Sweet potato puran poli / holige / obbattu

Being festive season, there is always a need to prepare a sweet on every occasion. And for a few festivals, including puran poli in the menu is a must. The traditional puran poli otherwise called as obbattu, holige, babbatlu or boli is prepared using jaggery with either channa dal or grated coconut or in combination of both. 

There are numerous ways to prepare these polis. Adding a twist to the traditional method of making puran poli, and trying to make it more healthy, I came up with the idea of using sweet potato as the main ingredient for the puran. In this recipe, I have mashed the boiled sweet potatoes, mixed it with jaggery (not white sugar) and flavoured it with nutmeg and cooked until the puran consistency is reached. I have also used regular chapathi atta and not maida or all purpose flour for preparing the poli.

A touch of ghee gives it an added flavour. Avoid ghee for a vegan version. This is a recipe for diet conscious people, a recipe for the sweet potato/genusu lovers and a recipe for people who want to try something new. You can customize this recipe for flavours and for preferred sweetness. Here's the recipe.

Ingredients for 10 puran polis.

for puran,

Sweet potatoes / Genusu - 2 medium

Grated (ligth brown) Jaggery (or brown sugar) - 1 cup

Nutmeg powder - Quarter teaspoon

(I used a pinch of cardamom and a pinch of saffron too)

Ghee - 1 tablespoon (optional)

Water - half cup

for poli

Regular chapathi flour - 1 and half cups

(I used pillsbury multigrain atta)

Atleast half cup atta for dredging while rolling the poli

Salt - a pinch

Turmeric powder - Quarter teaspoon

Regular refined oil - 2 tablespoon

Water to knead to a dough

Method:

Boil the sweet potatoes. I pressure cooked it for 6 whistles to overcook it so it can be mashed well with no lumps.

Transfer the cooked sweet potatoes to a non stick kadai after peeling off the skin. 

Mash well to avoid lumps.

Add the grated jaggery and mix well and cook in medium heat and if needed add half cup water to kick start the jaggery to melt.

Keep stirring the puran.

Cook for at least 15 mins or until the puran consistency is reached. For checking the consistency, please see the note below.

Now add the nutmeg powder ( cardamom and saffron too if you are using them) and mix well. 

Adding ghee at this point is optional.

Let the content cool. Make lemon sized balls and keep is aside. Puran is ready.

How to check if puran consistency is reached?? 

Keep stirring the puran. You will notice that the content liquefies after jaggery melts and then slowly the content thickens as the water is evaporated/absorbed. At this point in time, turn off heat and take a teaspoon of the puran and cool it. Try to make a ball out of it. If the puran is still sticky and is difficult to roll it to a ball, the puran needs a little more cooking. 

When the puran is cooling down, prepare the dough.

In a mixing bowl, add the atta, salt, turmeric powder and oil. mix well. 

Now add water little by little and using the tip of your fingers, keep mixing the flour.

Knead it to a soft, pliable dough.

Make lemon sized balls and keep it aside.

Preparing the polis.

Like regular stuffed parathas, the puran is stuffed inside and rolled, then cooked on both sides dabbing ghee.

Roll a ball of dough. Dredge it with flour. You can use your fingers and palms alternatively to make it cup shaped to place the puran in the middle.

Place the puran in the center and close the puran on all sides with the rolled dough. Press on top. Try to avoid air pockets while sealing the puran inside. Make a ball and Keep it aside. Repeat until all the puran is used. For detailed step by step procedure please click here.

Using flour scarcely for dredging, roll out the stuffed dough to a regular paratha size. Make sure the surface is even. Roll to medium thickness. Repeat for all the poli.

Heat a non stick tawa. Place one rolled poli. When you see small bumps on the surface, dab with a teaspoon  of ghee/clarified butter or alternatively oil for the vegan version. 

Flip the poli and cook the other side dabbing ghee. Cook both sides until you see small brown spots. 

Transfer it to the serving plate. Repeat the process until all of the poli is cooked. 

Enjoy this sweet delicacy and finish it the same day as they don't keep well even if it is refrigerated.

Sweet potato is full of goodness and enjoy this delight guilt free.

