Kada Prasad or Aaate ka Halwa..(wheat flour halwa)!!

On the occasion of GurPurab(Guru Nanak ji bday) today...saw a lot of pictures coming through or being posted on various social media sites and apps....and then saw a small clipping of kada Prasad being distributed...reminded me of all the times we have been offered the prasad by our grandmother...whenever she used to return from the temple on special days...and of all those times too when at midnight or late nights specially in winters we use to trouble mom to make it at home...as having it steaming hot has its own charm.
My grandmother and my mother make this halwa superdelicious...grandmother had magic in her hands....and mom still will make it if I go to her at 1 am also and ask her to do so...
I remember once she literally went to the extent of making pure ghee(as there was not enough quantity left in the box) out of fresh cream at midnight and then using the same for the halwa...as we had asked her to make it that time and she could not say no to her daughters(how much did we troubled her I realise today)
When history repeats it makes you realise and remember all what you have done...as today I am also requested suddenly at night around 10-11-12 To make the same...and like mother like daughter , I also make it with the same enthusiasm for my family.
Coming to the recipe...its super easy,super quick and super delicious.

Ingrdients:

1 CUP pure ghee/butter
1 CUP wheat flour
1 and 2/3 cup sugar
3 cups water

Method:

Take a wok and a sauce pan...place them on 2 different burners...add ghee and flour in wok and start to roast the flour in the butter and in the pan make sugar syrup cook just until the sugar dissolves...meanwhile the flour has to be stirred continuously to avoid burning it but it has to be roasted until dark brown..pics below are the colours from starting to roast till well roasted

Sugar syrup

Now once both your things are ready then pour the sugar syrup in the roasted flour by one hand and stir fast but carefully (as its super hot and will splatter) and mix both well ..

You will notice with in 2-3 mins of mixing halwa will become smooth and silky and will start sliding over the wok leaving all the surface...its done then...serve hot (but only after waiting few minutes as immideately cooked is burning hot temp) 

Enjoy!! 

HAPPY GURPURAB!!

Donuts !!!

Donuts are very readily and widely available in  UAE...the first name that comes to our minds is dunkin donuts...😋...and they deserve to be at the first place as no doubt the donuts and flavours are to die for...after that there are many other places which sells yummy donuts...and so making them at home never really came to my mind knowing that it's super easy to go to a neighbouring market and pick them up across the counter...But since few days hadn't made any dessert and everytime after dinner my husband would ask what's for dessert and my answer had been a "nothing" since few days...so decided to make something new...ran across my mind and saved recipes and then thought that I have been making cakes mostly,why not try something new today and then thought lets give competition to Dunkin donuts🙈😉...so here it is my yummlicious first ever take on donuts which came out just perfect and am sad to announce dunkin donuts have lost a customer now as my kids and hubby said in praise from now on we'll have only homemade donuts...Elated by the words of praise...sharing the recipe...which is super easy...give it a go.😍

Made 3 flavours
Chocolate coated donuts
Lemon curd filling sugar coated
Blueberry jam filling sugar coated

Ingredients...
1 CUP Luke warm water
2 tbsp yeast
5 tbsp sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
1 egg(can be avoided too)
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 tsp salt
Oil for frying

