Yesterday I prepared carrot halwa with khoya in pressure cooker (Gajar Ka Halwa With Khoya) without using milk/condensed milk for the first time. I made it for my Thursday Guru Pooja prasad. It came out very well. As I made in pressure cooker, I made it very quickly and easily. Carrot halwa is my favorite dessert in restaurant.
My Lunch buffet in restaurants would be incomplete without tasting hot carrot halwa with a scoop of cold vanilla ice cream. Its a divine combo. Long back I had shared carrot halwa (Gajar halwa in Hindi) recipe without khoya in pressure cooker. In that recipe, I used milk to cook carrot. But here I made it without milk as we are adding khoya in it. I used water instead of milk. So the color of my halwa came out bright in color.It tasted like the one we get in sweet shops and hotels. I was very happy with the results. You too give this recipe a try and share your feedback with me.
I have also shared some tips and variations in the method with step by step pictures section for better understanding. Hope beginners would try this carrot halwa recipe and make it easily. So, lets see how to make Carrot halwa/Gajar ka halwa with khoya in a pressure cooker.
Grated carrot - 2 cups ( I used 4 medium sized carrots)
Sugar - 1/3 cup (Granulated crystal sugar)
Grated or crumbled khoya - 1/3 cup ( I used milky mist brand)
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
Water - 5 tbsp ( You can also use boiled milk)
Ghee - 2 tbsp
Cashews - Few
HOW TO MAKE CARROT HALWA WITH KHOYA
Crumble or grate khoya, set aside.
Wash,peel skin and grate carrot in big holed grater.
Heat ghee in pressure cooker base and roast cashews. Saute carrot till raw smell goes off.
Add water and cook in high flame for 2 whistles. Carrot cook well and becomes soft.
Add sugar and mix till halwa starts to leaves the sides. Add khoya,cardamom powder. Switch off the flame immediately.
Mix well till Khoya combines with carrot. Remove and let it cool down.
Halwa becomes non-sticky when it becomes warm. Serve warm & enjoy with ice cream.
METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES
Grate or crumble khoya. Set aside. Wash and peel the skin of carrot. Grate it using a big holed grater. Keep it aside.
Heat ghee in a pressure cooker base.Roast cashews till golden. Add grated carrot and saute well for 5 to 7 minutes in medium flame till raw smell vanishes completely. Carrot turns pale orange in color. If you don’t saute properly, halwa smells raw.
Add water(If you want dark colored halwa) Or milk and pressure cook in high flame for 2 whistles. Remove the lid after steam is released completely. Carrot becomes soft and cook well. If you find any moisture content or water in the cooked carrot, saute well in high flame till it becomes dry.
Add sugar and mix in medium flame.Sugar melts and halwa becomes watery. Keep mixing in medium flame till halwa starts to become slightly thick and leave the sides of cooker. Do not wait for it to become too thick.
Lower the flame completely. Add cardamom powder, crumbled khoya. Mix well and Switch off the flame immediately. Mix till khoya spreads with carrot in off fire. Heat of the carrot is sufficient to partially melt & mix the khoya. No need to mix till khoya melts completely.
Khoya should be visible here and there just like the ones served in hotels & sweet shops. Halwa may look sticky when its hot. But when it turns warm, it becomes non-sticky and comes to right texture. You can reheat in microwave oven for 1 minute in high power and serve hot if you like OR enjoy it warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
This halwa stays good for one day without refrigeration and up to 3 days with refrigeration. If you refrigerate the halwa, you can reheat it at the time of serving.
Enjoy !
Note
If you want carrot to be visible in the halwa,you must use a grater with big sized holes.
Carrot halwa smells raw if you don’t saute it well. By the time you saute, carrot gets half cooked.
Pressure cooking helps carrot to cook quickly. I added little water to cook carrot as I wanted bright colored halwa. Adding milk makes the halwa pale orange in color.
As we are adding khoya,there is no need to add milk for cooking carrot. But cooking in milk makes the halwa more rich.
Do not add more khoya than the mentioned quantity. It makes the halwa sticky.
Do not add less sugar. It makes the halwa smell raw. Do not stir the halwa for long time after adding sugar. Sugar caramelizes and halwa becomes chewy.