Mysore Pak - Authentic south Indian sweet

I am all smiles when it comes to sweet. Just tried Mysore pak with mom's recipe and tips over phone. Million thanks to my mom. The sweet has turned out pretty good.  I have cooked almost all authentic sweets and somehow, when it came to mysore pak, I was always hesitated to give a hand since I thought it was a very complicated sweet and it needs an expert's hand to prepare such a delicacy  I have always bought them from either grand sweets or krishna sweets - the local famous sweet merchants.

I still can't believe that I cooked Mysore pak right in my kitchen with just three ingredients and a little stirring. that's it. The sweet was ready in minutes. It took around two hours to completely cool down but it only took approximately fifteen minutes to prepare. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

Granulated sugar -two and half cups

Water - one cup

Gram flour (besan flour) - one cup

Ghee (clarified butter) - two cups minimum 

A greased plate 

handful of granulated sugar

Method:

Please keep the ingredients near you before you start. I prepared this sweet in a non stick kadai.

Melt Sugar using one cup water in low to medium heat.

When the sugar dissolves, mix besan flour little by little as you stir.

In a minute you will notice froth like bubbles.

At this point in time, pour one cup ghee and fold it with the mixture. 

Make sure the heat is set to somewhere between low and medium.

You will notice the ghee gets absorbed quickly with froth like bubbles in few places. 

Keep stirring and pour the rest of the ghee.

In less than a minute, all the ghee will be absorbed and the entire content will be bubbling with froth like consistency. 

Turn off heat and pour the mixture in a greased plate. Level the mixture.

Sprinkle a handful of granulated sugar over the mixture. (This is my grand father's idea. He is an expert in all sweets. He prepared them and sold them in the restaurant he owned.)

Allow the content to cool.

After one hour or so, take a sharp knife and cut the sweet in straight lines vertically and horizontally, so each piece is a rectangle.

Allow it to cool COMPLETELY. Perfect Mysore pak is ready.

Note: I have heard people first roasting the besan flour with a dash of ghee before preparing the sweet, to take away the raw smell. But, I did not roast and the sweet did not have any raw besan smell. It was all ghee smell only. Prepare the sweet using only homemade ghee for best results. No oil and No vanaspathi please.

Kalkandu Bhath with Mixed nuts

Ugadhi wishes to you all. May this year be filled with happiness and prosperity. My mom used to make this Kalkandu bhath/saadam/rice using all the prasad we get in the temples. I did not ask her the recipe. I made up my own using the kalkandu, elachi, nuts and raisins and of course with the important ingredients rice and ghee (clarified butter) . This is one high calorie food, a delicious delicacy for any occasion. This recipe might not be the authentic way to do this sweet but sure is a delight that is made easy. Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

Cooked rice - 2 cups - Rice must be cooked soft in pressure cooker and must be still hot while preparing this dish.

Ghee - half cup

Mixed nuts (or any one for combination of nuts of your choice) - 1 cup

Elachi / Cardamom powder - half teaspoon

Kalkandu / Sugar candies - 1 and 1/4 cups ( substitute with plain sugar 1 and half cup if you don't have the kalkandu)

For nuts I used mixed nuts of Almonds, Cashews, Pistachios, Walnuts and added raisins too.

Method:

In a teaspoon of ghee, roast the nuts and keep it aside.

Take a wide and heavy bottomed kadai.

Dissolve the sugar candies (Kalkandu) with half cup water in medium heat.

Once the sugar is dissolved, add the cooked rice, and cardamom powder and reduce the heat.

Keep stirring to avoid mixture sticking to the bottom of the vessel.

Once the rice is mixed well with the dissolved sugar, add the nuts and ghee.

Mix well. At this point, you can taste the sweet and add more sugar if you think the sweetness is not enough. Mix all together and turn off heat.

The sweet is at it's best while it is still warm.

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.

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.

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.

Microwave chocolate dhoodh peda

Delicious chocolate dhoodh peda is a quick treat and just minutes away, prepared with just few ingredients that's cooked in microwave. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

Sweetened condensed milk - 1 can - 14 oz

Curd/ thick yogurt - half cup

Milk - half cup

Coco powder - half cup

Ghee - 2 to 3 tablespoons

Nuts to garnish

Method:

Empty the can of condensed milk into a microwaveable container that can withstand very hot content, preferably corning ware or pyrex glass container.

