Happy birthday to Paajaka recipes !

Cancer Institute Foundation presents SAARAL

Hi friends, it's been at least a couple of months since my last post. Even though I have not posted any, I've been following everyone's post through feeds in bloglines. I've not been doing well of late. I am recovering from a shoulder (arthoscopic) surgery which I had a month back and I am now religiously doing the physio therapy exercises. I am hoping to be back to normal in a month or two from now. Meanwhile, just wanted to say hi to you all.

I want to thank all my friends and family who really pitched in when we needed help like cooking for us and as well taking care of my daughter while I needed rest. I know you will all be reading this post. Mere words are not enough to thank you all for the help and support rendered when in need. I really appretiate it and a big thanks to you all.

I am in complete rest now. The 'food' part, we are able to manage. My husband cooks, we cater food from my friend, plus, my family, friends and neigbors cook for us, sometimes we go to restaurants...It's quite natural to think of our folks in India, when we are not doing well. But, since I have all my friends and family here helping us, I really don't feel too homesick. Thank you Subha (my SIL), SRK (my relative), and ALL my friends. I am really blessed.

I have always been a big fan of few games like master minds, reversi etc. I found an awesome site (a neat single page website), where you can play all these games for free. I'ts a website called mah-jongg.ch specially dedicated for challenging mind games. Very neat. Since, I can move my wrist now, I have been playing Rush Hour, Master minds, Reversi etc. Really challenging mind games. Try it and you'll love it, but don't blame if you get addicted.

My friend Shoba, an active volunteer for CIF (Cancer Institute Foundation) sent me a mail regarding the upcoming event in Bay area. Details below.

CIF (Cancer Institute Foundation) is having a spectacular event "SAARAL" this year on SEPT 12 in the SF Bay area. There will be a Tamil light music show by "Eastern Winds", an upcoming bay area troupe and also dances by the well known dance group "Mona Sampath Dance Company" also known as "Naach".

To know more about the event, you can find the poster here. Tickets cost just $15 each and are available on line here.

CIF in USA mainly raises funds for the Adyar Cancer Institute in Chennai , which is led by Dr. Shanta as the Chairman. All the doctors in the institute are dedicated to giving free cancer care to poor patients. The proceeds from this show will directly go to the institute and mainly towards the Mobile Clinic , where doctors travel in Vans to various villages, helping create awareness , thereby preventing and also treating people if the needs arise.To know more about CIF, please visit http://www.cifwia.org.

I really miss the blogsphere which is in full swing now, with many many events, many many new comers, many many recipes. I 've been bookmarking quite a few recipes and am praying to come back to normal soon and try those recipes one by one. Okay friends, I'll take leave here. My shoulder is not co-operating. It needs rest. Bye all of you. See you all in my next post hopefully in a month or two. Take care all of you.

MEC - Nuts roundup & Sweet series - Rice/Wheat and Diabetic friendly sweets roundup

Here are the fabulous entries for the MEC - Nuts. Thank you friends for sending in the entries. Thank you Srivalli for giving me an opportunity to guest host this awesome 'Microwave easy cooking' event. All these enries are sure a quick treat for any occasion. I apologise for the delay in posting the roundup. Here is the roundup of MEC nuts

1. Almond and dates kheer

2. ChocNutBar - chocolate frosting

3. Almond rabri

4. Almond fudge

5. Kaju peda

6. Cashew rice

7. Chatpat masala cashewnuts

8. Masala peanuts

9. Badam halwa

Here is the roundup for the final event in the sweet series - Rice and wheat based sweets and diabetic sweets. I really apologise for the delay in posting the roundup. I really appretiate your patience. The sweet series event was a grand success. Hearty thanks for those who sent in their awesome entries for all the events. Here goes the final roundup of the Sweet series.

