Easter Egg RECIPE

Ingredients for Marzipan recipe:

1 kg Cashewnut (Kaju) 
1 kg gms powdered Sugar (Cheeni)
4-6 drops Almond (Badam) Essence 
4 Egg Whites

MARZIPAN RECIPE
Ingredients of this recipe:

Method to make this recipe : marzipan:
Powder the cashewnuts finely and mix well with the powdered sugar.
Add almond essence and food colouring if required.
Knead into a soft dough with egg whites on a clean surface.                          Marzipan Paste is ready

Divide the mixture into portions and form into egg shapes using two large tblsp.                                                                                                                                Decorate with fondant icing.                                                                                                    Wrap in cellophane paper.

 

Chocolate Walnut Fudge

This delicious treat is most often made at Christmas and Easter.

Ingredients:

• 2 (400gm each) cans of sweetened condensed milk
• 1 can of full cream milk (use the sweetened condensed milk to can to measure this)
• 100 grams butter
• 1 cup cocoa
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

Preparation:

• Put all the ingredients – except the walnuts – into a wide, heavy-bottomed pan on a medium flame.
• Cook, stirring frquently, till the mixture becomes thick and fudge-like and begins to leave the sides of the pan. Turn off the fire. Add the walnuts and mix well.
• Grease a platter and spoon the fudge out onto it. Spread into a thick layer, with a flat spoon.
• Cool a little and while still warm cut into squares.
• Cool fully and store in an air-tight container.

 

Nankaties or Naan Khatais

Prep Time: 24 hours, 00 minute

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1/2 kg clarified butter/ ghee (see link below for recipe)
• 1/2 kg finely powdered sugar
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 15 green cardamom pods skins removed and powdered
• 3/4 kg plain/ all purpose flour
• 1/4 kg fine semolina
• 2 tbsps green cardamom powder to decorate Nankaties

Preparation:

• Put the ghee in a deep, mixing bowl and whisk till it is creamy in texture.
• Slowly add the sugar, salt and cardamom powder to the ghee and mix well till all the sugar is dissolved. You can do this mixing by hand or in a stand mixer with the dough kneading attachment.
• Sift the flour and semolina together.
• Now add them (flour and semolina), a little at a time, mixing well. When all the flour and semolina has been added and a smooth dough is ready, cover it with a muslin cloth and leave overnight.
• The next day, preheat your oven to 325 degree Fahrenheit (approximately 163 degrees Celsius/Gas Mark 3/Moderate).
• Grease your palms slightly and roll all the dough out into balls the size of large marbles.
• Shape each ball into a tiny dome-like shape, placing them 2″-3″ apart on a greased baking tray. Dip the tip of one of your fingers in the cardamom powder kept for decorating the Nankaties and dot the top of each cookie with it.
• Bake the Nankaties for 15-20 minutes watching carefully to ensure they do not burn.
• Store in an air-tight container.

 

Guava Cheese Recipe

A chewy fudge-like sweet, Guava Cheese is best made with fresh guavas. They are a rich source of vitamin C – from 3-6 times more than in oranges to almost 30 times more than that found in bananas! Most of this vitamin C is found in the skin of the fruit.

Ingredients:

• 1 kg soft guavas
• Sugar (amount based on how much pulp you get out of the guavas)

Preparation:

• Cut the guavas into quarters and remove the seeds.
• Put the seeds in a sieve and add a small amount of water. Rub into the sieve and press down with a flat spoon so as to extract the pulp surrounding the seeds, into a bowl kept below the sieve.
• Blend the gauva pieces to s smooth pulp in your food processor. Measure how many cups of pulp you have – include the pulp removed from around the seeds.
• Put all the pulp into a large, flat, heavy-bottomed dish on a medium flame.
• Add sugar to the amount of one cup less than the number of cups of guava pulp. For example, if you had 6 cups of pulp, add 5 cups of sugar to it.
• Cook, stirring frequently, till it becoms hard to stir and the guava cheese begins to come away from the sides of the pan.
• Grease a platter and spoon the guava cheese onto it. Spread into a thick layer.
• Allow to cool a little and while still warm, cut into diamond shapes.
• When completely cooled, store in an air-tight container.

