Carrot-Coconut-Sesame Burfi flavored with Saffron & cardamom. [Indian sweet recipe for Makar Sankranti Festival.]

On this auspicious occasion of Makar Sankranti,  I convey my  best new year wishes to all my readers, followers and visitors.Wishing you all a very Healthy, Happy and Peaceful 2014. Thank you so much for regularly visiting my blog. I am quite late to make my first blog post this year, hoping to share more recipes this year.   I start this year with a recipe of  Sesame-Carrot-Coconut Burfi/Vadi. One of the traditional Makar Sankrant sweet/ Vadi is made with Sesame and Coconut,  I gave a little twist by adding fresh carrots. This sweet is prepared without ghee, I have used honey but if that is skipped this is good Vegan festive sweet.

 Ingredients :

• 1.5 Cup - whole sesame unpolished (powdered)
• 2 Cups - grated carrots (slightly heaping cups)
• 1 Cup - fresh grated coconut
• 2 Tb.spoon - Honey ( for vegan burfi you may skip honey.)
• 2 Tb.spoon - Extra virgin Olive oil + 1 Tb.spoon for greasing.
• 3 tiny pinches - of saffron threads
• 1/2 T.spoon - cardamom powder. (coarse ground seeds from 4-5 cardamoms.)
• 3/4 Cups - water to cook carrots
• For sugar Syrup - 1 heaping cup granulated sugar + 3/4 cup water.

Carrot, Coconut, Powdered Sesame, Sugar, Cardamom powder.

Grated carrots

Method of preparing Carrot+Coconut+Sesame Vadi/Burfi :

1. Clean carrots by slightly chopping out stems and bottom ends, peel off thin skin layer with potato peeler. If using organic carrots, retain the skin. Rinse under water, pat dry. Grate carrots, keep it aside.
2. Grind 1.5 cups white unpolished sesame seeds to a coarse powder. Do this in few batches with short pulses to retain dry texture.
3. In a heavy gauge 4 quart pot moderately heat 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, add grated carrots, saute for three minutes over medium heat, stirring often. Pour in 3/4 cup water, half quantity of cardamom powder continue to saute for around 10 minutes, stirring often.
4. Next add sesame powder, mix well, saute for 5-6 minutes over medium heat, stirring often.
5. Add fresh grated coconut, 2 tbsp honey and remaining cardamom powder, saute for 2-3 minutes. Shut off the heat, let  pot rest until sugar syrup is done. (Sugar syrup can be prepared ahead of time.)
6. Heat 3/4 cup water in a small pot, stir in 3 tiny pinches of saffron threads. Once water starts to boil add one heaping cup sugar. Allow to steadily boil  over medium high heat for 7-8 minutes. Do stir at frequent intervals, shut down, allow to cool for six seven minutes.
7. Pour sugar syrup over  coconut-sesame-carrot mixture. On heat back, Mix well, keep stirring until sugar syrup is evaporated and thick mass is formed. This stirring stage is quite laborous, do it by switching  heat from medium high to medium low. Once bottom of the mixture starts developing light color patch shut off the heat. Quickly scoop it over olive oil greased baking sheet or plate. Flatten and shape it with stainless steel spatula and knife. Pat  Burfi mass from sides to form neat 1 inch thick square. Allow to cool  for 3-4 minutes, using a knife cut  into desired size/shape Burfi pieces. Smooth out cracks and uneven edges by patting around burfi squares with  butter knife. Scroll down to check few images  of cooking steps captured while preparing Burfi/Vadi.

Initial frying stage.

Prepared sugar syrup.

After adding sugar syrup, consistency of mixture  loosens.

Mixture turns into solid mass, time to spread mixture over plate.

Scooping out solid burfi mass over greased cookie sheet.

Finely square shaped burfi mixture.

Carrot-Coconut-Sesame Burfi squares.

Uneven edges can be shaped into perfect squares using butter knife.

Happy Makar Sankranti!!