Sweets with rice / wheat & Diabetic sweets:

1. Semiya payasam

2. Sakarai pongal

3. Garvanu - wheat flour kheer

4. Boiled rice flour ladoo

5. Broken wheat kheer

6. Almond flavored rava payasam

7. Vegan sweet crepes with creamy filling

8. Sakarai pongal

9. Olaiappam - sweet iddli

10. Sugar free pumkin almond muffins

11. Oatmeal banana wheat pancakes

12. Sugar free chocolate chip cookies

13. Paal kozhakattai

14. Idichu pizhinja payasam

15. Lapsi - broken wheat porridge

16. Sweet pongal

17. Wheat laddu with ghee residue

CLICK HERE FOR ALL SWEET SERIES EVENT ROUNDUPS

Mint rice / Pudina saadam

Oh! I love mint. I have used this wonderful herb in chutney, gravy, rasam, pulao and raitha. My version of mint pulao is mixing the ground mint paste to the cooking rice. Just thought, why not add the ground paste to the cooked rice instead of cooking rice. I called this creation 'mint rice' that retains all the goodness of mint plus the intense minty aroma. A wonderful variety rice for any occasion. Here goes the recipe for this easy, breezy, classy, minty dish.

Ingredients:

Cooked rice - 2 cups

(the cooked rice should not be too soft or sticky)

Mint/pudina - 1 big bunch

(I used 2 handful of mint leaves)

Onion - 1 large - chop the onions

(I used one large red onion)

Desiccated coconut - half cup

(I used powdered desiccated coconut)

Green chillis - 3 to 4

(I used 4 thai chillis. The number of chillis depends on how spicy you want the rice)

Ginger - half inch - peel the skin and chop it finely

Garlic - 2 cloves

(I used half teaspoon garlic paste and 1 teaspoon ginger paste)

Dry bay leaves - 3

Oil for seasoning - 1 tablespoon

Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon

Urud dal - 1 tablespoon

Salt to taste

Ghee fried cashews - handful

Ghee for flavor - 1 or 2 tablespoons

Method:

Grind the mint with desiccated coconut and green chillis using very little water. Keep it aside.

Heat oil in a large kadai. Add mustard seeds. When it pops, add the urud dal. When it turns light brown, add the bay leaves and the chopped onions.

Fry the onions in medium heat for a minute and add the ginger and garlic. When the onion turns translucent add the ground mint.

Reduce the heat and keep stirring. You will notice the bring green mint turning light green. Add salt and turn off heat.

Mix in the rice until equal distribution. Add ghee for extra flavor. You can also mix in a handful of the powdered desiccated coconut. Garnish with ghee fried golden cashews and/or sprinkle powdered desiccated coconut on top and serve separately or accompanied with any raitha of your choice.

Almond dates kheer

Oh! it was heavenly. I fell in love, the first time I tasted kajoor ka kheer in Turmeric restaurant in Sunnyvale, CA. Since then, I've been planning to try this recipe one day. Mahanandi's post about Sukham Ayu cookbook recipe, Dates Kheer kindled my desire to try this recipe and I thought I can try today, being my birthday, a perfect day to treat myself with this delicious kheer. I tried this in my own style and it turned out to be fantabulous (a new word used by many now a days). What an excellent treat it was! No mess since I tried this recipe in Microwave. The tasty kheer was ready in few minutes. The kheer can be prepared in stovetop or microwave. I am sure it is mess free in stovetop method too. As for me, no kheer is complete without the flavor of cardamom. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

Pitted dates - 12 count

Almond powder - half cup

(or grind 2 handful almonds to a fine powder)

Sugar - 1 cup

(reduce the amount of sugar if the dates are too sweet)

Evapored milk - 1 can

(you can substitute with plain milk too)

Water - 2 cups

Cardamom powder - half teaspoon

Microwave method:

Chop the dates very finely. As the dates are sticky, I used a chopper to finely cut the dates.

Pour water in a microwavable safe container and whisk in the almond powder. There should not be any lumps.

Microwave on high (open) for approx 5 minutes.

Now, add the dates and whisk well.

Microwave on high for 5 minutes.

Add in sugar and cardamom and whisk well.

Microwave on high for 3 minutes.

Pour one can of evaporated milk. Add more sugar if you think the kheer is not sweet enough.

Microwave on high for 3 more minutes and the kheer is ready.

Stovetop method:

Chop the dates very finely. As the dates are sticky, I used a chopper to finely cut the dates.

Pour water in a kadai and whisk in the almond powder. There should not be any lumps.

