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October 31, 2015

Kasi Halwa Recipe - Vella Poosanikai Halwa - Easy Diwali Sweets Recipe

Kasi halwa 
Kasi Halwa (Vellai Poosanikai Halwa in Tamil,Ash Gourd Halwa /Winter Melon Halwa in English, Boodida Gummaikaya Halwa in Telugu, Kumbalanga Halwa in Malayalam, Kushmandha halwa, காசி அல்வா /  பூசணிக்காய் அல்வா / Kalyana Poosani Halwa ) is one of the most popular sweet recipes which is served in Brahmin weddings. I had tasted this only once and that too years ago in a marriage. So all I remember is its yellow color ( some make in red color), glossy & ghee dripping texture
Recently I watched this halwa preparation in Samayal Samayal with Venkatesh Bhat in Vijay TV. The way he explained fascinated me to prepare Kashi halwa at home during this Diwali. But I slightly tweaked his recipe & method of cooking.I made this halwa for my guest yesterday. It came out very well.According to me Kasi halwa aka Vellai poosanikai halwa is purely a beginners sweet. You don’t need any expertise to make this. 
The beauty of this ash gourd halwa is it requires less ghee and cooking time is also less when compared with Tirunelveli Godhumai halwa & Thiruvarur Ashoka halwa. So anyone can make it easily without fear. But I felt the pre preparatory works like slicing the skin, removing the seeds, chopping the inner part, grating & squeezing the water Huuuuhhh!!, took more time than preparation
Once you finish this tiresome job, your halwa will be ready in the next 15 minutes. But all this pain will vanish as soon as you see & taste this ghee dripping halwa. I clicked the pictures by removing the hot halwa directly to banana leaf. So you could find the ghee oozing out of the halwa. Ok,enough of boring stories,lets see how to make this easy, yummy Kasi Halwa recipe in detail ! Bookmark this easy sweet recipe for this Diwali 2015 and enjoy with your Kith and Kin ! 
Kasi halwa

Kasi Halwa Recipe


Kasi Halwa Recipe Kasi Halwa / Poosanikai Halwa - Easy Diwali Sweets
Cuisine: Indian
Category: Sweet
Serves: Serves 2-3
Prep time: 20 Minutes
Cook time: 15 Minutes
Total time: 35 Minutes


INGREDIENTS
1 cup - 250ml
  • Grated Ash gourd / Vellai poosanikai - 2 cups
  • Sugar - 3/4 to 1 cup
  • Ghee - 2 tbsp (  4 to 5 tbsp for more ghee)
  • Cardamom - 2 nos
  • Edible camphor - a pinch (optional)
  • Cashew nuts – few
  • Saffron threads – few
METHOD
  • Wash and remove a big piece of ash gourd from the whole vegetable. Remove the middle soft portion along with seeds. Then peel the skin and discard it. Grate the ash gourd and keep in a plate. 
Kasi halwa recipe

Kasi halwa recipe

  • Take a muslin cloth or thin cloth and squeeze the grated ash gourd well using your hands. Collect the water in a bowl. We should use in the next step. Measure the squeezed ash gourd and take equal amount of sugar.
Kasi halwa recipe

Kasi halwa recipe

  • Heat 1 tbsp of ghee in a kadai and roast the nuts. Take in a plate. Put the squeezed ash gourd and saute it for 3-4 minutes in medium flame. Now add the reserved ash gourd water and cook it in low flame by covering the kadai with a lid. Add 1/2 – 1 cup more water if needed. The vegetable should cook well else you will get raw smell in the halwa. So cook it properly. You can do this process in cooker too.
Kasi halwa recipe

Kasi halwa recipe

Kasi halwa recipe
  • After the veggie is cooked well and all the water is absorbed, add sugar. Mix well and add few saffron threads, a pinch of yellow food color optionally. Mix well.
Kasi halwa recipe
  • The mixture will become goey. As you mix, it will thicken and start to leave the sides of the pan.When it starts to become thick and leave the sides of kadai, add the remaining 1 tbsp of ghee, edible camphor (optional) and cardamom powder. Stir well and remove in a bowl. Initially the halwa looks goey as shown in the above pictures but it thickens as it cools down. Over cooking make the halwa hard and chewy. 
  • Enjoy eating hot and serve it warm as per your choice.
  • Alternatively, you can add more ghee at regular intervals and stir till halwa absorbs the ghee. Then keep mixing till the ghee is started to release in the sides and halwa thickens. Switch off the flame and remove the halwa. It tastes more rich. 
Kasi halwa recipe

