Khoya/Mawa Gujiya With Dry Fruits#AlphabetChallenge

Gujiya/Turnover is a classic North India sweet which is crispy, flaky pastry filled with khoya/mawa and nuts stuffing. Gujia is generally deep fried. This are traditional is sweet that is made for Holi or Diwali festival.
Measurement 1 Cup = 200 Ml Cup
Ingredients
For The Dough
2 Cups All Purpose Flour
¼ Cup Desi Ghee
¼ Teaspoon Salt
½ Cup +1 Tablespoon Water 
For The Stuffing 
125 Grams Mawa/ Khoya Homemade
2 Tablespoons Fine Semolina/Rawa 
1 Cup Level Powdered Sugar
½ Teaspoon Green Cardamom Powder
1 Tablespoon Lightly Toasted Charoli - finely chopped
2 Tablespoons Golden Rasins– finely chopped
20 Lightly Toasted Cashewnuts - finely chopped
20 Lightly Toasted Almonds - finely chopped
½ Cup Desiccated Coconut
Method

Dry roast the semolina on a pan till light pink, remove and keep aside.
In the same pan separately toast the cashewnuts, almonds and charoli lightly, remove and keep them in a plate. Then finely chop them.

For The Dough 

Rub the ghee into flour with your hands well till it represents bread crumbs. Then first add ¼ cup water and start to knead into a stiff dough, add the other ¼ cup and make a stiff dough if necessary just a teaspoon to a tablespoon of water. 

This dough will not be smooth at all, but, do not worry just cover it with a damp cloth and let it rest for 45 minutes to an hour. In the meantime let's prepare the stuffing/filling.

Chop the dry fruit finely and mix in the desiccated coconut and cardamom powder.
Microwave the mawa on high power for a minute. Cool then add rest of the ingredients and mix well the filling is ready.

The dough has been rested and become smooth, knead it well again. make lemon size balls and roll it into a slightly thick puri. 

then cut it with a round cutter or use a gujiya mold to make them slightly wet the edges with water.  

then place a heaped tablespoon of filling. 

Cover it and seal it the edges by pressing it with your thumb, then with a fork make a design.

Like wise make all and let them rest covered with a damp cloth for 10 minutes.

In the meantime pour oil into deep frying pan and heat it till slightly hot and on medium low flame frying them 3 - 4 at a time or more if your pan is bigger till golden brown.

These are all fried, crispy flaky.

These are packed and ready to take for our trekker's party on the hills. Enjoy!!

My Notes

Make sure you do not add a lot of water while kneading the dough - the dough should stiff/hard.
Cook the khoya properly until it releases fat and become bit brown.
If you feel that the stuffing is dry the add few teaspoons of milk
Rest the dough properly and it will become easy to use.
You don’t need to apply any dry flour to roll the dough
Do not fry the gujiya on a high flame the flame should always be low.

Labels: Desi Ghee, Desiccated Coconut, Almond, Cashewnuts, Charoli, Golden Raisins, Mawa, Homemade, Festival Sweets, Deep Fried, Turnover, Gujiya, Alphabet Challenge

Let's take a look at the recipes being shared today with Alphabet "K"

• Sneha’s Recipe: Khoya/Mawa Gujiya With Dry Fruits 
• Jolene’s Recipe Journal: Strawberry Kuchen 
• Food Lust People Love: Kiwi Tomato Feta Salad 
• Mayuri’s Jikoni: Kachumbari,Kenyan Salad 
• Blogghetti: Chipotle Lime Shrimp Kabobs 
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Fresh Kielbasa Sheet Pan Dinner 
• A Messy Kitchen: Kimchi Udon 
• Karen’s Kitchen Stories: Cheese Tortellini Soup with Kielbasa and Kale 
• Magical Ingredients: Kimchi Gochujang Dip 
• Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice: Sweet & Spicy Hawaiian Pineapple Ketchup 
• Culinary Cam: A Fruit Formerly Known as ‘Kaffir’ + Makrut-Kissed Cookies 
• Palatable Pastime: Kimchi Cucumber Pickles

Guava Cheese#SundayFunday

Guava Cheese is a sweet prepared by Christians for Christmas. It's very easy and has a long shelf life. This is cheesy, soft, melt in the mouth sweet. Do give it a try. This sweet has no flour or eggs, completely vegetarian, vegan, gluten free. My mom's favorite sweet. 

