Besan Ladu

Besan Ladu

Raw

Roasting ready

Roasted

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup besan
• 1/3 cup ghee
• 1/4 tsp powdered cardamon
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 tbs crushed nuts (almonds and or cashews) optional

Method 1 (Microwave)

Mix

Combine besan, crushed nuts in a microwaveable plate. Mix in the ghee. Microwave on high for three minutes, stirring every minute. Continue to microwave for another minute as needed, stirring every 30 seconds.. Check to see if the besan mixture is nicely roasted. If the besan is thoroughly roasted good aroma emanates and the raw smell dissipates. Remove from microwave and allow it to cool. Then add the powdered cardamon, sugar and mix well. Microwave for another 30 seconds, divide into smaller portions, press between your palm and fingers and make golf sized balls. Makes about 10 ladus.

Making ladus

Method 2 (Stove top)

Combine besan, crushed nuts in a large pan. Mix in half of the ghee. Roast the contents on medium low heat for about 10 minutes till the besan mixture is finely roasted and the raw smell has dissipated. Cool, mix in sugar, cardamon and the remaining ghee. Then divide, press between your palm and fingers and make golf size balls. Lakes about 10 ladus. 

Cooking Tips:

Very important to have the besan mixture thoroughly roasted and toasted slightly golden brown. Can warm the besan mixture a little either in microwave or the pan, to bind the mixture into balls. If the sugar is coarse, run it through the dry blender and powder the sugar a little.

Serving Tips:

Serve as dessert any time of the day.

Baklava

Baklava

Ingredients:

• 1 box Phyllo dough (thawed per directions on the box)
• 2 cups of nuts (almonds, cashews, pistas, walnuts, all coarsely powdered, not chunky)
• 1/2 tsp powdered cardamon
• 1/2 cup butter at room temperature or slightly melted
• 1/2 cup sugar

 Syrup 

Baklava

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 cup water

Method: 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix the dry ingredients (nuts, cardamon, sugar) in a bowl and set aside.

Then layer the butter, phyllo sheets and nut mixture as follows::

1. Brush/smear butter on the bottom of a 11x17 glass dish (or a deep baking sheet).
2. Use 5 or so phyllo sheets in bunches to layer the buttered dish .
3. Brush/smear butter generously all over the top layer.
4. Sprinkle about 1/2 the nut mixture evenly on the buttered phyllo.
5. Repeat Step 2, 3 and 4 over the nut mixture layer.
6. Repeat Step 2 and 3 for the final layering.

Finally use a sharp knife to score and cut the phyllo ensemble  into small squares or any shape and size desired. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes till the phyllo is golden brown. Carefully remove the baked dish from oven.

Prepare syrup while the dough is baking in the oven. To make syrup boil water, sugar, honey in a small sauce pan for five minutes and turn off the heat. Pour the entire contents of the syrup evenly over the baked phyllo. The sticky Baklava is ready to be served.

Cooking Tips;

Can use finely chopped dates, figs, raisins and other dried fruits along with the nuts. Use food processor to chop the nuts. Alternately, use 1 tsp of cinnamon powder, 1/4 tsp cloves powder instead of cardamon to vary the flavor.

Serving Tips:

Serve as dessert or at tea time.

Mango Fruit Salad

Cut fruits

Mango Fruit Salad

Ingredients:

• 2 apples
• 4 bananas
• 2 pears
• 1 mango
• 1 cup seedless grapes
• 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 cup mango pulp
• 2 cups vanilla ice cream
• 1 cup walnuts

Method:

Wash, peel and cut all the fruitsof your choice into bite size cubes. Soften ice-cream in the refrigerator for a couple of hours. Add condensed milk, mango pulp and ice cream in a large bowl and mix well. Gently mix in the fruits and nuts. Chill and serve cold.

Cooking Tips:

The measurements given are just basic guide lines of the ingredients. Vary the amount of mango pulp, ice cream, condensed milk as per your taste. Add or subtract different fruits, nuts of your choice. Fruits like honey dew melon, cantaloupes are favored fruits in this recipe.

Serving tips:

Serve as dessert.

