Carrot Halwa / Gajar Halwa | Indian Sweets Recipes

Happy Holi Everyone! Holi is not the only celebration today. It is also my father's birthday. He is turning 60 today. I am happy to post this delicious carrot halwa on this occasion and wish him a very happy birthday!
I have made carrot halwa only a couple of times. Though it takes a long time to make this sweet, all the work done will be very fruitful when you see your family enjoy it.
Carrot halwa tastes great on its own. But a must-try serving suggestion from me.. Top the warm carrot halwa with a scoop or two of vanilla icecream...bliss..

Ingredients:
Measurements in standard cups;
Preparation time - 15 mins; Cooking time - 45 minutes
Carrots - 6 medium sized (4 cups grated)
Low fat Milk - 3-1/2 cups 
Sugar - 1 cup (or a little less)
Ghee - 3 tsp
Cashew nuts - 5
Slivered almonds - 1 tsp

Method:
Grate the carrots in the grater with the bigger teeth. Heat a wide non-stick pan with 1 tsp of ghee. Fry the cashews and almonds for a minute or two. Remove and set aside. Heat 2 tsp of ghee in the same pan and fry the carrots for 4-5 minutes. Add the milk, mix well and cook in medium-high heat. Cook for about 25-30 minutes or until all but a little milk remains. Mix once every 5 minutes to help the carrots cook and allow the milk to evaporate faster. When most of the milk is evaporated, add the sugar and mix well. Continue to cook until the sugar is completely melted and the halwa gets a glossy look, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add the fried nuts. Mix well and serve. This also tastes good chilled.
Notes: I strongly recommend using a non-stick pan for this recipe. It makes the cleanup so much easier with almost no or minimum wastage. Also I need not have to baby-sit this halwa. Just set the timer every 5 minutes and do something else.
Use whole milk if you like a richer texture. I have used low-fat milk and it works fine for me.

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Rava Kesari / Sooji Pudding | Indian Festival Recipes

Starting December with a Sweet note! DH asked for this sweet himself. You may say "So? big deal". Actually he is not a big fan of sweets but he asked me to make this sweet on my birthday. I was happy to make it because, firstly he asked for it, secondly, I get to satisfy my sweet tooth :D. I was making this one when MIL was on phone wishing me on my birthday. She asked what I was making and I replied "Rava Kesari". "Good, that is our family's traditional sweet made during celebrations" said she. No wonder he asked me to make it. It is an easy to make sweet which gets done is less than 30 minutes, which is pretty amazing for an Indian Sweet. What do you say? Rava Kesari, anyone?

Ingredients:
Serves - 4
Rava - 1 cup
Sugar - 1 cup
Orange food color - a pinch
Cashews - 6 - halved
Ghee - 4 tbsp + 2 tsp
Water - 3 cups

Method:
Heat 1 tsp of ghee in a non-stick kadai and fry the cashews. Remove and set aside. Add another tsp of ghee and roast the rava until it is warm to the touch. Remove and spread on a plate to cool. Heat 2 cups of water in the same pan covered. Heat 1 cup of water separately in a saucepan and keep it covered. When the water in the kadai starts to boil, reduce the heat to medium, add the roasted cooled rava and mix with a wooden spoon until most of the water is absorbed. If the rava is cooked through it would appear clear. If it still appears like white grains add the other cup of water in 1/4 cup increments and cook until the rava is cooked through. When it is done, add the sugar and food color. The mixture would thin out a little and may form lumps after adding sugar. Continue stirring until there are no lumps. Add ghee little by little and continue to cook in medium heat. When all the ghee is used up add the fried cashews. Remove from heat and serve warm.
Notes: You can substitute yellow food color instead of orange.
Linking these up to Kid's Delight - Festival Treats;

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Easy Instant Unniyappam / Banana Kuzhi Paniyaram / Rice Flour Sweet Appam

All fond memories are made through food. Or at least the food enthusiast in me try to connect memories with food. There is a memory associated with these unniyappams. I first tasted unniyappam in one of dad's friends' home when I was around 10. They are a sweet family from Kerala and Aunty would make this every single time when we visited. I still remember how fondly she used to prepare these appams for us kids. Then they moved back to Kerala after Uncle retired and we all moved to different cities for work. But then the world has shrunk these days due to the advent of social media and we have got a chance to reconnect with our old friends. It is through Facebook that we reconnected with their family. I chanced upon to see her daughter, wishing her mother on her birthday. I too conveyed my wishes to Aunty and the foodie in me made a mental note that I have to make her unniyappams one day.

