Bajre ki Tikki

I am here again with the recipe of my Bajra tikki.It's very traditional sweet in western U.P.I still remember my grandmom making these during our winter vacation visit to native.That flavor still linger on my taste-buds and I am damn sure can't be replicated! reason is simple,she used to grind fresh produced milet at home and jaggery was fresh made too !(ahh i miss those days )
There was time when it was must to made them on makarsankranti festival ! but Its sad that as like other many regional dishes,this also is rare to find in houses these days. Mayb because Bajra(milet) flour is not easy to work with.little bit less something n there will be no flavor.on the other hand try adding more n you end up with mess.(believe me I did that Many times)

I learnt this recipe from my Mom,n she got it from my Grandma. Its kinda secret one,as my mom used to laugh whenever I asked her,why only her's have soft texture in middle instead of other's all tight textured tikki ! Finally the truth has revealed last year..She use milk soak jaggery !!!also,DON'T try to add more jaggery,it will crumble the tikki while frying.
😊So,no matter how many websites tell you about using water to knead dough,just DON'T do it !! otherwise all your hard work will go waste as all tikkies will be rock solid once cool down.

INGREDIENTS

300gm Bajra flour 
100gm Jaggery 
1.5cup milk(full fat)
Oil for frying
Till/Sesame seeds for coating


DIRECTIONS

• Soak grated jaggery in milk for n hr.
• Take flour in bowl n start kneading it with adding jaggery milk in very small amount.
• Keep kneading for 15-20 minutes.
  After 15-20 minutes you ll get very smooth dough to work with.
• Make ball in size of your palm centre.Roll it in sesame seeds.Roll in between your hand with slight pressure n you ll end up smooth thin edge n thick in middle type disk.

• Fry them on lowest heat for couple of minute each side.(max 4-5 at a time).
• Have them warm and store remaining in airtight container.

# Knead atleast for mentioned time otherwise your tikki ll not get smooth edges n ll crumble in oil.

You can see the roughness of dough in starting of kneading.After 15-20 minutes you ll get very smooth dough 

## Making tikki in above mentioned way ll help to retain bit of softness in centre yet crisp outer layer.
### While frying they ll b very soft to handle gently.They ll become crunchy once get cool.
#### DON'T make tikki thin otherwise they ll become too hard to eat.

Steamed Fudge Brownie [whole wheat]

Whoever said that dessert cant be healthy,throw this brownie on his face ;) !!!! These are real real treat when you are watching your weight and have big sweet tooth too :D they are fudgy,dense,light and realllly healthy !

I am on my weight loss journey frm last few months.As they say nice body cant be achieve just in gym but in your kitchen, i keep experimenting with my lunch n snacks.In general people have perception about it as plain tasteless food with no excitement but let me tell you..if you are really determine its not at all true..i started posting healthy recipes recently but not much.but ll try to do more... :)

now coming back to these beauties....i always wanted to make brownies in steaming method as it takes less oil in process.after thinking alot i came up with this recipe.Its perfect !!! they are so guilt free that now you can find some of them always sitting in my fridge corner :P Just try them once n you ll not be disappointed at all.

just out of steamer ! 

I suggest to keep it for rest atleast overnight before cutting.It will soften the bran of whole wheat n texture will improve drastically.


INGREDIENTS

2 Cup Whole wheat Flour
4tbsp Coco Powder(i used diet coco)
1tbsp Baking Powder
1/2tsp Baking soda
3/4 cup walnuts
3tbsp Flex seeds powder
1/2cup strong esspresso coffee
1cup Soya milk
1/4cup Buttermilk
3/4cup Demerara sugar
1/4 cup oil



DIRECTIONS

• Mix flex powder with esspresso coffee n 1/2 cup milk for an hr atleast.
• Now in bowl whisk flex coffee mixture with buttermilk,oil and sugar.
• Sieve flour with coco powder,baking powder n baking soda.
• put steamer on high heat with atleast 2 glass water.
• Mix above dry ingredients with wet ingredients. finally fold in crushed walnuts.If batter seems dry add the extra soya milk.
• Pour batter in 8inch square pan.steam on medium heat for 30 minutes.
• Let it come on room temperature then keep it rest for atleast 12 hours.
• Cut n store in airtight container.

