Gulkand

Recommended Season : Summer and Warm Weather

Ingrediants :
Rose petals 300 gms (“Panneer Rose” flowers)
Sugar 400 gms

Recipe :
Select pink colour rose flowers (preferably organic) that have not been sprayed with chemicals, the variety that are called “Panneer Rose” in Chennai. You can watch video of this preparation on www.zerotherapy.com, “Summer Recipes 2009”.

Separate the petals from the flowers. Sieve the petals so as to remove any dust particles. Then wash the petals well in a bowl and sieve them again.

Slightly grind the sugar so that it melts easily when mixed with the petals.
Do not grind to get a fine powder. Just run the mixer briefly and stop.

Once you have clean wet petals, take the sugar in a clean bowl and add the petals and mix them well with the sugar. Mash well with your hands. The sugar melts and mixes with the petals.

Then keep the mixture in the sunlight, covering the bowl with a sieve. In the evening, keep the bowl indoors without disturbing it. If the sun is very hot, then it would be sufficient to keep the mixture in the sun for 3 days. Otherwise, it might take 5 or 6 days to turn the mixture into gulkand. The pink coloured mixture shall turn into a dark maroon colour.

Then, it can be bottled (preferably in a glass container). This should not be refrigerated. This can be stored for as long as it lasts.

This can be eaten as it is or alongwith almond paste before going out into the hot sun, as it keeps the body cool. It can also be taken alongwith milk at room temperature (one or two teaspoons to a glass of milk), but it has a very cooling effect. It is used in the preparation of Thandayi as seen earlier.

Besan Ki Barfi / Laddu

Recommended Season : All seasons, but to be had less in summer and more in winter.

Ingrediants :
Ghee 125 gms
Powdered sugar 150 gms
Bengal Gram Flour 300 gms

Recipe :
Heat ghee enough to melt it, mix in the gram flour and keep stirring and cooking on a slow fire, till the flour turns dark pink in colour. Turn off the flame, let it cool from hot to warm and then add the powdered sugar. Mix well and either make laddus or fill in a plate and cut into burfis when completely cold.

In winter, cardamom powder and finely chopped dry almonds and pistachios may be added to the powdered sugar.

Aate Ki Barfi/Laddu

Recommended Season : All seasons, but less in summer and more in winter.

Ingrediants :
Ghee 200 gms
Powdered Sugar 150 gms
Finely ground wheat flour 300 gms

Recipe :
Heat ghee enough to melt it, mix in the wheat flour and keep stirring and cooking on a slow fire, till the flour turns pink in colour. Turn off the flame, let it cool from hot to warm and then add the sugar. Mix well and either make laddus or fill in a plate and cut into burfis when completely cold.

In winter, cardamom powder and finely chopped dry almonds and pistachios may be added to the powdered sugar.

It is advisable to use finely ground wheat flour for this sweet. Coarsely ground wheat flour (mota aata) may not be suitable for everyone.

Panneer (Cottage Cheese)

Recommended Season : More in summer, less in winter

Ingrediants :
Milk 1 litre
Fresh curd (not a part of ingrediants ) 150 to 250 gms

Recipe :
Boil the milk in a pan. Turn down the flame to simmer, take some milk in a big ladle, keep it over the pan and add fresh curd to it with another ladle. Keep mixing the milk and curd inside the big ladle with the help of the other ladle. You can see the milk in the big ladle curdling and separating into panneer and clear whey water. Then mix the panneer into the pan of milk and take another big ladleful of milk. Keep repeating the process until the whole panful of milk is separated into panneer in clusters and clear whey water.

Switch off the stove and keep the vessel covered for half an hour. This makes the panneer soft. Then strain the contents of this vessel through a net or a thin muslin cloth so that the cloth contains panneer and the whey water is collected in another vessel. The panneer still contains some water in it. So, tie the muslin cloth into a bundle and hang it, so that the water from the panneer gently drips away from it. Leave it for about 5 minutes and gently squeeze it to remove water.

The whey water might be used to knead dough for rotis or to curdle milk (instead of curd) the next time you want to make panneer. The water should not be used more than one day later.

(Refer “Some Useful Tips” for other uses for whey water.)

