harey chane ka halwa | an unusual dessert with tender green garbanzo beans

We have been on a hara chana high for sometime. It was the easy and yet exotic option for quick snacks and ghugnis all through this winter.  I was developing a lot of non vegetarian recipes for a brand and was fed up with not having my own choice of food for a while. I always love cooking my food on my own whims, my own 'flavours for the day' and when I have to work on something which is fixed, I feel a bit suffocated in terms of food choices. I don't know if you relate to it or not, but give me the fanciest of foods on a day when I want a simple khichdi, I will not be happy eating them. But that is another story.

There is harey chane ka halwa to cheer up. This harey chane ka halwa is mostly set and cut like barfi or fudge. One of the most surprising flavours trust me, and so brightly coloured.

Some of the seasons fresh produce gave me hope and I enjoyed some quick foods of my choice as well.
Harey chane ka halwa looks and sounds tricky but it incredibly simple and quick.

Hara chana, fresh green peas and some thukpa and thenthuk type soups were a great relief as they take minimal effort to be cooked. I made hara chana jhal mudi many a times for a tea time snack and loved it. But then a friend from Banaras reminded me of this hare chane ka halwa and I got transported to the older days when we never counted our desserts.

Not that we ate too much desserts as a family but we usually had everything we wanted. I think we never knew so much abundance of all things super sweet vying for attention all the time. Home made real food desserts were the norm and we grew up to become fit healthy individuals. Cakes were very occasional even if we had started baking at younger age, all of us siblings used to have so much fun in the kitchen. This harey chane ka halwa brought back all those memories.

This halwa would remind you of the halwas of Kerala and Tamilnadu (probably other states of south India as well) where they make pineapple and ripe jackfruit halwa and dehydrate it so much that it make a nice dense cake that can be sliced like karachi halwa. But this harey chane ka halwa is not that dehydrated and doesn't keep well at room temperature. This is something to be had the same day or to refrigerate and consume the next day.

ingredients
(makes 9 large squares, or 6-8 servings)
hara chana (tender green garbanzo beans) 200 gm
pistachios 25 gm (you can use cashew too)
sugar 25-50 gm as per taste
ghee 30 gm or 2 tbsp
chopped pistachio for garnish

Some people add khoya to this halwa but I like it without khoya. If you want to add khoya, you can make instant khoya in microwave by following this recipe.

procedure

Make a powder of pistachios first, add the hara chana in the blender and make a smooth paste of the two.

Heat ghee in a kadhai and pour the paste in it. Stir continuously for about 5 minutes and you would see how the green paste starts getting smooth and a bit gummy.

Add the sugar and stir more to cook further. The halwa will start looking shiny and sticky. This is the time you pour it into a deep plate or a square dish of suitable size. Spread it in even layer, thickness can be of your choice. Mine was 1 cm thick layer. Sprinkle chopped pistachios over it and press with your fingers so they embed well.

Let it cool in refrigerator for an hour or so, cut squares and serve as required.

Alternately, you can serve the halwa hot or warm like gajar ka halwa.

The taste is rich and nutty and very very delectable. This halwa will be one of those good looking desserts you can serve for formal meals as well.

Let me know if you try this harey chane ka halwa or call it harey chane ki barfi. You can make such a halwa with green peas too, but the taste will be a bit different as peas don't have that nuttiness that hara chana lends to this halwa. I hope you get hara chana in your part of the world.

Sankatmochan wale besan ke laddoo and some festivity.......

Wishing you all a very happy Diwali, the festival of lights that brings with it a couple of more festivals,  Dhanteras that preludes Diwali and then Bhai dooj and Govardhan pooja to follow. Several sweetmeats are made in Indian homes and there is a round of worshiping several Gods in this season. I am not a religious person but like to soak in the festive mood by cooking something that has been a family tradition. Lighting the diyas and candles, spring cleaning the house and spending time with loved ones as it is a national holiday too. Some memories of childhood are revived and some new are formed. We generally stay away from crackers and pompous gifting traditions associated with this festival, enjoying the home made sweetmeats and homegrown happiness is much more worth.

Besan ka laddoo and Shakkarparey are the two things my MIL used to make on the day of Dhanteras, for the bhog of the evening's pooja. Surprisingly, I normally forget to make these on that day as there is no internal clock in my system to remember festivals and associated pooja rituals. Yes, I remember the foods but then I need to get a clue when to start. So this year too when I was leaving for a friend's place the husband gently reminded to make Besan ke laddoo for the pooja that he would do in the night. Did I tell you he is the one who performs festive rituals quite well, I am the one who just watches the pooja being performed, enjoying the scents and chants.

Talking of the scents and the chants, the Sankatmochan temple at Varanasi is one place if you love the scent of a temple. That ghee laden sweetmeats, a heavy waft of Tulsi leaves and some Ghee lamps burning, you are transported into a different world when you visit this place. The holy water that (Gangajal kept in a pot with Tulsi leaves in it,called Charanamrit) the Pandit offers has a distinct Tulsi taste and aroma that I can feel right now typing these lines. That was the reason I wanted some Tulsi leaves to be kept with these besan ke laddoo so the aroma gets infused in them. You are right, I am talking about he Sankatmochan waale besan ke laddoo. Those ghee laden laddoos with a crackling of crystalline sugar is kept in a palm leaf box along with Tulsi leaves and you get that taste of Tulsi when you have them reaching home.

