Carrot - Jaggery Halwa

Carrot Halva is a sweet dish that most people love to have it. Carrots are the healthy vegetable that can be used in many dishes. The sweet dishes like, Carrot Kheer, halva, sweet bath,even in cake we can use carrots.

Winter season is here and you get loads and loads of fresh carrots in market and even with vendors. Usually I feel like grabbing all the fresh vegetables and bring it home. But that is not necessary to bring lot of vegetables at once because you get fresh vegetables each day. Anyways these carrots are real fresh and juicy and I tried Carrot Halva with Jaggery ( healthy twist). I have parceled this halva to my Brother in law's house and sister in law's house too. It is my way of sharing things with our people.
I have used carrots, jaggery, little amount of nuts (Walnuts, raisins, almonds and cashews) with fair amount of ghee. One should remember that sweet will be tasty only when you use exact amount of ghee that particular sweet required.
It is an easy and yummy dish and does not take much time.

Let us see the recipe now :

Things Needed : 

Carrots( used Delhi Carrots as its said) :  5 to 6
Jaggery : 3/4 Cup (grated/powdered)
Ghee : 3 to 4 Tablespoons of ghee
Cardamom Powder : 1 Teaspoon (3 to 4 whole )
Nuts : 1/2 Cup ( Cashews, almonds, raisins and walnuts).
Milk Powder : 2 Tablespoons (Optional)

Method : 

1. Wash and scrape out the outer layer of carrots and grate it. Keep it aside.
2. Grate jaggery and keep it aside.
3. Powder cardamom and cut nuts into small pieces.

4. Keep a pan on the fire and heat. Add a tablespoon of ghee and cashews and raisins.
5. Fry them in ghee till they turn slightly golden brown.

6. Add carrots and fry nicely in ghee, let all the moisture disappear.
7. Add jaggery and stir. First it turns as bit watery. Then it starts to absorb the moisture.

8. Add ghee in between ( little by little) and then stir on medium flame.
9. Add milk powder (Optional) and fry nicely, Add almond and walnut pieces and stir.

10. It starts to leave the edges. Put cardamom and remaining ghee and stir for another 3 to 4 minutes.

11. Shift the ready carrot halwa to a serving dish.

12. Serve Hot/cooled Carrot jaggery Halva according to your wish. Carrots Halwa and Ice cream will be one of the good combination Tht surely you can enjoy.

Note :

Fry carrots gratings nicely till they turn soft and let all the moisture disappear before you add jaggery.
Adding sugar instead of jaggery is optional. Adding more nuts is optional. Adding any other flavoured essence is optional. Adding milk powder is optional. You can use fresh boiled and cooled milk instead of milk powder.(1/4 Cup)
Time 20 to 25 Minutes
Serves : 5 to 6 (According to the servings.

Nendra Baale -Wheat Halva

Nendra Bale - Wheat Halva is a sweet dish and it can be served or eaten as desert. Nendra bale -wheat Halva is always easy to prepare and it is one of the yummy dish to have.

I have used jaggery instead of sugar. Jaggery helps to add iron to our body. It boost energy and contain little carbohydrates
Nendra Baale -Wheat Halva is the perfect sweet for any Celebration. Fresh and Healthy sweets are more enjoyable and helps to be fit too.
Deepavali is celebrated for 4 to 5 days. First day Neeru tumbuva habba, the name it self reveals that neeru means water, tumbu means fill. So the first day eve is celebrated by performig pooja to water and fill the big Hande (the one which water is boiled) will be the done and Hande (big Pot) is decorated with rangoli. Next day early moring water is boiled and people get ready for oil bath. that is called Enne Snana. (Oil bath). After the bath the elder of the home is perform pooja and pray well ness of the whole family and all the members of the family gather in the pooja room. They take the ashirvad (blessings) of the elders, pooja and nevaidya (samarpane) is done. Early morning boiling water is a big process. Oil is put up to everyone's head and each one will bath and freshen them selves, wear new clothes. After the pooja is done and then Upahar. ( Morning breakfast) which is normally dosa and panchakajjaya. which is already made naivedaiyam to Lord.
Let us see the recipe now :
Wheat flour : 1 Cup
Jaggery : 1 Cup. (Grated)
Nendra Banana : 1
Cardamom  : 4 to 5 pods
Ghee : 1/2 Cup
Cashew  and Almonds  : 2 to 3 Tablespoons
Poppy Seeds : 1 Tablespoon
Water : 1 Cup.

Method :
1. Dry roast wheat nicely till the raw smell goes off. Keep water for boiling.
2. Cut nendra banana into small pieces and keep it aside.

