KALAKAND

Kalakand is a creamy milk burfi made with paneer. Traditionally Kalakand recipe calls for curdling the milk and then reducing the milk for hours.  But today I am sharing the short cut method, in which I have used a can of condensed milk which gives same results and reduces the cooking time drastically. 

This diwali whip up this melt in mouth sweet in minutes and get compliments.

Ingredients :-

Paneer-500 gms
Sweetened Condensed Milk - 1 can
Instant Milk Powder- 3 tbsp
Sugar - 3 tbsp
Green Cardamom Powder - 1/2 tsp
Pistachio  - for garnish(blanched and chopped)
Saffron - few strands soaked in 2 tablespoon of warm milk

Method :- 

Crumble paneer with hands in a thick bottom pan, don't leave big chunks in.
Pour in the tin of condensed milk,  mix
Add milk powder and sugar and mix.
Put it on medium heat and cook stirring constantly till it starts to leave sides and cling to the stirring spoon.
Add Cardamom powder and transfer to a greased plate.
Sprinkle saffron infused milk and garnish with chopped pistachios, keep in fridge for  2 hours to set.
Take out of fridge and cut into squares. 

WISH YOU AND YOUR FAMILY A VERY HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS DEEPAVALI

Enjoy! ! !

FIG AND PEAR LOAF

When I went to buy figs for my KHAJOOR ROLL,  I fell prey of today's marketing skills and ended up buying four packets of dried figs instead of just one. And even before putting the bag on my kitchen counter my mind was  looking for the ways to use it as knowing the fact that no one in the family is a big fan of dry fruits.  After an unsuccessful attempt of using it in halwa I found this loaf recipe on taste.com  and since then I have made it many times because it's new favourite in the house.

This fruity loaf is quite simple  to make and great for breakfast or as after school snack with a glass of milk.  You can have it toasted with butter or as it is,  it's  delicious any way. 

Ingredients :-

Self raising flour - 1 1/2 cup
Brown sugar - 2/3 cup
Cinnamon (powder)- 1/4 tsp
Soda bicarbonate - 1/2 tsp
Eggs (lightly beaten) - 2
Milk - 1/2 cup
Vegetable oil - 1/3 cup
Dried figs(chopped) - 1 cup
Pear (peeled, cut into small cubes) - 1 cup

Method :-

Preheat oven  to 170 C. Sift flour into a large bowl  and add brown sugar,  cinnamon and soda bicarbonate.  Mix and make a well in the middle. 

In a separate bowl add eggs, milk and oil and whisk until well blended. Pour the egg mixture into flour mixture,  mix gently until just combined. Fold in the fig and pear. 

Pour the mixture into a lightly greased loaf pan. Bake for 40- 45 minutes or until golden and cooked through. Let it cool for 5 minutes then turn on a wire rack. 

Slice and serve.

Note: In original recipe canola oil was used but you can use any flavour less oil.

KHAJOOR ROLL

Today I am sharing recipe of a delicious sweet that is sugar free. Made with nutritious dates and crunchy nuts these rolls are much better than any store bought energy bars. You can indulge your taste buds into this sweet without any guilt.

When I first tried this recipe I could not believe it so easy  and you can store it for  a long time.the  Choice of  nuts  totally depends on ones personal  preferences or whatever is easily available.

INGREDIENTS:

Dates – 500 gms

Figs – 4-5

Nuts (almonds, cashewnuts, walnuts and pistachio) – 150 gms

Khus-khus  - 2 tbs

Ghee – 1 tbs

Edible gum – 1 tbs

Green cardmom – 2 no. (optional)

METHOD:-

Chop the dates and figs, keep aside.

Heat a pan and dry roast the nuts or you can roast the nuts in the microwave.

Chop roasted nuts and keep aside.

Dry roast the khus-khus, keep aside.

Now heat 1 tbs ghee in the pan and fry gums, gums will puff up and become crispy. Take out the gums and slightly crush them.

Put in  chopped dates and figs into the same pan and cook on medium heat till dates becomes soft and mushy.

Turn off the heat and let it cool a bit so it’s easy to handle, add chopped nuts, fried gums and cardamom powder and knead the mixture to make a dough. Apply little bit of ghee or oil if it’s too sticky.

Make a thick  log of the mixture and roll it into khus-khus to coat it. Wrap the log in cling wrap and put it in the freeze for 1-2 hours.

Take out off the freeze  and  cut into slices. Khajoor rolls are ready to eat.

You can store it in an airtight container for weeks.

Note:

Khus-khus can be replaced by dessicated coconut or roasted sesame seeds.

HAPPY GANESH CHATURTHI

BESAN KE LADDU

INGREDIENTS:

Besan (chickpea flour)                         :               2 cups

Ghee (clarified butter                           :               2/3 cup

Sugar                                                      :               1 ½ cup

Water                                                     :               ¼ cup

Green cardamom powder   :               ¼ teaspoon

Method:

       Put on a big pan (kadai) on gas and mix ghee and besan in it.

        Roast this mixture over slow to medium heat for 20-30 minutes.

       Keep it aside. Take another pan and put in the sugar with water and bring it to boil.

       Add cardamom powder  and boil it on high heat.

       When sugar starts to dry, turn off the heat. Stir continuously and vigorously.

       You will get a coarse powder of sugar, if there are big chunk of sugar in it, powder it in grinder.

     Now add this sugar powder to roasted besan and mix well with hands and shape laddus of your desired size.

Yields: 24-25 laddus of walnut size.