Rava Besan Laddu

Today, I'm back with another sweet for the regional special theme for the Blogging Marathon and my choice is Maharashtra cuisine. If yesterday's Gulpoli was a makarasankaranthi special, this rava-besan laddo is a Diwali treat. I have made rava ladoo and besan ladoo. The combo sounded interesting. I followed the recipe from Chakali. I liked the recipe for it used less amount of ghee since the sugar syrup is added.  

One reader who had tried the recipe from Chakali had commented that the dough was very sticky and runny that it could not be shaped into balls. So while adding the syrup, I reserved around 3 tablespoons of syrup, thinking I will add later if required. After the resting time for the dough, I felt the reserved syrup can be used up too. It was perfect. Please note that you use the same cup to measure all the ingredients. I used the measuring cup.  

You need

• Rava/Semolina - 1 cup (Use the fine variety)
• Besan/Chickpea flour - 1/2 cup
• Ghee - 3 tblspn
• Sugar -1 cup
• Water -1/2 cup
• Cardamom powder - 1 tspn
• Cashew nuts - 1 tblspn

Method

Dry roast rava till it is pink. Keep stirring as you roast else it will get burnt and also will not get roasted evenly.  Transfer the roasted rava to a plate. Add besan and roast it. When the raw smell disappears, slowly add 2 tablespoon of melted ghee and mix well. At this stage, the mix will be runny. Keep sauteing till the mix starts to brown and you can smell the heavenly aroma of roasted besan. Add the besan-ghee mix to the roasted rava. 

Add a tablespoon of ghee to the kadai. When hot, add cashew nuts. Remove when it is brown and add to the rava-besan mixture. Add cardamom powder and mix well.

Heat a kadai with sugar and water. Keep stirring so that the sugar dissolves fully. Once the sugar is fully dissolved, it will start frothing. After this stage, cook for a minute or two. The syrup would have turned sticky to one string consistency. Check by dropping some syrup using the ladle. You can see the drops falling stretching to form a string. Remove it from the fire. The syrup consistency is very important. If it is paste this stage, it will be difficult to make ladoos since it will turn crumbly.

Add the syrup to the rava-besan mixture. Mix with a spatula as you add. Cover and leave it for 20 minutes.

By this time, the rava would have absorbed most of the moisture and the mixture will be almost dry. It will be moist enough to shape into laddus. 

You will get around 18 laddus depending on the size.

I'm sending these plate of laddus to Indian Mithai Mela hosted by Mom Chef.

Check out what my fellow marathoners have cooked for the day.

Mango Sheera

Mango season is going to end, soon. So I keep buying them often to make the most when it is available. Apart from eating the fruit as it is, I had lot more to be used up. And I decided to make a mango flavored sheera. There is no second thoughts when it comes to making sweet. It is always welcome at home.  Its very easy to make and tastes delicious with the flavor of mango. 

You need

• Roasted rava/semolina - 1 cup
• Milk - 1 cup
• Water-1/2 cup
• Fresh mango pulp - 1 cup
• Sugar -1 cup
• Ghee - 2 tblspn
• Cardamom powder -1/2 tspn
• Cashewnuts,raisins - 1 tblspn

Method
Select a medium sized mango which doesn't have fibre. De-skin and cut the mango into cubes. Pulse in the mixer and make a fine puree.  You can use tinned pulp too. In that case adjust the sugar accordingly.

In a kadai or thick bottomed vessel, take mango pulp, milk, water and sugar. Boil the mixture till the sugar is fully dissolved. Add the roasted rava and mix well. Cook on low heat. When the mixture starts to thicken, add 2 tablespoon of ghee. Continue to cook till all the liquid dries up and the mixture is moist. Switch of the heat. 

In a seasoning ladle, add a teaspoon of ghee. Roast cashew and raisins. Add it to the sheera. Finally add cardamom powder. Mix well.  Serve warm.

Sheera in Microwave

Sheera is a popular sweet in Maharashtra. This is similar to the Kesari of South India. The ingredients are similar but the proportion  is different. Sheera is less in calories when compared to Kesari. Since the amount of sugar used is less, its not cloyingly sweet and can be had anytime of the day. I tried making it in microwave and it got done in less than 10 minutes.

You need

• Rava/semolina - 1 cup
• Milk - 1 cup
• Water-1 cup
• Sugar -1 cup
• Ghee - 2 tblspn
• Cardamom powder -1/2 tspn
• Cashewnuts,raisins - 1 tblspn

 Method

Take a tablespoon of  ghee in a bowl. MW for 30 seconds. Add cashew and raisins. MW for another 30 seconds. Remove the fried cashews and raisins. Add rava. Microwave for a minute. You can smell the aroma of roasted rava. I slightly roast and store the rava. If not, it might take another half a minute or so.

