Almond Walnut Cashew Burfi is a healthy, quality substitute for candy that your entire family will enjoy.

Recipe will make 24 pieces.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup almonds
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 1/2 cup cashew nuts
• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder
• 1 tablespoon sliced almonds to garnish

Method

1. Dry grind the walnuts, cashews and almonds in a food processor.
2. Dry roast the groundnuts in a frying pan on low medium heat.
3. Roast them just enough so that the nuts start to give off an aroma. It will take about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
4. Put the sugar and water together in a saucepan on medium heat. Bring to a boil to make the 1 thread syrup or on the candy thermometer it should reach 230 degrees F.
5. Turn off the heat and stir in the cardamom powder.
6. Add the nuts to the syrup and mix, and then spread over a greased 8-inch plate. Note: don’t let the syrup cool off. It must be spread while still hot.
7. Wait a few minutes until burfi is set but still soft.
8. Then cut the burfi into any shape you like (such as square, diamond, triangle).
9. Garnish each piece of burfi with sliced almonds while the burfi is still soft.
10. Allow the burfi to cool for about an hour to dry and hold its shape. Now you can remove the burfi from the plate.
11. Burfi can be stored for a month.

Variations

1. Proportion of nuts can be changed to your choice.
2. You may also add pistachios and coconut powder.

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Recipe will serve 4 to 6.

Preparation time: 10 minutes; cooking time 35 minutes.

Ingredients:

• 3 green Granny Smith Apples peeled, cored and sliced
• 2 tablespoons water
• 3/4 cup oatmeal
• 1/4 cup crushed walnut
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 cup butter

Method:

1. Preheat the oven 370 degree F.
2. In a bowl mix oatmeal, walnut, cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar, and butter. Set aside.
3. Spread the sliced apple evenly in the 9-inch pie pan.
4. Sprinkle the water evenly over the apple.
5. Spread the oatmeal mix evenly over apple.
6. Put the pie plate over the center rack of oven.
7. Let it bake for 20 minutes.
8. Take it out from oven. Tilt the pie plate a little and use a spoon to move some of the apple juice; put it over pie evenly.
9. Put the pie plate again back in oven and bake for 10 more minutes.
10. Note: putting the juice over the top of the pie keeps the crumbs moist and crunchy.
11. Serve hot. Tastes great topped with scoop of vanilla ice cream!

Apple Jalebis can be best described as apple wafers dipped in the flavorful sugar syrup. This is a modified version of Jalebis. They taste best when served hot.

Recipe will make about 16.

Ingredients:

• 2 apples peeled and sliced them in thin rings
• 3/4  cup all purpose flour (plain flour, maida)
• 1/2  teaspoon dry yeast
• 1/2  teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon oil
• Oil to fry

For Syrup:

• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/4  teaspoon cardamom powder

For Garnish:

• 1 tablespoon blenched and sliced pistachios

Method:

Batter:

1. Dissolve the yeast and sugar in ¼ cup warm water, and let it sit for about 5 minutes.
2. Mix the flour and oil together.
3. Add the yeast solution to the flour and mix. Make a smooth batter. Add water as needed. Consistency should be like pancake mix.
4. Set the batter aside and let it sit in a warm place for half hour.
5. Make sure the batter is fermented, but do not over ferment. After fermenting batter will be little lacy.

Syrup:

Boil the sugar and water together. Add the lemon juice, and cardamom boil for about 8 minutes until syrup is about ½ thread. Lemon juice keeps the mixture from crystallizing

Making the jalebis:

1. Heat the oil in a frying pan about 1 inch deep. To check if the oil is ready, put one drop of batter in the oil. The batter should sizzle and come up without changing in color right away.
2. Dip the apple slices into the batter one at a time, making sure the slice is covered with the batter. Then, slowly drop the slices into the frying pan.
3. Fry the jalebi in small batches. The jalebi will take about 4 to 5 minutes to cook.
4. Turn them occasionally. Fry the jalebi until both sides are golden-brown.
5. Transfer them into the warm syrup.
6. Let jalebi soak in the hot syrup for a few seconds and take out over wire rack so excess syrup can be dripped from jalebi.
7. Garnish with sliced pistachios.
8. Serve hot.