Ingredients
4 Cups Guava Pulp (1½ Kg Ripe Big Guavas)

4 Cups Tea Sugar
Juice of 3 Big Lemons
2 Tablespoons Ghee
Few drops of Pink/ Red color or color of your choice
Method

Wash the guavas and cut them in halves, place it in a container and steam them in a pressure cooker (like you steam rice) on high for one whistle then reduce the flame and keep it for 10 minutes ( taking care that no water enters the container). 

Cool the guavas completely then take a spoon and scoop out the seeds and keep aside, taking care that no seeds remain in the outer covering.
Take the seeds pulp in a fine strainer and remove the pulp as much as possible. 
Take the outer cover and chop it into small pieces and grind it to a fine paste without adding any water.

Measure the pulp and the ground paste in a cup or a bowl. Take the same bowl and measure the sugar. 
Place the sugar, guava pulp and lime juice in a heavy bottom base kadai and place on fire on medium low flame stirring continuously with a wooden spoon.

While stirring take care to stay far away as it splutters. Keep stirring continuously, this take around 45 minutes to an hour. When the mixture thickens and starts leaving the sides add the ghee and color, continue stirring till starts form a ball in the center. 

Take it our into a greased tray and spread it. Cool completely and cut into squares. Store in airtight containers.

This stays good for 3 months in a cool dry place.

Labels: Festival Sweets, Gluten free, Guava, Lime Juice, Sugar, Vegan, Vegetarian, Christmas, East Indian, Sunday Funday

For Sunday Funday we are celebrating Moms Day. 

Check the recipes made to celebrate this special day!   

• Edible Gelatin Balloons for Cake Decorating from Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Guava Cheese from Sneha's Recipe
• Haldi Doodh Masala Spiced Cupcakes with Burnt Caramel Buttercream from Culinary Cam
• Honey Mustard Chicken Strips from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Pistachio Saffron Muffins from Mayuri's Jikoni
• Rustic Baked Potato Soup from Food Lust People Love
• Shortbread Lemon Squares from Our Good Life

Firni/Phirni#AlphabetChallenge

Firni / Phirni is a sweet pudding, made by boiling milk, sugar and rice, it's popular creamy sweet dish of India, made for festivals or important occasions/celebrations. The rice used in this sweet dish is coarsely powdered, it has dry fruits and am, sure you will love it.

Ingredients  

500 ML Milk
2 Tablespoons Heaped Basmati Rice 

½ Cup Fresh Cream  

¼ Cup Sugar  

2 Tablespoons Each Almonds & Pistachio - silvered 

½ Teaspoon Cardamom powder
Method 

Wash the rice and soak it for 2 hours.  After that drain all the water in a fine mesh colander and then dry it on a clean cloth  for an hour or so ( it should be slightly wet not completely dry).  After that grind it to a coarse powder. 

Boil milk, add  rice, bring it to boil, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Reduce the flame on medium low and stir continuously. Add more milk if starts to thicken and cook till the rice is done. 

Now add the sugar and again stir till the sugar melts. Then add the fresh cream stir it and switch off flame. Add half of the pistachio and almond slivers, cardamom powder and stir well.  Refrigerate it for few hours.  

Serve  this cold in kullad pots (terracotta clay pots) garnished with pistachio and almond slivers.

Enjoy!!!

Labels : Sweets & Desserts, Firni, Pudding, Rice, Almond, Pistachios, Milk, Festival Sweets, Kullad, Alphabet Challenge

Let's take a look at the recipes being shared today with Alphabet "F"

Jolene’s Recipe Journal: French Onion Soup

Blogghetti: Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas

Karen’s Kitchen Stories: Fluffy Focaccia with Garlic Oil and Herbes de Provence

Sneha’s Recipe: Firni/Phirni

Food Lust People Love: Fish Sauce Roasted Chicken

Mayuri’s Jikoni: Fattoush Salad

A Messy Kitchen: Fennel, Tangerine & Olive Slaw

A Day in the Life on the Farm: Roasted Vegetable Farro Bowl

Culinary Cam: Fig Leaf-Wrapped Cheese 

Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice: Sausage Meatballs with Vodka Fennel Sauce  

Milk Cream#SundayFunday

A dainty, delicate, taste so good, looks elegant , melt in mouth and is irresistible milk sweet. Milk cream is a must Christmas sweet in every East Indian household. Loved by all - children as well as adults. Its a sweet made with milk, the process is tedious and requires lots of patience but the end product is really worth the effort taken. Again this is another sweet which has no eggs, a complete vegetarian, eggless and gluten free.

