Shankarpaali or Shakkarpaari

I made them for diwali.  I don't know from where this thing has got it's name "Shankarpaali" in Marathi, but let's not discuss about the name part.  Diwali won't be diwali if I don't make them.  Both my sons love them.  Even if its not diwali I keep making them since its a good finger food.  Kids and adults both equally love them.  Try them and let me know.  This is my Diwali platter.  Oops, I forgot to keep murukku.  I know, I know I am late but due to family sickness I could not do it.

From left corner clockwise : Kaju Katli, Chivda, Besal Laadoo, Rava Laadoo, Shankarpaali, Nankhatai.

Ingredients

1 Cup Ghee/Clarified butter

1 Cup Sugar

1 Cup Milk/Water

6-7 Cups Maida/All Purpose Flour

Oil for frying

Method:

Mix together the ghee, sugar and the milk/water.  I prefer to use milk.  Keep stirring till it turns creamy.  Keep adding maida little by little till the mixture turns out like chapati dough.  Soft but pliable.  Divide in tennis size balls.  Roll into a chapati.  Cut the chapati in squares or diamond shape of 1 inch.  Heat oil and fry on medium high heat.  Fry till they turn light brown.  Remove on paper towel.  Once cool store in the airtight container.  Serve with hot tea or coffee.  Tastes great.

Easy breezy Naarali Bhat

This is one of my simple recipe for Naarali Bhat.  Yes, accepted that its not the traditional way but can be prepared in jiffy without any hassle.

This is what I used:

1 cup Rice

2 cups water

1 cup Sugar

1 cup grated coconut

2 tbsp Ghee, sorry no butter or oil

5-7 Cloves

1 tbsp cashew pieces

1 tbsp golden raisins

Few saffron strands dissolved in 1 tbsp of warm milk
A pinch of Orange food colour (Optional)

This is what I did with the ingredients:

Cook the rice in 2 cups of water like we do normally.  The rice should not be too soft but fully cooked and grain seperated.  Reduce/increase the water quantity accrodingly.  I used 2 cups water.  When it is fully cooled add the sugar and the coconut.  Mix together.  Now the rice, sugar and coconut mixture will start leaving water.

In a kadhai or wok, heat the ghee.  Add the cloves in the ghee and fry till the colour is changed.  Then add the cashewnuts and then raisins, when the cashews turn light brown, add the rice mixture alongwith the water.

Pour the saffron milk and the food colour if using.  Mix everything together and put lid on the kadhai.  After all the water dries up, remove from heat.  Serve.

This rice can be sered hot or cold.  No restrictions.  Even it can be made a day or two in advance for parties.  Tastes great.

  

Wish you all a very happy & healthy diwali.

Vegetable Fried Rice

This is a very simple dish to make and very healthy to eat.  It becomes healthy with all the variety of veggies in it.  This is how I make my veg. fried rice, it goes really well with my Veg. Manchurian gravy.

This is what I use to make it:
2 cups long-grained rice
1/2 cup french cut beans,
1/2 cup carrots cut in matchsticks,
1/4 cup red, green, yellow and orange capsicums, finely chopped

1 cup Cabbage,

2 stalks celery, finely chopped

2 spring onions, finely chopped, keep green part and white part seperately.

1-2 tsp soy sauce, I use dark soy sauce.

2 tbsp oil
1 green chilli finely chopped
1-2 Garlic cloves chopped finely
1 tbsp. Green chilli sauce

1/2 tsp. Red chilli sauce (Optional)

1/8 tsp Aji-no-moto

salt to taste

This is how I make it

Wash the rice properly with water to remove excess starch.  Then cook the rice till 3/4th done enther on stove top or in microwave.  Now take a pan, add the oil, saute the green chillies and garlic cloves, then add all the white part of spring onion, carrots, celery, beans and capsicums, salt and ajinomoto, green & red chilli sauce and cook for 5-7 min.  Now add the cabbage and cooked rice, salt and ajinomoto, soy sauce and keep mixing without breaking the rice. Remove from flame. Garnish with remaining spring onion greens and serve hot with Veg. Manchurian.

