Carrot Beetroot Halwa

I have tried beetroot halwa separately last year, this time thought how about mixing both carrot and beetroot and make halwa the same way we prepare gajar or beetroot halwa! And trust me, it was amazingly delicious. A perfect treat for all the dessert lover. 

Ingredients:  

1. Beetroot - grated one cup
2. Carrot - grated one cup
3. Milk (Full cream) - 1 cup
4. Cardamom - 2-3 
5. Bay leaf - 1
6. Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp

7. Sugar - 1 cup

8. Pistachios - 1/2 tsp
9. Ghee - for cooking 

10. Khoya / Mawa - 1/2 cup

Process:     

1. Wash the carrots and beetroots thoroughly under running water, peel and grate them. 

2. In a frying pan / kadhai, add ghee and add cardamom pods and bay leaf. Add grated carrot and beetroots. Let it cook for 4-5 minutes.

3. Once the carrot beetroot mixture starts spreading a nice aroma, add milk and let it boil, by covering with a lid, on low flame. Cook until the milk completely evaporates. Add sugar at this stage and mix well. 

4. When the moisture is half evaporated, add khoya and stir well until halwa thickens. Just before you finish off, add cardamom powder and garnish with chopped pistachios.

P.S. The recipe reel is up on my Instagram page. Check it out @romisrecipe

Gajar Halwa Truffles with Pistachio filling

If you have time and love to make some delicious Indian Fusion Dessert then this recipe is for you. Everyone loves gajar ka halwa. I have made these fusion desserts with gajar ka halwa. Gajar halwa truffles with pista filling which just melt in mouth. Of course it needs time to prepare these gorgeous and pretty truffles. 

Ingredients

• Grated carrot - 2 cup
• Milk - 1 cup
• Condensed milk - 1/2 cup
• Khoya / mawa - 1/2 cup
• Ghee - 2 tsp
• Pistachio - 10-15
• White chocolate - 150 gram

Process

1. Heat ghee in a pan and add grated carrot. Cook for 10 mins on low flame. Add milk and again cook till the carrots are cooked and can be mashed. Add khoya and condensed milk and cook till all the moisture is evaporated. Gajar halwa is ready. Keep and and let it cook down.

2. In a blender, mix khoya and pistachio, you can add few drops of green color also (optional), blend them well and make small balls for the filling.

3. In a separate bowl, melt the white chocolate and keep aside.

4. Now start making gajar halwa balls. Make equal size balls. Flatten them and stuff the pistachio ball and seal them. Repeat the same process for all. 

5. Now, dunk these balls in white chocolate and keep on parchment paper, coat twice if required.

6. Sprinkle some colored chocolate sprinkles on the balls. (You can use silver balls or roasted cashews also)

P.S. The recipe reel is up on my Instagram page. Check it out @romisrecipe

Kesar Pista Sabudana Kheer

Sabudana Kheer / dessert is a sweet dish which is served chilled and tastes awesome. I have tried many recipes with sabudana, then why not with some custard flavors ! So, presenting Kesar Pista Sabudana Kheer recipe which is very easy and quick to make with a handful of ingredients. 

Ingredients:

1. Sabudana - 1/2 cup 
2. Kesar pista custard powder - 2 tsp
3. Milk - 1 cup
4. Cashew Nuts  - 1 tsp (finely chopped)
5. Sugar - 2 tsp (as per your taste)
6. Rose petals - for garnishing 

Process:   

  

1. Add sabudana to a pot and rinse it very well. Soak for 1-2 hours to reduce cooking time.

2. In a bowl, add 2 tsp kesar pista custard powder and mix well with milk.

2. Pour milk in heavy bottom kadhai. Let it cook for sometime, then add sugar. Add soaked sabudana and let it cook on low flame, stirring occasionally. Cook until the sabudana becomes transparent, soft and light. Add kesar pista mixed milk in this kheer and remove from flame. Keep aside and let it cool down on room temperature. It will become more thicken upon cooling.

3. Once the kheer is cool down, add some more chopped pista. Pour into serving bowls and serve chilled with some rose petals on the top. 

MANGO SABUDANA PUDDING

Sabudana and mango dessert is a sweet dish which is served chilled and tastes awesome. I have tried many recipes with sabudana, then why not with mango! So, presenting Mango Sabudana pudding recipe which is very easy and quick to make with handful of ingredients. 

