Search Chitra's Food Book

Showing posts with label EASY SWEETS RECIPES. Show all posts
Showing posts with label EASY SWEETS RECIPES. Show all posts

May 25, 2020

Besan Ka Halwa Recipe / Kadalai maavu Halwa

besan ka halwa
Besan ka halwa in Hindi( Kadalai maavu halwa in Tamil) is a rich and delicious Indian dessert recipe. It is prepared with besan flour, sugar, ghee, milk, water flavored with cardamom powder and garnished with nuts. Though its a very simple recipe, it needs some patience and continuous attention to make it perfect. Roasting besan flour patiently is the key to make a flavorful halwa else halwa tastes and smells raw.

This halwa can be prepared adding water or milk. Color of halwa varies as per the use. I used water here. For variations, you can use jaggery instead of sugar. Do not reduce the quantity of ghee and sugar mentioned. It will affect the taste and texture of this besan halwa. For making this halwa, I used pure cow's ghee from Ghee store. It came so well !!

Recently I got a pack of pure desi cow ghee and wood pressed sesame oil and ground nut oil from Ghee store for my review. Ghee store is an online shop where they sell organic pure desi cow ghee, buffalo ghee, brown ghee, cold pressed and wood pressed oils and organic honey. All their products are traditionally prepared without machines. They use wood fire for preparation and is done 100% manually. So they give assurance to the flavor, taste and purity.

As they promised, I found the ghee, sesame oil and groundnut oils are so good, fresh and flavorful. We all just loved it. Price is also reasonable when compared to some other brands who sells A2 ghee at a very high price. I am sure I will buy their products regularly in future. I would recommend this brand for my friends and family too.

Friends, do check out their website gheestore.in  and place your orders. You can try their sample pack at a minimal price and then go for bulk orders if you are satisfied. Here is their Instagram , Facebook and twitter page links. Check it out friends. You can also click on the below image to view their website. You can also find some useful informations regarding the health benefits of pure cow ghee, buffalo ghee and cold pressed oils in their blog page.

Ok, lets see how to make besan ka halwa using pure cow ghee with step by step pictures.

 Ghee store


Besan ka halwa


Besan Ka Halwa / Besan Halwa Recipe


Besan Ka Halwa / Besan Halwa Recipe

Besan Ka Halwa / Besan Halwa Recipe - Rich and delicious halwa recipe



Cuisine: Indian
Category: Sweet
Serves: Serves 4
Prep time: 10 Minutes
Cook time: 20 Minutes
Total time: 30 Minutes



INGREDIENTS
1 cup = 240ml
  • Besan flour / Kadalai maavu - 1 cup
  • Sugar - 3/4 cup ( Add 1 cup for more sweetness)
  • Melted ghee - 1/2 cup ( 1/3 cup + 2 tbsp)
  • Water - 1.5 cups
  • Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
  • Cashew nuts - few (to garnish)
HOW TO MAKE BESAN KA HALWA
  1. Heat 1/3 cup of ghee in a heavy bottomed kadai.
  2. Add besan flour and roast in low to medium flame till golden in color with a nice smell.
  3. Add water and mix till besan turns thick. Add sugar and mix in low flame.
  4. Halwa becomes thick, non sticky and leaves the pan.
  5. When it becomes a whole mass, add the remaining ghee, chopped cashews and cardamom powder.
  6. Mix well and switch off the flame. Remove in a plate. Serve warm and enjoy !
METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES
  • Add 1/3 cup of melted ghee in a heavy bottomed kadai. I used my thick non-stick kadai.

  • Heat ghee and add the besan flour. Keep the flame low to medium and roast the besan flour for 8 to 10 minutes till besan flour turns golden in color with a nice smell.
  • besan ka halwa recipe

  • Lower the flame completely and add water at room temperature. You can also add boiled milk at room temperature instead of water.  I used water. Mix quickly to break the lumps.

