I love sweets!

Sukhdi Pieces.

If sukhdi is emptied on a metal try, after cooling, it can be carefully cut into pieces & served. This needs a little practice.

 

Wheat flour-maida-jaggery Appam:- Try this for Krishna Jayanthi.

This is yet another variation which can be prepared very fast.

Wheat flour - ¾ cup

Maida - ¾ cup

Jaggery - 1 cup

Cardamom powder - 1 tsp

Ripe banana ( preferably yellow variety) - 1

Tiny coconut pieces - 2 tbsp ( optional)

Oil

Mix jaggery with 1 cup of water.

Heat on a low fire till it melts completely.

Strain & cool.

Add both the flours, cardamom powder, mashed banana & coconut pieces.

Beat very well to get a smooth consistency – this ensures soft appams.

If necessary add 2-3 tsp of water to get a dropping consistency.

Heat oil in an appakaral & deep fry appams the usual way.

Cool & store airtight.

 

Jackfruit Halwa - called Chakkai varatti or chakkai vizuthu in Malayalam.

Ripe jackfruit segments - 20

Jaggery - given below

Ghee - 2 tsp

Remove the seeds from the segments & chop to fine pieces.

Add 2 tbsp water with the chopped pieces in a pressure pan.

Close, keep the weight & cook for one whistle.

Cool, open, remove excess water if any & mash with a potato masher.

It is optional to grind in the mixi.

Take the same volume of powdered jaggery.

Add the jaggery to 2 tbsp of water & boil on a low flame to dissolve it.

Boil for a few more mts till syrupy, strain, & add to the jackfruit.

Boil the mixture on a medium or low flame till it leaves the sides of the vessel.

Add ghee & remove.

The last cooking can be done in a microwave.

 

Mango kesari - an ideal sweet for Navaratri.

For SBS posts,please go to http://www.indusladies.com/forums/968457-post64.html

Chiroti Rava - 1 cup

Ghee - 1 cup

Mango pulp - 2 cups

Milk - 1 cup

Water - 1 cup

Sugar - 2 cups

Cardamom powder - ½ tsp

Saffron - a pinch (warm & powder)

Saffron colour - a tiny pinch

In a kadai heat ghee & fry rava on a low fire till light brown.

This step is important, to get a very nice soft texture.

In the next stove keep the mixture of mango pulp, milk, water, saffron colour & sugar ready, boiling.

Simmer the kadai on a low flame, add the above mixture, stirring well & avoiding splashing.
Cover the kadai & cook on a low flame till the entire liquid mixture is absorbed.


Add cardamom powder, saffron & nuts.

 

Kesari Halwa - Let us start Deepavali sweets with a “melt in the mouth” halwa!

Chiroti rava - 1 cup

Ghee - 1 cup

Sugar - 2 ½-3 cups

Water - 6 cups

Cashews - ½ cup

Sultanas - ½ cup

Cardamom powder - 1 tsp

Saffron - ¼ tsp (warm & powder)

Saffron colour – a tiny pinch

Heat ¼ cup ghee, fry cashew & raisins, remove.

Add the remaining ghee, add rava & fry on medium flame till rava turns light brown (darker side than lighter side).

In the next stove, add sugar, colour & water & boil, stirring well.

Simmer the flame, add roasted rawa slowly & carefully.

Close the lid & cook on a low flame for 15-20 mts, till rava becomes completely soft.

Add cardamom powder, saffron & fried items.

Mix well & remove.






Serve hot -or Mw every time for a few secs before serving. This will just glide down your throat !

 

Potato Burfi – tastes like Mysorepak with very little ghee !

I first tried this recipe with maida, which is also very good. Now I have given the recipe with besan, since this tastes like Mysorepak. It is one’s choice to use besan or maida.

Potatoes - 200 gms

Ghee - 100 ml

Sugar - 500 gms

Water - 400 gms

Besan - 200 gms

Cashewnuts - 30 gms ( halves)

Cloves - 3

Boil, peel & mash potatoes.

Heat half the ghee & fry mashed potatoes till light brown till raw smell is lost.

Add besan to the remaining ghee & fry that also on a low fire till light brown.

Mix both the above together without even a small lump.

Boil sugar & water, adding cloves.

