Nuts - Dry Fruits Milkshake

Here is a rich, creamy and nutritious milkshake that can be put together under five minutes. It is prepared using a combination of nuts and dry fruits which makes it a yummy drink. This milkshake can be used as a breakfast or brunch beverage or even as a quick fix energy booster anytime of the day. This is apt for kids like my daughter who drinks only milk and never eat any breakfast. 

I keep the recipe simple by grinding nuts and dry fruits with just milk. I used dairy milk but it can be made vegan by substituting any non dairy milk like almond, soy or coconut based one. I add about 1/4 cup each of nuts and dry fruits for each cup of milk used. Any combination of nuts and dry fruits of one's choice can go into this drink. I added almonds, cashews, pistachios, raisins and dates here. There is no need to add any extra sugar in the recipe as the sweetness lent by dry fruits is enough.

This post is an entry for Blogging Marathon and check what other marathoners are cooking, clicking at the link.

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Sweet Potato Kheer

This post was originally published in 2009 and needed some revamping both in terms of content and images. I had posted a microwave version but I am updating with the stove-top method too. 

Kheer / payasam is a popular and quick to cook dessert from Indian cuisine. It is equivalent to the pudding recipe from the western world sans eggs. Rice, vermicelli, sago/tapioca pearls, and split chickpeas versions are the most common and traditional kheers prepared across India. There are though several other delicious versions and kheers are mostly easy to prepare. The basic preparation of a kheer remains the same. A grain / lentil / vegetable / other ingredient is cooked in milk and sweetened with sugar or jaggery. Dairy milk is most commonly used though other milks like coconut milk, almond milk can be easily substituted in the recipe. Whole milk adds richness to a kheer but replacing it with half and half or a splash of condensed milk makes it festive. Cardamom is the most common flavor used in south India while saffron, kewra essence and rose water are other flavoring agents that go in north Indian style kheers. A garnish of ghee toasted dry fruits and nuts finishes the dish.

I love simple kheers like carrot / chayote / dates that sound special and unusual. I sometimes combine half & half to my kheers for the extra richness. These are some of the kheers that I have already posted on my blog. The first time I prepared this sweet potato kheer was for my guests who had hard time guessing the contents of the kheer and were bowled over by it's taste. I had never heard about sweet potato kheer before that and it was an experiment done on a whim. I use the pink fleshed sweet potato that is common in USA to make this kheer. The color of this chilled kheer is just because of the yam and no saffron was added. It can be cooked with the Indian variety sweet potato too but the sugar quantity in the recipe needs adjustment as it is a more sweeter variety. This is so delicious that it can be served to guests or can be included in festive meals. It can also be cooked during vrat / fasting since sweet potato is allowed during the period.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. ghee

1/2 cup peeled & shredded sweet potato 
1.5 cups whole milk or as needed (or substitute with half & half for more richer version.) 

3 - 4 tbsp. sugar or to taste
Seeds ground from 2 cardamom pods / 2 pinches of ground cardamom
1 tbsp. cashews and raisins for garnishing (optional)

(For the original microwave version, I had used a tbsp. of ghee and 1.5 tbsp. sugar.)

Stove-top method:

* Heat ghee in a pan and add cashews and raisins. Toast them until raisins turn plump and cashews turn golden brown. Remove them with a slotted spoon and transfer them to a small bowl.

* Add grated sweet potato to the same ghee and sauté for 5 - 6 minutes, stirring continuously. 

* Next add milk to the pan and cook until sweet potato softens. (It doesn't tale much time.)

* Next add sugar and ground cardamom and cook until the sugar melts. Turn off the stove.

* Garnish with toasted cashews and raisins. 

* I usually serve it chilled but it can be served both warm or chilled.

Microwave version:
* Mix the ghee and the shredded sweet potato in a microwave safe bowl and cook it for a couple of minutes in the microwave. Remove and stir the contents once in between. 

