Mysore Pak

Mysore Pak is a famous sweet and normall done during festival season. This sweet contain Besan that is channa dal powder, fresh ghee, sugar and little cardamom.
Things Needed:
Besan : 1 Cup
Sugar : 2 Cups
Fresh Ghee : 2 1/2  to 3 Cups
Water : 1/2 Cup

Method:
1. Dry roast besan till the raw smell disappear. ( 3 to 4 minutes on low flame )
2. Now allow the roasted besan to cool.
3. Keep a pan on the fire and put sugar. Add 1/2 cup of water and mix well.
4. Keep stirring the sugar till it boils and forms the bubbles, Do this process on low flame.
5. Let the sugar syrup boil for 2 minutes. Add roasted besan and stir and mix it thoroughly.

6. Add 1/2 cup of ghee slowly to the besan sugar mixture and stir slowly and mix it well.
7. Add the remaining ghee slowly in between the stirring.
8. Must keep stirring the mixture. It starts changing its colour. Now leave for 5 seconds and stir again.
9. Once it changes its colour you must give 2 to 3 seconds gap and stir for 2 to 3 times and  pour this mixture on a tray or plate.
10. Leave it for 1 to 2 minutes after you pour the mixture to the plate and cut according to your wish.

Note:  The ghee should be in the liquid form when you measure it. Must add ghee in between the stirring. Mysore Pak should be prepared very carefully or it will be very hard. Use fresh ghee or home made ghee to get the best Mysore Pak. You can also add cardamom powder to the mixtrue. You can pour out the extra ghee which comes out while shifting the mysore pak to a tray or plate. The sugar syrup should be thread consistency.
Time : 25 to 30 Minutes.
20 to 25 Mysore Pak pieces can be made.

NENDRA BALEHANNU -ALMOND HALVA

Nendra balehannu is a kind of banana which contain lots of carbohydrates and other minerals. Normally Dakshina Kannada people make variety of sweet dishes out of Nendra balehannu. People of Kerala use this banana in their regular diet. They just steam Nendrabale hannu and eat for breakfast. Dakshina Kannada people make halva, bajji, even Tava fry with ghee, and a fry-dip this in sugar syrup like jamoon.the list goes on. Here is a recipe which is sweet.  People love to have this sweet any time of the day I am sure, and its 100% yemmy. Even you can pack some pieces to kids in their lunch box for the munching after their food. It melts in the mouth and goes down to tummy as you enjoy this sweet.
Things Needed: 
Nendra Bale hannu: 3 to 4
Almonds: 1 Cup
Sugar: 1 1/2 Cup
Ghee : 3/4 Cup
Cardamom : 5 to 6
Cashew Nuts: 2 Table spoons.

Method : 
1. Remove the Nendra Balehannu skin and steam the fruit in the pressure cooker for 6 to 8 minutes. Leave it for cooling.
2. Powder the whole almonds in a dry grinder along with cardamom till powder and keep it aside.
3. Now take the steamed banana and smash it nicely.
4. Keep a pan on the fire and add smashed banana, sugar and powdered almonds and mix it nicely and cook on low flame.
5. Add ghee littie by little inbetween while stirring. Stir continuously till the banana and almond mixture starts leaving the pan.
6. Add the remaining ghee and mix it nicely and pour it to the tray. Put Cashew Nuts on the top.
7. You can even cut this halva in to pieces when it is cool.
Note: The whole process should be on the low flame. Do not add any water or milk. You can drain out the extra ghee coming out of the halva slowly just before you shift  the halva to a tray or plate.
Time : 30 minutes
20 to 25 pieces.

Raagi Haalu bai./Finger Millet

Raagi/Finger Millet is one of the healthy grain that one should have in his/her diet. Many many dishes can be prepared using Raagi/Ragi/Finger Millet.

We can do rotti, dosa, pakodas/pakoras and sweet dishes like laddu and halubai, Huri hittu (Rosated flour), etc.
Halubai is something like pudding, which is ground or used ragi flour and then ground with fresh coconut and stir with all the ingredients. The ingredients are really very easy and we normally have it in our kitchen shelf.
Let us see the recipe Now.

Things Needed :

Raag  ( Finger Millet ) Powder : 2 Cups.
Water : 4 Cups
Coconut : 1 cup. ( Grated ).
Jaggery : 3/4 of the Cup.
Ghee : 2 ro 3 Table spoons.
Cardamom : 5 to 6 Pods.
Salt : a pinch.

Method :

1. Melt jaggery if it is hard. Just keep it in a big pan and put some water. It start melting slowly.

2. Keep a big pan on the fire and put jaggery and the water which is used for melting.
3. Strain the jaggery once the jaggery is completely dissolved. and keep jaggery water aside.

4. Grate coconut and grind it with cardamom pods. Use required water.

5. Keep a big pan on the fire and put cleaned jaggery water. Add ragi flour.

6. Add ground coconut and mix it well. Stir it on a low flame.

7. Add a tablespoon of ghee and stir till it starts to leave the edges.

8. Continue stirring for another 6 to 8 minutes. It starts to form a shape in the middle.

9. Add the remaining ghee and mix it well.
10. Greece ghee on a big plate or tray and pour the ready halubai mixture on the top of the plate.

11. Let it cool completely. Then you can cut it into desired shape and serve.
12. I packed some Ragi Halubai for my relatives.

