Gajar Halwa

गाजर हलवा (Carrot Halwa)

Ingredients:

• Finely Grated Carrots: 2 Cups
• Milk: 3 Cups
• Sugar : 1/2 Cup or More
• Cardamom Powder: 1/2 tsp
• Ghee or Unsalted Butter: 2 tbsp
• Chopped Cashews, Almonds: 2 tbsp
• Raisins: 1 tbsp

Procedure:

1. While grating carrots pour milk in a heavy bottom sauce pan and keep on it on stove. To avoid burning the milk keep stirring in between. Keep boiling & stirring the milk till it becomes half in a quantity or till your carrots are ready.
2. Soak almonds, cashews & raisins in milk for 10 -15 minutes.
3. Heat ghee in a heavy bottom sauce pan. Add shredded carrots. Cook carrots for 4-5 minutes.
4. Then add hot milk. Cook these carrots till all milk gets evaporated. Stir in between.
5. Then add sugar, cardamom powder & dry fruits. Mix everything very well. Cook this halwa for another 4-5 minutes.
6. Serve this sweet halwa hot, cold or at room temperature.

This is my entry for
1. Aparna's FIC: Orange event started by Harini of Tongue Ticklers.
2. EC's RCI: Hariyan event started by Laxmi of Veggie Cuisine.
3. Varsha's Recipes For Rest of Us: Dessert event started by Ramki of One Page Cookbook.

Persimmon Milkshake and Award

Ingredients:

• Persimmon: 1
• Milk: 1 Cup
• Honey: 1 tsp
• Almonds / Cashew: 2 Each

Procedure:

1. Remove the skin of persimmon. Cut persimmon into pieces.
2. Blend all the ingredients together to get smooth textured milkshake. Your healthy Persimmon Milkshake is ready to drink.
3. If you want you can add sugar instead of honey.

This is my entry for AFAM: Persimmon Event started by Maheshwari.

Now with this healthy milk shake I would like to share you one award. Srilekha of 'Me and My Kitchen' gave me the award for sending maximum entries for EFM- Savory Series . Thank you very much SriLekha for this award. I am so glad to receive this award from you. I will try to send more recipes for your next event.

Ratalyacha Sheera (Sweet Potato Halwa)

Ingredients:

• Boiled & Mashed Ratale (Sweet Potato/Yam): 1 Cup
• Ghee: 1/2 tbsp
• Sugar: 1/2 Cup (or More)
• Chopped Nuts & Raisins
• Cardamom Powder: 1/2 tsp

Procedure:

1. Heat ghee in a kadhai. Fry nuts till they become golden brown. Then add raisins & fry for few seconds.
2. Then add mashed sweet potatoes & mix well. Cook till ghee starts seperating corners of kadhai.
3. Add sugar & cardamom powder. Mix well and cook for 5 more minutes. Your sweet potato halwa is ready to eat.

Note: If you want you can add milk to this halwa. With same steps you can also make Potato Halwa.

I would like to send this simple recipe to Varsha's Recipes For Rest Of Us: Dessert event. This event is started by Ramki of One Page Cookbook.

With this Sweet Dish I would like to wish all of you Happy Makar Sankranti !!

Til Gul Ghya ..God God Bola !!

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Upvaasache (Vrat) Thalipeeth

Ingredients:

• Upvaasachi Bhajani: 2 Cup
• Boiled and Mashed Potatoes: 1 Cup
• Roasted Peanut Powder: 1/4 Cup
• Finely Chopped Green Chillies: 3-4
• Finely Chopped Coriander Leaves: 1/2 Cup
• Lemon Juice: 2 tsp
• Salt to Taste
• Ghee for Shallow Fry

Procedure

1. Mix together bhajani, potato, peanut powder, green chillies, coriander leaves, salt and lemon juice. Add little water if required and make a soft dough. Keep aside for 20 - 25 minutes.
2. Make small balls of the dough. Take one plastic sheet and apply some ghee on one side. Flatten one ball in the palm of your hands and sheet. Pat the ball with palm and the fingers to make a round flat disc. Dip fingers in water to make the patting easier. Make 2-3 small holes to thalipeeth so that they can cook evenly.
3. Heat non-stick tava or griddle. Apply some oil. Remove thalipeeth from sheet gently & place it on the tava.
4. Apply some oil to the edges and through holes. Cover it with lid. Cook it from both sides.
5. Serve this hot thalipeeth with curd or any type of pickle.