* Add 3/4 cup of milk to the bowl and mix well. Put the bowl back in the microwave and cook until the sweet potato is almost done. Check once in between and if the milk has been absorbed by the sweet potato, add some more. (It may take about 3 - 4 minutes.) 

* Add sugar, remaining milk, and cardamom to the bowl. Mix well and put it back in the microwave and cook for a couple of minutes or until the sweet potato is cooked. Garnish with nuts/raisins if using. Stir well before serving. This kheer can be served warm or cold.
 
Note:
1. For diabetic-friendly version, omit the sugar and add a little sweetener to the bowl just before serving.

2. The time to cook the kheer in a microwave may vary depending upon the strength of the microwave. Use your discretion and cook accordingly.

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Burfi - Bread Pudding

 
This pudding was randomly mentioned in an online article that I read sometime ago. There was no mention of the quantities of ingredients or any specific recipe though the idea of using burfis in the pudding stuck with me for years now. Burfis are Indian variety sweets that are usually nuts or flour based and are usually square shaped. This pudding can be prepared using any leftover burfi or mithais you have on hand. I used chickpea flour based burfi / besan burfi here. 

This pudding is a great way to recycle those burfis / mithais you have lying around untouched after any festival / celebration. All you need to prepare this really tasty and fuss free pudding are some left over burfis, bread slices and milk. Here is how I prepared this quick and easy dessert.

Ingredients: (Yield 2 servings)
3 burfi pieces
1 & 1/2 bread slices
1.5 cups milk
Nuts / Dry fruits to garnish

Method:
* Pulse the burfis and bread slices into a coarse mixture in a food processor. Do not grind them fine.
* Heat the milk in a sauce pan and bring it to a boil. Add the burfi - bread mixture and nuts to the milk and cook for a minute.
* Turn off the stove and bring the cooked pudding to room temperature. Chill it before serving.

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Meethi Sakrouri / Boondi ki Kheer

This boondi ki kheer was part of the Bihari thaali that I posted back in September. This is supposedly a traditional Mithila sweet and goes by the regional name meethi sakrouri. This kheer contains boondi, the tiny balls of chickpea flour that are deep fried which makes it a special one. Boondi can be prepared from scratch or store bought boondi can be used which makes the kheer preparation quite a simple and easy task. The milk needs to be reduced until it thickens and then cooked further after addition of boondi and sugar. The dish is finished with a generous garnishing of nuts which makes the kheer more inviting.

Ingredients:

4 cups full-fat milk

Sugar / sweetener to taste (I added about 6 Stevia packets.)

Plain boondi as needed 

1/8 tsp. ground cardamom

Coarsely chopped nuts to garnish

Directions:

* Boil milk in a non stick pan or a thick bottomed pan on low heat setting. Continue to cook until the milk quantity reduces to about 3 cups.

* Add sugar and cook further until the sugar is melted completely.

* Next add boondi, cardamom and nuts to the milk. Cook for 4 -5 minutes more and turn off the stove. The boondi soften and slightly plump up by the time.  

* Serve the kheer immediately.

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Navaratri Naivedyam ~ Milk Rava Kesari

Semolina halwa is a delicious sweet dish prepared across India. It is popular enough to be a festive treat or a part of religious offerings and quick enough to whip up as a treat to satiate one's sweet tooth or to serve as a part of the breakfast meal. In fact, rava kesari is one of the naivedyams offered to Goddess on the sixth day of Dasara / Navratri. 

It is one of the easiest dishes to try if venturing into Indian sweet making. It is called sooji ka halwa / sheera in the north while the south Indian twist to this dish is the addition of orange food color where it is called rava kesari or kesari bhath, kesari referring to the orange color. 

Semolina is toasted in a generous amount of ghee and then cooked in water and sugar usually. My version today is made with milk which makes it richer. For a vegan version, milk can be replaced by water and the raisins and cashews can be toasted in a little oil or can be directly added to the boiling water, without toasting. The orange food color is optional as well. I have made a small portion here but the recipe can be easily doubled or mulitiplied. 

