Bread Khova Burfi

This is one dessert that is sure to please everyone. Its rich, chewy and the slight crunch from the dry fruits is just yumm.. I'm sure people would simply start guessing the ingredients in this burfi without any clue that bread could be the major ingredient. Recently i had been to my aunts place and she gave me this sweet. The moment i tasted it, i instantly fell in love with it and asked her for the recipe. It was another aunt who has given her the sweet. I am thankful to her for passing on her recipe and for the detailed instructions she gave me for making this yummy dessert.

Khova, which is also called Khoya, Mawa or Khoa which is used in most of the Indian desserts also contributes to the taste of this burfi. This is the first time i've used khoya in my dessert and was pleased with the result. It transforms the taste completely. Bread gives the body or the structure to the dessert and khoya brings the flavor out of it. Khoya is available in any Indian grocery stores or can be even prepared at home.

Here goes the recipe...

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ( approx. 500 gms) soft sweet bread
• 200 gms khova
• 325 gms sugar
• 2 tbsps ghee (clarified butter)
• few chopped dry fruits as per your taste(i used just cashews and raisins, you can use walnuts, almond too)

Equipment:

• 1  thick deep saucepan
• 2 flat griddle (tawa)
• 1 spatula

Method:

1. Crumble the bread with your hands along with the crust into very tiny pieces. Crumble the khova.
2. Combine crumbled bread, khova and sugar. Transfer the mixture into the saucepan and on a medium heat, keep stirring the mixture till it all comes together into a solid mass. Add ghee and give it a stir.
3. Now take out the thick mixture from the saucepan and transfer it onto the griddle. Flatten the bread, khova mixture using a thick plastic sheet or if you are daring, you can use your hands. 
4. Spread the mixture entirely over the griddle. Sprinkle the dry fruits all over the griddle and press them a little bit into the mixture. And on a slow flame roast the flattened mixture for few minutes till the surface turns golden brown. 
5. Now you need the flip the mixture and roast the other side too. To do this take another flat griddle and place it frying side down on top of the mixture and hold both handles of the griddle and turn it upside down. Now the dry fruits side mixture will get roasted. Place the new griddle with the mixture on the flame and roast it. 
6. When both the sides gets roasted well. Remove from flame and allow it to cool completely. Don't worry if the burfi  is still soft, it'll get slightly harder after it cools. Slice into desired shapes and serve.

Puran Poli

Puran poli is one very popular Indian festival sweet dish. Its basically a soft dough filled with a sweet lentil mixture , rolled and fried. Puran poli usually uses jaggery as the sweetner but here i've used sweetened condensed milk which gives a lovely milky sweetness.
I made this dish for the diwali festival, a festival of lights. I also wish all my Indian readers a very happy and safe diwali.




Now for the recipe you'll need..

Ingredients:

200 gms All purpose flour (maida)
3 tbsps fine semolina
1 tbsp rice flour
pinch of turmeric
pinch of salt
200gms (2 cups) raw chana dal
1 tin (400gms) Sweetened condensed milk (milkmaid)

pinch of cardamom powder

Ghee or neutral oil for frying
water for dough

Directions:

For the puran mixture:
Wash and cook chana dal in a pressure cooker with 4 cups of water. Give 4 whistles and let the steam escape before you take off the lid. Let it cool. Drain the water completely.

Grind the chana cal to make a thick paste. Transfer the paste to a non-stick pan. Add the sweetened condensed milk and cardamom powder and cook till the mixture starts leaving the sides of the pan. Keep aside. This is the puran mixture.

To make the dough:
Combine all purpose flour, semolina, rice flour, turmeric, a pinch of salt with enough water to form a soft pliable dough.

Divide the dough into 10 equal parts. Also divide the puran mixture into 10 equal parts.

Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a small disc, stuff each rolled disc with the puran mixture, enclose the stuffing with the dough from all the sides and flatten it lightly with both your palm. Now place this stuffed dough on a lightly floured work surface and roll it again to form a little larger discs. Use as much little extra flour required for rolling. This helps the dough to move easily on the counter.

Preheat a non stick pan or tawa. Place each rolled disc one at a time and fry each side by brushing little ghee or oil on both the sides till golden brown spots are formed on the surface. Follow the same with all the remaining dough and puran stuffing.

Serve hot or warm with a spoonful of ghee on top.

Paneer Kheer (Indian Cottage Cheese Pudding)

A simple yet an elegent dessert. When one thinks of Kheer one automatically relates it to rice kheer or semolina kheer. Here is a brilliant innovation, the "paneer kheer". As the name suggests this kheer is made with grated paneer that is cooked in milk along with some sugar and flavoured with cardamom powder. The dry fruits provides the crunch and enhances the taste also adding to the richness of the dessert. Corn flour has been added to help thicken the milk faster so as to reduce cooking time. Since dairy products are plentiful in North India, this dessert is an apt end to North Indian meal. This dessert is a great made ahead option to opt for..

Preparation time:5 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Serves:4

Ingredients required:

3 Cups milk
2 tbsp cornflour dissolved in 5 tbsp water
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups grated paneer (cottage cheese)
2 tbsp chopped pistachios
2 tbsp chopped almonds
1/2 tsp cardamom powder

To decorate:
4 tbsp Sweetened Condensed milk
Few roasted and chopped nuts on top

Preparation:

Combine milk and sugar in a broad non-stick pan. Simmer on a medium flame, while stirring continously, till the sugar dissolves completely.

