Vermicelli Payasam

Ingredients

Vermicelli 1 cup

Milk 2 cups

Ghee 3-4 tsp

Cashew & Raisins 1/2 cup (Mixed)

Sugar 1 cup

Cardamom powder a pinch

Method

Add vermicelli in 1 tsp ghee until it turns golden brown and keep aside.

Bring milk to boil, when bubbles form, simmer add fried vermicelli and cook for 10-12mins.

Add sugar and mix until sugar dissolves.

Fry cashew and raisins in remaining ghee and add to the payasam with cardamom powder.

Serve yummy vermicelli payasam immediately or chill.

Suggestions

1tsp rose water can also be added after cooking the payasam, for a different version.

Orange Sooji Halwa

This is a yummy halwa and a totally different taste than the usual sooji halwa, It is the orange which does all the magic, go ahead and try this tasty halwa.

Ingredients

Fresh Orange Juice 1 cup

Orange Slices 1/2 cup

Sooji 1 cup

Almonds and raisins few(Finely chopped)

Ghee 1 tsp

Sugar 3 tsp

Cardamom powder 1/2 tsp

Method

Dry roast the sooji until aromatic and color changes to slight brown. Keep aside.

Squeeze out the juice from orange, transfer to a bowl add a glass of water and allow to boil.

When the orange water starts to boil add ghee, sugar almond, raisins and orange slices and stir until sugar melts, finally add the roasted sooji and mix well without any lumps.

Transfer to a ghee applied bowl and serve either hot or cold.

Sago Halwa

Ingredients

Sago 1 cup

Sugar 1/2 cup

Ghee 2 tsp

Cashew and Raisins 3-4

Cardamom Powder 1/4 tsp

Method

Soak sago in water and drain the water and set aside for 1hr.

Heat ghee fry dry fruits, add sago and fry until it softens, finally add sugar and mix.

Before taking off from flame add cardamom powder mix and serve immediately.

Sweet Pongal ~ Chakkarai Pongal

Ingredients

1 cup Raw Rice
 1/2 cup Moong dhal 1 cup Milk
 3 cups Jaggery (powdered)
 5 tbsp Ghee
 Cashews 4-5

Raisins 4-5

 Cardamom powder 1/2 tsp

Method

Dry roast moong dhal and rice separately for 3-4  mins or until aromatic.

Transfer both the rice and moong dhal into a pressure cooker add water and cook for 2-3 whistles or until the rice and dhal is soft.

Dissolve the jaggery in water on simmer until the jaggery melts and forms like a syrup.

Slowly add the cooked rice and dhal to the jaggery syrup and mix well.

Now add ghee and mix well.

Fry the cashews and raisins in ghee and add to the pongal and mix well.

Finally add the cardamom powder and mix well.

Mix well and serve hot Sweet pongal.

Suggestions

Nutmeg powder can also be added to enhance the flavour.

A pinch of saffron can also be added

Carrot Honey Rolls ~ Sweet without sugar, jaggery and ghee

Ingredients

Carrots 3

Peanuts 2 tsp

Dry coconut 2 tsp (grated)

Almond/Badam 3

Cashew 3

Cornflour 2 tsp

Honey 4 tsp

Method

Roast the peanuts until aromatic, cool and grind to coarse powder.

With the help of mortar and pestel make a coarse powder of both cashew and almonds.

Wash peel the outer skin and grate the carrot.

In a deep pan add the grated carrot and fry until the raw smell goes or for 4-5mins.

Now add honey and keep stirring, add cornflour, peanut powder, almond and cashew powder.

Mix everything until the mixture thickens, transfer this to a plate, with the spatula or wet hands spread the mixture, form like oval shapes and roll of dry coconut.

Enjoy Carrot Honey Rolls immediately or chill.

 

Sent to ‘Healthy Food for Healthy Kids-Kids Lunch Box Recipes'

Dry Fruits Laddu

Ingredients

Pitted Dates 7-8

Cashews 4-5

Goledn Raisins 6-7

Almonds 5

Pistachios 3-4(optional)

Method

Crush the cashews, pistachios and almonds into small bits using a pestle or a quick pulse in the processor.

Finely chop the dates and the raisins, Alternatively, chop the nuts with help of a large knife.

Add all the prepared ingredients in a mixing bowl.

Take each portion into hand and press to form into a ball.
Store dry fruits laddu in a dry tight jar and serve as a snack.

Dry Fruits Basket

Ingredients

Wheat Flour 1 cup

Ghee 1tsp

Salt as per taste

Oil for deep frying

For stuffing

Cashews 5-6

Raisins 5-6

Dates 2-3

Badam 5-6

Dry coconut grated 3 tsp

Cardamom powder 1/2 tsp

Method

Knead Wheat flour, ghee and salt with warm water to a smooth dough and keep aside for 30mins.

In a mixing bowl add all the items mentioned under stuffing and mix well and keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan for dry frying.

