BeetRoot Halwa

Beetroots are usually eaten boiled, cooked vegetable or in a salad. This is a dessert recipe with a gorgeous red tinge. Its appealing both with its aroma, flavor and appearance.

I was thinking the idea of making a sweet halwa out of beetroot will turn a little weird, So I took just half a beetroot and then tried with very less amount of ingredients. But the result was a little surprising to me. I tell you, I just loved the aroma and the taste of it. I was a little skeptical what my hubby's feedback would be, as he really do not go for strange vegetarian recipes,that too a dessert. But to my surprise he loved it and appreciated me for my effort and told me that he will love to eat this many more times.

Nutritional Value:(from Wiki)
Beetroots are a rich source of potent antioxidants and nutrients, including magnesium, sodium, potassium and vitamin C, and betaine, which is important for cardiovascular health. It functions by acting with other nutrients to reduce the concentration of homocysteine, a homologue of the naturally occurring amino acid cysteine, which can be harmful to blood vessels and thus contribute to the development of heart disease, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease. Betaine functions in conjunction with S-adenosylmethionine, folic acid, and vitamins B6 and B12 to carry out this function.

Betaine may protect against liver disease, particularly the build up of fatty deposits in the liver caused by alcohol abuse, protein deficiency, or diabetes, among other causes. The nutrient also helps individuals with hypochlorhydria, a condition causing abnormally low levels of stomach acid, by increasing stomach acidity.


Ingredients:
1. Half a beetroot grated finely
2. 1/4 cup milk
3. 1/4 cup sugar
4. Cardamom powder- a pinch
5. Ghee- 3 tsps
6. Cashew Nuts, to garnish(optional)

Preparation Method:
1. In a non-stick pan, add 2 tsps of ghee and add the grated beetroot.

2. Pour the milk into it. Cover and cook in medium-low flame for 5-6 minutes.
3. When the beets are almost cooked, add sugar. Mix thoroughly.Keep the lid and cook.
4. When the beets are fully done, increase the flame and keep stirring to reduce the milk.
5. Add 1 tsp ghee again and keep stirring and completely reduce the milk leaving the beet into dry semi-solid (halwa) form.
6. When the ghee starts separating and the mixture starts leaving the edge, Sprinkle the cardamom powder. Mix well to infuse the aroma well into it. Switch off the flame and let it cool.
7. Serve garnishing with roasted or dry cashews on top.

Tips and Tricks:
1. Add sugar once the beet is cooked, otherwise the sugar never allows the veggie to cook, the same way as it happen for Rava-Kesari or payasam.
2. Do not add too much of milk, it makes reducing them a long time and you will have to keep stirring them for a long time.
3. Its a better practice to use powdered cardamom without the cover, so that it doesnt give a byte in the soft pudding.
4. Its a usual practice to add roasted raisins also wherever we add roasted cashews, but it takes away all the sweetness and uplift of the beetroot sweetness.
5. Tastes best with vanilla icecream.
6. Tastes good when served chilled too.
7. Its better to use a non-stick pan, so that we dont waste them sticking onto the bottom and sides of the wok.

Badam Halwa

Ingredients
1. Badam/ Almond- 2 cups
2. Sugar 3/4 cup
3. Milk- 3 cup
4. Cardamom Powder- 1/4 tsp
5. Badam sliced- 3-4 to garnish
6. Ghee- 1 tbsp

Preparation Method:
1. Grind together the almond and milk in a blender.
2. In a heavy bottom pan, add ghee and transfer the mixture into it. Keep stirring and reduce the mixture to half.
3. When the raw taste of almond goes, add sugar and mix well.
4.Reduce the mixture to a very thick consistency. Keep stirring, there is a very high chance of getting burned.
5. Add ghee if required.
6. Switch off the flame and add cardamom powder.
7. Grease a flat plate with ghee and transfer the thick mixture into it.
8. Spread the mixture evenly on the plate and garnish with dried sliced almond.
9. Keep for an hour, when its fully cooled. Cut and serve into required slices.
10. This can also be served as a dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream as side.

French Pudding

Ingredients
1. Milk- 2 1/2 cups

2. Cornflour- 4 tbsp

3. Sugar- 4tbsp

4. Vanilla Essence- 1/2 tsp

5. Grated choclate/ Cooking choclate chips- 3/4 cup

For Vanilla Sauce

6. Milk- 1 cup

7. Milk maid- 1/2 tin

8. Butter- 1 tbsp

9. Sugar-1 1/2 tbsp

10. Cornflour- 4 tsp

11. Vanilla Essence- 1/2 tsp

1. For the pudding, first keep 1/2 a cup milk aside. Boil the rest 2 cup milk.

2. Add cornflour mixed with the 1/2 cup milk and pour this into the boiled milk. Keep stirring till it starts thickening and the raw taste of cornflour goes.

