Shankarpali/ Sweet tukdi

 

 Diwali festival in Maharashtra and some parts of karnataka is incomplete without crunchy chakli, karanji and cute diamond shaped Shankarpali. shankarpali is a very addictive snack that is made during Diwali.You forget everything when these crunchy and crispy cute diamond shaped deep fried biscuits melts in your mouth.I makes this usually 2-3 days before Diwali,specially on my kids demand. It's a simple snack made using Maida, rava, and powdered sugar.

Ingredients:

1. 2 cups maida
2. 1/2 cup Rava/semolina
3. 1/4 cup Ghee,melted
4. 1/2 cup Sugar,powdered
5. 1tsp Salt
6. 1/2 cup milk 
7. Oil for frying

Method:

• Mix ghee and sugar in a wide plate or bowl with the hands. nicely rub it with the hand till the sugar completely melts with the ghee.
• Now add maida and rava and salt, nicely mix it, add little milk at a time and knead thefirm dough. If the consistency is too wet add little more maida. Then cover it with a wet cloth for about an hour.

 

• After the resting time, divide the dough into equal parts of six. Take one part and roll into a circular shape of 7 to 8 centimeter, similar to a chappati.
•  Using a knife or serrated cutting wheel or pizza cutter, cut the rolled out dough into strips and then again cut diagonally into strips to get square or diamond shapes.

 

• I gave it a diamond shape. Separate the cut pieces spread them on a paper, roll out few more rounds and cut them in similar fashion. 

 

• Heat oil in a frying pan and when the oil is hot enough for frying, fry the shankarpali pieces in batches. To test - you may drop a small bit of dough into the oil, if it rises up immediately to the surface, then the oil is ready for frying. Fry over low heat so that your shankarpali cook without burning.
• Fry evenly until they turn brown and crisp and the oil stops sizzling.
• Remove with slotted, long-handled spoon, draining the oil as you do. Put them into absorbent kitchen napkins. Prepare more shankarpali with the remaining dough. Store in a steel boxes or any air-tight jars. Stays fresh up to a month. Actually you can enjoy the shankarpalis any time of year, instead of waiting to prepare these only during Diwali.
  
  

Boondi laddu/ ladoo

 

This festive season, try your hands at the very popular Indian sweet "Boondi ladoo" and bring a variety in your sweet-meat list.  I am sure your guests too will love this homemade ladoos.

So, how do you go about making the ladoos? It is not wrong to say that the method is a bit tricky and requires some level of expertise in cooking.However, with a little bit of practice, you will definitely get it. After all, practice does make one perfect.

Let us get the ingredients together and then move on to the method. The ingredients listed here are measured in cups and spoons to help you alter the amount as per your preference. Take a look.

Ingredients:

1. 2 cups Besan (gram flour) 
2. 2 Green cardamom (choti elaichi) , powdered 
3. 3/4 cup water for the syrup
4. 3 tbsp Cashew nuts (kaju),chopped 
5. 2 tbsp Raisins (kishmish) -
6. 1/2 tsp Nutmeg powder
7. 2cups Sugar
8. yellow food colour or turmeric powder
9. a big pinch of kesar
10. Oil for deep frying
11. 2 Tbsp of Ghee

Method

To Prepare The Boondi:

1. Put oil to heat in a frying pan, while the oil heats up prepare the batter.
2 In a deep bowl, add besan and turmeric powder, whisk together. Now pour water bit by bit and mix.
3. The batter should be of pouring consistency but not very runny. You can pour a drop in the oil and check.
4. When the batter is ready, place one perforated ladle over the oil and pour some batter through the ladle. Drops of the batter will fall in the oil and form boondis.

5. Fry just enough to cook the batter. Remove from oil and place in a separate plate.

If the boondis are too big or out of shape then take some boondis at a time and  coarsely grind in a mixer,then add this to the sugar syrup. 

 To Prepare Sugar Syrup:

1. Take sugar in a deep and heavy bottom saucepan, add 3/4th cup water and bring to a boil. Add in kesar.

2. Stir at regular intervals, when the syrup comes to a boil, lower the flame and allow to boil for another 2 to 3 minutes.