Keep stirring in medium heat for 5 minutes. You will notice the almond powder is getting cooked in the boiling liquid.

Now, add the dates and whisk well.

Keep stirring in medium heat. You will notice the boiling almond milk bubbling up. Keep stirring continuously.

Add in sugar and cardamom and whisk well.

Reduce the heat and give a brisk stir for a minute.

Pour one can of evaporated milk or plain milk. Add more sugar if you think the kheer is not sweet enough.

Keep in low heat for 3 more minutes and the kheer is ready. Turn off heat.

This is my entry to this month's MEC edition for Nuts hosted by me. Many thanks to Srivalli for initiating this MEC event. I am glad to host this event this month.

This is my entry to the Mithai mela hosted by Srivalli of Cooking 4 all seasons.

Reminder: Please send in your recipes for MEC Nuts. You have time till the end of this month. Ample time to create your own dish using nuts in the microwave.

Announcing MEC - Nuts

Friends, it is a great pleasure hosting events in Paajaka and here I'm proud to host this month's MEC - Nuts. MEC is Microwave easy cooking. The name tells it all. This event focuses only on the recipes that uses ONLY microwave for cooking. This wonderful idea of Microwave cooking event was initiated by Srivalli of Cooking for all seasons. Thank you so much Srivalli. I am glad to host this wonderful event.

The theme for this month in MEC is Nuts. Here goes the simple but mandatory rules of participation for this event.

1. Cook any dish starring NUTS (any nut) as the main ingredient in a Microwave and post it on your blog from now till the last date of April, 2009. Note: Posts on Safety, Tips and other things related to to the theme are also most welcome.

2. Feel free to use this logo:

3. Multiple recipes are permitted and recipes submitted to other events are also permitted.

4. Recipes from archives can be accepted ONLY if you create a new post and linking to your entries, this post as well as Srivalli's MEC post.

5. Non bloggers are welcome to send in their entries. Just mail me with recipe and picture and I will include in the roundup.

6. Links to this post as well as to Srivalli's MEC post are required.

7. The entire cooking needs to be done in Microwave. Of course, use food processor or others for grinding stuffs, but no stove top please. Only vegetarian entries will be accepted. No egg and no meat please.

8. Send in your entry to mythreyee at paajaka dot com with the following details on or before Apr 30th 2009.

Subject: MEC - Nuts

Your name in your blog:

Your blog's name:

Name of the dish that your are sending:

Perma link to the post:

Picture (jpg only) of the dish that you are sending.

I hope the rules are clear. Please mail me if you have any questions. Let's get started. Let's celebrate Nuts all april. Looking forward to all those delicious entries. The roundup will be posted within a week after last date.

JFI - Cauliflower - Roundup

Friends, JFI - Cauliflower roundup is here. Cauliflower is sure a versatile vegetable. Being the cauliflower season, try these mouth watering and delicious recipes. Thank you to all fellow bloggers who sent the entries and contributed to the success of this roundup. Thank you Indira for initiating the JFI. I enjoyed hosting this event. It's truly a celebration for the chosen ingredient and I am glad I chose cauliflower and very happy that I could aggregate the different vegetarian cauliflower recipes. Click on the slideshow to view all pictures. The recipe links are sorted in the order I received. Thank you once again for pouring in your entries.