Jantikalu/Murukku for Indian Cooking Challenge

This is a very simple recipe Srivalli has given. I feel I am very lucky that I got included in this cooking challenge. I came to know about this event after 2 months it was started. Better late than never. Hence I missed the first two challenges but still Srivallt included me in this event from third month. For a budding blogger like me this is the best opportunity.

Ingredients:
Raw Rice - 4 cups
Urad Dal - 1 cup
Water - app 1/2 cup or more
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Sesame seeds- 1 tsp
Asafetida/ Hing - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Butter - 75 gms


Method to prepare:
Wash and drain the rice. Shade dry the Rice for 1/2 hr. Dry roast the Urad dal to light brown. Allow it to cool. First grind rice into a fine flour, keep it aside. then grind the urad dal to fine powder.

In a big wide vessel, take both the flours along with salt. Mix well. Add cumin, Sesame seeds to the flour, mix well. Mix hing in water, make sure it is dissolved before adding to the flour.
Mix in the hing to the flour and finally add the butter. Gather everything well and you will get more of a crumbling mixture. Now slowly add water and knead in a soft dough.
Heat a kadai with oil enough to deep fry. Once the oil is hot enough, simmer to low flame.
Divide the dough into equal balls. Fill the greased Muruku maker with the dough.
Press over a paper and gently slide the murukku down the hot oil. You can press it directly over the kadai.
Cook over medium flame, using a slotted spoon, turn it over to other side to ensure both sides turn golden colour. Remove to a kitchen paper and store it in a air tight container.



This is my entry to the cooking challenge started by srivalli.

Pedhe

This is a very simple recipe. It's one such sweet everybody likes. I make this whenever I want something sweet to eat.

Makes about 35 pedhas of medium size.

This is what I used:

1 tin sweetened Condensed milk

2 cups Carnation Milk Powder

8 tbsp unsalted Butter

1 tbsp Almonds, roasted.

1-2 strands Saffron

1 tsp Milk.

This is what I did:

In a microwave safe bowl, melt the butter for 1 minute. Add the milk powder and condensed milk. Mix everything together.

Dilute the saffron strands in the milk and mix it with the above mixture.

Microwave for 2 minutes. Take out & stir. Again microwave for 2 minutes. Take care it may overflow. Stir.

Roast the almonds in micro for 1 minutes so that they become crunchy & halve them.

Grease hands with butter or ghee and make pedhas while the mixture is still warm. Take care not to burn your hand. Stick the almond halve to decorate.

Pedhas are ready.

Veg. Manchurian

This is also one such family favorite recipe. I make it atleast once a week. My elder son who is a poor eater loves this. He eats the manchurian balls without the sauce while I am still frying them. He says they are like pakodas. So I always make some extra batches of manchu balls.

For Manchurian balls
Cabbage- 2 cups finely chopped
Carrots- 2 grated
garlic-2 cloves chopped finely
green chilli- 1 chopped finely or Green Chilli sauce 1 tsp
spring onions(scallions)- 1/2 bunch chopped finely
cornstarch- 3 tbsp
Pinch of Aji-no-moto
salt to taste
chilli powder- 1 tsp
oil for deep frying

For Manchurian Sauce
Spring onions- 1/2 bunch chopped finely
ginger- 1/2" piece chopped finely
garlic - 2 cloves chopped finely
green chilli- 1 chopped finely
chilli powder- 1/2 tsp
Soya sauce- 2-3 tsp
cornstarch- 1 tbsp
water- 1.5 cup
salt to taste
oil-4 tsp

This is how I make it-


Mix all the ingredients under the for manchurian balls except oil for deep frying in a bowl with hand and no need to add water as the water from vegetables are enough to bind.
Make small balls out of this mixture and deep fry in hot oil till golden brown.

For the manchurian sauce heat oil in a pan. You can use the same oil in which manchurian balls were fried. Add ginger, garlic and the spring onions. saute for a minute and add salt. Meanwhile make a mixture of chilli powder, corn flour and soya sauce. Add water to it and pour the paste in hot oil carefully. Boil till bubbles arise.

When the sauce starts to thicken add the manchurian balls and remove from the stove immediately. If you like add some top green portion of the spring onions. Serve right away with Fried Rice.

If not serving immediately make the sauce when you have plans of servings as it thickens immediately.