Sesame and Flaxseed Laddoo

I am just back from a long holiday from Chandigarh. Its winters and one thing that caught my attention is it is during winters they eat a lot of jaggery and sweets made of jaggery. It is cold even here, so thought of making gud (jaggery)  laddoos. I was introduced to flaxseeds by my friend CK and I loved it from the beginning. So I thought of making Til(sesame) laddoo but gave a twist by adding flaxseeds to it. It is such a simple and easy recipe and you don't require many ingredients. So happy cooking....

Ingredients:

Flaxseeds - 100 gms
Sesame seeds - 100 gms
Jaggery - 100 gms
Ghee - 1 tbsp

Method:

Roast flaxseeds as well till the raw smell disappears. Cool and keep aside. 

Roast the sesame seeds till they are light golden in color. Cool and keep aside.

Grind sesame and flaxseeds to a coarse powder and keep aside.

Heat the ghee in a pan and add the jaggery. Simmer over low flame till jaggery caramelises.

Add the roasted ground sesame and flaxseeds and mix it thoroughly with the melted jaggery.

Take off the flame and let it cool down a bit. When it is still warm grease your palms with a little ghee, divide the mixture into equal portions and shape the mixture into laddoos.

Roast the sesame seeds till they are light golden in color. Cool and keep aside. Roast flaxseeds as well till the raw smell disappears. Cool and keep aside. 
Grind sesame and flaxseeds to a coarse powder and keep aside.  Heat the ghee in a pan and add the jaggery. Simmer over low flame till jaggery caramelises. Add the roasted ground sesame and flaxseeds and mix it thoroughly with the melted jaggery. Take off the flame and let it cool down a bit. When it is still warm grease your palms with a little ghee, divide the mixture into equal portions and shape the mixture into laddoos.

Pineapple Halwa | Pineapple Sheera

I made this for Diwali. I made this on request of my DH's friend who came over for Diwali. I have not used any artificial color or essence. Added fruit as it is and it came out lovely. I have not added much sugar but you can add sugar as per your taste. You can even add nuts, I did not as I made it on Diwali and we already were high on calories that day.  I know I am posting it very late, but better late than never. So lets take a look at the recipe... Happy cooking...

Ingredients:

Semolina(rava/suji) - 1 cup
Pineapple(peeled and chopped) - 1 cup
Sugar - 4 tbsp
Ghee - 1/2 cup
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
Water - 4 cups

Method:

Boil 4 cups of water with 4 tbsp of sugar until sugar is dissolved. 

In a heavy bottom kadhai/pan add ghee.

Now add semolina and roast it until it turns golden brown.

Add chopped pineapple, cardamom powder and cook for about 5 minutes.

Now add the water and sugar mixture slowly. Make sure there are no lumps hence stir continuously till the water is evaporated and semolina is cooked. Switch off when you notice that ghee is leaving the sides of the pan.

Boil 4 cups of water with 4 tbsp of sugar until sugar is dissolved. 

In a heavy bottom kadhai/pan add ghee. Now add semolina and roast it until it turns golden brown. Add chopped pineapple, cardamom powder and cook for about 5 minutes. Now add the water and sugar mixture slowly. Make sure there are no lumps hence stir continuously till the water is evaporated and semolina is cooked. Switch off when you notice that ghee is leaving the sides of the pan. Serve hot or warm and you can add nuts if you wish to as a garnish.

sending this recipe for WTML event @ Sahasra recipes & Gayathri's Cook spot

 @ Nivedhanam & Pari's page

Baked Mawa Gujiya

I know i am posting this little late but what to do i was tied up with festive work and then tired to post this, anyways, better late than never. I wanted to minimise the usage oil in this festive season. Hence planned of baking Gujiya. Also known as Karonji in Maharashtra and Kajjikayalu in Andhra Pradesh. In Kajjikayalu, the filling is with semolina and coconut whereas Karonji and Gujiya has Mawa/Khoya filling. You can use your imagination to innovate the filling. Traditionally it is a deep fried sweet snack, but I baked it and yep made it healthy to an extent. So here is the recipe.... Happy Cooking...

Ingredients: 

For the dough:

Maida - 1 cup
Oil - 3 tbsp
Baking soda - 1/2 tsp
Salt - a pinch
Water as required

For the filling:

Khoya/Mawa - 125 gms
Raisins - 1/2 cup( I used black raisins)
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
Desiccated coconut - 3 tbsp(heaped)
Sugar - 2 tbsp(used powdered sugar)

Method:

In a large bowl, mix flour, baking soda, salt and oil. Start kneading while adding water until smooth and stiff textured dough.