Variations:

Try sprinkling cinnamon powder or drizzle melted chocolate over the Jalebis for a creative touch.

Recipe makes 20 pieces.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole almonds
• 1 cup sugar
• Pinch of Cardamom powder
• 2 tablespoons butter or ghee (clear butter)
• 1/3 cup milk

Method

1. Soak the almonds in hot water for 30 minutes.
2. Peel the skin off the almonds. Blend the almonds into a fine paste using just enough milk as needed to blend.
3. Add the sugar and whip it for a couple of minutes.
4. Heat the ghee in the frying pan on low-medium heat.
5. As the ghee melts, add the almond paste and cook on medium heat, stirring continuously.
6. Continue stirring until the mixture thickens to the consistency of bread batter, and starts leaving the sides of the pan.
7. Add the cardamom powder. Remove the frying pan from the heat.
8. Whip the batter using a spoon in a circular motion for about two to three minutes.
9. Pour it into the prepared greased pan.
10. Smoothen the surface of the mixture to about a quarter inch thick.
11. Let cool for about 20 minutes until burfi is just look warm.
12. Cut into 1-inch squares or any shape you like.
13. Cool to the room temperature and store burfi in an airtight container.
14. Almond burfi has a long shelf life and can be kept outside for up to one week. When refrigerated, almond burfi will last a couple of months.

Suggestions:
You can make burfi using almond meal or almond flour. If you are using almond meal, mix one cup almond meal with the sugar and milk and knead the mixture for two minutes. Let the mixture sit for 10 to 15 minutes. Then follow the directions above. The almond flour burfi will be a little chewy.

Baklava is a Middle Eastern specialty. Baklava is made in many shapes I decided to make them in rolls. Instead of honey I used sugar to glaze and flavored with cardamom.

Baklava is made using phyllo dough; it is available in frozen section in supermarkets.

Recipe will make 18 pieces

Ingredients

• 6 sheets of phyllo dough (one package weigh 1 pound and have 18 14 x 18 inches sheets)
• 1/2 cup clarified butter
• 1/2 cup ground almond
• 1/2 cup ground walnuts
• 1/4 cup coconut powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cardamom 1/3 cup sugar

Syrup

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• About 1 tablespoon sliced pistachios for garnish

Note

Be sure to thaw the phyllo dough using the instruction from the package, phyllo dough should be at room temperature before using. Do not open the package until you are ready to use. Unused sheets roll them in clear plastic wrap and refrigerate for next time but do need to be used within 3 to 4 days.

For baking I am using 8×8 baking pan.

Method

Filling

1. Combine all the dry ingredients, ground almonds, walnuts, coconut, sugar, and cardamom.

Preheat the oven 350 degree F.

Making the Pastry

1. Work on a clean, dry, flat surface, Open the phyllo dough and take 1 sheet spread over the working surface and fold it making it double in length wise. Lightly brush the butter covering the whole sheet.
2. You will be working with the short side.
3. Leave about half inch of sheet across the short side and sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the filling from edge to edge evenly. Roll it like a jelly roll twice and brush lightly with butter, only the rolled part.
4. Sprinkling again 2 tablespoons of the filling from edge to edge evenly.
5. Roll it up carefully, after every roll brush it with butter, and place seam side down in the baking tray.
6. Repeat the process until you finish rolling all six sheets.
7. The pieces should fit snugly, but not squashed.
8. With a very sharp knife, cut the roll into 3 equal pieces in length, total of 18 pieces.
9. Lightly brush the butter over each piece.
10. Bake the baklava for about 25 to 30 minutes until they are light golden brown in color.