  • Keep mixing till all the water / milk is absorbed by the besan flour. When it becomes thick, add sugar. 
  • besan ka halwa recipe  

  • Mix well till all the sugar is dissolved in halwa. Keep the flame medium and mix for few minutes. Halwa thickens and starts to leave the sides of pan.
  • besan ka halwa recipe
  • Keep mixing till halwa leaves the pan completely and becomes a whole mass. Add cardamom powder, remaining ghee and chopped cashew nuts. Mix well. Switch off the flame. Transfer to a plate and serve warm or hot ! Enjoy.!
  • besan ka halwa recipe
  • besan ka halwa recipe

Note

  • You can add milk instead of water. Color of halwa differs if you add milk.
  • Add 1 cup of sugar for more sweetness.
  • Do not reduce the quantity of ghee.
  • You can use wheat flour instead of besan and make this halwa.
  • For variations, add 2 tbsp of suji / rava / semolina to 1 cup of besan flour while roasting. It gives a coarse texture to the halwa.

Do try this easy, yummy besan ka halwa and share your feedback !
besan ka halwa recipe
Continue Reading...


January 1, 2020

Bread Kaja Sweet Recipe – Indian Bread Sweet Recipes

Bread kaja
Hi friends, Wish you all a very happy 2020. Let this new year brings all the joy and prosperity!!. Bread kaja is an easy and interesting Indian style dessert recipe with bread. It can be prepared quickly and instantly with less procedures. Last week when I was looking for some easy sweet recipes / dessert recipes using leftover bread slices, I came across this bread kaja recipe in Hari Chandana’s blog.

Bread kaja sweet is a simplified version of Shahi tukda which is a rich and famous Mughal dessert. For making bread kaja, we have to just deep fry the bread slices in oil / ghee and dip in flavored sugar syrup. Rabri / sweetened milk is not needed for this sweet. So preparation time is lesser. You can make it under 10 minutes for your surprise guest. Kids will love it.  I thought this sweet would be ideal for this new year celebration.

When I googled for images, I found bread kaja looks triangle in shape similar to Shahi tukra. But I made in small squares to attract the kids. Its an interesting recipe to empty the leftover bread slices. You can make and consume it immediately for crispy tasting bread OR you can soak the fried bread slices in sugar syrup overnight and enjoy like bread gulab jamun. It tastes so soft and flavorful. In fact I loved the soft and well soaked bread pieces more than crispy ones. Ok friends, do try this yummy, easy bread kaja sweet recipe for this new year 2020 and share your feedback with me.

Once again wish you all a very happy new year!!. This year I have planned to start my YouTube channel in Tamil as requested by many of you during last year. Hope you will continue to give your love and support for my new venture too. Thank you !

Bread kaja recipe


Bread kaja recipe - Easy sweet with bread


Bread kaja recipe - Easy sweet with bread

Bread kaja recipe - Easy sweet with bread for dessert & snack.



Cuisine: Indian
Category: Sweet
Serves: Serves 4
Prep time: 10 Minutes
Cook time: 20 Minutes
Total time: 30 Minutes



INGREDIENTS
1 cup = 240ml
  • Bread slices - 5 nos.
  • Sugar - 1./2 cup
  • Water - 1/4 cup
  • Rose syrup - few drops
  • Saffron thread - few
  • Finely chopped nuts - 2 tbsp
HOW TO MAKE BREAD KAJA SWEET RECIPE
  1. Take the bread slices and cut into squares or a triangle.
  2. Heat oil and deep fry bread pieces till golden in color. Drain in a tissue paper.
  3. Melt sugar in water and make sugar syrup of half string consistency.
  4. Add rose essence and saffron thread. Mix the syrup. Add the fried bread pieces.
  5. Soak it for few minutes and serve warm by garnishing with chopped nuts.
BREAD KAJA RECIPE - STEP BY STEP PICTURES
  • Take the bread slices and discard the brown part if you wish. I used the brown part too. Chop into square shaped pieces or into triangles.
  • Bread kaja recipe
  • Heat oil in a kadai. Deep fry the bread pieces in medium flame till golden brown in both the sides. Remove and drain the excess oil in a tissue paper.
  • Bread kaja recipe
  • Melt sugar in water and make sugar syrup. Boil and bring the syrup to half string consistency. i.e Take little syrup in your thumb finger and press with pointer finger. Release it, check if the string is formed and gets cut. This is called half string consistency. Switch off the flame and add rose essence, saffron threads. 
  • Bread kaja recipe
  • Dip the fried bread pieces in sugar syrup and soak for few minutes by flipping both the sides. Sugar syrup will be absorbed by the bread pieces. Garnish with chopped nuts. You can serve it immediately if you like crispy tasting bread else soak overnight and serve soft bread pieces which tastes like bread gulab jamun.
  • Bread kaja recipe
  • Stays good for a day or two. Enjoy !

