AMRAKHAND (MANGO IN SHRIKHAND) & A GIFT FOR WINNER FROM MEENA BHATIA

Hellow friends,

Meena Bhatia of Homely Food celebrated her 2nd Blog Anniversary Event and Giveaway, a very successful event which ran in between 4th April, 2013 to 19th May, 2013. I couldn't believe my eyes and totally spellbound, when Meena decleared me as the Winner of this event (please CHECK HERE). I was really so glad and boundless happiness with me on that very moment. 

My heartfelt thanks to you, Meena dear. Hats off to your efforts and indeed a great job done by you. We all enjoyed and relished your each and every dishes. Now those are listed as frequent menus in my kitchen. Thanks a lot for those delicious recipes dear.

I am truelly honoured by you dearie. Loved your gift 'Tupperware Lunch Boxes Set' so much, it is very useful and looks so pretty. Thank you so much Meena for your support throughout the  process and being with me.

So friends, here celebrating this award (gift) with a traditional mouthwatering yummy dessert, 'Amrakhand'................ A shrinkhand is an Indian dessert made by mixing thick and creamy stained yogurt with sugar, cardamom powder and saffron. You can mixed seasonal tropical fruit Mango to make to Amrakhand (mango in shrikhand). Shrikhand is originated from Maharashtra, but very popular dessert in Rajasthan and Gujarat too. It involves no cooking. It is a transformation of simple yogurt to a luscious dessert. We enjoyed 'Aam Shrikhand' so much that I have made it several times in this season. Cardamom and saffron flavours really worked well. So here is the simple recipe, hope you all will enjoy well.

INGREDIENTS:
1 Cup Plain Yogurt / Thick Curd
1 Cup Powdered Sugar
1 Cup Mango Pulp (Preferably Alphonso Mango)
1/4 tsp Green Cardamom Powder
1 tbsp Cashewnuts (chopped)
1 tbsp Almonds (chopped)
1 tbsp Pistachios (sliced)
Few Strands of Saffron

METHOD:
Place a muslin cloth on a sieve. Pour yogurt in it and stain out water from it or you may hang it over the kitchen sink. So that all excess water should drain out.
Whisk powdered sugar with hanged yogurt, till both are well blended.
In a blender, put mango pulp, cardamom powder and saffron. Blend for 2-3 minutes to make a smooth puree.
Mix mango puree with yogurt now. Add chopped nuts in it. Fold nicely.
Keep it in refrigerator for 2-3 hours before serving. Serve chilled by garnishing chopped nuts on the top. You can preserve it in a air-tight container and keep in refrigerator for 2 weeks.

Sending to: Authentic Indian Sweets @ Nivedhanam

SUGAR FREE EGGLESS CHOCOLATE PUDDING

Today I am going to present an eggless butterless and sugar free chocolate pudding. I adapted this easy recipe from my 'Mom', who is an fantastic cook. Though my father was an diabetic patient, my mom used to make different kinds of sugar free dessert for 'him'. The crunchy nuts made it more flavourful. Trust me, it tastes great and fabulous!

INGREDIENTS:
2 Cups Skim Milk
3 tbsps Corn Starch
1/4 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1 tsp Vanilla Essence
1 tbsp Honey + Honey for topping
Few Cashewnut & Almonds (chopped)
16-18 Sugar Free Gold Tablets

METHOD:
Heat milk in a sauce pan.

When it starts to boil, turn off the heat. Let it cool down a little. Add cocoa powder and sugar free tablets in it. Whisk continuously.

Pour corn starch and honey in it. Whisk continuously, there should not be any lump.

Pour vanilla essence in it. Mix nicely.

Arrange chopped nuts on the bottom of the ramekins. Pour the milk mixture equally on 6 greased ramekins. Place ramekins into your refrigerator for 2-4 four hours.

Now take out each pudding on a plate.

Pour 1 tbsp honey on the top and serve immediately.

NOTE: Corn flour and cocoa powder will form lumps easilly, to avoid
           this don't over boil milk, it must be in room temperature.
Sending to the following events:

@ Guru's Giveaway Summer ’13 Drinks & Desserts

@  Foodelicious Cook Like Mom event

@ Jagruti's Mom's event- Food She Loved

@ Only chilled or frozen desserts @ Foodelicious.

