The word "khana" in Indian Khana Made Easy means food. So come on, let's explore and cook some easy Indian food together including gluten-free and vegan dishes.

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Showing posts with label Indian sweet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Indian sweet. Show all posts

December 24, 2020

Carrot and Almond Kheer

There's just a week left of 2020! Who is ready to say Goodbye to this year and say Hello to 2021? 

We are going to take the next 7 days to reflect and think about our goals for next year. This year has been tough on everyone.  Thank you for your continued support. 

Check out this quick and easy kheer made with carrots and almonds. It is gluten-free and not much sugar. 




Ingredients
- 200g (or 7 oz) of carrots
- 1 cup of milk
- 25g or slightly less than 1/4 cup of granulated sugar
- 6 to 7 cardamom pods, seeded and powdered
- 2 Tbsp Almond flour (or use 7 to 8 almonds, soaked and skin removed)
- 3 drops of Vanilla extract

Instructions
  • Wash and peel the carrots and then slice them into 1/2" thick pieces. Place them in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 4 minutes. Transfer the cooked carrots into the blender*, add milk, sugar, cardamom powder, almond flour, vanilla extract, and blend into a smoothie consistency.  
  • Pour into a microwaveable bowl and heat it for 2 to 3 minutes depending on your microwave until the kheer (pudding) bubbles up. 


  • Serve hot. 

Quick Tips
- We used the Vitamix blender and blended the ingredients on Smoothie mode; about 90 seconds. 
- For a creamier taste, you can use whole milk or 2 Tbsp of heavy cream. 

October 23, 2020

Poornalu - A Gluten Free Festival Sweet

Yummy Poornalu!


Today is Durga Ashtami. It is celebrated with great passion and fervor, all over India and especially in West Bengal. 


Ashtami marks the eighth day of the Navratri and on this auspicious day, devotees observe rigorous fast, feast, and worship Goddess Durga who symbolizes 💪 strength. A celebration of traditional culture and customs, massive idols of Goddess Durga are installed throughout India while enormous puja pandals are set up at various places for devotees to visit and worship.

 


Poornalu (or Boorelu, as known in Telugu-speaking regions) is a traditional Andhra sweet that is most commonly made for festivals like Dussehra, Varalakshmi Puja, Ugadi, etc, and also served at weddings. With the advent of milk-based sweets, the popularity of traditional sweets has dwindled in the past few years. Lately, sweets like Poornalu are making a comeback along with the interest in traditional cultural habits.

This Poornalu recipe was passed down to my mom from her mother who learned to make it from her mother-in-law. I love learning about these dishes because it is a way for me to learn about culture and family history. This year has been especially difficult because my maternal grandmother passed away at the end of March. She used to visit us during the festival season and shared stories about the festivals and the food. She was a vivacious spirit. 

Below is the recipe for this sweet. Hope you like it as much as I do. 


Ingredients for the lentil filling (this makes 22-25 lime sized balls)
- 1 cup channa dal or yellow split peas
- 1/3 cup grated coconut (optional)
- 1 cup grated jaggery 
- 10 to 12 cardamom pods, seeded and (powdered with a pinch of sugar)


Ingredients for the dough
- 3/4 cup urad dal (husked black gram dal), soaked for 5-6 hours or overnight, and ground to a thick fine paste
- 1/4 cup rice flour
- A pinch of salt
- A pinch of baking soda

Ingredients for frying
- 3 cups of vegetable oil

Procedure
1) Pressure cook channa dal with plenty of water until dal is soft but not soupy. Using a colander, drain the excess water. Transfer the dal into a flat container and mash well until it is in paste consistency.

2) Add the jaggery, coconut, and cardamom to the dal paste into a non-stick pan and keep mixing under low heat until the sugar dissolves and the mixture comes together (approx. 10 minutes) without sticking to the walls. Transfer it into a container and cool it for 15-20 minutes. 

3) Grease a plate with 1/2 tsp of oil, and make lime-sized balls of the lentil mixture and arrange them on the plate without any of them touching each other. 



4) Mix the rice flour, salt, and baking soda into the ground urad dal paste and add water as needed to loosen it to a pancake batter consistency. 


5) Heat oil in the frying pan on medium heat, when heat it felt to your palm placed safely at a distance above the oil, drop a small amount of dough into the oil. If the dough rises up to the surface of the oil quickly, the oil is ready for frying. 





6) Take a lentil ball and dip in the coating dough well to cover all over and gently drop it into the oil. Continue this step with an additional 3-4 balls coated and gently dropped into the oil. After a couple of minutes when the oil bubbles subside on the Purnalu, turn them over and continue to fry them to golden brown color. Using a slotted ladle, collect them from the oil, and let the oil drain further by placing them into a strainer. In a couple of minutes, transfer them onto a flat serving dish. Continue these frying steps with the remaining lentil balls. 