 

Indian Pudding Recipe

Ingredients
2 cups low-fat (1% milkfat) milk
1/4 cup dark molasses
1/4 cup cornmeal
2 large egg whites
3 tablespoons firmly packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon butter or margarine (melted)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup raisins
1 tablespoon chopped crystallized ginger (optional)

Nutritional Information
1 serving:
Calories 228
Total Fat 4g
Saturated Fat 3g
Protein 7g
Carbohydrate 42g
Fiber 1g
Sodium 197mg
Cholesterol 13mg

Introduction:
In colonial days, Indian pudding was a simple cornmeal mush sweetened with molasses. In later years, it was dressed up with everything from sugar and eggs to raisins and spices.

Makes 4 servings.
Preparation time: 10 minutes.
Cooking time: 50 minutes.

Step 1:
Preheat oven to 300°F. In a medium-size saucepan, combine the milk and molasses. Stir in the cornmeal. Cook, stirring constantly, over moderate heat for 5 to 6 minutes or until thick. Set aside.

Step 2:
In a medium-size bowl, combine the egg whites, brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, and salt. Stir into the cornmeal mixture. Stir in the raisins and ginger (if using). Spoon mixture into an 8-inch round baking dish. Bake for 45 minutes.

 

Bebinca Recipe (layered Goan pudding)

Bebinca is my favourite. Traditional Bebinca has 16 layers, but you can make as many as you like.

Ingredients:

• 250 gms plain flour
• 700 ml coconut milk
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 dozen egg yolks
• 1 1/2 cups ghee (clarified butter)
• Almond slivers to garnish

Preparation:

• Mix the coconut milk and sugar together and stir till the sugar is completely dissolved.
• In another bowl, whisk the egg yolks till creamy.
• Add the coconut milk and mix well.
• Add all the flour to this, a little at a time, making sure that no lumps are left.
• Pre-heat your grill.
• Put a tablespoonful of ghee in a baking pan (any shape) at least 6″ deep. Put this pan under the grill till the ghee melts.
• Take it out from under the grill and pour some of the prepared batter into it to form a 1/4″ thick layer. Put back under the grill and cook till the top is golden. Monitor frequently.
• Remove from under the grill and immediately add another tablespoonful of ghee on the previous layer. It will melt.
• Now pour another layer of batter of the same thickness as the previous one. Cook under the grill till golden.
• Keep repeating the layering process till all the batter is used up.
• The last layer must be ghee. When it is done, turn the Bebinca over on a flat dish and garnish with almond slivers.
• Cut into slices and serve warm or cool.

 

Gulab Jamun

Ingredients: Gulab Jamun

1 cup Carnation Milk Powder
1/2 cup Bisquick – Pancake mix (Instead of Bisquick Pancake mix, use 1/2 cup all purpose flour and 1/2 tsp baking soda)
2 tablespoons butter -melted
Whole milk just enough to make the dough
2 cups Sugar
1 cup water
Oil for frying

Method:
* Make the dough by combining the milk powder, Bisquick, butter. Add just enough whole milk to make a medium-hard dough. Divide the dough into 18-20 portions. Make balls by gently rolling each portion between your palms into a smooth ball. Place the balls on a plate. Cover with a damp yet dry kitchen towel.
* Heat the oil on high and then lower the heat to medium. Slip in the balls into the hot oil from the side of the pan, one by one. They will sink to the bottom of the pan, but do not try to move them. Instead, gently shake the pan to keep the balls from browning on just one side. After about 5 mins, the balls will rise to the surface. The Gulab Jamuns should rise slowly to the top if the temperature is just right. Now they must be gently and constantly agitated to ensure even browning on all sides.
* If the temperature of the oil is too high then the gulab jamuns will tend to break. So adjust the temperature to ensure that the gulab jamuns do not break or cook too quickly.
* The balls must be fried very slowly under medium temperatures. This will ensure complete cooking from inside and even browning.
* The syrup should be made earlier and kept warm. To make the hot sugar syrup add mix the 2 cups of sugar to 1 cup of water. Add 4-5 cardamom pods, slightly crushed and a few strands of “Kesar”. Mix with a spoon and then heat at medium heat for 5-10 minutes until sugar is all dissolved in water. Do not overheat, that will caramelize the sugar.
* Transfer this hot syrup into a Corning serving dish. Keep warm on stove. Add the fried gulab jamuns directly into the warm syrup. Leave gulab jamuns in syrup overnight for best results. They can be served warm or at room temperature.

