Lauki/Dudhi/Doodhi Halwa/Bottle Gourd/Sorekayi Halwa

Usually Lauki /bottlegourd we think of only making subji when we get it from the market,today why not try something like sweet and delicious halwa for this Navaratri.This light green rich,creamy delicious halwa is perfect for any occasion to serve as a dessert.Preparation is very similar to carrot halwa. Lauki is a vegetable with coolant property which is good for the body.It will help to remove excess heat and any inflammation from the body.It is also good for diabetic people and heart patients.Happy Navaratri to all of you.

Ingredients:
Lauki,grated-4cups
Sugar-3/4cup
Milk-1/4cup
Ghee-2Tbsp+1tsp
Home made khoya-2-3Tbsp
Cardamom powder-1/2tsp
Cashewnuts-fistful(optional)
Raisins-fistful(optional)

 Method:
1.First thing is  grating lauki, wash lauki and peel the outer skin and grate the lauki with the help of a traditional manual grater or with a food processor.
2.Roughly squeeze  out the juice from grated lauki by hands.
3.Heat a pressure cooker pan and add ghee and let it melt,when it begins to melt
add grated lauki and fry for 2-3 minutes.
4.When the water begin to evaporate add milk and pressure cook the lauki for one whistle.
5.After taking out the cooker lid,continue cooking in a cooker on a medium heat with out closing the lid stirring occasionally.
6.When the mixture is slowly thickening,add khoya, sugar and cardamom and cook on a low flame stirring continously. This is the crucial time you need to give attention as it will be leaving the oil and ready in any minute.
7.When it begins to leave oil take out of the flame.
8.Heat a small tempering kadai,heat tsp of ghee,when it begins to melt fry cashewnuts and raisins until cashews becomes golden brown and raisins puffs up.
9.Add  fried cashews and raisins to halwa and serve hot or cold,both ways tastes nice.

Note:
1.I have not added any food colour to the halwa as it as a natural pale green colour from
lauki.If you want bit more colour you can add green food colour,
2.Cooking in pressure cooker saves lot of time and will be done in one pot.
3.Don't add sugar before lauki is properly cooked.
4.It is advisable to fry lauki in ghee to get rid of the raw smell.
5.Make sure to use thick bottom pan and cook on  low medium flame.
6.This halwa will keep well 3-4days  in the refrigirator.
7.I have used homemade instant khoya,you can also use condensed milk but
reduce or skip the addition of sugar.

Instant Haalu Khova/Milk Khoya/Khova/Mawa/Paal Khova/Dhoodh Khoya/ Home Made Condensed Milk From Milk Powder In Microwave

Khova/Mawa or Khoya is rich milk solid which is prepared by reducing the milk by cooking on a slow flame continuously stirring.You can get readymade khoya in markets.It is mainly used in preparing Sweets like Halwa's ,Burfee's,Peda's etc..Preparing mawa with milk takes longer time and now a days who has got so much patience and time,and if you want to buy good fresh khova it is very expensive and it will not guarantee you the quality.So I  have come up with this awesome recipe of khova. It can be whipped up in minutes using milk powder,ghee and milk,Yes only 3 ingredients.Now there are many festivals around the corner and every one is gearing upto prepare sweet dishes,this will really makes the things easier if you make this in advance and can be stored in the freezer. It can be stored in freezer upto 2months in ziplock bags..Here is the recipe..    

Ingredients:
Milk powder-1cup
Milk- 1/4-1/2cup
Ghee-3Tbsp 

 Microwave Method:
1. Take a bowl add milk powder and ghee mix well,then add milk spoon by spoon to make not to thin or not to thin paste.It should be like slightly thicker than pancake batter.
2. Now cook in the microwave for 1-2 minutes,stirring in between.If the mixture is still thin cook for another minute(it depends on the  capacity of your microwave).
3.Take out and leave it to cool and keep it in the refrigerator for 1-2hours.Now it can be easily form like ball and can be shaped into any forms of shape.
4.It is now ready for preparing any kinds of sweet dishes that requires Mawa/ Khova  for  Halwa's,Burfi's,Peda's and many more..

