Rasogolla

Ingredients:

Milk - 5 cups
Sugar - 1 cup
Water - 3 cups
Lemon Juice - 1 Tbsp
Rose Essence - a few drops (optional)
Semolina flour - 1 Tbsp


Procedure:

• Bring milk to boil in a pan.  Slowly add lemon juice to milk while stirring constantly. When milk curdles remove pan from stove top and leave it covered for 15 minutes. 

• Remove the water by using either of the following methods:

1. Place a large sieve over a vessel. Strain the rasogolla mixture so that all the water is removed. 

OR

1. Place muslin cloth over a bowl and pour the curdled milk into muslin cloth and strain. Gather up the corners of the muslin cloth and tie. Hang the muslin bag for 15 minutes and gently squeeze the bag. 

2. Place the bag between two cutting boards and place a heavy weight around 5 pounds on the top board for about an hour. Untie the bag and place chenna on a plain surface.

• Add semolina flour and continue to knead chenna until the grains disappear and chenna becomes soft and creamy (for about 5 minutes).

• Divide the mixture into 14 equal parts and roll each part into a smooth and even ball.

• Put sugar and water into the pressure cooker. Place cooker on high heat and bring it to a boil stirring constantly until sugar is completely dissolved.  Carefully place the chenna balls one by one into the syrup.

• Close cooker and bring to full pressure on high heat. Reduce heat and cook for 10 minutes. Remove cooker from heat and allow it to cool completely. 

• Open cooker and stir in the rose essence. Transfer rasagollas with syrup into a serving bowl.

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Coconut Burfi

Ingredients:

Butter - 1 Tbsp
Condensed sweetened milk - 1 can
Grated coconut - 2 and 1/4 cans
Food Color (optional) - a few drops

Procedure:

• Melt 1 Tbsp butter.
• Add sweetened condensed milk and mix well.
• Next add unsweetened grated coconut.
• Mix well and cook on medium heat for 10 minutes.
• Let it cool and roll into balls or any desired shapes.

Note:
You could use a drop or two of food coloring in the final step to color it according to your choice.

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Kajjikayalu

Ingredients:

Cream of Wheat ( Semolina ) - 1 cup
Dry coconut powder ( coarse ) - 1/2 cup
Powdered Almonds ( Badaam ) - 1/2 cup
Roasted and powdered cashew nuts ( Kaju ) - 1/2 cup
Powdered cardamoms - 4
Sugar - 1 cup
Khoya - 1/2 cup
All purpose flour ( Maida ) - 3 cups
Clarified Butter ( Ghee ) - 1/2 cup
Oil - for deep fry

Procedure:

• Put ghee in a pan on medium heat and add semolina and roast till it turns light brown. 
• In a food processor, grind together roasted semolina, coconut, powdered almonds, cashew nuts and sugar.  
• To this mixture add cardamom powder and khoya and mix well.  The stuffing for Kajjikayalu is ready. 
• To make the dough, add 2 Tbsp of butter and water little at a time to maida.  Knead it well. 
• Make 1/2" balls out of the dough and roll into pooris.  
• Fill each poori with a spoonful of above prepared filling and fold the poori in half and pinch and seal the two ends together and shape the edges.  
• Now deep fry in oil until they turn golden brown and crispy. 
• Drain them on paper towels.

Kajjikayalu are reday to be served.

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Sweet Dosa

Ingredients:

Red rice ( soaked in water overnight )- 1 cup
Coconut ( grated ) - 1/2 cup
Jaggery ( grated ) - 1 cup

Procedure:

• Grind red rice to smooth paste by adding water little bit at a time.
• Next add grated jaggery and grated coconut and grind again to smooth batter(like Dosa batter.
• Add a pinch of pepper powder to taste and mix well.
• Make like Dosas.

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Coconut Laddu (Kobbari Undalu)

Ingredients:

Grated coconut - 1 cup
Jaggery (Bellam) - 3/4 cup

Procedure:

• Place a thick bottomed pan on medium to low heat.
• Put grated jaggery and 2 tsp of water and stir frequently.
• When the syrup starts to bubble and is thick add the grated coconut.
• Keep stirring until the mixture leaves the edges of the pan. Turn off the heat.