7) Serve them hot to experience the crunchy coating. 




Quick Tips
- Brown sugar can be substituted for jaggery; if jaggery is not readily available. Keep in mind, it will have a slightly different taste. Adjust the brown sugar as per your taste. 
- Store-bought dosa dough can be used instead of making your own coating batter. 
- Cold Purnalu can be reheated in the toaster oven for a better taste; just dab the oozed-out oil after heating. 
- Dry coconut can be substituted if fresh coconut is not available. 

October 28, 2016

Have a Sweet Diwali with Indian Bread Pudding (Double Ka Meetha)


From our family to yours...
Peace, Prosperity, and Good Fortune...May they all be with you in the coming year. 



I am thankful for my loving family as well as my friends (including my extended family at Open Door Toastmasters). They've supported and helped me accomplish a lot in my personal and professional life this year. 


Double Ka Meetha (Indian Bread Sweet)

This Diwali I wanted to show my mom that I have been paying attention to all that she's taught me in cooking and make an Indian sweet that she's only made once since we moved here. The dessert I made is called Double Ka Meetha. 

When I first heard the name, I thought it meant twice the sweetness because I was thinking in English and Urdu. 

Double Ka Meetha actually means bread sweet because in Urdu "Double Roti" means bread. This dessert is from Hyderabad, Telangana. It is a popular dessert in Hyderabad cuisine and served at special occasions such as weddings and parties. It is similar to Shahi Tukra. 


I know you are all dying to find out how to make this dessert, so let's get to it. 





Total cooking time (including prep work): About 2-2.5 hours

Ingredients
- 20 oz White Bread
- 2 sticks of butter or 16 Tbsp Unsalted butter*
- 2 (14oz) Condensed milk cans
- 1/4 cup Almonds or Cashews, chopped into quarters
- 10 Cardamom pods, seeded and powdered
- 1 cup Milk
- 1/2 cup Khoya or khoya powder (also known as Milk-Mava powder) - optional

Procedure
1) The day before making the dessert, open the bread packet and arrange the slices on a wide plate to allow them to air dry.



2) Set the toaster to medium setting and toast the slices. Afterwards, spread butter on both sides and toast to golden brown on a griddle (shown below). 



3) Cut all the slices diagonally into 4 pieces...

                        

Next, add 1/2 tbsp of butter to an non-stick skillet/pan and then transfer all the toasted breads pieces into it.



4) Next, transfer the condensed milk into a measuring cup and stir in the milk. Slowly pour this mixture on top and around the bread in the skillet/pan. 




Then add the khoya powder as well as the cardamom powder and mix well; making sure all the bread pieces are coated with the liquid.  Hint: Add another 1/4 cup milk if the mixture is dry.  





5) Transfer the contents into a greased tray or dish, garnish with toasted nuts and serve hot (shown above).

Although this dessert takes time to make, it is sure to please your guests. We served this dessert on Diwali and all of our friends and family enjoyed it. 

~~~Diwali Mubarak~~~


December 11, 2010

Yumm Aam Rasmalai!

I have this friend who is crazy about Indian sweets. Ever since that day, we were inseparable. For her last birthday, I was pondering about the idea of buying her a box of assorted sweets, but her sister beat me to it. During one of our many conversations, she told me that her favorite sweet was Rasmalai. She told me how she used to buy the frozen trays at the Indian stores and take it home for herself.  When she didn't feel like buying the sweets, she attempted to make them at home. After several unsuccessful efforts, she gave up. 

Now my friend can try her luck again at making her favorite sweet with this recipe submitted by one of our Bengali friends.

Ingredients (8 servings - 2 per person):
Illustration includes finished recipe with ingredients
- 2 cans of Rasmalai patties (we used Ghasitrams brand)
- 1 quart carton Half & Half
4 tbsp of Mango pulp
5-6 pods of Cardamom, seeded and powdered
2-3 leaves of Bay leaves
1 tbsp of Rose water
5-6 Pistachios (unsalted), chopped finely

So let's start assembling this scrumptious dessert:
1) Open the Rasmalai cans and drain all the sugar syrup by transferring the contents into a fine
mesh colander and discard the sugar syrup.

2) Transfer the half & half into a container and place it on the stove with low to medium heat. Add
bay leaves and cardamom powder. Next, heat until the milk ‘ras’(liquid) is somewhat thick.

3) Now add the mango pulp, 1 tbsp at a time and mix well between each spoon addition. Remove
from stove and slowly add the drained patties. Allow the rasmalai to cool down, add rose water and
chill before serving.

4) Garnish the rasmalai with chopped pista before serving and indulge the divinity!!!!!!