StoveTop Method:
1.Take a bowl add milk powder and ghee mix well,then add milk spoon by spoon to make not to thin or not to thin paste.It should be like slightly thicker than pancake batter.
2.Heat a thick bottom kadai  or thick bottom nonstick pan,add a Tbsp of ghee when it melts,add the mixture and cook on a low medium flame by stirring continuously for 3-4 minutes.
3.When the mixture begins to thicken take out of the flame and leave it to cool and use it as mentioned above.

Note:
1.I have used 3-4tbsp of ghee,if you want more rich texture you can add upto 1/4 cup to 1/2cup of ghee and less milk,you will need less milk when you use.
2.No need to melt the ghee while mixing with milk powder.
3.The cooking time may be different,it may take 1 or 2 minutes extra or less ,make sure to cook according to your microwave capacity.
4.In stove top method make sure to cook on a low medium flame as it will burn easily and stir continuously.
5. And you can double the quantity as per your requirement.It can be stored in freezer upto 2 months in ziplock bags.
6.My Peda Recipe in Microwave.

Halu Holige/Halu Obbattu/Milk Poli/Doodh Poli/Paal Poli

Halu holige is a very easy sweet dish of Karnataka.Halu mean's Milk and poli means bread.It is nothing but fried poori's soaked in payasa.This is the first holige dish which I tried when I was new to cooking as I am scared to try Bele hobbatu or Kayi holige for their lengthy procedure.Now there is a festival season going on,This is will be ideal for beginners to try for the coming festivals. 

Ingredients for Poori's:
Wheat flour-1 1/2cup
Maida/Plain flour-1/2 cup(extra  for dusting)
Ghee-1Tbsp
Salt-pinch
Water for kneading
Oil for frying

Ingredients for Kayi Halu/Gasagase Halu/Payasa:
Gasagase/Poppy seeds-2Tbsp
Almonds-Fistful
Grated fresh coconut - 1 cup
Dry coconut/Kobbari-1Tbsp
Cardamom pods-3-4
Jaggery-3/4cup crushed 
Water -1cup
Milk-1 1/2 cup
Cashewnuts-fistful(optional)
Raisins-fistful(optional)
Ghee-1Tbsp for  serving

Method for poori's:
1.In a wide bowl, add wheat flour,maida,salt and ghee.Mix the ghee with flour with the fingers until it forms crumbly texture.
2.Now add water little by little and knead a stiff dough like Poori dough.
3.Apply ghee to the dough and keep it for 20-30 minutes covered.
4.Take a  gooseberry size dough and roll it into thin poori's of  6-7 inch diametre using maida for dusting.Dust off the excess maida  after rolling and keep the rolled poori's on a clean surface or on a news paper.
5.Heat a oil in a kadai which is big enough to fry poori's,deep fry the poori's one at a time on 
a low medium flame until they are crisp on both sides and take out on colander or kitchen 
tissue to drain out extra oil.

Method for Kayi Halu/Gasagase payasa
1.Dry roast the poppy seeds  until  poppy seeds becomes little brownish & crisps up and nice aroma comes out,leave it to cool.
2.In a mixie jar add roasted  poppy seeds ,fresh coconut,dry coconut,almonds,cardamom seeds dry grind first then add water and grind it into fine paste.
3.In a pan add jaggery and  1  cup water cook until jaggery dissolves then remove it and filter it through seive to remove any impurities.
4.Then again pour back jaggery syrup to the same pan mix the grinded paste mix well add water to thin it and cook it on a medium low flame for 5minutes.
5.Fry the cashwenuts and raisins in ghee and add to the above mixture.
6.When the payasa is boiling add 1.5cup of milk and boil for 1 to 2minutes and turn off the heat.

To Serve:
1.Fold the fried poori's  into quarters.Heat the kayi halu.
2.On a serving  plate,place the folded poori's and pour the warm kayi halu on top  along with dollop of ghee. 

