Mom's Recipies

 Coconut Burfi / Kobbari Mithai / Nariyal Ki Barfi” is one of the Indian sweets recipes that can very easily be made for any festival or any occassions ... We have grown up eating it. .It requires  just  few ingredients ..It’s so easy ,quick to make and tasty to eat.It can be eaten for fasting also.

Preparation: 15 mts 
Cooking Time: 40 mts
Recipe Type - Sweets / Desserts  /Fasting
Makes approx 18-20 squares

Ingredients:

2 cups - Grated coconut

2 cups - Sugar (Adjust according to taste)

1 cup - Water

1 tbsp - ghee, melted

1/2 tsp - cardamom powder






Method :-

1) First grate the coconut and keep it aside.



2) Grease the plate with ghee and keep it aside.
3) Take a heavy bottomed vessel, add water and sugar and on medium low flame allow the sugar to dissolve and come to a boil.


4) Now add cardamom powder and grated coconut and keep stirring continuously until combined well.Let it continue to cook till one string consistency.  Test the syrup by using your thumb and index finger and touch the sugar syrup and as your stretch the syrup, it should form at least 1 threads.
 It will take approximately about 18-20 minutes. Keep on stirring continuously.


5) After couple of mins you will see bubbles formation.


6) Now add the ghee and keep stirring continuously.
7)At one stage the mixture will thicken and start to move without sticking to the side. This is the right consistency.Turn off the stove.
8) Transfer the mixture immediately to the greased plate or greased pan. Gently press on top to even it out with a spatula .


9)Wait for 2 mins to let it slightly cool down. Cut the burfi into desired shapes using a greased knife.
10) Cool completely before storing in an airtight container and enjoy.




Tips:-

1) One string consistency  - If you take a little bit of the sugar syrup between 2 of your fingers thumb finger and index finger,  you should get one continuous string formed between your fingers.

2) Cut the burfi when it is still slightly warm. Once it cools down completely, you will not be able to cut it into pieces.

3)  Garnish with chopped nuts, saffron.

Rajgira pooris are made from rajgira atta (Amaranth flour) .Rajgira atta is gluten free flour. Rajgira flour is allowed to eat during the Navratri fastings or Ekadashi vrat or any Other fasting days.
Apart from making pooris, Rajgira Flour is also used to make rotis, parathas, pakoras and even as a binding and thickening agent.

Since rajgira atta is gluten free flour so to bind it together I have added boiled potato.

These pooris are quite heavy. 3-4 pooris per person with subzi /curry  on side is enough as a filling meal.




While making Rajgira poori, you need to consider below points to make it perfect:

1)  While making dough add very little water (about 1 teaspoon) at a time and knead. If you pour all the water at once, dough will be sticky and watery. If by mistake dough becomes sticky  then add little more rajgira atta and knead. Dough should not be sticky at all..The Dough should be not too soft not too hard.

2)   Roll the poori at medium thickness , meaning not too thick not too thin. If it is thick then it will sink into the oil,which  will take more time to cook. If it is thin then it may break and will not puff at all
.
3)  Fry the pooris in a HOT Oil or Hot Melted Ghee. If oil is not hot enough, then it will absorb too much oil and will not puff well.


Ingredients :-

Rajgira  Atta / Amaranth Flour -  2 Cups
Boiled Potato / Aloo - 1 ( Large )
Rock Salt / Sendha Namak  - as required
Water - as required
Oil /Ghee - for deep frying

Method:- 


 1) Boil the potato. Let it cool completey. Peel and mash it in a mixing bowl.
 2)  Add rajgira atta and Rock Salt /Sendha Namak  and two tablespoons of ghee . Mix the whole mixture well.Dough almost come together.
 3) Then add very little water, just about to 1 tsp and begin to knead the dough.
 4) Again add ½ to 1 tsp water and knead so that there is no dryness in the dough.
 5) The dough should not be sticky. If the dough feel sticky add some Rajgira flour and again knead well.Keep aside covered for 15 minutes.
 6) Divide into equal sized balls. On a dusted work surface, make medium sized pooris, neither thin nor thick .
7) Heat sufficient ghee in a kadai and deep-fry the puris on medium heat till golden. Drain and place on an absorbent paper or paper napkins to remove excess oil.
8) Serve rajgire ke pooris hot with any vegetable curry/sabzi or paneer curry or chutney.

Serving suggestions: During the vrat, this rajgira puri can be served with any side dish like sukhi bhaji, aloo ki sabji, sweet potato sabji, dahi aloo, suran sabji, sukhi arbi ,chutney

Papaya Halwa is a simple, nutritious and yummy sweet dish .It can be made for special religious events and can be eaten for vrat / fastings also.



Ingredients :-

Medium semi ripe papaya 3 cups (chopped into cubes or grated)
Ghee -  2 tbsp
Sugar - 5 tbsp (adjust according to your taste)
Cardamom Powder - 1/2 tsp   (Optional)
Almond powder - 2 tbsp (Optional)
Cashew Nuts - 12 halved
Raisins - few (optional)



Method:-

• First rinse and peel the papaya.
• Cut into half and remove the seeds and pith from it.Slice the papaya and chop finely.
• In a pan add the milk and let it boils. In a Kadai or pan fry the cashews and raisins in a tbsp of ghee and keep it aside. 
• For making Almond Powder I crushed 15 almonds in a mixer.

• Add a tbsp of ghee in a same kadai or pan. Then add the papaya cubes.
• Cook on a low flame for about 15 minutes.Keep stirring in between.
• The fruit will release it juices and little bit change the color. 