Note

  • You can use cardamom powder instead of rose essence.
  • You can also bake the bread pieces or toast in a toaster instead of deep frying. But taste differs. 
Try this easy, yummy bread kaja sweet and enjoy !
Bread kaja sweet

Continue Reading...


October 25, 2019

Seven Cup Burfi –7 Cup Cake Recipe

seven cup cake
Seven cup burfi recipe was in my bookmarks list for years. I thought seven cup cake tastes more like mysore pak. But after trying it, I realized it tastes completely different. Unlike other burfi recipes, there is no need of sugar syrup or one string consistency. This seven cup burfi is just a mix and cook kind. It can be prepared with easily available ingredients like milk, besan flour, coconut, ghee with 1 cup each and 3 cups of sugar, totally 7 cups. I made it in a very small quantity. 

Be it big or small, use the same cup to measure all the ingredients. Tastes so good with a nice flavor of milk and coconut. If done well, this burfi melts in mouth. Its a beginners sweet. You don’t need any expertise to make it. Friends, do try this easy, yummy Seven cup burfi also known as 7 cup cake for this Diwali and share your feedback with me.
seven cup burfi

Seven cup burfi / Seven cup cake recipe


Seven cup burfi / Seven cup cake recipe

Seven cup burfi recipe with 5 ingredients



Cuisine: Indian
Category: Sweet
Serves: 10 
Prep time: 10 Minutes
Cook time: 10 Minutes
Total time: 20 Minutes



INGREDIENTS
1 cup  = 250 ml
  • Besan flour - 1/4 cup
  • Boiled milk - 1/4 cup (At room temperature)
  • Finely grated coconut OR Desiccated coconut - 1/4 cup
  • Melted ghee - 1/4 cup (At room temperature)
  • Sugar - 3/4 cup
  • Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
HOW TO MAKE SEVEN CUP BURFI RECIPE
  1. Heat a kadai and dry roast the besan for 5 minutes in medium flame.
  2. Lower the flame completely. Add grated coconut, milk, sugar, ghee and cardamom powder.
  3. Mix well without lumps. Now increase the flame to medium.
  4. Keep stirring till the mixture becomes thick and starts to leave the pan.
  5. Immediately transfer to a ghee greased tray. Press and spread it with a ghee greased bowl.
  6. Draw shapes when warm, remove after cooled down.
  7. Store and enjoy up to a week.
SEVEN CUP BURFI RECIPE - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

  • Measure and keep all the ingredients ready. Take a plate and grease with ghee. Also grease a small bowl or ladle to level the burfi. 

  • Heat a kadai and take 1/4 cup of besan flour. Dry roast it for 5 minutes in medium flame till raw smell vanish. Do not brown the flour or burn it.

  • Lower the flame completely or switch it off if you are a beginner. Add grated coconut, melted ghee, boiled milk at room temperature, sugar, cardamom powder and mix without lumps. Now switch on the flame and keep it medium. Stir the mixture well. Don’t worry if there are small lumps. It breaks while cooking.

  • Stay nearby and keep mixing. Initially bubbles appear in the middle. As you mix, burfi mixture thickens and bubbles appear all over the kadai.

  • Keep mixing till frothy, thick and starts to leave the sides of pan. At one stage, burfi mixture becomes thick and starts to follow the ladle. Immediately switch off the flame and transfer to the ghee greased tray. Do not cook for more time because burfi crumbles or becomes hard. 

  • Quickly level and spread it with a ghee greased bowl or ladle. Mark pieces when warm. Remove after it cools down. Store in a box and enjoy for a week. 

