Corn Bhel - Day Seven of Blogging Marathon

The last and the final day i.e.Day Seven of the Blogging Marathon, which is a brainwave of fabulous Srivalli finds us with the theme of Kid friendly recipes - Street Food.....

Corn Bhel is very famous Street Food nowsdays which is a great hit with not just the kids but even the adults ........
Corn Bhel is very simple to make and yummy to taste......
My variation in the Corn Bhel is addition of grated carrot and grated cucumber in this Corn Bhel to make it more healthy and nutritive.....

Presenting mouth watering Corn Bhel.......

Corn Bhel

Ingredients :
Sweetcorn
Salt as per taste
Red chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
Chat masala - 1 teaspoon
Butter / Ghee - 1 teaspoon ( It is optional)
Coriander Leaves - handful
Onion - 1
Tomato - 1
Carrot(grated) - 1
Cucumber(grated) - 1
Shev - for garnishing
Water

Method :

Take sweetcorn in microwave bowl.
Add red chilli powder, salt and chat masala.
Add butter/ghee.(This is optional)
Add some water.
Microwave for 10 minutes.(less depending on softness of sweetcorn.
Chop onion and tomato into fine pieces
Wash and chop coriander leaves finely
Grate carrot and cucumber
Take the microwaved corn in a bowl
Add a layer of onion and then tomato
Add a layer of grated carrot and then grated cucumber
Sprinkle coriander leaves generously
Spread shev on top and serve.

Corn Bhel is ready to serve..........


Sending this delicious Corn Bhel to Srivalli for her event Kids Delight themed on "Street Food"

Take a look at the lovely dishes being whipped up by my wonderful fellow marathon bloggers :
Azeema, Bhagi, Champa, Gayathri Anand, Gayathri Kumar, Harini, Jay, Meena, Minu, Padma,
Pavani, PJ, Priya Mahadevan, Priya Suresh, Priya Vasu, Santosh, Saraswathi, Savitha, Shanavi,
Smitha, Sowmya, Srivalli, Suma, Usha, Veena

Come back for the next blogpost........ The Blogging Marathon might be over.....but we continue.....

Carrot Cabbage Bhajaniche Thalipeeth - Day Six of Blogging Marathon

Day Six of the Blogging Marathon, brainwave of fabulous Srivalli finds us still going strong with the theme of "Incredible India".........
My theme for the day is "Specialty Regional Cuisine"
The cuisine chosen is from the Maharashtra.......
On day four when I made "Kothimbir Wadi"...I received lovely & encouraging comments and feedback from my fellow marathon bloggers......One of my fellow bloggers, Priya of Now Serving asked a very pertinent query regarding the recipe...She wanted to know what was Bhajani....whether I could put any picture of that.....and then I realized that that I had made an assumption that everyone reading my blog would know all the ingredients of the recipes that I post on the blog….which was completely untrue.......
As they say language and food habits changes after every 20 kilometers…. Every region has their own traditional specialties …which is the reason why there is so much of variety in Indian food….We are extremely fortunate that today we are able to not just enjoy but also prepare at our homes the culinary delights of various different regions…….After all, “Variety is Spice of Life”

Today’s recipe is “BhajanicheThalipeeth” (mixed flour pancake) which is a staple Maharastrian dish….which can be eaten either for a hearty breakfast or as single dish meal for lunch or dinner…….Hot Thalipeeth fresh from the pan is generally relished with curds or “Loni” (cream/butter)

Thalipeeth is made with adding coriander leaves and onions in bhajani flour… But as usual, to make it more healthy, I added grated carrot and cabbage to make Carrot Cabbage Thalipeeth……

So, here's my version of Carrot Cabbage Bhajaniche Thalipeeth.......