Cover with a kitchen towel and keep aside.

In a heavy bottom pan/kadhai, add khoya and fry for a minute. Now add desiccated coconut and raisins. 

Now add sugar and cardamom powder and fry this mixture for about five minutes. Keep it aside to cool down.

Divide the dough in small balls. Roll these balls into small puris.

I used small  bowl to cut into perfect shape or use  gujia molds available in market. 

Put a tbsp of filling in the one half of the circle and brush water all over the along the side.

Fold one side of the round over the other. Pinch the edges to seal it.

Preheat the oven to 220c for 15 minutes. Place the gujiyas in an oven safe dish and bake the gujiyas for 10 minutes on each side until they are golden brown on both sides.

For the dough:

In a large bowl, mix flour, baking soda, salt and oil. Start kneading while adding water until smooth and stiff textured dough. Cover with a kitchen towel and keep aside.

For the stuffing:

In a heavy bottom pan/kadhai, add khoya and fry for a minute. Now add desiccated coconut and raisins. Now add sugar and cardamom powder and fry this mixture for about five minutes. Keep it aside to cool down.

Divide the dough in small balls. Roll these balls into small puris.  I used small  bowl to cut into perfect shape or use  gujia molds available in market. 
Put a tbsp of filling in the one half of the circle and brush water all over the along the side. Fold one side of the round over the other. Pinch the edges to seal it.

Preheat the oven to 220c for 15 minutes. Place the gujiyas in an oven safe dish and bake the gujiyas for 10 minutes on each side until they are golden brown on both sides.

Voila.... low cal gujiyas are ready.

sending this recipe for WTML event @ Sahasra recipes & Gayathri's Cook spot

 @ Nivedhanam & Pari's page

Baked Chakli | Baked Murukku

Ok... so my Diwali preparations has started. To kick off, I started with baked butter chakli/murukku. Now the twist is I made this with whole wheat flour and pearl millet flour(bajra/kaambu). We tend to eat a lot of fried food during festivities, it is inevitable so I wanted to do my bit in reducing that. I wanted to make as many healthy recipes as possible. This is first time that I am baking this and it was delicious to say the least. Lets jump into the recipe without wasting any time... Happy cooking...

Ingredients:

Wholewheat flour - 150 gms
Pearl Millet flour - 120 gms
Butter - 100 gms
Nigella seeds/kalonji/karun jeeragam - 1 tsp
Sesame seeds/til/ellu - 1 1/2 tsp
Carrom seeds/ajwain/omam - 1 tsp
Red Chilli powder - 1 tsp( add as per your taste)
Salt to taste
Water as required

Method:

Combine all the flours and dry spices in a bowl.

 Add melted butter. Rub the butter into the flour mixture using your fingertips until the mixture resembles bread crumbs.

Now add water and knead into a soft dough.

 

This is the Chakli press. You can get it at any utensil store. 

Put the mixture in chakli press  and press round whirls of dough into the baking tray. Press the dough from center to the outside. Bake chaklis at 220c for 8 - 10 minutes on each side.

Combine all the flours and dry spices in a bowl. Add melted butter. Rub the butter into the flour mixture using your fingertips until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Now add water and knead into a soft dough.
Grease baking tray with some oil.  Put the mixture in chakli press  and press round whirls of dough into the baking tray. Press the dough from center to the outside.
Pre heat the oven at 220c for about 10 minutes. 
Bake chaklis at 220c for 8 - 10 minutes on each side.
Store in an air tight container. You can store these chaklis/murukku for about 10 - 15 days.

Notes:
If you wish to fry the chakli/murukku then add just about 25 - 30 gms of butter.

Godhi Hudi Payasa (Broken wheat payasam) | Dalia kheer

This is my first post for Jagruti's potluck party. On 10th of every month we post our recipes and on 28th of the same month we cook and post recipe of another member. I posted Chocolate Modak on 10th of this month. 
I got the opportunity to cook Godhi Hudi Payasa of Shree Rao. Godhi Hudi Payasa is Dalia kheer. Thanks to her that I got to cook this yum and healthy recipe. It is a simple recipe and was very quick to make. So lets take a look at the recipe(copy-paste from Shreezexperiments, almost).

