Every Thursday and Friday , I perform Guru Pooja and Mahalakshmi Pooja at home. Usually I make Payasam/Kheer or sweet pongal for neivedyam/Prashad. As I am bored of making the same, I am trying out easy sweets recipes like burfi, halwa for every week pooja. Check out my earlier posts suji ka halwa,atta halwa, bread halwa and carrot halwa.
Last week Thursday, I prepared this beetroot halwa for the first time following my carrot halwa recipe using pressure cooker. As I did not have Khoya/mawa or condensed milk in hand, I just used milk and sugar. It came out really well. This halwa takes less ghee and sugar unlike other halwa recipes. Still it tasted rich, looked colorful and shiny. Sendhil & Raksha loved it a lot. I am sure kids would love to taste this halwa just by seeing its color.
Overall its a healthy and nice alternative from the carrot halwa/ Gajar halwa. But remember to add the right amount of ingredients mentioned in the recipe. Adding more sugar makes the halwa hard like burfi. Stirring the halwa for long time makes it chewy. This halwa thickens as it cools down. Keep these points in mind and start making it. You can make a perfect beetroot halwa !
Beetroot halwa stays good for a week when refrigerated. You can serve it chilled or reheat for few seconds in a microwave oven or a kadai with little ghee to serve it warm. It tastes really great when served warm with a scoop of ice cream. Now lets see how to make this yummy, easy, colorful , healthy, Indian dessert recipe –Beetroot halwa with step by step photos and a video !
Beetroot halwa recipe in a pressure cooker
How to make beetroot halwa in a pressure cooker just by using milk and sugar !
HOW TO MAKE BEETROOT HALWA IN PRESSURE COOKER - METHOD
Wash 2 big sized beetroot, slice the top and bottom portion and peel its skin using a peeler. Grate it using a big holed grater. If we use small holed grater, beetroot becomes mushy after cooking and resembles jam. So I always prefer big sized holes for grating. Measure it after grating and keep 3 cups ( loosely packed) aside !
In a pressure cooker base, heat 1.5 tbsp of ghee. Add the grated beetroot and saute till its raw smell goes off completely & beetroot turns pale in color. It takes 7 to 10 minutes.
Now add the boiled milk( at room temperature) and add a small pinch of salt. Addition of salt helps to enhance the sweetness of halwa. Mix well and pressure cook in very low flame for 3-4 whistles. It takes nearly 15 minutes. Open the cooker after the steam is released.
Boil till 3/4th of the excess milk gets absorbed by the halwa.When the halwa starts to become thick, add sugar. Mix well till sugar melts. The mixture will become watery. Keep mixing in medium to high flame till the halwa starts to leaves the sides and bottom of cooker. Stay nearby and keep mixing else halwa may burn in the bottom. This process takes more than 20 minutes in medium flame.
When the halwa becomes thick, glossy and leave the sides of cooker, reduce the flame to low and keep mixing for one minute. Halwa leaves the pan completely and gathers in the center. Switch off the flame and remove the cooker from the stove. It looks moist now. Let the halwa be in cooker for few minutes.In the mean time, roast the cashews.
Heat the remaining 1.5 tbsp. ghee in a kadai and roast the cashew nuts till golden. Add it to the halwa in the cooker. Mix well and transfer the halwa to another bowl. Halwa looks slightly moist and sticky when hot. As it cools down, it becomes thick and set well. Original taste and sweetness of this halwa can be known only after it becomes warm. If you want more sweetness, heat halwa & sugar in a kadai and Consume after it becomes warm. You can even refrigerate the halwa for an hour to serve chilled !
I like to have it warm with a scoop of ice cream! Tastes yummy !!!
Note
This halwa stays good for one day without refrigeration.But it stays good for 3-4 days if stored in an air tight box in a refrigerator. Use clean spoon for handling !
Reduce the quantity of sugar if the beetroot is too sweet. But do not add more sugar than the mentioned quantity. Halwa may become hard like a burfi after mixing.
Mix the halwa till it becomes thick and leaves the sides of pan. It will thicken as it cools down.
Adding cardamom powder helps to give a nice flavor. Do not avoid it.