Try this easy, yummy Carrot halwa with khoya and enjoy with ice cream!
Dry jamun recipe with MTR ready mix. Last year I made a detailed post on how to prepare gulab jamun with instant mix. Gulab jamun is considered to be the last minute sweet to me for diwali. As its preparation is very easy using readymade mix, I always make it one day before Diwali. This year I wanted to try dry jamun for a change.
Dry jamoon is our family favorite sweet we buy from Adayar Anandha Bhavan. This year I bought ORKAY Gulab jamun mix in addition to MTR mix as well. It is also equally good but my choice is for MTR because of its softness.
Dry jamun recipe is very similar to our basic gulab jamun recipe except the soaking time. Usually dry jamoon needs less soaking hours. Some people like to have gulab jamun without sugar syrup. For them , Dry gulab jamun is the ideal choice. It tastes mildly sweet but still juicy with all the syrup in it. Ok, lets see how to prepare dry gulab jamun using mtr mix with step by step recipe. I hope this recipe works for Gits, Aachi, GRB. Bambino and other brands too.
Dry Gulab jamun recipe with ready mix
How to make Gulab jamun using readymade mix, Instant, store bought MTR mix
Read the instructions given on the pack. In MTR mix, its mentioned to add 1 part of water for 4 parts of mix. 400gms of sugar for 150 gms mix packet. So i followed the recipe accordingly.
Take sugar and water in a wide bowl and mix well. Keep aside, let it dissolve. In the mean time, take the gulab jamun mix in a wide plate. I used my thambalam/ big round plate. Usually I make chapati dough and other dough in my thambalam as its spacious and convenient to mix well. If the mix has more lumps, sieve it once. Break the lumps with your fingers while sieving. Do not discard the residue. Add it to the ready mix and mix well again. I got around 1.5 cups of powder. If you are using ORKAY mix, do not sieve the mix. Just break the lumps with your hands.
Now add the milk or water little by little and gather all the flour with your fingers. The mixture will become wet and very sticky. Do not worry. Gulab jamun will come out soft if the dough is sticky. I used 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp + 1 tsp milk. So add milk carefully at the end. If you add more milk, jamun will flatten and break. Do not knead the dough using your palm.Mixing should be done only with your fingers. Cover the dough with a plate or invert a bowl. Let it rest for 15 minutes to 1 hour.
In the mean time, heat sugar + water and melt it. Add saffron threads, cardamom or rose essence. Boil the syrup for 10 minutes in medium flame till the syrup turns slightly sticky to touch, glossy & resembles oil in consistency. Keep aside. Let the syrup becomes warm.
After 30 minutes, take the dough.It will be soft to touch.Do not knead it. Grease your palm with ghee. Make a big gooseberry sized ball by rolling the dough between your palm. Give gentle pressure and roll it continuously for 30 seconds to make it smooth and crack free. As the dough is sticky, jamun balls will not get cracks. If you feel there are cracks, just roll it tight. Cracks will disappear. I made around 20 balls.
Heat oil in a kadai and when it gets heated , put a pinch of dough in the oil. If it rises to the top slowly, oil heat is perfect. Now stir the oil with a ladle in the corners. When the oil starts to rotate, drop the jamun balls. I cooked 4 per batch. Stir the oil continuously without touching the gulab jamun. You will find jamun rotate with oil and turns bigger in size. The color of jamun balls change slowly and it cooks uniformly. Once it turns golden brown, remove it in a tissue paper. Do not fry for long time. Jamun will become hard and it will not absorb the syrup. After frying, open & check if its cooked well. Leave the cooked jamun for 2-3 minutes in tissue paper and then drop in the sugar syrup. (If you feel difficult to stir the oil, just keep the flame low, add the balls, flip every now and then till jamun turns golden. Then remove it).
If the sugar syrup becomes cold, heat till it becomes medium hot. i.e vapor should start to come from the syrup slightly. Deep fry all the balls in batches, drain in the tissue and drop in the syrup. Let the balls soak in syrup for one hour. It will soak well and almost double in size. Remove and arrange in a bowl. You can serve it as such or coat the balls in dry coconut powder or sugar powder. I felt sugar coating is tastier. Transfer the gulab jamun to a box and store it for 2 to 3 days.No need to refrigerate.
