Ragi Halwa

Suddenly from somewhere I got this ragi-o-mania, I started trialling with ragi flour. Once I had tried this gooey halwa which tasted very good. With generous ghee this slid into the throat like wheat halwa, even with less ghee it should’ve tasted equally good but little sticky.

Ingredients:

1. Ragi Flour - 1 cup
2. Sugar - 1 cup
3. Crushed Cardamom - 2
4. Ghee - 1/2 cup
5. Fried cashew nuts - 2 tbsp

Method:

Step 1: First mix the ragi flour with 2 cups of water in a pan and keep aside for 10 mins.
Step 2: Heat the pan, add sugar,stir it well continuously. Add ghee and stir until it thicken as halwa.
Step 3: After it get thicken add cardamom,fried cashews and mix it well.

Okra Fry

Okra fry is a classic combination with sambar or rasam or curd rice and it is equally good with phulkas. This is an easy to cook and tasty to eat side-dish that I opt usually for week-end lunches. As my husband is quite fond of okra, I make this frequently.

Serves: 3

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

1.      Lady's finger (Okra) – 250 grams

2.    Onion – 1

3.    Lemon – 1/2

4.    Chili powder – 1 tsp

5.     Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp

6.    Sugar – 1/2 tsp

7.     Oil – 2 tbsp

8.    Salt to taste

9.    Roasted and coarsely ground groundnuts - 3 tbsp

10.                        Mustard seeds – ½ tsp

11.  Urad dal – 1 tbsp

12.Curry leaves – 1 sprig

Method: 

Step 1: Wash and cut Okra into 1/2 inch thick pieces.

Step 2: Chop onion and curry leaves finely.

Step 3: Heat a pan, prepare the seasoning by spluttering mustard seeds, roasting urad dal and  add chopped curry leaves, onion, fry till it becomes translucent.

Step 4: Add all dry ingredients except sugar, salt and mix well.

Step 5: Put in the okra, fry for a couple of minutes; cover and keep for 3 minutes in low flame.

Step 6: Check whether Okras are cooked and if required fry for few more minutes by mixing well.

Step 7: Add sugar, lemon juice and mix well; cook for a minute more to let the tastes sweet, sour, salt, spices blend well; this will enhance the taste.

Step 8: Add groundnut powder for lifting the taste and flavour.

Step 9: Serve hot with rice or phulkas.

 TIPS:

* Cook Okra in low flame and use non-stick fry pan to consume less oil.

Pista Kulfi

Kulfis are Indian ice-creams; they are harder, creamier, sweeter, dense in flavour compared to ice creams. As it is hard to scoop, kulfi is frozen in small serving-sized molds traditionally madka molds (earthen molds),  but in modern kitchen aluminium and plastic tumbler shaped molds are used for convenience. For the tropical climate of India kulfi are very apt as they melt down slowly. However, kulfi is a self descriptor of the phrase "No pain, no gain"; the effort of making kulfis is felt in its taste; one can definitely feel the difference between instant kulfis and those kulfis made the hard way.

Ingredients:

1. Whole milk - 1 lt
2. Sugar - 5 tbsp
3. Cardamom powder - 1 tsp
4. Pistachios - 2 tbsp

Method:

Step 1: Boil the milk with sugar in a wide pan in low to medium flame, continously stirring to avoid burning at the bottom.
Step 2: After about 45 minutes, a thick consistency of milk (almost of the thickness of beaten whole curd) is obtained. Now switch off the stove and add cardamom powder and crushed nuts.

Step 3: Let it cool down to room temperature. Stir occasionally to avoid layer formation at the top surface.

Step 4: Mix well and pour into kulti moulds and put in freezer.

Step 5: After an hour take out and stir the kulfi mix once when is partially frozen; put in freezer back. Repeat if the kulfi had not started to freeze.

Step 6: Let the kulfi set in freezer for 8 hours or better overnight.
Step 7: Before serving, take out the molds, wash in the running water with the lid closed, give it a couple of minutes to melt in the edges. Slide into serving bowls or slice them as required.
Step 8:  Garnish with more crushed nuts.

TIPS:
* You can add sweet condensed milk as a sweetner, this enhances taste and quickens the cooking.
* Some people add white bread in kulfis to give it texture and prevent icicles.
* Instant kulfis are made by adding corn starch to thicken the consistency of milk.
* Madka molds absorb the residual moisture in the kulfis and hence are rich and creamy; the material forms an insulator that slows the freezing as well as melting, price of which is a wonderful heavenly kulfi.