1. Gobi dry manchurian

2. Cauliflower bajji

3. Vegetable biryani

4. Vegetable biryani

5. Brinjal cauliflower curry

6. Cauliflower fried rice

7. Phulgobhi sambhari

8. Mixed vegetable gratin

9. Lamb and cauliflower curry

10. Cauliflower kachori

11. Quick cauliflower subzi

12. Kasuri methi gobi

13. Gobi parata

14. Cauliflower stirfry

15. Cauliflower tagine

16. Gobhi manchurian

17. Cauliflower curry

18. Cauliflower carrot kurma

19. Cauliflower masala

20. Aloo gobi

21. Aloo gobi masala

22. Cauliflower korma

23. Cauliflower and pasta bake

24. Gobhi sandwich

25. Cauliflower paratha

26. Cauliflower sabji

27. Cauliflower potato paneer vegetable

28. Cauliflower lollipops

29. Gobi manchurian dry

30. Cauliflower kurma

31. Mixed vegetable kurma

32. Aloo gobi or Potato cauliflower gravy

33. Cauliflower palya

34. Cauliflower bhaji

35. Chilly gobi manchurian

36. Special spicy cauliflower

37. Gobichi bhaji

38. Gobi paratha

39. Cauliflower sukke

40. Gobi bhaji

41. Gobi butterbeans and mint kurma

42. Cauliflower broccoli and pasta soup

43. Phool gobi matar sabzi

44. Pav bhaji

45. Cauliflower brown rice

46. Tandoori gobi

47. Cauliflower and red pepper curry with almond flavor

48. Gobi paratha

49. Gobi and chickpea gravy

50. Masala gobi aloo phulkopir dum

51. Coriander cauliflower peas curry

52. Gobi matar

53. Gobi ki sabzi

54. Gobi manchurian

55. Cauliflower soup

56. Cauliflower paruppusuli

57. Cauliflower pakoda

58. Cauliflower peas curry

59. Cauliflower milagu pirattal

60. Crispy capsicum cauliflower

61. Fried cauliflower

62. Cauliflower pepper curry

63. Cauliflower masala

Kadle bele or Gram dal chutney for rice

I used kadle bele (otherwise called gram dal or chana dal) to make a quick and tasty chutney. Rice with this chutney and some javarisi vadam is heaven. I sometimes side this rice with curd if the chutney is too spicy.

Ingredients:

Gram dal / kadle bele - 1 cup

Grated fresh coconut - 2 tablespoons (frozen fresh coconut shredded/sliced can be substituted. Thaw it before use) - increase or decrease the quantity to your taste.

Ginger - 1 inch - peeled and chopped

Red chillies - 2

Green chilli - 1

Asafoetida powder - 1 pinch

Tamarind concentrate - half teaspoon or raw tamarind a pich or two

Salt as required

Oil - a teaspoon for roasting dal

Curry leaves - a sprig (optional)

Oil - a teaspoon for seasoning

Mustard seeds - half teaspoon

Urud dal - 1 teaspoon (optional)

Water - half cup or as required

Method:

Using a teaspoon of oil roast the dal until it is golden brown. Keep stirring as you roast.

Once done, reduce the heat and add ginger, curry leaves (if using) and red chillies. Turn off the heat. Allow the content to cool down.

When it is cooled down completely, grind the content with coconut, green chilli, tamarind, asafoetida powder, little salt and water. Just enough water to grind. Do not add too much water.

Note: use less salt as the final quantity will be very less.

Transfer it to a bowl.

Now, heat a teaspoon of oil and pop the mustard seeds. Also add urud dal and wait until it turns golden brown and then pour the seasoning over the chutney and stir.

Serve this with white rice. Add a dab of ghee with this chutney rice for extra flavor.

This chutney is my entry to three wonderful events chutney/dip mania hosted in mane adige, Lentils mela hosted in Ashwini's spicy cuisine and My legume love affair - eighth helping hosted in The well seasoned cook. Waiting to see all the roundups.

Rava laddu / sooji laadoo

Satisfying a sweet tooth is all the more simple when there are sweets that can be perpared in no time. One such sweet is the rava laddu otherwise called sooji laadu or rave unde. Mix few ingredients and the tadaaaa... the sweet is done. Here is how it's made.

Ingredients:

Roasted coarse rava/sooji - 1 cup

Granulated sugar - 2 cups

Saffron strands - a pinch (optional)

Cardamom powder - 1 teaspoon

Ghee / clarified butter - 2 tablespoon

Ghee roasted cashewnuts - a handful

Milk - quarter cup

Method:

Grind the rava and sugar together to a fine powder.

Note: American granulated sugar crystals are way too smaller than the Indian granulated sugar. In case you are using Indian granulated sugar, grind the sugar and rava separately and mix them together. Reduce or increase the sugar proportion as per your taste.

Transfer it to a mixing bowl. Add cardamom powder, saffron strands, ghee roasted cashews and ghee. Mix well. If the mixture is not moist enough to make a ball, add drops of milk. If you do not want to use milk, mix in more ghee.

