Dates MysorePak

Mysore Pak is a popular South Indian sweet dish.I tried Coconut Mysore Pak and now I tried it with Dates! Date Mysorepak is something unique and I tasted this sweet in my friends Housewarming ceremony few months back. I learned this recipe from the cook who prepared this sweet. It is absolutely delicious and I loved it! So I wanted to try it as his stepwise was so clear and I felt confident about making it. The first time I tried, everything came out perfect but the texture is not perfect. Because just I added dates I didn’t grind it. So when I tried it again I roasted besan till aroma comes and I grind dates with milk and added in sugar syrup and makes to boil. ... Date Mysore Pak was incidentally the best sweet to come out of good efforts .Now It was apt both texture and taste wise- so damn worth exceedingly soft with a melt-in-the-mouth and extremely delicious.

 

 

Ingredients:

  Besan Flour - 1cups

 Ghee - 2 cups

 Sugar - 2 cups

 Water - 1/2 cup

Dates- 1cup

Milk – 1 cup

 

Method:

 1. Heat 2tsps of ghee in a heavy bottom wok and roast the besan flour in it, till you get a nice aroma of besan.

 2. Add the 3/4th of the ghee to the roasted besan flour and make a thick paste of it. Keep aside in a different vessel

  3.Cut the dates into small pieces after removing the seeds and soak it in milk for halfan hour. Then Grind to fine paste.

4. Take the sugar and water in the same wok and heat it till one string consistency.

5.Add the besan flour and date paste and slowly stir in the mixture into the sugar syrup and keep stirring

6.  Add the rest of the ghee and keep stirring without forming lumps

7. Look out till the mixture leaves the sides of the wok Add more hot ghee and keep stirring until the ghee separates from the mixture.

8.Grease a tray with ghee and pour in the hot mixture and allow it to cool a little

9. Using a knife cut into pieces and serve.. You will get very soft Dates Mysore-Pak and certainly delicious.

 From one cup of besan flour you will get at least 20 pieces . During festival time, this sweet will be very easy for you to make and am sure friends will ask for the recipe:).

Whole Wheat & Oats, Raisin, Chocolate Chip Cookies

Whole Wheat & Oats, Raisin, Chocolate Chip Cookies

A very tasty biscuits made of oats and whole wheat are all time my favorite. This slight crunchy biscuits is perfect pair with cup of Coffee/Tea.

 

Ingredients:

Wheat Flour- 1 cup

Oats (powdered) -1 cup

Milk – 1 cup

Baking powder-1/2 teaspoon

Baking soda-1/4 tsp

Sugar-100 g

Butter -50 g

Dark chocolate chips- 50 gm

Almonds few – chopped

Raisins- 50 gm

Honey or golden syrup-1tsp

 

Method:

1.Grind the oats separately into a fine powder.
2.In a bowl, stir together the dry ingredients – Wheatflour, oats flour , baking soda, baking powder, chocolate chips& chopped Almonds.

3.Melt butter, golden syrup and milk in a saucepan or in the microwave and stir until heated through.

4.Add milk butter & syrup to dry ingredients and Knead it well  until smooth dough.then add

chocolate chips and chopped raisins to the dough .

5.Preheat the oven to 180°C.

6.Take out the dough and pinch off equal little bits of dough and roll them into smooth balls. Press them a little flat with your palm or with cookie cutter.

7. Now dip a fork in flour and press it slightly on the biscuits to get the tine marks on top giving it a decorative look.

8.Place them on baking trays and leave enough space between each other when you place them on the tray with cookies and bake for  13 to 15minutes.

 9.. The biscuits will become fluffy and its color change watch carefully  that they don’t get too brown. 

10.Once Baked Switch off the oven and remove the baking tray .Cool them on the wire rack allow to cool completely. Store in an airtight box.

This quantity would make 15 medium sized cookies

Dal Palak

 

Dal palak or palak dal must be one of the most popular comfort foods in India. Everyone has their own version of this dish. Hot rice and this dal make one of the most soothing and fulfilling combination. I have tried it many times with different dals like moong, chana, tuvardal or with combined dals. Every version I like it! and also tasted it. . Both Dal and spinach are healthy, light, visually pleasing and nutritious. It can even be a side dish for lunch.

Ingredients:

Moong  dal- 1cup

Palak/spinach-2 cups chopped

Onion-1 chopped

Tomato-1 chopped

Ginger-green chili paste-1tsp

Red chili Powder-1tsp

Coriander Powder-1tsp

Turmeric Powder-1/2tsp

Garam masala Powder-1/2tsp

Salt to taste

Oil-2tsp

Cumin seeds-1/2tsp

Method:

1.Cook Moong  dal and palak  separately

2 Heat oil in a heavy bottomed vessel, add cumin seeds and as they splutter, Add the chopped onions and ginger-green chilli paste and saute for 3-4 mts.

3 Add red chili Powder turmeric pwd, coriander pwd ,cumin pwd and garammasala powder combine and saute for 3-4min.. 

4.Add chopped tomato and saute for another 3min. Cook covered for 2-3 min till tender. Keep the flame low.

5.Add the cooked dal along with salt and half a cup of water and combine cooked palak cook uncovered till it gets mix well with the masala cook on low to medium flame till it get desired consistency..

Serve with rotis or Plain rice.

Mint Ginger lemonade

Mint Ginger lemonade is awesome refreshing summer cooler made from lemons, water, sugar and fresh ginger juice with mint. It infused with the flavors of ginger and mint with a zest of lime is a booster that energizers your systems. For those who do not want to add sugar can replace sugar with honey or any sweetener of your choice.

 

Ingredients:

Fresh mint leaves- 5 to 6sprigs

Fresh ginger- 2 inch

Honey- 1 tbsp or

Granulated sugar-5to 6 tbsp

Fresh lemon juice

Lemon slices and fresh mint for garnish

Method:

Crush mint leaves, ginger in 1/2 glass of water and bring it to a boil

Stain the water and place it in a large bowl

Add the lemon juice, sugar / honey and enough cold water .Stir well until the sugar get dissolved

Chill in the refrigerator

Put this mixture in a serving glass. Garnish with few mint leaves.

Its just refreshing on a hot summer day.

 

To decorate glass edge,make the edge wet with the help of water.In a bowl take some good amount of sugar.Dip the edge of glass into it and put it in freeze foe 15-20 min..Take it out just before serving.