Atta Ladoo | Easy Diwali Sweets

Atta ladoo recipe with step by step photos.Ladoos are popular sweets for any occasion and there are various ladoo varieties like rava ladoo, moong dal ladoo, minapa sunnunda, boondi ladoo, moti choor ladoo, atta ladoo, besan ladoo, dry fruit ladoo, gond ladoo to name a few.I find the ladoos made out of flour are easy to make compared to the ones like boondi ladoo or moti choor ladoo.I love rava ladoo,motichoor ladoo and moong dal ladoo the most among all the varieties.My mom always adds nicely fried nuts(in ghee)  to the ladoos which adds a nice bite and taste to the ladoo and hence I highly recommend to add the fried nuts for the ladoos though it is optional.You give a try once and let me know how you liked it.

As Diwali is nearing by I have tried to post few easy and quick recipes for the festival as homemade sweets and savories are always the best compared to the store bought ones.These atta ladoos are quite healthy as it is made out of wheat flour and is an ideal snack for the kids and adults.Though it has good amount of ghee in the recipe it is still a healthy ladoo which one can eat without any guilt.

Check out other Diwali sweets recipes on my blog:

• 7 cups Burfi | 7 cups Cake 
• Ariselu | Adhirasam | Kajjaya  
• Coconut Choco Truffles
• Coconut Ladoo using Condensed Milk
• Coconut Burfi/Koprapak/Kobbari Mithai
• Dry Fruit Burfi | Anjeer Burfi
• Gulab Jamun recipe using milk powder
• Karjikai | Kajjikayalu | Kadubu | Karanji
• Kesar Peda
• Khoya Jamun | Gulab Jamun using Khoya
• Kobbari Louz | Coconut Ladoo | Nariyal Ladoo
• Maida Burfi
• Madatha Kaja | Kakinada Kaja | Tapeswaram Kaja
• Rasgulla | Rosogulla
• Rasmalai
• Moong Dal Ladoo | Pesara Sunnunda
• Rava Laddu | Sooji Ladoo
• Sweet Diamond Cuts | Sweet Maida Biscuits

Check out various Diwali Sweets Recipes here.
If you are looking for more Savoury Recipes,Check out Diwali Savoury Recipes here.

Here is how to make atta ladoo recipe with step by step photos.

Atta Ladoo Recipe | Wheat flour Laddu:

yields:12 ladoos

Prep time: 10 mins | Cooking time: 20 mins | Total time: 30 mins

Cuisine: North Indian | Category: Sweets

Ingredients:

1 cup Wheat flour(Atta)
1 cup Sugar powder
1/3 cup Ghee(+2 tbsp ghee if needed)
8-10 Almonds,finely chopped
8-10 Cashew nuts,finely chopped
2-3 tbsp Raisins,optional

3 Cardamoms,seeds removed

Method:

• Grind 1/2 cup + 2tbsp sugar along with cardamom seeds to a fine powder.

• Dry roast wheat flour on low-medium flame for 8-10 mins until you get a nice aroma from it and the flour starts turning brown in color.Make sure you keep stirring it constantly and not let it burn.

• Heat ghee in a small kadai and add chopped almonds and cashew nuts and fry them until the badam turns slightly brown.Add raisins to it and fry until they swell and remove them and keep aside.

• Mix together sugar powder and roasted wheat flour and fried nuts and raisins without any lumps and it is mixed properly.Check for the sweetness now if you want more sweet add 1-2 tbsp extra sugar powder and mix well again.

• Add hot melted ghee to the wheat flour and sugar mixture to it and mix it properly until the ghee is coated properly.If you try to make a laddu it should hold the shape, if it is not add 1-2 tbsp melted ghee and mix it again.

• Let the mixture becomes luke warm and can be handled with hands.Make lemon sized round balls out of it and arrange them in a plate.
• Once it is cooled completely store it in an air tight container.These can be stored for over a month.

Enjoy it as a dessert or snack.

Notes:

• These laddus can be stored for over a month and hence store it in an air-tight container.
• If you find it difficult to make laddus out of it and the mixture is dry,feel free to add 1-2 tbsp melted ghee to it and mix again and then start making laddus.
• The addition of fried nuts in the ladoos make them taste extremely delicious,so I highly recommend to use them and not to skip them.
• Always roast the wheat flour on low flame until it turns brown and starts getting a nice aroma,do not let it burn.

