Bread halwa came to my mind when I saw few leftover bread slices in my kitchen.I am making this easy halwa recipe for the second time. First time I tried bread halwa without milk by adding sugar syrup and ghee.It was good in taste but not so rich. Then I watched few bread halwa video recipes where they added khoya or condensed milk instead of milk. I felt that If I had added Khova/mawa, the taste would have been much better. But this time I prepared bread halwa with milk and followed a different procedure as Khoya is not easily available in my place. I will make a post adding khoya soon.
For this recipe, I followed Tarla Dalal and used less milk & ghee when compared to other bread halwa recipes on net.It came out really well and satisfied my expectancy. Its process and making is so easy. I am sure its a rich, quick, Indian style dessert recipe made with easily available ingredients to serve your surprise guests and a good choice to use leftover dried bread slices. Kids would love it for sure. You should eat it hot or warm to enjoy its real taste.
If you want to make a super rich and tasty bread halwa, you can deep fry the bread pieces in ghee just like double ka meetha or add ground cashew+ badam paste to the halwa. For variations, you can try this halwa with rusk and bread crumbs too. But adjust the quantity of milk and sugar. Ok, Lets see how to make bread halwa recipe with step by step images and a video.
Milk bread slices – 6 nos ( I used Spencers bread)
Sugar – 4 tbsp
Milk – 1/2 cup
Cashews and badam - a fistful ( chopped)
Melted Ghee – 1/4 cup
Cardamom powder – 1/4 tsp
METHOD
Take 6 slices of milk bread ( I used 3 days old bread) and chop into small pieces roughly. Grind to a fine powder. Set aside in a bowl. ( Do not use too soft n fresh bread. You can't powder it.In that case, microwave it for a minute and then powder it.)
Heat 1/4 cup of ghee in a kadai. Roast sliced cashews and badam till golden brown. Remove in a plate.
To the remaining ghee, add the powdered bread.Roast well for 2-3 minutes till you get roasted aroma. To this, add 1/2 cup of milk and 4 tbsp of sugar. Mix well till sugar melts and milk is absorbed by the bread. Mixture will become thick and wet. ( If you feel the mixture is too dry, add little more milk Say 2 tbsp) Cover and cook the mixture for 2 minutes.
After 2-3 minutes, open the lid.Mix well and add cardamom powder, roasted nuts. Keep mixing till the mixture becomes thick, shiny and starts to leave traces of ghee in the sides of pan. It will be non-sticky to touch. Transfer to a bowl and serve hot OR press the halwa to make shape. Invert in a plate and serve warm or cold. Remember, this halwa tastes the best when served hot /warm.
Enjoy !
Note
No need to remove the sides of bread.The color of this halwa looks brown as I din’t remove the sides. If you remove the sides, the color of halwa may slightly change.
Add more sugar according to your taste buds.
Do not reduce the quantity of ghee. It may change the flavor and consistency.
Instead of adding roasted nuts, you can try adding cashew + badam paste along with sugar to get more richness.
Poha kheer also known as Choora Kheer ( Aval Payasam in Tamil, Pressed rice/Rice flakes pudding in English, Atukula payasam in Telugu, Avalakki payasa in Kannada) is a creamy, rich North Indian dessert recipe made using Milk, pressed rice, sugar, nuts and cardamom powder. Krishna Janmashtami/Gokulashtami festival is around the corner. We South Indians i.e Tamil people make sweet seedai, Salt seedai, Kai murukku, Paal payasam and appam for the festival whereas North Indians make their specialty recipes like Rice Kheer/ Poha kheer, Kalakand, Shrikand, Gopalkala, Mathura Ke peda and many more. Actually I bookmarked these recipes long back but I couldn’t try them.So this year I started with a North Indian recipe for Krishna Jayanthi festival.. I followed Sanjeev Kapoor’s recipe but used more milk than the mentioned quantity. Its so easy to make and it came out creamy and delicious.This kheer can be given for babies too. Actually Sendhil & Raksha is not a big fan of Poha kheer with sugar. But they liked this a lot. Try this easy kheer recipe for this Janmashtami festival and offer to God. Lets see how to make poha kheer with step by step photos and a video ( Will update soon) !