# you can make them using all purpose flour but the milk will be used less.

Amla Murabba / Gooseberry Relish

I have very fond memory of making Murabba in my childhood.Mom use to make full big jar of it.Today i brought some amla with full of excitement to finally make this sweet delight..did all the research n all then finally called mom to get the exact details..n guess what...from childhood i only remembered pricking the fruits !! actually the process is very tricky n lengthy !!!

so,hold on for sometime..i ll share the traditional recipe soon ...

Poori ka Halwa

I know its weird name.but i can't help this time !This dessert is actually very close to my heart as many memories are attached with it.This used to be cooked in villages mostly after some big dinner parties (marriage mostly) when there must be 100's of poories(deep fried flatten bread dough) fried in pure ghee..So,this was the ultimate way to finish them in one go ! (smart huh !! )

At my grand parents home,my Grand Mom used to make them like no one else..(ahh,,miss you Dadi !) and she never told us what exactly it was as she knew we ll make faces instead of having. I still remember how she used to dry poories under sunlight then grind them using stone chakki !

This halwa is packed with nutrition like any other indian halwa...And best way to finish leftover Poories according to me. 

I made it bit thick in texture,but it totally upto you how you like your halwa..Just add more milk as per your taste n liking !  It doesn't need any ghee as poories are already full of them.But if you are using poories fried in refined oil,then add 1 tbsp pure ghee once it cooked.this will give it a very nice aroma.

INGREDIENTS

8-10 Poories (refined or ghee fried)

2 Glass Milk

1/2 Cup Chopped nuts

4 tbsp Sugar

3 Green Cardamom(powdered)

DIRECTIONS

• Keep Poories in open air for overnight or in sunlight for a day Untill it become hard and crispy.
• Crush them then coarsly grind using grinder.(like rava/Semolina)
• Place grinded Poories in deap pan over high heat.
• After heating up,add milk.Keep stirring n cooking on medium heat untill it get thicken and soft.
• Now add sugar,nuts,cardamom powder.Mix and close the lid.Let it cook for another 2-3 minutes on low heat.
• By now all milk will be absorbed.Now you can add some more milk if you find it dry.
• Serve hot !

# It will become dry while getting cold..Just add some milk and reheat before serving.

Nutty Dates Square / Khajoor ki Barfi

Contrary to other sweets,this one is really nutritious with great taste...Sweetness comes from dates..you can use some sugar if you like verry sweet.It is very soft in texture..some coconut can be added if your mixture is very soft.

INGREDIENTS
(12 pieces)

12-15 Dates(d-seeded)
1.5 Cup Mixed Dry Nuts
2 Green Cardamoms
1/2 Cup Coconut
1/4 Cup Water
1 tbsp Ghee


DIRECTIONS

• Soak dates in water for 1 hour.Rinse and make fine paste.
• Heat ghee in non stick pan.add date paste and cook for 10 minutes.It will become glossy and dough like.
• Mix in chopped nuts and cardamom powder.
• spread on greased plate.spread evenly coconut powder on top.
• Cut in desired shape.

# You can add coconut powder in date mixture too.it will make your mixture tighter.

Karachi Halwa

This halwa is basically from mughal cuisine which used to be made for emperors ! This is quit different kind of indian sweet..texture wise its strechy shewy unlike other soft indian sweets,Also it is made of cornflour rather than milk.

Karachi Halwa(some call it Bombay halwa too) is my sister's favorite and she can have box full all alone !I never thought its that easy to make with just couple of ingredients..It could be made with arrowroot flour too but i haven't tried that yet.

INGREDIENTS

1 Cup Cornflour

1/2 Cup Sugar

2 tsp Lemon juice

2 tbsp Ghee

2 Cup Water

1/2 Cup Chopped Dry Nuts

2 Cardamom(powdered)

1tsp Red Colour

DIRECTIONS

• Mix cornflour with 1.5 Cup Water.
• Take sugar with remaining half cup of water in non deap stick pan.Put in on heat and make syrup.Switchoff the heat.
• Mix cornflour with sugar syrup.Place on medium heat again and keep stirring.