Jamoon

Jamoon
Ingredients:

Ball

• 2 cups of carnation milk powder
• 1/2 cup of all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp of baking powder
• 1 cup of heavy cream

Syrup

• 4 cups of sugar
• 4 cups of water
• 2 or 3 whole cardamon(optional)
• 3 or 4 strings of kesari/saffron(optional)

Frying

• 4 cups of corn oil

Method:
Bring to boil all the syrup ingredients in a large pot for 5 minutes on medium heat and turn off the heat and let the syrup cool.
In a large bowl mix all the ball ingredients together and knead well into a homogeneous dough. Take a large marble sized dough and roll between your palms to make a ball. Similarly make balls with the rest of the dough. Make about 35 balls.
In a wok or a pan heat oil on medium low. Fry about ten balls or so in a batch, constantly stirring/flipping/rolling with a long slotted spatula till the balls are golden brown. Each batch should be fried slowly and will take about 15 minutes to become golden brown. Take them out of the oil with the slotted spatula and drop them into the cooled sugar syrup to soak. Continue to fry the rest of the balls similarly and soak them all in the syrup
Cooking tips:
Slow frying on medium heat is the key to making good jamoons. Best to fry in a thermostat controlled electric fryers/woks at about 275 degrees.
Caution: Do not let the jamoons brown too quick while frying as the insides will not cook properly. Lower the temperature of oil to fry further to fix this porblem.
Serving tips:
Serve at room temp after ten minutes of soaking time.

Dessert Pineapple/Mango Kulfi

Dessert Pineapple/Mango Kulfi
Ingredients:

• 2 tubs cool whip ( or 2 cups of whipped cream)
• 1 can of condensed milk
• 1 can of crushed pineapple
• 1 cup of fresh crushed mango or pulp from a can
• 1 cup of nuts(walnuts)
• 2 tbs of pista crushed/powdered

Method:
Decant and squeeze out the liquid from the crushed pineapple. Mix the condensed milk, pineapple, mango pulp, nuts in a 11"x17" glass dish. Then gently fold in the cool whip or the whipped cream. Spread it evenly around the dish and freeze for a minimum of 4 hours. Thaw for a few minutes, cut, sprinkle pista powder and serve.
Tips:
Homemade whipped cream can be made in less than 15 minutes. See instructions to make whipped cream below. Utensils and the beaters for beating/whipping cream should be chilled in a freezer before using them to make whipped cream.
Whipping the Cream:
To make 2 cups of whipped cream: Use 1 cup of heavy cream.
Remove the mixing bowl and beaters from the freezer after sufficiently chilled. Be sure to use a bowl big enough to hold the cream once it is whipped. Cream will double in volume. It is also best to use a bowl that is narrow with deep sides.
Add 1 cup of heavy cream in the chilled mixing bowl and beat with a hand mixer/stand mixer for 20 to 30 seconds on low until bubbles begin to form.
Increase mixer speed to medium and beat until the cream begins to thicken and the beaters show a slight trail in the cream.
Increase mixer speed to high and beat until the cream begins to thicken and puff up. Slowly add 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar and any flavoring desired off to the side of the bowl, continue beating. Continue to beat the cream until it forms a soft peak. For a soft peak, beat until a soft curved peak forms when pulling the beaters straight up out of the mixture. At this point the whipped cream is still soft enough to fold into the other ingredients easily.
Note: DO NOT over whip the cream. If the cream is over whipped it will start to separate and curdle.

Rasamalai

Rasamalai

Ingredients:

• 1 tub of whole milk ricotta cheese (15 oz or so)
• 3/4 cup of sugar
• 1 cup of half and half
• 2 0r 3 strands of saffron/kesari(optional)
• 1 tiny weeny bit of natural camphor/pacchae karapoora(optional)

Method:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Thoroughly beat and mix ricotta and sugar in a bowl. Pour the mixture into a 9"x13" glass. Cover and bake for about 45 minutes. The contents should solidify into a cake like consistency. Note that, the ricotta at the edges of the pan could get slightly browned. Remove from the oven and cut the baked ricotta into 1"x2" pieces with a butter knife. In a separate dish heat the half and half almost to a boil on medium heat. Remove from heat. Add 1/4 cup of sugar, saffron, natural camphor and mix well. Pour the milk contents into the baked ricotta and let cool.
Cooking tips: Always use oven mitts while handling the hot pan. You can soak the strands of saffron in a couple tbs of hot water for a couple of minutes. Pinch, rub, squeeze the strands between your fingers to release the natural orange coloring. The contents can be poured into the milk (half and half). Also can use rose essence or vanilla flavouring instead of the natural camphor. Alternatively you can flavor the ricotta with 1/2 tsp of cardamon powder.
Serving tips: Serve rasamallai chilled or at room temperature. Sprinkle powdered pista on the top, just before serving. Serve as dessert.