Note

  • Do not over cook the mixture. Burfi crumbles. In that case, you should grind the crumbled burfi with little water or to a smooth paste and cook again till right consistency.
  • If you do not want to use 3 cups of sugar, you can use 2 cups of sugar + 1 cup of powdered cashew nuts or badam.  But authentic 7 cup recipe doesn’t use nuts.
  • I feel dried or desiccated coconut is better than fresh coconut. If you use fresh coconut, you should grate it finely or grind it once.

Try this easy, yummy seven cup cake recipe and enjoy the festival !
seven cup burfi
Continue Reading...


October 14, 2019

Dates and Nuts Ladoo Recipe – Dates Laddu Recipe - Sugar Free Sweets Recipes

dates nuts laddu
To start with this year’s Diwali recipes, here is an easy and simple, sugar-free Dates nuts laddu recipe. This recipe is similar to Dates and nuts roll I posted few years back. But its procedure is much easier than dates roll. I tried this with the leftover pack of dates. It tastes so good and flavorful too. With a nice flavor of ghee and crunchy taste of nuts, this dates ladoo is sure a healthy choice for kids and adults with good calories. Use soft dates (Medjool dates) if you like soft ladoo or use regular, hard dates like Lion dates for slightly, chewy and hard ladoo. Its your choice finally. Chopping the nuts is little time consuming otherwise this ladoo can be prepared in few minutes. If you want to ease this chopping job, you can grind coarsely and then roast it. Friends, do try this healthy, sugarless sweet for this Diwali and enjoy ! Lets see how to make dates and nuts ladoo with step by step pictures.

Check out my Dates and Nuts Roll Recipe.

dates nuts laddu

Dates Nuts Ladoo Recipe


Dates Nuts Ladoo Recipe

Sugar free dates and nuts laddu recipe



Cuisine: Indian
Category: Sweet
Serves: 12
Prep time: 10 Minutes
Cook time: 10 Minutes
Total time: 20 Minutes



INGREDIENTS
1 cup - 250ml
  • Dates - 1 cup / 15 nos ( I used Lion Seedless Dates)
  • Chopped Cashew nuts - 1/4 cup
  • Chopped Almond - 1/4 cup
  • Melon seeds - 2 tbsp
  • Chopped pista - 1 tbsp (optional)
  • Poppy seeds / Khus khus - 1 tbsp
  • Desiccated coconut - 1 tbsp (optional)
  • Ghee - 1 tbsp + for greasing hands
HOW TO MAKE DATES LADDU
  1. Wash and chop dates roughly. Grind to a coarse paste. Set aside.
  2. Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a kadai and roast the nuts.
  3. Once golden, add poppy seeds and coconut.
  4. Roast for a minute. Lastly add ground dates.
  5. Mix well till it becomes a whole mass.
  6. Remove and cool down. Grease hands with ghee.
  7. Make balls and arrange the ladoo in a plate.
DATES AND NUTS LADOO - STEP BY STEP PICTURES
  • Wash the dates and chop roughly. Grind to a coarse paste and set aside.
  • dates nuts laddu
  • Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a kadai. Roast the cashew nuts, almonds and melon seeds in low to medium flame. When they start to turn golden, add poppy seeds and desiccated coconut. Roast for a minute. Do not burn anything.
  • dates nuts laddu
  • To this add the ground dates paste. Mix in medium flame till everything comes together as a whole mass. Initially you will find it difficult to mix the dates and nuts. But when the dates paste gets heated, it become easy to mix.
  • dates nuts laddu
  • Once everything comes together as a mass, switch off the flame.  Let it become warm. Grease your hands with ghee. Make balls / shape ladoo. Arrange in a plate.
  • dates nuts laddu
  • Once the ladoo comes to room temperature, store in an air tight box. Use within a week for best taste. Enjoy !