Variation:
Soak Sabudana for 6-7 hrs in water, remove water & use that for thalipeeth instead of bhajani flour.

This is my another entry for Srivalli's Roti Mela

Banana Raita

Ingredients

• Bananas: 3
• Dry Shredded Coconut: 1/2 Cup
• Lemon or Lime: 1
• Vanilla or Plain Yogurt: 1 Cup
• Finely Chopped Almonds (Optional)
  

Procedure

1. Dry roast shredded coconut till it gets light brown.
2. Cut bananas into approximately 2 inches or very small pieces.
3. Squeeze lemon juice over banana pieces to keep them fron browning.
4. Coat banana pieces with yogurt and roasted coconut. Add almond pieces & mix well.
5. Chilled this raita and serve as a side dish or snack.

This is my entry for EasyCrafts Fun 'n' Sun Event

Sabudana Ladoo (Sago Ladoo) For Mahashivratri

Ingredients
Sabudana / Sago : 1 Cup
Powdered Sugar : 1/2 Cup
Pure Ghee / Clarified Butter : 1/4 Cup
Ilaychi / Cardamom Powder: 1/2 tsp
Chopped Cashews, Almonds & Raisins: 1/4 Cup

Procedure
1. Dry roast sabudana till it get little bit golden brown. Keep aside to cool down.
2. When sabudana cools down little bit grind it in a grinder to fine powder.
3. Sieve this powder to get fine powder.
4. Beat ghee with spatula till it gets little bit fluffy.
5. Add sugar & beat this again for 5 minutes.
6. Then add ilaychi powder, dry fruits & sabudana powder.
7. Mix all these ingredients very well.
8. Now form the mixture, a little at a time, into lime-sized balls. Press gently but firmly with lightly greased palms to ensure they have no cracks and are firm and smooth.
9. Serve these ladoos as a snack.

Notes
1. Sabudana powder will remain good for months. You can use this powder while making thalipeeth for vrat.
2. If this mixture get little bit dry, you can add beaten ghee or sprinkle some milk.

Dinkache Ladoo (Edible Gum Ladoo)

Ingredients:
Dink / Edible Gum: 1/4 Kg
Finely Grated Dry Coconut: 1/2 Kg
Kharik / Dried Dates broken into small pieces: 1/2 Kg
Khus Khus / Poppy Seeds: 1 Cup
Chopped Almonds & Cashews: 1 Cup
Sugar or Jaggery: 1 Kg
Ghee/Clarified Butter : 1/2 Cup
Zaipha/Nutmeg Powder: 1/2 tsp
Elaichi/Cardamom Powder: 1/2 tsp

Procedure:
1. Fry the gum in small amount of ghee, it will fluff up fast into white balls. Pound this gum into a coarse powder and keep aside.
2. Dry roast coconut till it turns light brown and keep aside.
3. Pound small pieces of khariks and make them very fine. Roast this kharik in small amount of ghee for 4-5 minutes.
4. Dry roast khus khus, almonds and cashews seperately. Keep aside.
5. All dry ingredients in a bowl except sugar or jaggery.
6. In another pot add sugar or jaggery and 2 cups of water. Boil the mixture until you achieve a one thread consistency.
7. Then mix all ingredietns into this syrup and mix well.
8. When this mixture is little bit hot, rub your hands with a little ghee. Carefully take a handful of the mixture and make ladoos.
9. These ladus can remain good for lot of days.

Note :
- The gum cooks very quickly so when frying add very little at a time. Make sure that the gum does not burn or become dark brown.
- These ladus are very good for pregnant women and new moms.
- In cold weather you can eat these ladoos to get more energy.

