Easy Wheat Halwa
Wish you all a Happy Diwali!!!! Wheat Halwa is a popular Asian dessert made with wheat milk or wheat flour. Traditionally it is made using wheat milk obtained from wheat grains. Today I have made this halwa using wheat flour which is an easy version. I will soon be posting the recipe for the traditional Halwa. Ingredients: Wheat flour – 3 cup Javvarisi (tapioca pearls) – 1/2 cup Corn flour – 1/4 cup Sugar – 4.5 cups Ghee – 1 cup Powdered cardamom – 3/4 tbsp Nutmeg powder – 2 pinches Broken cashew nut – 1/4 cup (roasted in ghee) Slivered almonds – 2 tbsp Red food color – 1/4 tsp (mix with 2 tbsp water) Method of Preparation: Soak javvarisi (tapioca pearls) overnight. Grind it to a smooth paste. Grease a tray with ghee and keep it ready....
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Suryakala / Chandrakala (Step by Step Instructions)
I love milk sweets and sweets using Khoya. This is yet another easy sweet we can make for Diwali. The process look little big but it is real easy to make. Here I used homemade khoya but we can use store bought khoya too which will make things more easier :). Ingredients: For Outer Covering: All purpose flour / Maida – 2 cups Ghee – 2 tbsp Baking soda – a big pinch Salt – a big pinch Water – as needed For Stuffing: Sweetened Khoya – 1 cup (I have used homemade palkova) Cardamom powder – 1 tsp Fried cashews and raisins – 2 tbsp Oil – For frying Sugar – 1 cup Water – 1 cup Saffron – a pinch Method of Preparation: Mix flour, salt, baking soda and ghee and mix by adding water little by...
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Rava Laddu – Sooji Laddu (version 2)
Rava Laddu or Sooji Laddu is a popular Indian sweet made specially for Diwali festival and also on special occasions. It is easy to make and takes only a few minutes. There are different versions of this laddu but this is my favorite and my mom’s recipe. It has a smooth texture and it just melts in your mouth. Sooji and sugar are finely ground and mixed together and made into laddus with ghee. It is generally tough to fine grind sooji (rava) at home. So my mom gives it to the flour mill for grinding. But for people who live abroad, you can bring finely ground sooji from India or just use your dry grinder (or mixie) for grinding sooji. See recipe for details. Preparation time: 60 minutes Yield: 50 Laddus Ingredients: Rava (sooji) – 500...
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Kadalai Urundai – Peanut Candy Balls
Kadalai Urundai is an Indian version of peanut candy. You can make this with both jaggery or sugar. This one is with sugar which is my personal favorite. It is very easy to make with the readily available ingredients from your pantry. All it requires is some patience and attention while preparing. We prepare this sweet for festivals such as Karthigai Deepam and other special occasions. You can either make it as balls or as square shape burfis (chikki). You can find this peanut candy in almost all the Indian grocery stores. If you like the fresh ones like me then get ready to make some tasty peanut chikkis. I followed the steps from mykitchenstove (my sister’s blog) and it came out perfectly. Preparation time: 45 minutes Yield: 20 balls Ingredients: Roasted peanuts – 2 cups (without skin) Sugar – 1 cup...
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Paneer Jalebi – Chanar Jalebi
Paneer Jalebi or Chanar Jalebi is a delicious cheese dessert made with fresh cottage cheese or paneer. It will be a nice variation from the regular jalebi. It is airy, soft and juicy. My fried told me about this dish and she asked me give it a try. I am glad I did. It turned out so good and I loved it. Try this dish for any special occasions or festivals and enjoy with your family. Preparation time: 90 minutes Yield: 18 to 20 Ingredients: Fresh Paneer – 1 cup Corn flour – 1 tbsp Maida (all purpose flour) – 1 tbsp Baking powder – 1/2 tsp Milk – 2 to 3 tbsp Cardamom – 4 (powdered) Rose essence – 1 tsp Saffron – a few strands Orange food color – a pinch (dissolved in 1 tbsp of water)...
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Moti Pak
Wish you all a Happy Diwali!! Moti Pak is a delicious sweet burfi made with chickpea flour (besan) and sugar. It tastes more like laddu but it has khoya in it which makes it rich and special. You can make this at home which tastes amazing like the ones from sweet shops. Follow the step by step procedure and prepare this wonderful sweet for Diwali. Preparation time: 90 minutes Yield: 16 pieces Ingredients: Besan flour – 2 cups Sugar – 2 cups Milk – 4 tbsp Khoya – 1/4 cup Ghee – 2 tsp Rose essence – 1 tsp Saffron – a pinch Powdered cardamom – 1/2 tsp Nutmeg powder – a pinch (optional) Yellow and red food color Method of Preparation: Sift besan flour to remove any lumps. Mix the yellow and red food color in a tbsp...
