Thursday, September 17, 2026

Healthy Avil Balls

 Ingredients

Thick Aval (Poha) – 1 cup

Peanut – 1/2 cup

Pottukadalai (Fried Gram) – 1/2 cup

Sesame (Til seeds) – 1/2 cup

Jaggery Powder – 1 and 1/2 cup

Cardamom – 4 to 5

Cashew nuts – few (optional)

Raisins – few (optional)

Ghee – 2 to 3 tablespoons

  

 

Preparations

In a thick bottom kadai put a tablespoon of ghee and fry the avil (poha) till it becomes crisp and slightly changes its colour. Remove and put it on a plate. 

Same kadai put the peanut and fry till it becomes light brown. Remove and set aside.

Fry the pottu Kadalai till it’s hot to touch and remove.

Then add sesame and fry till it starts crackling and remove.

Allow all the fried items to cool.

First put the avil along with cardamom in a mixer jar and grind it to a powder. Transfer it to a broad vessel.

Then add fried peanut, pottu Kadalai and sesame and grind it to a fine powder.

Before removing from the mixer jar, add jaggery powder and run the mixer for few seconds.

Add this to the avil powder and mix well.

If you are using cashew and raisins, fry in a teaspoon of ghee and add to avil powder.

Heat the remaining ghee and add it to the avil powder and mix well.

Take a handful of the powder and press it into a small lemon size ball. Finish all the powder like this.

 

Vegetable Halwa

Ingredients

Yellow Pumpkin- 1 big piece

Beet root – 1

Carrot- 2

Wheat flour- 1/2 cup

Sugar – 2 cups

Ghee – 1/2 cup

Cardamom pdr – 1/2 tsp

Cashew nuts – few

 

Preparations

Peel the skin from pumpkin, beet root and carrot. Cut it into medium size pieces.

Put it in a vessel and add enough water just to cover the vegetable and cook it till soft. OR put the vegetable pieces in a idli plate/ steamer plate and steam cook it for 10 to 15 minutes.

Allow to cool and grind it to a fine paste.

Keep a thick bottom kadai on the stove and add a tablespoon of ghee.

Add wheat flour and fry till nice aroma comes out.

Add vegetable paste and mix well. Cook it on medium flame stirring continuously till it become thick.

Add sugar and stir continuously till it blends well with the paste.

Now add ghee little by little and mix well.

Add cardamom powder and mix it stirring till the halwa leaves the sides of the kadai and the ghee starts to ooze out.

Transfer to a greased bowl and garnish with chopped cashew nuts. 

 

 

https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com. one can see my crochet creations  

https://kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com. for info on knee replacement

https://cancersupportindia.blogspot.com  for info on cancer and health related topics

https://GSiyers home remedies.blogspot.com   is the latest addition to my blogs

 

Besan Modak

 besan modak recipe in english from sheenzfoodmania.wordpress.com 

Ingredients

Besan – 2 cups

Ghee – 1/2 cup

Powdered sugar – 1 cup

5-6 kesar strands

 

Preparations

Heat ghee in pan, add besan and roast until it becomes golden brown on slow flame.

Keep stirring continuously so that the besan shouldn’t burn.

When it becomes aromatic, Sprinkle 1 tbsp of water and keep stirring till the bubbles disappear, takes 3-5 mins.

Remove from pan and keep aside to cool.

When the mixture has cool down to room temperature, add powdered sugar, kesar and mix well.

Grease the modak mould with some ghee, press the besan mix well to form modaks.

Open and de- mould modak carefully. Keep in an airtight container.

You may make modak with hand too, put some finely chopped nuts and raisins inside the modak as you shape. 

NOTE- those who like coconut may add some desiccated coconut after removing the roasted besan, mix well at once. That will improve the taste of the modak or you can add some milk pdr too to enrich the coconut. 

