Coconut Ball

Ingredients

4 cups fresh coconut, outer skin/brown skinned removed and grated
12 oz condensed milk.
1/2 tsp powdered cardamom powder
1 Tbsp ghee/Clarified butter
1/4 cup dried cranberries
15-16 slightly roasted whole Almond
1/2 cup fresh coconut flakes



Method


Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and keep it aside.Heat ghee in dutch oven over medium high heat, add grated coconut and on low flame cook the same stirring continuously, so that it does not stick to the bottom of the pan. Cook for 5-6 minutes and then add the condensed milk and mix everything properly. Keep stirring continuously until the mixture gets thick and begin to stick together. After 3-4 minutes you will see everything combined together then, just take small amount of the mixture and try making a ball and if it does not fall through then the mixture is ready make laddu.At this point of time add cardamom powder and dried cranberries to the mixture and mix everything well.Turn of the flame and wait for couple of minutes for mixture to cool down little bit to handle without burning your fingers. But the mixture should not be cooled of completely otherwise you will not able to make laddos. Take a small amount of mixture in between your palms and roll down into a golf sized ball. Make a small hole and insert an almond and again roll the laddos into a smooth ball.Now roll the laddos in fresh coconut flakes to cover them on top. Keep it on the baking sheet.Repeat the above two steps to complete the rest of the mixture. Once done, preheat the oven to 400 deg farhenit. Bake the laddos for 4-5 minutes in the oven or until you see the coconut flakes on top gets slightly golden brown. It will not take more than 5 minutes. Cool off completely and enjoy this little goodness.

Sujir Laddu

Ingredients

2 Cups sooji
1/2 Cup ghee
2 Cups sugar
1/2 Cup coconut powder
10 Raisins
3 Cardamoms
10 Cashew nuts
1 Cup milk


Method


Heat 2 tsp of ghee. Fry the sooji till it becomes light brown in colour. Allow it to cool.Also fry the cardamoms. Make powder of it. Heat 2 tsp of ghee in a pan and fry the cashew nuts. Add raisins. Make powder from the sugar and rava separately. Mix them. Mix the ingredients and make laddus with the help of little milk. Suji Laddus are ready.

Laddu With Greate Coconut

Ingredients


1 cup Semolina/Rava
1/2 cup Shredded Coconut
2/3 cup Sugar
2 Tbsp Ghee
1 Tsp Cardamom powder
2-3 Tbsp milk
2 Tbsp Cashew nuts and Raisins mixed


Method


Heat 1 big Tbsp of ghee in a pot/Kadai/Pan, add cashew and raisins and fry till raisins are puffed up and cashew changes color slightly. Drain and remove. Set aside
Now add Grated Coconut and roast for a minute or two and then add 1/2 tbsp more ghee and add the rava to roast it thoroughly.
Keep stirring continually for 5 - 7 minutes coating the rava with ghee and mixing it with coconut. Add the cardamom powder and mix well.
Add the sugar and keep stirring till the sugar is almost dissolved.
Add the roasted cashew and raisins.
Now add 2 Tbsps of milk and mix thoroughly as the rava tends to thicken up.
Remove from heat and spread on a greased plate.
With the remaining 1/2 Tbsp of ghee keep greasing the fingers and quickly make ladoos of small lemon size.
You can add 1 or 2 tsps of milk while making laddus if the rava mixtures tends to become dry. This will keep the rava moist so that the laddus will get retain the shape and can be easily made.
Usually for one cup of rava 10 -12 laddus can be made.
Store in a air tight container for up to a week.

Sweet Cheese Palachinke

Ingredients

Palachinke Batter
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 large beaten egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup whole milk
.Sweet Cheese Filling:
1 pound cottage cheese
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons tapioca
1/4 cup sugar
2 large slightly beaten eggs
.8 ounces sour cream
1 large beaten egg yolk
2 tablespoons sugar


Method


In a medium bowl, combine all the sweet cheese filling ingredients. Let it rest, covered and refrigerated, for 1 1/2 hours while you make the palachinke. In a blender or food processor, combine the batter ingredients until smooth. Transfer to a pitcher, cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes so the liquid can be absorbed by the flour.
Using a 2-ounce ladle, portion out batter into a nonstick skillet that has been coated with equal parts butter and oil. Rotate pan and swirl batter until it covers the entire bottom of pan. Cook until lightly brown or spotted brown on the underside. Turn and cook second side until light brown. See these step-by-step crepe-making instructions.
Remove to waxed paper or parchment paper and repeat with remaining batter, separating palachinke with waxed paper or parchment. At this point, palachinke can be used immediately or wrapped and frozen up to 1 month.Place 2 heaping tablespoons filling on one edge of each palachinke and roll away from yourself.
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place filled palachinke on a buttered or parchment-lined baking sheet. Comine all topping ingredients, mixing well, and spread on top of filled palachinke. Bake 20 minutes.

Kesar rasgulla

Ingredients

4 cups milk
2 tbsp lemon juice
4 cups water
2.5 cup sugar
few drops rose essence
few saffron strands


Method


Pour the milk in a heavy bottomed pan and bring it to boil.
When it starts to boiling add lemon juice and stir continuously until the milk curdle. Pour this in a cloth and drain the water.
Wash the paneer(cheese) with cold running water to remove the lemon juice flavour. Then squeeze the cloth with your hands to remove the excess of water from the paneer. Put a knot around the paneer cloth and hang the paneer(cheese) for 1 hour. Make sure that there must not be any water remaining.
When the water completely drained then remove the paneer(cheese) from the cloth and place in a bowl.

