KUTI

INGREDIENTS

• 250 gms - wheat flour
• 200 gms - rock sugar (misri) ground
• 200 gms - ghee
• 1 tbsp - almonds, chopped in slivers
• 1/2 tsp - cardamom powder

• METHOD
• Sieve the wheat flour through a fine mesh.
• Put ghee in a pan, add flour.
• Stir fry till flour is pinkish in colour and aroma exudes.
• Allow to cool to room temperature.
• Mix together roasted flour, sugar, cardamom powder and almonds.
• Press down in an airtight container, and cool very well before storing shut.
• Serve cooled

KANAO

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tbsp - wheat flour
• 4 tbsp - ghee
• 3/4 cup - sugar
• 1/4 tsp - elaichi powder
• 3 cups - water
• 3 tbsp - chopped almonds

• METHOD
• Heat ghee in a pan.
• Add flour and roast on slow fire, stirring continuously.
• Side by side add sugar to water and keep to boil.
• When the flour becomes a golden brown, add the boiling sweet water.
• Stir gently and continuously till excess water evaporates and the ghee separates.
• Add elaichi powder.
• Decorate with chopped almonds.
• Serve hot .

COCONUT LADDOO

INGREDIENTS

• 1 can condensed milk
• 2 cups of dessicated coconut
• 1 tablespoon sugar

• METHOD
• Mix the condensed milk and the coconut in a bowl.
• Add the sugar and stir on a low flame for about 4 minutes.
• Set aside till the mixture has slightly cooled down.
• Shape into laddoos(small round balls).
• Roll each laddoo in a little dessicated coconut.
• Store in airtight jars

LAYERED SONDESH

INGREDIENTS

• 1 litre milk preboiled and top cream removed
• 1/2 tsp. citric acid orjuice of 1 lemon
• 2 tsp. cornflour
• 1/2 cup sugar ground fine
• 1/8 tsp. pista essence of choice
• 1/8 tsp. orange essence of choice
• few drops colour (orange and green) to match essence flavour
• For topping:
• 1 tsp. slivered pistas and almonds
• 1/4 tsp. cardamom powder
• Small moulds of choice

• METHOD
• Dissolve acid or lemon juice in 1/2 cup warm water
• Put milk to boil. When it rises, pour acidic water all over it.
• Reduce heat and stir till fully curdled.
• When whey and water separate completely, remove from heat.
• Strain in clean muslin cloth.
• Hold under running water for a minute.
• Press out excess water and hang for 15 minutes (paneer is made).
• Empty the paneer in a large plate.
• Take 2 tbsp. of paneer in a heavy pan and add cornflour.
• Heat on med. flame stirring continuously for 3-4 minutes.
• Cool, add to paneer in plate, add sugar.
• Mix till very smooth.
• Make 3 parts of paneer
• Keep one part white
• In second part add green colour and pista essence
• In third essence add orange colour and essence
• Lightly grease and dust moulds with ghee and cornflour.
• Mix topping ingredients.
• Sprinkle little topping in each mould.
• First put the layer of green, then white and then orange
• Chill for 3-4 hours. Unmould carefully.
• Serve chilled in individual paper cups (optional)

ARISELU

INGREDIENTS

• 1 kg rice
• 3/4 kg jaggery (grated)
• 2 tb sps of sesame seeds
• Oil to fry

• METHOD
• Pick and wash rice.
• Soak it overnight and remove water completely (spread on a cloth for a few minutes to make sure that the rice is dry).
• Make a fine powder of it in a blender (sieve if necessary) and set aside.
• The flour should be slightly damp.
• Add one cup of water to the grated jaggery and heat it in a pan till it melts.
• Sieve to remove any unwanted stuff.
• Heat it on low flame till it becomes thick syrup (a drop of the syrup dropped in a spoon of water should make noise and become lumpy and not melt).
• Add the rice flour to it slowly and stir well.
• Remove flame and make sure that no lumps are formed.
• When slightly cool make big lime size balls of it.
• Heat oil in a thick bottom pan/wok.
• Pat each ball into a thin, round and flat disc on a banana leaf or a plastic sheet and dab it with a few sesame seeds.
• Fry each one in oil on low flame till deep brown and remove.
• To remove the oil completely, place it between two flat ladles and press.
• Repeat the procedure till the dough is over.
• When cool store them.
• They last for more than two weeks.

