Hi Everybody, Hope you are all doing well, thank you all for still visiting me and leaving your valuable comments which has always been a big inspiration for me to come back to blogging. It's been more than a year and I haven't blogged ever since, been through lot of things and, as they say “Old wine in a new bottle” finally here I am with a new domain name and my own website, which is still under construction.

As the days go by I will try my best to make this site more user friendly and post all the things I have cooked and baked this past year which I have captured with my new found love, yes that’s right, my new camera which my Hubby presented me with on my last birthday, I am slowly learning everything about it, still toggling around, trying to learn how things work. WordPress and Canon are two new things I need to master... ahem, not really but, I will try my best!

I was pondering about what to write about in my first post, and wasn’t sure when this was going to happen either, and I guess everything seemed to take its own course. Today is somebody’s birthday; this person is very special to me in every way, so I decided I will dedicate my first post to this person in my life.

I hadn’t decided of cooking anything special as that person will not be able to eat what I have cooked, but my daughter decided otherwise, saying “It’s ok mum, you make something sweet and I’ll eat it”. So I decided to make this sweet (as a last minute plan) and had to take a quick photo of this (Photo courtesy: my dear daughter) and she decided I should post it today, start with a sweet note and make this my first post on the website!

Some things are my favourite when it comes to food; I love all kinds of fruits and vegetables, but, if somebody asks me which fruit you like I always say its Pineapple, I love pineapple and it is a versatile fruit for me, I just use it all kinds of sweets and savoury dishes I prepare, I just love the smell when it is cooked or baked or just eaten raw. How much do you love this fruit? Tell me how you use it in your cooking I would love to learn more ways of using it. Pineapple is one such fruit which is very good for your health too. Will update a few things I have read and googled about it soon watch this space.

Coming back to this recipe this is the usual Rava Kesari we make at our homes,  Here I have used Rice and instead of Rava(Semolina). It’s easy to make and tasty to relish.

Recipe Source: Original
Cooking time: 30 to 40 minutes
Serves: 3

INGREDIENTS:
1/3rd Cup Rice
3/4th cup Grated Pineapple
1 ½ cup Sugar*
1 tsp of Cardamom powder
Few strands of Saffron
Pinch of edible camphor
1 ¼ Cup Water
½ Cup Milk and 3/4th cup water
¼ cup Ghee

Garnishing:
2 tbsp Ghee
8 to 10 Dry Grapes (raisins)
8 to 10 Cashew nuts Broken

METHOD:
I used ½ of Pineapple and I got around 3/4th cup of grated pineapple, heat a tbsp of Ghee and add the pineapple with the juice and allow it to cook in a low flame, meanwhile in a pressure cooker cook the washed rice with ½ cup milk and ½ water and keep aside.
While you are preparing these in another bowl add sugar and 1 cup water and allow it to boil to a single thread consistency. Once it has reached single thread take it out and pour it into the wok which has pineapple cooking in it, Meanwhile your cooker would have cooled down as well, add cooked rice into it and keep stirring add another 2 tbsp of Ghee and cardamom powder and edible Camphor into it, a few minutes later you will notice they all come together and leave the side of the wok, just like a halwa consistency. Take it out immediately from the stove and keep aside.
In a small wok heat one or two tbsp of Ghee fry dry Grapes (raisins) and Cashew nuts once they change colour add it to the pineapple Rice Kesari
Serve warm or cold as you like.

NOTES:
*Increase or decrease Sugar depending on the sweetness of the pineapple
Edible Camphor should not be used more than a pinch as the smell is quite strong, if you don’t get it where you live you can omit it.

This recipe is linked to Hearth and Soul Blog Hop of Swathi, check out this link for loads of Recipes linked.

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Hi Everybody, Hope you all had a wonderful Sankranthi / Bihu / Lohri / Pongal /Bhoghi whatever way you want to call it.., we all Hindu celebrate this festival with such festivity, the auspicious time and the rituals are so important to us, The important thing you might have noted is the day it falls on January 14th every year, which never changes once or twice exceptionally, where in it might fall on January 13th or 15th very rarely.
This festival is celebrated in different regions in different names and traditions, and different sweets made on this occasion.  As this is a harvest festival we use all kind of vegetables as well...
Courtesy Wikipedia...