Ingredients:

Godhi nucchu (broken wheat, dalia) - 1 cup( I used finer dalia)
Jaggery - 3/4 cup 
Gasgase (khus khus)/Poppy seeds - 1 tbsp
Cashew - 1 tbsp each
Ghee - 4 tbsp
water

Method:

Heat 1 tbsp ghee and fry the khus khus and cashew keep aside

In a thick bottomed pan, put the jaggery add water.
Water should be just enough to cover the jaggery.
Let it boil on high till you get a thread consistency.

Add precooked dalia and khuskhus and cook on med - high flame for 2 mins or till you see bubbles forming.
Add 2 tbsp ghee. Mix well.

Soak the godhi nucchu(dalia) in water for 1 hour
Heat 1 tbsp ghee and fry the khus khus and cashew keep aside
Cook dalia in a cooker for 3 whistles adding sufficient water (3 cups)
In a thick bottomed pan, put the jaggery add water.
Water should be just enough to cover the jaggery
Let it boil on high till you get a thread consistency
Add the cooked dalia and khuskhus and cook on med - high flame for 2 mins or till you see bubbles forming
Add 2 tbsp ghee
Mix well
Add the fried cashew for garnish.
Serve hot :)

Linking this to Potluck Party Cyber Style

Pan Modak

I am so excited to make another variation of the modak. The idea of making pan and gulkhand modak came to me as I had betel leaves leftover after puja... so I was thinking how to use it in cooking and this idea struck me. I also had Gulkhand at home so voila....   And I should tell you that practice makes man perfect. I can actually feel that my modak making skills have improved, so if you are making this first time its ok to go wrong. Even my first time was a disaster not in terms of taste but in terms of appearance. So keep practicing. So let me not take any more time and lets see what the ingredients are to make this delicious and flavourful modak.... Happy Cooking...

Ingredients:

For the outer rice covering:

Rice flour - 1 cup
Water - 1 1/4 cup 
Oil - 1 tsp
a pinch of salt

For the inner sweet filling(poornam):

Fresh Coconut - 1/2 cup
Betel leaves - 6-8
Gulkhand - 2 heaped tbsp
Ghee - 2 tbsp
Sugar - 2 tbsp(optional)

Method:

 


Grind fresh coconut, betel leaves, gulkhand and sugar(if you are using it) together to a coarse paste.

 Heat 2 tbsp ghee in a kadhai and add the mixture. 

Cook till the mixture comes together. It will take about 8 - 10 minutes. Keep aside.

In a vessel add the water, oil and salt.
Keep this pan on the flame and let the contents heat up till the mixture comes to a rolling boil.

Remove the pan from the fire and add the rice flour to it. Add small portions of rice flour. Keep on mixing as you want the mixture to be free from lumps and smooth.

When the mixture is slightly hot or warm, then knead the mixture.
You can apply some oil on your palms while kneading the rice flour dough.

Apply some water or oil on your palm. Take a small portion of the rice dough and make a smooth ball out of it with your hands. Keep this rice flour dough ball on your palm.
Now flatten this dough ball in your palm with the fingers of the other hand. Make a small puri of it on your palm.

Keep a small portion of the betel leaf- coconut mixture on the center of this puri.

Keep this in the modak mould and give the shape.
Make all the modaks this way.

Steam the modaks for 7-10 mins on a low to medium flame.

Making the sweet filling:


Grind fresh coconut, betel leaves, gulkhand and sugar(if you are using it) together to a coarse paste. Heat 2 tbsp ghee in a kadhai and add the mixture. Cook till the mixture comes together. It will take about 8 - 10 minutes. Keep aside.

Making the outer cover of the Modak:

In a vessel add the water, oil and salt.
Keep this pan on the flame and let the contents heat up till the mixture comes to a rolling boil.
Remove the pan from the fire and add the rice flour to it. Add small portions of rice flour.
Keep on mixing as you want the mixture to be free from lumps and smooth. 
When the mixture is slightly hot or warm, then knead the mixture.
You can apply some oil on your palms while kneading the rice flour dough.
Apply some water or oil on your palm. Take a small portion of the rice dough and make a smooth ball out of it with your hands. Keep this rice flour dough ball on your palm.
Now flatten this dough ball in your palm with the fingers of the other hand. Make a small puri of it on your palm.
Keep a small portion of the betel leaf- coconut mixture on the center of this puri.
Keep this in the modak mould and give the shape.
Make all the modaks this way.
Steam the modaks for 7-10 mins on a low to medium flame.
Pan modaks are ready to be offered to Lord Ganesha.

Sending this recipe to Priyas Virundhu , Gayathris cookspot for WTML

Sending this recipe to cookingwithsj



http://cutchikitchen.com/100th_Post_GiveAway.html
Lets cook with coconut