Ingredients:
2 tbsp. ghee (Add more if preferred)
1 tsp. each, raisins and cashews
1/4 cup semolina
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp. milk
1/8 tsp. ground cardamom
Few drops of orange food color
1/4 cup sugar (Add 1 tbsp. more if sweeter version preferred.)

Directions:

* Pour milk into a pan and bring it to a boil on low flame, stirring occasionally. Add cardamom and food color if using to the hot milk and stir.

* Meanwhile, heat ghee in a pan and add cashews and raisins. Toast until cashews turn golden brown and raisins are plump. Remove the raisins and cashews with a slotted spoon onto a plate and keep them aside.

* Add semolina to the same ghee pan. Toast on medium flame continuously stirring until it starts to change color slightly and the aroma starts coming, about 3 - 4 minutes. 

*  Lower the heat setting to minimum and add the toasted semolina to the milk pan, continuously stirring the mixture while doing so to avoid any lumps from forming. Cover and cook until semolina is done.

* Next stir in sugar and cook until all the sugar is absorbed by the mixture. Add the toasted cashews and raisins to it and mix well.

* Serve it warm.

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Green Peas Kheer / Matar Ki Kheer

Kheer made with peas may sound unusual and even weird if one has never heard about it. However matar ki kheer aka green peas kheer is a traditional dish that is cooked in parts of north India. I had known about this kheer for years but I too had been skeptical since I wasn't sure whether I would favor green peas in a sweet dish. I put my apprehensions away this time as I had tried a kheer with field beans recently and really liked it. Besides, I had loads of frozen peas. 

The kheer is a perfect one if you are planning to floor your family or guests without slaving in front of the stove. I am really glad that I gave this kheer a try. It is so delicious that it has become one of my favorite kheers now. No one can beat you if you start playing a guessing game with this kheer. My kids could not guess at all what went in and my daughter, who avoids peas kept leaning towards pistachio because of the color and loved it. 

The kheer preparation involves the usual, simple steps. There is no need for any fancy ingredients to prepare this kheer. All you need are milk, sugar and fresh / frozen peas. Peas are ground to a paste and cooked in milk until it slightly thickens. Be sure to prepare a large quantity of this delicious kheer or else be ready to regret it.

Ingredients: (Yield - 2 servings)
1 cup fresh / frozen green peas (I used frozen ones.)
2 tsp. ghee
1.5 cups milk
Sugar to taste
2 pinches of  ground cardamom
Chopped nuts to garnish

Directions:
* Grind the peas finely / slightly coarsely using water if needed. 

* Heat ghee in a pan, preferably a non-stick one and add the ground peas puree. Saute it on low flame until the raw smell of the peas disappear, about 8 to 10 minutes.

* Add milk and cook it, stirring intermittently until it reduces to 3/4th the original quantity or a little thicker. Leave a ladle in the pan to avoid the milk from boiling over. (One can adjust the quantity of milk depending upon the preferred consistency of the kheer.)

* Add sugar and cardamom powder and cook until sugar melts and turn off the stove.

* The kheer can be served warm or chilled. Garnish with chopped nuts before serving.


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Riz B Haleeb ~ Lebanese Rice Pudding

Rice based puddings are common all over the globe and have been cooked for ages. Rice getting cooked in a mixture of milk and sugar remains the basic theme. The additional ingredients like eggs or the slight regional variations in terms of thickeners or flavoring agents keep each one of them distinct, giving them a local flair. Today's rice pudding called 'riz b haleeb' comes from Lebanon, which literally means rice in milk. The addition of orange blossom water is what that makes this pudding Lebanese. Riz b haleeb is a yummy pudding with faint undertones of orange blossom water.

