Carrot Halwa (Gajar Halwa)

Ever wondered what  sweet makes people salivate.  It's the one and only Gajar kaa Halwa. A traditional Indian sweet prepared from grated carrots and lots of sugar and milk. It's one of the hottest selling Indian sweet. So check out the recipe below and satisfy your sweet tooth.

Ingredients:

1.  Carrots                                           8-10 medium
2.  Cashew nuts                                  5-6
3. Almonds                                         5-6
4. Raisins                                            10-15
5. Pure ghee (Clarified butter)       3 tablespoons
6. Milk                                                2 cups
7. Green cardamom powder           1/4 teaspoon
8. Mawa (khoya)                              1 cup
9. Sugar                                             3/4 cup

Method:

1. Peel, wash and grate carrots.
2. In a thick bottom pan add grated carrots and milk.
3. Cook on medium heat for five to six minutes or until the milk evaporates and the carrots are cooked.
4. Stir in the grated khoya and sugar and cook for two to three minutes or till the sugar melts and mixes well, stirring continuously. Continue to cook for two minutes more.
5. Add ghee and  Green cardamom powder  and mix well.
6. Garnish with chopped cashewnuts, sliced almonds and raisins.

Gajar Halwa is ready to serve.Serve hot or at room temperature.      

Besan Ladoo

Ladoos are one of the most liked Indian sweets."Besan(Gram Flour) Ladoo" is the most popular and delicious recipe.

This Besan Ladoo is popular all over Maharashtra.Mostly prepare at Diwali.

So learn how to prepare "Besan Ladoo".

Ingredients:

Besan (gram flour) 4 cups

Ghee(Clarified Butter) 2 cups

Powdered Sugar 2 cups

Cardamom powder 1/2 tea spoon

Almonds 20-15 (crushed)

Method:

1. Heat ghee(clarified butter in a pan and add cardamom powder.
2. Add besan(gram flour) and roast on low heat till it is golden brown in color and nice aroma is given out.
3. Transfer roasted gram flour to a bowl , add crushed almonds and  mix well.
4. Allow the mixture to cool.
5. Add powdered sugar and mix well.
6. Roll into even sized ladoos.
7. Allow it to cool and serve.

Your Besan ladoos are ready to serve.

Enjoy. :-)

Chirote Recipe

Surprise everyone with a special sweet after food. Its crispy dipped in a sugary syrup dripping giving a wonderful experience to your taste buds to savor. It's  a Maharashtrian specialty and its called "CHIROTE". 

So, learn how to prepare Chirote.

Ingredients:

1 cup Maida (Refined flour)

1 tablespoon Rava (Semolina)

1 tablespoon hot oil

Clarified butter

1 tablespoon rice flour

pinch of salt

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup water

Saffron strands

1 teaspoon lemon juice

oil for frying

Method for Sugar Syrup:

Mix water, sugar and saffron in sauce pan and boil over medium heat for 6 to 7 mts.

Add some lemon juice once syrup is ready.

 Method for Chirote:

1. Combine maida (Refined flour), rava (Semolina), hot oil and pinch of salt and mix well.
2. Add water, milk and start to knead to make smooth and soft dough, like chapati dough.
3. Cover and keep it to rest for 2 hours.
4. Divide the dough into 3 equal portions.
5. Take ball and roll in very smooth roti (chapati), make 3 thin rotis (chapati)
6. In a separate bowl mix rice flour and butter together and keep it aside.
7. Take one roti, spread butter and rice flour mixture and place another layer of roti on the top of it.
8. Again spread some butter and rice flour mixture and place third layer of roti and repeat the same process.
9. Now roll three rotis.
10. Divide roti roll in equal size ball am-king slight cross cut.
11. Now Roll each piece of dough to make rectangular shape.
12. Deep fry until golden brown.
13. Deep this fried chirote into Sugar Syrup for 2-3 minutes.
14. After 2-3 minutes keep it on a plate to drip some extra sugar syrup.
15. Your Chirote is now ready to serve.
Enjoy.. :-)

Batata Wada

 Batata Wada

The name Batata(in Marathi) means Potato in English.

Batata wada is popular Indian fast food in Maharashtra,India.

Batata wada has gained a place in heart of Indians all over the country.

Spiced mashed potatoes are dipped in chickpea batter, deep fried to a golden shade... It's yummy..

This is one of my all time favorite.

So, let's start.

Ingredients:

1/2 kg Potato

1 tea spoon red chili powder

1 tea spoon mustard seeds

1 tea spoon turmeric powder

10-15 cloves of garlic

1 Inch ginger

7-8 green chillies

7-8 curry leaves(kadi patta)

Juice of 1 lemon

salt to taste

Sugar to taste

1 cup Bengal gram(Chickpea) flour (Besan)

2 table spoon oil

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 tea spoon turmeric powder

Water as required

salt to taste

Method :

1. Boil and peel potatoes and roughly mash them.
2. Grind ginger, garlic cloves, green chillies and add this mixture into mashed potatoes.
3. Add lemon juice,sugar and salt into potato mixture.
4. Heat oil in a pan and add mustrad seeds. Once it starts popping, add curry leaves,asfoetida,turmeric powder.
5. Pour this oil mixture into mashed potato and mix well.
6. Shape the potato mixture into small balls and keep it aside.
7. Add some salt, turmeric powder and chili powder to the bengal gram flour. Add water gradually and keep mixing with a spoon or wire whisk. Remove lumps if any. The batter should not be too watery or too thick. If lifted by a spatula, it should flow in a ribbon like consistency.
8. Add 2 tablespoon hot oil into batter.
9. Heat some oil in a pan. To check if oil is heated enough, drop some batter in the oil. If the batter immediately floats on the surface of the oil, the oil is ready. Also make sure that the oil is not too hot. Else, the wadas turn dark from the outside before they are actually done from the inside.
10. Now dip each ball in the batter, letting the excess batter drip off and slowly add to the hot oil. At a time you can fry 4-5 wadas. Do not overcrowd the pan. Like this, fry all the wadas until golden. Remove on a paper towel and drain. Batata Wadas are ready.

Serve hot with Tamarind Chutney/ buttermilk /Chana masala.

Cream Cake

Cream cake is creamy, rich and it's egg less.

It's a spongy cake and delicious one. Has a good taste of milk and cream..Yummy... :-)

Just try it. :-)

Ingredients:

1 Cup Cream

1 Cup superfine sugar

1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda

2 Cup all purpose flour

1/4 tea spoon baking powder

1 cup milk powder or 1/2 cup milk powder

Milk – as required, to adjust batter to dropping consistency max 75 ml

1/2 cup Custard Powder

Vanilla essence

 Method:

 Preheat oven to 180 degree Celsius.

1. Mix all purpose flour,Custard powder, milk powder, baking powder and baking soda together.
2. Add cream,sugar,vanilla essence and milk.
3. Beat cream mixture well till  blended smoothly.
4. Then add flour mixture into the cream mixture.
5. Again beat well till blended smoothly.
6. Add adequate milk to achieve a batter of dropping consistency.
7. Pour the batter into a greased baking pan.
8. Add some Choco Chips into it.
9. Bake it for about 45-50 minutes or till done.  

Your delicious Cream Cake is ready to serve.