Ragi Chocolate Sheera

 Ingredients: 

1 cup ragi flour, 

2 cups milk, 

2 tbsp ghee, 

4 tbsp sugar, 

2 tbsp cocoa pdr

cardamom pdr

chopped nuts.

 

Preparations

 Place a pan on the stove and heat the ghee. When it melts, add the ragi flour and stir the flour slowly so it mixes well with the ghee. Keep stirring so the flour roasts evenly.

Once the flour roasts for few minutes, pour milk into the pan and stir continuously as the mixture thickens quickly. Ensure milk and flour mix properly 

Add sugar and mix till it dissolves. Add cocoa powder or chocolate pieces, and allow them melt into the mixture. Continue to stir so the sheera stays smooth and does not form lumps. 

Add a small amount of cardamom powder if you want a light flavour. Taste and adjust the sugar of required. Cook for another minute or two till the sheera reaches the thickness you like. 

Turn off the flame and garnish with chopped nuts. Serve the sheera warm. 

 

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Makhana Kheer

 

A lighter dessert option for summer evenings. Roast makhana, lightly crush it, and cook in milk with cardamom, dates or jaggery, and chopped nuts. Chill before serving. 

 

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Bajra ki Raab

  

An excellent beverage for people with diabetes, Bajra ki Raab is an immunity-boosting drink that works wonders if you are under the weather or have a sore throat. Traditional to Rajasthan and Gujarat, this drink provides energy and cures loss of appetite.

 

Ingredients

4 tsp ghee

2 tsp ajwain seeds

6 tbsp bajra flour/pearl millet flour

2 tbsp jaggery grated, or powdered (or as per taste)

1 tsp salt

2 tsp ginger powder

4 cups water

Chopped nuts optional 

 

Preparations

In a pan, take four tablespoons of ghee and add ajwain seeds once it’s hot.

After the ajwain seeds start to sputter, add 6 tablespoons of bajra flour and roast it for 2-3 minutes till you start smelling the aroma of bajra.

To roasted bajra, add the rest of the ingredients – grated/powdered jaggery, ginger powder, salt and 4 cups of water.

Mix well so that there are no lumps left in the slurry and jaggery is completely dissolved in the mixture.

Boil the mixture and continue to cook it for another 7-8 minutes.

Your Bajra ki Raab is ready! Garnish the raab with chopped dry nuts and serve hot!

 

 

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Guilt-Free Jaggery Rice Pudding

  

 Ingredients

• 1 litre milk(Full cream or Almond milk for a vegan version)
• ½ cup Basmati rice (soaked for 30 minutes)
• ¾ cup jaggery (Crushed or grated)
• 1 tsp green cardamom powder
• 1 tbsp ghee
• 2 tbsp chopped cashew nuts & almonds
• 1 tbsp raisins
• 3-4 saffron strands

Step-by-Step Recipe Guide

• Heat ghee in a heavy-bottomed pan.
• Next, roast the cashews and raisins until golden and plump. Remove and set aside.
• In the same pan, add the milk and bring it to a gentle boil.
• Now you need to drain the excess water. Add the soaked rice to the boiling milk.
• Lower the heat and simmer for 40-50 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
• Once the rice is softened and the milk has thickened, you have to add the cardamom powder and saffron milk.
• Turn off the heat. Wait for 2 minutes, then add the grated jaggery.
• Stir well until the jaggery dissolves completely. Turning off the heat ensures the milk doesn't curdle.
• Add the fried nuts and raisins. Serve hot or chilled.                   

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Gujiya Bread Pudding

 

After the Holi festival, in case you and the family are tired of eating the gujiyas, turn it into a new dessert along with some bread slices, milk, nuts and raisins . 

Turn leftover gujiyas into a rich, warm bread pudding. Crumble them and some bread slices,  mix with milk, a pinch of cardamom, and sugar, then bake. Top with nuts or saffron for a festive, comforting dessert twist. 