Add the cornflour mixture and stir continously till the mixture thickens.

Add the paneer, pistachios, almonds and cardamom powder and mix well. Thats it!

Refrigerate for atleast an hour.

Serve Chilled with a spoon of condensed milk on top and decorate with roasted and chopped nuts.


Enjoy!!

Beetroot Halwa

Beetroot halwa is a lovely Indian dessert. Its usually prepared during festivals or when there is a guest at home. It has the taste, the colour. Its rich and a great treat for your tastebuds. I learned about this recipe from my mother-in-law. She prepares this dessert real good. This recipe, the one below is one of my version which includes sweetened condensed milk which makes the dessert rich and creamy and gives totally a different taste and texture.

Here is the recipe for this ultimate dessert.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 big Beetroot(600gms), washed, peeled and grated
1 cup Milk
3 cloves
1/3rd tin Sweetened Condensed Milk
50 gms Sugar
3 Tbsp Ghee
1/2 tsp cardamom powder

For Tempering:
1Tbsp Ghee
3 Tbsp Broken cashew nuts
1 Tbsp Raisin

Method:

First prepare the tempering. Take a thick bottomed pan and fry the cashews and raisans in a tbsp of ghee till golden brown and keep aside.

In the same pan, combine grated beetroot along with milk and cloves and let it cook on a medium heat without the lid on for about 30 to 40 minutes, till most of the milk is absorbed. Keep stirring in between.

Stir in the condensed milk and sugar and  keep stirring till the mixture becomes thick and starts leaving the sides of the pan. 

Finally add ghee and cardamom powder. Add the tempering.

Serve hot or at room temperature.



Storage: Can be kept in room temperature for a day. Can be refrigerated in an air tight box for a week.

Gujiya

Gujiya is a special sweet dish prepared during Holi. Holi is a "festival of colours" celebrated in India. Its a festival which has an ancient origin and celebrates the triumph of 'good' over 'bad'. The spring season, during which the weather changes, is believed to cause viral fever and cold. Thus, the playful throwing of the coloured powders has a medicinal significance: the colours are traditionally made of Neem, Kumkum, Haldi (Turmeric), Bilva.


Makes 16 Gujiyas

Ingredients


For filling
1/2 tin Milkmaid
150 gm Coconut (fresh scraped)
25 gms Fine Semolina
2 tbsp. Almonds (chopped)
2 tbsp. Cashewnuts (chopped)
2 tbsp. Raisins
1/4 tsp. Cardamom powder

For Dough
125 gm Maida (All purpose flour)
20 ml (4 tbsp) Oil
1/4 Cup Water

Oil to deep fry

Method

Roast Semolina, and mix together all other ingredients for the filling. Cook till mixture is dry.

To prepare dough, rub oil into maida, add water and make into dough. Knead the dough till pliable. Keep aside covered with moist cloth for 5 - 10 minutes.

Knead dough once again. Divide into 16 balls. Roll each ball into a round shape of about 4 - 5 inches. Roll it very thin.

Divide the fillings into 16 parts so that the filling will be equally distributed.

Place filling, fold over and shape into Gujiya joining the edges with water.

Deep fry in hot oil till golden brown.


Enjoy!!

Kesari bath ( Saffron Dessert)

Kesari bath is a sweet dish which is prepared during most of the festivals, funtions and weddings in south India. Kesar meaning saffron gives a nice aroma and the rich colour to the dessert. It tastes best when its hot.

Use the exact measurements given below and this dessert will taste great.
Ingredients:

Banana - 1 (Big, Fully ripe)
Milk - 750 ml
Semolina(Rava or Sooji) - 100 gm
Sugar - 200 gm
Ghee (Clarified butter) - 1/2 cup
Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp
Honey - 2 tbsp
Saffron - few strands
Kesar colour(optional)

Ghee (clarified butter) 2 tbsp
Cashew nuts 50 gms( halved)
Raisins 50 gms

Method:

Stir and roast the semolina in about 2tbsp of ghee till it gets golden brown. One way to find out if the semolina is done is you get a very nice aroma and the semolina starts flowing easily with the spatula. Keep aside.

Mash the banana and fry it in a non stick pan with the remaining ghee for about 5 minutes.

Add milk and saffron and bring it to boil.

Now add the roasted semolina little at a time and keep stirring so that no lumps are formed. Add sugar and stir well.

Finally add the cardamom powder, honey. Mix it well.

Close the lid and on a medium to low flame, let it cook for few minutes.

In another small pan, roast cashews and raisins in 2 tbsp of ghee till golden brown.
Spread it over the kesari bath at the end and serve.

Yummy Kesari bath is ready.

Enjoy!!

Date laddoo

Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
To serve 8-10

Ingredients:
Dates (deseeded)- 500gm,chopped
Milkmaid - 1 tin
Ghee(Clarified butter)- 2 tb sp
Water - 1/2 cup
Maida(all purpose flour)- 2 tb sp
Desiccated coconut powder

Method:

1) In a thick bottomed non stick pan,heat the ghee,add maida and fry for a minute. Add the water,mix well and bring to a boil.

2) Add the dates and milkmaid, mix well and cook the mixture with constant stirring till it becomes thick and starts leaving the sides of the pan.

3) Remove from fire. Cool and roll into small laddoos. Roll in desiccated coconut powder and serve.