Note
  • You can add 4-5 tbsp of ghee to the maximum, keep mixing and wait for the halwa to ooze out all the ghee. It will be even more rich. But this method consumes very little ghee. The ghee you find in the pictures is the one I added before removing from the flame. I felt 2 tbsp itself is more for this halwa.
  • You can replace yellow food color with red food color or more saffron threads to bring the natural color.
  • 1:1 is the ratio of grated ash gourd and sugar. For more sweetness, you can use 1:1.25 cups.
  • Do not add more edible camphor. Its smell may become dominant in the sweet.


Ash gourd halwa

Enjoy this easy,yummy Kasi halwa for Diwali & other special occasions !
Kasi halwa recipe



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October 27, 2015

Manapparai Murukku Recipe - Arisi Murukku - Diwali Snacks Recipe

Manapparai murukku recipe

Manapparai Arisi murukkku/ Rice murukku is one of the most famous snacks recipes of Tamil nadu. Recently I had a trip to Kumbakonam temples Via Trichy. While we were returning to Bangalore, I saw some people selling Manapparai Murukku near Trichy toll booth. They were sold from a small cottage industry in Manapparai. It was super crunchy in taste and looked white in color. I shared a picture of it in my Instagram and facebook pages while eating. I won’t say that the murukku had a melt in mouth texture with lots of butter. It sure tested the strength of our teeth but quiet addictive to eat. After tasting that murukku, I got tempted to try my hands on it and I reserved a pack of murukku for comparison. 

I also referred Hindu Food safari section and came to know the history of this murukku.Luckily my MIL showed me its original recipe in Thozhi Tamil magazine. My FIL clicked those pages and mailed me as well. When I saw the ingredients I was surprised that manapparai murukku is made of only rice flour/Arisi maavu and there was no urad dal flour or gram dal flour used in it. I followed the same recipe. The result was awesome. It came out 90% closed to the ones I tasted. That 10% difference is due to the oil I used & my murukku mould. My murukku was thicker than the store bought ones as my mould was big. I should have used groundnut oil / Kadalai ennai to get the same taste but I had used refined oil.Moreover the actual recipe called for deep frying twice.B ut I din’t do that. I am planning to make it again for Diwali using my small mould and ground nut oil for frying. I will try to update the pictures too. Now lets see how to make the most popular Manapparai murukku recipe.


Manapparai murukku

Manapparai Murukku Recipe


Manapparai Murukku Recipe How to make manapparai special rice murukku
Cuisine: Indian
Category: Snacks
Serves: 12 nos
Prep time: 10 Minutes
Cook time: 20 Minutes
Total time: 30 Minutes


INGREDIENTS
1 cup = 200 ml
  • Rice flour - 1 cup(Homemade or store bought)
  • Melted Butter at room temperature - 1 tbsp ( butter should not be hot, unmelted soft butter at room temp also works)
  • Ajwain/Omam - 1/4 tsp
  • Black sesame seeds - 1/2 tsp
  • Asafetida / Hing - 1/4 tsp
  • Salt & water - as needed
  • Cooking oil – to deep fry
How to make manapparai murukku - METHOD
  • Take the rice flour in a wide bowl. I have tried it both homemade & store bought rice flours. Both worked out well. To the rice flour add sesame seeds,  melted butter, ajwain and salt.
  • Make a crumbly mixture. Add the required water and make a smooth dough. Keep it covered till use.
Manapparai murukku
  • Take the star murukku mould and fill it with the dough. Make shapes in the back of ladle or a polythene sheet or cotton cloth. I kept the original murukku nearby and tried to bring the same shape for the first batch. But I din’t like its swirls. So I pressed like usual round mullu murukku for the remaining batches.
Manapparai murukku
Manapparai murukku
  • Heat oil in a kadai and check its temperature by dropping a pinch of dough. If it rises to the top immediately , oil temperature is just right. Oil should not be smoking hot.Reduce the flame to low and put 3-4 murukku.
  • Cook both the sides till all the bubbles cease. Make sure the heat of the flame is low to medium. This murukku takes more time to cook. So deep fry them patiently to achieve the white color. Else murukku will turn golden brown. At the same time, if the oil temperature is not sufficient, murukku will absorb more oil. So adjust the heat and make the murukku in batches. ( If you wish, you can deep fry the murukku for the second time after 2-3 minutes of resting time. It makes the murukku even more crunchy)
Manapparai murukku
  • Store in an air tight box after it cools down completely. The actual taste of this murukku can be found the next day. It stays good for weeks if stored properly. Enjoy !
Note
  • If you wish you can add a tbsp of urad dal flour or gram dal flour for 1 cup of rice flour. But it changes the flavor of actual Manapparai murukku.
  • You can replace butter with vanaspati , ghee or hot oil.
  • This murukku tends to be crunchy and not with melt in mouth texture.

