MyMusingsSangSpeak-Pet Puja - Banana Coconut Halwa

Banana Coconut Halwa

Banana Coconut Halwa is a traditional Indian dessert with a lip smacking taste and you are left wanting more of it. My mother had learnt this recipe in her cookery course and it is one of my favorites. The combination of bananas and coconut is a classic one. It is extremely simple to make and can be made in a jiffy literally.

Ingredients

Bananas (ripe) - 5-6 nos

Jaggery - 1 cup

Fresh grated coconut - 1 cup

Ghee - 2 tablespoons

Khoya (Mawa) - 100 gms

Cardamom Powder (optional) - 1/4teaspoon
Dry fruits for garnish(optional)

Method

Heat ghee in a pan and add mashed bananas and fry well by stirring. Once you get the aroma of nicely sautéed bananas, add jaggery and grated coconut and cook for about 4-5 minutes till jaggery dissolves. Add khoya and cook for further 5 minutes. Once the ghee starts separating, remove from fire and add cardamom powder. This halwa can be served hot or chilled, it tastes good both ways.

Note - Preparation time is approximately half hour to 40 minutes. This quantity is sufficient for 4-5 persons. If khoya is not readily available, use milk cream.

MyMusingsSangSpeak-Pet Puja - Faarsi Pudding

Faarsi Pudding

Faarsi Pudding is a delicately flavoured delicious Persian dessert. I learnt this pudding from my mother, who had learnt it in a cookery class. I like this sweet dish because of its luscious taste. It is an easy recipe to make and resembles the rice phirni, only in place of rice, suji (semolina) is used. 

Ingredients

Suji - 2 tablespoons

Ghee - 1 teaspoon

Milk - 1 litre

Sugar - 1½ cup

Khoya - 100 gms

Cashewnuts - 75 gms

Raisins - 75 gms

Cardamom Powder - 1 teaspoon

Rose Water - 1 teaspoon

Rose Petals - 10-12(dried or fresh) 

Method

Heat ghee and suji in a pan just for a minute and add milk. Bring to a boil by constantly stirring, let the suji cook for about 7-10 minutes. Powder the cashewnuts finely in a grinder. Add sugar and powdered cashewnuts to the suji milk mixture and stir continuously for further 10 minutes. Add crumbled Khoya and cook for about 5 minutes more. Remove from heat, add cardamom powder and rose water. Allow to cool. Add raisins and chill in the refrigerator. Garnish with rose petals and serve chilled.

Note - Preparation time is approximately 30-35 minutes. This quantity should suffice 5-6 persons.

MyMusingsSangSpeak-Pet Puja - Paneer Bhurji (Cottage Cheese Scramble)

Paneer Bhurji (Cottage Cheese Scramble)

Paneer Bhurji is one of the simplest yet most tasty Punjabi recipes. It is vegetarian recipe and resembles the Anda Bhurji a lot. Paneer Bhurji will taste better if you prepare the paneer (cottage cheese) at home. Paneer is made by tearing the milk (this is the literal English translation of Dudh Phaadnaa in Hindi language); jokes apart, it is actually curdling milk by boiling and adding some acidic agent.

Ingredients

Milk - Half litre

Lemon juice - 1 teaspoon (You can substitute with white vinegar)

Onion - 1 chopped

Tomato- 1 medium chopped

Oil - 1 tablespoon

Mustard Seeds - ¼ teaspoon

Turmeric Powder - ¼ teaspoon

Red Chilly Powder - ¼ teaspoon

Garam Masala Powder - ¼ teaspoon

Salt - As per taste

Fresh Coriander leaves - 1 teaspoon, finely chopped (optional)

Method

Bring milk to a boil and add lemon juice/vinegar. Boil for further 1-2 minutes so that the milk is completely curdled. Allow to cool and strain. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds splutter, add chopped onions and fry till they become slightly brown. Now add paneer, chopped tomatoes, turmeric, red chilly, garam masala and salt and stir fry for about 3-4 minutes. Add chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with rotis.

Note - Preparation time is about half hour. This quantity is sufficient for 2 people.

