Desserts - Vinaya's Culinary Delights

Banana Shikran Recipe

Posted on December 13, 2017December 13, 2017 by vinaya

Banana Shikran is traditionally served with Chapati/Poli. In Karnataka it is offered as Naivedya in temples. It was probably the brain child of a very ingenious mother to see that her children got their daily intake of fruit and milk or by a housewife who had excess bananas and milk offered during a Pooja in the temple on her hands.

Ingredients :

3 elaichi or the small variety of Banana
250 ml milk
2 tsps sugar
2 Cardamom crushed fine
2 tbsps grated coconut

Method :

Peel and slice the bananas thinly. Add the grated coconut, sugar and Cardamom powder to the milk. Mix and drop in the sliced banana. Refrigerate a while before serving.

Sweet Khichdi Recipe

Posted on November 25, 2017July 8, 2018 by vinaya

This highly aromatic dish of Lapsi / Bulgar wheat and Chana dal / Bengal Gram dal is simply divine!!! Drizzled with ghee/clarified butter and garnished with slices of banana it is a quick and easy dessert that the Konkani community of Mangalore relish!!!

Ingredients :

125 gms Chana dal/Bengal Gram dal
125 gms Lapsi rava/Bulgar wheat
1/2 a small coconut grated
250 gms sugar
3 big ladles full ghee/ clarified butter
1.5 tsp powdered elaichi/Cardamom
A handful of cashew nuts roasted in ghee to a golden brown
A handful of kishmish

Method :

Dry roast the chana dal and the Lapsi rava separately to a rich golden brown and pressure cook the Chana dal in 500ml of water. Three whistles of the pressure cooker and it is done. Add the Lapsi rava and another 500ml of water to cook it. Once the Lapsi rava is cooked add the sugar, grated coconut, roasted cashew nuts and kishmish and boil till it starts to leave the sides of the pan. Add the ghee and elaichi powder and mix well. Switch off and serve with sliced elaichi banana.

Pineapple Sheera Recipe

Posted on November 15, 2017July 29, 2018 by vinaya

Sheera is a quick and easy dessert which is made with semolina roasted in ghee and flavoured with Cardamom. You can add fresh fruit of your choice or essence too to enhance the taste. Here I have used fresh Pineapple since the family is partial to it.

Ingredients:

250 gms rava/ cream of wheat
200 gms pineapple
250 gms sugar
100 gms ghee/ clarified butter
Kesar/ saffron
Elaichi/ cardamom
Cashewnuts
Kishmish/ raisins
600 ml water

Method :
Chop the pineapple into tiny pieces and puree the centre portion. Boil both the pieces and the pulp in 600 ml of water. Roast the cashews and Kishmish in a tbsp of ghee till they change colour.
Roast the Rava in 4 tbsps of ghee till it changes colour and gives an aroma. Soak the kesar in a little water and crush it. Add the boiled pineapple along with the water and cook the sheera till it is done. Add the sugar and keep stirring till it forms a mass. Add the remaining ghee, elaichi powder and half of the the cashews and Kishmish. Tip the sheera into a mould greased with ghee and allow to cool. Invert and garnish with the remaining cashews and Kishmish. Alternatively it can be emptied into a greased plate and cut into pieces.

Corn Flour Halva Recipe

Posted on November 13, 2017November 8, 2020 by vinaya

Corn flour halva is an instant, no fuss preparation which is delicious and easy to make. You can use any essence, food colouring and dried fruits of your choice. Here I have used Raspberry essence and roasted cashewnuts. It can be served both chilled or at room temperature.

Ingredients :

1 cup corn flour
2. 5 cups of sugar
4 cups water
Raspberry essence
6 drops of Pink food colour
3 tbsps ghee/ clarified butter
Juice of half a lime
A handful of broken cashew bits

Method :
Roast the cashew bits in a tsp of ghee. Keep them aside. Tip in the corn flour, sugar, water, lemon juice, food colouring and the essence into a non stick pan. Mix thoroughly and take care to see that it is free from lumps. Keep stirring on a medium flame. At one point, the mixture starts thickening and takes on a glaze. Add the ghee and keep stirring. Within a few minutes the halva starts leaving the sides of the pan. Drop in the roasted cashew bits, mix and pour the halva into a pre greased plate. Allow to cool thoroughly. Cut into desired shape.

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Sweet Appam Recipe

Posted on November 12, 2017November 13, 2017 by vinaya

Sweet Appam/ Godu Appo/ Unni Appam as it is known, is traditionally offered to Lord Ganesha. These sweet Appam are made either with rice or wheat flour and flavoured with Banana and Cardamom. Posting the wheat one today.

Ingredients :

125 gms wheat flour
125 gms rava/ semolina
200 gms jaggery
3 tbsps grated coconut
1/2 of a banana
1tsp Cardamom powder
Ghee/ clarified butter for roasting

Method :
Crush the jaggery. Chop the banana. Powder the Cardamom. Grind the coconut, banana, jaggery and Cardamom together. Remove and mix the rava and wheat flour in it. Wash the blender with half a glass of water and add the adhering paste into the rava n wheat flour mixture. Allow to stand for five minutes. Check the consistency. It should be of dropping consistency. If it is thick add some more water and allow to stand for ten minutes. Heat the Appam pan. Pour ghee into it. Drop in the batter and cook covered over a medium flame. When done flip over and roast the other side too. Fragrant sweet Appam are ready to serve.

