Rasmalai

Ingredients:

For the rasmalai balls

1 litre whole milk

4-5 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon cornflour

4 cups water

1 cup sugar

For the syrup [Ras]

500 ml whole milk

5-6 green cardamom pods, peeled and crushed to get the powder

saffron, a pinch

3-4 tablespoons sugar

finely chopped pistachios

Method:

Take a pan to boil milk. Once it comes to a boil, switch off the flame and add 1/2 cup of water to bring the temperature of the milk down a bit.

Wait for 5-10 minutes and then start adding lemon juice till milk curdles.

Add lemon juice till the milk curdles completely.

In a strainer drain the water and collect the cheena.

Rinse it under tap water so that there's no trace of lemon juice in it.

Leave it in the strainer for 10-15 minutes and then take the cheena in your hand and squeeze out remaining water slowly.

Add cornflour and start mashing the cheena till its smooth using your palm repeat the process for 10 minutes and set it aside of 10 minutes then again smooth it.  Once it’s smooth, make small balls out of it.

Take a pressure cooker add  1 cup sugar and 4 cups water and wait till it comes to a full boil.

Drop the balls in boiling sugar syrup and pressure cook for 12-15 minutes. The balls will double in size by then.

Take out the balls from the syrup and drop them in fresh water.

Note: If they sink to the bottom, the balls are done.

For the Ras:

In a heavy bottom pan, boil 500 ml of milk.

Soak few strands of saffron in a tablespoon of warm milk and set aside.

Once the milk comes to a boil, lower the flame and continue to stir the milk at regular intervals. After 12 minutes add sugar and mix.

After 30 minutes the milk will thicken to desired consistency, add soaked saffron and crushed cardamom.

Also add finely chopped pistachios. Mix and switch off the flame.

Take out the cooled balls from the sugar syrup, squeeze and flatten with your hands.

Transfer the balls to thickened milk [milk should be warm].

Chill in the refrigerator overnight or for 8-10 hours. Garnish with chopped pistachios before serving.

Enjoy the Rasmalai

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Thandai Cheese Cake

No Bake Thandai Holi special Cheese Cake, presenting thandai with a little twist or can say in new avatar. I tried my thandai mix in cheesecake and it really went out yum. To  make it more easier, I went for a no-bake recipe.

Ingredients:

For Cheesecake Base:

1.5 cups digestive Biscuit crumb

1 tbsps sugar

5 tbsps butter melted , cooled

For Cheesecake filling

1 Cup cottage cheese fresh (panner)(water drained completely)( grated)

1/2 cup yogurt thick

1 cup whipping cream 

3/4 cup sugar

5-6 strands of  saffron milk soaked in warm milk

1 tbsps gelatin (bloomed in 1 tbsp boiling water)

1 tbsp rose water

Pan syrup : 2 tsp

For Thandai Mix:

http://yuvikasrecipes.blogspot.co.uk/2018/03/thandai.html

Pistachio roses, petal for garnishing

Method:

Follow the above link for Thandai pwder and use here as follows.

For crust:

In a bowl mix together the biscuit crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. Press onto the bottom and up the sides of a well-greased 8-9 inch tart pan with removable bottom. (A spring form pan can also be used).Place in the refrigerator to set while you make the filling.

Note: If you want you can bake the base for 10 minutes at 180 degree,it is optional.

In a blender blend cheese, yogurt, cream, saffron infused milk,sugar,gelatin mixture, pan syrup and rosewater until everything is well incorporated. add 4 tsp of above thandai powder and give one more whisk.

Pour the mixture into the biscuit base , smooth the top. Garnish with rose petals and chopped pistachio.

Cover and refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight.

Rest of the mixture can be stored in a small kulfi or candy moulds and served chilled to beat the heat. So, now you have Thandai cheese Cake as well as Thandai Kulfi. Happy Holi.