Orange blossom water is water distilled with the essence of fresh flowers from bitter orange trees. In fact it is what that prompted me to try this pudding as I had plenty of orange blossom water lying in my refrigerator. The flavor of orange blossom water in this pudding is somewhat subtle without overpowering the dessert. It is a thick, creamy dessert that is delicious and can be prepared with minimal efforts. I would recommend this dessert to rice pudding / kheer lovers.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup rice
2 cups milk
Sugar to taste
1 tbsp. corn flour
1 tsp. orange blossom water
Pistachios to garnish

Directions:
* Rinse rice with water and drain.
* Add rice and milk to a thick bottomed pot and cook on medium flame, stirring intermittently. Leave a ladle in the pot so that the milk doesn't boil over. 
* Cook until the rice softens, about 20 minutes or so. Add sugar and stir until it melts. 
* Mix corn flour with little water / milk (that is at room temperature), without any lumps.
* Next add orange blossom water and corn flour to the rice pot. Keep stirring for about five minutes or until the pudding becomes thicker. (One can add or minus the corn flour quantity depending upon the required consistency of the kheer.)
* Divide the mixture between serving cups and chill.
* Garnish with pistachios before serving.

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Keskul / Turkish Almond Pudding

I came across this one while exploring traditional pudding versions prepared around the globe. Sutlac, muhallebi and keskul are dairy based puddings from Turkey. My version today is a quick and easy rice - almond flour based pudding called keskul and is prepared along the lines of a phirni. This version is the easiest one I came across and some versions even had eggs. This is a delicious, creamy dessert with bites of coconut and nuts that provides an interesting crunch to it. I added more ground almonds than recommended and prepared it with a thicker consistency. More milk can be added if one prefers to keep it thinner.

The original recipe had an interesting anecdote, connecting 'keskul' to Ottoman empire. A keskul is a bowl prepared with a coconut shell. Sultan's people would go around disguised as beggars, collecting money in keskul bowls. The money collected would give them an indication of the people's status. And the money then used to get distributed among the poor. 

Ingredients: (Yield - 2 small servings)
1.5 cup milk
2 tbsp. rice flour
1.5 tbsp. almond flour (I used about 3 tbsp. ground almonds)
2 tbsp. coconut flakes
Sugar to taste 

Directions:
* Whisk about 1/2 cup milk with rice flour until there are no lumps or pass the mixture through a fine sieve.
* Add this mixture, remaining milk, almond flour, coconut and sugar in a thick bottomed pot or a non stick one. Cook on low medium flame until the mixture thickens, continuously stirring. I blindly cooked the mixture for about 15 minutes in a non stick pot, stirring the mixture intermittently. Leave a ladle inside the pot to avoid the mixture from boiling over while cooking.
* Chill the pudding and distribute between bowls. Garnish with chopped almonds / pisatchios / raisins before serving.

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Rajgira Sheera / Amaranth Flour Halwa

Coinciding with the Navratri season, here is one more dish associated with it and the fasting regimen. This halwa / sheera is prepared using amaranth flour / rajgira atta and seems to be a popular dessert fit for the season. Not a tricky one to prepare but patiently roasting the flour in ghee without burning it until it turns light brown is important. 
The halwa can be prepared with either milk or water. It is rich because of the ghee and milk used and therefore eaten in small quantities. I used jaggery instead of sugar and 1/4 cup of it makes it not an overtly sweet dish but one can increase the sweetener by a couple of tbsp. more if one prefers a sweeter halwa. The consistency of this halwa would be smoother compared to the sooji halwa since flour is the base here.

Ingredients
1/4 cup ghee (I used less.)
1/2 cup rajgire ka atta / amaranth flour
1 and 1/4 cup milk
4 - 6 tbsp. sugar (I used jaggery instead.)
2 pinches of ground cardamom
Nuts to garnish

Directions:
* Heat ghee in a pan and add amaranth flour to it. Start toasting until you notice the aroma and the mixture changes to light brown color, about 6 to 8 minutes.
* Meanwhile, heat milk and sugar in a microwave or in a pan and keep aside. No need to boil the milk.
* Add milk and cardamom to the toasted flour gradually in small increments from the sides of the pan, stirring continuously and quickly to avoid forming lumps. Cook on low flame covered until the mixture thickens and the ghee starts to release along the edges.
* Garnish with slivered almonds / any other nuts and serve warm.