Makar Sankranti is the day when the glorious Sun-God begins its ascendancy and entry into the Northern Hemisphere and thus it signifies an event wherein the Sun-God seems to remind their children that 'Tamaso Ma Jyotir Gamaya'- may you go higher & higher, to more & more Light and never to Darkness.

I have used Red Sugar Candy / Segappu Kalkandu / Kempu Kallu Sakkare which is said to be a good one compared to the white one, In  Ayurveda and Home remedies, you would find every body always asking  us to use in  Kashayams and  powders this as sweetener or Honey as sweetener  this also helps in cough, cold etc.., I do not have much knowledge about this.., If anybody know any tips on this do share it here in the comment so everybody will have a update on it...
Here is how I made it...

SWEET PONGAL WITH KALKANDU / KALLU SAKKARE / SUGAR CANDY
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Serves 2 to 3

INGREDIENTS:
1/3 cup Rice
3 tbsp Moong Dal / Pacchai or Paitham Paruppu / Hesaru Bele / Senagu pappu
180 grms Kalkandu / sugar candy /Kallu Sakkre*
1/4 cup Ghee
6 to 7 Broken Cashews
10 to 12 Raisins
1/4 tsp powdered Yelakka / Cardamom / Elakki
A Pinch of Edible Camphor / Pacchai Karpoora 
A Pinch of Nutmeg powder
1 Cup Milk
1 Cup Water + 1/4 cup

METHOD:
In a frying pan add a 1/4 tsp of Ghee and fry Moong dal for few minutes in a low flame until it changes to golden colour and a nice aroma comes out of it.  Remove it on to a plate and keep it aside until needed.
In a Pressure cooker** take 1 cup of Milk with 1 cup of water add the roasted Moong dal and washed Rice together and cook for three whistles in medium flame.*** until well cooked.

Do this after your cooker is in the process of cooling... In a thick bottomed vessel take 1/4 cup of water and Sugar candy / Kalkandu / Kallu sakkre,  heat them together for few minutes until all the sugar candy dissolves in it, keep it in a low flame when doing this then filter the liquid and put it back on the stove. and boil it for 1 string consistency****
Once it has reached 1 string consistency immediately add the cooked rice to it, keep the stove in the low flame, to this add edible Camphor, powdered Cardamom  and Nutmeg powder and a 2 tbsp of ghee and close it with a lid.
Now in a small frying pan heat the remaining ghee, add the raisins first when they start bubbling up add the broken cashews when you see a light change in colour, switch of the stove and keep it aside this helps in not burning the cashews too much.

You can see that the Rice, Dal and Kalkandu mixture might be a bit liquidy, that is fine when it is still in a semi liquidy form remove it from the stove, garnish with raisins and cashews mix them well together and now it is ready to be served.

MY NOTES:
* I used 180 grams if you like it more sweeter you can increase it to 200 grms which would be sufficient
** I have used Pressure cooker for a quick version
Points to remember as it has got milk in it, you should be very careful I just cook it exactly for 13 minutes if it doesn't give out a whistle I just switch off the stove when it is 13 minutes.
***Other wise cook both dal and rice without covering the pressure cooker lid for few minutes just keeping a ladle and covering it half with a plate in a low flame for few minutes when the rice is 3/4th cooked add an extra bit of water (1/4) cup and then close the lid and cook for few more minutes around 6 to 7 minutes if it gives out whistle then that is fine other wise just switch off the stove and check and cook until it is well done. Other wise without any cooker you can just cook with a ladle immersed and a plate covered on top until it is well done. If you are directly cooking this way do not forget to use a thick bottomed vessel.
**** Do not over boil, kalkandu looses its sweetness and it caramelizes to dark deep red colour but it will be tasteless and will not have any sweetness either.  when it is over boiled so keep an eye on it once it reaches one string consistency immediately switch off the stove scrape down the vessel around and pour the liquid onto the rice and mix well.

VERDICT:
Absolutely divine, had a demand for me to make it again so made it again the next day, Everybody at home and friends just loved it, It was so delicious and with a beautiful aroma and colour, kids who doesn't like sweets at all demanded me to prepare again as I had made very little 

This also goes to fifty-two-weeks of 2013 project by Aparna and Sra for the second week as Garnet as theme.., enjoyed immensely...
Here is my Garnety click for the second week

The post Segappu Kalkandu ( Kempu Kallu Sakkre ) Pongal / Lentil and Rice Sweet Porridge made with Sugar Candy appeared first on My Veg Fare.

