Last year during Diwali, I tried this easy kalakand recipe using paneer and condensed milk ( Milk Maid) by watching YouTube video. Kalakand recipe is nothing but a rich milk cake. It is one of the popular desserts in West Bengal, Rajasthan, Delhi and some places in North India. Traditionally it is prepared by boiling and thickening milk with sugar. It takes hours to prepare.
This easy and instant kalakand recipe calls for just 3 ingredients namely Paneer/Chenna, Condensed milk and cardamom powder. For variations, it can be prepared with ricotta cheese instead of paneer and rose water or kewra essence can be added instead of cardamom powder. It can be prepared so easily and quickly. Its ideal for beginners. In North India, I heard people make Kalakand for Janmashtami as it is a milk based sweet. So I thought of sharing this easy and instant kalakand recipe for this Gokulashtami. Do try this easy, Instant Kalakand recipe using condensed milk and store bought paneer. Lets see how to make it with step by step photos.
Kalakand recipe with condensed milk
Easy, instant kalakand recipe with condensed milk / milk maid
Paneer / Indian Cottage Cheese - 1 cup ( I used Milky mist brand)
Milk maid or Amul condensed milk - 200 ml tin
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
Butter or ghee - 1 tsp
HOW TO MAKE KALAKAND
Crumble or grate the paneer.
In a kadai, heat 1 tsp ghee and add the condensed milk. Mix well.
Add grated paneer, cardamom powder and mix well.
When the mixture thickens and leaves the sides of pan, switch off flame.
Transfer to a greased or butter paper lined bowl. Refrigerate for an hour. Cut into pieces.
Garnish with chopped nuts. Serve !
METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES
Take the store bought paneer and grate it. Measure 1 cup from it ( loosely packed) and keep aside.Line a pan with butter paper or grease it well with ghee and set aside.
Heat ghee in a non-stick kadai and add the condensed milk. Mix well in very low flame.
Add grated paneer, cardamom powder or rose water and mix well. Paneer absorbs condensed milk and it will thicken initially. But if you keep mixing in low flame, mixture will become loose and watery.
Keep the flame medium and stir well. After 3 to 4 minutes, it will start to thicken and leave the sides of pan. Mix for a minute. You will see the mixture becoming grainy and thick. Switch off the flame and remove the pan immediately.
Pour it to the butter paper lined pan for 2 inch thickness. Level it and refrigerate it for 1 to 2 hours till its well set. Garnish with chopped nuts and stud it well. Cut into pieces and serve chilled for best taste.
Enjoy !
Note
You can add some sugar ( say 1tbsp) if you feel sweet is less.
Fresh chena tastes the best. But I used store bought paneer.
If you mix for long time, kalakand may become chewy.So remove at the right time.
If you are not able to cut into pieces, refrigerate for more time.
I wanted to post no burst Maida seedai recipe during last year Gokulashtami but I couldn’t. So this year I thought of starting my Gokulashtami recipes with some interesting seedai varieties. For Krishna Jayanthi, we make seedai recipes using rice flour. I came to know about this maida sweet seedai ( Inippu seedai) and maida kara seedai recipes when my fellow bloggers posted it. When I read this seedai is a no burst, fool proof recipe that is ideal for beginners, I was very happy and confident to try it.
I thought maida has to be steam cooked to make this cheedai. But when I saw this easy, instant sweet seedai recipe in Sharmis passions, I tried it immediately. But I used less milk. Even though its my first try, it came out really well. It had cracks but still I was happy with the results as it tasted great. My MIL usually says sweet seedai have mild cracks. The taste of this sweet maida seedai reminded me tea kadai vettu cakeand sweet maida biscuit. This seedai tastes crispy outside and soft inside. You can store this seedai for a week and enjoy. If you trying for the first time, do follow the same quantity mentioned in this post. Once you get them perfect, you can make in bulk quantity. Friends, do try this interesting seedai variety for Gokulashtami and enjoy. Lets see how to make Maida sweet seedai with step by step photo and video !
Add milk gradually and make a slightly sticky dough.
Grease your fingers with ghee or oil and make small balls.
Spread them in a dry cloth and rest for 10 minutes.
Deep fry till golden in low to medium flame. Remove and store after it cools down.
Maida sweet seedai recipe - Step by step photo
Powder 1/4 cup sugar along with 2 cardamom. Remove in a bowl and measure 1/4 cup from it.
In a wide bowl, take 1 tsp melted ghee. Add cooking soda, powdered sugar, all purpose flour, sesame seeds.
Mix well till crumbly to spread the ghee in flour. Add milk little by little and make a slightly sticky dough. Take care you add the milk slowly else dough will become very sticky. Don't worry if its too sticky, add 1 tsp more maida and try to bring the dough slightly sticky. No need to rest the dough. Roll the balls immediately.