Enjoy making this crunchy murukku at home for this Diwali ! நல்லா நொறுக்குங்க !!
Manapparai murukku 
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October 26, 2015

Easy Atta Ladoo Recipe - Wheat Flour Laddu

Atta ladoo
Atta laddu/Whole Wheat flour ladoo is one of the easy to make Indian dessert recipes just like Rava laddu , Moong dal ladoo , coconut laddu and Poha ladoo. Whenever I plan for Diwali sweets menu, I usually include few ladoo varieties too. Last year I tried Malai Laddu/Paneer laddu & coconut ladoo and shared here. For Diwali 2015,I wanted to try motichoor & this atta laddu. I will share the recipe for motichoo laddu next week.Atta ladoo/ Wheat flour laddu can be prepared in many ways.Some recipes call for cooking atta in ghee.Some recipe uses jaggery instead of sugar.In North India especially in Gujarat & Rajasthan people make wheat flour ladoo adding jaggery which is popularly known as Churma Laddu. Today I have made this laddu in a very simple way adding powdered sugar. It was very tasty and all the laddus vanished within no timeWinking.If you are looking for an easy & healthy laddu recipe,bookmark this ladoo in your try list for this Diwali.I am sure everybody would enjoy this sweet !
wheat flour laddu

Wheat flour ladoo / atta laddu recipe


Wheat flour ladoo / atta laddu recipe Wheat flour ladoo / atta laddu recipe - Easy diwali sweets recipe
Cuisine: Indian
Category: Sweets
Serves: 8-10 nos
Prep time: 10 Minutes
Cook time: 10 Minutes
Total time: 20 Minutes


INGREDIENTS
1 cup = 200 ml
  • Atta / Wheat flour - 1 cup
  • Sugar - 1/2 cup
  • Cardamom - 2 nos
  • Melted ghee - 1/3 cup
  • Salt – a small pinch
  • Cashews & nuts - as needed
METHOD
  • Dry roast wheat flour in a wide kadai till it changes to light golden brown in color.Stay nearby & do it in low to medium flame. It takes 4-5 minutes.Take care the flour should not be burnt.Remove in a bowl and let it become warm.
Atta ladoo recipe

  • In the mean time,powder the sugar adding cardamom seeds.You will 1-2 tbsp more sugar than 1/2 cup .But its fine.Add it as such.
Atta ladoo recipe
  • Add the powdered sugar , melted ghee,roasted chopped nuts ( If using) and a pinch of salt to the wheat flour.Mix well and make a crumbly mixture. Do not add all the ghee. Add it little by little and mix well.Stop adding ghee if you are able to shape the ladoo.
Atta ladoo recipe

  • Make balls and arrange in a plate.I roasted few dry grapes in ghee and studded over the ladoo. You can stud roasted cashews or dip a small portion of ladoo in ghee & coat with nuts powder. Decorate it as per your wish.
  • Store them in an air tight box and use it for a week.
Atta ladoo recipe
    Enjoy !
Note
  • You should roast the flour well else laddu will have a raw smell.
  • Do not burn the flour.Roast in low to medium flame only.
  • You can add finely chopped nuts to the laddu mixture before shaping them.I din’t add it.
  • The quantity of ghee may vary from 1/3 cup to 1/2 cup.
Try this easy,healthy ladoo during this Diwali & enjoy with your family !
Wheat flour laddu


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October 23, 2015

Corn Flour Halwa - Bombay Karachi Halwa Recipe

Karachi halwa
Corn flour halwa is one of the easiest halwa recipes. I have tried corn flour halwa with milk as suggested by Shalini. But I haven’t tried Mumbai Karachi halwa style. For 2015 Diwali, I thought of sharing some interesting halwa recipes and started with this easy Halwa. Actually I referred Vahchef’s video recipe but I felt the quantity of ghee was more. So I browsed few more recipes & finally got the recipe HERE. I was very happy with the result. 


