Aam Sondesh

A big apology to all my readers for the long hiatus in posting a recipe and while it was always on my mind to post something here, my schedule had become so hectic that I hardly found any time to cook at home leave aside cooking something new and interesting. Today however I made up my mind that I will definitely post a recipe, whatever it takes! I tried this delicious Aam Sondesh today in preparation for a Sondesh Cake order this week and while I have tried making Sondesh many times in the past, it was never this perfect. With today's success I now know where I had been going wrong all this while and hence this post. 

Ingredients 

1 litre full cream milk

1 tbsp vinegar 

2-3 tbsp powdered sugar

4 tbsp mango purée 

Direction 

Bring the milk to a boil and churn it with the vinegar. Drain the whey and collect the chenna in a muslin cloth. Wash it well with drinking water to remove the taste of vinegar. Squeeze out the excess liquid   and let it hang for 5-10 minutes. Now  knead the chenna till smooth, about 5-7 minutes. Add the powdered sugar and mix  again till the sugar dissolves. Now add the mango purée and mix till well combined. Now transfer this mixture to a pan and stir constantly on a low flame for exact 4 minutes. Switch off the flame and transfer to a greased plate with ghee. While the mixture cools to a little bearable temperature, you can quickly grease the Sondesh moulds (if using) with a little ghee. Then take little portions out of the mixture and press against the moulds. Then remove gently and place on another greased plate and cool completely before serving. You can also chill them until served. If you do not have the moulds,you  can just shape them with your hands. 

Homemade Pure Ghee Motichoor Laddoos

Homemade Motichoor Laddoos!! Someone must be really crazy to attempt it at home. After all, who has the time and patience to go through this fuss. These were my thoughts initially when I saw some people post their pictures and recipes on CaL. However, I did save the recipe and every time there was a post, I would diligently go through each procedure and compare who did what differently. Basically, even though subconsciously I knew I will make it some day, the lazy me would always keep it for some other day! With all the ground research done and critical points understood, it was time I prepared myself for the challenge. On a recent trip to the Indian store I quickly grabbed a small slotted spoon/laddle before I could change my mind and thus my basic preparation was done. 

Motichoor Laddoos are actually quite easy to make and if you have already attempted Jallebis at home, these are a cake walk! Just three basic ingredients, Ghee, gram flour/besan, and sugar, and you can have the most amazing and fresh homemade motichoor laddoos made with lotsa love! With the festive season just round the corner,  you wouldn't mind trying these at home, do you?

                                      

Ingredients

1 cup besan (I used little less than that as my stock was over)

1/2 cup water (you might need a little more, about 3/4 cup, if using an exact 1 cup of besan)

1/4 tsp baking soda

Pinch of orange/red food coloring

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

1/2 tsp cardamom powder (optional; I skipped as I did not wish the smell and flavor of ghee to be subdued by any other flavor)

Chopped nuts/melon seeds (optional)

Ghee as required for frying

Direction

Start with preparing the sugar syrup. Mix the sugar and water and bring to a boil. Reduce the flame to minimum and let the syrup simmer for 5 minutes till it gets a little thicker. I did not let it reach the one-string or two-string consistency as the fried boondies need to soak the syrup and so a thicker sugar syrup will result in crusty laddoos. Add a pinch of food coloring and keep aside.

                                    

Now prepare the batter. Take the besan in a bowl and add water little at a time till you get a thick but pouring consistency batter. Add the soda and pinch of food color and mix well. 

                                        

Heat ghee in a pan. Take the slotted spoon and put a tablespoon of the batter and rub it with the back of the spoon while constantly moving the slotted spoon over the hot oil so that the boondis do not remain clumped up at one place. You can do a trial over the bowl of batter before doing it in the hot oil for some practice.

                                     

Now take one tablespoon at a time and while reducing the flame, drop boondies on the hot ghee and keep stirring on a medium flame till golden and crunchy. Drop the fried boondies immediately into the prepared syrup as you move on to fry the next batch.