Ingredients:
Serves - 4 for snack
Rice flour - 2 cups
Jaggery - 1/2 cup (tightly packed) - see notes below
Banana - 3 small or 2 big ones - mashed
Salt - a pinch
Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp
Baking soda - a big pinch
Water - 1/4 cup + more to make the batter
Oil - for frying in the pan

Method:
Mix jaggery in 1/4 cup of water and heat until it is melted. Filter with a fine mesh strainer. Mix the jaggery syrup with rice flour, mashed bananas and water to make a batter of pouring consistency but slightly thicker than dosa batter. Stir in salt, cardamom powder and baking soda. Heat the paniyaram pan / abelskiever pan in medium-high flame. Pour about 1/4 tsp of oil in each kuzhi (indentation). Pour enough batter into each kuzhi to fill. When little bubbles start to appear on the top, flip using a toothpick or chopstick to about halfway. After about another minute, flip again completely. At this stage all the sides of the appam should be golden and well-formed to a round shape. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook until the insides are cooked through. Repeat for the rest of the batter.
Notes:
1. The amount of jaggery used here yields a mildly sweetened unniyappam. For sweeter ones use 3/4 to 1 cup of jaggery. The water for making syrup should be 1:2 with jaggery.
2. Traditionally the unniyappam is made by soaking rice and grinding to form a batter with jaggery and banana. Another point to make it traditional is to add small pieces of fresh coconut fried in ghee and black sesame seeds to the batter.

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Pasiparuppu Urundai / Moong Dhal Ladoo - Wish you a Happy Diwali | Diwali Sweets Recipes

Wish you all a very Happy Diwali! Hope you are having lots of fun celebrating the festival with friends and family. Last year during Diwali we were relocating cross country, so I coould not make any sweets. This time I made Murukku, Ribbon Murukku, Jangiri and this Pasiparuppu urundai. If you are someone who are pressed for time then you should definitely make this one. With just 6 ingredients, it gets ready in 30 minutes and tastes like you have put a lot of effort into making them.

Ingredients:
Measurements in standard cup/spoon measurements; Makes about 16-18 lime sized ladoos
Yellow Moong dhal / Pasi paruppu - 1 cup
Raw Rice - 1 tbsp
Sugar - 1 cup
Ghee - 1/4 - 1/3 cup (as needed)
Cardamom - a pinch
Cashews - 10 - broken into little pieces

Method:
Dry roast the moong dhal and rice in medium heat until light brown. Transfer to a plate and allow to cool completely. Meanwhile powder the sugar and fry the broken cashews in a teaspoon of ghee. Process the moong dhal-rice to a fine powder. In a mixing bowl, add the moong dhal-rice powder, powdered sugar, cardamom and fried cashews. Mix well with a wooden spoon. Warm ghee in the same kadai which was used to fry cashews. When fully melted (should not boil, just warm), turn the heat off. Take about one-fourth of the dhal mixture and add 1-2 tsp of ghee or as required. Mix well with your fingers and try to make little lime sized balls, pressing tightly in your palm and fingers. If the mixture crumbles, add little more ghee and make ladoos. Super tasty moong dhal ladoos are done!

Linking this up to Spotlight - Festive Treats; Vardhini's Diwali Bash; Only - Diwali Treats by Pari.

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Jangiri / Jhangri | Indian Festival Recipes

Jangiri is DH's favorite sweet. It is true that he is not a great fan of sweets, but turns out he just loves this one. So I set out to make this one at home for Diwali. Honestly, I wasn't comfortable making jangiri at home. Ok, I know that is not a good line for any self-respecting food blogger to say. But hey, I am a regular home-cook first and then comes food blogging. But being a food blogger has its own perks. I dare to try new recipes with loads of inspiration from my fellow bloggers and I am happy I tried this one. At the end of the day, the thing that made me happy was a thumbs-up from my DH.
Also I have compiled a list of FAQs at the end, for newbies at Jangiri-making like me.