Check out my other Krishna Jayanthi recipes HERE
Boil milk in a pan. In the mean time, heat ghee in a kadai. Roast cashews, almond and raisins. Remove in a plate leaving the ghee in the pan. In the same ghee, roast poha for 2 minutes. It will roast with a nice flavor. (Skip roasting poha. Just wash and add to milk. Some versions call for this method too)
Add the roasted rice flakes to the boiling milk. Cover and cook the poha in very low flame. It takes nearly 10 minutes to cook. Mix it well once or twice in between. Make sure the bottom is not burnt. If needed, add 1/4 cup more milk in the middle.
After the poha is cooked well, add sugar and mix well. Add cardamom powder and roasted nuts. Add saffron threads if you wish. Mix well and give a boil. Switch off the flame and serve warm.
Note : This kheer thickens over time. So add more milk and sugar while serving to adjust its consistency and sweetness. Boil for a minute and serve warm. Enjoy !
Sheer Khurma is a Hyderabadi dessert recipe that is specially made for Ramadan Festival / Ramzan (Eid) by the Muslims in India. It is spelt as sheer kurma/ sheer korma or sheer qorma but it is actually Sheer Khurma. This special dish is made using full cream milk, fine vermicelli, sugar or condensed milk, nuts, dry fruits and ghee. Some people make this dish with coconut milk too. It is served in the morning of Eid ul-Fitr day( Ramadan festival) in the family for breakfast after the Eid prayer. It is served throughout the day to all the visiting guests.
I learnt this recipe from Sharmila Banu aunty. I have mentioned about her in my Muslim Dalcha recipe post. When I heard the title as Korma, I thought its a spicy gravy recipe that is made for biryani and asked her the same. She started laughing and told its meaning, importance of this dish and the method of making this rich dessert recipe. In Persian & Urdu, Sheer Khurma refers to “Milk with dates”. Its a festival vermicelli pudding prepared by Muslims all over the world on Ramadan day. Ramzan breakfast would be incomplete without this dish.
Actually its the first dish they taste in the morning after breaking their fasting. So its a very special food for them. When aunty told me about this recipe, I decided to make this post in my blog as Ramzan special recipe. This morning, I prepared this yummy sheer kurma following her recipe. It came out very well and lip-smackingly delicious.
I am very happy to share this post as my Ramadan festival recipes contribution. I dedicate this post to all my Muslim readers and I wish you all a very happy Ramadan - Eid Mubarak!!. Lets see how to make Ramadan special Sheer Khurma recipe without condensed milk.
Sheer Khurma Recipe
Hyderabad special Sheer Khurma recipe - Ramadan festival dessert recipe
Cuisine:Indian
Category:Sweet/Dessert recipes
Serves:3
Prep time:10 Minutes
Cook time:10 Minutes
Total time:20 Minutes
INGREDIENTS
1 cup - 250ml
Fine vermicelli - A fistful ( say 1.5 tbsp)
Full fat milk - 1/2 litre
Sugar -1/4 cup ( Add 1/3 cup for more sweetness)
Dry fruits & Nuts - l tbsp each ( Cashews, Pista, Almond, Chironji / charoli seeds, Dry grapes)
Dried dates - 2 nos (Soak in rose water, overnight)
Cardamom powder - 1/8 tsp or rose essence - few drops
Ghee - 2-3 tbsp
Saffron – few threads
Hot Water – 1/2 cup ( to soak the nuts and dry fruits)
METHOD
Boil 1/2 litre of full fat milk till it reduces to 1/3rd of its quantity. Thanks to my SIL Raji for gifting me this Visions cookware. : ))
Soak dried dates in rose water overnight. Chop into small pieces and set aside. In the mean time, boil 1/2 cup of water to roll boil. Switch off the flame and soak the badam in hot water for 15 minutes. Peel the skin of badam and chop it. Chop the remaining nuts like cashews, chironji, pista too. Alternatively you can soak the dates in hot water overnight instead of adding in rose water.
