Kaju Katli

Ingredients:



250 gms. cashews
125 gms powdered sugar
2 tbsp. ghee
1/4 tsp. cardamom powder




Method:





Soak the cashew in warm water for at least 2 hours. Grind it to get a smooth paste with very less water.

Heat a nonstick pan and add the paste, powdered sugar and cardamom powder. Keep stirring it on low flame to get a soft ball. Add the ghee and mix well.

Keep a tray ready greased with little bit of ghee. Transfer the contents from pan to the tray and pat well with a flat spoon to get a smooth surface with desired thickness.

Allow it to cool for a while and then cut into desired shape.

Manoharam

Ingredients:



2 cups rice flour
1/2 cup blackgram dal flour
1 ladle greengram dal flour
Pinch of salt
Oil to fry
1 cup grated jaggery
1/2 tsp cardamom powder




Method:

Make a soft dough of the flours and salt with water. Divide into four pieces and one by one put them in the pressing machine used for making idiappam, but with bigger holes. Press directly on hot oil and cook till the hissing sound stops. Ensure that both sides are cooked. Drain the excess oil on a tissue paper. Repeat for all the rest of the dough. Break them into smaller pieces.

Heat the jaggery with little water. To check the required consistency, drop a bit of jaggery syrup in plain water in a cup and try to form a soft ball of it. If you can do that, the consistency is perfect. Immediately add the cardamom powder and the fried item and mix well.

Grease hands with little ghee and rice flour. Make balls of the mixture while hot.

Oats kesari

Ingredients:

1 cup oats 

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp cardamom powder

3 tbsp ghee

Few cashews and raisins

Pinch of red orange colour.

Method:

Heat 2 tbsp of ghee and roast the oats well. Keep aside and heat the rest of the ghee. Add cashews and roast till golden brown. Add 2 1/2 cups of water and allow it to boil. Add the roasted oats and cook well. Add sugar and mix well. When it starts getting thick add the cardamom powder and the red orange colour. Mix well..Add raisins and mix again.

Serve hot.

Chocolate Biscuit Cake

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Ingredients:

250 grams tea biscuits (I used biscuits with nuts)

125 grams unsalted butter

125 grams sugar

250 grams dark chocolate

2 tsp milk.

Method:

Break the biscuits into small bite size pieces. Beat the sugar and butter and keep aside. Melt the dark chocolate with the milk using double boiler method and when it cools down a bit, add it to the butter mixture and mix well. Add in the biscuit pieces and coat well with the chocolate mix.

If you want individual servings, use small cupcake liners and for a big cake, use a greased pan/bowl according to requirements. Gently put in the biscuit mixture into the bowl and fill tightly without gaps.

 For a smoother finish, powder in the biscuit in the mixture towards the end and give it a smooth finish by covering the gaps.

Garnish with either more dark chocolate or sugar balls or dust with icing sugar and refrigerate for atleast 3 hours and serve.

Adirasam

Ingredients:


1 cup Raw rice
1 cup Jaggery
1 tsp cardamom powder
Oil to fry


Method:

Soak the raw rice for 1 1/2 hours and drain out the water completely. Grind the slightly wet rice to a smooth powder in the mixer and sieve it twice to remove unfine particles.

Add a little water to the jaggery and allow it to boil. The required consistency is such that when a drop of the jaggery syrup is put into a plate of water, it should be easily formed into a soft ball with fingers. At this stage, add the cardamom powder and the rice flour slowly into the syrup. Mix well and allow it to cool for 10 minutes.

Make equal medium sized balls of the mixture and pat it on a greased plastic sheet to form a thick poori.

Slowly put it into hot oil and cook till it turns dark brown on both sides in medium flame. Use two big spoons with holes to remove the excess oil. Repeat for rest of the balls.

Cool and store in an air-tight containter. Stays good for 5-6 days.

Panasa Thonalu

Ingredients:


2 cups all purpose flour/maida
Pinch of salt
2 tbsp ghee
Oil to fry
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cardamom powder.