Note:
1.Here for payasa I have added raisins and cashewnuts,if you don't like it you can skip it.
2.Don't soak poori's for long as it will make poori's very soggy,only pour payasa on poori just before serving.

Kayi Kadubu/Sihi Kadubu/Steamed Modaka With Coconut And Jaggery Stuffiing/Kozhukattai/Ukadiche Modak

Gouri and Ganesh Chaturthi/Vinayaka Chauthi is on 16th and 17 September

Kadubu/Modak is a healthy delicacy made out of rice flour covering stuffed with savoury or sweet fillings which is steamed.Kadubu as we call in Kannada,is prepared during Ganesha Chaturthi which falls on Bhadrapada masa.As they tell in purana's Lord Ganesha was very fond of  steamed Kadubu's,Mata Gouri used to prepare it for Ganesha so that is why it has become a tradition to prepare Kadubu or Modak during this festival. In my family we  prepare Kara Kadubu (savoury) and Sihi Kadubu(sweet).Kara Kadubu usually have the Channadal vada(Ambode) filling or Uraddal vada(Uddina vade)  filling in it.In Sihi Kadubu the choice is endless,coconut and jaggery mixture,Dry sesame mixture(we call this suslu kadubu),Peanut and jaggery to name few.Here is my version of Sihi kadubu..Happy Gouri and Ganesh Chaturthi to all my viewers. 

Ingredients:
For Covering(Kanaka)
Rice flour-1cup
Ghee-1tsp
Salt-1/2tsp
Water-2cups

For Stuffing(Hoorna)
Grated fresh coconut-1cup
Jaggery,crusdhed-1cup
Khuskhus/Gasgase/Poppy seeds-2tsp
Cardamom powder-1/2tsp
Cashewnuts-fistful
Ghee-1tsp

Method:
1.In a pan boil a cup of water, add tsp of ghee and salt and let it boil.
2.When water begins to boil,add rice flour to the boiling water mix well take out of 
the flame then close the lid and keep it aside to cool a bit.
3.Heat pan add khuskhus,dry roast until the khuskhus turns light brown and starts popping
take out on a plate and keep it aside.
4.In a same pan  add tsp of ghee and let it melt then add jaggery and allow it to melt on a low flame because jaggery will burn easily,make sure to stir it continuously,when it melts completelyadd grated coconut and cook until the mixture thickens.
5.When the mixture begins to thicken,add roasted khuskhus,cardamom powder and cashewnuts and cook for 2-3minutes and take out of the flame and allow it to cool.
6.Now take a rice flour mixture and knead it on a clean surface or on a wide plate or bowl,when still it is warm,Knead it like a chappati dough until it becomes soft.
7.Divide the dough into lemon size balls,take a  one rice ball dip it in rice flour and roll out 5cm discs then take a kadubu mould,pace the rolled disc on the mould,add Tbsp of  coconut filling in the middle.
8.Smear the water to the edges then gently press the mould  to seal the edges and remove the excess dough from the edges.Now open the mould gently,and remove the finished kadubu.Do the same procedure to all the remaining balls.
9.Place the kadubu's on  lightly greased idly plates and steam it for 10-15 minutes. Kadubu's  are ready to offer neivedya for Lord Ganesha. Serve with Ghee.

Note.
1.Make sure to keep an eye on when melting jaggery,beacuse it will burn easily.
2.I have used kadubu mould which is typical south indian style but if you have modak 
mould you can  use it.
3.Don't over fill the mould, the mixture will oozes out  when you steam it and will be a messy kadubu.
4.Along with cashews you can add any dry nuts and raisins.
5.If you don't have the  any sort of moulds,then simply roll out the discs and take disc on your left hand palm,place the tbsp of mixture,smear the edges with water then gently close them by sealing the edges in to a cresent shape and steam it as normal.
6. To check the whether the coconut mixture is ready ,wet your hands and touch the mixture if it sticks it is not ready and needs to cook more or if it doesn't sticks then it is ready.