Technorati Tags: wheat flour laddu,atta ladoo recipe,easy diwali sweets recipes,easy ladoo recipes,laddu varieties,kids recipes

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Sooji Halwa Recipe | Suji Halwa | Rava Sheera Recipe

Sooji halwa recipe with step by step photos.Sooji halwa is one of the most easiest desserts which can be prepared in no time and makes an excellent dessert or a simple sweet or prashad.South Indians make Rava Kesari which is similar to sooji halwa with added kesar color where as sooji halwa is commonly prepared in the other parts of the country.Sooji halwa is usually prepared along with puri and dry black chickpeas on the eighth day(Ashtami) during Navaratri in north India and is prepared for any festivals like Ganesh chaturthi,Navaratri etc.

I am posting a basic version of Sooji halwa, there are no hard and fast rules for preparing this halwa, the recipe I am posting has just right sweetness the way my family prefers but you can increase the sugar and ghee quantities according to your requirements.Sometimes I add fresh fruits like apple,banana,mango,pineapple to the sooji halwa to make it in different flavors.

If you want to make the sooji halwa rich add milk or a mix of milk and water in the ratio as mentioned and proceed with the same recipe.The addition of nuts again is individual choice,I even add roasted almonds along with cashewnuts and raisins which adds a nice bite to the halwa.I sometimes add saffron to the halwa instead of cardamom powder.If you are preparing the halwa for prashad you can add a pinch of edible camphor which gives a divine taste to the halwa.I prefer to make sooji halwa rather than Rava kesari as I am against the usage of synthetic colors in our regular food.

Check out other halwa recipes in my blog:

• Carrot Halwa | Gajar ka Halwa
• Carrot-Beetroot Halwa using Condensed milk
• Kasi Halwa | Ashgourd Halwa
• Lauki(Bottlegourd) Halwa
• Mango Fudge | Mango Burfi
• Mango Phirni | Layered Mango Phirni
• Mango Sheera | Mango Sooji Halwa 
• Pineapple Kesari | Pineapple Sheera
• Semiya Kesari 

Here is how to make sooji halwa recipe with step by step photos.

Sooji Halwa | Rava Sheera Recipe:

Serves 2-3

Prep time: NIL | Cooking time: 20 mins | Total time: 20 mins

Cuisine: Indian | Category: Dessert

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Sooji/Rava

1/3 cup Sugar

3-4 tbsp Ghee+ 1 tbsp Ghee

1 1/4 cups Water

1/2 tsp Cardamom powder

7-8 Cashew nuts,chopped

2 tbsp Raisins

Method:

• Heat ghee in a thick bottomed kadai and add cashewnuts and fry them until they turn light brown in color and remove them and then add raisins and fry them until they swell up and remove them and keep aside.
• In the remaining ghee add rava and roast it on low flame until you get nice aroma from it.

• Meanwhile boil water in another container and pour this water in the roasted sooji and keep stirring it continuously and let it cook until done.You can even boil the sugar in the water and add it to the roasted sooji and mix.

• Add sugar to it and cook further,initially the mixture will become watery.Let it cook further until it is done.

• Add cardamom powder, fried cashew nuts,raisins and 1 tbsp ghee and mix it nicely.
• Cover it and leave it for a while.

Serve it hot/warm or at room temperature.

Notes:

1. This is mildly sweet,if you want it more sweeter add 1-2 tbsp of sugar to it.
2. The addition of ghee at the end will keep the halwa soft and does not harden after it sits for a while too.
3. You can prepare it in complete milk or mix of milk and water using the same ratio as mentioned.
4. You can increase the water to 11/2 cups for a soft halwa.
5. You can even add roasted almonds,chopped figs in the halwa for a richer taste.Instead of cardamom powder you can add saffron soaked in hot milk which gives a nice flavor and color to the halwa.
6. You can prepare various fruit based halwas like banana halwa by addding chopped banana at the end and cook for a minute or by adding chopped mangoes to make mango halwa.You can add finely chopped apple pieces,pineapple pieces while boiling the water and proceed with the same recipe for apple halwa and pineapple halwa.

