Singhare ki Burfi....

S


inghara is Indian water chestnut with thick red.....esh green skin. It is triangular is shape with two small skips at top. The fruit is lightly sweet in taste and it is milky white in color. It is eaten as a fruit when it is fresh, made into curries when halfway mature and made into flour when completely dry.
During fasting, Hindus don't eat anything that contains cereals, lentils and ordinary salt. So fasting food or vrat ka khanna, is the other way of making staple food like poories and parathas.
Singhara flour is one of the flours which can be used during fastings. It can be used in different ways as to make poori, halwa, paratha, pakori or burfi.
Find my other fasting food recipes here.
Poppy Seeds/Khus khus Barfi
Til Laddo / Sesame Seeds Laddo
Gond ki Panjeeri
Guava Shake
Lauki Halwa 
Carrot Halwa


Ingredients
Singhara flour - 1/2 cup
Ghee - 2 tbsp
Mawa/ Khoya - 1/2 cup
Sugar - 3/4 cup
Water - 1/2 cup
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp

Method

• In a heavy bottom pan roast the flour with ghee on a medium heat until it is pink in color and gives the nice aroma.
• Grate the mawa to make sure that there is no lump.
• Mawa should be very well roasted and lightly brown in color.
• Add mawa and cardamom powder to the flour and mix well. There should not be any lump in this paste. Keep the heat low for some time.
• In a pan make the sugar syrup to one wire consistency. 
• Keep a greased tray ready.
• Mix sugar syrup to the flour and mawa paste and mix well.
• Transfer this to greased tray.
• When it is still warm cut it into pieces and decorate with almonds.
• This platter goes to Vrat ka khanna 

This is off to Potluck Party

Vrat ka khanna 

Poppy Seeds/Khus khus Barfi

This is my favorite burfi. I learned it from my mom. This is a must in our home on Janmashtami and some times during fasts on other festival.

Ingredients
Poppy seeds - 1 cup
Mawa / Khoya- 1 cup
Sugar - 1 3/4 cups
Water - 1 1/4 cups
Method
Rost the poppy seeds and let them cool. Click here for mawa/khoya recipe. Grease the tray and keep aside. Grind the poppy seeds. In a pan boil water and sugar to three string consistency. Turn off the heat. Mix mawa and poppy seeds paste to it. Mix it fast and transfer it to greased tray. Spread evenly in the tray quickly before it sets. Let it cool. Cut it in diamond or square shape.

This goes to Friday Potluck

Vrat Ka Khanna


My Favorite Food

Til Laddo / Sesame Seeds Laddo

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hose were the days when I used to start my day with these laddos......my childhood memories :)......so sweet like these laddus. Throughout the winters I relish my mom made laddus. Being my favourite we mostly have these at home in winters. Sesame seeds are very nutritious. They are rich in calcium, phosphorus, potassium and some vitamins too. This is a very simple and quick dessert recipe. I always make it for festivals. This platter goes to FSF- Janmashtami and Ganesh Chaturthi.

Ingredients
Condensed milk - 1 tin
Sesame seeds - 2 1/2 cups + 1/2 cup
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
Method

• Dry roast white sesame seeds and keep aside to cool.
• Grind them in a grinder to a coarse powder.
• In a pan mix the powder and condensed milk and cook on medium heat for 8- 10 mins, until the mixture gets thick and leaves the sides of the pan.
• Keep it aside for 10 mins.
• Once the mixture is warm mix cardamom powder and it is ready to roll into laddos. Grease the palm and roll the laddo. 
• Roll the laddo in the remaining sesame to give it a nice coating.
• Ready to serve and store the remaining in a air tight container.

Goes to FSF - Janmashtami and Ganesh Chaturthi started by Sonia and Hosted by me.
Goes to Friday Potluck too.