Note : 

Must stir continuously on low and medium flame to get the good result. ( Other wise it may get burnt and becomes difficult to stir ).You can add more jaggery to get sweeter taste. You can add more ghee too. The correct amount of  required water should be used. 1 Cup Raagi/Finger millet = 3 1/2 to  4 cups of water can be used. Adding any fruit like apple, banana is optional. One should do it on low flame to get the tasty Halubai.
Time : 30 Minutes
25 to 30 Pieces can be prepared.

Jaggery - Wheat Halva

Jaggery - Wheat Halva is a sweet and healthy dish. It is good for any age group and any time of the day.

I have used jaggery, wheat flour, cardamom and ghee.
Let us see the recipe
Jaggery  - 1 Cup
Wheat Flour - 1 cup
Cardamom - 6 to 8 pods.
Water - 1 Cup
Haladi or Saffron  : a pinch.
Ghee : 1/2 cup (or little more.)

Method :
1. Keep a pan on the fire and heat. Add a tablespoon of ghee and raisins and cashews.

2. Fry them nicely and add wheat flour and fry them nicely.

3. Keep water for boiling.
4. Fry wheat till it gets the nice aroma. (Raw smell should disappear). Add boiling water slowly and mix the fried wheat flour nicely.

5. Add jaggery to the flour and stir. It should be mixed well and get thickens.
6.Add ghee in between and stir it starts leaving the pan. The ghee starts to leave the halva.

7. Add the remaining ghee and stir. Apply ghee on a tray/plate and keep it aside.
8. shift the ready halva to a tray or plate. Leave it for a while till the halva cools down.

9. Cut them in to short pieces and serve.

Note  : The whole process should be done on low flame so that it does not get sticky or ball kind of paste. You can use more ghee if you wish .You can fry Cashew nuts in ghee instead of roasting. It will be tasty. Wheat flour must be roasted well.
5 to 6 servings.
20 Minutes. 

Almonds and Wheat Flour Halva

Almonds and Wheat Flour Halva is a sweet dish and you can have them any time of the day..

Things Needed:
Wheat Flour: 1 cup
Almonds : 1/2 cup
Sugar : 11/2 cup
Cardamom: 5 to 6
Water : 1/2 cup
Ghee : 1/2 cup
Cashew Nuts: 5 to 6

Method:

Dry grind Almonds and cardamom together in to powder and keep it aside. Boil water and keep it aside. Cut cashew nuts in to small pieces and keep it aside.
Keep a pan on the fire. Put one table spoon of ghee . Roast cashew nuts and wheat flour nicely in that ghee. Put boiling water to the roasted mixture and stir . Now add powdered Almond and cardamom to the paste. Mix well. Now add sugar and mix thoroughly. Stir nicely until it leaves the pan. Now add the remaining ghee and stir for 5 minutes and remove the Halva from the pan and spread it in a ghee applied tray.
Leave it for cooling and cut according to your wish. Tasty Halva is ready to serve.

Note: Roast wheat flour on low flame so that it does not get burnt. Roast until the raw smell disappear. Can add food colour to the halva when it is cooking . Adding Kesar (Saffron) or turmeric powder will also give beautiful colours . Can add Ripe Bananas to this halva while cooking.

Serves :5 to6

Banana -Almond Halwa.

Banana -Almond Halwa is a sweet dish and it is one of the rich and tasty halva. Ripe bananas, jaggery and almonds are used here.

We had some (around 8 to 10 ) ripe bananas and I though of preparing halva with those ripe bananas. ( My Sister Sujatha"s House from ooru/Udupi). Udupi Banana Hava is very famous and it is such a delicious halva one can fall love with that halva. Nendra banana is used to prepare that special Halva.
Here I have used Yalakki banana and are very tasty once they are ripen.

Let us see the recipe Now :
Things Needed:
Banana : 6 to 8
Almond : 1 Cup
Jaggery : 3/4 Cup
Ghee : 1/2 Cup
Cardamom : 3 to 4 Pods

Method :
1. Remove banana skin and smash banana nicely. Keep it aside.
2. Powder cardamom and keep it aside.
3. Powder almonds and (with its skin) keep it aside.
4. Keep a pan on the fire and put smashed bananas. Add a spoon of ghee and mix it well.
5. Stir nicely and add jaggery. Keep on stirring. (It should not burnt at the bottom of the pan).
6. It turns as full liquid. Add a spoon of ghee and mix it.
7. Slowly add ground almonds and cardamom powder. Keep stirring.
8. Add ghee in between and mix it well.
9. Stir in between till it leaves the sides. Mix it for another 5 minutes. Ghee starts to oozes (comes out).
10. It turns as one whole ball. Remove from the pan and put it on a ghee spread plate/tray.

11. Let it cool nicely.

12. Cut according to your wish and serve or store.

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Note :
Use of sugar instead of jaggery is optional. Use of ghee more/less is optional. Remember banana fruits must be well ripen to prepare halva or it taste bit savoury. Whole procedure should be on low flame. Do not add any water. I have used organic jaggery. If you are using normal shop bought jaggery, keep a pan add jaggery and very little water to it. It starts to melt. Let it melt completely. Sieve this jaggery content and then use it. (To remove the dust particles).
Time : 30 Minutes. 
Serves : 30 pieces can be made.(According to size and shape).