Kaju Katli Recipe | How to make Kaju Katli | Vegan Cashew Fudge Recipe [Video]

Kaju katli or kaju barfi is a diamond shaped soft fudge made from cashew nuts. It is a popular Indian sweet. Perfect to gift family and friends.

In a hurry? Jump to Video or Jump to Recipe

Deepavali is here!!

Deepavali or Diwali always brings with it the air of festivity. Deepas or lamps everywhere, akash kandils in the balconies, colorful rangolis near the threshold, brand new clothes and delicious sweets and savories. With such fervor in the air, it is hard not to celebrate.

The best part of Diwali for me has always been the sweets and savories. People painstakingly spend hours making an array of snacks to fill up boxes and on the day of diwali these are distributed between friends and family. While I always saw my mom do this when we were kids, I had never done so, until last year.

Last year for deepavali, I went to my childhood home and did just that. I made crispy Chakli and this delicious Kaju Katli. Kaju Katli is a sweet that everyone loves. It is generally mildly sweet and has a delicate flavor of cashew nuts. Kaju Katli is gluten free and can be vegan too. The version I make is always vegan, but some recipes I know call for the addition of milk or milk powder.

While the recipe looks simple, it really isn't. So don't fret if it doesn't work out for you the very first time you try. The first time I made it, the sugar syrup was not the right consistency and we ended up eating kaju halwa for a few days. That was delicious too.

What is Kaju Katli

Kaju Katli is cashew nut fudge, in simple words. It is a very popular Indian sweet that is sold worldwide and it can made from just three ingredients - Cashew nuts, Sugar and water. Some recipes call for milk, milk powder or condensed milk, but if you want a vegan recipe, you are in the right place.

Kaju Katli is a sweet that is commonly distributed for all celebrations from birthdays to promotions to festivals. Also, since it is a dry sweet that has a greater shelf life than most milk based sweets, it also makes for a good gifting option.

Kaju Barfi is a sweet similar to Kaju Katli but is made slightly differently and uses milk and milk solids. The names are used synonymously several times, so don't get confused. Kaju katli is usually thin - somewhere about 3-5mm in thickness while a kaju barfi is thicker.

Tips for making the best Kaju Katlis:

Some important notes and learnings from my mistakes, just to help you a little:

1. Use everything at room temperature. Refrigerated cashew nuts will mess up the recipe, so keep them out overnight if you store cashew nuts in the fridge. 
2. Pulse the grinder to powder the cashew nuts. Grinding them for too long will lead to cashew nuts leaving their oil and making them unusable.
3. Sieve if you want to, or just skip it. Small bits of cashews just give the kaju katli a rustic feel and they are really not very noticeable in the end product.
4. If you have some large chunks of cashew nuts that just won't grind fine enough, add as little water as possible and blend them to a puree.
5. You need the sugar syrup at the right consistency. Use the water bowl trick mentioned in the video and the recipe to check for the right consistency.
6. If the sugar syrup has gone beyond the required consistency and the dough looks brittle and forms hard lumps after removing from heat, allow it to cool a little, and then pulse it in the mixer until all lumps are broken and you get a fine powder. Knead this powder along with milk or water to get a smooth dough.
7. You have to knead the dough while it is still hot. Use gloves if required.
8. Do not knead the dough too much, it will release its oil and while it is still edible, the kaju katli will not have the same mouthfeel as the store bought ones.

If you made this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment here or on Facebook,  tag your tweet with @oneteaspoonlife on Twitter and don't forget to tag your photo @oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram. You can also email me at onetspoflife@gmail.com I'd love to see what you are up to.

If you like this recipe, do not forget to share it with your friends and family! 

You can follow One Teaspoon Of Life on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest or you can subscribe to One Teaspoon Of Life and receive all the latest updated via Email

Video Recipe

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kaju Barfi Recipe | How to make Kaju Katli

Kaju katli or kaju barfi is a diamond shaped soft fudge made from cashew nuts. It is a popular Indian sweet. It can be made vegan.