Ingredients:
Recipe Source - Grandma;
Makes - about 40 medium sized jangiris; Measurements in standard (240 ml) cups
Whole Urad Dhal (Gota) - 1 cup
Raw rice - 1 tsp
Sugar - 1 cup
Water - 3/4 cup
Lemon juice - a few drops
Orange food color - a pinch 
Oil - for deep frying

Method:
The batter:
Wash and soak urad dhal and rice in water for 2 hours. Drain and reserve about 1 cup of water. Use a wet grinder and grind the drained urad dhal to a smooth paste, sprinkling about few tbsps of the reserved water for about 3-4 times. The whole batter should be ready in about 30-40 minutes. The batter would be fluffy and should float to top when dropped in a bowl of water.
The sugar syrup:
Melt the sugar and water over medium heat in a wide bowl. When the sugar dissolves completely and starts to bubble up, remove from heat and add a few drops of lemon juice and orange food color. Mix and set aside.
The piping:
Line a plate with parchment paper. Fill a plastic bag (ziptop) with the batter and make a small slit in one of the corners for piping.
Remove the batter from the grinder to a bowl and mix the orange food color. Take a plate and try piping jangiri patterns on it for practice. Unlike murukku you would have to pipe jangiris directly into the oil. Do not worry if you do not get the patterns right, just go for a mini jangiri version which is just a free form pattern.
The frying:
Heat oil in a wide shallow fry pan for deep frying. The oil should only be an inch in depth in the pan. When the oil starts to emit small bubbles, pipe the jangiris into the oil. Always have the oil in medium heat. Flip and continue to fry until the bubbles around the jangiris are almost gone.
The Sweetening:
When the jangiris are fried and crispy, drain completely with a slotted spoon and transfer to the sugar syrup. Use a wooden spoon and press them slightly for about a few seconds, then flip over. Remove after 2 minutes and plate in the parchment lined plate. Allow a standing time of 1 hour for best taste.

FAQs on Jangiri:
Why is rice added when making jangiri?
Rice is added to give body and a slight crispness to the jangiri.
Why is lemon juice added to the sugar syrup?
Lemon juice is added to prevent the sugar from crystallising.
What is the best way to pipe a jangiri?
Traditionally a thick cloth is used with a hole in the center. This hole is generally secured with an overlock stitch to prevent further tearing. For one time use you could use a ziploc bag with a corner cut, like mehndi cone or a ketchup bottle. Personally the ketchup bottle squeezing did not work for me since the air filled in the ketchup bottle while squeezing does not have a means to escape.
Why is my jangiri light in color?
Not enough food color or not properly fried.
Why is my jangiri soggy/floppy?
Not properly fried. Though the frying temperature of the oil should be low it should not be too low. Like any other fried food, low temperature of the oil makes the food absorb more oil and become soggy.
Another reason the jangri turns out soggy is because the dough is watery. Add couple of teaspoons of rice flour and try again.
Why is my jangiri too crispy?
There could be two possible reasons. One, the jangiri is too thin, meaning the pipe thickness is too thin. Or, It hasn't soaked enough time in the syrup to become soft.

Linking this up to Vegan Thursdays.

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Coconut Ice Cream | Desserts Recipes

Growing up, I was not familiar with coconut ice cream. The most common flavours in cups were vanilla, chocolate, pista and sometimes strawberries. The first time I had coconut ice cream was after I came to US. Which is ironic because India, my home country is the 3rd largest producer of coconuts in the world. We use coconuts extensively in both cooking and worship rituals but coconut ice cream was somehow unheard of (I don't know if it is available now). Coming back my post, this is my first on an ice cream recipe because this is the first time I made ice cream at home. 

Ingredients:
Serves - 4-5
Heavy Whipping Cream - 1 cup
Coconut milk  - 1 1/2 cups (See notes below)
Sugar - 1/4 cup
Grated Coconut - 2-3 tbsp

Also needed:
A wide 3" high bowl
Ice cubes - 3 cups
Glass bowl or steel bowl for whisking
Immersion blender or Hand mixer or blender
Plastic container for storing ice cream
Parchment paper

