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Moong Dal Halwa
Ingredients
Moong Dal - 1 cup
Milk - 1/2 cup
Sugar - 1 cup
Saffron - a generous pinch
Mawa (Khoya) - 3/4 cup
Ghee - 1 cup
Method
Wash and soak the moong dal for 6 hours. Grind coarsely using little water. Set aside.
Prepare one string sugar syrup by using 1 cup sugar and 1 1/2 cups of water. Keep aside. Soak saffron in hot milk, crumble mawa (khoya) into fine granules.
Blanch almonds in boiling water for 5 minutes. Cool and peel them, slice them. Set aside. Heat ghee in a thick bottomed pan, add the ground moong dal paste. Keep stirring over a low flame till the dal turns brown. Add sugar syrup and saffron milk, stir well till they are thoroughly incorporated and the halwa is dropping consistency. Add mawa and cook till it dissolves. Garnish with sliced almonds. Serve hot.
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Kaju Barfi
Ingredients
2 cups cashewnuts soaked in water for 2 hours
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tbsp. Ghee
1/2 tsp. cardamom powder
Silver Varak for decoration
Method
Drain and blend the cashew nuts to a fine paste. Use as little water as possible when blending.
In a heavy saucepan put sugar and paste. Cook on a medium heat.
Keep on stirring continuously till a soft lump is formed.
Add ghee and cardamom powder and mix well. Spread on a clean greased work surface.
Roll lightly with a rolling pin, to a desired thickness.
Apply the silver varak. Cool and cut into diamond shaped burfis.
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Modak (Sweet Steamed Dumplings)
Ingredients
For the filling
2 cup shredded fresh coconut
1 cup jaggery or sugar
1/2 cup a mixture of unsalted pistachios and unsalted cashews
1/2 cup Milk
1/2 a pinch of cardamom powder
For the outer cover
1 cup rice flour
1 cup water
1 teaspoon ghee
1/2 teaspoon salt
Method
To prepare the filling, mix the coconut, milk & jaggery or sugar together and cook on a medium flame. Stir continuously until they are mixed properly. If you are using sugar the mixture will start to caramelize and bubble. Add the cashews and pistachios. Cook for another minute. Lastly ad the cardamom powder. Mix well. Let it cool. Set aside.
Boil 1 cup of water. When it has reached a steady boil, add ghee, salt and oil. Now immediately add the rice flour and stir quickly so as to remove all lumps. Cover with a lid for some time. Remove the lid & stir again & again, cover again. Now remove pan from the heat. Take off all the mixture on a flat plate. Knead it thoroughly while hot. Make a soft dough. Keep covered aside. Grease the palms of your hands well. Take a ball of dough. Flatten the dough to form a cup shape. Place about 3/4th teaspoon coconut filling into this cup. Dip thumb & index finger in the oil & make 5-6 small pinches side by side on the outside edges of the cup. Bring them together on top and join to form a peak. Your modak is complete. This should look like a whole garlic pod. Place the modak on a pre greased plate.
Make the rest of the modaks. Place them on a pre-greased plate. Steam for about 15 minutes. Serve with ghee.
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Motichur Ladoo
Ingredients
2 cups gram flour (besan)
2 cups clarified butter (ghee)
3/4 cups sugar
2 tbsp. almonds, finely chopped
1/2 tsp. cardamom powder
1/4 tsp. edible saffron color
Method
Mix gram flour with just enough water to make a thick batter. Add color.
Heat clarified butter (ghee). Through a sieve, gently place batter drops into the hot ghee. Fry till pink and drain out.
Continue till all batter is used. Reserve the fried drops as boondis.
Heat sugar with 3/4 cup water and make a sticky syrup of one- thread consistency.
Add fried boondis, almonds, cardamom powder and mix well.
While still warm, shape the syrup-coated boondis into round ladoos, and leave till dry.
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Puran Poli
There are three parts to making Puran Poli. Puran (The Filling), Poli (The Covering) and Aamti (Type of Dal).
Ingredients for Filling (Puran):
3 cup Bengal Gram Dal
2&1/2 cup Sugar
5 grams cardamons
1 tsp ginger-dry(powder)
Salt to taste
Method
Wash the Bengal-Gram-Dal in warm water and then pressure cook it properly (water added should be double the dal). After it is cooked, drain out the excess water by keeping it in a strainer for about 15-20 minutes.
Now add the sugar,mix it and then grind it in a mixer.
Roast the mixture in a pan on a very slow flame for about half an hour.
Keep stirring continuosly, otherwise the mixture could get burnt.
When the water is dried and it becomes a thick mixture, off the gas.
(Or if you have the special hand grinding machine for the dal, then after the dal is pressure cooked and have drained the excess water, mix the sugar and then roast it on the gas flame first. Then grind it in the special hand grinding machine.)
Thus the filling is ready.
Ingredients for Covering(Poli):
2 cup Wheat Flour
1 cup All Purpose Flour (maida)
1/4 cup Oil
Salt to taste
Method
Mix the wheat and the All-Purpose-Flour.
Add to it the oil, salt and knead a soft dough.
Keep aside the dough for about 2 hours.
For making the PuranPolis:
First make even size balls of the dough.
Roll out one of the ball of about 1 inch diameter.
Then fill 1 tbsp of the filling in it and seal the rim to form a flat ball.
Again roll out this ball gently.
Roast it on the tava (skillet) on medium flame till both sides are done.
Repeat for rest of the balls one by one.
Serve hot with ghee and Aamti.
Ingredients for Aamti (Type of Dal):
3/4 cup pressure cooked Bengal Gram Dal
2 tbsp Oil
1/4 tsp Mustard seeds
3-4 curry leves
2-3 cardamons skin
1-2 Cloves
2-3 black Pepper seeds
1 inch Cinnamon
1/4 of the full dry Coconut
2 tbsp Coriander seeds or the seeds powder
3 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
Salt to taste
pinch of Asafoetida
Method
Heat oil in a pan.
Season it with mustard seeds, Curry-Leaves, cardamon skins, cloves, black pepper seeds and cinnamon.
Then add the pressure cooked Bengal-Gram-Dal along with the drained out water plus little more water.
Then add the dry coconut ( burn the coconut on a flame carefully till black and then crush it little before adding).
Then add the coriander seeds powder (roast the coriander seeds and then grind it coarsely).
Now add the garam masala, salt, turmeric powder and asafoetida.
Also add 1 tbsp of the sweet filling made earlier.
Boil it for sometime on slow flame.
Serve hot with the Puran Polis.
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