Ingredients:

1. Sabudana - 1/2 cup 
2. Mango - 1 (pureed)
3. Milk - 1 cup
4. Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
5. Nuts (any nuts of your choice) - 1 tsp (finely chopped)
6. Sugar - 2 tsp (as per your taste)

Process:   

  

1. Add sabudana to a pot and rinse it very well. Soak for 1-2 hours to reduce cooking time.

2. Pour milk in heavy bottom kadhai or pot and add soaked sabudana and let it cook on low flame, stirring occasionally. Cook until the sabudana becomes transparent, soft and light. Add cardamom powder and remove from flame. Keep aside and let it cool down on room temperature. It will become more thicken upon cooling.

3. In a blender jar add chopped mango pieces and make smooth puree. Once the pudding is cool down, add the mango puree into it and mix well.  Add chopped nuts. Pour into serving bowls and serve chilled with some fresh mango pieces on the top. 

MANGO SHEERA

Mango sheera is no different then simple sooji halwa, the addition of ripe mangoes into the sooja halwa or sheera brings in a refreshing taste to the recipe. I have tried this and turned out a very delicious one. The color totally depends on how ripe the mangoes are. If they are not very deep / ripe  in color, you can also add some kesar (saffron) to give a good color. However  I have not used kesar. 

Ingredients :

1. Mango puree - 1 cup
2. Sooji - 1 cup
3. Milk - 1 cup
4. Cashew and raisin- 1/3 cup
5. Cardamom powder - 1/3 tsp
6. Ghee - 3 tsp

Process :

1. Blend mangoes, cardamom powder and sugar to a smooth puree. 

2. In a pan, heat 1 tsp ghee and dry roast sooji until you get a good aroma. Once done, set aside.

3. In the same pan, add 2 tsp ghee, add cashew and fry until light brown, then add raisin and fry for 30 secs. Transfer them in a bowl and keep aside.

4. Now add milk in the same pan, and let it boil. Add roasted sooji and keep stirring to avoid lumps. Add 1 tsp ghee and the mango puree and mix gently. Continue to cook on a low flame for about 5-7 minutes stirring continuously. 

5. Scoop of 2-3 tsp in a serving bowl and garnish with some more cashew and raisins.

MANGO RASMALAI

A decadent and rich homemade dessert flavored with fresh mango puree that is gorgeous as well as delicious that always brightens the mood. The juicy and spongy fresh cottage cheese balls are dunked in a creamy sweetened mango flavored milk. As we know mango season is getting over so why not make some chilled Rasmalai with this mango twist?

Ingredients:

1. Rosogolla - 6 - 8 (Rosogolla recipe is there in the blog, you can check the same for making Rosogolla)  
2. Milk - 2 cup
3. Condenses milk - 1 cup
4. Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
5. Nuts (any nuts of your choice) - 1 tsp (finely chopped)
6. Mango Puree - 2 cups

Process:   

  

1. Pour milk in heavy bottom kadhai and let it cook on low flame, stirring occasionally. Add condensed milk, cardamom powder and stir continuously till you get the perfect thick consistency.

2. Once the milk reaches the desired consistency, put the flame off and let it come to room temperature. Add the mango puree and mix well. 

3. Now squeeze out lightly the syrup from rosogollas (that you have already made) and add them gently to the Mango milk mixture, you can also divide the the rosogollas into two pieces, I have kept them as whole. Add the dry fruits of your choice.

Mango Rasmalai is ready, keep them inside the refrigerator and later on serve chilled. 

Sabudana kheer with Jaggery

Kheer or payesh is an Emotion to many of us, who have a sweet tooth. Kheer is a Global dish and it unites three different cooking traditions - Southern Asian, Persian and Western. Of course this is known by different names like rice pudding in the West, Payasham in the South and Shir Berenj in the Middle Eastern countries. Here the twist is, in the frame you can see creamy, delicious and thick kheer made with Sabudana (tapioca pearls) and this is a no-sugar kheer. I have added jaggery to keep the sweetness intact. 

Ingredients:

1. Sabudana - 1/2 cup 
2. Jaggery Powder - 2-3 tsp (as per your taste buds)
3. Milk - 1 cup
4. Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
5. Nuts (any nuts of your choice) - 1 tsp (finely chopped)
6. Raisins - 1 tsp
7. Ghee - 1 tsp

Process:   

  

1. Add sabudana to a pot and rinse it very well. Soak for 1-2 hours to reduce cooking time.

2. Pour milk in heavy bottom kadhai or pot and add soaked sabudana and let it cook on low flame, stirring occasionally. Cook until the sabudana becomes transparent, soft and light. Add cardamom powder and remove from flame. Keep aside and let it cool down on room temperature. It will become more thicken upon cooling.

3. In a separate pan, add jaggery powder and half cup of water, and boil it properly. Let is also cool down on room temperate. Once the jaggery syrup is completely cooled down, add this syrup into the kheer. 

4. Fry the nuts and raisins in ghee and pour it over the kheer.

Serve sabudana kheer warm or chilled.