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GulKand Cake

Gulkand is a sweet preserve of rose petals. It is believed to be from ancient Indo-Persia, and is an incredible body coolant. Its used in making metha paan, and various other Indian sweets. Today, I am presenting Gulkand Cake for all my readers. Hope you enjoying preparing and serving this delight to your guest this Holi....Holi Hai

Ingredients:

All Purpose Flour / Maida/ wheat flour –  150 gms / 1 1/3 cup ( plus 1 tblspn for dusting over tutti fruity)
Gulkand –  ½ cup
Oil – 125 ml / ½ cup
Baking Powder – 1 tsp
Baking Soda – ½ tsp
Pan Essence – 1 tsp
Tutti Fruity – 200 gms / 1 1/3 cup
Raisins- 2 tsp
Condensed Milk- 60 ml / ¼cup
Whole Milk – 120 ml  / ½ cup
Sliced pistachio- 2 tsp


Method:
Preheat the oven to 180°C / 360°F….Take a  baking pan (bread mould) and Put a parchment paper in the bottom. Oil all the sides and dust it with flour.
Sift flour, baking powder and baking soda together and set aside. Take 1 tbsp. of flour and add it over the tutti fruity and raisins and toss well..
Take oil, gulkand and pan essence in a mixing bowl. Beat it for 3 mins..
Now add in condensed milk, milk and mix well.
Now sift in the sifted flour again and mix well.. Add in tutti fruity and mix well. Grease the cake tin with 1tsp oil and 2tsp plain flour, sprinkle sliced pistachio.
Pour into the tin and bake it for 45-50 mins or until the toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Let it cool down..Now invert it over a plate and slice it..
Serve with a cup of tea/coffee..

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Carrot/ Gajar Halwa Shots

Carrot / Gajar halwa shots

Carrot halwa is very popolar indian sweet, it’s a near-universal treat during Festive season be it holi, dewali.  Here in Yuvika’s kitchen things are done differently keeping the traditional taste and presenting the dish in an unique and modern way.

Carrot halwa shots with rasmalai

Recipe for Carrot Halwa

Ingredients:

Carrot - 1 kg, peeled and grated

Milk -1 litre, preferably full fat

Sugar - 5 Tbsp

Clarified butter / Ghee - 2 Tbsp

Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp

Condensed milk - 3/4 cup

Raisins- 8-10

Almonds/ pistachio to garnish

Method:

Traditional Way

Cook grated carrots with about a cup of milk till soft. You can do this in a thick bottomed pan. Once the milk starts boiling reduce the heat and let the mixture simmer.

Add the rest of the milk and continue to simmer. After 15-20 minutes, when all the milk is evaporated, add condensed milk to the dry mixture and tip in the sugar as well. Check the amount of sugar; you may require very less sugar as condensed milk is very sweet in itself. Let it simmer till condensed milk also is absorbed and mixture thick.

Add cardamom powder and mix well.

The next step is optional. In an another deep pan heat ghee, transfer cooked halwa to it and cook for another minute making sure you stir it without fail all the way through.

To serve: - Chop raw almonds/ pistachio, vertically if u can as it looks better that way, and layer them at the bottom of your presenting dish. Layer your halwa on top. This makes the almonds soak in the lovely juices from your halwa and combines the mixture. This is a tip I learned from my dear friend A. Thanks dear. :-). Feel free to sprinkle a few chopped almonds on top of your halwa too. - While serving scoop out large portions of your halwa on to your serving dish and serve it hot along with a scoop of yummy vanilla ice cream. Heaven!!!

Microwave method:

 Heat ghee in a microwave safe bowl for 1 minute and add grated carrot. Cook for 2 minutes. Add milk and cook till milk evaporates, stirring occasionally. When the mixture thickens, add condensed milk and sugar. Again cook for another few minutes till mixture turns thick once again. Remove from microwave, add cardamom powder, garnish with almonds and serve.

A variation to the recipe is adding mewa/ khoya.

Simple Pressure cooker and Baking Method:

 In a pressure cooker / Instant Pot add rougly chopped carrots, 1 cup milk, sugar, green cardamom, 1 tbsp of ghee. Now pressure cook for 15mins. With the help of hand blender, blend the mixture. Do not puree it. Blend it coarsely. Now take mixture into an oven safe bowl, and cook in pre heated oven for 25 mins at 180 degree C. Now take a pan add 1 tbsp ghee add the chopped nuts and raisins, fry till golden and pour this mixture over carrot halwa also add the green cardamom powder mix. Again cook this mixture for 6-8 minutes in oven. It’s ready to be served.