                                    

                                     

Make sure you keep stirring the boondies in the syrup so that they absorb it uniformly. Repeat the process till all the batter is used up. Add the chopped nuts and cardamom powder and mix well. The syrup will all be absorbed by the boondies by now and you will have a mixture ready for shaping. At this point, I coarsely grinded the mixture with a hand mixture as some of my boondies were rather big. This helps in getting a more fine mixture as well. Pinch out small portions of the mixture and shape them into laddoos and place on mini cupcake liners. Store in airtight containers or consume immediately or gift to your friends and family!

                                    

Kheer Patishepta

An absolute Bong dessert, the patishepta has many variants when it comes to the stuffing. Most people use a mix of jaggery and grated coconut, some use cottage cheese, and some even use leftover sweets like Sandesh, kaju barfi and similar. However, the yummiest of all is this kheer patishepta made with khowa/mawa mixed with milk and condensed milk. My guests who had never had this before were floored with the yumminess and once again, I was a happy host!

                                    

Ingredients

For the crepes

1 cup plain flour/maida

1/2 cup sooji/rawa

1/3 cup fine sugar

1/3-1/2 cup water

Few tbsp of oil for greasing the pan

For the stuffing

300 ml milk

100 ml condensed milk (you can adjust as per your desired sweetness)

1/2 cup crumbled mawa (you can increase this quantity to make it thicker and quicker)

Direction

Pour the milk in a wide mouthed pan and add the condensed milk. Bring it to a boil and then lower the flame. Keep stirring to avoid sticking at the bottom. Once it reduces a bit, add the crumbled khowa/mawa and continue stirring till it is completely dissolved and incorporated. The mixture will now be thicker than before. Continue stirring on a low flame till you reach a rabadi/custard consistency. Remove from flame and let it cool completely. You can prepare this kheer one day in advance and keep it in the refrigerator until you are ready to prepare the patisheptas. Just take care to cover it well when kept in the refrigerator. 

                                  

In a bowl, mix the flour, sooji, and sugar. Add water very slowly and little at a time till you reach the consistency similar to dosa batter/crepe batter. Basically, it should be of pouring consistency. Let it rest for 15-20 minutes. The flour may absorb some water at this time and so adjust accordingly. 

Heat a little oil in a pan and wipe off the excess oil with the help of a kitchen towel or the head of a brinjal or onion. Lower the flame and pour 2-3 tbsp in the center and spread it out with the back of the spoon into a circle. Increase the flame a little and let the batter cook on top. Now put a spoonful of the kheer towards one end of the crepe and with the help of a spatula, roll it up. Flip the top and let it cook on both sides of the roll. Remove from heat and place it in a plate. Repeat for the rest of the batter. If the pan gets too hot, sprinkle some water and grease again and continue with the process. Enjoy your rich and gooey Bong delicacy!

                                     

 

A Simple Kheer (Rice Pudding)

Singapore, today, saw the start of the rainy season and with dark clouds hovering all over and thunder storms raging the skies, I suddenly had this craving for some kheer. I hadn't tasted it since quite some time now and quickly checked my pantry for all the ingredients. All that I did not have were a handful of raisins and that wasn't too big a miss. I was also aching to try my new terracota pots which my Father-in-Law got for me from India and what better start than a kheer in an earthen pot. Imagine the subtle earthy flavor in that rich and creamy chilled kheer loaded with dry fruits!!! Heaven!!!

Ingredients

1/4 cup small grain aromatic rice (I used Assam special Joha rice)

750 ml milk (I used 450 ml evaporated milk and 300 ml low fat milk)

75-100 ml condensed milk (I used the low fat condensed milk; you can increase or decrease the quantity as per your taste)

Few pods of cardamom

A bay leaf

Dry fruits of your choice

Direction

Wash and soak the rice in some water for 1/2 hour. 

