Category: Sweets

Naivedhyams/ Festival Offerings. · Sweets

Rich in Flavour – Quick Jackfruit Payasam – Neivedhyam for Avani Avittam.

Shoba6 Comments

As always mentioned, I have an eternal love affair with the jackruit. I simply love the aroma it brings and the sweetness of the fruit revealed in its aroma. Everytime I visit Chicago, I make it a point to buy these juicy bulbs and enjoy them back home, simply eating them and getting back to heaven for a fleeting instant!  This time around, I wanted to make this payasam with this sweet fruit and offer it as Neivedhyam to the Lord. It is a very simple preparation that hardly takes more than ten minutes…

INGREDIENTS:

10 numbers of ripe jackfruit bulbs.

2 Cups Milk.

1/4 Cup Light Coconut Milk. (Optional)

2 Tsp Fresh Coconut grated.

1/4 Cup Sugar.

1 Tsp Cardamom Crushed.

Handful of broken cashews.

Pinch of Saffron Strands.

PREPARATION:

  • Warm 1/2 cup of milk + 1/4 Cup Coconut Milk in the microwave. Soak the cashews and saffron strands in them and let them sit.
  • Wash the jackfruit bulbs clean and cook them in a little water for a few minutes, over the stove top.
  • Grind the cooked jackfruit with a little milk. Set aside.
  • In the same mixer jar, add the fresh coconut and the soaked cashew pieces. Grind to a smooth paste using little milk. Take care to grind the cashew and coconut well before adding all the milk that you have used to soak the cashews. When you use that much milk to grind, it only causes spillage and does not ensure the smooth grinding of the coconut.
  • In a heavy kadai, add the ground cashew coconut paste, jackfruit paste, remaining milk, sugar and crushed cardamom powder and allow to boil.
  • If you feel that the payasam consistency is a little thick, add a little more whole/2% milk to temper it.
  • Switch off when it comes to a boil and serve hot or chilled.

Naivedhyams/ Festival Offerings. · Sweets

Festival Neivethyams – Thiruvadharai Kali.

Shoba13 Comments

Thiruvadharai Kali.

Thirivadharai Kali is one of the most simple of all the neivethyams. It is made with the everyday ingredients available in the pantry. It is also a very healthy option for snack as its made out of rice thats beaten, dry roasted and then steam cooked. Jaggery which is the other ingredient is also a healthy addition to this simple and wholesome preparation.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup of raw rice.

1/4 cup of raw moong dal.

1 cup of Jaggery grated.

3 cups of Water.

Ground Cardamom Powder.

Handful of Broken cashew.

1/4 cup of Fresh Coconut.

PREPARATION:

  • Measure out the cupful of raw rice and put it in a dry kadai. Keep the flame on medium high and roast it until the rice turns a dull red. Another indication is the pleasant aroma of roasted rice. Set aside.
  • Now follow the same procedure with the raw moong.
  • Allow the roasted rice and moong to cool down and then transfer to a mixer.
  • Powder the rice and the moong to a coarse consistency. It should not be ground fine. Set aside in an air-tight container to keep any moisture from getting in the powder.
  • Keep fresh coconut and ground cardamom powder ready.
  • In a kadai pour the water and wait for it to come to a slow boil.
  • Now pour the jaggery, powdered rice and moong in to the water and whisk it to dissolve all the lumps.
  • In a few seconds, it will cook in the water just like rava upma.  Remove from the stove and transfer to a vessel.
  • Add enough water in the pressure cooker and steam cook with weight up to two whistles.
  • When done, remove from cooker and allow to cool. Use your hands and roughly break the clumps to form a wet sand like consistency.
  • In another kadai, add a spoon of ghee and roast cashews.
  • Add the kali in to the kadai and saute for a few minutes.
  • Add powdered cardamom and fresh coconut and mix well.
  • Offer prepared Thiruvadharai Kali to the Lord.
Naivedhyams/ Festival Offerings. · Snacks & Tiffin Items · Sweets

Navarathri Neivedhyam Day 7 – Sweet Black Eyed Beans Sundal. (Vellai Karamani Vella Sundal)

Shoba4 Comments
Sweet Black Eye Beans Sundal.
Sweet Black Eye Beans Sundal.

Today being friday, my daughter wanted a repetition of the Sweet Sundal so we made the Black Eyed Beans cooked in jaggery. This is made very similar to the Sweet Green Gram Dal Sundal that I had previously posted.

