Updated – March 4th, 2009

Indian food Kitchen Blog wishes all of you a happy Ugadi.

“Yuga Ugadi Kaledaru Kaledaru Ugadi Marali Baruthide” – As each year passes on with the Ugadi (new year), it will always return to ring the new year bells.

This article features facts about Ugadi celebration and also the popular recipes.

Ugadi is celebrated in the Southern states of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh and in the South-Western state of Maharashtra as Gudi Padwa

Ugadi Habba (festival) in Karnataka

Ugadi is celebrated with great fervour in the states of Karnataka and Andhra as they usher the new year in. In Karnataka Ugadi starts with the special poojas and distribution of “Bevu-Bella” in Kannada. Bevu means Neem and Bella is jaggery. Bevu-Bella siginfies the mixture of bitterness and sweetness that we all need to undergo.There’s also lot of shopping this season….Before the day of Ugadi people throng to markets to purchase new clothes, flowers, sweets…the list is endless.

Ugadi in Andhra Pradesh

In Andhra similar celbrations take place but a special neem dish called Vepapootha Pachidi is prepared out of neem flowers. In both states colourful Kolams or rangolis adorn housefronts. Great care is taken by women on Ugadi’s eve to clean and draw unique and creative rangolis.

Maharashtra also celebrates this festival as Gudi Padva

Maharashtra, too has its share of Ugadi celbrations; Celebrated as Gudi Padwa. Here an inverted pot is ercted on a bamboo stick. The pot is decorated with silk and vermilion. This is then worshipped to celebrate the new year.

Like Karnataka and Andhra, Neem and jaggery are distributed as prasadams. Shopping for new clothes, colourful rangolis adorning houses mark the specialities. Shrikhand is also prepared and is part of the Maharashtrian ‘Gudi Padwa Menu’.

Apart from all these festivities, Kavi Sammelans are arranged in different places. Kavi sammelans are where poets gather and render there poems to people.

Food and Recipes for Ugadi

The popular recipes and food menus for Ugadi in Karnataka, Andhra and Maharashtra are Holige (Poli, obbatu), Kosumbari, Payasam (Kheer), Shrikhand, Gaarelu, Uddina Vade ( Vada/Vadai) to name a few.

Here are some special Ugadi recipes; No matter whether you celebrate the Ugadi or not try these dishes and let Ugadi bring happiness and glory to you all.

Holige / Puran Poli / Bobbatlu (all the three Ugadi celebrating states)

Photo Credit: chinnunchinnu

Ingredients

For filling :

• 2 cups bengal gram dal
• 2 cups grated jaggery
• cardamom powder – 1/2 tsp

For the dough:

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour (or wheat flour)
• a pinch of salt,
• 1/2 cup oil water,
• some rice flour for rolling polis.

Method

1. Sieve all purpose flour and salt twice.Make a soft and pliable dough with water and some oil.
2. Keep it under a wet cloth for an hour.
3. Boil bengal gram with plenty of water. Drain it while it is still hot. Use colander for this purpose.
4. Now add jaggery to this hot boiled bengal gram and cook on a medium flame.
5. Keep stirring constantly so that it will not burn or stick to the vessel.
6. The exact consistency is reached when it leaves sides of the vessel and gets thicker. Remove from the heat now. Allow it to cool and grate in a puran machine or a grinder. This helps remove the lumps.
7. Then add cardamom powder and mix. Now Puran is ready.
8. Knead the dough with hands. Use oil as well as water for kneading. Make round balls (about 2 inch. dia.) of this dough.
9. Roll one ball a little bit and make a flat disc.
10. Place some puran (about twice the quantity of outer dough) in the center of this flat disc. Seal the ball tightly.
11. Roll again to make thin puran polis of 6 to 7 inch. diameter.
    Use rice flour for smooth rolling.
12. Heat a flat griddle.
    On a medium flame, roast one side.
    Flip it and roast another side.
13. Do not flip the sides over and over.
    Roast till golden brown.
    Smear ghee on top and serve hot.