Mix the milk and condensed milk together in a pot and put it on the gas stove. Keep stirring and bring it to a boil. Add the bay leaf and the cardamom pod and reduce the flame to minimum. Keep stirring the milk every 5-7 minutes till the milk thickens and reduces to 2/3. Check the sweetness now and if required add more condensed milk. However, remember that as the milk thickens further, the sweetness will increase further too. So adjust accordingly. 

Meanwhile, drain the soaked rice and with the help of a mortar pestle or the back of a heavy spoon, pound the raw rice roughly. This step ensures a creamy kheer with not too big chunks of rice. Add this to the reduced milk and stir. Keep the flame on the lowest and let the rice cook. Do not forget to stir in between and keep breaking the film that will form on top of the milk. When the milk reduces to almost 1/3 and rice is cooked through, add the dry fruits. Be careful not to reduce the kheer to a very thick consistency else when it cools down it will turn into a lump of rice. The consistency should be the same as hot custard when just done. 

Pour the kheer to your serving ware or earthen pot if using and garnish with some more dry fruits if desired. Bring it to room temperature and then chill completely before serving!

Bengal Special--Patishapta

Last weekend was celebrated in India as Bhai Phota (in Bengali) or Bhai Dooj. This comes right after Diwali and is quite similar to the festival of Rakhi or Rakshabandhan. However, with no brother in my family as well as no sister in my husband's family (apart from our cousins), I am not much aware of the festivities or rituals. All I know is that something sweet is prepared on this day and fed to the brother while praying for his well being. My Patishaptas were once relished very dearly by a friend and, as we were meeting him the next day, I thought of preparing these on this occasion. You can serve them with a drizzle of condensed milk to enhance the look and taste. I skipped it as I did not have it in my pantry. 

Ingredients

For the filling

1 ltr full cream milk plus 2-3 tbsp

1-2 tbsp vinegar

3 tbsp jaggery grated

2 tbsp powdered sugar

2-3 tbsp grated/desiccated coconut

1 tsp ghee

For the batter

1 cup maida/all purpose flour

1/4 cup rice flour

1/2 cup semolina

1 1/2-2 cups milk

1-2 tbsp powdered sugar (optional)

Direction

Start with making the chenna first. Boil 1 ltr milk and add 1-2 tbsp vinegar and let it curdle. Cover and let it stand for a few minutes for the whey to separate. You can also add a few ice cubes to expedite the process. Strain the chenna in a muslin cloth or a paneer maker. Wash it with some drinking water to rinse away the vinegar. Be careful at this step as the chenna might get washed away too. Now tightly tie the muslin cloth and hang it in one corner for about 30 minutes till the water is completely drained out. 

Now, take the chenna in a plate and crumble it with your hands. Use your fingers and the heel of your palm to smoothen the chenna. It should no longer be  grainy at the end of around 10 minutes. Now add the sugar and knead for 5 more minutes till the mixture is mixed well. 

Heat the ghee in a pan and roast the grated/desiccated coconut till slightly golden. Now add the jaggery and keep stirring till melted. Next add the chenna mixture and continue stirring till everything is well combined. Keep stirring till the mixture no longer releases water. Now add 2 tbsp milk and mix everything well and remove from heat. If the mixture dries up further after cooling down, add 1-1/2 tbsp more of milk. The mixture should be of thick but smooth rabdi consistency. 

Time to prepare the batter now. Mix all ingredients listed under batter and make a smooth creamy paste. Do not make the batter too runny nor too thick. It should be same as dosa batter. Keep aside for 10 minutes. 

