Sweet Coconut Balls(laddu) -Narkol Nadu

Coconut laddus are made during many auspicious occasions. We celebrate Diwali, The Festival of Lights by worshipping Goddess Kali. Many different types of sweets are offered to the goddess on this day and these sweet coconut balls are one of the most common & important of the sweets that is defenitely offered by every bengali. Here is the recipe for how to make these sweet coconut balls at home!~

This is Goddess Kali. 

Ingredients:

• 3 coconuts (medium sized)-grated/shaved
• 400 grams of sugar 
• 3-4 cardamoms-finely powdered 

Procedure:

• Take a non-stick pan and put in all the grated coconut, sugar and powdered cardamom into the pan. Mix it well so that all the sugar gets mixed properly.
• Stir it continuously while on medium flame.
• Never cook this on high flame or else it will get burnt in the bottom due to the sugar.
• It takes almost 30-35 minutes until the consistency of the mixture becomes sticky. Once you get a sticky mixture, turn off the heat and remove the pan.
• Now you have to make the balls out of this mixture, by taking the mix in small amounts into your hand while hot and giving them a round shape by moulding the mix in between your palms.
• As a precautionary measure keep a bowl of water and keep on dipping your palm continuously so that you don't get blisters due to the hot coconut mixture.

This sweet has lot of calories but trust me it's so yummy that you will keep asking for more!

~ENJOY!~

Handvo -Gujarati savoury cake(Shortcut way)

What is Handvo? 

It is a Gujarati  baked dish made from various pulses, sesame and spices. It is a part of the Gujarati cuisine. It is often made with a bottle gourd filling, though a lot of other vegetables can be added. Sometimes crushed peanuts are also added.

You will find Handvo recipes everywhere that are really tiresome and have a very lengthy process involving a LOT of ingredients. Generally rice and dal are soaked then grinded and so on and so forth... But this recipe is really simple yet very tasty & also very easy to make.

A lot of people don't like bottle gourd . Friends you will see that all the Handvo recipe has grated bottle gourd in it.

But HERE I have using grated carrots and frozen peas instead of bottle gourd which became a big hit amongst my family. My husband  who is born and brought up in Gujrat doesn't like the traditional handvo with bottle gourd, .But he really loved this version ( without bottle gourd)and thoroughly enjoyed it to my surprise ;)

Ingredients: 

• 1/2 cup green peas (frozen Safal )
• 1 cup grated carrot
• One onion (chopped finely)
• Green chillies-6 (finely chopped)
• Garlic pods- 5-6 (cut into small pieces)
• Semolina (Sooji) - 1 cup
• Curd- 1 cup (if required can use some more)
• A pinch of baking soda

For tempering:-

• White sesame seeds
• Mustard seeds
• Little cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp of aesofotida (Hing)
• Curry leaves chopped finely.

Procedure:-

1.Mix all the ingredients and prepare a batter like we do for pancakes. Add salt according to your taste. The batter should not be too thick or too thin like buttermilk.

2. Place a pan over the stove and add 2 Tsp of oil. When the oil heats up add cumin, mustard seeds and curry leaves. When these start spluttering in the oil add the sesame seeds & fry for 1 min .

3.Now pour the full batter into the pan (like in the picture below) Cover it with a lid. Let it cook on low flame until the bottom as well as the sides of the cake start getting golden brown and crispy.

4.This takes around 15 mins. Cooking it slowly is very important otherwise the inside will remain uncooked and raw. Check upon it in every 5 minutes so that bottom doesn't get burnt.

5.Now flip it upside down and let it cook again, covering it with a lid. While turning it over I have spread some sesame seeds. Cook till the other side gets brown and crispy. If required add few drops of oil on the other the side.

6. Once done take it out and slice it like a cake or pizza and serve with green chutney.

~ENJOY~

Misal Pav (Maharashtrian snack)

Around a month back I went for a trip to Maharashtra to see the Ashtavinayaka. I traveled to many remote villages of maharashtra and saw wonderful scenery & also really enjoyed marathi cuisine :)

I noticed they use a lot of onions in their dishes as onions are readily available. They also use a lot of spices especially red chilly. Their food is delicious and simple with not too many ingredients. They use whatever is locally available to make really tasty food & that impressed me a lot. 