Recipe Type:  Dessert
Cuisine:            Indian
Prep Time:     15 minutes
Cook time:     45 minutes
Total time:     55 minutes
Yield:                12-15

Ingredients:

1 cup Cashew nuts
0.5 cup Sugar
0.25 cup Water
Oil or Ghee for greasing

Method:

1. Powder the cashew nuts until fine. Use cashew nuts at room temperature, cashew nuts used directly from the fridge will not give you a fine powder.
2. If the cashews are not finely powdered, you can use a sieve and remove the big unground pieces. Use a medium sized sieve. Sieve and keep aside.
3. To make the sugar syrup, in a pan (preferably nonstick), add the sugar and water and cook on medium heat. The sugar syrup needs to reach one string consistency.
4. To check if the consistency of the sugar syrup, add a small drop of the syrup into a bowl of water. If the syrup dissolves in the water, then the syrup needs more cooking. If the syrup doesn't dissolve but forms a flexible string, then it is ready.
5. Add in the ground cashew nuts and mix until combined.
6. Continue to cook on low heat until the cashew dough becomes one mass.
7. Remove from heat and move the dough to a large plate. Allow it to cool for 2-3 minutes.
8. While the cashew dough is still hot, gently knead it for 2-3 minutes until it is smooth. Do not over-knead, else the cashew will leave its oil.
9. Grease the back of a plate and place the dough on it. Roll it out until the dough is around 5mm thick.
10. Cut the kaju katli into diamond shaped pieces. Allow to cool completely.
11. Using a butter knife, gently remove the kaju katli from the plate and store it in a cool place.
12. Serve Kaju Katli at room temperature.

If you liked this, you may also like:

Shankarpole

Coconut Laddoo

Holige | Puran Poli

Read more ...

Milk Rusk Recipe | Sweet Bread Rusk Recipe [Video]

Milk Rusk is a twice baked sweet bread. Milk Rusk is sweet and tastes best with a hot cup of tea. Rusk is a popular tea-time snack in India.

In a hurry? Jump to Video or Jump to Recipe

How do you like your chai/tea? I like mine slightly strong with little milk and 1 tsp of organic jaggery powder, that brown chocolatey kind, with a rusk to dunk into it.

I LOVE dunking biscuits and rusks in my tea. I sometimes dunk cakes and bread too, but that's a story for another day. I've been dunking rusks for years and loved how the crispy hard rusk just melts once dunked. My snack box usually has a packet of rusk from the local bakery, coz those are the BEST!

So one Saturday, when I was relatively free, I decided to bake some myself. So there are sweet rusks and savory rusks. I am not sure if the savory one is native to only Bangalore and surrounding areas because I had never seen one before. But that's my least favorite one, so totally ignoring the existence of that one. There are 2 types of sweet rusks, the bread rusk and the cake rusk. The cake rusk is like a biscotti, where one bakes a cake first and then slices it and bakes again until it dries up and becomes a crisp sweet cake rusk. That's a recipe I still need to try. This time I tried the second recipe, which is of bread rusk. 

To make the bread rusk, one needs to bake a sweet bread first and then slice it and bake it again until it dries up to give the crispy hard rusk that we all enjoy.

About the Sweet Bread

• Bread rusk takes a considerably longer time to make because it includes the rise time of the bread. However, this is free time as you don't need to monitor it, just leave it in a warm place to rise.

• Sweet bread takes longer than regular bread to rise. The added sugar slows down the process, so you will have to wait longer. It took me around 4 hours to get a good rise out of the bread, it may take longer if you live in a cooler area. 

Once the bread is ready, it doesn't take very long to make the rusks if you have a large oven and a sheet pan. I had to make mine in batches, so it took me some time to bake them all.

But the wait was worth it! The satisfaction of dunking a home baked rusk exceeded the boredom of the waiting period. Happy Rusk Baking to you!!

If you made this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment here or on Facebook,  tag your tweet with @oneteaspoonlife on Twitter and don't forget to tag your photo @oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram. You can also email me at onetspoflife@gmail.com I'd love to see what you are up to.

