Simple and easy Corn halwa

Corn flour - 1/2 cup

Sugar - 11/2 cup

Food color - 1tsp

Elachi - 1 tsp

Ghee  3 tsp

Cashews - 8 nos.

Water - 2 cups

Method

Add all ingredients except cashews and ghee to a microwave safe bowl and mix well without lumps.

Keep in microwave for 9 min in total, taking out and stiring every 3 min.

At this stage you can see that the consistency is getting thicker. Now add cashews fried in ghee.

Keep in microwave again for 6 min, stirring in between at 3min.

Grease a plate with ghee, pour the mixture into it and let it rest for 30 min.

Halwa is ready to slice and eat.

DryFruit/Christmas Cake. (No Alcohol) - Celebration time!

This is my 50th post and I am super excited. Usually I don't write anything other than ingredients and method .  But when I thought of doing something special, decided to do a rich Dry Fruit cake or commonly called as Christmas cake.

You might be thinking why Christmas cake, as there is 2 more months for Christmas! Well, my 50th post is dedicated to my father Mr.M. Padmanabhan whose birthday is on October 21st and his favorite cake.

 Never thought this cake could be made at home this easy.This is super simple and very easy recipe which I learnt it from the recipe section of a newsletter. Few alterations with my touch to it. This cake tastes better the next day. Better to do it well in advance.

Usually this cake is made/brushed with rum for richness and long storage. I did not use rum in the recipe, also for the brushing i used Grape Cranberry juice which was there in my fridge. You could use any juice available or could omit.So here we go..

Ingredients :-

Candied fruits pieces Assorted - 1 1/2 cup ( tutti fruity,apricot or could use almonds, walnuts too)

Raisins - 11/2 cup

Light brown sugar - 1 cup

Cinnamon powder - 2 tsp

All purpose flour - 11/2 cup

Baking soda - 1 tsp

Vanilla ess - 1 tsp

Butter - 1/4 cup

Eggs -2 (room temp)
lukewarm water - 1 cup 

Salt - 1/2 tsp

Method

In a pan add brown sugar, raisins, cinnamon powder, butter, water. Mix everything and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and let it cool completely.

Once its cooled down,add the assorted candied fruits. Mix them well.
Preheat the oven to 325 degree F.
 Add 2 beaten eggs, vanilla ess and mix.
Now add the dry ingredients (Flour, baking soda, salt). Mix them well until everything is incorporated well.

Grease a cake tin. I used loaf pan (9*5*3 inch) . Pour the batter in it and bake it for 60 to 65 min, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Allow it to cool before you flip it from the cake tin.Once removed, cool it in wire rack.

Note :

Could serve the same day but tastes better the next day.Cover it with cheesecloth and store it in cool, dry place.Do not refrigerate.
If you are preparing the cake well in advance and storing for long you, cover the cake with a cheesecloth dipped in any juice (apple/cranberry/orange/grape). Wrap it well with aluminium or plastic cover and keep it in cool dry place. Brush the cake with juice once in 2 days until you consume. This helps the cake to stay moist and also enhances the richness of the cake.

Carrot Payasam

Ingredients

Carrots( roughly chopped in big pieces) - 6

Cashews - 5 to 6

Milk - 1 cup

Sugar - 4 tablespoon

Cardamom powder - 1 tsp

Ghee- 2 tbsp

Raisins - 8

Method

In a cooker add the carrots, cashews along with little water and cook it for 2 whistles.Let it cool down.

In a blender or mixer, add the cooked carrots, cashews along with milk and sugar. Blend it until smooth.

Now take a pan add ghee and saute they raisins and keep aside.

Add the blended carrot paste to the pan and bring it to boil.This might take 5 to 8 min. Finally add raisins and cardamom powder.

You could serve this hot or cold. Super yummy and healthy dish.

Note:

If you feel the consistency is too thick , you could add milk while boiling.

  

Semiya Javarisi Payasam

Roasted Semiya/vermicili - 1/2 cup

Javarisi - 3 tablsp

Coconut milk - 1 1/2 cup

Jaggery - 3/4 cup

Cashews and raisins for garnishing

Water 1 cup

Ghee - 3 to 4 tablsp

Method

Add ghee in a pan and roast cashews and raisins.

Now add the roasted vermicili and sago/javarisi. 

Sauté for a min and add one cup water.

Allow it to boil for 5 min or until the semiya and Javarisi is soft.

Meanwhile add jaggery in another pan with little water and boil until the jaggery is dissolved. Turn off the heat and filter the jaggery water and keep.

Add this jaggery water to the semiya. Boil for around 15min. in slow to medium flame.

Turn off the flame and add coconut milk to it.

Mix gently and serve hot or cold.

Note :

If the you don't have roasted semiya, dry roast it before adding.

Easy Mango pudding

Mango - 1 riped

Coconut milk - 1 1/2 cup

Gelatin - 1 tsp

Sugar - 1 tablespoon ( optional )

Method

In a bowl add coconut milk and gelatin. Give a quick stir and keep aside for 10 min so that coconut milk absorbs gelatin.

Cut the mango into half and make purée with one half by adding sugar. If the mangoes are sweet enough could avoid sugar. Cube the remaining half of mangoes and refrigerate for topping.

Heat the coconut milk and gelatin mixture. Just bring it bring it to boil don't over heat it.

Remove it from stove and add the mango purée yo it and gently mix.