Syrup

1. Boil the sugar and water together until syrup is 220 degrees on candy thermometer or ½ thread. Add the lemon juice and cardamom powder and turn off the heat. Lemon juice keeps the syrup from crystallizing.
2. Carefully pour the hot (but not boiling) syrup evenly over all the baklava pieces. Sprinkle few pieces of the sliced pistachios over baklava.

Allow the baklava to cool before serving. Enjoy!

Banana Puries are delicious fried Indian puffed bread. Puries have richness of banana flavor enhanced with cardamom. Banana Puries are good for festive occasions and holidays. These can be served for breakfast or as a snack. Puries are especially good for picnic or to take for travel.

This recipe will make about 40.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup ripe mashed banana (about 8” long banana)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon melted ghee or butter
• 1/8 teaspoon crushed cardamom powder
• Pinch of salt
• 3 tablespoons coarsely ground almonds about 18 almonds
• Approx ¾ cup whole-wheat flour
• Approx ¾ cup all purpose flour
• Oil to fry

Method

1. Peel and mash the banana, add the sugar, almond, butter, salt and cardamom mix it well.
2. Add whole-wheat flour and all-purpose flour to the banana mix and make a firm and smooth dough. Keep it aside for about 2 hours.
3. Grease the fingers and knead the dough for a minute and divide in four equal parts.
4. Roll them into 8” diameter and cut them in about 2” diameter, using a cookie cutter.
5. Heat the oil in a frying pan on medium heat. To check the heat if oil is ready put one piece of dough in oil, dough should sizzle and come up slowly.
6. Fry the puries few at a time don’t over crowd the frying pan. Puries will puff and fry them till they are dark brown from all around. It will take about 2 minutes to fry every batch.
7. Take them out over paper towel so it can absorb the extra oil.
8. Puries are ready.

Notes:This is good recipe for vegan by replacing the butter with oil. Puries can be served hot or eaten at room temperature. Banana Puries can be stored for a week; you don’t need to refrigerate them.

Besan ladoos are rich, sweet dessert-snack made from gently roasted gram flour (besan). Ladoos can be served any time of the day. Traditionally in Indian households ladoos and burfis are served as cookies and chocolate.

Recipe will make approximately 16 ladoos.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups gram flour (basen)
• 2 tablespoons semolina flour (fine sooji)
• 1/2 cup unsalted melted butter (ghee)
• 3/4 cups sugar
• 4 tablespoons sliced almonds (badam)
• 1/4 teaspoons coarsely grounded cardamom seeds (ilaichi)

For Garnish:

• 1 tablespoon melted butter or ghee
• 1 tablespoons sliced pistachios (pista)

Method

1. Put the basen (gram flour), sooji, and melted butter in a large frying pan and mix.
2. Turn the stove on to medium heat and begin to roast the basen mixture until basen becomes light golden brown in color.  Stir the mixture continuously with a spatula to prevent burning. Cooking on high heat will not allow the mixture to fully cook.
3. When the color has changed you will also start to smell the sweetness of roasted basen. This should take about 7 to 10 minutes.
4. Remove the pan from the heat and let the basen cool to a warm temperature. don’t let it become to room temperature.
5. While the mixture is warm add and mix cardamom seeds, almonds, and sugar.
6. To make the ladoos, take about 2 tablespoons of warm basen mixture into your palm. Gently press the mixture between your palms to form a smooth, round ball. The ladoos are usually about the size of a ping-pong ball, but you can adjust the as you prefer.
7. When you have finished making all of the ladoos, take one ladoo at a time and dip the ladoo a quarter inch into melted butter or ghee. Then lightly touch the part of the ladoo with the butter into the sliced pistachios just enough so some pistachios stick to the ladoo.
8. Put ladoos back on the plate with the pistachio side facing the top.
9. Leave the ladoos on a plate to cool to room temperature before putting into a covered container. The ladoos can be stored in an airtight container for 2 to 3 weeks.

