Hot chocolate cupcake

Happy may day. Labourers or workers get break from work on may day, but we women have work 24/7. We dont have holiday as such. Yesterday my husband gave me a break from cooking. Thanks to him. We ordered food from outside and had our lunch and dinner. Today my recipe is hot chocolate cupcake. It is little different from other recipes, but similar to the other cupcakes. Its taste is also different from the normal chocolate cupcake as we do not add cocoa powder in this.try this spongy hot chocolate cupcakes and write to me.

 Ingredients:

• Self raising flour - 200 gms
• Butter - 120 gms
• Sugar - 120 gms
• Cadburys Hot chocolate mix- 45 gms
• Egg - 3

    Method :

• In a bowl, add butter and sugar and beat until it becomes frothy and smooth.
• Add the eggs to it. Combine and beat well.
• Add the hot chocolate mix and the self raising flour and beat until its combined well and smooth.
• Keep beating until the batter comes to a think consistency.

• Take the cupcake moulds, i use silicon cupcake moulds.

• Preheat the oven for 5 mins at 180degrees celsius.

• Pour the batter into the moulds and place it in the oven , in baking mode for 12-15 mins.
• Check with skewer if its done.

  Yummilicious hot chocolate cupcakes ready for the party.

Maida almond burfi

Sweets and snacks everywhere. This is my last sweet for this year Deepavali. A simple elegant, no kindling and kelaring for too Long, when the consistency is right. Maida almond burfi was my sudden sweet, I did not plan to make purposely. Before I could cut, my kid grabbed two pieces from it and went away. There was left over sugar syrup from the badusha. So just gave it a try. Let me know your comments after you try.

Ingredients:

• Maida - 1 cup
• Almond powder - 1 tbsp
• Sugar - 3/4 cup
• Water
• Cardamom powder -1/2 tsp
• Saffron - little
• Food Colour - a pinch
• Ghee - 2 tsp

Method:

• In a pan, add sugar and 1/4 cup water. Boil it for one string consistency.
• Meanwhile, fry the maida flour in a pan for 2 mins. 
• Once the sugar syrup has achieved the one string consistency, add the cardamom powder , food Color and saffron strands. Switch off the stove.
• Add the maida and almond powder in the sugar syrup and give a stir. Both gets mixed nicely and form into a dough consistency. Now add two tsp of ghee and stir well. The burfi comes out from the pan like a ball.
• Place the ball in a greased plate and flatten it. Allow it to cool.
• Cut once it is little warm.

Wonderful sweet in just 5 mins, added to my Deepavali platter.

Banana kesari / vazhaipazha kesari

Welcoming post with a sweet. I have been too busy nd lazy in blogging for a Long time. I will Ensure myself to blog continuously. Today's recipe is a simple sweet, everybody's Favourite is the humble kesari, I have added banana to the normal kesari which gives a a really good taste to the kesari from the usual one.

Diwali preparations would have started in all your houses. I am yet to decide on the savouries and sweets.

Ingredients:

• Ghee - 1/2 cup
• Banana - 1 or 2 smashed
• White Rava - 1 cup
• Sugar - 11/4 cups
• Water - 3 cups
• Fried nuts - 2 tsp( Optional)
• Cardamom powder - 1 tsp
• Orange food color - a pinch

Method:

• Dry Roast Rava.
• Boil water. Add the banana pulp and the food color to it .Stir well.
• Add sugar. Mix well. Let it dissolve.
• Add the rava and allow it to boil.
• After the rava is cooked well ,add Ghee. Cook till ghee comes out.
• Add the cardamom powder and fried nuts. Mix well.

Wonderful mouthwatering banana kesari is ready.

Chocolate milk burfi

Deepavali is tomorrow and I Guess the preparations would have been started or finished in some of your homes. This is the last dish I am making for this year Diwali. Try this easy and yummy sweet using milk powder. Milk peda and kaju katli was last year special. This year wanted to give a twist to milk peda. So I made this sweet. This double decker milk sweet was in my bookmark for a very longtime. At last gave a try for this Diwali. Try this yummy sweet

Ingredients:

Milk powder - 300 gms

Sugar powder - 200gms

Dairy milk small bar - 2

Cardamom powder - 2 tsp

Hot milk - 1 tbsp

Ghee - few tsps

Method :