FOR FILLING
Lemon curd
1 tbsp lemon źest
1 full lemon juice
2 eggs
4 tbsp sugar

Blueberry jam
Store bought jam

Chocolate ganache
100 gms chocolate chips
100 ml heavy cream

METHOD:
Add yeast 1 TSP sugar to Luke warm water and keep aside to activate yeast for 5 mins..once that's done ads all the other ingredients for the dough in a big bowl and add the yeast mixture to it knead it gentle and until the dough is smooth and springs back on pressing...put it in a large bowl and keep aside covered with a damp cloth for proofing. Atleast for an hour.
Meanwhile add all ingredients of lemon curd to a heavy bottom pan and put on minimal heat and whisk continuously to avoid scrambling of eggs...once the first bubble pops in the curd it will start thickening and will have a glaze on it whisk for another minute and then remove feom heat once cooled fill a piping bag with a plain hole nozzle and keep in refrigerator to further cool down...curd starts thickening with in 5-6 mins.
Chocolate ganache again mix both cream and chocolate chips in a microwave proof bowl or a heat proof bowl melt both of them together on a double boiler or microwave stirring continuously once melted remove from heat and mix and keep aside.
Check ur dough if it would have risen by now...
Put it out of the bowl on a flat surface and roll out to a 1 -1.5 cm thick disc cut plain roundals for the ones u want to fill in or an authentic donut shape for coated donuts.

And lay them in tray and cover and keep aside again for 20 mins to rise a bit again.
Meanwhile heat oil to medium temp(note it shouldn't be too hot or you will end up burning the outside and having the inside undercooked)
Once the oil is hot and the cut out donuts are done rising for 20 mins fry them 1 or 2 at a time
30-40 secs on each side....suggestion make a test donuts to analyse the time and temp of frying by urself too...so you can judge better.
Once they are all fried you can dust them with powdered sugar...fill in the filling of ur choice...or coat them  with chocolate...you can play with as many flavours as you like once ur base donuts are ready...so enjoy!!!

Mango mousse cake!!

When u have a grown up daughter then you can take rest from the kitchen every now and then...but when you have an enthusiastic daughter like mine then...with rest every second day is a party. My daughter Siya has completely given me retirement from the dessert making part in our house...may it be any dinner party or regular sweet dish requirement in our home its her department and responsibility now. She decides by herself and takes charge of the cakes that we make and this mango mousse cake was the latest beauty she had created.
Not only it looked pretty but tasted better than it looked,such a proud mother I am .(believe me I was no way near her talent when I was her age🙈)
Coming to the recipe its super easy and quick to make(I saw her making it) but takes a bit of time to set in the refrigerator.
Ingredients :
3 cups mango pulp
200 ml condensed milk
250 ml whipped cream
4 tbsp gelatin
Sponge vanilla fingers/biscuits
Mango pieces for decoration
METHOD :
Mix the gelatin in a cup with very little water and keep aside. Then in a mixer add fresh mango puree and condensed milk for 2 mins...then add gelatin to it  and mix in the mixer  for atleast 3 more mins and keep aside the mixer jug .
In a separate big bowl whip the whipping cream and then slowly fold in the mango and condensed milk mixture making sure that the aeration in the cream is not lost.
Line a cake tin with parchment sheet and then make the border of biscuits like in the picture and then line a layer of biscuits in the bottom too covering the whole space pour half the mango mixture to it now lightly put another layer of biscuits over it and then pour the remaining mixture over it and smoothen out the top with a spatula...pat the tin lightly if required to remove air bubbles, and keep in the refrigerator for atleast 3 hours to set like cake .
Serve chilled.
PS: its a very lightly sweetened dessert,however if u wish to make it sweeter which before setting u can taste then just add maybe 50 ml of condensed milk to it.
Secondly u can layer and set it in a glass dish or a glass too...looks pretty anyways !!

Moong daal laddo(lentil fritters)!!

Delhi is famous for its chaat pakori (snacks-street food)....names like tikki,pani poori,pao bhaji,chole bhature and what not comes to your mind....along with all these yummy things comes this humble small plate of moong daal laddos with raddish and spicy chutney....Its not only one of the cheapest street food but also one of the yummiest of all....
I  was preparing for a dinner at my place last week when I was trying to think of some new snack and this came to my mind as my guest were all dilli waale and I knew they would relate to it and love it...so decided to put this in the starter menu...made it and nailed it...few felt nostalgic...ki dilli ki yaad dila di...!!
It's a must try as its a super easy and yummy snack.
INGREDIENTS :

1 CUP MOONG DAAL
1/2 CUP CHANA DAAL
2 INCH GINGER
3-4 GREEN CHILIES
1 MEDIUM SIZE RADDISH GRATED

FOR CHUTNEY
1 BUNCH CORIANDER LEAVES
1 BUNCH MINT LEAVES
5 GREEN CHILIES
1 INCH GINGER
2 GARLIC CLOVES
1 TSP ROCK SALT
1 TSP CHAAT MASALA
1 TSP CUMIN SEEDS
1 TSP ANAR DANA
1 TSP MANGO POWDER
1 TSP SALT
1 LEMON JUICE.