MyMusingsSangSpeak-Pet Puja - Panchrangi Daal

Panchrangi Daal

“Daal Roti Khao Prabhu ke Guun Gaao”, the famous saying holds true for nearly all Indians. The meaning of the saying is eating the pulse soup and bread and singing praises of the Lord. Daal Roti is kind of staple diet for us all. Daal is prepared in many styles in different states and households across the country. Sometimes it will be bland (pheeki), sometimes with chaunkh (phodani/tempering), sometimes with different vegetables and sometimes a combo of many daals and spices. Panchrangi Daal is a combination of 5 types of Daals (pulses). As it combines the goodness of so many pulses, it is wholesome and nutritious. It is an easy to prepare dish and tastes really good with Roti/Chapati as well as rice.

Ingredients

Note - All pulses are split and without cover

Tuvar/Arhar/Pigeon Peas - 1½ tablespoon

Chana/Bengal Gram - ½ tablespoon           

Masoor/Red Lentils - 1½ tablespoon

Moong/Green Gram - 1½ tablespoon

Urad/ Black Gram - 1½ tablespoon

Water- about one and half litre

Turmeric Powder - 1 teaspoon

Asafoetida - ¼ teaspoon

Cumin Powder - ½ teaspoon

Coriander Powder - ½ teaspoon

Salt - As per taste

Garam Masala - 1 teaspoon

Red Chilly Powder - 1 teaspoon

Ghee - 2 tablespoons

Onions - 2 medium (cleaned and sliced lengthwise)

Tomatoes - 2 medium (cleaned and sliced lengthwise)

Ginger Garlic Paste - 1½ teaspoon

Coriander Leaves - 2 tablespoons (finely chopped)

Method

Wash all pulses and add asafoetida, turmeric, cumin, coriander and turmeric powders, salt and approximately one litre of water and pressure cook for about 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat, allow the pressure to release and churn the daal lightly. Heat a pan, add ghee, and sauté the onions till light brown. Add ginger garlic paste, sliced tomatoes and sauté for further 3-4 minutes. Add garam masala, red chilly powder and remove from fire. Add this to the cooked daal mixture and add some water and bring to a boil. Finally add chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with roti/rice.

Note- Preparation time is about 45 minutes.

This quantity is sufficient for about 5-6 persons.

You may use Daals with covers too, the dish will become more nutritious and tasty.
https://mymusings-sangita.blogspot.in/2015/01/pet-puja-garam-masala.html

MyMusingsSangSpeak-Pet Puja - Modak

Modak(Fried)

Modak- Ganpati Bappa’s favourite Naivedya-Prasaad. Modaks are universally liked by Lord Ganesha and his worshippers. It is a traditional delicacy which is essentially prepared on Ganesh Chaturthi day as offering to the Lord. Modaks are made in various ways- they may be steamed or fried, the cover varies as per the style of cooking. The filling also varies as per the cooking method. The common ingredient is of course fresh coconut.

In the fried modaks, wheat semolina or refined flour is used for the outer covering and in the steamed modaks, rice flour is used for the outer covering. The filling of the steamed modaks is generally made of jaggery and fresh coconut, whilst the filling of fried modaks is made of sugar and fresh coconut.

Nowadays you get a variety of modaks with different kinds of fillings- dry fruits, gulkand etc.

Ingredients

For the Filling

Fresh Coconut - 1 whole, grated

Sugar - 1¼ cup

Khoya/ Mawa - 125 gms

Ghee - 1 teaspoon

Cardamom Powder - ½ teaspoon

Poppy Seeds - 1 tablespoon

For the outer Covering

Fine Semolina/Suji - 1 cup

Refined flour/ Maida - ½ cup

Milk - Approx ½ cup

Salt - ¼ teaspoon

Ghee - 1 teaspoon

Oil - Approx 200-250 ml for frying

Method

Roast poppy seeds lightly and grind into a coarse powder and set aside. Heat a pan and roast the grated coconut lightly in the ghee, add sugar and allow to cook till the sugar solution reduces. Stir continuously. Add khoya and keep stirring as khoya gets burnt easily. The mixture should homogenize and leave the sides of the utensil. Add roasted poppy seed and cardamom powders and set aside to cool.

Mix semolina, refined flour, salt, ghee and milk to form stiff dough, cover and set aside for about half hour. Knead the dough for about 7-10 minutes before using. Make small balls and roll them into puris. Now place little filling on every puri and close from top by folding to form modak. 

Heat oil in a pan and fry the modaks on medium fire till the outer covering turns to a nice brown colour. Remove and allow to cool.