Diwali Bakshanam

Its been a long time since I celebrated Diwali in Chennai....I always say this is the best city to celebrate Diwali....nowhere else will you see or feel it. Its special. Diwali also means rainy days but we would wait for the sun to peep out and burst crackers with our cousins, It is such a warm and nice feeling. Diwali goes with sweet treats right...you can smell the melting of butter for making ghee from every household...and also the smell of bakshanam (sweets and savouries) lingering outside every house and exchanging of sweets/..planning and discussing about what we are making with friends and relatives....miss all this :( .....not sure when I will get to celebrate Diwali in India....

I try to make it special here too...though it is not to the same extent...we celebrate a quiet Diwali with a sumptuous meal and sweets and treats. Next year I am thinking of buying sparklers and bursting it.
But after four years my mom is here with me and that made it extra special this year and we made sweets together and enjoyed it.

We made Badushah (Indian Doughnuts), Badam Halwa and Ribbon Pakoda. Hope my dear blog friends had a memorable Diwali too....Will be posting the recipes soon...........

Badushah

Ingredients: (Yields around 40 pieces)

3 Cups Maida or All purpose flour
10 TBSPN Butter Unsalted at room temperature (do not microwave it to bring it to the room temperature. Do it by taking the butter out of the refrigerator atleast an hour before you make it)
1 Pinch Baking soda (ran out of this hence used baking powder)
Oil or homemade ghee for frying (do not use store bought ghee)

For the Glaze

2 Cups Sugar

1 Cup Water

Method

1. Take a flat vessel (and a broad one too). Add the butter and the baking powder and keep mixing it till you get a nice shine. It will take around 15 minutes to get to this level.

2. Add the maida to this and mix it to the butter with your fingers. It has to be done the way we do jamuns by not putting too much pressure on the dough (tamizhla sonna pona - romba pesaya koodadhu!). If you are not able to get a soft dough with this sprinkle little water to make the dough (do not add too much water).

3. Cover the dough with a wet cloth and set it aside for 10 minutes. You may use a damp kitchen towel for the same.

4. Take a small lemon sized ball and flatten it. Press it in the middle.

5. In the meantime heat oil in a pan. It should not get over heated. Once the oil is heated. Turn it on medium heat 

6. Fry the badushahs in medium heat. While they are cooking Pierce them using a fork and flip it over

 so that it will cook evenly on both sides. Cook them untill they are golden brown. Just do this once do not keep stirring them up while they are getting cooked.

7. Take it out after it gets golden on both sides. Place it on a kitchen towel to drain out excess oil.

I know a lot of people use vanaspathi for making these. But I know we do not get it here and it is not good to use it too.

Now for the sugar syrup -

8. Combine water and sugar in a heavy bottom pan and let the sugar dissolve completely before turning on the stove.

9. Make syrup to one string consistency. Let it cool for sometime.

10. Now start dipping the badushahs one by one on both sides in the sugar syrup and place them on a plate. Do not stack one on top of the other since they will stick together. If you feel like you need more sugar you may dip them more than once in the sugar syrup.

11. If the sugar syrups has thickened too much then add water and reheat it.  Enjoy! I like to taste them when they are warm....Enjoy! Everytime I eat glazed doughnuts @Krispy I am reminded of our very own badushah!

BADAM HALWA

2 Cups Badam/Almonds
2 1/2 Cups Sugar
1 1/4th Cup Ghee
Saffron

Method
Soak the almonds in boiling water. Peel the skin.
Grind the almonds using milk.
Take a heavy bottom (or non stick) pan and add sugar and water. Dissolve the sugar.
Turn on the gas.
Boil the sugar to one string consistency.
Add the almond puree to the sugar syrup. You need to cook this till the raw smell is gone.
Heat milk and add the saffron by rubbing it well in the warm milk. Add this to the halwa.
Start adding ghee when the halwa starts sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Keep stirring till you get the halwa consistency.
I poured it on the plate and cut it into squares. You may use the wax paper and make individual halwa packets just like the way you get it in shops....this time I ran out of wax paper hence had to cut it into burfi. This is one the most simplest and easy to make dishes!