Carrot Cabbage Bhajaniche Thalipeeth

Ingredients:
Thalipeeth Bhajani - 2 cups
Coriander Leaves – 1 /2 cup
Onion - 1 Carrot (grated) - 1
Cabbage (grated) - 100 gms
Oil
Water
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
Asafoetida (hing) - 1/2 teaspoon
Turmeric powder - pinch
Coriander powder (dhania) - 2 teaspoon
Cumin powder (jeera powder) - 2 teaspoon
Red chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
Goda Masala - 1 teaspoon
Salt – as per taste

Method :
Slice and chop onion into small fine pieces.
Wash and chop coriander leaves into small pieces.
Wash and grate carrot and cabbage.
Take bhajani(mixed flour) in a bowl and add all the above ingredients in it.
Add salt,cumin seeds,asafoetida (hing) ,turmeric powder,coriander powder (dhania),cumin powder (jeera powder),red chilli powder and goda masala in it.
Add some oil to this mixture.(The calorie conscience people need not add oil)
Add water and kneed it into a dough. The consistency of the dough should be a bit harder than that of chappati.
Make small balls of dough and flatten the dough using hands on a plastic sheet.
Make small holes in it.
Heat non stick frying pan and place the flatten dough on it.
If not using non stick pans, add oil to the sides and in the holes.
Cover the pan with a lid and let it cook on medium flame.
When there is a crackling sound, it is an indication that the thalipeeth is cooked completely from one side.
Remove the lid and flip sides.
This time it should be left uncovered and let it cook completely from the second side.
Serve hot with curds, loni(cream/butter) or mango pickle......

Bhajani is basically a mixture of various flours which are roasted and grounded together.

Bhajani

Ingredients :
Rice - 1 cup
Gram dal - 1 cup
Bajari - 1 cup
Udit dal - 100 gms
Cumin seeds( jeera) - 50 gms

Method -
Wash rice and let it dry properly for one day
The next day, roast the dried rice on non stick pan.(Do not add oil)
Keep aside.
Similarly roast separately gram dal, bajari, udit dal and cumin seeds.
Mix all the roasted ingredients and grind it to a coarse powder.
Bhajani is ready for use........

Other flour like wheat, jowar or rawa may also be added depending on individual preference.

Photo tutorial of Carrot Cabbage Bhajaniche Thalipeeth:

This Thalipeth is made of mixed flours and you can add vegetables of your choice to it.
When done on non stick frying pan, its completely oil free and low calorie.As nutritious and healthy as you can get and tastes delicious too.....what else does one need.......
So here's a lovely healthy and nutritious dish which can be served for a heavy breakfast or as a single dish meal for lunch or dinner.......

The Carrot Cabbage Bhajaniche Thalipeeth also goes to the lovely and wonderful PJ for her blogevent "Flavors of Maharashtra" which is hosted by her this month for Naina of simply.food for her event......

Take a look at my wonderful fellow marathon bloggers and see what they were upto :
Azeema, Bhagi, Champa, Gayathri Anand, Gayathri Kumar, Harini, Jay, Meena, Minu, Padma,
Pavani, PJ, Priya Mahadevan, Priya Suresh, Priya Vasu, Santosh, Saraswathi, Savitha, Shanavi,
Smitha, Sowmya, Srivalli, Suma, Usha, Veena

Come back tomorrow for the Finale i.e. Day Seven of Blogging Marathon......

Shevagyachya Shenganchi Bhaji (Drumstick Curry)-Day Five of Blogging Marathon

Day Five of Blogging Marathon created by the lovely Srivalli finds us having "Shevagyachya Shenganchi Bhaji which means Drumstick Curry..
This is in continuation with Regional Specialty Cuisine and this cuisine belongs to Maharashtra...