Kaju Katli

Ingredients :
2 cups of finely grounded Cashew powder
1/4 cup Milk
3/4 cup Sugar
Few silver vark for decoration

Preparation :
1. Heat milk in a large pot and add sugar.
2. When it starts bubbling remove from stove and add cashew powder little at a time. Mix well making a thick form. You may add more powder if needed for making thick.
3. Pour the mix on a wax paper or thali. Press and spread with your palms for making thin burfi. 4. Put silver vark on top if you wish.
5. Let it cool completely before cutting in burfi shape.
6. Put in a airtight container and keep in a cool place.

Coconut Burfi

Ingredients :
2 cups coconut scrapped
1 cup coconut coarsely shredded
1 -1/2 cups sugar
1 cup milk
1 tbsp. butter
1/4 tsp. cardamom powder

Procedure:
1. Mix both types of coconut in a large heavy pan.
2. Add Add milk and cook till bubbes appear.
3. Continue cooking, stirring continuously, for 10-12 minutes.
4. Simultaneously, boil sugar in 1/2 cup water to make 2-1/2 thread syrup. (refer sugar syrup)
5. Pour into coconut, stirring gently and continuously.
6. Add butter, and continue stirring, till a soft lump is formed.
7. Empty into greased large plate, pat even very lightly.
8. Cool and cut into squares.
9. Cool and set completely before transferring to container.
10. Store in airtight containers.

Note: Never use the brown skin of the coconut while grating, or scrapping. Use the whitest possible. Otherwise the burfi will get discoloured, though taste will not differ much.

Making time: 45 minutes
Makes: 25-30 pieces
Shelflife: 2 weeks

Upvaas (Vrat) Bhajani Flour

Ingredients

• Sabudana /Sago: 1 Cup
• Vari Rice / Samo: 1 Cup
• Rajgira: 1/4 Cup
• Cumin Seeds: 1 tbsp
• Ghee: 1 tsp

Procedure:

1. Rub some water or ghee to the sago and roast it over low heat. Stir occasionally to keep from burning. After some time it turns golden in color. Remove from the fire and cool.
2. Make a very fine powder of sago in a heavy duty grinder and keep aside.
3. Now roast vari tandool on low heat till light brown in color. Similarly roast rajgira. Do not roast cumin seeds. Let cool.
4. Grind together, powdered sago, vari tandool, rajgira and cumin seeds to make a fine powder.
5. Once cool, store the bhajani in an airtight container and use as required.

Sabudana / Tapioca Khichdi

Ingredients:
Sabudana 2 cup
Coconut, grated ¼ cup
Peanut powder ½ cup
Green chilies, chopped 2 nos.
Jeera 1 tsp.
Potato, cut cubes 1 no.
Ghee 1 tbsp.
Salt To taste

Procedure:
1.Wash, drain and soak the sabudana in water for ½ an hour.
2.Heat ghee in a vessel, add the jeera & chilies, when it starts spluttering add the potatoes and fry further.
3.Next add the salt, peanut powder and fry for a while.
4.Lastly add the soaked sabudana into the potato mixture and cook for 5-7 minutes.
5.Serve hot garnished with grated coconut.

Sabudana/Tapioca Wada

Ingredients:
Sabudana 1 cup.
Refined oil 200 gms.
Potatoes 2 nos.
Green chilies 3 nos.
Cummin Seeds
Coriander leaves As required
Salt To taste

Procedure:
1.Soak sabudana in water for 3 hours and strain.
2.Peel and boil the potatoes and mash together with the sabudana.
3.Chop chilies and coriander leaves finely and mix. Add salt, Cummin seed and mix.
4.Make tiny wadas with this dough and deep fry in oil.
5.Remove when brown and serve with ketchup or green chutney

Banana Halwa

Ingredients:

• Malabar bananas, cut in pieces 9 nos.
• Sugar 1 cup
• Cardamoms 6 nos.
• Water 1 cup
• Ghee
  

Procedure:
1.Make a syrup by mixing the sugar with water.
2.Cook the banana pieces in the sugar syrup till it becomes thick.
3.Then add ghee little at a time and keep stirring till the colour becomes dark brown.
4.Separate the extra ghee and then add the powdered cardamom.
5.Pour the halwa into a flat dish, cool and then cut as required