Method:
Using an Ice cream machine:
Mix all the ingredients and pour in the ice cream maker. Follow the manufacturer's instructions.
Regular Method:
Get an ice bath ready, viz. In a wide bowl, which is at least 3" high, fill ice cubes. Use a glass bowl or steel bowl for mixing the ingredients and freezing. Place the mixing bowl over the ice cubes and add all the ingredients. Whisk the ingredients together with a immersion blender or hand mixer for 4-5 minutes. Cut the parchment paper to the size of the mouth of the mixing bowl. Place the paper over the whipped mixture such that it touches the layer of the whipped mixture. Close with a lid and freeze for 1 hour. Repeat the mixing process every 90 minutes (or 2 hrs) for another 2-3 times. Transfer to a container which has a lid. Place another parchment paper over the layer of the ice cream. Close with the lid. Freeze overnight. Scoop to your desired serving bowl and drizzle with chocolate syrup. Serve cold.
Notes:
1. I used Lite coconut milk in can. You could use regular canned coconut cream. Use only the first thick milk if making coconut milk at home. 
2. Honey or any other sweetener can be substituted for sugar. The sweetness was just right for me with 1/4 cup of sugar. If you like it sweeter increase the sugar by 2 tablespoons.
3. The mixing bowl should be over the ice bath at all times, when in freezer and while mixing.
Linking it up to Kid's Delight - Potluck Party; Taste of Tropics - Philippines.

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Parfait!! with Yogurt, Homemade Granola and Glazed Peaches..

Parfait is a french word meaning "perfect". Parfaits are generally layered desserts with cream, fruits and alcohol. I made this simple yet scrumptious one with greek yogurt (yumm, I love this stuff), peaches and my homemade granola. I have already posted my home made granola recipe earlier. Peaches are in season and I bet I made a great use of it.

Ingredients:
Serves - 2
Greek Yogurt (Low-fat/Fat-free) - 1 cup
Homemade Granola - 1 cup - Click here for the simple recipe
Peaches - 2 - ripe
Juice from 1 Orange
Agave Syrup - 1 tbsp
Butter - 1 tsp
Also needed: 2 transparent glasses

Method:
To Glaze Peaches: 
Wash, peel and pit the peaches. Cut into wedges. Heat butter in a non-stick pan and heat the orange juice and the agave. When it starts to bubble over drop in the peaches carefully and continue to heat in medium-high heat. Flip over and continue to cook until most of the juice has evaporated. Allow to cool.
Layering the Parfait glass:
Whip the yogurt in a bowl and all the leftover syrup from glazing the peaches. Take one parfait glass and start layering beginning with the peaches. Use a fork to place the peaches in the glass. Layer about 1/4th of a cup of the yogurt with a spoon and spread carefully. Top with 1/4th of a cup of home-made granola. Repeat with peaches, yogurt and granola. Follow the same method for the other cup. Serve chilled for breakfast or as a dessert. I had this for my Sunday breakfast. It was super delicious and was filling at the same time.
Notes: Try to get greek yogurt, otherwise regular yogurt or curd (dahi) also works perfectly fine. Agave Nectar can be substituted with honey or brown sugar. I used orange juice to reduce the quantity of brown sugar used to give the caramelization. Any stoned fruit can be substituted for peaches. Try Apricots or Plums for a variation.

Linking up this parfait to Healthy Breakfast; Sweet Celebration.

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Semiya Payasam / Vermicelli Kheer | Easy Indian Sweet Recipes

I made this Kheer the other day when we were expecting guests for dinner. This is one easy to make Indian sweet which comes out perfect every time. It was that day I was cooking up a long list of dishes for the guests and I made this one in the morning and refrigerated until dinner. This kheer tastes awesome both hot and cold.

Ingredients:
Standard cup measurements
Makes 4 - 1/2 cup servings
Semiya / Vermicelli - 1/2 cup
Low Fat Milk (Double-toned milk) - 2 cups
Whole Milk - 1/3 cup (optional, can use Low fat milk instead)
Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp
Sugar - 1/4 - 1/3 cup (as per the taste)
Cashew nuts - 5 broken
Raisins - 5
Ghee - 1 tbsp

Method:
Heat 1 tsp of ghee and roast the semiya until it turns a pale orange. Remove to a plate and allow it to cool. The roasted semiya will become little darker on cooling. In the remaining ghee, roast the cashews and raisins. Remove and set aside. Heat 2 cups of milk in a saucepan and bring it to boil. Reduce the heat to medium and add the roasted vermicelli and allow it to cook. When it is cooked (check by doing a bite test) add the sugar starting from 1/4 cup. Check for sweetness and add more sugar if needed. Add the cardamom powder and remove from heat. Garnish with cashews and raisins. Serve hot or chilled.

