Inspirational Story: Red Rose and the Cactus

Inspirational Story: Red Rose and the Cactus

One beautiful spring day a red rose blossomed in a forest. Many kinds of trees and plants grew there. As the rose looked around, a pine tree nearby said, "What a beautiful flower. I wish I was that lovely." Another tree said, "Dear pine, do not be sad, we can not have everything."

The rose turned its head and remarked, "It seems that I am the most beautiful plant in this forest."

A sunflower raised its yellow head and asked, "Why do you say that? In this forest there are many beautiful plants. You are just one of them." The red rose replied, "I see everyone looking at me and admiring me." Then the rose looked at a cactus and said, "Look at that ugly plant full of thorns!" The pine tree said, "Red rose, what kind of talk is this? Who can say what beauty is? You have thorns too."

The proud red rose looked angrily at the pine and said, "I thought you had good taste! You do not know what beauty is at all. You can not compare my thorns to that of the cactus."

"What a proud flower", thought the trees.

The rose tried to move its roots away from the cactus, but it could not move. As the days passed, the red rose would look at the cactus and say insulting things, like: This plant is useless? How sorry I am to be his neighbor."

The cactus never got upset and he even tried to advise the rose, saying, "God did not create any form of life without a purpose."

Spring passed, and the weather became very warm. Life became difficult in the forest, as the plants and animals needed water and no rain fell. The red rose began to wilt. One day the rose saw sparrows stick their beaks into the cactus and then fly away, refreshed. This was puzzling, and the red rose asked the pine tree what the birds were doing.

The pine tree explained that the birds got water from the cactus. "Does it not hurt when they make holes?" asked the rose.

 "Yes, but the cactus does not like to see any birds suffer," replied the pine. The rose opened its eyes in wonder and said, "The cactus has water?"

"Yes you can also drink from it. The sparrow can bring water to you if you ask the cactus for help."

The red rose felt too ashamed of its past words and behavior to ask for water from the cactus, but then it finally did ask the cactus for help. The cactus kindly agreed and the birds filled their beaks with water and watered the rose's roots.

MORAL: Never judge anyone by their appearance again. God did not create anything without a purpose.

AAM PANNA (RAW MANGO DRINK)

AAM PANNA (RAW MANGO DRINK)

I remember drinking Aam Panna in the summers in Mumbai while I was growing up, but that was purchased by my mother from a lady who used to run a small scale industry from home; making syrups, sauces, squashes and jams. I remember drinking it, but not so fondly, so never ever attempted to make it. I used to buy Aam Panna concentrate sold in bottles at Mustafa (Indian super market @ Singapore), but didn’t quite like that too and Yo(my dearest hubby) ended up drinking it.

Last week, when I went to meet my good friend Anu, she was making this drink and I just tasted a spoon of it and I was sold. It was so refreshing, fresh, tangy, sweet, spicy & absolutely tasty, a gamut of flavors exploded in my mouth. I told her that I had never tasted such an awesome Aam panna ever. I realized that the ones I tasted before weren’t so good for me probably because they were not fresh. Fresh Aam Panna tastes awesome.

My friend was also telling me about the intense heat in Delhi and the health benefits of drinking Aam Panna. That’s it I immediately decided to make Aam Panna.

A search on google for health benefits of drinking Aam Panna yielded this;

“Aam Panna is an Indian drink renowned for its heat resistant properties. It is made from green mangoes and it is used as a tasty and healthy beverage to fight against the intense Indian summer heat. Apart from being tasty this drink also looks good due to its refreshing light green colour.

Green Mango is a rich source of pectin, which gradually diminishes after the formation of the stone. Unripe mango is sour in taste because of the presence of oxalic, citric and malic acids.

Aam panna which is prepared using raw mangoes, sugar and an assortment of spices is an effective remedy for heat exhaustion and heat stroke. It also quenches thirst and prevents the excessive loss of sodium chloride and iron during summer due to excessive sweating.

