Diwali Sweets- Ladoos

Happy festivities !!! If you are looking for a recipe for Ladoos, look no further. Have five different kinds of ladoos to choose from. If you are like me and still looking around for last minute ideas for Diwali sweets, these recipes could come handy. Hoping all of you have a joyous Diwali.  Shubh Deepawali  

Besan Rava Ladoos- Ladoos made of Chickpea flour and Semolina

Besan Ladoos- Chickpea flour ladoos

Rava ladoos - Semolina/Sooji Ladoos

Poha Ladoos- Aval/Flattened Rice Flakes Ladoos

Dalia Dal Ladoos- Roasted Gram/Maladdu

Dalia Dal Ladoos / Maladdu

Wishing you all a Very Happy, Prosperous and Safe Diwali.

It's that time of the year already. Time does have the tendency to go unbelievably fast. This used to be and still is my favorite festival of all. Diwali is a time when I'm so thankful for the gift of family here and back home. Growing up in India I remember making preparations for Diwali a month in advance. People cleaning their houses and maybe getting them painted. Everybody looked forward to wearing their festive best clothes on Diwali day. Lots and lots of delicious sweets and savory snacks. Of course as kids we had fireworks  Kids and  adults would get together in the evening and light all the fireworks. It would be a beautiful display and the sky would be all lit up magnificently. It is the festival of lights so its an usual sight to see the houses have diyas lit up. Some have the diyas adorning the entrance to the house or apartments. Not to forget the beautiful Rangolis welcoming you to their house. Its a five day festival. People exchange sweets and visit family and friends. Have lots of happy and sweet memories. How my heart yearns to just magically be transferred to my beautiful and vibrant India(Mumbai) and be with my extended family this Holiday season. 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Dalia dal - Roasted Gram
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 cup warm ghee
• 1/4 cup cashews fried in 1 tbsp ghee

Preparation: 

• Dry roast Dalia dal on medium heat for about 3-4 minutes. Grind and keep it aside. Grind the sugar so as to make it a super fine consistency. 
• Now add the ground dalia dal  , sugar, fried cashews and the warm ghee.
• Mix it well and make ladoos immediately. This makes 21 ladoos.  

Kakdi ki Subzi - Tangy and Spicy Cucumber

I always associated Cucumbers with Salads and Raitas(Dip). I would never have thought about cooking with  cucumbers/kakdi. This is my sister's recipe. Once on a phone call with my sister I happened to mention to her I have no vegetables in the house and it was almost time to make lunch. I said my fridge just has some cucumbers, tomatoes and jalapenos. She said make Kakdi (Cucumber) ki subzi. That was the first time I heard of such kind of subzi. I made it and it was super delicious and super easy to make. I've been making this subzi since then and its become a regular at out house now. It  goes well with hot phulkas (Indian bread). 

Ingredients : 

• 2-3 medium sized Cucumbers (Kakdi) peeled and chopped
• 1 large tomato chopped
• *2 jalapenos chopped
• 2-3 curry leaves
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp red chili powder
• 1 tbsp cumin-coriander powder
• salt to taste
• oil

* You can reduce the heat of this dish by just using 1 jalapeno. If you do not have jalapenos use 2-3 green chillies instead.

Preparation:

• Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds. When they crackle add curry leaves followed by tomatoes and chopped jalapenos.Let it cook on medium heat for about 2 minutes.
• Now add the dry spices- turmeric powder , red chili powder, cumin-coriander powder and salt. Give  it a good stir. Add the chopped cucumber and mix it well. Cook covered on medium-low heat for about 7-8 minutes. Just keep stirring from time to time and sprinkle a little water if required. 
• When cooked take it off the heat and garnish with freshly chopped Cilantro. Serve this tangy and spicy Kakdi (Cucumber) Ki Subzi with hot phulkas.   