3. Switch off the stove, add sugar and the grated choclate or the cooking choclate chips.

4. Add vanilla essence and stir well. Keep aside for some minutes. Do not allow it cool it fully, it will thicken by then.

5. Pour it into a mould/ a dish after greesing it with butter. Keep in the refrigerator for 6-7 hours.

This can be eaten as such or can be served with vanilla ice-cream or whipping cream. Vanilla sauce made at home, can also be poured on top and served to make it the best.

Vanilla Sauce

1. Into a pan, add 1 cup milk, milk-maid and sugar. Stir well.

2. In 1 tbsp water, mix 4tsp cornflour and add this into the pan littleby little, when the milk in it boils.

3. It will star thickening, switch off the flame and let it cool for 10 minutes.

4. Add vanilla essence. Add a tbsp of butter into it for adding a glazing for the sauce. Sauce is ready.

This can be served without cooling by pouring on top of the chilled pudding or can be chilled and poured on the pudding, to get an al-together chilled puddiing. If so, keep this in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

Sauce should be like normal sauces and the pudding should be thick enough so that we can cut into required size and serve. So adjust the corn-flour amount accordingly if you take more milk.

Vanilla Ice-cream

This is a variation of the vanilla pudding. This is easier than the pudding with one less ingredient, gelatin. We do not need the pudding consistency, all we need to do is to freeze the custard and serve. This is an old fashioned kind of home-made ice-cream. This wont be so creamy as the usual ice-creams. This can be made creamy by adding some milk-maid into it.

Ingredients

1.Vanilla Custard Powder- 1/4 cup

2. Milk 3 cup

3. Sugar 1/2 cup

4. Vanilla Essence-3 drops

5. Milk-maid 1/2 tin

1. Keep aside quarter cup of milk from 3 cups and boil the milk(2 3/4 cups)in a heavy bottom pan.

2. Into the kept aside milk, dissolve the custard, store bought. You can use any brand which is available in the market.

3. Add the mixture into the boiling milk and simmer for half an hour. Stir continuously, other wise there are chances of sticking to the bottom and burning.

4. Add sugar, mix well and stir continuously until the milk starts thickening.Add milk-maid. Add the vanilla essence into this and stir, Switch of the flame.Let it cool in room temperature.

5. Pour it into a dish. Keep in the freezer for 3 hours.

6. Ice-cream is ready and can be served with some freshly cut fruits in caramel(reduced sugar) syrup.

Variations: can be done by using different types of custard available in the market like strawberry, mango, mixed fruit or any other types of custards and replacing the essence accordingly with strawberry essence, orange, pine apple, mango or mixed fruit essence.

Vanilla Pudding

Ingredients

1.Vanilla Custard Powder- 1/4 cup

2. Milk 3 cup

3. Sugar 1/2 cup

4. Gelatin- 1 packet

5. Vanilla Essence-3 drops

1. Keep aside quarter cup of milk from 3 cups and boil the milk(2 3/4 cups)in a heavy bottom pan.

2. Into the kept aside milk, mix the custard, store bought. You can use any brand which is available in the market.

3. Add the mixture into the boiling milk and simmer for half an hour. Stir continuously, other wise there are chances of sticking to the bottom and burning.

4. Add sugar, mix well and stir continuously until the milk starts thickening.Add the vanilla essence into this and stir, Switch of the flame.Let it cool in room temperature.

4.Into 1/4 cup of cold water add, the gelatin and let it stand for 10minutes.

5. Into gelatin, add 1/2 cup hot water and mix and dissolve.

6. When the custard mixture has cooled, add the gelatin into it, mix well and pour it into a dish. Keep in the freezer for an hour. Then take it out and keep it into the refrigerator for 2 hours.

7. Pudding will be ready and can be cut into desired shapes. Can be served with some freshly cut fruits in caramel(reduced sugar) syrup.

Variations: can be done by using different types of custard available in the market like strawberry, mango, mixed fruit or any other types of custards and replacing the essence accordingly with strawberry essence, orange, pine apple, mango or mixed fruit essence.

Sharkara Ada Pradhaman

Ingredients
1. Sarkara (Jaggery) 1 cup
2. Coconut Milk 1 cup
3. Ada 3/4 cup
4. Cardamom Powder 1 tsp
5. Cashew Nuts and Raisins, a few

1. In a heavy bottom vessel, add 3 tbsp water and add sarakara. Let it liquidify in low flame.

2. Drain the liquid thru a clean cotton cloth. Do this two times till all the dirty particles from the jaggery is removed.