If you want to add condensed milk, reduce the quantity of sugar or skip it completely.
You can add sugarless khoya at the end, mix well and remove the halwa. It makes the halwa more rich in taste !
Try this easy, yummy beetroot halwa for festivals and occasions. You will love it !
I must thank my reader friend Harini for requesting me to try Chennai Ganga sweets shop style coconut burfi with khoya ( Thengai burfi in Tamil, Nariyal Ki burfi in Hindi). When she told me, I had no clue about its taste and texture. Recently I bought that coconut burfi from Ganga sweets during my Chennai trip. When I tasted it, I found the barfi is made with coconut and khoya. I browsed for the recipe and tried it by watching Dr.Shalini’s YouTube video. Even though its my first attempt, I am quiet happy with the results.I won’t say it came out 100% close to the sweet shop ones but it tasted similar.
Usually South Indian coconut burfi is made by cooking freshly scraped coconut in sugar syrup of one string consistency. But this coconut burfi with khoya is prepared by cooking khoya/mawa, desiccated coconut, sugar and water together till it reaches the burfi consistency. You don’t have to check for one string sugar syrup. But this burfi takes long time to cook and set as it has khoya in it.
I have not used milk, milk powder or condensed milk in this recipe as I had used yellow food color to resemble the sweet shop burfi. If you want to make white colored coconut burfi, use milk instead of water. I am happy that I could try this North Indian style nariyal ki burfi successfully at home. I am sharing this colorful recipe as my contribution for Holi festival. Do try this easy and yummy coconut mawa burfi at home for this festival and have a great celebration. Lets see how to make coconut khoya burfi with step by step photos and a VIDEO !
Do check out my Holi special recipes COLLECTION for more sweets and snacks ideas!
Coconut khoya burfi recipe - Nariyal Ki barfi with mawa
How to make coconut khoya burfi recipe at home - North Indian style coconut burfi with khoya !
Desiccated coconut - 1.5 cups ( I used store bought dry coconut)
Unsweetened Khoya / Mawa - 1 cup ( I used 200gms of Milky mist khoya)
Sugar - 1 cup
Water - 3/4 cup
Saffron threads - Few
Yellow food color - A pinch
Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp
Chopped pistachios – 2 tbsp ( To garnish)
Ghee – 1 tsp ( to grease the plate)
METHOD
Grease a tray with ghee and keep it ready. Mash the khoya well and measure 1 cup. Keep aside.In a kadai, take 3/4 cup of water, add saffron threads, food color and cardamom powder. Mix well and let it start to boil. Add 1 cup of mashed khoya and mix well without lumps. It resembles condensed milk after mixing.
When it starts to boil with bubbles, add sugar and mix well.Sugar melts and the mixture starts to roll boil. Let it boil for a minute.
Then add 1.5 cups of desiccated coconut and mix well. Mixture will start to thicken. Keep mixing till the burfi mixture is thick and leaves the sides of pan completely. It becomes a whole mass with nice coconut smell. Stay nearby and keep stirring to prevent burnt bottom. It takes nearly 10–15 minutes to reach the final stage if mixing in medium to high flame. Make sure there is very less moisture. It should not be too wet. Remember over mixing makes the burfi too hard and chewy.So remove it at the right time.
Grease the bottom of a small bowl with ghee. Put the burfi mixture to the greased tray and press it well with a greased bowl. Level it and sprinkle the chopped pista pieces. Press it well.
Freeze the burfi mixture for one hour OR refrigerate it for 2-3 hours. It helps to set the burfi quickly and make shapes perfectly. Mark square shape using a greased knife.As the burfi mixture is cold and frozen, it would be difficult to handle. So press it hard to mark shapes. Remove it after few minutes. It tastes slightly chewy when consumed on the same day. Tastes perfect the next day. This burfi needs a setting time of 8 hours. Be patient. Leave over night and taste it the next day to know its actual taste.
Enjoy ! This burfi stays good for 2 days in room temperature and 4 – 5 days under refrigeration.
Note
If you want to use fresh coconut, you can use instead of desiccated coconut. But it takes longer time to cook and reach the final stage as fresh coconut has some water content.
