Pinni: A traditional and super nutritious Punjabi dessert

Pinni is a traditional Punjabi sweet. It is usually prepared during winter in Punjabi households. It can be stored for almost a month in air tight container.

Ingredients:
Approx. 24 Pinnis

• Whole wheat flour – 3 cups
• Brown Sugar or Gur – 2 cups
• Khoya (Mawa) – 1 cup grated [optional]
• Flax seeds – 4 tbsp powdered
• Poppy seeds – 2 tbsp
• Almonds – 1/2 cup coarsely chopped
• Walnuts – 1/2 cup coarsely chopped
• Cashews – 1/2 cup coarsely chopped
• Desiccated coconut – 4 tbsp
• Clarified butter(Ghee) – 2 cups
• Fresh Cardamom powder – 1 tsp
• Milk – 2 tbsp

Method

• Roast all the nuts separately and keep aside to cool down. Chop then coarsely and keep aside.
• In a heavy bottomed pan, heat ghee.
• Add wheat flour and cook it on low flame.
• Keep stirring continuously, till it becomes light brown.
• Now add grated mawa or khoya to it. Mix well. Add flax seed powder and roast for another 3-4 minutes.
• When flour is evenly browned and aromatic, add the sugar and stir for a minute.
• Remove the pan from the heat.
• Add the almonds, walnuts, cashews, desiccated coconut, poppy seeds and cardamom powder.
• Transfer it to a large plate and allow cooling a bit.
• Mix the contents well. Drizzle the milk (for binding) and mix well.
• With the above mixture, while it is still warm, start making ping pong size balls.
• Decorate with chopped nuts.
• Let the pinnis cool completely, before storing them in the airtight containers.

Enjoy pinnis all winter long for breakfast or as an afternoon snack.

Badam Kheer: Almond Pudding

Badam Kheer is a rich and creamy dessert for all occasions. It is very easy to prepare and serve. It can be cooked in slow cooker. So make it ahead of time and serve it warm or chilled.

Approx. 6 servings
Prep Time: 20 mins (except soaking time)
Cooking Time: 30 mins

Ingredients: 

• Almonds – 2 cups
• Milk – 1 quart
• Sugar – 3/4 cup
• Cardamom powder (elaichi) – 1 tsp
• Saffron (kesar) – 1/4 tsp

Method:

• Soak almonds in water over night.
• Next morning, peel the almonds and keep aside.
• Coarsely grind half of the peeled almonds using very little milk. Keep the coarse paste aside.
  Slice rest of the almonds.
• In a heavy bottom pan, boil milk. Once it is boiled, add saffron strands and cardamom powder and let it simmer on low heat till it reduces to half of volume.
• Now add coarse almond paste and half of the sliced almonds to the milk. Let it simmer for 5 more minutes. Add sugar/sugar substitute and mix well.
• Badam Kheer is ready to serve.

Garnish and Serving suggestion:
Badam kheer can be served hot or chilled. I prefer chilled. Garnish badam kheer with remaining sliced almonds and few saffron strands.

Holi Special: Instant Gulab Jamun

होली और रंग पंचमी के शुभ अवसर पर,
होली के रंग, मिठाइयों के संग।

Gulab Jamun
Gulab Jamun is my favorite dessert since my childhood. My mom makes the yummiest gulab jamuns of all. On almost all the occasions, in India, she makes them from scratch.But here in US, since I don’t get mava as we get in India, so with my mom’s suggestion, I tried these Gulab Jamuns from the Chitale gulab jamun mix [from Pune]. They turned out pretty good.
Chitale gulab jamun mix is now available is most of the Indian grocery stores in Bay Area.

Ingredients: For Gulab Jamun (50 pieces)

Chitale Gulab Jamun mix- 1 pkt [400 gms]
Sugar – 6 cups
Cardamon powder (Elachi powder) – 2 tsp
Saffron strands (Kesar) – ¼  tsp
Goldan raisins (kismis) – 1/2 cup
Water – 240 ml (1.5 cups for making gulab jamuns)
Water – 6 cups [for syrup] 

Method:

• In a bowl, gradually add little by little, 1.5 cups of water to the mix. Mix well.
• Gently knead the mixture to make it an even dough.
• In another large vessel, take 6 cups of water and add 6 cups of sugar. Also add saffron and cardamom powder to it. Bring it to a boil. Mix it well and boil again.
• Take the dough and divide it into small 50 parts. Take golden raisin and put one raisin in the center of each portion. Roll each portion into a smooth ball. Make all the balls and keep aside.
• In a pan, heat cooking oil for frying the gulab jamuns. Deep fry the gulab jamuns on medium high heat. It should take approx 7-8 minutes to become golden brown. If it happens before that, oil is too hot and jamuns won’t be able to cook all the way through. If it takes more time than 7-8 minutes, the oil is not hot enough.
• Drain all the fried gulab jamuns on a kitchen towel. Let it sit for 4-5 minutes and then add all jamuns to the sugar syrup. Let them completely soak for couple of hours.
• Gulab jamuns are ready to eat.