Once all the water has drained from the panneer, transfer it to a vessel, wash it with plain water and strain it again, gently squeezing all the water from it. Then, it has to be kneaded well with the hand (to make it soft) before it can be further cooked either to make sweets or to be added to vegetables.

For adding to vegetables, panneer should never be fried (shallow or deep), it should be baked. Alternatively, after kneading it, spread it out evenly in a plate or shallow bowl, and cook it in a pressure cooker for 4 whistles to the same effect. Cut the layer of panneer into thin cubes and then add to the curry after the vegetable is cooked. While kneading the panneer, very little salt and chilly powder may be added to it, so that when it is cooked and added to the curry, it tastes good. Use panneer on the same day or next day if refrigerated.

Rasgulla

Recommended Season : Ideal for summer and warm weather. If consumed in rainy season or winter, it may be advisable to eat the rasgulla after gently squeezing out the syrup, to avoid catching a cold.

Ingrediants :
Panneer Extracted from 1 lt milk
Water 200 ml
Sugar 100 gms

Recipe :
Make panneer as given in the earlier recipe, knead well and make into small balls. Keep them aside. Take 200 ml of water in a pressure pan, turn on the flame and add 100 gms sugar to it. Keep stirring and cook till the sugar melts and the water reaches boiling point.

Turn to a slow flame and place the panneer balls gently one by one in the pan in such a way that they (as far as possible) do not touch each other. Close the pan and pressure cook on a medium flame till you get two whistles. Let the pan lose steam and cool. Rasgulla is ready. Serve the balls along with a little of the syrup. You can eat rasgulla on the same day or within 2 days if refrigerated.

Ras malai

Recommended Season : Ideal for summer and warm weather. But adding cardamom, nuts and saffron can balance the cooling effect in winter.

Ingrediants :
Panneer Extracted from 1 lt milk
Water 200 ml
Sugar 100 gms + 50 gms
Milk 500 ml

Recipe :
Boil 500 ml milk separately in a pan, simmer and keep boiling for some time (stirring it from time to time) till you get a thick consistency with some cream on top. Add 50 gms sugar after the milk has thickened.

Make rasgulla as given in the previous recipe. Once you get two whistles and turn off the stove, make the pan lose its steam right away by raising the weight from the pan with the help of a ladle. Place the handle of a ladle under the weight so that it is raised and the pressure escapes right away. Open the lid of the pan, very gently squeeze the rasgullas and drop them in the thickened milk (which is on a slow flame). After adding all the rasgullas to the milk, bring the milk to a boil and then turn off the flame. Keep it covered for a few minutes.

In winter and rainy season, after turning off the flame, you can add a pinch of cardamom powder and a few chopped dry almonds and pistachio nuts. You can also garnish with a couple of saffron petals. Soak the saffron petals in a teaspoon of milk for half an hour before using. Add the milk with the petals to add colour and flavour to the dish.

Serve the balls along with a little of the milk. You can eat rasmalai on the same day or within 2 days if refrigerated.

Milk Cake

Recommended Season : More in summer, less in winter

Ingrediants :
Milk 2 lts
Ghee ¾ cup (75 ml)
Sugar 1 to 1 ¼ cups (100 to 125 ml)
Curd (not a part of ingrediants ) ¾ cup (75 ml)

Recipe :
Boil milk in a pan and after it boils, add curd, mix well, and churn with a churner for 5 minutes, till the curd mixes well with the milk and the milk curdles.

Add ghee and sugar and cook and keep stirring till light pink on a high flame. While cooking, the boiling liquid would be jumping a lot out of the pan. To avoid wastage and to avoid getting burned, you can hold a lid over the pan with one hand, partially covering it, while stirring with the other hand. Use a spatula with a long handle to stir.

Once it turns light pink, turn off the flame, and immediately transfer the sweet to a container (preferably an air tight stainless steel box) so that the quantity of the cake is equal to or a little less than the full capacity of the container. Wrap a thick towel around the box and place it inside a bigger, tall container and cover tightly or cover it with a big vessel, mouth down, so as to keep the heat within. Leave it overnight or for 8 to 10 hours. This stays fresh for 5 to 6 days without refrigeration.

If the sweet is made on the same day that it has to be served on, then after turning off the flame, cover the hot pan with a lid and let it stand for half an hour before serving it.