Technorati Tags: sooji halwa recipe,rava halwa,rava sheera,suji halwa recipe,festival sweets recipes,easy halwa recipes,sooji recipes,rawa halwa,navaratri recipes,ganesh chaturthi recipes

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Pasta Payasam | Macaroni Kheer Recipe | Kheer Varieties

Pasta kheer recipe with step by step photos.Navaratri is around the corner and it is a norm to prepare a different sweet and sundal variety for naivedyam on those nine days.I have been planning to post the pasta kheer recipe from so long and finally I am able to post it for this navaratri.The preparation process of pasta payasam is very similar to any other payasam variety just that we need to boil the pasta and then add to the milk unlike other kheer varieties where vermicelli or sooji or rice is cooked in the milk.

I usually get various pasta varieties which includes penne, shell, spiral, fettucine, macaroni, linguini, fusili, sphagetti etc but penne pasta is the favorite at my place as it absorbs the sauce well compared to the other ones.I have used macaroni for this payasam but one can either use shell or penne pasta varieties to prepare this kheer and I will not recommend other pasta varieties as they will not absorb the fluids well. The kheer absorbs the milk and thickens as it sit and hence while making the kheer add enough milk and adjust the sweetness as for your preference.

Check out other Kheer recipes in my blog here.

• Aval Payasam | Poha Kheer
• Carrot Kheer
• Korra biyyam Payasam | Fox Millet Kheer
• Moong Dal Kheer | Pesara Pappu Payasam
• Paal Payasam/Rich Indian Milk Kheer
• Palada
• Phool Makhana Kheer
• Sabudana(Sago) Kheer | Saggubiyyam Payasam
• Sooji Ki Kheer | Rava Payasam
• Semiya Kheer
• Undrallu Payasam | Paal Kozhukattai 

Here is how to make pasta payasam recipe with step by step photos.

Pasta Payasam Recipe:
Serves 3-4
Prep time: 2 mins | Cooking time: 25 mins | Total time: 30 mins
Cuisine: Fusion | Category: Sweets/Desserts

Ingredients:

1 cup Macaroni or any other small Pasta variety

1/4 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Condensed milk

3/4 liter full cream Milk

10-12 Cashew nuts

2 tbsp Raisins

15-20 Saffron strands

2 tsp Ghee

Method:

• Soak saffron in 2 tbsp warm milk for 10-15 mins.

• Boil macaroni in a big pot of hot water,add little ghee and let it cook for 12-15 mins until done or follow the instructions given on the pack.
• Boil milk and simmer it for 12-15 mins until it reduced to 3/4th of the quantity.

• Add cooked pasta to the simmering milk and reduce the flame and cook for another 5-7 mins.
• Add saffron soaked milk,sugar and condensed milk and mix gently till it dissolves and let it continue cooking over low flame.Always cook over low flame otherwise the milk might curdle.

• Meanwhile heat ghee in a kadai and fry cashew nuts and fry them until golden in color and remove them and keep aside.
• In the same kadai add raisins and fry them until they fluff up and remove and keep them aside too.

• Add ghee roasted cashew nuts and raisins and cardamom powder to the kheer and mix and switch off the flame.

Serve it hot/warm/cold or at room temperature.

Notes:

1. You can add 1/2 tsp Cardamom powder to the kheer while it is boiling.
2. You can make any kheer varieties like sago,vermicelli,millets etc.Sago and vermicelli needs to be roasted in ghee before adding to the milk mixture.
3. The kheer tends to thickens as it sits and hence make sure it has enough liquid when you finish making kheer.If it is thickened at the time of serving you can add boiled and cooled milk to the kheer.

Technorati Tags: pasta kheer,pasta payasam,macaroni kheer,macaroni payasam,indian sweets varieties,fusion sweets,fusion recipes,payasam varieties. kheer varieties,pasta recipes with home made pesto,navaratri recipes,diwali sweets,party recipes

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Fried Modak Recipe | Ganesh Chaturthi Recipes

Fried Modak recipe with step by step photos.Ganesh Chaturthi is nearing by and we are all excited to welcome Ganapati Bappa to shower his blessings on us.Ganesh Chaturthi or Vinayaka Chavithi is one of the major festivals in the south and Maharasthra and is celebrated in a grand manner.Every year I wait for this festival as it is one of my favorite festivals which I have thoroughly enjoyed celebrating it from my childhood.Though the pooja process is bit lengthy it was really fun as this is the only festival where our entire family sit together and do pooja till the end with so much of attention.The menu for this festival is almost fixed every year due to the restrictions of the ingredients to be used and also they are apparently lord Ganesha's favorites.