Mix in yogurt.

Warm the milk for 30 seconds in the microwave and whisk in the coco powder until it blends well with milk with no lumps.

Pour the coco milk over the condensed milk and mix really well until even distribution and there are no lumps in the content.

Microwave on high for 5 minutes uncovered.

Take the container out carefully using mittens.

Mix the content well and again microwave on high for 5 minutes.

Take the container out and you will notice the content bubbling. Please handle the container with care. The content is really hot.

Stir well and again microwave on high for 3 to 4 minutes until it reaches semi solid consistency.

Take the container out and stir well. Let it stand for 20 minutes minimum. Let the content cool down.

You can either stir in ghee at this stage and then make small pedas or make small pedas and pour a teaspoon of ghee over the peda while serving.

You can either mix in the ghee and serve as such or make small pedas out of the cooled peda content.

This is my entry to the sweet series - Halwa, kathli, burfi and peda hosted by Me.

Kozhukattai - Mrs. S. Mallika Badrinath recipe

Every year for Vinayaka Chathurthi, when I have to make kozhukattai, I blindly follow Mrs. Mallika Badrinath's recipe from her book Traditional sweets. Though the recipe sounds easy, it takes a little practice when it comes to making a cup out of the rice flour dough. A little practice and patience, but worth the effort. Here is her recipe. I have re-written the recipe in my own words with very little alterations to the original reicpe.

Ingredients:

Dough:

Rice flour - 1 cup

Water - 1 and quarter cup

Oil - 1 teaspoon

Salt - less than quarter teaspoon

Note: For rice flour I used the regular rice flour available in the Indian grocery store. Authentic kozhukattai is made of pounded rice flour called Kai kuthal arisi maavu in tamil. It is prepared thus. Soak rice for one hour in water. Drain water through colander and dry by spreading over a towel under shade for one and half hours. Pound it to a fine powder. Sieve it. Allow to dry under shade for another one day. Keep in dry air-tight container and use whenever required.

Coconut filling:

Grated fresh coconut ( or shredded fresh coconut on the frozen secion in the Indian grocery store) - 1 cup

Grated white jaggery (light golden jaggery) - 1 cup (level)

Finely cut cashewnuts - 1 tablespoon

Ghee - 3 teaspoons

Cardamom powder - quarter teaspoon

Roasted gram - grind the gram (chutney dal or pottu kadalai) - 1 tablespoon

Method:

Filling:

Grate white portion of the fresh coconut using traditional grater or buy the readymade fresh shredded coconut in the freezer section. Thaw it for an hour before use.

Grind the grated coconut for even and fine grating.

Mix grated jaggery to this and heat in a heavy bottomed kadai strring in between till jaggery melts completely.

When the mixture becomes a little thick stir in the ground gram dal, ghee fried finely chopped cashewnuts and cardamom powder.

Remove from heat and allow it to cool down completely before stuffing it into the kozhukattai.

Do the filling first and get ready the dough. By the time the dough is done the filling will be cooled off.

Dough:

Heat water in a heavy bottomed kadai. Add salt and oil to the boiling water.

When the water starts bubbling, reduce the heat and pour the rice flour in the center as a heap. Insert a ladle and close with a lid leaving little gap.

Reduce the heat and cook for seven to ten minutes. Turn off the heat and stir the rice flour dough quickly without lumps.

Let the dough cool down a little. When it is still luke warm knead well to a smooth dough using little water to sprinkle if necessary. Apply oil the hands at the end while kneading.

Make small lemon sized balls out of the dough.

Making kozhukattai:

Using thumb and forefinger, flatten the edges first and gradually shape it like a cup carefully turning and pressing with equal pressure on all sides. A picture is thousand words and a video is a thousand picture. Click here to see how to shape the dough into a cup.

Keep little filling and fold it to seal well. Use the fork edge and press in the sides to form a design.

Arrange on a greased idli plate and steam cook for seven to ten minutes. Serve luke warm. Be careful while eating when it is still hot. The filling will be very very hot.

