Badam aur Gajar ki Kheer - Almond & Carrot Kheer

Wishing you all a very Happy New Year.  

 

What better way to begin the new year other than with this lip-smacking and  delicious dessert !!!   Badam kheer or almond kheer is best enjoyed during winter in India. The consistency is not as thick as Rice Kheer or Semiya Kheer (Seviyan).  You could also call it Badam Milk - Almond and Cardamom infused Milk. Traditionally they use Saffron. It gives it a beautiful color and makes it more exotic. Since I did not have saffron,  I have used  grated carrot for that beautiful color and perhaps making it healthier in the process. 

Ingredients:

• 3 cups milk
• 1/4 cup almonds(Badam)
• 1/4 cup grated carrot
• 1/2 cup sugar
• handful broken cashews
• 1/4 tsp cardamom powder
• 1 tbsp Ghee/unsalted butter

 Preparation :

• Soak the almonds in boiling hot water for about 10-15 minutes and peel them. (Be very careful here as to not burn yourself with the hot water).
• Next grind the grated carrot and peeled almonds to a paste. Use 1/4 cup milk as well. This makes the grinding much easier. 
• In a thick bottomed pan /Kadai  melt the ghee and fry the cashews. Next add the almond/carrot paste. Fry on low-medium heat for about a minute. Now add the remaining milk. Bring it to a boil on medium flame. Add sugar and cardamom powder. Let it simmer on low heat for about 6-8 minutes.  
• Badam aur Gajar Ki Kheer is ready to be served. This could be served warm or chilled. It just tastes divine either way. 

Sooji Ka Halwa - Semolina Halwa

Sooji ka Halwa is a very popular Indian Dessert. Its quick and easy to make with just a few ingredients. Now halwa is a kind of pudding and there are different kinds of halwa - like Carrot Halwa, Moong Dal Halwa,  Pineapple Halwa to name a few. By the way  you can find all the recipes here at my blog.

Ingredients :

• 1 cup Sooji /Semolina
• 1 cup Sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter/ghee
• 1/4 cup chopped nuts (cashews, pistachios)
• 3 cups water
• *1 tbsp Orange Food color (optional) or ** pinch of Saffron 

* 1 tbsp food coloring is prepared by adding just a bit of color(solid/liquid)  to 1 tbsp water.

** If you are considering using Saffron-  Take a pinch of saffron and dissolve it in 1 tbsp warm milk. 

Preparation : 

• In a sauce pan or pot add 3 cups of water and sugar. Heat it on medium flame until the sugar dissolves.Keep this aside.
• Now in a Kadhai or thick bottomed pan, melt the butter on medium flame. Add the chopped nuts and fry. Next add Sooji / Semolina and roast this in butter/ghee for about 5-6 minutes. This eliminates the raw smell of Sooji. Roast till you get a beautiful golden color.   Make sure to keep it on medium low flame or else the Sooji could get burnt. Keep stirring continuously. 
• Next very carefully add the water+sugar mixture to this roasted Sooji. Stir it well and keep it covered on medium heat for about 2-3 minutes. The water will all be absorbed and it will get dry. (Now if you would like to add some food coloring you do it at this stage. Just add about 1 tbsp of saffron/orange color and then cover and cook for 2-3 minutes). Your Sooji Ka Halwa or Semolina Halwa is ready to be served. Also when you add the color it could be called as Rava Kesari. This recipe serves 4-6.

Pineapple Halwa - Pineapple Pudding

I had heard about Pineapple Halwa but never attempted to make this at home and also had never tasted one. Gajar ka halwa/ Carrot Halwa being my favorite. But always had a desire to try making pineapple halwa. This opportunity came quickly as about half a pineapple made its presence felt everytime I opened my refrigerator. We had used half of it for making Raita and used it also in the black bean salad. But we still had some left. So I set out to make this halwa for the very 1st time and I was happy. Its delicious and just melts into your mouth. I'm sure this halwa is going to be a regular at our house.

Ingredients :

• 3 cups Pineapple finely chopped/grated
• 1/4 cup clarified butter/ghee
• 3/4 cup sugar *
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup Milk / Mava powder 
• 1/3 cup cashews and slivered pistachios

* You could adjust the amount of sugar in this recipe depending on the sweetness of the pineapple. I used 1/2 cup sugar first and then found out it needed 1/4 cup more.

