Chocolate sponge cake

Ingredients:

3/4 cup maida/ all purpose flour
2 tblsp cocoa powder
120 gms unsalted butter
3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 eggs
1 tblsp baking powder
1 tblsp vanilla essence
2 tblsp tutti frooti or chopped walnuts (optional)

Method:
1)Mix Maida, cocoa powder and baking powder in a container.
2) Melt the butter. Add powdered sugar and beaten eggs. Beat this mixture well till you get a nice creamy mixture.(You can use electric beater to do the same or use a mixer/blender)
3) Add vanilla essence to the egg mixture.
4) Mix this to the dry mixture of maida, cocoa and baking powder. You can add tooti frooti or chopped walnuts during this stage.
5) Rub some butter over the baking container and sprinkle some maida over it. Tap the container to remove the excess flour.
6) Pour the mixture in the container and bake it in electric oven or gas oven.
7) I used gas oven here. Keep the gas on slow flame and let it bake for 20 mins.
8) To check whether the cake is baked properly insert a tooth pick in the middle of the cake. It should come out clean.
9) The cake is ready.

Lauki/doodhi ka halwa

Ingredients:

 Doodhi/bottle gourd grated. 1 1/2 cup
10-12 cashewnuts chopped
1 tblsp cardamom powder
2 tblsp pure ghee
Milk 1 cup
Water 1cup
Sugar 1/2 cup

Directions:Peel, wash and grate Doodhi. Chop cashewnuts.
Dissolve sugar in milk and water.
Heat pure ghee in a thick-bottomed pan. Fry cashew till its golden brown. Now add grated doodhi with the cashewnuts and cook on high heat until the water evaporates(apprx 5 mins). Mix the milk, sugar and water mixture and keep the gas in slow flame. Add cardamom powder, Cook till all the milk evaporates and mixture becomes dry. 

Serve hot or at room temperature.

Malpuwa

Ingredients:

1 cup wheat flour
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 pinch of salt
3/4 cup water
1 tblsp fennel seeds(saunf)
Oil or ghee for deep frying

Method:

Mix all the ingredients (except oil) into a thin batter. Batter should be of pouring consistency. Keep the batter aside for 15 mins.

Heat oil in high temperature. Take a spoonful of mixture and pour it in the center of the kadhai. Fry on both the sides till its golden brown. Make one puri at a time.

Serve hot.

Malai kulfi

Ingredients:

1 litre milk
1/2 tin condensed milk
sugar to adjust the sweetness
1 tblsp corn flour diluted in 3 tblsp milk.
Sliced Badam (optional)
Elaichi powder

Directions:

1) Boil the milk in slow flame and reduce it to half the quantity.
2) Add Elaichi powder, sugar, condensed milk and corn flour mixture. Boil for 2 mins. 

3)Add badam to the mixture.
4)Pour the thickened mixture in bowl and freeze it.

Sweet Boondi

Ingredients:


1 cup besan(chick pea flour)
2 cups water
1 cup sugar
1/2tblsp baking soda


Directions:

1) Mix 1 cup besan with 1 cup water and baking soda.
2) Make a thick batter of pouring consistency

3)Mix 1 cup water and sugar and bring it to a boil. Sugar Syrup is ready


4) Heat oil in a deep bottom pan. Hold the dotted spoon just above the kadhai and pour the batter slowly

5) Once the boondis are fried put it in the sugar syrup.

5)Add some chopped cashews and badam and serve it.

Tilgul Laadoo

Sesame seeds laadoo..

Ingredients:
1/4 kg white sesame seeds
1/4 kg jaggery
1 tblsp ghee
1/2 cup groundnut


Directions:
1) Dry roast the sesame seeds in a pan for 5 mins in low flame. Keep it aside. Mix in the groundnuts.
2) Crush the jaggery. Heat a pan and add the ghee and jaggery. Cook in low flame till the jaggery melts and boils start coming(apprx time 7-8 mins)(To check the jaggery is cooked take a small portion and dip in water. you should be able to make balls from it.)
3) Mix in the sesame seeds and groundnut mixture to the jaggery.
4) Make small balls of the mixture, before its cools down, else it will be very difficult to make the laddoos :)

Tip: you can also add elaichi powder for more flavour.

Falooda

Delicious Faloods in very less time.