Make small balls out of the mixture and the sweet is ready. A delicious sweet cannot be more simpler than this. This is my all time favorite sweet. Try it and you'll love it.

Khana Khazana in Sunnyvale,CA

What's Khana Khazana?

No time to cook? or craving for home made Indian food? here's Khana khazana for you, where homemade fresh & tasty food is made to order.

Who prepares food & what food is made to order?

My dear friend has been doing catering service for quite some time. She makes almost all kinds of Punjabi & Gujrati food. Specialized in parathas, rotis, vegetable curries/gravies, vada pav, pav bhaji, samosas, kachoris, dabeli (Mumbai fast food) to name a few. Vegetarian only.

Food quality?

The food is prepared using only high quality ingredients and prepared in a clean vegetarian kitchen.

She accepts party orders too. For more information or to contact my friend, please send a mail to me at mythreyee[at]paajaka[dot]com and I shall reply with all details requested.

Cauliflower curry

Here is one delicious curry with the star ingredient cauliflower. Cauliflower is one vegetable that can be added to most of the gravies. Goes very well in gravies that has onion/tomato base. In this curry, the cauliflower is infused with all the basic masala that we use everyday. A very simple dish and goes well with either rice or roti. A perfect spicy dish on a cold winter day.

Ingredients:

Cauliflower - 1 - large - Cut into florets

Red onion - 1 - chopped

Tomatoes - 2 to 3 - finely diced

Bay leaf - 2 (optional)

Cinnamon - 1 inch (optional)

Oil - 1 tablespoon

Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon

Turmeric powder - half teaspoon

Asafoetida powder - 2 pinches

Salt as required

Roast the following in a teaspoon oil

Dhania - 1 tablespoon

Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon

Sesame seeds (white) - 1 teaspoon

For masala, after roasting the above ingredients, grind it with the following to a smooth paste using very little water.

Chopped onion - 1 tablespoon

Fresh ginger - 1 inch - peel the skin and chop

Fresh garlic - 3 to 4 pods

(if not using fresh ginger and garlic , use readymade paste - 1 tablespoon)

Green chillies - 3 to 4

Tamarind concentrate - half teaspoon

Anaardhana seeds - (pomegranate seeds) - 1 teaspoon (optional)

Method:

Heat oil in a large kadai. Add mustard seeds. When it pops, add the onions and saute until almost translucent. Add the bay leaf and cinnamon if using them.

Add the ground masala and saute it for 2 to 3 minutes.

Now add the chopped tomatoes and fry for another 3 to 4 minutes.

Add turmeric powder, asafoetida powder and salt. Stir well.

Add the cauliflower florets and mix well. Close with a lid and cook until cauliflower is tender. Stir occasionally. Add only half a cup water if you think there is not enough moisture for the cauliflower to get cooked.

Garnish with coriander leaves and serve it hot with rice or roti.

This is my entry to the JFI - cauliflower hosted by me. Thank you so much Indira for initiating JFI. I am glad I am hosting this event this month.

Announcing JFI: Cauliflower

'Jihva for Ingredients' (JFI) is a monthly event that celebrates an ingredient every month and was initiated by Indira of Mahanandi. I am very happy and honored to host this esteemed event this month here in Paajaka recipes.

The ingredient I have chosen is Cauliflower. Everybody loves Cauliflower. It is such a versatile vegetable that can be be roasted, boiled, fried, steamed or eaten raw. When cooking, the outer leaves and thick stalks are removed, leaving only the florets. The leaves are also edible, but are most often discarded.

Cauliflowers are included in different vegetable gravies like kurma, gobi mutter etc., few rice delights like biryani, fried rice, pulao etc. and flat breads like gobi paratha. Every cuisine uses cauliflower, for example cauliflower augratin, gobi manchurian and cauliflower kababs to name a few.

Let's celebrate Cauliflower. Cook something in which cauliflower is or one of the main ingredients.

Send in as many entries as you can. Don't worry about sending the picture, I will get it from your blog.

The dish can be from any cuisine.

While you send in your entry, don't forget to mention your blog name and name of the dish. the link needs to be a permalink to that recipe and not the link to your homepage.

Please include a link to Indira's Mahanandi blog in your post and a link to this event announcement. Please feel free to use the logo.