In this post, I have shared the stove top method. Very soon I will try to share microwave version. Friends, If you are looking for an easy halwa recipe with less ghee, you must try this corn flour halwa for Diwali. Try and share your feedback here. Ok, lets check how to make this easy diwali sweets recipe – Corn flour halwa !


Karachi halwa

Corn flour halwa recipe


Corn flour halwa recipe How to make corn flour halwa - Karachi halwa in an easy way with less ghee 
Cuisine: Indian
Category: Sweets
Serves: 2 cups
Prep time: 5 Minutes
Cook time: 15 Minutes
Total time: 20 Minutes


INGREDIENTS

  • Corn flour - 1/2 cup
  • Sugar - 1.5 cups
  • Water - 1.5 +1 cup
  • Red food color - 2 pinches
  • Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
  • Ghee - 3 tbsp
  • Cashews & melon seeds – 1/4 cup
METHOD
  • Mix 1/2 cup of corn flour, 1.5 cups of water and 2 pinches food color without any lumps. Chop the nuts into small pieces. Keep a plate ready greased with few drops of ghee.
How to make corn flour halwa
  • Mix 1.5 cups of sugar with 1 cup of water. Heat it and melt the sugar. Boil well. No need to check any consistency. When the sugar syrup starts to roll boil,add the diluted corn flour mixture.
How to make corn flour halwa

  • Keep the flame low and mix it well. Halwa with start to thicken here & there. Keep stirring to avoid lumps. As soon as it starts to thicken & changes dark in color, add 1/2 tbsp of ghee at regular intervals, say 2-3 minutes. Halwa will absorb the ghee and becomes thick. After adding 2 tbsp of ghee, Halwa will become transparent, glossy & thick. When it starts to leave the sides of kadai, add the finely chopped nuts, cardamom powder. ( Cook this halwa only in low flame else corn flour may not cook well and leaves a raw smell)
How to make corn flour halwa

  • Mix well till all the nuts and cardamom powder incorporates well with the halwa. Add 1 tbsp of ghee and mix well. At one stage, halwa will start to leave traces of ghee in the sides of kadai. No problem even if the halwa is sticky. Switch off the flame immediately and transfer it to a greased plate. Level the surface with a greased ladle. When the halwa turns warm, it will become non sticky. Over cooking makes the halwa chewy. So take care. Undercooking makes the halwa smells raw and sticks to the tongue.
How to make corn flour halwa
  • If you want to serve hot halwa, scoop it in a bowl. If not, let the halwa cool down for 2 hours. Then cut into pieces with a sharp knife.  DO NOT refrigerate this halwa because refrigeration turns it harder. So use it within a day.
    Enjoy !
Note
  • You can use custard powder instead of corn flour.
  • Do the entire process in low to medium low flame else halwa may have raw corn flour smell.
  • Please do not reduce the quantity of sugar, water or ghee. It will change the texture of halwa. It will become sticky.
  • The ratio of corn flour, sugar & water is 1:3:5
  • DO NOT refrigerate this halwa because refrigeration turns it harder. So use it within a day.
 
Corn flour halwa

Enjoy this yummy, colorful corn flour halwa for Diwali !
Corn flour halwa


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October 21, 2015

How To Do Saraswathi Puja At Home - Ayudha Poojai Celebrations of Tamil nadu

Saraswathi pooja celebration at home
A picture of Saraswathi idol from my Golu
Significance of Saraswati puja

Saraswathi is the Goddess who signifies knowledge, learning, arts and culture. She is the symbol of peace and purity. So she is always adorned in white clothes. Saraswati Puja is a popular Hindu festival dedicated to the Goddess of learning Saraswati. This festival is marked as the birth of Goddess Saraswathi. In Tamilnadu, it is popularly known as Ayudha poojai. In this post, I have shared how to celebrate Saraswathi poojai at home in Tamil nadu style. 

In 2023, Saraswati puja/ Ayudha poojai is celebrated on 23rd October, Monday in Tamilnadu.  This day is of special importance for the students as they place their books at the Goddess praying for wisdom and blessings for their success in life. It is an important part of the Navaratri festival, especially in South India. The last three days of Navratri is dedicated to Goddess Saraswathi.

