Thiratupaal

Ingredients
Milk – lots of it (at least 1.5 to 2 litres)
Sugar/Jaggery

Get Cooking!
1. In a huge thick bottomed vessel (preferably non-stick ), pour in the milk. The size of the vessel should be such that it can contain twice the amount of milk taken such that the milk does not boil over and spill or splatter around.
2. On a low heat, boil the milk taken stirring occasionally to avoid browning.
3. When the milk mostly solidifies, add sugar/jaggery amounting to about ¾ths the amount of solidified milk in the vessel.Mix it in well.
4. Keep heating this stirring now and then till the mixture gets solidified and bubbles up.

Tips
Some add cardamom powder but I personally prefer just this as it tastes pretty yummy Typically a good dish to prepare in a slow cooker. A sweet that does not require much attention just the occasional stirring Just right for lazy bones like me

Manju Cake

Ingredients
Poppy seeds 5 parts
Sugar 5 parts
Ghee 2 parts
Cardamom powder
Kesari powder (optional)
Milk (preferably cow’s milk)
Cashew nuts 2 parts

Get Cooking!
1. Clean the poppy seeds of impurities and soak it in sufficient amount of milk for 3 hours.
2. Drain the excess milk and grind it to a soft paste almost like butter.
3. Add cardamom powder, cashew nuts, kesari powder to the paste.
4. Take ghee in a heavy bottomed vessel on low heat, add the paste, sugar and mix in well.
5. Keep stirring on a low heat till the mix becomes homogenous and thick.
6. Pour this onto a greased plate and cool it down
7. Cut them into desired shapes and serve.

Raghavdas Ladoo

This is a Maharashtrian sweet.

Ingredients
Fine semolina 2 cups
Grated Coconut 1 cup
Sugar 1½ cups
Raisins
Milk
Cardamom powder

Get Cooking!
1. Roast the sooji with a few drops of ghee and set aside.
2. Stir fry the grated coconut a little and set aside.
3. Mix in the milk and the rava in a kadai which is kept on a low flame.
4. Then add in the coconut, cardamom powder.Stir and mix everything well; then switch off the heat. Set this mix aside.
5. Make a sugar syrup to one thread consistency.
6. Add the mix into the syrup and blend it in well.
7. Pour the above into a greased plate to cool it down.
8. Grease your palms with some ghee and roll the dough made into ladoos.
9. Decorate each with a raisin on top.

Eggless Dates Cake

Serves : 3-4
Preparation time : 45min

Ingredients

Dates 18
Milk 3/4 cup
Sugar 1/2 cup
All purpose flour (Maida or wheat flour) 1 cup
Oil 1/2 cup
Baking soda 1 tsp (or baking powder which makes the cake a little harder)
Cashews, walnuts (optional) 1 tbsp

Get Baking!

1. Soak the dates in warm milk. Remove the seeds if any.
2. Grind the soaked dates, sugar to a smooth paste.
3. Add oil and mix.
4. Seive the flour and baking soda together. Add this one table spoon at a time and mix slowly.
5. Add the nuts and mix.
6. Preheat the oven at 350F.
7. Bake the cake in a greased oven proof dish for 35-40min (or till a knife inserted in the cake comes out clean).

Tips

I roasted the nuts in a little ghee and added some raisins too. I powdered the sugar just in case

Carrot Halwa (in a jiffy)

A mouth-watering dessert made of carrots, milk and sugar. Given below is the microwave recipe.

Serves 4 people

Ingredients

Milk ¼ cup
Carrots grated 1 cup
Sugar ½ cup
Khoa
Ghee (clarified butter) 1 tbsp

Get Cooking!

1. Microwave milk and the grated carrot on high for 4 minutes in a closed container
2. Add sugar, stir well, microwave on high for 5 minutes open
3. Add the crumbled khoa, mix and microwave for 2 or 3 minutes
4. When it becomes thick, add 1tbsp ghee, mix well, microwave for 2 minutes open
5. Allow 2 mins standing time.
6. Garnish with nuts after transferring to serving dish

Tips

If using cashew nuts, roast them and garnish. Almonds can be blanched and shredded. You could add raisins too. Green cardamom powder can be added.

Mishti Doi

Mishti Doi means sweetened curd.

Ingredients

Plain yogurt 1 litre
Sweet condensed milk 1 jar
Evaporated milk 1 jar

Get Baking!

1. Blend all ingredients well.
2.Heat oven to 170 deg
3.Keep the blend inside small bowls in which u serve for around 1 ½ to 2 hours.
4.Check by inserting a fork. The fork should come clean.

Rosogolla

Rosogolla (cottage cheese balls in sugar syrup) is one of the most widely available and popular sweetmeats in eastern India and Bangladesh.

Serves 6

Ingredients

Milk 1 litre
Vinegar: Water 1:6 (u can take about 1 tbsp of vinegar for 1 litre milk)
Maida (refined flour) ½ tsp
Sooji ½ tsp
Sugar 1 cup
Water 3 cups
Rose essence a few drops

Get Cooking!