I learned the trick of making that crackling sugar from my MIL. My mother used to make the besan ke laddoo with simple powdered sugar and that was good but nothing extraordinary. That crystalline sugar that is called Boora in North India can be made at home within 15 minutes or so, depending on the quantity you want. The process is pictured step wise later.

ingredients...
(to make about 20 large laddoo)

Chickpea flour or besan (the coarse variety preferably) 250 gm
sugar 250 gm (the whole quantity will not be used)
ghee 200 gm

procedure...

Heat ghee in a thick base kadhai and pour in the besan. Mix well and start roasting on low flame. The mixture looks crumbly in the beginning and goes on to become flowy. I took many pictures during the roasting process that took about 40 minutes, as the consistency and color of the besan went on changing. The aroma also changes and you would know when the besan is well roasted. See the pictures for more details, starting from the first to last..

After roasting the besan, start with making the syrup for making crystalline sugar. Since the sugar syrup needs to be whisked vigorously in the last lap, you would want your hands be free from roasting the besan at that time. I can handle both the things simultaneously as I have some practice, and I do switch off the besan side of the gas if required, you can do that too.

So for making the crystalline sugar you start with sugar and just enough water to submerge the sugar. The first picture in this collage is taken after a couple of minutes of adding the water so you see more water than it was, the sugar already had started melting. It will be good to know that there is no strict quantity of water added, as it just take a couple of minutes more to get the right consistency if you add a little more water.

The syrup first starts boiling, then frothing and when the frothing increases, and you see some sugar being crystallized on the sides of the pan, just take the pan off the flame and whisk vigorously with the help of a sturdy spatula (a wire whisk doesn't work as the sugar syrup starts resisting movements).

You would notice after the fourth picture the sugar looks crystalline and white, a few steps in between are missing as whisking and clicking pictures is not possible simultaneously. In the missing steps, the sugar syrup looks like honey first and then starts getting opaque, that is the time it will start crystallizing too. Just keep stirring to make smaller crystals otherwise it would result in a huge chunk of white sugar.  There will be some large crystals too, you might like to thrash them using a Pestle or just sieve the sugar so you get uniform sized sugar crystals. The large chunks can be used to sweeten anything you wish (I use them to make the syrup for shakkarparey, recipe next).

The sugar is then mixed with the roasted besan mixture. The two are mixed well to combine well. You can add some chopped nuts or cardamom etc, but they are not added in the Sankatmochan wale laddoo and you wont like to spoil the original taste if you are looking for that. The quantity of sugar can be tasted and adjusted at this step.

Allow the mixture to cool down so you can handle them to shape balls. The laddoo gets solidified after some time in winters, owing to the presence of ghee.

If you notice the mixture is too cold and does not bind well to form laddoo, you can heat the mixture on gas or in microwave so the ghee melts again to allow binding of laddoo well.

The large sugar crystals are visible in this picture. They provide a nice texture and the taste of the laddoo is transformed owing to this.

Did I tell you I made this laddoo and Shakkarparey at 8 Pm that day? That was after I returned from my friends  place. I kneaded the dough for shakkarparey when the laddoo mixture was cooling down and used the same leftover sugar in the pan to make the syrup for shakkarparey too.

ingredients for the shakkarparey...

whole wheat flour (you can use maida too) 2 cups
fennel seeds 2 tsp
ghee 1/3 cup for shortening
more ghee for deep frying

procedure..

Rub the shortening part of ghee into the dry flour till it resembled bread crumbs and then add the fennel seeds and water to knead a firm and strong dough.

Roll out the dough into a half centimeter thick circular roti and cut squares using a sharp knife. The squares can be like cookies or biscuits, any size you prefer.

Deep fry all of them in batches till they are pinkish brown and crisp. Low flame is helpful in making them crisp and cooked through.

Now add water to the sugar just like we made the sugar syrup in the laddoo recipe. I just added some more sugar and water to the same pan with leftover large chunks of sugar and proceeded to cook the syrup.

The same kind of frothing happens again and you can keep a bowl of cold water to check if the syrup is ready to crystallize  Just drop a tsp of syrup in the bowl of water, if the syrup immediately looks like a glass coin it is ready for coating the shakkarparey (Or crystallizing as required for the laddoo).

So as soon as you get the indication that the syrup is ready, tip in all the fried shakkarparey squares into the syrup and start stirring and mixing them quickly. The syrup will coat the squares and then become white in color. A uniform coating of sugar will be there on each of the fried square.

These are like glazed cookies.

Let them cool and store in an airtight container. Discard the remaining sugar or use it for sweetening anything else if you have a large quantity left.

I cooked a few more sweetmeats for diwali. There was some Gujhia made at my friends place. It was an opportunity to bond with her kids and see the contented happy smile when they eat a freshly fried Gujhia. I also made a raisin, almond and date syrup Sondesh on the day of Diwali. Will post the recipe very soon.

Wishing you all a great time, good food and family bonding this festive season.

There was silence on my blogs as I was away for a vacation in the mountains. We visited Gangtok and Darjeeling before Diwali and brought back great food memories. Those will be shared soon here on the blog. Loads of pictures and food storied to be shared with you all. Stay tuned.