This is a typical sabji (curry) prepared in most of Maharastrian families.....
My grandparents had a wonderful garden outside their house and they grew many fruits and vegetables in it .....There were two big shevagyachi zade ( trees bearing drumsticks)....
My father and his two sisters along with their cousins reminiscence numerous childhood tales and anecdotes as to how they all would play hide and seek and climb the trees when they were hiding......They used to have competitions on who would climb the trees fastest or furthest...
Or when they ran and climbed the trees in order to avoid getting punished......
But the most funniest anecdote was shared by my father's cousin sister......She was always getting into trouble with her mother (my father's maasi/aunt).....
Once when she did something wrong and her mother wanted to punish her,she ran all over the house and in the garden with her mother in hot pursuit........Thinking quickly and being agile, she climbed one of the biggest tree in the garden to avoid getting caught and punished ...... But to the amusement of all and to the complete horror of the daughter, her mother (my father's mausi /aunt) promptly followed her without batting an eyelid.......The mother proceeded to climb the same tree, in saree and all, with complete ease and agility and caught hold of her daughter.......
Your guess is as good as mine as to what awaited the daughter after being caught by her mother on the big tree...........
Whenever any of the kids saw any drumsticks hanging on the trees, they would promptly pluck them and take them to my grandmother,who would promptly cook the delicious drumstick either with curry or dry drumstick sabji, which tastes equally good........The drumsticks were the family favorite in any and every form....
The drumsticks would be distributed to family, friends and neighbours as was the practice in those days......
And some of the neighbours would request (farmaish) on eating the drumstick curry prepared by my grandmother, who was a very good cook... so in the customary way of good old days, the bowl filled with delicious drumstick curry would be exchanged on the wall common to both the houses....and after relishing the curry, the neighbours would send the bowl filled with delicacies/goodies from their house back to my father's house ...... The bowl would find its way back to the house through the common wall filled with delicacies for my father's family to savor......And the traditional bowl exchange would continue...... Every time, something different or someone's favorite was cooked by my grandmother, it was promptly dispatched to the said neighbour's house and vice versa.....The kids could go to any neighbouring house and have food... The lady of the house always cooked extra helping, keeping in mind any guest/neighbour who come for lunch or dinner, unannounced or uninvited, but who was always welcomed warmly.... Those were the days when one did not feel shy eating in neighbouring houses, uninvited and it was not customarily to send prior intimation of one's visit beforehand......
It was an unspoken rule that whenever someone gave you some bowl/vessel full of food , it had to be refilled with some food or eatable from your house when you return it back....."Khaali Bartan Nahi Lautate" (Never return an empty bowl)

My grandmother passed away in April last year but her memories are still fresh with all of us......

So today's post is about Shevagyachya Shenganchi Bhaji (Drumstick Curry) and the lovely memories associated with it.........

Shevagyachya Shenganchi Bhaji (Drumstick Curry)

Ingredients :
Drumsticks - 6 to 8
Onions - 2
Tomatoes - 2
Ginger- 1 inch
Garlic - 5/6 cloves
Tamarind - 2/3 soaked in hot water
Jaggery - as per taste
Salt - as per taste
Dry coconut grated - 1 cup
Oil
Water
Coriander Leaves - 1 cup
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
Asafoetida (hing) - 1/2 teaspoon
Turmeric powder - pinch
Coriander powder (dhania) - 2 teaspoon
Cumin powder (jeera powder) - 2 teaspoon
Red chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
Goda Masala - 1 teaspoon

Method -
First take tamarind and soak it in hot water for 2/3 hours
Slice the onions vertically.
Grate the dry coconut.
On a pan/tawa, roast the onions and coconut for 5 minutes .
Grate the tomatoes.
Grind the roasted onions, grated coconut,grated tomatoes,coriander leaves, garlic and ginger into a fine paste.
Heat oil in a bottom pan/ kadhai .
When oil is heated, add mustard seeds.
After they splutter, add cumin seeds, asafoetida,turmeric and then add the paste from the mixture.
Add goda masala,red chilli powder, coriander powder and cumin powder.
Stir the paste and let it cook for 5 minutes in the oil.
Peel the skins of drumstick and cut them into small pieces.
Add the drumsticks to the mixture and cover the pan with lid.
Let the drumsticks cook for 10/15 minutes,depending on the freshness of the drumsticks.
If the drumsticks are not tender enough, they may be steamed for 5 minutes before adding them to the paste.
After they have been properly cooked, add water.
Add tamarind, jaggery and salt.
Cover it with a lid and let it cook for 10/15 more minutes.
Uncover the lid and drumstick curry is ready to be served.
Garnish with some coriander leaves.......

