Crispy Crunchy Yeast-Free Jalebis

One caution before I start this post. Hot Jalebis straight from the pan are highly addictive! Consumers are not to blame the recipe providers for any damage done to their waistline!! 😃

This is one recipe which will take you to seventh heaven after hearing the praises from your friends and family. Serve them hot at tea time or right after a meal and be ready to bask in glory. I like my Jalebis steaming hot and I am sure most of us like it that way too. The Jalebis however stay crunchy for long and so if you want a relaxed meal time you can keep them ready as well. 

Ingredients 

1 cup all purpose flour or maida

2 tbsp cornflour 

3/4 cup yogurt

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 tbsp ghee

1 1/2 tbsp water at room temperature (this is the quantity of water I used for the batter)

Oil for frying

For the sugar syrup 

3/4 cup water

1 1/2 cup sugar 

Few pods of cardamom 

1 tbsp rose essence 

Few drops of orange food color (optional)

Direction 

It is advisable to prepare the jalebi batter one  night in advance so that it gets maximum time for fermentation. However, in case you forget or cannot go for overnight fermentation, make sure you make the batter first thing in the morning for making the Jalebis in the evening. 

Take a medium sized bowl and sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and mix well with a whisk. Next add the ghee and whisk further till the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Now whisk in the yogurt and stir with all your strength to incorporate the air and make the batter lump free. The batter will now be quite thick and whisking will seem quite a task. Time to add little water at a time. Start with 1 tbsp and add another 1/2 to 1 tbsp water at room temperature using your own judgement. The batter should be thick and the consistency should be the same as buttercream that we use for decorating cakes. Loose batter will prevent the Jalebis from taking shape and will break as soon as you put them to fry. Mix the batter till smooth and creamy. Cover and keep aside in one corner of the kitchen counter. 

By next afternoon, you can see the batter having a few bubbles and risen in volume. Time to fry the beauties. 

Slowly mix the batter with a spatula in cut and fold method taking care not to over mix or deflate the batter. Fill the entire batter into a piping bag fitted with a medium sized round nozzle. Keep aside. 

Prepare the sugar syrup either before filling the piping bag or after. I used a previously stored sugar syrup and had to  simply boil it. To prepare the fresh syrup, boil the sugar and the water together till the sugar dissolves and is of one string consistency. Remove from heat and keep it handy while you fry the Jalebis. In another side, prepare a tray to keep the Jalebis. Time to fry!

Heat oil in a pan and bring it to medium hot. Reduce the heat to lowest and pipe in the Jalebis in circular motion not exceeding three to four circles. Be sure to pipe the circles as close as possible as they tend to open up later and you will get a wide mouthed Jalebi. As soon as you pipe in the Jalebi, it will float to the top if the oil is perfectly hot. Also, pipe the Jalebis by simmering the flame to the lowest so that you get a chance to pipe them better. Once piped, increase the flame to medium low and fry till the Jalebis are browned on both the sides and crisp. Do not be in a hurry to flip the Jalebis from one side to the other. You might break the shape if they aren't crispy enough. 

Once browned, dip them straight into the hot syrup for a minute and place on the wire rack to cool. 

Repeat for the rest of the batter. Serve them hot to your friends and family, possibly within a couple of hours of frying and be sure to gulp down a few yourself while frying. They are simply irresistible!! 😋

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!

                                        

Gajar ka Halwa ( Carrot Halwa)

It's that time of the year when in most Indian households one dessert is very fondly prepared and relished by the entire family, Gajar ka Halwa). While carrots are available throughout the year, the special long red carrots are available only during winters in India. Being an Indian and hosting a food blog, this recipe entry for Gajar ka Halwa is almost imperative. Especially, when the halwa turned out so delicious and yummy. Even my husband, who does not quite like sweets, took a second helping! So here is a sure shot winner recipe for Carrot Halwa and one which does not require you to be standing for hours.

Ingredients

800 gms long red carrots 

200 gms mawa/khoya

1 tbsp ghee

1/2 cup sugar (adjust as per your taste)

1/2 cup chopped dry fruits

2 pieces of cardamom

1 bay leaf

Direction

Wash and peel the carrots and pat them dry. Grate the carrots and keep aside.

In a pressure cooker, heat the ghee. Add the cardamom and bay leaf. Now add the grated carrot and sugar and mix well. Close the lid and pressure cook without any water for 2-3 whistles. Remove from heat and let it cool.

In another pan, pour the boiled carrot mixture from the cooker and stir on medium flame. It will have some water from the carrots and sugar. Dry up the water while stirring continuously on medium to high flame for 5-10 minutes. Now add the grated or mashed khoya and stir. Mix well so that the khoya melts and no crumbs are left. Check for the sweetness and continue stirring until no liquid is left. However, do not make it too dry as khoya tends to solidify again on cooling. Enjoy your gajar ka halwa hot, at room temperature, or chilled.

                                         

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. 

                                         

                                        

Cashew and Almond Laddoo (Kaju Badam Laddoo)

I have always had a sweet tooth and Diwali is a time when I don't even think about the calories before taking a bite (well, when it comes to something sweet, I don't give a thought anyway!). While we do get all Indian sweets in Singapore, but this time I wanted to be a little adventurous and try making sweets at home. There is a popular food group in Facebook, Chef at Large, which I regularly follow. On the occasion of Diwali, there have been quite many posts of homemade sweets recipes and after reading one of them, I felt quite confident of being able to achieve the desired result. However, I forgot that the person posting the recipe is a pro and is certain to achieve the result. The kaju barfi that I made was undoubtedly super tasty, but I failed to give it any shape as it was too soft to lift. However, the members of my CAL family came to my rescue and gave me some superb suggestions which not only saved my barfis but also made them look a lot more sophisticated and delicious! So my Diwali message to you all is "Never Give Up". Wishing all my readers and their families a very happy and safe Diwali! 

Ingredients

1 cup cashew nuts

1 cup almonds, soaked in hot water for 20 minutes

2 tsp cornflour

1-2 tbsp milk, for grinding the nuts

1/4 cup pistachio powder (grinded pistachio nuts)

1/4 cup almond powder

1/2 tsp almond essence (you can replace it with cardamom powder)

1 tbsp ghee

1/4 cup water

3/4 cup sugar

Mini cupcake wrappers

Directions

Peel the almonds. In a grinder, put the cashew, almonds, cornflour, and a little milk and make a fine paste. Add very little milk, only if required. 

In a heavy bottomed non-stick pan, add the water and sugar and make the sugar syrup. The syrup will be perfectly done when you put a thumb behind the stirring spoon and can pull out a single string with another finger. Add the nut paste you have just prepared and keep stirring continuosly to make an even consistency. Add the essence and 1 tbsp ghee. Keep stirring on low flame till the mass starts leaving the sides of the pan. Meanwhile, grease a flat surface with very little ghee and keep aside. Transfer the cashew and almond mix into the greased surface and smoothen the top with a plastic knife or rolling pin with a plastic sheet below. Let the mixture cool completely. You can also refrigerate it for a few hours if it is a little too soft even after cooling. 

In a small bowl, mix the pistachio and almond powder. Make small balls out of the cashew and almond paste and roll it in the pista-almond powder and arrange in mini cupcake wrappers. Your diwali sweets are ready to be served !