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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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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Sogasu Poli | Sogasu Obbattu | Holige Recipes

At my mom's place,any major festival is incomplete without a holige and hence we prepare various holige varieties at home.While the most popular one are  Hoornada holige(Pappu Obattu) and Coconut Holige,my mom prepares various other holige varieties like Til Poli(Nuvvula Obbattu), Shenga Holige(Groundnut holige), Dates Holige etc. While these holiges are fried on the tawa there are few holiges which are deep fried like Paala Obattu(Haalu Holige), Sajjige Obattu(Sajjappa),Garugu Obattu, Sogasu Obbattu and every holige tastes best on its own and has its own importance for the festivals.

Today I am posting Sogasu Poli recipe which is very similar to Garugu Obattu and Sajjappa.They all look similar and all are deep fried but the filling,taste and texture of each holige is different from each other. Sogasu Poli and Sajjappa uses rawa filling which is made differently for each holige and where as Garugu Obattu uses rice flour filling.I know that it is very confusing if you are hearing all these names for the first time but once you go through all the recipes you can easily differentiate them.The best part about these holiges is that they can be stored easily up to a week, if they last that long!! These can be made ahead and serve as prashad for Navaratri Golu prasadam too, also tastes best when eaten hot as they are super crisp.This is apparently one of my favorite holiges and would gulp a couple of them at one go.As it is Sankranti tommorow, try this different traditional holige recipe to impress your family.
Check out other Holige recipes in my blog:

• Hoornada holige(Pappu Obattu) 
• Coconut Holige
• Til Poli(Nuvvula Obbattu)
• Chakkara Rekulu/Crispy Sugar Poli
• Shenga Holige(Groundnut holige)
•  Paala Obattu(Haalu Holige)
•  Sajjige Obattu(Sajjappa)
• Garugu Obattu
• Puran Poli

Sogasu Poli | Sogasu Obbattu :

Shelf life: 2 days | Yields: 10-12 polis

Prep time:20 mins | Cooking time:40 mins | Total time:60 mins

Cuisine: South Indian | Category: Sweets

Ingredients:

for Stuffing: 1 cup fine Chiroti(Holige) Rava

1 cup fresh grated Coconut

1 cup Sugar,preferably slghtly fine

1/4 cup finely chopped Cashewnuts

1 tsp Ghee

for kanaka(outer cover):

1 cup Chiroti/Holige rawa(baarik rava)

a fat pinch of Salt

1/2 cup Oil(to soak the kanaka)

Oil for deep frying

Method:

for filling:

• Mix chiroti rava, fresh grated coconut, chopped cashewnuts and sugar in a large bowl nicely until everything is nicely mixed and keep it aside for 2-3 hours.
• Now the mixture would have become wet and soft.Mix it nicely again.

• Grease your palms with ghee and make big lemon size balls out of the filling and keep them aside.

 for Kanaka:

• Mix chiroti rawa with a pinch of salt to it and add water to it and knead in to a very smooth dough.The consistency of the dough should be very loose than the regular roti dough.
• Now using your fist hit the dough for few mins to get the softer dough.

      

• Now place this dough in a deep vessel and pour oil over it until the dough is completely soaked in oil.Let the dough rest for a minimum of 1 hr and up to 2 hrs.Drain the excess oil and use it for other purpose.
• See the pics to get to know the consistency of the kanaka.

for making Sogasu Poli:

• Cut the holige paper into a round and place it on the rolling stone which we use to roll rotis.Grease holige paper or banana leaf or a plastic cover with oil.

• Pinch a small amla sized dough and flatten it a bit using your hands as shown in the pics and place one round of filling and seal it properly from all the edges like how we do for parathas.

• Now flatten it slowly with hands to get 3" diameter circle to the size of big pooris.It should not be very thick like paratha nor thin like rotis.See the pictures for clear idea.
• Meanwhile heat oil for deep frying in a kadai and gently slide the patted holige from the sides into the oil taking care that oil would not splutter.

• Deep fry them until they are slightly brown on both side.
• Drain them on kitchen towels to remove the extra oil.

• Repeat the process for making holiges,smear the holige paper liberally with oil and follow the same procedure.

Serve them hot/warm or at room temperature.You can store them at room temperature for upto a week.

Notes:

1. Always make kanaka before proceeding to make filling which helps in saving time.
2. As these can be stored for a week you can make them ahead if you want.But the fresh ones are more crispier and tastier.
3. The addition of nuts is entirely optional but it adds a nice taste to every bite of holige.
4. If you are a health freak instead of deep frying you can even fry it on tawa like how we do for parathas,they taste still good but the deep fried ones taste anytime better.