Fresh water chestnuts for fasting food | Kachhe singhade ki katli...

Fresh water chestnuts are in the market for quite some time now. We have already enjoyed them boiled, stir fried and even raw just after peeling the tough skin. The husband loves these Singhada a lot in all it's forms. Keeping in mind his love for desserts, I make this kachhe Singhade ka halwa every season. This time I decided to make this kacche singhadeki katli and it is something I will be repeating many times. Even for visiting guests who love mithais.

Let me tell you a secret before the recipe. The husband is so besotted by fresh (kaccha) singhada that he is ready to peel them on the weekends so he can get to eat them at least 3-4 times a week in season. So I stir fry the peeled singhada for him either in ghee and salt n pepper or with sprouts and sweet corn like this one.

This singhade ki katli is a new entrant, the kachhe singhade ka halwa was already a favorite. A Katli or halwa made using the dry singhade ka atta (water chestnut flour) is also among his favorites. These are a few things we have been eating since childhood. Simple foods that succeed in making us feel the warmth of home.

This Kacche singhade ki katli is a 15 minute dessert believe me. Healthy and quick. Yummy you would know when you try this.

ingredients...

about 500 gm of raw fresh water chestnuts peeled and cleaned
2 tbsp ghee
2-3 tbsp sugar
2-3 tbsp mixed nuts chopped

procedure..

Make a smooth paste of the raw water chestnuts in your food processor or mixie jar. Should make about scant two cups without adding any water.

Heat the ghee in a wide pan (kadhai) and pour the water chestnut paste in it and start stirring with a spatula.

See the picture in series. The paste changes it's consistency and color and starts becoming more glutinous, if I can use the word. No gluten content in it alright.

Just when the cooking mixture becomes almost translucent and fragrant too, a very characteristic nutty aroma that I love, add the sugar and stir to dissolve.

Pour into a greased square tin or container and spread chopped nuts over it and press the nuts so the embed properly.The container should be appropriately sized to get you thin or thick katlis (squares like fudge or brownie), so keep that in mind.

Cut in squares when cool and remove from the container. Serve fresh and see if you can save some leftovers.

Keep in a lidded container in fridge for about three to four days. I would recommend to serve it on room temperature as chilled katli tastes a bit blander than the room temperature version.

This makes the best of Vrat ka khana recipes as it can be served to guests who are fasting. Happens a lot of times during Navratri. Many of my guests are already in awe of the sugar free or naturally sweetened mithai substitutes I serve. This Water chestnut flour, gluten free Panforte is one that brings me copious complements.

This kachhe singhade ki katli is one more addition to such unusual, awe inspiring snack treats.

Cheers for fasting days ahead...

parippu pradhaman | mung daal kheer in coconut milk base..

Long time back when I read an elaborate recipe of parippu pradhaman I wanted to taste this mung daal kheer immediately.

It had everything that I love.. coconut, jaggery and a lentil base. But as it happens our attention span is so minuscule that it slipped off my mind completely. Though kept knocking at the back of my head whenever I used jaggery for other things. This Onam when I was chatting with Rajani, she talked of this again. And then it was just irresistible for me to wait. Read the recipe again and with some more inputs from her, I started with it right away.

Half an hour later a superbly aromatic dessert was ready and I licked the spoon. It was a revelation.It is not a kheer. Noway related to a kheer of north India but equally great in taste and flavors.I am hooked to it. Made it once more after that as we both just loved it. My mung daal consumption has increased now.



ingredients..
(2-4 servings)

3/4 cup of yellow mung daal (skinned mung beans)
a cup of water
a carton/can of coconut milk (I used a carton of Dabur homemade coconut milk, freshly extracted coconut milk will be absolutely gorgeous)
roughly 1/2 cup of shaved or grated jaggery (not packed)
1 tbsp + 1 tsp of ghee
2 tbsp of chopped Cashew nuts
2 -4 tbsp of chopped bits of fresh coconut
green cardamom powder a pinch if you like, I didn't use it



procedure...

Take a wide base pan and dry roast the mung with a tsp of ghee on medium flame till it turns pink and aromatic.

Put it in a pressure cooker with the water and pressure cook till the first whistle blows and then about 4-5 minutes more on low flame. let it cool naturally till the pressure releases.

Add the jaggery and the coconut milk and cook for about 3-4 minutes, the Pradhaman get thick like a slurry. Taste the pradhaman for sweetness, you might like to add a little more jaggery to it, depends on the brand of jaggery being used as all of them have different intensity, being an unrefined sugar with a lot of minerals in it.

Heat the remaining ghee in a small pan and fry the cashew first and then add the coconut bits to fry till pink. Add this hot ghee mixture to the pressure cooker.

Mix well and serve warm. I just loved it warm. The comfort of a lentil is always nice for me, never knew it would be in this form as well. I am not a dessert person but some desserts like this make me really go week in my knee. Jaggery and coconut, bound to be happy together.

 I chilled the leftovers to see if we like that more. Arvind was okay with the chilled version but for me it will always be warm. Quickly reheated in microwave, my bowl of dessert comfort.

This Parippu Pradhaman is definitely healthier than a rice kheer. Lesser Glycemic load for sure. Provided you don't make it too sweet.