RIBBON PAKODA

2 Cups Besan Flour

1 Cup Rice Flour

1/4 Cup Ghee

Salt to taste

1/4 Tsp Red Chilly powder

1/4 Tsp Turmeric powder

Oil for frying

Murukku Press in that use the flat one that will come out like ribbon

Combine the besan (after sifting), rice flour (after sifting), salt and red chilly powder. Add ghee and mix it well.

Now add water little by little and make it into a dough. Do not make it too hard then it will be difficult to get it out of the murukku press. Make balls that will fit into your press and keep it.

Heat oil in a pan.

Take the dough and put it in the press. Make ribbon pakoda by squeezing the press over the oil.

Take it out when the sound of the oil stops. Place the ribbon on kitchen towel to drain out excess oil. Store it in air tight container

You need not wait till next Diwali for making this...go ahead and make it....enjoy it as a tea time snack!

Oven Baked Samosas

I wanted to try something in my new oven. I made vegetarian lasagna with oven ready lasagna sheets but I did not find time to take the picture. Will make it one more time and post it. The weather was already dull and boring...wanted something hot and yummy...pakoras, samosas...but did not want to make any fried items...not that am on diet..but the smell of oil keeps lingering in the house. So there I decided to make samosas by baking it. Enjoyed it without guilt!

Ingredients:

I used equal quantities of maida and wheat flour 1 1/2 cups
Water
6 Medium Sized Potatoes peeled and boiled
1/2 Cup Frozen Peas and microwave for 3 mintues
Salt to taste

Roast them in a teaspoon of oil and grind after it cools down - 1/2 Tsp Channa Dhal, Coriander seeds, 1 inch cinnamon stick, 1 bay leaf and 1 Tsp Jeera

Mash the potatoes and peas. Add salt and the masala powder.

Make a dough using the flour. Divide the vegetable and the dough into equal quantities.

Roll the dough like roti. Cut it into half (like semi-circle). Take a semi-circle and keep the veggie ball and fold it like a triangle.. Press it with the fork and seal. Since we are not frying this in oil you need not be too much worried about the veggie coming out of it.
Finish the rest of the samosas the same way. Coat these samosas with oil before popping into the oven.

Pre-heat the oven upto 400 degree F. Bake the samosas till they turn golden brown.
Enjoy them with chutney or ketchup...

Kasi Halwa (White Pumpkin/ Ash Gourd Halwa)

I am back after few months...but not with my newest of the newest recipes though. I did try something new yesterday and I will post that one too....it is such a thrill to try and post. I feel even more happier when it turns out good. Diwali is around the corner and I wanted to post something festive...I made this couple of years ago for Diwali of course....but something kept me from not posting this. Finally I found time to do it.

But I heard this used to be a tedious one those days...but not now....I make it in the pressure cooker! Note: Since this is pressure cooked it reduces in quantity.

Ingredients:

White Pumpkin (Ash Gourd) - 4 cups shredded

Sugar - 2 Cups

Orange color - a pinch

Ghee - 2 TBSPN

Finely chopped cashew, almonds and powdered cardamom

Pressure cook the pumpkin upto one whistle. Let it cool. Drain the water. You may use the cheese cloth to squeeze out the excess water from the vegetable. Reserve the water. Do not throw it away.

Add sugar to this water and let it dissolve. Boil this in medium heat. Add the cooked ash gourd and stir it till you get the halwa consistency (the water must be entirely absorbed). Add the food color.

Add ghee when the halwa starts sticking to the bottom of the pan. Turn off the stove and add the roasted nuts and powdered cardamom. It is pretty simple to make.....Enjoy this Diwali with a blast!