Sihi Avalakki/Sweet Poha/Sweetened Rice Flakes For Sri Krishna Janmastami

Sihi Avalakki is a simple and very easy sweet which doesn't need any cooking and can make it in a jiffy.It is said that Lord Krishna is very fond of Avalakki and if we offer him Avalakki he will be pleased and bless us with boons.As  we all know story of Sudhama,who offered Lord Krishna a fistful of  Avalakki and in return Sri Krishna blessed him with lot of  good fortune.From childwood I am very fond of this dish and I learnt it and used to do it whenever I feel like eating sweet.Happy Janmastami To all of you...

Ingredients:
Avalakki/Poha/Rice flakes-1cup (Thick Variety)
Powdered Jaggery/Bella-2-3Tbsp or to taste
Grated dry coconut-1/4cup
Cardamom Powder-Pinch

Method:
1.Wash the avalakki thoroughly 3-4 times or until the water appears clear.Soak Avalakki for 2-3 minutes and drain the water and squeeze out the excess water with clean hands.
2.Take  a bowl, add the avalakki and all the remaining ingredients and mix well,and sihi avalakki is ready to offer to Sri Krishna.

Note:
1.I have used a white jaggery thats why the colour is not showing up and I have mixed powdered jaggery.
2.Jaggery can be melted and mix with avalakki.
3.Dry fruits and nuts also can be added.

Gasagase Payasa/Poppy Seeds Kheer/Khuskhus Kheer

Gasagase payasa is one of the popular traditional sweet dish of Karnataka.It is prepared by grinding poppy seeds(Gasagase in Kannada).It is prepared during festivals and family get togethers.It is prepared along with Ambode(Channadal vada/fritters) is a good combination.As this a shravana masa and many festivals around the corner,this will be a perfect dish to prepare.I prepared this dish on Varamahalakshmi vrata.During festivals after having oil massage, head bath and and pooja rituals drinking this payasa will make you doze off to a good sleep.This is because of opium content in poppy seeds.This payasa will relaxes the mind body and soul for sure..here is a authentic recipe from my grandmother.

Ingredients:
Gasagase/Poppy seeds-3Tbsp
Almonds-Fistful
Grated fresh coconut -1/2cup
Dry coconut/Kobbari-1Tbsp
Cardamom pods-3-4
Jaggery-1/2 cup crushed 
Water -1cup
Milk-1cup
Cashewnuts-fistful(optional)
Raisins-fistful(optional)
Ghee-1Tbsp for frying nuts and serving

Method:
1.Dry roast the poppy seeds  until  poppy seeds becomes little brownish & crisps up and nice aroma comes out,leave it to cool.
2.In a mixie jar add roasted  poppy seeds ,fresh coconut,dry coconut,almonds,cardamom seeds dry grind first then add water and grind it into fine paste.
3.In a pan add jaggery and  1 cup water cook until jaggery dissolves then remove it and filter it through seive to remove any impurities.
4.Then again pour back jaggery syrup to the same pan mix the grinded paste mix well add water to thin it and cook it on a medium low flame for 5minutes.
5.Fry the cashwenuts and raisins in ghee and add to the above mixture.
6.When the payasa is boiling add cup of milk and boil for 1 to 2minutes and turn off the heat.
7. Serve hot payasa with dollop of ghee.

Note:
1. Rice is fried and added to give it a thickness,I have not used rice because I have used  more almonds to substitute rice to give both thickness and flavour.
2.Saffron can also be added for more flavour.
3.If you think that payasa is little thick and sweetish,before serving you can add more milk to make it thin and warm it.
4.Check out my other kheer recipes
Barley Payasa/kheer
Shavige Payasa

Barley Kheer/Payasa

Happy Holi to all of you...Today I prepared Kheer out of barley,my family loved it and asking it to make it again.I prepared by grinding the barley into course powder.It is very easy and simple to prepare in no time,so I want to share with you on this auspicious day.Barley  is a good source of nutrients and antioxidants.This whole grain is not only packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, but is also one of the richest sources of fiber, both soluble and insoluble. Insoluble fiber helps in the detoxification of the body, while soluble fiber attaches to fats to aid them in getting out of your body.Barley also helps in the stabilization of blood glucose levels. In short, eating barley is good for people with diabetes. This is because fiber found in barley can cause a delay in the stomach emptying and can slow down the body's absorption  of carbohydrates from foods. Barley should be included in the diet of a person suffering from this health problem.It also reduces body heat,good for urinary tract infections,kidney stones and water retention to name a few.