Measure out milk, water and sugar in another bowl. Microwave for 6 minutes. Stir in between so that the sugar is dissolved. It should be heated till the liquid starts bubbling. It took 6 minutes at 100% power in mine. Add the roasted rava to the liquid. Mix well. MW for 3 minutes. The liquid would have dried by now. It should be moist. Don't cook till it is dry since it will turn more dry on standing. Add cardamom powder, a tablespoon of ghee and garnish with roasted cashewnuts and raisins.

Sending this to Microwave Easy Cooking event hosted by Lata Akka , an event initiated by Srivalli.

Chocolate Semiya Kesari

My husband usually searches for sweets, post dinner. Sometimes there may not be even dates, to satisfy his cravings. Depending on the strength of the urge, I'll be asked to make kesari,  since it is a quickie, which can be done in 10 minutes. There is no waiting time also and it can be scooped straight from the pan. On one such night, he suggested semiya (vermicelli) kesari. And I decided to go for half and half of semiya and rava. While cooking, when I had to add the color powder, I thought why not some cocoa e powder. Since I was making a small quantity, I could  afford to experiment. And anything chocolate has to taste good. The end result was so good and then on its mostly chocolate kesari at home. I sometimes make with only semolina or vermicelli.

You  need

• Rava/Semolina - 1/2 cup
• Semiya/Vermicelli - 1/2 cup
• Sugar -1 cup
• Water - 2 1/2 cup
• Ghee - 1 tblspn
• Cocoa powder - 2 tspn
• Cashew and raisins - few

Method

Roast rava and semiya separately till light brown. If you are using roasted semiya, then no need to roast it again.

Take a kadai and add the measured water. When it starts boiling, add the roasted semiya. When its half cooked, add rava and cocoa powder. Semiya takes more time to cook, hence adding it first. When both rava and semiya is cooked well and the water is fully absorbed, stir in the sugar. Continue cooking till the melts completely and the mixture comes together. Add half a tablespoon of ghee and give it a nice stir.

In a separate pan, heat ghee and add cashews. When cashews start browning, add raisins. Stir in the fried cashews and raisins along with the ghee to the cooked kesari. If you wish to slice them, spread it on a plate greased with ghee. When cool, slice into desired shape.

Pineapple Kesari

I can't remember how many times I have made kesari at home. Everytime, when my hsuband has the sweet craving (that craving is there almost daily) and there isn't anything near to sweet to munch on, he will ask me to make kesari. Then the quantity I make will be very less. that is just one serving for two. When the whole of my neigborhood must be getting ready to hit the bed, I will be busy in the kitchen making kesari. When you are making in small quantities, its very easy, much easier than making upma, since no chopping involved here. On one such night, when I set out to make kesari, the pineapple on my kitchen caught my attention. I have heard of pineapple kesari a lot but never tried it. Decided it was pineapple kesari that day. Chopped the pineapple into bite sized pieces and used a cup of it for the kesari. I have heard many people cribbing at the thought of cutting a pineapple. I have never found it difficult. The remaining pineapple was used for making jam. I followed my usual way of making kesari with the addition of the pineapple chunks in it. I just increased the water and sugar quantity to make up for the addition of the pineapple.

You need


Roasted rava/semolina - 1 cup

Sugar -2 1/4 cups ( increase 1/4 cup more depending on the sweetness of pineapple)

Water - 2 1/2 cups

Yellow food color -a pinch. ( Can use turmeric powder too)

Ghee - 1/2- 1 cup

Cardamom powder - 1 tspn



I usually roast rava as soon as I buy them from store. If not roasted, dry roast rava till light pink. You get roasted rava too from the stores.

Heat a kadai, add measured water with a pinch of food color. When water starts boiling, add the pienapple pieces. After a minute or so, add rava and mix well. Let the rava cook and by then the water will be fully absorbed. Add sugar. The sugar will melt and the mixture will turn runny. Mix well and take care to break the lumps if any. Slowly add ghee at intervals. The kesari will take a glossy sheen and will leave the sides of the pan. It tastes beest when served cold. You can press it down on a greased plate and cut into desired shape while warm.  Loved the hint of pineapple in the kesari.

Note: If you don't want to bite into the pineapple pieces, you can give a run in the food processor or mixer and then add for a smooth texture. You can add roasted cashews too.


I am sending this to Sanghi's FIL event which features Fruits for the current month

Methi Rava Idly and Sambhar

Idly for breakfast makes work easier, since the breakfast for the entire family is made in a single batch. That's the only factor which pushes me to make idly for breakfast. Two years back, I first tried making rava idly with the MTR instant pack . Followed the instructions on the pack, rava idly turned out well was given a thumbs up by the family. I noted the ingredients on the packet. After 3 attempts, I got the right texture of the idly by making it from scratch. Since then, this recipe is a savior when in need of a quick fix for breakfast. I usually do the seasonings and roasting part the previous day and refrierate the mix. The next day all I have to do is mix in the wet ingredients and proceed with idly making. It saves lot of time.