And also due apologies for the poor quality of the photos but due to my computer and camera mishaps, I lost my photographs of this dish and had to make do with my mobile....

Take a look at my wonderful fellow marathon bloggers and see what they were upto :
Azeema, Bhagi, Champa, Gayathri Anand, Gayathri Kumar, Harini, Jay, Meena, Minu, Padma,
Pavani, PJ, Priya Mahadevan, Priya Suresh, Priya Vasu, Santosh, Saraswathi, Savitha, Shanavi,
Smitha, Sowmya, Srivalli, Suma, Usha, Veena

This wonderful and delicious "Shevagyachya Shenganchi Bhaji (Drumstick Curry)"also finds it way to PJ for her blogevent "Flavors of Maharashtra" which is hosted by her this month for Naina of simply.food for her event......

Come back tomorrow for the Day Six the Blogging Marathon.......

Kothimbir Wadi - Day Four of Blogging Marathon

Day Four of the Blogging Marathon created by the wonderful Srivalli finds us on the home ground.
My theme for the day is "Specialty Regional Cuisine"

And the tag line for the dish - "Incredible India "

The dish I made is "Kothimbir Wadi" or "Coriander / Cilantro cutlets" from Maharastrian cuisine
This is a regional dish made in the state of Maharashtra..... If you happen to be a big kothimbir fan and insist on garnishing anything and everything with it( like my Baba) then you definitely ought to try this lovely crispy and crunchy snack....

As usual, making the dish more nutritive was the main aim so tweaking the authentic recipe a bit by substituting besan with thalipeeth bhajani.... This is my mother's brainwave and I take no credit for it...... Steaming it and topping it with tadka instead of deep frying or shallow frying the wadis....

This is how kothimbir wadis are done by my mother at our house......

Kothimbir Wadi ( Coriander Cutlets / Cilantro Cakes)

Ingredients :
Freshly washed and chopped coriander leaves - 4 cups
Thalipeth Bhajani - 1 cup ( you get this ready made in any Indian grocery store)
Rice Flour - 1/4 cup
Wheat Flour /atta - 1/2 cup
Oil
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
Asafoetida (hing) - 1/2 teaspoon
Turmeric powder - pinch
Coriander powder (dhania) - 2 teaspoon
Cumin powder (jeera powder) - 2 teaspoon
Garlic Cloves - 8/10 - finely chopped
Ginger - 1 inch finely shredded or cut into small pieces
(alternatively use 2 teaspoon of ginger & garlic paste)
Salt - to taste
Sugar - pinch
Green chillies - 4/5 finely chopped
or Red chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
Lemon juice - 1 teaspoon
or Amchur Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Garam masala - 1 teaspoon
Sesame seeds - 3 teaspoon

Method -
Wash and finely chop coriander leaves.
Mix all the flours and add the coriander leaves in it.
Grind together green chillies, ginger, garlic and cumin seeds and add the freshly grounded paste.
Add salt as per taste and pinch of sugar
Add asafoetida ,turmeric powder,coriander powder,cumin powder (jeera powder) and garam masala.
Add lemon juice or amchur powder.
Add water in this mixture to make it batter like consistent and avoid forming any lumps.
Knead it a bit and make a ball.
Steam this in either a steamer or pressure cooker without whistle for 20/25 mins.
Test using a knife whether the mixture is properly cooked.
Steamed wadis also taste very good.
After mixture cools down, cut into diamond shapes or small cubes.
Take a heavy bottom pan and add oil in it.
When the oil gets heated add mustard seeds.
When mustard seeds splutter, add cumin seeds, a pinch of asafoetida and turmeric powder.
Add sesame seeds and add steamed wadis.
Toss the wadis so that all wadis are coated with sesame seeds.
Serve kothimbir wadis........