Plating my style:

Carrot halwa Shots

In a glass add 1 tsp of chopped nuts, then two scoop of carrot halwa. Now pour 1 spoon of rasmalai garnish with chopped pistachio. (Rasmalai recipe coming soon)

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Mango Rabri

Mango rabri recipe is a simple, a dessert with minimal ingredients yet high on flavour. A rich, creamy, fruity, traditional Indian dessert with a soft pudding like texture. A heavenly combination of creamy rabri, fruity mango and aromatic saffron.

Ingredients:

  Full cream milk - 1 litre

  Sugar - 2 tbsps (adjust)

  Mango puree - 1 cup, fresh and thick

  Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp

  Saffron - 5-6 strands (soaked in 2 tbsps of warm milk)

Method:

Boil milk in a large heavy bottomed wide vessel. Once it comes to a boil, reduce to low heat and allow to simmer. Keep stirring at regular intervals, pushing the layer of malai (top of milk) that forms on the top towards the sides of the vessel. Continue to do this till the milk is reduced to less than half of the original quantity.

Keep scraping the sides of the vessel and mix it with the thickening milk.

After almost 60-70 mins or so, the milk would have reduced considerably to a thick mass. Add sugar and mix. Allow the sugar to dissolve and continue to simmer the mixture till it reaches a third of the original quantity.

Add cardamom powder and saffron and mix well. Turn off heat and allow to come to room temperature.

Add the mango puree and mix well till well combined. Remove to a bowl and chill for a couple of hours. You can also serve at room temperature.

Garnish with the  scooped mango pieces.

Ladle the mango rabri into serving bowls and serve.

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Three coloured Gujiya

Holi hai ....
Festival of colours is incomplete without this sweet #Gujiya. Every halwai and homemakers across specially north India makes lots of crispy golden brown stuffed sweet dish to celebrate the festival of colours. Here I present my holi special Fried #ThreecolourGujiya and Baked ones also. Jor se bolo holi hai...kya aap ko yeh rangeen #Gujiya khaani hai... phir recipe try karlo please. 

Gujiya prepared with semolina and dry fruits taste really scrumptious.

These gujiyas have longer shelf life then other gujiyas.

Ingredients

Refined flour - 3 cup

Ghee - 1/2 cup

Curd or Milk – 1 ½ tsp each (4 ½ tsp)

For three Colour:

Beetroot juice: 1 tsbp

Peas paste: 2 Tsp

Carrot paste: 2 tsp

(you should boil when separately , drain and make a smooth paste)

For stuffing

Semolina - 3/4 cup (150 grams)

Powdered sugar - 3/4 cup

Dry fruits - 1 cup (cashews, walnuts, almonds, raisins, hazelnut, pecans, sliced dry apricots, pistachio)

Desiccated coconut: 3 tsp

Green cardamom - 7 to 8

Ghee - for frying gujiyas and roasting semolina

You can also Bake them. Baking three coloured Gujiya’s instructions at the end.

Method to make Sooji Dry Fruits Gujhiya:

Take flour 1 cup flour in three separate vessels add: beetroot, peas paste, carrot paste separately ghee(1 tbsp each) and curd (1 ½ tsp each) in to it. Mix all ingredients really well.

Now add water only if required and knead stiff and tight dough, same as required for making pooris. Cover the dough and keep it aside for one hour.

For making stuffing:

Finely chop all dry fruits. Peel cardamom and make powder. Take 2 tbsp ghee in a wok and heat it sufficiently. Add semolina in ghee and stir it constantly. Roast until semolina turns golden brown in color. After roasting semolina, add chopped dry fruits into it. Roast for 1 to 2 minutes and mix all ingredients. Turn off the flame and keep stirring the semolina. Take out semolina in a bowl and allow it to cool.

