Mango Kulfi

Mango Kulfi

I have to tell you all that it is my birthday today....but that is not the main reason I made this today....I have a long story for this...as usual...  :-)....please do not say "not again"...just bear with me...I promise to cut it short...

I had been eyeing the kulfi molds in the shops time & again...but somehow did not get around to buying it for some reason or the other...was not too sure how much I would really use it...have loads of stuff that I purchase with the vague plan of using it "some day"...

Then once T & I had gone grocery shopping and they had the cutest kulfi molds on sale...so tempting - this time T himself picked it up...so I decided to get it... and since then it has been laying around my cupboards...(I know, I know...but see I have used it finally)

Nyways..so the plan was that I would make kulfi soon...but that has been quite a while ago....and now about say 3-4 mths or 6...who knows..it was still not inaugurated...

Decided to get down to business...and b'day being a good day for a new beginning...kulfi it was...and being mango season ...my first foray into this was with a mango kulfi....

But as I said in my first line...it was not made for my b'day cause I had already planned a chocolate cake ( by popular demand ...my Mom actually )...so this morning was very hectic with me making both the cake and the kulfi and attending to messages, calls, what's app...etc...and also getting ready to go out for lunch & some shopping with sister dearest...

Phew! somehow managed, took the cake to my parents place, all gathered there - cut it, ate it, left some crumbs for our respective spouses...sorry guys...was really melt in the mouth...( I think I make it for almost everyone's birthdays...this is what all seem to want )...and kept the kulfi in the freezer in my new molds...cannot wait to see hubby's face when I take it out... I am bound to hear an "At last"...

So anyways after having patience to hear(read) me out...the least I can do is give you the recipe...here goes...sorry guys no pictures this time...was too busy this morning to get it..this mould has 8 kulfis - before the last one is over if I get the pictures taken I will update this post...

This turned out so great ...makes a good dessert or can be had just when the mood strikes...so cool and delish.

Ingredients:

2 and half cups milk - half a litre - 500 ml
1/4 cup milk powder
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/4 sugar to be added if required (depending on the mangoes)
1 cup of mango pulp (about 3-4 alphonso mangoes depending on size)
1 Tblspn of crushed almonds & walnuts ( can use any nuts )
a few sprigs of kesar (saffron )


Method :

1) Bring the milk to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer till it reduces to about half.
2) Add the rest of the ingredients except the mango pulp & sugar. Mix thoroughly.
3) Let it cool down completely - then add the mango pulp to the mixture. 
4) At this stage do the taste test...and add sugar if required as per your requirement. 
Since the milk powder I used had been sweetened, and the condensed milk is sweetened and the mangoes were sweet enough I did not require any additional sugar.
5) Pour the kulfis into moulds and keep in the freezer for 8 hrs or overnight.
6) To demould, run some water over the outside of the moulds, and gently twist the stick to remove it.

Enjoy !!!

They were so amazing...that I am very happy with my purchase...feel it was totally worth it, even if I do not make it again ( which will not be the case...as hubby was already making plans as to which flavour should be next...maybe badam pista kulfi )...this is a total paisa-vasool purchase...

I do urge you all to try out this delicious recipe...and you do not need the kulfi moulds ...it can be set in any dish...I had some leftover which I poured into a couple of other containers too...had to cut and serve them up...tasted just as good...yum !!!

So let me know how it turns out for you...
P.S.....as you have guessed from the pictures above that I did manage to take some before we finished it all off...and hence the update...

Kansar - Sheera with Fada - Broken Wheat pudding - Daliya Sweet Dish

Kansar or Fada Sheera

This month was very hectic - in terms of the no. of visitors we had - generally our home could be likened to a very sleepy village or town - but the past few weeks you could compare it to a bustling metropolis....

I guess, visitors from the fair climes prefer to come when it is a bit cool here for them (winter for us here in Mumbai) - it makes their stay more comfortable - but this year it seemed that everyone we knew - friends & relatives had come at the very same time...

While it was fun to meet up with all - and we had rollicking parties every second day [as much as our creaking bones would allow :-)] - the biggest question was what do I prepare for each one of our visitors...what are their preferences ...likes, dislikes....

Yesterday T's b-i-l was to arrive in Mumbai...so some of his favourite veggies, dhebra, etc were planned ...and for dessert, I decided to make a sheera  from fada - that is broken wheat - or daliya as it is called, the actual name for this dish is Kansar -  pronounced like kasar...I think the 'n' sound is silent...but anyways when I looked up the net - I saw it was spelled as kansar...so that is what I have put up on my title...though I prefer to think of it as fada sheera.

Ok - so coming back to this dish - I have seen while it was being made in A'bad, by our very talented cook B...and read a few different recipes for the same - but I made it slightly differently...and I think it turned out pretty good (so did T's bil ), so I decided to post the recipe.

Sabudana Kheer / Sago Pudding

Sabudana Kheer

Normally on the 1st of Jan - as a sort of celebration (New Year Day ! )  I make something sweet - or at least have been doing so for past some years now.