Enjoy !
Tips
Adding milk for making the dough helps to give soft jamun. You can use water as well. My friend Swarna adds just a tsp of milk in the beginning and add then water to make the dough.
Dough should be really sticky to get soft Gulab jamun. If you have added more milk by mistake, don’t panic. Just cover the dough with a lid and let it rest for an hour.Grease your hands and make smooth balls.If it comes out without cracks, then proceed and deep fry only one ball for a trial. If it disperses in oil, then add a tsp of maida, mix well and make another ball. Test it and proceed further. But adding more milk flatten the jamun. So please be careful while adding milk.
Jamun balls should be crack free. Roll it for 30 seconds continuously.This helps to seal the cracks while rolling. Do not press it too hard while rolling, but give gentle pressure.
Deep fry the balls only at low temperature else balls will get browned quickly without cooking inside.
Gulab jamun balls will disperse in oil or cracks more if the oil temperature is too low. So Check the temperature before you drop the balls.
Similarly cracks will form if the jamun balls become dry.so keep it covered all the time till you finish the procedure.
Sugar syrup should not be too hot while you drop the jamun. It should be medium hot or warm. Similarly Gulab jamun should not be too cold.
Gulab jamun will flatten if you add more milk. It will also flatten if the sugar syrup is less. Make sure the sugar syrup is enough for all the balls to absorb and dunk in completely.
If the quantity of sugar syrup is less, then jamun will not turn soft and double in size.
Try this easy, mildly sweet dry jamun for a change. You will love it !
Long back I had shared a version of easy Bombay Karachi halwa / corn flour halwa as a beginners sweet. It tastes soft and slides in mouth. But recently I came across this chewy Bombay Karachi Halwa also known as Jelly halwa using the same ingredients but slightly different in procedure. The basic difference between soft halwa and chewy halwa (rubbery halwa) lies in the cooking time. Usually we remove the halwa as soon as it starts to release the ghee.
For chewy halwa, we need to cook for more time even after it released the ghee. So this halwa takes some extra cooking time when compared with the easy corn flour halwa. Even though mine was not so rubbery, it was chewy and hard when compared with the soft version. However we make it, this is a no fail recipe.Tastes great and its a must have sweet for Diwali.
Any beginner can dare to try this recipe as it doesn’t need any sugar syrup consistency. Just mixing and continuous stirring is the only job here. Corn flour, sugar, cardamom powder and ghee are the major ingredients. To make this chewy Bombay halwa recipe, I watched some Sindhi halwa recipes and Classic masala hut video in Youtube for the ingredients and measurements. It came out really well as I wished.
Actually I have divided the halwa mixture into two parts and tried it to know the difference in taste between soft halwa and chewy halwa. So I have made orange colored halwa with soft texture and the yellow ones tastes slightly chewy. So this is a two in one recipe. You can try any based on your liking.
Its my long time dream to make Kerala Kozhikode halwa. After trying this recipe, I have got some ideas on how to make it. I hope I will try that soon. So now lets see how to make this most popular and delicious Bombay Karachi halwa recipe with step by step pictures and video ! I clicked the cover picture by arranging different colored halwa after getting tempted by some halwa pictures in Google.
Lets see how to make Bombay Halwa recipe with step by step pictures and video !
Ghee - 3/4 cup OR Ghee - 1/2 cup + Refined oil - 1/4 cup
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
Chopped nuts - a handful (I used cashews, badam and melon seeds)
How to make the recipe
In a wide bowl, dilute corn flour adding water.
In a kadai, dry roast nuts for a minute, remove in a plate.
Add sugar & water, melt it.
When the sugar syrup starts to boil,add corn flour mixture.
Stir till it thickens.Add ghee at regular intervals.
Mix till halwa starts to release ghee.Add cardamom powder, nuts and food color.Mix well.
Remove in a greased plate, cut after it cools down. Enjoy !
To make chewy corn flour halwa, you need to cook for another 20 minutes till ghee oozes out completely.!
