Rava Payasam/Sooji Kheer

This is my last blog for the year of 2015 as we are approaching 2016 in few more hours. 2015 has its own fair share of  happiness and sadness for me just like everyone else.  In a blogging world, i shall say i learnt quite a bit compared to the year before. Enough of introduction let's talk about my blog for rava payasam/sooji kheer.

Rava payasam is one of the easiest payasam to prepare and an ideal choice for neiveidhyam. I wanted to try rava payasam for quite sometimes but not sure what holding me for so long. Finally, i found an opportunity to make them and here you are for a creamy and delectable payasam recipe. The added rava tends to thickens while in the cooling process thus, its advisable to make it a little watery to get the right payasam consistency. Condensed milk is truly optional but trust me it gives a creamy and rich texture to the payasam.

Hope 2016 will be a good one and bring abundance of wealth,pink of health and all the happiness in the world for all of us. Happy new year all. See you all next year.

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups whole milk
1 tbsp condensed milk
1 tbsp ghee/clarified butter
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 cup rava/sooji/semolina
2 cardamom pods, crushed
10-12 cashew nuts
20-25 pieces raisins
Pinch of nutmeg powder


Methods

Over a medium flame, heat ghee in a pan and fry the cashew nuts and raisins. Remove from flame and keep aside.

Roast the rava/sooji in the remaining ghee for 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat.

In a heavy bottomed pan, boil the milk together with the water. Reduce the flame to low and slowly add the roasted rava by stirring continiously to avoid any lumps. Stir well until no lumps for 8-10 minutes.

Once the rava cooked in the milk mixture, add sugar and stir well. Let it boil for a couple of minutes.

Add the condensed milk, fried cashews,raisins and crushed cardamom pods and nutmeg powder. Stir to combined. Cook for another 1-2 minutes.

Remove from heat and transfer to a serving bowl.

Best eat chilled.


Notes

• As rava has a tendency to thicken, please adjust the quantity of water accordingly to your consistency needed.

• The payasam thickens while its cooling its advisable to make it slightly watery.

Sweet Poha

Sweet aval or poha usually serve as neivedhyam during Gokula Ashtami for Lord Krishna. This sweet poha recipe is the simplest recipe you can make in a jiffy. Not just easy to make this dish indeed a very healthy dish for kids. You can make them for breakfast or as a tea time snack. Poha is a very versatile which can be used for both sweet and savoury snacks The ghee fried cashew nuts adds a beautiful crunch to the dish.

Ingredients

1 cup aval/poha/beaten rice
1/2 cup grated jaggery
2 tsp ghee
1/4 tsp cardamom powder
1 tbsp fresh grated coconut
5-6 cashew nuts


Methods

In a pan add ghee and fry the cashew nuts. Keep aside.

In a bowl, add the jaggery and 1 tbsp water. Stir until the jaggery dissolved completely. Strain to remove impurities.

Rinse the aval/beaten rice twice in a clear water and keep aside for 5-10 minutes.

In a pan, boil the jaggery and add the aval. Stir well.

Add cardamom powder and grated coconut. Mix well.

Add the ghee and fried cashew nuts. Stir.

Remove from heat and transfer to a serving plate.

Corn Flour Halwa

Indian sweets are my dad's favourite thus, i wanna dish out something new for him for the holiday and came up with this sweet and rich cornflour halwa. The halwa turns out really well at my very first trial itself which makes me really happy. Its easy to dish out and won't consume much time to get it done, just 20 minutes and you have a delicious indian sweets ready.

I shall say my dad loved the halwa so much and the sweetness was just nice for him. Adjust the amount of sugar according to you preference, as for me the suggested amount of sugar was just nice without too much on sweet side. You can make this gorgeous looking con flour halwa in a microwave since, i'm not a microwave person i made it on a stove. The lightly ghee fried cashew nuts adds a nice crunch to the soft and melt in mouth halwa. I love the beautiful orange colour of the halwa and their glossy texture.

Ingredients

1/2 cup corn flour
1-2 pinches orange food colouring
1 1/3 cup granulated white sugar
2 tbsp ghee/clarified butter
8-10 cashew nuts, roughly chopped
2 1/2 cup water


Methods

Slightly grease a plate with ghee and keep aside.

