My regular readers are well known of my Thursday Guru pooja and Friday Lakshmi pooja. For pooja neivedyam/prasad, I keep trying varieties of sweets. It may be traditional or unusual sweets, I am trying it every week. Last week I tried South Indian style easy peanut ladoo for my Thursday pooja. So this week I thought of trying some North Indian sweets. I prepared this easy, yummy mawa ladoo / khoya laddu in microwave following Nisha Madhulika’s recipe. Though its my first attempt, it came out really well. Its so easy and quick to make. Fuss free recipe ! Usually North Indians make Sooji khoya laddu, besan khoya ladoo, khoya coconut laddu and khoya dry fruits laddu. Apart from these laddu varieties, many of you would have tried khoya burfi or gulab jamun with khoya. Do try this khoya ladoo for a change. I am sure you will love it. Its tastes is similar to doodh peda. Ok, lets see how to make mawa ladoo recipe with step by step pictures.
Crumble it slightly. Microwave in high power for 1 minute.
Remove the bowl and stir it well.
Microwave again for one minute. Remove, stir well and let it cool down.
Add powdered sugar and cardamom powder. Shape into ladoo.
Finish it within a day or two !
METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES
Take the mawa/ khoya and measure 1/2 cup from it. Keep it in a microwave safe bowl. Crumble slightly. Cover the bowl with a microwave safe plate.
Microwave in high power ( 800w) for one minute. Remove the bowl and stir the khoya with a spoon. Again cover it and microwave for one more minute in high power.
Remove the bowl and mix well. Khoya may be golden brown in color slightly. Do not panic. But make sure its not burnt. Transfer the khoya to a plate immediately and let it cool down completely.
In the mean time, take the sugar and 2 cardamom seeds in a mixie jar. Grind to smooth powder. Set aside.
Take the khoya and crumble it finely with your fingers. Add the powdered sugar to it and mix well. Check for taste and add more sugar if needed. If using roasted cashews, add at this stage. I din't use it.
Take a portion of the khoya, roll tightly and make ladoo. Shape the laddu and serve immediately. Store in a box and enjoy for one or two days. This ladoo stays good for 2 days. It tastes more like doodh peda. I decorated the ladoo by keeping a color dot and melon seed on top. Enjoy !
Note
Make sure not to burn the khoya while you microwave. If the power of microwave is more ( 900W or more) reduce the cooking time to 1 minute 30 seconds. Over cooking makes the khoya hard and chewy.
Adjust the quantity of powdered sugar based on your taste.
I feel 2:1 ratio of khoya and sugar is sufficient.
Do try this easy, yummy khoya ladoo and share your feedback with me !!
I learnt this easy peanut ladoo with jaggery (Verkadalai vellam laddu in Tamil, Shenga laddu in Kannada) from my friend Shalini. Its just a two ingredients recipe with two step process. She told this laddu recipe is very special among her community people in Andhra (Telugu). There is also a popular snacks shop in Shevapet, Salem that sell this ladoo. My husband Sendhil loves peanut based low calorie snacks like peanut chikki / Kadalai mittai. When I was telling this to my Shalini, she suggested this healthy ladoo recipe with the same combination of peanut and jaggery just like chikki. As we all know peanut and jaggery when eaten together gives us immense health benefits. So I was double happy to learn this easy, low calorie peanut laddu recipe without ghee. I made this for my Thursday Guru Pooja neivdeyam. This laddu became a super hit recipe in my house😃. Friends, you too give a try. If you have roasted and deskinned peanuts in hand, you can make this laddu in the next 5 minutes. You can also pack it for kids and adults snacks box. This peanut laddu stays good upto one week. So you can make, store and enjoy anytime. Ok, lets see how to make this simple, easy, yummy and super healthy peanut jaggery ladoo with step by step pictures.
Grated or powdered jaggery - 1/2 cup( add 2tbsp more for extra sweetness)
METHOD
Dry roast the peanuts in a kadai or microwave roast the peanuts for 2 to 3 minutes in high power.
Rub the roasted peanuts and remove the skin.
In a mixie jar, grind the peanuts coarsely.
Add the grated jaggery and grind again to smooth powder.
Make balls tightly and store in an air tight jar. Serve and enjoy !
METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES
Dry roast the raw peanuts in a kadai. Roast in medium flame till its skin crackles. Switch off the flame and let the peanuts be in the hot kadai. It will become crispy only after it cools down. So wait patiently.
Alternatively you can roast the peanuts in microwave oven too. For this, spread the peanuts in a microwave plate. Roast in high power for 2 to 3 minutes. I kept in 800w power for 2 minutes 30 seconds. Switch off the microwave and let the peanuts be inside the hot oven. It will become crispy once it cool down. Now take the roasted peanuts in a small cloth bag(Manja pai) or in a plastic cover. Rub it well to remove the skin. Collect the roasted peanuts in a plate.
Grind the roasted peanuts coarsely. Then add the grated jaggery and grind again to smooth powder. Check for taste. Add more jaggery and grind again if needed. Do not grind for long time continuously. Oil releases from the peanuts and becomes like a paste. So just pulse it to mix well.
Remove the powder in a plate. Roll tightly and shape into ladoo. Store in an air tight jar and use it within a week.
Enjoy !
Note
You can add 2 tbsp extra jaggery for more sweetness. Usually the ratio of peanuts and jaggery is 1:1.
Ghee is not needed as the oil from peanut helps to shape ladoo.
You can add cardamom powder while grinding if you like.
Try this easy, yummy, healthy peanut ladoo for your kids and family. They will love it !
Maida halwa recipe with step by step pictures. I tried this easy, Instant maida halwa recipe from Aval Vikatan’s 30 vagai kalyana samayal supplementary book. This halwa is titled as Karandi halwa in that book. I followed the same recipe but tweaked the method slightly to make pieces like the maida halwa I tasted in sweet shops. Maida/ All purpose flour, sugar and ghee are the major ingredients.
Basically I am a big fan of Kerala maida halwa. But Kerala halwa ingredients and method of preparation is different from this easy maida halwa. For this halwa, we don’t have to ferment the maida milk. It can be prepared instantly like Corn flour halwa / Karachi halwa but it takes 20 to 30 minutes to reach the final stage. We need to stir constantly but its worth the effort. If you want to make chewy and hard halwa, you need to cook the halwa for more time, may be one hour. I removed the halwa as soon as it started to ooze out the ghee in the corners.
Beginners can easily try this recipe as there are less chances of going wrong. I have also taken a video for clear understanding. Please watch it below. Friends, do try this easy maida flour halwa during this summer vacation. You don’t have to wait for Diwali. You will love its taste. For variations, you can use jaggery instead of sugar but taste and texture would be completely different.
If you feel this halwa is unhealthy, just think about eating parotta, jalebi or samosa made of maida. You won’t feel guilty. After all, we are making it once or twice in a year. So Its not a sin. Eat this halwa and do some workouts. If you still feel bad, you can try my Instant wheat flour halwa.
Mix maida, water and food color without lumps. Set aside.
Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a non-stick kadai. Roast cashews till golden.
Add maida water and mix in low flame till thick.
Add sugar, mix till it dissolves.
Add 1 tbsp of ghee + oil at regular intervals. Mix well.
At one stage, halwa starts to ooze out ghee in the corners.
Add cardamom powder, nuts. Mix well and transfer to a pan.
Cut into pieces when warm. Serve & enjoy !
For chewy halwa, cook for more time in high flame.
METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES
In a wide bowl, take maida, water and food color. Whisk without lumps. Set aside. Mix melted ghee + oil in a bowl and keep it ready.
In a good non-stick kadai, heat 1 tbsp ghee+oil and roast the cashews till golden. Add maida water and mix well without lumps. Mix till thick in low flame.
Add sugar and mix in medium flame till sugar dissolves completely. Add 1 tbsp ghee+oil and mix till it gets absorbed by the halwa. As soon as you add the ghee, it becomes easier to stir the halwa. But when the ghee is absorbed by the halwa, it thickens and you feel difficult to mix it. So add 1 tbsp of ghee+oil mixture again.
Repeat the same process till all the ghee+oil is added to the halwa. By now halwa leaves the sides of pan, rotates with the ladle. It would become non-sticky and shiny. Increase the flame to high. Keep mixing till halwa starts to ooze out ghee in the sides of pan. Touch the halwa to see its completely non-sticky. It takes 20 to 25 minutes to reach this stage. If not, add little more ghee or oil and stir for few more minutes. Do not remove the halwa till it starts to ooze the ghee. I have marked with arrows in the below picture. Patience is important here. Please watch the video for better understanding.
