jalebi

http://yourdishes.blogspot.in/2014/04/great-jalebi-recipe.html?m=1

Ingredients:

All purpose flour - 1 cup

Yeast - 2 tsp

Sugar - 1 tbsp

Corn flour - 2 tbsp

Yogurt - 2 tbsp

Oil -2 tbsp

Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp

Luke warm water - 1/2 cup (more or less)

Yellow food colour - few drops (optional)

Oil - for frying

For Sugar Syrup

Sugar - 1 cup

Water - 3/4 cup

Lemon juice - 1 tsp

Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp

Saffron strands - few

 

Cooking instructions:

Combine all purpose flour, yeast, sugar, corn flour, yogurt, cardamom powder and oil into one big bowl and mix everything well.

Prepare a thick batter by adding little by little lukewarm water.

Place the batter bowl in the warm place and let it rise for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile combine sugar, water and lemon juice into one pot and keep it to boil.

Once the syrup comes to boil, turn the flame to low and simmer the syrup till you get the two thread consistency.

Then add cardamom powder and saffron strands .Mix well.

After 30 minutes, check the batter and mix well and fill the batter into jalebi squeezing bottle (you can use ziplog bag or tomato ketchup bottle).

Heat the oil into the pan on the medium flame. Then turn the flame to low and squeeze out the jalebis into circular shapes.

Fry the jalebis till light golden in colour and crisp on both the sides.

Drain the excess of oil from the jalebis and put them into the sugar syrup.

Allow the jalebis to remain the syrup for 20 seconds and then remove on to the plate.

Jalebis are ready to serve.

 

Pineapple Kesaribath

Kesari is the easiest sweet preparation and it prepared very often in homes and functions alike.
Kharabath - keasribath is an all time favorite combination, which appears on the menu of all the small and big occasions. Fruits , like mashed ripe bananas , apples and pineapples are sometimes used to flavor this traditional dish individually. Otherwise elichi powder is used for flavour. Ghee is used generously . The diet conscious people can replace it partially with oil. Feel free to reduce or increase the milk- water proportion.

Ingredients

Upma Sooji - 1 cup
Sugar - 1 cup
Pineapple diced - 1 cup
Milk - 2 cups
water - 1 cup
Ghee - 1/2 cup
Kesar - few strands
Turmeric Powder/ food color - a pinch
Cashew pieces - 1 tbsp
Sulthana - 1 tbsp

Method

Using the whipper button of the blender , Crush the pineapple lightly, for a second.
Toast the sooji with a couple of tsps of ghee till a good aroma wafts the kitchen .
In a thick bottom pan heat the remaining ghee & fry the cashew till golden color. When the cashew is almost ready , drop the sulthanas and fry till they swell up. Drain and reserve them for later.
Pour the milk and water into the same pan with ghee and bring it to a boil. Add the turmeric and kesar now. Stirring all the while , pour in the sooji and cook till done.
Add the sugar and pineapple crush now and cook till all the moisture dries up.
Garnish with the fried dry fruits and serve.

Sending this to Srilekha's Sweets & Savory Event.

Ras Malai

I have been dormant for a while now and the reasons are many . Power cuts , comp problems, procrastination .....and so on.
One look at the ICC challenge , my all time fav Ras Malai & all the excuses went on the back burner. Promptly , I got around to the preparation and here is the result .....
Of course I am not enrolled in the group, but I get inspired to prepare their yummy treats . But this is the first time I actually got down to action.
Every detail was well taken care of and explained well. I had never imagined that Ras Malai could be prepared successfully at home. 3 cheers to group !
I have jotted down the recipe for my reference and yours too !


Ingredients

To make the Paneer Balls

Milk - 2 Lts
Vinegar - 2 tbsps
Maida - 1 tsp

For the Sugar Syrup-

Water - 3 cups
Sugar 8 tbsps

For the Rasa

Milk - 1 lt
Sugar - 7 tbsps
Pista slivers / chironji - 1 tsp
Kesar - a few strands
Elichi powder - a pinch

Method

Boil the milk, cool & refrigerate for 12 hrs.
Remove the cream on top & bring it to a boil.
Add the vinegar & curdle the milk. Put out the fire.
Rest for 10 mins & drain out the whey water.
Wash the paneer in fresh water to remove any traces of vinegar.
Hang this paneer in a muslin cloth for 1 hour, till all the water is drained out.
Knead this paneer well for about 5 mins till smooth . Add 1 tspn of maida & knead well.
Make small, smooth balls.
I got about 20 balls.

At the same time , milk reserved for the Rasa can be put to a boil.
Keep an eye on this milk & stir every now and then to prevent it from boiling over.
Reduce it to half.
Add the sugar and cook for a few mins.
Put off the fire & add the elichi powder & kesar.