I would recommend milder sweetening of desserts, as it allows the other flavors to shine through. And a pleasant aroma of roasted mung is the USP of this Pradhaman. Jaggery comes next and he Coconut flavors stays in the background. The fried Cashew and Coconut bits add a nice additional flavor and bite.

Just lovely. Try this if you haven't tried this Kerala delicacy yet.

Cheers.

recipes of Til ki burfi and Besan ki burfi : two burfi ecipes for festive season

Burfi or katli is a fudge made with evaporated milk or khoya and sugar normally, called khoye ki burfi. The plain khoye ki burfi can be made with different flavors like saffron, cardamom, sprinkled with chopped nuts or even flowers petals like rose. I had never liked the plain khoya burfis, whatever colour or flavor they were.

I found all the other variants of burfi really interesting, even a green colored lauki (bottle guard) ki burfi or another green hare chane ki barfi which is actually halwa. Many burfi like mithais are actually halwa like the famous karachi halwa is actually a burfi and even Habshi halwa and Dhoda come into the form of burfi.

Well, that Lauki ki burfi is not a popular recipe probably because it is made with a cheap ingredient, no one feels proud to eat and serve that anymore. I don't make it because it uses a lot of sugar to almost crystallize the grated bottle guard. Yes the lauki ki burfi is that sweet. I used to love it more for the texture when I was a child.

Other variants of burfi were the many kinds of Besan (gram flour) ki burfi, Nariyal (coconut) ki burfi and Til (sesame) ki burfi. I make these more and more because they can be adapted to a lower sugar version, the way one enjoys the flavors of other ingredients more I feel. Sesame and Coconut are my favorite ingredients to go for either savory or sweet treats.

These two types of burfi I am sharing today, use the same technique of cooking the khoya and sugar together till the mixture bubbles, then addng the other ingredients and mixing them, cooking further for a few minutes till the mixture becomes like a ball in the hot pan. The other burfi is a Besan, coconut and khoya burfi.

This til ki barfi was traditionally made for makar sankranti in many homes and the same mixture was even stuffed in gujhia that was made in some families in Banaras.

ingredients for sesame or til ki burfi...
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of prepared khoya (make it in microwave using powdered milk like this)
1 cup of water
3 cups of roasted sesame seeds (or a little more or less, depends on how quickly you mix the ingredients when hot)
some finely chopped mixed nuts of you wish

procedure...

Mix the water, sugar and prepared khoya in a kadai and start boiling the mixture.

The sugar would melt first and then the melting and mixing khoya would make an emulsion like consistency while boiling. The mixture would bubble like lava at one time so be careful to watch it as soon as the margins start getting lighter in color and the whole mix gets frothy.

This is the time to add the roasted sesame seeds into this boiling mix. Add the chopped nuts too if using.

Keep adding the sesame seeds slowly as you mix the hot mixture, and accommodate as much sesame as you can. The mixture should be in a barely flowing consistency at the end of it. Holding together like a ball.

The more sesame seeds you add the more less sugar content of this burfi would be. Mixing the boiling khoya-sugar mix faster would help you add quite a good amount of sesame seeds.

Now take the kadai off the flame and pour the mixture on a greased metal plate, tray or thali.

Flatten the mixture with the help of a long blade knife. and score marks for cutting the burfi in desired shape.

Let them cool completely and store in an airtight container.

This Til ki burfi is suitable for fasting during Navratri too...


Recipe of besan ki burfi 
___________________________________________________

ingredients
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of khoya
1 cup of water
1.5 cups of dry roasted besan (chickpea flour)
1.5 cup of dry coconut powder or dessicated coconut

procedure...

The boiling of khoya, water and sugar mixture would be just like the sesame seeds burfi. Follow the same steps.

Then add the besan and coconut powder mix to the boiling mixture, mix well just like instructed in the sesame burfi and pour in a greased metal plate or tray. Cut in desired shape and let it cool before storing them in an airtight container.

Notes for the besan-coconut burfi :

Roast the besan in a thick base kadai on a low flame so it gets nicely browned slowly. This way it develops a nice nutty taste. Take care not to burn the besan as it starts sticking to the base when either the heat level is high or stirring is slow .

Singhade ka aatta or Water Chestnut flour can be used if you are making this burfi for fasting days. The taste is great with Singhada flour too.

The coconut used here is the regular dry nut, grated and powdered in mixie. You can use desiccated coconut  or even coconut flour available in many places.

Finely chopped nuts can be added to this burfi too, for added texture and flavors if you like.

The same procedure can be used to make burfi with any nut powders you wish.

A very versatile and forgiving recipe to make burfi that lasts quite some time. Keeps well at room temperature for about two weeks.

I know a few people have been waiting for these recipes as I had posted the pictures during holi on my facebook page. Do make these and be assured these are quite low on sugar content, if you can manage to accommodate more Sesame or Besan-Coconut mix to the boiling syrup mix.

Do let me know if you like them...

Baked Gujhia ...finally..

  Gujhia, Guzia or Karanji, you might like to call it a sweet puff pastry, this is something you cannot go wrong with. Err..you cannot go wrong with it when you bake it. Many of my friends have been bugging me for ages to post a baked Gujhia recipe as there is no fear of the Gujhias getting punctured while deep frying. Yes, many people just fear that the most, the stuffing and sealing the edges is a skill and many beginners have a problem with this step. So this baked Gijhia is not at all low calorie of tinted as healthy food, the baking part is just to make the process convenient. Deep frying can be scary with a sugary stuffing for a beginner cook.