Other suggested fillings for kozhukattai are cashewnut filling, sesame filling, cashewnut and coconut filling.

This is my entry to Deep fried and Steam cooked sweet series event.

Wheat laddu with ghee residue

Ghee is nothing but clarified butter. Ghee is used extensively in Indian households for sweets and many other dishes. It is prepared by melting unsalted butter until the liquid turns honey color. We usually filter the residue and use the clear ghee in cooking. We usually discard the ghee residue which is dark in color. It is the burnt butter that remains in the bottom of the pan when preparing ghee. I have used this residue in making wheat laddu. Ghee residue is called Thuppada gassi in kannada. Here is how I prepared the laddus.


Ingredients:

Ghee residue - 1 tablespoon

Ghee (clarified butter) - 2 teaspoons

Wheat flour - three-fourth cup

Granulated Sugar - half cup

Method:

After draining the ghee, you will find some residue at the bottom of the pan. Do not drain all of the ghee. Leave a couple of teaspoons of ghee.

To this residue add wheat flour and keep stirring in reduced heat in the same pan, until the raw smell goes away from the wheat flour.

To this add sugar and keep mixing. Drops of water can be added if there is no moisture at all.

When the sugar blends well with the flour, turn off heat and wait until you can hold and make a ball in your palm when it is still warm.

Use all of the flour to make tasty wheat laddus.

This is my entry to sweet series - chikki laddu event hosted by me.

Badam paal / Almond milk

Almonds, the protein power house are high in monounsaturated fats, the same type of health-promoting fats as are found in olive oil, which have been associated with reduced risk of heart disease. More here.

Here is one sweet delicacy that can be prepared before hand and stored in the refrigerator and can be used as and when needed. This almond drink can be had hot or cold. Makes a warm drink on a winter night and a cold drink on a summer afternoon. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

Almonds or Almond meal - 1 cup

Granulated sugar - one and half cups

Reduced fat milk - 2 cups

Water - 1 cup

Cardamom powder - 1 teaspoon

Saffron strands - 1 pinch

Method:

If using almonds, blanch the almonds by boiling almonds in hot water for thirty minutes. Cool off and peel the skin.

Grind the blanced almonds to smooth paste using half cup water and half cup milk.

Transfer the ground almond to a heavy bottomed kadai and add half cup water and half cup milk.

Add the saffron strands and allow it to cook in reduced heat.

If using the almond meal (ground alomond), whisk half a cup water and half a cup milk and cook in a heavy bottomed kadai.

Stir every other minute for atleast 15 minutes or until the raw almond smell goes away.

If required add more milk.

When the almond paste is cooked, add the sugar.

Let the sugar dissolve.

Allow it to cook until the mixture thickens.

Add the cardamom powder and let it cook for a couple of minutes.

Turn off heat.

Take half a cup of this almond paste and pour half a cup milk and serve hot, cold or at room temperature.

This badam paste can be stored in the fridge in an air tight container.

Just mix milk to the paste as and when needed.

This badam milk can be called badam payasam too.

Thanks to my mom for teaching me this delicious recipe.

This is my entry to sweet series - cool desserts.

Sweet puff - Coconut filling

This is a wonderful recipe for sweetened coconut filled puffs. My first try and a big hit I should say.

I made use of two frozen items availabe in the US. One is the readymade puff pastry sheets and the other is the shredded coconut. I have made this recipe as simple as possible so it is easy to try this and relish the very nostalgic taste. If any of my hometown people read this post, I am sure it will bring back memories about the sweet coconut buns that are availabe in a road side shop in Agraharam, Salem. We used to buy those coconut buns when I was a small girl. It's actually a coconut filled round pie. The taste and texture are more or less the same as this sweet puff. Every weekend, we used to buy this freshly baked sweet buns. I don't know if they still sell them. Coming to the recipe, here is one easy and sweet snack that everybody can enjoy.

Ingredients:

Grated fresh coconut - 2 cups ( I used the shredded coconut in the freezer section in Indian stores)

Sugar - 1 cup

Jaggery or brown sugar - half cup

Cardamom powder - 1 teaspoon

Puff pastry sheets - 1 packet - I used pepperidge farm brand

Method:

Thaw the puff pastry sheets and the shredded coconut if you are using frozen.

