I love sweets!

Oats Kesari - - I dedicate all oats recipes to Cheeniya !

Because he dispelled the limitations on my imagination for the use of OATS.
The most important nutritional advantages of oats are
The soluble fiber and the GLA (gamma linoleic acid)
and
It helps lower cholesterol levels in the blood.

Any oats can be used. I tried with jaggery. One can try with sugar, equally successfully !

Oats - 1 cup

Ghee - 3 tbsp

Ghee - 3 tbsp

Jaggery grated - 1 cup ( or a little more to taste)

Cardamom powder - 1 tsp ( or nutmeg powder or cinnamon powder)

Chopped nuts - to garnish

In a kadai, heat ghee & fry oats to a pink colour, on a medium flame.

Keep 2 cups of hot water ready.

Add , simmering the flame, to prevent splashing.

Cook on a low fire till it thickens.

Now add grated jaggery & continue to cook.

Stir regularly till it becomes a thick mass, ready to leave the sides of the vessel.

Add cardam pdr & remove.

Garnish with chopped nuts.

Best served hot.

 

Oats Halwa - “sinfully” delicious, easy to make !

I took this dish to Cheeniya's house for his birthday & his daughter asked me if it was Akkaravadisal ! It is too good !!
Again, I dedicate this to Cheeniya, as I have done the other oats dishes !!

Oats - ½ cup

Milk - 2 cups

Sugar - 1 cup

Ghee - ¼ cup

Cornflour - 2 tbsp ( mixed with ¼ cup milk)

Cardamom powder - 1 tsp

Cashews & raisins - 2 tbsp, each

In a kadai, heat ghee.

Roast cashew & raisin & remove.

Add oats & fry till colour changes.

Boil milk in the meanwhile & add.

Add sugar & go on cooking.

When it starts thickening add cornflour-milk mixture.

Stir well & simmer to boil, till it thickens.

Add cardamom powder & garnish with roasted cashews & raisins.

Best served hot.

Very good at room temperature also.

 

Beetroot Poli - New Bhogi Release for IL !

Select fresh, deep coloured beetroots. Peel & grate very fine or mince fine.

For the covering:

Maida - 11/4 cups

Wheat flour - 2 tbsp

Oil - 2 tbsp

Powdered sugar - 2 tsp

Lemon yellow colour

Knead the above ingredients with water to a very soft elastic dough.

Soak this completely in oil for minimum 1 hr.

Filling:

Grted beetroot - 1 cup

Khoa - ½-3/4 cup

Sugar - ½-3/4 cup

Ghee - 2 tsp

Custard powder (or cornflour) - 2 tsp

Nutmeg or cardamom powder - 1 tsp

In a kadai heat ghee & sauté beetroot till tender, on a low fire.

Add crumbled khoa & sugar.

Continue cooking till the mixture is well blended.

Sprinkle custard powder and cook on a low fire till the mass thickens.

Add spice poder & remove.

Cool.

To assemble:

Now take the dough from oil & knead.

Make small round balls.

Take one ball & lightly roll it to a disc.

Keep filling in the centre.

Bring all edges from around to the centre & cover to make a tight ball.

Flatten, using hands to a chappathi about 4” in diameter.

Heat a flat non-stick tava.

Roast this on medium heat.

Flip it & roast the other side.

It will become golden coloured on both sides.

Do not roast for long - it gets cooked very fast.

Smear ghee while serving, if preferred.

 

Kasi Halwa - the simple, but very famous halwa !

Kasi halwa is traditionally served as the sweet with breakfast in weddings. But fresh white pumpkin. Peel, remove seeds & grate. Pressurise in its own juice, without adding water, in a pressure pan for one whistle.
Remove , tie in a thin cloth & squeeze it, carefully, as much as possible to make it dry. This water can be used for sambar or rasam.

Vegetable pulp - 2 cups ( prepared as given above)

Khoa - ½ cup

Sugar - ¾ - 1 cup

Ghee - 2 tbsp

Green colour

Saffron - a pinch, warmed & powdered

Pachai karpuram (edible camphor) - a very small grain

Cardamom powder - ½ tsp

Cashews & kismiss - 1 tbsp each

Ghee - 2 tsp, to fry the above

Make a syrup with sugar, adding water till sugar is just immersed.

Heat, stirring, to boiling point.

Add 1 tbs milk & boil.

Scum will float which can be removed by straining.

Make a very thick syrup – 2 string consistency.

Add pulp mixed well with khoa & a drop of green colour.

First, add 1 tbsp ghee & cook.

Then add one more tbsp & remove, when it starts leaving the vessel.

Remove, add spices & cashewnuts & kismiss fried in ghee.

Serve hot.

 

Kashmiri Kalakand - has a Bengali sweet taste.

Milk powder - 4 tbsp

Paneer - 1/3 cup

Cream - ½ cup

Sugar - 2 tbsp

Mix everything in a non-stick kadai .

Cook on a very low flame for about 20 minutes stirring continuously until the mixture thickness.

Dissolve the saffron in a little milk and add it to the above mixture.

Sprinkle the cardamom powder and mix well.

Spread this mixture in a pie dish.

Garnish with chopped almonds and pistachoes.

Allow to cool for 2-3 hours.

Cut into square pieces and serve chilled.

Best kept refrigerated to prserve the texture.
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Bombay Halwa - This one is easy, with maida!

