Misri roti

Treat your loved ones with this traditional and lip smacking Recipe! The method of preparation is quite simple and if tried with love they come out excellent. The word misri means Crystalised sugar lumps and roti means it is made in a form of a roti. But I like to cut them in different shapes as it is easy to eat. I learnt this recipe from my mom she used to make it in a form of a roti. It is a very yummy treat for grown ups as well as the kids. it is also a nice activity for kids as they can help you in cutting into shapes and placing on the cookie sheet. It will keep for quite some time if stored in dry airtight containers.

Making time: 30 mins

Makes: 20- 25 pieces (small)

Ingredients:

1 cup plain flour (maida)

1 cup sugar granulated
1/2 cup melted ghee (clarified butter)

1/2 tsp. cardamom seeds crushed

8-10 pistachios chopped

8-10 almonds chopped

20- 25 pieces of misri (crytalised sugar lumps) (optional)

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven at 350*F
2. Mix together flour, sugar and cardamom.
3. Add melted ghee, and mix to hold together.

4. Spray some nonstick spray on the baking sheet.
5. Pat and shape into flat 1/2" thick round and cut into desired shapes with cookie cutter.
6. Take a piece of misri and stick it in the centre of the dough. You can add more if you like.
7. Bake in 350*F for 10 - 15 mins or until it is done.
8. Cook till light golden from bottom and edges.

9. Cool it on a cooling rack.

10. Garnish with almond and pistachios. 11. Serve warm or cooled.

Shrikhand

A dessert which transforms ordinary curds into a delicacy. Shrikhand is an Indian dessert made of strained yogurt. It is one of the main desserts in Maharashtrian cuisine. The yogurt is tied and hung until all the water has drained off, the result being a thick and creamy yogurt. Dried and fresh fruit such as mango may also added to make it special. Other ingredients include sugar, cardamom powder, and saffron. This is especially made for Gudi Padwa.

The following recipe is incredibly easy and you can adapt the amount of sugar and cardamom to your own personal taste. I was also able to make it without a trip to the store. I already had everything I needed, you might be able to do the same thing. In U.S the curd is very thick and creamy when you buy, so you dont have to hung the curd till the water has drained of. It is that quick and easy to make just by mixing all the ingredients and the dessert is ready to eat. This is one of my well tried out recipes. My whole family loves it. I even make it sugar-free (replace sugar with splenda and it still tastes fantastic) and fat- free by using low fat yogurt. It taste the same. Hope you enjoy this wonderful dessert.

Preparation time: 5 mins
Cooking time: No cooking time

Ingredients:
2 cups plain full fat yogurt



3/4 cup granulated sugar or more
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
Few threads of saffron
1 tbsp of warm milk
4 teaspoons finely chopped green pistachios or almonds


Method:
1. Beat the curd well.



2. In a small bowl soak saffron in 1 tbsp of warm milk, until the color spreads and dissolved



3. Mix all ingredients except pistachios.
4. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

5. Sprinkle shrikhand with pistachios and almond.

Note: I have found this recipe to be a quick and easy alternative to the traditional shrikhand preparation and guests love it. Increase or decrease the sugar as per your taste.

Churma

Dal-baati is incomplete without the quintessential "Churma". Churma is a very basic Rajasthani sweet. Churma is made using wheat flour, ghee and jaggery which are the main ingredients and the only ingredients. It is very easy and simply to make and tasty to eat. Enjoy!!!

Preparation time: 25 mins
Cooking time: 20 mins


Ingredients:

2 cups whole wheat flour
4 tbsp ghee
water to make the dough
1 cup jaggery
2 tbsp ghee
2 tsp water



For the garnish:
Chopped Almonds and/or Pistachio


Method:


1. Pour hot ghee in the wheat flour and mix until it looks like breadcrumbs.
2. Add little water and prepare hard dough. Leave the dough aside for half an hour.

3. Make thick chapatis and roast them on a tawa on low flame. While roasting them on tawa pinch the chapatis on both the sides, so that it will cook it from inside.