 If not sealed properly the Gujhias just open up like a book in the hot oil and all the stuffing comes gushing out. Not a good sight, leads to a lot of frustration as the most laborious work goes down the drain. Even a small puncture in the seal can make the sugared stuffing ooze out and the molten sugar keeps browning in the hot oil and keep coating the other Gujhias being fried in the same batch. A frightening thought for all the dough challenged people. Yes, a dough sounds fun and easy to many and it just frightens so many others, be it bread or puff pastries or a crust of a pie.

I have posted a deep fried Gujhia long back, some noisy pictures would greet you here with a plateful of fried Gujhias. The stuffing is the same in this baked version too and even the pastry layer (the shell) is the same.

 And please do not be in an impression that the baked Gujhias are any lower on fat content. There is enough shortening (called moyan in hindi) in the pastry dough to make them crisp and there is more melted ghee brushed on them during baking too. So the deadly flour, fat and sugar combination is very much there to make you run an extra mile on the treadmill.

Having said that, you can always make the Gujhia using whole wheat flour and lesser ghee for shortening. That would result in a rustic pastry and a cracker like texture around the same khoya (evaporated milk) stuffing. While that might be a good idea if you are making it regularly for your kids, during festivals I feel like doing it the traditional way as it is a once in a year ritual.

Other sweet treats were made healthier using lesser sugar, a Besan and coconut burfi and a Sesame burfi is on the way. In quick succession I hope.

For ingredients and instructions to make this Gujhia, follow the list and procedure explained here... 

• After stuffing the Gujhias as suggested, arrange all of them on  a greased baking tray. 

• Preheat the oven first and bake them at 200 C for the first 5 minutes and then at 150 C for 20 minutes more. The pastry ( the shell) would change the color to a pale white  first and then it goes on to get pinkish brown. Take the baking tray out of the oven and brush all the Gujhias with melted ghee and proceed baking. You might like to brush then with ghee once again after a light pink color appears. Results in a fluffy and light baked pastry. 

• The baking time can vary according to the size of the Gujhis you make and the thickness of the pastry you roll for stuffing. So keep a watch on the color of the baking Gujhias as you will be taking them out anyways for brushing molten ghee on them. 

• Tap them with a knife to check if done,  a hollow crisp voice indicates it's done and a pinkish brown color is desirable. Though a lighter color doesn't make a difference in taste. You won't want the Gujhias to brown more as it would result in caramalising the inner stuffing too much , a lightly caramalised stuffing is normal, but deep caramalisation would result in a tough texture when it cools. The Gujhia stuffing is supposed to be light and delicate normally.

Take care not to brown the khoya too much while preparing the stuffing if you are planning to bake your Gujhias. The stuffing as I indicated , gets browned a bit more while baking. Just a few precautions and a good rapport with your oven can make you free from heating a Kadai full of ghee.

I baked four batches of Gujhia this Holi..

The procedure is not done yet. I made an instant stuffing this time too. There was some pastry dough still left after consuming all the stuffing and I just rustled up an instant thing to stuff about a dozen Chandrakalas.

Chandrakala is a cousin of Gujhia, just the shape is different as it is a full moon shape hence the name Chandra-kala (Chandra is moon in Sanskrit ; Kala is art). Gujhia is half moon :-) 


The instant Gujhia/Chandrakala stuffing ...

milk powder 1/2 cup
sugar 1 tbsp (or more to taste)
chopped nuts 3 tbsp
poppy seeds 1 tsp
roasted semolina 1 tsp
grated fresh coconut 3 tbsp
green cardamom or clove powder a pinch

Mix everything well and use as stuffing.

The moisture in the fresh coconut ensures the milk powder and other ingredients get nicely homgenised while baking , the end product was a nicely caramalised stuffing.

Baking instructions are the same as Gujhia.

Some people like a thin coating of sugar syrup over the Gujhia and Chandrakala both. I like mine plain as the sugar syrup makes it heavy and too sweet to enjoy the delicate taste of Gujhias.

If planning to coat them with sugar syrup, make a syrup with 1/2 cup of sugar and 3 tbsp of water, cooked till frothy and poured over all the Gujhias to coat them lightly.

Would you overcome your reservations about making a perfectly shaped and nicely browned, crisp Gujhia?
Or there is a fear of baking?
Come on.

Edited to add : 

A few of my readers and friends were skeptical about the texture of the pastry cover, so I thought of posting a picture showing just how delicate and crisp the pastry was. Crumbling with every bite.

And to solve the mystery of an instant stuffing working fine for the baked version of Gujhia. The mixture cooked well to condense and become just right inside the Chandrakala.

See how nice it looks when I took a bite. The color is lighter than the already roasted stuffing used for the Gujhias above, but the light caramalaisation worked great too.

 Instant solutions re not always compromises. They yield great results sometimes.

Enjoy.

Egg less brownies with vanilla ice cream and Hot Chocolate sauce...

