Homemade Khova | How to make khoya?

Homemade khova recipe, a base for many rich Indian sweets
06/24/2017 9:25:21 PM vindhyadesai

Ever wondered how to make homemade khova. Khova is the base for many rich Indian sweets. Khova is generally made by boiling milk for several hours to get the thick cream enriched with ghee.
But how about trying this rich homemade khova which can be made instantly. Yes, this too takes time but not as long as the elaborate version. This homemade khova or khoya recipe makes use of milk powder (skimmed) to get the instant thick creaminess. ... “Homemade Khova | How to make khoya?”

Mango Kesari | Mango Sheera | Mango Recipes

Mango kesari – a twist on the traditional kesari with delicious in season mango flavours
05/29/2017 4:51:50 PM vindhyadesai

I just love the mango season. So many recipes to try out with mangoes. Mangoes are truly the king of fruits in the real sense. It blends well with in so many dishes. Like the signature  haal kesari dish or sheera made into something extraordinary like mango kesari. Spectacular!
It’s truly a treat for the senses. It is visually very appealing and the taste is simply ‘mango’ (see what I did here!). One of the best and simplest sweet dishes I have tried in recent times. It is the ultimate celebration of juicy ripe mangoes.
Hurry, the mango season just might be over prematurely owing to the torrential rains! Line it up though, all you mango lovers, this dish takes mango to a new level. It works so well in this kesari. ... “Mango Kesari | Mango Sheera | Mango Recipes”

Baalehannu Rasayana | Banana Rasayana

Traditional and easy, a quick way to satisfy your sweet taste buds-baalehannu rasayana
05/17/2017 10:00:42 PM vindhyadesai

Fruit salads are always fun to eat. The choices are endless. Fancy fruit salads are too pretentious though, I think. Cutting fruits in different ways is an art of course. Bit of a faff to eat it all up later. Our good old traditional ways of eating fruits are the best. This baalehannu rasayana or simple banana fruit salad is one such salad.
This baalehannu rasayana of course has bananas, along with freshly grated coconut, grated jaggery, pounded elaichi, honey, edible camphor and gasa gase (poppy seeds). All of these amalgamate so well together, baalehannu rasayana becomes a magic salad to eat. ... “Baalehannu Rasayana | Banana Rasayana”

Sabudana Kheer | Sabudana Payasa | Navratri Recipes

Creamy, pearly, suitable for fasting sabudana kheer
04/02/2017 10:33:47 PM vindhyadesai

An easy and traditional way of celebrating festivals is by making some kind of kheer/payasa. Seviyaan kheer is one of the most commonly made kheer. If you are looking for an easy kheer/payasa recipe then you have arrived at the right place. Sabudana kheer is suitable for fasting or vrats.
Sabudana kheer is one of the easiest sweets to make and is ready without a lot of effort. The only thing to keep in mind is to get the thickness of this kheer/payasa to the right consistency. ... “Sabudana Kheer | Sabudana Payasa | Navratri Recipes”

Hesaru Bele Payasa | Moong Dal Payasa | Payasa Recipes

Traditional Karnataka style hesaru bele payasa or moong dal payasa
02/18/2017 9:43:36 PM vindhyadesai

Payasa or payasam is a traditional sweet dish made for festivals. They are usually very easy to make. For me hesaru bele payasa is a soul satisfying dish. For that matter, all payasa varieties are!
My mom makes this usually and it tastes so good. She quickly rustles this up for lunch. The main flavour comes from cooking hesaru bele or moong dal with grated coconut till smooth in consistency. Dal almost melts with coconut.
Hesaru bele payasa is quick to make as moong dal is a very soft dal and cooks quickly. You do not need a pressure cooker to cook this dal. It also takes only a few ingredients to make this delicious hesaru bele payasa.
I would say this is one of the easiest sweet dishes bachelors or beginners can make. You do not have to worry about consistency, if it dries up add little more water, if it is watery, boil for a little while and let it cool to absorb water. Tastes so good and heavenly! ... “Hesaru Bele Payasa | Moong Dal Payasa | Payasa Recipes”

Sankranti Yellu Bella | Til Gul | How to make yellu bella?

Traditional homemade Sankranti yellu bella, trail mix to share
01/10/2017 9:29:26 PM vindhyadesai

Trail Mixes are always fun to eat. A traditional way of celebrating Sankranti/Pongal in Karnataka & Maharashtra is to make yellu-bella or til-gul. Sankranti yellu bella is a mixture of toasted sesame seeds and jaggery pieces. Apart from these ingredients which denote bitter-sweet flavours, roasted groundnuts, roasted gram and pieces of desiccated coconut are also added.
This is the perfect marriage of all flavours depicting the flavours of life. On this occasion of Sankranti make this mixture from scratch at home. With only few days away from Sankranti I thought of posting this recipe for Sankranti yellu bella.
It is more of proportions of all ingredients that need to be added in order to make this mixture well balanced. Most people tend to buy this from grocery stores these days to celebrate Sankranti. Would it not be more fun and authentic to put together a simple mixture at home this Sankranti? ... “Sankranti Yellu Bella | Til Gul | How to make yellu bella?”

