cake

Cake

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup coarsely ground cashewnuts (kaju)
• oil for greasing
• greased rolling board
• greased rolling pin
• greased knife or metal dough cutter

For The Cake

• 1 vanilla cake [175 mm (7”)]
• 1/2 cup sugar syrup
• 1 1/2 cups plain butter cream icing , refer handy tip
• a few drops of lemon yellow food colour
• a few drops of almond essence
• Finish The Cake

Thenkuzhal

THENKUZHAL

Ingredients: 
Raw rice powder - 2 cup
Roasted urad powder - 1 cup
Butter - 1 � tbsp
Salt - to taste
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp, lightly crushed

Method

1. Combine all the ingredients together. Add enough water to make soft but not sticky dough.
2. Press through chakli mould, fitted with a disc with three holes on to a plastic sheet shaping small thengulals.
3. Deep fry in moderately hot oil till crisp. Cool and store.

Atte Ki Pinni

ATTE KI PINNI

Ingredients: 

• 250 g - atta (wheat flour)
• 150 g - ghee (clarified butter) 
• 250 g - sugar
• 1/2 cup - milk
• 25 g - dry fruit mixture - kaju (cashew nuts), halved, badam (almonds) and kishmish (golden raisins) 
• 1/4 tsp - elaichi powder (green cardamom)

Method

• Heat ghee and add the wheat flour.
• Fry on a low flame stirring continuously till it is pink.
• Remove from heat and transfer onto a plate
• Allow to cool.
• Add sugar and cardamom powder.
• Sprinkle milk and prepare a dough
• Divide the mixture into equal portions and shape them into small balls.
• Garnish each ball with the dry fruit mixture.

Kalakand

KALAKAND

Ingredients: 
Milk powder - 2 1/4 cups
Sugar - 1 to 1 1/2 cups (depending on taste)
Thickened cream - 1/2 cup
Cardamom powder - 1 tsp
Almond/Pista slivers for decoration

Method

• Place milk powder, sugar and cardamom powder in a microwavable bowl and mix well.
• Add the cream and combine thoroughly, the mixture should be neither lumpy nor runny, but of a smooth very thick batter consistency.
• Microwave on high for 4 minutes (1000 watt microwave).
• Stir once, and microwave for a further 2 minutes.
• Allow to rest for 5 minutes and sprinkle the almond or pista slivers on top.
• Serve warm or cool.

PURAN POLI

PURAN POLI

Ingredients: 

• 300 gms - chana dal
• 300 gms - jaggery
• 250 gms - wheat flour
• 2 tbsp - ghee
• 2 tsp - cardamom powderv enough water to cook the dal

Method

• Soak the dal for about 30-40 minutes.
• Cook the dal in a heavy bottomed vessel with sufficient water (the level of water should be such that it should cover the dal) on a slow flame till done.
• It should be slightly firm. Switch off the gas.
• Add jaggery and cardamom powder and mix well.
• Return this mixture on to the gas and cook on a slow flame, stirring continuously till the mixture leaves the sides of the vessel.
• Keep aside to cool.
• Mix ghee with wheat flour in a thali, add enough water to make soft dough.
• Divide the dough and dal into equal portions.
• Roll each portion of the dough into a 4” round-shaped chappati.
• Place a portion of the dal in the centre and gather the edges to cover the dal completely.
• Flatten and roll out as thinly as possible.
• Roast on a preheated girdle on a medium flame till golden brown on both sides (keep tossing from one side to the other at regular intervals).
• Apply the ghee while roasting the poli.
• Serve with a spicy vegetable.

Lavang Lata

LAVANG LATA

 Ingredients: 

• 2 cups - white flour
• 1 cup - sugar
• 4 tbsp - ghee
• 2 cups - water
• nutmeg powder
• elaichi powder
• cloves
• dry coconut, grated
• almonds or cashews or pistas, chopped
• raisins
• oil for frying

Method

• In a saucepan, boil sugar with water till you have a two-string sugar syrup.
• Keep warm on the stove.
• Make a hard dough with ghee and water.
• Roll the dough in circles.
• Fold the three edges in to make a pocket and fill with a random mix of coconut, raisins and nuts and tiny pinches of nutmeg and elaichi.
• Close the fourth flap and anchor with a clove.
• Deep fry in oil on low flame.
• Dip in chasni. And drain.