Technorati Tags: holige recipes, sweets, traditional sweets recipes, poli recipes, sogasu poli recipe, sogasu obbattu recipe, navaratri recipes, festival recipes, ganesh chaturthi recipes, andhra recipes for vinayaka chavithi festival, karnataka recipes for ganesh chaturthi ,arya vysya recipes

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Moong dal Sundal Recipe | Pasi Paruppu Sundal | Easy Sundal Recipes

Navaratri has started and all are busy with the festival preparations. Sundal(Guggillu) is the most commonly prepared prashad for navaratri golu as it is very easy to prepare in large quantities. I had posted various sundal recipes in my blog and this year I had thought of preparing the sundal varieties which still could not make entry to my blog so that I can post them too here.Also,sundals are a very good low cal snacks option too for your evening snack.

The preparation process of most of the sundal varieties is very similar.While few varieties taste best when made simple with seasoning and coconut and few taste with an addition of ginger in the coconut paste and few varieties are made with sundal masala. Today's recipe - Moong dal Sundal falls in first category - it tastes best when made simple with seasoning and coconut. I would say that this is the most easiest sundal and takes very less time to prepare as moong dal cooks really fast.

Check out other sundal recipes in my blog:

• Alasandula(Lobia) Sundal, Rajma Sundal
• Chana Dal Sundal  , Kala Chana Sundal
• Groundnut (Peanut) Sundal,Mixed Bean Sundal 
• Kabuli Chana Sundal, Sweet Corn Sundal
• Ammini Kozhukattai (Undrallu Guggillu) 

For a complete list of Navaratri recipes, Check Here.

Moong dal Sundal Recipe:

Serves 3-4 | Author: Prathibha

Prep time: 5 mins | Cooking time: 10 mins | Total time: 15 mins

Cuisine: South Indian | Category: Snacks

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Moong dal

3-4 tbsp grated fresh Coconut

a pinch of Turmeric

Salt to taste

to temper:

1 tsp Urad dal

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

a sprig of Curry leaves

2-3 Red chillies, broken

a pinch of Asafoetida

1 tbsp Oil

Method:

• One can follow any of these methods to prepare moong dal.You can dry roast it a bit until it is warm and cook or you can soak in water for sometime and then cook.Both ways it work fine,do it as per your convenience.

• Boil water in a vessel with some salt,turmeric powder and 1/2 tsp oil and once it comes to a boil add moong dal(roasted or soaked) and cook it for 4-5 mins.Keep stirring it in between so that they don't stick to the bottom of the vessel. Try to cook moong dal until it is just cooked  which means soft to bite but it should still hold its shape and not become mushy.Drain the moong dal into the colander.

• In a kadai heat oil and crackle mustard seeds and add urad dal, red chillies and curry leaves and fry until the dal turn slightly brown.

• Add asafoetida and then add drained cooked moong dal and give a gentle stir and cook for 1 min.

• Add salt and grated coconut and mix it gently and switch off the flame.Cover it with a lid and leave it undisturbed for 5 mins. This will help moong dal to fluff up nicely.

Serve it in bowls- warm or at room temperature.

Notes:

1. One can follow any of these methods to prepare moong dal.You can dry roast it a bit until it is warm and cook or you can soak in water for an hour and then cook.Both ways it work fine,do it as per your convenience.
2. As the dal gets cooked fast,make sure you do not over cook the moong dal. Even if it is bit under cooked it is fine, the steaming process at the end will let it cook completely.
3. You can follow the same process of chana dal sundal by replacing moong dal with chana dal.

Technorati Tags: moong dal sundal recipe, easy sundal recipes, navaratri sundal recipes, south indian sundal recipe, low calorie snacks ,navratri recipes, navaratri prasadam recipes

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Green Gram Sundal | Paasi Payaru(Pachai Payaru) Sundal | Navratri Sundal Recipes | Whole Moong Sundal

In South India it is very common to prepare various varieties of Sundal during Navaratri. One can prepare sundal with various legumes like chickpeas, red kidney beans,peas,peanuts,moong dal, chana dal, green gram, black eyed peas to name a few.But at our place the most loved varieties are Black Chickpeas Sundal and Lobia Sundal.TH loves to eat the savory snacks like vada/bajji  and sundal more than the sweets(but an exception for kheer) and hence I end up making mostly a sundal variety, vada and payasam for any festival.

The preparation process for any sundal variety is more or less the same. A generous sprinkling of coconut at the end is mandatory for any sundal. I sometimes like to add ginger to sundal as it lends a nice flavor to the sundal but it is optional to add and also the addition of lemon juice.I like my sundal moist and soft and hence I usually mash a small portion of cooked beans while preparing sundal.

A sweet version of green gram sundal is also prepared in Tamilnadu where jaggery is added while making sundal, will post that version sometime later.