• it will get thicken gradually,add colour and In 8-10 minutes it will start become like dough.
• Now add 1tbsp of ghee and stirr..it will take few minutes to get absorbed.Now add remaining ghee and mix till it get absorbed fully.

• Finally add nuts and cardamom powder.Keep stirring untill you get shiny dough.

• Remove from heat.Spread it on greesed pan with wet spatuala. Let it set for an hour.
• Cut in desired shape and serve.

# You can mark pieces and press whole cashew/almond in each center of piece.

## DON'T add all ghee atonce otherwise you not be able to incorporate it with halwa.

### Instead of lemon juice tatri(pea size) or citric acid can also be used.

Kaju Katli

Kaju katli has always been one of the favorite and famous sweet in north India and you can always find it in our house specially during Rakhi festival as my brother only eat this sweet ! :P

This time i was totally out of time to buy sweet from market due to high load of work also it was tough to get pure kaju katli in Pune,where we live.So,i decided to make it at home..luckily i was having this recipe in my draft.

This sweet is surprisingly very easy to make ! Just getting sugar syrup right is bit crucial..it was exactly same like store brought.So,i strongly recommend to try this at-least once.

INGREDIENTS
(12 pieces)

1 Cup Cashew/Kaju(at room temprature)
1/2 Cup Sugar
2 Cardamom pods
3tbsp Water
2tbsp Milk

Directions

• Make fine paste of cashew by grinding for 1 minutes.DON'T over grind otherwise it will become mushy..(If it happens dont worry much,u just have to use more strength while mixing it with sugar syrup).
• Heat sugar and water in nonstick pan and make 1string consistency syrup(very important).
• Add cashew paste and cardamom powder and keep stirring untill it become dough like consistency.Remove from heat and transfer this dough on flat surface/platform.
• As soon as its temprature comes down,start kneading it like dough.If dry add milk a little.
• Knead atleast for 5 minutes.
• Now take a greased surface and put the dough in center.Roll it like chapati into desired thickness and let it cool down completely.
• Cut in desired shape and store in dry place.

# Use milk only if dough is dry.
## Adding milk will reduce the shelf life of katli. 
### Kneading the dough is very important to get smooth texture.

Til Modak / Ellu Kozukattai

After very long time i am hereagain ,posting something.. that means i am back at my home for some days again ! :) As i travel a lot now a days, i got another fever of buying different regional and traditional utensils from different part of our country...this time i was back with some bamboo, modak making mold and some bamboo spatula ! :)

Now coming to the point,this post is again the entry of SNC Challenge which need no introduction in our blogging world ! I simply love this event from core of my heart..but due to work load i was not able to participate last months..but this time i can't miss.


As soon as i got the mail of North team challenge i jumped with joy as i was about make Modak anyway( due to my newly brought modak mold ) :P and addition of sesame ( til ) has given me another reason to make it asap !

 

While making these dumplings i was thinking that in all our regions of India we make similar kind of sweets..like with same ingredients in North-East we make Pitha (which bytheway i simply adore :P ),in Maharashtra its Modak and in south same modak gets another name Kozukattai !

This month challenge is given by Viji as Ellu Poorna Kozukattai or Til Modak.For stuffing i followed her exact method but for cover i make as i make usually.

INGREDIENTS
(15 modaks)

For Stuffing:
 1/3 Cup Jaggery
1/4 Cup Coconut(shredded)
1/3 Cup Sesame (Black/White)
2 Pods Cardamoms
2 tbsp Water

For Cover:
1 Cup Rice Flour
1tsp Ghee/Oil
1/2+1/4 Cup Water
Pinch of salt


DIRECTIONS

For Cover:

• Mix flour with 1/4 cup of hot water and salt.
• Boil 1/2 cup of water with 1 tsp of oil.ghee.Add flour and keep whisking it will you get soft dough like consistency,
• Remove from heat and let it rest for 5 minutes.

