SWEET DIAMONDS

A perfect evening snack for your kids. Can be made in larger quantity and stored for upto 15-20 days.

Usually I make them with maida, but this time I used half of maida and half of wheat flour. The taste is perfect with right amount of jaggery syrup. Savory version can also be made by adding salt, chilly powder, carom seeds while making the dough.

INGREDIENTS

• Maida                      1cup
• Wheat flour.             1 cup
• Jaggery.                   1+1/2 cup
• Butter                       2 Tsp or even more
• Cardamom powder.  1 tsp
• Oil.                            for deep frying

PROCEDURE

1. Mix in the maida, wheat flour, room temperature  butter. Use a little bit more of butter if you are making for kids. Butter gives a melt in mouth texture to the sweet.
2. Make a crumbling mixture. You can replace butter with hot oil too.
3. Now add water little by little and make a stiff dough.
4. Let the dough rest for half an hour.
5. Take a generous amount of dough (large orange size ball) and roll it into a thin circle. 
6. Cut into small diamonds. Make diamonds with the whole of the dough.
7. Heat oil and deep fry the diamonds on a medium flame.
8. Remove onto a paper towel and set aside.
9. Mean while make a jaggery syrup with 1+1/2 cup jaggery and 1 cup water. Use a large open pan to make syrup as you will be mixing the fried diamonds in the pan.
10. Once the syrup attains the round ball consistency, add the cardamom powder and switch off the flame.
11. By this time, frying of the diamonds should be completed.
12. Add the fried diamonds and keep stirring. The jaggery syrup should coat all of the diamonds and should dry up.
13. Cool and store in a bit tight container.
14. Enjoy the tea time snack.

BANDAR LADDU

Located some 60 Kilometers from Vijayawada, Bandar- also called Mahilipatnam- is a town which is  the capital of Krishna district in Andhra Pradesh.  Bandar is Famous for its sweets and beach. Bandar laddu and Bandar halwa are spellbinding for food lovers. There are only a handful of sweet recipes which get their name from the place where they are originated.......Bandar halwa, bandar laddu, Kakinada Kaja, Aatreyapuram putharekulu, Bombay Halwa, kasi halwa and a few more. The taste, flavor and texture of Bandar laddu is awesome. This melt in mouth sweet is also exported to many countries from bandar and it recently got its Geographical indicator tag. 

Also called Thokkudu laddu, this sweet is prepared with Bengalgram flour, jaggery, ghee and nuts. As the name suggests the sweet is hand pounded in a Rock pestle and mortar.  My Mother in-law is famous for making sweets and especially this one. No one other than her in my Family makes this most delicious preparation. Although the process is time taking and tedious, its worth waiting. Today I experimented making the sweet and I am hopeful my son and husband likes it.

I used half and half of sugar and jaggery. Can also use only sugar or only jaggery. 

INGREDIENTS

• Bengal gram flour                        1 cups
• Sugar                                            1 cup
• Jaggery                                         1/2 cup
• Cardamom powder                       1/4 tsp
• Ghee                                             1/2 cup
• Oil                                                for deep drying
• Nuts                                              chopped cashews, almonds(optional)

PROCEDURE

• Take the besan in a wide bowl, add a spoon full of ghee. Add enough water and make dough which is not too thick or too watery. The consistency should be as shown below.

• Take a chakli or murukulu maker and fill it with the  besan batter

• Heat the oil in a deep vessel and make the chakkiralu. Use the medium hole sized disc while making the chakkiralu. Do not over cook the chakkiralu. They should be cooked from inside but should not change the color. 

•  Once they are cool grind to a very fine powder. Takes about 4-5 minutes to grind in a mixie.

•  Keep the powder aside and make the sugar and jaggery syrup.  Mix the sugar and jaggery with a cup of water and bring it to a boil. The syrup should get the right consistency.  It should attain  a one thread consistency. If the syrup is too thin the laddus will be flat and if the syrup is too thick the mix will be crumbly and the ghee will separate from the mixture. 

• Once the syrup gets the one thread consistency, switch off the flame, add the ground chakkiralu powder, cardamom powder, ghee. Mix well.

•  Transfer the mixture to a traditional  pestle and mortar and start pounding. For a easy version transfer the mixture to a  wet grinder. Grind it till you get a smooth consistency of the mixture. 
• Transfer the mixture to a plate, grease your palm with ghee and make laddus when the mixture is still warm. At this stage you can add the nuts while making laddus. I like the  laddu taste as is, so I skipped the nuts. 
• Enjoy with any savory. 

CABBAGE KOFTA

HAPPY NEW YEAR

A  best recipe which goes well with any Indian bread or any flavored rice. A healthy one too. Simple gravy with deep fried cabbage masala dumplings. With very few ingredients this is very easy, even for beginners. 

INGREDIENTS

For the koftas

• Cabbage finely chopped                       1 cup
• Boiled potato mash                               1/2 cup
• Besan                                                    1 Tsp
• Rice flour                                              1 Tsp
• Salt                                                       to taste
• Chilli powder                                       to taste
• Garam masala pwd                               1/4 tsp
• Jeerapowder                                         1/4 tsp
• Coriander leaves                                   1 Tsp chopped
• Oil                                                         to deep fry                                        

For the gravy

• Onions                                               1 cup chopped
• Tomatoes                                           2 cups chopped
• Butter                                                 2 Tsp
• Oil                                                      2 Tsp
• Salt                                                    to taste
• Red chilli powder                              to taste
• Sugar                                                 1 tsp
• Cardamom                                         2
• Cloves                                               3
• Cinnamon                                         small piece
• Garlic                                                2
• Ginger                                               small pace
• Coriander powder                              1/4 tsp
• Jeera powder                                      1/4 tsp
• Kasuri methi                                       1/4 tsp
• Water                                                  as required
• Cream                                                3 Tsp

PROCEDURE

1. Blanch the very finely chopped cabbage or microwave for a minute.
2. In a bowl add the blanched cabbage, boiled-mashed potato, besan, rice flour, salt, chilly powder, jeera powder, coriander leaves. 
3. Mix well and make small balls. 
4. Deep fry the koftas and set aside
5. In a thick bottomed kadai add 2 Tsp of oil 
6. Add the cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and garlic.
7. Fry for a minute and then add the onions and tomatoes.
8. Add salt enough for the gravy, and then add a little bit of chilly powder.
9. Fry till the onions and tomatoes are cooked completely.
10. Let the mixture cool and then grind to a fine paste.
11. Seive the paste to get a smooth silky gravy.
12. Heat another pan and add the butter.
13. Now add the gravy. Add water if required.
14. Cook on a low flame till the gravy oozes out the oil- butter.
15. Add the sugar, jeera powder, kasuri methi. 
16. Switch off the flame, mix well and then add the cream.
17. Just before serving add the koftas to the gravy.
18. Tastes very good with any fried rice or Indian bread.