Category: sweets

Fig & Beaten Rice Halwa

Today I tried out a new halwa which has no added sugar. It came out very yummy.unique combination but relished by my family.

Ingredients :

Dry figs – 10 to 12 pieces.

Beaten rice – 1/2 cup.

Almond bits -1 table spoon

Ghee – 3 table spoons

Milk – 1 cup.

Cardamom powder – 1/4 spoon.

Method:

In a pan add a table spoon of ghee and roast the Poha until it turns golden brown. Transfer it to a mixer jar and dry grind it to coarse powder.

Now in the same pan add a table spoon of ghee and add in sliced fig bits.

Now add the roasted Poha and milk and mix well. Add the remaining ghee amd on closed lid and cook for another two minutes.

Put off the flame and garnish with almond bits.The halwa is ready.

namithaskitchen

Kalakand

Kalakand is a milk based sweet which is normally prepared on festive occasions.

It used to be a long process where milk is cooked until it thickens and then the rest of the ingredients get added into it.

The paneer (cottage cheese) too would be home made.

I still prefer to prepare the paneer the previous night. Although generally we put some weight on it to extract all the moisture, when preparing this dish, I avoid doing so to retain the moisture as the end result is a perfect grainy textured Kalakand.

I prefer using milk powder instead of khoya as it saves time and tastes the same while cutting the entire process much shorter as making khoya from scratch is a long process.

You may increase the amount of sugar as per your preference.

Ingredients:

Paneer/cottage cheese – 1 cup grated

Milk Powder – 1 cup

Ghee – 2 table spoons

Brown Sugar – 5 table spoons

Almond slivers – 1 table spoon

Pistachio flakes – 1 table spoon

Cardamom powder – 1/2 teaspoon

Milk – 1 cup

Method:

In a heavy bottomed pan, preferably a non stick or ceramic pan, add milk and boil it – stirring occasionally until it thickens and reduces in quantity. This may take about 10-15 minutes.

Add in the grated Paneer and milk powder, mix well so that any lumps that may form disintegrate. Keep sautéing until you get a grainy texture.

Now add ghee followed by the brown sugar and cardamom until the mixture begins to form a ball leaving the sides of the pan.

Grease a small baking dish with some butter and transfer the mixture into the dish.

This may take about 12 – 15 minutes.

Garnish with pistachios and almond slivers

Pat it with the back of a ladle or a turner to smoothen the top and allow it to cool.

Once warm (no longer hot), cut them into square bits and enjoy.

namithaskitchen

Dates & Vermicelli Halwa

This is one of my favourite desserts. My family loves it without extra sugar and so I prefer to skip the sugar part and I choose to increase the quantity of dates to get the natural sweetness.

Vermicelli – 1 cup(Roasted using a little ghee)

Hot water – 1 cup.

Dates chopped into long bits – 1/2 cup

Raisins – 1 table spoon

Almonds – 2 slivered

Walnuts – 3 to 4 chopped

Cashew nut bits – 1 spoon

Brown sugar – 1/4 cup

Ghee- – 1/4 cup.(warm)

Cardamom – 3 to 4 pods skinned and powdered.

Take a little ghee in a pan and roast the vermicelli on low heat and keep aside.

Roast the dry fruits in the same pan and keep aside.

Add a cup of hot water to the pan and then add the roasted vermicelli and cook on a closed lid for about 5 minutes.

When it’s done add ghee and the dry fruits. Mix well and lastly mix in the brown sugar and powdered cardamom. Mix well and the halwa is ready.

namithaskitchen

Rajgira(Amaranth)Laddoo

Rajgira also known as Amaranth can be consumed in our daily diet in different forms.

The flour can be used to make roti, puri, porridge or talipeet.

It’s normally used during fasting.

Puffed rajgira is used to make laddoos or chikki which is a delicacy made using jaggery or sugar.

It’s a super food having enormous benefits and also gluten free which makes it suitable to all.

It’s rich in protein,iron, vitamin C ,

calcium,magnesium, phosphate and phosphorous.

It’s fibre content aids weight loss as it keeps one satiated for a long time.

The Festival of Lights, Deepavali has just begun and I prepared some delectable and wholesome laddoos for the occasion.

Ingredients:

Rajgira flour – 1.5 cups

Jaggery powder -3/4 cup

Ghee(liquid) – 1/2 cup

Cardamom powder – 1/2 spoon

Milk – 3-4 table spoons

Slivered Almonds. – 1 spoon

Slivered Pistachio – 1 spoon

Cashew nut bits – 1 spoon

Raisins – 10-12

Take a deep pan and heat the ghee.

Method:

Add in the rajgira flour and keep roasting the flour for about twelve to fifteen minutes on low flame till you get an aroma.

Now take a tablespoon of milk and sprinkle it over the mixture.

This procedure is helpful to make the flour grainy in texture and makes it more tasty.

Mix well and repeat this process thrice.

Now add in the cardamom powder, nuts and raisins to the mixture.

Allow the mixture to cool.

Now mix the powdered sugar into the mixture and mix well.

Allow to rest for a few minutes.

Bind them into laddoos and garnish them with few nuts and lightly press them.

Makes eighteen to twenty medium sized laddoos. Enjoy these delicious laddoos.

namithaskitchen

Gram Flour Laddoos.

Today tried Besan ladoos with ghee and coarsely milled Besan flour.

Replaced sugar with Jaggery.

The colour was a bit darker as I had replaced sugar with jaggery.

The taste was awesome and the home made ghee made it even more delicious and special.

Ingredients:

Coarse Besan flour – 1 cup

melted liquid Ghee- 1/2 cup

Milk – 2 table spoons

Jaggery powder- 3/4 cup.

Cardamom powder – 1/4 spoon

Pistachio sliced – 1 spoon

Almonds – 4 crushed

Raisins – 1 spoon.

Method:

In a deep pan melt the butter and then add in the Besan and sauté it on low flame for about ten to twelve minutes until you get an aroma.

As you are sautéing just sprinkle a spoonful of milk and keep mixing it.

This process is very important as this gives the laddoos a grainy texture and they do not stick to the palette when you are having them.

Repeat this process twice.

Put off the flame and allow the mixture to come to normal temperature.

Now mix the powdered jaggery along with the cardamom, pistachios,almonds and raisins.

Smear a little ghee on your hands and make laddoos.

Garnish them with pistachios and enjoy the ladoos.

namithaskitchen

jackfruit fritters(Mulik)

Jackfruit is one fruit which can be enjoyed in different ways.

I love them as is when it’s ripe. The raw jackfruit is also used in curries and in preparation of various delicacies.

Today I made some jackfruit fritters which turned out awesome. The colour, the texture and taste was perfect.

We call it Mulik in konkani.

The whole house was filled with the sweet aroma as I was frying the Muliks.

Ingredients:

Semolina/Suji rava – 1 cup

Grated coconut – 1 cup

jack fruit sliced – 1 cup

Jaggery – 2 table spoons

Salt – as per taste

Method:

Grind the Jackfruit segments , jaggery and grated coconut to paste.

Not coarse nor smooth.

Then mix Suji rava and salt.

Transfer the bowl to the refrigerator.

In about half an hour make small balls and fry until golden in colour.

You may increase the quantity of the jaggery based on sweetness of the jackfruit .

Heat oil for frying the Muliks or fritters.

Keep the heat on medium flame and fry three to four balls at a time until golden brown.

Enjoy them hot or at room temperature.

namithaskitchen