PARLE - G KHEER FOR PPCS

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

Sorry for not participating in the event in the last two months.Health was  a priority.
I always loved Parle-G biscuits, and who won't love these oldest sweetest biscuits. When I was young and not well, I always demanded Parle G because I knew this is the time to convince my mother and enjoy my biscuits dipped in coffee or tea. And I love that cute boy on the wrapper, I am sure you all too love him. 
Today I am here with a sweet using my favorite biscuit,which tastes good when eaten hot and tastes heaven when eaten cold.

I am talking about Kheer. I love kheer (again same slogan). I can have anything sweet. O K, leave me here only.

Coming to the recipe,

This is little different but very easy. You don't have anything and have very little time for an unexpected guest. And you really want to serve a better food with a great dessert. Your search ends here...

Ingredients:

Milk - 1/2 litre or 500 ml

Sugar - 3/4 cup or less(ask your tongue for it :-)  )

Parle G Biscuit - 8 to 10

Cardamom - 2, powdered

Ghee - 1 tsp

Method: 

• Boil the milk in a thick bottomed pan. 
• Once done, add sugar and keep on a low flame. 
• Boil it for at least 20 minutes, the milk will reduce to 3/4.
• Crush the biscuits and add it to the milk, 
• Stir and cook it for some more time(around 10 minutes).
• Be careful not to leave it alone, or it will burn at the bottom.
• Now add the cardamom powder and ghee.
• Mix well. Boil for few more minutes.
• Remove from fire and allow it to cool. 
• Have it warm or keep it in the fridge, have it chilled.

Linking it to 

Potluck party, Cyber style! - Fun and the Challeng... 

Keep Smiling,

MAGIC WATER AND MILK FOR HEALTHY LIFE/EAT NUTRITIOUS, FEEL FABULOUS

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

How are you all? I am here today with a healthy purpose. Jagruti and Me have started a event on healthy, nutritious food series.

Its not only about recipes or food preparations. Here we are talking also about few tips or may be exercises or any other way which helps to keep us healthy.

I am not a Guru or gained any diploma or degree in any of the field, but I am following it regularly. Here whatever I am posting is what I have experienced and gained the benefits.

Today, I am talking about how I start my day and how I end it. I mean what is my first food intake in the morning  and what is the last thing I sent to my body. ;-)

The first thing after I get up and brush my teeth is this glass of warm water with honey, lime juice and Cinnamon powder.

And it really works. I am taking it regularly in the morning. For me it has worked as an energizer and has proved very positive.

THIS IS TOTALLY MY EXPERIENCE AND IT IS NO WHERE SUGGESTED BY DOCTORS.

Warm water is always better than the normal water at any time of the day. But having it in the morning has its own benefits.

With that if you are adding a tbsp of lime juice, you are adding Vitamin C and many more.

There are 100+web sites or blogs to give you information about the benefits of having this magic water. I have just tried to refer few and giving you the links.

This is from the web site (http://www.hopinghealth.com/top-10-benefits-honey-lemon-skin-hair-health/)

1.  Drinking lemon juice mixed with lukewarm water and honey may help to reduce belly fat and obesity. Lemons are low in calories while honey is a fat free, natural energy booster. Their combination helps to melt down the fatty deposits in the body. Honey contains natural fruit sugar which is digested easily. Add one teaspoon of honey and three teaspoons of lemon juice to a glass of warm water. Stir well and drink it every morning to shed those extra kilos from the body.

And 

here is the best information about the benefits of having lime in your water in the morning:

http://wiki-fitness.com/lemon-lime-health-benefits/

But, 

there is an information about side effect of having lemon is here: http://www.livestrong.com/article/180835-side-effects-of-lemon-in-water/

AND

http://health.sify.com/fab-foods-that-burn-fat/

"Lemons have a high citric acid content that may irritate your stomach, particularly if you have an ulcer. This acid, even if diluted in water, can also damage tooth enamel if consumed in large quantities".

And according to the fitness guru Rujuta Diwekar(author of “Don't Lose Your Mind, Lose Your Weight”)(recently I have started following and reading and watching videos about her) won't agree with this that it  helps us to burn calories. 