If you are sending from archives, edit the post and include a link to this announcement and Indira's Mahanandhi.

The dish should be strictly vegetarian, I mean no eggs or meat. The dish can be appetizer, main course or even dessert. Anything and of course anything that's edible.

Please send in your entries to mythreyee at paajaka dot com on or before 1st of March, 2009.

Entries from non bloggers welcome. Please email your recipe with picture of the dish and I will post the recipe in my blog mentioning your name.

Img source

Below are some facts and information that I got from Here, Here and Here.

Cauliflower is one of several vegetables in the species Brassica oleracea, in the family Brassicaceae. It is an annual plant that reproduces by seed.

Cauliflower lacks the green chlorophyll found in other members of the cruciferous family of vegetables like broccoli, cabbage and kale, because the leaves of the plant shield the florets from the sun as they grow. It has a compact head (called a "curd"), usually about six inches in diameter that is composed of undeveloped flower buds. The flowers are attached to a central stalk. Typically, only the head (the white curd) is eaten while the stalk and surrounding thick, green leaves are used in vegetable broth or discarded.

Nutrition

Cauliflower is low in fat, high in dietary fiber, folate, water and vitamin C, possessing a very high nutritional density. As a member of the brassica family, cauliflower shares with broccoli and cabbage several phytochemicals which are beneficial to human health, including sulforaphane, an anti-cancer compound released when cauliflower is chopped or chewed. In addition, the compound indole-3-carbinol, which appears to work as an anti-estrogen, appears to slow or prevent the growth of tumors of the breast and prostate. Cauliflower also contains other glucosinolates besides sulfurophane, substances which may improve the liver's ability to detoxify carcinogenic substances. A high intake of cauliflower has been found to reduce the risk of aggressive prostate cancer.

Health Benefits

Cauliflower and other cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, cabbage, and kale, contain compounds that may help prevent cancer. These compounds appear to stop enzymes from activating cancer-causing agents in the body, and they increase the activity of enzymes that disable and eliminate carcinogens.

A Weekly Serving of Cruciferous Vegetables Halves Advanced Prostate Cancer Risk

Spicing Your Cauliflower with Turmeric Could Help Promote Men's Health

Protection against Rheumatoid Arthritis

Cardiovascular Benefits

Cooking cauliflower

Cooking cauliflower in an aluminum pot will intensify its odor and turn its creamy white anthoxanthin pigments yellow; iron pots will turn anthoxanthins blue green or brown. Like red and blue anthocyanin pigments (see BEETS, BLACKBERRIES, BLUEBERRIES), anthoxanthins hold their color best in acids. To keep cauliflower white, add a tablespoon of lemon juice, lime juice, vinegar, or milk to the cooking water. Steaming or stir-frying cauliflower preserves the vitamin C that would be lost if the vegetable were cooked for a long time or in a lot of water.

Img source

So, let's get started. Cook something with one or combination white/purple/orange/green cauliflower and send in your entries. If you have any questions, please mail me or leave a comment. Thank you.

Announcing sweet series - rice / wheat sweets & Diabetic friendly sweets and Roundup of SS - Baked sweets

Dear friends, first of all, I apologise for the delay in posting the roundup. I had included chocolates and toffees in this roundup, but did not receive any entry. But I received different versions of cakes, cookies and cupcakes. Before I present to you the entries I received, I would like to announce the final event in the sweet series.

Sweet series - Rice/Wheat sweets & Diabetic friendly sweets

Please read the following points before sending in your entries.


1. Cook anything sweet that come under the category of this month - Rice/Wheat sweets & Diabetic friendly sweets and post the recipe with picture on your blog.


Rice/Wheat sweets include ANY sweet with rice or wheat as the main ingredient. example - sweet pongal or lapsi. Please include sugar free or low sugar sweets for Diabetic friendly sweets.

2. Multiple entries welcome. Your entries can be from your archives. All you need to do is edit that post and add a link to this announcement. But it will be really fun to create a new dish!

3. If you are sending from your archives, create a new post and add a link to your entries and this announcement. You do not have to rewrite the recipe. This is just to bring to the notice of your visitors, so they can send in their entries. - This is optional.