If you like this recipe, do not forget to share it with your friends and family! 

You can follow One Teaspoon Of Life on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest or you can subscribe to One Teaspoon Of Life and receive all the latest updated via Email

Video Recipe

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Milk Rusk Recipe | Sweet Bread Rusk Recipe

Milk Rusk is a twice baked sweet bread. Milk Rusk is sweet and tastes best with a hot cup of tea. Rusk is a popular tea-time snack in India.

Recipe Type:  Snacks
Cuisine:            Indian
Prep Time:     6 Hours
Cook time:     1 Hour
Total time:     7 Hours
Yield:                Makes 20-25

Ingredients:

2 cups All purpose flour
0.5 cup Milk Powder
3-4 Tbsp powdered Sugar
0.5 cup lukewarm Water
1 tsp Sugar
1 tsp Active Dried Yeast
1 tsp Oil
1 tsp Milk
Water as required

Method:

1. Add the 1 tsp of sugar and the active dried yeast into the lukewarm water and mix well. Keep is aside for 5-10 minutes to bloom.
2. Take the flour, milk powder and powdered sugar in a large bowl.
3. Add the yeast and mix well.
4. Knead into a smooth dough using water.
5. Coat the dough with the oil and cover and keep aside to rise until doubled. This may take 2-4 hours.
6. Once the dough has doubled, punch it down and knead it gently for 2-3 minutes.
7. Divide the dough into 2 and shape into rolls. Cover and keep aside to rise again.
8. Preheat the oven to 180 degree C.
9. Once the loaves have doubled, brush the loaves with milk and bake for 30-40 minutes until done.
10. Allow the bread to cool completely, then slice into rusk slices.
11. Preheat the oven to 180 degree C.
12. Place the rusk in a single layer in a baking tray and bake for 20-30 minutes.
13. Flip the rusks after 10 minutes.
14. Cool on a wire rack.
15. Store in an airtight container. Serve with tea or coffee.

If you liked this, you may also like:

Fruit Biscuit

Almond Cookies

Baked Papdi

Read more ...

Patoli Recipe | Sihi Kadabu Recipe | Goan Patoleo Recipe [Video]

Patoleo or Patoli is a traditional Konkani sweet made for Nag Panchami or Ganesh Chaturthi. Patholi are jaggery-coconut stuffed rice rolls that are steamed in fresh Turmeric leaves. This dessert is also made in Udupi-Mangalore as Sihi Kadabu.

In a hurry? Jump to Video or Jump to Recipe

Patoli or Patoleo or Sihi Kadabu, a sweet with many names and just as many different recipes. Last year when I saw fresh turmeric leaves in the market, I felt the desire to make this sweet. After all, Gee loves it and so does Raj. Me? Not as much a fan of it. but I will still eat it because it is sweet and my sweet tooth can rarely pass an opportunity to be indulged. 

And then began the quest to find the perfect recipe - my mom's recipe. It is times like this that I feel the huge gap my mom's absence has left me with. She never wrote down her recipes or even remembered it enough to tell us. She believed we need to watch and learn when she cooked something. And most often, we did not, because I think we believed she will always be around to help us out when we needed it. So there I was with these fresh seasonal leaves and no recipe.

The first thing I did was look up recipes online, only to find so many variations, that I ended up confused. Next, I messaged by Goan friends, hoping to find some commonality there. Alas, there too each one had their own version. I called up my aunt to get her recipe, wishing she had my mother's recipe, but it wasn't it. I could make any one of the 100 recipes that I find online, but just 1 will taste close to what she made it. And I was on the lookout for that recipe. I'm not sure this is exactly the one, but it sure came close. I had photos from the last time she made them for us and I just found them the other day, so when I saw those turmeric leaves again in the market, it was go time. 