So this post is about two recipes. An egg less brownie and a hot chocolate sauce. The ice cream was store bought because I had to serve a crowd this time. Clicked a few pictures of the leftover slices of brownie topped with the black and white sinful opposites, the cold white ice cream and the dark hot chocolate sauce. Actually I served myself a generous helping as a lunch today and teased a few friends on facebook. An extempore poetry here and a few forgotten promises reminded by some other friends led me to post the recipe here.

I take this opportunity to apologise to my readers here for being absent from the blog for so long. I am back with a dark mean treat for you friends. Was busy in a family wedding and then many of the guests at the wedding were invited home for several rounds of meals and snacks and desserts and all... This brownie was served to a crowd of some 20 people, made a whole loaf of brownie , although the thin slices were not as easy to handle it was the best solution in a hurry. Made in microwave to save time so I could work on other main and side dishes that day...And the brownie was egg less because many of the older people don't even eat onion and garlic.

Brownie is better egg less I always feel anyways.

Lets cheer up at Banaras ka khana with a brownie that wrapped up a busy bustling day for me some 3 days back.... and then illuminated a noon today with a warm cheer..

ingredients...

( about 2 dozen servings)

all purpose flour (maida) 2 cups
cocoa powder 1/2 cup ( I used Cadburry's)
baking powder 1 tsp
softened butter 1 cup
thick yogurt 1cup
sugar 3/4 cup
melted dark chocolate 1 cup (I used 72% cocoa)

procedure...

Mix the all purpose flour, cocoa powder and baking powder together. I stir it with a fork, you can sieve them all together if unsure.

Whip the yogurt, butter and sugar together and then add the flour mix to it slowly while whipping all the time. The batter has to be just loose so it doesn't look like a dough and the whisk moves freely. Add a little milk if required, depends on how thick is the yogurt being used.

Now melt the dark chocolate over double boiler. i do it in microwave with a tbsp of water added to it.

Add the melted dark chocolate to the prepared batter and whisk and mix well.

Pour in a wide baking tray if making bars or squares of brownie. The batter doesn't flow well and has to be smoothened  into the tray. Bake at 180 degree C for about 20 minutes. Check with a needle before taking out of the oven.

I made a standard size loaf in the microwave as I was multitasking that day and had very little time for this brownie. The loaf was microwaved for 6 minutes on high.

Let it cool and slice accordingly. The brownies are slightly sticky , dense and decadent. I like them as it is warm too...

Served this way, they are a crowd puller.

The recipe of the chocolate sauce is quite simple too. You just need the best quality of cocoa powder you can get your hands on. I made the sauce in the microwave too , in the same jug it is served. can be easily cooked in a pan too, stirring all the while ...

ingredients for the chocolate sauce...

half cup of cocoa powder (Cadburry's was used)
quarter cup of all purpose flour
pinch of salt
half cup of sugar
1.5 cup 0f milk or water (some more to add while cooking)
1 tbsp or a little more butter

procedure...

Tip in the first four ingredients in the mug or jug (or the pan if you are cooking in a pan on gas stove). Pour about 1/4 cup of milk and make a paste of the ingredients. Now add the remaining milk and whisk vigorously to make a smooth emulsion.

Microwave the mixture for 2 miutes, take out the jug, whisk it till smooth and microwave again for a minute and whisk again. repeat doing the same some 3-4 times till the mixture bubbles and is thick and creamy.

Add a little milk if you want a dilute sauce. The thickness is variable to taste. Whisk the sauce even after it is cooked as it helps in keeping the right consistency later.

If you decide to cook the sauce in a pan, cook over direct flame stirring all the while till it thickens.Adjust thickness as above.

Add the butter to finish the sauce , off heat, and mix well. Use hot or cold, as required.


The chocolate sauce can be used with cut fruits to make a rich dessert or can be served with plain vanilla ice cream any time. It keeps well in the fridge for a week so make it in generous amount if you like it.

This sauce can be made slightly thicker too and can be used as a cake frosting or a cheats version of Chocolate Ganache. It wouldn't be as rich and silken in texture as a real Ganache made using dark chocolate and heavy cream.

Nevertheless, we all need cheats versions of the expensive foods once in a while. So why not.

The richer version of chocolate sauce would melt equal amounts of heavy cream and dark chocolate in microwave or over double boiler...chose your pick... whatever suits you.

Would you like to bake a gluten free version of a Brownie? I am working on that and will soon post it on my health food blog. 


I have also made a  facebook page for all my friends and readers who like to discuss health and wellness with me. Please go like the page if you really want to live healthy , eat healthy and think healthy...

In that case , you would chuck this version of brownie in the air.

I would be one happy soul for such a choice. Believe me. I bake such sinful indulgences only for guests who like these, my own indulgence in such treats is quite balanced most of the times.I expect everyone who follows me, to chose wisely and to control portions when served occasional treats like this brownie.

What do you chose as your foodie sin ?

When two desserts from Hyderabad meet .... they explode with flavors...

I have never been to Hyderabad and have never tasted an authentic Double ka meetha which is a ghee fried slice of bread soaked in sugar syrup and topped with fresh cream...an Indian version of bread and butter pudding , called shahi tukda in the north of India ..

 Khubani ka meetha (stewed apricots in sugar syrup) comes in a ready to eat pack so i have had no complaints about that . The comparative ease to make this khubani ka meetha is another positive point .