Remove in a greased plate, cut after it cools down. Enjoy !
Bombay Karachi halwa Recipe - Step by step photos
In a wide bowl, mix 1 cup of corn flour & 2 cups of water.Beat well to make it lumps free. It should resemble milk.Set aside.
In a good non-stick kadai, dry roast chopped cashews, badam and whole melon seeds for 2 minutes. Remove in a plate.Keep it aside.
In the same kadai, add 2.5 cups of sugar and 1 cup of water. Mix well in medium flame till sugar is melted completely. Add 1 tsp lemon juice and mix well.
When the sugar syrup comes to boil, add diluted corn flour by mixing it well because all the corn flour would be settled in the bottom of bowl.So mix well before adding to sugar syrup.
Keep the flame medium high and start mixing with a ladle. In 5 to 10 minutes,corn flour becomes a thick paste.
Reduce the flame to medium and start adding 1 tbsp ghee. Add 1 tbsp ghee and mix well. After all the ghee is absorbed by the halwa, add 1 tbsp ghee again.As you cook, halwa becomes pale yellow in color.
Halwa becomes glossy, leaves the pan completely and starts to rotate with the ladle.
At this stage, add cardamom powder and roasted nuts.Continue stirring and add 1 tbsp ghee.
At one stage, halwa starts to release ghee in the sides. If you want soft halwa, you can remove at this stage to a greased bowl or bowl lined with butter paper.
I divided the halwa mixture into two parts to make both soft halwa and chewy halwa.I added orange food color to one. Mixed well and pour the mixture to the greased bowl.To serve as scoop of halwa in a bowl, you can serve it immediately before setting.
To make pieces, allow the halwa to cool down for 2 hours and then cut into pieces using a sharp knife.
I added yellow food color to another half of halwa mixture to make chewy halwa. For chewy halwa, you need to stir for another 20 to 30 minutes in medium to high flame till ghee comes out completely and halwa turns stretchy.The more time you cook, the more chewy and hard halwa would be. Mine was not so rubbery but it was chewy and hard when compared with soft version.
Actually I wanted to make both soft halwa and chewy halwa.So I divided the halwa mixture into two.Added yellow and orange food color to them. Mixed well and transferred orange colored halwa to the greased bowl and allowed to set it.
I cooked the yellow halwa for another 20 minutes adding 2 tbsp more ghee. All the ghee oozed out in the corner and middle of halwa. Drop some halwa in a plate and try to stretch it.If it stretches, halwa is ready. Then transfer to a greased bowl and allow it to set for 3 to 4 hours till its cooled down completely. It would be better if you set the halwa in an aluminium tray or bowl that is used for cakes because aluminum helps to withstand heat for long time and halwa becomes hard and chewy. Invert the halwa bowl onto a plate after its cooled down completely. Cut into pieces and enjoy. This halwa can be stored for one week without refrigeration.But keep in an air tight box.
Notes
Do not reduce the quantity of sugar and ghee.If you want, you can add more cooking oil and less ghee.
To make chewy halwa, you have to stir for long time till the halwa become stretchy.
You can add food color in the corn flour water or sugar syrup too. But I wanted to add 2 colors.So I cooked it without adding color and added at the end.
To make soft halwa, you have to remove it when it starts to release ghee in the sides of pan.
Try this easy, yummy Bombay halwa for this Diwali and Enjoy !
Ashoka halwa is one of the most popular South Indian sweet which is popular in Thiruvaiyaru. Thiruvaiyaru Asoka halwa (Pasi paruppu halwa) ismade with yellow moong dal, sugar and ghee. This paasi paruppu halwa is completely different from North Indian moong dal halwa. Basically Ashoka halwa is originated in Thiruvaiyaru , Thanjavur district Tamilnadu.
More than 60 years ago, this halwa was first prepared by Ramu iyer in a small hotel in Thiruvaiyar. He named it as “Ashoka halwa”. People started calling it as “Asoga sweet” colloquially. You can find this halwa in all the marriage banquets in and around Tanjore. I got this authentic and traditional Ashoka halwa recipe shared by cookery experts Mrs.Usha and Mrs.Lakshmi from Aval Vikatan’s Kalyana samayal Supplementary issue. I found this recipe completely different from the ones I saw online.