Rasgullas are homemade cheese or paneer balls soaked in chilled sugar syrup. This recipe is made using a pressure cooker.

Makes 12 rasgullas

Ingredients:

• 4 cups milk
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 4 1/2 cups water
• Pressure cooker

Method:

Paneer:

1. Mix lemon juice in half cup of hot water and keep aside.
2. Boil the milk in a heavy bottomed pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, making sure not to burn milk.
3. As the milk comes to a boil, add the lemon juice gradually and stir the milk gently. The curd will start separating from the whey, turn off the heat.
4. Once the milk fat has separated from the whey, drain the whey using a strainer line with cheesecloth or muslin cloth.
5. Wrap the curd in a muslin cloth, and rince under cold water, and squeeze well. This process takes out the sourness from the lemon.
6. To take out the excess water squeeze the cloth, or press the wrapped paneer under a heavy pan for about one hour.Taking the right amount of water out of the paneer is the most important part of this recipe.
7. To check if enough water is out of the paneer, take a little piece of paneer on your palm and rub with your fingers. After rubbing the paneer for about 15-20 seconds, you should be able to make a firm but smooth ball.
8. Once the paneer is drained, place on a dry, clean surface and knead the paneer for 3-4 minutes until the paneer is almost rolls into smooth soft dough.
9. Knead the paneer by dragging the palm of your hand hard on the paneer. Keep scooping it back to togather and knead more. If the paneer is too crumbly, add a teaspoon of water. Your palm will be little greasy.

Rasgulla:

1. Divide the dough into 12 equal parts and roll them into smooth balls.
2. To make the balls apply some pressure at the first and then release when forming the balls.
3. Mix the sugar and water in a pressure cooker on medium high heat and bring to a boil.
4. Add the paneer balls and close the pressure cooker. After the pressure cooker starts steaming, turn the heat to medium and cook for about seven minutes.
5. Make sure the pressure cooker is large enough to accommodate the finished Rasgullas, as they will expand to about double in the volume while cooking in the syrup.
6. Close the heat and wait a few minutes before you opening the pressure cooker. Pour cold water over the pressure cooker before opening.
7. Rasgullas should be little spongy. After rasgullas are refrigerated the sponginess will reduce and will be soft in texture.
8. Serve the Rasgullas chilled.

Suggestions:

1. If the Rasgullas don’t turn out exactly the way you want, they are hard or not the right shape, do not worry. There’re many ways to create new dish out of the imperfect Rasgullas!
2. For example, if the Rasgullas are too hard or broken, try cutting them into small pieces and mix with soft vanilla ice cream or cover with melted chocolate.
3. You can use the Rasgulla pieces to make kheer, replacing rice with the Rasgulla pieces.
4. The bottom line is to enjoy your creation!

Boondi Ladoo is a great, mouth watering snack-time dessert and is a must have at all special occasions all over India. Boondis are very small, round deep fried balls that have been soaked in fragrant sugar syrup. After soaking, the syrup is drained and the syrup infused boondi are formed into balls (ladoos).

This recipe makes 8 ladoos.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup gram flour (besan)
• 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon water adjusted as needed
• 1 1/2  cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon sliced almonds
• 6 green cardamom pods (ilaichi)
• Oil to deep fry

Utensils:
Perforated Spoon, Skimmer, or Ladle:
The critical part of boondi making is to use the right kind of utensil for the batter to drop through the holes into the hot oil to form the little pearl shaped fried balls.  To accomplish this you need to use a flat skimmer, strainer or perforated ladle that has several round holes on the surface, each about the size of a whole black peppercorn.

Candy Thermometer: Use this to measure the temperature of the sugar syrup at the “half thread” stage of boiling.