Gajar Ka Halwa Recipe

Posted on November 1, 2017October 11, 2018 by vinaya

Gajar ka halwa made is a dessert made from carrots is a must in every Indian home during the months of December and January when carrots are in plenty. Cooked in milk and garnished with nuts, it is a rich and delicious dessert.

Ingredients :

2 kgs gajar deskinned and grated.
2 Litres milk
4 tbsps ghee
250 gms sugar or more as per taste
2 tsp Cardamom powder
Cashew, almonds and kishmish as required.

Method :
Boil the Gajar in the milk till all the milk is absorbed. Add the sugar and cook till the halwa starts to leave the sides of the vessel. Add the ghee. Roast the cashew almonds and kishmish in a little ghee. Add it to the halwa along with the Cardamom powder. Mix well and serve hot .

Jalebi Recipe

Posted on November 1, 2017March 17, 2018 by vinaya

Jalebi a sweet which is popular all over India is best enjoyed with some Rabdi or thickened milk. Here I have posted an instant one which I learnt from my friend Kalyani and which one can make and enjoy with or without the Rabdi.

Ingredients :

1 cup maida/ all purpose flour
3 tsp corn flour
2 tsp ghee
2 tsp curd
A pinch of salt
4 drops of yellow or orange colour
1/4th cup water
1 tsp Eno fruit salt
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1/2tsp lemon juice.

Method :
Mix maida,cornflour ,ghee ,curd ,salt, water and the food colour thoroughly. Finally add the Eno fruit salt and stir well.
Make a syrup by boiling together 1cup sugar and 1 cup water until 1 string consistency is formed. Add lemon juice.

Heat ghee or oil. Pipe in the jalebis directly into it using an icing bag or jalebi maker. Fry till crisp. Remove, drain, and dip the jalebis in syrup for a minute, remove and place them on a plate.

Rava Coconut Ladoo Recipe

Posted on October 21, 2017November 13, 2017 by vinaya

Another version of the Rava ladoo but with jaggery and coconut instead of sugar. Jaggery powder is easily available these days and is definitely a healthier option to sugar.

Ingredients :

250gms Rava/semolina
150gms desiccated coconut
100 gms jaggery powder
1/4 glass warm milk
10 cashews halved
1/2 tsp Cardamom powder
2 tbsps ghee/clarified butter

Method :
Heat ½ tbsp ghee in a pan and roast the cashews till they turn golden brown. Transfer this to a bowl. Tip in the desiccated coconut into the pan and toss it for 2-3 minutes. Keep it aside. Add remaining ghee and roast the rava till it turns golden and gives out an aroma.
Add powdered jaggery and cardamom to the rava coconut mixture. Add the cashews. Mix well. Add the milk gradually. Do not add all the milk at once. Add half of the milk and try shaping the laddus, if it isnt moist enough add the rest of the milk. Makes 16 ladoos.

Note:
This ladoo stays good for 5 days in the refrigerator.

Rava Ladoo Recipe

Posted on October 18, 2017November 13, 2017 by vinaya

Rava or semolina Ladoo is a traditional sweet prepared during Diwali. It can be made either with or without the addition of coconut and milk. Here I have shared an easy one without coconut or milk as the taste of the Ladoo without the addition of these two ingredients remains intact.

Ingredients :

1.5 cups of Rava/semolina
3/4 cup powdered sugar
6 Cardamoms powdered
1/4 cup ghee
Kishmish/raisins as required.

Method :
Roast the Rava in 2tsps of ghee on a low flame till it gives its aroma. Roast the raisins in a tsp of ghee and tip it into the roasted rava. Allow to cool thoroughly. Powder the Cardamom. Warm the ghee slightly. Once the mixture is cooled add the warm ghee, sugar, cardamom powder and the raisins and mix thoroughly. Take tiny portions of the mixture and roll into balls.

Karachi Halwa Recipe

Posted on October 17, 2017November 13, 2017 by vinaya

Karachi Halwa is one of the easiest to make and tasty too. I have added a dash of lemon to it to add that tang!!

Ingredients :

1 cup custard powder
2.5 cups sugar
4 cups water
A large pinch of saffron
A fistful of cashew bits
Juice of half a lemon
3 tbsps ghee

Method :

Roast the cashew bits in a tsp of ghee/clarified butter. Keep them aside. Tip in the sugar, water and the custard powder into a non stick pan. Add lemon juice to it. Take care to see that the mixture is free from lumps. Add the saffron and keep stirring it on a medium flame. At one point the mixture starts thickening. Lower the flame and add the ghee and the roasted cashew bits and stir till it leaves the side of the pan. Pour it into a pre greased plate. Allow to cool thoroughly. Cut into desired shape.