The last day of Navratri, also known as the Mahanavami day is celebrated as Ayudha Puja and Saraswati Puja. It is celebrated at different time in different parts of India. The popular festival Dussehra is celebrated in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala, Gujarat & West bengal but in a different manner. In Gujarat, Saraswati Puja during Diwali is also known as Sharda Puja and Chopda Puja. 

How to celebrate ayudha poojai at home


On Durga Ashtami day, Books and tools and  are arranged in the puja room i.e in front of the idol of Goddess Saraswati . It should not be touched on the Mahanavami day and they should be removed from the pooja only on the Vijayadashami day i.e the next day of Saraswathi pooja. If you are looking for the detailed Saraswathi Pooja Vidhanam, please click THIS link for stotras and method.

I should have done this post earlier. But its better to be late than never. So I made this post today after finishing my celebration. I have given our pooja procedures, List of things required for saraswati pooja, naivedyam recipes along with details to prepare the menu. Lets see how to celebrate Saraswathi Puja at home as per our South Indian - Tamil tradition.

Saraswathi pooja recipes
Last year's Saraswathi pooja celebration at my MIL's place :)

Traditions of Saraswathi Pooja


Goddess Saraswati is adorned in yellow or white clothes (at home or at the mandir) as yellow is considered to represent the sattva guna – characteristic of purity, prosperity and love.
The beej or seed mantra for invocation of Saraswati Devi is

AUM shreem bhreem saraswataye namah
ॐ श्रीम भ्रीम सरस्वतये नमः

This mantra is often used during the ceremonies conducted to start the formal education of a new child on the occasion of festival. The traditional first lesson or first words are taught to children by their parents on this day.

But we chant the following slokha in front of the God.

"Saraswathi namasthubhiyam varade kamarubhini vidhyarambham karishyami siddhibhavatume sada"

In our house, we celebrate it by keeping the Sarawathi Idol in a decorated plank. Garland with flowers and lotus. We arrange the books and other tools by cleaning them. We keep turmeric & kumkum dots on all the books, tools, laptop and other accessories. The previous day, we sweep the entire house including doors, windows, all electronic and electrical items and keep the turmeric, kumkum dots. So if you celebrate Saraswathi pooja at home, you must keep your house clean.

If you are already doing Navratri Puja/kept golu, you can use the same decorations.

Make sure everything must be ready by the evening of the 8th day of Navratri.

On Saraswathi Pooja day ie ninth day of Navratri, books and tools that are kept for Saraswati puja should not be touched or used. We also do the pooja for car by keeping kumkum, sandal dot and garlanding it. We offer some fruits, puffed rice mixed with peanuts and roasted dal as prasad.

Pooja Requirements

  • Image or idol of Goddess Saraswati
  • Plank/Peeta or a wide plate for placing the idol.
  • A white cloth (vastram)
  • Flowers – Lotus or jasmine.
  • Mango leaves & other decorations
  • Turmeric
  • Kumkum
  • Raw Rice
  • Coconut, betel leaves & nuts
  • Banana & Locally available fruits
  • Banana leaf for keeping neivedyam
  • Other pooja items like oil, ghee, camphor, incense stick and sambrani / Dhoop.
  • Puffed rice with gram dal, peanuts and jaggery
  • Soak raw rice for an hour, drain the excess water. Mix grated jaggery & cardamom to this. We keep this for neivedyam along with other dishes.
Saraswathi pooja recipes

Ingredients for Neivedyam / Saraswathi poojai recipes

On this day, some people make 5 rice varieties like Lemon rice, Tamarind rice, Coconut rice, Curd rice and sweet pongal along with sundal & Pepper vada as shown in the above picture. We too make this menu as Saraswathi pooja falls on Purattasi month. Please refer my 5 rice varieties post in which I have shown how to make the rice recipes quickly using a pressure cooker. We can also make a No onion No Garlic full meals menu with Rice, Vendakkai Sambar , Broad beans Poriyal, Avial or kootu, Nellikai Thayir pachadi, Moong dal/Paruppu, Vadai & Payasam. Soak raw rice for an hour, drain the excess water. Mix grated jaggery & cardamom to this. We keep this for neivedyam along with other dishes.

So plan your menu in advance and buy the vegetables accordingly. Please Refer my No onion No garlic lunch menu post for vegetables to be used and avoided on festivals.