4. Feel free to use the logo.

5. Please send an e-mail to sweetseries at paajaka dot com with the following details on or before Feb 20, 2009.

(please copy the same format given below)

* Subject Line: Rice/wheat sweets & Diabetic friendly sweets
* Blog author:
* Blog name:
* Dish Name:
* URL to the post:

6. A picture of the dish (any size) - Please send only JPG files.

7. Non bloggers can e-mail me the recipe and the picture and I will include it in the round up.

8. The roundup of this event will be posted within one week after deadline. Thank you and looking forward to all your enthusiastic participation once again.

Here is the roundup up of sweet series - Baked sweets. Yet another wonderful, colorful sweets. Thank you friends, for sending in your entries and making this event a grand success. Please click on the picture to view it large.





1. Eggless orange cake tried by (non blogger) Ramya Jambunath

2. Almond cookies

3. Choco chip nutty cookies

4. Eggless butter cookies

5. Eggless chocolate cookie

6. Nankatai

7. Chocolate chunk cherry cake

8. Jam centered cookies

9. Naankhatai

10. Peanut butter sandwich cookies

11. Eggless orange muffin

12. Cupcake

13. Eggless vanilla cupcake

14. Vegan choco oats cookies

15. Vegan peanut butter chocolate raisin cookies

16. Christmas Fruits&Nuts Savarin Cake

17. Brownies cupcakes

18. Fig almond melting moments

19. Eggless banana nut muffin

20. Eggless saffron walnut eggless cake

21. Eggless butter cookies

22. Eggless tutti frutti cookies

23. Nankatai - Indian biscuit

24. Sweet puff - coconut filling

25. Christmas cake baked in pressure cooker



Previous Sweet series roundup


Puran poli / Sweet chapathi roti

Cool desserts

Chikki and Laddu

Deep fried and steam cooked sweets

Milk sweets - spongy texture

Halwa Kathli Burfi Peda



Please let me know if any of your entry is not included in this roundup. Thank you friends for pouring in your entries and looking forward for the same enthusiastic participation once again for this last and final event in the sweet series.

Microwave Mango Halwa

Wish you all a very happy new year 2009. This is my first post this year and I wanted to make a SWEET start. I learnt this recipe from my FIL's brother Ramani chikappa, who is fond of trying new recipes especially sweets. There is a huge banganaballi mango tree in my inlaw's place and chikappa prepared this delightful MANGO HALWA using homegrown fresh ripe mangoes and cooked in stovetop.

The three main ingredients in this recipe are mango, sugar and ghee and of course some cardamom for flavor. Instead of using the fresh ripe mangoes, I used store bought sweetened canned mango pulp. Since it was already sweetened, I had to use less sugar. Also, instead of stove top cooking, I preferred microwave cooking, since it is mess free and no need to bother about over heating or constant stirring.

I have tried corn flour halwa and badam halwa in microwave and I was pretty confident that this halwa too will turn out to be good. The result was no dissappointment. The halwa was smooth, shiny, 100% mango taste and all in all, a divine treat and is a perfect sweet for any occasion. I have used saffron too in this recipe, may be that's why, the color of the halwa is orangish. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

Sweetened mango pulp - 1 can (850 gms) I used Shamiana kasar mango pulp sweetened

Sugar - white granulated - 1 cup

Ghee / clarified butter - half cup

Cardamom powder - half teaspoon

Saffron - few strands ( a pinch )

Method:

In a wide bottomed microwave safe high heat resistant large (corning ware or pyrex glass ware preferably) container add one can of mango pulp.

Microwave on high for 5 minutes. Add sugar and stir well until even distribution and again microwave high for 5 minutes.

Stir in cardamom powder and saffron strands. Stir the content and cook for 20 minutes, stirring once every 5 minutes.

Add ghee and stir in until even distribution. Adding more ghee is optional.

Microwave on high for 8 to 10 minutes and do not forget to give it a stir every 4 or 5 minutes.

After the halwa consistency is reached, give a quick stir and allow a standing time of about 5 minutes before tasting the halwa. If you think the halwa consistency is not reached, microwave again for 4 to 5 minutes.

Scoop a dollop of this halwa and garnish with a single cashewnut before serving.