Ingredients
A Liter Of Milk - (I used Full Fat milk)
400 Grams Tea Sugar
2 Tablespoons Cashew nut powder
1 Tablespoon Rose water
1 Tablespoon Ghee

Method

In a heavy bottomed base kadai or pan boil the milk and stir continuously till it reduces half of its quantity on a very low flame stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, taking care it doesn't stick to the bottom. 

Add the sugar, continue stirring till the sugar melts and again reduces , half of its quantity.

Now add the cashew powder and keep stirring it continuously, till it thickens, add ghee, continue stirring.

Once it starts leaving the sides take a teaspoon full and check if you can roll it into a soft ball if its rolled easily, the mixture is now ready or when touched does not stick to your hand.

Transfer to the greased plate and before it cools completely.

Form small balls and press into silicon moulds - shapes of your choice.

Take them out of the mold.

Store in a container, 4 to 5 days at room temperature and then refrigerate (not in the freezer).

My Notes

Stir this continuously on very low flame, to achieve a beautiful white color. Do not add too much of cashew powder if you want it white and creamy.

Labels: Christmas, Gluten free, Cashewnuts, East Indian, Festival Sweets, Milk, Sunday Funday, Indian, Eggless, Candy

• Chocolate Brigadeiros by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Chocolate Medallions by Mayuri's Jakoni
• Dark Chocolate Miso Rocky Road by Food Lust People Love
• Honeycomb Candy by Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Honeycomb Candy by;A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Milk Cream by;Sneha's Recipe
• Snowberry Torrone by Culinary Cam  

Pressure Cooker Rice Kheer With Homemade Masala Milk Powder#Alphabet Challenge

This is a thick and super delicious kheer. You will not be able stop enjoying this sweet dessert, that I assure you!!

Cup Measurement - 250Ml
Ingredients
½ Cup Basmati rice
1½ Cup Cups Water
1 Cup + 1 liter Milk
1 Teaspoon Desi Ghee
¼ Teaspoon Saffron Pinch
1 Teaspoon Cardamom powder
1½ Cup Sugar
2 Tablespoons Homemade Milk Masala Powder
2 - 3 Tablespoons Sliced Almonds Pistachios
2 - 3 Tablespoons Sliced Pistachios
2 - 3 Tablespoons Sliced Cashew nuts

Homemade Masala Milk Powder
10 Grams Almonds
10 Grams Pistachio
10 Grams Cashew Nuts
10 Grams Charoli/Chironji /Cuddapah Almond
25 Grams Sugar
¼ Teaspoon Saffron Strands
¼ Nutmeg powder
10 Cardamoms
15 Grams Milk Powder
Method

Wash the rice well till the water is clear. Drain and keep aside.
In a pressure cooker the rice, water, 1 cup milk, desi ghee, pinch of saffron. 

Cook on high heat till first whistle and low heat for 10 minutes. Add 1 liter milk and mix well. Blend with a stick blender till you can see small grains of rice ( rice kani). 

Bring to boil and add 1½ cup of sugar, 2 tablespoons of the homemade masala milk powder,

lots of sliced nuts like almond, chironji, pistachios and cashewnuts (reserved a few for garnish). Cook on low heat for 10-15 minutes, keep stirring at intervals. Cook till desired thickness and serve hot or cold as you desire.

Garnish with sliver varaq and chopped nuts.

For The Homemade Masala Milk Powder

Grind all in a small mixer jar to a slightly coarse powder. This stays good for months in the refrigerator.

Labels: Alphabet Challenge, Kheer, Rice, Gluten free, Festival Sweets, Dessert, Milk, Homemade, Masala

Let's take a look at the other R recipes being shared today.....

Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice: Cheeseburger Broccoli Rice Soup Casserole
Food Lust People Love: Leek and Lobster Mushroom Risotto
Karen’s Kitchen Stories: Pan-Seared Scallops with Black Beans and Red Pepper Sauce
A Day in the Life on the Farm: Pineapple Fried Rice
Sneha’s Recipe: Pressure Cooker Rice Kheer With Homemade Masala Milk Powder
A Messy Kitchen: Rabrabrakake: Norwegian Rhubarb Cake
Mayuri’s Jikoni: Ragi Shavige Uppitu
Jolene’s Recipe Journal: Raspberry Ricotta Pancakes
Magical Ingredients: Red lentil Paratha
Palatable Pastime: Ring Noodle Tuna Salad (Minnesota Style)
Blogghetti: Roasted Rosemary Potato Peelings
Culinary Cam: Rose Petal-Strawberry Granita