How to make this menu

Soak chana for sundal and urad dal for vada. Generally we do the neivedyam in the morning or during the auspicious time of Saraswathi puja day. Usually it happens in the mid afternoon. So we do the lunch recipes, vada, payasam& sundal on morning. 

Start cooking around 8 am in the morning. You can finish everything by 11am. Inside the cooker, put the dal in the bottom. Keep a tiffin box with the chopped vegetables for poriyal or kootu. Prepare the rice in another cooker. After removing the dal and vegetables, pressure cook the rice by roasting it. Keep a box inside with soaked chana dal. Remove after they are cooked. Make sundal & payasam. Make Dal, sambar, poriyal, pachadi and keep them ready for neivedyam. Click HERE to see how to cook a no onion no garlic lunch menu easily. 



How to perform the pooja

If you are already doing Navratri Puja ie golu, then you can place the idol of Goddess Saraswati in front of your Navratri Golu display. If not, you can place the idol in the puja area.
  • Draw the rangoli in front of the pooja room.
  • Keep the Goddess over a wooden plank or peeta.
  • Decorate the image or idol of Goddess Saraswati using flowers, garlands etc.
  • A white cloth is used to cover the idol of the Goddess. If you are using an image you can skip the white cloth or place it on tray near the image. Usually my mom arranges the books & keep the sarawathi idol over it by covering the books with a dhoti. My MIL Keeps the idol on a wooden plank and arrange the books & tools in front of the GOD. So keep it as per your wish. Sprinkle some flowers on the books and objects.
  • Pray to Lord Ganesha first by chanting a simple prayer “ Suklam Baratharam”.
  • You can light the lamp. Next do the archanai for Goddess Saraswati with flowers and show the agarbhati/ incense by chanting any shloka dedicated to Goddess like Sakalakala Valli Malai in Tamil or any saraswathi sthothram from a book. Click THIS LINK & THIS LINK for slokha in HINDI.
  • After doing the archanai,You can offer the prasadam or neivedyam that you have made.
  • Lastly show the Aarti and finish the pooja.
  • On Sarawathi puja evening, we offer sweet appam, Nei appam OR you can offer idli/dosa if you have freshly ground batter in hand.
Some people do Saraswati Dhanam to a young girl on the day which includes dress material, betel leaves, betel nuts, bananas, bangles and cosmetics.

The books and tools are removed on the Vijaya Dasami day after doing the pooja in the next day morning by lighting a lamp and offering some fruits. Make your kids to sit & read before the GOD. Remove the setup in the good time. Avoid raahu kalam, Yamakandam.


Some Useful links for slokha in HINDI


Disclaimer : I have shared the procedures based on our tradition. Please take the as a reference,consult the elders of your family and do the pooja as per your practice. Beginners can follow this if you don’t have any specific procedure at home.

Source for this post

http://www.hindu-blog.com/2008/09/how-to-do-or-perform-saraswati-puja.html

http://blog.eaglespace.com/vasant-panchami/

I hope this post would help beginners to know the procedure of Saraswathi pooja at home. Thanks for visiting this page. Have a great celebration !

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October 20, 2015

Garlic KaraSev Recipe - Milagu Poondu Karasev Recipe

Garlic Karasev recipe
Pepper Garlic Karasev is Sendhil’s favorite snacks. He loves karasev with pepper(Milagu) & Garlic (poondu) more than with red chilli powder. In Tamilnadu, Sattur is very famous for Karasev. I should try that version soon. But today I made Kara sev as per my MIL’s recipe. She usually adds more besan flour & less rice flour. But nowadays she follows a different recipe adding equal amounts of Besan & rice flour. She adds butter or vanaspati but I used hot oil as I din’t have enough butter in hand. It came out  well with melt in mouth crispness and white in color. I was so happy with the results. Immediately I made another batch adding more besan and less rice flour to find out the actual difference. I referred Vahchef’s recipe video for this preparation. It was slightly harder to bite and light golden in color. So I have shared both the recipes I tried. Choose & try any based on your liking. Both has its own taste & flavor. I have posted a full video recipe for easier understanding. Do watch it below :)
Lets see how to make this easy Diwali Snacks Recipe – Kara Sev !! 
Kara Sev Recipe - Full video

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October 19, 2015

No Onion No Garlic Biryani Recipe-Baby Corn Biryani

Baby corn biryani
It was my long time plan to try a biryani recipe without onion and garlic especially for my Jain readers.During Navratri,we try to avoid onion & garlic in our menu.So I tried this no onion no garlic Veg Biryani recipe for our Sunday Lunch.I referred this space for the recipe.As I didn't have enough vegetables in hand,I replaced it with baby corn.It came out well and we loved it.Friends,if you are looking for a no onion no garlic Jain biryani recipe,here it is !! Try and share your feedback.I am happy to post this recipe as 33rd biryani in my Sunday Lunch Recipes Series.
Check out my other biryani recipes HERE !

