Semiya Kesari

This recipe my mom used to make it specially for Ayyappa swami pooja at my
home. Since the tradition of neivedyam(Prasadam/offering to god) is still followed
at my home. Yesterday i made Semiya Kesari for Diwali (laximi pooja neivedyam).




Ingredients:

1 Cup Semiya/Vermicilli
1/2 cup Sugar
1 & 1/2 cup water
1/2 tbs Cardamom Powder
5 Cashew Nuts
8 Raisins
Pinch of Kesari colour
4 tbs Ghee

Preparation:

1. Heat 2 tbs ghee in a thick bottomed pan. Break the cashew nuts into small
pieces and toast the cashew nuts and raisins till golden brown. Remove from
pan, keep it aside.
2. Take the same pan add the remaining ghee and fry the vermicelli till it gets a
light brown color.
3. Add water and bring it to boil. Cook for 10 mins or till it is soft.
4. Now add sugar, kesari colour and cardamom powder and mix well.
5. Leave it on low flame for 5 min.
6. Finally garnish it with cashew nuts and raisins.
7. Colourful and yummy semiya kesari is ready to serve.

Karanji/kajjikayalu - Diwali Special

On the occasion of Diwali people all over the country prepare best dishes at
their home. There are so many varieties of Diwali dishes. However, Sweet
kajjikayalu is the special dish that do not have a substitute on Diwali.
One major advantage of kajjikayalu is that it can be stored for weeks and
used as dessert as well as snacks. It can be eaten anytime of the day and
makes a great tea time snack. The sweetness of the kajjikayalu is subtle that
you can easily have 2 to 3 kajjikayalu without filling heavy.

Kajjikayalu is a traditional andhra sweet. Kajjikayalu is prepared by rolling out
small balls of maida dough into thin pooris and filled with a mixture of dry
coconut, jagri/sugar, fried Channa dal and cardamom powder and deep fried.



Kajjikayalu Dough Ingredients:


1 cup Maida
1 cup Wheat flour
salt to taste
water for preparing dough
oil for deep frying


Dough Preparation:

Mix maida and wheat flour and enough water to make a smooth and soft dough.
Close with a lid and keep it aside for 1 hour.




Filling Ingredients:

1/2 cup dry grated coconut
1 cup Fried Channa dal
3/4 Sugar/Jaggery
8 - 10 Cardamoms

Powder Preparation:

Transfer greated Jaggery and cardamom powder, Channa dal and coconut powder
and grind it like a fine powder.

Preparation:


1.First divide the dough into small lemon size balls.
2.Now roll them into thin pooris.
3.Fill the stuffing(Channa dal mixture) close both sides using the kajjikaya mould.
4.Press the ends together firmly. Make sure that the edge is closed firmly so that
the filling doesn't come out during the deep frying.
5.If you see the wholes better to stick both the corners of the poori by applying
some water or milk so that it will seal properly. Remember not to apply too much
of water as it will not seal properly.
6.Heat oil in a kadai. At a time leave 3 or 4 kajjikayalu and deep fry on both sides
till they turn into golden brown.
7.Remove from oil and allow it to cool. Then store in an air tight container.

SEMIYA PAYASAM

We make this sweet for festivals. Kids like to eat payasam alot. Good for health too..


Ingredients:

1 Cup Vermicelli/Semiya
1 Cup Milk (I used whole milk)(If you want to use 2% milk then take 2 cups of milk.
No need to add water)
1 Cup Sugar/ Honey (Instead of sugar you can use honey)
1 Cup Water
15 Cashew nuts
15 Raisins
2tbs Cardamom powder
3 tbs Ghee


Health benefits of Milk:

Organic milk has more health benefits than standard milk. If you want to be
healthy, get organic or all natural. It is costly but healthier.

Health benefits of milk include good bone health, robust skin, good immune
system, prevention of illnesses such as hypertension, dental decay, hydration, respiratory problems, obesity, osteoporosis and even some forms of cancer.
The beneficial health nutrients obtained from milk are mandatory for
human body and for prevention of chronic ailments.

Health benefits of milk have always influenced people all over the world to
include it in diet. Milk is the best and complete food that is widely considered
a well-balanced diet. Many animals do provide us with this vital health liquid,
but cow’s milk is considered the best wholesome supplement to solid food
for infants, children as well as adults. Milk is an ideal source of nutrients
such as vitamin A & B, calcium, carbohydrate, phosphorous, magnesium,
protein, zinc and riboflavin.

Intake of fluid milk has been demonstrated to reduce the risk of
osteoporosis, hypertension,and colon cancer
(see Dairy Products in Human Nutrition).

Drinking milk may help to reduce the risk of kidney stones. A recent
epidemiological study of more than 81,000 women with no history
of kidney stones links intake of nonfat milk with decreased risk of
colon cancer.

Milk intake may help to reduce the risk of tooth decay by acting as a
substitute for saliva. In addition to providing moisture which helps clear
cavity-promoting substances (e.g., simple sugars such as sucrose)
from the oral cavity, milk buffers oral acids, reduces the solubility of tooth
enamel,and helps to re mineralize tooth enamel.

There is no scientific evidence that intake of recommended servings
of dairy foods such as milk contributes to overweight. Weight loss is
achieved by reducing total caloric intake and/or increasing
physical activity.