 

 

https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com. one can see my crochet creations  

https://kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com. for info on knee replacement

https://cancersupportindia.blogspot.com  for info on cancer and health related topics

https://GSiyers home remedies.blogspot.com   is the latest addition to my blogs

 

Suji modak, no steaming

 Ingredients

 ¼ cup ghee

  • 1 cup rava fine
  • 2 cups milk
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • ¼ tsp cardamom pdr
  • raisins and chopped nuts for stuffing
  •  
  •  
  •  
  • Preparations
  •  
  • in a large kadai heat ¼ cup ghee.
  • add 1 cup rava and roast on low flame until the rava turns aromatic. make sure to take fine rava, else the texture of modak will be different.
  • now add 2 cup milk and stir until the milk is absorbed well making sure there are no lumps.
  • further, add ¾ cup sugar and stir until the sugar melts.
  • cook until the mixture starts to hold the shape.
  • cover and simmer for 2 minutes, or until the rava is cooked well.
  • now add ¼ tsp cardamom powder and 1 tsp ghee. mix well.
  • transfer the mixture to a large plate and cool slightly. knead the dough forming a smooth and soft dough.
  • to prepare modak without mould, pinch a ball sized rava mixture and flatten slightly.
  • place nuts and raisins in the center and seal tight.
  • form a cylindrical shape and then shape to modak by pressing down gently.
  • using a toothpick, design the modak.
  • you can also prepare modak using the mould. to prevent it from sticking, make sure to grease the mould with ghee.
  • stuff with dry fruits and shape the suji modak.
  • garnish with saffron and enjoy rava modak.
     

    https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com. one can see my crochet creations  

    https://kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com. for info on knee replacement

    https://cancersupportindia.blogspot.com  for info on cancer and health related topics

    https://GSiyers home remedies.blogspot.com   is the latest addition to my blogs

     
  • Rava Modak with coconut stiffing

      

     Ingredients

    For stuffing:

    ½ cup fresh Coconut grated

    ¼ cup Jaggery 

    ¼ tsp cardamom pdr

    ½ tbsp Khas khas (White poppy seeds)

    Cashew nuts finely chopped 1 tbsp

    tbsp Raisins

    For outer cover:

    ½ cup fine Sooji 

    ½ cup Water

    ½ cup Milk

    ½ tsp Ghee 

     ⅛ tsp Salt


    Preparations

    Make stuffing:

    Take coconut and jaggery in a pan on medium heat. Mix and cook till it becomes thick and most of the moisture evaporates. It takes around 6-7 minutes.

    Now add poppy seeds, cashews, raisins and cardamom powder. Mix and cook a minute.

    Turn off the stove, remove the stuffing to a plate and let it cool down.

    Cooking outer dough:

    Take semolina in a pan and dry roast with stirring constantly till it starts to change the color slightly. It takes around 7-8 minutes. Make sure not to burn or brown too much. Remove it to a plate and keep it aside.

    In a saucepan, take water and milk. Add ghee and turn the heat on medium, let the mixture come to a boil.

    The and roasted sooji and mix immediately. As soon as you mix, it will be like a thick paste.

    Keep stirring and cooking, within a few minutes it becomes thick and comes together like a dough. Remove it to a plate and let it cool to touch (warm)

    Kneading the dough:

    As soon as you can handle the dough, start kneading and make a smooth yet tight dough ball.

    Do not let the mixture cool down otherwise it stays crumbly and does not get smooth. If you feel hot, dip your hand into the water and keep kneading.

    Shaping the rava modak:

    Grease the modak mould using ghee. Keep it close. Take a small ball of dough and insert it into the mould from the bottom hole.

    Using your finger, press it tightly around the edges evenly and make a hollow center. Fill the center with prepares stuffing.

    Now close the bottom part with little dough and smooth out. Make sure it is sealed properly and tightly.

    Now carefully open, unmould and arrange on the plate. Repeat the same.

    Notes

    Do not overcook the stuffing otherwise it becomes chewy.

    Cooking time mentioned for stuffing may vary depending on how much moisture your coconut and jaggery has. So keep an eye on it.

    You can skip adding poppy seeds and nuts, raisin to make plain, simple stuffing.

    The color of the stuffing depends on the color of your jaggery used.

    Do not let the outer dough cool down completely. Knead them while it is still hot or warm.

    Dip your hand into water and knead so you don’t feel the hot dough.

    While shaping suji modak, make sure that you’re pressing the dough around the edges evenly. Otherwise, in one bite you get too much dough and less stuffing vs other bite has more stuffing.

