Kuttu ki Tikki (Buckwheat Flour Patties)

kuttu ki tikki

Kuttu ki tikki is a tasty dish which can be eaten during fasts as it is a 'falahari' food. I prepare them on Ekadashi fasts and offer them to Lord Krishna and have them as a prasad.

Recipe of kuttu ki tikki

1 cup kuttu atta (buckwheat flour)

3 medium sized potatoes (boiled, peeled and mashed)

2 green chillies- chopped finely

Sendha salt (rock salt)- to taste

Ghee (clarified butter)- to shallow fry

How to make kuttu ki tikki

1. Mix potatoes, green chillies and sendha salt to kuttu atta in a bowl.

2. Knead the atta using potatoes, no need to add water.

3. Pinch a lemon sized ball (peda) out of the dough and pat between your greased palms to make a tikki (patty).

4. Heat a non-stick tava (griddle) and smear ghee on it. Place this tikki on the tava and place rest of the tikkis from rest of the dough.

5. Roast kuttu tikki from both sides applying ghee. Place as many tikki on the tava as can be easily placed and prepare in batches.

6. Roast tikki till it turns reddish brown. Serve hot kuttu ki tikki with aloo ki sabzi or curd or both.

Sooji Halwa Recipe

sooji halwa

Sooji halwa is liked by young and old alike. It is also made for bhog-prasad that is offering to the Lord and then distributing among devotees. Sooji ka halwa is also known as 'sheera' in some parts of India. If you add saffron to it, then it is known as 'rava kesari'.
Recipe of sooji ka halwa
1 cup sooji (rava/semolina/suji)
1/2 cup ghee (clarified butter)
1 cup sugar
4 cups of water
Few cashewnuts and raisins (kishmish)
1. Heat a kadhai or a pan and add a little ghee. Add cashews and raisins. Toast them a little and take them out of kadhai. Keep aside.
2. Add rest of the ghee and add sooji. Roast sooji on a medium-low heat, stirring constantly. Roast till sooji turns a little brownish (not chocolate brown). Sooji should not burn.
3. Add water and sugar. Mix and cover the kadhai. Let it cook on a medium-low heat till all the water is absorbed. Mix in cashews and raisins. Turn off the heat and let it stand for a few minutes, covered.
4. Uncover, take out in a bowl and serve sooji halwa hot.

Til ki Barfi

Diwali is approaching fast and you can make this til ki barfi for your near and dear ones. This barfi is easy to prepare and doesn't take too much prep time. You can also garnish this barfi with chopped, unsalted pistachios. The choice is totally your's.

Recipe of til ki barfi

1 cup til

1 cup khoya (mawa) - grated

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 tsp elaichi (cardamom powder)

Few cashew nuts- chopped

1 tsp ghee (clarified butter)

How to make til ki barfi

1. Heat 1 tsp ghee in a kadhai (heavy bottomed vessel) and roast cashew pieces in it till reddish brown. Drain and take out from kadhai.

2. In the same kadhai, add til and roast on medium-low heat stirring continuously. Roast till til begin to splutter and attain slightly brownish colour. Take til out of kadhai.

3. In the same kadhai, add grated khoya and roast on medium-low heat till khoya turns a little brownish. Take out from kadhai.

4. In a big bowl or any big utensil, mix khoya, til, powdered sugar and cashews.

5. Grease a big plate with few drops of ghee (clarified butter) and spread the til-khoya mixture evenly. Level with a big spoon.

6. Allow it to cool down for 15-20 minutes. Then cut it into squares or diamonds.

7. Let it harden for 2 hours.

8. Remove til ki barfi from plate with the help of a knife. You can eat it right away or store in the fridge for later use.

Coconut (Nariyal) Ladoo

coconut ladoo

This festive season, make everyone's favorite coconut ladoo at home and win over your family's hearts. These coconut ladoos are very not just tasty but very easy to put together.
Recipe of coconut ladoo
200 gm grated coconut (fresh or frozen)
200 gm khoya (mawa) -grated
200 gm powdered sugar
1/2 tsp elaichi (green cardamom) powder
How to make coconut ladoo
1. Put a kadhai (heavy bottomed vessel) on heat and put grated khoya in it. Turn the heat to low.
2. Cook, stirring, till khoya turns a little brownish.
3. Add grated coconut and cook stirring for few minutes.
4. Add powdered sugar and elaichi powder and mix well. Turn off the heat and take out the coconut mixture on a big plate.
5. Allow this mixture to cool down till it is comfortable to touch but still warm.
6. Using your hands, make ping pong size balls from it. These are now called coconut ladoo. Keep them in fridge for 1 hour so that they get tightened. You can eat these ladoo right away or store them in fridge for later use. 

