BESAN HALWA

BESAN HALWA

Ingredients
Besan 1 cup
Ghee 1/2 cup
Milk 1.5 cup
Sugar 3/4 cup
Cardamom Powder 1/4 tsp
Saffron Strands A pinch

Method
Boil milk, sugar and saffron strands in a pan. Lower the heat when it starts to boil.
In a separate wok, roast besan with ghee.
Cook besan in ghee

First besan will become thicker and then will start to become thinner.

Once the besan browns a little and becomes fragrant, add the boiling milk mixture to the besan.
Add boiling milk to besan

Keep stirring as besan will start soaking the milk and become thicker.

When the besan starts to leave ghee, it’s ready. Add cardamom powder and chopped nuts and it’s ready to serve..
Besan Halwa is ready to serve

You can even set besan halwa like barfi and cut it when it sets.
Setting Besan Halwa barfi

And you can make besan halwa parantha with any leftover halwa.

Like

Coconut Almond Burfi

Coconut Almond Burfi

Ingredients:
2 cups coconut freshly grated, I am using frozen shredded coconut
1-3/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup blanched almond powder
1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder

Method

In a non-stick frying pan add coconut and sugar, cook over low medium heat, stir continuously till sugar is melted and mixture starts to bubble.
Add the almond powder and cardamom, keep stirring continuously, scraping the sides and bottom of the pan, until mixture start coming together and becomes consistency of soft dough. This should take about 6-7 minutes. Turn of the heat.
Pour the mixture into greased plate while burfi mixture is still hot spread it evenly about 3/4 inch thick in a square shape. Press the mixture with spatula to make it firm.
While burfi is still warm cut them in about one inch square.
Allow the burfi to cool for about an hour to dry and hold its shape. Now you can remove the burfi from the plate.
Burfi can be stored for 2 weeks in air tight container.

Like

Homemade Milk Toffee

Homemade Milk Toffee 

Ingredients :

Sugar 2/3 cup
Water 2/3 cup
Butter 4 tbsp
Milk Powder 1/2 cup
Cocoa Powder 3 tsp
Cashew nuts 5 nos
Walnut 4 nos
Raisins 5 nos

Directions:

Step 1
Sieve the Milk Powder and Cocoa Powder and keep it separately.Chop the nuts and raisins in to very small piece and keep it ready.

Step 2
In a non-stick pan add water and sugar together and allow it to boil in medium flame for 10 min. Keep stirring. Take a plain glass full of water and drop the sugar syrup drops. If it mixes with water, boil for some more time or If it makes a string like drop before settling in the bottom then the syrup is ready. Be careful while preparing syrup, it changes to this consistency so quick. If it’s boiled after it reaching the string like consistency it starts crystallizing. So keep stirring and check for the correct consistency often. Take out from the stove.

Step 3
Add the butter and let it completely melt. Add the sieved milk powder little by little and avoid making lumps. Mix them well. Add the chopped nuts and mix them well. Add the sieved cocoa powder in the same way. Mix all these together well until it forms a nice thick paste.

Step 4
Grease the flat plate with butter and spread the chocolate mix in the plate. Adjust wit ha spatula to make the square shape. Keep it in refrigerator for 1-2 hrs. Cut them into desired shape using knife or pizza cutter.

Tips :
This can be stored in refrigerator for 10-15 days.

Tutti Frutti Truffles

Tutti Frutti Truffles

Ingredients:

Makes about 25 squares

200g (7oz) white chocolate, broken into chunks
125g (4 1/2oz) butter, diced
150g (5 1/2oz) multi-coloured glace cherries (red, green and yellow)
6 rich tea biscuits
50g (1 3/4oz) dried cranberries (or raisins)

Method:

Place the chocolate and butter in a bowl and carefully melt together in the microwave or over a pan of gently simmering water. Rinse the cherries in a sieve (this takes away the stickiness) and pat dry, then place on a chopping board. Chop the cherries into small pieces and add to the bowl of chocolate and butter, along with the cranberries. Place the biscuits in a sandwich bag and bash with a rolling pin until you have crumbs. Add to the bowl and then mix everything together.