To make the chenna (paneer)
1. Bring the milk to a boil. Allow to cool. Skim off all fat from surface. Bring milk to a boil again
2. Gradually add vinegar-water mixture, stirring constantly.
3. When milk curdles, remove from heat and leave covered for 15 minutes.
4. Place muslin/cheese cloth over a bowl. Pour curdled milk into muslin and strain.
5. Gather up the corners of the muslin and tie about 5 cms above the curds. Hang this bag for about 15 minutes.
6. Gently squeeze bag, take down and place between two cutting boards. Place a heavy object on top board for about 1 hour.
7. Remove weight. Untie bag and remove the chenna

1. Place chenna on a plain working surface. Knead well with the heel of your hand.
2. Add flour, sooji and continue kneading till the grains disappear and the chenna becomes soft & creamy.
3. Make balls of the chenna by rolling each ball with slight pressure between palms till smooth and even
4. Put sugar and water into a pressure cooker. Place cooker on high heat.
5. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly till sugar dissolves.
6. Carefully place chenna balls one by one in the syrup.
7. Close cooker. Bring to full pressure on high heat.
8. Reduce heat and cook for 7 minutes
9. Remove cooker from heat and allow to cool naturally.
10. Open cooker, Add rose essence. Stir gently taking care not to break the balls.
11. Place rosogollas with syrup in a serving bowl. Serve hot or cold.

Tips

The chenna must have no water.
The kneading must be done really well….the dough must be really soft. You can use a food processor to knead the dough.
The balls must be really smooth without any cracks.
You can place a cubed sugar candy (kalkandu/misri) in the middle of the balls while making them.

Gajar Halwa

This is a popular dessert made with carrots.

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 kg carrots
1½ litre milk
8 cardamoms
5-7 tbsp ghee
5-7 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp raisins
1 tbsp shredded almonds
2 tbsp chopped dates

Get Cooking!

1. Peel and grate the carrots.
2. Simmer in milk with the cardamom until liquid evaporates.
3. Heat ghee in a heavy pan and add the carrot mixture. Cook over a gentle flame for 10-15 minutes.
4. Stir in sugar and continue cooking until the halwa turns deep reddish color.
5. Stir in dried fruit and serve.

Tips

You can fry the dried fruits a little before stirring them in. Can use cashew nuts too. This can be served with vanilla ice cream.

Dal Makhani

A celebrated delicacy from Punjab, a flavourful robust lentil preparation. Rajma and whole urad provide protein and calcium which are extremely important for maintenance of your body cells and healthy bones. Cooking the dal in tomato purée adds a little sharpness to this dish and also enriches it with lycopenes, folic acid and vitamin A.

Cooking Time 20 to 25 mins
Preparation Time 15 mins

Serves 4

Ingredients

whole urad (whole black lentils) ½ cup
rajma (kidney beans) 1 tbsp
low fat milk 1 cup
cumin seeds (jeera) ½ tsp
onions, finely chopped ½ cup
ginger-garlic paste 1 tsp
chilli powder 1 tsp
turmeric powder (haldi) ¼ tsp
coriander (dhania) powder 2 tsps
fresh tomato pulp ¾ cup
oil 1 tsp
Salt to taste
chopped cilantro/ coriander 2 tbsp

Get Cooking!

1. Clean, wash and soak the whole urad and rajma overnight. Drain and keep aside.
2. Combine the dals, and salt with 2 cups of water and pressure cook till the dals are overcooked. Whisk well till the dal is almost mashed.
3. Add the milk and 1 cup of water and simmer for 10 minutes while stirring occasionally.
4. Heat the oil in a non-stick pan and add the cumin seeds. When the seeds crackle, add the onions and ginger-garlic paste and sauté till the onions turn golden brown.
5. Add the chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and tomato pulp with ¼ cup of water and sauté for 5 to 7 minutes.
6. Add this to the dal mixture and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes till the dal is thick and creamy.
7. Serve hot, garnished with the coriander, to relish its bountiful flavours, with whole wheat parathas

Tips
I tried this with whole moong dal and it tasted pretty good

Gulab Jamun

Gulab Jamun is a popular Indian sweet dish comprised of fried milk balls in sweet syrup flavoured with cardamom seeds and rosewater or saffron. Mixes and finished products are often available in supermarkets, though it is still popular to be made from scratch.

Ingredients

Milk Powder 2 cups
Fine Sooji 1/4 cup
Maida 1/4 cup
Heavy whipping cream
Oil/ghee
Sugar syrup (with 2 cups sugar boiled in 2 cups water)

Get Cooking!

1. Mix up the milk powder, sooji, maida.
2. Make into soft dough with the heavy cream and knead well.
3. Make them into balls and fry them in oil till they are browned up.
4. Put the fried balls in sugar syrup and let soak.

Tips

I sometimes fry the jamuns and keep them stored, make the syrup when needed and put them in You could try and use milk instead of whipping cream too