Do take a look at my fellow marathon bloggers and their incredible recipes :

Azeema, Bhagi, Champa, Gayathri Anand, Gayathri Kumar, Harini, Jay, Meena, Minu, Padma,
Pavani, PJ, Priya Mahadevan, Priya Suresh, Priya Vasu, Santosh, Saraswathi, Savitha, Shanavi,
Smitha, Sowmya, Srivalli, Suma, Usha, Veena

Also sending this "Kothimbir Wadi" to PJ for her blogevent "Flavors of Maharashtra" which is hosted by her this month for Naina of simply.food for her event......

Come back tomorrow for the Day Five of the Blogging Marathon.......

Fresh Crunchy Green Salad - Day Three of Blogging Marathon

On Day Three of Blogging Marathon, brainwave of fabulous Srivalli, I present Summer Salad.. fresh, crunchy, healthy and nutritious......
If we had unhealthy pizza yesterday...today's menu promises to be full of nutrition and good health......

If first day of blogging marathon was "Kuch Meetha Ho Jaye....." and second day was "Tasty bhi aur Healthly bhi" then third day is for "Wholesome Goodness"

Presenting a Fresh, Cool, Crunchy Summer Salad............


Ingredients :
Onions - 1
Tomatoes - 1
Green Bell Pepper - 1
Yellow Bell Pepper - 1
Red Bell Pepper - 1
Carrot - 1
Cucumber - 1
Cauliflower - 100 gms
Cabbage - 100 gms
Green peas - 1/4 cup
Pomegranate seeds - 1/4 cup
Ground nuts - some (this is mungfali which is to be boiled and groundnuts to be added)
Salad Leaves - 1
Lettuce - 1
Ice berg Lettuce - 1
Parsley - handful
Colored salad leaves - 1
Red cabbage - 100 gms
Coriander Leaves - handful
Broccoli - 100 gms
Corn - handful
Sprouted beans ( moong dal) - handful
Lemon juice - 1 tablespoon
Salt as per taste
Olive oil - one tablespoon
Black pepper powder - 1 tablespoon
Salad dressing - optional
Mayonnaise Dressing - optional

Method -
Wash and Cut onion, tomatoes, carrot, cucumber and bell peppers into small cubes.
Boil slightly the sprouts. Do not over boil it to retain the crunchy taste.
Boil mongphali .
If green peas are fresh and soft, do not boil. If using frozen peas, boil slightly.
Wash and cut into small pieces broccoli, red cabbage, normal cabbage and cauliflower.
Some people do not like to eat broccoli and cauliflower raw, in that case boil slightly.
De seed the pomegranate.
Wash and cut salad leaves, lettuce, iceberg lettuce, parsley, coriander leaves and colored salad leaves finely.
Take a salad bowl and mix everything in it.
Add olive oil, salt and black pepper powder and toss the salad.
Mayonnaise and salad dressing may be added as per individual choices.
Add freshly lemon juice and toss.
Serve chilled.

Salads are the best source of nutrition and generally diets which are high in green vegetables are known to help reduce cancer and heart disease. Salads are great food for people suffering from diabetes and obesity.
Specially in summers, cool and crunchy salad is what brings joy to our palate.
This salad has sprouts,peanuts, peas and pomegranate seeds and hence it is a complete meal by itself.

Do take a look at my fellow marathon bloggers and see the wonderful and amazing recipes that they are whipping up :
Azeema, Bhagi, Champa, Gayathri Anand, Gayathri Kumar, Harini, Jay, Meena, Minu, Padma,
Pavani, PJ, Priya Mahadevan, Priya Suresh, Priya Vasu, Santosh, Saraswathi, Savitha, Shanavi,
Smitha, Sowmya, Srivalli, Suma, Usha, Veena

So, enjoy this wholesome goodness......this wonderful crunchy and fresh green salad full of nutrition and taste.....

Come back tomorrow for day four of the Blogging Marathon......

Healthy Pizza - Second Day of Blogging Marathon

So......we are back on the Second Day of Blogging Marathon created by Srivalli.........

