Happy Holi to all our friends and viewers. Here is an easy, delicious, quick Holi special recipe for Malpuas . Homemade Indian Pancakes a.k.a Malpuas are perfect for any celebration.
Ingredients/ Method
1/2 cup Milk powder
1/2 cup all purpose flour
3 tbsp Sooji/Rava/ Semolina ( Cream of wheat)
1 cup Milk
Desi ghee for cooking
Cardamom powder and fennel seeds for flavouring
For Syrup:
1/2 to 3/4 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water
Remember Syrup thickens upon standing.
Cardamom for flavour.
Dry fruits for garnish
Method:
Mix flours and make batter by adding milk. Add cardamom powder and fennel seeds and fry on a pan until both sides are brown. Prepare syrup and dip malpuas in the syrup. Garnish with dry fruit and serve.
Navratre is an Indian/Hindu festival which lasts for 9 days and lot of people fast during these 9 days ( can fast 1 day or whole period) eating a special diet. This simple Potato dish is one simple recipe that is allowed to be had during these 9 days. Here is how we make it 🙂
Ingredients/ Method
2 tbsp oil
1 Large potato or 2-3 small/medium size potatoes
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp ajwain/carom seeds
1/2 tsp rock salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp dried ginger ( Sund)
2-3 tbsp Yogurt
Method: Heat oil in a pan and add seeds. Add potatoes. Mix well and add spices. Cover and cook for 5-6 mins. When almost done, add yogurt and let cook further for 2 mins. Then turn the heat off and serve potatoes. They taste delicious on their own and make for a great side dish as well.
Here is a great recipe for stuffed poori that is perfect for weekend brunch. Pair it with Aloo Curry and you have a fantastic lunch ready.
Ingredients/Method
Oil for frying
For Stuffing: 1/2 cup moong dal
Salt per taste ( 1 tsp suggested)
1/2 tsp paprika
Turmeric
Fennel seeds
2-3 tbsp oil
( water as required)
For Dough
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
2 tbsp ghee and Water to knead the dough
Pinch of salt
Method:
Prepare the dough by mixing dough ingredients. Let dough stand for 30 mins.
Prepare the stuffing by grinding pre soaked moong daal. Fry it in a pan with hot oil and spices until it dries out and turns a shade darker.
When ready to make the poori, heat oil for deep frying in a pot. Take small golf ball size dough portion. Flatten it out with a rolling pin. Fill it with stuffing and close it. Flatten it out again and fry in hot oil.
Learn how to prepare this delicious Indian sweet called Kalakand or Indian Milk cake for your next special occasion. I love to prepare it during Rakhi (Raksha Bandhan) for my brother as well as during Holi and Shivratri for my friends and family.
More Indian Desserts here.
Ingredients:
1/2 tsp Saffron (to be dissolved in 2 tbsp milk)
2 tbsp chopped dry fruit of your choice like Almonds, Pistachios, Cashews etc
1 Lt. Full cream Milk (homo Milk- 3.25 %)
2 tbsp Vinegar
150 Ml Condensed Milk (about 1/2 cup)
2 tbsp butter or ghee
1 tsp Elaichi/Cardamom Powder
and patience
1. Dissolve Saffron in 2 tbsp milk
2. Grind or make coarse powder out of Cardamom seeds. You can skip this step by using Elaichi Powder. I prefer to make mine fresh as Elaichi powder can loose its aroma quickly.
3. Make Paneer (Indian style Cottage Cheese/Ricotta). For this pour 1 Lt. milk in heavy bottom pot/pan and bring it to boil. As it starts boiling, add 2 tbsp vinegar so that it can start curdling up. Separate paneer from whey. Whey is nutritious. Keep it for making soups, curries, to use as vegetable stock, to knead dough for paratha or roti.
4. Transfer paneer in a pan. Add butter/ghee and cook for 7-8 mins. Then add condensed milk and cardamom powder. Cook further for 15 mins until everything comes together and milk is almost dries up.
5. Transfer onto a plate/pan, let it cool down and put in thr fridge so that it can set. For quick cooling, put it in the freezer section. after about 2-3 hours, cut in desired shapes and serve.
This dessert/Indian milk cake is so tasty. It’s gooey, soft, melt in your taste quality.
With Holi and Shivratri being around the corner and onset of spring, everyone wants to celebrate and have good time with friends and family. Here is a must have recipe for your festival menu which can be prepared in advance.
