BADAM HALWA

When i hear the word badam halwa ,i go salivating.Yes it is the richest of the halwas, as we use pure almond paste and ghee.Ofcourse this recipe is NOT FOR WEIGHT WATCHERS.the more u add the ghee the more tastier it becomes..always try to use homemade ghee which gives the best flavour for your dishes especially the sweets.This recipe is so easy to make and as u go through my recipe u will be relieved at how easily it can be prepared at home.Then why you spend so much on store bought ones when u can prepared the most delicious and healthy badam halwa at home?hurry up and prepare for the recipe...

INGREDIENTS:

• badam                    -                    1 cup (soaked overnight and blanched)
• sugar                      -                    1 cup
• water                      -                    1/2 cup
• milk                        -                    1 cup
• ghee                       -                    1/2 cup
• kesar                      -                    few strands(optional)
• Yellow food color  -                  2-3 drops(optional)       

METHOD:

1. soak the badam overnight and peel off the skin
2. Grind the peeled badam into a fine paste using half of the milk.
3. soak the kesar strands in the rest of the milk.
4. meanwhile add the sugar and water .stir at low flame till the sugar dissolves.
5. Add the almond paste and the kesar milk into the sugar syrup.
6. stir till combined
7. Add the food color if desired.

8.keep the flame at low the entire process.

9.slowly the mixture starts to thicken.

10.STart adding the ghee slowly a tablespoon at a time and mix well till combined.U can check out my homemade ghee recipe here.

11.when the entire ghee is incorporated well , the halwa starts leaving the sides of the pan.

12.keep stirring till it is thickened and bubbles starts appearing.

13.switch off the flame and pour the halwa in a well greased tray.

14.dont worry ,the halwa thickens with time.

 

COOK'S NOTE:

• If u want a thicker halwa then u can reduce the amount of milk to 3/4th cup.
• u can serve the halwa cold or warm.
• can microwave it for 15-20 secs on high power before serving .
• when served cold it will be slightly thicker than when served warm as the ghee hardens when chilled.

Apple kesari

                          APPLE RAVA KESARI / APPLE SOOJI KESARI

As a child i always hated kesari, i don know the reason why..but once somewhere(i dont remember where,maybe in a temple prasadham) i had  a bit of kesari.It tasted divine and with lotta ghee in it.actually the kesari was floating in ghee.So from then on i started liking it.So i started making kesari often specifically for some festivals or pooja at home.

And i was bored with the usual kesari made with jus the rava/sooji and sugar.So i thought of giving it a healthy twist this time.So thought i did add some apples to it .SO think the kesari infused with the best fruit which is healthy and also tastes divine.And finally what i achieved was a smooth melt in mouth kesari infused with fresh apple flavour.I always use homemade ghee which is anytime better than the store bought ones..So here goes my recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

• apples                          -                     2nos
• rava/sooji                    -                     1 cup
• ghee                            -                     5-6 tablespoons and more if needed
• water                           -                     2+ half cups
• sugar                           -                      3/4th cup
• cardamom powder      -                     1/2 teaspoon
• raisins and cashews    -                     10nos each
• salt                              -                     1/4th teaspoon

METHOD:

1. peel the apples, core it.
2. chop one of the apples to bigger cubes and the other one very finely chopped as shown in the pic below.

3.heat a tablespoon of ghee in a pan.i always use fresh home made ghee for all my dishes.u can check out the recipe for my homemade ghee here.

4.add cashews and fry for few secs.

5.When they start to brown, add the raisins.And saute till the raisins turn fluffy and cashews turn golden brown.

 6.Now keep the fried cahews and raisins aside.In the same pan add one tablespoon ghee and fry the rava till it gives out the aroma.Should not brown the rava.

7.Meanwhile place the cubed apples with the half cup of water and boil till soft

8.when poked,the apples should feel soft.

9.Let it cool.Drain and grind it into a fine paste in a mixie. Do not discard the water.Use it to grind them to a fine paste.This is called the APPLESAUCE

10.Add the applesauce to the sauce pan.

11.add the 2 cups water(remember the half cup of water we already used to make the applesauce)

12.add the salt.Add the finely chopped apples.Let it boil.

13.Add the fried rava a little at a time ,making sure to mix well each time.Else they form lumps.

14.Cover lid and cook over medium flame for 5 mins.

15.Remove the lid and once you make sure the rava has cooked well, add the sugar.Adding the sugar before will not let the rava to get cooked well.mix till the sugar gets dissolved

16.Add the cardamom powder.Mix well.

17.Add the remaining ghee.Mix well.Make sure that u add enough ghee ..In that case the rava loosens unbelievably to get soaked in the melting ghee..hmmmmm how does that sound??

18.Add the fried cashews and raisins.Mix well.

19.transfer to the serving dish and serve hot.

20.During winters, the ghee may tend to harden when cooled and the kesari becomes lumpy..In that case microwave the kesari on high power for 30 to 45 secs.Then it will loosen up.You can also heat it up in a pan over flame ,but make sure u only simmer it.

COOK'S NOTE:

Do not hesitate to add plenty of ghee for this recipe..Only the ghee gives it the divine melt in the mouth flavour.