Kaju Katli

Ingredients:

Cashew Powder                    -            200 grams
Sugar                                     -            150 grams
Ghee/ Clarified butter            -            2 tablespoons
Green Caradamom Powder   -            1 teaspoon
Water                                     -            ( as required)
Crushed Pistas and Almonds -            for garnishing (optional)

Method:

Once you have a tray greased and ready, the making of Kaju Katli is really easy!!
In a heavy bottomed vessel, take Cashew powder and lightly roast it. Now add sugar and some water and start stirring. If you think there is not enough water in the mixture, add more water and keep stirring it. After 2-3 minutes, this paste gets really sticky and this is when we should add the ghee and keep stirring it. Once the mixture thickens like a good caramel, pour it onto the greased tray and spread evenly ( about 1-2 inches thick) and garnish it with the crushed nuts. Before it is completely cooled down, grease a knife and cut it into your favourite shapes and enjoy.

This dish when completely cooled down, can be stored for about a week in a air-tight container.

  

banana halwa

Choclate sweets

Choco spread over kaju burfi

choco laddus with dry fuits

Before making any recipes with choclate. Please go through this to know how to melt a choclate.

Sweet shells / Gavvalu

Ingredients:

White flour                     -        2 cups

Sugar                              -        1 cup 

Cardamom / Elaichi        -        2-3 (finely ground)

Salt                                                  

Water                           

Oil                       

Method:

We will start with the preparation of the shells first.

Sift the flour into a large bowl. Add a pinch of salt, about 2 table spoons oil and enough water to knead this into a soft dough. Start by rolling the dough into small balls of about a 1-2 cm diameter. Take a wooden sweet shell maker and press these balls against the wooden board to get the shape of sea shells. Once, you are done preparing these shells. Deep fry them in oil until golden brown.

Shell Maker

Now, for the caramel, add 1/4^th cup water to the sugar and put the pan on a medium flame. When the sugar dissolves completely and starts boiling, add the cardamom powder. When you see the caramel is almost done, add all the shells and mix it carefully without breaking the shells. 

Your sweet and crispy snacks are here to stay for as long as 3-4 weeks.

Make sure to store them in a dry air-tight container after they are completely cooled down.

Halwa

Ingredients:

Wheat flour                        -              2 cups

Jaggery                                 -              2 cups

Caradamom / Elaichi       -              1 tea spoon (finely powdered)

Cashew  nuts/ Kaaju       -              fried in ghee (optional)

Pure buffalo Ghee                                                         

Water                                  

Method:

Take wheat flour and mix water into it till we get a thin paste.

Mix it properly without any lumps. Keep this tawa aside.

Now, take another vessel and add grated jaggery to it along with some water.

Put this vessel on a low flame and stir till the jaggery gets dissolved completely. At this stage, add the elaichi powder to it and keep stirring. Turn off the flame when you notice that the caramel is about to form.

Take the tawa with the wheat paste (a very thin consistency required ). Put it on a very low flame and stir for about a minute. Now, gradually add our half-done jaggery caramel to this mixture and keep stirring.

Making halwa is a very tedious process and requires lot of stirring, but believe me, it’s worth it J.

Now up the flame a little bit, (very low to low) and keep stirring.

Take 2 minute breaks, come back and keep stirring. More and more stirring is required ( no lumps must be formed ).

Just keep stirring until the mixture gets thick and is very sticky to handle. Now, add some ghee (about 1 table spoon) and keep stirring. After 4-5 minutes , you need to another tablespoon of ghee. Repeat this(adding ghee and stirring ) for about 4-5 times. When you see that halwa is done, immediately take it off the flame and shift the contents to a storage container.

Note: You should only close the lid of this container when the halwa completely cools down. This halwa can be stored for about 1 week. 

 

Stop counting calories for a change and enjoy this mouth-watering, utterly delicious halwa :)

Am enjoying mine, mmmmm!!...

Chikky

What you need:

Cashew nuts / kaaju                        -              (roasted)

Peanuts / ground nuts                   -              (fried and peeled)

Seasame seeds / til                         -              (roasted)

Jaggery                                                 -              (amount depends on the quantity of
                                                                                caramel you require which again
                                                                                depends upon the amount of nuts
                                                                                you add. Buy good quality jaggery
                                                                                 to get a tasty chikky)

Caradamom / Elaichi                       -              (2-3 finely powdered)

Water                                                   -              (for preparing the caramel)

How to make it:

You have got to prepare caramel first. Initially, add grated jaggery to tawa and add enough water to

dissolve it. Turn on the flame and let this jaggery-water mixture turn into a caramel on medium flame.

Keep stirring the mixture so that it is uniformly done.

Caramel Test : To be sure that it is done take a bowl of water and drop some caramel into it, If this

doesnot get dissolved in the water, your caramel is done.

Just before it turns too  hard add the caradamom / elaichi powder and all the nuts and stir for about 1

minute on a low flame. Now, turn off the flame and  immediately empty the contents onto a greased

plate. You can cut it after 30-45 seconds  (before it cools down completely and turns very hard).

What’s in it for me ??

Jaggery is high on calcium which is required for maintenance of bone strength. It is also a good source of

iron and that is the reason why chikkies are recommended for anemic people.