Method:

Make a soft dough of maida, salt, ghee and water. Keep covered for 1/2 hour. Make small balls of it and roll it into medium thickness pooris. Make lines using a knife without cutting the edges...

Roll it and twist it a bit. Repeat for the rest of the dough and deep fry the pieces till crisp and golden brown.

Heat the sugar with 1/2 cup water and allow it to come to soft ball consistency. (When you put a drop of the syrup in a small cup of water, you should be able to gather it into a soft ball)Add the cardamom powder and then the fried pieces to it and mix well. Transfer immediately to a greased plate and seperate the pieces.

Bread Gulab jamun

Ingredients:

6 milk/sweet bread slices

1/2 cup milk

1/2 tsp cardamom powder

3/4 cup sugar

1 cup water

Oil/Ghee to fry

Method:

Dip the bread slices in milk and squeeze it out completely. You can either cut out the corners of the bread or let it remain. Knead it into a dough and make balls of it. Add milk if required to make the dough. I opted for the less fat version by frying it in the paniyaram pan with few drops of oil. If you are not calorie conscious you can deep fry the balls in oil/ghee.

                        Heat the sugar and water to a sticky consistency. Add cardamom powder to the syrup and soak the bread balls in it for about 1/2 hr. Serve

                         

Butter Badushah

Ingredients:

1.5 cups of all purpose flour

1/4 cup unsalted butter at room temperature

2 tbsp beaten curd

1 tsp sugar

1.5 tbsp oil

1/2 tsp cooking soda

1/2 cup sugar

Cardamom powder for flavour

3/4 cup water

Bit of lemon juice

Water as required

Oil to fry

Method:

Mix the butter, oil, sugar, curd and soda well. Slowly add in the flour and keep mixing it well. Finally add water as required to get a soft dough. Keep aside for 10 minutes and prepare the sugar syrup by that time.

Heat the sugar and water to get a single string consistency. Add in the lemon juice and cardamom powder and keep aside. Make small balls of the dough and flatten them slightly. To make the corners decorative, have a look at the videos at Sharmis blog or Raks kitchen. 

Heat oil in medium flame. Put a small piece of the flour to check the heat. If it pops up immediately, put in a few pieces of the badushah and switch off the stove. Dont disturb it and let it cook in the oil. When the bubbles settle down, switch on the stove again and cook on medium flame till golden brown. Drain excess oil in a tissue paper and dip in the sugar syrup. Let it stay soaked for 2-3 minutes and then transfer to a greased plate. Repeat for rest of the dough.

Although it takes a reasonable time to prepare these, the end results are just fantastic. Garnish with cardamom powder or saffron strands.

Carrot poli

Ingredients:




4 carrots-peeled and boiled
3 tsp sugar (adjust as per taste)
1 tsp cardamom powder
1 cup maida/all purpose flour
Pinch of salt
2 tsp oil
Ghee



Method:

Make a dough of maida, salt and water. Add the oil and mix well to the dough. Keep aside covered with wet cloth for 1/2 hour.

Grind the carrots along with sugar without adding water. Now heat 1 tsp ghee and add this carrot paste and cook well till it gets thick and forms a big lump. Add cardamom powder and keep aside till it cools down. Make small balls of it.
Make balls of the maida dough and pat it to small and thick rounds using little oil. Use a greased plastic sheet for this. Keep the carrot balls in the cente

Beetroot Halwa

Ingredients:



2 big beetroots (grated)
5 tbsp sugar
Some roasted nuts
2 tbsp ghee
1/2 tsp cardamom powder.



Method:

Heat the ghee and add grated beetroot to it. Keep stirring until the beetroot gets cooked by itself without adding any water.

When beet gets cooked in about 10 to 15 minutes time, add the roasted nuts,cardamom powder and sugar. Mix well till the sugar melts and you get the halwa kind of consistency.

Tasty beetroot halwa ready to eat.

