Apple Halwa

Apple Halwa is a sweet dish. It can be served as desert. It is an easy dish with little Ghee and sugar. I have used apples, sugar, milk powder, cashews and cardamom. 

I Have used apple, sugar, ghee, milk powder and ghee. 

Lets see the recipe now :

Ingredients.

Apple: 2
Sugar:3/4 Cup
Cardamom.  3 Pods
Ghee: 2 to 3 Tablespoons
Poppy seeds : 2 Tablespoons
Milk Powder : 3 to 4 Tablespoons
Cashew Nuts : 2 to 3 Tablespoons

Method :

1. Wash and remove the outer layer of apples. Grate them slowly.

2. Crush cardamom and powder it. Keep it aside.
3. Keep a pan on the fire and heat. Add cashew pieces and fry till they turn golden brown.
4. Add grated apples to the same pan and fry till the moisture disappear.

5. Fry nicely shift it to the other pan and mix it with sugar. It starts melting soon. Add 1 tablespoon of ghee.

6. Keep stirring nicely. Add a spoon of ghee and stir.
7. Add milk powder and mix it well. Needs to stir slowly on medium flame.

8. Add poppy seeds and mix the ingredients nicely.
9. It starts to leave the pan slowly. Add crushed cardamom and mix it well.

10. Stir till it become thick. Stir for another 5 minutes. Add remaining ghee and mix it well.

11. Greece the plate or tray with ghee. Pour ready Apple Halwa to this plate.
12. Spread the content evenly. Let it cool down completely.

13. Once it is cooled cut them according to your wish.
14. Serve Hot and Yummy Apple Halwa.

Notes:

Cook on low or medium flame. Adding more sugar helps the halwa to turn thick. Adding more/less ghee is optional. Ghee adds to the taste. One should keep stirring the halwa with out fail.
Adding more sugar helps the halwa to be thick faster.
Time : 30 Minutes.
Serves : According to your wish.

Coconut -Rava Upma .(Uppittu)

 This is one of my earlier post and I just wanted to refresh with some information and add some pictures related to the post. This will surely help people to try out the dish easily.

Rava or Rave (in Kannada language) uppittu is easy to prepare. I can surely say there are so many who like uppittu, though some may not like it. Uppittu or Upma is one of the recipe, many have tried and got the best result.
Upma can be prepared with many types, plain rava upma, vegetable upma, vanghibath upma, onion upma or tomato upma etc. 
We have heard people saying eating upma is like putting a cement base. We do not feel hungry because of upma. It is because Rava (semolina) takes time to digest and we do not feel hungry for a long time.
Rava or Semolina is made with durum wheat and it is really good for people who wants to reduce weight. It is low in fat and high in carbohydrates and helps to boost energy. Rava is low in sodium and cholesterol and high fiber content and it is consisered as balanced diet food. It is rich in Vitamin B complex and Vitamin E.
As  I said earlier it is easy to prepare and will be surely loved by all age group.
There is No onions or garlic in this recipe. We can prepare this Upma for any special days or as snack too. It is one of the best breakfast food that you can enjoy with a cup of coffee.
I have used Rava (medium size), oil, ghee, coconut and green chilly.

Ready to Serve Coconut -Rava Upma

Things Needed : 
Rava (Medium size) : 2 cups.
Water : 4 cups.
Coconut : 1 Cup.
Green Chilly : 2 to 3
Curry leaves: 5 to 6 leaves
Ginger : 1/2 Teaspoon. (grated).
Salt : as required
Oil: 2 Table spoons.
Ghee: 2 Table spoons.
Mustard seeds: 1/2 Tea spoon
Urd daal: 1/2 Tea spoon
Method: 
1. Wash and cut green chilly and grate coconut and ginger. Keep it aside.

2. Boil water and it should be hot when you are using it.
3. Keep a pan on the fire and heat. Add oil and put mustard seeds and urd daal. Let it spurt. Add green chilly and curry leaves.
4. Now add rava to the mustard mixture and fry on low flame. Keep stirring. Fry till the raw smell disappear (3 to4 minutes).