Grease your fingers with ghee or oil and roll the seedai. Make small sized, smooth balls without cracks using three fingers.Do not roll tight. Spread them in a dry cloth. Let it rest for 10 minutes.
Heat oil in a kadai. Drop a pinch of dough. If it comes to the top immediately, oil temperature is right. Lower the flame completely. Take the balls and make a perfect round if its flat.
Drop 10 to 15 seedai per batch by standing a feet away( Just for precaution) But don't scare, this seedai never burst. Do not disturb the seedai in oil till it starts to float on top. Then toss the seedai with a ladle and cook till golden in color uniformly. Keep tossing whenever needed. Flame should be low to medium for uniform cooking else seedai will become dark brown quickly.
Remove when the bubbles reduces. Do not wait for the bubbles to stop completely. This seedai becomes slightly bigger in size after frying. It tastes soft when hot. It becomes crunchy when it cool down. Store it after they cool down. Enjoy. It stays good for weeks together.
Notes
Do not add more cooking soda. Seedai may disperse in oil.
Do not make the dough too sticky and loose. Seedai will dissolve in oil.
If the dough is too sticky, you can add 1 to 2 tsp more flour to achieve the right texture.
After rolling, if the balls flatten, it shows moisture is more in the dough. In that case, roll it again and then drop in oil.
We make ellu sadam ( Sesame seeds rice / Til rice) using black sesame seeds every year for Aadi 18 and Purattasi Sani thaligai. This is one of the 5 rice varieties we offer to God on Aadi perukku. As aadi 18 is nearing, I wanted to share this easy South Indian style sesame rice recipe with you all. In Tamil nadu, this rice is popularly known as Ellodharai. I learnt this recipe from my MIL. For this rice, We make ellu podi using Karuppu ellu / black sesame seeds, urad dal, red chilli and roasted coconut .It is mixed with cooked rice. This sesame seeds powder can be prepared in advance and stored for a week. It can be prepared with white sesame seeds too but my MIL says black is more flavorful than white. Moreover black sesame seeds is preferred for festivals and pooja. If you like sesame seeds recipes, you can make this rice for lunch box as well. As my family likes this rice variety, we make it as a travel food just for one day but without coconut. You can find that recipe in my Travel lunch menu ideas. Today I have shared an authentic version of ellu sadam recipe. Do try this simple and quick rice variety for this aadi 18 and share your feedback with me. Tomorrow I will share a video on how to make 5 rice varieties easily for aadi festival. In that video, I have shared this ellu sadam recipe too. Do watch it to get a clear idea. Ok, now lets see how to make ellu sadam with step by step photo.
Heat 1 tsp oil and roast red chillies, urad dal till golden.
Lastly add grated coconut, roast for a minute.
Remove, grind them adding sesame seeds and salt.
Grind to a fine powder. Mix with cooked rice.
Temper and add to rice. Mix well and enjoy!
Sesame seeds rice / Ellu sadam - Step by step photo
Pressure cook raw rice and spread in a plate.Cool down.Dry roast black sesame seeds till it crackles. If you keep roasting in high flame for 2 to 3 minutes, it will crackle. Remove in a plate.
In the same kadai, heat 1.5 tsp cooking oil. Roast red chillies, urad dal till golden. Lastly add the grated coconut and roast till its moisture goes off. Adding coconut is optional but it helps to balance the taste of this rice.
Grind the roasted dal, chilli, coconut and sesame seeds to a smooth powder adding salt. Do not grind continuously for long time. Sesame seeds release oil and make the powder wet. So grind in regular intervals. Ellu podi is ready.
Temper mustard seeds, urad dal, red chilli and curry leaves.Take the cooked rice in a bowl. Add the required sesame seeds powder, tempered items and mix well. Add 1 tsp sesame oil. Check for taste before serving.
Add more salt and sesame oil if needed. Mix well and serve !
Notes
Sesame seeds should be roasted properly else rice tastes bitter.
You can add more chillies if you like spicy rice.
For variations, you can skip coconut and roast urad dal, chillies.
You can make & store this ellu podi in refrigerator upto 1 week. If you don't use coconut, you can store at room temperature. No need to refrigerate it.
Pappu unta in Telugu is nothing but our paruppu urundai recipe ( steamed lentil balls in English) made of toor dal and urad dal.In Telugu, it is called as Kandi pappu unta i.e toor dal balls. My friend Shalini told me to try this recipe during last year Varalakshmi Vratham. Some people in Tamilnadu and Andhra have the tradition of offering this paruppu urundai for Varalakshmi pooja. They offer 9 balls to God and add the remaining to more kuzhambu( Pappu unta majjiga pulusu).
