Monday, November 12, 2012

Badaam-Kaaju Burfi - This Year's Deepawali Sweet!

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Badaam-Kaaju Katli (Almond-Cashew cake)  

First let me wish you all a very very happy Deepawali!  Tomorrow is Deepawali and I did this sweet today!  It came out well and thought I would upload the recipe so that others can also try it! It is quite easy!


Kaaju-Badaam (Cashew-Almond)

Ingredients:

1. Kaaju/Cashew paste- 1 Cup

2. Badaam/Almonds paste - 1 cup

3. Sugar- 2 cups

4. Milk - 1 cup

5. Saffron - a few strands

6. A pinch of salt

7. Ghee - 3 - 4 tbs.
 


Method: 

Soak badaam and cashew in a little warm water separately for 10 mts.  Peel the skin out of Badaams and grind them in a mixer into a coarse paste with as much as milk is needed to grind it properly.  Keep the paste in a vessel.  Now, grind the cashews with milk into a coarse paste and you can add this paste with the badaam paste.  Clean the jar with the rest of the milk and add it to the badaam cashew paste.  I am asking you to grind them separately because almonds take time to grind but cashew needs a minute or two to grind! Soak the saffron strands in a quarter cup of milk for a few minutes.  Apply a tbs. of ghee in a tray into which you are planning to pour the burfi mixture. 

Take a heavy bottomed vessel and switch on the stove! Drop a tbs. of ghee and spread it at the bottom of the vessel with a ladle.  The flame should not be high.  Add the paste into it immediately.  Add sugar into it.  Start stirring with the ladle. Add the saffron too.  Keep on stirring it so that the paste doesn't stick at the bottom.  You can increase the flame a bit but be careful. Add the rest of the ghee and continue the stirring!


First step...

After around 20 mts. the mixture will be like this.  Add a small pinch of salt. I got this consistency after 20 to 22 mts. The paste should start leaving the sides.  It should not get crystalised...then the burfi will be hard to bite! As soon as the paste starts turning with the ladle, leaving the sides, pour it into a greased plate.  Shake the tray so that the mixture fills it up evenly.  If it doesn't spread easily, do it with a fresh flat ladle (dosa ladle) with a little ghee smeared on it.  You can use that to slice the burfi later..after 5 or 10 mts.! You should do it when the burfi is hot! You can make square or diamond shaped burfis with a knife too!


Second step...   


Third step...


Last step!


You can use any type of measure for the ingredients...small cup or big cup.  This burfi doesn't need much ghee.  You can add or reduce as per your wish.  You can reduce the sugar by quarter cup... i.e. 1 cup paste to 3/4 cup sugar. We need that much sugar so that it binds the burfi together. 

Hope my recipe is clear.  If you have got any doubt, please write to me.

Happy Deepawali to all!



Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Garam Masala Powder - My Version!

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Sharada, this is for you!


 



Ingredients:

Japatri



Black cardamom




Star Anise/Annasi poo
Maraati Moggu

Shahjeera

Cinnamon/Pattai/Dalchini

Ceylon Cinnamon

Bay Leaf
Stone flower (This is also optional)

Clove/Kraambu

Cardamom/Elakkai/Elaichi

Pepper/Milagu/Kaali mirch

Cumin seeds/Jeera/Jeeragam
















Coriander seeds/dhania
Nutmeg/Jaadikkai/jaaikaai


1.  25 gms. Japatri
2.  10 gms. Black cardamom (optional)
3.  25 gms. Star Anise
4.  25 gms. Maraati moggu
5.  25 gms. Shahjeera
6.  10 gms. Cinnamon
7.  10 gms. Ceylon cinnamon
8.  25 gms. Bay leaf
9.  1 tbs. cloves
10. 10 Cardamom pods
11. 50 gms. Pepper
12. 10 gms. Jeera
13. 25 gms. Dhania
14. 1/2 Nutmeg/Jaadhikkaai(Optional)


Method:

Dry roast - as far as possible - one by one, at least the thick ingredient, so that it gets powdered finely in the mixer.  Yes, powder everything together and that's it! Every ingredient has got its own flavour.  So, use most of the above ingredients as much as possible.

If you think that you don't need this much powder, take 50% of the ingredients and grind.  Keep the rest of the remaining ingredients in an airtight container.

Keep the powder too, in an air-tight container.  This powder is quite strong, so 1 tsp. for 1 litre subzi is enough.  After using it once or twice, you can increase/reduce the quantity, according to your taste.