5. Now pour boiling water to the mixture and mix it thoroughly. Add salt,ginger and mix it nicely and cook on low flame for 2 to 3 minutes..

6. Add fresh grated coconut and ghee . Mix it nicely and put it in a serving bowl.

7. Serve hot Coconut -Rava Uppittu with a cup of curd, pickle. You can sprinkle little sugar on the top of uppittu while serving.

Note:
 Rava should be roasted well to get the fine upma. Do not over fry. Upma turns brown and smells burnt. One should take care while roasting. Add less oil while frying then you add the rest at the end. You can add more green chilly if you want.(optional). Adding ginger and lemon gives a good taste. You can add a tablespoon of sugar to give sweet taste or you can serve sugar along with upma.
You can prepare this upma with thick variety of rava also. Remember not to add much oil if you are using the thick variety.Do not cook coconut. Just put them on the top of upma and put off the gas. (fire). Coconut aroma adds to the taste. You can also use coconut oil instead of ghee. 
Serves : 3 to 4
Time: 15 Minutes.

Gul paavate ( Kesari with Jaggery).

Gul Paavate is  a sweet dish prepared with Rava , jaggery( Bella in Kannada, gud in Hindi) and ghee.
This is a traditional and healthy dish and mainly for kids its very nutritious since lots of  dry fruits are used in Gul  Paavate( traditional name).

Things Needed :
Rava ( Samolina) : 1 cup .( Medium sized).
Ghee: 1/2 cup.
Jaggery : 1/2 cup
Dry Fruits:  1/4 cup.( Cashew nuts, Almonds and Raisins ).
Cardamom: 5 to 6.
Saffron   :( Kesari) : 3 to 4 rakes. ( Optional).
Water : 2 cups.
Method:
Powder cardamom and jaggery  separately and keep it aside. Cut nuts into small pieces , Keep water for boiling. Now take a  big pan and put 2 table spoons ghee and fry dry fruits for 1 minutes and add   Rava
( samolina ) and fry till the raw smell disappear.  Add boiling water and mix rava thoroughly and cook  for 2 minutes on low flame.  now add powdered jaggery and stir until it thickens.  Add ghee while stirring .  ( Can add more ghee to get better taste.  Add cardamom to the mixture and put  Gul Paavate mixture in a serving bowl.
Note : Fry Rava nicely on low flame . Can add more ghee to Gul paavate to get better taste. ( Especially when serving to kids ).  Can add dry dates( Uttutte in kannada ).  Adding Saffron is also optional since jaggery also will give good natural colour to the food.

Serves : 2 to 3

Easy Tasty Rava Laadu..

Rava Laadu or laddus are sweet item and prepared with using Rava ( Samolina),  ghee , sugar. Laddu  can be eaten at any time of the day...This particular recipe of laddu preparation is very easy but remember can not store them for a long period.

Things needed:
Rava ( medium size) : 2 cups.
Sugar : 1  1/2/cups.
Cardamom : 4 to 6 .
Ghee  : 3/4 cup.
Dry fruits : 3 table spoons(raisins, cashews).
Milk : 1/4  cup.
Coconut : 1/2 cup.

Method:
Grate coconut and keep it aside. Powder sugar and cardamom together in a dry grinder.
Keep a pan on the fire and put one spoon of ghee and fry dry fruits until they are brown. Now add  rava  and  2 table spoons of ghee to it  and fry  until  raw smell disappear  from rava. Fry  on low flame so that it does not get burnt. Put off the fire and mix powdered sugar to the roasted rava.  Add grated coconut and Mix well.  Add the rest of the ghee to the mixture and mix thoroughly. Now divide the mixture in to small quantities.  Mix the mixture with a spoonful of milk and  take a handful of mixture, prepare laddus. Repeat the same  for the rest of the mixture and prepare Laddus.
Note : Rava should be fried on low flame . Ghee should be melted before using .  Use the hot milk . You can not store them for a long time.
15 Laddus can be prepared. ( small size)

Sweet - Wheat Dosa..