3. Grate or powder jaggery and keep it aside. Cut Almonds into small pieces and keep it aside.
4. Now keep a big pan on the fire and put roasted wheat flour. Add boiling water and mix it well.

5.Add powdered jaggery and mix it nicely. Add a spoon of ghee and stir nicely.

6. Add cut banana and mix it well. Stir till the halva leaves the pan and it turns as one whole.
7. Add cut almonds and mix it well. Fry cashews in a teaspoon of ghee and keep it aside.

8. Powder cardamom and greese the tray or plate. Fry cashews in a spoon of ghee.

9. Add little more ghee and mix the halva nicely. Add cashew and poppy seeds and mix it again.

10. Shift the ready Nendra Baale - Wheat halva to a ghee spread plate/tray.

 11. You can cut it into small pieces once it cools down.
12. You can also serve this halva when it is hot. Put a spoon of halva and  put a spoon of ghee and serve.

Note :
Adding ghee on the top of hot halva (when it is hot) adds to the taste.
Adding more ghee helps the halva to be more rich and tasty.
Needs to cook on  low and medium flame.
You can also add roasted cashews. (optional). Dry roasting /frying in ghee is optional. (Cashews). I have fried cashews in ghee. Added almonds as they are. (Did not fry or roast).
Time : 30 Minutes
Serves :  20 to 25 pieces.

Horlicks MysorePaak

Happy Deepavali to You all. Horlicks Mysore Paak is the special sweet prepared for this Deepavali. You get Holicks burfi (Sweet made of Horlicks), is available in the market and I have eaten the sweet

It is nice, ghee aromatic and just melts in the mouth. It taste very nice and I wanted to try it any way. Some months back Anupama Hegde (one of the friend from Paka Shale) had put up the pic and written the recipe too. So It gave me an idea and I tried it here. I have adjusted the ingredients according to my taste.
This is one of the recipe that should be very careful and must do it on low flame.
Let us see the recipe Now
Besan /Channa flour : 1 Cup
Ghee : 1. 5 Cup (1 and 1/2 Cup)
Sugar : 2 Cups
Milk Powder : 2 Tablespoons Full
Horlicks : 1 Cup

Method :
1. Roast besan nicely with a tablespoon of ghee. Shift it to a tray.

2. Put sugar and add 1/3 cup of water. Mix it well and stir. Let it melt.

3. It starts bubbling after a while. Stir continuously. Let all the sugar melt nicely.

4. Add roasted besan/channa flour when it turns into a thread consistency. (One string consistency).
5. Keep mixing and add 1/4 cup of ghee and stir.
6, Stirring should be done continuously. Add ghee in between.

7. Mysorepaak slowly changes its colour to slightly. Leave for a second and stir.
8. The content starts coming up. Add milk powder and stir.
9. Add horlicks and stir and mix it well.

10. Add the remaining ghee and mix it well and shift the content to ghee spread tray.
11. Just press it evenly with a spatula or a spoon.
12. Cut it according to your wish when it slightly cools down.

Note :
You should do the whole process on a low flame. You can dry roast instead of frying the besan flour at first. Melt the ghee just before using. The content starts to leave out the ghee you put. That indicates Mysorepaak is ready. One should be very careful or it turns as chocolate. (Hard). You can use your choice of horlicks. (I used plain horlicks). It is better to cut it once it is slightly cooled.
Time : 25 to 30 Minutes.
Serves : According to your wish. (25 to 30 Pieces can be made).
 Do watch the video for complete recipe.

Oats - Jaggery & Dry Coconut Laddu.

Coconut - Nuts and Dates Ball is a sweet dish and you can munch them any time of the day. It is an healthy laddu since it contain no sugar.

Lets see some benefits of having Dates in our diet. 
Eating dates everyday is a healthy habit especially for women. It is full of minerals, vitamin and fiber.
Lets see some benefits of having dates every day.
Dates helps in anemia, intestinal disorder, diarrhea and constipation. They are good for gaining weight. They contain calcium, sulfur, iron and potassium, manganese, copper, phosphorous and magnesium. These minerals are necessary for balanced and healthy diet.

I have used some dates, figs, cashews, almonds, poppy seeds and a little copra. (Dry coconut). 

Lets see the recipe now:

Things Needed 

Dates : 500 Grams (Fresh and soft )

Figs : 4 to 5 

Poppy Seeds : 2 Tablespoons

Cashews :  1/2 Cup or 4 to 5 Tablespoons. (Cut it into small pieces).