Knead the dough again until smooth. Make 25 small dough balls and cover them.

Important step: When semolina cools, add powdered sugar, coconut and cardamom powder into it. Mixture for stuffing gujiyas is ready.

Take one dough ball roll, do same with other two. Now make plait. Cut then in equal parts and roll it out in a poori with 3 to 4 inch diameter. Place the rolled poori in a plate. Roll out at least 10 pooris. Now stuff these pooris for making gujiyas. For this, take one poori, place it over the mold and stuff it with 1 or 1.5 tsp stuffing. Spread some water on the corners. Close the mold, press gently and remove the extra dough from it. Open the mold, take out gujiya and place it over a plate.

Likewise, prepare all gujiyas and place them in a plate. Cover them so that they don't dry.

Fry the Gujiyas:

Take ghee in a wok and heat i sufficiently. Place gujiyas in medium hot ghee and fry on low-medium flame until they turn golden brown in color from both sides. Take out the fried guijyas in a plate with absorbent paper. Likewise fry all gujiyas.

Mouth drooling Gujiyas are ready. Serve these tantalizing and piping hot gujiyas with Mango Rabri. Or just serve three coloured gujiya on its own. 
http://yuvikasrecipes.blogspot.co.uk/2018/02/mango-rabri.html

Baking instructions:

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees and put the ghee glazed Gujiya tray on the wired stand. Set the oven at 200 degrees for 10 minutes. Take the gujiyas out after 10 minutes and check them. They should be brown from the top. Then turn at cook for another 4-5 minutes. It should be golden from both sides.

Another option to get glaze on the gujiya: you can coat the gujiya with condensed milk to glaze it. It’ll look shiny and tempting. Dilute the condensed milk a little using regular milk. Coat the gujiyas with this sweetened milk using a brush. Turn it over and coat it from the other side too, now bake it for another 5-6 minutes, making sure that you don’t overcook them. It takes 15-18 minutes to bake gujiya. Serve the gujiyas hot and piping and enjoy the taste. When they cool down, you can put them in an air-tight container and store them for up to a week.

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Matar ke Pan Flavoured Malpua

Matar ka pan Malpua is just what you need to warm your heart on a cold, winter’s day.

Malpua is a traditional favourite in Rajasthani households, especially during the unrelenting winter days. The smell of sugary whole wheat batter deep-frying in ghee, especially the prominent accents of fennel and cardamom, is enough to make one drool.

Ingredients:

1 and 3/4  cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup sugar

4 tsp  Matar ka paste

2 tsp pan juice

1 tbsp fennel seeds (saunf)

ghee for deep-frying

Method: 

Combine the sugar and 1 cup of water in a deep non-stick pan and cook on a medium flame for 3 minutes, while stirring continuously.

Transfer the mixture into a deep bowl and allow it to cool completely.

Once cooled, add the matar paste, pan juice, fennel seeds, whole wheat flour and ¼ cup of water and mix well using a whisk. Keep aside.

Heat the ghee in a broad non-stick pan, pour a laddleful of the mixture into the hot ghee 1 at a time and deep-fry on a high flame till golden brown in colour from all the sides.

Repeat step 4 to make 14 more malpuas.

Serve immediately. Garnish with tutty fruity / dry fruits.

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Matar (peas) Ki Kheer

Just have this once, you will want to enjoy it again and again.Sanjeev Kapoor

Ingredients:

• Green Peas 1 1/2 cups

• Milk 1 1/4 litres 

• Ghee 3 tablespoons

• Almonds sliced few for garnish

• Raisins 2 tablespoons

• Green cardamom powder a pinch

• Sugar 1 cup 

• Roasted vermicelli - 1/2 cup

• Method:

  Wash and boil green peas for five minutes. Refresh in cold water and grind to a fine paste. Heat ghee in a thick-bottomed pan, add green peas paste and cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly.

  Keep aside. Boil milk and add milk to cooked green peas paste and vermicelli. Bring it to a boil. Cook on low heat for fifteen to twenty minutes or till the milk is reduced to half.

