Sports Vs. Gadgets

I was recently at a gathering that comprised of individuals representing every stage of life from toddlers to adults. In a moment of silent contemplation, I realized - around me, were children lost in their pseudo cyber world oblivious to one another and the adults in the gathering. No hi's, no hello's. Just the constant mechanical sound of whatever game they were engrossed in.  The only interaction between the children was when he or she wanted a chance on the machine. No board games and no sports. This is the world we live in today..

Right there, I was transported in mind to a time when we were growing up.. There was a yearning for such gatherings as we could meet with so many people and play for hours without  a curfew. There was laughter and games, fights and heart breaks, candies and frolic. And when it was all over, there were memories and friendships to last a lifetime..  

Those simple pleasures are lost on the children, of today. A piece of stone or stick that would excite us back then is now replaced by fancy plastic gadgets and devices that takes the form of a monster one minute and a bird the next. The innocent childhood and the simple pleasures of exploring the world with their little steps and beady inquisitive eyes is lost on these warriors of tomorrow, as they are armed with these mini devices that keep them glued to a seat for hours on end. The squeal and laughter of a room full of kids is replaced with the mechanical noises produced by these widgets in a room otherwise devoid of any noise.

I have increasingly seen parents worry about the consequence of these devices on the lives of their children.  But the sheer convenience of  not having to worry about their little ones (in the midst of  their own adult time) far outweigh the mild inconvenience of these devices obstructing the development of social skills in these young minds. These gadgets are thus handed out to little outstretched hands and we all rationalize, that it is the right thing to do rather than have your children run amock. No question the neurons in those little brains are multiplying by the hundreds and forming a vast network of problem solving ability. But compassion , communication, team work and social abilities are thwarted in the process. For the parents, this is a maze with no end in sight. Every mind is battling its own war of kurkshetra , only here , there is no absolute right or absolute wrong. Is this the beginning of a new generation of lone socially stunted individuals fueled by technology? Or does the solution lie in the very same technology ? Perhaps a playtime comprising of gadgets interspersed with sports is the light we are looking for at the end of the tunnel. 

A truly win-win solution for parents everywhere . 

South Indian Speciality..

Spring is almost here in the Northeast United States and its time for Hindu spring festivals. One amongst them is karadaiyan nombu, a function primarily celebrated by women for the longevity and welfare of their husbands in the state of Tamilnadu. This festival reminds me of a particular dish which is what this function revolves around.. Kaar Adai (adai made with Kaaramani / black eyed peas).  In some families like ours, the custom is to make both the sweet and salty version of Kaar Adai. They are eaten with a dollop of butter. They are fairly easy to make and heres the recipe for both Salt Adai and Sweet Adai. 

Pre-preparation: 

Before you set out to make Salt Adai or Sweet Adai, dry roast 1 cup of Black Eyed Peas. After they are sufficiently roasted, boil and cook the black eyed peas in an open vessel. Drain and keep aside for the following recipes. 

Salt Adai

Ingredients
Black eyed peas (cooked) 1/2 cup

Rice flour 1.5 cups

Grated coconut 1/2 cup

Ginger( cut grate to small pieces) about 1-2 tbs  , 

Green chilli 2-4, 

Curry leaves, 

Mustard 1-2 tsp, 

Black gram dal (Urad Dal) 1-2 tsp.,

Asafetida a pinch,  Salt

Oil 2 tsp

Method 

In a pan heat some oil and sputter mustard, black gram dal and asafetida. Add ginger, green chilli, curry leaves with 1.5 cups water. When the water is sufficiently hot add 1/2 cup grated coconut, black eyed peas and 1.5 cups of rice flour.  Mix until all the water is absorbed and it looks like pizza or roti dough. Remove from the flame and set it aside to cool. When it cool to touch pinch a golf ball sized dough and flatten it in your palm and steam cook in an idli maker for 2-5 mins and its done. Serve with a dollop of unsalted butter. 