Now heat your dosa pan/flat non-stick frying pan and drizzle 1 tsp oil. Gently rub the pan with a paper napkin so that the entire pan is well greased. Take a spoonful of the batter and spread it out in one direction in a circular manner just like you prepare a dosa. The size of the circle should be slightly bigger than a pancake and thickness like that of dosa. Cook this on a medium low flame till the bottom is slightly golden and the top is cooked (you can see that no raw spots remain). When you see the top cooked through, add 1-2 tbsp of the filling and spread it out in a log/horizontal line. Close in the edges from both the sides and press gently to seal. Transfer to a plate and continue with the rest of the batter. Serve hot/warm or cold. Tastes awesome anyway!! :)

 

Jaggery and Mawa Stuffed Gujiyas and My New Air Fryer

When you are back from a holiday, apart from the happy memories, all you are left with is an empty wallet! It especially holds true for people like us (me and my hubby) who spend crazily while on holiday like there is no tomorrow!

Back home, we are now leading a routine life with a severe cut down on calories and an extensive exercise regime. However, the shopper in me remains alert 24/7 and while on my way to the Gym, I caught a glimpse of this super irresistible offer at my nearby mall for Mayer Air Fryers at just S$ 98!! Unbelievable, isn't it? I thought so too. Frankly, I never gave any serious thought about Air Fryers simply because of the exorbitant price as well as for the reason that we are not much into eating fried/deep fried food. But when you come across such an offer, however bankrupt you may be, you just cannot let it go. So I queued up, all the while googling to see the reviews of the product, and finally took home this wonder gadget. 

Sometimes, I think you should just let go of your planning and your calculations and do what your heart says. The heart is always right!!

Apart from all the successful trials of Aalu Tikkis and fries, the first official dish are these Gujiyas. Made on the ocassion of Karwachauth, these were the perfect dessert to satiate my soul after that difficult fast and I can enjoy it even more as these were oil-free. What better way to inaugurate that wonder gadget!!

Ingredients

1 1/4 cup all purpose flour/maida

3 tbsp ghee

100 ml milk (room temperature or warm; use more or less as required while kneading)

For the filling

1/3 cup dessicated coconut (you can use fresh coconut as well)

1/3 cup mix of dry fruits finely chopped (I used almonds, cashews, and raisins)

1/3 cup mawa crushed

1 tbsp ghee

Jaggery as per your taste (I used about 1/4 cup)

For the sugar syrup

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup water

3-4 cardamom pods

1/2 tsp kewra essence

Few strands of saffron

Oil for frying (if not using Air Fryer)

Direction

Take the flour in a bowl and add the ghee. Start mixing it with your hands till it resembles bread crumbs. Now slowly add the milk and start kneading the dough to a smooth but stiff texture like a poori dough. It should not be too soft nor too tight else it will be difficult to roll and we do not want to use any additional flour while kneading. 

Cover and keep aside the dough for 1/2 an hour. 

Time to prepare the filling. Heat ghee in a pan. Add the coconut and fry till slightly browned and fragrant. If using fresh coconut, this may take a little longer. Now add the chopped dry fruits and fry till well roasted. Next add the jaggery and mix well till no lumps remain and jaggery is well melted. Finally, add the mawa/khoya and mix well till everything is well combined. Remove from heat and let it cool. 

Now take the dough and roll it with your hands into the shape of a rope. Using a sharp knife or dough cutter, make equal cuts of 12-13 parts. Take each part and roll it into a small and even ball. 

Using a rolling pin, roll it into a circle not very thick nor thin. Place about 3 tsp of the filling or as much as you think is sufficient to comfortably seal the edges. Bring in the edges from all sides and give it a half-moon shape. Now roll in the edges securely sealing them with your hands. You can also do it either with a gujiya shaper or with the help of a fork. 

Place it on one side and continue with the rest. If you want to complete all the rolling first and then move on to fry, you may need to cover the shaped gujiyas with a damp cloth to avoid drying. 

Once done with rolling, start heating the oil/ghee for frying as well as prepare the syrup on the other side. The syrup should be ready to use by the time your first gujiya is out of the pan. Take all the ingredients listed under syrup in a deep bottom wide pan and bring it to a boil. Once the sugar dissolves completely, let it simmer for a few minutes and then take it off the flame. 

Drench the hot fried gujiyas into the hot sugar syrup for 3-5 minutes on all sides and take it out on a plate. Continue with the rest of the gujiyas. 