Method

1. Crack open the cardamom pods and remove the seeds. Crush the seeds and keep aside.
2. Put the water and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil on medium-high heat. When the syrup comes to a boil, turn the heat down to medium and stir to dissolve the sugar. Let it simmer until the syrup is about half thread consistency or 220 degrees on the candy thermometer.
3. Mix the gram flour with water to make a smooth pancake-like batter or slightly thicker than dosa batter.
4. Heat the oil in a frying pan on medium high heat. The frying pan should have at least 1 1/2 inches of oil. Tip: To test if the oil is the right temperature, drop a pinch of batter into the oil; if it rises immediately without changing color then the oil is ready to start frying the
5. Hold the skimmer about 1 to 1 1/2 inches above the oil over the center of the frying pan with one hand. With your other hand pour some of the batter onto the skimmer to cover all of the holes without spilling over the edge of the skimmer. Tip: if you hold the skimmer higher than 11/2 inches above the oil boondi will not be round.
6. The batter will start dropping through the holes into the oil. If the batter doesn’t drop right away through the holes, pour the batter on the skimmer back into the batter bowl, mix a little more water to the batter and start again. Drop enough boondi into the oil so they just cover the surface of the oil in frying pan in a single layer
7. Fry them until the sound of sizzling stops and boondis are light gold in color but not crispy! Lift the boondi out of the oil with a slotted spoon (this allows excess oil to drip back into the frying pan) and put them directly into the warm syrup and mix.*
8. Before making the next batch of boondi, wipe clean the skimmer. This helps to keep the boondi round.
9. Repeat the process of making boondi and adding to the syrup with rest of the batter. You may have to adjust the heat in between making boondis.
10. When finished frying the boondi, let them soak in the syrup for few minutes.
11. Add the crushed cardamom seeds and sliced almonds to the syrup.
12. Now drain off the excess syrup.
13. If the boondis are still hot, let them sit only until they are warm enough to handle – don’t let them to cool off. If the boondis become cold you will not be able to form them into ladoos.
14. To make the ladoos, scoop up some of the boondi mixture into your palm with a spoon. Gently squeeze the mixture between both palms to shape into a round ball about the size of a golf ball. As you are squeezing some of the syrup will come out.  You can make the ladoo larger or smaller if you have a preference.
15. As you finish making each ladoo, put it on a plate and continue on to make the next ladoo.
16. As the Ladoos cool to room temperature they will become firm but they should still be moist.
17. Ladoos will keep at room temperature in a covered container for up to 10 days and for one month in the refrigerator.

Tips

1. If the syrup is not of the right temperature, you will not be able to form the ladoos.
2. If the boondis cool down to room temperature before being shaped into balls, the sugar will crystallize.
3. If you are not able to make ladoos, don’t worry. You can still enjoy them as “meethi boondi” or sweet boondi.
4. *If you like the boondi for raita or making some other salty snack don’t add to the syrup.

This is a great recipe to satisfy your and your kid’s sweet tooth. Your family and guests will appreciate a dessert tray filled with chocolate brownies. These brownies are very moist and have a deep chocolate flavor.

Recipe will make 16 brownies.

Ingredients:

• 1/2  cup vegetable oil
• 1/2  cup cocoa powder
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup silken tofu
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour (maida, plain flour)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degree F/180c. Grease the 8×8-baking pan.
2. Mix the tofu until it is smooth.
3. Mix flour, salt and baking soda, set aside.
4. In a mixing bowl stir together the oil, cocoa powder and sugar until its well blended. Then stir in the mixed tofu and vanilla.
5.  Add the flour mix and once its well-mixed, then fold-in walnuts.
6. Pour the mixture into a greased baking pan evenly and bake it for 25 to 30 minutes. Place the pan on the middle oven tray.
7. Once the brownies are baked, let them cool to room temperature before cutting the brownies into squares. Cutting too early will make the brownies to crumble.

Suggestions

1. Replace the walnuts with chocolate chips
2. Serve with scoop of ice cream