Khus- Khus Payasam (from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andra)

Photo Credit : Shah Alam

Ingredients

• Khus Khus – 1/2 cup
• Sugar/jaggery – 1 cup
• Milk – 1 1/2 cup
• Water – 1/2 cup
• Grated coconut – 1/2 cup
• Cardamom powder – 1/4 tsp

Method

1. In a dry pan roast the poppy seeds just for a minute and take off from fire. Allow it to cool for 10 minutes.
2. Now wash the seeds well for couple of times and then soak them in water for 1 to 2 hours.
3. In a blender add the poppy seeds along with coconut and grind it into a very fine smooth paste adding little water.
4. Take a deep bottomed vessel and bring the milk mixed with water to a boiling point.Add the sugar and mix well until it gets dissolved completely.
5. Keep stirring the milk in between and boil for 4 to 5 minutes.Now add the paste along with cardamom powder and allow it to boil for further 5 to 8 minutes.
6. After adding the poppy seeds paste keep stirring the content regularly so that it gets mixed with milk giving a very good flavor.
7. You can also filter the payasam in a colander/muslin cloth to get the refained liquid but it’s optional.
   For better taste use jaggery. You can adjust the proportion according to your taste.
8. Famous dessert from karnataka & also good dessert during summer time as poppy seeds works as a cooling agent.

Gaarelu (An Andhra ‘vada’ specialty)

Photo Credit: Charles Haynes

Ingredients

• 1 cup split bengal gram
• 6 greenchillies
• 1 1/2 inch ginger
• salt to taste
• few curry leaves
• few coriander leaves
• oil for frying

Method

1. Soak split bengal gram for 5 to 6 hours.
   Drain the water from it and grind it in the food processor along with ginger,salt and green chillies by adding very little water; the batter must not be too hard or too thin.
2. The consistency must be such that gaarelu can be made.
3. Take oil in a deep frying pan and heat it hot. in a plastic sheet, take a small amount of batter and flatten it with your fingers with a little hole in the middle.
4. Take that from it and fry it until golden brown.

Kosambari

Photo Copyright: Chivani

Ingredients

• Moong dal, green gram split, 50 gms
• Channa dal, bengal gram, 50 gms
• 4-5 green chillies
• coriander leaves a small bunch
• freshly grated coconut. 2-4 tblsp
• Fresh cucumber and carrot (optional) lime.
• Mustard – 1 tsp

Method

1. Soak 50 gms each of Moong and Chnna Dals separately for one hour. Grate the coconut to provide one handful of turi (grated material).
2. Drain the water from both dals. Peel one cucumber and cut it into small pieces of the size of a pea (optional).
3. Chop two green chilli. Keep one spoon of oil in a kadai warm it and put mustard.
4. Wait till they split, then put the chopped green chillies, turn around and put a pinch of hing (kayam, asafetida). Put the entire thing onto the dals.
5. Add salt to taste and then squeeze the juice of half a lime (green variety).
6. Turn around and then put the grated coconut.
7. Adding cucumber or the carrot is purely optional and is not in any way necessary.
8. It does alter the taste slightly. Cucumber makes the kosumbari a little watery and therefore it must be consumed rather quickly (half to one hour).
9. Salt tends to bring out a lot of water from cucumber.

Uddina Vada (from Karnataka)

Ingredients

• Urad Dhal – 1 cup
• Green Chilly – 2
• Salt – 1/2 tsp
• Ginger – small piece
• Cooking Oil – for frying

Method

1. Soak the dhal in water for 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
2. Then, wash and rinse and grind into a smooth batter along with the salt, chilly and ginger.
3. Add minimal water. Take a small ball of batter and flatten it out in the palm of the hand or on a plastic wrap/sheet.
4. Heat up the oil and when it is hot enough, test with a small blob of the batter. It should rise immediately to the surface of the oil.
5. When the oil has reached such heat, add the flattened balls and fry until it turns golden brown in color.
6. Drain the excess oil and serve hot with Sambhar or Chutney.

Mango Shrikhand (from Maharashtra)

Photo Credit: mswine
Ingredients

• 1 mango (ripe to medium ripe)
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup grated coconut
• 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
• 1 quart whole milk yoghurt
• 2 tsp water
• a pinch saffron

Method

1. Put the saffron in a pan, add cardamom powder and water & heat it on simmer while stirring and remove the heat.
2. Whisk the saffron mixture into the yoghurt. Put this yoghurt mixture in a coffee filter or a strainer lined with cheese cloth and set it over a bowl.
3. Let drain in the refrigerator for an hour.
4. Transfer the yoghurt to a bowl and add sugar to it.
5. Beat the yoghurt 2-3 min.
   Pour into bowls and refrigerate it until very chilled.Mean while,toast the coconut over low heat until golden.
6. Serve the shrikhand topped with mango cut into thin slices and coconut.