Sweet  - Wheat Dosa is a simple dish..We can have this Sweet wheat dosa for breakfast/snack. It is simple and quick dosa which is prepared with simple ingredients which are at home.

I have used wheat flour, medium size rava/semolina, jaggery, coconut and banana. It is nice to have with ghee. Kids or any age group will surely love to have this dosa I am sure.
Let us see some benefits of eating jaggery in our diet.
Jaggery is filled minerals and vitamins. It helps to boost immunity and keeps the body warm. helps in treating cold and cough. It helps to prevent constipation and detoxes liver. It is a good blood purifier and helps to increase the count of haemoglobin in the blood. It is rich in antioxidants. It cleanses our body and prevents anemia. It is a good source of energy.
Let us see the recipe now :
Things needed :

Wheat flour : 1 Cups.

Rava ( Sooji  or Samolina): 2 Tablespoons.

Water : 2 cups

Jaggery:  3 Tablespoons.

Coconut : Grated : 2 Tablespoons.

Banana : 1 ( Medium sized and riped).

Ghee or Oil : 2 Tablespoons.

Salt : a pinch

Method : 

1. Mix wheat flour , Samolina , salt and banana nicely . Grate coconut and keep it aside.
2. Add required water , powdered jaggey, grated coconut and mix it nicely and prepare dough. (Dosa consistency)

3. Keep a pan on the fire and heat. Sprinkle very little oil on the tava and clean it with a kitchen tissue.
4. Take a ladle of what dosa dough and spread it nicely on the tava. ( Let the flame be very low while spreading the dough).
5. Add little oil on the top, cover and cook for 2 minutes. ( Low and medium flame).
6. Turn the other side and cook for one minute.

7. Hot sweet dosa is ready to serve now.
8. Serve it with a teaspoon of ghee. Prepare remaining dosas with remaining dough.

Note : 

Normally it is eaten with ghee. Side dishes are optional. You can add  little milk while preparing dough. Add ing more / less jaggery is optional. Ghee used dosas are taste good. Ripe bananas give the best result. If you allow the oil to stay on the tava, dosa may not be spread  well. So better to clean the tava with a kitchen tissue and then spread the dough on low flame. Once the spread is done increase the flame to medium. Put some oil on the top and then cook to get tasty dosa.

Time : 20 minutes.

Serves 2.

Channa ( Hurikadale ) Laadu....

Chann seeds ( Huri kadale in kannada , Pottu kadale in Tamail and Malayalam..chenna in Hindi) are very famous people use this to make chutney too...and this seed is used in Mixture also ( fried items).
Channa Laadus are sweet dish and can be eaten at anytime of the day.

Things Needed :
Chenna seeds : 1 cup
Sugar : 1/2 cup .
Mixed Nuts : 2 Table spoons.
Coconut : 2 Table spoons.
Cardamom : 5 to 6 seeds
Ghee : 1/4 cup .

Method : Powder Sugar.  Add cardamom  while dry grinding  ( Use dry grinder )  and keep it aside.  Cut nuts in to small pieces.  Roast Chenna seeds slightly and leave it for cooling .  Dry grind the roasted Chenna  and put it in a big bowl.
Now add  nuts,  powdered sugar and coconut  to the chenna powder.  Mix thoroughly and add ghee little by little and  tale a handful of this mixture and prepare Laddus. Repeat the same until all the  laddus are prepared.
.Note :Roast the Chenna slightly to make it warm so that it powders quickly.  Not to burn the chenna other wise it gives a burnt smell.  You can also roast seseme seeds to this laddu.  Or you can also powder the roasted seseme seeds and add it to this mixture..and then  prepare Laddus. ( 2 Table spoons of seseme seeds are enough). Can Add little more  ghee if you are not able to prepare laddus.( Warm the ghee and keep it as liquid form , so that you can pour ghee and it helps you to make proper Laddus). Use copra ( dried coconut ) or roast coconut until its brown. You can also roast Nuts before adding . ( Dry roast for few seconds). ( Cashew nuts , Raisins, Almonds even Ground Nuts ).