Most of the recipes called for moong dal, wheat flour, sugar and ghee as the major ingredients. But in the book, they had mentioned to use maida and cooking oil as well. To check the authenticity of this recipe, I watched the making and interview of Thiruvaiyaru Andavar hotel ashoka halwa video in Makkal TV.
Finally I got convinced and confident enough to try the magazine’s recipe by altering the quantity of ingredients as per my requirement. It came out excellent in taste and texture, very close to the original Ashoka halwa of the most famous Andavar hotel, Thiruvaiyaru. They serve this halwa with south Indian mixture. I had tasted this halwa only once when I had a trip to Tanjore. We also took a parcel of the hot halwa wrapped in a banana leaf. I could still remember the taste and the texture of the red colored, ghee dripping Asoka halwa. I am very happy and proud that I could make a similar one at home. It was like my dream came true moment when I tasted this halwa.
All you need is “PATIENCE” to make this halwa. As I mentioned in my Tirunelveli halwa recipe , this halwa also needs constant stirring with lots of patience. You should stir this halwa till ghee ooze out. But it doesn’t take hours like wheat flour halwa. It takes 30 to 45 minutes based on the quantity. Ok, lets see how to make South India’s one of the most popular Ashoka halwa recipe perfectly with step by step pictures.
Add 1 tbsp oil + ghee at regular intervals and mix till halwa becomes non-sticky and ooze ghee.
Collect the ghee if needed. Remove and cool down. Store in a box. Stays good for 10 days!
Ashoka halwa Recipe - Step by step photos
Heat a pressure cooker base and dry roast 1/2 cup of moong dal just for one minute in high flame without changing its color.
Add 3 cups of water, mix well and cook till mushy. I cooked in low flame for 3 whistles. Mash the dal really well. If not, grind to smooth paste without adding water.
In a good non-stick kadai, heat 1/4 cup of cooking oil (use odorless refined oil), roast cashews. When it starts to turn golden, reduce the flame completely and add wheat flour, maida. Mix well till it emits roasted aroma.
It looks like a paste. Then add Cooked moong dal paste to the roasted flour and mix in medium flame. Flour and dal should get mixed well. It thickens soon.
Now add sugar, food color and cardamom powder. Mix well in medium flame. Sugar melts and mixture becomes watery.
Increase the flame to medium high and mix till the mixture becomes slightly thick. Mix the remaining 1/4 cup of oil and 1/2 cup melted ghee. Add 1/2 tbsp ghee+oil. Mix well till ghee is absorbed. As soon as it is absorbed, add another 1/2 tbsp ghee+oil again.
At one stage, You will find halwa turning dark red in color, becoming glossy and leaves the pan completely. Keep adding the ghee at regular intervals. Adjust the flame whenever needed.
Stay nearby and keep adding ghee. It may not need all the 3/4 cup of ghee+oil. It may take 1 to 2 tbsp lesser too. As the final stage, halwa starts to rotate with the ladle.Touch the halwa and check if its non-sticky. As soon as it turns non-sticky, it starts to ooze ghee.
Keep mixing till more ghee comes out from all the sides and center. Switch off the flame now and transfer the halwa to a bowl. If you want, you can collect the excess ghee from the halwa and use it for regular cooking.
This halwa thickens as it cools down. So reheat it in a kadai or dosa tawa or microwave for a minute every time you serve. Whenever you heat the halwa, it becomes soft, glossy and releases more ghee. Hope you can see the difference between hot halwa and the cold ones from the main pictures (See 1st & 2nd pictures).
Notes
Do not reduce the quantity of sugar and ghee. If you want, you can add more cooking oil and less ghee.
The ratio of moong dal, wheat flour and maida given in the book is 1:1:1/2. But I altered the quantity based on the one I tasted.
The quantity of ghee as per the original recipe is double the quantity of moong dal.
Amount of cooking oil and ghee may vary slightly. You may need to add more or less than the quantity mentioned. I had approximately given the quantity I used.
Total cooking time takes from 30 minutes to 45 minutes.