Line a small square cake tin with clingfilm and tip in the mixture. Place clingfilm over the top and press down with a potato masher to level out the surface. Ideally, you need the mixture to be about 2-3cm (3/4-1 1/4in) deep, so if the tin is too big, press the mix down into one end and fold over the clingfilm to hold in place. Place in the fridge for a few hours to set, before turning out onto a board and cutting into squares.

Pink Coconut Ice

Pink Coconut Ice

Ingredients:

100 g butter

1 cup milk
6 cups icing sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup desiccated coconut
2 teaspoons coconut essence
(red food color - see Note)

How to make it
Place the butter, milk, icing sugar and salt in a medium- sized saucepan and heat gently until the sugar dissolves. Bring the mixture to the boil and keep the heat sufficient to just maintain the boil, stirring only occasionally, until the mixture reaches soft-ball stage (120 C). Add the coconut and coconut essence and remove from the heat. Cool for 5 – 10 minutes, then beat until the mixture thickens. Pour into a greased tin approximately 20 x 20 cm. Allow to cool and cut into squares.

Note: For pink coconut ice add a drop of red food colouring with the coconut. For the traditional two-tone effect make a batch of white and then a batch of pink, pouring the pink on top of the set white.

Chocolate tuiles

Chocolate tuiles

Add caption

Ingredients

•25g caster sugar
•1 tsp water
•20g crushed almonds
•100g chocolate of your choice, chopped or in pellet form

Method
1.Make a light syrup by adding the sugar to the water in a pan and heating gently until the sugar is dissolved.
2.Add the almonds to the syrup and return to the heat. Cook on a low heat until a teaspoonful of syrup dropped into iced water forms a ball that yields to slight pressure and turns into a light caramel full of nuts.
3.Pour the caramel onto a sheet of baking parchment and leave to set into a toffee-like product. When set, crush the toffee into tiny pieces.
4.Temper the chocolate (see below) and mix the toffee pieces into the tempered chocolate.
5.Drop a teaspoon of the mixture onto a small piece of baking parchment – you need a piece of paper for each tuile.
6.Using the back of a teaspoon, spread the mixture into a disc.
7.Slightly drape the parchment over a bowl or rolling pin and leave the tuile to set in a curved shape.
8.When set, peel the paper from the tuile.

How to temper chocolate

1.Melt about two-thirds of the chocolate you'll need. Gradually stir in the remaining cold chocolate, stirring until melted. When no more solid chocolate will melt into the liquid, the chocolate is tempered.

Date-Walnut Balls

Date-Walnut Balls

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

1 cup white sugar
1 cup chopped dates
1 egg, beaten
1 cup chopped walnuts
2 cups puffed rice cereal, such as Rice Krispies
1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut, for rolling
1/2 cup walnuts, finely chopped, for rolling

Directions
In a medium saucepan, melt butter with sugar, then add chopped dates. Stirring very quickly, add in beaten egg. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring constantly, and allow to boil for 4 to 5 minutes.

Remove from heat, and add chopped walnuts and puffed rice, mixing well. Spread mixture onto a heatsafe pan, and allow to cool. Cut into even, 1-inch sized cubes.

Combine finely chopped walnuts and flaked coconut in a shallow dish. Grease hands with butter, and, using hands, shape each date square into an individual sphere, then roll it in the walnut-and-coconut mixture.

Shake excess off.

Makes about 40 date balls.

Afghan Sweets

Afghan Sweets

Ingredients:

440 g white sugar
500 ml water
440 g full-cream milk powder
1 tbsp ground cardamom
1 tbsp rosewater
125 g chopped walnuts
1 tbsp ground pistachios

Method:

Place the sugar and water in a saucepan over low heat and stir until the sugar dissolves. Simmer, without stirring, for 10–15 minutes, or until a thick syrup forms. Do not allow the syrup to colour.