Carrot-Coconut-Sesame Burfi.

Mix Vegetable Vegan Halwa with Bottle gourd, Carrots and Chioggia Beets. {Indian Vegan Dessert with vegetables.}

Indian sweet "Halwa"  can be prepared with different flours, Dals, Nuts, Fruits and vegetables. Today I am sharing  recipe of Halwa made with three vegetables. I had  one organic Chioggia beet, few locally grown tender carrots in the refrigerator, quantity was not sufficient to make three servings of Halwa so  I added one  Lauki / Dudhi  and made  this Three vegetable Halwa. I skipped adding milk , used  extra virgin coconut oil so it turned  vegan halwa. For rich taste and additional nutrition I added coarse ground  almond meal and Hemp hearts. After cooking bright natural color of vegetable was  lost but Halwa tasted  absolutely delicious.

 Halwa Ingredients : (3 servings of Halwa)

• 1 Dudhi / Bottlegourd / Lauki - grated, yield 2.5 cup tightly packed.
• 1 Chioggia Beetroot - grated -(yield 1 cup tightly packed) regular beets can be used.
• 8-10 young  carrots - grated - (yield 1 cup tightly packed) use any type of carrots.
• 5-6 Tb.spoon - extra virgin coconut oil (I used Carrington Farms from costco.)
• 5 Tb.spoon - Hemp hearts (raw shelled hemp seeds.)
• 1/4 Cup- coarse ground almond powder
• 4-5 Cardamom - finely ground seeds
• 3 Tb.spoon - Golden raisins
• 4 Tb.spoon - slivered almonds
• 3/4 cup sugar - extra 3-4 Tb.spoon for  more sweetness.

Lauki , Gajar and Chioggia Beet.

Grated Beetroot, Carrots and Dudhi.

Method of making Mix vegetable Halwa.

1. Cut both the ends of Bottle gourd, peel the skin. Keep the seeds if they are extra tender. If seeds are grown then remove inner seed portion. Grate by using grater as shown in the image or use food processor. Keep it aside. (Bitter tasting bottle gourd  should not be consumed due to its  toxic properties.)
2. I used organic locally grown carrots so didn't peel the skin but thoroughly washed it under running water by rubbing the skin to get rid of soil. Grate it by using grater or use food processor. Peel the skin if you are using regular carrots.
3. For Chioggia beets I  partially peeled the skin from rough root grown portion. Don't peel off clean dark pink skin. Grate and keep aside.
4. Gently squeeze juice from grated veggies. Do not squeeze out all juice, one or two times gentle hand squeeze is enough. I got around half cup juice, drink it up or use it  in cooking.
5. In a small saute pan heat 1 tbsp coconut oil, add golden raisins in two batches, stir fry by stirring continuously until raisins swell to round shape and turn light brown. Keep heat low to avoid burning. Drain over paper towel. Next add little more coconut oil in the same pan, fry slivered almonds until light brown. Drain on paper towel.
6. Heat 3 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil in a heavy gauge pot. I took 4 quart hard anodized pot. Add all grated vegetables, cook over medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring often. Add powdered cardamom seeds when you are half way through cooking process. If mixture gets too dry spray some water to retain moisture.
7. Now add 1/4 cup coarse ground almond powder, mix well, cook for five minutes, stirring often.
8. Next add 3/4 cup sugar, once sugar melts, veggie mixture will turn loose in texture, continue to cook until mixture forms thick pulp like texture. Taste sweetness, if required add 3-4 tbs more sugar.
9. Now add 5 tbsp hemp hearts (optional) and 2 tbsp coconut oil, mix well, continue to cook for 6-7 minutes or until mixture achieves your desired halwa texture. Add fried raisins and slivered almonds, mix well. (save few for final garnish) Let it cool down completely before serving. You can serve in a bowl or shape in your choice of moulds.