4. Make fine powder from these cooled chapatis with the help of a mixie. Sieve it into fine powder.

5. Transfer this powder in a pan. Fry the powder mixture till it is brown in color.




6. In a separate pan, add ghee, jaggery and water and cook it till the jaggery melt into a consistent paste.

7. Add jaggery paste to the mixture.

8. Mix well till it turns soft and no lumps of jaggery are left.

9. Garnish with chopped almonds.

Note: You can enjoy the taste of churma for 8-10 days if you keep it in an airtight box

Mysore pak

Mysore Pak is a popular South Indian sweet dish. India has a huge collection of sweets and desserts that one can never resist... and someone with a sweet tooth, like me, needs the least reason to eat or to make these sweets...Mysore pak, Jalebi, Laddu, Jhangri,different varieties of Halwa, Jamuns, Rasagolla,....will the list end any where....and will I ever stop drooling over them?!!...Enjoy!!

Preparation time: 5 mins
Cooking time: 30 - 45 mins

Ingredients:
1 cup Besan (gram flour)
2 cup sugar
2 cup ghee (clarified butter)
1 cup milk

Method:
1. Mix all the above ingredient together in a heavy bottom pan.

2. Cook it with a medium - high flame stirring continously.
3. Cook until the ghee starts to leave the sides of the pan and the mixture starts to thicken till it becomes frothy and light gold in color.





4. Spread out on a greased plate and evenly level it out with a spatula.



5. When it is still hot, cut into square pieces. Makes about 10 to 12 pieces.

Kalakand

Kalakand is very popular sweet dish of India. A milk based sweet made by rapidly boiling chena (paneer) and sugar till it attains the desired thickness and colour. This sweet is golden brown in colour and has a distinctive flavour. This is an absolutely simple and mouth-watering dessert that I have learned from my MOM!!! Try it, you will love this SWEET!!!

Preparation time: 5 mins

Cooking time: 40 mins

Ingredients:

2 cups of milk

4 1/2 tbsp of sugar or sugar to taste

4 drops of lemon juice or a pinch of citric acid (nimbu ka sat) dissolved in 1/4 cup of water

1/2 tsp cardamom powder

a pinch of saffron

For Garnish:

Chopped nuts (almond and pistachio)

Silver foil (optional)

Method:

1. Boil milk on low flame stirring continously.

2. When milk starts boiling, slowly add the citric acid dissolved in hot water or lemon juice.

3. Stir continously while adding it. Keep stirring until the water evaporates and becomes a thick lumps.

4. Add the sugar and continue to cook, stirring all the while till softly thickens in a lump. Add cardamom powder and saffron mix well.
5. Set in a tray, apply silver foil and sprinkle the chopped nuts.

6. Cool it and cut into square pieces.

Lapsi (Sweet Porridge)

We offer this sweet to the God and then distribute to everyone else as a prasad. Lapsi is believed to be the most auspicious food of God. Made of wheat, it is sweet to taste. The lapsi seems to be chosen by Goddesses as their food as it is very easy to prepare, good to taste, filling to have and the ingredients are easy available. In olden times the villagers made lapsi as a sweet note to dish for any household celebrations. Wheat used for daily bread, jaggery for curries and desi butter (ghee) with some water is all you need to make it.

Preparations time: 5 mins

Cooking time: 20 mins

Ingredients:
1 cup cracked wheat(porridge)
3/4 cup Indian butter(ghee)
1 1/4 cup jaggery
3 cup water
pinch of saffron(kesar)
1 tsp of cardomom powder(elaichi)

For the garnish:
Chopped pistachios
Chopped almond(badam)

Method:
1. Take a pot boil 2 cup of water.
2. In another pot add jaggery and 1 cup of water and boil till the jaggery dissolves in water.
3. Take a pan add ghee and cracked wheat, cook it for few minutes till it is golden brown in color.
4. Then add jaggery water to it . Mix it and cover the lid till the liquid is evaporated by mixing occassionally.
5. When the liquid is evaporated add the boiling water and cover the lid again till the liquid is evaporated and the cracked wheat are cooked. If it is not cooked you can add more water if necessary.
6. Add the saffron and cardomom powder and mix it.
7. Garnish with chopped pistachios and badam.
8. Serve hot.