Melt 1 tbsp of ghee in a pan. Roast the fine vermicelli for 2-3 minutes. Remove in a plate. In the same pan, heat 1 tbsp of ghee and roast the sliced nuts and dry fruits till it turns golden. Remove in a plate.
Now add the roasted vermicelli to the boiling milk. Let it cook for 5-7 minutes till it becomes soft. Add sugar, saffron threads & allow the milk to boil till sugar dissolves. Make sure the milk is not so thick as this khurma thickens with time. So prepare the sheer khurma slightly thin and watery.
Switch off the flame and add cardamom powder or rose essence, roasted nuts & dry fruits. Add the remaining 1 tbsp of melted ghee at the end. Mix well and serve it cold or warm. Enjoy ! Wish you all a very happy Ramadan!!
Note
Use full fat milk to get a rich taste and mild orange color to this dish.
You can add 2 tbsp or more condensed milk instead of sugar.
If you wish you can add 1/4 cup of medium thick coconut milk at the end for more flavor and richness.Aunty suggested me to add it. But I couldn’t.
This dish would thicken when it cools down.So add some milk and bring it to the desired consistency.
Add more sugar as per your taste buds.
Enjoy this yummy Sheer khurma and have a great Ramadan celebration !!
Usually I make Pineapple Kesari just by adding Pineapple essence and yellow food color to the normal rava kesari. I have never tried it with Pineapple chunks. Yesterday I bought a small pineapple to try this authentic pineapple kesari served in weddings, functions and Karnataka special Pineapple Gojju recipes.So this morning I made kesari bath for my Thursday Guru pooja.
I followed my microwave rava kesari procedure and ingredients which I adapted from Revathy Shanmugam mam’s recipe. It came out very well, soft and flavorful. Being a Pineapple lover, I loved each and every bite of it in the kesari. But the only thing I felt was, I chopped Pineapple into big chunks thinking it would mash up in the kesari but it remained as it is. So please chop the pieces very finely or make it a coarse paste to avoiding biting chunks in between the super soft Kesari.
Friends, do try this different type of kesari using pineapple for your friends & family, Enjoy!! Lets see how to make pineapple kesari recipe with step by step photos.
Check out the health benefits and more details about Pineapple HERE
Pineapple Kesari Recipe
Pineapple Kesari Recipe - An easy, Indian dessert recipe !
Cuisine:Indian
Category:Sweet
Serves:Serves 3-4
Prep time:10 Minutes
Cook time:15 Minutes
Total time:25 Minutes
INGREDIENTS
1 cup - 200ml
Rava/ Bombay Sooji - 1/2 cup
Sugar - 1 cup
Small Pineapple pieces - 1/2 cup
Pineapple essence - few drops
Yellow food color - 2 pinches
Water - 2.5 cups
Ghee - 2 tbsp + 2 tsp
Cooking oil - 2 tbsp ( No flavored oils)
Cashews and raisins – few ( optional)
METHOD
Wash and chop the pineapple into very small pieces or coarsely grind the pieces ( I chopped it big by mistake). Take them in a bowl and add 2 tbsp of sugar from 1 cup of sugar. Mix well and cover the bowl. Let the pineapple pieces soak in sugar for 20 minutes and becomes soft.
Take a wide plate and grease it with ghee.Set aside. In a kadai , heat 2 tbsp ghee + 2 tbsp oil.
After its heated, reduce the flame to medium and roast the cashews & raisins.Remove it in a plate after cashews turn golden and raisins bloat. Now add the rava. Rava should sizzle as soon as you add it. Roast the rava well for 2-3 minutes by staying nearby. Make sure you don’t burn the rava or change its color.Switch off the flame and let the rava be in the same kadai.
In a bowl, roll boil 2.5 cups of water adding yellow food color and soaked pineapple pieces. Do not add the sugar water in the pineapple pieces. Add the fruit alone. Cover & cook the pineapple pieces. Add this water to the roasted rava. Take care, water will splash. Now switch on the flame and keep stirring. As soon as rava becomes thick, close the kadai with a lid & simmer the flame completely. Cook the rava for 3-4 minutes.
Open the lid and mix the cooked rava. Add sugar and stir it without lumps. Do it fast, Sugar will melt, mixture will become thin and watery. Add pineapple essence.
