and cut the edges as a curved to get a round sheet if it does not fit cut little more deep (or) Mark the edges of the of the pan using a pencil and cut the paper (or) Using a compass take the radius of the cake tin and draw on the paper and cut using a knife.
• Keep a drop of oil and spread it and keep the paper on top of it and make it stick on it.

• Preheat the oven 180^oC for 15 minutes.
• Beat the butter well then add the sugar and salt. Mix well using an electric mixer until creamily mixed together.
• Add eggs one by one and whisk well between each addition. Whisk well till frothy. Then add the milk, food colour, pineapple essence and beat well. Add the cake flour half cup at a time and fold well till combined.
• Scrap the mixture into the prepped up cake tins and smoothen the surface with a spatula.
• Bake until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Cool the cake in wire rack and cut the cake if your cakes top is not level, to get a leveled top.

 CAKE DECORATION:

• Ensure that the whisks and the container used for whisking are chilled prior to whipping the cream.
• Whip the whipping cream well using electric mixer. Add pineapple essence and whisk well. Add icing sugar and whip again in between adding of each teaspoons of icing sugar.
• Divide the whole icing prepared into two lots. Further divide one of the lots into two. In that add yellow food colour to one lot and green  food colour to the other. Keep inside fridge till you use.

• Take a hard board and draw 20 cm diameter line and cut the board and cover with aluminium foil and cut the foil to approximately 22cm diameter. Fold the excess 2cm on the opposite side and stick with a tape.
• Cut both the cake into to horizontally into two equal halves so that you will get 4 layers( from that i have used 3 layer cake you can make 4 layer cake also). Using a pastry brush remove the crumbs sticking to the cake.
•  Keep a teaspoon of icing on the board and keep the first cake.

• Apply 2 -3 tablespoon full icing and spread evenly over the cake leaving 1cm border. Keep the second cake slightly press with hand to stick the cakes together. Apply icing on ton top of second cake and keep third cake on top of that. Apply icing ontop of third cake and keep fourth cake.
• Crumb coat (applying a thin layer of icing to seals the crumbs) the cake using a palate knife or icing spatula and allow to set the icing on fridge for 15 minutes
• Then spread a thick layer of icing over the cake.
• Insert the nozzle and fill the icing on the piping bag. Hold the piping bag 90⁰ angle and keep the icing on the cake on your desired design.
• I have used here leaf nozzle (green), petal nozzle (yellow) and star nozzle (green, yellow) to decorate this cake.

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Aval Payasam in Jaggery/ Red Aval Payasam/ Rice Flakes Payasam/ Poha Payasam

       Rice Flakes Payasam is a yummy easy to make payasam. Almost every home rice flakes will be available in pantry through out the year. This payasam comes handy at the time of unexpected guest arrival and perfect for all occasions, festivals.

     Simple to make delicious payasam. I have used here red rice flakes for this recipe to make it little healthy. You can follow same instructions if you are preparing this paysam with white rice flakes.

Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Cuisine: South Indian
Serves:4-5

INGREDIENTS:

Red Aval/ Red Poha/ Flaked rice- 1/2 cup(You can use White)
Jaggery- 3/4 cup
Milk-1 cup
Coconut milk- 1 cup
Cardamom powder- big pinch
Dry Ginger/ Chukku, powdered- big pinch (optional)
Ghee- 1 tablespoon
Cashew nuts- 8
Raisins-8

PROCEDURE:

• Roast the aval in a pan till roasted smell arises. Now the rice flakes becomes more crispy.
• Melt the jaggery in a separate pan with half a cup of water and sieve to remove impurities.
• In a deep pan add a cup water and allow to boil once it starts to boil add the roasted rice flakes and cook till soft.

• Add the jaggery water inside the cooking rice flakes and mix well.
• Allow to cook some more time to cook the rice flakes inside the jaggery water.

• Add some milk and allow just to boil if you cook more time jaggery may tend to split the milk. Add the cardamom, dry ginger powder and mix well.
• Add the coconut milk and just allow to boil and switch of the gas. Do not over cook it.

• Roast the cashew nuts and raisins in ghee and pour on top of payasam and mix well.

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