Our usual menu on this festival includes Nooka Idli(not the regular idli rawa one) with coconut chutney for breakfast and of course kudumulu are served along with breakfast and the lunch menu varies with different vegetables,sundal,rasam,dal and also we make different lentil dumplings for this festival especially.We prepare various Kudumulu varieties like Steamed Kudumulu - with 3 fillings, karida kayi kadubu and Undralla payasam.

 Check out other important recipes for Vinayaka Chavithi:

• Steamed Kudumulu - with 3 filling
• Karida Bele Kadubu | Fried Modak
• Bellam Kudumulu | Vella Ammini Kozhukattai
• Paal Kozhukattai | Undralla Payasam
• Puran Poli
• Dry fruit Modak | Kharjur Modak
• Pappulo Undrallu
• Palathalikalu
• Undraalu with Biyyam rava - Andhra recipe
• Avarekaalu Kadubu/Spiced Steamed Rice flour Dumplings
• Chintapandu pulihora - Andhra style

For a complete list of various options for Ganesh Chaturthi menu, check out here.

Here is how to make modak recipe with step by step photos:

Fried Modak Recipe:

Yields12-14 pieces

Prep time:30 mins | Cooking time:30 mins | Total time: 1 hr
Cuisine: South Indian | Category: Sweets/Festival Specials

Ingredients:

for outer layer:

1 cup Maida/All purpose flour

1/2 cup Chiroti Rava(fine rava)

a pinch of Salt

1 tbsp hot Oil

for stuffing:

1 cup grated Coconut

1 cup grated Jaggery

1/2 tsp Elaichi powder

Oil,for deep frying

Method:

for covering:

• Mix maida,rava,salt and oil and add enough water to form a stiff dough.It should be stiffer than the regular chapati/poori dough.
• Keep aside for 1/2 an hour and cover it with wet cloth.

• Knead the dough well until it becomes soft and pliable.Make small gooseberry sized balls and keep them ready.

 for coconut stuffing:

• In a kadai mix grated coconut and jaggery and cook it on a low-medium flame until the jaggery melts and coats the coconut and form a thick dry and sticky lumpy mixture.It takes 10-12 minutes and keep stirring it occasionally.

• Add cardamom powder to it and mix well and let the mixture cool completely and store it in air tight container.Make small gooseberry sized balls and keep them ready.
• You can make it on the previous day itself and store at room temperature which eases the process on the festival day.

for fried modak:

• Make small balls from the maida dough and roll it out to very thin chapatis of 3" diameter.

• Place a tablespoon of stuffing in the center and start making the pleats like how we do for momos and bring it to the center and pinch it slighlty to seal the pleats so that stick to each other.Refer the pictures for details.You can even pinch the edges and bring all the pinched folds to the center and gently pinch again to let them stick at the center.Seal the edges nicely else the filling will come out while frying them in oil.

• Repeat the process and prepare all the modaks.

• Heat oil in a thick bottomed kadai and once the oil is hot enough add 6-7 modaks slowly in the hot oil and let them fry over low-medium flame until they are golden brown and cooked thoroughly.Turn them in between so that they are evenly fried.
• Drain them on a kitchen towel.

Serve them hot/warm or room temperature.

Notes:

1. You can even use wheat flour in the recipe and avoid chiroti rawa in the recipe.But chiroti rawa makes the modak's outer layer crispier.
2. You can even add sesame seeds or finely chopped cashewnuts to the coconut filling for extra crunch.
3. Seal the edges nicely else the filling will come out while frying them in oil.
4. You can even replace jaggery with sugar and follow the same recipe.

Technorati Tags: fried modak recipe,ganesh chaturthi recipes,festival sweets recipes,sweets varieties for ganesh chaturthi,vinayaka chavithi recipes,modak recipe

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Rasmalai Recipe | How to make Rasmalai recipe

Easy Rasmalai recipe with step by step photos.Rasmalai or Rossomalai is a popular Bengali sweet apart from Rasgulla. Rasmalai is a popular dessert which takes its place in the menu for Weddings or for special occasions. Rasmalai is a soft and spongy flattened cottage cheese dumpling served in thickened milk known as 'Ras'.Rasmalai is a mildly sweetened dessert compared to other sweets and hence one can easily have a couple of them at one go and still not feel heavy too.