Take each portion of wheat dough, press it a little to form a small disk.
 Take around a big spoon full of dry fruits mixture  and place it on the disk.
 Now bring together the edges of the dough and press it to form a dumpling and cover all the sides carefully.

Carefully drop the dry fruits basket into the pan, and deep fry until it turns golden brown.

Garnish with dry coconut and sugar.

Sugar 2 tsp

Apple & Dry Fruits Custard

Ingredients

Milk 1 medium cup

Sugar 1/2 cup

Custard Powder 2 tsp

Apple 1

Dry fruits(Mixed) 2 tsp

Method

In a bowl add half cup milk and custard powder and mix without lumps.

Boil rest of the milk, when bubbles form add sugar and mix well.

Take off the milk from the flame and pout the custard mixture and stir carefully.

Reheat the milk and custard mixture again on medium heat for 4-5 mins or until it thickens.

Let the custard cool.

wash and chop the apples into medium pieces, place it a bowl, sprinkle dry fruits and pour the cool custard.

Custard can also be refrigerated before serving.

Suggestions

Fruits custard can be prepared with any other fruits of your choice.

Dalia Laddu

Ingredients

Dalia/ Roasted Chana 1/2 Cup
Sugar 1/2 Cup Heaped
Ghee few Drops

Method

Grind roasted gram into coarse powder using a spice blender.

Heat a heavy bottomed vessel like a thick pressure cooker on medium high heat.
Add sugar and stir till the sugar just melts without any particles left.
Immediately stir in the dalia powder and remove from heat.

Grease a glass flat dish with ghee.
Immediately pour the mixture onto the greased plate and trowel to equally flatten the mixture.
Let the mixture cool completely to room temperature (around 5 minutes).
Form small laddus from the mixture and dalia laddu is ready.

Apricot Halwa

Ingredients

Dry Apricots 5-6

Honey  4-5 tsp

Salt a pinch

Method

Soak apricots overnight in just enough water to cover them.

Next day strain the apricots and remove the seeds.

Puree the apricots adding little water or you can use the water it was soaked in.

Heat a pan on medium heat add pureed apricots, salt and honey.

Stir regularly to avoid scorching of the pan.

Cook till required consistency(halwa consistency)

Serve apricot halwa with dry fruits of your choice or fresh cream.

Apricot halwa can be refrigerated to increase the shelf life upto 15 days.

Rava Laddu

Ingredients

Rava 1 cup

Powdered Sugar 1/2 cup

Ghee 1 tbsp

Raisins 5-6

Milk 2-3 tsp

Method

In a wide pan heat ghee and fry rava on low heat for 10mins or until rava turns golden.

Remove from heat add sugar and raisins.
Cool the rava mixture to room temperature

Make medium sized ladoo with cooled rava mixture adding little milk when required.

Store rava laddu in airtight container and it stays for a week.

Cooked Rice Payasam

Ingredients

 Cooked rice 1 cup
Sugar 1 cup
Almonds 5-6
Milk 1 cup
Cardamom Powder 1/4 tsp
Golden Raisins 3-4
Ghee 1 tsp

Method

Soak almonds in warm water for 10mins and remove the outer skin.

Put cooked rice, almonds, sugar and milk in a mixer grinder. Grind well.

In a deep pan, pour ghee and fry raisins, add ground mixture and stir well.

Add water to get the payasam consistency.

Add cardamom powder and bring it to a boil.
Your delicious 'cooked rice payasam' is ready.

Cooked rice payasam can be served hot/cold with any dry fruits of your choice for garnishing.

Vermicelli Laddu

Ingredients

Vermicelli 1 cup

Sugar 1/4 cup

Cardamom 1

Badam/Pista 1-2

Ghee 2 tsp

Milk 1tsp

Method

Grind the sugar into fine powder and keep aside.

Heat half tsp ghee in a pan and fry vermicelli until golden brown.

Cool the vermicelli to room temperature and grind to fine powder.

Remove the ground vermicelli to a mixing bowl, add sugar powder, cardamom powder, milk and remaining ghee and mix well.

Form the mixture into small lime sized balls ans garnish with any badam/pista.

Vermicelli laddu can be stored in airtight container and served for a week.

Doodh Peda

Ingredients

Milk 4 cups

Sugar 1/2 Cup

Pista and badam 4-5

Method

Heat a heavy bottomed wide vessel on medium – low heat, add milk and bring to boil.

Keep boiling the milk by stirring frequently to avoid scorching.

When milk thickens and starts to come together, stir in sugar.

Once sugar caramelizes, stir well and let the moisture from sugar evaporate (abt. 2 -3 minutes).

At this stage, add dry fruits.

Remove from heat and cool a bit, when warm enough make balls out of the mixture and flatten them a little.

Apply ghee to the hands to avoid scorching.

Doodh Pedas are generally eaten o the same day or next day as they loose the freshness quickly.

Refrigerate to increase the shelf life upto a week.

Beetroot Laddu

Ingredients

Beetroot 1medium

Rice Flour 2 tbsp

Sugar 3 tsp

Ghee 1 tsp

Milk 1 tsp

Cardamom Powder 1/2 tsp

Mixed Dry fruits 2 tsp

Dry grated coconut 2 tbsp

Method

Remove the ends, peel the skin wash and grate beetroot.