This drink is mainly consumed in the Northern part of the India and is considered beneficial in the treatment of gastro-intestinal disorders. This drink is also a good source of vitamin B1and B2 and contains sufficient quantity of niacin, and since it is prepared from raw mangoes it is an excellent source of vitamin C also. Aam Panna is also considered as a curative for blood disorders because of its high vitamin C content. It increases the elasticity of the blood vessels and helps in the formation of new blood cells. This drink is also considered as a tonic which increases body resistance against tuberculosis, anemia, cholera and dysentery”.

(Info Courtesy on Aam Panna “”:) - Wikipedia

I rest my case………I read this and immediately went in search of raw mangoes. Since it’s the season for mangoes, it isn’t difficult to get them. Anu, told me that I must buy green and firm raw mangoes. Here is how I made Aam Panna at home and let me tell you it was a hit. I didn’t add mint leaves to it, as I liked the flavor of the raw mango so much that I didn’t want to add any other flavor to it. The original recipe has mint leaves, but you can avoid it if you want.

Ingredients

3 medium-sized green mangoes

Sugar – As per taste

Black Salt (Kala Namak) – 1 ½ tbsp

Freshly roasted and ground Cumin seeds - 1  tsp

A pinch red chilli powder/flakes

A handful fresh mint leaves

Method

Peel the mangoes. Cut mangoes into 3 slices each - two from either side of the seed and one with the seed in it. Pressure cook the mangoes in water. Cook until 3-4 whistles. Once done open and allow it to cool. Alternatively you can also cook the raw mangoes in the microwave on high for about 10 minutes (time may vary with each microwave), with adequate water, till softly cooked.

When cool, squeeze the pulp of mangoes, discard the seeds.

Use a hand blender and blend the pulp. Don’t make a complete puree of it. Allow some of the pulp to be there for that natural, fresh pulpy feeling.

Pour into a vessel. Add sugar as per taste, Black salt, Freshly roasted and ground cumin powder. Chilli flakes ( I didn’t add any, as I was afraid my kids may find it spicy).

If you are adding mint leaves you can blend it into the puree. (I haven’t added mint leaves in my Aam Panna).

Once you have mixed the sugar and the spices, taste it if anything is required, add them else you can pour this into clean bottles and store in the refrigerator.

Add 4-5 tbsps in a tall glass, some cold water to top it up. Throw in a few cubes of ice and garnish with mint leaves and Enjoy a cool and refreshing healthy drink.

Since Yo(my dearest husband) not only helped me to buy and carry the raw mangoes from the supermarket to my home, but also helped me to peel and semi- blend the raw mangoes and finally taste it and give his big thumbs-up, I would like to give him some credit and send this to my friend Priti’s His cooking event on her blog Indian Khana

Since Iam using Raw green Mangoes in this recipe I would like to send it to Preeti’s Green Gourmet Event.

Since this is one of the best summer coolers I would like to send this to Divya’s “Show me your Smoothie” Event.

MINT PULAV

MINT PULAV

I went for my grocery shopping this weekend and saw a green fresh bundle of mint leaves waiting for me to pick it. I couldn’t resist. It’s scorching hot these days…global warming and all, so I thought I would make something exotic to drink with the Mint, as Mint is cooling and refreshing during summers.....

We come home pretty late sometimes after work and usually frequent this Pure vegetarian Bachelor’s joint @ Serangoon. This joint is open until late and when we reached there at about 10.45pm he told me to try the variety rice for the day, which turned out to be very tasty, when I asked him what rice was that bang came the answer, “Budinaah Rice”(Pudina Rice). Instead of making just Pudina rice I thought why not make Pudina Pulav (Mint Pulav). Since I had the perfectly fresh and beautiful Mint leaves waiting for me in my refrigerator I thought why not let my family taste this wonderful variety rice, so here is my refreshingly inviting Mint rice, sorry didn’t keep any mint leaves for the garnish in the enthusiasm to get that perfect balance in taste.