Meanwhile, combine the milk powder, cardamom, rosewater and walnuts in a bowl. Pour over the hot syrup and quickly combine well. Pour mixture into a shallow dish and scatter with the ground pistachios. Stand for 30 minutes or until cool and set. Cut into diamonds or squares to serve.

Almond Toffee

Almond Toffee

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar

2 cups chocolate chips
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups butter
1 cup finely chopped almonds

Method:
1) In a large sized thick bottomed pan, mix butter, sugar and salt together
2) Stir the three ingredients on a medium heat until the butter melts
3) Stir the mixture till it starts boiling and turns a bit golden brown
4) Meanwhile coat a large baking tray with aluminum sheet
5) Now pour the butter mixture on the baking tray
6) Sprinkle chocolate chips on the butter mixture and allow it to melt
7) Once the chocolate starts to melt, even it out with a spatula and make it a layer on the butter mixture
8) Sprinkle crushed or chopped nuts as a final layer
9) Place it in refrigerator until it solidifies

Peshawari Ice Cream recipe

Peshawari Ice Cream recipe

Ingredients

Fresh Milk 1Kg
Castor sugar 200g
Fresh cream 250g
Vanilla essence few drops
Red Syrup 1-2 tbsp

Cooking Instructions

Boil 1kg of milk and add 200g castor sugar in it.

Then add 200g of fresh cream in it and boil it.

Let it cool down for a while and boil once again.

Take the mixture off the stove and let it cool down.

Then add a few drops of vanilla essence in the mixture.

Add this prepared mixture in the ice-cream mahcine.

Make its ice-cream. Now add 1-2 tbsp of red syrup in it and serve it.

Chocolate Mint Ice Cream recipe

Chocolate Mint Ice Cream recipe
Ingredients
Evaporated milk chilled – ½ can or 170g
Whipped Cream – 1 ½ cup
Peppermint essence – 1 tsp
Condensed milk – ½ can or 215g
Icing sugar – 4 tbsp
Oreos cookies – ½ cup crushed
Egg whites – 2
Green food colour – few drops

Cooking Instructions
Beat evaporated milk until it doubles in volume. In another bowl beat cream with 2 tbsp icing sugar.

In separate bowl beat egg whites with remaining icing sugar until stiff foam.

Then in evaporated milk, add condensed milk, food colour and essence.

Now fold cream and egg whites with spatula in this mixture, and put this mixture in air tight container for6 hours.

Then take it out from the freezer and add crushed cookies and give a swirl with spoon and freeze again for 6 hours. Then serve

Black Forest Ice Cream Roll recipe

Black Forest Ice Cream Roll recipe

Ingredients
Flour - 75g
Eggs – 4
Coco powder – 25g
Sugar – 100g
Vanilla essence – 1 tsp
Ice cream – 1 litre
:::::For Icing::::::
Whipped cream – 9 oz
Ground sugar – 10 oz
Chocolate syrup – ½ cup
Cherries – as required

Cooking Instructions
First You need an electric mixer, Beat eggs and sugar on HIGH speed for about 5 to 7 minutes until the mixture doubles in volume.

Turn speed at lower point and beat again for 2 mins.

Now we add sifted flour, coco powder and vanilla essence into the mixture. With a spatula gently fold in the flour until it’s well blended.

Now we pour the batter(mixture) into the Greased or oiled “13 X 9 oven tray, and bake on Pre-heat oven to 200ºC and gas mark 6 for 10 to 12 minutes.

When it’s done, take an napkin, sprinkle some icing sugar or corn flour and place hot cake on it and make a roll.

Leave aside until completely cooled down then open roll and spread softened ice cream all over the roll and again make a roll and freeze for 12 hours, *make sure freeze with napkin otherwise cake will be dry*.