Kalaakand

Recommended Season : More in summer, less in winter

Ingrediants :
Milk 2 lts
Sugar 1 cup (100 ml) or adjusted to taste
Curd (not a part of ingrediants ) ¾ cup (75 ml)

Recipe :
Boil milk in a pan and after it boils, add curd, and churn with a churner for 5 minutes, till the curd mixes well with the milk and the milk curdles. Keep stirring till the whey water is absorbed by the curdled milk. Add sugar and cook till the sugar melts and mixes well with the mass. Turn off the flame and keep the pan covered for half an hour. This sweet is white in colour.

Alternative Method -
Milk 2 lts
Sugar 1 cup (100 ml) or adjusted to taste
Curd ¾ cup (75 ml)

Recipe :
Make panneer of 1 lt of milk, as given earlier, strain the whey water, wash panneer and strain again. Boil the other 1 lt of milk and keep boiling till it condenses it to ½ lt. Knead the panneer well and add it to the condensed milk and mix well. Add sugar and cook till sugar melts and mixes well, when the sweet is almost done. If you want a burfi or cake like dry consistency then keep stirring till all the water is absorbed. If a semi-liquid consistency is required, then stop when all the ingredients are mixed well. This method helps in economical use of fuel.

Dal ka Sheera

Recommended Season : Ideal for winter

Ingrediants :
Split Green Gram 1 part (without skin)
Ghee 1 ½ parts
Sugar 1 part
Water 4 to 4 ½ parts

Recipe :
Wash and soak the dal for 2 to 3 hours. Strain the water completely. Heat the ghee just enough to melt it. Grind the dal and ghee together in a mixer into a fine paste. Transfer the paste to a pan and cook stirring all the while on a high flame till it turns light brown and powdery. Make sure there are no lumps. This cooked mixture can be stored in the refrigerator for later use upto 15 to 20 days.

Mix the sugar and water in another thick pan till the sugar melts and the water comes to boiling point. Add the sugar-water to the dal-ghee mixture slowly and keep stirring till the ghee separates from the mixture. When ghee separates, turn off the flame. Dal ka Sheera is ready. You can add sugar to milk instead of water if the taste is preferred. If sheera is not consumed within 24 hours of making it, it can be refrigerated and consumed within 8 to 10 days. But it tastes best when it is fresh.

If the ghee-dal mixture has been stored in the refrigerator, transfer it to a pan, heat till the ghee glistens on the surface, and then add the syrup or milk.

Badam ka Sheera

Recommended Season : Ideal for winter

Ingrediants :
Almonds 250 gms
Ghee 225 gms
Sugar 150 gms
Water 125 to 150 gms

Recipe :
Soak almonds for 4 to 5 hours. Peel and grind them with melted ghee. Fry in a pan till light pink colour. Mix sugar and water and boil together, add to the almond-ghee mixture and cook till the ghee separates.

In winter or rainy season, you can soak a little saffron for half an hour in water and add at last after turning off the flame.

Milk Mysore Pak

Recommended Season : More in winter, less in summer

Ingrediants :
Gram flour 1 part
Sugar 1 ¼ parts
Ghee 2 ¼ parts
Milk ½ part

Recipe :
Mix all the ingredients in a thick pan and cook on a slow fire. Keep stirring till the ghee separates. Pour the mysore pak into a pre-greased plate. Don’t flatten or adjust the mass in any way. Cut it into pieces when it gets cold.

Gajar ka Halwa

Recommended Season : All seasons

Ingrediants :
Recipe :
Carrots ½ kg
Milk ½ cup (50 ml)
Sugar ¾ cup (75 gm)
Ghee 3 to 4 tablespoons

Wash and peel carrots. Grate them and sauté lightly in ghee. Add milk and pressure cook for 2 whistles. After opening the pressure pan, heat once again, add sugar, mix well till sugar melts and mixes and turn off the flame. If, for any reason, consumption of ghee is to be reduced, and less ghee is to be used in the preparation of halwa, then increase the quantity of milk, accordingly, so that the halwa does not burn while cooking.

Kheer

Recommended Season : All seasons. In winter, cardamom, saffron and nuts can provide balance in hot and cold effect.