• Heat a nonstick pan, add the milk powder and fry for 2 mins.
• Add the sugar powder and stir completely.
• Add the hot milk little by little and mix it until it becomes like a dough.
• Keep stirring. Add the cardamom powder. Add a tsp of ghee and mix the mixture properly with a ladle.
• Take half of the dough and place it on a roller.
• In the remaining dough, add the chocolate bars and mix well.
• Mix it well and stir occasionally.
• Switch it off once its done. allow it to cool.
• Take the dough on the roller and knead to with hands into a soft dough.
• Use the roller pin and flatten it and place on the plate.
• Take the chocolate dough , repeat the same process . Knead well with hand and rollpin.
• Place this on TOP of the white milk dough and press well. Let it rest well.
• Cut into square burfi shape.
• 
  
  

Mouthwatering yummy milk sweet ready for Diwali..

Ragi Ladoo

Diwali .......Diwali..... Diwali......sweets ..... sweets........sweetss....... 

Laddu or laddoo are ball-shaped sweets popular in the Indian Subcontinent. Laddus are made of flour, minced dough and sugar with other ingredients that vary by recipe. They are often served at festive or religious occasions. 

Common flours used for laddu include besan (chickpea flour), rava (wheat semolina) and ground coconut. These are combined with sugar and other flavorings, cooked in ghee and molded into a ball shape. Some laddu recipes are prepared using Ayurvedic medicinal ingredients, including methi laddu, multigrain and resin laddu. Nuts such as pistachios and almonds are commonly stuffed into laddus.

The common type of laddos are 

Boondhi ladoo,

Atte ke ladoo

Fried gram ladoo

Besan ke ladoo

Malai ladoo

Kambu ladoo

This time I have tried Ragi ladoo.

Recipe:

Ingredients :

• Ragi flour - 1 1/2 cup
• Sugar powder - 1 cup
• Ghee  - required to make ladoo
• Cardamom powder - required
• Cashews

Method :

• Heat a pan, add 3 tsp of ghee , add the broken cashews and fry it well. Take the cashews and keep it aside. 
• In  the same pan, in the remaining ghee add the Ragi flour and roast it in a pan till the raw smell of the flour vanishes and the color changes a bit.
• Take the roasted flour and sugar powder together in a vessel.
• Add cardamom powder to the mixture.
• Mix it well. Add the fried cashews and press on the ladoo while making balls.
• Add required ghee and make balls or ladoos using hand.
• Make the ladoo shape while the mixture is hot. 

Yummilicious and nutritious ladoo ready for Diwali.

Adhirasam

Adhirasam is a type of Indian sweet from Tamil cuisine. The doughnut like pastry has a long history of popularity in Tamil civilization. They are similar in shape to vadai, but are not savoury and are eaten as a dessert.

Adhirasam is a popular as an offering to the gods during puja prayers, both at home and in temples in Tamil Nadu. According to inscriptions from Krishnadevaraya's time, the sweet was made from rice flour, jaggery, butter and pepper. At the annual festival at the Panchavarnesvar Temple in Nallur(located near Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu), an offering of 6000 Adhirasams along with 6000 vadas is made to the Gods; the entire lot is cooked in the temple kitchen between sunrise and 11 pm, for the prayers that take place at midnight, says Wiki..

Adhirasam is made popularly during Deepavali for nombu. I remember my paati making the adhirasam dough and keeping it for 6-9 months..the traditional delicacy has not become extinct, it is still loved by all. Enjoy the adhirasams and have a wonderful Deepavali. I will update stepwise recipe sometime sooner.

Ingredients: 

Raw rice - 1 cup

Jaggery 3/4 cup

Water

Cardamom powder -2 tsp

Oil

Method:

Wash and soak the raw rice for half an hour. After 30 mins, drain the soaked rice well without water. Take a cotton cloth or dhoti type cloth or even cotton towel. Spread the cloth and take the drained rice and spread it over the cloth nicely.

after 20 mins - half an hour the moisture from the rice reduces. It should be little wet.

Grind it either on mixer or in the nearby mill in your area.

As soon as making it into fine powder, sieve it.

Meanwhile take the jaggery and water in a pan. Heat it until it dissolves. Strain the dirt particles no allow it to boil nicely. The consistency of the syrup must be until it gives a stone sound.

Do remember this must be done before the rice flour ( ground heat vanishes).

Keep stirring the jaggery. Add the cardamom powder. To check the consistency. Take a cup of water. Take a spoon of syrup and add to the water, when you throw it it must not dissolve, it gives a Tak sound like u threw a stone. That is the correct stage. Now switch off and add the rice flour little by little and stir well.

