BALEHANNINA SUTTAVU/ BANANA FRITTERS

Warm Greetings to all my readers.

Some months back , I got an opportunity to participate in a cookery show "Bhappare Bhojana"

telecast on Udaya TV, a kannada language channel.

The series was about sharing traditional Indian recipes.

I have shared the link of that program on pinterest in "MY KITCHEN DIARY"
The link can be found in the next post
Hope you all like it.

TIL PAPAD / SESAME SWEET PAPAD

Til papads are made during Sankranti, the harvest festival of Indians.
Varieties of sweets made of groundnuts, sesame and jaggery are made and distributed among friends.

Here I am sharing a recipe of sesame and sugar made in North Indian homes.
These are small sweet crispy discs very simple to make and very tasty and nutritious.


METHOD
2 measures white til/sesame seeds
1 measure sugar

 PREPARATION
Before lighting the stove, grease a rolling pin and board with a little ghee

• In a thick bottomed pan , add a measure of sugar and heat on slow to medium heat.
• When the sugar melts completely, add the til/sesame and mix well to form a ball.
• Transfer the ball to a greased rolling board
• Grease your fingers with a little ghee and give proper shape to the ball  and roll out into thin circular discs. Roll out as thin as possible.
• THIS PROCEDURE HAS TO BE FAST  AS THE SUGAR BEGINS TO HARDEN QUICKLY AS IT STARTS COOLING AND IT CANNOT BE ROLLED  AND YOU WILL BE LEFT WITH A BALL OF TIL AND SUGAR.
• This procedure has to be repeated for making each papad.
• Use small measures of sugar and til/sesame each time to make a papad.
• A small ladle for measurement would be ideal.
• DO NOT ALLOW THE SUGAR TO BECOME BROWN /CARAMELIZE WHILE MELTING. KEEP THE FLAME LOW.

Keep the required amount of til and sugar in two separate bowls
SCRAP THE SPOON CLEAN AFTER MAKING EACH PAPAD AS THE  TIL AND SUGAR MIX WILL STICK TO THE SPOON WHILE MIXING

MILK BARFI

Need to make a sweet instantly. Here it is! 
This barfi needs no pre planning. All the ingredients are simple and easily available at home all the time. It can be done in 15- 20 mins. Use a small cup for measuring as it can make quite a quantity!
Approx 200 ml of milk can make 10-15 pieces .

INGREDIENTS

4 measures milk
4 measures sugar
1 measure ghee
1 measure  rava ( preferably chiroti rava or very fine rava)
a few saffron strands for flavouring


METHOD

• Soak the saffron in about 2 tbsp of warm milk for 15 -20 mins.
• Rub the saffron well till it disintegrates in the milk. 
• Mix all the ingredients in a thick bottomed vessel and cook on a high flame
• Keep stirring continuously till the mixture leaves the sides of the pan.
• Switch off the flame and mix for a few secs and pour on a greased plate.
• To grease a plate, pour a few drops of ghee on the plate and spread it with your fingers.
• To spread and even out the surface, grease a flat bottomed bowl/katori and tap lightly on the surface to make it smooth.
• When it cools a bit cut into desired shape with a sharp knife.
• Separate the pieces when completely cool.
• Store in an airtight container
• It can be stored for almost a week.

The end point is a critical step, but even if it goes wrong it can be set right.

• If you remove from fire before the end point you may not get the desired pieces on cooling but you can set it in a freezer for some time and the pieces can be separated.
• If you keep it past the end point, the pieces will not be very soft but they wont be hard and unbreakable .
• The end point can be easily detected in this barfi as the mixture will form a nice ball in the pan when done.
• Cardamom powder can also be used for flavouring.                                                                                           

COCONUT BARFI

This sweet is prepared from fresh coconut and tastes really yum.
Its very easy and quick to make and doesn't require any preparation.
The only tricky part here is getting the end point right. One can get it right after some practice. But its O.K.  The only disaster that can happen is that, we will not get the desired shape. But it will still taste yummy. So do not be disheartened if you don't get it right in the first attempt.
Always use a thick bottomed pan .
Keep the flame high to get a perfect white .


One coconut will give approx 10 pieces .
Avoid the brown portion of the gratings near the shell to get white barfi.

INGREDIENTS

1 measure  fresh grated coconut.

(Tightly press the gratings for measuring.)

3/4 measure sugar

1/4th measure thick milk with cream
a few drops of vanilla essence

PREPARATION

• Mix milk and grind the coconut for a sec.
  
• In a thick bottomed kadai add the coconut mix with sugar .
  
• On a high flame ,keep stirring  (to avoid sicking at the bottom) till the  mixture starts leaving the sides of the pan.
• As the end point is nearing ,press the spatula in the mixture. It   will stand upright without slanting .
• Reduce the flame and mix for 2-3 mins more.
  
• Add vanilla essence and mix well.
• Keep a plate ready greased with ghee to pour the mixture .
  
• Spread the mixture on the plate first with the spatula and then smoothen it with the bottom of a katori a greased with ghee.
  
• Allow it to cool for sometime.
• When it is still warm, take a sharp knife and cut the barfi into required shape.
  
• When it cools completely,remove the pieces slowly and store in an airtight container.
  
• Stays for about a week, which I seriously doubt as it tastes so good that it will be over in no time :)

BESAN LADDU

INGREDIENTS

3 1/2 measure besan/bengal gram flour

2tsp fine semolina/sooji/rava

1 measure ghee/clarfied butter

2 measures sugar powder (if you prefer it more sweet you can add  some more sugar powder)

Cardomom powder for aroma

Dry fruits like cashewnuts and raisins. 

PREPARATION METHOD

• In a thick bottomed pan, add ghee, and besan and start roasting on a slow flame.
• In the beginning the flour looks very dry but as you keep roasting ,the mixture turns slightly wet and the ghee starts showing.
• Keep mixing with a spatula till you get a nice aroma and the flour turns golden brown.
• Sprinkle 2tbsp of cold milk and mix well.
• Allow it to cool completely. 
• Add the powdered sugar, cardamom powder and dry fruits.
• Take a small amount of the mixture in hand and form small ball

• DONE!!!                    

ENJOY THE DELICIOUS LADDUS !!

WISH YOU ALL A VERY VERY HAPPY DIWALI !!