Ingredients/Method
For the shell
2 cups of flour
(I prefer using 1 cup all purpose and 1 cup whole wheat. You can use either of the two. Usually its prepared with all purpose flour)
2-4 tbsp of Desi Ghee ( Clarified Butter)
Water to knead the dough
Pinch of salt
For stuffing
2-3 tbsp ghee/butter or oil
1 cup of Unsweetned shredded coconut
1 cup dry fruit (chopped)
1/2 to 1 cup of sugar
1/3 cup sesame seeds
1/2 tsp nutmeg
Oil is also required for deep frying the Kachoris
Method:
Prepare the dough by mixing ghee, flour, water and pinch of salt. Set the dough aside for 30 mins.
Prepare the stuffing by frying coconut, dry fruits and other ingredients in a wok along with sugar. Let the stuffing cool down.
Roll out small portions of dough and fill them with stuffing. Close the Kachoris and deep fry until both sides are golden.
Enjoy with cup of Tea or coffee
Bringing to you a popular Indian snack called Bread Rolls which is flavourful and easy to make. Do give it a try and let us know your experience.
Ingredients/Method
For the stuffing: 3-4 boiled potatoes
1/2 small onion chopped
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
2 tbsp grated ginger
Salt per taste
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp garam masala
1 tbsp amchur- Mango Powder
1/2 tsp ajwain ( Carom seeds)
Oil for frying
Loaf of bread
water for dipping slices
Method:
– Prepare the stuffing by combining stuffing ingredients
– Remove the end portions of the slices. Dip each slice in water to just make it wet. Remove the excess water
– Fill the slice of bread with potatoes. Close and seal. Once all rolls are ready.
– Heat some oil in a pot. Deep fry rolls. Soak out the excess oil by putting them on paper towel.
Serve with chutney of your choice.
Hi guys, when holidays come, you can gift this delicious burfi to your friends and family. This homemade coconut fudge is perfect for Valentines day as well. Don’t forget that this also makes for a great hostess gift as well to share with neighbors. It looks and tastes exotic but is really simple to make.
Ingredients:
2 cups of unsweetened coconut flakes
300 ml of condensed milk
1 cup sooji ( cream of wheat/ semolina)
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
2-3 tbsp of ghee/butter
2-3 tbsp coconut oil
3-4 drops of any flavour you want ( i used Kewra essence for my recipe. It is Panadanas Syrup used to flavour north Indian and Pakistani sweets. )
Method:
1. In a pan, add ghee or butter. Once melted, fry sooji for 4-5 mins on medium low heat.
2. In another pan, fry coconut flakes in coconut oil. Thoroughly coat them with oil and roast for 7-8 mins (or until the raw flavor of coconut is out, it will start emitting nice aroma). Mix coconut and sooji.
3. Add Milk , cardamom powder and Kewra essence. Roast for another 5 mins.
We used dry unsweetened shredded coconut. Fresh coconut can also be used but it will just take longer to cook.
4. When mixture starts thickening up and leaving sides of the pan. Turn off the heat. Let mixture cool down ( let it be still warm though) and transfer to a plate/pan lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Place it in the fridge/freezer for 3- 4 hrs.
5. Cut into bite size squares and serve at room temp or place in a festive box and give as a gift.
Are you excited for Holi 2014? It’s only few days away now. I remember growing up in India, the preparations for Holi would start weeks before the actual festival with shopkeepers displaying the latest waterguns and colors to attract the potential customers and sweet shops offering special discounts on bulk buying the sweets. Here in North America, we look forward to the weekend before/after Holi to celebrate the festival with other members of the community by cultural shows, rangoli making, having Indian fair at the community hall etc. Well, even though the fervor is not the same as in India, spirit is still their and an effort is made to introduce and remind our kids about the festival of Holi and what it stands for.
Even if you are not a big fan of Holi like my brother who would hide in his room with the door locked to avoid getting colors on him from his friends, you can still enjoy the festival by indulging in some tasty homemade sweets. Here are few Holi sweets that you can try this weekend.
Indian flatbread stuffed with lentils, sugar and coconut is called Puran Poli. It’s really tasty and can be enjoyed anytime during the day. In India, it is specially made during the Holi season.
Ingredients/ Method:
1/2 cup Chana Dal
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup sugar
Water to knead the dough
Pinch of salt
2 tbsp Oil
Butter/ Ghee to smear over Parathas
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 cup Coconut
Method:
Soak Chana Dal in water for 30 mins then cook it in pressure cooker with little bit of water. Make a puree out of the lentils. For the dough, mix all purpose flour with whole wheat flour. Add Oil. Add pinch of salt and water to form the dough. Set aside. In a wok, cook lentils in 2 tbsp butter along with sugar, coconut, cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom powder. Form a dry mixture and let it cool down so that its easy to form small round balls.