About this Double ka meetha i knew so little i realized a few days back, till then i just thought it is our very own shahi tukda as we call it in the northern parts of the country ....and it is so in real technical terms too. But recently someone from Hyderabad enlightened me that this dessert is mostly served in the form of a bread halwa there. So the recipe becomes more complex as there is mashing to be done and frying will require some accuracy of a different kind. I prefer my own shahi tukda over this halwa version but i would still love to call it Double ka meetha as and when i please as some of my Hyderabad friends identified it as a DKM when i posted about it long back...

On my table both these desserts can be served on top of each other . Why not ?

The stewed apricots are so fridge friendly and bread slices can be 'fried' and sugared any time making a double sweet treat ... topped with the good old home made malai of course...

Now i come to the real reason of posting this double dessert .

I have been getting a lot of queries since i posted shahi tukda about how to shallow fry the bread slices without them getting all soggy in the syrup . The problem is , when you deep fry the bread , it soaks huge quantity of ghee and when you shallow fry it on a flat base pan it retains some of it's moisture and gets soggy and mushy when served . The texture of the fried bread plays a critical role in it's taste too as a crisp and a lil' chewy texture make the bread taste really different , it complements the topping of a rabri or malai too . A soggy bread just tastes plain sweet and that kills this dessert.

I apologize for being so late in coming with a reply , I do not make such rich desserts very often and was kinda forgetful too . This time i had half a can of sugar syrup to be used , leftover sugar syrup from a can of Amul gulab jamun. This consistency of sugar syrup is just perfect for a shahi tukda and i decided to make it instantly one Sunday morning as a rich breakfast for us.... Shallow frying the bread this time...

So the trick is to press the bread slices (edges removed and cut into triangles) on the frying pan while frying them....smear ghee on both sides of the cut bread slice , place on a medium hot flat base frying pan ( i use an iron tawa) and keep pressing and letting it brown on a medium low flame. The idea is to let the bread slice dehydrate while it gets crisp with ghee. You use a little ghee , about 2 tsp per triangle of bread this way . Toast the bread both the sides till it gets crisp and hard but do not let it become brittle like a rusk , the bread should resist to break and should fold a bit too....

You do not have control over the quantity of ghee being soaked when you deep fry the bread and that is the reason why many people detest this simple and quick desert. I use brown bread for shahi tukda always and that makes the shallow fried slices a bit more chewy , the way we like it.


Another thing to keep in mind is , do not soak the slices and keep them for long , especially if the syrup is a bit thin....using a dense syrup works better as this leftover gulab jamun syrup... Hot toasted/shallow fried  bread and cold syrup works best, assembled at the time of serving....

Place the shallow fried slices on a plate , drizzle the cold syrup over it . Spoon the apricot jam or coulis or khubani ka meetha (or any other fruit preserve) over it , top it with fresh homemade malai or rabri or whipped cream and serve immediately...

Do not blame me for all the sugar cravings you get at this hour :) .....

Mishti doi cravings and a consumer complaint being responded...

A ready pack of mishti doi from Mother Dairy is almost a constant presence in my fridge. Although I make my own mishti doi whenever I fancy but something available so easily just across the lane makes it so much more convenient to just go get a tub of mishti doi whenever you feel like.

One such day when both of us wanted a spoonful of this luscious creamy sweetened yogurt and as I picked it up from inside the fridge I noticed the pack was puffed. I was aghast as we just had bought the pack the previous day and it had never happened before. The acrid smell of the yogurt crashed our mishti doi craving in no time.

We just thought of lodging a complaint online and see what happens. We were not hoping any response from Mother Dairy as a common consumer in our country is never compensated. Or so we thought. I just wanted to inform so they could check the same lot for any contamination and just a plain simple thought that they should decide on expiry dates more seriously. Having worked in a microbiology lab I know a few things that need to be fixed here.

I was surprised to get a call from them the next day to confirm our address and to my delight a fresh pack of mishti doi was delivered at my doorstep the very next day of the call. Surprisingly the mother dairy people were very polite and convincing and never sounded like doubting our complaint. I just needed to tell the manufacturing date of the pack and the person who delivered the fresh pack wanted to see the cover flap, though he was not particular about it.

The person on phone said they checked the lot and there was no irregularity, I was happy they took action. If a company cares about spoilage of products it must be caring about the quality of products too.

A lesson learnt. You should always complaint in case of food being putrid as it might be a case of the whole lot being contaminated or even some loopholes in the distribution system as some of the vendors might not be taking care to store the product at prescribed temperature. And you should wait for a replacement of the product too if the manufacturers are prompt in their action. Mother Dairy was.

And see what I did with the mishti doi this time....

With home made apricot jam, a chunky jam with juicy halves of apricots turned into a sweet bliss...

Mixed lightly with mishti doi any homemade fruit jam is a bliss as a dessert or as a healthy snack when you want something sweet.

Although for healthy snacking I prefer freshly cut fruit in my mishti doi...see how it does magic with mangoes...

Do you use your rights as a consumer ever?

Wait for another apricot jam dessert on these pages .... see you soon :)

khubaani ka meetha ..an apricot dessert from Hyderabad..

Made with fresh juicy apricots . Yes , I am back from my cycling expedition with a Hyderabad special dessert made using the freshest of apricots i picked up from Leh .

Sounds like a perfect North South connect ?