• Let it cool down a bit. Grease your palms with oil or ghee and roll the mixture into small balls.

Tip: When the syrup starts to bubble, put a couple of drops of syrup into a cup of cold water. If the syrup turns into a soft ball as you roll it with your fingers, it is the right time to add the grated coconut.

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Gavvalu (Sugar Coated Whole Wheat Flour Shells)

Ingredients:

Whole wheat flour - 2 cups
Sugar - 2 cups
Butter - 2 Tbsp
Cumin powder (Zeera optional) - 1/2 tsp
Baking powder (optional) - a pinch
Salt - a pinch

Procedure:

• In a large bowl mix together wheat flour and melted butter. Knead it into a dough adding little water at a time.
• Make dough into 1/4" balls.
• Press each ball on the backside of a fork with a thumb to form a shell shape.
• Once done deep fry them in small batches on medium heat till they turn golden brown all around.
• Drain them on a paper towel to remove excess oil. Set aside.
• In a thick bottomed pan add sugar to 1 cup water on medium heat.
• Stir occasionally until bubbles start to form and the consistency is that of a syrup.
• Now reduce the heat to low and add all the deep fried shells (gavvalu) in the sugar syrup and mix well.
• Keep stirring until all the shells are evenly coated with the sugar syrup.
• Turn off the heat and continue to stir for a few minutes just to avoid the shells from sticking to each other.
• Let them cool on a cookie sheet (any flat surface).

They are ready to snack away. Loved by kids and adults alike.

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Kashi Halwa (Ash Gourd Halwa)

Ingredients:

Ash Gourd (Boodida Gummadi kaya) - 2 lbs Sugar - 2 cups
Ghee (Clarified Butter) - 2 Tbsp
Pistachios - 1/4 cup
Cashew nuts - 1/4 cup
Raisins - 1/4 cup
Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp

Procedure:

• Peel the ash gourd and remove the seeds. Next grate the Ash gourd. Keep it aside.
• Place a thick bottomed pan on medium heat. Add grated ash gourd and sugar.
• Mix well and let it cook until it thickens stirring occasionally.
• Fry pistachios, cashew nuts and raisins in ghee and add it to the ash gourd along with the ghee.
• Mix well and continue to cook on medium heat until the mixture begins to leave the edge of the pan.
• Next add cardamom powder and mix well.

It is ready to be served. Can be served hot or at room temperature.

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Moong Dal Barfi

Ingredients:

Moong Dal - 1 cup
Milk - 4 cups
Ghee - 1 cup
Mawa - 1/2 cup
Sugar - 1 cup
Cardamom - 2 or 3
Cloves - 2 or 3
Cinnamon - 2" piece
Saffron ( optional) - a few strands
Almonds - 6
Pistachios - 10

Procedure:

• Soak saffron in 1/4 cup of warm milk. Keep it aside.
• Soak moong dal for about 6 hours. Grind it into a coarse paste in a food processor. Set it aside.
• Add ghee to a thick bottom pan on medium heat.
• Add cloves, cinnamon pieces and ground cardamom.
• Next add ground moong dal. Keep stirring until it turns light golden brown and ghee starts to separate.
• Next add milk keep stirring until the milk is almost absorbed.
• Add saffron and sugar. Keep stirring until ghee separates.
• Add Mawa and mix well.
• Next spread on a butter coated tray and garnish with sliced almonds and crushed pistachios. Cut into desired shapes and serve.

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Firni (Rice Pudding)

Ingredients:

Rice Flour - 1 cup
Sugar - 2 cups
Milk - 9 cups
Almonds - 10 to 12
Pistachios - 10 to 12
Cardamom - 3

Procedure:

• Bring 6 cups milk to boil in a thick bottomed pan on medium heat. Continue to boil for 10 minutes stirring frequently.
• In the meantime add the rice flour to the remaining cold milk and mix well.
• Reduce heat and add this mixture to the boiling milk while stirring.
• Next add sugar and keep stirring until it thickens (approximately 10 minutes).
• Add cardamom powder and remove from heat.
• Pour into a serving bowl and garnish with sliced almonds and crushed pistachios.
• Refrigerate for an hour or more before serving.

Easy and yummy dessert for any time of the day.