Peanut butter and Nutella Milkshake

This could be a quick and delicious breakfast option if you are pressed for time. It's a great snack. It's easy and so delicious that the kids love it. I must admit I wasn't really into peanut butter and  could not really understand how its such a favorite here in the US. But now so many years later I'm transformed,  now I absolutely have to have a jar of peanut butter in my pantry.  My kids love Peanut butter and Jelly sandwiches and I from time to time eat them too. It's an easy and delicious snack or breakfast option. With kids constantly on the go from school and back and their extra curricular activities, we busy mothers do need such easy choices. 

Another thing I also have in my pantry is Nutella . It's another of my kids favorite snack/breakfast option. I just make plain Nutella sandwiches or make Peanut Butter and Nutella sandwiches. They are awesome. So it wasn't a       surprise when my kids suggested we make Peanut butter and Nutella milkshake. We tried making it and loved it.   

Ingredients : 

• 2 cups milk
• 2 tbsp creamy peanut butter
• 2 tbsp Nutella
• 1 cup crushed ice 

Preparation : Blend all the above ingredients in a blender until smooth. That's it. Your Peanut Butter and Nutella Milkshake is ready. This recipe serves 2.   

Poha / Rice flakes Ladoo

These ladoos are a must try if you haven't tasted these Poha ladoos. Like me you will be mesmerized and surprised as I was myself, the foodie that I am. I was surprised as to how easy it was to make them and loved the texture and crunch . It did not feel like it was Poha. Poha being a staple in my pantry, how come it took me so long to make these little delectable delights. But as they say its "Better to be late than never ". I  had recently heard about these ladoos from my mother in law. So decided to give it a try for Ganesh Chaturthi.

Since it was a big hit at my house , I'm surely going to make them again for Diwali. If you are like me then I know you don't really need an occasion or excuse to make these. I suggest just make them whenever you feel like and see for yourself whether what I'm bragging about these ladoos is true or not. Would love to hear from you.  In my house these ladoos barely made it to the next day. My 9 year old came back from school yesterday and asked  me "Mommy can you make more of those Poha ladoos ?." That's what I'm about to make today.  

Ingredients :

• 2 cups thick Poha/Aval /flattened Rice flakes
• 1 cup confectioners sugar
• 1/4 cup warm unsalted butter/ghee
• 1/4 cup chopped almonds fried in 1 tbsp butter/ghee

* You could use regular granulated sugar- just grind it once to make it super fine. Also feel free to use any kind of nuts.

Preparation :

• Dry Roast  Poha / Rice flakes on medium heat till they change color to a beautiful golden brown.  Then take it off the heat and grind. Keep it aside. Make  sure its medium to low heat as the Poha burns very easily.
• Fry the chopped almonds in about 1 tbsp butter /ghee. Keep it aside as well.
• Now you have to just mix all the ingredients in a bowl - dry roasted Poha , fried nuts, sugar and warm butter/ghee. Shape them immediately into ladoos. Just take a little of this mix into your palms and  shape them into round ladoos. Its good to make them immediately. If the mix dries up a little, DO NOT PANIC  just add about 1 tbsp warm butter and resume. That's it. 
• This recipe yields 11 ladoos. They are so irresistibly good that I'm afraid you will have no leftovers. If you do then just store them in an air tight container and they are good for a week.     

Karele ki subzi - Bitter Melon in tomato and peanut sauce

 I love Karela or bitter gourd / bitter melon. Every time I see it at the produce market I end up buying them. The only problem is I'm the only one in my house who loves them. Because of its bitter taste most people stay away from them. I could say its an acquired taste - some love them and some cannot stand them at all. 

I wish everybody could give Karela a try because it has tons of health benefits.It has antiviral, antimalarial, anticancer and cardio protective properties.  Also its found to be beneficial for people with diabetes.  