It is a simple recipe I'm sharing today, 7 ingredients including the fresh turmeric leaves. And that sounds just like amma. She never over-complicated her cooking. It was the simplest one with the least ingredients but tasted delicious, I guess it was the magic in her hands. Last year, I cooked the filling, this year the pics showed me, my mom, just mixed it and there was no cooking involved. Last year I soaked raw rice, then ground it to make the dough, this year I just used rice flour, as one of the pics seem like that's what she did. This is the only step I don't have photos of. The rest is similar to all the recipes. And guess what, this year, the patoli came damn close to the real deal. And we've all wolfed down so many, that we've lost count. I only hope I've done justice to her recipe.

If you made this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment here or on Facebook,  tag your tweet with @oneteaspoonlife on Twitter and don't forget to tag your photo @oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram. You can also email me at onetspoflife@gmail.com I'd love to see what you are up to.

If you like this recipe, do not forget to share it with your friends and family! 

You can follow One Teaspoon Of Life on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest or you can subscribe to One Teaspoon Of Life and receive all the latest updated via Email

Video Recipe

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Patoli Recipe | Goan Patoleo Recipe | Sihi Kadabu Recipe

Patoleo or Patoli is a traditional Konkani sweet made for Nag Panchami or Ganesh Chaturthi. Patholi are jaggery-coconut stuffed rice rolls that are steamed in fresh Turmeric leaves. This dessert is also made in Udupi-Mangalore as Sihi Kadabu.

Recipe Type:  Dessert
Cuisine:            Indian
Prep Time:     15 minutes
Cook time:     45 minutes
Total time:     60 minutes
Yield:                Makes 3 Patoleos

Ingredients:

1 cup grated fresh Coconut
1 cup Jaggery Powder or grated Jaggery
1 tsp Cardamom Powder
1 cup Rice Flour
Pinch of Salt
Hot water as required
3 fresh Turmeric leaves

Method:

1. Mix the grated coconut, jaggery (as per taste) and cardamom powder until completely combined. Adjust the jaggery as per the desired sweetness.
2. Take rice flour in a large plate or bowl, add in a pinch of salt and knead into a smooth dough with hot water.
3. Turn on the steamer.
4. Check if the turmeric leaf fits horizontally in the steamer, if not, you can cut it into half.
5. Wash the turmeric leaves.
6. If using the whole leaf, divide the dough into 3 parts. If you have cut the leaf, divide the dough into 6 parts.
7. Wet your hands and take 1 part of the dough and gently spread it onto the smooth side of the turmeric leaf.
8. Spread the dough as thin as possible. Ensure there are no holes. You can use more dough if required. If there is excess dough, wipe it off.
9. Once the whole leaf is covered with the dough, spoon in the filling. Do not overstuff, else the stuffing will ooze out while cooking.
10. Fold the leaf lengthwise and seal the edges by pinching them.
11. Place the patoleos in the steamer and steam for 15-20 minutes. The colour of the leaf will change once it is done.
12. Remove from heat and gently peel the turmeric leaf.
13. Serve the patoleos warm.

If you liked this, you may also like:

Steamed Modak

Chana Dal Payasa

Bele Holige | Puran Poli

Semiyan Kheer

Gajar ka Halwa

Coconut Laddoo

Read more ...

Aam Panna Recipe | Kairi Panna Recipe [Video]

Aam Panna or Kairi Panna is a drink made from boiled raw mangoes and jaggery. Aam Panna is popularly made in summer across India.

In a hurry? Jump to Video or Jump to Recipe

Aam Panna, a beverage from my school days. My best friend's mom made the best Aam Panna ever and she never forgot to share a bottle of the concentrate with me. It was she who introduced me to this tangy sweet spicy beverage made of raw mangoes that is so popular during summers.

As I write this I realize it isn't really the right time to post this. By right time, I mean right now, this instant. Because it has just rained heavily and it is so cool that all I feel the need for is a hot cup of tea. But then I had this post all ready to go with the recipe jotted down, photos edited and the video uploaded. So I decided to go ahead and post it. And anyway it may not have rained in your city and it may be the absolute perfect time for you to try this golden treat.

