Carrot Halwa

Time Required -

45 minutes

To Serve -

6 cups

Ingredients –

1. Carrot– 1 kg – grated
2. Milk – 1/2 cup
3. Elaichi(Cardamom) – 3
4. Dry fruits – 1/4 cup (mix of raisins and cashew)
5. Sugar – 200 grams
6. Ghee – 2 Tbsp
7. Khoa (dried whole milk) – 100 grams

Preparation -

1) Heat 1 tbsp of ghee in a kadai.  Add grated carrot to the same and cook for 5 minutes in closed lid.

2) Now when the carrot is almost shrinking, add milk and cook for another 10 minutes.  Keep medium flame and keep stirring.

3) Add sugar and cardamom to the same and mix well.  Sugar has the tendency to leave lot of water.  Cook till the water evaporates. 

4) Add khoa and mix again.  Cook for another 2 minutes and off the stove. 

5) In a different small kadai, heat ghee and fry the dry fruits in the same.  Add this to the carrot halwa and mix well.

Serve it medium hot!  Also a good combination with ice-cream…

Annada Payasa

Time Required -

30 minutes

To Serve -

6 cups

Ingredients –

1. Basmathi rice – 1 cup
2. Milk – 1 litre
3. Elaichi(Cardamom) – 3
4. Dry fruits – 1/4 cup (mix of raisins, cashew, pista and badam)
5. Sugar – 200 grams
6. Ghee – 3 tsp
7. Kesari (saffron) – one pinch

Preparation –

1) Cook basmati rice and keep aside (You can choose to cook the same in pressure cooker.  For 1 cup of basmati rice, add 1 cup of water for cooking it well)

2) Heat a kadai and boil milk in the same.  Once, the milk is about to spill, add sugar and elaichi.  Keep stirring the mixture in medium flame until the milk reduces by 30%.

3) Now, add cooked rice and pinch of kesari and mix well.

4) In a small kadai, heat ghee and fry dry fruits in the same.  Once they turn golden, add the same to the payasa.

Serve it mild hot   Its just too yummy!!!

Shavige Payasa

Time Required -

30 minutes

To Serve -

6 cups

Ingredients –

1. Vermicelli – 100 grams
2. Milk – 1 litre
3. Elaichi(Cardamom) – 1
4. Cashews – 8 (cut to pieces)
5. Raisins – 8-10
6. Sugar – 200 grams
7. Ghee – 1 Tbsp
8. Salt – one small pinch
9. Kesari (saffron) – one pinch

Preparation –

1) Add vermicelli to a bowl of boiling water and cook adequately.  Strain the water and keep aside

2) Heat a kadai and boil milk in the same.  Once, the milk is about to spill, add sugar and elaichi.  Keep stirring the mixture in medium flame until the milk reduces by 30%.

3) Now, add vermicelli and a pinch of salt to the same and keep stirring the same.  Add a pinch of kesari and mix well.

4) In a small kadai, heat ghee and fry cashews and raisins in the same.  Once they turn golden, add the same to the payasa.

You can choose to either serve it cold or luke warm…

Honey and dry fruit Cake

Time Required –  

 Preparation - 15 minutes

 To bake – 35 – 45 minutes 

 To Serve – 

 4 

 Ingredients – 

• Plain flour (Maida) – 1 measure 
• Curds – 1/2 measure
• Milk – 1/4 measure
• Baking powder – 1/2 tsp
• Cooking soda – 1/2 tsp 
• Butter – 1/2 measure 
• Sugar – 1/2 measure
• Cherries – handful
• Dry fruits – 1/2 measure (Raisins, cashews, almond etc)
•  Honey – 1 Tbsp

Preparation - 

1) Mix sugar powder and butter to a smooth paste in a bowl.  Keep this aside.

 2) In another bowl, mix plain flour, baking soda and cooking soda well.  Now mix curds, honey and milk to the same and make it to a smooth paste.  Ensure no knots are formed while mixing.

3) Now, mix butter mixture with the plain flour mixture and beat well.  Add all the dry fruits and cherries to the same.

4) Take a baking tray and grease it with butter.  Put the cake mixture to the same and spread evenly.

5) Keep this in oven in a convection mode at 180 degrees at lower rack.  Bake the cake for 35 minutes without disturbing it.

6) At the end of 35 minutes, insert the knife tip to the cake.  If nothing sticks, it is baked.  Else, bake it for 10 more minutes.

7) Do the above check again after 10 mins.  Once, the cake is completely baked, cool it for 10 minutes in high rack.

Let it cook before you slice them.  Serve it hot with ice-cream or serve it chilled without ice-cream.  Whichever way, the cake tastes yummy!!!