Athick dough will be formed while you stir by adding rice flour. Once done, transfer it into a airtight box.

Once you area lets touch it. Knead it along with a tsp of gingely oil.

Make small balls from the dough. Take a sheet or leaf and press into round shape by pressing with your fingers.

Heat oil in a pan, place the pressed adhirasams in the oil. Flip and fry on both the sides.

Remove it from oil and press using another ladle to remove excess oil. 

Yummy sweet donuts are ready for nombu. You can store for any number of days.

Beetroot kesari

August is here, so all the festivals would be around soon. Aadi masam has started, Aadi pathinettu was celebrated last Tuesday  and Aadi pooram is tomorrow. Everybody will be confused as what sweet to make. It should be simple and easy and healthy as well.

My kiddo requested for kesari and I wanted to avoid adding Colour. I have made quiet a few combos of kesaris. When I opened the fridge I found beetroot, then thought why not add these to the kesari? 

Kesari was too yummy , tasty and colourful 

Try this for any one day for neivedhyam.hope you all like it.

Ingredients :

• Ghee - 1/2 cup
• White Rava - 1 cup
• Sugar - 3/4 -1cup
• Water - 3 cups
• Beetroot - half puréed
• Cardamom powder - 1 tsp
• Nuts - optional ( I have just garnished with roasted almonds)

Method:

 

• Heat a pan, Dry Roast the Rava and keep it aside.
• In the same pan, add the beetroot purée and the required water for the kesari.
• Add sugar. Mix well. Close it with lid and allow the beetroot purée to be boiled and cooked well( raw flavour should vanish).
• Once the purée is boiled nicely. Add the rava. Allow the rava to boil. Close the lid.
• After the rava is cooked well ,add Ghee  and cardamom powder. Cook till ghee comes out.
• Add the nuts , if you are adding. I have garnished few almonds.

too.

Mouth melting soft kesari is ready to serve for God!

Kaju gulab flowers / cashew rose flower sweet

Hi all , are you all busy preparing sweets in the last minute. Here is another variation in yesterday's sweet recipe. Yesterday I had posted the recipe for kaju sweet, the recipe for this dish is the same, but the shape I have given is of a flower. So here is a repeat recipe with the design. Try this cashew sweet with flower.

Ingredients:

• Cashew - 2 cups
• Sugar - 1 1/2 cups
• Water - 1/4 cup
• Ghee for greasing
• Rose Essence - 2 tsp
• Rose colour - 1/2 tsp

Method:

• Measure the cashews for a full cup . Take the measured cashews and grind it in a mixer into a fine  
• Powder.
• Make sure that the cashew is in room temperature before powdering it.
• Take a non stick pan, dry fry the cashew powder and sauté for a while till it becomes warm.keep it aside.
• Heat the same pan, add the sugar and water and keep stirring it. 
• The consistency of the sugar syrup must be one string consistency.nicely stir the sugar syrup till you achieve the single thread consistency. When you touch in your hand, it should form a single thread between you two fingers.
• Add the cashew powder and keep on stirring it until it becomes thick and transfer it to separate vessels. Stir it till it leaves the sides of the pan. Split the combined mixture into two. 
• Add rose Essence and rose colour and mix well. Knead the mixture with hand into a dough and take in a parchment paper.
•  
• 

• Take it in a fresh counter, and rest it for sometime.
• Knead the dough nicely and grease the rolling pin with ghee now roll the cashew dough into flat sheet in the aluminium foil or parchment paper.

• Take the small ball from the white dough, flatten it. Take a smaller ball from pink dough, stuff it inside the white dough and close the ball fully. 

• Take a knife or a sharp spoon to poke in the shape of a flower and cut open it.

You can get the flower design out of it. It was my first attempt. Happy with the outcome. Hope you all enjoyed it. Please feel free to post your feedback  sand review. Wishing all a lovely Diwali!

Kaju rose rolls

Diwali damaka sweet is kaju rose roll in my house. Kaju pista rolls is very famous and most of you would have had it. Since I ran out of pista from my pantry, I made it in cashew itself. Dedication to my daughter, by making in rose flavour. My kid don't touch any other sweet other than cashew and milk sweet. When I made kaju katli, she just enjoyed. So didn't want to make it again. So made these lovely rolls. It's very easy to make if you have a little patience.