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Dates Roll

Ingredients:

Pitted dates - 2 cups
Almonds - 1 cup
Sesame seeds - 2 Tbsp
Poppy seeds - 2 Tbsp
Butter - 1 Tbsp
Milk - 1 Tbsp

Procedure:

• Cut dates into small pieces and coarsely grind almonds and keep them aside.
• Put butter in a thick bottom pan on medium heat.
• When the butter melts add cut dates and milk. Stir occasionally till it becomes soft enough to make a dough.
• Remove from heat make it into a smooth dough.
• Grease a cookie sheet with butter. Spread the dates dough it on a greased sheet to 2 mm thick.
• Spread almond powder on it and roll it into 1 and 1/2 inch diameter log.
• Keep it in the refrigerator for one hour.
• Remove from refrigerator and cut into 1 cm thick rings.
• Sprinkle sesame seeds and poppy seeds on it and serve.

It is a great sugar free desert.

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Sooji Halwa

Ingredients:

Sooji (cream of wheat) - 1 cup
Milk - 1 and 1/2 cups
Water - 1 and 1/2 cups
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Ghee (clarified butter) - 1/2 cup
Cashew nuts - 8 to 10
Raisins - 15
Cardamom - 1

Procedure:

• Peel the cardamom and grind the seeds into a smooth powder. Keep it aside.
• Put ghee (you could substitute ghee with butter) in a pan on medium heat. When it melts add cashew nuts and raisins.
• Cook for 2 minutes until raisins plump up into round shape.
• Add sooji and fry till it turns to golden brown. Turn off the heat and set it aside.
• In a separate pan add water and milk and bring it to a boil.
• Into the boiling liquid start adding sooji gradually as you keep stirring. Once all the sooji is added cover and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Next add sugar and cardamom powder and mix well. Cover and cook for 3 more minutes
• It is ready to be served. Could be rolled into balls
  
  

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Ravva Laddu

Ingredients:

Bombay ravva (cream of wheat) - 2 cups
Sugar (powdered) - 2 cups
Coconut (powdered) - 1/4 cup
Fried chanadal - 1/4 cup
Almonds - 8
Pistachios - 8
Raisins 1/2 cup
Cashew nuts (fried) - 1/4 cup
Cardamom (powdered) - 4
Ghee (or melted butter) - 2 cups

Procedure:

• In the blender coarsely powder together almonds, pistachios, cashew nuts and fried chanadal. Keep it aside.
• In a pan dry roast cream of wheat (bombay ravva) to golden brown.
• In a separate pan heat ghee on medium heat. To this add raisins, roasted cream of wheat, sugar, coconut powder, cardamom powder and the earlier ground powder. Keep stirring on medium heat for 5 minutes. Turn the heat off.
• Let it cool down and make into balls.

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Sunnundalu

Ingredients:

Urad dal - 2 cups
Sugar - 1 and 1/2 cups
Ghee (clarified butter) - 1 cup

Procedure:

• Roast urad dal in a thick bottomed pan until it changes to light brown color on low heat.
• Grind together roasted urad dal and sugar to a fine powder in a food processor.
• In a bowl add the dry powder (urad dal + sugar) and hot ghee and mix them well.
• While the mixture is still warm start rolling them into balls.

In this recipe you could substitute sugar with brown sugar.

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Poornam Boorelu

Ingredients:

Rice - 1 cup
Urad Dal - 1 cup
Jaggery(grated) - 2 cups
Chanadal - 2 cups
Cashew Nuts - 10
Raisins - 20
Almonds - 10
Coconut powder(optional) - 4 tsp
Cardamom - 5

Procedure:

• Soak rice and urad dal for 6 hours in water.
• Grind them together with little water into a thick batter and set it aside.
• Roast cashew nuts and raisins in 2 tsp of ghee to light golden brown and set them aside.
• Pressure cook chanadal with 5 cups water.
• Add jaggery to this and stir the mixture on medium heat until it forms a thick paste.
• To this add coconut powder,cardamom powder, raisins, cashew nuts and cook for 5 minutes on low heat.
• Once done let the mixture cool down and roll into lemon size balls and set them aside.

• Heat oil in a pan. Dip the balls in batter and deep fry them in oil on medium heat.

• Once they turn golden brown they are ready to be served.

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