KAJJI KAAYALU

INGREDIENTS

• For the filling
• 100 gms `endu kobbari koru'/ grated dry coconut
• 75 gms jaggery / sugar (powdered)
• 8 to 10 cardomoms peeled and powdered
• 1 tsp khus khus
• 1 tsp poppy seeds
• 25 gms roasted cashew nuts
• 10 grms raisins
• 2 tbsps roasted groundnuts
• Oil to fry
• For Covering
• 150 gms maida
• 1 tsp ghee (neyyi)

• METHOD
• Add melted ghee to maida and mix well.
• Make dough of it adding enough water and leave it covered for an hour.
• Mix all the filling ingredients and set aside.
• Knead the dough and make it into small lime size balls.
• Roll them like `poories' - thin, flat and round.
• Place one and a half tablespoons of the prepared filling on the left side of the `poorie' and fold the other side over and press the ends together securely.
• You may cut the edge with the serrated edge of a knife or with the other end of a spoon to make it look decorative.
• Repeat the procedure till the filling is over.
• Heat oil in a thick pan / wok and fry two or three at a time till golden brown and remove.
• Stored in air tight containers they easily last for a couple of weeks.

SWEET PONGAL

INGREDIENTS

• 1 Cup rice
• 1/3 Cup green gram dal
• 1 1/2 Cups powdered jaggery
• 1/2 Cup water
• 1 tbsp Cashewnuts
• 1/4 Cup pure ghee
• 1 tbsp Raisins
• 1/4 tsp Cardamom powder

• METHOD
• Roast gram dhal in a pan till it turns light brown.
• Wash roasted dhal along with rice. Put it into a container for pressure-cooking with 4'/2 cups of water for about 10 minutes.
• Completely dissolve jaggery in half cup of water in a shallow pan.
• Remove the dirt by straining it and heat once again until you achieve one string consistency.
• Now mix cooked pongal into it and keep on a medium flame for few minutes. Remove the mixture from the flame.
• Fry cashewnuts and raisins separately in ghee. Mix it to the pongal and add cardamom powder.
• Sweet Pongal is ready to serve.

TIL PAPDI

INGREDIENTS

• 200 gms White sesame seeds
• 5 Pistachios, thinly sliced
• 150 gms Sugar

• METHOD
• Roast sesame seeds lightly and leave aside.
• Melt sugar in a small pan.
• Add roasted sesame seeds and mix well.
• Keep this pan in a large bowl of hot water.
• Take small portion of this mixture at a time.
• Make it flat with the help of a rolling pin.
• Sprinkle with few slices of pista on top.
• Roll quickly. You can smear rolling pin, palms and work surface slightly.
• Transfer the role to a clean plastic sheet. Allow it to cool.
• Separate the papdis with squares of plastic.
• Cool and place in an airtight container.

TIL LADDOO

INGREDIENTS

• 1 Cup til
• 2 Cups jaggery
• 1/2 Cup peanuts
• 4 tsp Ghee

• METHOD
• Roast the til dry till it turns slightly brown. Also dry roast the peanuts.
• Make powder of both ingredients.
• Heat the kadhai for 5 minutes.
• Put jaggery in hot kadhai and mix well till it melts.
• Now add ghee and the powder. Mix well.
• Make laddus from it immediately.
• Til laddus are ready.

JALEBI

INGREDIENTS

• 1Teacup self-raising flour
• 1/2 Teacup fresh curds
• A pinch baking powder
• 1/2 tsp Saffron
• 1 Cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp Cardamom powder
• 1 tbsp Sliced pistachios
• 2 tsp Rose water
• Ghee for frying
• Rose petals

• METHOD
• Sieve the flour and baking powder together.
• Beat the curds with 1/2 teacup of water.
• Boil the sugar in 1 teacup of water for about 5 minutes.
• Heat the saffron in a vessel. Add milk and rub till the saffron dissolves.
• Add it to the syrup and drop the rose water.
• Keep the syrup warm.
• Heat ghee in a non-stick pan.
• Take a plastic bottle with a hole in the lid.
• Fill this bottle with the batter.
• Squeeze the batter out from the bottle into the ghee in spiral shape.
• Fry the jalebi on both sides.
• Remove and wait for a minute.
• Drop these jalebis into hot syrup.
• Soak for about 2 minutes and remove.
• Sprinkle cardamom powder, pistachios and rose petals.
• Jalebi is ready to serve.

BESAN BURFI

INGREDIENTS

• 1 Cup besan
• 1 Cup ghee
• 1 Cup milk powder
• 1-1/2 Cup sugar

• METHOD
• Melt ghee and fry besan in it till a nice smell comes out.
• Transfer the mixture in another vessel and mix with milk powder.
• Make thick sugar syrup.
• Drop the fried besan mixture in sugar syrup and stir it.
• Transfer it to a greased plate.
• Cut into diamond shaped pieces.
• Besan burfi is ready.