Yes it is. I used to wonder how this khubaani (apricot) reached Hyderabad to please the taste buds of the navabs . How stupid i was to forget the fact that the mughal rulers entered India passing through the same terrains where this wonderful little fruit grows. The Himalayas. And true foodies they were to enjoy the apricots in the form of khubaani ka meetha , made from dried apricots too .

I have tried this dessert with fresh and dried apricots both in the past years , dried apricots result in the same consistent taste every time but fresh apricots taste different depending of what variety they are. I saw many types of apricots for the first time growing fresh on the trees , fallen from the trees and in the markets too , fresh and dried both. I was reminded of an apricot tree our neighbors had in their backyard when i was growing up in Chandigarh , i used to climb that tree to pluck apricots , usually unripe because ripened ones fall off the tree anyways. But we had no patience as any other children :)


If using dried apricots , you need to soak them overnight and cook with sugar to sweeten till soft . It is cooked to a jam consistency and is usually served with fresh cream or home made malai.

I usually prefer fresh apricots whenever in season for a fresh flavor and nice color too. Apricots do not keep well  for long and have to be used up within a week even when refrigerated, so it's always a good idea to stew them with some sugar and keep for longer duration in the fridge , especially when you have had your fill of the fresh ones...

This time i halved them to remove the stones....

A knife is not required to do this , just press along the groove and split the fruit in two, remove the seed and keep the flesh for stewing...

Add some sugar ... For 2 cups of halved fresh apricots i used 3/4 cup of sugar . You can use more if you want it very sweet , the Hyderabad version is too sweet for me.

I placed everything in a ceramic bowl and microwaved it for 3+3 minutes and that's it. You can always cook on gas stove to stew it slowly for 15 minutes or so. To the consistency you like.

A shiny look on the cooked apricots is an indication it is yummy cooked to be called khubaani ka meetha. I used half of the apricots to make a thick jam too . I like it sometimes as a topping on ice creams or trifles . Home made chunky jams are so versatile you know.

Now is the time to serve the Khubaani ka meetha with fresh malai . You can go for whipped cream too but i always like my good old home made malai for this....

Out of this world flavors..best served at room temperature.... small servings are wiser you know...just one tablespoonful of stewed apricots and 3/4 tablespoonful of malai . The flavors are so intense you wouldn't need more to get high on it.

Getting high on the fruit of the highlands....I am sharing a picture from my cycling expedition before i leave ...

This was the first day of our cycling from Kullu . It was drizzling and a great start to a wonderful journey ahead. We ate many fresh apricots, apples and soft pears directly from the trees in kullu and finally i bought these golden apricots with rosy cheeks from a Leh market to take back home. I am happy i did bring these beauties home as they made a nice start to my home cooking after a long crazy trip.....

Apricots from Delhi markets also make good Khubani ka meetha and jam . I have posted an apricot compote stewed with orange juice long time back and that was made using the apricots available in Delhi....

Fresh apricots can be versatile you see...stew them the way you like and enjoy !!

apple and pumpkin spiced cake..

 I had never intended to share any baking on this blog of mine as the purpose of Banras Ka Khana is to revive all the desi traditional recipes . Time to time i am tempted to write about the odd cake or brownie the way i like them . There are millions of cake recipes on the internet and there are blogs and websites dedicated to baking . I always look up to these blogs and websites when i want to make the best chocolate cake or an angel cake . I don't wish to post those recipes here but whenever i make something unusual and am pleased by the results , i feel like sharing it here.

This cake was one such baking experiment i found worth sharing here. Just look at the different colors of fruity goodness in the slices...

ingredients...

maida ( APF ) 500 gm
eggs 6 nos.
vegetable oil 200 ml
sugar 150 gm
pumpkin grated 2 cups
apples grated or cut in small pieces 3 cups
apple sauce 1 cup
baking powder 3 tsp
baking soda 1/2 tsp
nutmeg powder 1 tsp
cinnamon powder 1tsp
dry ginger powder 2 tsp
salt 1/2 tsp


Procedure...

Mix the dry ingredients and keep aside after sieving them all together to aerate the mixture..

Pour oil a large mixing bowl , add sugar and then the eggs . Whip the mixture well till everything is homogenized . Add the applesauce and mix lightly . The applesauce i used was quite thick and i spooned it into the batter so some chunks of applesauce are there in the baked cake.

 Add the grated pumpkin and apple , mix well and then add the flour mixture and fold in lightly . Do not whip after mixing the flour mixture.

Pour the batter in greased and dusted tins and bake in preheated oven . 180 degree C for 45 minutes .

Check with the help of a skewer and cook a bit more if needed.



Cool down the cake and enjoy . The cake keeps well in the fridge and ages well too. The spices make this cake very special by the passing days ...if it lasts ...

This cake accompanied many of our teas and coffee...

I had made some muffins with the same batter in my ceramic teacups ...

And those muffins were gobbled down for breakfasts ... They were refrigerated after covering them with foil and it was easy to remove the foil and just microwave them for 30 seconds for a hearty breakfast...The husband loves sweet treats for breakfast...

I like something handy to serve... something rich , moist and sweet .

Rich sweet breakfast is not always a bad idea ... my glass of milk is hot while the husband likes it lukewarm ... but sometimes we like similar things too :)