As blogged earlier, I have taken my theme as Special Choice (One dish from any of the below daily) -

Rice Dishes
Kid friendly Recipes
Starters
Sweets
Street Food
Specialty Regional Cuisine

From other blogs

Yesterday, I had chosen "Gajar Ka Halwa" under Sweets category.

Today, I have chosen Kid friendly Recipes - Healthy Pizza

When we think of Pizza, instinctively we think about cheese and everything that is fattening and arteries blogging... junk food....
But like so many Pizza lovers around the world I wondered if maybe the Pizza could be made healthier ... more nutritive..... so that the mothers out there will love making it for their kids??

Then suddenly one day Wheat Pizza bases caught my eye.....and I found my answer for a healthier version of the good old Pizza....
Replacing all purpose flour (maida) pizza base for wheat pizza base is an excellent substitution as intake of all purpose flour(maida) leads to digestion problems, water retention and nutrirional deficiency.

Generally people suffering from diabetes are told to cut down on maida intake as maida causes the blood sugar levels to increase fast.
Also people intending to reduce their weights are told to avoid maida.

This Pizza is healthy and easy to made... So the kids can say "Healthy bhi aur Tasty bhi"

Ingredients :

Wheat pizza base - 3
Tomatoes - 3
Onions - 3
Green Capsicum / Bell Pepper - 3
(Red and yellow bell pepper may also be added as they would make the dish colorful)
Pizza Topping Sauce - 2 tablespoons (more or less as per individual tastes and preferances)
Salt - as per taste
Olive oil
Black pepper powder - 1 teaspoon
Oregano - 1/2 teaspoon
Red chilli powder- 1/2 teaspoon (alternatively red chilli flakes also be used)
Mozarella Cheese
Cheese

Method :

Cut and chop onions, tomatoes and green bell peppers in fine slices.
Take a heavy bottom pan/kadhai and add some olive oil.
Add the chopped vegetables and saute them for some time.
Do not cover the pan with lid.
Cook on low or middle flame.
Add salt to taste and red chilli powder.
Do not cook for a long time as the vegetables should remain crunchy.
Remove from heat .
Apply some olive oil to pizza base and heat the base on frying pan.
Take a frying pan with a lid and add olive oil.
Apply the pizza topping sauce generally on the pizza base.
Spread the sauteed vegetables on that.
Place this pizza on the frying pan.
Cover with a heavy lid and let it cook for 10 mins.
Grate normal cheese and Mozarella Cheese together and spread it on the pizza.
I use a combination of normal cheese and Mozarella Cheese
Cover with a lid again and let it cook till the crust is crispy and the cheese has melted and serve hot.
Top it with oregano and add red chilli flakes if not used red chilli powder.

I prefer to saute the vegetables slightly before so that slight crunchy taste remains.

The above pizza has been cooked on a frying pan with a lid on a stove top.

Alternatively, pizza can be cooked in microwave and oven.

Carrots, green peas, paneer, corn and mushrooms can be added to the pizza.

It is easy to made and does not require any preparation before hand.

This wheat based pizza cooked on stove top tastes as yummy as any other maida based pizza.

Do try the healthier version of the pizza........

Please take a look at what my fellow marathon bloggers are upto :

Azeema, Bhagi, Champa, Gayathri Anand, Gayathri Kumar, Harini, Jay, Meena, Minu, Padma,
Pavani, PJ, Priya Mahadevan, Priya Suresh, Priya Vasu, Santosh, Saraswathi, Savitha, Shanavi,
Smitha, Sowmya, Srivalli, Suma, Usha, Veena

Come back tomorrow for Day Three of the Blogging Marathon.........