3. Boil 3 cups of water,add a drop of oil and add the washed ada into it. Ada can be washed in running water. Once ada is cooked wash it again under running water to remove the oil on it.

4. Into a heavy bottom pan add the jaggery and cooked ada. Stir continously since there are chances of jaggery sticking to the bottom.

5. After 5 minutes, add half the coconut milk mixed with water(randam pal) and simmer for 10 minutes.

6. When the raw taste of the coconut milk goes, add the thick coconut milk(onnam pal) and cardamom powder.

7. Fry cashews and raisins in 1 tbsp ghee and pour it into the payasam. Serve after the sadya (feast) with pazham (banana) and pappadam (pappad).

Do not add too much water into the jaggery, it will lead to lot of cooking time to make it into thick consistency.
Ada must be washed properly after cooking, otherwise the oil on it will spoil the dish by curding the coconut milk.
This goes best with pazham (banana) and tastes better when there are cashews and raisins in it.

Palada Pradhaman

Ingredients
1. Ada - 1 cup
2. Milk - 3 cup
3. Sugar - 2 cup
4. Cardamom Powder- 1/2 tsp
5. Oil, very little
6. Cashew nuts and Raisins, a few


1. Wash the ada in cold water first, then in hot water.

2. Into the cooker, add water, a drop of oil and ada. Let it whistle one time.

3. Then wash ada properly under running water to remove all the oil on its surface.

4. Wash the cooker properly to remove any signs of oil in it.

5. Now, into the cooker add milk, washed ada, sugar and the cardamom powder. Keep in medium flame.

6. After the first whistle, put the flame to simmer and let it whistle for 1 more time.

4. Milk will be thick enough for the consistency of payasam, in case its not thick pour it into a heavy bottom wide mouthed pan. Simmer and keep stirring.

5. In a pan, add 1 tbsp ghee and fry the split cashews and raisins. Pour this into the payasam. Serve after a wonderful sadhya(feast) with pazham(banana) and pappadam(pappad).

I used store-bought ada which is a little thick. So the number of whistles will depend on the amount of cooking needed. If you are using home-made or thin ada, the time for cooking can be less. Check after the second whistle and then again cook only if required.

Those who do not like ghee and nuts, the last step can be avoided. Without them also the payasam will turn to be very very delicious.

Semiya/Vermicelli Payasam

Ingredients
1. Semiya/Vermicelli 1 cup
2. Sugar 1 cup
3. Condensed milk(sweetened) 1/2 a tin (optional)
4. Milk-3 cups
5. Cardamom powder- 1/2 tsp
6. Cashews,Raisins- afew
7. Ghee- 2 tbsp

1. Boil milk and add semiya into it.

2. Simmer till semiya cooks(become very soft and mashed up when rubbed up with fingers). It will double its size when fully cooked.

3. By this time, milk will get reduced to half. You can make it sure when milk turns pale yellow in color.

4. Now, add sugar and let it simmer for 5 minutes.

5. Add milk-maid and simmer for 3 minutes. Stir well.

6. Fry cashews and raisins in the ghee and add into this. Serve after lunch/feast.

Vermicelli payasam can also be eaten as a pudding by keeping it in the refrigerator for 3-4 hrs. Its also very very delicious.

Milk-maid is completely optional. This makes the milk thickening a little easier,so the cooking time and standing at the stove time can be reduced. Depending on the sweetness of the condensed milk, sugar can be adjusted to your taste.

In case you are not adding the condensed milk, increase the amount of sugar to 2 cups.

Easy Strawberry Pudding

Ingredients
1. Strawberries, cut and mixed in sugar syrup
2. Gelatin/Pectin 1 packet
3. Hot water 1/2 a cup
4. Ice water 3 tbsp
5. Whipping Cream 5 tbsp
6. Egg white of 2 eggs

1. Cut and clean the strawberries and mix with enough sugar till the sugar melts into it.
(You can also use store-bought sugared strawberries, available in Wal-mart/Meijer in USA.)

2. Crush the strawberries with hands and keep aside.

3. Dissolve the gelatin/pectin, in ice water and keep aside till the whole substance dissolves in the water.

4. Once done, add some hot water into it and mix well,until no particles are left.

5. Separate the egg white from the egg and beat it into a foam-like consistency.

6. Add the gelatin mix into the stawberries and mix thoroughly.

7. Add whiiping cream and stir in a folding manner until no white particles are left.

8. Fold in the egg white mixture into this. Folding must be done very very softly. This makes the pudding soft and silky.