Keep stirring till the kesari starts to leave the sides of pan. As soon as kesari starts to leave the sides of pan, add 2 tsp pf ghee, mix well & switch off the flame. Transfer to the ghee greased plate. No problem if the kesari is not thick, it will thicken as it turns warm.
Enjoy !
Note
I used rava and sugar in the ratio of 1:2. You can reduce to 1.5 cups if you want mild sweetness.
Adding more water makes the kesari soft. So I used 1:5 rava and water.
Oil helps to maintain the texture of kesari and prevent its from hardening. So do not skip it. Use unflavored oils like refined oil or olive oil. Never use groundnut oil/Kadalai ennai.
If you don’t like eating pineapple pieces in the kesari, chop it very finely so that it will mash up while cooking and you won’t get pieces in your mouth. You can also try grinding them coarsely.
If you don’t have pineapple essence, skip it or add cardamom crushed seeds if you like.
I am trying varieties of Mango recipes in my kitchen in this mango season.Recently my friend Shalini gave me a big tin of mango pulp and few mangoes.I tried Ripe mango pickle, Mango Kesari, Mango lassi and mango kulfi with it. I am yet to post Mango kulfi and ripe mango pickle. Lassi is my family favorite recipe. We love to have lassi in different flavors. So I tried Mango lassi at home for Sendhil & Raksha. Its so easy to make and it came out creamy, thick with the yummy flavor of mango.Both loved it very much. For vegan version, you can replace curd & milk with almond milk. Lets see how to make easy, Indian style sweet mango lassi using mango pulp.
Mango Lassi Recipe
How to make creamy mango lassi at home
Cuisine:Indian
Category:Dessert
Serves:Serves 1-2
Prep time:5 Minutes
Cook time:5 Minutes
Total time:10 Minutes
INGREDIENTS
1 cup = 250ml
Ripe mango - 1/2 no Or Mango pulp - 1/2 cup
Boiled & cooled milk - 1/4 cup
Thick,fresh curd - 1 cup
Sugar – 1-2 tbsp (Adjust based on the sweetness of mango)
Cardamom powder or vanilla essence - 1/4 tsp
Chopped nuts & mint leaves - to garnish
METHOD
Wash and peel the skin of ripe mango. Chop into cubes and grind them in a mixie jar adding a tbsp of water. Measure 1/2 cup of pulp from it.
Take the measured mango pulp in a big mixie jar. To this, add sugar, milk, curd, vanilla essence or cardamom powder.Milk should be at room temperature. Grind everything to a thick,creamy paste. Add more milk or curd to adjust its consistency as you wish.
Transfer it to a tall glass and serve immediately with chopped nuts and fresh mint leaf on top. Enjoy !
Note
Adjust the quantity of sugar based on your taste.
You can use readymade store bought mango pulp too. But taste it before you use to check its sweetness. If the pulp is too sour, do not use it for making lassi.
Make sure you do not use hot milk. Lassi will look curdled.
You can use either cardamom powder or vanilla essence for flavor OR you can avoid both.
Enjoy this creamy, yummy mango lassi at home !! It tastes D-licious !!
Orange mocktail / Orange lemon juice recipe is a simple and yummy summer drinks recipe. I make juices & milk shakes with fruits very rarely as we love to eat whole fruits. Recently I had this Orange mocktail in a juice corner. Raksha & myself loved it a lot. She told me to pack it for her school morning break time. So I browsed for mocktail recipes without alcohol and found it from Sharmi’s blog. The combination of Orange juice and lemon juice was perfect. Raksha gave a big thumbs up after drinking it and she told me to make it very often too. I usually make Eggless Orange cake during this fruit season.I am happy that I got yet another interesting recipe using orange fruit. Lets see how to make this non–alcoholic cocktail recipe - Orange Mocktail at home easily.
Extract the juice from Oranges.Add lemon juice and mix well.Strain the juice and add required sugar and water.Mix well and check for taste.Add more sugar or water if needed. Serve immediately.
Enjoy !
Enjoy this easy,delicious healthy mocktail at home !