Related Links, recipes and articles:

Karjikai Recipe- A Ugadi festival sweet from Karnataka

Video: Bobbatlu / Obbatu / Holige

Video: Carrot Kosambari

Video: Rice Payasam

Ugadi Greetings at 123greetings.com

More about Ugadi festival at tajonline.com

Makar Sankranti traditionally coincides with the beginning of the sun’s northward journey called uttarayan when it enters the sign of Makar (Capricorn) on the 14th of January every year. This day is considered to the most auspicious day for Hindus when days and nights are of equal length.

Update Jan 8, 2008: Links updated at the end of this post  and 3 Sweet Pongal Recipes posted here

Mythological background

In the Mahabharata, Bhishma who lay wounded on a bed of arrows is said to have been waiting for the period of Uttarayan to set in, in order to breathe his last since it was believed that a person escapes the cycle of rebirth if he dies on this day.

According to legends, a deity is said to have slayed Shankarasur, a demon and hence the name Sankranti.

Makar Sankranthi / Pongal celebrated around India

Makar Sankranti is celebrated all over India. Sesame seeds (til) is used in sweet preparations. Sesame contains oil and is soft. Sweets prepared with sesame signify love and tender feelings.

Maharashtra

People of Maharashtra prepare Tilgud, Til laddus and Til polis and exchange them with relatives and friends saying Til gul ghaya, god bola (accept these tilguds and speak sweet words). It is a special day for women.

Gujarat

In Gujarat too, the day is celebrated much the same way. Gifts are presented by elders of the family to the younger lots. In Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh, Sankranti heralds the onset of spring and the kite-flying season.

Madhya Pradesh

Natives of Bundelkand in Madhya Pradesh celebrate Sakarat with pomp and lots of sweets. In Uttar Pradesh, it’s called Khichdi. A month long Kumbh mela is held at the Prayag (confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and the Saraswati rivers) and people take holy dips in this meeting palce.

Bengal

For the Bengalis, it is the last day of the month of paush. They bathe at the Millat Ganga Sagar where Ganga is believed to have vivified the ashes of 60000 ancestors of bhagirath.

Orissa

In Orissa, tribals light bonfires, dance on this day, for them the New Year. The Bhuya tribes of Orissa have Maghyatra and even have a sale of homemade articles.

Assam

For the Assamese, Maagh Bihu signifies the end of harvesting period and a time for feasting from their crop. It is also called Bhogaali Bihu or the festival of food.

South India

For the south Indians, especially Tamilians, Pongal is a very important festival. Here again it is associated with harvest and is celebrated for 3 days. On the eve of Pongal, called the Bhogi, bonfires are lit and all old belongings are thrown into this fire. This is to signify the arrival of the new season. On Pongal day, rice is boiled in a pot of milk and sweetened with jaggery with everybody shouting “Pongalo Pongal”. Worship of the Sun God is an essential part of the festival. Maattu Pongal, the next day after Pongal, is a thanksgiving to the cattle where the cattle are decorated and fed well.

In Kerala, Sabarimala witnesses huge number of devotees from all over the country to witness the Makra Jyoti. The deity here, Lord Aiyappa is worshipped here and food offerings especially Ghee is made by the devotees of all castes.

Thus Makar Sankranti, Pongal, or Bihu is celebrated with great pomp in India to welcome in the new season and the victory of good over evil.

More Pongal resources:

All about Pongal

Pongal Recipes, Kolams and Customs from 123pongal.com

Pongal resources from About.com

Christmas Recipes

1. Video: Make Eggless Chocolate Cake this Christmas
2. 3 Eggless Cake Recipes
3. Contributors recipe – Easy Maida (Flour) Cake
4. Contributors Recipe – Vanilla Cake
5. Chocolate Lava cake
6. New Year Special: Hot Milk Sponge Cake
7. Make Eggless Biscuit and Chocolate Cake at home (without baking)
8. New Indian Cake Recipes added
9. Video: Coffee Cake (Eggless) for Christmas
10. 4 more Delicious Eggless Cake Recipes

This post is a continuation of the eggless cake recipes collection that I had posted earlier. What better than Christmas to try these delicious cakes – without the eggs. Most of these cakes come from popular Indian chefs and carry an Indian flavor to them.