Anyways, for every good thing there is always some bad thing, but when you see the positive side, its fine to go ahead, right?

I believe in it, because it keeps me fresh or may be I have it with my regular exercise, walking and meditation. Each of us have our own experience right? 

Now adding Cinnamon to your water has lot of benefits.

Go through this site to get more information. 

http://cinnamonvogue.com/cinnamoncommonuses.html

and

http://www.getprograde.com/Health-Benefits-Of-Cinnamon.html#.Utx7t9K6bGg

For me, it has proved to remove bad cholesterol.  

And, now the last thing is adding garlic in your milk in the night.

If you really don't like it you can have it thrice a week. 

Garlic has played a very important role in Indian food history. Just go through the sites if you want detailed information about its benefits.

http://nilasays.hubpages.com/hub/Garlic-milk-A-medicinal-drink

"Getting down to the main topic of this hub - Garlic milk : A medicinal drink.

This drink with garlic, is tasty, less hot, less smelly and very effective in fighting cold,sore throats and infections. Is your picky eater prone to frequent cold ? This is the right drink to enhance his/her immune system. Kids love it !...." CONTINUE READING...

http://ayurveda-foryou.com/health_articles/garlic_benefits.html

"HOW TO TAKE GARLIC:

Crush two or three small cloves of raw garlic and eat it raw or boiled, before going to sleep. You can have it with a glass of milk or with water. Please do not take more than two or three raw cloves of garlic per day as it might makes your blood thinner and might cause serious ailments.

Contra-indications/precautions:

Do not consume more than three to four raw cloves of garlic a day.

Patients having heart and other problems should take medical advice before consuming it.

It's best to avoid garlic before any surgery because it could probably disturb Anticoagulants.

If you are on any medication, always check with your doctor first before taking raw garlic.

Asthma patients should not use it as it worsens the symptoms of Asthma."

So, what do you think about my post, please do comment on your experience,

It will lead us to new road.

Sending it to our own event started by me and Jagruti :

Linking it to Eat Nutritious, Feel fabulous 

Expecting your views on it.

Keep smiling,

Chocolate Kheer

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

I always get inspired to cook something new dishes when there is an event announcement. It forces me to use my brain to try something new.

This Kheer took birth because of the event only. There are four  reasons to prepare this kheer. 

Kheer is my mom's favorite, and we make milk kheer often.

I wanted to use the chocolates which mom brought from Egypt few months back

I wanted to use the left over milk.

And I wanted to cook something for chocolate event.

No ingredients or method separately written. Its all in the down paragraph. Please read the full post to get the recipe.(I have typed the ingredients bold and in different color)

When I entered the kitchen, I was not sure how I am going to prepare this as I did not browse any blogs or websites. I had kept the chocolates out from the fridge. Mom brought a big box of chocolates from Egypt and all remaining in the box, as the chocolates are bitter. 

I just kept the milk(1/4 litre) to boil on one side. Another side, Ajjiri was making hot chapatis. I was thinking how to melt the chocolates???? Tinggg :-)  when I saw ajjiri finishes making chapatis and the tawa was hot.

I took little milk in another steel vessel and put the chocolates. Kept that vessel on the tawa. Viola!! The chocolates got mix with the milk and got nice choco milk. I added 2 tbsp of sugar to the milk and allowed it to boil on a low flame for 10 minutes. Now was the time for Cinnamon and Cardamom powder (1/2 tsp) to go into the milk.

Boiled it for 2 more minutes. Added the choco milk to it.  Stirred and again kept it to boil till the milk became 1/2 the quantity and it got the kheer consistency.It took another 10 minutes. But be careful at the end otherwise your milk will get burnt at the bottom.

Yummmmmmmmmmm!!! The chocolate kheer tasted heaven.

I could feel the chocolate flavor and the bitterness was totally missing.

I had the thick curdled cream melting in my mouth........

You want any more sin than this!!!!!!

I loved to have it hot, and my daughter has kept it in the fridge to have it chilled for tomorrow. :-)

Sending it to 

 Jyoti's (The Veggie Hut )

Lets Celebrate Sweets - Chocolate! An Event Announ...
which is started by Me.