 Ingredients :

• 4 karela /bitter gourds / bitter melons 
• 2 tomatoes chopped
• 2-3 green chillies slit
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• 2 tsp cumin -coriander powder
• 1 tsp amchoor powder(dry mango powder)
• 1/4 cup toasted and ground peanuts 
• salt to taste
• 3-4 tbsp oil 

Preparation:

• Cut the Karela / bitter melons length wise and scrape out the seeds which are discarded. Then slice the karela and sprinkle salt on them liberally. Keep them aside for about half an hour. Salt will help to release most of the bitter juices from the karela. Now wash it really well.
• Heat oil in a pan. Add the tomatoes and green chillies. Add the dry spices- turmeric, red chili powder, cumin-coriander powder, amchoor powder and salt. Mix it well.  Let it cook for about 2-3 minutes till the oil separates and then add the sliced karela. Stir it well. Add about 1/4 cup water. Cover and cook on medium flame for about 8-10 minutes. Just about when the Karela is almost cooked add the ground peanuts and mix it well. Cook uncovered on slow flame till karela is cooked (about 2-3 minutes).  
• Karele ki subzi - Bitter Melon in tomato and peanut sauce is ready to be served. Garnish with freshly chopped Cilantro. Enjoy it as a side dish with some cumin rice and dal or with hot phulkas / rotis.        

Zucchini Malai Kofta

For those of you who are not familiar with Koftas, they could be described as meatless meatballs or vegetable balls. These koftas are then cooked in a creamy sauce and served with any Indian bread or rice. This might  look like a laborious recipe, but once you have tasted this delicious and classic dish you will want to make them again and again.

 This is my mom's recipe. She makes these koftas with bottle gourd (lauki/doodhi). I've made her recipe with Zucchini since I had them and I'm trying to find more and more recipes with this summer vegetable. I happen to get them for free- one of our family friends  has her own vegetable garden and  this has been a good season for Zucchinis.  

Ingredients :

For the koftas

• 3 cups of grated Zucchini 
• 1/4 cup grated Paneer (Indian Cottage cheese)
• 2 green chillies chopped
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp red chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin - coriander powder
• 1/2 cup chickpea flour / besan
•  1/4 cup bread crumbs
• corn starch (optional) 
• salt to taste
• Oil for frying

For the Gravy :

• 1 cup onion puree
• 1 1/2 cups tomato puree
• 2 tbsp ginger garlic paste 
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 black cardamom
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• 1 tbsp cumin- coriander powder
• 10-12 cashews soaked in milk(grind)
• 1/4 cup - 1/2 cup heavy cream
• salt to taste
• oil

Preparation :

 Making the Koftas - A very important tip to remember to make perfect koftas is to squeeze all the juices out of the vegetable(zucchini). This could be retained and used to knead the dough or use it in the gravy.

• Mix all the ingredients mentioned under koftas except oil. Make it like dough and gently make 16-18 lemon size balls. These are then deep fried on medium flame until golden brown. The oil should not be too hot or not hot enough. We are trying to cook the zucchini as well while frying the koftas. Now if the koftas fall apart feel free to add a little chickpea flour/bread crumbs. Sometimes  when the Zucchini is not squeezed well it might retain a little water. DO NOT PANIC. Now the corn starch comes to the rescue. Just roll the koftas onto a plate sprinkled with corn starch  and fry. Keep the koftas aside.

Making the Creamy and rich  gravy 

• Heat oil in a pan/ Kadai . Add the bay leaves and black cardamom. When the cardamom splutters,  add the onion puree. Fry on medium high till its turns golden. Add the ginger garlic paste. Fry for about a minute and add tomato puree. Stir well. Now add all the dry spices- turmeric, red chili powder, cumin-coriander powder and salt. Let it cook on medium until the oil separates(this is a clue your gravy is cooked). Now add about 2 cups water. Let it boil and then add the koftas. Let the koftas cook in the gravy covered for about 5 minutes on medium - low flame. Now add the cream. Stir well. Add the ground cashews-milk paste. Give it a good stir. Let it simmer for about 2 minutes. Take it off the heat and garnish with freshly chopped cilantro. Your Zucchini Malai Kofta is ready. Serve it with any Indian bread (Naan, Parathas, Phulkas, Roti ) or with cumin rice.