Almonds : 10 to 15

Dry coconut : 1 Cup (Grated)

 Method :

1. Cut cashews, figs in to small pieces. 

2. Dry grind almonds into powder form.

3. Dry grind coconut and keep it aside. 

4. Remove seeds from dates and smash it nicely. (Use fresh dates).

5. Now take a big bowl. Put dates, cashews figs and kneed it. Add coconut powder and powdered almonds.

6. Kneed it slowly and let it form a dough. Now divide the dough in to small portions.

7. Take a small portion of the dates mixture and form a round shape like a small ball.

8. Keep poppy seeds in a tray. Roll the dates ball on poppy seeds and arrange in a tray or plate.

9. Repeat the same and do the rest of date and Nuts ball.

10. Arrange them on a tray and serve/eat any time of the day

Note : 

Use fresh dates to prepare laddu. It helps to hold the ingredients tightly. You can also use some jaggery if you like more sweets in the laddu. (Grate or powder jaggery and then add it). Adding any nuts is optional. It is a healthy laddu which can be sent school kids with their lunch/snack box. Diabetic people also can have them since no sugar is added in this laddu. Adding some glucose biscuits is optional. ( I have not added). You need to kneed the ingredients well. You can fry cashews in ghee if you want to. (optional).

Time : 30 Minutes

20 Laddus can be prepared. (Depending on the size).

Jackfruit Halwa

Jackfruit is season is still on and is available plenty in the market. We can prepare many many dishes with jackfruits, raw or rip. Jackfruit payasam, curries, kadubu/idli, muluka/sweet fried fritters and dry curry, cake dose or guli appa and happala/Papad.
Here I have prepared Jackfruit Halva and is so yummy.

I have used jackfruits, some dry nuts, corn flakes and chenna/Hurikadale/pottu kadale/ putani and jaggery. Adding chenna and corn flakes helps the halva to turn thick and it adds a good taste too.
You can keep this halva for a long time.
Let us see some benefits eating Jackfuits. 
Jackfruit is rich in vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, fiber and protein. It has no chalories.
It contain some amount of Viamin A. It rich in B complex vitamins and Vitamin C. It has a good source of antioxidants and helps to get good immunity. Fresh fruits are good source of minerals like potassium, magnesium, manganese and iron. Potassium in jackfruit helps to maintain the sodium level in our body. It helps to reduce high blood pressure. Jackfuit is a rich source of of dietery fiber that helps to improve the digestion and prevent constipation.
Lets see the recipe now.

Ingredients :

Jackfruits : 25 to 30 fruits.
Jaggery : 1/2 Kg.
Corn flakes : 1 Cup (optional). (Any brand)
Chenna/Hurikadale/Putani/Pottu kadale : 1 Cup
Nuts : 1 Small cup (any amount)
Milk Powder : 2 Tablespoons (Optional)
Ghee : 3 to 4 Tablespoons

Method :

1. Cut jackfruits into small and add it to jaggery. (It helps the jaggery to melt soon). (10minutes).
2. Grind jackfruits and jaggery without using water and remove it from the mixi jar.

3. Cut dry fruits into small pieces. (I used walnuts, cashews and almonds).
4. Dry grind cornflakes and chenna and keep it aside.

5. Keep a pan on the fire and put ground jackfruit mixture.
6. Stir continueously on low flame. Add cornflakes and chenna dry powder.

7. Stiriing should be done continuously. Jackfruit turns into thick paste.
8. It starts to leave the pan. Add milk powder and mix it well.

9. Stir for another 5 to 10 minutes. Add the ghee at this stage and mix it well again.

10. Spread little ghee on a plate or tray. Pour the jackfruit halva mixture on the tray.

11. Even/level it nicely by adding a teaspoon of ghee on the top and spread it with spatula.
12. Leave it for cooling. It should be cooled completely. Then cut into your desired shape.

13. It takes a longer time to harden. So better leave it for at least 5 to 6 hours and then cut into small pieces.
14. Store it in a steel box or container.

Note :

It takes longer time to get the thickness for halva. One should do it on a low flame. Or it is burnt and will not be tasty.
Use of milk powder is optional. Use of dry fruits also optional. More or Less.
Cutting the jackfruit into small pieces helps grinding them quickly.
Adding jaggery to jackfruits and allow them to melt helps grind it easily.
You can also boil jaggery and filter it. ( I used fresh savayava jaggery and did not clean it).
You should use proper amount of jaggery so that it helps to get the hardness in halva.
No need to use lots of ghee because ghee comes out of halva and so much ghee in halva does not taste good.
Do not hurry to try to do it on high flame, it may turn chewy.
Use of sugar instead of jaggery is optional. (2 Cups of sugar). Useing jaggery is a healthy option.
Time : 1 hour 
30 to 40 Pieces can be made. (According to the size).
You can try this Halva with Ripe Nendra baale Hannu.