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Bread Halwa
My mom used to make this bread halwa very often. It is very simple to make unlike other halwas. We can use any kind of bread (except salty one) for bread halwa. The taste and color slightly varies according to that. Time of Preparation : 45 minutes No of Servings : 15 to 20 Ingredients: Bread – 1 loaf (any kind and I have used white bread) Milk – 6 cups Sugar – 1 1/4 cup Ghee – 4 tbsp Cahews – 4 tbsp Cardamom powder – 1/2 tsp Method of Preparation: Crush the bread to small pieces. Heat 3 tbsp of ghee in a pan and fry the bread till golden brown. Add the milk and sugar and stir occasionally. Stir it in medium flame and mash it so that there is no lumps. It will soon thicken...
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Corn flakes Mixture
This Corn flakes mixture is one of the easiest snacks which everyone will like. We can make in large quantity very easily. This sweet and spicy mixture is my all time favorite. Time of Preparation : 20 minutes Spice level : 2 Ingredients: Corn flakes / Corn poha – 14 oz pack (approximately 5 cups) Cashew nuts (broken) – 1/2 cup Raisins – 1/3 cup Peanuts – 1/3 cup Curry leaves – 4 strings Red chilli powder – 2 tsp Salt – 1/2 tsp (adjust according to taste Sugar – 1 tsp Oil – for frying Method of Preparation: Heat oil in a small kadai and fry the cashew nuts, peanuts, raisins and curry leaves one by one and transfer them to a tight storage box. Add the red chilli powder, salt and sugar. Fry the corn flakes (I...
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Kasi Halwa – Poosanikkai Halwa
Kasi Halwa is a traditional South Indian dessert made with ash gourd or poosanikkai. This halwa is served in weddings and special occasions. It is one of the most delicious halwa I have eaten and definitely made it to my favorites list. You need very less ghee to make this dish and the ingredients are pretty simple. Only thing is the yield is less compared to the amount of vegetable you use. Try this delicious Halwa for this Diwali and enjoy with your family and friends. Preparation time: 75 minutes No. of servings: 7 to 8 Ingredients: White pumpkin or ash gourd – 4 lb (around 2 kg) Sugar – 2 1/2 cups (500 grams) Cardamom – 4 Cashew nut – 2 tbsp Ghee or clarified butter – 3 tbsp Orange food color – a big pinch Method...
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Paruppu Payasam
Paruppu Payasam is a delicious Indian dessert made with lentils, coconut milk, milk and jaggery. It is made during festivals and special occasions. I usually make it just with milk but this time as per my sister’s advice I also added some coconut milk which made this a lot of more richer and delicious. Try to use the thick or the first milk extracted from the coconut. For more details about how to extract coconut milk, read “How to extract coconut milk“. Preparation time: 40 minutes No of servings: 5 Ingredients: Moong Dal – 1/2 cup Chana dal – 2 tbsp Jaggery – 1/4 cup Milk – 3/4 cup Fresh coconut milk – 1 cup Ghee or clarified butter – 1 and 1/2 tsp Cashew nut – 1 tbsp Cardamom – 2 pods A few saffron strands Method of Preparation:...
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Paal Payasam (Version 2) / Milk and Rice Kheer
Rice Kheer is an Indian dessert which will be very tasty and is generally made for special occasions. For making Rice Kheer, we have to stand and near the cooking range for a long time to reduce the milk. But for this version of Rice Kheer we need not stand and wait. Only thing is the gas consumption will be more but definitely no strain :). Time of Preparation : 5 minutes Cooking Time : 3 hours No of Servings : 4 to 5 Ingredients: Milk (Full fat or 2%) – 5 cups Basmathi rice (washed) – small handful (around 3 tbsp) Saffron – a pinch Sweetened Condensed Milk – 1/2 can (7 oz) Ghee – 1 tsp Method of Preparation: Take a pressure cooker and add a tsp of ghee. Slightly toss the Basmathi rice and add the...
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Crispy Cashew Pakoda / Mundhiri Pakoda (Step by Step Instructions)
I am huge fan of Adayar Anandha Bhavan’s Cashew Pakoda. I got this recipe from my aunt and these came so good and they are almost as good as Anandha Bhavan’s Pakodas. It can be stored in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days. Time of Preparation : 30 minutes No of Servings : 2 Spice level : 2 out of 5 Ingredients: Whole Cashew nuts – 3/4 cup Besan Flour – 1/2 cup Rice flour – 1/4 cup Red chilly powder – 1 tsp Salt – to taste Ginger – 1 tsp (grated) Onions – 1/4 cup (thinly sliced) Mint leaves – 1/4 cup (chopped) Curry leaves – a few (optional) Hot oil – 1/4 cup Oil – for frying Method of Preparation: Add besan flower, rice flour, red chilli powder, salt, mint leaves, ginger, onions and...