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October 16, 2015

Dates Nuts Roll Recipe/Khajoor Katri-Easy Diwali Sweets Recipe

dates nuts roll
Dates and nuts roll is a very healthy, easy to make, no sugar, diabetic friendly, Indian sweet recipe.It is popularly known as Khajoor katri (In Hindi) / Khajur roll in North India.I have seen this sweet in all the famous sweet shops here in Bangalore.Whenever I see this sweet,I thought it would be difficult to prepare.But when I come across this video in youtube I was overjoyed to find the ease of making this sweet.I tried it immediately and its outcome was awesome and perfect !! I am not a big fan of dates but still I liked the taste of this dates roll may be because of the crunchy nuts coming in each and every bite Smile.I have used poppy seeds for coating this roll.Recently I heard from a reader that poppy seeds are banned in some foreign countries.So feel free to use desiccated coconut instead of khus khus.It tastes good.You can also shape this as dates & nuts balls/Ladoo instead of rolls.I am very happy to add this recipe in my easy Diwali sweets recipes collection.Friends,Bookmark this easy sweet recipe for Diwali.It’s a no fail recipe which takes just 10 minutes preparation time. Lets check out how to make this yummy,easy Indian sweet – Dates Roll !!
Please view the full video recipe to get a good understanding !

Dates Roll - Full Video Recipe

dates nuts roll

Dates Roll Recipe


Dates Roll Recipe How to make easy dates & nuts roll
Cuisine: Indian
Category: Sweets
Serves: 12 nos
Prep time: 10 Minutes
Cook time: 10 Minutes
Total time: 20 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

  • Seedless Dates - 200 gms ( I used Lion Desseded dates)
  • Chopped Nuts(Cashews,Melon seeds,Pista,badam) - 1/3 cup ( add more or less as u wish)
  • Ghee - 1 tbsp
  • Poppy seeds/Khus khus - 2tbsp (to coat,optional)
METHOD
  • Chop the nuts finely and chop the dates roughly.Grind the dates into coarse paste.I used small sized mixie jar and ground in batches.Remove them in a plate.
dates nuts roll Indian
dates nuts roll Indian
  • heat a kadai and dry roast the poppy seeds for a minute.Collect in a plate.This is to coat the rolls.Please skip this step of u don’t have poppy seeds in hand. Use desiccated coconut or do not coat it.
  • Heat 1 tsp of ghee and roast the nuts for a minute. Remove in a plate.
dates nuts roll Indian
  • In the same kadai,heat 1 tbsp of ghee and add the ground dates.Mix well until it becomes a whole mass.Initially it would be difficult to mix.,But when the mixture gets heated,dates will become soft and pulpy.It takes 3-4 minutes in medium high flame.Time may vary based on the dates.
dates nuts roll Indian
dates nuts roll Indian
  • Now add the roasted nuts & mix till everything incorporates well. It takes 2 minutes.When it becomes a whole mass and non-sticky,remove it and keep in a plate.When it turns slightly warm,knead it well and make a log shape as shown in the picture.
dates nuts roll Indian
  • Coat it in the roasted poppy seeds and roll in a thermal foil or plastic sheet.Refrigerate for an hour.Remove and keep it outside for 5 minutes.Use a sharp knife and cut into roundels.Serve them once it comes to room temperature.It tastes hard and chewy when it is cold.So serve them after 30 minutes.This roll stays good for 3-4 days.No need to refrigerate.
dates nuts roll Indian
dates nuts roll Indian
Enjoy this healthy sweet with your family !
Note
  • Coating the rolls in coconut or poppy seeds is optional.
  • Add more nuts if you wish.I used cashews,melon seeds,pista and badam.You can skip melon seeds if u don’t have. 
Khajoor Katri

Make this healthy,easy,yummy sweet for this Diwali and have a great Celebration !
Khajoor Katri

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