INDEPENDECE LADDOO

INGREDIENTS

• 1 kg. soft white khoya
• 600 gms. sugar powdered
• 1 tsp. cardamom powder
• 10 green unsalted pistachios thinly slivered
• Few drops each saffron colour, green colour

• METHOD
• Grate khoya or crumble to fine even crumbs.
• Add sugar, mix well.
• Put in a heavy pan, cooking, on slow flame.
• Take care to stir continuously, to keep from sticking to bottom.
• Cook till a soft semisolid lump is formed.
• Sprinkle cardamom powder, mix well.
• Divide mixture into three parts, each half of the other.
• Add a few drops of green to smallest portion.
• Mix well till evenly coloured.
• Add a few drops of orange colour to largest portion.
• Mix as above.
• Keep the medium portion white.
• Make 20 small balls of green portion.
• Divide white portion into 20 parts, cover over green ball and make a bigger ball.
• Repeat by dividing orange into 20 portions, similarly covering over white ones.
• The end result will be 20 orange coloured ladoos.
• Chill well, cut each neatly into two halves with a sharp knife.
• Each half will look like three coloured concentric circles, with green in centre.
• Place one or two slivers over pistachios in centre, decoratively.
• Store carefully in airtight wide shallow container.
• And apt sweet for the independence season.

SHENGDANA CHIKKI

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup groundnuts, skinned, roasted, pounded roughly
• 3/4 cup sticky jaggery
• 2 tbsp clarified butter (ghee)

• METHOD
• Heat jaggery in 1/2 cup water till the syrup is hard ball consistency.
• Test its consistency by putting a drop in cold water -it should remain firm.
• Add groundnuts.
• Grease a board and spread the groundnut-jaggery mixture.
• Roll flat to 1 cm thickness.
• Cut into squares when sufficiently cool and hardened.
• Store in a container lined with butter paper.

KURMURA LADDOO

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 lb Puffed rice (murmura, churmura)
• 1/2 lb Jaggery
• 1/2 cup Roasted peanuts
• 1/2 cup Dry coconut flakesa
• few Cardamoms
• METHOD
• Take a large cooking pan add jaggery and enough water till it gets immersed and boil till it forms to thick consistency.
• To ensure that this syrup had reached the correct consistency, add a few drops into a bowl containing water and it shall solidify immediately.
• Add puffed rice, roasted peanuts, dry coconut flakes and cardamom powder and stir in all the ingredients.
• Let it cool for a couple of minutes.Grease your palm with oil or ghee and roll into balls.

GAJAK

INGREDIENTS

• 10 Almonds
• 10 Cashewnuts
• 20-25 Peanuts
• 1/2 Cup Walnuts Shelled.
• 1/4 Cup White Melon Seeds Shelled (Kharbuje Ki Giri)
• 1 Cup Sugar
• 1 TableSpoon Ghee
• 6 Green Cardomoms (Elaichi)
• 1 teaspoon Lemon Juice.
• 1/4 Boond Kewara Essence (Alternative : Vanilla Essence)
• Khoya/Mewa (dough made from cooking milk for hours)

• METHOD
• Melt the sugar on the fire.
• Put in Lemon Juice, khoya, kharbuje ki giri,kewara Essence in the melted sugar and make the mixture of dropping consistency.
• Mix ghee in the Sugar mixture.
• Add all the dryfruits in the mixture until they are evenly spread.
• Set the Mixture Flat in a Thali preferably on a plastic thali and Cut it into Round , square or rectangular pieces.
• Allow it to cool or eat it fresh. The Gajak or Burfee is ready.

CHOORMA LADDOO

INGREDIENTS

• 500 gms. wheat flour
• 500 gms. jaggery, grated
• 1 tbsp. cardamom powder
• 1/4 cup rock sugar crushed coarsely
• 1/4 cup crushed almonds
• 1/4 cup dried coconut, grated finely
• 400 gms. ghee for deep frying
• silver foil for decoration (optional)

• METHOD
• Add 50 gms. ghee to flour, mix well with light hands.
• Add enough warm water to make stiff pliable dough.
• Make about 16-18 fist shaped lumps, and keep aside.
• Heat ghee for frying, let in some lumps at a time.
• Fry on low flame till golden, flipping over when necessary.
• Drain, keep aside to cool, repeat for all dough.
• When lumps cool, break into small bits.
• Run in short spurts in mixie, to form bread crumb like textured grains.
• Pass through a large holed sieve, to get an even, fine breadcrumb like mixture.
• Put to heat 200 gms. of the same fried ghee, in a large heavy pan.
• Add crumbs, stir and fry with a spatula, on low, till aroma exudes.
• Crumbs should be light golden in colour.
• Take off fire, add almonds, coconut, cardamom, sugar.
• Mix well, transfer to a large plate or mixing bowl.
• Add 200gms. ghee to emptied pan, put to warm.
• Add jaggery, stir gently till jaggery melts completely.
• Once it starts bubbling very slightly, take off fire.
• Add crumb mixture to jaggery.
• Mix well, with spatula, allowing to cool in the process.
• When cooled enough to handle (it should be quite hot), shape into small laddoos with palms.
• Do not press too hard, or the ladoos will become hard on cooling.
• Arrange in a large plate, allow to cool completely before storing in airtight container.
• Silver foil may be applied while ladoos are still warm.