Ingredients

Mint leaves – 1 bunch

Long grained Basmati Rice – 2 cups

Onions – 2

Green peas – 1 cup

French Beans – 1/2 cup

Carrots – 1/2 cup

Corns – 1/2 cup

Green Chilly paste – 1-2 teaspoons (depending on how spicy the paste is or how much spice you like)

Ginger paste – 2 teaspoons

Bay leaves – 2

Star Anise – 1

Cinnamon sticks – 1

Big Elaichi (Badi Elaichi) – 1

Small Elaichi - 1

Clove – 1

Cumin Seeds – 1 tbsp

Asafetida – a pinch

Garam Masala – 1 tsp

Pulav Masala – 2 tsps

Freshly chopped coriander leaves – 2 tbsps

Oil – 2 tbsps

Salt as per taste

Method

Take the bunch of mint leaves and pluck out only the leaves and if you find the stem attachedto the leaf very tender you can use that also, but if the stems are thick please don’t use. Rinse it well under running water in a colander and keep aside for the water to drain. Meanwhile Rinse out 2 cups of long grained Basmati rice and then soak it for a while in water

Now take the mint leaves, green chilly paste, ginger paste, a pinch of salt and blend to fine consistency in a mixie / blender without adding water.

Now take a wok, put 2 tablespoons of oil, once the oil is heated add in the Bay leaves, Star Anise, Cinnamon stick, Big elaichi, small elaichi, clove and the cumin seeds, once you see the cumin getting fried, add in a pinch of Asafetida(I always like to asafetida in my dishes as it has property to remove gases and in this recipe we have legumes so it is good to add some), the Garam masala, the puav masala and fry for a minute. Now add in the finely chopped onions and sauté until transparent. The onion should look shrunk and well fried. Now, add in the mint-green chilly-ginger paste and sauté well. The color of the paste when fried well becomes slightly light. Ensure that you don’t burn the masala as then the pulav won’t taste so good. Once, the mint masala turns into a lighter color. Add in the vegetables(instead of the fresh vegetables mentioned above you can use 1 ½ cups of frozen mixed vegetables, but I can tell you fresh vegetables taste better thanthe frozen ones) and sauté until the green peas turn into a lighter green, then add in the rinsed and soaked Basmati rice without any water and sauté for 2-3 minutes adding salt as per the taste and mixing everything well. Once this is done you can put this in a rice cooker and add water according to finger level consistency for example when you put your finger in you will know how much rice is there, that much water has to be added or alternatively add water until the rice is completely immersed and there is another cup of water on top. The water level has to be perfect for a perfect pulav, now switch on the rice cooker and keep to cook position. I always use the electric rice cooker for pulav in Singapore but you can make it in a non stick wok by closing the lid and keeping the gas on a low flame. Either way it cooks well. Once the rice cooks, give it a light stir so that everything mixes well without breaking the grains of rice Put the lid back and let it stand for another five minutes. Then turn off the plug.Garnish with coriander / mint leaves.Serve hot. If you want to decorate it some more you can even garnish it with freshly grated paneer.Enjoy the refreshing Mint pulav with any gravy of your choice or just with Papad, pickle and raita, It’s a complete meal.

I would like to send my Mint pulav to

Sara’s Cooking with seeds : Cumin seeds event , since I am using Cumin seeds in this dish

And since it has green peas and beans, I am sending this to Susan’s My legume Love affair 23 Event

And since the main ingredient is Mint (green), this also goes to Preeti’s Green Gourmet Event

GOBI 65 - RESTAURANT STYLE

GOBI 65

What is Gobi 65 and how did it get its name? Is it a North Indian dish or is it an Indo-Chinese fusion recipe coz it tastes and looks a lot like Gobi Manchurian or is it South Indian. I am sure it is not a North Indian recipe, because I never saw this on the Menu card in restaurants in Mumbai while growing up. The recipe does resemble an Indo-chinese fusion, but no….there are a lot of Indian ingredients in it….Surprised as you maybe this recipe has emerged from South India, where a dish called Chicken 65 became immensely popular and the Gobi 65 is a vegetarian twist to it. The anecdotal theories as to how they stumbled upon this name are many. Some say the 65 represents the 65 separate ingredients in the dish. Some say that a restaurant in Chennai came up with this dish and as it became popular with these signature 65 dishes the fever caught on. Some say that the dish was the 65^th dish on the menu card and as people started ordering for it on a regular basis the name of the dish changed to this. Whatever be the theories, but as the saying goes, “Call the rose by any other name and it smells just as sweet”…and so it is for this dish. It’s such an exotic looking and tasting dish that you can surprise your guests or hubby with it. I had a few guests at home and I was pondering over what to cook. I was bored of cooking the same things over and over again. I was quite fancied by the look and taste of the Gobi 65 in a restaurant here in Singapore, so I thought why not try it and started searching for recipes desperately over the internet but none that I found were near to what I had at the restaurant, I would call them Gobi pakodas but not Gobi 65 as they didn’t have the masala. Here is the complete recipe of the Gobi 65.