Even the simplest food can taste so delicious! I never imagined!

This is one of the things that I tried out there & i recreated it at home. "MISAL PAV" 

This can also be served for evening tea.

                            

1st step: Making the Gravy:

First we will make a paste out of the following spices which will be the key ingredient of the gravy.

• Heat 2 Tsp oil in the pan.
• Add 1 tsp of ginger paste, 1 tsp of garlic paste and 2 small onions(chopped nicely)
• Saute them till the onions are golden brown.
• Add 1 chopped tomato and 3/4th cup of grated coconut to the pan. Mix well and saute for few minutes.
• Allow the mixture to cool down and then grind it into a smooth paste (in a mixer-grinder)

The Gravy:

Heat 3 tbsp of oil, add the paste we made above, & saute for 2

minutes 

Then add salt, 1-tbsp of red chilly powder, 1 tsp of ready-made garam masala powder, 1-tsp of turmeric powder, 1-tsp of cumin powder, 1-tsp of coriander powder, 1-tbsp of clove and cinnamon powder and Mix it properly.

Add a glass of water. Cook the mixture till the oil starts to seperate.

2nd Step: Preparing the "Usal" (the lentils which will be the main ingredient of Misal pav)

• Heat oil in a pan
• Add 1-tsp of ginger & garlic paste and half tsp of hing (aesofotida )
• Then add the boiled green mung sprouts (1 and a half cup) also known as mungo beans.
• Then add salt,  1-tsp turmeric, 1-tsp of limejuice , 1-tsp of cinnamon and clove powder, 1-tsp of garam masala.
• Add some water and cook for 10 mins.  Keep this Usal ready.

 3 rd and final stage:

1.Take a bowl and pour the Usal  (sprouts mixture) into it.

2.Then add some chopped onion and farsan (or) chewda to the  usal.

3. Finally add the gravy on it and serve with chopped coriander from the top.

Serve this with pav (bun bread) and chopped onions!!

~ENJOY~

PS: Many people add boiled potato along with green sprouts...but I like my Misal pav without potatoes.

Biscuit Cakes!

Today I would like to share with you two types of scrumptuous cakes which you can make in 5 minutes.

First one is OREO CAKE!~

Ingredients:-

• 19 Oreo biscuits
• 240 ml of milk
• 1 tsp of baking powder
• 3 tsp of sugar 
• Little butter for greasing the dish
• Cadbury Gems(or any colorful candy) for decorating the cake

Procedure:-

• Blend the Oreo biscuits together with 240 ml of milk and baking powder in a Mixer.
• Grease the Microwave bowl well with butter and pour the mixture into the bowl.
• Microwave the bowl with the mixture on high for 5 minutes.
• Then let it rest for 30 min. (standing time is very important before unmolding the cake.
• Your yummy oreo cake is ready!! You can decorate as you wish.

Second one is BOURBON CAKE!~

I made this cake in urgency as the cake that I had ordered that day had problems, & I had guests coming over, So this is what came to mind...& It was really easy to make 

Ingredients:-

• One full packet of Bourbon biscuit (not the small one)
• I glass of milk (300 ml)
• Half a packet of Eno salt
• 5 Tsp of sugar
• Almonds and cashew nuts for garnishing.

Procedure:-

• Blend the biscuits, milk and sugar properly into a fine paste. Add half a packet of Eno and give it a nice stir (PS: I have added a pinch of baking powder but it's optional)
• Grease the microwave cake bowl properly with butter and slowly add the mixture into the bowl.
• Microwave on high for 7-8 mins. 
• Standing time 20 mins.
• Decorate as you like. (As you wish)

The cake is ready!!~Bourbon biscuits are not that sweet so if you want you can add more sugar into the cake mix.

PS:-
Bourbon biscuits>>

~ENJOY!!~