Try this yummy moong dal halwa for this diwali. Serve with South Indian Mixture and enjoy !
Every year during Diwali, my MIL makes Maida Burfi without fail. She calls it as Maida cake (All purpose flour sweet cake in English). Usually Tamil people mention burfi recipes as cake. For Diwali, many people especially South Indians love to try sweets recipes made from maida like burfi, badusha, sweet samosa, sweet maida biscuits etc.
Few years back, I posted an easy maida burfi with milk powder without using ghee during Diwali. Today I have shared my MIL’s version of maida burfi which has melt in mouth texture and tastes great. This is a beginners sweet that gives fool proof results if you use good conditioned non-stick pan.
It can be made with simple ingredients that are easily available at home like maida, sugar, ghee and cardamom powder. I have used green food color as we see in sweet stalls. But my MIL never uses food color. So this burfi comes out pale white without adding food color. Addition of food color is purely optional. If you are looking for an easy burfi recipe to try for this Diwali, you must try this maida burfi. I am sure anyone can make it easily and perfectly. I have made a full video recipe to help beginners.
Hope you will try it and share your feedback with me. Once you make it perfect, you can easily make chocolate maida burfi. I will post that recipe next week. Ok, lets see how to make maida burfi recipe with step by step pictures and video !
Heat ghee in a good non-stick pan and roast maida till nice aroma wafts.
In another non-stick pan, melt sugar adding water and boil till 1 string consistency.
Switch off the flame. Add food color and cardamom powder to sugar syrup.
Mix well and add roasted maida paste.Keep mixing without fire.
Mixture becomes thick and starts to leave the sides of pan.
Remove and spread in a greased tray.Level it and make pieces when warm.Remove after it cools down.
Remove after it cools down. Store in a box. Stays good for 10 days!
Maida burfi Recipe - Step by step photos
Heat 1/4 cup of melted ghee in a non-stick pan.Add maida/all purpose flour and roast in medium flame without burning it. It becomes a smooth paste leaving a nice aroma.
Remove the pan from the flame and keep aside. No need to remove the maida paste from pan.
In another non-stick pan or kadai, melt 1 cup of sugar adding 1/2 cup of water. Stir well and melt the sugar completely. Scrape the sides as well.
Boil the syrup in medium flame till frothy. Lower the flame completely and check for one string consistency.
To check it, take little syrup in your pointer finger from the back of ladle and slide it between your thumb and pointer finger.When you release the fingers, you will get single thin string without breaking.
If it doesn't form one string, boil the syrup for one more minute and check it again.
Switch off the flame. Add food color and cardamom powder, mix well and remove the kadai from stove. Add roasted maida paste and mix well without lumps.
Initially the mixture looks watery but when you keep mixing, it thickens and becomes a paste. It starts to leave the sides of pan and becomes thick but pourable paste.
As soon as it becomes a thick paste, remove from the kadai and spread it in the ghee greased plate OR a bowl lined with butter paper.Do not wait to become thick dough. Use a square shaped plate or bowl to make uniform pieces.Immediately spread the burfi mixture with a ghee greased bowl. Press it really well and seal the cracks if any using your fingers . Act quickly before it sets completely.
Let it rest for 20 minutes to become warm. Invert into a plate. Remove the butter paper. Then cut into square shapes with a sharp knife greased with ghee. Remove the pieces after its cooled completely.Store in an air tight box and enjoy for one week to 10 days.
Notes
Do not reduce or increase the quantity of sugar and ghee. Burfi becomes hard if the sugar or ghee is reduced. It will become too soft and break if you add more ghee or sugar. So please follow the same measurement.
One string consistency is most important for this burfi. If you are unable to check it, just boil the syrup till frothy and pour it using a ladle. The last drop falls slowly by forming a string. This is also an indication for one string sugar syrup.
You should add the roasted maida only after switching off the flame. Heat of the kadai is sufficient for the mixture to thicken.
Remove the burfi mixture as soon as it becomes thick and pourable. Do not wait for the paste to become thick dough. Burfi will get more cracks.
Try this easy, yummy melt in mouth Maida burfi for this Diwali and enjoy the festival !