Maida - 1 level cup

Sugar – 1 ½ cups

Kesar colour - little

Ghee – ½ cup

Broken cashewnuts – 4-5 tbsp

Melon seeds - 1 tbsp (optional)


Lemon juice - 1 tsp

Prepare a thick dough from maida by adding just enough water. (like chappathi dough)


Pour 1 ¼ cup water in a vessel, put this dough in the water to soak for ½ an hour.


Mix this with hands gently, so that milky extract comes from the dough.


Little solid shiny jell like substance, which comes to hand shoud be removed.


Strain the milk through a fine mesh sieve.


Keep closed in that vessel for 6 to 8 hours without disturbing it in between.


Take out the clear water, which comes on top carefully in a separate vessel.


Add half cup of this water to the sugar and keep it on fire in a heavy kadai.


Stir till one string consistency is reached.


Dilute the sediment with little more fresh water and pour into the boiling syrup stirring constantly.


Add lemon juice, colour and stir constantly till it becomes very thick and transparent.


Add half of the ghee and stir till it gets absorbed into halwa.


Pour rest of the ghee and stir again till it gets absorbed.


Stir constantly again till it leaves out ghee and the halwa becomes a thick ball like mass in th centre of kadai.


Remove from fire. Add fried nuts and cardamom powder.


Mix for 1 or 2 minutes and pour on a greased burfi tray.


Cut into pieces after 1/2 an hour.

 

Chandrakala – a very delicious fried sweet .

Outer Cover:

Maida - 1 cup

Sugar - 1 cup

Melted ghee - ¼ cup

Filling:

Khoa - 1/3 cup minus 2 tsp

Besan - 1/3 cup minus 1 tsp ( lightly roast in 1 tsp ghee on a low flame till raw flavour is lost)

Cardamom powder - 1 tsp

Chopped cashewnuts - 1 tbsp

Oil - to deepfry

Rub in ghee into the flour.

Add enough cold water to make a stiff dough.

Let it stand for minimum 30 mts.

Knead well.

Roll out & cut with 3” diameter cutter.

Mix remaining ingredients for the filling.

Put a portion in each round.

Turn over & seal edges with water.

Make sure there is no hole – the filling should not leak out.

Deep fry in hot fat on a low flame till bubbles stop completely, till light brown.

Make a one string syrup of sugar, adding ½ cup water.

Remove & keep it warm.

Dip the kalas in the syrup turning over to get well coated.

Remove & dry on a butter paper.

Makes 15-16 numbers.

 

Traditional Thiratupal - the taste cannot be matched !

For SBS photos,please go to http://www.indusladies.com/forums/968458-post65.html

For this whole cream milk or full fat milk is better since the yield is more. It comes out more creamy. But I find toned milk also gives good results.
Use a heavy kaadai. Calcutta kadai is ideally suited. Use non-stick only if it is heavy.
It is time consuming since the milk has to reduce gradually on simmering on a low fire & care must be taken to make sure, the residue does not catch(stick) at the bottom.

Boil 2 litres of milk in a heavy kadai.
Once it boils, set the flame to medium, stirring intermittently till it reduces to half.
Thereafter, simmer till it becomes “mushy”.
Add 2 cups of sugar & stir till it melts.
Now, simmer & stir at intervals.
The patham is reached (the cooking is complete) when, you stir with a ladle, the bottom of the kadai is visible & there is no more watery liquid visible.
Switch off & do not disturb for 6-8 hrs.
This is very important for it to set well.

Transfer to a container.

 

Peach Halwa - I grope for a better word than “exotic” !

Ripe peaches, peeled & finely chopped - 2 cups

Milk powder - ¼ cup

Sugar - ¼ cup (more to taste)

Ghee - 1 tbsp

Nutmeg & cardamom powders - ½ tsp, each

Saffron - a pinch, warmed & powdered

Melt the ghee in a kadai, add the peaches and stir over a slow flame till they are soft (5-7 mts)

Sprinkle the milk powder and sugar and stir continuously on a low flame till the mixture leaves the sides of the kadai.

(This I did in the MW on med, for convenience.)

Remove from the fire & add all spices.

Serve hot.

 

Channa Dhal-Coconut Poli - this is a favourite combination.

Outer dough:

Maida - 11/4 cups

Wheat flour - 2 tbsp

Oil - 2 tbsp

Powdered sugar - 2 tsp

Lemon yellow colour

Knead the above ingredients with water to a very soft elastic dough.

Soak this completely in oil for minimum 1 hr.

Filling:

Channa dhal - ½ cup

Freshly grated coconut - 1 cup

Jaggery - 1 cup

Cardamom & Nutmeg powder - 1 tsp each

Ghee - 2 tsp

Keep 1 cup of water ready in a vessel.

Dry roast channa dhal on a slow flame for 7-8 mts & plungfe in hot water.

Keep covered for 1 hour.

Drain & add coconut.

Grind to a fine paste adding minimum water.

Heat jaggery with very little water on a low flame, stirring.

When it dissolves completely, strain.

To the strained syrup, add the ground paste & spice powders.

Allow to cook on a non-stick kadai, stirring continuously, so that lumps are not formed.

Add 2 tsp ghee, to facilitate stirring.

Now take the dough from oil & knead.

Make small round balls.

Take one ball & lightly roll it to a disc.

Keep puran ( twice the quantity of outer dough ) in the centre.

Bring all edges from around to the centre & cover to make a tight ball.

Flatten, using hands to a chappathi about 4” in diameter.

Heat a flat tava.

Roast this on medium heat.

Flip it & roast the other side.

It will become golden coloured on both sides.

Do not roast for long - it gets cooked very fast.

Remove & smear lightly with ghee.