HINTS:

Soak the Black Eyed Beans in water for at least 4-5 hours prior to preparation of Sundal.

Cook in the pressure cooker until you get one whistle and then reduce the heat and cook in LOW for ten minutes and then switch off.

Drain in the colander to remove any excess water and keep ready.

Follow the same procedure as in the Green Gram Dal Sundal.

Naivedhyams/ Festival Offerings. · Sweets

Navarathri Neivedhyam Day 5 – Sweet & Succulent Gulab Jamuns.

Shoba9 Comments

Today was Sri Chakra Pooja at the local temple and I had been wanting to witness one for some time now. Today also happens to be my mother`s birthday. So I wanted to make some thing sweet for her, as well as offer some thing to Devi. I am not sure if this is very apt as a Neivedhyam for Goddess Parvathy, but this is what I made nevertheless.

The posting for Gulab Jamuns can be found here in my earlier posting.

Navarathri Neivedhyam Day 5 - Sweet Gulab Jamuns.
Navarathri Neivedhyam Day 5 - Sweet Gulab Jamuns.
Sweets

Ten Minute Ellu Urundai – Sesame Laddoo.Indian Cooking Challenge – August.

Shoba14 Comments
Ellu Urundai
Ellu Urundai

Sesame seeds have been one of the most commonly available ingredient in our pantry. It has been a very deglamourised spice in my home. Since I assosciate the spice with one served in the “Shradham” offerings, I never had much of an interest in it anyway. The ICC gave me an opportunity to relook at this sweet with a whole new angle. I have to thanks Srivalli for the same. I had never known it would be offered as Neivedhyam for Vinayaka Chathurthi. I also looked up the health benefits and found that it is a rich source of copper, manganese and calcium.

Since the sesame seeds are high in oil content its important to store them properly else they turn rancid . This is the reason why sesame seeds are sold in small quantities. One has to make sure that there is no water content at the time of purchase. Once the cover has  been opened for use, its is better to store in an air tight container inside the refrigerator.

This has been the easiest of the sweets to be prepared for Neivedhyam to Vinayaka. Here is the simple illustration.

INGREDIENTS:

100 gms of Black Sesame Seeds.

3 Tbsp of Grated jaggery.

PREPARATION:

  • Take a dry kadai and roast the sesame seeds until you get the aroma of the sesame. They will also start to crackle.
  • Set aside to cool.
  • Grate 3 tbsp of jaggery and keep aside.
  • In a mixer add the dry roasted sesame and the grated jaggery and give it a quick spin.
  • The resulting aroma is very pleasant and sweet.
  • Transfer contents to a plate and make little balls with your hands. The oil emanated from the sesame and the slight warmth itself assists in the shaping of the balls.
  • Offer to Lord Ganesha and enjoy delicious Ellu Urundai.
Lord Ganesha after the Pooja.
Lord Ganesha after the Pooja.
Naivedhyams/ Festival Offerings. · Snacks & Tiffin Items · Sweets

Vella Kozhukattai/Sweet Modhakas ( Steamed rice balls with jaggery coconut filling)

Shoba18 Comments
Ganesh Chathurthi Offerings – Sweet Kozhukattai, Uppu Kozhukattai, Ammini Kozhukattai, Sundal and Vella Aval

 

The Vella Kozhukattais or the sweet modhakas is an all time favourite of mine since I was a little girl. When I was a little girl, we lived in a big joint family so any festival was celebrated  with lots of fun and fanfare. Every year for Vinayaka Chathurthi, Madurai amma would make us the outer dough for us to work on and my sister D and me would make little cups out of the dough, fill it with the “Poornam” and arrange it neatly in little idli plates for steaming. Although we would be longing to eat the neivedhyam, we would have to wait until the entire pooja was over and we would get only 3 or 4.Mum would always promise me that she would make it for us on another day so we could have it to our heart`s content. Of course, that day would never come until the next Vinayaka Chathurthi the next  year…

Now, my daughter S loves them so much that I decided to make it whenever possible, as often as I can. For instance every month for Sankatahara Chathurthi to offer it as Neivedhyam to the Lord. Sankatahara Chathurthi  is an auspicious day dedicated to Lord Ganesha in a traditional Hindu lunar month. It falls during the waning phase of the moon – fourth day after the full moon. Staunch Ganesha devotees observe a fast  on the day.Fasting on Sankatahara Chaturthi begins at sunrise and ends after evening puja or after sighting the moon. Ganesh Temples conduct special pujas on the day.It is widely believed by Ganesha devotees that observing Sankashta Chaturthi will bring material progress, happiness and fulfillment of desires.

