sweet poodas(traditional recipe )

Hello friends

On Ahoi Ashtami mothers hold a fast from dawn to dusk for the well-being of their sons. Fast is broken during twilight after sighting stars in the sky. This day is also known as Ahoi Aathe because fasting for Ahoi Ashtami is done during Ashtami  Tithi which is the eighth day of the month.

We give –Bayna to mother in law or  sister in law as a symbol of respect .

I made sweet  poodas for bayna (Gulgule- poodas or puas  in the shape of a Pakoda ) In western Uttar Pradesh  these Sweet Poodas are also prepared during Pujas or religious rites. Here is recipe

Recipe name - sweet  poodas(traditional recipe )

Ingredients -Wheat flour -  1  cup

Sugar - less than 1/2 cup or to taste

Saunf,melon seeds, chopped cashewnutsto taste  (about 4tbsps)

Milk/Water –about 1 cup

Oil or Ghee to fry.

Method –Sieve flour in a utensil using a strainer. Put sugar in milk/water and cook it till it dissolves. Cool. Add flour in this sweet milk/water and mix well .The mixture for Poodas  has to be thick like the one used for Pakoda. Cover the mix for 10 minutes allowing the flour to ferment. Add Saunf, melon seeds, chopped cashew nuts to taste.  Now beat this mix properly. Pour oil in a pan(kadhai) and heat. When oil is sufficiently heated, then take little amounts of mixture at a time and put it in hot oil.  In this manner take mixture in your hands again and put 5-6 or as many in proportion to the oil, in the pan. Fry Poodas on a medium flame till they turn red then take out. Fry all poodas with remaining batter similarly.

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.