Carrot Barfi with Jaggery

The recipe of carrot barfi is similar to the way we cook carrot halwa. Here I have used milk powder instead of condensed milk or khoya. You can use your own gajar ka halwa recipe to make this gajar barfi. Also, I have used jaggery instead of sugar to get a more dark color in the barfi. This is a quick recipe and does not take much time apart from grating carrots. Nowadays, we get grated carrots also in the department stores like big basket. 

Ingredients:  

1. Gajar / Carrot - grated two cup

2. Milk Powder - 1 cup (100 gram)

3. Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp

4. Nuts - 1 tsp (chopped)

5. Kaju / Cashew nut - 1 tsp (finely chopped)

6. Pistachios - 1/2 tsp (10-12 - chopped)

7. Ghee - for cooking 

8. Jaggery powder - 1/2 cup

Process:   

  

1. Rinse, peel and then grate 300 grams carrots. In cup measurement, you will need 2 cups grated carrots.

2. Grease a pan or tray with ½ tsp ghee and keep aside to use later.

3. Now,  in a kadai or thick bottomed pan, melt 2 tsp ghee and add grated carrot and mix well on low to medium flame, with frequent stirring sauté the carrots till they are almost cooked. It would take about 10 to 12 minutes.

4. Add 1 cup milk powder (100 to 105 grams). Mix the milk powder with the carrots very well. Sauté for a minute and add ⅓ cup jaggery powder and ½ tsp cardamom powder. Also add nuts and chopped cashew into this mixture and mix all the ingredients very well.

5.The mixture will loosen up as the jaggery melts. Continue to sauté with frequent stirrings for about 7 to 9 minutes on a low to medium flame. For more firm and dense consistency in the barfi, you can cook for more 10 to 12 minutes.

6. When the mixture thickens and reduces, its time to switch off the flame. a test is to take a small mixture and cool it. Then roll into a small ball. It should easily form a ball. Immediately, pour the barfi mixture in the greased pan and with a spatula or spoon smoothen the top part. 

7.Sprinkle chopped pistachios (10 to 12 pistachios) on top and gently press them with a spoon or spatula on the halwa. You can also use any other dry fruits instead of pistachios.

Cover and allow the barfi to cool and set at room temperature. You can also keep in the fridge after the barfi cools down at room temperature. 

Slice and Serve carrot barfi. 

STRAWBERRY CUSTARD PUDDING

This is the most delicious and heavenly pudding that I have made today for dessert. I love strawberry, as a fruit, but never liked the flavor of strawberry in food, hence some twist here. Do try this 3 step easy recipe, I bet you are going to love this.

Ingredients

1. Strawberry custard powder - 3 tsp
2. Milk - 2 cup
3. Sugar - 1/2 cup
4. Cornflour - 2 tsp
5. Coconut dust 

Process:

1. Mix all the ingredients (except coconut dust) in a mixing bowl. Give a good mix, there should not be any lumps. 

2. Boil till it gets thick. Grease a glassware tray and sprinkle some coconut dust in the tray. Then add the custard in this tray in even form and sprinkle some more coconut dust. Keep it in the refrigerator and let it cool for 3 hours. 

3. Cut into pieces and serve chilled.You can garnish with some pistachios or other dry fruits also.

MANGO PHIRNI

Phirni is an Indian rice pudding made by cooking ground rice with milk, hence mango phirni is a mango twist on this classic dessert. It is a rice pudding made using rice and flavored with mango puree. It is usually flavored with saffron and garnished with lots of nuts and mango pieces. Unlike normal "Payesh" which uses whole rice, phirni uses ground rice and therefore, it is quick to make. Here is my version of easy recipe.

Ingredients:

1. Milk - 1 litre (full cream milk)

2. Rice - 1/3 cup

3. Saffron - 1 pinch

4. Sugar - as per taste

5. Mango puree - 1 cup

6. Nuts - to garnish

Process:

1. Wash and soak rice for an hour. Drain the water and blend the rice in a blender to make a coarse powder.

2. In a heavy bottom pan, add milk and let the milk come to boil. Add the powdered rice and saffron to the milk. Keep stirring the phirni throughout while cooking, otherwise the rice will stick at the bottom of the pan.

3. Simmer the heat and cool till the milk is reduced to 1/2 and phirni has reached the desired consistency. (Note : the phirni will further thicken on cooling)

4. Add sugar and cook for a minute before switching off the heat. Let the phirni cool down in room temperature.
5. Add mango puree in the phirni only once it is completely cooked. Transfer the phirni in earthen bowls (if not available, use regular bowls) and garnish with nuts and mango pieces and let it chill for a few hours before serving.