Badam Puri

Ingredients:

For badam paste:

15 badam / almond

1 cup hot water (for soaking)

¼ cup water

For puri:

1½ cup maida / plain flour

2 tbsp rava / semolina / suji (fine)

¼ tsp baking powder

1 tsp sugar

¼ tsp salt

2 tbsp ghee / clarified butter

¼ cup milk

oil for frying

For sugar syrup:

1 cup sugar

½ cup water

few thread saffron / kesar

few drops lemon juice

¼ tsp cardamom powder

Method:

Prepare badam paste: soak 15 badam in 1 cup hot water for 30 minutes. Eel the skin of badam and transfer to the blender.

Blend to smooth paste adding ¼ cup water. keep aside.

In a large bowl take 1½ cup maida, 2 tbsp rava, ¼ tsp baking powder, 1 tsp sugar and ¼ tsp salt. mix well.

Now add 2 tbsp ghee and crumble and mix well making sure to form a moist flour.

Further, add prepared badam paste and ¼ cup milk. Knead the dough well-adding milk if required. Knead to a smooth and tight dough. Grease oil, cover and rest for 10 minutes.

Sugar syrup preparation:

In a large vessel take 1 cup sugar, ½ cup water and few thread saffron.

Mix well until the sugar dissolves.

Boil for 3 minutes or until sugar syrup attains 1 string consistency.

Add few drops of lemon juice and ¼ tsp cardamom powder.

Mix well, cover and keep sugar syrup aside.

Badam puri preparation:

Knead the dough again making sure the dough is smooth.

Pinch a ball sized dough and grease with oil. Roll gently to slightly thick puri.

Spread ¼ tsp ghee and fold half. again spread ghee and fold triangle.

Roll gently to flatten the layers.

Fry the badam puri in medium hot oil until the puri turns golden and crisp.

Drain the puri taking off excess oil.

Drop the puri into warm sugar syrup dipping it completely.

Allow it soak for 3 minutes or if you prefer more sweetness then soak for 10 minutes.

Take them out and dry.

Garnish with powdered pistachio while they are still wet.

Gujiya

Ingredients:

For the dough:

2 cups maida/ all purpose flour

2 tbsp sooji semolina flour

4 tablespoons ghee melted

water to knead the dough, around 1/2 cup

For Stuffing:

1 cup finely chopped nuts preferably almond, cashew

Sweetened desiccated coconut add per taste. (Or dry roast shredded coconut and add sugar)

2 cups grated mawa/khoya milk solids

6 Cardamom - Powdered

For Glazing:

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

4 tbsp sliced almonds and pistachios

Few strands of Saffron

Oil or ghee for frying, I use a mix of both

Instructions:

Take flour and sooji in a large bowl. Add melted ghee to flour. Mix them till the ghee gets incorporated in the mixture well. Make a soft dough by adding water slowly as needed. Knead the dough until the dough becomes slightly stiff and pliable. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let it rest for 30 to 45 minutes. I cover with a damp paper towel (which I soak in water and then squeeze out all the water).

To make the filling: Grate the mawa in a large bowl. Then mix in the chopped nuts, sweetened desiccated coconut and cardamom powder.

Meanwhile mix 1 tablespoons flour with 2 tablespoons water in a small bowl. This mixture will be used to seal the gujiyas.

Divide dough into equal balls after it has rested. Keep it covered all the time as you roll each ball one by one. 

Meanwhile also heat oil in a kadai on medium-low heat to fry the gujiyas. I use a mix of oil and ghee.

Roll each ball into a small circle of 5 to 6 inch diameter.

Fill 1 tablespoon filling inside, do not overfill. Apply the flour-water paste on one semi circle.

Close the gujiya and fold the edges.

Once the gujiyas are filled and oil is hot enough, fry them on medium-low heat until light golden brown in color. 

Garnishing:

Boil the sugar and water on medium heat until syrup is about one thread or 230 degrees (Fahrenheit) on a candy thermometer.

Dip the gujiyas into the syrup making sure they are coated with syrup all around. Place the gujiyas on a wire rack to allow the extra syrup drain.

Garnish the gujiyas with sliced almonds and pistachios while the gujiyas are still moist with syrup.

Gujiyas will be dry in an hour.

Gujiya can be stored in airtight container up to a month.