Black and White Wednesday #84 {Fresh coconut, Hemp hearts and Chia seed ladoos}

This is my eighth image submission for Black and White Wednesday event #84, 22nd May, 2013. Simona from Briciole is hosting the Event. Susan, author of TheWell Seasoned Cook is a founder of this event. Now Cinzia of  Cindystarblog is a new admin for Susan's Black and White Wednesday Event. For all guidelines  and an index of  all future event hosting blogs please check Cinzia's  post  here. Participants can join Flickr group created for B&W event. Next event (BWW #85, 29th May-2013) will be hosted by Priya of  Humpty Dumpty Kitchen.

This week I am submitting image of  special power packed super food ladoos made with Chia seeds, Hemp hearts and fresh grated coconut. Ladoos are sweetened with honey and little brown sugar, no oil or ghee is used but it contains natural coconut oil from fresh grated coconut. Ladoos are flavored with cardamom and nutmeg. This is the  first time I have used  Chia seeds and raw shelled Hemp seeds in cooking. These two versatile super foods can be very well used in Indian cooking.

Chia seed, Hemp hearts and fresh coconut ladoos.

Black and White Wednesday
 Event #84

Barley and ChanaDal Payasam / Kheer, sweetened with jaggery, cooked in slow cooker. {Sweet dish for Vishu celebrations.)

This year for Vishu festival I made Chana dal and Barley Payasam in slow cooker, this is my first attempt to cook Kheer/Payasam in slow cooker. It takes around 5-6 hours to cook and result is very delicious. Each grain cooks perfectly tender and retains its shape. You need to do few time supervision other wise it gets quietly cooked in the corner of the kitchen without feeling any stress. Earlier I have blogged similar jaggery payasam recipes with different combinations one is  Barley and cracked wheat payasam and another one is Wheat,Chanadal,Brown rice payasam. Scroll down to check few slow cooker images captured while preparing payasam.

Ingredients :

• 2 - Cups Chana Dal / Kadla Parippu
• 3/4 - Cups Barley (I used pearled barley.)
• 10-12 - cardamoms - finely powder seeds
• 3 - heaped cups jaggery tiny chunks or powdered jaggery
• 5-6 Tb.spoon - Ghee
• 6-7 Tb.spoon sugar or brown sugar (use if needed more sweetness)
• 3/4 Cup - cashew nuts ( few whole cashews and few chopped cashews.)
• 1/2 Cup - golden raisins
• 3/4 Cup - grated fresh coconut
• 1/2 Cup - thinly sliced small coconut pieces.(Check garnish over kheer bowl)
• 7-8 Cup - water

Method of cooking  Payasam in slow cooker :

1. Combine chana dal and barley together in a bowl, rinse well until water runs clear. Soak in water for around 3 hours. Pre-soaking is not must but it will help to reduce some cooking time. (I soaked only for one hour)
2. Break jaggery blocks into small chunks or make coarse powder. I put my jaggery blocks inside  thick freezer zip lock bag and pounded with hammer to make small jaggery chunks.
3. Remove cardamom seeds from the pod, grind to fine powder. I used mortar and pestle to make powder. Another method is add cardamom seeds in a small ziploc bag, cover it with one more bag, place on the flour and pound with hammer until seeds are crushed to powder texture.
4. Heat 2 tbsp ghee in a tiny saute pan, just hot not smoking hot. Add golden raisins in two batches, stir fry in ghee stirring with  small slotted spoon until raisins puff and turn golden brown. Quickly drain over paper towel.
5. Now add 3/4 cup grated coconut in the same saute pan, slow roast coconut until it turns aromatic and golden brown, about 3-4 minutes, transfer to bowl and keep it aside.
6. Wipe the pan with paper towel, heat 1 tbsp ghee, add sliced small coconut pieces, roast until they turn golden brown. Take it out in a small bowl.
7. In the same saute pan add some more ghee, add cashew nuts in two batches, stir fry over medium low heat until they get light brown color. Drain over paper towel.
8. In a slow cooker add 1 tsp ghee, drained chana dal and barley, 4 cups water. Set on high heat and let cook for 3 hours. Check after half an hour, stir, if it gets too foamy in the cooking process, remove foam. After three hours Dal and Barley will get perfectly tender. If it absorbs all water, do add some water while cooking and stir at some interval.
9. In the mean time heat 3 cups water in a  small pot, add 3 cups jaggery chunks and powder. Stir to melt jaggery. Strain jaggery water by using fine tea filter/strainer  or clean cotton cloth.
10. Once Chana dal and barley gets tender, add cardamom powder and 3 cups of strained jaggery water, roasted coconut pieces, roasted grated coconut. Mix well, continue cooking in slow cooker over high heat for one more hour.
11. Check consistency, if needed add one cup or more water. Check sweet level, if needed add 6-7 tbsp sugar or brown sugar. Reduce heat setting to low and let it simmer for another one hour. If you need thick creamy texture, swirl around with immersion  blender for 20-30 seconds, this will partially break tender cooked chana dal, barley and bring  thick pulpy texture.
12. Lastly add fried golden raisins, cashew nuts, 1 tbsp ghee. Mix well, let it rest in slow cooker until you are ready to serve. You can serve this payasam warm by drizzling melted ghee or add some milk to enjoy delicious tasting Jaggery sweetened Chanadal-Barley Payasam.