When I had made Rasgullas last time I had saved just a few to make rasmalai as it was a long due for me to post these recipes in my blog.You can check out the detailed process and preparation of Rasgullas with various tips and tricks in my blog here.Once you have rasgullas(either homemade or store-bought) making rasmalai at home is a breeze, though it needs occasional stirring in between.

I have used condensed milk to sweeten the ras(milk) and also added a couple of tablespoons of sugar but one can add only sugar to the recipe.The preparation process of ras(thickened milk) is very similar to Basundi or Rabdi just that we do not need to boil it for that long to get a very thick rabri kind but a slightly thickened milk.For a quicker version, one can more quantity of condensed milk and evaporated milk and store bought rasgullas for a quicker rasmalai.Today I am posting the traditional method of preparing Rasmalai at home.As Holi is around the corner,why not prepare this delicious rasmalai and treat your loved ones with a homemade delectable sweet.

Check out other milk based similar sweets in my blog:

• Basundi
• Rabdi
• Shahi Tukda | Shahi Tukra
• Rasgulla | Rosogulla
• Rice Kheer

Check out how to prepare Rasmali recipe with step by step photos here:

Easy Rasmalai Recipe | Bengali Rossomalai:

Serves 4-5 | Author: Prathibha

Prep time: 10 mins | Cooking time: 30 mins | Total time: 40 mins

Cuisine: Bengali | Category: Sweets/Desserts

Ingredients:

12-15 Rasgullas,homemade or store bought(at room temperature)

1 liter full cream Milk

3-4 tbsp Condensed milk,optional

2 tbsp Sugar(increase it to 1/4 cup if not using condensed milk)

10-12 Almonds

12-15 Pistachios

12-15 strands of Saffron

1/2 tsp Cardamom powder

few saffron strands,to garnish

Method:

• Soak almonds in water for 10 mins.Soak saffron strands in 2 tbsp warm milk for 10-15 mins.

• Cut the soaked almonds and pistachios to small pieces.I used a nut grater to cut the dry fruits.

• Press the rasgullas gently to remove extra syrup from them and keep them ready.If you are making fresh rasgullas for rasmalai,flatten them up while shaping. Click here to see the whole and detailed process of the preparation of rasgullas.

• Boil milk in a thick kadai and once the milk comes to a boil reduce the flame and let it boil on low-medium flame.Keep collecting the cream formed on the milk and push it to the sides giving place to form more cream.Continue the process until the milk reduces to half.You need to keep stirring in between else the milk gets burnt at the bottom.This process might take roughly 20-25 mins,so be patient enough to check it at regular intervals.

• Add saffron soaked milk to the reduced milk and then add condensed milk and sugar and mix it nicely.

• Now add chopped dry fruits to it and continue simmering until it becomes slightly thick.Check the sweetness and add more sugar if needed at this stage.

• Add the squeezed rasgullas to the thickened milk and boil it for 4-5 mins.
• Cool it and refrigerate it.

Serve it chilled by garnishing with more saffron strands and nuts.

Notes:

1. You can add rose water at the end for a flavorful one.
2. Use good quality saffron to get a nice yellow hue for rasmalai, you can alternatively add some yellow color to the chenna while kneading for rasgulla.
3. If you are making rasgulla at home, try to flatten few before they are put in the syrup and also cook rasgullas(for rasgulla) and flattened rasgullas(for rasmalai) separately so that they get cooked uniformly.
4. If you are using ready rasgullas,let them come to room temperature and then press them gently to squeeze out the syrup and flatten it gently, else they will break if you do with the cold rasgullas.
5. The addition of condensed milk is optional,but makes the milk more creamy.I added it as I had it at that moment,else use just the sugar.
6. For a quicker version use full cream evaporated milk and condensed milk in the recipe and you do not need to boil it for longer.Also use store bought rasgullas for the recipe.

Technorati Tags: rasmalai recipe, easy rasmalai recipe, bengali rasmalai, bengali sweets recipes ,rossomalai, festival sweets recipes, diwali sweets recipes, holi sweets recipes ,milk based sweets

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