(Note: Almost all of the cakes requires baking in an oven or a microwave with baking facility)

4 delicious recipes are featured here:

1. Eggless Chocolate Sponge Cake

2. Eggless Fruit Cake

3. Butter Cake without eggs

4. Eggless Cherry Cake with almonds

1. Eggless Chocolate Sponge Cake

This soft and yummy sponge cake takes about an hour to make and serves 6 people.

Ingredients:

• 1/2  can of  condensed milk — (200gms)
• 2 3/4  cups   of   plain flour — (250gms)
• 40 grams  cocoa
• 1  teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon  baking soda — (soda bicarb)
• 2 teaspoons  icing sugar
• 1/2 cup  butter melted — (60gms)
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla essence
• 100 ml  milk
• 100 ml Coke or Thums Up

How to make:

• 1. Sieve flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, cocoa all together 2 to 3 times.  Keep aside.
  2. Pour condensed milk in a bowl.
  3. Add the butter, and beat well till smooth.
  4. Add the flour spoon by spoon, mixing into the condensed milk mixture.
  5. In between, add milk as required if the butter begins to get too stiff. [Stir the mixture in one direction only all the while. This will make the cake lighter].
  6. Once all the flour is used, beat the batter as above till light (5-7 minutes).  Add the coke or Thums Up and mix gently till smooth.
  7. Pour into a greased cake tin.  Do not smooth with a spoon etc.  If the consistency is right this will not be needed.
  8. Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees Celsius.
  9. Place the cake tin inside.  Bake at 200 degrees Celsius  for 5-7 minutes and then at 150 degrees Celsius till it is done (35 to 40 minutes).
  10. Poke with a skewer and check.  Cool a little.  Invert on wire rack.  Cool completely before doing icing if any.  Or serve warm with tea.
  11. Makes a six round cake

2. Eggless Fruit Cake

Ingredients:

• Butter /margarine 100gm

• Sugar 150gm

• All purpose flour 200gms

• Fruits – Apple, pineapple, Orange – Chopped to small pieces: 1-2 cups

• Raspberry, cherries, dried grapes, almonds – 300 grams

• Milk 200ml

• Flakes 100grams

How to make:

1. Melt the butter.
2. Place the flour (sieved), in a big bowl add milk and mix well.
3. Add butter and mix thoroughly to an even mixture.
4. Grease oven tray (or pie tray), sized 23 cm.
5. Sprinkle flakes and 50 gms sugar.
6. Pour the mixture evenly in the tray, Press all fruits bits and sprinkle sugar over berries.
7. Now bake it in the pre-heated oven at 225 degrees Celsius for about 30 minutes or until the upper part turns to golden yellow colour.

Recipe Courtesy: Vimalas Kitchen

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3. Butter Cake

Ingredients:

• Butter 300 grams

• Sugar 150 grams

• All purpose flour 300 grams

• Corn flour 250 grams

• Baking powder 1 teaspoon

How to make:

1. Turn the oven to 150 degrees Celsius.
2. Mix sugar and butter to a fluffy consistency.
3. Add flour, Corn flour, baking powder and mix well.
4. Get a fine batter.
5. Pour the batter in paper moulds (2/3rds) and bake them for 30 minutes.

Recipe Courtesy: Vimalas Kitchen

4. Eggless Cherry Cake with Almonds

photo credit: tupawk

Ingredients:

• Almonds, cherries – 100 grams each
• Maida – 250 grams
• Castor sugar – 75 grams
• Baking powder – 2 teaspoons
• Condensed milk – 1 tin
• Butter – 125 grams
• Baking soda – 1 teaspoon
• Hot milk – 2 cups
• Almond essence – ½ teaspoon

Method:

1. Sieve Maida, baking powder and soda altogether.
2. Beat butter, sugar well, add essence, milk little by little and continue beating them well.
3. The mixture should soak for sometime.
4. Then add the finely chopped almonds, finely chopped cherries, sieved flour, milk little by little and stir them well to get a cake mixture.
5. Pour it in the greased baking plate and bake it in 180 deg. C.