10 Laddus can be prepared.


 

Puffed Rice....Laddu ( Puri Unde )

Puffed Rice Laddus are snacks and can have them at any time of the day.
Things Needed:
Puffed Rice  Flakes : 2 cups
Jaggery : 1/2 cup ( Powdered )
Ground Nuts : 2 Table spoons( Roasted)
Cardamom : 4 to 6 pods
Water : 1 Table spoon
  Method :
Powder  cardamom pods ( Remove the outer layer before powdering ) and keep it aside.
Roast the ground nuts and remove the skin and  keep it aside.
Keep a big pan on the fire and heat . Put jaggery and a  table spoon of water and let it dissolve . when it starts bubbling add Puffed Rice flakes and ground nuts and mix well and prepare Laddus. You can add a spoon of ghee while preparing Luddus to be  more tasty.

Note : The jaggery should not be very watery when you dissolve jaggary .It should not be so thick either.  Keep it on the low flame while preparing these Laddus.
You can also add dry fruits like  Almonds , Cashew and dry grapes.( Raisins). Altogether about 2 table spoons. ( Cut it into small pieces).
10 to 12  medium sized undes ( Laddus ) can be made.

Besan Laddu

Besan laddu/laadu/ Unade is a sweet dish, you can have them any time of the day. Besan laddu is very easy and quick to prepare. This yummy, delicious sweet just melts in your mouth and gives energy too.

Besan/Channa flour/Chick Pea flour/ Kadale hittu, sugar and ghee are the main ingredients that are used in Besan Laddu.
As I said it it energetic because channa flour is loaded with carbohydrates and suger adds to the calories. Some people do have a habit of having besan laddu for breakfast along with their normal food. It goes well with Upma, Avalakki/ Beaten Rice Upma or khara bath, puliyogre and bisibele bath.
It is very precious prasadam to prepare during Gokulastami/Shree Krishna Janmastami, may because people do fast the whole day and have their limited prasadam after midnight. It is good to take this besan laddu for travelling, kids party, kids snack box and ladies parties.
Lets see the recipe now:
Things needed:
Besan _ 2 cup
Sugar -1  cup ( dry grind and powder it)
Ghee - 1 cup
Cardamom - 5 to 6 pods
Dry fruits - 1/4 cup ( Cashew ( cut in to small ) and raisens )+ Almonds (Optional)

Method :
1. Keep a pan on the fire, put 1 table spoon of ghee and fry cashew and raisens and remove them. 
2. Add besan and fry in that ghee until raw smell disappears. (Approximately  6 to 8 minutes). Put off the fire and shift the roasted flour to a big bowl.
3. Powder the sugar along with cardamom seeds. Melt the ghee and keep it ready.
4. Add powdered sugar and mix well. Divide the mixture into small portion.
5. Add ghee (Little by little) to one portion and mix it well and prepare laddus.
6. Once that portion of mixture is done, add ghee to the next portion and repeat the same.
7. Prepare laddu and shift them to a serving tray and serve or keep it in a air tight box.

Note :
Fry besan on slow flame so that it does not get burnt. Do not add ghee immediately . let it cool a bit . Then add ghee. Dividing the mixture into small portion helps you too prepare laddu easily. Mixture does not get dry very soon since it is small portion. You can also add some hot boiled milk instead of ghee and prepare laddu. But not only the taste differ, the shelf life of laddu prepared with ghee will be more. (At least 15 days) and milk used laddu will be only 3 to 4 days.
Time : 20 Minutes.
Serves : 15 to 16 laddus. (According to the size).