INGREDIENTS:

Kozhukattai Outer Dough.

1 cup of fresh grated coconut.

3/4 – 1 cup of grated jaggery (Depending on brand, degree of sweetness etc)

1 tsp of powdered cardamom.

1 tbsp of milk.( If needed)

2-3 tbsp of water.

PREPARATION:

  • Always prepare the poornams or filling ahead as the outer dough has to be made last just before consolidating the Kozhukattais.
  • In a kadai add the jaggery and very little water about 2  Tbsp and 1 tbsp milk and allow to melt.
  • When the jaggery is well melted add the fresh grated coconut and mix well.
  • Also put in the powdered cardamom and stir in well until the mixture leaves the sides.
  • I prefer to make my poornam a little thicker by keeping it on the stove for a longer time to enable me to make them in to balls.
  • Cool the poornam filling and  it will be easier for you roll  them in to little balls.
  •  

  • Keep the Kozhukattai outer dough prepared and ready as per instructions here . Keep it covered under a moist cloth and over that a lid to preserve the moisture and the warmth.
  • Create an assembly line with the Poornam balls, outer dough, greased idli plates and a small cup having 2-3 spoons of coconut oil.
  • Keep everything ready before you start as the outer dough should never dry out.
  • Grease your palms with coconut oil and then take a ball of the outer dough and smoothen it between your palms.
  • Make a little depression with your thumb and make it in to the shape of a diya with smooth sides.

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  • Fill the depression with the coconut jaggery poornam,  and close the edges and seal it with your fingers.
  • Continue until you finish the poornam filling.
  • Ready to be steamed
    Ready to be steamed
  • If you have the outer dough left over, you can add a little more salt and make delicious Ammini Kozhukattais.
  • Arrange all the prepared modhakams for steaming on the greased idli plate.
  • Steam it in the pressure cooker for 10 – 12 minutes just as you would do with idlis.
  • Remove from steam, transfer to a casserole or container and enjoy after offering it to Lord Ganesha.
  • Wishing all my readers a very Happy Vinayaka Chathurthi.

HINT:

  1. If your sweet poornam/filling is not as thick as you would like it to be, dont fret. Allow it to sit on the stove for a couple of minutes more and add 1 spoon or two of wheat flour. This will bind them together.
  2. Another option is to make rough balls and pop them in to the refrigerator for a few minutes. This will automatically firm them up.
  3. Before steaming the prepared Modhakas, keep them covered as if they exposed to the air etc, they get dry and crack up. This might render the  poornam to seep out during steaming.

 

Naivedhyams/ Festival Offerings. · Sweets

Coconut & Milk Rice Payasam.

Shoba12 Comments

Coconut & Milk Rice Payasam.
Coconut & Milk Rice Payasam.

Coconuts are always a delicacy for me and we are pretty lavish in our preparations on festivals and Neivedhyams. When I wanted to prepare a Payasam for Avani Avittam, I had to decide between Paruppu Payasam and then a rice based payasam. One of my mom`s favourites has been the simple Cooker Payasam cooked in a pressure cooker with simply rice and milk. Today I wanted to add another ingredient and make the kheer more richer and tastier. I was also enthused on seeing Viji Jeyakumar`s Rice Coconut Payasam and wanted to try something similar. The ensuing dish was extremely tasty and delicious and my husband actually had a second helping of it!!!

The ingredients are simple and wholesome and available in your pantry at all times.  One suggestion is to use natural and fresh ingredients alone, as the taste is distinctive  and particularly delectable.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups of Whole milk.

1/3 cup of light coconut milk.

1/2 cup of fresh grated coconut.

1/3 cup of Raw Rice.

1/2 cup of grated jaggery.

Powdered Cardamom Seeds.

3 spoons of ghee.

Cashews.

Raisins.

Saffron Strands for garnishing.