Ingredients:
Barley Powder-4tbsp
Milk-2cups
Condensed milk-1/2cup
Saffron strands-1/4tsp
Cardamom powder-1/4tsp
Cashewnuts-1tbsp
Almonds-1tbsp
Raisins-1tbsp
Ghee-2tsp

Method:
1.Chop the nuts roughly,Fry the nuts and raisins to golden brown in ghee and keep it aside.
2.In a pan boil the milk,when its nearly to boil add barley powder,allow it to boil until the mixture thickens.
3.Now add condensed milk,saffron strands and cardamom powder, cook for 2-3minutes on a low flame.
4.Garnish with fried nuts and raisins.Serve hot or cold.

Enjoy thick,creamy,healthy and delicious Barley kheer.

Namadaholige/Naamadallige/Rice Burfi

Happy Maha Shivaratri to all of you..This is a simple and very rustic traditional sweet made out of rice and jaggery.I always loved sweets made out of jaggery than sugar ones because jaggery has more nutritional value compared to sugar.Naamadallige or naamadaholige is a rare traditional sweet used to prepare in olden days during Shivaratri festival  using Tambittu flour or roasted rice powder along with tambittu and other delicacies.I got this recipe from my maternal grandmother..She used to tell in olden days i mean 40-50years ago, when there were no bakeries,sweet shops etc people used to prepare simple and easy sweets and savouries for snacking  using the ingredients available at home.Naamdallige is one such easy and healthy sweet and can be consumed little more without feeling guilty.I dedicate this post to my grandmother who was a great cook. She is no more with us..but her words and recipes are still remembered with love..love you ajji..miss u..

Ingredients:
Rice-2cups or Tambittu flour-1cup
Jaggery/Bella-1cup
Poppy seeds/Gasgase-1tbsp
Grated dry coconut/Kobari-1/2cup
Dry roasted dehusked peanuts/kadlebeeja-1/2cup
Puff Channa/Hurigadle/kadle-1/2cup
Cardamom powder-1/2tsp
Ghee-1tbsp and extra for greasing tray

Method:
1.To prepare roasted rice powder or tambittu flour,dry roast the rice flour till light brown and nice aroma comes, grind it into fine powder or milled it .Take 1cup of roasted rice powder.
2.In a vessel add jaggery and 2cups of water boil until the jaggery is fully dissolved in water.
3.Meanwhile coursly crush peanuts and puff channa and grease the tray or plate with ghee and keep it aside.
4.When the jaggery syrup begins to boil,add cardamom,grated dry coconut, crushed Peanut and puff channa and ghee mix well.
5.Stir the mixture slowly add rice powder and mix well,close the lid and keep on a low flame for 5minutes.

6.Take out  of the flame remove the lid and transfer the mixture to greased tray or plate and evenly pat the mixture on the plate
.Leave it to cool.Cut into desired shapes and serve.

Sending to Swati's

 

Belladanna/Sweet pongal/Gud ka chawal

Ingredients:
Rice-1/2cup
Moongdal/Hesarubele-1/2cup
Jaggery-1cup
Ghee/Tuppa-2tbsp
Cardamom powder-1/4tsp
Copra grated/Cobari turi-2tbsp
Cashew nuts-fistful
Raisins-fistful

Method:

1.Lightly dry roast moong dal to golden colour.Soak moongdal and rice for 15minutes and cook the rice with 2cups of water in a pressure cooker for 2 -3 whistles.Allow to cool.