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Saggubiyyam - Kobbari Payasam / Sago and Coconut Kheer

A sweet pudding made with sago, jaggery and coconut

Growing up, the standard payasams cooked at home were either rice based paramannam or sago based one until the ready made vermicelli started selling in the market. To be honest, I did not use to appreciate the sago payasam as I do now. Sago kheer started to a become a regular feature somehow when I had my own home and hearth, and acquired the status of being a favorite payasam. 

I decided to switch to jaggery this time and also threw some coconut at the last moment. The resulting payasam was tasting so good that I have decided to stick to this new version in the future. The final payasam is creamy and delicious and has no resemblance to the stand version in any manner. Give this a try if you are looking for a payasam recipe and I assure that you would not get disappointed. 

Ingredients: (Yield 2 servings)
1/4 cup sago / saggubiyyam
1/4 cup shredded fresh coconut
1 cup milk
1/2 powdered jaggery
2 cardamom pods
1 tsp. ghee
1 tbsp. cashew nuts


Method:
* Rinse and soak sago for about 10 minutes in water. Drain and wash away the starch powder. I do it to get rid of some of the starch but this step is however optional.
* Choose preferably a non stick pot or a non stick sauce pan to cook kheer. Add drained sago and a cup of water and cook on low flame, stirring occasionally. Cook until all the sago pearls become transparent. 
(Starch keeps building up while cooking the sago and tends to stick to the bottom of the pan if not stirred intermittently. If one finds cooking sago tricky because of the starch buildup, follow this step. When the water used to cook sago becomes starchy, add another cup of cold water. Sago pearls go to the bottom of the pan and then throw away all the (starchy) water from the pan. Add a fresh cup of water to the sago and continue to cook. This step can be repeated one more time while cooking sago.)
* Crush the cardamom pods using a mortar and pestle. Grind the cardamom seeds fine. 
* Throw away all the water in the pan when the sago pearls become transparent. Add fresh coconut, jaggery, milk and cardamom to the pan. Cook on low flame until the jaggery melts and milk starts to boil. Turn off the stove.
(I usually add milk and jaggery together and it has never curdled. Touch wood. In case, if you feel milk is going to curdle because of the addition of jaggery, milk may be separately boiled in another pan, cooled and added finally.)
* Heat ghee in a small pan and add cashews. Toast them until they turn golden brown. Add them to the kheer along with the ghee and give a quick stir.
* The kheer can be served warm or chilled.


This goes to Blogging marathon # 89, under the 'Indian Sweets - Payasams' theme. Check out the page here to read what other marathoners are cooking.

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Dry Fruits & Nuts Kheer

This dry fruits - nuts kheer is easy to prepare and sinfully rich and delicious. The milk is boiled along with ground nuts until it turns thick and creamy. One can use any dry fruits or nuts they have on hand. It takes some time to reduce the milk quantity but it's worth it. 

Ingredients: (Yield 2 servings)
1 & 3/4 cups full fat milk
1/4 cup assorted nuts (I used cashews, almonds and pistachios.)
1 tsp. ghee + 2 tbsp dry fruits (I used raisins and dried sweetened cranberries.)
2 cardamom pods
2 to 3 tbsp. sweetened condensed milk
Coarsely chopped nuts to garnish

Method:
* Heat the milk, preferably in a non stick pan. When it starts to boil, reduce the heat to lowest setting and continue to heat it for about 15 to 20 minutes, stirring in between.
* Meanwhile, toast the nuts in a saute pan on low flame for a couple of minutes and keep it aside to cool. Once cool, grind them fine. 
* Heat ghee in a small pan and add the raisins and cranberries. When they plump up, remove them with a slotted spoon onto a plate and keep aside.
* Crush the cardamom pods in a mortar and pestle and grind the seeds to a fine powder. Don't throw away the husks.
* Add the ground nuts, ground cardamom along with the husks and condensed milk to the milk pan. Continue to cook for another ten minutes, stirring occasionally. By the time, the milk reduces a bit in quantity and becomes thicker.
* Turn off the stove and add the toasted raisins and cranberries.
* Garnish with chopped nuts and serve it either warm or chilled.