Sweet Pongal Recipe

sweet pongal

This is a South Indian pongal recipe which is rice and lentil dessert made on the festive occasion of Pongal. This is sweet pongal recipe with jaggery, also known as chakra pongal or chakkara pongal. Some recipes use sugar in place of jaggery, then it is known as 'Sakkarai Pongal' as sugar is known as sakkarai in Tamil. Sweet pongal is more popular in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh of South India.

Recipe of sweet pongal

1 1/2 cup rice

1/2 cup dhuli moong dal (split, skinless green gram)

2 1/2 cup milk

2 cups gur (jaggery)

1/2 cup ghee (clarified butter)

2 tbsp raisins (kishmish)

2 tbsp cashew nuts (kaju)

1/2 tsp elaichi (small cardamom) powder

1. Wash rice, drain and soak rice for 1/2 an hour. Roast moong dal in a kadhai or a pan till light brown.

2. Break jaggery into small pieces and set aside.

3. Boil milk with 1 cup water in a heavy bottomed vessel like kadhai/wok.

4. Wash rice and moong dal, drain. Add to the boiled milk. Let it again come to a boil. Reduce heat and cook till rice and dal cook completely, mixing continuously. It will take around 15 minutes or so.

5. Add jaggery pieces and cook mixing so that jaggery doesn't stick to the vessel. When gur melts completely, add half of the ghee and cook on low heat for 5 minutes, stirring.

6. Heat remaining half of the ghee and roast raisins and cashews. Add this to the pongal.

7. Add elaichi powder and mix well. Serve sweet pongal warm.

Dhaniya Panjiri Prasad Recipe

radha krishna

Dhaniya panjiri is made especially on birthday of Lord Krishna, that is Janmashtami. This panjiri is offered to the lord and then taken as a prasad. Some people also do the process of roasting dhaniya seeds and then grinding them but this is an easier and fast method. Dhaniya panjiri is also known as 'dhaniya kassar'.

Recipe of dhaniya panjiri prasad for Janmashtami

1 cup dhaniya (dhania/coriander) powder

1/2 cup grinded sugar or boora

Few chopped nuts like almonds and cashew nuts

1 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)

dhaniya panjiri

1. Heat ghee in a kadhai and roast dhaniya powder. Take out of kadhai.

2. Mix grinded sugar and chopped nuts in the roasted dhania powder.

3. Your dhaniya panjiri is ready. You can also add chopped cucumber and chopped fruits like banana, apple, orange and grapes to the panjiri.

Rice Kheer (Pudding)

rice kheer

Rice kheer or chawal ki kheer is one of the most popular desserts of Indian Subcontinent. It is even offered as prasad. It’s very delicious and my family prefers it chilled. So after the kheer reaches room temperature, we refrigerate it.

Recipe of rice kheer (payasam)

1 liter milk

1/4 cup rice

1/4 tsp elaichi (cardamom) powder

4-5 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp almonds (blanched and slivered)

1 tbsp kewra water (optional)

1. Soak the rice for 1/2 an hour. Drain.

2. In a heavy bottomed pan, bring the milk to boil. Add rice and lower heat.

3. Cook stirring in between till rice is cooked and kheer thickens. Cook till the desired consistency is reached.

4. Add sugar and cook stirring till sugar dissolves. Turn off heat and add almonds and cardamom powder. When the kheer has cooled down somewhat, add kewra water. Serve rice kheer hot or cold.

kesari kheer

Sukhe Kale Chane (Dry Black Chickpeas)

sukhe kale chane

Sukhe kale chane ki recipe comes straight from my mom's kitchen. It brings back memories of childhood days when she used to prepare them on ashtami along with puri and sooji ka halwa for kanjak. It was to be distributed to the little girls who used to visit us on this day.

