My Guest post in Deepa's blog

My Dear friend Deepa has a wonderful blog Foodlyrics with great collection of recipes. She has started really nice initiative of Guest blogging. Every Wednesday she has reserved her blog for guest post. I am really excited that this Wednesday my post is published as guest post in her blog. I have posted a dessert loved by all of us! Please check it at http://www.foodlyrics.com/?p=875

 Its really humbling to have my post in Deepa's blog! Thanks alot Deepa. Do explore her amazing blog http://www.foodlyrics.com/

Ukadiche Modak ( Steamed dumplings filled with coconut & jaggery mixture) plus an Award :)

Sankashti Chaturthi is a fourth day of Krishna Paksha(Dark fortnight) during every month in Hindu Calendar. Sankashti which falls on Tuesday is known as specially auspicious. It is called as "Angaraki Chaturthi". This last tuesday was Angaraki chaturthi. On Angaraki Chaturthi many observe fast and have their meal only after moon rise. This is a day we pray to Lord Ganesha. And Ganesh Puja is incomplete without offering of his favorite Modak. This sweet is always prepared as prasad on Ganesh Chaturthi. Ukadiche (Steamed) Modak are Maharashtra's wonderful delicacy. Just looking at these Modaks brings smile on my face :)

Another thing which brought smile to my face was these beautiful Awards shared with me by my dear blogger friend Jyoti (http://theveggiehut.blogspot.com/). Thank you so much Jyoti! You have such a lovely blog. Thanks alot for remembering me. So Sweet of you!

Here goes the recipe!
Ingredients:
1 cup fresh grated coconut
1 cup crushed jaggery
1 cup rice flour
3-4 tsp oil
salt

Method:

1. First we need to prepare filling. For that, in deep kadhai take grated coconut and jaggery. Heat this mixture over low-medium heat.
2. Keep stirring this frequently. Soon jaggery will start melting. Heat this till jaggery and coconut mixes properly and nice homogeneous mixture is formed. Turn off the heat and let this mixture cool down.Our filling is ready now!
3. Now we need to make cover. Make this just before you want to prepare modak. We can not prepare and keep this dough aside.
4. In a deep kadhai bring to boil 1 cup of water. When it starts boiling add 2 tsp oil and 1/2 tsp salt.
5. Lower the heat and add rice flour immediately. While you are adding rice flour , keep stirring mixture with other hand. Mix this quickly taking care that lumps are not formed. Cover with a lid for a minute.
6. Switch off the heat and take dough in a plate. Apply oil to your palms. Now when dough is still hot, knead well. Don't forget to apply oil on hands. Knead this dough properly so that no cracks are present on dough.
7. Cover dough immediately. Take care that dough is warm till we complete preparing modak.
8. Make a lemon sized ball of this dough. Keep remaining dough covered. Apply little oil to hands. With both hands, flatten ball of dough to make it in a shape of Puri. Thickness should be little thicker than puri.
9. Keep coconut filling( approximately 1 1/2 tbsp) at the center of this.
10. Pinch edges at 4-5 places. Bring all edges together at the center and close them at the top. Make remaining modak with the same procedure.

     11. For steaming, take a stainless still sieve and apply little oil to its bottom. Keep modaks inside this sieve taking care they do not stick to each other.

     12.  In deep vessel add water so that vessel is filled 1/4 th. Keep sieve with Modaks on top of the vessel.
     13. Cover sieve with a lid. Heat vessel for 10-12 minutes till Modak get steamed.

Delicious Modaks are ready. Serve hot with ghee on the top.

Preparation time: 1 hour

TilGul (Sesame seeds Jaggery sweet)

Tomorrow i.e. 14th January is an auspicious day of Makar Sankranti and Pongal festival. Sankranti is a day when Sun makes a transition to Capricorn (Makar) sign. Days will start getting longer and warmer now.  This day marks as a beginning of auspicious time in Hindu culture. This is a major harvest festival in India.

Wishing all of you a very Happy Sankranti and Pongal!! 

But my Sankranti wishes are incomplete without Tilgul. Tilgul is a sweet prepared from Sesame seeds and Jaggery. This is a day when tilgul is exchanged among friends saying "Tilgul ghya ani god god bola". Literally this  means "Take tilgul and speak sweet". True meaning behind this saying is to forget all the resentment we may have and being sweet with everybody. This is a day to strengthen the bond of friendship.