METHOD:
For moong daal fritters
Soak both pulses for min 3 hours then drain excess water grind them with rest of the ingredients and churn with pulsing to incooperate air in batter
Take out and whisk the batter and keep for atleast 30 mins to ferment a bit (u can directly fry also by whisking nicely) fry them golden in shape of small laddos and remove on tissue paper to drain excess oil and place them in a plate.
FOR CHUTNEY
Churn all ingredients of chutney with little water and keep in an airtight jar in refrigerated.(Can be kept for 2 week also)
Now plate the laddos in a serving plate garnish with loads of grated raddish and top with green chutney and serve hot. Enjoy!!

Stuffed Garlic bread..!!

Garlic bread is one of the most loved dishes amongst all, in most of the pizza joints.Apart from ordering pizzas, almost all order this as an accompaniment to build their appetite,and I must say it does taste great too..When ordered...by the end of the whole loaf...usually kids would want to have the last strip or slice or bite of it..as they can never have enough of it...!!
I have always ordered this one from Dominos on my India visits,thinking we cannot perfect it at home...but I put down my own belief of it being a difficult task by making it...and it turned out awesome, just as it would come from Dominos or any pizza joint . Elated by the outcome made it again yesterday and gave a variation to it too with Jalapenos and corn stuffing and making a braid style bread...which turned out great too...!!

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour 

2tsp instant dry yeast

2 tsp sugar

1 cup milk

2-3 tsp dried herbs

4 tbsp butter

4 tbsp garlic chopped fine

2 tbsp Fresh Coriander/parsley

2 tsp oil

2 tsp salt 

For stuffing :

150 gms mozarella

Jalapenos as per liking

Corn as per liking.

METHOD:

In a big bowl add luke warm milk,yeast and sugar mix and let it sit for 5 mins as yeast will get activated in that time...now add flour,salt,dried herbs ,2 tsp garlic, 2 tsp melted butter to it and knead all together for at least 5 mins to a soft dough....apply oil on the surface of the dough ball and cover with cling wrap and put in some warm place for 1-1&1/2  hours atleast for the dough to ferment.

Take out the dough after 2 hours it would have risen and size would have doubled. Punch down the dough,knead once and divide into 3 big balls..keep aside 2 and roll out 1 ball with the help of hand or a light pressure rolling pin...apply garlic butter all over it place mozarella on half the disc fold and put cuts as in cutting the half moon shape in strips as shown in the final pic above...apply the garlic butter on the top also and bake it in a preheated oven on 200°c for 15 mins...or until golden on top...serve with ur choice of sauce.

For the braid bread pics below as to how to make the braid....and baking time and temperature is same for 15 mins on 200°c preheated oven.

Paneer n veg oats cutlets!!

The look is really rustic ...but a very healthy dish...made from one of my favourite ingredients,it turned out sumptuous....a no carb dish...with all the goodness of protiens and oats in it...!!

Would suggest all to try atleast once..

INGREDIENTS:

100 gms cottage cheese (paneer)

200 gms mixed vegies  (carrot,peas,beans,corns)

1/2 cup roasted oats

Salt to taste

2 tsp garam masala

Little chopped coriander 

1 green chili chopped..

METHOD:

In a big bowl mix all ingredients together to nicely bind them...make small cutlets out of them and shallow fry them on a flat pan with 2-3 tsp of oil from both sides till golden and crisp...serve hot with sauce or chutney of ur choice..!!