Dates Roll - ideal for Navarathri “give-away” sweets! Chopped dates - 2 cups Condensed milk - ½ cup Milk powder - 3 tsp Butter - 50 gms Chopped nuts Melt butter in a kadai, till it just melts. Add dates & cook for 5 mts on medium flame. Add other ingredients & cook again, on medium flame, stirring, till thick. Cool for 2mts. Roll into small balls & roll in powdered nuts. Keep 2 rolls or make big rolls & serve in paper cups.
Carrot Burfi - shall we start planning for deepavali, friends? Finely grated white portion of coconut - ½ cup Very finely grated carrot - 1 cup Milk - 1 cup Ghee - ½ cup (can be less) Sugar - 2 ½ cups Cardamom powder - 1 tsp Mix milk & sugar in a kadai. Heat to get a good 1 string consistency. First add coconut & cook for 2 mtes. Then add carrot & cook. Go on adding the ghee by teaspoons, as you stir. Add cardamom powder. When it rises to the top (like mysorepak), the consistency is reached. Remove, go on stirring to a dough consistency. Empty on a greased plate & cut into pieces.
Mock Peda - no compromise, for sure! Maida - 200 gms (sugarless) khoa - 200 gms Sugar - 300 gms Ghee - 3 tbsp Nuts - to garnish Heat ghee in a kadai & roast maida on a low fire till light golden in colour. Add the grated khoa, stir well for a minute & switch off. Add water enough to just immerse sugar in a vessel & heat. When a (good) one-string is reached, add cardamom powder, mix & remove. Add maida-khoa mixture & mix well. It will start thickening in a few mts. Roll into balls, pat each in your palm to flatten. You can use a muffin tin for this. Press the nut in the center & allow to cool.
Cashewnut Suckle - Absolutely new sweet with a “hidden cashew” ! For SBS photos,please go to Cashwenut Suckle Whole cashewnuts - 30 Sieve together: Maida - 1 cup Milk powder - 2 cups Baking powder - 2 tsp Make a soft dough of the above with: Cream - ½ cup Milk - 1-2 tsp, if necessary Make a sticky syrup, boiling: Sugar - 1 cup Water - 1 cup Cardamom powder - 1 tsp Keep this warm. Make small balls of the dough, keeping a whole cashew inside. Smoothen the surface of the balls. Deep fry in oil on a low fire. Put them in warm syrup and allow to soak.
Date Mysorepak - the popular sweet in Chennai, today! Besan - ¾ cup Finely chopped dates - ¾ cup Khoa (sugarless) - ¾ cup Sugar - 1 ½ cups Water - 3/4 cup Ghee - ¾cup Cardamom powder - 1 tsp Heat ghee & fry besan on a low fire till a nice aroma comes. Add dates, khoa, switch off, mix & cool. Boil sugar with water. It should form a fairly thick syrup. Boil till little syrup dropped into water can be gathered to a soft ball. Switch off the stove & add besan-date-khoa mixture. Go on stirring till the mixture starts becoming like a dough. Transfer to a greased plate, level & cut into pieces.
Sandesh - the famous Bengali Sweet. For SBS photos,please visit Sandesh I learnt this from my Bengali friend 30 yrs back. I then got mud sandesh moulds from Calcutta. If one does not have moulds, they can be shaped like peda. Make paneer exactly as given for Rosogullas. The weight of sugar has to be equal to the weight of paneer. Paneer - 200 gms Sugar - 200 gms Rose essence or cardamom powder, as per taste. Mix both in a heavy kadai & heat the mixture on stove top. When the mixture starts leaving the sides, remove. Keep the greased sandesh moulds ready. Stir the mixture & when it starts solidifying, make small balls & press on the moulds. Press each ball into a different moulds to get the shape. They will set soon; then remove them. Cool & store.
Date-Khoa Balls - my friend calls this, EYEBALLS! Dates (deseeded) - 100 gms (chopped) Use either 300 gms sweetened khoa OR 200 gms plain khoa _ ½ cup sugar Chop and soak dates overnight. Drain & grind with minimum milk to a paste. Mix and blend thoroughly with sweetened khoa or khoa&sugar. Add 2-3 tbsp ghee & transfer to a kadai or MW bowl.. Cook til it becomes thick & leaves the sides of the kadai. OR MW Hi stirring till it becomes thick. Takes about 10-12 mts. Cool thoroughly and form balls. Decorate with split cashews.
Dry Fruit Halwa - on a special request from a friend! Liquid glucose is available in shops which sells ingredients for confectionary.[/FONT] One can do without the same also – but the halwa will have a light texture. I used tutti frutti + chopped nuts. Chopped cherries, raisins etc can be also used. Cornflour - 1 cup Sugar - 2 ½ cups Ghee - ¾ cup Liquid glucose - 3 tbsp (measure with a greased tablespoon) Colour of choice - a dash Cardamom powder - 1 tsp Lime juice - 2 tsp Tutti frutti +mixed nuts - 2 cups, totally Mix cornflour in 2 cups of water & keep ready, mixing in the colour also. Heat sugar with equal volume of water, till it boils. Add ½ cup of milk & continue to boil. Dirt will collect; strain to rewmove it. As soon as the sugar reaches (just) one string, add 2 tbsp ghee. Lower the flame & add cornflour mixture, simultaneously, whisking the contents very well. Continu to cook on a medium flame, adding ghee little by little, along with 1 tbsp of liquid glucose at a time.. Add lime juice. After the entire ghee and glucose are added, stir till it becomes a whole mass. Add cardamom powder & dry fruits. Mix & empty on a greased plate. Garnish with more nuts & cut when cold.
Chocolate Pedas - people will think you are a professional chef!! For SBS photos, please go to http://www.indusladies.com/forums/968540-post76.html All the ingredients should be mixed and cooked on stove-top in a heavy pan Or Cooked in the MW. I used the food processor for mixing all ingredients. Marie Biscuits - 200 gms (powdered_ Condensed milk - 1 tin (400 gms) Butter - ½ cup (100 gms) Sugar - ¾ cup Cocoa - 6 level tbsp Mixed, broken nuts - ¼ cup Raisins - 1 tbsp Chopped peel - 1 tbsp (optional) Mix all ingredients. Cook till thick and dry - it sets very fast, just the blending of everything. Remove & cool. Roll into balls and garnish. I used a shell-shaped ice cube tray after greasing it. Serve in paper cups.
Khoa Kalakand - I bet, you have not tried this sweet! For SBS photos,please go to http://www.indusladies.com/forums/968480-post71.html Khoa - 250 gms Sugar - 300 gms Cardamom powder - 1 tsp Pistas - 15-20, blanched & chopped Ghee - 1/3 cup Kewra essence - ½ tsp (optional) Heat ghee & fry khoa on a very low flame till golden. Add sugar & nuts & cook, stirring again. When it leaves the sides of the pan, remove & keep on stirring. I use muffin pans to shape this sweet. OR When still soft, pour on to a greased plate. Sprinkle kewra & cardamom powder. Cool & cut into shapes - I used sandhesh moulds!