PREPARATION:

  • Soak the rice for about 30 minutes and when done pulse in the mixer for a few seconds.
  • To the mixer, add the grated coconut, elaichi  and the coconut milk and grind to a paste. The rice kernels will be coarsely ground and that is perfect texture for the payasam.
  • Pour this in to a heavy bottomed vessel, add the 2 cups of milk and allow the rice to slowly cook  in the rich milk mixture.
  • Maintain the flame on medium low and keep stirring the vessel with a whisk. It will slowly thicken.
  • Meanwhile, add the grated jaggery to a vessel and pour just enough water for it to be dissolved.
  • Keep on the flame and when melted add it to the milk mixture in the heavy vessel.
  • Stir for a few more minutes until the desired consistency is reached.
  • In a seasoning ladle, add ghee, and fry cashews and rasins and add to the payasam.
  • Garnish with saffron strands.

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Naivedhyams/ Festival Offerings. · Sweets

Succulent Gulab Jamuns.

Shoba18 Comments

Succulent Gulab Jamuns.
Succulent Gulab Jamuns.

Gulab Jamuns should probably be one of the most popular and easy to make sweets with the current variety of mixes and fast fix instructions. There are a myraid of brands which offer the Gulab Jamun mixes, like Orkay, MTR, Gits, Ashirwaad etc. Some how my favourite has always been Orkay and Gits. Since Gits is more easily available in the U.S, its a sweet I make in a jiffy.

Diwali during my student days was always a flurry of activities like making Mixture, Ribbon Pakoda, Laddoo, Badam Halwa, and Gulab Jamuns amoung other things. Making the jamuns was some thing that amma would leave entirely to me….At that time Archana Sweets in T.Nagar, became very popular and introduced the Kala Jamun. I guess it was a variant of the regular jamuns, only denser in taste and not dripping in sugar syrup. Mom would buy it for us and we would enjoy it at home, nevertheless, there is a particular joy in partaking of sweets borne of out one`s one labour and preparation.

This week was my husband`s birthday and my daughter wanted me to make it for him. ….Secretly I knew, she wanted to have it so I immediately indulged her in this sweet temptation. This goes to those novices who are out there, trying this for the first time….Enjoy!!!

INGREDIENTS:

Gits Gulab Jamun Mix.

1 spoon sour cream.

3 spoons of water.

1 1/2 cup of sugar dissolved in 2 cups of water.

Pinch of Rose Essence.

Pinch of Cardamom Powder.

Saffron Strands.

PREPARATION:

  • The secret of this sweet is in the mixing of the dough. Empty contents of packet in to  a bowl. Mostly the instructions are to measure out the amount of powder and use 1/4`th of that quantity of water. In this case, all you need to use is a spoon of sour cream or thick yoghurt and then 2-3 spoons of water.
  • Make the dough in to a thick ball and keep covered for 10 minutes.
  • Now grease your palm and make little balls and set aside covered.
  • Meanwhile dissolve the sugar in the water and place it on the stove .
  • Add rose water, cardamom powder and allow to boil for about ten minutes and switch off.
  • Meanwhile add sufficient oil in a kadai and allow to the oil to heat well.

Frying in the oil.
Frying in the oil.

  • Slowly roll in the gulab jamun balls and aloow to fry the balls in oil.
  • Now set the fried jamuns in a little bowl for them to cool off for a few seconds.

Allow to cool for a couple seconds.
Allow to cool for a couple seconds.

  • Slowly add the fried jamuns in to the rose syrup and allow it to soak before serving it to your guests.
  • Makes 20 gulab jamuns.
  • ENJOY!!!

Jamuns in Sugar Syrup.
Jamuns in Sugar Syrup.

Serving Suggestion based on popular demand!!! – Hot Jamuns with Vanilla Ice Cream….Oh yes!  and let the fun times begin!!!

Jamuns with Vanilla Ice Cream.
Jamuns with Vanilla Ice Cream.

Sweets

“Indian Baklava” with coconut jaggery filling.

Shoba5 Comments

Indian Baklava
Indian Baklava

In my previous post on the lovely greek pastry Baklava, I had filled with the mixture of nuts. butter and honey and filled it in sheets of phyllo dough, plastered to each other with melted butter. The end result of course was golden colured baklavas, fragrant from the oven with the whole aroma of fresh nuts and honey. I still had the phyllo sheets and I did not want to waste them. They are extremely delicate and I wanted to try out the hybrid of steamed modhaka filling inside the baklava…This effort of mine did just that…took my experiences to a whole new level…Coconut and Jaggery, isnt that a winning combination???

INGREDIENTS:

6 sheets of phyllo dough

1/4 cup of dessicated coconut.