Ingredients:


1 packet Ready Mix Royal Falooda
1 litre milk
1 pack Icecream
 
Directions:

1) Heat the milk. Add the Falooda mix and boil for 15 mins. (The Falooda mix contains sabja seeds, seviya, sugar and added flavors, so we need not add anything to it. Choclate flavour is really tasty.)
2)Cool it and keep it in refrigerator.
3) Serve it with icecream.

Rice kheer(Paysam)

Yummy rice kheer with thickened milk....

Ingredients:

11/2 litre milk(more the milk taste is better)
1 small cup rice
sugar to taste
3-4 cardamom

Direction:

Soak the rice in water for 10 mins.

Boil the milk in slow flame. Once the milk has become hot, add the rice. Cook in slow flame for 1 1/2 to 2 hrs till the milk is thickened(almost half of the original quantity). Keep stirring in between. Add sugar according to taste and cardamom powder.

Reference:

My Colleague, Subbu's mom...

Gulab jamun

 

Ingredients:


Gits Gulab Jamun Mix
1/4 cup Milk 
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
3-4 green cardamon
Wet Towel
Oil for frying

Directions:

Knead the gits gulab jamun powder with milk to make a tough dough. Make small balls and cover it with damp towel(Doing this wont  break the gulab jamuns while frying)


Heal oil in kadhai. Keep the gas in slow flame and then fry the jamuns(If cooked in high flame the jamuns wont cook from inside. ) Once its dark brown, soak the jamuns in sugar syrup


Sugar Syrup
Mix the sugar with water. Crush the cardamons and add to the syrup. Bring it to a boil.


You get thise rabri mix free with gulab jamun mix :) . Make the rabri and serve it with gulab jamun...

Vermicelli Kheer

I have eaten this kheer in many places, but i suppose my Mom makes the best one. Really simple and very tasty....

Ingredients:

1 litre milk(more the milk taste is better)
7-8 cardamoms
1 packet vermicelli
1/2 cup dry fruits Kaju, badam(any thing u like)
sugar(according to your taste)
3 tblsp ghee

Direction:

Ground the cardamom seeds with  1 tbsp sugar.

Fry the vermicelli in ghee till its light brown.

Boil the milk, add the vermicelli, sugar and dryfruits. Cook for 7-10 mins, till the vermicelli is cooked. Thtats it. Serve it hot or chilled. Oooo its really tasty...hmmmmmmm

Reference:

My Mom

Suji Ka Halwa

A simple suji ka halwa recipe, which goes well with puri also or you can have it simply as snack.

Ingredients:

1 cup rawa
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup water
2 elaichi
5 tblsp ghee

Directions:

Mix water, sugar and boil it.
Heat kadhai. Add ghee, rawa and elaichi powder. Fry in slow flame for 10 mins. Once rawa is fried add the sugar syrup. Suji ka halwa is ready.

Note: You can add kaju/badam, or simply serve it.

Reference:
Got it from a website. Dont remember the site name :)

Fruit Custard

Had this dish at a function recently. Its simple so tried it out.

Ingredients:
2 Sapota(Chickoo)
1 Apple
2 bananas
1/2 cup papaya
2 large tblspoon custard powder
2 cups milk
2 tblsp sugar
Directions:
Mix the sugar and custard powder into 1/4 cup of the milk.
Bring the rest of the milk to a boil. Lower the heat and add the sugar and custard solution. Mix well and let it come to a boil again in slow heat, stirring all the time so that it does not stick to the utensil.
After it comes to a boil again, take it off the heat and let it cool.
Cut the fruits. When the custard is cool mix the furits with the custard and refrigerate it.
You can serve it with ice cream

Gajar ka halwa

Ingredients:

Carrots 1 kg
Cashewnuts 5-6
Pure ghee 3 tablespoons
Milk 1 cup
Mawa (khoya) 1 cup
Sugar 3/4 cup

Directions:

Peel, wash and grate carrots. Chop cashewnuts.

Heat pure ghee in a thick-bottomed pan, add grated carrots and sauté for five minutes.

Add milk and cook on high heat for until the milk evaporates and the carrots are cooked.Stir in the grated khoya,sugar and chopped cashewnuts. Cook till the sugar melts and mixes well, stirring continuously. Continue to cook till all the water dries out.

Garnish with , sliced almonds and raisins(if required). Serve hot or at room temperature.