Mysurpak

Ingredients:


1 cup chickpea/gram flour (besan)
1 1/2 cups of sugar
3/4 cup water
1 1/2 cups of ghee
1/2 cup oil.



Method:

Heat about 2 tbsp of ghee and add the flour to it. Roast till you get nice aroma of it and it is in the stages of changing colour.

Boil sugar and water in a thick bottom vessel to get one string consistency. Add 5 tsp of ghee to it and slowly add the roasted flour to it. Keep stirring it well and adding ghee in between. Ensure that there are no lumps in the mixture. When it starts frothing and leaving the sides of the vessel, transfer it to a greased plate and leave for a few minutes. Cut into pieces.

Coconut- milk powder burfi

Ingredients:

1 cup finely grated coconut

1/2 cup milk powder

1 cup sugar

1 tsp cardamom powder

2 tbsp ghee.

Method:

Mix coconut and milk powder together. Make a sugar syrup with little water to get sticky consistency. Add the coconut milk powder mixture and cardamom powder. Also add ghee and keep stirring well till the mixture starts leaving the sides of the vessel.

Transfer to a greased plate and cut into desired pieces when a little cool.

Maida Burfi/ Cake

Ingredients:

1 cup maida (all purpose flour)
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 cup ghee
2 drops of rose essence.

Method:

Mix little ghee with maida and fry for 2 to 3 minutes. Make a sugar syrup with little water to one thread consistency.

Add the maida and remaining ghee to it and mix well till it starts leaving the sides of the vessel. Add the rose essence and mix well.

Transfer to a greased tray and cut into required size.

Moong Dal Halwa

Ingredients:


1 cup moong dal
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup ghee
Finely chopped nuts



Method:

Soak the dal in sufficient water for atleast two hours. Make a fine paste of it with very less water.

Cook the moong dal paste with ghee till a nice smell comes. Keep stirring it else it will stick to the vessel. In another pan melt the sugar with the water and add the cooked moong dal. Mix well and cook till the mixture starts leaving the sides of the pan. Add nuts and mix well.

Ragi halwa

Ingredients:


1 cup ragi flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
3 cups water
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp cardamom powder
Roasted nuts and raisins
2 tbsp ghee.



Method:

Heat ghee and roast the ragi flour for 3-4 minutes. Add the all purpose flour and roast for another 2 minutes. Add 3 cups of hot water to it and mix well without lumps. Add sugar, cardamom powder and keep stirring till it becomes a big lump. Add the roasted nuts and raisins and mix well.

Transfer to greased plate. Cool and cut into pieces.

Healthy protein ladoo

Ingredients:


2 cups fried dal
1 1/2 cups grated jaggery
1 tsp cardamom powder
1 tsp ghee
Roasted nuts and raisins.



Method:

Powder the fried dal. Heat ghee, add grated jaggery and just about 2-3 tsp water to it. When it melts, immediately add the cardamom powder and fried dal powder. Add nuts, raisins and switch off the stove. Mix well and make ladoos.


Fried/roasted dal (pottukadalai/chutney dal) has a high protein content and jaggery also has proteins.

Oats Halwa

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups powdered oats
1/2 cup milk powder (Check Sumathy's version for burfi with condensed milk)

1/2 cup sugar (add more according to your taste)
1/4 tsp cardamom powder
Few roasted nuts
3 tbsp ghee
1/2 cup water.

Method:

Melt the ghee and add the powdered oats to it. Keep cooking it till you start getting a nice aroma. Add the milk powder, sugar, water, cardamom powder and nuts to it and mix well. Cook till all of them gets mixed well and forms a single lump. Add more ghee if required.

Transfer it to a greased plate and cool for 10 minutes.and serve it.

Vellam Aval

Ingredients:


1 cup beaten rice/poha
1 cup grated jaggery
1/2 cup grated coconut
1 tsp cardamom powder.


Method:

Sprinkle a few drops of water on the poha and keep mixing it with hands to make it soft. Add grated coconut, jaggery and cardamom powder and mix well.