Pour this mixture in the desired serving cup and refrigerate for 4 hrs.

Before serving, top it up with mango pieces.

Oats dry fruits brown sugar Payasam / kheer

This recipe is super duper hit in my family and I am happy that it's healthy too so could make it often. Try this and sure you are going to make it again and again. Trust me.

Ingredients :-

Oats 1 cup

Milk - 3 cups

Light Brown sugar - 1 cup

Mixed dry fruits( your choice ) -1 tblsp

I used cashew, badam,raisins.

Ghee 3 tablespoon

Method

Roast dry fruits in ghee and set aside. Same pan add oats and fry for 2 min in ghee.

Add milk and keep stiring in low flame until the oats is cooked.

Add brown sugar and continue stirring for 5 min. Once everything is blended well and boiled add cardomom powder..

Turn off the heat and add the roasted dry fruits.

Serve hot or refrigerate it to serve chill.

Note

Instead of plain oats you could also add apple cinnamon flavored oats which is available in market which enhances the taste .

Also you could replace brown sugar with normal white sugar.

Also when payasam is resting the consistency becomes thicker.

Aval sweet / Poha Jaggery sweet

I

Aval/ poha 1 cup

Jaggery 1 cup

Coconut 1/2 cup

Elachi powder 1 tsp

Ghee 1 tblsp

Cashew - 4 to 5

Method

1. Wash and drain the aval

2. In a pan add ghee and fry the cashews and keep aside.

3. In the same pan add  Jaggery and 1/2 cup water and bring it to boil.

4 add aval and mix together followed by coconut and elachi powder.

5. Mix everything together and keep stirring until it gets separated from the vessel.

6. Turn of the heat and garnish with cashews.

Rolled eggless no bake dates cake

Ingredients:-

Dates 400gms (seeds removed )

Butter 1/2 stick

Cardomom powder - 1 tsp

All purpose or maida flour - 1/2 cup

Assorted nuts crushed or just pulse it in mixer

Sugar optional ( adjust according to the sweetness of dates )

Method

1. Grind the dates after removing the seeds and keep aside.

2. Crush the assorted nuts and keep aside.

3. In a heavy bottom vessel put the butter and let it melt.

4. Add maida/all purpose flour to it and stir well  for 5 min. Add cardomom powder and turn of the stove.

5.Take a plastic sheet and grease it with oil/ butter, apply some oil to your hands too so that it makes your job easy.

6.First take the grinded dates and flatten it on the plastic sheet so that it forms a layer.

7. Above this add the maida/ butter and do the second layer above dates.

8. Add the nuts at the top and this forms the top layer.

9. With the help of the plastic sheet try to roll the three layers as shown in picture and remove the plastic sheet.

10. Refrigerate for 2 to 3 hrs until set and then slice them.

Chaka Varatti (jackfruit halwa)

Ingredients :-

Jackfruit purée - 80 jackfruit bulbs
Jaggery - 1 kg
Coconut big size 1
Elachi powder -1 tsp

Method :

1. Cook the jackfruit in cooker for a whistle and make a puree out of it.

2. Grind coconut (half the quantity of jackfruit).

3. Boil the jaggery with water and let it come to thick/one string consistency.

4. Once the jaggery is ready add grinded coconut and jackfruit puree.

5. Keep stirring until the water in it 

6. Add 1 or 2 tbsp ghee and continue stirring.

7. Once it becomes thick switch of the stove.I stopped in halwa consistency , usually it is much thicker than this

Mango Kulfi

Ingredients:-

Mango Puree of 2 mangoes. (I used banganapalli)
Sugar -1/4 cup
cardomom powder - 1/2 tsp
Pinch of saffron
Rice flour / Corn flour paste - 21/2 tblsp mixed in 3 tblsp milk
2 to 3 tbsp almond paste
Milk - 3 cups

Method:-

1.Take saffron and milk in a pan.Heat on a low flame.
2.When the milk comes to a gentle heat,add sugar.Stir till the sugar has dissolved.
3.Then add the rice flour paste and keep on stirring so that no lumps are formed.
4.Cook on a low flame,continue to cook till the mixture thickens.switch off the flame.
5.Add the almond paste,stir and let the mixture cool.Add the mango puree and mix well.
6.Pour into serving bowls or kulfi moulds. Freeze for 8-10 hours and serve cold.

Asoka / Moong dal Halwa

Ingredients :-

Moong dal - 1 cup
Wheat flour - 3 tblsp
Sugar - 1 1/2 cup
Raisins/cashews - 7 to 8
Food color a pinch
Cardamom powder - 1 tsp
Ghee - 1/2 cup

Method :

1. Dry fry the moong dal and cook it by adding water and leave for 5 to 6 whistles. Mmash them well.
2. Add 2 tblsp of ghee and roast the dry fruits and keep it seperate. In the same pan add wheat flour and fry it. Keep aside.
3. Now add sugar along with little water. Bring to boil, when it comes to string consistency add mashed moong dal,wheat flour and stir continuously until no lumps.
4. Add remaining ghee, fried dry fruits, cardomom powder and keep stiring until it leaves the sides of the vessel.
5. Tastes good when served hot.

Tip:-

Try to use non stick pan so that it does not stick to the bottom and it makes your job much easier. Also you require little ghee if you use non stick. You can increase or decrease the sugar quantity according to your taste.