Nishas world and baby Alisha

This creamy rice pudding is delicately flavored with cardamom and full of dried fruits.

KHEER

Ingredients
2 litres full-cream milk
1 can (400 gms) sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp cardamom powder
1 cup sugar
1 cup Basmati rice
50 gms almonds blanched and slivered
50 gms raisins
A few strands of saffron
Rose petals to garnish (optional)


Method
Wash the rice well and soak for half an hour in enough water to cover it fully.
Put the milk, condensed milk and sugar in a deep, thick-bottomed pan and boil. When the milk comes to a boil, add the rice and simmer.

Cook till the milk thickens and reduces to half its original volume.
Add the almonds, raisins and cardamom and cook for 5 more minutes.
Turn off the fire and add the saffron. Stir well.
Allow the kheer to cool, then chill.
Serve cold garnished with rose petals.

Soft, spongy balls of cottage cheese soaked in chilled sugar syrup... where else but my city, calcutta, is famous for this delight!

RASGULLA

IngredientsCottage Cheese 1 kg
Sugar 1 liter
Water 1.5 liter
Ghee 4 tbsp
Semolina 2 tsp
Standard flour 2 tsp
Rose Water few drops
Cardamom powder 1/2 tsp


Method:

Sugar Syrup
In a pan add the water and the sugar and boil them together for 20 to 30 minutes and let them thicken.

Rusgulla Balls
In a big bowl add the cottage cheese, ghee, semolina, cardamom powder, and standard flour.
Add all the mixteures together until it forms a dough.
Knead the dough evenly until and unless your palms become oily.
Now make small balls of 1 1/2 inch diameter.
Add these balls in the boiling sugar syrup and let them get cooked in the boiling sugar syrup for 25 minutes.
This will make them spongy.
Remove the pan from heat and after 10 minutes add the rose water essence.


This sweet is a hot favourite on any special occasion be it a birthday, wedding or festival.

JELEBI

Ingredients
plain flour 200 gms (maida)
gram flour 20 gms (besan)
sugar 200 gms
few drops yellow colour
Milk 2 tbsp
ghee to deep fry
a plastic easy squeeze bottle


Method:
Sieve 100 gms maida and besan together.
Make a batter using warn water.
Keep aside for 24 hours.
Add remaining maida and food colour and more warm water if required.
The batter should fall easily when poured Keep aside.(Not too thick not too thin)
Make syrup of the sugar by adding water and boiling.
Add the milk and all the scum to form while boiling.
Make one string syrup. Strain.
Fill bottle with batter.
Heat ghee well in a shallow frying pan and form jalebis in the form of concentric circles about 2 inches on the outside.
Fry till crisp, drop into hot syrup.
Drain with a perforated spoon, serve hot.

Tips The nozzle of the easy squeeze bottle should have a hole the thickness of a knitting needle.


GAJAR KA HALWA

Ingredients
carrots 6 (grated finely)
milk 3 cups
sugar 1 cup
mawa 1/2 cup (powdered milk)
khoya 3 tsp (ricotta cheese)
almonds 1/8 cup (chopped)
cardamoms 5 (skinned and crushed fine)
pistachios 2-3 (powdered)
ghee 1/4 cup (clarified butter)
raisins 1 tsp


Method:
Cook the carrots in the milk in an open pan on a low flame with constant stirring.
When the carrots are done, take them out and drain any excess milk.
Add the milk powder(mava), the ricotta cheese and the sugar to the carrots.
Heat the ghee in a frying pan, add the carrot mixture and keep on high flame until the carrot paste loses the milky texture and becomes golden brown and the sugar is totally dissolved.
Add the raisins, cardamoms, powdered pistas and the almonds.
Heat through and serve either hot or cold with cream on the side.



SEVAI PAYASM

Ingredients
vermicelli 200 gms
ghee 1/2 cup
milk 1 1/2 liters
sugar 100 gms
cashew nuts 2-3 tsp
raisins 1 tsp
cardamom powder 1/4 spoon


Method:
Heat the ghee and fry the vermicelli until a golden brown.
Mix in the cashew nuts and the raisins.
Add milk and boil for 5 minutes.
Mix in the sugar and stir till the sugar is dissolved.
Stir in the cardamom powder and serve hot or warm.


SHRIKAND

Ingredientscurd 500 gms
sugar 200 gms (powdered)
cardamom powder 1/4 tbsp
saffron 1 Pinch
pistachios 1 tbsp (chooped)


Method:
Pour fresh curd into a clean muslin cloth and tie inside the fridge for 2-3 hours.
Take out water completely & beat with sugar till mixed.
Add saffron chopped nuts.
Serve cool.