Shalini shared her mom’s recipe with me which is different from Tamilnadu style paruppu urudai recipe. In this recipe, I have used toor dal and urad dal. Shalini gave some tips to make soft balls. I followed her instructions to the dot. The result was great. Paruppu urundai was very soft and tasty. I am yet to try majjige pulusu recipe. This time I had it as snack. Its also a good side dish for curd rice. Friends, Do try this paruppu urundai recipe for this Varalakshmi vratham festival and share your feedback with me. Lets see how to make Andhra style paruppu urundai recipe with step by step pictures.
Do check out my Chettinad style paruppu urundai kuzhambu recipe, Varalakshmi vratham pooja procedure.
Pappu unta recipe / Paruppu urundai recipe
How to make Andhra style Pappu unta / Paruppu urundai recipe
Wash and soak toor dal and urad dal in a bowl adding enough water. Soak for 4 hours.
Drain the water completely. Take the dal, grated coconut, green chilli, cumin seeds, ginger, hing and salt. Grind to a thick coarse paste without adding water.
Collect the batter in a bowl. If the batter is slightly watery, add 2 tsp of gram flour/besan flour and mix well to make it thick. To the batter, add finely chopped coriander and curry leaves.Add 1 tsp oil, a pinch of cooking soda and mix well.
Make small balls out of the batter and arrange them in a greased idli plate.
Steam in an idli pot for 10 minutes. Remove after it becomes warm else balls may break while you remove them. If the balls goes flat after cooking, water content is more in the batter.So add some besan flour and make it thick for next batch. For trouble shooting, take the warm balls and shape it round. If the batter is too thick and dry, balls may come out slightly hard. So batter should be thick yet moist just like masala vada batter.This is the key to make soft paruppu urundai.
Pappu unta/ Paruppu urundai is ready. Take 9 balls in a plate and offer to God. If you are adding these balls to more kuzhambu/ Majjige pulusu, you can add finely chopped onion, garlic to the batter if you like.
Notes
For Tamil nadu style paruppu urundai, add chana dal instead of urad dal. Use red chillies instead of green chilli while grinding.
If you are .
For variations, you can soak the urad dal separately. Grind to a smooth paste, remove in a bowl.Then grind the soaked rice+ poha + methi seeds to a smooth batter. Mix both the batter and ferment it.
Raw rice idli ( Pacharisi idli in Tamil) is one of the important festival recipes of Tamilnadu and Andhra. My friend Shalini told me about this idli using raw rice and pappu unta( Paruppu urundai) when I was asking for Varalakshmi Pooja recipes. Many people (especially Tamil brahmins) prepare this pacharisi idli for Varalakshmi vratham and Ganesh Chaturthi neivedyam. Basically steamed rice or boiled rice idli (Puzhungal arisi) is not offered to God. So people make idli with good quality raw rice / ponni rice ( sona masoori) and offer to God on festival days. I followed my mixie idli,dosa batter recipe, altered the quantity of ingredients and tried it. To make a perfectly soft raw rice idli, we should add more urad dal and give more time for fermentation. Ratio of rice and dal should be 2:1. Its always better to use grinder for making idli. But I used mixie to grind the batter as I made very less quantity. I used ice cold water to prevent the heating of jar. So if you are using mixie like me, use ice cold water to get soft and spongy idli else idli may come out hard.
Raw Rice Idli - Pacharisi Idli Recipe
Its taste and texture reminded Kanchipuram idli to me. I tried making dosa with this batter but it was not so great in taste. It tasted like varagu dosa. I will try to upload a dosa picture soon. Tomorrow I will share pappu unta recipe. Friends, do try this idli recipe for varalakshmi viratham, offer God and get her blessings. Now lets see how to make raw rice idli recipe with step by step photos !
Raw rice – 1 cup (Use good quality sona masoori/Ponni rice)
Urad dal - 1/2 cup
Methi seeds - 1/4 tsp
Poha / Thick Aval - 1.5 tbsp (optional)
Salt - as needed
Water - as required ( I used 1.25 cups)
Gingely oil - to grease idli plate
How to make the recipe
Wash and soak raw rice, urad dal, poha and methi seeds for 3 to 4 hours.
Grind to a smooth paste adding ice cold water.
Collect the batter in a bowl. Ferment for 12 to 15 hours.
This batter won't double in quantity but rise slightly.
The next morning,mix the batter well and make idli.
Steam for 10 minutes till done, remove after 5 minutes.Serve with chutney,sambar.Enjoy !
Raw Rice idli - Step by step pictures
Wash and soak rice, urad dal, aval and methi seeds together for 3 to 4 hours.
Grind in a mixie jar adding ice cold water. I used approx 1.25 cups of water. Grind to a smooth paste.