KUSLI

KUSLI

Ingredients: 
For the Covering:
1 cup - white flour
2 tbsp - ghee
For the Stuffing:
1 cup - sooji (semolina)
1 cup - badam (almonds), ground
1 cup - powdered sugar
1 cup - khismish (raisins)
3 tbsp - dried ecoconut, grated
1 tsp - cardamom powder
3 to 4 tbsp - ghee


Method
Make a stiff-ish dough from the flour, ghee and water.
Roll out small circles.
Separately fry the sooji in the ghee.
Add the raisins, badam and cardamom powder. Allow it to cool.
Place a small quantity of the stuffing -- about 3 tsp. -- in the centre of each circle.
Fold in half and edge with a fork.
Deep fry on medium heat till pink not red.

THAMBUTTU

THAMBUTTU

Ingredients: 
6 - ripe bananas
6 tsp - thambuttu powder
6 tsp - sugar
2 tsp - roasted seasame seeds
3 to 4 tsp - honey (optional)
4 tbsp - coconut grated 
pure ghee

For the Thambuttu Powder:
1 kg - boiled rice
a few - cardamoms
1 tsp - fenugreek
salt to taste

Method
For the powder:

1. Sprinkle some water on the rice.
2. Roast on a tava till it is dark brown and crisp
3. Roast fenugreek and cardamoms.
4. Powder into very fine powder along with salt.
5. Store in an air tight container.

For Thambuttu:

1. Peel and mash bananas.
2. Add sugar, honey and thambuttu powder.
3. Knead into fairly thick but soft dough.
4. Make a depression in the centre.
5. Pour ghee and serve individually.

MALPURI

MALPURI

Ingredients: 

• maida-1 cup
• sooji(rava)-1/4 cup
• cardamoms(powdered)-3 
• sour curd-1 tbsp
• baking soda-a pinch
• oil for frying
• sugar-1 cup
• water-1 cup

Method

• Mix maida and sooji with curd and baking soda. Keep aside.
• Make a syrup of the sugar by boiling till consistency is thick and sticky.
• Allow syrup to cool and mix it with the rest of the ingredients.
• Beat it well till the mix is uniformily blended.
• On a hot frying pan, heat a tsp of oil and pour the mix to the size of small dosa.
• Wait for a while and turn it over.
• When brown take it of the heat.

HOLIGE

HOLIGE

Ingredients: 
For Stuffing:(Hoorana):

• Channa dhal-- 1 cup
• Toordhal--1 cup
• Jaagery--1\2 kg
• Cardamom--3 pods
• Dry Ginger (optional)
• Fresh Coconut grated--1 cup

For Covering:(Kanaka):

• Wheat Flour --1 cup
• Maida -- 1 cup
• Turmeric --1 tsp 
• oil --3 tbsp
• Salt--1\2 tsp
• Water

Method

• Wash and soak the channa dhal for 2 hrs
• Sift maida and wheat flour, turmeric, salt together. Knead a very soft dough using enough water. Add enough oil and knead properly, cover it with a wet muslin cloth, keep aside for 2 hrs.
• Wash the toor dhal; cook channa dhal and toor dhal in a pressure cooker until soft.
• When the cooked dhals are cool enough, grind them along with coconut, cardamom, and dry ginger (in a mixie), to a nice paste, without adding much water. 5.Melt the jaggery with a little water, in a big kadai. Mix the dhal paste to it, boil them on a medium heat. You have to keep on stirring it or it will burn. This process takes almost 10-15 mts and your patience too! Take out from the heat when it is thick enough to make round balls out of it.
• When it cools down, make small lemon sized balls . These are the stuffings. We call it "Hoorana".
• Similarly, make small round balls out of wheat and maida dough for covering. We call it "Kanaka". It should be half the size of the Hoorana balls.
• Now, take a ball of Kanaka, press it on your palm with enough oil, Put one hoorana in it, cover it properly, like you make for Allo parata. Then roll it like chapathi, using maida flour or oil. I prefer using flour.
• Cook that on the heated greased Tawa on both the sides. If you want the Holige soft, take out quickly. Like wise, make all the Holiges. Keep the Holiges on dry muslin cloth till they cool down, and store them in a box. They will be fresh for one week in room temperature or you can store them in fridge for one more week.

Lehiyam

LEHIYAM

Ingredients: 

200 g - aniseed 

200 g - jaggery 

100 g - dry ginger 

1 tsp - cumin seed 

1 tbsp - black pepper 

small piece - ginger 

2 tbsp - ghee 

Method

• Wash aniseed to remove dirt
• Soak all ingredients except jaggery and ghee in water.
• Drain water and grind the spices into a paste.
• Dissolve jaggery in a pan and strain to remove dirt.
• Place the strained jaggery in a pan and add the ground paste.
• Add ghee and stir well till the lehiyam leaves the sides of the vessel.
• Remove it from the pan, and allow to cool
• Store in a dry container.