• Add  sugar, green cardamom powder, raisins and almonds. Cook for about eight to ten minutes on low heat, stirring continuously. Take off the heat and allow it to cool. Keep it in the refrigerator. Serve chilled.

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Atta (wheatflour) Ka Halwa

Atta ka Halwa, is a delicious sweet dessert. This is easy to make and with few ingredients. Atta ka halwa is made with whole wheat flour, sugar, and clarified butter, flavored with cardamom. I love the sweet aroma and flavor of cardamom, for me cardamom is must to have any sweet I make.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/3 cup ghee, clarified butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 cups water
• 10-12 raisins
• 1/4 teaspoon cardamom coarsely ground
• 1 tablespoon pistachios sliced for garnishing

Method:

1. Boil the water and sugar in a pan over medium high heat. Bring the syrup to full boil and mix it well making sure sugar is dissolved, and turn off the heat. Set aside.
2. In a frying pan over low medium heat, add the clarified butter after butter is melted add whole wheat flour. Keep stirring and roast the flour, till it turns light brown and have nice sweet aroma. Flour should be roasted well, after adding the syrup four will be lighter in shade. Halwa should be nice and light brown in colour. This should take about 7-8 minutes.
3. Add the syrup slowly to minimize splattering. Keep stirring continuously, making sure there is no lumps. Add raisins, half the pistachios and cardamom, and cook till it becomes consistency of thick batter. Keep the halwa softer than your desired consistency, as it will thicken over time. This should take about 5-6 minutes.
4. Garnish with pistachios. Serve warm.

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Pan Rose Flavoured Kheer

 Vermicelli kheer, is a traditional popular, delicious dessert and an easy recipe to make.
Basic vermicelli kheer is made with milk, roasted vermicelli and sugar, and then flavored with cardamom.
Garnish with sliced almonds and pistachios and you have a delicious dish! However, you know Yuvika's kitchen always brings something new here is my version.

Ingredients :
Vermicelli 2 cup
Milk 2 litres
Ghee 4 tablespoon
Cashewnuts 50 grams
Raisins 50 grams
Pan syrup 1 cup
Condensed milk 3 tsp
Rose petals- 8-10,sliced
Green cardamom powder 1 teaspoon

Method:
Heat ghee in a non-stick pan. Add cashewnuts and raisins.
Saute till nuts are brown. Remove from heat, drain on absorbent paper and set aside.
In the same pan, add vermicelli and saute till light golden. Remove from heat and set aside.
Boil the milk in a deep non-stick pan. Add fried vermicelli, mix well and cook on medium heat for five to seven minutes.
Add pan syrup, few rose petals and condensed milk. Mix well and cook on low heat for five minutes. Stir continously.
Remove from heat and add cardamom powder, fried cashewnuts, rose petals and raisins. Mix well and refrigerate for 1 hour.   Serve.
For garnishing you can use tutty fruity.

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Murmura Ladoo / Puffed rice ladoo

Just wanted to make this from past few weeks...Finally #Murmura Ladoo/ Puffed Rice sweet balls ready. It's quick , simple and yum.

Ingredients

• Puffed Rice - 2 cups
• Jaggery -1/2 cup
• Water - ⅛ cup
• Cardamom powder - ⅛ tsp

Method:

1. Measure and keep all ingredients ready. Heat jaggery in a pan with water till it immersing level. Switch off the flame once the jaggery melts completely.
2. Strain the jaggery water using a strainer to remove impurities. Then start heating the strained jaggery water in low flame.
3. In the mean time, take a bowl with water and keep it ready. When the jaggery water becomes little thick, take little bit of syrup in a spoon and add it to the bowl of water. Gather the syrup to make a firm ball with your fingers. If you are able to form a nice ball, that is the correct stage. Switch off the flame and remove the jaggery syrup from heat.
4. Immediately add the jaggery syrup to the puffed rice. Add cardamom powder at this stage. Mix everything together with a spoon.
5. Now Start making balls. Word of caution here, Jaggery syrup will be hot it may burn the skin if touched directly.
6. Make balls with the remaining mix and store the puffed rice balls in an airtight container.

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