Ingredients:      

Cauliflower – 1 big

Corn starch - 2 tbsp

All purpose flour (Maida) - 2 tbsp

Coriander powder – 2 tsps

Cumin powder – 1 tsp

Chili powder -2 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Light Soya sauce - 2 tsp

Ginger paste - 1 tsp (I don’t like garlic in my cooking, but for those who enjoy you can add ginger-garlic paste)

Saffron Color – 1 tsp

Cumin seeds – 1 tsp

Onions – 2 nos

Capsicum – 1 (big size)

Fresh Coriander leaves – 2 tbsps

Oil for frying

Salt as per taste

Method

Pluck the florets of the cauliflower and rinse well under running water in a colander. Heat a big pan of water, drop in the florets, ¼ spoon of turmeric powder and 2 pinches of salt. If there are any worms they will come floating to the surface, if that happens, throw the water and redo the process. Now cook the Cauliflower florets in boiling water, the florets must be half cooked, don’t cook until soft, they should be only semi-cooked. Now remove them from the heat and drop it through a colander to drain all the water. Keep aside. Now in a big salad mixing bowl, Take the two heaped tablespoons of All purpose flour, add Corn starch, Coriander powder, Cumin powder, Chili powder, Light Soya sauce(Dark soya sauce gives a very dark color to the dish, we want a reddish color so please use light soya sauce. Soya sauce is only for flavor and helps greatly in the marinating process), Ginger paste, saffron, and salt as per taste (Soya sauce is salty so taste and add salt accordingly. Mix all the ingredients well by adding water (just like we make a batter for bhajiya’s, the batter shouldn’t be very watery). Drop in the semi-cooked cauliflower florets in the batter and mix well. Let it marinate for a while. Marinating imparts better taste to the end product. You can marinate it for a few hours. For example if you are making this for dinner marinate it in the afternoon itself. It will taste awesome!!!as all the masala enters the florets. Now heat oil in a pan, when the oil is heated, drop the florets like pakodas(bhajiyas) one by one. Keep the flame low while dropping and let it get cooked slowly and properly in the oil. When the florets are golden brown in color remove from the fire and drain on a kitchen towel. 

Once all the florets are done in this fashion the next step comes into place and i.e the masala for the Gobi 65. Restaurants serve them in this fashion.

Take a pan, add one tablespoon oil, add a teaspoon of cumin seeds and when they fry, add in the onions and cook until transparent, then add in the capsicum chopped into chunky square pieces, add some salt and toss well, don’t over cook the capsicum, it should just be sautéed for about 5 minutes, then add in the fried cauliflower florets and toss well and garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot and enjoy the lovely restaurant style Gobi 65. 

STARTING MY JOURNEY ON THE SINGAPORE VEGETARIAN TRAIL WITH TU-TU CAKE

THE SINGAPORE VEGETARIAN TRAIL

Singapore Vegetarian Trail aims at giving information on local vegetarian food and I also aspire to cover restaurants and their specialties with lots of photos for you'll to drool upon. This is my way of saying "Thanks" to the country which has proven to be a second home for me.

STARTING MY SINGAPORE VEGETARIAN TRAIL WITH TU-TU CAKE

After my marriage I came to live in Singapore. Being a strict vegetarian didn’t leave many avenues for me to eat out. Another thing was I wasn’t exposed to international cuisines and really didn’t know where to find pure vegetarian outlets. We used to end up going to the pure Indian Vegetarian restaurants @ Serangoon (Little India) and Yo (my hubby) used to complain about driving so far just for a meal. And the scene 9 years ago wasn’t the same as it is now. There were only a few restaurants back then and not much variety, so eating out was pretty humdrum, but it’s boring to cook everyday, we do need a break from the kitchen too. In fact, when you ask people most will tell you that it is even more boring to think what to cook than the cooking itself. I think 9 out of 10 people reading this will be nodding their heads at this juncture.