Ingrediants :
Milk 1 lt (if Full Cream Milk) or 2 lt (if Toned Milk)
Rice ¼ cup (50 gms)
Sugar ½ cup (100 gms)

Recipe :
Soak rice for half an hour, wash well and drain the water. Boil milk and slightly thicken it (5 to 10 minutes if full cream milk is used and 15 to 20 minutes if toned milk is used). Add rice to the thickened milk and cook till the rice is very soft. Keep stirring frequently so that the rice does not stick to the bottom of the pan. Once rice has been cooked very soft, add the sugar on a slow flame, mix well and turn off.

In winter, 4 or 5 saffron petals (soaked in 5 ml milk for 30 minutes) can be added after turning off the flame. Also, cardamom powder, and finely chopped dry almonds and pistachios can be added in winter and rainy season.

In summer, finely chopped almonds can be added if they have been earlier soaked in water for 4 or 5 hours and then have been peeled.

For Badam Kheer, soak more number of almonds (about 50 gms or so) and peel and chop them into fine pieces and add to the kheer after turning off the flame.

Amle ka Murabba

Recommended Season : Only in summer

Ingrediants :
Gooseberries 1 ¼ kg
Sugar 1 to 1 ¼ kg (as per required sweetness)

Recipe :
Select the big variety of gooseberries that have the astringent taste. Wash the gooseberries well and wipe dry with a cloth. Cut and remove the stems and black spots if any. Grate the gooseberries using a medium sized grate (neither too fine nor too broad).

Boil 1½ lt water. After the water reaches boiling point, add the gooseberry pulp, mix and cook till it reaches boiling point again and turn off the flame. While it is hot, strain this mixture through a net, and squeeze so as to remove all the water.

Transfer the cooked gooseberry pulp to a heavy-bottomed pan or vessel, add sugar, mix well and keep covered for about 10 to 15 minutes. Then, turn on the flame, and keep stirring the mixture till you get a one-string consistency (or more thickness, not less). Turn off the flame and keep it to cool.

After it is cold, bottle it. Do not refrigerate. This murabba can be kept for as long as it lasts and does not get spoiled as long as it is handled properly, each time using a dry spoon, storing it in a glass container, keeping it in a cool dry place, etc.

IMPORTANT :
Do not use any iron utensils or materials during the entire process, even for filtering etc. Instead steel can be used and plastic sieve may also be used. But interaction with iron turns the gooseberry extract into black colour.

Uses :
This can be eaten as it is as a sweet or along with any food like a sweet chutney or accompaniment. If a person finds it too sweet to eat it as it is, then he can mix it with water and drink the sweetened water and then eat the pulp left, which will then taste less sweet.

Kulfi

Recommended Season : Strictly summer (that too occasionally)

Ingrediants :
Milk 1 lt
Sugar ½ cup (100 gms)
Saffron 5 to 6 petals or strands
Cardamom Powder a pinch
Dry Almonds and Pistachios 4 each (Coarsely Ground)

Recipe :
Boil milk, turn down the flame, keep cooking it and reduce the milk to half the quantity by stirring all the time. Sugar can be added at any stage, but it has to be added carefully and slowly. Once the required consistency or quantity is reached, turn off the flame, add saffron petals (soaked in milk for half an hour), cardamom powder, and the coarsely ground almonds and pistachios.

If you do not like to find cream in the milk, then you can run the milk in the mixer when it cools down. After the milk has cooled down, it can be refrigerated or frozen in a freezer, either in a cup, glass, or mould (with a stick or handle).

Though it is advisable to totally avoid refrigerated or chilled food, Kulfi can be occasionally had in summer, as the saffron, cardamom, almond, pistachio, present in the milk, provide heat for balancing the over cooling effect caused by freezing or chilling.

Mishri ki Roti (Home made Biscuits)

Recommended Season : Most suitable for winter, but can be had in moderation during all seasons.

Ingrediants :
White flour 3 parts
Powdered Sugar 1 ¾ parts
Ghee 1 ½ parts
Cardamom powder ¼ teaspoon

Recipe :
Ghee is to be used in its natural semi-solidified form for this recipe. Do not heat or melt it. Mix ghee and powdered sugar together thoroughly, with the hand for about 15 minutes or beat with a beater for about 5 minutes, till the mixture is creamy. Then add white flour and knead into a soft and sticky (not too firm) dough. Add quarter spoon cardamom powder and knead again until it is mixed well.

