Two sweets and one Savory - Remixed and reposted for the event

Tried and tasted by Nivedita 

Hi All,

July month is going to end... Festivals are in queue! All will be busy in making sweets for the festivals. Its really a good idea to think of the sweets we will make for each festival and keep the recipe in hand. Most of the times, each festival has a particular sweet to prepare. Check this site for details. Good collection of recipes for each festival.. blessingsonthenet

I am reposting two of my sweet preparations and one savory item for the event EFM - Sweets and Savories for Diwali Series! held by Sri of  Me and My Kitchen

 

The First one is, Peanut Gujiya 

Here is a sweet, which is usually prepared during Diwali. Gujiya or Karchikai is very common sweet in India. And the stuffing differs in each state and each region.

Giving you the recipe,

All purpose flour - 250 gm

Salt - 1/4 tsp

Milk - 2 tbsp

Oil - 1tbsp

Mix all with little water to make into soft dough, cover it with moist cloth. Keep it aside for an hour.

For stuffing,

Peanut - 1 cup, roasted. Remove the skin and clean it

Jaggery - 1 cup or less, depending on the sweetness of the jaggery

Dry Coconut, grated - 2 tbsp, roasted

Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp

Salt - 1/4 tsp

Oil to fry

                                 

First, dry grind the peanuts for one round to make it coarse powder. Then add the jaggery, cardamom powder and coconut. Grind it again to make smooth powder. Transfer it into a bowl and add salt, mix it nicely.

Divide all purpose flour in to equal small lemon size balls. Roll into oval shape of palm size. Take one tbsp of ready peanut powder mix and put it slowly in the middle of  rolled puri.  Close it to neatly and bind it with water to give gujia shape. Repeat with other balls. 

Heat the oil in a kadai. When its hot, keep it on medium flame and fry all the gujiyas in batches.

You can store it for a week or 10 days.

The second one is, Sweet Coconut Rice

Coming to the recipe,

Rice(any variety which stays firm after cooking,) - 1 bowl (cooked)

Sugar - 3/4th bowl

Fresh coconut - 1 bowl(grated)

Ghee - 3/4th bowl

Cashew nuts and raisins - 6 each cut into pieces

Salt - a pinch

Cardamom powder - 1 tsp

Heat 1 tbsp ghee in thick bottomed pan. Fry the nuts and keep aside. In the same pan, add coconut. Fry for a minute. Add sugar. Mix well and let it cook till the sugar is dissolved with coconut. Add half of the ghee.Do not let it boil. Once, both are mixed properly, add the cooked rice immediately. You should be  always with the dish, stirring it always on medium flame. Now add some more ghee, salt and cardamom powder. Cook it only for one minute. Remove it from the fire. Add fried nuts. Mix it nicely and transfer in to serving bowl. If you delay, then it will become hard.

The sweet coconut rice is ready to serve.

The savory item is, Green chilly crispy poha

It is a must in our house to serve with other dry sweets. 

Thin poha - 250gm

Oil - 1/4 cup or less

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Peanut - 1/4cup

Dalia - 1/4 cup

Curry leaves - 15 to 20

Green chilly - 3 to 4, slit and cut in to two

Hing - a pinch

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Sesame seeds - 1 tbsp

Salt to taste

Sugar - 1 tbsp

Add oil in a kadai.Wait till the oil is hot, add mustard seeds. When splutter add cumin seds, peanut and curry leaves. Fry for sometime till peanut changes its color to golden color. Be careful as it may burn of if you delay or move away from kadai.

Now add green chilly and hing. Fry for half a minute. Add dalia and sesame seeds. Fry for half a minute. Off the heat. Keep on stirring. Now add Salt, turmeric powder. Let it cool.

Add the cleaned poha and sugar. Mix it properly. 

Take little quantity and transfer it into microwave safe bowl. (If you take more quantity, all the poha will not become crispy) Keep it on HIGH or 100% and run it for 30 seconds to one minute. Allow it to cool for 10 minutes.  Repeat with remaining poha. You will get crispy poha to eat.

Keep Smiling,