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.

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.

Besan Laddoo

Besan Laddoo

Festivities are in the air. Besan Laddoo is one of the most popular sweet in India. It needs few ingredients and is very simple to make. Enjoy these homemade laddoos this Diwali.

Ingredients:
For Besan Laddoo (20 pieces approx.)

Laddoo besan (gram flour) flour – 2.5 cups
Ghee – 1.5 cup
Powdered sugar – 1.5 cup
Cardamom powder – 2 tsp
Almonds – ½ cup
Cashews – ½ cup

Method:

• Crush almonds and cashews in the food processor and keep aside.
• In a heavy bottom pan heat ghee. Now add besan and mix well.
• Keep stirring the mixture for approx. 20 minutes till the mixture turns golden and gives roasted aroma.
• Pour the mixture in a thali. Now add cardamom powder, almonds, cashews and powdered sugar. Mix evenly.
• Let it cool a bit and then start making lemon size balls (Laddoos) of the above mixture.
• Garnish with halved cashews and enjoy.