Aam Panna is made in several ways, as I have learnt over the years. Earlier in my blogging days, I had posted one recipe that does not require boiling of the mangoes. That recipe involves grating the raw mango and soaking it in water, allowing the flavor of the mangoes to infuse into the water. That takes a little more time and the results are markedly different. I would not rate one above the other as each has its own taste. I've also seen recipes where the raw mango is roasted on coals or a gas stove until it is charred instead of boiling the mangoes. While I have not tried this recipe, it does sound very interesting. The one I am sharing today is the most common recipe out there.

To make the Aam Panna, select firm raw mangoes. The mangoes are supposed to be unripe and sour. The mangoes are boiled, either with skin or without and then the pulp is mashed in a blender along with a sugar and spices like cumin and pepper. Some folks add cardamom too, but I feel it overpowers the fragrance of the mango, so I skip it. I also replaced the sugar with powdered organic jaggery and hence the bright orange color of my Aam Panna. If you use sugar, you tend to get a more golden color. You can also add mint while blending the panna. However, I don't recommend it if you plan to store the panna for long as the mint tends to get bitter after a few days. The blended puree is a concentrate and can be stored in the fridge for the whole of Summer. When you feel like having Panna, dilute it with water until the taste feels just right and serve. You can also add muddled mint leaves or mint puree while serving. The Aam Panna can also be diluted with Soda water or sparkling water for some added zing.

A homemade panna never has a bright green color. If you want that color, you can add food coloring, but I don't recommend it.

If you made this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment here or on Facebook,  tag your tweet with @oneteaspoonlife on Twitter and don't forget to tag your photo @oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram. You can also email me at onetspoflife@gmail.com I'd love to see what you are up to.

If you like this recipe, do not forget to share it with your friends and family! 

You can follow One Teaspoon Of Life on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest or you can subscribe to One Teaspoon Of Life and receive all the latest updated via Email

Video Recipe

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Aam Panna Recipe | Kairi Panna Recipe

Aam Panna or Kairi Panna is a drink made from boiled raw mangoes and jaggery. Aam Panna is popularly made in summer across India.

Recipe Type:  Beverage
Cuisine:            Indian
Prep Time:     15 minutes
Cook time:     15 minutes
Total time:     30 minutes
Yield:                Makes 18-20 glasses

Ingredients:

4 Raw Mangoes
2 cups Jaggery Powder
1 Tbsp Pepper, freshly crushed
1 Tbsp Cumin Powder
0.25 tsp Black Salt
0.25 tsp Salt
Water as required

Method:

1. Pressure cook the raw mangoes until they are cooked. You can also boil them in a pot until done.
2. Allow the mangoes to cool, then peel them.
3. Squeeze out the pulp of the raw mangoes and add to a blender.
4. Add in the jaggery powder or sugar, roasted cumin powder, pepper powder, black salt and salt.
5. Blend to a smooth paste with a little water. Adjust the quantities of jaggery, spices and salt as required.
6. Store the aam panna concentrate in a glass bottle in the fridge.
7. To serve the panna, add 3-4 Tbsp of the concentrate to a glass. Add in ice cubes (optional) and cold water. Stir and serve.
8. If the panna feels less sweet after diluting with water, then add a little jaggery powder while serving.

If you liked this, you may also like:

Guava Panna

Kharbuja Panaka

Rose Lassi

Read more ...

Paan Kulfi Recipe | How to make Meetha Paan Kulfi [Video]

Paan Kulfi is a frozen milk based dessert that is flavored with gulkand (rose jam) and paan (betel leaves). This kulfi is of Meetha Paan flavor. Kulfi is a traditional Indian ice-cream made from sweetened reduced milk. 

In a hurry? Jump to Video or Jump to Recipe

I could not be more excited to share this kulfi with you, it is everything I wanted it to be, and it was actually better. This Paan Kulfi is the perfect marriage of two of my favorite things, meetha paan and kulfi and I just couldn't have enough of it.