 

Badam Phirni

Ingredients:

12 nos. Almonds
4 tablespoons Rice flour

21/2 cups Milk
5 tablespoons Sugar
8 strands Saffron
1 teaspoon Cardamom powder

Method:
* Blanch and grind the almonds to a fine paste with 1/2 cup milk. Mix together the ground almond paste and rice flour and keep aside.
* Bring the milk to a boil. Add the sugar and stir till the sugar dissolves. Keep aside a tablespoon of hot milk and dissolve the saffron in it. Add the almond-rice mixture into the boiling milk along with the saffron.
* Stir continuously for a few mintues till the milk thickens and attains a custard-like consistency. Sprinkle in the cardamom powder. Take off fire and cool to room temperature.
* Pour into individual bowls, garnish with almonds and pistachios and refrigerate.

 

Ghevar

Ingredients:Ghevar
3 cups plain flour,
1 cup solidified ghee,
3-4 icecubes,
4 cups water, approx.,
1/2 cup milk,
1/4 tsp. yellow food colour,
1 kg. Ghee for deep frying.
For syrup:1 1/2 cups sugar, 1 cup water.
For topping: (optional)1 tsp. powdered cardamom, 1 tbsp. chopped almonds & pistachios, 1 tbsp. milk in which 1/2 tsp. saffron has been rubbed in, Silver foil.

Method:
* Prepare sugar syrup of 1 thread consistency.
* Take solidified ghee in a large wide bowl.
* Taking one icecube at a time rub the ghee vigourously.
* Take more icecubes as required, till ghee becomes very white.
* Add milk, flour and 1 cup water. Mix to make smooth batter.
* Dissolve colour in some water and add to batter.
* Add more water as required.
* Batter should be fairly thin (it should run offeasily when pour from spoon).
* Take an aluminium or steel cylindrical container (do not use lid).
* The height should be at least 12″. And diameter 5-6″.
* Fill half with ghee. Do Heat.
* When ghee is smoky hot, take a 50 ml, glassful of batter.
* Pour in centre of ghee, slowly in one continuous threadlike stream.
* Allow foam to settle. Pour one more glassful in hole formed in centre.
* When foam settles again, loosen ghevar with an iron skewer inserted in hole.
* Lift carefully, at a slant, and place on wire mesh to drain.
* Keep hot syrup in a wide flatbottomed container to fit in ghevar.
* Dip ghevar in it, and remove, keep aside on mesh to drain excess syrup .
* Alternatively. Pour some syrup evenly all over, keeping ghevar in a mesh placed over a container.
* Cool a little, top with silver foil. Splash a few drops of saffron milk, sprinkle some chopped dryfruit and a few pinches of cardamom powder.
* One may also top ghevar with rabri prepared in advance.
* This ghevar will howver not last as Long. It will also be softer.

 

Rawa Ladoo Recipe

Ingredients: Rawa Ladoo

2 cups semolina (rawa)
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 cup ghee
1 tbsp broken cashew nuts
1 tbsp raisins fried
1 tsp fried cardamom powder

Method:
* Heat 1 tsp. ghee in a pan and dry roast the rawa till pink.
* Grind the fried rawa and powdered sugar in a mixer to a fine powder.
* Heat the remaining ghee and add the powdered rawa, cashew nuts, raisins and cardamom powder.
* Mix thoroughly.
* While still warm, make into small lemon-sized balls.
* Cool and store in an airtight container.