When it’s frozen, take it out from the freezer, remove napkin and decorate with whipped cream, chocolate syrup and cherries. you will love it.. Keep Enjoy

Cardamom and Pistachio Cake recipe

Cardamom and Pistachio Cake recipe

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour 300g
1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
½ tspn salt
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 cup or 100g unsalted chopped pistachio
1½ teaspoon fresh ground cardamom about 20 pods
3 eggs
1 cup milk
1 sour cream
¾ cup or 150g butter
1 ½ cup or 300g sugar
2 tablespoons breadcrumbs for coating the Bundt cake
For Rose water cream cheese frosting:
1 pack or 200g Philadelphia cream cheese
5 tablespoons rose water
5 tablespoons milk
½ cup or 62 gram powder sugar
3 tablespoons natural unsalted pistachios

Cooking Instructions

Preheat oven to 180°C /350 °F /Gas mark 4.
Butter a 12 cup bundt pan and coat with fine dry breadcrumbs. Set aside.

On a chopping board, gently ponder the cardamom seeds till split open. Using your hands, remove and discard cardamom’s green shells.

In the mortar, crush the cardamom seeds till powdery. Or use a small coffee grinder to grind the seeds.

In the food processor, blitz the pistachios until they are finely grounded.

The Cake:
In a large bowl, sift the flour, salt, cornstarch and baking powder three times.Add the pistachios and cardamom..

In the bowl of the stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. About 5 to 8 minutes.

Add the eggs one at a time. Mix just until combined. Then add the sour cream. Mix for three to four minutes or till combined.

Beginning and ending with dry ingredients, alternate between the liquid and dry ingredients.

Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients, then ½ the milk, then 1/3 of the dry ingredients, then ½ the milk and finally the last 1/3 of dry ingredients.

Pour batter into prepared bundt pan, spreading evenly.
Bake in the third rack of the oven, for about 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.

Once done, allow the bundt cake to cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes before inverting it.

Let the cake cool completely before decorating and frosting.

Frosting & Assembly:
Sift the icing sugar.Add all the ingredients to the bowl of the mixer and mix until combined.Mix all the ingredients in the bowl of the

Spread the frosting over the cakes. Sprinkle with pistachios & drizzle with chocolate then let the cake cool for one hour hours before serving.

Chicken Filled Croissants recipe

Chicken Filled Croissants recipe

Ingredients

For chicken filling:
Chicken ½ kg (boneless)
Soya sauce 2 tbsp
Lemon juice 1 tbsp
Hot chilli sauce 2 tbsp
Cumin seeds ½ tbsp
All spice powder ¼ tsp
Onion 1 (chopped)
Garlic paste 1 tsp
Oil 3 tbsp
For croissants:
Flour 2 cups (sifted)
Salt ½ tsp
Sugar 1 tbsp
Instant yeast 1 tsp
Butter or vegetable oil 4 tbsp + for brushing
Milk (warm) according to flour quantity
Egg 1 (beaten)
Sesame seeds 1 tbsp

Cooking Instructions

Chicken for Filling:
Heat oil in a pan and add the onions and fry until they become transparent.

Add the garlic paste and chicken and fry.

Then add soya sauce, hot chilli sauce, cumin seeds, all spice powder and lemon juice.

When the chicken becomes tender remove it from flame.

For croissants:
Mix the sugar and dry yeast in ¼ cup of luke warm water and put it aside until frothy.

In a bowl take flour, salt, oil or butter and yeast mixture and mix.

Knead well and make smooth dough with warm milk.

Now make a ball of the dough and apply a little oil on it and cover with a damp muslin cloth and leave it for an hour.

Flatten the ball on a floured surface and make a round circle using a rolling pin.

Brush the circle with butter or oil and using pizza cutter or knife make quarters and then make 8 triangles.

Take a single triangle and put chicken mixture on the broad side make a little cut on the tip of triangle for design.

Then roll it like a spring roll, slightly press the edges to seal them and make the croissant shape.

Brush the surface of the croissants with egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired.

Then bake for 15 minutes on 180°C.

Serve hot.