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Showing posts with label VALENTINES DAY RECIPES. Show all posts
Showing posts with label VALENTINES DAY RECIPES. Show all posts

January 1, 2018

12 Kesari Varieties – Different Types Of Rava Kesari Recipes - Indian Halwa Recipes

Kesari varieties
Collection of 12 Rava Kesari varieties / different types of rava kesari / Sheera Recipes. In this new year 2018, I wanted to start with a sweet post. So here I made a collection of different types of rava kesari recipes from my website. Kesari is basically an Indian sweet dish prepared with semolina, sugar and ghee. 

People in South India and North India call this yummy dessert recipe in different names like rava kesari, Kesaribath, Sheera, Halwa etc. We love to make Rava Kesari / Ksheera at home for all the festivals and occasions. Even today I made kesari bath for new year celebration. Kesari is basically a beginners sweet. Its so easy to make and takes less time to prepare. Even though its considered as a beginners sweet, many of us doesn’t get it right in texture. Sometimes it becomes hard, chewy, dry or with lumps. 

To prepare hotel style, soft and ghee dripping kesari must be the dream of many. Me too not an exception. When I was a beginner, I struggled a lot to make perfect kesari. So my MIL taught me some useful tips about the ratio of water and rava, perfect cooking of rava/semolina without lumps and much more. 

From then, I started to make good kesari every time and I got the confidence to explore different types of rava kesari recipes like milk kesari/ Paal kesari, pineapple kesari, mango kesari, Karnataka style kesaribath, microwave rava kesari, other kesari recipes like Vermicelli kesari, Aval kesari/Poha kesari and some North Indian Sheera recipes like suji ka halwa/ suji sheera, Atta ka sheera and Moong dal dal sheera. I am yet to try banana sheera and fruit kesari recipes. I will add them in this list once I do that. Now lets see the collection of 10 Kesari recipes from Chitra’s Food Book in this New Year 2018 as my first post .

I thank all my readers and followers of my website for your unconditional love and support. I am really blessed to have you all. Hoping to get more and more support, encouragement and love from you in this new year as well. Ok, lets move on to the post !

Kesari Varieties - South Indian, North Indian Sheera Recipes


Kesari varieties 12 Kesari Varieties – Different types of South Indian & North Indian Sheera Recipes
Cuisine: Indian
Category: Kesari Recipes
Serves: Serves 3-4
Prep time: 10 Minutes
Cook time: 15 Minutes
Total time: 25 Minutes
Rava kesari recipe
Karnataka Kesaribath recipe

Chiroti rava kesari bath

Microwave Rava Kesari
Paal Kesari
Pineapple sheera
Mango sheera recipe
Semiya kesari
Aval kesari
Sooji sheera
Moong dal halwa


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    December 15, 2017

    Bread Rasmalai Recipe - How To Make Instant Rasmalai With Bread

     Bread Rasmalai
    Bread Rasmalai is an easy to make, instant rasmalai recipe. Even though its taste and texture cannot be compared with the authentic, traditional rasmalai prepared with rasgulla, it can satisfy our sweet cravings quickly. It takes very less time to prepare. Also it an yummy sweeet recipe that can be prepared using leftover bread slices. Kids would love it for sure.

    Last week I made it using some left over dry bread slices at home. As I had already shared an instant rasmalai recipe using store bought rasgolla and condensed milk, I did not use condensed milk in this recipe. I just used sugar, nuts and prepared rabri in its usual method. This bread rasmalai tastes the best when served chilled. Friends, you can try this easy rasmalai recipe with bread for your kids and family to serve a quick dessert for an occasion or weekends. Ok, lets see how to make bread rasmalai recipe with step by step pictures and video.
    Check out my gulab jamun and shahi tukda.





    Bread Rasmalai Recipe


    Bread Rasmalai Recipe Easy, instant rasmalai recipe with bread
    Cuisine: Indian
    Category: Sweet
    Serves: 6-7 nos
    Prep time: 10 Minutes
    Cook time: 20 Minutes
    Total time: 30 Minutes

    INGREDIENTS
    1 cup - 250ml
    • Bread Slices - 6 nos
    • Full Fat Milk - 1/2 litre ( 2 cups)
    • Sugar – 2 to 3 tbsp (adjust based on your taste)
    • Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
    • Saffron threads - Few
    • Chopped nuts - 2 tbsp (Cashews & Badam)
    METHOD
    1. Take milk in a wide pan and boil till it reduces to 1.5 cups.
    2. Add sugar, chopped nuts, cardamom, saffron.
    3. Boil till it reduces to 1 cup. Rabri is ready. Switch off and keep aside.
    4. Take bread slices and cut into round shape using a lid.
    5. Dip the bread in rasmalai. Remove in a plate and garnish with nuts.
    6. Refrigerate for an hour and serve chilled for best taste.
    METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

    • Heat 2 cups of milk in a wide kadai. Boil till it reduces to 1.5 cups. Scrape the sides, collect the skin and add it back to the kadai while the milk boils. Stir at regular intervals to avoid over flowing.