Keep Smiling,

THIRATTUPAAL(Milk and Jaggery sweet) (Food remake)

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

Being and integrated country, India is famous for its unity in diversity.  Each state has its own culture. In each state, there are many mini India with rich culture of their own to follow. The blogging world has introduced such wonderful customs, food and recipes to each other and brought us together.

THIRATTUPAAL is one of the recipe which has a very sweet custom with it. Shanti of Shanthi Krishnakumar's cook book has shared this recipe in her blog. 

Read in her words:

This is a traditional Tamil brahmin sweet and is made on all important days. In Iyengar marriages, there is a lovely function. The bride is given a small cup of thirattupaal and will be asked to distribute it to all the people available. Elders tell her that if she distributes to everyone, she can run the family within the means effectively. It is a great deal to make very small balls, like a chickpea, out of it and to distribute it to everyone.

Isn't it sweet!
She has explained it very well with step step by photos. Visit her for detailed recipe.

Here is my post.

I used only half a litre of milk where as Shanti has used 3 litres of milk.

BUT THE TASTE WAS HEAVEN! I LOVED IT.

Ingredients :

My measurements:

Milk - half a litre

Jaggery - 1/4 cup or less, crushed or grated or powdered

Cardamom powder - 1 tsp

Ghee - 1 tsp

hey! hey! Wait, I can send this to the event "Celebrate sweets- Sugarless sweets"!!! Yes, Now,When I typed Jaggery, it flashed to me!!

 

Method

• Boil the milk in a thick bottomed vessel. 
• Keep a small plate in it to prevent the charring of the milk.
• Boil the milk till it becomes almost half and gets curdled.
• Remove the plate and add jaggery. 
• Mix well. Add cardamom powder. 
• Add ghee and keep on stirring it the jaggery get mixed well with the milk and starts leaving the sides.
• Remove from the heat and transfer it into the serving bowl.

Wow!

Tasted real heaven. Amazing.

I am going to make it again very soon!!

Thank you Shantiji for such a wonderful recipe.

Sending this to 

Sara's ongoing event 

Celebrate Sweets - Sugarless Event Announcement !!... 

which is started by me.

Keep Smiling,

Ghee(Clarified Butter)

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

Can I write here I love Ghee!!! I love it, I can drink it. It is a basic ingredient in Indian food. It gives royal touch to the food. It is a main thing in auspicious functions.

The ghee is prepared by butter. The butter is prepared by cream. The cream is by milk, the milk is by cow.....

Hehe, this is what I teach my kids. I always use it in their food, with chapati or rice or bread. A tbsp ghee everyday keeps you healthy. 

I always like to have home made ghee as its aroma makes me hungry! And it tastes really good. I missed making home made ghee when I was in UAE. Now again I started making it at home.

Most of the blogs too have a recipe to make this ghee. Here is my share,

To get the cream, the milk should be very thick. 

The milk should be boiled on very low flame to get thick layer of cream. Cool the milk and then remove the cream. 

Collect it in a steel or glass jar or box with lid. Boil the milk two or three times in a day to get more cream.

Always store this cream in the refrigerator as we need to keep it for a week.

After second day, add 1 tsp of curds or yogurt. Mix properly. Keep on storing the cream for a week. Mix the cream every alternative day.

After one week or when the jar is full,

Transfer it into a deep, round with narrow mouth. Add 1/2 cup of sour curds. Mix well. Keep it outside for 12 to 15 hours.

Its always better to make the butter early in the morning. 

Before, I always had wooden churner to make the butter. But now a days I use hand mixer. Its easy and quick way to get the butter. Stop in between while churning or using hand mixer. Other wise, the heat produced will melt the butter which is forming. After 5 minutes, you will see the cream turning into small balls. Keep on mixing in between to join those small balls into big one. Take little butter in between in your fingers and rub it. If you feel its soft and smooth, then the butter is done. Or continue churning for some more time.

Keep it in the fridge for 15 minutes. 

Remove it out. Gather the butter in to a ball shape. 