Anyways, the topic is about the Singapore vegetarian trail and hope I am, not deviating from it.

This is for all the people like me who come from India or other countries and are vegetarians living abroad, I would like to assure you that Singapore is a wonderful country and has a variety of cuisines available. And surprised as you may be there are a lot of vegetarian treats available which closely resemble some of the Indian treats. So as you are on your way, wherever you are you can dunk into these treats guilt free. I would also like to assure you that the Chinese vegetarian food stalls which you may find in most food courts serve strictly vegetarian food and don’t even use onion and garlic…..now….isn’t that surprising!!!!!! Ahem!!! Ahem!!!!!

I would like to start my Singapore Vegetarian Trail with the Tu-Tu cake since it looks and tastes like Modakam our Lord Ganesha's favorite.

Presenting the Tu-Tu Cake.....

TU TU CAKE

Origin

Nobody knows wherefrom this dish originated. Did it originate from Malaysia or did it originate from China or is this dish a Singapore delicacy which then caught on to the other parts of Asia. The malay call it kueh tutu and the Chinese call it tutu cake.

History says the snack was originally eaten plain in China. But filling was added when it was reproduced here in Singapore because of the migrant influence.

I was wondering why its is called the tutu cake, sounds cute, doesn’t it?.

It seems in the earlier days the kueh was steamed on charcoal / firewood heated steamers that made a 'tutu' sound when steam blew through it, and that was how the cake got its name. Nowadays, a silent electric steamer has taken its place, but the yummy tutu cake is still just as good.

Kueh Tutu or Tu tu cake as it is popularly known as, is made primarily from rice flour or glutinous rice flour. Traditionally, the light snack contains either ground peanuts and sugar or a sweet coconut as filling.  There are dishes in India and Malaysia which are very similar to the tutu cake, so you can see that Singapore cuisine has various influences.

When my husband first got me the tutu cake, the first bite into the coconut filled cake made me feel very nostalgic as it reminded me of kozhakatai, a south Indian sweet made from rice flour and filled in with a coconut and jaggery mixture.

Kozhakattai is a sweet dumpling popular in Western and South India. It is called Ukdiche modak (steam cooked rice and coconut jaggery balls) in marathi, "modhaka" in Kannada, "modagam"or "and "kolukattai" in Telugu and kozhakatai in Tamil. The sweet filling is made of fresh coconut and jaggery while the outer covering is of rice flour. Modak has a special importance in the worship of the Hindu elephant god, Ganesh. Modak is believed to be his favorite food and Ganesh worship ceremony (puja) sometimes concludes with an offering of modaks to the deity.

Tu tu cake making at the stall

When you go to any pasar malam (night market), you will see stalls where they sell finger foods. Typically steamed groundnuts, steamed chickpeas, tea-eggs, steamed sweet corn etc and you will also see Tu tu cake.

I always admire the way the ladies make the cake, (usually I see women making them…sorry gentlemen). The instruments they use are so tiny, including the small piece of plate they use to flatten the flour or the mould in it self, the tiny spoon of filling they scoop out for the cake….now I know why it is mostly the ladies who make these delectable delights.

I always stand to admire the lady make the cakes with deft fingers, the speed leaves you awestruck. She will coat the mould with a thin layer of the rice flour, fill in the stuffing as per our choice and smooth it with another layer of flour, leave to steam. The typical method of preparation involves rapid steaming of the flour and the filling. Once ready, the Tutu is served on pandan leaves to add a pleasing aroma to it. The steps get quite hypnotic after a while.  It’s a pleasure to watch them make and fill in little transparent square boxes or Styrofoam boxes. The cost since the 9 years I lived in Singapore is $2 for a box which has 5 pieces of cakes in it and the best part is you can mix and match. I love the yummy coconut filling, so I usually order 3 coconuts and 2 peanuts in my box.