Note

  • Adjust the quantity of nuts as per your taste. I used 1/4 cup, you can use 1/2 cup too.
  • Do not add sugar or honey. Its not necessary.
  • You can use soft dates or regular dates. But taste and texture of ladoo differs.
  • Do not over cook the mixture after adding dates paste. Ladoo may become hard and chewy after cooling down. Just cook till it comes together as a mass.
  • Greasing your hands with ghee helps to give a shine to ladoo and also adds nice flavor.
Try this easy, yummy dates and nuts ladoo recipe and enjoy !
dates nuts laddu recipe
Continue Reading...


July 30, 2019

Muscoth Halwa Recipe – Halwa Without Ghee

Muscoth halwa

Muscoth halwa / Muscat halwa is a popular halwa recipe in Mudalur near Tuticorin (Thoothukudi), Tamilnadu. It is also known as Mudalur halwa. AJJ bakery/ sweet shop is very famous for this halwa preparation. I got this recipe from a Tamil magazine where the sweet shop owner has given the recipe with measurements. I reduced the sugar quantity and tried it. I also watched Sutralaam suvaikalaam Youtube channel video for more details. This halwa is prepared using Maida milk / All purpose flour milk and coconut milk. It can be called as coconut milk halwa too. 

Highlight of this halwa is its made without adding a drop of ghee or oil. The oil releases from the coconut milk makes the halwa glossy and flavorful. If you are a big fan of coconut based recipes, you must try this halwa. It looks and tastes similar to Tirunelveli halwa. Patience is the only thing you need to make this halwa successfully. It needs a day for pre- preparation and an hour to cook.  But it tastes great with the nice flavor of coconut. You will love it ! 

For variations, you can use wheat flour instead of maida. But authentic, sweet shop recipe uses all purpose flour/ maida. But this halwa stays good for 2 to 3 days as we are using coconut milk. Use a good non-stick kadai for best results. If you have an iron kadai, you can use that as well.

Recently Kent appliances sent me a non-stick kadai (Kent Red plus with SS lid) for my review about the product. I have shared a picture of it in my Instagram feed as well. Kent by Kent Appliances is a kitchen appliance brand. It caters to the various needs of homemakers in the country. It has a varied product portfolio ranging from pressure cookers, non-stick cookware, hard anodized cookware, thermoware, mixer grinders to varied other electrical appliances and kitchen tools. The company has been at the forefront of innovation and has been the fastest growing company in the kitchen appliance space

When they sent me a kadai for reviewI wanted to try some sweets with it because its easy to identify the final consistency. As this Muscoth halwa is without ghee, I felt it would be ideal for making in the new kadai. As expected, kadai was so good. I cooked this halwa for more than one hour still the kadai and its handle was heat resistant. Spatula is good and sturdy. Halwa came out beautifully without sticking to the pan. I loved the red outer coating which is my favorite color too. 

Above all this product has one year warranty. I started using this kadai in my regular cooking. So far so good ! Friends, if you are planning to buy this kadai, use CHITRAS5 coupon code for 5% discount (for purchasing through website only).
Check out their website, Facebook and Instagram page links below to see all their products.

Website : https://kentappliances.com/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/KENT-Appliances-486182058591104/

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/kent_appliances/

Note : This is not a paid post. 

Lets see how to make this yummy Muscoth halwa recipe with step by step pictures. I am happy to include this halwa in my halwa recipes collection.

Muscoth halwa recipe

Muscoth halwa recipe


Muscoth halwa recipe

Muscoth halwa / muscat halwa recipe - An yummy halwa recipe without using ghee



Cuisine: South Indian
Category: Sweet
Serves: 8 pieces
Prep time: 10 Minutes
Cook time: 20 Minutes
Total time: 30 Minutes