Cooking Chana Dal and Barley Kheer in a Slow cooker.[Image-1]

  chanadal and barley set  in water to start cooking.[Image-2]

While cooking in slow cooker it gets foamy.[Image-3]

Perfectly tender cooked Chana Dal and Barley.[Image-4]

[Image-5]

Adding jaggery water and cardamom.[Image-6]

Kheer is  ready after 5 hours of slow cooking.[Image-7]

Kadala Parippu Payasam

Vishu Sadya - Delicious Vegetarian Malayali cuisine Feast & Recipe for Kerala Banana Halwa.

Vishu Sadya is an authentic vegetarian  feast  served on a Vishu Day in Kerala.  This year I cooked few sadhya dishes, My Vishu sadya is  not as elaborate as traditional one but  it was good enough to feel festive spirits of  Vishu. Here I am sharing  pictures of  my Vishu sadya spread.  Also sharing  recipe for Kerala Banana Halwa. It is very tasty rustic sweet, which can be prepared at home with minimal ingredients but with some extra efforts of stirring.

Published on 06/29/2012

Vishu Sadhya Menu :

Sambar with Kerala Matta Rice,
Pappadam, Curd chili,
Banana Halwa,
Cabbage Thoran, Green beans thoran,
Cherupayar parippu payasam (Moong Dal payasam).
In the side leaf plate - Mathanga errisseri (Pumpkin+Red chawli curry), pavakka/bitter melon/kaypakka pachadi.

 Kerala Vishu Sadhya spread.

Left : Mathanga Van payar Errisseri (pumpkin_red chawli curry)

 Right : Kaipakka  pachadi (deep fried bitter melon in seasoned yogurt)

Vegetarian Vishu Thali.

Recipe for Kerala Banana Halwa.

Ingredients :

• 5 Fully ripe bananas (scroll down to check image of ripe banana)
• 3/4 cup - crushed jaggery
• 2-3 Tb.spoon sugar
• 5-6 Tb.spoon - pure ghee/ clarified butter
• 5-6 cardamom - finely powder seeds
• 1 Tb.spoon - fine powder of pistachio - Use microplane coarse grater.
• 7-8 Pistachio - roughly chopped and partly make thin slices for final top garnish.