BALUSHAHI

INGREDIENTS

• 3 cups plain flour (maida)
• 3/4 cup ghee, melted & cool
• Curds 1/2 cup
• 1/4 tsp. soda bicarb
• 1/4 tsp. fine cardamom powder
• ghee to deep fry
• Syrup:
• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup water
• 5-6 drops lemon juice

• METHOD
• Sieve together flour, and soda. Add cardamom powder.
• Rub in ghee thoroughly.
• Add curds and mix in one direction only.
• Make stiff dough, add a tbsp. of tepid water if required.
• Keep aside covered in a cool place or fridge for 1-2 hours
• Make small rounds balls about 3” in diameter.
• Press to flatten a bit, and make depression in center with thumb.
• This is the traditional balushahi shape.
• Heat ghee well in frying pan, cool a bit, then add a few patties.
• Return to slow flame. Do not invert until one side is pinkish.
• Invert carefully with knife, and fry other side similarly.
• Repeat for all dough.
• Meanwhile prepare syrup of 1 thread with sugar, water and lemon juice.
• Drain, cool a bit, tranfer to syrup, allow to soak for 5 minutes.
• Remove and keep on a perforated plate to drain excess syrup.
• Cool completely, before transferring to air tight container.
• Sugar Coated Balushahis:
• Reheat remaining syrup till 2-1/2 thread consistency is obtained Coat above balushahis with this, or dip on side in the syrup. Keep on mesh to cool, and let the sugar set to a white coat. Sprinkle some red rose petals and crushed cardamom over them to decorate.

PEANUT BURFI

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup roasted peanuts
• 1 cup khoya
• 1 tbsp almond powder
• 1 tbsp cashewnut powder
• 6 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
• 2-3 drops of kewra essence
• 1 cup water
• 1 tbsp saffron milk (few strands of saffron dissolved in 1 tbsp warm milk)
• Thinly sliced Almonds and pistachios for garnishing

• METHOD
• Remove the covering of peanuts and coarsely crush it
• Heat the kadai
• Put peanut, cashewnut and almond powder and water and stir for 3-4 minutes
• Add khoya and saffron milk and stir till the mixture thickens
• Add all the remaining ingredients
• Stir till sugar dissolves
• Pour the mixture into greased plate
• Spread it evenly with the back of spatula
• Garnish with almonds and pistachios
• Cut into desired shape

GUJJIA

INGREDIENTS

• For cover :
• 1 cup plain flour (maida)
• 1 tbsp. ghee
• water to knead
• For Filling:
• 1 cup khoya
• 1 tbsp. poppy seeds (khuskhus)
• 1 tsp. cardamom powder
• 1 tbsp crushed almond
• 1/4 cup sugar ground
• 10 to 15 raisins
• Oil for deep frying

• METHOD
• Mix flour and ghee well.
• Add enough water to make soft pliable dough.
• Keep aside
• Roast khoya to a light pink by stirring continuously over low heat.
• Cool and break in fine crumbs with fingers.
• Mix all other ingredients to khoya
• Check for sweetness. Add more sugar if required
• Make small (4 ") rounds of dough, not too thin not too thick
• Place 1 tsp. filling in one half of round
• Fold over the other half, sealing in the mixture.
• Seal edges by twisting or pressing together .
• Make all in the same way.
• Deep fry in hot ghee on low till light brown on both sides.
• Drain and cool completely before storing.

KHOPRA KARANJI

INGREDIENTS

• For Filling
• 1 cup desiccated coconut, powdered
• 1/2 cup almonds, powdered
• 1/2 cup raisins, wiped clean
• 3/4 cup sugar, powdered
• 1 tsp. cardamom powder
• 2 pinches cinnamon powder
• For Cover
• 1 cup plain flour (maida)
• 1 tbsp. ghee
• Water to knead
• METHOD
• for Filling
• Mix all ingredients together, press lightly into a container.
• Keep aside till required.
• for Cover
• Mix flour and ghee well.
• Add enough water to make soft pliable dough.
• Keep aside.
• To Proceed
• Make small (4 ") rounds, not too thin not too thick of the dough.
• Place 1 tsp. filling in one half of round .
• Fold over the other half, sealing in the mixture.
• Seal edges by twisting or pressing together .
• Make all in t he same way.
• Dry on clean cloth for 30 minutes.
• Deep fry in hot ghee on low till light brown on both sides.
• Drain and cool completely before storing.