Serving Suggestions:
Enjoy Gulab jamums hot or chilled. I prefer them hot with chilled vanilla ice-cream on the side.

Eggless Blueberry Muffins

Eggless blueberry muffins are great for healthy breakfast or a snack.

Approx. 12 muffins
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 25 mins

Ingredients:

• All-purpose flour – 2 cups ( I used 1 cup whole wheat flour + 1 cup all purpose flour)
• Sugar – 1 cup
• Baking powder – 4 tsp
• Milk – 1 cup
• Melted butter – 3 tbsp
• Fresh  or frozen blueberries – 1 cup

Method:

1. Preheat oven at 350 degrees F.
2. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.
3. Combine flour, sugar and baking powder in a large bowl. Stir in milk and melted butter slowly . Fold in blueberries.
4. Fill each cup 2/3 full.
5. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.

Enjoy!

Shakarpara: A sweet treat

Shakarpara means sugar treats. These are small diamond shaped sweets usually made during Diwali or other festivals. These sweets can be stored in air tight containers for 3-4 weeks.

Ingredients:
Approx. 12 servings

• Wheat flour – 1 cup
• All purpose flour (Maida) – 1/2 cup
• Ghee or butter  – 1/2 cup
• Sugar – 1 cup
• Milk  – 1/4 cup
• Cooking oil for frying

Method:

1. In a large bowl, combine wheat flour, all purpose flour and ghee. Mix well.
2. Ina sauce pan, combine milk sugar and 1/2 cup water. Bring it to a boil till the sugar dissolves completely. Take it off the heat and let it cool.
3. Now add sugar syrup little by little to the flour mixture and knead it into stiff dough.
4. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes.
5. Heat the oil in a pan for frying on medium heat.
6. Divide the dough into 4 equal parts. Take each part and roll the dough into 1/4 inch thick sheet.
7. Cut the sheet into small diamond shapes with the help of knife or the pizza cutter.
8. Carefully fry these diamonds in the medium hot oil till it becomes golden on both sides.
9. Drain them on the kitchen towel and cool them completely.
10. Once these diamond shaped shakarparas are completely cool, you can store them in air tight containers for 3-4 weeks.

Enjoy these sweet treats with a cup of coffee or masala tea.

Chocolate Almond Nuggets

Chocolate with nuts is a classic combination. This homemade fudge is hard to resist. Enjoy this easy to follow, simple recipe for Chocolate lovers.

Ingredients:

• Semisweet chocolate chips – 2 cups (12 ounces)
• Heavy whipping cream – 1/2 cup
• Powdered sugar – 1 cup
• Butter – 2 tbsp
• Vanilla extract – 1/4 tsp
• Roasted chopped Almonds – 1/2 cup

Method:

1. Melt chocolate over double boiler.
2. Add cream and stir in sugar. Keep stirring until it becomes smooth.
3. Add butter, vanilla extract and stir to blend well. Stir in Chopped almonds.  Mix well.
4. Butter a smooth plate. Pour the chocolate mix into the plate and refrigerate for couple of hours.
5. Cut into desired shapes. Store between parchment paper to avoid sticking.

Enjoy anytime.

Rasmalai: A melt in your mouth dessert

Rasmalai is a delicate and flavorful Bengali dessert. It is easy to prepare at home with a few ingredients. Rasmalai is milk patties soaked in cardamom and saffron flavored milk. It has very delicate flavor and is served chilled after the meal.

Ingredients:
For Rasmalai: Approx. 6 servings

Whole Milk – 1 gallon
Lemon juice – 1 tbsp OR Vinegar – 1 tbsp
Kesar (saffron) – 1/4 tsp
Almonds – 12
Pistachios – 10
Crushed cardamom seeds – 1 tsp
Sugar – 1.5 cups
Rose essence – 8 drops

Method:
Making Paneer or Cheena:

1. Squeeze fresh lemon juice in a bowl and keep aside. OR if using vinegar, add 1 tbsp vinegar to half cup water and keep aside.
2. In a heavy bottom pan, boil half gallon whole milk.
3. When milk comes to a boil, gradually add lemon juice or vinegar solution to it. Stir the milk gently and it starts curdling. Very soon the whey is separated from the curdled milk. Turn the heat off.
4. Now in a strainer, line the muslin cloth. Strain the above curdled milk from this cloth.
5. The solids on the muslin cloth are “paneer” or “cheena”. Wrap the paneer in a muslin cloth and rinse it under cold water for couple of times. Rinsing helps in taking out vinegar or lemon taste from the paneer. Squeeze well.
6. Hang this wrapped paneer to take out the excess water squeeze the cloth, or press the wrapped paneer under a heavy pan for about one hour.
7. Paneer or cheena is ready to make rasmalai.