This goes to Blogging marathon # 89, under the 'Indian Sweets - Payasams' theme. Check out the page here to read what other marathoners are cooking.


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Paal Payasam ~ South Indian Milk Pudding

The past month for us marked two birthdays, visits from extended family members and a bout of illness that affected every one at home. After that unplanned month break, I am back in business with a traditional sweet dish from the southern parts of India. Payasam, the south Indian term and kheer, the north Indian name basically refer to the same dish - an eggless sweetened milk pudding cooked on stove top adding either a grain or lentil or vegetable and so on. Milk is the star ingredient in today's payasam where only a tiny quantity of rice is added, similar to the case of a kheer preparation. Usually milk and water are cooked until the quantity is reduced to half here, allowing a slow caramelization that lends the payasam a light cream colored hue. 

To be honest, I have never seen my mother or grand mothers preparing this since this seems to be a typical preparation from Tamil nadu and Kerala. Our go to dish when it comes to traditional payasams in Andhra happens to be paramannam. I am not sure how many modern kitchens still prepare it but it also happens to be a rice based payasam. 
I just went through recipes from online when I tried it for the first time, that were basically the same. One either cooks in a pot that happens to be the traditional aka tedious process or use a pressure cooker which cuts down the cooking time considerably. The short cut method however doesn't compromise in the taste department and so I usually go with it.
Ingredients:
4 cups milk / 1 litre milk
1 tsp. ghee
2 to 3 Tbsp. rice
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp. sugar (or according to taste)
2 cardamom pods
1 tbsp. cashews 


Method:
* Heat the ghee in a small saute pan and fry the cashews if using, to golden brown. Transfer the cashews onto a plate with a slotted spoon. 
* Add rice to the same ghee and fry rice for a couple of minutes on a slow flame. Next pulse the rice a couple of times just to break the grains. There is no need to coarsely grind the rice. 
* Grease inside bottom of the cooker with little ghee and add the broken rice grains and milk to it. Drop a small spoon into the milk to prevent the milk from spilling over while pressure cooked. 
(I usually drop a spoon even when I am boiling the milk in a pot or leave a ladle in the pan to avoid the milk from boiling over.)
* Cook the milk on lowest setting of heat for one whistle. When the pressure subsides, remove the lid and continue to cook on low flame until the milk turns thick and creamy or until the milk coats the back of the ladle.
* Next add the sugar and ground cardamom seeds and continue to cook until the sugar dissolves. Turn off the stove and add the toasted cashews. 
* Serve warm or cold.

This goes to Blogging marathon # 89, under the 'Indian Sweets - Payasams' theme. Check out the page here to read what other marathoners are cooking.

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Apple - Badam Mix Drink

I was on a blogging break, for those who have been wondering to which hole I disappeared into for the past few months. A break that spanned over two seasons without intentionally meaning to. A break when I didn't glance at my blog, touch my camera or peek into my email folder even once. 

Now getting back into business, here is a quick and flavorful drink using only three ingredients - apple, milk and badam mix powder. The latter one sold by the south Indian brand MTR is an instant mix of ground almonds, sugar, milk solids and cardamom. A small quantity of this instant mix is usually blended with milk and served either cold or hot. This almond milk aka 'baadami haalu' is a popular beverage sold in restaurants across Bangalore. 

For today's drink, I blended 1/2 peeled apple, 1 cup milk and 2 tbsp. almond instant mix powder. This can be served cold as a milkshake or the mixture can be boiled on low heat and served warm. It tastes delicious either way.

This post goes to Blogging marathon #85 under the theme "Recipes using three ingredients". Check out the page to read what other marathoners are cooking.
 

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