Directions for  preparing Banana Halwa:

1. Peel ripe bananas, cut into one inch thick slices.
2. Heat medium size thick bottomed pot/saute pan. Add one tbsp ghee, slowly keep adding banana pieces. Maintain medium heat. With back of the wooden spoon press and mash all pieces. You will take 5-6 minutes to mash all banana pieces. (you can use immersion blender to puree banana. I wanted to keep it all natural so mashed with the spoon) Keep stirring, once it starts to boil add one more tbsp ghee. Now sprinkle  half the quantity of cardamom powder.
3. Continue to stir and make sure banana pulp does not stick to the bottom. If it gets thicker and drier you can pour little ghee. After 20 minutes add crushed jaggery. Continue to stir, press all chunks of jaggery with spoon to ease jaggery melting process. Add one more tbsp ghee and continue rigorous stirring.
4. Now add 2-3 tbsp sugar, mix well..check for sweetness and adjust sugar quantity. Add 1 tbsp ghee, chopped pistachios, remaining cardamom powder. Continue cooking and stirring for another 15 minutes. If you find it exhaustive to stir continuously then reduce heat to medium low so that you can take momentary pauses.
5. Consistency will keep changing.  After half an hour it will start turning into thick jelly like mass. Keep going until it gets thick and stiff enough to form  layer on the plate. Texture will be quite sticky and you can improve it it by finally adding some more ghee. I used around 5 tbsp ghee during stirring process.
6. It took me around 45 minutes of continuous attentive cooking. Shut off the heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Transfer banana halwa on a  ghee greased  plane surfaced plate. I used butter knife and gave square shape, you will need to do lot of patting from different angles. Sprinkle finely powdered pistachio or you can directly scrape pistachio by holding microplane over set halwa. Also randomly sprinkle and press some thin slices of pistachio for appeal. Cover with plastic cling wrap, refrigerate for one hour before serving. Texture is going to stay sticky and smooth so carefully lift and  separate each halwa square piece with knife and pat to  bring it back to fine  square shape.
7. It  turns more tighter in texture next day, also taste matures and gets more delicious.

Home made Kerala banana Halwa

Rightly ripe Banana for making Halwa.

Anand Banana Halwa - bigger piece with more darker brown shade.

Kelyacha Halwa

Kerala banana  Halwa

Malpua - Indian sweet prepared for Vibrant spring time Festival of Colors - Holi.

Malpua is a very  addictive  festive sweet from North India especially  prepared during Holi festival. They  are prepared  in different parts of India with  some variation. I have attempted making them few times. These malpuas were prepared  last year but I could not post during holi time so posting it now. I repeated making them this year and served it  with  Rabdi/ Rabri. It was pure joy to prepare malpua  during pleasant spring time and savor them for holi festival. I like malpuas for soft, sweet syrupy texture and  aromatic combination of banana, fennel seeds, saffron and cardamom. This post has lots of Malpua images covering two years of preparation. Enjoy!!

Colors of Holi

Ingredients :-

• 1 Cup Maida/all purpose flour
• 1/4 Cup - Rawa / Rava
• 1/4 Cup freshly grated coconut
• 1 Cup mashed ripe banana (two small size bananas)
• 3 Tb.spoon - sweetened condensed milk
• 1 Cup milk + 1/2 cup as needed.
• 15 Cashews - powdered
• 8-10 Almonds - powdered (with skin is fine)
• 1 T.spoon whole fennel seeds / saunf / badishep
• 1 T.spoon coarse powder of fennel seeds

Ingredients for sugar syrup :-

• 2 Cup Sugar
• 2.5 Cup water
• 7-8 Cardamom seeds - finely powdered
• 2 pinches saffron strands

Method of Preparation for Malpua

Step 1 -Preparing Malpua batter

1. Make coarse powder of 1 teaspoon fennel seeds.
2. 15 cashews + 6-7 almonds - grind to fine powder. I used Microplane fine grater.
3. Take one medium  size deep bowl. Grate or smash two small size ripe bananas to thick paste.
4. Add 1/4 cup rava, 1/4 cup fresh grated coconut, 3 tbsp condensed milk, cashew+almond powder, whole fennel seeds+ fennel seed powder, combine all together with spoon or whisk.
5. Now slowly add maida/all purpose flour and rigorously stir with spoon in circular motion until roughly combined.
6. Now start adding milk to the batter. I used 2.5 cup milk. Keep stirring.  For more smooth flowing  consistency I used immersion blender/ stick blender, just give one minute of swirl to the batter. Cover,  keep it aside and move to prepare sugar syrup.