Shenga Barfis | Kadalebeeja Barfi | How to make groundnut barfi? | Sankranti Recipes

Mini cut groundnut or shenga barfis – something for the sweet tooth
01/01/2017 12:08:59 PM vindhyadesai

New Year is here! Let’s us start this new year on a sweet note. A fun to make recipe, shenga barfis. Made with roasted groundnuts mixed into melted jaggery and ghee. Now, what can go bad with that 🙂
Sankranti/Pongal planning has to start soon. This year the harvest festival is on the 14th of January. Make simple sweets like shenga unde, shenga chikki along with these shenga barfis. They will make your Sankranti/Pongal celebration special.
These shenga barfis can be cut into any shape, I have cut them into small squares. Small squares are ideal to distribute amongst friends and colleagues. Everyone can just grab a little barfi and help themselves with more. ... “Shenga Barfis | Kadalebeeja Barfi | How to make groundnut barfi? | Sankranti Recipes”

Shahi Tukda | How to make quick shahi tukda?

Succulent pieces of toasted bread in sweet condensed milk rich with nuts and kesar
10/26/2016 9:18:34 PM vindhyadesai

Shahi Tukda is a famous dessert/sweet from the Mughlai cuisine. It is made using bread which is toasted lightly golden and reduced thick sweet condensed milk flavoured with elaichi and saffron is poured over these pieces. The pieces of bread absorb this decadent rich liquid and become succulent and flavourful.
This version is a quick one where bread pieces are not dunked in sugar syrup before thick milk sauce is poured over. Many recipes call for dipping toasted bread in sugar syrup to make it extra soft and moist. This will obviously make the dessert extra special. But if you are in a hurry, make this quick version.
Shahi tukda can be made ahead of time and tastes better as it chills in the refrigerator. Make this with a day’s old bread which increases its absorbing capacity. I have used homemade whole wheat bread for this recipe.
Serve this special sweet/dessert as part of your Deepavali/Diwali menu and indulge in some decadence. This sweet is truly fit for a king’s feast! Add these sweets to your list to choose from and make them this Deepavali! Why not try kalakand recipe? ... “Shahi Tukda | How to make quick shahi tukda?”

Baked Shankarpali | Baked Shakkarpare | How to make baked shankarpali?

Crisp, salty, sweet, nutty, baked shankarpali, badam-kaju & ajwain-jeera biscuits
10/23/2016 10:31:36 PM vindhyadesai

During Deepavali/Diwali, making Shankarpali/Shakkarpare snacks is very common. They are deep fried biscuits which are crisp with both salty and sweet versions. How about trying baked versions of this famous snack? Baked shankarpali are easy to make and you can change the flavours as you want. Here I have used only butter whereas some people do use vegetable shortening (dalda) which does not contain very healthy fats hence I generally never use it.
These can be made in bulk and 1 cup of all purpose flour yields a lot of biscuits. Just store these biscuits in air tight containers and they last for a few days. The base for both versions is the same. I have illustrated the base for both biscuits and then extended them into their respective flavours.
The sweet version can also be made plain without any nuts but adding almonds-cashews gives them a nice texture and flavour. The salty ones can also be made plain or even ground black pepper can be added in place of ajwain-jeera. The choice is yours! Also try benne biscuit recipe. ... “Baked Shankarpali | Baked Shakkarpare | How to make baked shankarpali?”

Carrot Halwa | How to make carrot halwa?

Juicy moist sweet carrot halwa with cashews and raisins
10/21/2016 6:45:02 PM vindhyadesai

Carrot halwa is a famous Indian sweet made from grated sweet carrots, sugar, milk, ghee all sauteed till it turns into a sweet, soft halwa. This light orange coloured sweet is loved by children and is a good way of getting children to eat some carrots. The halwa is flavoured with elaichi and along with added cashews and raisins this halwa is fit to be laid out for a feast.
This is one of those sweets where you do not have to check whether it is set or worry about making a threaded sugar syrup. The only thing to get this halwa to a soft and moist consistency is to stop sauteing it at the right time so that it is moist enough and does not dry out. The pictures below illustrate at what stage the halwa needs to stop cooking.
This will surely be a hit with everyone and is a good sweet to prepare in large quantities. It is easily portable and is a crowd pleaser. It can be served both as a sweet or dessert. Fancy it up a bit by serving with vanilla ice cream right on top. Do try more halwa and other sweet recipes from FOI.
... “Carrot Halwa | How to make carrot halwa?”