EGGLESS VANILLA CUSTARD CAKE

Recipe Source & Acknowledgement: Homely Food
A delicious eggless vanilla cake made with all purpose flour and custard powder.   First time I made cake with custard powder, trust me it tastes fabulous!

INGREDIENTS:
1 Cup All Purpose Flour (maida)
3/4 Cup Vanilla Custard Powder
3/4 Cup Sugar (powdered)
1 tsp Baking Powder
3/4 Cup Vegetable Oil
1/2 Cup Water
1 tsp Vanilla Essence

METHOD:
Sieve All purpose flour, vanilla custard powder and baking powder. Set aside.

Now take sugar in a bowl, add oil in it. Mix well. Add water and beat well again.

Add flour, curtard powder, baking powder little by little. Mix well till it well combined.

Add vanilla essence. Mix nicely.

Preheat oven to 180 C / 350 F for 10 minutes. Dust a greased baking tray with flour. Pour the cake mixture on it. 

Keep it in oven and bake for 35 mins, till a toothpick inserts and comes out clean.

Serve and enjoy!!!

Sending to: Homely Food Event / Giveaway

RAVA KESARI

Recipe Source & Acknowledgement: Homely Food
'Rava Kesari' is an easy, basic and flavoursome Indian sweet dish. If you have unexpected guests, do this quick fix dessert, it is really mouth-melting.

INGREDIENTS:
1 Cup Semolina (sooji/rava)
1/2 Cup Sugar
1&1/2 Cup Water
A pinch of Orange Food Colour
1/3 Cup Clarified Butter (ghee)
6-7 Strands of Saffron
1 tsp Cardamom Powder
Dry Fruits for Garnishing

METHOD:
Boil the water and add the food colour in it. In another pan, heat 1 tbsp clarified butter, slightly fry the dry fruits and keep aside. Heat 3 tbsps clarified butter in the same pan, add semolina in it. Fry for few minutes, till it changes slight colour.

Add boiled water little by little and stirring the semolina same time, there should not be any lumps.

Add sugar now, keep stirring continuously. Add little clarified butter this time, sugar melts and semolina leaves the side of the pan.

Finally, add saffron and cardamom powder, fold nicely.

Serve garnished with dry fruits.

Sending to: Homely Food Event / Giveaway; Jagruti's Mom's event- Food She Loved; Authentic Indian Sweets @ Nivedhanam

AAM RAS WITH POORIS

Recipe Source & Acknowledgement: Homely Food
It's better not to say anything about aam ras. Litterally 'aam ras' means mango juice. It is more than a juice, a luscious, gorgeous, sweet and tasty mango delicacy, goes well with pooris.

INGREDIENTS:
2 Cups Mango Pulp (Alphonso)
1/2 Cup Sugar or as per sweetness of mango
1/2 Cup Milk
1/4 tsp Cardamom Powder
A Pinch of Saffron (optional)

METHOD:
Combine mango pulp, sugar, saffron, cardamom powder and milk in a jar. Blend all together for 60 to 90 seconds.

Pour in Serving bowls, keep in refrigerator for 1-2 hours before serving. Served chilled with warm pooris.

Sending to: Jagruti's Mom's event- Food She Loved; Authentic Indian Sweets @ Nivedhanam

GULAB SHEERA (ROSE FLAVOURED SEMOLINA HALWA)

When guests came in our house with a short time notice, my mom oftenly made this easy dessert for them, that is nothing but 'sooji halwa' with rose flavouring. It was truelly very hit on that time and everyone relished it. As I saw this mouthwatering easiest dessert on Homely Food, so could resist myself to prepare this delicious sweet dish.  

INGREDIENTS:
1 Cup Semolina (sooji/rava)
1/2 Cup Sugar (or as needed)
2 tbsps Rose Syrup
A pinch of Cardamom Powder
2 tbsps Clarified Butter (ghee)
Raisins & Cashewnuts For Garnishing
Water as needed

METHOD:

Heat clarified butter and roast semolina for few minutes. Take care, not to make it brown.

Boil water on side, once sooji is roasted, add water and rose syrup. Stir continuously till semolina is cooked. Halwa would look pink at this stage.

Add sugar and mix well. 

Keep stirring until it leaves the edges.

Remove on plate. Garnish with dry fruits of your choice. Serve hot.

Linking to:  Homely Food Event / Giveaway

Linking to: Jagruti's Mom's event- Food She Loved

Linking to: Authentic Indian Sweets @ Nivedhanam