Step 2 - Preparing sugar syrup

Combine 2.5 cups water, 2 cup sugar in a 3 quart pot, simmer at medium heat. Once water starts to boil add cardamom power and saffron strands. Continue to simmer for 10-12 minutes over medium heat. Now increase heat to medium high and let syrup boil, do stir at regular interval. You don't have to achieve one thread syrup consistency but boil until it reaches oil like consistency. This will take around 20 minutes. Shut off the heat and let syrup pot stay on the gas burner. After you start frying malpuas, you need to keep syrup warm by switching heat  on to the lowest setting.

Step 3 - Frying and Dipping Malpus in sugar syrup.

1. Heat 2.5 cups oil in a Kadhai/ Wok. My Kadhai was 10 inch in diameter. Maintain medium heat temperature. Fill around 2 tbsp batter in a laddle, lower laddle near to the oil and  consistently pour batter in the oil. It will form around 2.5 to 3 inch in diameter malpua. If you get thicker and smaller size malpua then add 1 tbspoon water.
2. Once first one is done well then continue pouring multiple malpus in Kadhai. I made 3-4 at a time. (Check this years Kadhai pictures) Each side will take more than one minute to get golden brown color. After they are  fried, hold them in a slotted spoon / Zara and gently shake to drip off excess oil.
3. Quickly place  them in a sugar  syrup pot. Gently press with spoon and immerse in the syrup, wait for one minute before you turn and immerse other side. ( For more sweet taste soak in sugar for 4-5 minutes turning one time.)  Before removing Malpua  from sugar syrup, press malpua with spoon on the side of the pot, give light pressure so that few drops of syrup is drained out. Place malpuas in a plate covered with parchment paper. You can make around 20-25 malpuas.
4. Pouring batter in oil needs a bit practice, if you find it difficult then take open saute pan and shallow fry Malpuas. I shallow fried malpua during my first attempt, they were more thicker and larger. (check second last image.)

Malpua served with fresh fruits, nuts and  fresh mango+cream puree.

Malpua - Holi special Sweet.

Sugar syrup/Pak  in early simmering stage.

Mixing Malpoa Ingredients

Mapua batter

Malpuas are  deep fried in kadhai and soaked in sugar syrup.

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This years Malpua preparation :

I maintained the same recipe, only change I made was in two ingredients that is Maida and Rava. I used  extra superfine rava  instead of coarse. Regular Maida / all purpose flour was replaced with Arrowhead Mills Organic enriched unbleached white flour. I think this white flour made few malpus puff like puri which didn't happen last year with regular maida. I made Rabdi / Rabri  to savor malpuas in more traditional way. Recipe for Rabadi follows....

 Malpua with Rabdi.

Rabadi Recipe :

Take a look at the picture below, top right corner - milk is boiling for Rabadi. I took 4 cups 2% low fat milk. Use thick bottomed heavy gauge pot or encapsulated bottom pot. Once it started to boil I added 2 pinches of saffron strands and reduced heat to lowest setting and continued frying malpuas on the side burner. After half an hour I added cardamom powder from 5-6 cardamoms. I stirred  milk  at regular intervals. This continued for almost 1.5 hours. If you are going to attend and monitor boiling process then increase the heat to medium low  so that cooking time can be cut down. I reduced milk to little less than two cups. There was lot of roughage of cream layer created while boiling the milk. I  gave one quick few seconds swirl with immersion blender. Lastly added 3 tbsp sugar, 10-12 finely chopped pistachios, 6-7 finely chopped cashew nuts and served Malpuas with rabdi.

Year 2012 - Malpua Preparation.

Malpuha dipped in sugar syrup.

Bradford pear flowers are dipped in Gulal and other Holi colors.

My first time attempted Malpuas.