                                         Sweet Adai 

 Ingredients

Rice flour 1.5 cups

Black eyed peas (cooked) 1/2 cup
Grated coconut 1/2 cup
Jaggery 1 cup
Cardamom 
Saffron(optional)

Method 

Powder Jaggery and add it to 1.5 cups of boiling water and mix until it fully dissolves. Add coconut, cardamom, 1/2 cup cooked black eyed peas and 1.5 cups rice flour . Mix until all the water is absorbed and it looks like pizza or roti dough. Remove from the flame and set it aside to cool. When it is cool to touch pinch a golf ball sized dough and flatten it in your palm and steam cook in an idli maker for 2-5 mins. And its done. Serve with a dollop of unsalted butter.

Its all about Cruising

Its all about cruising.. I started writing this and the Carnival Cruise disaster (about the disabled ship on the Gulf of Mexico) was all over the news. After what happened recently, its natural to be wary of it . As most analysts are pointing out, with the influx in the cruising industry , incidents such as these are like a minor hiccup caused mainly due to the increased demand and decreased time for maintenance . Hopefully the regulations get more stringent like those in the aviation industry and something better comes out of this. Having said that, I hope this doesn't put a dampener on this wonderful way of seeing the world. 

There are three categories of people.. yes I said three..1) There are those that have been on a cruise, love it and do it frequently, 2) there are those that did it once just to see what the hoopla is all about but are not sure if they'd do it again because they either had a bad experience or did not enjoy it as much as they had initially thought they would and 3) people that are skeptical about the whole concept of cruising. Everyone falls under one of these three categories. 

We were from the third category. We had a million reasons (well not exactly a million, but you get the point !)  why we weren't cruising. The biggest and the most favorite ones were : Im hydro phobic,  its for old retired junta , its all about beach hopping (what is so different about the beaches u goto by ship vs by road ???) , We won't have fun unless we go with family and friends as one Big group (as if the ship would otherwise be empty !)  and the list goes on… Of course cost of a vacation being exponentially high was another theory we believed in .

If you are wondering what changed ~ We went from third category straight to the first. We took the plunge  and cruised after lots of cajoling  by well meaning friends (especially L) who were avid cruisers with lots of trips under their belt. We were skeptical, but nevertheless decided to try it out. As you can see, we are happy we did !  We had our maiden Voyage in the worlds largest cruise ship- the Oasis of the Seas and the experience completely blew us away and now after all these years I can safely say we are experienced cruisers.

Let me take some time to revisit our initial skepticism about cruising for the benefit of first timers.

Hydro phobiacs - for most part we don't feel we are in the water (except if the water is too choppy) because these things are truly floating cities ! Yup these things are HUGE with so much to do onboard. For example on the Oasis of the seas we had a Central Park with shrubs trees and all..

Not everybody is beach hopper. While Beach hoppers hang by the beach and water, the explorers can use that time to explore the port of call (or a city thats close by) on their own or using the organized tours by these companies (The idea is to get back on board before your ship leaves port  !). 

Cruising is like picking from a huge buffet given the number of itineraries, all these companies offer. If the destination warrants some more exploring, then it can always be revisited at a later time. The fun aspect is, to visit places without worrying about where to go, what to do, where to stay and what to eat. All that is pre-determined as we book our trip.   

The good thing about all this is we don't have to wait for like minded people we know, to join us on the trip. Though complete strangers the ship is full of such people ( thats  the reason all of us are on the same boat !). In our experience we have come back from a trip making great friends.

As for the cost of a vacation,  pretty much like any other form of vacation, it totally depends on whether you want to spend or splurge..The price difference is determined by a number of factors such as  

- the number of nights ,  

- the cruise tour company (Royal Caribbean, Princess, Norwegian, Disney to name a few),  

- the state room you pick, 

- if you choose to eat in one of the speciality restaurants vs. the ton's of free food available on board and 

- how much you drink .. yes.. (this is where these operators make money so we have to pay for the drinks over and above the price we paid for the trip). 