In the meanwhile the sugar syrup can be prepared.
In a pressure pan , bring 3 cups of water to a boil & add 8 tbsps of sugar.
Drop the prepared balls into the syrup, close the lid.
Place the weight when the steam builds up & lower the flame & cook for 10 mins.
Put out the gas . Open when the pressure cools down.
The balls would have swelled up & doubled in size.
Take each ball with a slotted spoon & press with another spoon gently to squeeze out the excess sugar syrup. Drop into the hot Rasa.
Garnish with the pista .
Tastes good when warm or when served chilled.

Notes

* If using skimmed milk, Paneer can be prepared directly. Resting for 12 hrs in the fridge can be skipped.
* The Rasa tends to become thick as the paneer balls absorbs it. I guess the rasa can be removed earlier than recommended.

Insatiable Basundi

It was my son Achyuth's Birthday. What shall I prepare ? I asked him. He thought for a few seconds & said " Basundi ". And Basundi it was....
Basundi - a high calorie & fat intense milk preparation. It is a rich & creamy dessert & beckons you for more. Pure indulgence of the sinful kind. It was the first choice while eating out as kids, relishing it to the last drop. Full cream milk is reduced to 50 % & garnished with sliced Almonds, pistachios , Charoli nuts & saffron strands, chilled & served.

Ingredients

Whole Cream Milk - 2 lts
Sugar - 1/2 cup approx
Saffron strands - a few
Almonds & pistachios - sliced
Charoli nuts - some
Sweet Almond essence - 1 drop , optional

Method

Take milk in a wide mouth , thick bottomed pan & evaporate the milk , stirring between to avoid scorching at the bottom.
Collect the thick layer of scum which collects on the top from time to time in another container.
Continue evaporating the milk till it reduces to 50 % of the original quantity.
Add the saffron strands & put off the fire. Add the sugar also.
Tastes good if it is mildly sweet, so be careful with the sugar.
Can add a drop of the essence when it is warm. It tastes good even without the essence.
Add in the layers of cream collected, when warm.
Drop in the sliced nuts & refrigerate . Serve cold.

Suggestions

To add more body to the dish, fresh bread crumbs of a couple of slices can be added when warm, & then chilled.
Alternately, a tsp of fine rava is toasted in a few drops of ghee & added in the final stages before taking off the fire, to get a thick consistency.
Fruit Basundi is another variation that is possible. Either mango pieces / pulp, or custard apple pulp, or apple pieces or any other seasonal fruit / tinned fruit of choice can be topped on the chilled Basundi & served.

Sending this to the Desserts cake & ice cream event, by RV & sudeshna

Dhal Payasam

Payasams are delicious , healthy, & one does not get bored , in spite of having them thro' so many years. Their charm never wears out. They are very easy to make & use wholesome ingredients. It is a must - have dish in our traditional menus.
Ordinary ingredients like Rice, dals, vegetables are ingeniously transformed into yummy , lip smacking desserts .
Today's post focuses on Split green gram dal payasam, Peasraballa payasamu in Telugu. Generally this dal is lightly toasted before cooking it. It is then sweetened with jaggery. Milk is mixed to the required consistency, flavored with elichi & finally garnished with nuts fried in ghee. It is devoured by all with delight.

Ingredients

Split Green gram dal - 1 cup, lightly toasted
Jaggery - 1 cup
Sugar - 2 tbsp
Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Poppy seeds - 1 tbsp
Cashew - 1 tbsp
Milk - 2 cups / as required
Elichi - 2 no.

For Garnishing :
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Cashew - 1 tbsp
Raisins - 1 tbsp

Method

Lightly toast the dal & cook either in the pressure cooker or in a open vessel using water. Dals should be just cooked to get the bite in the payasam.
Add the jaggery & cook stirring till it dissolves.
Make a paste of the coconut , poppy seeds & cashew in a blender using some water.
Add this paste & cook for a few minutes .
Put off heat. Add the elichi powder. After some time , add milk when the payasam cools slightly to get the consistency required.
Garnish with the cashew & raisins fried in ghee.
Sample it & add sugar if required.

Notes

It tastes better when sugar & jaggery are combined.

Sending this post to the Bean 'n legume recipes you can count on , event.

Badam Angoor

Diwali , The Festival of Lights , comes with loads of fun & festivity. Gifts , sweets & dry fruits are exchanged and there is generally a sense of excitement in the air. Varieties of sweets are prepared in homes & everybody indulges in the choicest treats.
I prepared this sweet for Diwali , decided to present this badam sweet in a different form & christened it Badam Angoor. Be warned , it is quite addictive & leaves you wanting more.

Ingredients:

Almonds - 1 cup
sugar - 1 cup
milk - 1 cup
Sweet almond essence - 2 drops
Water - 1/2 cup

Method :

• Wash the Almonds & bring to boil in a couple of cups of water. The skin of the almonds loosens up. Put off the gas & drain out the water . Peel off the skins.
• Blend these Almonds with milk to a smooth paste.
• Take sugar in a heavy bottomed pan & pour water to cover the sugar. Boil to get a one - string syrup.
• Pour in the almond paste & stir till it leaves the sides of the pan. Add the essence & put off Flame.
• When it cools a little , make marble size balls & decorate with silver wark & Sprinkle toasted almond flakes.