Shelf life of the sweet reduces if you use fresh coconut.
Try this easy, yummy coconut khoya burfi at home and enjoy the festival !
Atta halwa also known as Atta ka sheera is one of the most popular sweet/ dessert recipe in North India. This is an Instant halwa made with whole wheat flour( atta in Hindi). This atte ka halwa is served as Kadah prasad ( Karah prashad) to all the visitors of Gurudwara ( A place of worship for Sikhs ) in Punjab.
Traditionally, it is prepared with equal quantity of Whole wheat flour, Sugar and Butter/ghee to emphasize everyone are equal. Some people make this halwa adding equal quantity of wheat flour and sooji. For variations, this halwa can be made with milk or jaggery instead of sugar. I never thought making this North Indian style wheat flour halwa is so easy.
South Indian style Godhumai halwa/wheat flour halwa ( Tirunelveli halwa) is in no way related to this atta halwa in preparation and cooking procedure. Both has its own variations and taste. This sweet can be prepared easily and instantly for surprise guest and to celebrate special occasions at home. I am sure this ghee dripping halwa gets a big applause from your family members and friends. I followed the recipe from HERE and watched some You tube video recipes too.
Even though its my first attempt, making this halwa was a breeze for me. You can easily find the correct stage of removing the halwa. Its 100% a beginners recipe. This halwa tastes very soft and it slides in your mouth. I made in very less quantity just to serve 2 people as the quantity of ghee is more . Holi festival is fast approaching. Include this easy, rich atta ka halwa in your menu and enjoy the festival ! This atta halwa can also be prepared for babies but its made without ghee. I will share that recipe later.
Now lets see how to make Instant, easy wheat flour halwa/ atta halwa with step by step pictures and a video !
Whole wheat flour - 1/4 cup ( I used Aashirvad atta)
Sugar - 1/4 cup ( I used 1/4 cup heaped, add 1/2 cup for more sweetness)
Melted Ghee - 1/4 cup
Water - 1/2 cup
Cardamom powder - a pinch ( Optional, Its not used traditionally)
Cashews & sliced almonds - To garnish
HOW TO MAKE INSTANT WHEAT FLOUR HALWA - METHOD
Heat 1/4 cup of ghee in a wide, non-sticky kadai. Add wheat flour and roast till it turns golden brown in color with nice aroma. Keep the flame low to medium while roasting and keep mixing to prevent burnt bottom. It takes 3- 5 minutes to roast well based on the quantity you use.
Boil 1/2 cup of water in a bowl and add the hot water carefully to the roasted wheat flour. It splashes. Add 1/4 cup (heaped) sugar, cardamom powder ( I din’t use) and mix well without any lumps. All the water would be absorbed by the wheat flour and gets cooked.
Mix well till halwa leaves the sides completely, becomes a whole mass. Do not switch off the stove. Keep mixing till ghee starts to ooze out in the sides of kadai. It will turn glossy too. Do the whole procedure in medium flame. It takes just 3-5 minutes to release the ghee. Switch off the flame and remove in a plate or bowl. Serve warm or cold as you wish. Please watch the video for clear understanding !
For variations, you can add milk instead of water. You can also use grated jaggery in place of sugar. Enjoy !
Note
Traditionally this halwa is prepared with equal quantity of wheat flour, sugar and ghee. But I used little more sugar ( 1.25 cups) as we are sweet toothed.
If you don’t want to use equal quantity of ghee, you can use half the quantity mentioned. But texture may slightly vary.
Cardamom powder is not used in the traditional atta halwa. If you wish, u can add it along with sugar.
If you feel the sweetness is less, you can add it even at the end. Heat the halwa till the sugar melts and ghee oozes out. Serve it warm.
I read people have this halwa as a side dish for pooritoo just like suji ka halwa.
Try and enjoy this easy, yummy, rich wheat flour halwa at home !
Thandai is a very popular drink in North India that is mainly served during Holi festival and Maha Shivratri. This drink is the best coolant for body with lots of health benefits as it is prepared with the combination of nuts, whole spices and milk. Yesterday my neighbor called me to enquire whether we get readymade thandai masala powder or thandai syrup at shops nearby my house. I browsed for some good brands and told her to get Patanjali or Haldirams Thandai powder as these are the well known names to me. She searched in shops but couldn’t get it. So I thought of preparing homemade thandai masala powder and share with her.