Kulfi is India's contribution to the world of Ice Cream. Kulfi is denser and creamier than the commonly available ice cream. A Kulfi is made by slowly reducing the milk until it is thick, creamy and caramelized. The reduced milk, is also called Rabdi or Basundi. As the milk caramelizes, it also brings out the natural sweetness of the milk, hence, you don't need much sugar to flavor the milk.   The dessert is also amazingly delicious at this stage and I could have bowls of it if there was enough. Flavoring is then, added and then this creamy deliciousness is frozen until it is completely set.

The flavoring for my kulfi was Meetha Paan (sweet betel leaf). This is the favorite flavor in the city right now. If your restaurant is a hip and happening place, you are definitely serving something Paan flavored. I've seen Paan Kulfi, instant Paan Ice Cream made using liquid nitrogen and Paan shots.

A traditional Paan is a betel leaf smeared with limestone and then stuffed with tobacco and betel nuts. This is consumed as a digestive after a heavy meal in several parts of India and South East Asia. As this is detrimental to one's health, the meetha Paan or Sweet Paan was born. The sweet paan is made by stuffing the betel leaf with pieces of dates, fennel seeds, dry coconut (sometimes) and a sweet rose jam called gulkand. This is super delicious. While I say this, I've realized this can be an acquired taste for few.

To make this Paan Kulfi, I used fresh betel leaves that I pureed and added. The betel leaf has a strong pungent taste if consumed by itself but when mixed in the dessert the flavor becomes really mild. I started off with puree of 5 leaves and then went on to add the puree of 7 more leaves, 12 in total to get a prominent taste of paan. Also, instead of gulkand, I added a Kolkata Meetha Paan Mukhwas. This is easily available online as well as in fairs and Malls in bigger cities.  If you don't have access to either of these, but have access to a ready made meetha paan from the corner shop, just grind them fine and use them.

Paan Kulfi available in restaurants has a distinct green color. This is achieved by adding a few drops of food coloring. I'm not in favour of food coloring, so I left the kulfi to its natural color.

To make the Kulfi, always use milk with a high fat content. Some folks add cornflour, milk powder or khova to hasten the thickening of the milk. I have used the traditional method of slow cooking instead. While this takes a little more time, the kulfi ends up tasting very good. You can literally keep the milk on the lowest heat possible and continue to do your work, just peeking in every once in a while to ensure it is overflowing or burning and to scrape the sides. To cook the kulfi sooner, you can also divide the milk into 2 or more pots and reduce them individually before mixing them all together and adding sugar.

I hope you love this Paan Kulfi as much as my family and I. Wishing you a very happy Summer!

If you made this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment here or on Facebook,  tag your tweet with @oneteaspoonlife on Twitter and don't forget to tag your photo @oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram. You can also email me at onetspoflife@gmail.com I'd love to see what you are upto.

If you like this recipe, do not forget to share it with your friends and family! 

You can follow One Teaspoon Of Life on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest or you can subscribe to One Teaspoon Of Life and receive all the latest updated via Email

Video Recipe

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Paan Kulfi Recipe | How to make Meetha Paan Kulfi

Paan Kulfi is a frozen milk based dessert that is flavored with gulkand (rose jam) and paan (betel leaves). This kulfi is of Meetha Paan flavor. Kulfi is a traditional Indian ice-cream made from sweetened reduced milk.

Recipe Type:  Dessert
Cuisine:            Indian
Prep Time:     9 Hours
Cook time:     2 Hours
Total time:     11 Hours
Yield:                Makes 8 Kulfis

Ingredients:

2 litres Full Fat Milk
0.5 cup Sugar
10-12 Betel Leaves
2-3 Tbsp Meetha Paan Mukhwas or Gulkand
1 Tbsp Almonds, chopped
1 Tbsp Cashewnuts, chopped
1 Tbsp Pistachios, chopped

Method:

1. Boil the 2 litres of milk until it comes to a rolling boil.
2. Reduce the heat to low and continue to boil.
3. Keep stirring to prevent the milk from burning.
4. Keep scraping the solidified milk from the sides of the pot and add it to the boiling milk.
5. Once the milk has reduced to half, add the sugar. Half a cup of sugar makes the kulfis pretty sweet. Add by the spoonfuls to get the right amount of sweetness.
6. Once the milk has reduced to 1/3rd the quantity and has become thick and creamy, remove from heat and allow to cool down to room temperature.
7. Puree the betel leaves (paan) with a little milk until smooth. Use 4-6 paans for a milder taste and 10-12 paans for a stronger taste.
8. After the milk has cooled, add in the chopped nuts, meetha paan mukhwas or gulkand and the paan puree. Mix well.
9. Fill into the kulfi moulds and freeze for around 2-3 hours.
10. The kulfis should be 50% set in 2-3 hours. Remove from the freezer and gently place the ice-cream stick. This step can be skipped if you are not planning to add the ice-cream stick.
11. Place the moulds back in the freezer and freeze for 8-10 hours or until completely set.
12. To demould the kulfi while serving, dip the kulfi mould in warm water, the kulfi should loosen. If using an ice-cream stick, twist the kulfi and pull it out gently. If not then place the mould on a plate and tap the mould until the kulfi comes out.
13. Serve immediately.

If you liked this, you may also like:

Tender Coconut Ice Cream

Jamun Ice Candy

Fresh Fruit Tart

Read more ...

Bele Holige Recipe | Obbattu Recipe | Puran Poli Recipe [Video]

Bele Holige (Obbattu or Puran Poli) is a traditional Indian flatbread that is stuffed with a sweet lentil stuffing and pan fried in ghee. Popularly made for weddings and festivals.

In a hurry? Jump to Video or Jump to Recipe

I confess, I have a sweet tooth. From the first drop of honey that I tasted as a baby, I’ve had that weakness for sweets.

Time has proven, that my weakness for sweets is much stronger than my will power to ignore them. So instead of fighting a losing battle, I’ve given up and let myself enjoy them. After all, there is so much chaos and bitterness everywhere, at least my stomach can be full of sweetness.

Of all the sweets I know, Holige has always been the crown jewel. You know how cakes are synonymous with weddings in the West, to a Kannadiga (people of the state of Karnataka), a holige holds the same place. When you are unmarried, a lot of the older folks in the family will inevitably ask you when you will treat them to a feast with Holige, which is nothing, but a nice way of asking you the nosy question of when will you get married. I know this from experience *rolling eyes*.

So when we were planning our wedding menu and Raj declared he hates Holige, for a fleeting moment I wondered if he was the guy for me. Here I was in love with Holige, the quintessential wedding dessert and here was my man questioning its presence it our wedding. (May be he was jealous that I’ve loved it longer, who knows?). But my mom settled it by having 2 desserts, one that he liked and one that I liked. Wise woman. And both of us were happy.

Now, the Holige is not a very difficult dessert to make if you follow your instincts, but until recently, it was something that had to be made at home. No sweet shop ever stocked it, and even if they did, it was never as good as the homemade ones. But recently, I’ve seen a lot of holige shops spring up around the city and they make some really good ones there. You will know how fond people are of Holige by just looking at the crowd at these stores.

But we still love to make our own, because it is so easy and so delicious. A Holige is made of 2 components – the dough and the stuffing (also called hurna or puran). The dough can either be of only whole wheat flour (atta) or of only all purpose flour(maida) or a mix of the two. I’ve found that only whole wheat flour makes it slightly tougher in texture and only all purpose flour makes it chewier. The mix of flours works best for me. The stuffing is what gives flavor to the holige. Holige can be stuffed with a variety of things – lentils/dal, coconut, peanuts, and for the adventurous, there are dry fruits, dates and carrots too. While I love all varieties, this recipe is all about the lentil/dal or bele one. Chana Dal works best for Bele Holige.

