Simple Carrot / Doodi halwa using Milk Powder (shortcut method)

well...this is a continuation of the previous post on "The Tiranga Dessert ". The recipe of the carrot-badam halwa used as topping in there is shared here. Apart from the usual means of making halwa as chuncks to be cut into pieces , i have made them as balls and presented in mini cupcake lines, and of course, as topper, as in the previous.

 

 

Usually, it takes long long time to cook halwas, if doing with milk, but came across this simple short-cut trick in making them using milk powder, and trust me, we get this done in no time. It's really easy.

 

 

I have followed the same recipe for both carrot and doodi halwa.

 

 

 

You need :

Carrot/bottle gourd : 4/2 grated (about 2cups)

I have used red carrtos in here, as they give a more darker lovely colour

Dry non-fat milk powder: 1/2 cup

Sugar: 1/4 cup/to taste(definitely not more than this)

Crushed badam(pistatios): 1/2 cup 

Ghee(clarified butter): 3 tbsp

Sweetened condensed milk : 1/4 tin

Cardamom Powder: 1/2 tsp or to taste

Cashew nuts : to decorate

How to:

Melt ghee in a pan.

Add in the grated carrots/doodi and cook for 6-7 mins on medium heat, uncovered.

Halfway through, add in the sweetened condensed milk.

Carrot/doodi must be soft by now, if not cook for another couple of minutes.

Now add dry milk powder , cardamom and sugar. Be careful with the sugar, as the condensed milk is already very sweet.

Cook for 3-4 mins or until halwa oozes oil from sides and has thickened. Switch off the stove.

Add the crushed badam powder to the halwa and mix well.



You can either serve it as such as a topper for a dessert, or along with ice-cream as a side ...

or...

 

 

make as ball, roll again the badam (or any powdered nuts of your choice)

top with a cashew half, and serve in mini papaer cups



 

Individual mini servings of halwa balls !!!



Tiranga Dessert - Simple Milk Pudding

A very Happy Independence Day to all my dear Indian brothers and sisters.

 

Sharing a very simple recipe for the most simplest dessert - The Milk Pudding.

 

In saffron - white - green , is

* carrot - badam halwa (which will come as a separate post)

* white milk pudding

* and the green ? well... read on. ;)

 

 

 

You need :

Milk (full fat) - 1litre

Condensed Milk - 1/4 tin

Sugar - 1/2 cup
 Water - 1 1/2 cups
 China grass (agar agar)  - 10 gm
Cardamom - 3 Nos. crushed

Soak china grass  in water for 10 to 20 minutes.

In a sauce pan, boil milk, condensed milk and sugar.(adjust the sugar - more /less than given above, according to taste, as condensed milk is already very sweet)

In another sauce pan, add soaked china grass with 1 to 1 1/2 cups water and stir well so that they melt.

Sieve the melted china grass into the boiled milk.

Add cardamom powder and stir well.

Divide the mix into two, and into one of the portions add a bit of green food colour !, for the base green layer. Simple yeah ??

 

The question that i got the most when this was served,was..Sona , what is this green layer ?

 

You could be like..well...its a blend of pistas..and..avacadoes..and ..get in all the green stuff you can come up with..except..the fact that its just a drop of green food colour to the white !



 

Scoop a spoonful of the green milk pudding first into the serving bowls..and after slightly cooled, in goes the white milk pudding.

To top, the saffron layer...i made some red carrot halwa mixed with ground pistacios. (recipe following soon)

 

Saffron - White - Green Dessert for the Day !!!
Chill in the refrigerator till serving time.

Recipe source - Cooking at Mayflower by Beena.

LoR - 06 Egg paniyaram

Left over Remake - 06

 

 

Tired of the regular Dosa's and Idli's ? This is indeed a quick and interesting makeover for the last spoonfuls of the dosa batter, and sure kids will like it.

 

You need :

Dosa batter - 1 1/2 cups

Eggs - 2 large/3 small

Shallots - 5/6, cut small

Turmeric powder - 1 tsp

Green chillie (optional, I have used pepper powder in here)

Salt - again, to taste, as the dosa batter already has salt in it.

 

To make:

Break an egg into a bowl.  

 

 

Well, this was a small sized one...

 

 

"Pick HIM'?? sorry deary...I need both of you!

 

Beat all the 3 eggs, add the cut shallots, pepper powder, turmeric powder (for a more deeper yellow colour) and salt (only if required).
Mix and to this, add the dosa batter. Mix again.
Heat the paniyaram pan with few drops of oil in each hole.
Can substitute oil with butter or ghee if for kids (the skinny type)

Scoop in the dosa-egg batter into each hole to about 3/4 th full.

 

Turn over till cooked on both sides.

 

 

Soft, tasty and healthy paniyarams best served hot with tomato ketchup or any chutney of your choice.

 

 Click here to go to the previous post  in the Left over remake series - LoR - 05

 

Original Recipe source : from here

 

 



Rainbow Popcorns

A very colouful treat to to all my dearest co-bloggers on this Friendship Day -

 

Assorted Fruit Flavoured Rainbow popcorns

 

 

You need:
8 cups popped popcorn
Butter ( half a stick)
3 tbs light corn syrup (honey is a good substitute)
1/2 cup sugar
1 3.5oz box jello, any flavor (not the sugar free kind)

How to do:

Place butter and light corn syrup/honey in a sauce pan on medium heat. Stir until butter is melted. Add sugar and Jello and stir to combine.

Increase heat and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat so it just simmers. Continue simmering for 5 minutes.

 

After the sugar mixture simmers for 5 minutes, immediately pour over popcorn in bowl. Be careful, it’s super hot!! Mix right away and keep stirring so everything gets well coated. This will take some trial and error to get the right consistency. If the mix is too thick and cooled, it will not coat the popcorns properly and fully. But, the mix  shouldn't be too thin either.

 

(click here for recipe source and step-by-step pictures of the making. I have used the same quantity of ingredients .Sorry I couldn't get some clicks myself, as you really need to get moving fast)

 

Line a baking pan/tray with parchment paper and spread out evenly.

 

Lime flavoured Jello used here and it gives a lovely pista green colour

 
Pop in the oven (pre-heated to 150 deg C) and bake for about 10 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven and let cool to room temp. 

uisng cherry flavour. This was the most liked....both in appearance, and taste.

Break into pieces and enjoy! 

 

The flovours used -

 Cherry (pink), Lime (green), Lemon (yellow), Apple (redish ones). You can either use them separate, but to raise the"attractive" coeficient, i would recommend you mix all of them together.

 

You can certainly eat this un-baked as well and it’s just soft and gooey, but definitely bake it if you’re going to pack it up for giving, or serve it as party food so it will be light and crunchy.



Cooled and packed in zip-lock pouches for a food sale and they were done just in about half an hours time. Along in here in the above picture, are other two varieties as well - Caramel popcorns with mini marshmallows and to the left, are Savoury spicy flavoured popcorns with roasted corn kernels.  Their recipes follows shortly. Till then..have a great time ahead...