Meanwhile, heat a tandoor (Indian oven) over a slow fire on the stove. The tandoor contains aluminium containers and plates that fit in it. (Only aluminium suits this pupose, as other metals would burn this biscuit.)

Take small lumps of the dough, place them one by one on the plate or container of the oven and flatten them into small thin discs with your fingers. Place chopped pieces of almonds and pistachios on each of these discs and press them slightly so that the pieces are somewhat embedded in the discs.

You can also soak a couple of saffron petals in 10 ml of water, dip your finger in the saffron coloured water and drip onto or lightly touch the discs with this water. Alternatively, you can also take a large portion of the dough and flatten it into a big roti using your fingers.

Once the garnishing is done, bake the discs in a tandoor for 15 minutes or in an oven for 10 minutes. They are done if the sides of the mishri roti have turned pink. If not, bake them for some more time.

If you have made it into a big roti, you can cut it into smaller discs using a cup before baking. Otherwise, once you remove from fire, cut it into smaller pieces with a knife while it is still hot. Or it will break into irregular shaped pieces, if you try to cut it once it has started cooling. You can store these biscuits upto 3 months.

Sooji ka Halwa / Rawa Kesari

Recommended Season : all seasons

Ingrediants :
Semolina (Rawa) 1 cup
Sugar 1 cup
Water 2 ½ to 3 cups
Ghee ½ cup

Recipe :
Mix the sugar and water, bring to boiling point on one burner, and keep it on simmer. Add the ghee to a thick bottomed pan on another burner and shallow fry the semolina till light pink. Then add the sugar-water, keep stirring on a slow flame till it mixes well and comes to the right consistency. Keep it covered and let it cook on a slow flame for 5 to 10 minutes. Turn off the stove and garnish with cashew nuts that have been shallow fried in ghee.

Quantity of sugar can be adjusted according to taste.

Gulab Jamun

Recommended Season : all seasons

Ingrediants :
Condensed Milk (Khoa) 1 kg
White flour 120 gms
Ghee Enough for deep frying
Sugar 800 to 900 gms

Recipe :
Grate the khoa and mash well. Add the white flour to it and mix well. Check the consistency and see if you are able to make balls out of the mixture. If it feels too dry, then add 1 or 2 spoons of water.

Make balls of the preferred shape and size and deep fry in ghee over a slow fire. Take a thick bottomed, flat bottomed pan for the purpose. The balls would be very soft and care has to be taken to avoid breaking them. Once you have dropped the balls into the ghee and feel that one side is done, gently move the pan to turn the balls over to their other side for frying. If possible, do not touch with a spoon or spatula for turning them over. If necessary, stir them very gently. After they have been fried to a dark brown colour, remove carefully from the ghee and add to sugar syrup.

Sugar syrup :

Start by adding very little water to the sugar and mix well in an open pan, preferably flat bottomed. Turn on the flame and keep stirring while adding water little by little, until you get a thick syrup with 1-string consistency. Turn off the flame and add cardamom powder and saffron petals that have been soaked in water for half an hour. Keep this syrup ready before you fry the balls in ghee.

Gulab jamun can be served either with some syrup or without syrup (after it has been kept in the syrup for half an hour or so). Gulab jamun can be garnished with a dab of khoa on each piece.

Jalebi

Recommended Season : More in winter, less in other seasons

Ingrediants :
White flour 1 cup
Gram flour 1 spoon
Ghee Enough for deep frying
Sugar 250 gms

Recipe :
Mix white flour and gram flour with a little water so as to make a thick batter. In summer, let it stand for 8 to 10 hours and in other seasons, let it stand for 12 hours. At the end of this duration, the batter becomes thinner. Transfer the batter into a dispenser. An old fashioned sauce dispenser is ideal for this purpose. It is a plastic bottle with a cap that can be screwed onto the bottle and is like an inverted funnel. The batter has to be dropped into hot ghee (in circular or oblong shaped strings) for deep frying and using the bottle, the batter can be controlled effectively.

The ghee has to be very hot for making jalebi. Wait till the ghee reaches high temperature before you drop the batter and keep the flame on high when frying. After the jalebi turns golden in colour, remove from ghee and drop into sugar syrup already prepared. The jalebis can be dipped into the syrup even when cold, just before serving, or as preferred. It is not necessary to drop them into syrup when hot or immediately after removing from the ghee. But the sugar syrup has to be hot if cold jalebis are going to be dipped in syrup.