Out of your flour mixture, take small portion of dough. Flatten it out half way through and fill it with lentils mixture. Close the dough and flatten it out with a rolling pin. Put some dry flour on your working surface. Cook this flattened out roti on a griddle/skillet till brown spots are formed on both sides. Smear with ghee and serve.
A very simple coconut burfi recipe made from only a few ingredients: condensed milk, coconut, and cardamom powder. This is a really yummy and quick dessert to satisfy your sweet cravings after a good Indian meal. One of my favorite Indian Mithai.
Heat a pan and add tbsp of butter. Let it melt.
Add 14 oz can of condensed milk and 14 oz pack of sweet coconut flakes. Combine the ingredients in the pan. add cardamom powder and let everything cook for 5-6 mins.
Add dry fruit and then transfer on to a pan greased with butter/ghee. Spread evenly and cut in equal portions. Place in the fridge and let it set for about 2 hours.
Serve when completely set to your friends and family.
Jalebi is distorted pretzel like sweet, usuallu spiral but pardon my artistic skills..as i struggle with the perfect shape 🙂 It’s easy to make at home using all purpose flour, yogurt, semolina, baking soda and oil. You will also need to make syrup to soak jalebis in so that its sweet.
Ingredients:
1 litre full cream milk
1/4 cup lemon juice
6 cups of water
2 cups of brown sugar
(Regular sugar can also be used)
2 green cardamoms for flavoring
Dry fruit like Pistachios, almonds and cashews for garnishing
Method:
Add Milk in a pot and bring it to boil. Turn down the heat and then add lemon juice. Let milk solids separate from liquid. Liquid that is separated is called Whey and milk fat is called Paneer. Separate paneer from liquid and then wash the paneer thoroughly. Put it in a muslin cloth and let it dry completely (for atleast an hour)
Next knead the paneer so that its absolutely smooth. I would recommend kneading with palms of your hand for atleast 30 mins. Now, divide the paneer into equal patys and roll out in small balls. In the pot add water and sugar and bring to boil then let the mixture simmer. In the simmering mixture add paneer balls. On high flame cook for 10 mins and then cover and simmer for 15 mins. Your Rasgullas are now ready. Serve Rasgullas at room temp. You can pour some sugar syrup on top to keep them sweet. Garnish with almonds for presentation.
(Above 2 ingredients to make sugar syrup)
Syrup can be flavored with green cardamom or rose water.
Oil for deep frying
200 ml whipped cream
1 cup all purpose flour ( maida)
1.5 cup dry milk powder
1 tsp baking powder
1. Add sugar and water in a pot. Bring to a boil to make syrup. Set Aside.
2. Mix all purpose flour, whipping cream, baking powder and dry milk powder to make smooth dough.
3. Form golf size balls out of the dough and then deep fry them until golden brown.
(Remember, keep the size slightly small because they are going to swell as they cook.)
4. Dip them in the sugar syrup and let stand for 7-8 mins.
(You can make these in advance for your next party too.)
5. Serve warm.
Who can say no to ultimate Indian dessert Kheer. It’s fit for any occasion. One of the most popular Indian desserts, Kheer is made using milk, rice, sugar, saffron and green cardamom.
Make delicious Carrot pudding this festival or holiday season called Gajar ka halwa (or gajrela). All you need is full fat milk, carrots, sugar, cardamom pwd, dry fruit and whipped cream
1/2 tsp Saffron (to be dissolved in 2 tbsp milk)
2 tbsp chopped dry fruit of your choice like Almonds, Pistachios, Cashews etc
1 Lt. Full cream Milk (homo Milk- 3.25 %)
2 tbsp Vinegar
150 Ml Condensed Milk (about 1/2 cup)
2 tbsp butter or ghee
1 tsp Elaichi/Cardamom Powder
and patience
1. Dissolve Saffron in 2 tbsp milk
2. Grind or make coarse powder out of Cardamom seeds. You can skip this step by using Elaichi Powder. I prefer to make mine fresh as Elaichi powder can loose its aroma quickly.