Gond ki Panjeeri

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oday I'm posting Gond Panjeeri which is a must to make on Janmashtami in north India. Gond is normally prepared for nursing mother as it is supposed to help in lactation. In my opinion this is made on Janmashtami in the memory of Krishna's mother. This recipe is loaded with nuts and calories. This is a recipe given to me by my dear ma.

Ingredients
Gond/edible gum - 2-3 tbsp
Fresh grated coconut - 1/2 cup firmly packed
Almonds - 1/2 cup
Water melon seeds - 1/3 cup
Sugar - 1 3/4 cup
Water - 1 1/4 cups
Green cardamom seeds powder - 1 tsp


Method

• Grease the tray and keep aside.
• My mom fry gond in ghee, I prefer to roast in microwave. Take microwave safe plate and sprinkle the gond in it.
• Keep the plate in microwave for approx 2 minutes.
• After every 30 sec stir the gond.
• It will fluff and become almost transparent when it is done. Take care as it burn fast.
• Dry roast the seeds.
• Chop the almonds and dry roast them.
• Roast the freshly roast coconut.
• Take a pan and add water, sugar and cardamom powder and cook it reaches one string consistency.
• Turn off the heat and mix all the dry fruits in it and transfer quickly to the greased tray.
• Let it cool and cut into square or diamond shape pieces.
• Store it in a airtight box.

This platter goes to FSF- Janmashtani and Ganesh Chaturthi 
orignali started by Sonia

Guava Shake

W
hen saw this recipe here, I wanted to try this and here I'm with this Guava shake. Before the recipe I want to share some information about this fruit.


Guavas are high in fiber.


Research at the US Dept. of Agriculture have found that guava may be among the fruits richest in antioxidants, suggesting that there may be significant health benefits for people who regularly include guava in their diets.

Guava is rich in vitamin A, B, C and is know to have more vitamin C than an orange.

Guava is also a good source of calcium, unusual for a fruit.

Guavas are cholesterol-free, saturated fat free and sodium-free, plus they are low in fat and in calories.

Ingredients
Guava - 1/2 can
Cold Milk - 1 1/2 cup
Cardamom powder - a pinch
Sugar - to taste
Method

I dint get the fresh guava so I've used the can. I bet fresh one will taste better. Chop the guava and blend in the blender with sugar and little milk till very smooth. Add more milk and whip. Serve chilled.

Lauki Halwa

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auki/Bottle gaurd/ Doodhi halwa is scrumptious Indian dessert. Halwa, made of la sounds unusual but the dessert is delicious. Bottle Gourd is one of the most vital veggies that alternative medicine systems like Ayurveda and Unani prescribe as it is low in cholesterol and fat and high in iron, fibre, dietary and vitamins C & B. 

Grated bottle gourd simmered with milk, sugar, ghee and cardamom. It can be served as a snack or after meal sweet!

Ingredients

Grated lauki - 4 cups
Condensed milk - 1 tin

Milk powder - 1 cup

Milk - 1 cup

Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp

Sugar - 1/2 cups

Ghee - 3 tbsp

Nuts

Method

Boil the grated lauki in pressure cooker with 1/4 cup of milk to 1 whistle . In a microwave safe bowl mix condensed milk and milk powder. Microwave it for 5 min. Give it a stir and put again for 2 mins. Open the cooker and add rest of the milk and microwaved mawa. Mix well and let it cook on medium heat till all the liquid evaporates. Stir it often. Add the sugar and cook again. When all the liquid evaporates, add cardamom powder and gee. Mix well. Garnish with nuts. The delactable halwa is ready to enjoy.


This halwa is going to Sara's Signature recipes
and Iftar Moments Hijri 1432


and MMK - Mithai Mela

Carrot Halwa

Carrot halwa is mainly made in winters in North India as carrots grow in winter. I remember the time when we used to wait for winter season only for this exotic dish. My mom make it from dark pink carrots, which enhance its flavour and give it a pinkish color. Though it can be made by any type of carrots.