Vellam aval ready to serve as a quick sweet.

Cashew and almond chikki

Ingredients: 


1 cup chopped cashews and almond
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp ghee.



Method:

Heat 1 tsp ghee and sugar together without any water. Keep mixing well till the sugar melts. Switch off the gas and immediately add the chopped nuts.

Mix well and transfer to a greased board (you could use the chapati stone)and roll out using the chapati pin to the required thickness.

Cut into small squares using knife and slowly reverse the entire chikki.

Cool and break into pieces as marked.

Badam burfi

Ingredients:


1 cup badam soaked in warm water for 2 hours
1 cup gram flour
1 cup ghee
2 tsp cardamom powder
2 cups sugar (adjust as required)


Method:

Heat 2 tsp ghee and roast the gram flour till you get a nice aroma. Keep aside. Grind the badam to a smooth paste using a little milk.

Heat sugar with 1 cup water and allow it come to a 2 thread consistency. Add the badam paste and mix for 2-3 minutes. Then add the gram flour to it and keep stirring it well. Add cardamom powder and then ghee little by little to the mixture and continue to stir till the mixture starts frothing well. Transfer to a greased plate and allow it to cool for a while. Cut into desired pieces.

Bread halwa

Ingredients:


3-4 slices of bread
4 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp ghee
1 cup boiled milk
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
Few roasted nuts.


Method:

Roast the bread slices in 1 tbsp ghee till golden brown. Cut into small pieces..It is optional to remove the corners. Heat the milk and add the bread pieces to it. Keep stirring till the bread absorbs the milk and becomes soft. Add sugar, cardamom powder and mix well till sugar melts. Add ghee and stir for a minute.

Garnish with roasted nuts and raisins.

The halwa would be the best if sweet bread is used. Other variations would be adding some fruits or some cocoa powder and choco chips.

Mysore burfi

Ingredients:




100 grams cashewnut
1 cup gram flour
3/4 cup ghee
2 cups sugar (adjust as per taste)
1/5 cup milk
Bit of red orange colour



Method:
Soak the cashews in hot water for 2 hours, drain and grind to smooth paste.

Heat the sugar with 1 cup water and allow it to boil till two thread consistency. Add the cashew paste to it and mix well. Then add gram flour slowly and mix well without lumps. Add the food colour and keep stirring. Start adding ghee slowly and keep mixing it till the mixture starts frothing. Transfer to a greased plate and allow it to cool before cutting into pieces.

Garnish with almond and cashew pieces.

Pal khova

Ingredients:




1/2 ltr milk (to get the quantity in the picture)
2 tsp ghee
3 tbsp sugar (adjust according to taste)
1/4 tsp cardamom powder.


Method:

Heat the milk on a deeper vessel on low heat. Keep stirring. For half a ltr milk, it takes a good 1 hour to reduce and become grainy.

Once it is done, add the sugar, ghee and cardamom powder to it and mix well.

This traditonal sweet takes a lot of time and patience, but the taste is worth it.


Optional: You could even add jaggery to it instead of sugar.

Sugar coated crunchy snack

The procedure to make the main biscuit is same as the salted ones....however you need to prepare the dough without salt.

Make a sugar syrup with 1 cup sugar and 1 tsp water. When the syrup becomes real thick and is full of bubbles, add these biscuits and mix well. Seperate them on a plate and allow it to cool.

Yet another version is adding sugar to the dough itself and is popular as shankarpale... will post that later.

Coconut Ladoo

Ingredients:


1 cup grated coconut (can use dry coconut pd also)
1/2 cup milk powder
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
2 tsp ghee.


Method:

Heat the sugar with little water till it starts boiling. Add the coconut, milk powder and mix well till it becomes one big lump.

Cool for 10 minutes and make balls of it. If required, dust a bit with milk powder to get the shapes.

P.S. If using dry coconut powder, slightly dry roasting it will give it a nice flavour.