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How to Make Jalebi?
Jalebi is one of the most popular Indian desserts. They are just like funnel cakes but soaked in a sugary syrup. Jalebi is an easy to make yet very tasty sweet that will satisfy anyone with a sweet tooth. If you go sweet shopping in India, you will find this in every sweet shop. It’s that popular. Jalebi is a thinner and easier version of another sweet – Jhangri. This is yet another recipe I was hoping to post for Diwali but I guess this can also be made for Christmas! Preparation Time: 60 minutes No Of servings : 9-10 No Of Jalebi’s : 30-40 Ingredients: Maida/all purpose flour : 1 cup Besan Flour : 1 tsp Warm water : 3/4 cup Oil : 1 tsp Rapid rise yeast : 1 tsp Cardamom Powder : 1 tsp Yogurt :...
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How to make Gulab Jamun with Khoya?
Now a days making Gulab Jamuns with ready mix has become common. But we can find a huge difference in taste if we make them from the scratch. My grand mother and my aunt still make these for me if I ask for Jamuns. I got this recipe from my aunt and here goes the step by step procedure for making these delicious Khoya Jamuns. Time of Preparation : 50 minutes No of pieces : 30 Ingredients: Khoya – 1 cup (homemade or store bought) Maida / All Purpose Flour) – 1/2 cup Baking Soda – a pinch Milk – few tbsp Oil – For Frying Ghee 3 tbsp For Sugar Syrup: Sugar – 1 1/2 cup Water – 1 1/2 cup Cardamom – 4 to 5 (crushed) Method of Preparation: Sieve the maida and baking soda and mix...
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How to make Khoya?
Khoya / Khoa / Mawa is nothing but reduced dry milk. It is the key ingredient for the Gulab Jamun which makes the Gulab Jamun very rich. Believe me.. we can find a lot of difference between the ready mix Gulab Jamun and the traditional one. We have to put a little effort for preparing this Khoya but it is worth making like this. Here is the step by step method of making Khoya. In my next recipe, I will make traditional Gulab Jamuns using homemade Khoya. Time of Preparation : 1 hour 20 minutes Yield : 1 cup Ingredients: Whole fat milk – 1.5 liters Method of Preparation: Boil the milk in medium flame in a non stick pan. For first few minutes we can boil it in high but we should keep stirring continuously. When the milk...
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Sweet Somas
If you want to get into the Diwali celebration mood there is one sweet that will get you there right away- Sweet Somas. This is one of the most favorite Diwali snack my mom used to make when I was growing up. And I still hold it dear to my heart. If you like coconut and fried snacks this is just the ultimate combination of the two. It is basically a deep fried shell with sweetened coconut and sooji filling that tastes heavenly. Wishing everyone a Happy and safe Diwali!!! Preparation Time: 60 minutes No Of Somas: 18-20 Ingredients: Maida(All Purpose Flour) : 2 cups Oil : 1 tbsp Salt : a pinch Water : To knead the dough For Filling: Rawa : 1 cup(Lightly roasted in ghee) Sugar : 1 cup ( Cardamom Powder : 2 tsp Shredded...
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Ashoka Halwa
Ashoka Halwa or Asoka Halwa is a popular dessert from Thiruvaiyaru, Thanjavur District (South part of India). When you hear the name the first thing that anyone can think of is, why is it named as Ashoka Halwa!! Sorry, even I am on the same page with you… But I can tell you, this is by far the best tasting Halwa I have ever had. My sister lives in Thiruvaiyaru and whenever I meet her I get to taste this Halwa. She knows I am fond of this sweet and she packed me some Halwa flour to make it here. If you are fond of Halwas like me, you should definitely give this a try for this Diwali. The main ingredient of this dish is split moong dal or paasi paruppu. There are different methods of preparation for this...
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Diwali Delights 2012
Diwali is known as the “festival of lights”. This year Diwali falls on Tuesday, November 13. And this year we are planning to bring you recipe videos for some of the sweets and savories that we have posted so far. Here is a list of most recent recipes added to Diwali Sweets and Savories. Malai Sandwich Badam Halwa Coconut Burfi Carrot Halwa Kalkandu Chakkarapongal Nutty Kheer Oma Podi Quinoa Payasam Double Ka Meeta Mixed Nut Brittle Ashoka Halwa Click on each picture for the corresponding recipes and find the rest at Diwali Sweets and...
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