     

     

    https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com. one can see my crochet creations  

    https://kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com. for info on knee replacement

    https://cancersupportindia.blogspot.com  for info on cancer and health related topics

    https://GSiyers home remedies.blogspot.com   is the latest addition to my blogs

     

    Peanut Modak- No rice flour !

     Ingredients

    Peanuts – 1 cup

    Milk Powder – 1 cup

    Sugar – ¾ cup

    Milk – ¼ cup

    Ghee – 2 to 3 teaspoons

    Cardamom – 2

     

    Preparations

    Dry roast the peanuts and remove the skin.

    Grind the roasted peanuts into a fine powder using a mixer jar. Set it aside.

    In the same jar, add the sugar and cardamom, then grind them to a fine powder.

    In a thick-bottomed kadai, pour the milk and add one teaspoon of ghee. Add the milk powder and mix well.

    Add the ground peanut powder and stir continuously on low flame until the mixture thickens.

    Incorporate the powdered sugar and continue stirring until everything blends well and forms a thick dough.

    Transfer the dough to a plate and allow it to cool.

    When the dough is warm enough to handle, grease your fingers with ghee and knead the dough.

    Grease the modak mould with a few drops of ghee. Take a portion of the peanut mixture, place it into the mould, press from the bottom, and level it.

    Open the mould and gently demould the modak. Repeat the process with the remaining dough.

     

    https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com. one can see my crochet creations  

    https://kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com. for info on knee replacement

    https://cancersupportindia.blogspot.com  for info on cancer and health related topics

    https://GSiyers home remedies.blogspot.com   is the latest addition to my blogs

     

    Wednesday, September 16, 2026

    Extend the Shelf Life of Your Groceries with These Hacks!

     The Covid-19 lockdowns and the continuing pandemic overall made us change a lot of our everyday habits, and shopping especially. We all have to be careful with where we go and reduce how much time we spend in public places to stay safe. In previous articles, we’ve shared helpful advice on how to reduce the number of shopping trips you take and how to tell if a store is not sanitized properly. This time, we’d like to tackle a topic that everyone will find useful every day, pandemic or not, showing 12 easy kitchen hacks that will help you extend the shelf life of your groceries.

    1. To keep asparagus fresh and crisp for a week or more,

      grocery tips asparagus

    cut the stems, submerge them in water like flowers, and throw a plastic bag over them before refrigerating, like this:

    2. Storing onions in pantyhose 

    grocery tips onions in pantyhose 

    can help them stay fresh up to 8 months

    3. Turning a tub of sour cream or cottage cheese upside down 

     grocery tips Turning the tub of sour cream upside down

    can create a vacuum seal in the container, which will prevent the growth of bacteria longer.

    4. Submerging berries in a mixture of 1 part vinegar and 10 parts water, 

    grocery tips berries 

    then draining and keeping in the fridge can extend their shelf life. The solution is too weak for you to taste the vinegar, but it can keep strawberries fresh for up to 2 weeks and raspberries for a week


    5. Store ginger in the freezer. It doesn't just last longer that way, it also grates more easily. You won't need to peel it, too, since the skin dries down very thin

    6. Potatoes can be stored with apples to prevent them from sprouting

    7. Store leftover fresh herbs for months:  

     grocery tips fresh herbs in olive oil

    simply squish pieces of herbs into an ice cube tray, top up with olive oil, and freeze.


    8. Storing salad this way will absorb and excess moisture 

    grocery tips salad storage 

    and make it last all week. You can use a regular towel or washcloths in place of the paper towel, too.


    9. It's much better to store mushrooms in a paper bag 

     grocery tips mushrooms in a paper bag

    than a plastic bag, as plastic traps moisture, which can lead to mildew.


    10. Store carrots in the fridge for months by simply removing the greens
     

    grocery tips carrots 

    and keeping them in a container filled with water

    11. Store delicate herbs such as parsley, basil, and cilantro 

    grocery tips parsley storage 

    like a bouquet of flowers covered with plastic and refrigerate to make them last longer.

     

    12. The easiest way to regrow scallions
    grocery tips how to regrow scallions


    https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com. one can see my crochet creations  

    https://kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com. for info on knee replacement

    https://cancersupportindia.blogspot.com  for info on cancer and health related topics

    https://GSiyers home remedies.blogspot.com   is the latest addition to my blogs