A quick Coconut Burfi or Laddu

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

Old is gold! Books, food, wine are the best when they are old.

I have a good collection of cookery books since many years. Some were purchased, I borrowed few from my aunt, few were the Xerox copy of original ones, and the most favourite ones are the gifted books. This reminds of my marriage. When my relatives came to know that I am Getting married to a Sindhi guy, though they were little upset, but they gifted me a Sindhi cookery book when I went to meet them first time after the marriage. That too, two of them gifted the book by same author. So sweet of them, I am always grateful to them. I learnt most of the Sindhi dishes from those books as we never had internet to refer .

And another best gift was from my brother, which is a collection of five books by Sanjeev Kapoor.

But today's recipe is from a book which I borrowed from my aunt.  She took it after her marriage. It's first edition was published in the year 1971. It has a huge collection of all the recipes

When I remembered the event of cooking from the books, I played a game.  I closed my eyes and picked up a book. This one came in my hand. Then blindly I opened a page thinking that whatever recipe I get in that page I will make that one. And I got this Burfi recipe. Though I was little disappointed, I thought let me not cheat. And then when I checked my blog, some how this recipe was never posted.

This is my most favorite sweet since childhood with lot of sweet memories. I will share some other day as the post will be too long.

Coming to the recipe,

Ingredients:

Grated fresh coconut : 1 1/2 cup

Sugar : 3/4 cup

Milk : 1/4 cup

Cashew nuts and almonds : 1/4 cup, cut in to small pieces

Cardamom powder from 1 pod

Cashew nut powdered: 2 tbsp

Dash of salt(this is my addition)

Ghee : 1tsp+1tsp

Method :

Mix grated coconut, salt and sugar in a bowl and keep it aside for 15min .

Take a thick bottomed kadai(I have used wonder chef kadai)

Heat 1 tsl ghee and roast the cashew and almond pieces. Transfer it to a plate.

In the same kadai, add the coconut sugar mix and milk. Mix well and cook on a medium flame for 5-8 minutes, stirring it in between.

Now lower the flame, add cashew powder, cardamom powder and ghee. Mix well and keep on stirring. When it starts leaving the edges,  add fried nuts, higher the flame for half a minute (if you want the Burfi to be brown). Now cook on a slow flame for half a minute. Transfer it to a greased plate, cut into squares. Take little from it and make small balls. I love to eat these round ones than squares.

A quick dish to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Hope you all enjoyed my post and the recipe. I would be happy if you ever try this recipe and share your experience with me.

Keep smiling, 

Fresh dates and dry fruits ladoo

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

How are you? I am happy that I could take out time for another post. Actually all these days I thought I can not type on the cellphone and I am not getting time to sit infront of the computer. But, now no more excuses. I will post the recipes from my cellphone itself.

Home made food is always the best and many food act as the medicine too. Having deep rooted culture, our India offers countless ideas or recipes as a medicine.

Here is one among those treasures which acts as magic for many diseases.

Yes, I am talking about laddoos made of fresh dates and dry fruits. I have already posted a recipe of gondh ke laddoo long back. It has it's own benefits and who can eat it. The link is  Here for the recipe. Please visit and let me know.

Now, why again this type? Because this laddoo has NO more ghee, NO SUGAR OR JAGGERY.

Easy to make and can store it for a week.

And benefits!!! From our skin care to iron deficiency to weight loss and constipation!

                

         

So, what are you waiting for? Go through the recipe, I am sure all the ingredients are in your kitchen. It takes only 20-30 minutes make these laddoos.

Recipe :

It makes 15-16 small laddoos (small lemon size)

           

Fresh dates - 1cup, deseeded and cubed

Dry fruits(almonds, cashew nuts, raisins, walnuts) - 1/2 cup

Dry coconut grated - 1/3 cup

Edible Gondh - 1tbsp, fried in a spoon of ghee.

Alalvi (garden cress seeds)- 2 tsp, again fries in the same pan.

Keep these to cool.

Put dates in a blender or mixi for few seconds to get it in to coarse powder. Transfer it into a wide open bowl. Now add the dry fruits and grind to make small pieces or even to a coarse powder.

Transfer this into the same bowl in which you kept the dates.

Add fried Gondh and alalvi and mix it properly. And take a small portion to make a laddoo of small lime size.

Eat it or give it to kids everyday with a glass of milk in the morning after the breakfast. Immunity will increase, if there is low Hb count , this will help to increase it. It's very tasty, healthy and you just can't wait one. But don't eat more than two a day.

Keep smiling,

mixed fruit pickle

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

This  pickle was my favorite when I was kid. But, it was rarely made because it has nuts in it and buying nuts was not much affordable.

Whenever we got the chance to eat it, we used to hide it in our hands to eat it later, slowly and enjoying it fully.

