Rava Idli

Studies find that what you eat for breakfast influences what you eat the rest of the day. So it’s key to choose energy enhancing healthy foods.

This instant Rava idli is so simple, easy and a healthy breakfast, which can be made within minutes. In my house, everybody likes different varieties of idlis. This Rava idli is made on a Sunday morning in my house so that everyone can enjoy a healthy and delicious breakfast.This doesn’t require any fermentation.

Rava idli is made using roasted semolina which is mixed with vegetables, curd, baking soda/ eno salt, seasoned with a perfect amount of spices and made into a pouring consistency by adding enough amount of water. It is then steamed in idli molds till perfection and served along with your choice of chutneys.

This is a perfect, filling and a quick breakfast, which will be liked by all and which doesn’t require any soaking, grinding or fermenting. Adding tempering is optional, but it enhances the flavors. Try this out and let me know.

Ingredients:

1. Sooji Rava/ Semolina- 2 Cups
2. Curd- 1 Cup
3. Green Chillies- 3 nos
4. Ginger- 1 tbsp
5. Chana Dal- 1 tbsp
6. Urad Dal- 1 tbsp
7. Curry Leaves- few
8. Turmeric Powder- 1 Tsp
9. Baking Soda- 1 Tsp
10. Salt- as required
11. Asafoetida- a pinch
12. Grated Carrot- ¼ Cup
13. Oil- 1tbsp
14. Mustard Seeds- 1 tbsp
15. Roasted Cashewnuts- few
16. Water- as required

Method:

1. Heat oil, Splutter mustard seeds. Add the chana dal, urad dal, turmeric powder, red chili powder and curry leaves.
2. Add the semolina and roast till the raw smell disappears and the semolina turns slight golden color.
3. Switch off the flame and transfer the semolina in a mixing bowl. Add the chopped green chilies and ginger.
4. Once when it cools down, add the thick curd and mix well. The semolina absorbs the moisture. Add water little by little till it forms a thick batter. Let it rest for some time.
5. Meanwhile, place the steamer overheat. Grease the idli molds with oil and place a roasted cashew in each mold. Add the baking soda or eno salt in the batter. Give it a nice stir.
6. Pour into the greased molds and steam for about 10- 15 minutes. Switch off the flame and serve hot rava idlis along with coconut chutney.

Kaju Katli- A rich and exquisite festive treat

It’s dessert time again on my blog. Happy Diwali to all. Festival is a time where you can eat lots of sweets and delicious food. Most common sweets made during festivals are Kaju katli, soan papdi, Mysore Pak, coconut burfi and so on. Among them, kaju katli is the most loved sweet by my family. Especially my daughter, who is a big fan of this Kaju katli. After coming here, whenever we go to Indian store, that is the first thing which she keeps in the cart. So instead of buying Kaju katli this time, I tried making them at home and surprisingly they came out perfect and tasty like the ones which we get from the shop.

This is the first time I  made Kaju katli and followed many blogs for notes and learned all the slightest details of making Kaju katli. The cashew nuts should be at room temperature. While powdering the cashews make sure they don’t turn oily. It should be soft and smooth. It will be grainy, once we start kneading it will become a smooth dough. The consistency of the sugar syrup should of one string. I used brown sugar to make syrup, so the color of my Kaju katli is light brown. This is a foolproof recipe to try. Follow all the tips and you can make perfect Kaju katli at home.

Ingredients:

1. Cashew Nuts- 2 Cups
2. Sugar- 1 Cup
3. Cardamom Powder- 1 Tsp
4. Clarified Butter/ Ghee- 2 tbsp

Method:

1. Grind the cashew nuts to a powder. They should be in powdered very fine, do not overrun the blender or else they will turn oily and lumpy. Sieve the powdered cashews and keep this aside.
2. Heat sugar along with cardamom powder by adding little water to immerse the sugar, on a low flame till the sugar syrup becomes one string consistency.
3. Mix the powdered cashews in the sugar syrup and stir well till it becomes a paste.
4. On a low flame stir well and it will start leaving the sides of the pan. Switch off the flame and stir consistently. The mixture will turn into a dough.
5. Let it rest for 5- 10 minutes. On a greased parchment paper, drop the mixture and start to knead using greased hands. It will be hot, take care not to burn your hands.
6. Slowly knead well and the dough will become soft and smooth. Add ghee while kneading.
7. Roll the dough, using a greased rolling pin, into a thin layer and cut it diagonally to make pieces. Serve or store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

Note:

• While kneading, if the dough looks dry, add little milk or else no need of adding milk.
• While making sugar syrup, keep the flame low.

Mysore Pak- A scrumptious and heavenly traditional Indian sweet...

Nowadays in almost all the Indian food blogs, as the festive season is going on, there are recipes for different varieties of mouth-watering desserts. Even I couldn’t resist and thought of making a sweet dish just to satisfy my sweet tooth craving. I decided to try the popular traditional Indian sweet, which is a melt in the mouth and will be loved and enjoyed by all. Mysore pak is my childhood cherished treasure which my dad used to bring often. As I finish it off quickly, my mom used to hide it from me and somehow I sneaked in the kitchen and finished off completely. Feeling nostalgic.