Prepare the filling:

Cobine coconut, sugar and jaggery/brown sugar and a tablespoon of water and heat in a heavy bottomed kadai.

Keep in low to medium heat.

Keep stirring. You will notice that the consistency will loosen. But, after around 15 minutes, it will start thickening.

Mix in the cardamom powder.

Take off from heat when the consistency is thick at the same time a little moist too.

(Don't wait until all the moisture is absorbed).

Keep it aside and wait until it comes to room temperature.

Making the sweet puffs:

Cut the pastry sheet into three parts. Make use of the folding. Then cut each part into two. There will be totally 6 small rectangles.

(Keep the unused portion of the pastry sheet in the fridge not in the freezer)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Take a tablespoon of the filling and place it in one side of the rectangle so that you can close the filling.

Close the filling and seal the sides. A drop of water can be used to seal.

Use a fork to make a design.

Repeat this for all the puffs.

Poke once on the top of each puff to vent.

Line the six puffs in a non stick baking tray.

Bake for approximately 25 minutes or until the surface is golden brown.

Take it out and cool completely before you taste. The filling will be really hot.

If the puffs are not sealed proplerly, there will be a leak. Discard the leaked filling on the tray.

Enjoy the sweet and delicious puffs. You can as well shout 'Bam' like Emeril and sprinkle powdered sugar on the puffs before serving.

Repeat these steps for the remaining pastry sheets and the coconut filling too. Thaw the pastry sheets before proceeding.

This is my entry to AFAM - Coconut hosted by Suganya of Tasty palletes. Thanks suganya for hosting this event.

Sindhi Lola

I love this sweet and delicious Lola that my sindhi neighbor prepares. Since I love her lola and koki, everytime I visit my hometown, she would send these delicious lolas and kokis to my house. When I asked her the recipe for lola, she told me the ingredients that are mixed in the flour. When Srivalli announced the roti mela, the first thing that came to my mind is this sweet lola. I am happy that my lolas turned out to be atleast 95% closer to the ones she prepares. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

Whole wheat flour - 2 cups

Sugar - powdered - 1 cup

Butter at room temperature - one fourth cup

Ghee - one fourth cup

Milk - to prepare the dough - approximately 1 cup (can use water as substitute or may be used in combination with milk)

Method:

Mix the sugar in milk.

Add the sweet milk and butter to the flour and knead it to a stiff dough.

Take some quantity of dough and roll it to a thick layer.

Heat a tawa and when it is hot, reduce the heat to 'between low and medium'.

Apply a teaspoon of ghee on the hot tawa and place the rolled out thick layered lola.

Apply some ghee on the top and close it with a plate. Let it cook at low heat. Since it is thick, it will take atleast 3 minutes to cook on one side. Flip the other side and cook it closed for another 2 to 3 minutes.

Serve immediately. Children will love these lolas as it is sweet. Garnish with sugar. Makes a wonderful snack on weekends and evenings. When lolas come to room temperature, it tends to harden. Break it into pieces and enjoy the sweet crunchy lolas. Microwave it for few seconds if you want it soft.

This is my entry to the Roti mela hosted by Srivalli. Thank you Srivalli, for hosting this grand event.

This is also my entry to the Sweet series - Puran poli and sweet roti/chapathi event hosted by me.

Sweet Pongal

Cardamom gives intense flavor especially when added to sweets. Cardamom is also added to gravies and a few rice varieties as well. I have used cardamom in Pongal, a sweet preparation from south India. Sweet pongal is prepared every year for Thai Pongal in Tamil Nadu. Below is a small note on the Pongal festival of Tamil nadu adapted from Here.

"Pongal is a four-days-long harvest festival celebrated in Tamil Nadu, a southern state of India. For as long as people have been planting and gathering food, there has been some form of harvest festival. Pongal, one of the most important popular Hindu festivals of the year. This four-day festival of thanksgiving to nature takes its name from the Tamil word meaning "to boil" and is held in the month of Thai (January-February) during the season when rice and other cereals, sugar-cane, and turmeric (an essential ingredient in Tamil cooking) are harvested.Mid-January is an important time in the Tamil calendar. The harvest festival, Pongal, falls typically on the 14th or the 15th of January and is the quintessential 'Tamil Festival'.