Preparation :

1. Heat ghee in a thick bottomed pan / kadai. Fry the cashews and pistachios. Keep them aside. In the same pan add the grated pineapple along with its juice. Fry for about 4-5 minutes on medium heat.
2. Now add 1/2 cup whole milk and mix it well. Cover and let it cook on low-medium heat until all the milk is absorbed. This takes about 10-15 minutes. 
3. Add sugar and  mix it well. Add the milk / mava powder and stir well making sure it does not stick to the bottom of the pan. Add the fried nuts. Let  it cook on slow flame until the halwa/pudding starts to leave the side of the pan.Turn off the flame.
4. Your Pineapple Halwa is ready to be served. Its best enjoyed warm or at  room temperature.
5. This recipe serves 4.     



Phirni - Rice Pudding

Phirni is a North Indian dessert prepared by using just rice, milk and sugar. It has a creamy texture almost like custard. For a dessert with such minimum ingredients and easy preparation, the taste is just awesome. 

For me it is special as I grew up eating Phirni. It reminds me of my childhood and brings back beautiful memories. Even now when I visit my parents(India), my dad always will remember to get some Phirni for me. Its mostly served in earthern bowls/clay pots and that imparts a beautiful earthy flavor to this Phirni.

I just needed some comforting and a little pampering for myself. So had to really make this dessert. I can say this, if you have never tried this dessert, you taste it just once and I'm sure you will be hooked forever...

Ingredients:

• 4 cups/1 quart/1 litre whole milk
• 1/4 cup rice
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
• 10 almonds slivered
• 10-12 pistachios chopped

Preparation :

• Soak rice in about 2 cups of water for about 1 hour. Now drain the rice and grind it with as little water almost to a grainy texture.
• Take a thick bottomed pan and add milk and sugar. Mix it well and bring to a boil. Now add the freshly ground rice slowly stirring continuously as you do not want any lumps to form.
• Keeping it on medium flame stir until it starts to thicken. Almost takes 15-20 minutes.
• Now add the cardamom powder , slivered almonds and pistachios and mix well.
• Get it off the flame and pour it into the serving bowls.
• Garnish with almonds and pistachios. Chill it for a while and serve. (When you chill it, Phirni will thicken a bit more). Enjoy !!!!

Moong Dal Ka Halwa

Moong dal ka Halwa is a winter dessert. Its a Rajasthani dessert and its prepared during winter as it keeps you warm from the bitter cold. Since we are already experiencing the bitter cold here in the East Coast ..what better time to make this dessert.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup yellow moong dal
• 1 cup ghee/clarified butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• cashews fried in ghee

* You could add 1 cup sugar instead of 3/4 cup. Adjust the sugar to your liking.

Preparation :

• Soak moong dal in about 3 cups water for 4 hours.
• Drain the dal and grind it. (It does grind well without any water, if you really have to and find it difficult to grind , add very little water).
• Heat ghee in a thick bottomed pan and saute this dal paste till its golden brown. This should be done on medium to low heat and keep on stirring continuously or it will get burnt. This step took me almost 40 minutes.
• In another pan warm the milk and add sugar. Heat till the sugar melts.
• Now add this milk/sugar to the dal and stir it well. Keep it on low heat till the liquid is all absorbed and it has the consistency of halwa.
• Add the fried cashews. Stir well. Cook for another minute.
• Your Delicious Moong Dal Halwa is ready to serve.
• This recipe serves 4.

Gajar Ka Halwa - Carrot Pudding

Gajar ka Halwa/Carrot Pudding is my favorite dessert. I must say Gajar ka Halwa is quite popular and needs no introduction. I was kind of suprised to see I don't have this recipe on my blog. I have made this dessert several times..and when I look back the reason being each time its made there's not even time to click pictures. The aroma of this delicious dessert is irresistible and its devoured in minutes.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups grated carrot
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup mava powder
• 3 tbsp ghee/clarified butter
• 2/3 cup cashews, almonds, raisins
• 1/2 tsp cardamom powder

Preparation:

• Heat ghee in a thick bottom pan/Kadai. Fry the nuts. Add the grated carrot and fry for about 2 minutes on medium heat.
• Add sugar and mix well. Now add milk and mix it well. Keep on low-medium heat and let it cook unil the milk has almost been absorbed. Keep on stirring from time to time.( This step takes the most time,but its all worth it when you see the results...)
• Now add the mava powder and mix it well. Cook on slow flame until the halwa starts to leave the sides of the pan.
• Now add the cardamom powder and take it off the heat.
• Your Gajar ka Halwa is ready to serve. Best enjoyed warm or at room temperature. Could also be served with ice-cream.
• This recipe serves 4.

