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.

Microwave Masala Peanuts

microwave masala peanuts

Earlier I made a blog post of masala peanuts in microwave. This time I tried making microwave masala peanuts in a different way. You can try both ways to find out which suits you better. This is a low calorie guilt free snack since it uses very less oil. I find them better than store bought ones coz they are not deep fried.

Recipe of microwave masala peanuts

1 cup peanuts (moongphali)

Slightly less than 1/4 cup besan (gram flour/chickpea flour)

3/4 tsp salt or to taste

1/2 tsp red chilli powder (cayenne pepper)

1/2 tsp chaat masala

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

Oil to grease and drizzle

1. Take peanuts in a strainer (chalni) and wash under running water so that all peanuts are wet. Shake off excess water.

2. Mix besan and all the spices and salt.

3. Mix spiced besan with wet peanuts such that all peanuts are coated with besan.

4. Grease a microwave safe plate and arrange peanuts on it. Drizzle some oil on the peanuts.

5. Microwave them on a High for 4 minutes. Take out and wait for 10 minutes for it to cool down. Your crispy crunchy masala peanuts are ready. Store them in an airtight container.

Quick Microwave Besan Ladoo

besan ladoo

Microwave besan ladoo is a very easy and quick substitute for traditional ladoos in kadhai. You don't have to go for endless stirring lest the besan burns. You can get accolades without going through the grind. They taste absolutely great and you cannot tell the difference between microwave besan ladoo and those made the traditional way.

Recipe of microwave besan ladoo

2 cups besan (gram flour)

1 cup ghee (clarified butter)

1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

4-5 pods hari elaichi (green cardamom) - crushed

2 tbsp chopped nuts like almonds, cashew nuts and raisins

1. In a microwave safe bowl, mix besan and ghee.

2. Microwave on High for 6 minutes. First stir after 2 minutes, then after 2 minutes, then after 1 minute, then after 30 seconds till you get desired brownness. Let it cool.

3. Add powdered sugar, cardamom powder and chopped nuts.

4. While the besan mixture is still warm and comfortable to touch, make ping pong size balls using your hands. These are now called besan ka ladoo. Store besan ladoos in an airtight container. 

Namak Pare (Crispy Salties)

namak pare

Sometimes I like to enjoy my evening tea with homemade namak pare or mathri. Namak pare or namak para is a traditional Indian savory snack which is also loved by kids. When you get tired of ready made namkeens, you tend to remember how your mother or grand mother used to make these goodies at home with which you stuff yourself while playing. Once you get the hang of it, namak pare is not difficult to make at home.

Recipe of namak pare

2 cups maida (all purpose flour/ refined flour)

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp oil + for deep frying

1 tsp ajwain (carom seeds)

1/4 tsp baking soda

namak pare cut

1. Mix maida, ajwain, salt and baking soda in a bowl. Add 2 tbsp oil and mix with your hands. Rub between your fingers so that maida is well coated with oil.

2. Using warm water, knead all purpose flour into a stiff dough. Let the dough rest for 1/2 an hour.

3. Take a ball out of the dough and roll out on a lightly oiled surface into a round.

4. Cut into 1/2 inch strips lengthwise and then 1/2 inch across to get diamond shaped pieces or you can cut them in squares. Do the same with rest of the dough.

5. Heat sufficient oil in a kadhai/wok or a frying pan and deep fry these namak pare on medium heat. Fry till golden from both sides. Also fry in batches.

6. Store namak pare after they completely cool down, in an airtight container. They stay fresh for weeks.

Gujia Recipe

gujia

Gujia is synonymous with Holi in Northern parts of India. Holi is said to be incomplete without gujia. Here I am sharing the recipe of gujiya with khoya or mawa. Enjoy!

Recipe of Gujia/ gujiya (makes about 50 gujia)

4 cup maida (all purpose flour)

2 cup khoya (mawa)

1/2 cup ghee (clarified butter)

Ghee or oil for deep frying

2 cup powdered sugar or boora

Mixed nuts like cashews, raisins (kishmish), chironji - 20 gms each

1. Roast khoya in a kadhai on a low heat till pinkish brown. Stir constantly while roasting. Take out in a plate and allow to cool.