Pongal is a harvest festival, a traditional occasion for giving thanks to nature, for celebrating the life cycles that give us grain. Tamilians say 'Thai pirandhaal vazhi pirakkum', and believe that knotty family problems will be solved with the advent of the Tamil month Thai that begins on Pongal day. This is traditionally the month of weddings. This is not a surprise in a largely agricultural community - the riches gained from a good harvest form the economic basis for expensive family occasions like weddings"

This sweet is perpared in a large container combining rice, a little dal, jaggery and milk and stirred continuously until the content turns to a porridge. It is flavored and garnished with cardamom, nutmeg and cashews. I have prepared this dish in the most easiest way. Here is how I do the sweet pongal.

Ingredients:

Raw rice - 1 cup ( I used one cup ravi brand sona masoori rice)

Split moong dal - 1 handful

Jaggery - 2 cups (I used two and half cups brown sugar)

Milk - 2 cups

Water - 1 ½

Evaporated milk - 12 fl oz 1 can (or use 350 ml regular milk)

Saffron strands - 1 pinch

Cardamom powder - 1 teaspoon

Ghee fried cashews

Ghee - half cup

Method:

Dry roast rice and dal together until the rice turns white.

Immediately transfer it to a vessel that can be kept in pressure cooker.

Add saffron strands, milk and water and give it a stir.

Pressure cook the rice as you would cook the regular rice. The cooked rice should be soft and mushy.

In a wide bottomed heavy kadai, heat the brown sugar with half a cup water.

When the brown sugar/jaggery melts, reduce the heat and add the cooked rice little by little stirring continuously. Mix in the evaporated milk/reguar milk.

Add the cardamom powder, cashews and ghee. Mix until even distribution.

The sweet pongal is ready.

This is my entry to 'Think Spice - Cardamom' hosted by EC of Simple Indian Food. Thanks EC for hosting this event.

This is also my entry to "Recipes for the rest of us" event hosted by Ramki of One page cookbooks.

Lapsi - broken wheat sweet porridge

I had lapsi, a delicious north Indian sweet, in a potluck party in my friend's house a few weeks back. The sweet was so tasty that I wanted to try. As I was browsing for the recipe, I learnt that this sweet is prepared in Gujarat, Maharashtra and Rajasthan. In south India we use rice to prepare sweet pongal. The same is called lapsi in north India where they use cracked wheat instead of rice. I found only this difference. Of course rice is the staple food of the south and wheat for north.

Coming to the recipe, after I saw several links for the recipe, I got an idea that the cracked wheat is first cooked in milk or water and then sugar, cardamom and ghee are added to the cooked wheat to make a sweet porridge. I just loved cooking lapsi today. I am excited that it turned out really well. I added nutmeg powder and cardamom powder. The sweet is just yummy and addictive too. I am sending this sweet to RCI - Rajasthan hosted by Padmaja of Spicyandra.

Ingredients:

Cracked wheat - 1 cup

Water - 1 cup

Lowfat milk - 2 cups

Sugar - 1 cup

Ghee (clarified butter) - 2 tablespoons

Cardamom powder - half teaspoon

Nutmeg powder - half teaspoon

Sliced almonds for garnishing

Method:

Heat a heavy bottomed kadai and add half tablespoon ghee. When ghee melts, add the cracked wheat and roast until the content heats up and good aroma comes. Transfer it to another container.

Heat milk and water in the heavy bottomed kadai and when the content heats up, add the roasted cracked wheat.

Allow it to cook partially closed. Stir occasionally. Cook until the wheat is tender. If all the moisture is absorbed and still the wheat is not cooked, pour half a cup water and allow it to cook until the wheat is tender.

When the wheat is fully cooked, add the sugar and cardamom. The content will loosen and again start thickening. When most of the moisture is absorbed, add the remaining ghee. Stir well until even distribution. Let the porridge be a little loose as the sweet tends to thicken after some time.

Stir in the nutmeg powder and garnish with almonds. Delicious lapsi is ready.