Did I mention, no outside food, water or beverage is allowed on board (can't say for other companies as we haven't tried them  but this is especially true for Royal Caribbean). This is for our protection and everyone else on board . Having said that ,we can shop for alcohol at any port of call. It is usually confiscated when we get on board only to be returned to us at our final destination as we disembark.  For those in the second category, I hope you give it another chance , perhaps with a different company because despite these minor irritants, this is one of the most amazing experiences full of variety- all of which is packed into a bundle to make it Your vacation.

Besides the itinerary,  the cruise ship  offers a plethora of things for everybody on board  from Musical Productions,  to Zip Lining (yup in the middle of the ocean) , Rock Climbing (while the ship is steadily chugging along in the middle of some sea or ocean), Flowrider Surfing (on board) , Mini Golf Carousel , Basket Ball, Library, Speciality classes (like gemology, food & wine classes ),  Swimming, Sauna and Spa to name a few. For me (besides all these) its all about trying to spot a marine life in the vastness of the Ocean.

I do highly recommend some quite time to  sit and watch the wake your ship creates. With lands off in the distance and the vastness of the seas its a sight to behold especially as evening approaches . There is something very calm yet sinister about the Ocean, and it was these that man set sail to cross and conquer. So its all about cruising..

Carrot Almond Kheer

One of my friends is a food blogger and I have to say she's quite an inspiration. She recently blogged about Carrot Badaam (almond) Kheer (pudding). The accompanying pix was so tempting that I had to make it the same day. I made a slight variation to her recipe its fairly simple and here it goes.. 

Carrot Almond Kheer

Ingredients : 

Carrot grated 1 cup, Almonds soaked and skinned 1 cup , 1/4 cup Cashew(optional) soaked,  Sugar 2 cups, Milk 3 cups, Saffron 1 pinch, cardamom seeds 1/2 tsp, 1 tsp ghee or clarified butter, 1 tsp each of slivered almonds, cashew, pistachio.

Procedure : 

In a pressure cooker cook carrots, almonds and cashew with 1/2 cup milk. When cooked add sugar and grind to paste. Add ground cardamom, saffron and remaining milk and boil until it starts thickening in roughly about 10-15 mins. In a separate vessel roast the slivered almonds, cashew and pistachio in clarified butter until they get a slight golden tinge. Season the Carrot Almond kheer with the roasted nuts and you are done. This can be served both hot or cold .

Spunky vegetarian gravy and soups

Much against wanting to make this a food blog,  here  I am writing about food. Well in the recent past, I met with some old friends and made some new ones and when we started chatting up the conversation centered on food. Specifically on spunky Indian gravy or stew.. Here are a few of my super ultra favorites.. They are sure to please anyone in a party and you for sure will find it appetizing.

The first on my list is a dish from the Indian state of Maharashtra called Saar. This is my version of Saar. This is sour, salty and a little spicy all at the same time.

Saar

Ingredients : 

2-3 large (sour)Tomatoes, 1 medium Onion, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 2-3 Green chili Pepper, 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder, 1 pinch asafetida, few curry leaves, coriander leaves, salt (to taste which is minimum 1 tsp for this dish) , 1 tsp Clarified butter.

Procedure : 

In a vessel heat clarified butter, Sputter Cumin seeds and add asafetida, Green chili pepper, curry leaves, tomatoes , Onion, turmeric powder and salt. Sauté until its fully cooked. Remove from flame and let it cool down to room temperature before  grinding this to paste with a cup of water. Add 3 cups water to dilute it. At this point adjust taste by adding salt and black pepper if u need more salt or spice. Boil this mixture for 5 mins. Garnish with sputtered cumin seeds, mustard seeds and coriander leaves. 

Serving suggestion : Can be served with plain white rice or just as soup with chips.