When using an Air Fryer, pre heat the fryer at 200 degrees for 5 minutes. Then fry the gujiyas, 10 minutes each side or until golden. Drench them inmediately in the syrup and proceed with the rest of the process as stated above. Your lovely Jaggery and Mewa Gujiyas are ready to be served!! :)

 

Delicious Gulab Jamun with Instant Mawa

I pinched myself blue when I took the first bite of these amazing melt-in-the-mouth golden beauties. It was unbelievably true!! I am having Gulab Jamuns after a gap of almost 3 years. All these years I have had diligently controlled my cravings considering the calories associated with it. Also, the recipes available would always yield so many gulab jamuns which wasn't good for my inches. However, I finally got over all those hurdles by doing a bit of Mathematics and with the help of a magic Instant Mawa recipe shared by a very experienced Home Chef and Blogger Radha S Natarajan. With this instant mawa ready in your freezer, you do not even have to put in the effort of going to the market to fetch a readymade pack. Also, this is a no paneer recipe and hence no effort of either making it at home or getting it from the market. All in all, it took me just under 1 hour to make these beauties and I am so glad the way they turned out! Oh! How I love them and how I missed them!! 

                             

Ingredients (Makes 10 pieces)

1/2 cup mawa (recipe given below)

1 1/2 tbsp plain flour/maida

A pinch of baking soda (If doubling the recipe, use 1/8 tsp)

3/4 cup water

3/4 cup sugar

2-3 cardamoms

Few strands of saffron (optional)

Few drops of rose essence

Few pistachios for garnishing

Water for kneading

2 tbsp ghee+2 tbsp oil for frying

For the Instant Mawa

1 1/2 cup milk powder 

2 tbsp ghee

1/4 cup milk

Direction

For the Mawa

Boil the milk with ghee and cool it slightly. Now take the milk powder and add the warm/lukewarm milk and ghee mixture and make a dough. The dough need not be smooth but should just come together. A few crumbles here and there is okay as long as all the contents are mixed well. Transfer this to an air tight bowl and keep it in the freezer for future use. Remember to bring the mixture to room temperature every time you use to avoid any ice crystals.

                                  

For the Gulab Jamuns

Take 1/2 cup of the instant mawa at room temperature and crumble it with your hands. The crumbled mixture should measure 1/2 cup and any excess can be put back to its container. To this, add maida and soda and mix everything well till no lumps are there. Now add room temperature water 1 tsp at a time to knead a smooth dough. If you put in a bit more water by mistake, sprinkle some mawa to balance. It is however better to avoid a wet dough and so be extremely careful while adding water. Keep it aside for 5 minutes.

                                   

Now pinch out small balls of equal size (about 10 mini balls), and make sure they are smooth and do not have any open or cracked edges. 

                                    

While you have been doing this, make the sugar syrup ready by mixing the water, sugar, cardamoms, rose essence, and saffron. Bring it to a boil till the sugar dissolves and then keep it on medium flame till slightly reduced. We do not need a very thick syrup for this. Reduce the heat to minimum and let it simmer till the time you start frying the balls. The syrup needs to be warm and not hot for dipping the balls. Remove from heat and let it cool. Ensure that you prepare the syrup parallely while preparing the dough so that you have both the syrup and the balls ready to fry at the same time. 

Heat the oil and ghee together on high. Now lower the flame to medium low and start frying the balls till golden on both sides. The oil temperature is very important here. Too hot and the balls will get burnt without getting cooked. Not hot enough and the balls would not brown and oil will seep inside and leave an unpleasant taste. So keep a close watch on the flame temperature. Reduce and increase as and when required.

Drain the excess oil on paper towels and let the fried balls rest for 5 minutes before transferring to the warm sugar syrup. 

                                      

Preferably, do not use a spoon to immerse the balls in the syrup and swirl the vessel with the help of its handle. This will avoid breakage.

