Kasi / White pumpkin Halwa

Wishing you all a very happy & safe Diwali!! Sweets play a vital role in the celebration of Diwali and its always a pleasure to share it with our friends & neighbours. As Diwali is heading up, most of us have a big question of the sweets we are going to make this Diwali. I thought to share this recipe as it is less time consuming with less effort. Kasi halwa takes priority in most of the South Indian weddings & I always like it for its glossy & melt in mouth texture. Lets get into the preparation of this easy & delicious halwa..

Kasi Halwa Recipe

Preparation Time : 10 mins | Cooking Time : 20 mins | Serves : 2
Category : Sweet | Cuisine : South Indian

Ingredients

White pumpkin (grated) - 1 cup
Sugar - 3/4 cup
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
Ghee - 3 tbsp
Cashews - 7 broken
Edible camphor - a tiny pinch
Food color - a pinch

Method

1. Peel off the skin of the white pumpkin and discard the seeds. Grate the fleshy white part and reserve the juice you get while grating.

2. In a pan heat a tsp of ghee and roast the cashews till golden brown and set aside.

3. In the same pan add a tbsp of ghee and put in the grated pumpkin and saute till the raw smell leaves. Then add the reserved water to it and cover it with a lid till it becomes soft and cooked.

4. Once it gets cooked well, add sugar and mix well. Now add the food color too.

5. Stir it continuosly till it becomes glossy and transparent. Add a tbsp of ghee. It will form a mass and leave the sides of the pan. At this stage add the cardamom, edible camphor, roasted cashews and remaining ghee and give it a quick stir. Switch off the flame and serve warm.

Points to be noted:

• Add sugar only after the pumpkin is well cooked. If you add before it will never get cooked again and will become hard.
• Add just a tiny pinch of edible camphor.

Mango Kulfi / Popsicle

Who will say no to Kulfi in this burning hot summer?:-) Making Kulfi at home is one of my longtime wish & finally it came true. Yay!! I made it successfully! I decided to make Mango Kulfi as I got to see both Kulfi mould & ripe mangoes at Walmart. But it was quite tricky to get a clean demoulded Kulfi & a bit challenging to make perfect clicks before it started to melt. I tried my best to click attractive pictures, but not much satisfied though. Trust me, it tasted heavenly.

Kulfi is a popular frozen dairy based creamy dessert widely available in India. It is almost same as icecream in taste & appearance. Kulfi can be made in different flavours. But the more traditional ones are Cream(malai), mango, saffron, cardamom and pistachio. This dessert likely originated in the Mughal Empire.

Mango Kulfi Recipe
  
Preparation Time : 30 mins | Freezing Time : 6-8 hrs | Serves : 8
Recipe Category : Dessert | Recipe Cuisine : Indian

Ingredients

Mango Pulp - 1 cup

Whole Milk - 2.5 cups 
Sugar - 1/4 cup 
Condensed Milk - 1/4 cup 
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
Almonds - 10
Pistachios - 6
Almonds & Pista(Crushed) - 2 tsp for garnishing
Saffron strands - 4

Method 

1. Soak the nuts for atleast an hour before the preparation. Then grind it to a smooth/coarse paste. Add the Saffron strands to a tsp of warm milk and set aside. Prepare mango pulp and keep it ready.

2. Boil milk in a heavy bottomed vessel in medium flame. Then in low flame, till it reduces in volume. Make sure to stir it continuosly to avoid burning of milk at the bottom. Add Sugar, Condensed milk and Saffron milk. Let it boil in low flame for 10 mins.

3. Now add the pasted nuts and cardamom powder to it and allow it to boil till it becomes creamy. Switch off the stove and allow it to cool completely.

4. Once cooled, add mango pulp to it and whisk well with an egg beater or in a hand whisk.

5. Pour it in Kulfi moulds and freeze it for 6 to 8 hours. Once done keep the moulds in running tap water. Carefully pull the lids of the moulds.

Garnish with the crushed nuts & serve it chilled.

Points to be noted:

• Choose less fibre, ripe mangoes. 
• Adjust the quantity of sugar based on the sweetness of mango.
• Stir the milk continuosly to avoid burning odour. 
• Taking out the moulds without sticking is a bit tricky. Show it in running water just for few seconds or else it will start to melt.
• No worries if you dont have Kulfi moulds. You can use disposable plastic cups covered with aluminium foil and insert popsicle sticks.

 

Drumstick leaves Kulambu/Curry

Drumstick greens/leaves are an excellent source of Vitamin A offering several health benefits including maintenance of skin integrity, vision, immunity and mucus membrane repair. A good anti-oxidant too. It is so good for pregnant women & feeding moms as it is rich in iron, calcium & zinc.

My mom used to make this curry frequently with fresh, young, tender leaves, as we had a drumstick tree at my backyard. When I came to USA I missed it a lot as it is one my favorites. But I was so happy & excited to see fresh drumstick leaves at the Indian grocery store a year back. From then I used to buy it frequently & started enjoying this curry. I thought to post this recipe as I heard few people saying what dish can we make out of those leaves. It is a very simple, tasty & less time consuming recipe except for the cleaning part.

Drumstick leaves Kulambu/Curry Recipe

Preparation Time : 10 mins | Cooking Time : 15 mins | Serves : 4
Recipe Category : Gravy | Recipe Cuisine : South Indian

Ingredients

Drumstick leaves - a big bunch

To grind:
Shallots(small onions) - 4
Red chilli - 2
Garlic pods - 1
Coriander seeds - 1tsp
Toor dhal - 2 tsp 
Cumin seeds(jeera) - 1tsp
Coconut(shredded) - 2 tbsp
Curry leaves - a sprig


For seasoning:
Coconut Oil - 2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves - a sprig
Shallots - 5

Method

1. Clean the leaves without sticks and wash thoroughly.

2. Pre-cook the leaves with a cup of water for 10 mins till it becomes soft. 

3. Grind all the ingredients given under To Grind.

4. Heat the pan with coconut oil and season it with mustard seeds, curry leaves & shallots.

5. Then add the ground paste to the seasoning.

6. Add the pre-cooked leaves & required salt.

7. Cook in medium flame for 10-15 mins & switch off the flame.

Serve it with hot steamed rice or dosas.

Points to be noted:

• Select a fresh bunch with young tender leaves.
• Do not overcook the leaves or gravy as it will spoil the taste.