———————————-

Links to more eggless cakes and other recipes (other websites)

Indian cake recipes (many recipes don’t have eggs)

Madhuram’s Eggless Cooking (including cakes)

Eggless Tutti Fruity Cookies by Parita

Eggless Fruit and Nut Cake by Diya

Christmas Recipes

1. Video: Make Eggless Chocolate Cake this Christmas
2. 3 Eggless Cake Recipes
3. Contributors recipe – Easy Maida (Flour) Cake
4. Contributors Recipe – Vanilla Cake
5. Chocolate Lava cake
6. New Year Special: Hot Milk Sponge Cake
7. Make Eggless Biscuit and Chocolate Cake at home (without baking)
8. New Indian Cake Recipes added
9. Video: Coffee Cake (Eggless) for Christmas
10. 4 more Delicious Eggless Cake Recipes

Christmas is just a week away and a holiday mood is taking over. India too is gearing up for Christmas and a New year weekend. While the world readies itself to celebrate I’m ready to feast on all the cakes that comes with Xmas. Though Plum cake and chocolate cake form an important part of Christmas menu, I was searching for something different and different is what I found.

This video (from Videojug.Com) tells you how to make Vegan (eggless) Coffee cake. Haven’t asked my mother to make this one, but I guess I will before the 25th. Meanwhile, you can enjoy this video and let us know how your Eggless coffee cake creation turned out

Note: Indian Food Kitchen Blog is not the owner of the video. The video here has been posted after permission from the author. The video might take some time to load depending on your internet connection, so please be patient while it loads.

Diwali Recipes Series

1. 5 Halva Recipes: Diwali Special
2. Celebrate with Diwali Sweet Recipes
3. Video: Make Gulab Jamoon (Indian Sweet) this Diwali
4. 3 Special Diwali Snacks Recipes

Diwali is all about Sweets isn’t it? I thought so too. But snacks and spicy eats are also an important accompaniment along with those Mithais.

photo credit: vandan desai

Except Om Pudi (which is a South India variety of Bhujia Sev), 2 of the other recipes are easier to make. Try them out and let me know how they turned out.

Three Snack Recipes are featured here:

1. How to make Om Pudi 2. Masala Papad 3. A different snack in Pepper Chips

Om-Pudi

Ingredients:

• Besan flour or channa dhal powder- 3 cups
• Raw Rice flour- 1 cup
• Powdered Ajwain- 2 teaspoons
• Red chilli powder- 2 teaspoons
• White butter- 2 teaspoons
• Salt- as required
• Asafetida- ¼ teaspoon
• Oil- for deep frying

Method:

1. Sieve Besan and rice flour through a fine siever separately.
2. Add all the ingredients and make thick dough by adding sufficient water.
3. Make portions of the dough; put each portion (one at a time) inside an Om Pudi Container.
4. Press (using Murukku maker) it straight into the hot oil in a rotary motion.
5. When crisp, turn the other side over and deep fry till golden and crisp on both the sides.
6. Remove from oil with a perforated spoon and keep over a Colander.
7. Store in an air tight container.

Pepper Chips

Ingredients:

• Maida – 1 cup
• Pepper Powder – 2 teaspoons
• White butter- 2 teaspoons
• Oil, salt- to taste

Method:

1. Mix Maida, pepper powder, butter, salt and knead like chapathi dough.
2. Roll it like a chapathi and cut into diamond shapes and deep fry it in oil.
3. Now the tasty, mouth watering Pepper fries are ready to serve!

Masala Papad

Ingredients:

• Maida- ½ cup
• Ginger Paste- 1 teaspoon
• Masala powder- ¼ teaspoons
• Pepper Powder- 1 teaspoons
• White butter- 2 tablespoons
• Chilly powder- ¼ teaspoons
• Asafetida- a pinch
• Oil, Salt- to taste

Method:

1. Mix Maida, ginger paste, pepper powder, masala powder, butter, chilly powder, asafetida thoroughly with oil and water and knead it like chapatti dough.
2. Roll it like a small chapathi and deep fry in the oil.

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If you want to know how to make delicious Deepavali sweets and Halvas, check them out here:

• Diwali Sweets
• Halvas Recipes for Deepavali

Diwali Recipes Series

1. 5 Halva Recipes: Diwali Special
2. Celebrate with Diwali Sweet Recipes
3. Video: Make Gulab Jamoon (Indian Sweet) this Diwali
4. 3 Special Diwali Snacks Recipes

Diwali is here, Yay! More than the crackers, it’s time for a fun get-together with family and friends and lots of Sweets, of course. Starting with Ganesha Chaturthi and Dasara, Diwali ends the Hindu festival season in a grand scale and then sets the atmosphere later for Christmas and New year.

photo credit: phxpma

Deepavali (festival of lights) is when the whole of India and Indian communities abroad, is decked with bright lights, mad-shopping and colors everywhere. Ok, coming to the food part; Deepavali is also the time to gorge on sweets and tons of them!