The next on my list is the super ultra spunky Vatha Kozhambu (pronounced as Koyamboo) from the south Indian state of Tamilnadu. Its sweet, sour and mildly bitter (owing to Fenugreek) to the trained taste buds. Most people don't even feel the bitterness. All they feel is sheer bliss tasting this yummy stew.

Vatha Kozhambu

Ingredients : 

1 tsp mustard seeds, 1/2 tsp turmeric powder, 1 pinch asafetida, few curry leaves , Onion (and or Okra, yellow gourd/ pumpkin, Eggplant), 2tsp Bengal gram dal(chana dal), 2 tsp Yellow lentil/ red gam dal (tur dal), 1/2 tsp Fenugreek seeds, 3-4 Red chili pepper, jaggery (lemon size) powdered,  2 tbs peanut (optional), salt to taste, tamarind (I prefer concentrated tamarind paste) 1.5 tsp if concentrated or the size of a big lemon if raw tamarind is used, sesame (gingerly) oil 3 tbs, 1 tbs Rice flour.

Procedure : 

Soak Tamarind (unless you are using the concentrated paste) in a glass of warm water  for 10 mins. Squish the tamarind to get the flavor. Filter the tamarind out and transfer the flavored water into a big vessel.  Repeat tamarind squishing and transferring until there is no more flavor left in the tamarind. Boil the flavored water with asafetida until the raw smell of tamarind is lost . Alternatively if you are using Tamarind paste, simmer 5 cups of water, add paste and asafetida and boil until the raw smell of tamarind is lost.   Meanwhile in a separate heavy bottom vessel add 1 tbs of gingerly oil, mustard seeds & red chill pepper. When they start sputtering, add Fenugreek seeds,  bengal gram dal, yellow lentil , Peanuts and roast until they are slightly golden. Add a few curry leaves, Onion and or any other vegetable with turmeric and salt. Saute' until the vegetable looks half cooked. Add the boiled tamarind juice and let it boil for 5 mins. The vegetables take the flavor of tamarind. As its boiling add the powdered Jaggery and let it boil for additional 10 mins . If liquid quantity reduces, add water accordingly during this time. In a separate glass mix rice flour in 1/2 cup water ensuring there are no lumps add this to the boiling kozhambu / stew while continuously mixing it in with a ladle. Add the remaining Sesame oil and let it simmer for 5 mins. This should thicken the consistency of the kozhambu or stew. You know its done when you get an appetizing aroma. If in doubt let it simmer for 5 more mins. Garnish with a few fresh curry leaves.

Serving Suggestion : With Plain rice, Yellow lentil rice or Yogurt rice. My family usually loves this Vatha Kozhambu the following day when all the masalas get concentrated with time. The shelf life of this is almost a week. Im sure it will survive more than that provided you don't finish it in the first couple of days..!

Halwa Varieties From Around The Web

This is one of those posts where I take absolutely no credit for coming up with these recipes. These are the Halwa ( dense sweet confections or dessert served in South East Asia) varieties that have been made and tasted by some amazing everyday chefs like you and me. And this comes right in time for the Indian festival season, from their kitchen to yours and mine -A Collection of Halwas. Easy to make, these are conjured from everyday fruits, vegetables, nuts and grains.  A quick sweet meat for your sweet tooth starting with a universal favorite- Gajar ka Halwa. Bon Appetite.

Gajar (Carrot) Halwa 

Ingredients 

1 kg Carrots, 1 litre Milk, 1 teaspoon Cardamom seeds,  3/4 cup Water,  3 tablespoons Ghee, 2 tablespoons Raisins,  2 tablespoons Almonds, 2 tablespoons Pistachios, 450 grams Sugar.

Method 

Wash and grate the carrots. Soak the raisins in water for 30 minutes. Blanch and shred the nuts. In a pan boil water add grated carrots to the boiling water and cook for 5-7 minutes. Add milk and sugar and cook on a low flame for 1 hour stirring occasionally. Mix well until the sugar has dissolved and all the milk absorbed. Add ghee and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Add the slightly crushed cardamoms and the raisins and Mix well. Remove from heat and garnish with almonds and pistachios. Serve cold, hot or at room temperature.