When a thick (2 string) syrup comes, add the mixture & cook to soft ball consistency.

Be careful since it will set very fast.

Add cardamom powder.

Follow the instructions given in

http://www.indusladies.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2105&postcount=1

Cut into cubes & decorate with cashewnuts .

To decorate with halved cashew on any sweet, make a paste of 1 tsp butter & 2 tsp finely powdered sugar well. Smear it on the underside of the cashew half & place it on the sweet. On drying, it will stick well to the sweet & will not fall down.

 

Sweet Roses - a friend selected this apt name !

This is a delicate sweet to handle. It tends to break easily.

Maida - 2 cups

Butter - 1/3 cup

Powdered sugar - ½ cup

Cornflour - 1/3 cup

Salt

Oil - to fry

Cream butter with palm & when smooth, add half the cornflour.

Cream well till it forms into a lump.

Take out a tsp of the mixture & put the rest in cold water.

Sift flour with a pinch of salt .

Add the tsp of the creamed mixture & enough water to make a stiff dough.

Divide into 3 portions.

Colour one with a drop or two with pink colour, one with green & leave the other.

Rest, covered for 2 hrs.

Make each portion into a ball.

Roll into thin chappathis.

Over the pink chappathi apply, 1/3 of the creamed mixture & sprinkle a little cornflour.

Repeat the process with white & green on top.

Roll tight like a mat & cut into ½ cm slices.

Press down gently & gently roll into small puris keeping between 2 oiled plastic sheets.

Heat oil well.

Slowly slide the puris, one at a time.

Baske the top with oil from the kadai, to make all the layers open out to look like a rose.

Fry on a very low fire till bubbles subside.

Transfer to a tissue.

When still hot, sprinkle powdered sugar.

 

Saffron Peda – a sweet which is less sweet & attractive.

Unsweetened khoa - 200 gms

Powdered sugar - 3 tbsp

Saffron - a pich, warmed & powdered

Cardamam powder - ¼ tsp

In a non-stick kadai, mix grated khoa & powdered sugar.

Heat on a very low flame, for 15-20 mts till it forms a ball.

Keep the kadai, preferably over an old tava on the flame.

Cook till a portion taken in hand & cooled, can be rolled firm.

Remove & add spices.

Cool & shape into pedas.

Decorates with sliced pistas.

Cut with the tip of a sharp knife to form lines to look decorative.

The same can be prepared using, sugar substitute instead of sugar. 2 tbsp of the substitute should be enough.

 

Lavang Latika - a treasure of goodies in a case, sealed with a clove !

The taste, like the name is simply exotic !

For the covering pastry:

Maida - 1 cup

Melted ghee - ¼ cup

Filling:

Khoa - ½ cup ( grated)

Chopped cashews - 1 tbsp

Sugar - 1 tbsp

Cardamom or nutmeg powder - ½ tsp

Saffron - a pinch (warm & powder)

Oil - to deep fry

Cloves - to seal

Sugar - 1 cup

Water - ½ cup

Melted ghee - 2 tsp

Covering:

Mix maida & melted ghee, to bread crumb consistency well.

Add enough cold water to get a medium stiff dough & knead very well.

Rest for 30 mts & make 10-12 balls.

For the filling, mix all the ingredients & keep ready.

For the syrup, boil sugar & water together on a low flame, stirring, till it reaches one string consistency.

Keep this warm by keeping over a tava in a low flame.

Roll each ball into 4 “ diameter.

Make it very thin & smear little melted ghee on it.

Keep little filling in the center.

Fold two opposite sides to the center slightly overlapping eachother
to cover the filling.

Then fold the other two opposite sides to the center overlapping eachother so that a square is formed.

Seal with a clove.

Prepare all the lavang latikas & keep covered under a wet cloth to prevent drying.

Heat oil in a kadai to moderate heat.

Reduce flame & deep fry 3-4 at a time on a low fire turning over both sides gently till they turn golden brown – the bubbles should stop completely.

Remove & drain on tissue.

Soak in the warm syrup till the next batch is fried & ready.

Remove & arrange on a dry plate.

Serve after the syrup dries.

2 photos - one, how to fold & the other final product - are posted below.

 

Photo of Lavang Latika

The photo of the fried Lavang Latika is posted below.