Grand Sweets Surat Ghari

Ingredients:

For dough:

1 cup chiroti rave/fine sooji

½ cup maida/all purpose flour

pinch of salt

pinch of turmeric powder

¾ cup water(use as needed)

2 tbsp hot oil

For stuffing:

2 cups grated Khoya/Mawa

Sweet Dessicated Coconut add per taste. (Or dry roast shredded coconut and add sugar)

1 cup chopped nuts (I used Almonds, Cashews and Pistachio)

Cardamom - 6

Oil to fry

Instructions:

Make the dough and rest it for an hour or two. (more the merrier)

Mix all the ingredients for stuffing. Taste and add sugar per taste.

Make small balls of dough, roll it into small pooris.

Add 1 tsp stuffing in the middle and close it.

Roll into small pooris again.

Fry in oil and drain on a paper towel.

Kerala Plum Cake

INGREDIENTS:

FOR SOAKING:

3 cups Mixed fruits

1.5 cups Rum / Brandy I used dark rum

FOR CARAMEL: (or just use 1/3 cup dark molasses)

1/2 cup Sugar

1 tbsp Water

1/4 cup Warm water

FOR CAKE:

2 cups Plain flour + 2 tbsp for dusting the soaked fruits

1 1/4 tsp Baking powder

1/2 tsp Baking soda

1 cup + 2 tbsp Sugar

250 gms Unsalted Butter (1 cup + 2 tbsp) at room temp

4 Eggs @ room temp

2 tsp Vanilla essence

1 tbsp Jam I used apricot

1 1/2 cups mixed nuts (I used Cashews, Walnuts and Pecans)

1 pinch salt

FOR SPICE POWDER:

2 Cloves

2 Cardamom

A small piece Cinnamon

A small piece Nutmeg

Baking Pan:

I used 10" pan - baking time 50 minutes

If you use 9" pan - baking time will be more - 70 minutes.

INSTRUCTIONS

Soaking of Fruits

I used a combination of sultanas, seedless raisins, currants, dates, glazed green cherries, dry orange peel. I didn't chop the fruits & used it as such. You can use dried fruits of your choice. If you are using dates/apricots etc., chop it into small pieces & soak it. I soaked it for almost 1.5 months. Try to soak it for a minimum of 1 week, at least. Shake the jar of soaked fruits once in a while.

Caramel Preparation: (or just use 1/3 cup dark molasses)

Combine 1/2 cup sugar & 1 tbsp water in a sauce pan. Heat it & let the sugar melt. When the color of the melted sugar becomes dark brown, remove the pan from fire & add 1/4 cup warm water to this. You need to be very careful at this stage since the water tends to splash & can cause burns. Bring it back to the heat & boil for a few more mins, 3-4 mins. Remove from fire & let it cool completely. You can prepare the caramel in advance & refrigerate it. 

Spice Powder:

Grind all the spices with a pinch of sugar, to a fine powder & keep aside.

Cake Preparation:

Preheat the oven @ 180 C/ 355 F before baking.

Drain the soaked fruits & keep aside. Retain the drained liquor. 

Toss the drained fruits in 2 tbsp of flour. (This will prevent the fruits from sinking to the bottom of the cake). 

Sift the plain flour with baking powder, baking soda and salt. 

Beat the eggs & add the softened butter to it. Beat it till it forms a smooth paste. 

Add powdered sugar to this, gradually. Beat after each addition. 

When it becomes smooth add vanilla essence & cooled caramel & spice powder & beat again. 

Add the sifted flour in 2 batches. Beat after each addition. 

Add jam & combine.

Fold in the soaked fruits & 4 tbsp of retained liquor. 

Grease the baking dish (refer notes) & line with baking paper. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake in the pre heated oven for 40-45 mins or until the skewer inserted comes out clean. The baking time can vary depending on the oven & also the size of the tin used. 10" pan - baking time 50 minutes. 9" pan - baking time 70 minutes.

At about 30 minutes of baking, cover the cake loosely with buttered aluminum foil. This will prevent the cake from getting over browned on the top.

NOTES

You can also add 1 tbsp fresh orange zest along with the dry fruits. Also, you can brush the left over rum over the top of the cake for 2-3 days.

I made 2 cakes and used both 9 inch and 10 inch round pans. You can store the cake @ room temp, in an air tight container for up to 2 weeks. However you can refrigerate it for a month in an air tight container. The 4tbsp of retained rum added in the end along with the fruits, can be reduced to suit your taste. You can add anything between 1-4 tbsp or skip. If there is no retained rum left, you can brush some fresh rum or bourbon over the top of the cake too.