The quantity will depend on the no. of gujiyas left and for how many you're making it.

 

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Dry Fruits Halwa

 Ingredients: 

1 cup mixed dry fruits, 

1 cup mixed nuts,

 ½ cup ghee, 

1/4 cup sugar, 

1/4 cup milk, 

1 tsp cardamom powder, 

a pinch of saffron

Preparations

Firstly, chop the dry fruits and nuts into small pieces. 

Then, heat some ghee and roast the chopped fruits and nuts till fragrant

Incorporate sugar and milk and stir till the halwa thickens

Now, mix in cardamom powder and saffron.

Transfer the halwa into a bowl and garnish with more nuts and dry fruits 

 

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Instant Moongdal Halwa by Chef Kunal Kapur

Ingredients for instant moong dal halwa

• Moong dal, no skin – ½ cup
• Ghee - 3 tbsp
• Sooji – 1 tbsp
• Besan – 1 tbsp
• Rose water – 2 tsp
• Nuts (dry fruits) chopped – handful

For syrup:

• Water – 1 cup
• Sugar – ½ cup
• Cardamom powder – ½ tsp
• Milk – ½ cup

Method of preparation

1. Roast the moong dal on a low flame till it gets a darker shade of brown. Be sure to stir it constantly, or else it won’t get brown evenly.
2. At the same time, in a pan, add water and sugar to make a thin sugar syrup. Add cardamom powder to it, and add milk when the sugar is dissolved.
3. Now, cool down and grind the moong dal in two batches so that it gets ground evenly.
4. In a pan, heat some ghee and then add the ground moong dal, sooji, and besan, then roast them thoroughly.
5. Now, add the sugar syrup into it and stir it well for a few minutes until it thickens.
6. Add some rose water and chopped nuts.
7. It’s done! The simplest way to prepare moong dal ka halwa is here. Enjoy it hot!                                                                               

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These Tasty Energy Snacks Will Leave You Wanting More

 I'm a huge fan of nutty, chewy, fruit-filled energy bars and these little bars which you're about to make have enough energy to get you through an exhausting afternoon while keeping the hunger at bay. This is pretty amazing when you realize that they are made up of equal parts of just three ingredients - nuts, dried fruit and pitted dried dates. 

 

Our favorite dried fruit and nuts to use are cherries and almonds, but you can swap these out for whatever dried fruits or nuts just happen to take your fancy. Please keep the dates though as they help bind and sweeten the bars without the need for sugar. 

If you like, you can also play around with adding some more ingredients to the mix: a couple of tablespoons of chia seeds, a handful of coconut, or even some chocolate chips. Keep the equal parts of the base ingredients (1 part dried fruit, 1 part nuts, and 1 part dates), and add any extras a bit at a time until you get the taste and texture that you're looking for. As you're about to find out, making energy bars is so simple that you'll never need to buy them again. 

How to Make 3-Ingredient Energy Bars at Home Makes 8 large bars or 16 small square-shaped bars. 

Ingredients  

1 cup nuts 

1 cup dried fruit 

1 cup (12-15) pitted dried dates  

Instructions 

1. Roast the nuts (optional). Nuts can be used roasted or raw; roasting will add a nutty and toasty depth to the bars. If desired, roast the nuts at 350°F for around 10 minutes, until fragrant and golden. Let them cool before using. 

2. Add the nuts, dried fruit and dates to the food processor and pulse a few times, just to break them up. Separate the dates if they start to clump together.

3. Process continuously for 30 seconds. At this point, all the ingredients should have been broken down into smaller pieces. Scrape the edges of the bowl to make sure nothing is sticking.

4. Continue processing for another minute or two, until the ingredients have clumped together into a ball.

5. Place a piece of plastic wrap or wax paper on your work surface and dump the dough on top. Press the dough with your hands until a thick square, roughly 8" by 8" in size, has formed. Wrap and chill for an hour, or leave in the fridge overnight.