Sugar syrup :

Start by adding very little water to the sugar and mix well in an open pan, preferably flat bottomed. Turn on the flame and keep stirring while adding water little by little, until you get a thick syrup with 1-string consistency.

Malpoa

Recommended Season (Malpoa) : More in winter, less in other seasons

Ingrediants :
Milk 1 lt
White flour 1 ¼ cup
Ghee Enough for deep frying
Sugar 250 gms

Recipe :
Boil the milk and reduce to half the quantity. Keep it aside till it cools down completely. Add the white flour to the milk and blend into a smooth mixture. Keep it covered for 3 hours.

After 3 hours, heat ghee in a pan, and with a round spoon, pour spoonfuls of the mixture into the boiling ghee. Each spoonful will spread out into a small flat cake and float to the top of the ghee. Turn them to fry the other side. When they are done, the outer edge will be light pink in colour and the centre portion remains white. Once both sides are done, remove from ghee and drop into sugar syrup.

Sugar syrup :

Start by adding very little water to the sugar and mix well in an open pan, preferably flat bottomed. Turn on the flame and keep stirring while adding water little by little, until you get a thick syrup with 1-string consistency.

Alternatively, South Indian (Instant) Appam :

Ingrediants :
Milk 1 lt
Wheat flour 2 cups
Ghee Enough for deep frying
Sugar 250 gms
Cardamom powder a pinch

Recipe :
Boil the milk and reduce to half the quantity. Let it cool a little and add the warm milk to the wheat flour and mix well to avoid lumps. You can use a blender/beater to get a smooth mixture.

Heat ghee in a pan, and with a round spoon, pour spoonfuls of the mixture into the boiling ghee. Each spoonful will spread out into a small flat cake and float to the top of the ghee. Turn them to fry the other side. Once both sides are done, remove from ghee and drop into sugar syrup.

Sugar syrup :

Start by adding very little water to the sugar and mix well in an open pan, preferably flat bottomed. Turn on the flame and keep stirring while adding water little by little, until you get a thick syrup with 1-string consistency. Turn off the flame and add a pinch of cardamom powder.

Murmura laddu/barfi (Puffed Rice Balls/candy)

Recommended Season : More in winter, less in other seasons

Ingrediants :
Puffed Rice 4 parts}
Sugar 1 part } (or as given below*)
Ghee enough to grease

Recipe :
Heat a thick bottomed pan, add sugar and keep stirring till the sugar melts and becomes syrup. Turn off the flame and immediately add the puffed rice and mix well. If you can handle very hot stuff, then apply ghee to your hands and make balls out of the mixture. If not, then apply ghee to a flat surface (clean counter top or a flat plate or tray), transfer the mixture to this surface, roll it out flat and evenly with a rolling pin (to which also ghee has been applied beforehand) and cut into pieces of desired shape and size, while it is still hot.

(* Add 2 tablespoons of sugar to the pan, melt it and turn off the flame. Take 2 cups of puffed rice and add as much as the syrup would sufficiently cover the puffed rice. By trial and error, one might arrive at the ratio between sugar and puffed rice.)

Groundnuts laddu/barfi

Recommended Season : More in winter, less in other seasons

Ingrediants :
Groundnuts 2 parts
Sugar 1 part
Ghee enough to grease

Recipe :
You could buy roasted groundnuts and remove husk or dry wipe them if they are dehusked. Or you can buy raw groundnuts and dry roast them at home and remove the husk. Break the groundnuts roughly into smaller pieces either with your hands or using a rolling pin.

Heat a thick bottomed pan, add sugar and keep stirring till the sugar melts and becomes syrup. Turn off the flame and immediately add the groundnuts and mix well. If you can handle very hot stuff, then apply ghee to your hands and make balls out of the mixture. If not, then apply ghee to a flat surface (clean counter top or a flat plate or tray), transfer the mixture to this surface, roll it out flat and evenly with a rolling pin (to which also ghee has been applied beforehand) and cut into pieces of desired shape and size, while it is still hot.