Check out other Sundal Varieties in my blog here:

• Alasandula(Lobia) Sundal
• Undrallu Guggillu
• Avarekaalu Kadubu/Tiny Rice flour Balls Snack
• Chana Dal Sundal  
• Groundnut Sundal/Peanut Sundal
• Kabuli Chana Sundal
• Kala Chana Sundal | Black Chickpeas Sundal 
• Mixed Bean Sundal 
• Rajma Sundal
• Sweet Corn Sundal

Green Gram Sundal | Pesara Guggillu Recipe:

Serves: 3-4

Prep time:5 mins | Cooking time:15 mins | Total time:20 mins

Cuisine: South Indian | Category: Snacks

Ingredients:
1 cup Whole Moong (Green Gram/ Pesalu)
1/3 cup grated fresh Coconut
2-3 Green chillies,sliced
1/2" Ginger,optional

Salt to taste

to temper:
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
1 tsp Urad dal
1-2 Red chillies,broken
a sprig of Curry leaves
a pinch of Asafoetida(hing)
1 tbsp Oil

Method:

• Soak whole moong overnight or at least for 5-6 hrs and clean them again for 2-3 times with fresh changes of water.
• Pressure cook whole moong for 2-3 whistles until soft,I generally pressure cook for 2 whistles otherwise it becomes mushy for making sundal.The gram should be cooked soft but should holds its shape and it should not be either hard or mushy. You can add salt while cooking moong or add it at the time of tempering.

• Drain the cooked moong and keep it aside,you can use this drained water to make healthy rasam.
• Grind grated coconut,ginger and green chillies to a coarse paste in whipper mode.

• Heat oil in a kadai and crackle mustard seeds and add urad dal,hing,curry leaves and red chillies and let them turn slight brown.

• Add cooked and drained green gram and required amount of salt and mix well and cook it on low flame for 2 mins.Do not fry them for long as it makes the sundal very dry.
• Add ground coconut-green chilli-ginger paste and mix and cook for a couple of minutes.

• Switch off the flame.

Serve them hot,warm or cold as a snack or with lunch.

Variations:

1. You can replace green gram with kala chana, white chickpeas,lobia,rajma,yellow peas or chana dal for variation or you can even use mix of these legumes to make mixed variety sundal.
2. You can even add coriander leaves in the end.
3. If you want softer sundal add 2-3 tbsp reserved water(drained from green gram) after you add green gram to the tempering and cook till soft and water dries off.Add ground mixture and salt later and fry for 2 mins.

Technorati Tags: green gram sundal recipe, pachai payaru sundal, paasi payaru sundal, pesara guggillu, whole moong sundal, sundal recipes for navratri, easy sundal recipes

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Navaratri Sundal Recipes, Navaratri Sweets Recipes, Navaratri Snacks Recipes

Happy Navaratri to all my friends and readers!!

The Navaratri festival will be starting from tomorrow and it will be celebrated upto 9th October and on 10th october it is Vijayadasami(Dussera). Navratri festival is celebrated for nine days worshiping Durga devi in different forms on each day and on the 10th day Vijayadashami is celebrated.

This festival is celebrated in most of the states in India in various forms. Dasara is celebrated in a grand manner especially in cities like Mysore and Calcutta.While in North,a fast is observed on those days and also celebrated with garba and dandiya where as in South,many people celebrate the festival by keeping Golu(an array of Idols) and pooja is performed on those 9 days inviting many ladies for haldi-kumkum.Various varieties of sundal and kheer varieties are prepared on those 9 days during Navratri to offer to the people who visit the Golu.

We used to go our grand-mom's place for Dussera and it used to be a big festival with Golu and lots of guests kept coming through out the 9 days to visit our golu.We make a traditional sweet like holige or any thing equivalent on the first day and last day of Navratri and a simple sundal and kheer variety during the other days.I am compiling few recipes at one place which are ideally prepared in south Indian homes during Navratri for Pooja.I wanted to do a pictorial index from a long time and finally could make it.I hope it is useful for you.Once again,Happy Navaratri to all !!

For Complete collection of Navaratri Recipes Check out here.

Sundal Recipes

                         
                Chana dal Kosambri          Kabuli Chana Sundal             Ground nut Sundal
    
                          
                        Kosambari                  Kala Chana Sundal                  Corn Sundal       

                                              Undrallu Sundal             Mixed Bean Sundal             Lobia Sundal

Sweets Varieties

              

Sago Halwa             Semiya Kesari               Pineapple Kesari  

                        
                Puran Poli                      Garugu Holige                          Til(Nuvvula) Holige

                          

               Groundnut Holige           Crispy Sugar Poli                    Sajjappa

Rice and Snacks Varieties

                           
               Aava Pulihora                 Nimmakaya Pulihora          Chintapandu Pulihora
           
                          
               Semiya Pulihora               Rava Pulihora                      Lemon Shavige 
            
                        
                Sabudana Thalipeeth         Sabudana Khichdi               Sabudana Tikki

      

Ambode                       Masala Vada                    Medu Vada    

                                 

      

Mosaru Ambode           Lobia Vada                    Perugu Vada

Technorati Tags: navaratri snacks recipes, navaratri sweets recipes, navaratri sundal recipes, navratri vrat recipes, navaratri rice varieties, south indian festival recipes

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