3. Take a teaspoon of syrup and allow to cool. To check the consistency, press between one finger and the thumb. When pulled apart, one thread of the syrup should form.

4. If the thread does not form, boil some more and check again. Take care that the syrup does not get too thick. Once prepared, set aside.

  To Prepare laddus:
 

• Add all the boondis to the hot sugar syrup and keep aside for an hour. In this one hour, the sugar syrup will be well absorbed by the boondi.
• Add the dry fruits, nutmeg powder,crushed cardamom and Ghee to the boondi.
• Mix all the ingredients well and begin with making balls.
• Laddus are ready to be served. Have a sweet festival time!

Note: 

• Mixture should be slightly warm to allow the formation of balls.
• Don't make the boondi crispy or golden as it becomes hard and cannot absorb the syrup well
• Give your laddus any size you wish and sit back and admire your skills!

Grape Squash

This easy to make Grape squash beats the socks off commercial grape juices.So this Diwali welcome your guests with some home made grape squash without any preservatives.You just need to add some sugar and a good blender. And off course little lemon juice will lift the taste to make it even more “grape-y.” Although you can use any seedless grapes for this, but here i have used black grapes with seeds which will not only makes a much prettier looking drink but also cost effective for making this squash. 

Ingredients :

1. 1 kg black grapes with seeds
2. 1 kg Sugar
3. 1 liter water
4. 2tbsp Lemon juice

Method:

• Choose well ripen black grapes. Remove stems and wash them thoroughly.
• Fill a large pot 2/3 full with grapes.
• Add water to barely cover the grapes.
• When the water comes to a boil, start mashing the grapes in the pot with a potato masher. Cook 10 minutes. Mash again with potato masher to release juices.
• Let it cool a bit then blend the grapes in a blender until liquefied.
•   Set a fine mesh strainer over a large  bowl, and pour the blended grapes through. Press on the solids until no juice remains.
• Stir in Lemon juice and add sugar and boil again for about 10 minutes till all the sugar dissolves completely. 
• Switch off the flame and allow this squash to come to room temperature.
• Now pour the squash into a sterilized bottle and store in refrigerator :)

To serve:

•  Fill 1/4 of serving glass with the grape squash and remaining by water. Mix up well and serve chill topped with ice cubes. :)

 Tips:

•  To get a pulpy texture to your grape juice, use a large holed sieve to strain the grape extract. I do this since I like my juice to have a pulpy sediment exactly like store brought but without preservative:)

SAGOO,COCONUT AND DATES LADDU

 

  

Sagoo pearls/Sabudana is a very popular Navratri fast especially in the Western part of the country. It is a food you can eat safely when you are fasting for religious purposes. The best part about Sabudana  is that it is very easy to digest and light on your stomach. That is what makes it a perfect recipe for Navratri fasting.

This navrathri i tried this easy and quick to make recipe of sagoo-coconut laddu using jaggery and dates, which is not only healthy but If you have a sweet tooth that gives you craving for that elusive 'something sweet' when you are on a your ritual Navratri fast then this will be your saving grace.

 

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup sagoo/sabudana/tapioca pearls
2. 1 cup grated fresh coconut
3. 1 cup Jaggery
4. 10-12 Dates,seedless
5. 1/4 tsp Cardamom powder 
6. 2tbsp Ghee

Method:

• In a nonstick pan add sagoo and dry roast on low flame till it turns to light brown colour.It will take about 10-12 minutes.
• Heat 1 tbs of ghee in another pan and add grated coconut and saute it for 5 mins on slow flame until the moisture evaporates.
• Now powder the sagoo pearls in mixer grinder to fine powder. Take it out and in the same jar coarsely powder coconut and then coarsely powder dates and keep it aside.
• In a kadai or pan add jaggery, little water and boil it,till it dissolves completely.
• Add the sagoo- coconut powder and cardamom powder to the jaggery syrup and mix well and cook it until the mixture becomes thick.
• Now switch off the flame and transfer it into a plate divide it into a small Dumplings.Apply ghee to hands and give round shape to the dumpling and make laddu.The mixture would be warm when preparing the laddus.On cooling they become firm.
• Now the yummy sagoo,coconut and dates laddus are ready to serve.