Collect the batter in a bowl. Ferment it for 12 to 15 hours or overnight based on the weather. This batter won't double in quantity but rise slightly.
The next morning, mix well with a ladle.Grease idli plate with sesame oil and pour the batter.
Steam in an idli pot for 10 minutes. Remove after its done. Rest for 5 minutes and then remove the idli. For offering God, drizzle a tsp of ghee over the idli as shown in the picture. Finish the pooja, serve with sambar & chutney!
Notes
Adding poha is optional. You can skip it.
You can grind the batter in a grinder. Idli comes out even more soft.
For variations, you can soak the urad dal separately. Grind to a smooth paste, remove in a bowl.Then grind the soaked rice+ poha + methi seeds to a smooth batter. Mix both the batter and ferment it.
Chakkara Pongali Recipe - Andhra style sweet pongal recipe prepared with sugar, milk, rice and dal. As Varalakshmi Vratham is fast approaching, I wanted to share some neivedyam recipes. I found Chakkara Pongal is most commonly prepared for all the festivals in Andhra. Basically Telugu people make two types of sweet pongal recipes. One with sugar and the other one with jaggery called as bellam pongali. Today I have shared chakkara pongal recipe with milk and sugar with step by step pictures and video.
My neighbor Sowjanya who taught me poornam boorelu shared her traditional way of making chakkara pongali recipe without moong dal. Yes, I used chana dal instead of moong dal. This chakkara pongal preparation is completely different from Tamil nadu sakkarai pongal. In Tamil nadu style sweet pongal recipe, moong dal and jaggery is used. When Sowjanya told me to use chana dal and sugar, I was surprised to see the variation.
I tried this sweet pongal for Friday Lakshmi Poojaneivedyam. Traditionally, this pongal has to be prepared by cooking rice and dal in milk in a pot. But I used pressure cooker to save time. Chakkara pongal came out really well. I passed this prasadam to Sowjanya for her feedback about its taste and color. She told it tasted really good. I was very happy to hear this from her as its my first attempt.
Of course all the credits goes to her for giving me the measurements precisely. She also shared some variations in this recipe. I have mentioned those points in NOTES section. Ok, lets see how to make Andhra style chakkara pongal recipe with step by step photos and video. This week I will try to share more neivedyam recipes for Varalakshmi viratham. Stay tuned !
Raw rice – 1/2 cup (Use good quality Sona masoori)
Chana dal Or Moong dal - 1.5 tbsp
Sugar - 3/4 cup
Ghee - 3 tbsp
Grated coconut - 2 tbsp( or Dry coconut powder)
Cashew nuts - 5 nos
Dry grapes - 1 tbsp
Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp
Milk - 1/2 cup
Water - 2 cups
How to make the Andhra Chakkara Pongali recipe
Wash and keep the raw rice aside.
Heat 2 tsp ghee in a cooker base. Roast chana dal or moong dal till golden with nice aroma.
Add washed rice, water. Pressure cook for 2 whistles in low flame.
Mash it well.Add milk, sugar, cardamom powder and grated coconut. Mix well.
Boil in low flame for 5 minutes.Consistency should not be too thick.
Roast the nuts in ghee and add to pongal, mix well.Enjoy !
Chakkara Pongal Recipe - Step by step pictures
Wash the rice and keep aside. Heat 2 tsp ghee in a cooker base. Roast the chana dal till golden with nice smell.
Add 2 cups of water, washed rice and a pinch of salt. Mix well and cook for 2 to 3 whistles in low flame. Dal won't become mushy.It should be visible in the mashed rice.
Add sugar, milk, cardamom powder and freshly grated coconut or dry coconut powder. Mix well and boil in low flame for 5 minutes. Make sure bottom is not burnt. Mix whenever needed.
Remove when its semi solid and keep aside. Roast the chopped nuts and dry grapes in the remaining 2.5 tbsp ghee. Roast till dry grapes puff up and cashew becomes golden.
Add to the pongal. Mix well. If the pongal is too thick, add some boiled milk and bring to the desired consistency. You can reheat this pongal adding little water or milk and serve it after the pooja. It tastes fresh and good when served hot. Andhra style chakkara pongali is ready. Try this for festivals and enjoy !
Notes
For variations, You can add moong dal instead of chana dal.
You can pressure cook the rice and dal adding milk instead of water. In that case, you should add nearly 3 cups of milk.
Cardamom powder is a must. You can also add few saffron threads to make it rich.
My neighbor told me to cook rice and dal in a pot adding milk. But I cooked them in a pressure cooker to save time.
Andhra style sweet pongal recipe with milk & sugar is ready for neivedyam. Try this for festivals and enjoy !