2. Add chopped cashew nuts, raisins and chironji in the khoya. Also add powdered sugar. Mix well. This is your filling for gujia.

3. In a bowl, take maida and add melted 1/2 cup ghee. Rub with your fingers so that ghee coats the maida well. Add water little by little and knead maida into stiff dough. Set aside for 1/2 an hour covered with a damp cloth.

4. Divide the dough into 50 portions. While you are rolling out, let rest be covered with a damp cloth.

5. Roll out each portion into 4 inch round or puri. Place 2 tsp filling in half of the portion of the puri and apply a little water on the edges. Fold it and seal the edges by your fingers and give the edges a beautiful shape. Similarly make rest of the gujhia.

OR you can also use a gujia cast to make gujia. Place the puri in the cast, place the filling in the center, apply water on the edges and close the cast. Remove excess dough. Take out from the cast. This way you get uniformly shaped, beautiful gujiya which is also an easier way.

7. Heat ghee or oil in a kadhai and fry gujia on a low heat till golden brown. Fry in batches, about 6-7 gujia at a time, also depending on the size of your kadai. Allow to cool and after eating, store rest of the gujia in refrigerator.

Malpua Recipe (Pancake in Syrup)

malpua

Malpua is a very popular dessert prepared mainly in North India. It’s a pancake dipped in sugar syrup. Malpua is also served at wedding buffets. If you don’t want to prepare the batter with milk, you can also do it with water. In some households, malpua is made on the occasion of Holi, the festival of colors.

Recipe of malpua

2 cups maida (all purpose flour)

1/2 ltr full cream milk

2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cup water

Few almonds- blanched and sliced

200 gms ghee (clarified butter) or oil for frying

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp elaichi (green cardamom) powder

1. Reduce milk to 1/2 by heating it on medium-low heat. Stir frequently. When it's half in quantity, turn off the heat and allow to cool.

2. Sift together maida and baking powder. Add cool milk to maida and make a batter of thin, pouring consistency. Batter should be like that of pancake (chilla). Set aside for 15 minutes.

3. In the meantime, prepare sugar syrup or chashni. Boil sugar with water to 1 string consistency. To test this, dip a spoon in syrup, touch carefully with your forefinger. Press your forefinger against your thumb. When finger and thumb pull apart, a thin string should form between them. It should not be 2 or 3 strings but just 1 string.

4. Add cardamom powder to syrup and keep it warm on very low heat.

5. Heat ghee or oil in a non-stick frying pan. Drop 1 tablespoon batter in the ghee, it will spread out in a round shape. No need to try to give it a shape, it will take a round shape on its own. Fry from both sides till brown.

6. Drain out this round or malpua and place it in syrup for 15 minutes. Similarly make other malpua from rest of the batter.

7. Remove malpua from syrup and place it on a serving plate. Garnish with sliced almonds.

Besan ke Ladoo (Sweet Gram Flour Balls)

besan ke ladoo

Besan ke ladoo is an all time favorite in many Indian households. They stay fresh for many days if stored properly. This recipe is an age old recipe which passes on from one generation to the next. Besan ladoo can also be described as Indian cookie ball.

Recipe of besan ke ladoo

3 cups besan (gram flour)

1 cup powdered sugar

1 cup ghee (clarified butter)

4-5 pods green cardamom (hari elaichi) - grounded

2 tbsp chopped nuts like cashew nuts, almonds

1. Heat ghee in a kadhai (heavy bottomed pan). Add besan and roast on a low heat, stirring continuously.

2. Roast till nice aroma comes out of the pan and besan turns brownish. Take besan out of kadhai and let it cool to temperature where besan is still warm but comfortable to touch.

3. Add powdered sugar, cardamom powder and nuts. Form small balls from the mixture by your hands. These are now called besan ke ladoo or besan laddu. Store ladoos in an airtight container.

Note- Form ladoo by your hands while besan mixture is still warm.

Break any lumps that might get formed while roasting.