Dunk into the steaming hot delight by holding the pandan leaf. Its totally yummy…..You will be asking for more for sure…

Here is a recipe of the Tu Tu cake……

Ingredients

Rice flour - 2 cups

Salt - ¾ tsp

Water - 150 -160 ml

Filling

Desiccated coconut - ½ cup

Gula melaka, grated - ½ cup

Freshly grated coconut without skin - ½ cup

Pandan leaves, cut into squares

Method

Dry roast rice flour for 5 minute with some pandan leaves. Discard the pandan leaves and sift the flour and leave it to cool.

Mix the salt in hot water and sprinkle over the rice flour. Rub the water into the flour until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Coconut filling

Roast the grated coconut over low heat till the aroma of coconut fills the air. Then add Gula melaka or palm sugar, to make the coconut filling juicy.

Lightly grease a Kuih Tu-Tu mould. Fill half the mould with the prepared flour and top with 1 – 2 tsp gula melaka filling and cover with more flour. Place a small piece of pandan leaf over it.

Steam for 10 – 20 minutes.

Serve with grated coconut if desired.

Peanut filling

Also a pleasure to savour is the peanut filling, as the freshly toasted nuts are fragrant and not too finely ground. Coarse grind freshly toasted skinless peanuts and mix with Palm sugar and voila your peanut filling is ready.

Chocolate filling

The latest addition to the fillings is the chocolate filling, where chocolate rice is used as a filling, Chocolate rice is widely available in most shops. It’s called chocolate rice as the chocolate is rolled into bits and resembles rice grains, this chocolate rice is filled in place of the peanut/coconut filling and when steamed the chocolate rice in the middle melts and when you bite into the rice cake the molten chocolate oozes into your mouth and it is really delightful. 

Thanks to the wonderful culinary innovations.

STRAWBERRY ICE LOLLIES

STRAWBERRY ICE LOLLIES

Ice lolly is basically fruit juice converted to flavored ice. I realized that it’s a good way to make children have fruits. Fruits can be included in your kid’s diet by presenting it in a fun and creative way.

We have been buying ice lollies from supermarkets since ages but imagine making them at home. Fresh, pure, unadulterated and it definitely tastes better. It’s simple to make at home, you just need fresh fruits (here I have used strawberries), Ice lolly moulds and a deep freezer that’s it…so…simple. It takes about 10 minutes to prepare and few hours to freeze. So plan early if you want to present this dessert to guests or to your kids.

Ingredients

Strawberries – 500g

Water -100ml

Castor Sugar – 100g

Method

De-stem and wash the strawberries and chop the strawberries into pieces. Place all the ingredients into a blender and blend until it becomes one uniform mixture. Pour the mixture into the ice lolly moulds and freeze until solid.

You can avoid sugar from this recipe if the fruits are already sweet. But since strawberry is sour I added sugar to the recipe.

Makes about 10 -12 ice lollies, depending on the size of the moulds.

I would like to send my Ice loollies to Srivalli’s Thanda Mela

I would also like to send this to Indrani's Spotlight : Summer Food and Drinks Event

PANEER MAKHANI

PANEER MAKHANI

Whenever I announce to Yo( my hubby dear) the menu for the day with some exotic restaurant dish name he gets highly excited about coming home for lunch.

Gone are the days when a simple rasam and beans curry could seduce a man away from his work. Women have to resort to other gastronomic charms to get them to leave their work and at least spend some quality time with their family. After all as the old saying goes a way to the man’s heart is through his stomach.

Here is a very simple recipe for Paneer Makhani, its so easy to make that it will be ready in a jiffy and be impressive at the same time. Quick to cook and good to eat as the Maggi noodles advertisement in India claims.

Ingredients

Paneer - 250 gms

Fresh Cream - 200 gms

Tomato Puree - 200 gms

Butter - 2-3 tbsps

Cumin seeds – 1 tsp

Kasuri Methi (dried Fenugreek leaves) - 2 tbsps

Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp

Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp

Green Chillies - 2-3

Salt as per taste

Method

Melt the butter in a pan, add cumin & slit green chillies, When it is slightly fried , add the tomato puree, kasuri methi, salt, red chilli powder and simmer for 4-5 minutes.