2.Along with the above process,melt jaggery with 1/4cup water in a pan and allow 5-10minutes to cook until it becomes syrup.

3.Fry both cashews and raisins separately in ghee and keep it aside.

4.When cooker cools down,remove the lid and mix Jaggery syrup,cardamom powder,copra and remaining ghee and allow to cook for 10 minutes on a medium to low flame.Remove from the flame,garnish with nuts and raisins.

Serve Hot with Khara pongal.

     I am sending my Entries to Priya's

l

Spicy Oats and Veg burger

Oats Upma

Apple Crumble with Oats

Shavige Kheer/Vermicelli Kheer for New Year

Happy new year to every one,may this year brings happiness,prosperity and peace into our lives..not to forget humanity and kindness towards others to create a peaceful and beautiful world for everyone..Lets all of us learn to live and let other live peacefully this year..

Ingredient:
Vermicelli-1cup
Sugar-1/2-1cup{according to your taste)
Milk-3cups
Cardamom powder-1/4tsp
Saffron strands-few
Cashewnuts-1tbsp
Raisins-1tbsp
Almonds-1tbsp
Ghee-2tbsp

Method:
1.Chop the nuts roughly,Fry the nuts and raisins to golden brown with ghee. and keep it aside.
2.In a pan boil the milk,when its nearly to boil add vermicelli,when it becomes soft  add sugar,cardamom and saffron strands, cook for 2-3minutes.Mix the nuts and raisins along with ghee.
Serve hot or cold.

Godhi/Whole Wheat Laadoo For Ugadi

I got this ladoo recipe from my friend Vani,this is  very easy and tasty ladoo recipe,It will keep for 3-4 days in air tight container,proportion of the sugar you can adjust to your taste.Perfect for any occassions and festivals. 

Happy UGADI to all my fellow bloggers and visitors!

Ingredients:
Whole wheat flour-1cup(I used pilsbury atta)
Sugar-1/3cup
Elachi/cardamom-2-3
Ghee-4tbsp
Handful of raisins and cashewnuts

Method:
1.Powder the sugar along with cardamom and keep it aside.
2.roast the wheat flour with tbsp of ghee until the rawness of the flour is gone and until nice aroma comes.
3.Fry dry fruits with little ghee and keep it aside.
4.Take out of the heat,mix powdered sugar,ghee and fried dry fruits to the roasted flour and mixwell.
5.Take a hand ful of mixture and make them into round shaped balls,if you are not getting them into balls add more melted ghee and try.

Peda's for Colourful Holi in Microwave

Peda is one of the familiar sweet in India,For every occasion and festivals it is a must have sweet whether you prepare at home or you buy from the sweet shop.It is liked by all age group,It comes in different flavours,shapes and colours..I came cross this very easy recipe from Show me the curry.com,they have a awesome site with lots of wonderful recipes...check it out.You can make this peda's with different flavours,here I hav used cardamom,instead of cardamom you can use saffron,vanilla essence,rose essence,cocoa
powder to name a few...Enjoy this wonderful peda's in this colourful festive season from Nammaruchi..Enjoy!!!
 Happy Holi to all my fellow bloggers and visitors!.

Ingredients:
Milk powder- 2 cups (150gm)
Sweetened Condensed Milk - 1, 14oz can (396gm)
Unsalted Butter – 113gms
Cardamom powder-1/2tsp
Chopped pistachios and almonds-1/4cup

Method:
1.In a microwave safe dish, melt the butter.
2.Add the condensed milk,milk powder and cardamom powder and mix well.
3.Cook in microwave for 3minutes,but stir it once after every minute.
4.After 3 minutes,mix it well and leave it aside to cool completely or little warm.
5.Once it is cooled, grease your hands and make balls.

6.Keep the balls between your palms press gently to give it slightly flatten shape.
7.Press the chopped nuts in the middle of the pedas.You can also decorate them with
Coloured sugar,saffron or any nuts you like.Serve warm or chilled...
Makes 40 pedas approx