Now, my kids do not like it at all! I feel so bad for them!! They do not like anything sweet. All the sweet things are for me! They do not know the real happiness which is hiding in it!! hehe!!! going mad about this pickle. Now, I make it for myself and enjoy it whenever I want. But that joy will never come back!!

Very easy to make and can store it in a refrigerator for months.

Coming to the recipe :

Lemons - 12 to 15

Cashew nuts - 1 cup

Almonds - 1 cup, cut into pieces

Dry dates - 1 cup

Oil - 1/8 cup

Mustard seeds - 1 tbsp

Hing - a pinch

Salt to taste

Red chilly powder  to taste 

Turmeric powder - 1 tsp

Jaggery - 1/4 cup

Wash the lemons,  cut into 4 pieces. Remove the seeds.

Clean the dry dates, remove the seeds.

Keep both lemon and dry dates in a separate vessel and cook in a cooker for 6 to eight whistles.

Allow it to cold.

Till that,

Heat oil in a kadai. Add mustard seeds and allow to splutter. Add hing and remove from the heat. Allow it to cool. Once cold, add red chilly powder, turmeric powder, Jaggery. Cook it again for few minutes. Cool it.

Take the lemon, dry dates, cashew nuts and almonds in a bowl. Add the ready masala and salt to it. Mix well.

Store in a glass jar. Use after 2 days.

Sending it to my event 

Event Announcement ~ "Complete My Thali(CMT)-Pickle...



Going on a short vacation and will not be able to check your entries. But please forward your entries till 19th.

I will post the round up only after 25th October. I hope its fine for all of you.

Keep Smiling, 

Antina Undi(Dry fruits laadu), Reposting

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

Sweets always make you feel guilty after you finish eating the last bite. But here comes the healthy sweet, which is good for everyone.(except weight watchers)

A funny thing about this is the name of the dish, even though it is called antina undi(edible gum laddu), the quantity of gum we add is very less compared with dry dates, total quantity of dry fruits  and jaggery!!!  I do not know why this name has come!!

This laddu is given to new mother after one month of delivery. It gives them strength and good for back.

Nursing mothers get more benefit from this. But always try to have with one glass of milk.(not only nursing mothers, but any body who wants to eat it regularly).

I had more laddus  for my second delivery. And one more same type is prepared only being the difference is adding sugar powder instead of jaggery. And it is called as Kobhari Khara. These both are very common in North Karnataka during delivery. 

AND THESE THINGS MUST BE TAKEN ONLY AFTER ONE MONTH OF DELIVERY AS THESE ARE VERY HEAT TO THE BODY FOR PREGNANT LADIES.

Coming to the recipe,

(I did not get English words for Ker beeja and Aalvi, so if any one knows please let me know)

(Dry dates) Uttatti - 1/2 kg

Dry coconut - 1/4 kg,  desiccated

Jaggery - 1 kg,  powdered

Khuskhus (poppy seeds) - 100 gm

Cashew nuts - 100 gm, cut in to pieces

Raisins - 100 gm

Edible gum - 100 gm                                                                                                              

                                                     after frying the gum in ghee
Almonds - 150 gm, cut in to pieces

Ghee to fry dry fruits and gum

Gher(Ker) bija - 100 gm

This is Ker beeja, It is very heat to the body. So it should be taken in a small quantity, but is must for this laddu.

Elaichi (cardamom) - 8 to 10, powdered

Jaaji kaai (Nut meg)  - 1/2, tsp powdered

30 to 35 laddus can be prepared with this quantity.

Step by step, I will give the recipe :

1. Remove the seeds from uttatti, crush in to 4 pieces. Fry in thick bottomed pan for 3 minutes. Keep aside to cool. Put in a mixie and churn to coarse powder. Keep it aside.

2. Separately, dry fry each ingredient 30 seconds on medium hot tawa : dry coconut, khuskhus, ker bija. Keep aside.

3. Fry the gum in one tablespoon of ghee and  keep it aside.

4. Keep other dry fruits also in a  plate.

5. Except Jaggery.  mix all the ingredients in a large plate( in North Karnataka, in the houses there will be a big plate to make Jowar rottis which is called as Parath)

6. Add little water to the jaggery and bring to boil to make it one layer syrup(pak). (you can see in the photo).

7. When it is done, Add it to the dry fruits mix. Keep it for 10 to 15 minutes so that all the ingredients will bind with the jaggery syrup.

8. Take little quantity and form the laddus with the help of both the palm.

When you are planning to give this to new mother, you should add aalvi with other ingredients.

Alavi is good for new mothers and especially nursing mothers. She should have alavi payasa  twice a week.

Aalvi : Dry fry just for 30 seconds on medium fire.

Thanks Radhika for reminding about Alavi, and thanks to Rupali Apte for giving the information about it. Here is the link for the details.

http://www.tarladalal.com/glossary-garden-cress-seeds-409i

Sending this to 

Nithu's event Event Announcement :Celebrate Sweets - Ladoo 

which is started by Me.

Keep smiling,