Ney Payasam/ Rice pudding with Jaggery and Ghee

Ney Payasam is a very delicious dessert. This is my MIL's recipe. 'Ney' means ghee/clarified butter..so this dish does have lots of it. But once you taste it its divine and you would want t o forget counting your calories just for that day...lol. Mostly at our in-laws place its prepared on auspicious days and on birthdays.

Ingredients :

• 1/2 cup rice
• 1 1/2 cups jaggery
• 1/2 cup ghee/clarified butter
• 1/4 cup cashews and green raisins
• 1 -2 tbsp thinly sliced coconut pieces
• 1/4 tsp cardamom powder
• 1/4 cup water

Preparation :

• Wash rice and pressure cook with 1 cup of water about 2 -3 whistles till its soft.
• Now take a thick bottomed pan and melt the jaggery in 1/4 cup water on medium heat. When the jaggery has all melted and comes to a boil, add the cooked rice and keep on stirring for about a minute. Now you have to keep adding the ghee 1-2 tsp at a time and stir it well. Keep doing until you have used all the ghee and soon the payasam will start leaving the side of the pan. This is the indication its done and time to remove from the heat.
• Now heat 1 tsp ghee and fry the cashews till golden, next fry the raisins till they puff up and last fry the bits of coconut till golden brown.
• Add to the Payasam. Next add the cardamom powder and mix well.
• Your Ney Payasam is ready to serve.
• This recipe serves 4. Its best enjoyed when its warm.

Sabudana Kheer - Tapioca Pudding

Its my 25th Post. I am so excited. So an appropriate dish to mark this milestone in my food blogging world would be a dessert.

I know its just my 25th..compared to so many of my blogger friends who have so many beautiful recipes in their repertoire. I have great respect for you all and your beautiful creations. All of you are so supportive of each other , which made me stay here a bit longer and not give up. Each day just hanging in there...Knowing someone will read my recipe and care enough to leave their comments. That really feels good. Great thankyou to all my followers. Also we have so many newbies like me coming in afresh with newer ideas. A warm welcome to you all.

Today's recipe is really easy. I'm a great fan of easy recipes with minimum ingredients. So this is made with most of the stuff you'll find it in your pantry.


Ingredients:
1) 1/2 cup Sabudana /Tapioca
2) 4 cups milk
3) 1/2 cup Sugar
4) 2-3 green Cardamons/Elaichi (optional)
5) 1/3 cup almonds, cashewnuts and raisins
6) 1 tablespoon ghee or unsalted butter

See I did say its going to me easy breazy with a few ingredients...but tastes heavenly though..

Preparation:
1) Wash Sabudana and soak it in 1 cup of water for about 2-3 hrs. I prefer 3 hours but 2 hours is fine as well. Sabudana will soak up most of the water and become light and fluffy.


2) Next take a thick bottom pan and bring the milk to a boil. Add Sugar and the soaked sabudana with the water and crushed cardamoms. Keep this on slow flame and let it simmer for about 30-35 minutes.

4) In the meanwhile chop the almonds and cashews. Fry the nuts and raisons in ghee or unsalted butter and keep it ready.

Thats it...You just sit and relax or watch your favorite show while your Kheer is being slow cooked. You will see its color changing to a slight golden color.

5) Just when its done add the fried nuts and raisins and simmer for another 2-3 minutes. Serve hot or chilled.

Word of Caution : Sabudana kheer will thicken over time. So if you have leftovers you might want to add some warm milk to the kheer and simmer for 2-3 minutes to get to the desired consistency.

Now its Award time....Marking my 25th Post with an Award. What more can I ask for..

My dear blogger friend Aruna @ Veggie Platter has been kind and generous to share this award with me which she received from Anncoo. Thankyou both.

I would be honoured to share this award with all my fellow bloggers. Please feel free to display it on your blog and join in my celebrations for my very 1st milestone my first 25 recipes.....