• Now mash the papaya well with the back of the ladle.
• Add sugar and then stir well. Continue to cook for further 5 minutes on a low flame

• Now add the boiled milk in the papaya sugar mixture and keep stirring for about 20-25 minutes on low flame until ghee will start to separate.

• Cook for 5-6 minutes more till the whole halwa has gotten together or halwa starts to leave the sides of the pan.

• Add the cardamom powder and fried cashews and raisins to the halwa.Switch off the stove.
• Now Healthy  and Lip Smacking Papaya Halwa is ready !!!

•  Serve the Papaya Halwa warm .
• Keep it in a Fridge and You can also  serve the Papaya Halwa as a yummy cold dessert.

Note :-

• You can adjust sugar according to your taste.
• If Papaya is fully ripe You need to add very little sugar. 
• Add boiled milk only if you add cold milk it will curdle.

 Peanut curd chutney is a Fasting / Vrat chutney. It is the best accompaniment for fasting /Vrat recipes such sabudana vada,Kuttu ki puri ,Ragira puri ,Vrat ke chawal etc.It is very easy to make and is delicious to eat.

Ingredients :-

2 cups Peanuts /Groundnuts roasted
1 1/2 cups fresh Curds /Yogurt/ Dahi
5 Green Chillies chopped
1 tbsp Lemon Juice
2 tsp Cumin Seeds (jeera)
Rock Salt  or sendha namak to taste

Method :-

Heat a pan and roast peanuts in it on low flame for 5 mins.
Switch off the flame and keep it aside.
After it is lightly cooled then coarse crush the roasted peanuts in blender or mixer.
Add chopped chillies ,cumin seeds ,rock salt and blend it in a mixer.
Then add beaten curd and lemon juice and blend in a mixer till smooth without using any water.
Serve it with Sabudana Vada ,Sabudana Thalipeeth ,Kuttu Ki Puri ,Vrat ke Chawal etc.

Tips:-

Adjust spice according to your taste
Store refrigerated in an air-tight container and use when required.
Do not add any water while grinding, or the chutney might become watery.

Navratri is a festival, which is celebrated for nine days.There is an tradition in Navratri of observing fast during the navratri in some regions to please the mother goddess.In north India,Gujrat and  Maharashtra  people observe a fast during Navratri and break their fast on  Navami (the ninth day).The devotees, who have observed fast, follow a specific diet for Navratri, if they haven't observed a nirahar (waterless) fast. Most people nowadays perform partial fasting. They eat only one meal a day at sunset, the Navaratri meal has special courses and is strictly vegetarian.Onion and garlic are not allowed, due to their foul smell.One may drink beverages like tea, coffee and milk, on Navratri. Dishes made of sago , potato ,kuttu is generally consumed by the people, when they observe fast on Navratri.  All fruits and foodstuff made of fruits are eaten during the seven days.  This may also vary from region to region.
      Here are some recipes that are suitable for Navaratri celebrations and which you can prepare easily during the occasion.


* Kuttu Ki Puri

* Sabudana Khichidi

* Sabudana Thalipeeth

* Sabudana Vada

* Sabudana Kheer / Payasam

* Sabudana Ladoos

* Peanut Ladoos

* Coconut Chutney

* Potatao Curry /Aloo ki Sabzi

* Sweet Potato Halwa

* Peanuts Curd Chutney 

* Apple Halwa

* Guava /Peru Halwa

* Rajgira Ladoo

* Rajigra Puri

I am doing Navratri fasting for 9 days, so thought of sharing Fasting recipies which I would be preparing during these days. We can eat Sabudana ,Kottu atta,Singhara (Indian water-chestnut) ,Potato ,Sweet Potato,Groundnuts,Coconut ,Rajgira and Fruits during the fasting days.
Today I will share recipe for Sabudana thalipeeth which is very forgiving. If you use boiled and mashed potatoes, you can add a few spoons of rajgira (amaranth) flour or Sabudana flour for binding and stay within the upwas (fasts) restrictions.

Ingredients:-

2 cups Soaked Sabudana / Sago
2 large Boiled Potatoes
1 tsp of Cumin
2 tbsp Sabudana Powder
11/2 tsp Green chilly paste
Salt to taste
1/4 cup roasted Peanut groundnuts powder
1/2 tsp Sugar
Ghee to shallow fry


Method:-

1) Soak 2 cups of sago by placing it in a bowl, then rinsing once with water, then adding enough water to just cover the sago in the bowl. Cover and leave overnight or 5 hours. Your sago will swell well and becoming a bit rubbery and soft. This results in perfectly fluffed sago.Keep it aside.
2) Boil the Potatoes in microwave or in pressure cooker. Peel it then mash it.
3) In a big bowl add soaked sabudana , mashed potato,groundnut powder,salt ,sugar, green chilli paste, cumin seeds ,sabudana powder and mix well to a soft dough, except ghee.
4) On a thick plastic bag/ sheet, place a tennis ball size ball of the dough and pat it with hands into a round roti shape or flat bigger circle. See that roti should be thick and should not break.
5) Heat a non -stick pan.
6) Gently transfer it to the hot non stick pan. Put ghee around it.
7) Cook on both sides to a until nice golden colour and crispy.
Serve with Yogurt / coconut chutney of your choice.

Ingredients for Coconut Chutney:-

Coconut pieces -1/2 cup
Green chillies - 5-6
Curd - 1 tsp
Rock Salt or Sendha Namak to taste
Ghee - 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp

Method:-

Grind all the ingredients to smooth paste. Add seasoning of cumin seeds.

Note:-
If you are not preparing this for fasting then you can use normal salt.