At this stage, reduce the flame to low. Add cardamom powder and melon seeds. Stir till all the nuts spreads well. Switch off the flame. Transfer the halwa into a ghee greased bowl. I used my square shaped cake pan. Press it well with a ladle. Let the halwa set for an hour and becomes warm. Invert in a plate. Now mark shapes with a ghee greased knife.
Make pieces and serve. This halwa stays good for a week without refrigeration. Enjoy !
NOTE : If you want to make chewy halwa, Cook for more time in high flame till all the ghee comes out from the halwa. Set for one day. It tastes chewy and hard the next day.
Note
Do not reduce the quantity of sugar. Halwa tastes like porridge and you won’t get the proper consistency. If you are sweet toothed, you can increase the quantity of 2.25 cups.
Similarly do not reduce the quantity of ghee because halwa sticks to your tongue while you eat.
Addition of cooking oil helps the halwa to ooze out ghee quickly. So do not skip it. You can use coconut oil instead of cooking oil if you like.
If you don’t want to make pieces, you can just scoop the halwa with a ladle and serve it. This is called as Karandi halwa in Tamil.
Try this easy, yummy maida halwa at home and enjoy your special occasions !
Kalkandu Vadai (Sugar candy vada) is a Chettinad Special Sweet Medhu Vada Recipe/ sweet ulundhu vadai made especially for Diwali and Thirukarthigai Deepam festivals. Recently we had a 2 days trip to Karaikudi, Chettinad just to explore its food and other specialties. We relished an elaborate, traditional Chettinad lunch at “The Bangala” and had a pleasant stay at “Chidambara Vilas” heritage hotel. In this trip, I got a chance to taste most of the Chettinad special delicacies like Kandarappam, Vellai paniyaram with kara chutney, Thalicha idiyappam, Kosumalli, Kondakadalai Mandi, Getti kuzhambu, Paruppu urundai kulambu, More kulambu, Milagu kulambu, Payasam, some poriyal , pachadi and kootu varieties.
We bought all the Chettinad specialty snacks from Soundaram Aachi stores. I also bought a kg of white raw rice / Maavu arisi and murukku press near Koppudai amman temple street for making Chettinad thenkuzhal by enquiring the staffs in Soundaram aachi kadai. I visited the antique stores to buy some props for blog but I din’t buy anything as I found them too costly and not worthy for its price. Finally I bought 2 Chettinad Cotton sarees as well. Totally it was a memorable one to cherish for years. Soon I will try to make a separate post about our trip in detail with all the pictures.
After this trip, I got tempted to try some Chettinad recipes in my kitchen and share with my readers. So I bought “100 Chettinad recipes cookbook “ and started trying them one by one. Last week Sendhil’s friends visited us. Luckily I came to know that they are from Chettinad . I became very happy and passed this book to her to know the authenticity of the recipes given in the book. Thanks a lot Mrs. Inba Venkatesh. She explained each and every recipe along with few corrections. She told me to try this Kalkandu vada as its one of the most special snacks recipe of Chettinad. So I tried this recipe referring the cookbook and few Youtube videos. Even though its my first attempt, it came out really well. I am very happy with the result. It tasted crispy outside and very soft inside. Its so easy to make too. Lets see how to make Chettinad special Kalkandu vadai with step by step pictures.
Check out my other Chettinad recipes in this LINK.
Kalkandu Vadai Recipe - Sweet Medhu Vada
Kalkandu vadai - Sweet medhu vada made with urad dal and sugar candy.
Sugar candy / Kalkandu - 1/3 cup ( I used diamond kalkandu)
Salt - A pinch
Cooking oil - to deep fry vada
HOW TO MAKE SWEET ULUNDHU VADAI - METHOD
Wash and soak urad dal and rice in a bowl adding water for one hour.
In a mixie jar, grind sugar candy to smooth powder.
To this powder, add the soaked dal +rice by draining the water completely.
Grind to a smooth paste without adding water.
Add salt to the batter, mix well and keep aside.
Heat oil and make vada. Deep fry both sides till golden.
Remove and enjoy hot !
METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES
Wash and soak urad dal and raw rice in a bowl adding enough water. Soak for one hour.
In a big mixie jar, powder the sugar candy/ kakandu smoothly. Alternatively you can use sugar instead of sugar candy. Take the soaked dal+rice and drain the water completely. Add the soaked dal+ rice to mixie jar. Grind to a smooth paste without adding water. Powdered kalkandu helps to grind the dal smooth without water. So do not add water, just wipe the sides of mixie jar and grind continously to make a smooth batter.
Transfer the batter to a bowl, add salt just before making vada. Mix well with a spoon to prevent batter becoming watery.Keep aside. Add 1/2 cup of water to the mixie jar and grind it to wash the jar. Transfer to another bowl and use this water for dipping your hands while shaping the vada. If you fry the vada later, you can refrigerate the batter till use.
Heat oil in a kadai and when it gets heated , drop a pinch of batter to check the heat of oil. If the batter rises to the top immediately, oil temperature is correct. Now lower the flame to medium and drop the vada.
Dip your fingers in water and take a small portion of batter from one corner of the bowl. Make a ball, flatten it slightly and make a hole in the center. Turn your hand upside down. Drop the vada in oil by slightly tilting your fingers. Make 2 to 3 vada per batch. Cook in medium flame by flipping it whenever needed. Cook till golden brown on both the sides.
Do not cook these vada in high flame because vada turns black quickly because of sugar candy.So cook patiently in low to medium flame. .Remove the vada in a tisue paper and serve hot. You can refrigerate the remaining batter for 2 days and make vada at your will.
Enjoy ! This vada stays good for 2 to 3 days.
Note
If you don't have sugar candy, you can use sugar.
Never use water for grinding the batter.
Cook in low to medium flame patiently.
If the vada absorbs more oil, add 1 to 2 tsp of rice flour to the batter.
Do not add salt while grinding the batter. It makes the batter watery.
Try this easy, yummy, sweet urad dal vada / Kalkandu and enjoy !
Kala jamun (Blackgulab jamun) recipe was in my try list for years. To make it simple, I tried making Kala jamun in an easy way using store bought, readymade, instant gulab jamun mix. I have tried it twice so far using Aachi gulab jamun mix and MTR gulab jamun ready mix. Both worked well. When I read the difference between Kala jamun and Gulab jamun in Wikipedia, I found sugar and khoya (milk solid) is used to make the traditional Kala jamun dough.
So I too used sugar and milk to the instant readymix to make the jamun dough. Sugar added in the dough slowly caramelizes while deep frying and helps to give dark color to the kala jamoon. Milk helps to make soft gulab jamun. Some recipes called for deep frying the gulab jamun twice to bring the black color. But I felt deep frying in low flame patiently for long time helps to get a nice black color to kala jamun. Please go through my post to read more tips and tricks to make a perfect kala jamun using instant gulab jamun mix in detail. Try it. You will love its results for sure. Friends, lets see how to make Kala jamun using jamun mix with step by step pictures.
Take the gulab jamun mix in a bowl. Add sugar and mix well.
Add milk gradually and make a slightly sticky dough. Cover and Rest for 5 minutes.
To make sugar syrup, take sugar and water.Mix well and boil for 5 to 7 minutes till it becomes slightly sticky.
Take a small portion of gulab jamun dough and mix saffron milk, food color, sugar & nuts. Make small balls out of it for stuffing the jamun.
Now roll smooth, crack free balls in the remaining dough using ghee greased hands. Stuff the nuts ball inside the jamun & roll it.
Arrange the balls in a plate.
Heat oil and fry the jamun in low flame till black in color.
Soak in sugar syrup for one hour. Jamun increase in size and becomes soft. Serve with ice cream !
METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES
In a wide bowl, take the measured gulab jamun mix. Add sugar and mix well. Add milk gradually and make a slightly sticky dough.
Cover the jamun dough for 10 minutes. In the mean time, you can make sugar syrup. Heat sugar + water in a bowl and boil the syrup for 5 to 7 minutes in medium flame till the syrup becomes sticky. Add saffron thread and cardamom powder/rose water. Mix well. Switch off the flame and set aside.