Add the cream and garam masala powder and cook further for 2-3 minutes. Don’t cook for too long after you add the cream.

Add the paneer pieces and cook for a minute. Serve hot garnished with coriander. It’s that simple… Serve hot with phulkas or poori.

7-CUP SWEET

7-CUP SWEET

The year before last during Diwali a lot of my friends made this sweet. I kept thinking of making it but I didn’t know why the muhurat / muhurtham (the auspicious time) didn’t come for making it. Today was a dull day and I was thinking that making a sweet would cheer up the entire household….ask me how? …We always associate sweets with festivals or celebrations don’t we? If that is not uplifting enough…how about the aroma of melting ghee mixed with sugar that wafts around the house giving it a festive feel. That would uplift the meanest spirits wouldn’t it? Sweets in Indian tradition are associated with good news, happiness, festivities, celebrations and in Hinduism we believe that there are good spirits hovering around us and when there is a sweet cooking there is a happy ambience at home that will garner in good things and bring in good news. So next time we don’t need to have a reason to make a sweet, do we? Ofcourse, the health aspect is there, so mind your calories and sugar levels before you go overboard in your sweet indulgence.

Why is this sweet called 7 cup sweet? As the name suggests-7 cup simply means 7 cups of ingredients are used to make this sweet. Isn’t that sweet?

7 cup sweet is a no-fail recipe and usually turns out quite impressive unless you goof up by becoming impatient during the process of making it. I would like to say that the 7 cup sweet is a marriage between the mysore pak and coconut barfi.

Ingredients

Milk - 1 cup

Gram flour (Besan) - 1 cup

Sugar - 3 cups

Grated coconut - 1 cup

Ghee - 1 cup

Method

In a big flat heavy bottomed wok, Put one cup of ghee, now add in the gram flour and grated coconut and cook till the raw smell goes. Now add in the milk and stir until you see no lumps let it come to a boil and then add in the sugar and stir on a medium low flame. Cook, stirring occasionally for about 20-25 minutes or until the mixture starts to get frothy. At this stage, you have to be hovering around the stove more often, stirring. Keep stirring frequently for another 15-20 minutes. Ensure that it doesn’t catch the bottom and burn. After a while, the whole mixture starts to pull away from the bottom of the pan and starts moving with the spoon, like a dancing doll.

Grease a plate with ghee and pour the mixture onto it and allow it to cool. After, about 15 minutes cut into squares or diamonds. And wait for about an hour before you remove from the plate. You can see neat cakes as in the picture. Enjoy this easy preparation, make it for your family or impress your guests with it.

ALOO WADI / PATRA / SPICED COLOCASIA ROLLS revisited

I had posted this recipe a few years ago and when I made this again I thought why not refresh our memories with this spicy-sweet indulgence, so here’s a wonderful snack from the west of India revisited again with beautiful clicks(since now I feel my photography is better than what it used to be or so I think…ha ha ha!!!!).

ALOO WADI / PATRA / SPICED COLOCASIA ROLLS

The farsan is usually part of a typical Gujarati or Maharashtrian meal. Aloo wadi is one such farsan which is part of a complete meal, but it can also be served as a snack. The Gujaratis call it Patra. This is made of the Aloo leaves(Colocasia leaves also known as Taro leaves by some).  The spicy sweet indulgence with a gamut of flavors exploding in your mouth is truly a delight to your taste buds.

Ingredients
Aloo leaves (Colocasia leaves) – 8-10
Besan - 2 cups
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tbsp
Red Chilly powder - 2 tbsp
Tamarind paste – 1tbsp
Garam masala – 2 tsps
Asafetida – a pinch
Salt to taste
Jaggery - 1 tbsp
Oil to fry

For Garnishing
Freshly grated coconut – 1tbsp
Sesame seeds – ½ tsp
Coriander seeds – ½ tsp
Finely chopped coriander leaves