As I had already shared the recipe of thandai from scratch, I know making at home is very easy. I used to make it regularly for every Maha Shivaratri festival along with our South Indian style arisi vella puttu and offer to Lord Shiva. This year I was planning to make the same following my recipe. But now after my neighbor’s suggestion, I wanted to make and store this homemade thandai masala in advance and prepare it quickly on Shivrathri day. I watched some You tube video recipes and adapted this recipe.
I have also watched a video from BBD TV’s travel escapades in which the preparation of thandai with & without bhang from a popular shop in Ujjain was shown.I found it very useful. For this thandai powder recipe, I could see many variations across the web.Some recipes are very simple with just 4 ingredients and some recipes are with bhang as well. But in this recipe, I have not used Bhang. Basically bhang balls are made from hemp seeds and leaves which are washed, cleaned and grinded to a smooth paste. But it should be used in minimum quantity as over dosage induces psychosis, excitement, uncooperativeness and hallucinations.
This is a very simple thandai masala that can be prepared with easily available ingredients. I have used Khus Khus in this recipe. I know its banned in some of the countries. In that case, feel free to skip it.Yesterday I made thandai using this powder and it came out very well. It was refreshing and we loved it a lot. I have passed some of this powder to my neighbor. I hope her family will like it too. Ok, lets see how to make Thandai masala powder at home with step by step pictures.
Dried Rose petals - 1 tbsp or 15 nos OR rose essence - 1 tsp
Pista – 1 tbsp (Optional , I used it)
To make thandai ( For one serving)
Boiled milk – 1 cup ( At room temperature, use full fat milk)
Thandai powder – 1 tbsp ( Adjust)
Ice cubes – few ( 2 nos)
HOW TO MAKE THANDAI POWDER - METHOD
Take all the ingredients for thandai masala and keep it ready. Grind them to a fine powder using a mixie. Sieve it and again grind the coarse ones. Use the remaining leftovers for making fresh thandai or lassi. Mix the powder well with a spoon and store in a box. Thandai masala powder is ready !
This powder can be stored for 2 months in an air tight box. Use clean spoon to handle.
To make Thandai : Boil thick, full cream milk and let it cool down to room temperature. In a wide bowl, put few ice cubes, add 2 cups of milk and 1 tbsp ( i.e 5-6 tsp) thandai powder. Mix well. Check for taste and add more sugar or thandai powder if needed.
Strain it using a cloth strainer( Tea strainer) and serve it. If you want to serve later, refrigerate it till use. It tastes the best only when served chilled. The more the standing time, the more tasty it would be!
Straining is more important.Do not forget to strain the milk after adding thandai powder.
Enjoy !
Note
There is no hard and fast rule in the quantity of ingredients for masala. You can reduce or increase it as per your like.
I felt pistachios are not needed as it was not mentioned in the Ujjain video.Still I had used just 1/2 tbsp of it. Do not add more. It would dominate the other ingredients in flavor.
Do not add more pepper corns. The color of thandai is usually sandal in color if its made without bhang. It looks green when bhang is added.
Adjust the amount of cardamom and fennel as they are the flavoring ingredients for thandai.
Straining is more important. Do not forget to strain the milk after adding thandai powder.
Try this Thandai powder at home and enjoy this refreshing drink instantly at your will !
Easy homemade chocolate recipe using milk powder and cocoa powder with step by step photos and video !
Wish you all a very happy Valentine’s day !!. When I was looking for some interesting Valentine’s day special recipe, homemade chocolates came to my mind. Long back I have shared a Vegan version of chocolate recipe using cocoa powder,honey and coconut oil. Though it is an easy, perfect and fool proof recipe for homemade chocolate ,the flavor of coconut oil would be dominant which many people don’t like it. Many of my readers who had tried that recipe requested me to share an alternative for coconut oil. I tried it with butter and even with dalda but it didn't work.So I was looking for a chocolate recipe that uses butter and cocoa powder.