Apple Halwa

Ingredients 

2 cups grated apples (about 3-4 apples), 1 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon ghee (this is just used for aroma, can be omitted if desired), 2 tablespoon chopped or coarsely powdered almonds, ½ teaspoon cardamom powder

Method

Peel the apples and grate them. Heat ghee (clarified Butter) in a thick bottomed pan. Add the grated apple and fry on a medium flame, till all the water evaporates and the apples look cooked. It takes about 10mins or so. Measure the amount of cooked apple and add equal quantity/ volume of sugar.  Cook till the mixture thickens, stirring occasionally  so that the sugar is mixed well with apples. Towards the end, Stir continuously to prevent it from burning and sticking to the pan. Add the chopped or coarsely powdered almonds. This would dry it up a bit which is when you add the cardamom powder and mix throughly .

Transfer the contents onto a greased(with ghee) plate or cutting board or wax paper. Flatten it with a rolling pin. (note: To avoid sticking to rolling pin, grease it with some ghee).

Cut it into squares or rectangle or any other shape that you fancy. Let it cool down a bit before serving.

Green Peas Halwa

Ingredients 

4 cups green peas (frozen or fresh), 2½ cups sugar, 2 tablespoon cashew pieces, 1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder, 2 tablespoon ghee, ½ cup whole milk

Method

Microwave green peas with 1/2 cup water for 5 mins (or cook on stove top for 5-6mins). Grind into a smooth paste. Heat the paste in a thick bottomed pan stirring continuously for about 10mins. Add sugar & cashews and  cook it for about 15-20mins, Stirring often to prevent it from burning. Add ghee & milk to the mixture and stir it. Cook the mixture until it starts to look dry. Add cardamom powder, mix well and serve.

Ps:  This sticks to bottom of the pan very quickly. So keep stirring it. The sweetness largely depends on the sweetness of the peas. Start with 1 cup sugar, taste it and if required, gradually increase the sugar. Use a big pan to give enough room for stirring.

Beetroot Halwa

Ingredients 

2 cups peeled and grated beetroot, 1 cup sugar, 2 teaspoon ghee (you can reduce it to 1 tea spn)½ teaspoon  cardamom powder

Method

Heat ghee in a thick bottomed kadai. Add the beetroot. Keep mixing it once in a while. Keep the heat on medium to avoid burning.

When it looks cooked and reduced in quantity, add sugar. Mix. Let it cook down. When the mixture starts looking dry, take off heat. Add cardamom powder, mix. Serve warm or chilled. (Add cashews fried in ghee on top if required).

Adarak (Ginger)  Halwa 

Ingredients 

½ cup grated Adarak(Ginger), 1 teaspoon ghee (clarified Butter) , gud /jaggery ( preferably powdered), powdered black pepper

Method

Fry ginger in ghee until it turns rosy in color. Add gud. After the gud melts completely remove from flame and sprinkle some pepper powder on it. 

It gives temporary relief from common cold.

Moong dal (green gram or golden gram) Halwa 

Ingredients 

½ cup split yellow Moong dal, washed, ½ cup unsalted butter or ghee, 1/2 heaped cup sugar (use ½ cup + 2 tablespoon more), 1/8 teaspoon cardamom powder, Pinch of saffron, 2 cups of water, 1 tablespoon of sliced almonds for garnish

Method 

Wash dal thoroughly and soak in 3 cups of water for at least 4 hours. Drain the water and blend dal into a thick paste, adding just enough water as needed to blend. Boil water and sugar in a pan over medium heat, for 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat. Add cardamom powder and saffron; set aside.In a heavy bottom frying pan add moong dal paste and melted butter. Mix well.Turn on the stove to medium heat and fully cook the dal paste. Use spatula to gently press the paste, then fold the paste over and press again. Repeat this pressing and folding of the dal paste several times until the texture becomes grainy and light brown in color. This will take approximately 15 minutes, and will have a sweet, mild aroma when it is cooked.Lower the heat to medium-low. Add sugar syrup to the dal, little at a time (watch out for the splattering syrup ). Cover and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.Remove cover, stir and cook for another minute. Turn off the heat.Garnish with almonds. The halwa will thicken over time.