3. Make Paneer (Indian style Cottage Cheese/Ricotta). For this pour 1 Lt. milk in heavy bottom pot/pan and bring it to boil. As it starts boiling, add 2 tbsp vinegar so that it can start curdling up. Separate paneer from whey. Whey is nutritious. Keep it for making soups, curries, to use as vegetable stock, to knead dough for paratha or roti.
4. Transfer paneer in a pan. Add butter/ghee and cook for 7-8 mins. Then add condensed milk and cardamom powder. Cook further for 15 mins until everything comes together and milk is almost dries up.
5. Transfer onto a plate/pan, let it cool down and put in thr fridge so that it can set. For quick cooling, put it in the freezer section. after about 2-3 hours, cut in desired shapes and serve.
This dessert/Indian milk cake is so tasty. It’s gooey, soft, melt in your taste quality.
Sago Kheer (often confused with Tapioca Pudding) is made with Milk, Sago Pearls, Sugar, Saffron, Cardamom and Kewra essence. In Northern India, it is also called Sabudana Kheer and is specially made during Shivratri festival ( or other religious festivals like Navratri) as a fasting food.
Ingredients and Method:
1/2 cup Sago (Sabudana)
1.5 Cup water for cooking (+ for soaking)
2.5 Cups milk
1/4 tsp saffron strands
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
3-4 tbsp Sugar (adjust per taste)
1-2 drops Kewra essence
Dry fruit of your choice for garnish
Method:
Soak Sago in water for 15-20 mins after washing it thoroughly.
Next boil 1.5 cup of water in a pot and add Sago. Let cook for 10 mins. Keep stirring in between so that sago doesnt stick to the pot.
Add Milk, Saffron, Cardamom powder, Kewra and Sugar. Stir thoroughly and cook until milk thickens up and Sago pearls turn translucent and soft.
Garnish with dry fruit of your choice and serve warm or chilled.
Sago Kheer (often confused with Tapioca Pudding) is actually made with Milk, Sago Pearls (which look like Tapioca), Sugar, Saffron, Cardamom and Kewra essence. In Northern India, it is also called Sabudana Kheer and is specially made during Shivratri festival ( or other religious festivals like Holi, Navratri etc) as a fasting food.
Ingredients and Method:
1/2 cup Sago (Sabudana)
1.5 Cup water for cooking (+ for soaking)
2.5 Cups milk
1/4 tsp saffron strands
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
3-4 tbsp Sugar (adjust per taste)
1-2 drops Kewra essence
Dry fruit of your choice for garnish
Method:
Soak Sago in water for 15-20 mins after washing it thoroughly.
Next boil 1.5 cup of water in a pot and add Sago. Let cook for 10 mins. Keep stirring in between so that sago doesnt stick to the pot.
Add Milk, Saffron, Cardamom powder, Kewra and Sugar. Stir thoroughly and cook until milk thickens up and Sago pearls turn translucent and soft.
Garnish with dry fruit of your choice and serve warm or chilled.
Let’s welcome Holi 2014 with open hearts and festive mood. Like many other festivals of India ‘Holi-The Festival of colours’ too celebrates the triumph of Good over Evil. It is celebrated on the poornima (Full moon)of hindu month of Falgun/Phalgun. It is a two days festival. On the eve of purnima a bonfire is lit known as Holika dahan, the burning of holika which symbolises the burnig of evil to get rid of negativity.
The mythological tale about this is as follows: Pharlad/Prahlad the son of King Harnakshyap was a great devotee of Lord Vishnu. He was not like other children of his age but kept on praying day and night. King didn’t like this as he was an atheist and considered himself all powerful. His sister Holika had the power to remain unburnt even in fire. To teach a lesson to his son, king asked his sister to sit on a pyre holding Prahlad in her lap but with the grace of God the powers of Holika were transferred to Prahlad, so he remained unscathed and Holika was burnt to ashes . So every year people burn Holika the symbol of evil.
Next day in the morning people throw and sprinkle colour on one another and feast on certain delicacies associated with this festival like Ghujia, Ghevar, Pakoras, Variety of Indian sweets etc. This festival is celebrated with Great enthusiasm in Rajasthan and uttar pradesh. Celebrations vary from region to region. In Vrindavan the place of Lord Krishna these celebrations go on for a week. At religious places flower petals are used instead of colours. In several regions auspicious activities are avoided for eight days prior to Holi as these are considered unauspicious. Children like the fun and party part of the festival so they eagerly wait for this Hindu festival. People love visiting their friends and relatives in groups and drink bhaang . This is a festival of brotherhood so people use it as a platform to sink their differences and become friends again.