Linking this up to Preeti's Foodabulous Fest, Anu's South Indian Cooking and Spotlight - Raksha Bandhan.

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Pasi Paruppu Payasam / Moong Dhal Kheer | Indian Festival Recipes

DH is not a sweet lover but still he can't say no to few of them. Gulab jamun, Carrot Halwa and this Pasiparuppu payasam are the very few sweets which he likes. I made this Pasi paruppu payasam for Tamil New Year this year. I wanted to reserve it to celebrate my 250th post. I didn't think I could make it this far but I am happy and thankful to my lovely readers. And of course my family and friends for the continued support and encouragement. This paruppu payasam has no milk or coconut milk and keeps good for a couple of days in the fridge. 

Ingredients:
Serves - 2 to 3
Split Yellow Moong dhal / Pasi Paruppu / Hesaru Bele - 1 cup
Grated Jaggery - tightly packed - 1/2 cup
Water - 3 cups + 1.5 cups (see notes below)
Cardamom powder - a pinch
Ghee / Oil - 1 tsp
Cashew nuts - 5 - broken into little pieces
Grated Coconut - 1 tbsp

Method:
Dry roast the moong dhal in medium heat until it turns light brown in color. Pressure cook with 3 cups of water for 2 whistles (see notes below for stovetop method). Meanwhile dissolve the jaggery in the remaining water and filter. Heat with cardamom powder in a saucepan. When the dhal is done, mash slightly with the back of a spoon and mix with the heated jaggery water. Cook this dhal-jaggery mixture in medium heat. When the mixture comes to a boil remove from heat. Heat ghee in a pan and roast the cashew nuts. Remove and set aside. In the same pan roast the grated coconut in low heat until light brown. Add the roasted cashews and coconut to the dhal and serve hot. This kheer can also be served chilled.
Notes:
1. If serving chill, allow the payasam to come to room temperature and then pop in the refridgerator. Chill for a minimum of 2 hours and serve.
2. The 3 cups of water I used for cooking the dhal got absorbed fully when I pressure cooked the dhal. So I had to use 1.5 cups of water to the jaggery to bring to the desired consistency. You may need more or less water.
3. The dhal can also be cooked without a pressure cooker. In a medium saucepan, boil 3 cups of water and add the roasted moong dhal. Cook in medium-high heat until the dhal is cooked through. The moong dhal tends to be frothy and boil over. So keep a close eye and stir often.The dhal should be mashable with the fingers but still hold the shape.
Check out what I made for other milestone celebrations.
100th day of blogging - Honey Brownies
100th post - Carrot Kheer
2nd blog anniversary - Paal Kozhukattai
5 lakh hits - Mocha Chocolate Ricotta Creme

Sending this to Srivalli’sKid’s Delight event hosted by Pavani.

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Kayi Obbattu / Thengai Poli - Ugadi Wishes!

Happy Ugadi to everyone.. In our house Ugadhi is celebrated in a simple way with decorating the main entrance of the house with mango leaves, preparing ugadi pachadi, making this obbattu and like in all other Indian festivals, worshipping God for health and wellness. Being in US though I do not have access to mango leaves or neem flowers to make ugadi pachadi, I thought why not try the obbattu part.. This is a very simple recipe to make and takes much less time to make unlike most other Indian Sweets.

Ingredients:
Yields 12 pieces of 4" obbattus
Maida / All Purpose Flour - 1 cup
Oil - 1 tbsp + more for spreading out the obbattu
Grated Coconut (unsweetened) - 1 cup
Sugar - 1 cup (Jaggery can be substituted, but this is how it is made at my home)
Water - 1/3 cup + more for kneading dough
Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt - a pinch