This is a perfect dessert to gift your family or friends. Usually, Indian sweets are not so easy to make. You just need some experience and continuous, nonstop stirring is required.

Mysore Pak is originated from Mysore, which requires a generous amount of ghee, gram flour, and sugar. Once it is done, it is poured into a greased pan to set. While it is still warm, we have to cut in required pieces and once it gets completely cooled, we can enjoy the delicious dessert. But after I poured the hot mixture into the greased pan, I set the mixture for too long and forgot to cut into perfect squares. Meanwhile, I took my kids to my friend's place and completely forgot about the dish.When I came back home, I realized that Mysore pak is fully set and cooled completely. It was hard to cut with a knife and so I have to break them using hands. So the shape is not proportionate, but the taste was amazing. Try this out and let me know.

Ingredients:

1. Gram Flour/ Besan- ½ Cup
2. Sugar- 1 Cup
3. Clarified Butter/ Ghee- 2 tbsp
4. Oil- 4 tbsp

Method:

1. Sift the flour using a sieve, this will help reduce the lumps. Grease a pan. Take the sugar in a heavy thick bottomed pan, add a half cup of water and let it boil for about one string consistency.
2. Add the flour slowly into the sugar syrup on a low flame and mix until smooth.
3. Slowly add the oil and ghee in intervals till it finishes. Stir well. At one stage the color will change and there will be a nice aroma of the fried flour.
4. It becomes frothy after some time the mixture will start leaving the sides of the pan. Switch off the flame and pour this hot mixture into the greased pan and spread with the back of a spoon.
5. When it becomes warm or slightly cooled cut into desired shapes and enjoy a delicious homemade dessert with family and friends.

Notes:

• The sugar syrup should be exactly of one string consistency.
• Make sure the flour doesn’t have any lumps.
• Cut into desired shapes when the mixture is hot. I let it set so long that it was hard for me to cut using a knife and I break them into pieces using the hand.

Shahi Falooda using Homemade Rose Syrup

Falooda is a dessert beverage which we all like the most. In India, during summertime, we used to have falooda often. I never tried making this at home, as we will be getting falooda in India in almost all the restaurants.

Only after coming to the US, I realized that it is difficult to get falooda in restaurants and if we get also, it’s not the same as India. So I decided to make this at home. But to make this falooda, the main ingredient required is the rose syrup or rose milk. Many will use roohafza, but as we don’t like the taste of roohafza, I tried to make rose syrup, which we can use for other different beverages as well. I googled and got the recipe for rose syrup from Raks Kitchen. Which we can easily make and store in a glass jar in the refrigerator. Whenever required we can make it to our convenience.

Once when I made the rose syrup, the search for falooda sev/ corn sev started and I got it from the Indian store. The other main ingredient is the sabja seeds/ tukmaria which is soaked and added to juices. Which is also a perfect coolant.

Falooda is a combination of corn sev, soaked sabja seeds, chilled milk and rose syrup. No need of adding sugar as the rose syrup contains enough sugar for the falooda. All the other like the jelly, ice cream and nuts are optional.

This is a best-layered dessert in a tall glass which will be loved by all and enjoyed during a hot day. Just try this out and let me know.

Ingredients:

For making Rose Syrup:

1. Sugar- 1 ½ Cups
2. Water- 1 ½ Cups
3. Rose Essence- 2 tsp
4. Red Food Colour- 2 tsp

Method:

1. Mix sugar in water and heat it up on a medium flame, till it boils.
2. When it starts boiling, check for a one string consistency. Slowly add the red food color. Stir.
3. Switch off the flame and add the rose essence. Mix and let this cool.
4. Once when it cools, store in a glass bottle in the refrigerator and use as required.

Ingredients for Falooda:

1. Corn Vermicelli/ Falooda Sev- 1 Packet
2. Sabja Seeds/ Basil Seeds/ Tukmaria- 2 tbsp
3. Milk- 3 Cups
4. Pistachios, Almonds, and Cashews- ½ Cup crushed
5. Rose Syrup- 3 tbsp
6. Jello/ Jelly- 1 packet (optional)
7. Ice Cream- 1 Cup (optional)

Method:

1. Prepare jelly according to packet instructions and cut into small pieces. Keep this aside.
2. Soak the sabja seeds in water till it blooms. Drain and reserve.
3. Boil the milk and keep this aside to cool. Add 4 tbsp rose syrup, mix well. When cooled, keep this in the refrigerator.
4. Crush the nuts and keep this aside.

Assembling:

• In a tall glass add 2 tsp soaked sabja seeds followed by jelly pieces, corn vermicelli, refrigerated rose syrup mixed milk and then again repeat the above process and at last add a scoop of vanilla ice cream topped with nuts. Serve immediately.