Desi sweet treats

The Asian Age.

Life, Food

This winter, indulge your sweet-tooth with a few desi dessert recipes.

Gajar Halwa
  • Sieve the flour in a broad flat dish.
  • Sprinkle the lukewarm milk and ghee over the flour a little at a time. Combine the flour along with the ghee and milk until well mixed.
  • Cover it and keep it in a warm place for at least 3 hours. Gently crumble the mixture and then sieve it in a medium sized sieve.
  • In a sauce pan add 1 cup of water and prepare sugar syrup of less than 1 thread consistency and keep aside.
  • Heat a heavy bottomed sauce pan; add the crumb mixture and saute on medium heat for about 5 minutes.
  • Stir in the crumbled khoya and continue to saute on low heat.
  • Gradually add a little ghee at a time and keep stirring the mixture until you get a roasted aroma. The mixture will have turned a light golden brown.
  • Add in the chopped nuts and raisins and continue to keep stirring. You will notice that that the ghee begins to leave the sides of the pan.
  • Add the crushed goond and sauté on low or medium flame till it turns golden brown.
  • Finally add the almonds and pistachios.
  • Stir all ingredients until well combined and turn off the heat.
  • After about a minute, stir in the sugar syrup to the above ladoo mixture.
  • Spread the mixture onto a flat dish and allow it to cool completely.
  • Shape the  mixture into balls .
  • Garnish with finely sliced badam and pistachios.
  • Sieve the flour in a broad flat dish.
  • Sprinkle the lukewarm milk and ghee over the flour a little at a time. Combine the flour along with the ghee and milk until well mixed.
  • Cover it and keep it in a warm place for at least 3 hours. Gently crumble the mixture and then sieve it in a medium sized sieve.
  • In a sauce pan add 1 cup of water and prepare sugar syrup of less than 1 thread consistency and keep aside.
  • Heat a heavy bottomed sauce pan; add the crumb mixture and saute on medium heat for about 5 minutes.
  • Stir in the crumbled khoya and continue to saute on low heat.
  • Gradually add a little ghee at a time and keep stirring the mixture until you get a roasted aroma. The mixture will have turned a light golden brown.
  • Add in the chopped nuts and raisins and continue to keep stirring. You will notice that that the ghee begins to leave the sides of the pan.
  • Add the crushed goond and sauté on low or medium flame till it turns golden brown.
  • Finally add the almonds and pistachios.
  • Stir all ingredients until well combined and turn off the heat.
  • After about a minute, stir in the sugar syrup to the above ladoo mixture.
  • Spread the mixture onto a flat dish and allow it to cool completely.
  • Shape the  mixture into balls .
  • Garnish with finely sliced badam and pistachios.
  • Gajar Halwa

    Ingredients:

    • 1 kg Carrots - 1 kg
    • 2 1/2 cup Milk (boiled). You can also use dry milk powder
    • Sugar to taste
    • 1/2 tsp Cardamom powder
    • 3 tbsp Butter
    • 10 Almonds
    • 10  Pistachios
    • 10 Cashews
    • You can add nuts of your own choice like walnuts, etc.

    Method:

    • Wash, peel and grate the carrots.
    • Heat a pan with butter and put the grated carrot and cook on low flame till the raw smell disappears.
    • Add milk and boil on low flame till thick.
    • Once it starts thickening add sugar and stir continuously.
    • Cook on low flame for further thickness. Add cardamom powder and nuts and stir continuously till the ghee separates from the mixture.
    • Finally garnish with nuts and your carrot halwa or gajar ka halwa is ready.
    • Serve hot.

    Adidya Pak

    Ingredients:

    • 2 cups Coarsely ground black urad dal flour
    • 2 cups+ 1/4 cup Ghee
    • 1/2 cup Lukewarm milk
    • 1 cup Sugar
    • 1-3/4 cups Khoya, crumbled
    • 2 tbsp Goond (edible gum) shallow fried in ghee and crushed
    • 1/4 cup Raisins, chopped
    • 1/3 cup Cashew nut, chopped
    • 1/2 cup Almonds, chopped
    • 2 tbsp Pistachios, chopped
    • 2 tbsp Cardamom powder
    • Finely sliced almonds and pistachios for garnishing

    Method:

    • Sieve the flour in a broad flat dish.
    • Sprinkle the lukewarm milk and ghee over the flour a little at a time. Combine the flour along with the ghee and milk until well mixed.
    • Cover it and keep it in a warm place for at least 3 hours. Gently crumble the mixture and then sieve it in a medium sized sieve.
    • In a sauce pan add 1 cup of water and prepare sugar syrup of less than 1 thread consistency and keep aside.
    • Heat a heavy bottomed sauce pan; add the crumb mixture and saute on medium heat for about 5 minutes.
    • Stir in the crumbled khoya and continue to saute on low heat.
    • Gradually add a little ghee at a time and keep stirring the mixture until you get a roasted aroma. The mixture will have turned a light golden brown.
    • Add in the chopped nuts and raisins and continue to keep stirring. You will notice that that the ghee begins to leave the sides of the pan.
    • Add the crushed goond and sauté on low or medium flame till it turns golden brown.
    • Finally add the almonds and pistachios.
    • Stir all ingredients until well combined and turn off the heat.
    • After about a minute, stir in the sugar syrup to the above ladoo mixture.
    • Spread the mixture onto a flat dish and allow it to cool completely.
    • Shape the  mixture into balls .
    • Garnish with finely sliced badam and pistachios.

    Goond ke Laddoo

    Ingredients:

    • 3 tbsp Edible gum (goond)
    • 4 1/2 tbsp Ghee- 4 1/2 tbsp
    • 1 1/4 cups Whole wheat flour (gehun ka atta) -1 1/4 cups
    • 1/2 cup Powdered sugar- 1/2 cup
    • 1/2 tsp Cardamom (elaichi) powder- 1/2 tsp
    • Ghee for deep-frying

    Method:

    • Heat 3 1/2 tbsp of ghee in a broad non-stick pan, add the whole wheat flour and roast it over a medium flame for 6 minutes, while stirring continuously. Keep aside to cool completely.
    • Heat the ghee for deep-frying in a deep non-stick kadhai and deep-fry the goond till the pieces puffs up. Drain and keep aside.
    • Combine the powdered sugar, fried goond, cardamom powder, the remaining 1 tbsp of ghee and roasted whole wheat flour in a deep bowl and mix well.
    • Divide the mixture into small equal  portions and shape each portion into a round ball.
    • Serve and store in container.

    Recipe courtesy— Maharaj Jodharam Choudhary, Khandani Rajdhan

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