Heat ghee in a wide pan and fry beetroot for 3-4 mins or until raw smell goes.

Now stir in rice flour and mix well, add sugar and cook on simmer for a min.

Now add milk and stir continuously until the mixture thickens like halwa consistency.

Remove from flame add cardamom powder and mix well.

Transfer to a plate and slightly spread the mixture and add the dry fruits.

Apply 2 drops of ghee to palm and pull out lime sized mixture and form laddu and roll in dry coconut.

Repeat the process with the remaining mixture.

Serve beetroot laddu hot or cold

 

Sent to ‘Healthy Food for Healthy Kids-Kids Lunch Box Recipes'

 

Rava Halwa

Ingredients

Fine Rava/ Sooji 1 Cup

1/2 cup milk

Sugar 1 Cup

Cashews 8
Golden Raisins 15
Cardamom Powder a big pinch
Ghee 2 tbsp

 

Method

Heat  a tbsp of ghee in a pan, add cashews and fry for few seconds.

Then add raisins and fry till raisins start to change color around the edges.

Heat remaining ghee in the pan, add sooji and fry on medium – low flame for couple of minutes till sooji turn light golden color and lose all the raw flavor.

Simultaenously heat milk and when it starts to boil, slowly pour the milk to the rava and stir carefully, to avoid lumps.

When the milk evaporarates add sugar and cook for 2minutes.

Some more dry fruits can be added to garnish the rava halwa

Sago Halwa

Ingredients

1/2 cup sago

1 cup milk

4-5 tsp sugar

2 tsp ghee

3-4 cashews and raisins.

elaichi powder a pinch

Method

Heat ghee in a pan and fry sago until raw smell goes for 2-3 mins.

Simultaenously heat milk and when starts boiling add it to the sago and keep stirring so that sago does not burn and stick to the pan.

When the milk is absorbed and it attains halwa consistency add sugar and mix well.

In a different pan heat ghee and fry dried fruits and add to sago halwa.

Mix everything evernly and garnish with elaichi powder.

White til puran poli

Ingredients

3 tsp white til

3 tsp peanuts

1/2 cup jaggery

2 elaichi/cardamom

1 tsp milk

1/2 cup maida/all purpose flour

salt a pinch

1 tsp oil

2-3 tsp ghee.

Method

To a mixing bowl add maida, salt, oil and water and knead the dough smoothly, close and keep aside.

In a pan fry peanuts and white til separately without adding oil  until colour changes.

Grind peanuts and white til with jaggery and elaichi to fine powder.

To the ground powder add a tsp milk and mix without lumps and prepare balls and keep aside.

Tear the maida flour dough into lemon sized balls and roll out each ball into thin disks and keep aside.
Smear few drops of oil with the help of a spoon on the rolled out circular disk and place the white till stuffing which is formed as a ball and close carefully.

Now take a clean cover/plaintain leaf and apply little oil on that and with the help of ghee/oil applied hand spread the puran poli slowly.

Make sure the puran polis are not too thick

Heat a flat pan on medium – high heat

Fry on one side till brown spots appear and turn on other side and pour a tsp of oil (if using) around the puran poli.

When you see brown spots on the other side, remove from heat and place in a closed container to avoid hard puran poli.

Repeat the process with the leftover dough
Serve white til puran polis with ghee.

Apple Banana Halwa

Ingredients

1 apple grated/finely chopped

1 banana finely chopped

1/2 ltr milk

2 cups sugar

2-3 tsp ghee

half cup mixed dry fruits(cashew, raisins, almonds and pista)

1/2 tsp elaichi/cardamom powder

Method

Wash apple and grate or finely chop.

Peel the skin of banana and finely chop

Make a fine paste of both apple and banana with adding little water and keep aside.

Heat milk in a large vessel/pan, once it starts boiling add the ground fruit mixture and stir continuously on medium flame.

When the milk is evaporated add ghee, sugar dry fruits and elaichi powder, mix well.

Serve apple banana halwa hot or cold.

Rice Burfi

Ingredients

1cup rice(Any variety)

2 cups powdered jaggery

2 tsp grated fresh coconut

1 cardamom/elaichi powdered

3-4 cashews, raisins and almonds.

3 tsp ghee.

Method

Soak rice in water for 2hours.

Grind rice alongwith jaggery, elaichi and little water to a fine paste.

Heat a tsp ghee and fry cashews, raisins and almonds and keep aside.

Now add the remaining ghee to the same pan and pour the grind batter and stir quickly, else it might get burnt and stick to the pan.

Keep stirring the batter until it reaches the halwa consistency, now add the fried dry fruits.

Mix everything and pout on a plate. Spread the mixture and live it for 2 mins to cool.

Cut the halwas to desired shapes and serve immediately or cool.

Suggestions

Oats soaked in water can also be grinded along with rice.

I tried the same and it came out well.