INGREDIENTS
1 cup = 250ml
  • Maida / all purpose flour - 1 cup
  • Coconut milk - 4 cups using 1 big coconut
  • Sugar - 2 cups ( 1.25 cups + 3/4 cup for caramel)
  • Cashew nuts – 5 ( break into small pieces)
  • Ghee - Few drops to grease the halwa plate
HOW TO MAKE MUSCOTH HALWA
  1. To make Muscoth halwa, take maida in a wide bowl and make a smooth dough adding water.
  2. Add 3 cups of water to the maida dough. Mix it well with your hands. Dough dissolves in water and you will get white colored milk.
  3. Discard the gluten part and set the maida milk aside. Keep it covered and leave overnight.
  4. The next morning, discard the water carefully and use the sedimented maida milk for making halwa.
  5. In a kadai, add maida milk, coconut milk, 1.25 cups sugar and start cooking in medium flame.
  6. In another small kadai, take 3/4 cup sugar and a tsp of ghee. Mix well and caramelize it in low flame.
  7. Add to maida mixture , add cashew nuts and keep cooking for an hour. Remove when halwa starts to release oil in the sides of kadai.
  8. Transfer the halwa to a ghee greased plate. Cut into pieces when warm. Serve and enjoy !
  9. Tastes best the next day !
MUSCOTH HALWA RECIPE - STEP BY STEP PICTURES
  • In a wide bowl, take 1 cup of maida/ all purpose flour. Add water gradually and make a smooth dough. No problem even if the dough is sticky. Add 3 cups of water to the dough and start mixing with your hands. Dough dissolves in water and you will get white colored maida milk.
  • Muscoth halwa recipe
  • Keep mixing till you get the fiber like gluten part separately. Squeeze well and discard it. Now maida milk with water is ready. Cover the milk bowl with a plate and rest it overnight or 6 hours. Maida milk will be settled down and you will find the water on top. Drain the water carefully. No problem if little water is present with maida milk. Measure the sedimented maida milk. You will get around 1 cup. Keep it aside. Muscoth halwa recipe
  •  Muscoth halwa recipe
  • Take one big coconut. Grate it or make pieces. Grind to a smooth paste adding 1 cup of warm water. Strain and collect the coconut milk in a bowl. Add more warm water and take the second milk too. Total quantity of coconut milk should be 4 cups. So you can add water based on this. In a kadai take 1 cup of maida milk, 4 cups of coconut milk, 1.25 cups of sugar. Mix well. Muscoth halwa recipe
  • Muscoth halwa recipe
  • Keep the kadai in medium flame and keep stirring till sugar dissolves. After 5 to 10 minutes, halwa starts to thicken. Keep cooking by changing the flame from low to medium high.
  • Muscoth halwa recipe
  • In the mean time, keep a small kadai in another gas burner. Add 3/4 cup sugar and a tsp of ghee. Keep the flame very low. Mix well till sugar dissolves and changes the color to golden brown. Do not burn the sugar. Halwa tastes bitter. This process is called sugar caramelization. Switch off the flame and add the caramelized sugar to the halwa. Do it quickly. Mix well. Muscoth halwa recipe
  • Muscoth halwa recipe
  • Color of halwa changes to golden brown. Add cashew nut pieces. Keep mixing the halwa for another 30 minutes. Halwa thickens completely and leave the sides of kadai. It rolls with the ladle and becomes a lump. It will be non-sticky to touch. If you want, you can remove the halwa to a ghee greased plate at this stage. Set it till warm, cut into pieces and enjoy. It tastes good. But If you want really glossy halwa like in sweet shops , you need to proceed to the next step. Muscoth halwa recipe
  • Keep the flame medium and mix until halwa starts to leave traces of oil in the sides of kadai. Total cooking time would be more than one hour. Once you see the oil releasing in the sides, remove and transfer to a ghee greased plate. Level it with ghee greased spatula. Rest the halwa till warm, invert to a plate. Make pieces and consume within 2 to 3 days. Enjoy ! Muscoth halwa recipeMuscoth halwa recipe

Note

  • For healthy options, you can use wheat flour / atta instead of maida.
  • You can skip cashew nuts.
  • You can also reduce the quantity of coconut milk to two cups and make this halwa. But halwa won’t release oil. You can remove once it becomes non-sticky.
  • Actual recipe called for fermenting maida milk overnight. But I saw many recipes that make the maida milk instantly. You can try that way too.
  • Cardamom powder is not needed. If you wish, you can add it.


Friends, try this easy yummy Muscoth halwa and enjoy with family and friends.

It stays good only for 2 to 3 days because of coconut milk.



Continue Reading...