Take the gulab jamun dough and remove a small ball for the stuffing. To this ball, add chopped nuts, saffron thread soaked in 1 tsp milk, a pinch of food color and 1/2 tsp of sugar. Mix well to make a soft dough.
Roll the jamun into equal balls. If it cracks more while rolling, add little milk to dough. Mix well and make balls again. Make equal number of jamun balls and nuts ball. Make sure the size of nuts stuffed ball is lesser than gulab jamun ball.
Grease your hands with little ghee. Take one gulab jamun ball and press it to make a small circle. Keep the nuts stuffed ball in the middle and roll it nicely to make a crack free kala jamun ball. You can make round shapes or bullet shaped elongated ones as shown in the picture.
Heat oil in a kadai and drop a pinch of dough. If it rises to the top slowly, oil temperature is right. Now keep the flame medium and stir the oil in the corner of kadai with a wooden ladle. Drop 3 to 4 gulab jamun in each batch. Keep stirring the oil in the corners without touching the gulab jamun. It helps for even coloring of jamun. Keep the flame low and stir it.
Cook till jamuns become golden brown. Keep the flame low and keep cooking till it becomes black in color. Make sure you don’t burn the jamuns. You can identify it with the smell if it burns. So always keep the flame low and cook patiently. As we have added sugar to the dough, it helps to change the color of jamun quickly.
Remove the jamun using a slotted ladle and drain in a tissue paper. If the sugar syrup becomes cold, heat for a minute and make it warm. Add the cooked kala jamun to the sugar syrup and mix well. Cover and soak it for 30 minutes to one hour OR till the jamun increase in size after soaking.
Serve warm or cold as you like with or without ice cream. Enjoy !
NOTE
Addition of sugar helps the jamun to change dark black in color. So do not skip it.
Remember to cook the jamun in low flame patiently. If you cook in high flame, jamun may burn. Alternatively you can also fry the jamun twice to get black color.
Try this easy, yummy Kala Jamun using Instant gulab jamun mix. Enjoy !!
After trying mawa malpuasuccessfully, I prepared this instant, easy rabri recipe to serve with malpua. Its a quick version with just 3 major ingredients using microwave. It can be done in 6 minutes. Basically Instant rabri can be prepared using milk powder, ricotta cheese, khoya or even with condensed milk and corn flour.
But today I have used Paneer / Chena, Milk and condensed milk / milkmaid to make this instant rabdi recipe. I followed Tarla dalal’s recipe. It came out really well. I won’t say its taste is equal to the authentic rabri, but it tasted good when served chilled. I used store bought paneer. This rabri tastes even better when you make it with fresh chena. If you are craving for rabri, you can make it this way and enjoy instantly. Lets see how to make easy rabri recipe in microwave under 6 minutes with step by step pictures.
Instant Rabri Recipe Using Microwave
Instant rabri / rabdi recipe using microwave in 6 minutes.
Condensed milk - 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp ( Use 3/4 cup more for sweetness)
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
Kewra water or rose water - 2 drops
Saffron strands - Few (optional)
Chopped nuts (Cashew, badam and pista) – 2 tbsp
HOW TO MAKE MICROWAVE, INSTANT RABRI WITH CONDENSED MILK
In a microwave safe bowl, take milk, condensed milk/milkmaid, grated paneer, cardamom powder and rose water.
Mix well and microwave in high power ( 800W) for 6 minutes.
Mix it once in the middle after 3 minutes.
After 6th minute, remove the bowl. Mix well.
Transfer to serving bowl. Garnish with chopped nuts. Refrigerate for an hour. Serve chilled.
METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES
Grate paneer and set aside.In a microwave safe bowl, take milk. Add grated paneer, condensed milk, cardamom powder and kewra water or rose water.
Mix well with a whisk or ladle. Microwave in high power at 800W for 6 minutes in total. Open it once in the middle at 3 minutes.
Mix well and again cook for 3 minutes. Remove, mix well and transfer to serving bowls. Garnish with chopped nuts. Refrigerate for 1 hour and Serve chilled.
Enjoy !
Note
Add more condensed milk if you need more sweetness.
Kewra water is optional. You can use rose water or saffron instead.
Rabri thickens after refrigeration. So you can add some milk to adjust its consistency while serving.
Try this easy, yummy instant rabri recipe for festivals and special occasions.Enjoy it serving with malpua, gulab jamun !