Boondi Laddoo

BOONDI LADOO

Ingredients: 

1 cup Channa Besan (make sure it should not have clumps.)
1 Tsp Rice Flour
Salt 1 pinch
8-10 Cashews
8-10 Rasins
4-5 Cloves
Orange colour
4 tbsp Ghee.
8-10 Elaichi (powdered)
Oil for frying

For making sugar syrup:

Sugar - 1 3/4 cup
Water - 3/4 cup

Method

1. Mix channa besan, rice flour, pinch of orange colour and salt with water. (the consistency should be like dosa mix so that it should be easy to make bhoondhi)
2. Heat oil in a frying pan.
3. In the mean time in a pan heat 3/4 cup of water. Bring it to boil. Then add 1 3/4 of sugar. Put it in medium heat to make the sugar syrup. (care should be taken that the sugar syrup is not over done. Using a spoon take few drops of sugar syrup, when you pour it from the spoon the last drop of the syrup should form a thin continuous line. If it doesn't keep it for boiling for another 2 minutes.)
4. When the oil is heated up, using a cup pour the mix little by little on a perforated spoon to make bhoondhi. Fry it for 3 minutes. Continue with the remaining mix.
5. In a heated pan add 1 tbsp of ghee and fry cloves and cashews. Keep it aside.
6. Once the bhoondhies are done put it in a vessel and smash 1/4 of bhoondhi with a spoon then add the sugar syrup, rasins, fried cashews , cloves, powdered elaichi and the remaining ghee. Make it into a ball (even when it is hot.)

BADAM MYSORE PAK

BADAM MYSORE PAK

Ingredients: 

• besan - ½ cup
• badam powder - ½ cup
• melted ghee - 2 1/2 cup
• sugar - 2 1/4 cup
• water - ½ cup

Method

1. Grease a tray with ghee, keep aside.
2. Take 1 cup of ghee in a frying pan over low heat.
3. Mix the besan and keep it separately.
4. Mix sugar and water in a pan over low heat.
5. When the sugar dissolves, add besan and badam powder.
6. Stir the mixture by adding the remaining ghee little by little.
7. Keep stirring until bubbles start forming.
8. Spread the mixture in the greased tray.
9. Mark out desired shape with a sharp knife, while warm.
10. Allow to cool completely, before storing in airtight containers.

Petha

PETHA

Ingredients: 

• 1 kg. Firm white pumpkin
• 800 gms. sugar
• 2 tsp. calcium hydroxide (kitchen lime)
• 1/2 tsp. alum powder
• 1 tsp. rose water
• 3-4 drops kewra essence
• 2 cups water

Method

• Dissolve alum in 1/2 cup water. Keep aside.
• Dissolve lime in 1 litre water, strain with a clean cloth, twice if required.
• Peel pumpkin, dicard seeds, mushy centre.
• Cut into 1"x2"x1" rectangular blocks or as desired.
• Prick all over with a metal skewer or fork.
• Put pieces in lime water. Soak for 30-35 minutes.
• Drain, wash under clean running water for 2-3 minutes.
• Put in a bowl, sprinkle alum water, shake to coat all pieces evenly.
• Drain, boil pieces in a large heavy pan, till a little soft and exuding water.
• Make a syrup of sugar and water, till 2 1/2 thread consistency (refer syrup method)
• Put drained pumpkin pieces in syrup, boil till syrup becomes thick again.
• Keep covered with a mesh, overnight.
• Drain, boil syrup again till thick, add pieces, reboil for 3-4 minutes.
• Drain out excess syrup, sprinkle essence and rose water.
• Cool completely, refrigerate.

Almond Sheera

ALMOND SHEERA

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup coarse wheat flour
• 1-1/2 cups blanched almonds (refer note)
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 cups water
• 1 tsp. cardamom powder
• 1/4 tsp. saffron strands crushed
• 1 tbsp. warm milk
• 1-1/4 cup ghee
• 8-10 blanched almonds chopped into slivers or halved

Method

• Rub and dissolve saffron in milk, keep aside.
• Dry and powder blanched almonds, saving 10 for garnishing.
• Melt ghee in a large heavy pan.
• Add flour, stirfry for 2-3 mintes.
• Add almond powder, stirfry till golden and aroma exudes.
• Take care to stir continuously.
• Add water, stir and cook.
• Add sugar, and cook further, stirring gently.
• When ghee starts to exude, add cardamom and saffron.
• Stir, and take into serving dish.
• Garnish with chopped almonds.
• One may put it in hotcase to keep hot, reheat in microwave, or in a pan.