                                      

Once all the balls are in the syrup, swirl gently till all of it is coated evenly. You can transfer the gulab jamuns to a serving bowl when the syrup has cooled down to just being lukewarm. Take extreme care in doing this. First fish out the balls with the help of a spoon and then pour the syrup. 

                                     

 Garnish with chopped pistachios and serve warm. Reheat for any subsequent servings in the microwave. This keeps fresh for almost a week if stored covered in the refrigerator.

                                     

Bengal Special Bhapa Doi/Mishti Doi

There is hardly any Bengali who does not like his Mishti Doi. While I am an Assamese by birth, but I love this Bengal Delicacy more than my Bengali husband. Though there is not much of a difference in Bengali and Assamese cuisines, this sweet caramalized Yogurt is a trademark of Bengalis and their feasts cannot be complete without it. When we shifted out of India, this was one of the most missed dishes among others. I never knew making it at home was so easy and simple and required just three basic steps. Mix, Bake, and Chill! Yes, it is that easy and the baking part makes me even more happy. The calories are indeed there but I tried to use everything low fat and so a little less guilt. But when it comes to your favorite food, do those calories really matter? Thanks to Soma Mukherjee's perfect recipe!!

Ingredients

200 ml milk (I used evaporated milk for a more creamier and rich texture)

400 ml (1 can) low fat condensed milk

200 gms thick yogurt whipped

1 tbsp brown sugar (optional)

Direction

Whip the yogurt till smooth. Now mix in the condensed milk and the evaporated milk (or regular milk) and whisk it to a smooth mix. If using brown sugar, simply sprinkle it on top. Now preheat the oven at 125 degree celsius for 5 minutes. Bake in the preheated oven for about 30-40 minutes until set. It might take longer for different ovens. Midway through cover the top with an aluminium foil. Keep checking in between and adjusting the temperature. This can also be made in the Microwave on medium High with 10 minute intervals. When done, it will still be a little wobbly in the center just like a cheese cake but steady from the edges. Let it cool in the oven, door closed for about half an hour. Now take it out and let it cool completely. Garnish with chopped pistachios and chill in the refrigerator until served. 

                                       

Lobongo Lotika--Kheer Stuffed Mini Samosas

First of all, a very Happy Bihu and Shubho Naba Borsho to all my friends and readers from East and North East India. It is a major festival in this part of India and is celebrated with much pomp and gaiety. This Spring Festival marks the beginning of a New Year as per Hindu customs and hence is celebrated in some name or the other throughout the country. With globalization however, this festival is now not just restricted to the respective states of India, but has travelled across the boundaries and is celebrated among small Indian regional associations in the form of enthusiastic family get togethers. In Singapore we have, in fact, two Assam Associations and a couple of Bengali Associations as well which celebrate this Spring Festival amidst their group of members. 

When you are staying outside the country, becoming a member of such groups becomes a little imperative in order to keep yourself connected to your roots. The Assam Association that me and my husband are a part of, however, are arranging for a Bohagi Bidai (bidding Adieu to the first month of the year) as they are bringing in a popular Assamese singer to entertain the guests and his dates are unavailable during the actual festival. Now, being away from my native place and hearing all the stories about the hustle and bustle happening in my state right now, I could not keep myself away from celebrating Bihu in whatever small way I can. So I got together with a few of my Assamese and Bengali family friends over here in Singapore and planned a mini Bihu/Poila Boishakh meet. 

While everyone brought in some delicacies for the dinner, I decided to try my hands on some traditional Bengali Sweets. It turned out that this particular sweet is the ultimate favorite of not just my Mom but her entire clan, including my cousins from the Maternal side. Now, it became more imperative for me to nail these as a gift for my Mom on this New Year. The procedure is simple, though a bit lengthy, and all you need to nail this sweet is some practice with kneading the dough. I hope you try this delicious Indian sweet and usher in this New Year with lot of sweetness and happiness to last you through the year.