    • After the milk is reduced, add sugar, chopped nuts, saffron threads and cardamom powder.Mix well, .Boil till milk reduces to 1 cup. So total milk should be half the quantity of original measure. Now check the taste. Add more sugar if needed and mix well. When you pour the milk, it should be slightly thick. Remove from the flame and let it become warm. Milk becomes thicker when it cools down.So do not reduce it too much.
    • Now take the bread slices. Cut into round shape with a lid.Remove the sides. Dip the bread slice in thickened milk.
    • Pour some thick milk over the bread. Remove in a plate. Garnish with chopped nuts.Refrigerate for an hour and serve chilled.
    • Enjoy !

    Note

    • Do not use very dry and old bread.Using fresh bread is also not advisable because it may dissolve in milk due to its softness. Use 2 days old bread for best taste.
    • Adjust the quantity of sugar as per taste. You can also add at the end before dipping bread slices to increase the sweetness.
    Try this easy, instant bread rasmalai and enjoy a quick dessert at home !

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    December 7, 2017

    Moong Dal Halwa – Quick Moong Dal Sheera Recipe

    Moong dal halwa recipe - Quick version
    This is an easy and quick version of moong dal halwa / moong dal sheera. I followed this recipe from Tarla Dalal’s website. Usually moong dal halwa takes more time to cook. But this is a quick recipe that can be prepared under 30 minutes. As it is prepared without khoya, I tried it immediately. It came out very well. 

    I have tasted moong dal halwa in many North Indian Lunch buffet. I love its coarse texture and softness. When I prepared this recipe, I was very happy that I could make a similar one at home easily. Friends, do try this quick moong dal halwa recipe without khoya. You will love it for sure.  I took a video for this recipe. I will try to add it tomorrow. Now lets check out the recipe with step by step pictures.

    Do check out my easy atta halwa / wheat flour halwa, Corn flour halwa/ Karachi halwa Badam halwa, easy beetroot halwa !

    I have a happy news to share with you all. Chitra’s Food Book has been selected under Top 100 Vegetarian Blogs in feedspot.  Thank you Anuj !


    Moong dal halwa
    Moong dal halwa at room temperature


    Moong Dal Halwa - How To Make Quick Moong Dal Halwa Recipe


    Moong Dal Halwa - How To Make Quick Moong Dal Halwa Recipe

    Quick and easy moong dal halwa recipe without khoya


    Cuisine: Indian
    Category: Sweet
    Serves: Serves 3-4
    Prep time: 120 Minutes
    Cook time: 20 Minutes
    Total time: 140 Minutes


    INGREDIENTS

    1 cup - 250ml
    • Yellow moong dal - 1/2 cup
    • Boiled milk - 1/2 cup
    • Water - 1/2 cup
    • Sugar - 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp ( actual recipe used 1/2 cup) 
    • Melted ghee - 1/2 cup
    • Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
    • Kesar / saffron thread - 1/2 tsp (soak in 1 tbsp water)
    • Cashews, badam - 2 tbsp ( chopped)

    METHOD

    1. Wash and soak moong dal in hot water for 2 hours.
    2. Drain the water completely and dry grind the dal to a paste without adding water.
    3. Strain the ground paste through a thin cloth. Squeeze the water content.
    4. Heat ghee in a kadai. Add ground paste and saute in medium flame till it becomes golden brown.
    5. Add milk + Water and cook till thick. Add sugar, mix well.
    6. Cover and Cook for 5 minutes in low flame. Mix well.Add cardamom powder, saffron.
    7. When the halwa starts to leave the sides of pan, remove and garnish with nuts. Serve warm.

    METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

    • Wash and soak moong dal in hot water for 2 to 3 hours.Drain the water completely. Grind to a slightly coarse paste without adding water.Set aside. Chop the nuts finely. Soak saffron in 1 tbsp warm water.Keep aside.Moong dal halwa
      Moong dal halwa
    • Take a thin cloth and put the ground paste.Squeeze it well and remove the water content. Now the paste looks dry without moisture.
      Moong dal halwa
    • Heat ghee in a kadai. Keep the flame low and add the paste. Mix well till it spreads well with ghee. Cook in medium flame for 12 to 15 minutes till it becomes golden brown and crumbly.
      Moong dal halwa
    • Add milk and water. Mix well till 3/4 th of the milk + water is absorbed by the moong dal paste.
    • After it becomes slightly thick, add sugar and mix well.
      Moong dal halwa
      Moong dal halwa
    • Mixture becomes a semi liquid. Cover and cook in very low flame for 5 minutes. Open and  mix well.
    • When it starts to leave the sides of pan, add cardamom powder. saffron thread soaked in little water ( soak 1/2 tsp saffron in 1 tbsp water).Mix well.
      Moong dal halwa
    • Halwa becomes thick and starts to leave the sides of kadai with traces of ghee, switch off the flame. No need to wait for the ghee to release. If you stir more, halwa becomes hard after cool down. Remove the halwa in a bowl and garnish with chopped nuts. 
    • When the halwa becomes warm, it becomes non-sticky and well set. Enjoy when warm for best taste. 
    • You can store this halwa upto 3 days in refrigerator. You can reheat it in a kadai , microwave or dosa tawa adding 1 tsp ghee to serve it fresh everytime.
      Moong dal halwa
       

    Note

    • You can skip milk and use water completely.
    • Do not reduce the quantity of ghee. Halwa becomes hard.
    • Do not cook the halwa for more time after adding sugar. Sugar caramelizes and hardens the halwa. Remove the halwa as soon as it starts to leave the sides of pan.
    • Straining the ground moong dal paste in cloth helps to remove the water content. Hence it cooks quickly.
    Try this easy, yummy Moong dal halwa and enjoy !
    Quick moong dal halwa recipe

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    November 11, 2017

    Carrot Halwa With Khoya In Pressure Cooker–Gajar Ka Halwa With Khoya

    Gajar ka halwa with khoya
    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.
     
    Carrot halwa with khoya in pressure cooker
    Also check out my easy beetroot halwa in a pressure cooker which is a super hit recipe in this website. If you want make carrot halwa in a kadai instead of cooker, you can looks at THIS RECIPE.

    Carrot halwa with khoya in pressure cooker - Gajar Ka Halwa Recipe


    Carrot halwa with khoya in pressure cooker - Gajar Ka Halwa Recipe

    How to make carrot halwa with khoya / Gajar halwa with khoya in pressure cooker


    Cuisine: Indian
    Category: Sweet
    Serves: Serves 2
    Prep time: 10 Minutes
    Cook time: 10 Minutes
    Total time: 20 Minutes


    INGREDIENTS

    1 cup - 250ml
    • 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

    1. Crumble or grate khoya, set aside. 
    2. Wash,peel skin and grate carrot in big holed grater.
    3. Heat ghee in pressure cooker base and roast cashews. Saute carrot till raw smell goes off.
    4. Add water and cook in high flame for 2 whistles. Carrot cook well and becomes soft.
    5. Add sugar and mix till halwa starts to leaves the sides. Add khoya,cardamom powder. Switch off the flame immediately.
    6. Mix well till Khoya combines with carrot. Remove and let it cool down.
    7. 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.
      carrot halwa with khoya
    • 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.
      carrot halwa with khoya
    • 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.
      carrot halwa with khoya
    • 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.
      carrot halwa with khoya
    • 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.
      carrot halwa with khoya
    • 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!
    carrot halwa with khoya

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    October 16, 2017

    Dry Jamun Recipe With Ready Mix– Dry Gulab Jamun Using MTR mix

    Dry gulab jamun using ready mix
    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 jamun with mtr mix

    Dry Gulab jamun recipe with ready mix


    Gulab jamun recipe with instant mix How to make Gulab jamun using readymade mix, Instant, store bought MTR mix
    Cuisine: Indian
    Category: Sweet
    Serves: 20 nos
    Prep time: 30 Minutes
    Cook time: 15 Minutes
    Total time: 45 Minutes


    INGREDIENTS
    1 cup - 250ml
    • Gulab jamun mix - 150gms/ 1.5 cups
    • Boiled Milk at room temperature - 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp ( + 1 tsp)
    • Cooking oil - to deep fry
    For sugar syrup
    • Sugar - 3 cups
    • Water - 3 cups
    • Cardamom powder or rose essence - 1 tsp
    • Saffron threads – few
    • Chopped nuts – to garnish

    Please watch this video for clear understanding !

    METHOD

    • 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.
      Gulab jamun recipe with mix
    • 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.
      Gulab jamun recipe with mtr mix
    • 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.
      Gulab jamun recipe with mix
    • 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).
      Gulab jamun recipe with mix
    • 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.
      Gulab jamun recipe with mix
    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 !
    Dry gulab jamun with ready mix

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