Ps: A Variation of this without garnishing with Almonds, can be used to make Poli's or stuffed sweet rotis.

Singhare ke atte ka (Water Chestnut Flour ) Halwa 

Ingredients 

1 cup singhare ka atta (water chestnut flour), 1 cup sugar, 4 ½ cups water, 6 tablespoon ghee, ½ tsp green cardamoms-powdered, 1 tablespoon almonds-blanched, shredded.

Method

Put ghee in heavy pan and melt it then add the flour. Adjust flame to medium, stir properly to prevent scorching. Mix water and sugar in another pan until the sugar dissolves completely in the boiling water.   Simmer the flame.When the flour is properly fried, add the sugar solution along with cardamom powder and bring it to a boil and again simmer the flame until the liquid is absorbed. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking and lumping. Turn the flame off, when a thin line of melted ghee is formed around the edges. Garnish with almonds and serve hot. This can also be set on a  greased plate and cut into small squares.

Pumpkin Halwa

Ingredients 

1 cup grated pumpkin, 1 tablespoon Sugar, 1 tablespoon Milk, 1 tablespoon Ghee (clarified Butter), 1/4 tsp cardamom or Elachi powder, 5-6 finely chopped Almonds, 5-6 finely chopped Cashews, 5-6 finely chopped Pistachios

Method

Heat ghee in a heavy bottomed pan, add the grated pumpkin and stir well until the pumpkin is half cooked. Add milk and cook until the pumpkin is tender. Add Sugar & cardamom powder and stir on low flame until it thickens to halwa consistency. Remove from heat and garnish with almonds, cashews and pistachios. Serve hot.

Dates Halwa 

Ingredients 

Seedless Dates- 1 cup, Sugar- 1 cup, Ghee- 1 cup, Milk- ½ cup, Almonds, Cashews 

Method

Soak the dates in hot water, for about an hour and grind it along with milk. Heat a heavy bottomed pan. Add Sugar with little water. When this syrup reaches one string consistency*, add the ground date paste, cashews, almonds, and saffron. Keep stirring until it becomes little thick. When the halwa sticks to the bottom, add ghee little by little and cook till halwa consistency is reached. Decorate with cashews or almonds

* One string consistency- when tested between thumb and forefinger a string is formed.

Makai ( Sweet Corn) Halwa

Ingredients 

2 tablespoon ghee, 1 cup Sweet corn (makai), 1 cup full fat milk,  ½ cup sugar, 2 tablespoon fresh grated coconut, ½ teaspoon cardamom (elaichi) powder, A few saffron (kesar) strands, ½ cup chopped mixed nuts, A piece of edible silver leaf (vark) for the garnish.

Method

Heat the ghee in a heavy bottomed pan, add sweet corn and sauté until it turns golden brown. While stirring continuously, add milk and sugar and simmer till the sugar dissolves. Add grated coconut, cardamom powder and saffron and cook till the halwa leaves the sides of the pan. Garnish with dry fruits and mix well. Can be Served with edible silver foil (optional)

Lauki (Bottle gourd) Halwa 

Ingredients 

1 Lauki (bottle gourd), ½ kg Milk , 1 cup Sugar , ½ kg Khoa (made of dried whole milk similar to ricotta cheese but lower in Moisture. Available in any Indian grocery store ), 4 tablespoon Ghee, A piece of edible Silver foil (varak) for decoration  , Almonds,  Cashew, Pistachio, Resins & currants.