Then knead it to make a smooth and soft dough.
Now divide the dough into small lemon size balls and keep aside.
Make sure that there is no crackes in the balls.
Take a pressure cooker and heat on medium high heat.
Mix the sugar, water and few saffron strands in a pressure cooker and bring it to boil.Add the paneer balls and close with a lid.
Make sure that the cooker is large enough to accommodate the rasgullas.
Because the rasagullas will expand about double the size while cooking in the sugar syrup. When the first whistle comes then reduce the flame to medium low and cook for another 5-7 mins.Remove from flame and allow it to cool for sometime.Now transfer the rasgullas in a bowl and add rose essence.Then refrigerate for few hours before serving.
Finally easy and tasty bengali kesar rasgulla is ready.Serve the chilled rasgullas and enjoy the taste.

Kajjikayalu – Traditional Andhra Sweet

Ingredients

500 gms maida (all-purpose flour)
4-5 tbsps ghee
enough water to knead the maida
salt to taste
oil for deep frying
For the filling:
1/4 dry coconut finely grated
1 cup sooji/semolina (you can use putnala pappu/roasted chick peas or khus-khus/poppy seeds in place of sooji)
1 cup sugar
1 tsp cardamom pwd
3 tbsps finely chopped cashew nuts


Method


Mix the maida with salt, 2-3 tbsps ghee and enough water to make a pliable dough, not too soft. Divide the dough and shape into small balls as shown in the picture. Keep aside covered for half an hour.
Meanwhile, heat a pan, add 1 tbsp ghee and add the grated coconut and roast over medium flame for a few minutes, approx 3-4 mts. Remove and keep aside. If using fresh coconut, roast the coconut till golden brown. Ensure that its well roasted, it takes longer time to roast than dry coconut.
In the same pan, add 1 tbsp ghee and add the sooji and roast over medium flame till it turns light pink, approx 7-8 mts. Remove, cool and keep aside.
Powder the sugar and mix with the roasted sooji, grated coconut, cardamom powder and cashew nuts. The filling is ready. Keep aside.
Now, roll each ball with the rolling pin into a thin puri.
Spread a tablespoon of the filling on one half of the rolled out dough. Wet your finger and run it along the edges of the spread out dough with water and fold over to the opposite end, enclosing the stuffing to form a semi-circle shaped kajjikaya. Press the ends firmly so that the filling doesnt come out during the deep frying process and twist the edges around the kajjikaya as shown in the picture.
Heat enough oil in a wide vessel to deep fry the stuffed kajjikayalu. Drop 3-4 kajjikayalu into the oil slowly and deep fry them till golden brown, turning them carefully to the other side so that it cooks on all sides. Deep fry on medium heat and not piping hot oil.
Cool and store in air tight containers. Kajjikayalu remain fresh for atleast a week and can be stored for 3-4 weeks.

Gajor (Carrot) Haluya

Ingredients

1 kg Carrots
1 litre Milk
1 teaspoon Cardamom seeds
3/4 cup Water
3 tablespoons Ghee
2 tablespoons Raisins
2 tablespoons Almonds
2 tablespoons Pistachios
450 grams Sugar

Method

Wash and grate the carrots. Soak the raisins in water for 30 minutes. Blanch and shred the nuts.Put the water to boil, when it starts boiling add the grated carrots. Cook for 5-7 minutes.Add the milk. Cook on a low flame for 1 hour stirring occasionally. Add sugar, mix well and cook till the sugar has dissolved and all the milk has been absorbed.Add ghee and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Add the slightly crushed cardamoms and the raisins. Mix well. Remove the gajjar halwa from heat and arrange in a serving dish. Garnish with almonds and pistachios. Serve cold, hot or at room temperature.

Laddu

Ingredients


1/2 cup Ghee
2 cups of Gram Flour
1 cup Sugar
1/4 cup Almonds & Raisins (chopped)
1/2 tsp Powdered Cardamom


Method


Heat the ghee in a pan,Put the gram flour into pan and fry it on a low flame till it turns brown.Once it is browned, let it cool. Mix well while adding powdered cardamom with sugar and add chopped almonds and raisins.Make small ladoos and serve.

Jilapi

Ingredients


4 cup flour (maida)
3 tbsp. fine grained semolina or rice flour
1/2th tsp. baking powder
2 tbsp curd (plain yogurt)
2 cups warm water
1 tsp. saffron threads, slowly dry-roasted and powdered
5 cups sugar
4 cups water
1 tsp green cardamom seeds powder
3 tbsp. kewra water or rose water
Ghee or vegetable oil for frying


Method


In a bowl, take 3/4th cup of the water and mix well with flour, semolina or rice flour, baking powder, curd.You can also use a whisk for mixing.
Add remaining water and 1/8th tsp. of saffron powder well with the mixture until smooth. Keep the mixture for about 2 hours to ferment and whisk again before use. Make one string syrup by mixing sugar into water & add saffron and cardamom powder in it.Heat oil in a kadhai at a low flame.Pour the batter in a steady stream into the kadhai to form coils. Make a few at a time.Fry them deeply until they turn in light brown color.
Take out the mixture from the kadhai and drain on kitchen paper and immerse in the syrup.Keep them atleast for 4-5 minutes until they soak the syrup. Take them out of syrup and serve hot or cold.