Method
Remove fibres and stems from colocasia leaves (arvi leaves) and wash thoroughly. Wipe it dry. Mix the above mentioned ingredients to the besan and make a thick paste of it by adding proper proportion of water. Tamarind, not only gives a tangy taste to the Aloo wadi, but also removes the itchy property that the aloo leaves have. You can avoid jaggery if you don't like the slightly sweet taste it imparts. The gujaratis usually like to add a bit of sweet to their dishes. I personally like this dish with a dash of jaggery in the masala.
Spread on a cutting board / wooden board or any flat surface a colocasia leaf with the back surface up(glossy side down) and stalk end towards you. Spread the mixture on the leaf, now place another leaf over it and apply the mixture over it. After 4-5 leaves are placed one across the other, fold in the edges for about 2" on both sides, smear the folds with some paste and then roll gently but firmly, from the stalk end to the tip, in the shape of a cylinder.
Tie the roll with a thread if you feel it is loose. Cook the rolls in a pressure cooker on steam (Do not place whistle). Steam cook for about 25-30 minutes.
Once cooked, the rolls will be nicely set. Remove the rolls and let it cool. Cut the rolls into vadis of 1” thickness.

There are 2 ways to cook this now. Either ways it tastes just as good.
One is tempering it with spices by shallow frying or alternatively you can deep fry it for a more crispy snack.

For the first method, Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan. Add, mustard seeds, coriander seeds and when they begin to crackle add cumin seeds and sesame seeds. and about 10 curry leaves. Now add in the rolls and saute once carefully without breaking the rolls and then serve on a platter. Garnish the colocasia rolls with freshly grated coconut & finely chopped fresh coriander leaves. Serve it hot or cold. 

The other way is to deep fry the aloo-wadis and then garnish in a similar fashion.
You can make a lot of Aloo vadis and store it in freezer bags in the deep freezer.
Save the steamed rolls before garnishing and whenever required just heat some vadis in a microwave and add fresh garnish and serve. Isn't that impressive. You can impress your husband or your guests by serving exotic snacks in a jiffy.


Since this recipe has sesame seeds I am sending it to Easy n Tasty recipe's cooking with seeds event – Sesame seeds

ASOKA HALWA/ ASHOKA HALWA/ THE SOUTH INDIAN MOONG KA HALWA

ASOKA HALWA/ ASHOKA HALWA/ THE SOUTH INDIAN MOONG KA HALWA

I had Asoka halwa or is it Ashoka halwa in a restaurant in Singapore and was instantaneously in love with this sweet. I bought a few small boxes(about 2 tablespoons in each box), but it wasn’t enough to satisfy the sweet indulgence of the family so I thought why not try making it at home and thus started my search for the perfect Asoka halwa recipe. I found a no-fail recipe on the internet and decided to follow suit and got the perfect Asoka halwa. Asoka halwa is the south Indian version of the North Indian moong ka halwa. Ashoka halwa is famous in the Thanjavur district of Tamilnadu. I don’t know where this halwa got its name from. The best part is that this halwa is made from yellow moong dal which provides high protein and is easily digestible.

Ingredients

Yellow split lentil (moong dal/ paitham paruppu) -1 cup

Sugar - 2 to 2.5 cups

Ghee - 1 cup (upto 1.5 cups)

Whole wheat flour (atta) - 0.5 cup

All purpose flour (maida) - 0.5 cup

Milk - 1 tbsp

Red food coloring - few drops

Saffron - a big pinch

Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp

Method

Soak saffron in 1 tbsp of milk, add food colouring and cardamom powder. Keep aside.

Rinse the yellow split lentil nicely and soak it for about half an hour. Pressure cook it with about 3 cups of water till soft. Mash till smooth or else use a hand blender to make a smooth paste. Mix sugar with this paste.

In a non-stick wok, heat one cup of ghee in a pan, add the wheat flour and all purpose flour. Stir until there are no lumps. Keep stirring on a low-medium flame until there's a nice aroma and it turns golden.

Now add the yellow split lentil + sugar mixture and stir well until well cooked, add the milk mixture and stir well and cook for a few more minutes until the halwa leaves the sides of the pan. Ashoka Halwa is now ready to serve. Serve garnished with nuts or just like that. Try the south Indian moong ka halwa.