Here is a collection of 5 types of Halwa (Halva) Recipes. These have been adapted from a Tamil magazine and collated by my sister Harini.

Find links to other Halva and Sweet Recipes for this festival at the end of this article.

Almonds or Badam Halwa

Ingredients

• Milk, Sugar- 1 cup each
• Almonds or Badam- ½ cup
• Ghee- ½ cup

How to make

1. Soak the almonds in water overnight and blanch it.

2. (Blanching is soaking and removing the peels of the almond.

3. Remove the outer skin and grind into smooth paste using milk for grinding.

4. Mix little water to sugar and heat it in a heavy bottomed kadai or oan or vessel till it is dissolved and once when one string consistency is reached.

5. Add badam or almond paste and cook till it becomes thick.

6. When the halwa sticks to bottom, Add ghee little by little and cook till halwa consistency is reached.

• Milk- 2 litre
• Ghee- 1 tablespoon
• Powdered Cashews – 1 tablespoon
• Sugar – 2 ½ cup
• Lemon Salt- ¼ teaspoon

How to make

1. Heat a heavy bottomed pan and boil milk till it reduces to three fourth of its consistency.

2. Add sugar, and lemon salt and cook for another few minutes.

3. Fry cashewnuts in ghee and add to the halwa.

4. Add little more ghee if necessary.

5. When halwa consistency is reached , remove from fire.

Ingredients

• Seedless Dates- 1 cup
• Sugar- 1 cup
• Ghee- 1 cup
• Milk- ½ cup
• Almonds
• cashews – little

Method

1. Soak the dates in hot water, for about 1 hour and grind it along with milk.

2. Heat a heavy bottomed pan, Add Sugar with little water

3. When it reaches one string consistency, add the grinded date paste, cashews, almonds, and saffron.

4. Keep stirring till it becomes little thick.

5. When the halwa sticks to bottom, Add ghee little by little and cook till halwa consistency is reached. 6. Decorate with cashews or almonds.

• Wheat Flour- 1 cup
• Sugar- 1 cup
• Ghee- 1 cup
• Milk- 1 cup
• Cashews- 1 tablespoon
• Almonds- 1  tablespoon
• Cardamom Powder- ½ teaspoon

How to make

1. Heat a heavy bottomed pan, Add half cup ghee and wheat flour.

2. Fry till the raw smell goes.

3. Then add milk to it and keep stirring continuously until it becomes thick.

4. Then add sugar, remaining ghee and keep stirring till it reaches halwa consistency.

5. Then add cashews and almonds and remove from fire.

Ingredients

• Wheat Milk- 1 cup
• Coconut Milk- 1 cup
• Buffalo/Cow Milk- 1 cup
• Sugar- 3 cups
• Cardamom powder- ½ tsp
• Chopped Cashews and almonds – 2 tsp

How to make

1. Heat a pan, Add sugar with little water( 1 cup ). Stir until dissolved.

2. Then now, add all 3 types of milk to it and keep stirring till it reaches halwa consistency

3. Then add cardamom powder, chopped cashews and almonds and remove from fire.

4. When adding the milk in the sugar syrup, It will stick but it melts quickly if you keep stirring.

1. Halwas and Laddoos Recipes from Indian Food Kitchen
2. Indian Sweets Recipes
3. Besan Halvafrom Raji’s Kitchen
4. Godhi (Wheat) Halwa from Chitra Amma’s Kitchen

Diwali Recipes Series

1. 5 Halva Recipes: Diwali Special
2. Celebrate with Diwali Sweet Recipes
3. Video: Make Gulab Jamoon (Indian Sweet) this Diwali
4. 3 Special Diwali Snacks Recipes

Update, October 2009: This year’s Diwali is around the corner and I have posted sweet recipes for Deepavali from previous years.

Wish you a very happy Deepavali!

Diwali has just started in India and it’s raining crackers and lights all over the sky. It’s time again to strengthen relationships and create new bonds of friendship.

What better way than to share sweets among loved ones? Here are a few sweets you can prepare today and enjoy over this festive weekend..