Sooji ke Laddu / Rawa Laddu

Recommended Season : all seasons

Ingrediants :
Semolina (Rawa) 2 cups
Ghee ½ cup
Milk ½ cup
Sugar 1 - 1 ½ cups
Water ½ cup

Recipe :
Heat ghee, add semolina and roast till it turns light pink. Add hot creamy milk, mix well and keep it covered for 1 ½ hours. Then crumble the mixture so that there are no lumps. Mix the sugar and water and boil while stirring, till you get a one-string consistency. Add the semolina mixture and cook on a slow fire, stirring all the time, till it turns dark pink. Let it cool a little. When warm, add almonds and pista and make into laddus.

Laapsee Channa

Recommended Season : Ideal in winter

Laapsee Ingrediants :
Coarsely Broken Wheat (Dalia) 1 cup
Sugar 1 cup
Water 2 ½ cups
Ghee ½ cup

Channa Ingrediants :
Red chick peas 1 cup
Salt 1 ½ teaspoons
Turmeric 1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds ½ teaspoon
Ghee 2 tablespoons
Chilly powder ½ teaspoon
Coriander seeds powder ½ teaspoon
Coriander leaves 2 tablespoons

Laapsee Recipe :

Add sugar to water and boil till sugar melts or you get one string consistency. Heat ghee in a pressure pan and fry the broken wheat in it till it turns pink. Add the sugar syrup, mix well and pressure cook for 4 whistles, turn to slow flame and let it cook for half an hour. After half an hour, turn off the flame. This is served along with Lal Channa.

Channa Recipe :

Soak red chick peas overnight. In the morning, remove the water, wash the chick peas well, add enough water to cover the chick peas, a pinch of turmeric and ½ teaspoon of salt. Pressure cook up to 2 whistles, then turn to slow flame and let it cook for half an hour. After half an hour, turn off the flame. Heat 2 tablespoons of ghee, add cumin seeds, when it splutters, add the cooked chick peas, 1 teaspoon salt, big pinch of turmeric, chilly powder, coriander seeds powder and chopped coriander leaves. Mix well and let it cook for 5 minutes.

[You can add a tablespoon of Bengal gram or channa dal while cooking the red chick peas to thicken the gravy.]

Kaju ki Katli

Recommended Season : Most suitable for winter, but can be had in moderation during all seasons.

Ingrediants :
Cashew nuts 1 cup (100 gms)
Sugar ½ cup (50 gms)

Recipe :
Wash the cashew nuts, grind them, add sugar and grind again into a fine paste. You may add very little water (1 or 2 teaspoons) while grinding. In a thick bottomed pan, cook the paste for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring all time, till you get a binding consistency. Take a pinch or more of the paste, roll it between your fingers and check if you are able to make a ball.

Before you start cooking the paste, keep ready on the counter next to the stove, a large flat plate with sides on the edges. Once the paste is cooked, turn off the flame and immediately transfer it to the plate. Or if the counter is clean, you can transfer the paste onto the counter, which is more convenient.

You have to knead the paste well while it is super hot. It loses temperature very soon. So, this transferring and kneading has to be done quickly and skillfully. You can knead the paste using two spatulas or ladles. Then roll out the paste into an even surface using a rolling pin. When it is cold, cut it into squares and store in a container.

Badam ki Katli

Recommended Season : Most suitable for summer, but can be had in moderation during all seasons.

Ingrediants :
Almonds 1 cup
Sugar ¾ cup

Recipe :
Soak almonds for 4 to 5 hours, peel them and grind them in a mixer. Add sugar and grind again, adding very little water (1 or 2 teaspoons) into a fine paste. In a thick bottomed pan, cook the paste for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring all time, till you get a binding consistency. Take a pinch or more of the paste, roll it between your fingers and check if you are able to make a ball.

Before you start cooking the paste, keep ready on the counter next to the stove, a large flat plate with sides on the edges. Once the paste is cooked, turn off the flame and immediately transfer it to the plate. Or if the counter is clean, you can transfer the paste onto the counter, which is more convenient.

You have to knead the paste well while it is super hot. It loses temperature very soon. So, this transferring and kneading has to be done quickly and skillfully. You can knead the paste using two spatulas or ladles. Then roll out the paste into an even surface using a rolling pin. When it is cold, cut it into squares and store in a container.

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