Recipe sukhe kale chane

2 cups kale chane (black chickpeas)

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp coriander powder

1/2 tsp garam masala powder

1/2 tsp amchoor (dried mango powder)

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1 tbsp oil

1. Soak kale chane overnight, drain. Place kala chana along with enough water and salt in a pressure cooker. Let 1 whistle come, then turn the heat to medium. Pressure cook for 20 minutes in total. When the pressure drops down, open and strain. You can have the remaining chana water as soup as it is very nutritious.

2. Heat oil in a kadhai or a pan and add cumin seeds. When they change color, add kale chane and all the spices. Roast for 4-5 minutes on a medium heat, uncovered. Turn off the heat and garnish sukhe kale chane with coriander leaves.

Kassar

kassar

Kassar is an after prayer offering to devotees in mainly Northern parts of India. This is a sweet offering given in both Hindu temples and homes. Kassar is dry with various fruits added to it and is usually offered with charnamrit. It is mainly made on Purnima (full moon day).

Recipe of kassar

2 cups atta (whole wheat flour)

4 tblsp ghee (clarified butter)

3/4 cup boora (castor sugar or grinded sugar)

2-3 green cardamoms- powdered

1 tblsp desiccated coconut

1 tsp tulsi (basil) leaves

Mixed chopped fruits like apple, banana, orange segments

1. Heat ghee in a wok or a kadhai. Add wheat flour and turn the heat to medium- low. Roast it till it becomes golden brown and a distinct aroma start coming out of it much similar to baking. Turn off the heat.

2. Mix cardamom powder and allow the flour to cool. Add boora, coconut, tulsi leaves and fruits. Mix well and offer kassar along with charnamrit.

Charnamrit

charnamrit

Charnamrit is a sweet drink offered after hindu prayer meetings both in temples and at home. 'Charan' means feet and 'amrit' means nectar from God's feet. I am sharing here the simple recipe of this divine drink called ‘charnamrit’.

Recipe of charnamrit

200 ml cold milk

1 tbsp curd (yogurt/ dahi)

1 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp honey

1-2 tsp Ganga jal (holy water from river Ganges)

1 tsp basil (tulsi) leaves

1. Take milk in a bowl and mix sugar. Stir in rest of the ingredients. Remember to just stir and not beat. Curd appear in the form of lumps in this drink. Offer 1 tablespoon charnamrit to each devotee after prayers or pooja.

Atte ka Halwa (Wheat Flour Halwa)

atte ka halwa

Atte ka halwa is one of my favorite halwas. It's very delicious and while preparing it, don't skimp on ghee or water otherwise you may end up getting lumps. Atte ka halwa is an any time dessert since atta or wheat flour is available at all times in most Indian households.

Recipe of atte ka halwa

1 cup atta (whole wheat flour)

3/4 cup ghee (clarified butter)

3/4 cup sugar

3 1/2 cups of water

Chopped and toasted nuts for garnishing

1. Heat ghee in a heavy bottomed vessel (kadhai). Add atta and roast it till it turns brownish.

2. While roasting atta, heat water in a separate pan and add sugar to it. Let it come to boil and cook till sugar melts completely.

3. Add sugar mixed water or syrup (chashni) to the roasted atta. Cook stirring, till water gets completely absorbed. Turn off heat. Take out atte ka halwa in a serving bowl and garnish with nuts like cashew nuts, raisins and almonds.

Besan ka Halwa (Chickpea Flour Halwa)

besan ka halwa

Besan ka halwa is something I always relish whether I am satiated or hungry. I always enjoy besan in whatever form it is whether besan ladoo, besan burfi or halwa. It's a sort of comfort food.

Recipe of besan ka halwa

1 cup besan (gram flour/chickpea flour)

1/2 cup ghee (clarified butter)

3/4 cup sugar

2 cups of water

1/2 tsp cardamom (elaichi) powder

Chopped and fried nuts like almonds, cashews and pistachios

1. Heat ghee in a heavy bottomed vessel (kadhai). Add besan and roast on medium-low heat. Keep stirring while roasting and roast till brownish.

2. Add water, sugar and cardamom powder. Keep cooking till water dries up.

3. Remove from heat and serve hot besan ka halwa garnished with nuts.