Recipes featured here are Cashew Burfi, Rava Laddoo, Shankarpare and Suji Halwa. You can also look for more sweet recipe links at the end of this post.

Kesar and Kaju Burfi (Saffron-Cashew Nut Burfi)

Ingredients:

• 500 gms Kaju (Cashew Nuts)
• 300 gms Sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon Kesar(Saffron)
• a small strip of edible silver foil

Method:

Soak the cashewnuts in water for three hours. Then, drain the water and grind the nuts to a fine powder. In a pan, mix sugar and cashewnuts and roast on low heat, stirring continuously.

Put in the saffron color in it and coninue stirring for a while. Roast till done. On the rolling board, place a butter paper and pour the mixture on it.

Now place another butter paper sandwiching the mixture between the two papers. Roll this using a rolling pin. Remove the butter paper from top and place the silver foil (edible), and cut it into triangular burfi pieces.

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Rava Laddoo (Semolina/Sooji Laddoo)

Ingredients:

• Rava (Sooji or Semolina) – 1 cup powdered
• Chutney Dhal (fried gram) – 1 cup (powdered)
• Ghee (clarified butter) – 1/2 cup
• Cardamom – 5 (powdered)
• Cashew Nuts – 10 to 15, boken into small pieces
• Kishmish – 10
• Chilled Milk – 1 bowl

Method:

Heat ghee in a kadai and fry kishmish and cashewnuts to a golden colour. Keep this aside. Add 1 more tablesoon of ghee and fry the powdered rava until it turns light gold in colour.

Heat 1 cup of sugar, adding 1/2 cup of water in the same kadai. Bring to one string conistency. Add powdered rava, cashew bits, kishmish and powdered caradamom. Mix it well and quickly.

Remove from the fire immediately. Use the rava sugar mixture, make small balls and dip it into the chilled milk and make small laddus. (chutney dal can also be substituted for rava).

~~~~~~~~

Shakkarpare (Shankarpale / Shankarpali / Shankarpare)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 cup maida (plain flour)
• 1/3 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon saunf
• Ghee / Oil for deep frying

Method:

Mix the ingredients with a little water and knead it into a soft dough. Divide the dough into equal parts and roll out into thick chapathis, Cut with a cookie cutter or a knife into small diamond shapes (about 2 inches on each side).

Lift the cut diamond pieces with a spatula and keep it aside in a dry cloth for about an hour. Deep fry in hot ghee or oil over a slow flame till it becomes light golden brown. Drain well and keep it aside till it cools. Store it in clean and dry containers.

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Sooji da Halwa (Rava or Semolina Halwa)

Ingredients:

• 3/4 Cup sugar
• 1-1/2 Cup whole milk
• 1 Cup sooji (Semolina or Rava)
• 1-1/2 Cup water
• 1 tsp Cardamom
• 2 tbsp Raisin
• 3 tbsp Ghee
• 2 tbsp Cashew nuts

Method:

In a skillet, heat ghee. Mix Cardamom and heat it for few seconds in a medium heat. Pour Semolina into the cardamon-ghee mixture and stir-fry for few minutes.

Add sugar and half of both cashew and raisin and continue to heat for few more minutes in low-medium heat. Add milk and water; stir well and heat until you are sure of the desired consistency.

Now, garnish with remaining cashew nuts and raisin. Serve hot or cold, as you desired.

More Sweets and Desserts for this Diwali and other festive occasions:

1. All posts for indian sweet recipes from this blog are here
2. Watch these videos to make Diwali Desserts like Gulab Jamun, Jalebi, Halwa and more from this blog
3. From the Indian Food Kitchen main site, look for traditional sweets, occasional sweets, Burfis, Halwas and more sweet treats (Links will open in a new window)

Photo credits: Danburg, GopalaKrishnaKarthik, dhyanji, vkn

1. Bangalore Sightseeing Quiz

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Instructions:

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Soya is known for its high protein content; this curry can make for a good side-dish with Rotis.

Note: This  video is not produced by me. I have only shared it from Youtube.com. The video is roughly about 4 minutes long.

Useful Links:

Awesome Indian Curries

All kinds of Rotis and Indian breads recipes

Chilli Soya Chunks from eCurry.com

Soya Chunks Masala from Bawarchi.com

Soya Chunks Potato Patties from Neivedyam.com