Kaju-pista karwas

Recipe name –Kaju-pista karwa  

Ingredients -1cup Cashew Nuts
1/2cupSugar
1/2cup Water
1/4 tsp Ghee
Melon seeds and silver paper for the decoration
For Pistachio filling
1/2 cup Pistachio Powder
2 tbsp Milk powder - Optional
2tbsps cup Powdered Sugar
1 tbsp warm water
Silver Varak Leaves to decorate karwas

Method – For Pistachio filling-: Mix all the pista filling ingredients and make like dough.

For covering- Put Cashew Nuts into a blender and make them really very fine, like flour.Keep aside. Dissolve the sugar in 1/2 cup of water and prepare syrup of 1 string consistency. Then add the cashew nuts. Stir continuously, until it looks like dough for bread. It takes about five to seven minutes. Now you take your pot off the heat and turn the stove off. You need to keep on stirring your dough though until it doesn’t stick to your pot anymore and doesn’t stick to your hand when you touch it. This will take about five minutes. Now add the ghee into the pot and turn the dough in it. Take the dough out now and put it in a bowl. Mix and knead very well. Now take small portion of the dough and make a small ball, by using greased palm. Fill this ball with pista filling and form in a karwa shape. Now decorate each karwa with roasted melon seed. Repeat the same for the rest of the dough.Wrap each karwa with Silver Varak Leaves.

 . Kaju-pista karwas are ready for bayna platter.  

Seviyan Payasum

Ingredients -Milk - 6 cups Vermicelli/Semiya - 1/2 cup Sugar -1/2 cup (or as required) Cashew nuts - 8 - 10 Cardamom - 3-4 ( powder it) Raisins -10 -15 Ghee ( clarified butter) – 3tsp 

To garnish- Saffron, chopped nuts of choice, glazed cherries, silver wirk 

Method -Heat 2 tsp of ghee in a pan and roast Vermicelli/seviiyan, until light golden brown. Remove and keep it aside. In the same pan, heat some more ghee and fry cashew nuts and raisins separately. Keep it aside. Powder cardamom with a tsp of sugar and keep it ready. Boil milk in a heavy bottomed pan, then add the roasted vermicelli to it and cook on medium heat until it becomes soft. Keep stirring it to prevent it from getting burnt. Then add sugar and stir until it dissolves. Then add cardamom powder, cashew nuts and raisins. Garnish with saffron, chopped nuts of choice, glazed cherries and silver wirk. Seviyan payasum is ready to be served. It can be served hot or chilled.

Fruit salad with Aloevera-mint dressing

Ingredients: 100g diced apple with skin, 50g diced pear, 25 g diced pineapple; ½ /kiwi –diced,

½ cucumber diced, pomegranate seeds

For the dressing: 1tsp honey; ½ tsp lemon zest,2tbsps  ginger-mint  juice; 2tbsps l lemon juice;2tbsps aloevera jam ,1tsp extra virgin olive oil,2tsp finely chopped mint leaves, 2tsp finely chopped coriander leaves with stem, 1tsp roasted cumin powder,salt and pepper powder to taste,   

For platter decoration -slices of kiwi, pudina leaves and alovera

Method: Mix together the diced fruit in a bowl & keep aside. In another bowl, add all the ingredients for dressing & blend well. Toss the diced fruits in it. Store in the refrigerator until chilled. Garnish with a slice of kiwi & serve cold.

Home made Granola Bars

Ingredients- ¼ Small cup Crushed corn flakes

¼ Small cup roasted Oats

½ Small Chopped- Almonds, Walnuts, Cashew nuts, tutti-fruity, mango papad chopped    

2 tbsp Raisins

2 tbsp roasted grinded lotus seeds

4 -5 tbsp Sugar

3 tbsp Honey

2 tbsp Butter

To grease Oil

Method - In pan add sugar and melt till its golden brown. Add Butter and Honey. Grease a plate .Mix all the ingredients in a pan and mix well. Pour and spread the mixture in  greased plate and keep it in a cool place for 7-8 minutes. Cut the mixture in bars when it’s set.Wrap each bar in butter paper. Granola Bar is ready to serve.

Vegetable Quinoa Soup

Ingredients-1tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

white onion, chopped

2 medium/large carrots, peeled and chopped

2tsp  coriander stalks, chopped

1cup chopped seasonal vegetables, like cabbage , bell pepper, sweet corn kernels

2pressed or minced garlic cloves

1cup tomato juice

2cups vegetable broth

2tsp chopped fresh basil

1 teaspoon salt,or  to taste

2 bay leaves

Pinch red pepper flakes

Freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 cup cooked quinoa

Optional garnish: freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Method-. Heat the olive oil in large, heavy-bottomed pan over medium-low heat. Once hot, add the onion and cook until tender, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic, and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the carrots and vegetables of choice and  continue to cook for 4 to 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the vegetable broth, tomatoes juice, bay leaves, coriander stalks and fresh basil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the vegetables are fork tender, approximately 10 minutes. Stir in the cooked quinoa and season with red pepper flakes, salt and pepper, to taste.Add lemon juice to taste. Serve warm garnished with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Note: To cook the quinoa, rinse 1/2 cup quinoa under cold water.Soak for 10 minutes. Add quinoa, 1cup water, and a pinch of salt to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil for 5 minutes. Turn the heat to low and simmer r until water is absorbed. Remove from heat and fluff with a fork.