For Filling:

• Roast sesame seeds for couple of minutes and grind it into a coarse powder.
• Melt jeggery with water and sieve it.Again bring it to boil than add coconut and cardamom.
• As soon as it start bubbling again switch off the heat and mix in the sesame.

Assembling:

• Take small size of dough in your hand,make a flat circular shape.Put 1/2 tsp of stuffing in center and pinch all edges together on top of it covering from all sides.
• Prepare all Modaks similarly.
• Stream them for 7-8 minutes on high heat.They will become translucent after getting cooked.
• Serve hot !

# Cover each Modak by moist napkin while making it to avoid cracks.
## Keep stirring rice flour while cooking to avoid lumps.
### I used white sesame seeds but you can use black one too.

Lunji / Sweet Mango Chutney

This chutney is must to be made in most of the North Indian Kitchen..As soon as raw mangoes starts coming in market..Mom will definitely buy some and prepare this...and if its our home,you can find this in our Fridge for whole summer.. its used to be my life saver in the season of lauki,taroi like boring veggies  ..

Some people make it with only jaggery. but this make the colour of chutney very dark and also jaggery flavor become dominating over Mangoes.But its totally upto you,you can replace sugar with jaggery.

This recipe was prepared by my MIL on my last visit to home.I was stunned with the taste as it was totally same like my Moms lunji!(i thinks there are more similarity between both of them other than their names  )

Anyway i loved it so taken some snaps right after i transferred the chutney in bowl ( this was my contribution in this very dish  )

INGREDIENTS

1/2 Kg Raw Mangoes
1/2 Cup Jaggery (grated)
1 Cup Sugar
2 Cup Water
1tsp Panchphoran(cumin,fenugeek.fennel,caraway,onion seeds-mix in equal amount)
1/2tsp Chili powder
1 Whole Red Chili
1/4tsp Turmeric powder
1tbsp Ghee
Salt to taste


DIRECTIONS

• Cut the mangoes in desired shape.
• Heat ghee in heavy bottom pan.Splutter panchphoran with whole red chili in it for seconds.
• Add mangoes and spices.Fry for 2-3 minutes.
• Add jaggery and sugar with water.Let it come to boil.
• Simmer and let it cook till mangoes pieces become bit mushy.
• Transfer it into bowl or airtight container.Store in fridge.

# Increase or reduce the amount of sugar as per your mangoes sweetness and your liking.
## You can keep or discard the seed part of mango.We love them so i used it.

Bottle-guard Fudge / Barfi

This is my mom's recipe which she use to make for us when we were kid...its really simple to prepare and anyone can hardly tell that its made from our boring bottle-guard (लौकी) 

In north Bottle-guard is one of the main veggie in summer time..its really light for stomach but most of the kids don't like it because of its bland flavor..So this dessert is a nice way to make our family have it without even knowing the fact they are having there least favorite veggie  !

Generally people prepare halwa in similar way but i like to prepare fudge/Barfi as it makes it easy to have.
Its got that soft n melt in your mouth texture that you will not be able to stop after having one piece !

INGREDIENTS

2 Cup Bottle-guard(grated)
2 Cup Whole Milk
1tbsp Ghee
2-3 tbsp Sugar
2 Cardamom powder
2-3 tbsp Khoya
3-4 tbsp Crushed Dry fruits(optional)

DIRECTIONS

• Place heavy bottom pan over heat with grated bottle-guard in it.Close the lid and let it cook on low flame for 5-8 minutes.
• Add milk simmer on low heat until all milk dried out.It will take 15-20 minutes.By this time bottle-guard will become all mushy and soft.
• Mix in sugar,khoya and dry fruits.Fry on high heat.Don't leave pan unattended otherwise it will stick in the bottom.
• When it get all dried up mix in ghee and cardamom powder.
• Transfer it on greased plate and spread evenly.
• Deep freeze it for 2-3 hour.Cut into squares and store in airtight container.

# Can be stored up to 1 week in fridge.
## Adjust sugar as per your taste-buds.
### You can decorate the pieces with dryfruit as i did.