1/4 cup of jaggery

A pinch of cardamom powder.

2 spoons of melted butter.

PREPARATION:

  • In a kadai, add the coconut and jaggery together and stir well. As the jaggery melts, it forms a homogenous mass. This should approximately take around 5-6 minutes.
  • Make sure that it doesnt to get too solidified as this would spoil the chewiness of the end product.  Cover and set aside.
  • Melt around 2 tsp of butter.  Take the phyllo dough very carefully as they are extremely thin.Use a dry working surface and spread out one sheet of the dough. Slowly brush this sheet with butter and place the second sheet on the face of the first and lightly press it so they stick together.
  • Repeat with brushing the melted butter on the second phyllo dough and slowly place the third sheet on the second. Care should be taken while working with phyllo dough as they tear very easily. Continue until all the 6 sheets are pressed and stacked  firmly on one another.
  • Alternatively, you could use Pam Butter Spray, to spray on the sheets so that each of the sheet sticks to the one below it.

Baklavas filled with coconut jaggery filling.
Baklavas filled with coconut jaggery filling.

  • Cut the sheets in to 16 equal rectangles. Take one rectangle and place a spoon of the coconut jaggery filling, and close it, like you would do a veggie puff. Make sure to seal the edges also with melted butter or butter spray. Make sure that the filling does not creep out as this would burn easily in the oven and the final taste would not be one that you had bargained for.
  • Preheat the oven to 350 F and place the filled baklava pastries on to the cookie sheet.

dsc00092

  • Bake for 13-15 mins depepnding on the power of the oven until they are a lovely golden colour
  • Serve warm with drizzled honey. This would typically make 16 baklavas!!!


Sweets

Microwave 10 Minute Apple Payasam (Apple Kheer)

Shoba10 Comments

Quick Apple Payasam.
Quick Apple Payasam.

When I saw Jayasree`s posting announcing the Microwave Easy Cooking Event – Puddings, I really got thinking as to the kind of recipe I had to submit for the same.  Instantly, my eyes fell on the ripe apples that I had bought at a farmer`s market this weekend…Incidentally, I also had apple butter, that I had purchased from “My Grandpa`s Farm” at Katy Trail, Augusta, MO. So I decided on quick fix microwaved version of my Apple Payasam. An apple a day keeps the doctor away is an old adage…but many times when I think back, I appreciate the truth behind such a saying and find that there are scientific evidences  for this claim. Apples promotes digestion, cleans and strengthens gums, reduces the risk of certain types of cancer, lowers cholestrol and detoxifies the body. With all these inputs, lets proceed to Apple Kingdom!!!

INGREDIENTS:

1 ripe apple chopped in to pieces.

2 spoons Apple Butter/Apple Sauce.

3/4 cup 2% Reduced Fat Milk.

1/4 cup Condensed Milk.

1/2 cup Brown Sugar.

2 spoons Coconut Milk or Heavy Cream.

Cashews

Saffron Strands dissolved in milk.

A pinch of Cardamom

PREPARATION:

  • Pop the chopped apples in the microwave on HIGH for 3 mins and allow to cool.
  • Grind the apples with 2 spoons of coconut milk or heavy cream.
  • Add this ground apple puree to a large microwave safe mixing bowl.
  • From the 3/4 cup of milk, draw out a little to soak the saffron strands.
  • Add apple butter, milk, condensed milk,saffron milk and sugar to the pureed apples in the bowl and mix well.
  • Microwave on HIGH for ten minutes. After 7 mins, remove from microwave and add powdered cardamom.
  • Replace the bowl back in to the microwave and complete the remaining 3 minutes.
  • The milk should have slightly thickened to a “kheer” consistency. Depending on the make of the microwave, the capacity, power supply and the size of the container, this time could vary by about 2 mins ahead or after.
  • On personal preference, I like my kheer a little thick, so If you still want a little more thickness, pop it in the microwave for a couple mins more.
  • In a little glass dish, add 2 spoons of ghee and cashews and microwave it on HIGH for 1 minute. When its roasted well emitting fragrant aroma, add this to the kheer.
  • Sprinkle more saffron strands for a pretty garnish.
  • Serve HOT or CHILLED!!!

Sending this chilled bowl of Apple Kheer to the Microwave Easy Cooking Event – Puddings hosted by Jayasree of Kailas Kitchens

and Srivalli of Cooking4allseasons. meclogo_pud