Also sending this recipe to Priya Mahadevan of Now Serving.... for her blog event Fast Food Not Fat Food

Gajar Halwa - Sweet Beginning to the 7 day Blogging Marathon

Finally after months I am back to blogging again, motivated and inspired by Srivalli to join her 7 Day Blogging Marathon...
I was awed to read about her 31 days Marathon, which I could not join and had decided to join any such Marathons in future so that i get back to my blogging ways :))
So when she announced her 7 Day Blogging Marathon, I was game for it immediately.......
The best part about joining the Blogging Marathon is getting to know amazing fellow bloggers and their wonderful recipes....Added bonus is all of us have to visit each others blogs and comment... This exercise will go a long way in bettering our respective blogs...Personally for me, due to personal and work commitments, I was completely inactive from blogging for months.. so this was the best motivation to get back to blogging again with a bang :))

Here's wishing All the very Best to My wonderful fellow bloggers participating in this 7 Day Blogging Marathon :
Azeema, Bhagi, Champa, Gayathri Anand, Gayathri Kumar, Harini, Jay, Meena, Minu, Padma,
Pavani, PJ, Priya Mahadevan, Priya Suresh, Priya Vasu, Santosh, Saraswathi, Savitha, Shanavi,
Smitha, Sowmya, Srivalli, Suma, Usha, Veena

" Maa Kehti Hain Achchye Kaam Ki Shuruwat Hamesha Meethe se Hoti hain......Toh Kuch Meetha Ho Jaye" .......
( The literal translation of this Hindi sentence is : Lets begin with something sweet....as my mother says that before beginning any good work one should always have something sweet)
So in true Hindi film style, kick starting the Blogging Marathon with a desert - The famous "Gajar Ka Halwa" which is eaten by any and every hero made by his mother to commemorate any joyous occasions in Hindi films...be it the hero returning home or clearing his B.A. exams in first class... the "Gajar Ka Halwa" is mandatory :))

My theme is Special Choice (One dish from all below daily) -

Rice Dishes
Kid friendly Recipes
Starters
Sweets
Street Food
Specialty Regional Cuisine

From other blogs

So, Day One of the Blogging Marathon is "Sweets"

So, without further ado, sharing my mothers recipe for " Gajar Ka Halwa" or Carrot Halwa

Gajar Ka Halwa

Ingredients :
Grated Carrots - 2 cups
Milk - 1 cup
Ghee - 1 tablespoons
Sugar - 1/2 cup (more or less to be adjusted as per individual tastes)
Khoya - 1/2 cup
Nutmeg / Jaiphal powder - 1/4 teaspoon

For garnishing -
Cashews - 10 / 12

Method:

Wash the carrots and peel the skins if carrots are muddy. Otherwise slice off the carrot head and grate the carrots with the skins.
Heat ghee in a heavy bottom pan / kadhai.
Add the grated carrots in ghee and stir.
Cover with a heavy lid and let the carrots get cooked for some time till they become very soft.
Add milk slowly and keep on stirring.
Do not add the entire milk in one go.
Keep on adding milk as required.
Heat a separate pan and add khoya and stir continuously. This will prevent lumps for forming and also make it easier for the khoya to be absorbed in the mixture. Adding frozen khoya from refrigerator will make it difficult for the cold khoya to be absorbed.
Do not increase the heat for the khoya and stir continuously less the khoya will get burnt and become brown/black in color.
Cover with a lid after adding khoya to the carrot-milk mixture and let it cook for 15/20 mins.
When the khoya, carrots and milk become one, then add sugar.
Sugar should also be added as per personal tastes and requirements.
It is better to add some sugar initially and then increase the sugar as per taste.
After adding sugar in the mixture, cover the pan with a heavy lid and let it cook on a slow flame for close to one hour.
Stir in between and check the mixture otherwise if unchecked the mixture will start getting burnt.
When the entire sugar has dissolved and the milk & khoya has been absorbed then turn the heat off.
Add Nutmeg / Jaiphal powder to the halwa after turning off the heat.
Garnish with cashews and serve.

Gajar ka Halwa may be either served hot with ice-cream or can be refrigerated and served chilled.
Personally I feel it is better to prepare "Gajar Ka Halwa" a day in advance and let it sit for one day. The next day it tastes even better.

So, serving "Gajar ka Halwa" for Day One of the 7 Day Blogging Marathon.....

Come back tomorrow for the next recipe.....