9. Pour the mixture into a refrigerating dish and refrigerate for an hour. Then freeze for 1 or 2 hrs and can be cut into equal squares and served with some strawberry pieces.

Gelatin/Pectin is a thickening agent. Gelatin is an animal product while Pectin is made from plant. Its always safe to use Pectin. Gelatin is not preferred for children under 5 yrs.
Beating the egg white can be made easier with a egg beater or a whisker. At home wee can make it very easily even with a fork, by taking the egg in a wide mouth glass vessel and beat it for 5-10 mnts with a fork continuously. Egg will turn like the detergent foam.

Courtesy: LakshmiNair,Magic Oven@KairaliTv

Mango Ice cream (A very easy method)

Ingredients
1. Mango pulp 1 tin
2. Whipping cream 1/2 cup
3. Milk Maid 1/2 tin


1. Into the mango pulp add milk maid and mix well.
2. Slowly add the whipping cream spoon by spoon and mix gently.

3. Once its mixed well and no signs of white particles are left, pour this into a refrigerating container and freeze for 3-4 hrs.
4. Serve scoops of yummy mango Ice-cream with some mango slices and a squeeze of whipping cream on top.

Gajar Ka Halwa (Carrot Halwa)

This is a common dish done by North-Indians. But my mother do it in a different way which I loved to eat once back from school. Now I also follow the same procedure what she used to do and it comes out the same way....YUMMY, YUMMY ,YUMMY.


Ingredients
1. Carrot 2 cups
2. Milk 1 1/2 cup
3. Ghee 3 tbsp
4. Nuts, any of your choice to garnish
5. Cornflour 1 tbp
6. Sugar 1 1/2 cup
7. Cardamom Powder 1/2 tsp


1. Cook the diced carrot till soft. (In cooker, just 2 whistles).

2. Drain and keep aside till it cools down.

3. In a blender,grind the carrot with one cup of the milk into a thick paste.

4. Heat a heavy bottom pan and pour 2 tbsps of ghee.

5. Pour the blend mixture into the pan, pour the rest of the milk except 2 tbsp and keep stirring.

6. Stir continuously since there are chances of sticking to the bottom.

7. When the raw taste goes or when it reaches a medium consistency and when it starts coming easily from the pan, add sugar.

8. Pour 2 tbsp milk mixed with the cornflour into this.It will start becoming thick, Keep on stirring without taking your hands, while it becomes a halwa consistency(shown in the picture below), switch off the flame and pour the rest of the ghee on the top and the cardamom powder before the final stir.

9. Grease a plate with some ghee and pour this mixture (when its still hot) into it and flatten it well into it. Garnish the top with some nuts, cashews or badams. Keep in room temperature and let it cool down.

10.When cooled cut into equal square pieces and can be enjoyed with vanilla ice-cream or just the halwa. Its very very delicious.


More the milk you add, more the cooking time will be. So keep in mind that, milk is enough only to grind the carrot and a little to pour into the pan with the mixture.

Easy Cake Pudding

If you have any left over cake or the cake that doesn't taste good, you can easily turn it into a delicious cake pudding in 5 mnts. I bought some marble cake thinking its good, but the cake some how didn't taste as the usual marble cake and no one even looked back into this after the first bite. So i thought making something out of it with what i have in my kitchen. With the left over cake and ice-cream and some fruits and nuts, I tried out a recipe which turned out really delicious after a spicy dinner. We started buying different cakes and different ice-creams to make this irrespective of the taste of the cake.

Ingrediants
1. 5-6 slices of cake
2. 4 scoops of Ice-cream
3. 5-6 strawberries or any fruits of your choice , cleaned and cut into half and mixed well with sugar until sugar dissolves
4. Cashew nuts/ Almonds or any kind of nuts of your choice, grated or whole.

1. Melt the ice-cream into liquid using a microwave oven or just keeping it outside for 30 mnts.

2. Soak the sliced cake one bye one in the ice cream till it becomes very soft and the cake is fully loaded with ice-cream.

3. Place a slice of cake in a dish,on the top of it place one or two pieces of strawberries in the center of the slice, and the nuts on the sides. Repeat the same procedure for all the slices.

4. Refrigerate (do not freeze) for an hour or two.

5. The delicious pudding is ready.Cut from the top into all the slices and serve a piece as a layer of cake.

You can select any cake or ice-cream for this recipe, keep in mind that the contrast combination will taste good and never be boring even when eaten a lot.
Vanilla/ Marbel Cake with Choclate Icecream, Strawberry, Mango and even Vanilla Ice cream will be good and Choclate Cakes with vanilla Ice cream. When you use one type of cake,use the other type of Icecream. Vanilla Icecream will go good with most of them.