Here is the recipe :

Ingredients:

• Cashew - 2 cups
• Sugar - 1 1/2 cups
• Water - 1/4 cup
• Ghee for greasing
• Rose Essence - 2 tsp
• Rose colour - 1/2 tsp

Method:

• Measure the cashews for a full cup . Take the measured cashews and grind it in a mixer into a fine  
• Powder.
• Make sure that the cashew is in room temperature before powdering it.
• Take a non stick pan, dry fry the cashew powder and sauté for a while till it becomes warm.keep it aside.
• Heat the same pan, add the sugar and water and keep stirring it. 
• The consistency of the sugar syrup must be one string consistency.nicely stir the sugar syrup till you achieve the single thread consistency. When you touch in your hand, it should form a single thread between you two fingers.
• Add the cashew powder and keep on stirring it until it becomes thick and transfer it to separate vessels. Stir it till it leaves the sides of the pan. Split the combined mixture into two. 
• Add rose Essence and rose colour and mix well. Knead the mixture with hand into a dough and take in a parchment paper.
• Take it in a fresh counter, and rest it for sometime.
• Knead the dough nicely and grease the rolling pin with ghee now roll the cashew dough into flat sheet in the aluminium foil or parchment paper.
• Take the pink dough and make small lengthy rolls of it and place it the flat white sheet and roll it until it's covered. Allow it to rest and. Online the same proces for rest of the dough.

• Once everything is done.
• Cut the rolls into small rolls and enjoy it. 

• I have also made it in different shape which I will update later.

Happy Diwali folks, have a sweet and healthy Diwali!

Kambu Ma ladoo / Bajra ladoo / pearl millet ladoo

Bajra is one of the oldest millet used by our ancestors. Along with wheat flour even bajra was included in the regular diet. It is known to have a very high fiber content which makes it healthier. It is used as a regular meal in places like Rajasthan, Gujarat. Now a day’s it is gaining its importance back.

Now Bajra are recommended by many health professionals, Dieticians and Nutritionist because of its various health benefits. It is also not very expensive millet which can reduce its consumption. People are becoming more and more conscious about the fact of bajra having various good effects on the body.

Dieticians and Nutritionist are trying their best to promote this particular millet and increase its consumption by educating its benefits among all groups of people. Awareness among the people helps to create a positive attitude towards this millet. It is also called as pearl millet. It is not expensive like pearl but it’s definitely has pearl like quality which is beneficial to the body. 

Source : nutrichoice4u.com

Here is another sweet for Diwali using pearl millet. As you know the benefits of it. Why not have a healthy Diwali ? Recipe is here.

Ingredients :

• Bajra flour - 1 1/2 cup
• Sugar powder - 1 cup
• Ghee  - required to make ladoo
• Cardamom powder - required
• Cashews

Method :

• Heat a pan, add 3 tsp of ghee , add the broken cashews and fry it well. Take the cashews and keep it aside. 
• In  the same pan, in the remaining ghee add the Bajra flour and roast it in a pan till the raw smell of the flour vanishes and the color changes a bit.
• Take the roasted flour and sugar powder together in a vessel.
• Add cardamom powder to the mixture.
• Mix it well. Add the fried cashews and press on the ladoo while making balls.
• Add required ghee and make balls or ladoos using hand.
• Make the ladoo said while the flour is hot. 

Yummy and soft Ma ladoo ready !

Beetroot burfi

Diwali is a Festival of Lights in general terms. But it's festival of sweets and snacks distributed among friends and relatives. There are so many sweets that it is so confusing to decide what sweet to make for Diwali. Try every other sweet. Try this beetroot burfi, similar to coconut burfi or carrot burfi. It is very simple to make, nutritious, delicious and very healthy as the vegetable is involved. 

Ingredients :

• Beetroot - 500 gms
• Sugar - 1 cup or condensed milk - 1 cup
• Milk - 1/4 cup
• Cardamom powder -1 tsp
• Cashews for garnish

Method :

Grate the beetroot. Put it in a heavy bottomed pan, Add milk and condensed milk along with it.

Close with the lid and cook till the beetroot is boiled.

Once the beetroot is boiled, open the lid and keep stirring till it becomes thick. Some people add khova to form a barfi. I did not add any.

Once it became a thick dough. Add cardamom powder.

Grease a plate and transfer the beetroot mixture into the plate. Allow it to rest.

After half an hour , cut the Barbie with a knife and allow it to cool down completely. You can also refrigerate it.

Garnish with cashews. Yummy beetroot barfi is ready to serve!