Simili

Ingredients:

1/2 cup ragi flour

hot water as needed

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoon jaggery powdered

1/4 cup coconut grated

1/2 cup peanuts - roasted and deskinned

1/8 teaspoon dry ginger powder (optional)

2 teaspoon ghee

a pinch salt

Instructions:

Take ragi flour and a pinch of salt in a plate or bowl. Add hot water (approx 3 tablespoon) to the flour one spoon at a time and mix well with your hands.

If lumps are forming, break it well. Take some flour and press it in your hand. It has to holds its shape like a kozhukattai and if you crush it, it has to loosen up. 

Make puttu out of this ragi flour using puttu steamer (kola) or put a cotton cloth in a idli plate and transfer the flour to the idli plate.

Steam cook (like cooking idli) it around 15 min over a medium flame. After that, let it cool down a little bit and transfer the cooked flour to a plate and keep aside. The consistency of cooked flour/puttu has to be soft and smooth. If yours has many lumps, just put it in a mixer and grind it a bit to remove lumps.

Dry roast coconut till it becomes golden brown. While coconut is almost roasted, add cardamom along with coconut. Just roast it for few seconds and transfer these to separate plate. Let it cool down. 

Now take the roasted coconut, cardamom and roasted peanuts in a dry mixer, grind it into a coarse or fine powder depending upon your preference. Do not grind this too much.

Now add this ground powder to cooked ragi puttu. Add dry ginger powder (optional) and powdered jaggery. Mix it well with your hands for 3 to 5 min. Good mixing helps to melt the jaggery and binds the flour.

Now, add 2 tsp ghee and mix. Make equal sized balls from this mixture. Ragi simili balls are ready to enjoy!!

Notes

Grind coconut and peanuts into a coarse powder or smooth powder. It is totally up to you.

Adjust jaggery as per your taste.

Adding coconut will give this dish a fantastic flavor and taste. If you want to store this balls a few days, skip coconut.

Amma's Badanekayi Gojju

Ingredients:

Baby Eggplants 5-6

Onion 1 small

Green Chillies 5-6

Garlic 1 pod

Shredded Coconut 1/2 cup

Roasted Channa (Kadale/Pottu Kadalai)

Tamarind to taste

Salt to taste

Method:

Pressure cook(with very less water) or Fire Roast these below:

Baby Eggplants 5-6

Onion 1 small

Green Chillies 5-6

Garlic 1 pod

Grind Coconut and channa in a mixer first.

Add the boiled/roasted vegetabels, tamarind and salt and grind just for few seconds.

Goes well with rice and mudde/ragi ball.

Potato and Peas Kurma

 INGREDIENTS

FOR THE MASALA PASTE

1.5 teaspoon vegetable oil

1/4 inch piece cinnamon

1 cardamom

1 clove

1/4 teaspoon black peppercorn

1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds

2 tablespoon garlic

1/2 inch piece ginger

1/4 cup onion, chopped

3 tomatoes, chopped

1 green chilli, chopped

1 teaspoon salt

15 cashew nut, soaked in water for 20 minutes

1/2 cup water

OTHER INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds

2 sprigs curry leaves, finely chopped

1/2 cup onion, finely chopped

1 green chilli, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon, turmeric powder

1 teaspoon, red chilli powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoon mint leaves, finely chopped

1/2 cup water

250 grams baby potatoes, boiled and peeled. Or regular potatoes boiled and cubed.

1/2 cup green peas, steamed

1/4 teaspoon sugar

2 tablespoon coriander leaves, finely chopped

INSTRUCTIONS

MASALA PASTE FOR KURMA

Heat oil in a pan and add in the cinnamon, cardamom and clove. Do not add too much of the dry spices as we will be grinding it to a paste. A little goes a long way. Add in the black peppercorn, fennel seeds, garlic, ginger and the chopped onions. Sauté till the onions are soft. Once the onions are soft, add in the tomatoes, green chillies and the salt. Add in the cashew nuts. Mix well to combine. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for five minutes till the tomatoes are mushy. Remove this mixture from heat and grind to a smooth paste. Add up to half a cup of water while grinding. Set aside.

MAKING THE KURMA

Heat oil in a pan and add in the cumin seeds and curry leaves. Add in the onions and sauté till the onions are nice and golden. Add in the green chillies, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt. Add in the mint leaves and sauté for a few seconds. Add in the ground paste and half cup of water. Add in the boiled potatoes and peas. Mix well. Cover the pan with a lid and simmer on a low flame for a couple of minutes.

Finally add in the sugar and the coriander leaves. Mix well and remove from heat. Serve hot with Chapati or Dosai.