Method:
Mix the maida with salt and add water little by little to make a loose dough. Knead until the dough becomes non-sticky. Coat with 1 tbsp of oil, cover and set aside for a minimum of 30 minutes. Meanwhile prepare the coconut filling. In a non-stick kadai, heat water and sugar with cardamom powder until all of the sugar dissolves. Add the grated coconut and mix in medium heat until most of the water evaporates and the mixture becomes sticky. Remove from heat and allow it to cool. When it is cool enough to handle, make 12 lime-sized balls. Divide the dough also into 12 portions. In a flat surface, spread a plastic sheet (cling film works good here) and apply little oil. Place a dough ball and spread into a circle (trust me it would be irregular, but no worries) of 4" wide using fingers. Place the pooranam-coconut filling in the center and cover with the edges of the dough to close the filling completely. Press and spread again with fingers to make obbittus(poli). Heat a tawa and carefully place the spread out polis and allow to cook. Flip over and cook for another couple of minutes until done. 
Notes:
1. Kneading well and setting aside the dough for 30 minutes ensures formation of gluten which enables the elasticity of the dough for easy stretching while spreading.
2. The filling has to be moist, frying it too much would dry it out and result in hard filling. It is impossible to use it as a stuffing then.
3. Oil/Ghee can be used while cooking. I did not use any.
4. I halved the above recipe to make 6 pieces just right for the 2 of us for a couple of days.
5. This stays good in room temperature for upto 3 days.

Linking this up to Celebrating Ugadi event of Madhu.

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Mocha Chocolate Ricotta Creme for a Celebration | Easy Dessert Recipes

I have a sweet tooth and I often crave for simple desserts which does not make me spend hours in the kitchen. This is one such recipe I came across. It is similar to ice cream but has just one-third of the calories in ice cream and is actually good for you. The part-skim ricotta cheese fills you up without weighing you down. And how can anything chocolate-flavored does not taste good.
Coming to the "Celebration" part, my space crossed 5 lakh hits last week. Whats more perfect for a celebration than something chocolatey?!!

Ingredients:
Preparation time: 10 mins; Serves - 2
Part skim ricotta cheese - 1 cup
Unsweetened Cocoa powder - 1 tbsp
Bittersweet / Semi sweet Chocolate chips - 1 tbsp
Instant coffee powder - 1/2 tsp
Low fat milk - 2 tbsp
Sugar or Sugar substitute - 2 - 3 tbsp

Method:
Mix all the ingredients except cheese in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds. Mix well and allow it to cool. When cooled mix with the cheese and pulse a couple of times in a blender. Serve Chilled.

Linking this yummy goodness to the following events..
Anu's Healthy Recipe Substitution; PJ's Celebrate Women's day; Sumee's Bon vivant - Kid's Delight; Let's Cook for Kids; Nithu's Healthy Foods for Healthy Kids; Jagruti's Choc Full Easter.

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Paal Kozhukattai / Thengai Paal Kozhukattai for Two Years of Blogging | Indian Sweet Recipes

Happy New Year everyone! For me 2013 is not the only reason to celebrate. This is Kavin's first new year and also my humble blog just turned 2 in December. Nothing is more special when it comes to celebrating with a sweet which is close to your heart. I celebrated our new year with this delicious Paal Kozhukattai. This is my favorite sweet and grandma makes it every time we visit her. True, it is quite an elaborate process but the end result makes all the effort feel lighter.

Ingredients:

Idly rice/Parboiled rice - 1 cup (wash and soak for 2 hours)
Sugar - 1/2 cup (or more if desired)
First Coconut Milk - 1 cup
Second and Third Coconut milk - 1-1/2 cups
Water - 2 cups
Oil - 1 tbsp + more for greasing
Cardamom powder - a pinch

Method:

Make coconut milk with one large coconut. Gently scrape the white flesh of the coconut and grind in a blender with little more than 1 cup of water. Extract the milk and set aside. This is the "first" milk. Return the coconut to the blender and add another cup of water and repeat. This is the "second" milk. Repeat for "third" milk.
After 2 hours of soaking, grind the rice to a smooth watery batter with a pinch a salt. A blender works fine for 1 cup of rice. Go for a wet grinder if using more rice. In a non-stick pan add oil and the ground rice batter. Keep stirring with a wooden spoon in medium heat until most of the water is evaporated and it comes to a big mass. Now divide this dough into four parts and work in batches. Keep the dough covered at all times to avoid drying. Grease oil in your palms and fingers and pinch the dough (about the size of blueberry/ small gooseberry) and make small oblong kolkattais. Keep the rolled kolkattais covered until all the dough is finished.
Boil water in a heavy bottomed pan with a pinch of salt. Reduce the heat to medium and add the kozhukattais in batches in two minutes interval. After about 4-5 minutes when all the balls are added gently stir from the corner. Stirring from the center may break the balls. At this stage the balls may stick to each other, that is perfectly normal. Dissolve the sugar in the combination of second and third milk and add to the boiling water. Allow the kolkattais to cook in medium high heat stirring once in a while until it is cooked (the kozhukattais will be shiny and soft but wont break) and the mixture thickened. At this stage the balls will no longer be sticking to each other. Finally add the first milk and cardamom powder and allow it to boil for 3-4 mins and remove from heat. Allow to cool a bit and serve warm.
Notes:
1. If you are pressed for time use canned coconut milk.
2. To make first milk, mix canned coconut milk and water in 1:1 ratio.
3. To make second and third (combination) milk use coconut milk and water in 1:2 ratio.

Linking these up to Walk Through Memory Lane event by Gayathri.

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Paal Vaazhakka ~ Banana in Coconut milk ~ Dessert from Kerala ! - Guest post by Dhyuthi of Mélange

The guest for this month's guest post is from Dhyuthi of Mélange. As the name says, her space is a mixture of different ingredients. One could find authentic Kerala recipes, All time favorite Indian curries to delicious Brioche buns. My favorite recipes from her site are Chemmeen Thoran and Koottu Curry. When I asked her to do a guest post for Krithi's Kitchen she was all excited and asked me what I would want her to make. My immediate reply was to have a native recipe from Kerala, her specialty and my favorite. Go ahead and check out what she made specially for me..

Before I go on thanking Krithi here,I may acknowledge this is an overdue. Krithi is a good old food blogger,a nice girl and friend who is there from the initial days of Melange.I would love to hug,a gesture of gratitude and friendship before going on to the recipe.
Krithi was particular about me doing something special from Kerala. That's completely logical. Isn't it? Melange being Keralite. But then I thought I will post something really really special here.A re-creation or re-invention from the past. A childhood favorite of mine,yet forgotten.

I was quite confused and anxious while waiting for my dessert Che Chuoi at a Vietnamese Restaurant. In a way more than expectation. Like many other Vietnam desserts, coconut milk was the main ingredient cooked along with banana and tapioca pearls. That was the description they had with it. Oh no,it struck me that I have tasted something like that somewhere in the past. I was trying to recollect where and when. Nothing occurred to me till delicious Che Chuoi made it's appearance. Relishing the first spoonful it was almost instinctive for me to go back. To the fever bed. The smell of fever. This was a special mild sweet prepared during my fever-struck days during childhood. Since I skip my steamed bananas (Nethrappazham as we call in Kerala) often,they were done with a complete make over in this dessert. Infused in coconut milk and cardamom,bananas virtually rock in this dessert. To convert it more healthy,I may suggest to add honey instead of sugar. On to the recipe now.

Ingredients:
2 medium sized bananas,cut into medium pieces. (Nenthrappazham is better since it offers you kind of sourness too)
2 cups of thin coconut milk
1 cup thick coconut milk
handful of sago/chavvari
1/4 tsp cardamom powder
sugar,as required
pinch of salt
few cashews & raisins to garnish (optional)
Method:
Boil thin coconut milk in a sauce pan.Stir in between.When it start boiling add sago and cook in low heat.After 5 minutes add the chopped banana and cook again till sago gets cooked completely and bananas done three fourth.Sprinkle cardamom powder.Pour thick coconut milk and cook in medium heat adding sugar and salt.When it start boiling switch off .You may garnish with cashews and raisins as well.(In Che Chuoi apparent difference is sesame.They garnish it with white sesame which gives it a unique flavour)

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Urad Sweet Bonda / Deep Fried Sweet Vadas with Urad Dhal / Indian Zeppoles

Do you have some family recipes which you have almost forgotten about. Well, I had forgotten about these beautiful Sweet Urad vadas until my sister reminded about them recently. She had made these for Pongal festival for offering to god. These sweet vadas (or vadeyvu/vadaevu as we call it in our home) is a must in our family for all festivals and marriages. They are similar to Medhu vadas, but slightly sweetened and have a mild spicy undertone due to the addition of pearl onions and cumin seeds.