Making the Rasmalai:

3. Take fresh paneer or cheena on a large plate or surface. Knead it for at least 5 minutes. Make soft and smooth dough of it. Kneading is one of the most important parts of making rasmalai.
4. Once the paneer becomes very soft and smooth, divide the dough into 10 equal parts and roll them in smooth balls and flatten them a bit to form small discs shape.
5. Meanwhile, on medium high heat in a large vessel, boil 6 cups of water and add 1 cup of sugar to it. Mix well.
6. Add the above paneer discs to the boiling water very gently. There should be enough room for the discs to expand. Cover the lid for 2-3 minutes. Stir gently and let it boil for 5-6 more minutes.
7. Check the rasmalai patties, as they are almost doubled in size. Turn the heat off.
8. Carefully take the patties out of the sugar syrup. Squeeze them gently. Keep aside.
9. To prepare the malai, take the remaining half gallon milk in a non stick pan and bring it to a boil. Let it simmer on low heat for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Milk reduces and starts to thicken.
10. Add half cup sugar, rose essence, cardamom and saffron. Mix well.
11. Now carefully add rasmalai patties to this milk. Let it simmer for 5 minutes.
12. Turn the heat off and let it cool completely. Keep it in the refrigerator.

Garnish and serving suggestions:
Garnish with sliced almonds and pistachios and serve chilled.

Fruit Custard

Fruit custard is an easy fruit salad with delicate creamy sweet sauce. It can be served as dessert or a side dish.

Ingredients:
For Fruit Custard – Approx. 6 servings

• Custard powder (Vanilla flavor) – 2 tbsp
• Whole Milk – 3 cups
• Sugar – 4 tbsp
• Seedless grapes – 1 cup
• Apple – 1
• Banana – 1/2
• Pomegranate seeds – 1/2 cup
• Almonds – 8
• Cashew nuts – 8

Method:

1. In a small bowl, take 1/2 cup warm milk and add 2 tbsp custard powder. Mix well to make it smooth and lump free. Keep aside.
2. In a heavy bottom pan, add remaining milk and bring it to a boil. Add sugar and mix well.
3. Now gradually add custard mix to the milk. Stir continuously. It starts to thicken.
4. Mix well and turn the heat off.
5. Cool it down at the room temperature and then refrigerate.
6. Clean and cut all the fruits in bite size pieces and keep aside.
7. Chop the nuts for garnish and keep aside.

Garnish and serving suggestion:

In a serving bowl, arrange cut fruits. Now pour chilled custard and garnish with chopped nuts and pomegranate seeds. Serve chilled.

Healthy Strawberry Shake

Ingredients:  Approx. 2 servings

• Fresh Strawberries – 8 cleaned and cut into halves
• Milk (low fat) – 2 cups
• Fat free Vanilla Ice cream – 1 scoop
• Honey – 1 tsp

For Garnish:

• Whipped cream
• Maraschino cherries – 2

Method:

In a blender, add cut strawberries, milk, ice cream, honey and Ice. Blend for a minute. Pour in tall glasses and garnish with whipped cream and cherries.

Enjoy your healthy yummy shake.

Note: You can add any protein mix of your choice to make it a meal.

Sweet Saffron Rice

Happy Ganesh Chaturthi!

Sweet Saffron Rice
Sweet saffron rice can be prepared as an offering for Lord Ganesh Puja. It needs few ingredients, usually available in your pantry. Enjoy this simple yet flavorful recipe to start the festivities.

Ingredients:

• Basmati Rice – 1 cup
• Ghee (clarified butter) – 2 tbsp
• Sugar – 1/2 cup
• Saffron – 12 strands
• Cloves – 4
• Cinnamon stick – 1
• Black pepper corn – 4
• Cardamom Powder – 1 tsp
• Raisins –1/4 cup
• Almonds – ¼ cup (or any nuts of your choice)

Method:

1. Wash and soak rice in water for an hour.
2. Soak saffron strands in 2 tbsp milk in a bowl. Keep aside for 10 minutes.
3. In a pan, heat ghee on medium low flame. Add cloves, cinnamon, cardamom powder, black pepper corns. Sauté for 2 minutes.
4. Add raisins and almonds to it. Sauté for 2 more minutes. Keep aside.
5. In a large vessel, boil rice in 3 cups of water till almost done. Add 1 tbsp ghee to prevent rice from sticking together. Drain off the excess water and spread the rice to cool down.
6. Add the above spice mix to the cooked rice. Also add sugar and dissolved saffron. Mix gently.
7. Cover it and cook on low flame for 10 minutes. Saffron rice is ready to be served.

Garnish:
Garnish sweet saffron rice with sliced almonds and saffron strands. Enjoy as dessert after a meal.