Suji ka Halva - Semolina/Rava Halwa - Sheera

When it is made well, it is one of my favourite Indian sweets. It is very simple and easy to make, and if you have just a little bit of patience and follow a few instructions - success is guaranteed! Suji/rava means semolina, so you can find it under such names as suji (ka) halva or rava halwa, but in Maharashtra this dessert is also called sheera. It can be garnished with any kind of dried fruits and nuts, and flavoured with, for example, rose water. A very common version is with cashew nuts and raisins, but since raisins don't agree with me very well, I love it with just well roasted cashew nuts and cardamon. Also, it can be served just like this or pressed with more ghee (clarified butter) and then cut into pieces. We and everyone we know prefer this healthier version without additional ghee. It tastes the best while it is still warm, so if you are serving it not right away, put it into a microwave for a minute or so.

You will need: 1 cup of semolina (rava) ~1/3 cup of cashew nuts (or any other type of your favourite nuts) ~100 ml of ghee (clarified butter) OR regular unsalted butter, melted ~1/2 cup of sugar (adjust per taste) 400 ml of cold milk seeds of 4 cardamon pods, crushed a pinch of nutmeg powder handful of raisins (optional) 1. Heat 50 ml of ghee/butter in a pot, add the nuts and fry them till they brown nicely. If you are using the raisins, fry them together with the nuts. Remove the nuts and raisins from the ghee/butter and keep them aside. 2. In the same ghee/butters, fry the semolina on a medium flame until it releases the aroma and browns nicely. Keep mixing it periodically so that it browns evenly, don't let it burn. Be patient and don't rush this step, it will take several minutes and it is a very important step. 3. Add 1/4 cup of water, mix it well and let it cook for about 2-3 minutes. Add the sugar and mix it well again. 4. Remove the pot from the stove and add cold milk, mix it well. Put the pot back on the stove and keep stirring continuously now so that it doesn't become lumpy. When it starts simmering, pour in the rest of the ghee/butter while mixing, add crushed cardamon seeds and nutmeg powder, keep stirring until halwa thickens all of the sudden (it will take about 2 minutes). Halwa will become dry, but will still be soft, smooth and silky. Remove the pot from the heat. 5. Garnish the halwa with roasted nuts and raisins and serve it while it is warm. Leftovers can be warmed up in a microwave the next day. Enjoy!

Deep Fried Snickers Bar!

If you are not one of the Minnesota State Fair's "everything deep-fried" menu fans already, let me tell you that this deep fried Snickers bar is much tastier than you think it is! :o) Until recently, I didn't even imagine I would be making something like this, nor did I know that something like this existed. Then I saw a travel show about Scotland where, apparently, they deep fry many strange things... and I got curious about tasting one of these. I could not just have a spontaneous holiday in Scotland, so I googled about it and decided to make it myself. Still, I didn't imagine I would be posting it until I took the first bite: the candy bar became nice and gooey inside and the crust was light and just melting in my mouth.

You will need: Snickers bars (or any other candy bar you like) 1 egg 1 cup (200 ml) of milk ~1 cup (200 ml) of flour, divided 1 tsp of baking soda 1 tbsp of melted butter a pinch of salt oil for deep frying 1. Freeze candy bars in a freezer for at least 2 hours. 2. Whisk the egg and milk together, add melted butter and mix it well. Set a little bit of flour aside and mix the rest with baking soda and salt. Now mix wet and dry ingredients together until you get a nice smooth batter of sour cream consistency. Adjust by adding more milk or flour if needed. Put the batter into the fridge while the oil is warming up. 3. In a pot, heat oil (enough to cover the candy bar completely) -- don't make it too hot as the batter will fry too fast and the candy will be still cold inside, but also make sure that it is hot enough or else the batter will absorb too much oil. Test the oil by adding a drop of batter into it. 4. Dust the candy bar with the flour you set aside earlier making sure that it is evenly covered. Next, dip the candy bar into the batter making sure that it gets completely covered with it and quickly but carefully put it into the hot oil. Once one side becomes golden brown, turn it over and wait until the other side is done. Put it onto a paper towel to absorb the excess oil. Eat it while it is warm! Enjoy!

You can use leftover batter to make pancakes, just adjust the consistency if needed.

Caramelized Peaches with Fresh Ricotta, Honey & Pepper

This Sunday afternoon, I finally made fresh ricotta cheese, but this post is not about that :o) You can read about how to make your own ricotta on Eggs on Sunday blog. After tasting this creamy and very light just made ricotta, I was inspired to make something even better with it. I had a couple of the season's first peaches so I put them to work. Caramelized peaches became very soft and velvety with a subtle taste of cinnamon and clove. Even though they were still a bit sour, it gave a nice contrast to sweet honey and pepper sauce. Honestly, I was not so sure about adding pepper initially. I mean, the rest of the dish was so delicate and mild, I was worried that fresh pepper taste might be too strong for it. But once I tried it, I added more pepper - it was an excellent touch!