Put it in good water. Wash it twice to remove the sour taste.

Transfer into a thick bottomed steel vessel.

Keep on medium flame till it melts fully. Then on low fame till it stops bubbling and giving out a nice aroma.You will see the burnt cream(which failed to turn into butter). 

Remove from the heat. 

Keep it covered for few minutes. 

Sieve it into a glass jar after when it is warm. Do not make it cold or else you can not sieve the ghee.

The ghee is ready. You can store it for 15 days if kept outside. And for a month(If it remains) if stored in Refrigerator.

Sending this to 

 Back to basics  held by Jaya of  Desi Soccer Mom . 

Keep Smiling,

Ginna (First Milk Halwa)

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

Are you thinking that what is this First milk? This is the first milk taken from cow just after the delivery and normally it is known as Colostrum. While browsing for more information, I got this link, where it says, this colostrum helps the human immune system tackleviruses, including HIV and H1N1.

During my childhood, milkman used to supply the milk. There were no packet milk. Milkmen used to bring the milk in big aluminium cans or in bottles.  And when ever there was any cow to deliver, we used to wait for this first milk.  Mom used to prepare this Ginna from that milk. 

But when I came to know that how much important it is for a calf to have the colostrum, I (at least) stopped having ginna.  I felt bad for the calf! 

Even for human babies, mother's first milk is very important to develop the immune system.

But, it is not advisable for a pregnant woman as this is considered as heat food or which produces heat in the body.

Last week, my mother's friend bought this ginna for us! And I could not wait taking pictures. I think I tasted it after 25 years!

Here is the  recipe from my mom,

Colostrum - 1 litre

Powdered or grated Jaggery - 250 gm  or according to your taste

Cardamom powder - 1 tsp

 The milk should be used as soon as possible otherwise you will not get the halwa texture, it will become water like payasam.

Add the milk and jaggery in a cooker vessel.  Mix it till the jaggery is dissolved.  Add cardamom powder.
Check for the sweetness. If less add more.
Keep it in a cooker and give 2 whistles. Allow it to cool.

Remove the vessel. Cut the cooked halwa into desired shapes. 

If the milk is one day old,  repeat the same thing but cook it outside in a vessel by stirring it often.  You will get watery ginna, but that also tastes good. We used to have it with puri or chapati.

Sending this to my event : 

"EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT - CELEBRATE SWEETS~HALWA!!!!"

Keep Smiling,

Basundi(Milk kheer)

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi all

Milk is my favorite. I always loved to have a glass of milk before going to bed(Very good girl I was!!!). Now also I have the habit. And my favorite sweet is always all Bengali sweets as they are made of milk.

Basundi or milk kheer is favorite sweet of my mother and she never misses the chance to have it(She is diabetic patient, taking insulin everyday!!) She makes it only with milk and sugar, or with Dharwad pedha, which gives unique taste and flavour to the sweet.

My husband likes it with puris. It is one of his few favorite sweets. When I prepare this, he loves to experiment, eating the basundi with puris or jalebis or bread or chapati.

I like to drink it just like that chilled or hot!!!

In the photo you can see the Mathura pedhas which mom brought from Delhi. So I thought of making basundi with the same. As it had more cardamom, I did not add extra.

Here is the recipe,

Milk - 1 litre

Sugar - 1 cup

Elaichi(cardamom) - 1 crushed powder,(if you are using Dharwad Pedha)

Mathura pedha - 2 to 3(It is more sweet and strong flavoured)

or

Dharwad pedha - 3 to 4

Take the milk in a thick bottomed vessel in which milk should not get burnt easily.

Boil the milk till it becomes 1/4 th less. It takes around 20 minutes. Now add sugar, keep on stirring in between. After 5 minutes, add crushed pedhas. Mix it properly. Keep stirring in between as it should not get burnt. Boil till the milk is reduced to half.

Adjust the sweet at this stage.

Serve it hot with puris or serve chilled.

It is going to participate in Sanghi's event:

I want to dedicate this to two persons, one is my mother and other is my husband!!!

Already written about them in the beginning.

Keep smiling,