6. Divide into bars. Unwrap the chilled dough and place on a cutting board. Cut into 8 large bars or 16 small squares, as desired. Wrap each bar in wax paper or plastic wrap.

7. Store the bars. The bars can be stored in the fridge for several weeks or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Additional Notes 

Energy balls: If you like, the dough can also be shaped into small balls. Try these combinations: Cherry-almond, apricot-almond, cranberry-pecan, apple-cinnamon, walnut. Try these add-ins: Shredded coconut, chocolate chips, chia seeds, cacao nibs, cocoa powder, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, lemon zest, and lime zest.

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Milk Barfi

 

Ingredients

sugar 240 gm 

whole milk 300 ml

salted butter 130 gm

full fat milk pdr 600 gm 

cardamom pdr 1 tsp

vanilla essence 1 tsp

lemon juice 1 tsp

nuts of your choice chopped 

 Preparations Line a  rectangular tray with baking parchment. Scatter over some sliced nuts. Heat the milk in a large, heavy pan. Add the butter and allow it to melt.  Add the sugar and stir until it has completely melted and you can no longer feel the crystals at the base of the pan. Tip in the milk powder and stir well to combine. The mixture will become thick. Cook the mixture over a very low heat, stirring all the time to ensure it doesn't catch and burn on the base of the pan. Once the burfi mixture begins to come away from the sides, at about the 5 minute mark, add the lemon juice, vanilla extract, cardamom. Continue to stir for a further 2 minutes. Around the 8 minute mark, the burfi mixture should be thick. Once it forms a soft mass that comes away from the sides of the pan and into a ball, it is ready. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin lined with baking parchment and pistachios. Press the mixture in with a rubber spatula, ensuring the surface is as even as you can get it. Allow to cool to room temperature. Cover a refrigerate for 30 minutes before turning out. The baking parchment will come away easily. Cut into squares and serve at room temperature. Notes If your burfi begins to develop brown spots in places, it means either the heat is too high or you’re not stirring it enough. Keep it moving all the time to prevent burnt milk flecks. This burfi keeps well in an airtight container for up to a week. Keep refrigerated and allow to come to room temperature before serving. Burfi served cold from the fridge will be much firmer in texture. 

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Ricotta Cheese Barfi

  

Ingredients 

ghee  3 tbsp

full-fat ricotta cheese 475 gm

sugar 1 cup/ 200 gm 

full-fat milk pdr 1 1/2 cups / 185 gm

milk 2 tbsp 

cardamom pdr 1/2 tsp

chopped nuts 

• 
  

Instructions 

Grease a square or rectangular pan with ghee and set aside.

Heat ghee in a heavy-bottomed pan, preferably a non-stick pan. Instead of ghee, you can also use unsalted butter.

Add ricotta cheese. Mix well to combine, and cook the mixture on low-medium heat.

Stir the mixture frequently to prevent the ricotta cheese from burning and sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Soon, ricotta cheese will release moisture, and the mixture will become thinner and moist. It will take about 8-10 minutes.

Now add sugar and cardamom powder. Mix well to combine, and continue cooking, ensuring to stir the mixture more frequently.

After adding sugar, the mixture will become thinner. Once the sugar is mixed, add milk powder and milk.

Stir well and continue to cook the mixture. You will need to stir the mixture very well and continuously to prevent the formation of milk powder lumps.

Once everything is well combined, taste the mixture and add more sugar if needed. Stir the mixture frequently on low-medium heat.

Continue cooking the Burfi mixture until it becomes thicker, leaves the sides of the pan, and moves like one big lump.

The mixture should be moist at this point but not wet, and no liquid bubbles should form.

Once the mixture reaches the right consistency, turn off the heat. Pour the Burfi mixture into a prepared pan.

Spread the mixture evenly in the pan with the spatula and press it tightly, keeping at least one inch of thickness.