Method

Peel Lauki and grate it. Heat ghee in a heavy pan and add grated lauki to it. Cook until the vegetable smell is lost (about 3-4 minutes). Add milk and let it cook till the lauki becomes tender. Keep stirring. Add khoa and continue cooking for a while. When the mixture is lumpy, add sugar and cook until it dissolves completely. Before serving, garnish with dry fruits and edible silver foil (optional)

Besan (Chickpea / Gram flour) Halwa 

Ingredients 

1 cup besan (gram flour), 1/2 cup ghee (clarified butter), 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 cup nuts ( almonds, pistachios and cashews), 1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder , 1 cup water 

Method

Heat ghee in a thick bottom pan. Add besan to it and fry it until it starts changing color. When besan has turned light golden brown in color then you know its time to add water. Add water slowly and keep stirring the besan thoroughly so that it doesn't form lumps. Now add sugar and cardamom powder and blend it all together and stir until the water is fully absorbed. Garnish it with nuts. Serve hot.

Badaam (Almond) Halwa 

Ingredients 

1 cup blanched almonds , 1 cup whole milk, About 3 tablespoon ghee or add 2 tablespoon more if you like , 3-4 tablespoon Sugar , 1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder, Pinch of saffron (optional)

Method

Grind the blanched almonds and milk in a food processor to a coarse paste. Heat 2 tablespoons of ghee in a heavy bottom pan, add the almond mixture and cook in medium heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring all the while slowly to avoid sticking to the bottom. Add sugar, stirring constantly. Cook for another 5-10 minutes until you see the mixture boiling. Add the remaining tablespoon(s) of ghee and saffron at this point and keep stirring for some more time. You know its done when the mixture comes together into one thick lump. It stops sticking to the pan. 

Aloo (Potato) Halwa 

Ingredients 

6 Boiled mashed potatoes, 4 tablespoon Ghee, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 pinch cardamon powder, chopped nuts

Method 

Heat ghee in a pan and put mashed potatoes. Cook them on a low flame till the potatoes get a reddish brown roasted colour.. Add sugar, cardamom powder and fried chopped nuts and mix. 

Bread Halwa

Ingredients 

10 slices of White Bread, 8 tablespoon Khoa (made of dried whole milk similar to ricotta cheese but lower in Moisture. Available in any Indian grocery store ), ½ cup Whole Milk, ¼ cup Sugar (powdered), ½ cup Raisins, ¼ teaspoon of Cardamom Powder, ½ cup Refined Oil (cooking Oil), 2 tablespoon Ghee

Method

In a bowl mix milk , cardamom powder & Khoa . Soak the bread slices in the milk mixture along with raisins till they are soft. Make sure there are no breads lump's in the mixture. Heat oil In a wok or pan and fry the bread mixture on low heat till it browns (Consider it cooked only when the oil separates from the mixture). Add ghee to the mixture before removing from heat. Garnish with slivers of pistachio and cashew nuts.

Khus khus (Poppy Seeds) Halwa 

Ingredients 

1 cup poppy seeds (khus-khus), 1 cup fine sugar, 1 tablespoon ghee (clarified butter), 2 teaspoon milk, Almonds

Method

Soak khuskhus overnight. Grind the khuskhus into a fine paste using little water. Heat ghee in a pan and add khuskhus paste. Stir continuously on a medium flame till the mixture becomes golden brown (approx 20-25 mins). Add milk & sugar and mix well till the sugar dissolves. It will leave the side of the pan. Garnish with almond pieces.

Atta (Wheat flour) Halwa

Ingredients 

1 Cup wheat flour, ½ Cup ghee, 2½ Cups water, 1 Cup sugar

Method

Take water and sugar in a skillet and bring it to a boil, to dissolve the sugar. In a separate pan mix the flour with ghee and cook it till it turns brown. Add the sugar syrup while stirring continuously  when it thickens remove it from flame. Garnish with Almonds.