Chickoo Halwa

CHICKOO HALWA

•  Ingredients: 
• 6 chickoos
• 1/2 tea cup milk
• 1/4 - 1/3 cup sugar
• 150 gms khoya or milk powder made paste.
• 2 - 3 drops cochineal (essence)
• 1 tbsp ghee

Method

• Peel and mash chickoos or blend. Add milk and boil in heavy saucepan.
• When slightly thick add khoya and cook, stirring continuously.
• Add sugar and ghee. Cook on low turning continuously till ghee oozes.
• Garnish with almond or walnut in centre of the halwa.

Anarsa

ANARSA

Ingredients: 

• 4 cups rice
• 3 1/2 cups sugar powder
• 3 1/2 cups ghee
• 1 tbsp. poppy seeds
• 1/3 cup milk (approx.)

Method

• Wash and soak rice in plenty of water.
• Change water everyday, repeating process for 3 days.
• Now, drain all water, and spread on a clean cloth for 3-4 hours.
• Grind to powder and sieve.
• Mix in sugar, press and keep aside for 2 hours.
• Sprinkle milk little by little, kneading mixture into a soft pliable dough.
• On a clean plastic sheet, sprinkle a few poppy seeds.
• Take a pingpong sized ball of dough, press onto sprinkled seeds.
• Rotate and thin out dough with the hand, forming a 4" sized round.
• Heat 3-4 tbsp. ghee in a frying pan.
• Let in one round, seeds side up.
• Shallow fry on low flame, till golden brown.
• Drain and keep aside.
• Repeat for remaining dough, add more ghee as required.
• Cool very well for 5-6 hours before storing in airtight containers.

RASGULAA

RASGULA

• 1 tsp refined flour
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp rose essence

Method

• Boil the milk and let it cool to room temperature. Skim the milk of the cream.
• Boil the milk again and when it begins to boil add the lime juice and continue boiling until the whey separates out.
• Cover the vessel for 15 mins.  
• Take a muslin cloth and strain the curdled milk. Lightly press to strain the water.
• Hang this for 1/2 hour and then place a heavy weight of about 5 kgs on it for about 1 hour.
• The end product is the cheena.
• Take the cheena on a dry surface and knead with hand for about 3 mins.
• Then add refined flour and continue to knead for about 5 mins.
• Meanwhile, in a pressure cooker boil sugar, essence and water to form a thin syrup.
• Make small balls of the cheena mixture and place them in the cooker.
• Cover and cook for 7 mins or until 2 whistles on a medium flame.

Banana Chocolate Chunk

                                                          
                                                 Banana Chocolate Chunk

Ingredients:

Cake Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3 squares semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 cup mashed, very ripe bananas

Frosting Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
• 1-1/2 cups confectioners sugar
• 3 squares semi-sweet chocolate, melted

Directions:
Cake Directions:

•  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8-inch square pan.
•  At medium speed of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
•  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and sour cream.
• Combine the flour, baking soda and chocolate. Add to butter mixture alternately with the mashed banana, stirring just until dry ingredients are incorporated.
• Pour into prepared pan, and bake for about 30 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched. Cool in pan on rack.

Frosting Directions:

•  Beat the softened butter until fluffy.
•  Gradually add the confectioners sugar and melted chocolate, beating until smooth.
•  Spread evenly over cooled cake.

Banana Cake

                                                                    
                                                             Banana Cake

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 2 cups flour, sifted
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda (add to pureed bananas)
• 3 pureed bananas, very ripe

Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 1/2 stick butter, softened
• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1 box powdered sugar (1 lb.)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

•  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9x13" baking pan or two 9" layer cake pans.
• Cream butter, sugar and eggs. Sift flour several times, then add the salt and baking powder to the flour.
• To the creamed butter mixture, add the milk and flour (alternating, beginning and ending with flour).
• Add vanilla and mashed bananas (with the baking soda added to the bananas) to this mixture.
• Bake layer cakes (9") for 25-30 minutes, oblong (9x13") for 35-40 minutes.

Frosting Directions:

• Mix cream cheese and butter until smooth, add sugar and vanilla and blend well. Spread on cooled cake.