I came across this homemade chocolate recipe without oven in YouTube video . I just halved the quantity of ingredients and tried it today. It came out really well but not tasting like silky smooth Dairy milk. It was pretty good in taste like Five star chocolate with a mildly chewy, fudgy kind. But its quiet addictive to eat :) To make Dairy milk kind of chocolate, we must use cocoa butter to achieve the silky texture.
In India, cocoa butter is not easily available and its very costly to buy online too.
Another easiest option is to melt dark compound or white compound chocolate either in microwave oven or stove top ( Double boiling method) and make chocolates. It tastes really good equal to the store bought ones. Soon I will make a detailed post on that. But this chocolate recipe is made with 4 simple ingredients like milk powder, sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla essence and Butter ( clarified ghee). Cooking procedure is also easy. You don’t need to check for one string consistency sugar syrup. Its just mixing and freezing. Homemade Chocolates would be ready ! Now anyone can make chocolates at home using this recipe.
This chocolate tastes the best when served chilled. But it stays good for an hour without refrigeration. So you can make this ahead and serve kids for birthday parties. Kids would love this chocolate for sure.
Do try this easy homemade chocolate recipe for this Valentine’s day and have a great celebration. Surprise your Husband and Kids with this lovely chocolates this evening. Soon I must try Raksha’s favorite Milk chocolate/ white chocolate as well by replacing cocoa powder with milk powder. Now lets see how to make chocolate at home using cocoa powder and milk powder with step by step photos and a video for better understanding ! Hope you will try and like it.
Easy homemade chocolate recipe - How to make chocolate at home with cocoa powder
Easy homemade chocolate recipe - How to make chocolate at home with cocoa powder with step by step photos and video !
Milk powder - 2.5 tbsp ( I used Nestle Everyday milk powder )
Cocoa powder - 1.5 tbsp ( I used Kwality brand)
Icing sugar or powdered sugar - 4 tbsp
Vanilla extract - 1/2 tsp
Butter – 3 tbsp ( Soft, at room temperature)
Chopped Nuts & raisins - As needed ( optional)
Boiled milk at room temperature - 1 to 2 tbsp ( optional, use only if needed)
HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE WITH COCOA POWDER
In a bowl, mix milk powder and cocoa powder. Set aside.
Boil 5 cups of water in a wide bowl or kadai. Allow it to roll boil well. Switch off the flame. Take a bowl that fits in the kadai. Add 3 tbsp soft butter to it. Keep the bowl inside the hot water kadai. Mix the butter and melt it completely.
Keep the bowl inside the hot water throughout the procedure. Add icing sugar or powdered sugar to the melted butter.Mix well. It will resemble a creamy paste.
Add milk powder + cocoa powder mixture to this and mix well. It will become a thick paste by absorbing all the butter. Lastly add vanilla essence, mix well. (IF YOU FEEL THE MIXTURE IS TOO THICK, ADD 1 TO 2 TBSP MILK TO LOOSEN IT).
Take a chocolate mould ( Either plastic or silicone mould) and fill the chocolate mix. Pat it well to level the chocolate. Excess butter may ooze out. Don’t worry. Just fill the mould and freeze it for one hour. Remove the mould and rest it for 5 minutes. Remove the chocolate and enjoy !!
Enjoy this Valentine’s day with this simple homemade chocolate recipe !
Note
Butter should be soft at room temperature. So keep it outside for few hours if its hard or soften the butter in microwave for a minute.
For variations, you can add finely chopped nuts or raisins to the chocolate batter.
Water should be very hot so that butter can melt easily.
Remember to keep the bowl inside the hot water throughout the cooking procedure. It helps the chocolate to set well.
For making milk chocolate/white chocolate, just replace cocoa powder with milk powder.
I used light cocoa powder. If you use dark colored cocoa powder, chocolate tastes like dark chocolate with mild bitterness.
You can try to add equal amount of milk powder and cocoa powder i.e 2 tbsp each for more chocolaty taste.
Try this easy, simple chocolate at home and enjoy the occasion !!
How to make beetroot halwa in a pressure cooker just by using milk and sugar ! 
