Proso Millet - Moong Kheer

 

Here is a millet based sweet recipe keeping the 'Navaratri' theme in mind. It is a delicious and easy kheer / payasam prepared with proso millet and moong. I  initially pressure cooked the millet and moong in water to save time and then further cooked it in milk and sugar. The millet and moong can also be cooked in a sauce pan on low heat until the mixture  reaches a soft and creamy consistency. It can be cooked in milk without the addition of water to make it more richer. Jaggery can be substituted instead of sugar in the kheer. This yummy kheer is fit to offer as a naivedyam on festive days or enjoy as a simple dessert.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup proso millet
1/4 cup yellow moong
1 & 1/2 cups of milk

3/4 cup sugar or to taste

1/8 tsp. cardamom powder

1 tbsp. ghee

1 tbsp. cashews

1 tbsp. raisins

Directions:

* Rinse proso millet and moong and pressure cook adding 1 and 1/2 cups water, for 3 whistles.

* Transfer the cooked moong - millet mixture to a pan, preferably a non-stick one. Add milk and cook until a desired consistency is reached or for about 10 - 15 minutes, frequently stirring. Add sugar and cardamom and cook further until the sugar is dissolved. Turn off the stove.

* Heat ghee in a small pan and add cashews and raisins. Toast until the cashews turn golden brown  and raisins turn plump. Remove from the heat and add them to the kheer.

* Serve the kheer warm or chilled.

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Navaratri Naivedya ~ Sihi Dose / Bellada Dose

Sihi dose / Bellada dose which literally means a sweet pancake or a jaggery pancake is a traditional recipe from Karnataka. These are prepared during Dasara / Navaratri, especially on 'Sarawathi Pooje' day to offer as neivedya. These dosas are made with a ground batter of rice, jaggery, coconut and cardamom. A tsp. or two of poppy seeds can also be used in the recipe. If using them, they are soaked along with rice and ground. There is also another version of sweet dosas in south India which is wheat flour based. These sihi dose are usually made smaller in size compared to the regular dose / dosas. They are not cloyingly sweet and so one can enjoy 2 or 3 dose with no problem. 

The festive display of dolls and figurines arranged in tiers is a special feature of Dasara in south Indian regions. I am not sure about other places but it was a custom during olden days where I grew up that kids would visit homes in their neighborhoods, even strangers' during the time to see this arrangement. The kids usually got a simple treat from each home they visited. Some would prepare these dose in mini sizes and give them out to the kids who visited their homes.

Ingredients: (Yield around 16 dose)

1 cup rice
3/4 to 1 cup fresh / frozen shredded coconut 

3/4 tp 1 cup jaggery (depending upon the sweetness of jaggery.)
2 cardamom pods

Ghee to make dose

Prep work:

* Rinse and soak rice in water for about 2 or 3 hours. Drain the water after soaking period.

* Thaw if using frozen coconut by heating it in a microwave for about a minute.

* The jaggery can be directly used in the recipe if it is clean. If the jaggery has any impurities, add a little water and heat it. Turn off the stove and run the jaggery water through a strainer and collect the clean liquid. (Brown sugar can be substituted for jaggery.)

* Powder the cardamom seeds finely and keep aside.

Directions:

* Add the drained rice, coconut, jaggery or the jaggery water and cardamom powder to a mixer / grinder. Grind the mixture finely to a pancake batter consistency, adding little water if needed.

* Heat a pan and pour a ladleful of batter and spread it a little to keep it slightly on a thicker side. (One can make it thinly as regular dosas if preferred but they are usually made in a smaller size.) Pour 1/4 tsp. ghee around the edges and cook until the surface is no longer wet looking. Flip and add another 1/4 tsp. ghee around the edges if preferred. Cook until the other side cooks as well. Remove it and repeat the steps to make more dose with the remaining batter.

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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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