                                      

Ingredients

For the filling

1 litre full cream milk

1/2 cup khoya/mawa

Sugar as per taste (I added about 2 tbsp low fat condensed milk and about 2 tbsp sugar)

1/2 tsp freshly ground cardamom powder

For the dough

1 cup all purpose flour/maida

2 tbsp ghee

A pinch of baking powder

A pinch of salt

12-14 long-stemmed cloves

For the sugar syrup

1.5 cups sugar

1 cup water

1 tsp kewra/rose essence

3-4 cardamoms

Few strands of saffron

Direction

In a deep bottomed pan, bring the milk to a boil and put in the khoya. Stir till the khoya dissolves completely and no lumps remain. Now add the sugar or condensed milk and continue stirring on a low flame until the mixture thickens and forms a lumpy thick rabadi/kheer like consistency as shown in the picture below. Remove from heat and keep it aside covered until further use.

                                         

Now, time to prepare the dough. Take the flour and mix all the ingredients and knead a smooth soft dough. Cover and let it sit for at least 30 minutes. Now make 12-14 equal sized balls out of the dough and roll out each into a thin disc. Put 1 heaped tsp in the center of the disc and fold in the sides as shown in the picture below. Take a clove and seal the dough parcel with a clove in the middle.

                             

Now time to prepare the syrup. Boil the sugar and the water along with the other ingredients. You need the syrup to be thicker than a gulab jamun syrup. Once the syrup starts boiling at the surface and looks sticky, take this test. Take a shallow bowl of water. With a spoon take a drop of the syrup and drop it in the water. If the syrup dissolves, it is too thin for this sweet. If you see the syrup forming a thread like structure on the water surface, you know your syrup is ready.

Now the final step. Heat oil in a pan and to test if the oil is hot enough, chuck in a small piece of dough in the oil. If it rises up with bubbles, oil is ready. If it sinks, it needs to heat up some more. If it burns, switch off the heat. Now, fry the dough parcels one or two at a time giving each enough space to get cooked through on beautifully golden fried on both sides. Keep adjusting the heat to avoid burning or over browning. Drain the excess oil on kitchen towel and immediately dip them into the prepared sugar syrup. Keep it immersed for 5-7 minutes and then take it out on a serving dish. Repeat for the rest of the parcels and serve hot. This tastes best when served hot from the syrup. You can store them in air tight containers in the refrigerator and slightly warm up before serving. Enjoy!

                                        

Coconut Raisin Laddoo

This Diwali I am getting a little adventurous with cooking Indian sweets and I am totally loving the results. More so since my husband is all praises as well. In the previous years, I used to go all out in decorating the house with rangolis, diyas, and aroma candles in the entire house. However, this time with no decorations in the house (as my husband won't be around to see them), I thought of rather celebrating it by making some Indian sweets and gift packing them for friends as Diwali gifts. The kaju badam laddoos and these coconut laddoos are not only easy to make but really yummy to taste as well. 

Ingredients

350 gms grated fresh coconut

1/2 tin milkmaid (the entire contents may not be required)

2-3 tbsp brown sugar (can be replaced with white sugar)

Few strands of saffron soaked in little milk

1/2 tsp cardamom powder

1/4 cup raisins (just enough to ensure 1 raisin per laddoo)

1 tbsp ghee

3 tbsp almond powder (optional)

Mini cupcake wrappers

Directions

In a heavy bottomed non-stick kadhai or wok, heat the ghee and add the grated coconut. Stir for 5-10 minutes till the coconut gets slightly browned. Add the cardamom powder, milkmaid (little ar a time), and saffron. Mix well and stir for another 5-10 minutes till the water from the milkmaid dries up a little. At this moment, you can add some almond powder. Check for sweetness and adjust with some sugar as per taste. Add the raisins. Keep stirring till the mixture is dry enough to make into small balls. Remove from heat and let it cool. Take small quantity in your hands and make small balls by gently rubbing it between your palms. Arrange in mini cupcake wrappers and serve.