For two portions: 2 peaches 8 cloves ~2 cm cinnamon stick 1-2 tsp of butter 2 tsp of brown sugar 4 heaped tbsp ricotta cheese ~1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon powder ~2 tbsp of honey 6-8 black pepper corns 1. Preheat the oven to 220-230 C degrees. Halve the peaches and remove pits. Pierce the peaches with 2 cloves and a small piece of cinnamon each. Put a little bit of butter and a teaspoon of brown sugar on each half and bake them in the preheated oven for 5-8 minutes or until the peaches are soft. The time will depend on how ripe the peaches are. 2. After the peaches are done, carefully remove the cloves and cinnamon sticks using a fork. 3. Add about a half of teaspoon of cinnamon powder to ricotta and mix it well. Top each half with a heaped tablespoon of ricotta, drizzle with honey and sprinkle with freshly crushed pepper. Serve it warm.

Enjoy!

You can also make this with pears or apples.

Mango-Kaffir Lime Leaf & Rum Smoothie

As my mango obsession continues, here is another quick and yummylicious sinful mango treat rated RRRRR for RUM :o) Kaffir lime leaves make this smoothie very fresh and delicious with spicy-lemon-lime flavour. I can still taste the fresh flavour of lime leaves after the drink is long over. So aromatic and satisfying!

For two portions: 2 mangoes (Alphonso, if you can get it) ~1 tsp of sugar (or per your taste) 3-4 fresh Kaffir lime leaves (the younger the better) ~60 ml of Bacardi rum (or per your taste) ice Cut the mango and scoop out the pulp into a blender, add Kaffir lime leaves, and sugar and blend it until you get a smooth paste. Add Bacardi and ice and blend it for another moment until it mixes well. That's it! Enjoy!

Depending on the consistency, you can make it into a simple dessert -- nothing is better than fresh mango -- or a drink by just adding fresh orange juice and more ice.

Dried Kaffir Lime leaves won't work for this recipe.

Caramelized Mango with Basil

This is a simple-dimple quickie MANGO treat that Rasa, my sis-in-law, made for me once and I've been loving it since then. Fresh basil and mango are one of those perfect flavour combinations - sweet and fresh. I like using a slightly sour mango for this recipe. While frying, the mango will release some of the juices which will make this lovely shiny caramel sauce sweet&sour. I have it either by itself while still warm or as a topping for a dessert.

1 mango, peeled and sliced 1 tsp of unsalted butter 1 heaped tsp of brown sugar a small handful of fresh basil leaves 1. Melt the butter in a frying pan and mix in the brown sugar. 2. Let it melt and once it starts bubbling up, add the mango slices. Mix it well so that the mango gets covered with the caramelized sugar completely. 3. Fry it for another moment and add fresh basil leaves. Stir it and you are done!

Optional:
a tiny pinch of red chili powder
a drop of lime juice

If mango is very ripe and sweet, you can add just a drop of lime juice. And if you are feeling adventurous, add BAM! a tiny pinch of red chili powder. It enhances the taste of sweet fruity and chocolate desserts!

Sinful Mango Ginger Sorbet

Sorbet should be savoured, not photographed OR this only proves how hot it is here now! This sorbet was melting in front of my lens :o)

During my first mango season in India, I preferred simply fresh cut mango, but this time around, I am into finding my favourite mango treat. This is one of this week's experiments. It would be the easiest recipe ever, if only I owned an ice cream maker. But as you can see, I don't even own an ice cream scoop. It's still worth making it, only don't forget it in the freezer for too long while it is setting. This is not be an exact recipe as I was tasting and adding. Add you favourite flavours, get adventurous, let your taste buds show you the way! :o)

1 cup of fresh mango pulp* 1 cup of water ~1 tsp of ginger paste** sugar or sugar syrup to taste a small pinch of salt juice of 1 lime ~3 tbsp of Raspberry Bacardi rum*** fresh basil leaves for garnishing 1. Blend all of the ingredients together, taste and adjust to your liking. 2. Pour the sorbet into a freezer-proof container and put it into the freezer. 3. Now here is the toughest part of this recipe: don't forget to whisk it once in a while to break the crystals. Check on it in a couple of hours at first, but then you will have to whisk it every hour till it sets completely. 4. After that, you can leave it in the freezer overnight or have it on the same day after it sets completely.

When serving, garnish with fresh basil leaves - it's an amazing combination of flavours!

*If you cannot buy fresh mango pulp, pure fresh mangoes in a blender.
**If you cannot get fresh ginger paste, mince a piece of fresh ginger super finely.
***Substitute raspberry Bacardi with dark rum, vodka, tequila or make a virgin version, but why..? :o)