In a bowl add the 1 1/2 cup water,corn flour and orange food colouring. Stir until no lumps.

In a pan, add a tsp of ghee and fry the chopped cashew nuts until golden. Remove from heat and keep aside.

In  a non stick pan, add the remaining 1 cup of water and granulated white sugar. Stir until sugar dissolved completely.

Reduce flame to medium-low and add the corn flour mixture.  Stir continuously.

Add 1 tbsp of ghee and continue stirring until the mixture thickens  and reach a glossy and transparent texture.

Add the fried cashew nuts. Stir well.

Add the remaining ghee and keep stirring until the mixture leaves the sides of the pan.

Remove from heat and transfer into the greased plate.

Cool completely for 1-2 hours and cut into pieces before serving.

Semolina Cookies/Sugee Cookies

Semolina cookies also known as sugee cookies is a regular during Diwali at my household. This melt in mouth cookies reminds me of my childhood home kitchen watching my mom tiredlessly making it batch by batches to a ever waiting greedy hungry kids. Me and my siblings will be waiting to lick the mixing spoon and the bowl whereas my brother and my youngest sister obidiently mark the cookies with their signature red dots. Yes, there are no sugee cookies without the red dots at my household.

This semolina cookies made rich with pure ghee or clarified butter which is easily found in most Asian stores. The ghee contributes to the soft texture and a beautiful fragrance to the cookies. Sugee cookies can be kept in an airtight container up to 1-2 months.

Ingredients

200g pure ghee
3/4 cup semolina flour
3/4 cup + 2 tbsp all purpose flour
2/3 cup confectioners sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Few dots of red food coluring


Methods

Preheat oven at 350'F or 175'C and line a baking tray with parchment paper

In a large bowl, add semolina flour,all purpose flour,baking soda,confectioners sugar,ghee and salt.

Mix all the ingredients to a soft dough.

Using a teaspoon, drop the cookies on the prepared baking tray and using a toothpick mark the top of the cookies with red food coluring  .

Bake for 12-15 minutes.

Cool completely on wire rack and store in an airtight container.

Turmeric Smoothie

Turmeric are known for its antioxidant properties and has been used for years in treating liver disease,cancer,tumour and many more illness caused by free radicals. Turmeric are packed with antiviral and anti-bacteria which makes it a popular spice in Indian cooking. Curcumin found in turmeric works as an important ingredient to assist in liver detox.

I'm getting my turmeric mixture supply from a friend of mine to boost my liver detox. I'm taking it every night before bedtime by boiling it with fresh milk. Out of nowhere i decided, to modify the turmeric mixture into my morning smoothie and the final product really made me proud.

Ingredients

1 cup almond milk/fresh milk
1 fresh banana,sliced
1/2 cup mango chunks
1 tsp grated fresh turmeric
1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
1 tsp brown sugar

Garnishing

Mint leaves


Methods

In a blender, add all ingredients and process until fine puree and smooth

Pour into a serving glass and garnish with mint leaves.

Consume immediately

Authentic French Meringue

A very simple and basic recipe for French meringue which can be used for baking pavlova,pie toppings and baked meringues, You just need only three ingredients and three simple steps to come up with a rich and glossy French meringue to top up your lemon meringue pie or to bake soft and chewy summer pavlova.

Some recipes did not call for cream of tartar but trust me a little pinch of them goes a long way to create a soft and chewy meringue and it helps to stabilise the meringue to attain the stiff peak as well.
To make sure the egg whites are beaten to full volume, make sure the mixing bowl and the mixing attachment are very clean without a single tint of oil or any other elements. This is to make sure a full bodied meringue that bakes perfectly crispy in the outside, soft and chewy inside. Fresh meringue have to be used immediately it's not advisable to store them for later use. To test the perfect stiff peaks, lift you whisk or beater attachment and if the meringue stand tall peaks that do not curl at the tips, stop beating further.

Ingredients

3 large egg whites (room temperature)
3/4 cup superfine white sugar
Pinch of cream of tartar


Methods

In a very clean large mixing bowl, whip egg whites on low speed until frothy. Add a pinch of cream of tartar.

Add the superfine white sugar and beat and continue beating until sugar completely dissolved and the mixer turns to glossy and stiff peaks.

Use immediately