Ingredients:

Makes about 20-25 small vadas
Whole Urad Dhal - 1 cup (I used a 120 ml cup)
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Shallots / Pearl onions / Sambar onions - 2 - peeled and halved
Cumin seeds / Jeera - 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves - a few (Optional - Gives a lovely aroma)
Salt - a pinch
Oil - To deep fry

Method:
Wash urad dhal about 5 times with exchanges of water. Soak with about 3-4 cups of water. After 1 hour store the soaking urad dhal in the refrigerator for another hour. After 2 hrs, drain the urad dhal reserving the soaked water. Place it in a blender and grind until smooth. A couple of teaspoons of water may be added while grinding. Make sure the batter is smooth but thick. Now add sugar and pulse once. Add the shallots, cumin seeds, salt and curry leaves and pulse a couple of times. Transfer the contents to a wide bowl and whisk for about 3-5 mins. This makes the thick batter fluffy to enable the vadas/bondas to be soft in the inside yet crispy on the outside.
Heat oil for deep frying in medium heat. Take a tablespoon-full of batter and drop into the hot oil and fry until golden brown. When done remove using a slotted spoon and drain excess oil in a tissue paper. Serve hot.

To serve: Break the vadas into two and sprinkle some sugar, drizzle little ghee over it. Enjoy!
Note: Make sure the batter is thick before adding sugar, because adding sugar loosens the batter.
Sending these beauties to Walk Through Memory Lane event hosted by Rasi for this month and also to Kitchen Chronicles - Heirloom Recipes event by Kalyani hosted by Saras.

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Thengai Burfi / Coconut Fudge - Wish you a Happy Diwali!! | Diwali Sweets Recipes

First things First!! Wishing everyone a very Happy Diwali!! Believe you are celebrating this day with high spirits. Though it is not a holiday here in US we are celebrating with friends (miss family very much). I made this Coconut Burfi as a part of my Diwali Sweets and Snacks. This is again a recipe from Grandma. I never knew this burfi was so easy to make with only 5 ingredients and can be done with less effort compared to other Indian Sweets.
I think this is the first time I am posting in my blog 3 days in a row..Hmm.. Festival Spirit!!

Ingredients:
Cooking time - 35-40 mins; Gives 12-14 2" squares
Coconut grated (just the white part) - 3 1/2 cups - loosely packed 
Sugar - 2 1/2 cups
Water - 1 1/4 cups
All-purpose flour / Maida - 2 tbsp
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp or less
Ghee - 1 tbsp + more to grease the pan.

Method:
Get all the ingredients ready and grease base and sides of a square pan with ghee. Pulse the grated coconut in a blender for a few seconds. Heat a heavy bottomed pan and mix the sugar and water until the sugar is dissolved. Continue boiling the sugar syrup for about 15 minutes in medium to med-high flame. Have a bowl of cold water by the side. After 15 minutes of boiling the syrup put about a drop of it to the bowl of water. If the syrup dissolves in the water continue the boil. Check with water drop method once every 2 minutes to see if the dropped sugar syrup can be made to a soft ball. At this stage add the coconut and mix well. Continue cooking in medium heat. Take caution as the mix splatters at this stage. After about 5 mins add the maida, it helps thickening of the burfi and gives the bright white color. Keep folding and stirring until it comes together. Add the cardamom powder and ghee and keep stirring till it becomes a big mass. Pour it to the greased pan and smoothen and spread the top based on desired thickness. Allow it to set for about 15 mins and cut into desired shapes. Cool completely and store in air-tight box for a couple of days. Can be stored for a week in the refrigerator.
Note: Freshly grated white part of the coconut is preferred, but frozen works perfectly fine. I used frozen 340g bag which I thawed to room temperature and measured to about 3 1/2 cups. Reduce the sugar by couple of tablespoons if you want it subtly sweetened.

I am sending this scrumptious sinful sweet delight to
Diwali Special - Sweets & Savories event by Radhika

Serve It - Festival Potluck event by me & Denny
Healing Foods - Coconut event by Siri & Sukanya
Only Sweets & Desserts event by Pari & Gayathri
My Diwali My way event by Khushi
Diwali - Festival of Lights event by Anu.

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