Preparation:

1. Heat 1 tbs ghee in a thick bottomed pan. Break the cashew nuts into small
pieces and toast the cashew nuts and raisins till golden brown. Remove from
pan, keep it aside.
2. Take the same pan add the remaining ghee and fry the vermicelli till it gets a
light brown color.
3. Now take a vessesl and add water. when water is boiled, then add semiya/
vermicelli and stir well.
4. When the semiya is cooked then add milk and stir occasionally, so that the
milk doesn’t get burnt nor boil over. If the vermicelli has absorbed all the milk,
add some more milk.
5. Add Cardamom powder, sugar and mix well.
6. Finally garnish with cashew nuts and raisins.
7. Delicious payasam is ready to serve.

RAVA KESARI / SOOJI KESARI

Rava kesari/Sooji Kesari is a popular south Indian sweet. It is so simple to prepare.

Rava kesari is often made on religious occasions as prasad(offering to God).

Ingredients:

1 Cup Bombay rava/ sooji

1Cup sugar

4 tbs ghee ( if you like to add more ghee u can add)

1 tbs cardamom powder

15 cashew nut

15 raisins

3 Cups water

Pinch of orange food color(or saffron) (optional)(I am not using)

Preparation:

1. Heat 1tbs ghee in a pan. Fry cashew nuts and raisins and keep them aside.

2. Take the same pan add 1 tbs ghee and add rava. Fry the rava till nice aroma

comes out.

3. Add water slowly and gradually stirring all the time so that no lumps are formed.

4. Add the sugar, cardamom powder and remaining ghee, cook for 10 min on

medium heat.

5. Pour into a greased plate and cut into shapes if desired.

6. Finally decorate with cashew nuts and raisins.

RAVA LADDU

This is a popular Indian sweet.... So simple to prepare.

Ingredients:

1 Cup sooji/upma rava/semolina
1 Cup sugar (increase according to your choice)
1 tbs Cardamom powder
15 Cashew nuts
15 Raisins
3 tbs Ghee
few tbs milk

Preparation:

1.Heat a pan, add one tbsp. of ghee and roast the cashew nuts and raisins.
   Remove from pan, keep it aside.
2.In the same pan, add the sooji and roast it, till it turns into
   light brown colour. Remove from pan and keep it aside.
3.Take a big bowl, add sugar, cardamom powder, roasted sooji and remaining 
   ghee and combine well. Sprinkle few tbs. of milk and mix well till it forms a 
   crumbly mixture. Using both your hands, form a small ladoos and garnish 
   with roasted cashew nuts and raisins. 
4.While shaping the laddos be careful such that the mixture stays together.
   Initially the laddu might tend to break hence be gentle and place the laddu
  carefully on a plate and it will harden in a few minutes.

POORNALU/POORNAM BOORELU

Poornalu / Poornam Boorelu is one of the most traditional sweet from Andhra.

We make this sweet for varalakshmi vratham and ganesh chathurthi (Vinayaka- 

-chavithi). Here is the process of making the traditional Andhra sweet....

Stuffing Ingredients:

1Cup Channa dal
1 Cup Jaggery
1 tbs cardamom powder
1Cup oil

Batter Ingredients:

1Cup rice
1/2 Cup Urad dal

Batter Preparation:

• Soak the rice and urad dal for 6 hours.
• Grind them in a blender. Make it like a smooth and thick batter.
• Add required quantity of salt and mix well and keep aside.

Stuffing balls preparation:

• Clean and wash the dal.
• Pressure cook the dal with double the amount of water for 3 whistles.
• Allow it to cool for sometime and drain the excess amount of water and keepit aside.
• Then take cooked Channa and jaggery put it into blender.
  
• Now heat a pan and add Channa, jaggery paste, add little bit of water mix well.
• Cook on low flame till you can make balls out of them.
• Finally add cardamom powder and stir well.
• Remove from flame and allow it to cool for sometime.
• Now make a small lemon size balls and keep aside.

Frying:

• Heat oil in a pan.
• Dip the stuffing lemon size balls into batter and fry them in oil till they turn into golden brown colour.
• Now poornalu is ready to serve.
  

BESAN LADOO

Tasty Besan Ladoo is prepared at many households for Diwali.

Ingredients:

1 cups besan flour

1/2 cup ghee

1 cups sugar

1 tbs cardamom powder

4 tbs chopped cashews

4tbs raisins

Preparation:

• Take the besan in a heavy-bottomed pan, add ghee and mix well.


• Keep over low flame, and stir continuously until you get the typical aroma.


• Take off the stove and let it cool.


• Add sugar and fried cashew nuts, fried raisins, cardamom powder.


• Mix well and shape into ladoos. Besan Ladoo is ready to serve!

MYSORE PAK

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup Bengal gram
2 cups sugar
1 cup ghee
1/2 cup water

PREPARATION:



Mix the flour with a little ghee. Heat the sugar in water till reaches a ball consistency.
Slowly add the flour stirring continuously so that no lumps are formed.
When it is well blended pour in slowly absolutely in a hot ghee stirring continuously.
Cook till the mixture becomes frothy and the ghee separates.
Spread out on a greased plate. When firm cut the Mysore pak in to squares.