So all my dear friends, very warm wishes to all of you on Sankranti! Let our friendship become stronger and sweeter always!! Tilgul ghya ani god god bola!!!

Ingredients:

1 cup white sesame seeds
1 cup grated jaggery
1/4 cup groundnuts powder
3 tbsp shredded dry coconut
1 tbsp ghee

Method:

1. Dry roast sesame seeds on medium heat till they turn golden in color.
2. Grind sesame seeds to coarse powder.
3. Grease plate with ghee and keep aside.
4. In deep kadhai add jaggery, 2 tbsp water and 1 tbsp ghee.
5. Heat it on low-medium flame till jaggery melts. Keep stirring continuously.
6. When jaggery melts completely lower the heat to minimum. Add sesame seeds and groundnut powder immediately.
7. Mix this properly till nice lump is formed. As soon as lump is formed switch off the heat.
8. Put this lump on plate which we have greased earlier. Apply ghee to your palms and pat this lump to flatten it evenly. We need to do this when mixture is hot so take care of your hands by applying ghee nicely. Or you can use flat surface of katori to pat.
9. Once you flattened the mixture, spread shredded coconut on surface immediately. This way as the surface is hot, coconut sticks to it.
10. Immediately, mark out the pieces in square shape with knife. Take out pieces when they cool down completely.

Enjoy this sweet tilgul and make your Sankranti festival sweeter.

This is my entry to Priya's Cooking with seeds-Sesame seeds event.


Preparation time: 30 minutes

Shevaya Kheer (Vermicelli kheer/pudding)

Shevaya/vermicelli kheer is one dessert which make quite frequent appearances in my home. I love it for its simplicity and yet such a rich taste. It is always served as 'Naivedyam', for auspicious days such as Gauri-Ganpati Pujan. 

This is one sweet which you can enjoy both during meal and after the meal. You can serve it hot with puri/chapathi. Or you can keep it in fridge and enjoy as a chilled dessert relaxing on your sofa.

Recipe for this homely dessert is very simple. Only one thing you need to consider is that, once kheer starts cooling down it becomes thick. So you need to adjust milk quantity depending on whether you like it thick or not. At my home we like it little bit thick.

Ingredients:
1 cup vermicelli/shevaya (broken)
4 1/2 cup milk
1/2 - 3/4 cup sugar ( adjust to your taste)
3 tbsp ghee
1 tbsp badam/almonds cut into small pieces
1 tbsp split cashews
1 tbsp raisins

Method:

1. Heat one tbsp ghee and fry almonds,raisins and cashews for 3-4 minutes. Keep it aside.
2. Heat remaining ghee and fry vermicelli till it turns golden.
3. Heat milk in deep vessel.
4. Once milk starts boiling add vermicelli. Keep stirring frequently till kheer is completely done.
5. Add sugar.
6. After few minutes, you can taste and adjust sugar to your liking. Let mixture simmer till vermicelli gets cooked nicely.
7. Add cashews, raisins and almonds. Delicious kheer is ready!

Preparation time: 20-25 minutes

Simple Butter Sponge Cake

We have bid adieu to 2009 and welcomed 2010 with open hearts. I hope you all had rocking celebrations on new years eve and wish all of you get many more reasons to celebrate in 2010.  With this new year I am giving a new refreshing look to my blog. Hoping you all like it!!

We had a small get together at friend's home on new years eve. I made this butter sponge cake for it. I am a beginner in baking. I made this cake with all the basic ingredients.It is simple to make and still it is very yummy.

Ingredients:

1 cup maida
1 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup butter
3 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp vanilla essence

Method:

1. Sieve maida.
2. Melt butter in microwave. 
3. Add powdered sugar in melted butter. Whisk it for ten mins till it mixes properly.
4. In separate bowl beat eggs for eight-ten minutes.
5. Add these eggs in butter-sugar mixture. Stir this again for ten-fifteen minutes till uniform mixture is formed.
6. Add vanilla essence and baking powder.
7. Add 2 tbsp maida and mix well. Keep adding 2 tbsp maida at a time and whisking it properly. While stirring always stir in one direction only.
8. Apply ghee to a baking bowl. Pour cake mixture in it. Preheat oven on 190 degree celcious ( 375 degree fahrenheit). Bake cake for 30 minutes.

Preparation time :  75 minutes