RASMALAAI

INGREDIENTS:
Milk 3 litres (2 litres for making for the Paneer (Ras) and 1 litre for making the Malaai/condensed milk)
3 tbsp of vinegar
5 cup Water
16 tbsp of Sugar (8 for the sugar syrup and 8 for Rasa/milk syrup)
saffron to garnish
1/4 cup Pista and Badam finely chopped
1 tsp Maida flour
1/4 tsp of cardamom powder

METHOD
In a bowl start heating milk, and once it starts to boil put a ladle in it so that it doesn't ooze out!!, keep an eye on it and watch out, so its better to have it in a very medium flame, Once the milk starts boils add the vinegar and stir through, while you are stirring you will see the milk getting curdled that is the milk gets separated from the water and this water is called the whey water. The paneer starts floating at the top and the water is below it.
Now take a fine cotton cloth or a cheese cloth and drain this paneer to separate water, do not throw away the water as it can be used in many ways!!
Once the paneer is drained pour some cold water on it so the smell of vinegar is gone!!
Now tie and hang it for an hour so the water is completely drained out nicely squeeze out the water, Now it forms a mass of paneer.
Take this on to the table top and knead it into a nicely pliable dough, so that there is no water content in it and should not stick to the hand, Now add maida and make it into small balls. do not make big balls as they enlarge in size by the end of procedure!!
Now to make the sugar syrup:
In a pressure cooker add water and sugar as indicated (8tbsp) and allow it to boil, drop these balls into it and allow it boil then close the lid of the pressure cooker and let it cook for 7 minutes (2 whistles) then once the pressure is released open the lid, you can now see that they are double in size.
Take them out into a sugar syrup as you can see in the picture below which is also called as Rasgullas!!

RASGULLAS

As you can see them in the sugar syrup they become double in size, press each ball slightly to remove excess sugar syrup and keep aside.

Preparation of the Malaai or condensed milk
When you are starting the procedure for the paneer you can start boiling milk in another stove as it takes some time !!, The milk should start boiling and reduce to half of its quantity that is most of the watery portion in the milk will evaporate and the milk becomes more thicker, to this add the remaining quantiy of sugar, chopped nuts and cardamom powder and also the saffor threads, to this add the pressed out paneer balls and leave it absorb the malai and refrigerate it and serve it chilled... and ENJOY.....
You might find the procedure too long but it is a very easy process, you don't even have to measure, you can just take milk and start with the process..

My verdict: Absolutely gorgeous to devour, very easy, no need to measure anything just add sugar to your taste, like me My Ras malaai was far too sweet for the sweet tooths in my zoo.., I even used shop bought condensed milk with my own condensed milk and made it more thicker!!, I added MTR Badam powder, which is gorgeous and smells wonderful.., totally it was great..
Thanks valli for the lovely challenge....

Some tips: Do not use Long life carton milk, they take a longer time to curdle and they are quite sticky too, that is my experience use full fat milk for the lovely consistency, I did not use Maida/ All purpose Flour at all but then also it turned out well, I just did not like the idea of using Maida to hold the balls, knead them well they will be fine., If you are worried just make it with only 1/2 litre of milk! use less quatity of vinegar/Lemon juice.

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This was what my mom used to make during the season of Mangoes!!, well now,of course, it is the season of Mangoes!!  Summer time Mango, Karbooze (water-melon) time, it is such a refreshing drink, right from the fridge. when you serve it chilled when the sun is scorching it is absolutely a bliss, In Banglore, there are a lot of Fresh fruit shops which have a good business during summer, and here they sell it as Mango milk shake with Ice cubes and it feels so good!!, I think I am going on and on about this, writing about this  I am walking down my memory lane! or I think I am  in the streets of Banglore!! Oh! God! whatever it is let me come back to the recipe and I need to tell you why I made this!!

I joined this club of book lovers called ''This book makes me cook'' who read a book every month and cook something from the book!!, I wanted to join this club and I had this thought from a long time, but never got a chance to write to them, last month I decided I was going to join them just for the love to read books, It was quite a hard way to start off with as I could not get hold the copy of that book so they helped me with it and I had a hard time as reading the soft copy was quite difficult, I was crying and laughing !!, My children thought mum is upset reading the book and that's the reason she is crying but then I had to tell them continuously reading for an hour or so every day was bringing water in my eyes!! but the book was quite hilarious!!

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