To make the stuffing, chana dal is boiled, drained and pureed with very little water until smooth and then cooked with jaggery until it forms a thick paste. This is flavored with cardamom for the minimalist, while you can add other spices like dry ginger powder or fennel seeds powder etc. Getting the consistency of the stuffing right is what all the fuss is about in making the holige. Like I said before, follow your instincts, and you won’t falter. You should be able to take the stuffing in your hands (once cool) and shape it into a ball that holds its shape. If it sticks to your hands or doesn’t hold its shape, it needs to thicken further. Put it back on the heat and allow it to thicken. If the stuffing powders in your hands, add a little water or milk and make it thinner.

Once you have the right stuffing, the holige is very easy to make. Holige is traditionally pan fried with a lot of ghee, but to make it vegan, use vegetable oil. I’ve made it with oil too and it doesn’t affect the texture.

Holige tastes best when served warm, with lots of ghee or milk.

If you made this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment here or on Facebook,  tag your tweet with @oneteaspoonlife on Twitter and don't forget to tag your photo @oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram. You can also email me at onetspoflife@gmail.com I'd love to see what you are upto.

If you like this recipe, do not forget to share it with your friends and family! 

You can follow One Teaspoon Of Life on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest or you can subscribe to One Teaspoon Of Life and receive all the latest updated via Email

Video Recipe

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bele Holige Recipe | Obbattu Recipe | Puran Poli Recipe

Bele Holige (Obbattu or Puran Poli) is a traditional Indian flatbread that is stuffed with a sweet lentil stuffing and pan fried in ghee. Popularly made for weddings and festivals.

Recipe Type:  Dessert
Cuisine:            Indian
Prep Time:     45 minutes
Cook time:     45 minutes
Total time:     90 minutes
Yield:                Makes 10 to 12 medium Holige

Ingredients:

For the Stuffing (Hurna / Puran)

1 cup Chana Dal
1.5 cups Jaggery Powder
1 tsp Cardamom Powder

For the Dough:

2 cups Wholewheat Flour
1 cup All Purpose Flour
0.5 tsp Turmeric Powder
0.25 tsp Salt
Water as required

Ghee or Oil to fry

Method:

To make the Stuffing:

1. Wash the chana dal twice in water and then soak and leave aside for 30 minutes.
2. Pressure cook the chana dal with 2-3 cups of water until it is cooked. It may take 4-5 whistles or 8-10 minutes after the pressure builds up. If not using a pressure cooker, cook the chana dal in a covered pan until completely cooked.
3. Drain the chana dal and allow it to cool.
4. Once cool, blend it into a smooth paste. Use as little water as possible.
5. Heat a non stick kadhai and add the chana dal paste to it. If you are not using a non stick kadhai, add a little ghee first and then add the chana dal paste.
6. Add in the jaggery powder and mix well. If you want a mildly sweet holige, add only 1 cup of the jaggery powder. You can taste the stuffing and add more if required.
7. Continue cooking the stuffing on low heat while stirring frequently until the stuffing thickens. It may take 15-20 minutes.
8. Add in the cardamom powder and mix well. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
9. If the stuffing feels thin in consistency after cooling, add it back to a kadhai and heat it again until it reaches the desired consistency.
10. While the stuffing cools, make the dough for the holige.

To make the Dough:

11. To make the dough, take the wholewheat flour and all purpose flour in a large bowl. Add in the turmeric powder and salt.
12. Knead it to a smooth dough with water. Add water as required.
13. Cover the dough and rest for 30 minutes.

To make the Holige:

14. To make the holige, take a lime sized ball of dough and roll it out into a small disc on a flour dusted surface.
15. Take a lime sized ball of stuffing and place it on the rolled out dough.
16. Seal the edges and roll out the holige as thin as possible. Dust the holige with flour as required.
17. Heat a tava and grease it with ghee or oil. Place the holige on it.
18. Spoon ghee or oil on the other side of the holige.
19. Cook the holige on medium to high heat until both the sides are cooked.
20. Remove from heat and serve with ghee or milk.

If you liked this, you may also like:

Shankarpole

Kadle Bele Payasa

Shavige Payasa

Read more ...