With the spatula or the back of the spoon, smooth the top of the mixture and then sprinkle chopped pistachios on top.

Let the Ricotta Cheese Burfi cool down completely. Then, cut it into the desired shape and size.

Serve the Burfi immediately or refrigerate it in an air-tight container for 8-10 days.

 

 

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Eggless Carrot-Apple Cake

 Ingredients and Prep

carrot 1 cup chopped

apple 1 chopped 

sugar 3/4 cup

all purpose flour about 1 1/2 cups

baking pdr 1 tsp

baking soda 1 tsp

Vinegar 1 tbsp

nuts and raisins as desired

milk 1/4 cup +

oil 1/4 cup

In the mixer I had chopped carrots in the freezer, I had defrosted it, added the carrots, chopped a big red apple with the skin, added that then sugar roughly 3/4 cup, honestly, I don't exactly measure, I blended all smooth, then added vanilla essence milk and oil, mixed well with just a spoon.

in another bowl added flour, salt a pinch, baking pdr, baking soda, cinnamon pdr, mixed all well

since my wet ingredients were in the mixer jar, I added it to the dry ingredients and mixed well with a spoon. Then I felt the mixture was slightly thick to bake in the microwave, added some more milk and melted butter, mixed all well.

Greased to 2 microwave safe plates, poured the batter evenly, microwave 1 for 6 minutes, let it rest for a minute in the microwave, then removed, chopped, found it real soft. 

 

 Batter

 baked cake

cut to distribute to my friends here.         

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Lauki ( bottle gourd) Halwa

  

Ingredients

4 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)

2 cups tightly packed grated lauki or 300 grams lauki (bottle gourd or squash or dudhi)

2 cups whole milk – milk can be pasteurized or boiled before and can be used at room temperature or chilled

7 to 8 tbsp sugar or add as required

½ to 1 tsp cardamom powder

3 to 4 tbsp chopped nuts – almonds, cashews or pistachios

1 tbsp raisins – optional 

 

 

Preparations

 

First rinse, peel and grate the lauki. Before grating taste the lauki. If it tastes sour or bitter then discard and do not cook it.  You will need 2 cups tightly packed grated lauki.

Heat ghee in a heavy pan or kadai on medium-low to medium flame. Use a large kadai so that milk does not spill outside. Add the grated lauki. Mix grated lauki very well with the ghee. On a low to medium-low flame begin to saute the lauki. Stir often when sauteing lauki. Saute lauki till the moisture dries. Then add whole milk and mix very well. Continue to cook on a low to medium-low flame till the milk comes to a boil. In between do stir at times. The milk will start boiling. At this step be attentive and keep on stirring, so that the milk does not spill from the pan. Stirring often continue to cook till ¾ or 75% of the milk has reduced and absorbed. Add sugar and chopped nuts. Mix very well. You can even add 2 to 3 teaspoons of rose water or kewra water  if you want at this step. Stirring often cook till the halwa mixture starts coming together and thickens. The halwa will gradually thicken and you will see some ghee being released from the sides. There should not be any liquid in the dudhi halwa. Then switch off the heat and add golden raisins. Adding raisins is optional. Mix very well. Garnish with some chopped nuts and serve lauki halwa hot or warm. Refrigerate remaining halwa. It stays good for a couple of days in the refrigerator.

• 
  

Notes

Use lauki which has a neutral taste. It can be bland, but should not be sour or bitter.

Avoid using skimmed milk or toned milk as they may curdle.

Use only full-fat milk or whole milk. 

In case the milk splits, then continue to cook on a medium to medium-high flame stirring often, till most of the whey evaporates. Then add ghee, sugar and continue to cook on medium-low flame till all the halwa thickens and some ghee is released from the sides of the halwa. 

Sugar can be added less or more as per taste. 

You can add your choice of dry fruits and nuts.

The recipe can be halved, doubled or tripled.

 

 

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