During a chat about what we had the previous year, and what we should make for this year, Mom came up with kheer ( which is like a sort of pudding - but without the egg )....and I got to thinking. Years ago, one of Mom's favourite kheer was the sabudana kheer...which like so many of her regular dishes was sort of forgotten as we discovered & adopted new recipes from others around. So thought let me surprise her with this kheer this year.

So as always trolling the net ( get a lot of ideas from there ) - and having some idea of how Mom used to prepare it - and having  had a fair bit of idea myself from all the different kheers that I have since prepared ...and thus armed with all the gathered intel...went about making it...
It was an eye opener - I had totally forgotten how amazing this kheer turns out - so smooth - so melt in the mouth...it can be had hot or cold ( though I prefer it cold, it becomes better the longer you keep it - say the next day... ) - the starch in the sago (sabudana) makes it yummy - that you just cannot stop at one bowl. It is like a comfort food...like a good soup...or chocolate - you get a long and lasting pleasure when you have it...

Nyways - so back to present day...why did I go down memory lane...cause we were expecting my hubby's friend to come over for lunch - and while planning the menu, and since he has a sweet tooth - decided to make this kheer (since it had been bought back to our notice this year)....
So within a span of a month I was back to boiling and reducing the milk, soaking the sabudana, frying the cashew & raisins, crushing the cardamoms....and this time managed to get a few pictures taken...so that this blog could be complete...with text & the pictorials..

Microwave Sukhadi / Gud Papdi

Microwave Sukhadi

Now this recipe is one which I had to put down in my Blog, I already have a regular Sukhadi recipe - so was not sure I should put this one too - but the ease with which this came together and the perfection of the end result - soft & yummy - absolutely delish...had to get the pen & paper out...sorry ...camera & computer...

The main ingredients are the same as original Sukhadi recipe and which can be obtained thru the link above...the method is given below,

Method :

1) Take a microwave bowl and mix in the 1 cup of wheat flour, with the 1/2 cup of ghee thoroughly.
2) Microwave on high for 4 minutes - stopping after 2 and stirring it.
3) Microwave again for 4-5 minutes - stopping now after every minute and stirring it.
4) The aroma of wheat roasting will start coming at this stage - the mixture is still very moist but the color has started to change.
5) At this stage add the 1/2 cup crushed nuts ( almond & walnuts ) along with powdered cardamom. This time I also put in some crushed saffron. Mix.
6) Microwave for 1 minute - take out and stir - now the ghee will be all absorbed and the mixture looks more together. Add the 1/2 cup grated jaggery and mix it - the heat will melt the jaggery.
7) Microwave for 30 seconds and then mix again so that all the jaggery is blended in.

Setting on a Thali

At this stage the Sukhadi is all done - spread it in a greased plate or tray and let it cool down - cut - then cover and keep in the fridge for about 1 hour - this makes it easier to remove the pieces. 

Enjoy !!!

P.S. If you like to have Sukhadi which is not so soft - you could microwave it for a minute or two after after the jaggery.

I have made Besan Ladoo in the microwave this Diwali after many unsuccessful attempts earlier ( have yet to get that down in the blog ) and now this too worked out great - so decided to make a start on posting all these recipes....it was such an easy sweet to make and one which my hubby loves ...so am happy today...
Today is Christmas - not a very apt sweet for the occasion - but anyways ...wishing all a very merry X'mas and Happy New Year !!!

In my quest for the perfect Nankhatai...Indian Cookie

Nankhatai

Nankhatai is one of the most popular Indian cookie, it is very light, crunchy and sweet of course, as a kid it used to be one of my favourite cookies, another was the coconut cookie, and a cookie similar to the Nankhatai was the very famous Shrewsbury biscuit which we would get when ever any one came from Pune ( which is where they were available at a bakery called Kayani's  ).

So where and why did my quest begin ? Well it all started when I came upon a recipe for Nankhatai....and I was like oh! wow, now I can make my own and that was the start of all my travails ....am wondering whether I should trouble all of you with all my troubles...but what the ????....why not...so here goes...

So continuing with my story.....I came upon this while browsing some other recipes on the net ( this is one of my favourite pasttimes....I know...I know...it seems like I have lots of time on my hands..not quite so...but nyways )....and  decided to try it out.

This recipe had all-purpose flour and desi ghee in it...and of course sugar...sounded yumm...so got out my ingredients, bowls...fired up the oven ...tried to follow the recipe as mentioned, but the end  product looked no where liked the picture in the recipe...tasted good, but was a bit crumbly...

Some more research ...( basically googling )....and got another recipe with butter this time...so tried that ...very different flavour and texture...but felt something was still missing...it was more salty ( mainly cause I used salted butter instead of using the unsalted one and adding salt as per the recipe called for ) and it was a bit dry...

Then lightbulb moment...decided to try with a slight modification ( a combination of first and second ) and voila...a much better version....I felt like shouting "Euraka" and dancing around ( though a more censored version than Archimedes's)....