Methi Rava Idly
(Yields - 16 nos )

Rava/Sooji - 2 cups
Buttermilk - 1 cup
Water - 1 cup
Salt
Cooking soda- 1/4 tspn
Methi leaves - handful
(Grates carrot or fresh corn etc can also be used)



Seasoning

Ghee/oil - 2 tblspn
Mustard seeds - 1 tspn
Chana dal - 1 tblspn
Cashews - 10 nos
Green chilly - 2 nos, finely chopped
Curry leaves - few






Heat oil/ghee in a kadai. Add the seasoning ingredients. Add the methi leaves. When the leaves wilt, add the rava and roast till you can smell the aroma of roasted rava. Cool and add salt,buttermilk and water. I have used buttermilk since it is always available in my home. Beaten curd can also be used instead. The proportion of rava and liquid is 1:1. Whisk to break the lumps. Keep it aside for 10 minutes. Mix in the cooking soda and mix gently. Scoop into greased idly moulds and steam for 7-10 minutes. Serve hot with chutney or sambhar or molagapodi. Adding methi leaves did not impart any bitter taste to the idlis.


Sambhar

Sambhar in Palakkad Iyer lingo is not the instant, quick fix kind. To qualify for sambhar it must have coconut and fresh roasted and ground spices. Sambhar without coconut is looked down upon and is rarely made too. Things have changed now. People have go used to making with instant sambhar powders sans coconut. And coconut if used, is very moderate quanitity. I rarely make sambhar using the sambhar powder. When ever I make coconut less version (podi potta sambhar) , I prefer fresh powder. And i do have the store bought sambhar powder in stock,ironically never used for sambhar making. the veggies used in sambhar is very versatile. Drumstick/ladies finger/ pumpkin/brinjal/raddish/pearl onion are some of the common veggies used. Each veggie on its own gives a distinct flavor and a combination of veggies also works good. Sambhar is a very forgiving recipe and has scope for many variations. I usually follow the age-old method of eye ball measurement while making sambhar. I believe that gives a distinct taste each time its made. Take the following measurement as a guideline and little more or less will not alter the taste much.

Now coming to the recipe I follow,

Radish/Mullangi - 2 nos,sliced into circles

Tuvar dal - 1/2 cup

Tamarind - lemon sized

Turmeric

salt

Coconut - generous 1/2 cup

To roast and grind

Oil - 1 tblspn

Coriander seeds/Malli - 2 tblspn

Red chilly - 4 nos

Chana dal/Kadala paruppu - 1 tspn

Methi seeds/Venthayam/Uluva - 1/2 tspn

Curry leaves - 5 leaves (optional)

Hing powder - few shakes

Seasoning

Oil - 1 tspn

mustard seeds - 1 tspn

Curry leaves for garnish

Pressure cook tuvar dal till soft and mash able. Soak tamarind in warm water for 5 minutes or so. This will help easier extraction of the juice. Keep the vegetable sliced.

Take the tamarind extract in a vessel and a cup of water, salt and turmeric. When the tamarind water starts boiling, add the veggies. Cook till it is fork tender.

In the meantime, roast the the ingredients to be roasted till the dal turns light brown. Remember to add the methi seeds during the last stages of roasting. When cool grind to a smooth paste along with coconut. Add water as required.

Mash the cooked dal and stir into the cooked veggies. Add the ground paste. Check the salt. Adjust the consistency by adding water. Bring to rolling boil stage. Do the seasoning with mustard seeds and add few curry leaves for garnish.

The plate of idly and sambhar is my contribution to EC's WYF -Breakfast event

Kesari

First recepie - A sweet.

Rava Kesari
Fried Rava - 1 cup
Sugar - 2 cups
Ghee - 1 cup
Water - 2 cups
Elaichi powder - 1/2 t.sp
Cashew/Kismis - 1 tb sp
yellow/red colour - 1 pinch

Boil water after adding color to it. Add the fired rava slowly to the boiling water. Keep mixing while adding rava to avoid forming lumps. When rava is cooked (ie, when the rava and water forms a solid proposition) add sugar to it with continuous stirring. You will see some rava lumps already. Don't panic. You can break them using the laddle by pressing on the lumps. Keep mixing. When it starts to solidify, add ghee little by little. Add elaichi powder. When the mixture does not stick to the sides of the pan, it is ready.
Take a small frypan. Add 1 teaspoon of ghee. Add cashew to it. When cashew starts browning, add kismis.
Add the fried cashew and kismis to the kesari and mix well.

Preparation time - 15 mts
Serves - 4

Usually I make this after dinner when Hubby dear cannot find any sweet to eat. This is the instant sweet which can be made with the 'all time' readily available items in the kitchen.