APPLE - ALMOND KHEER

APPLE - ALMOND KHEER

INGREDIENTS:-

Apple - 1 and 1/2 apple

Milk  - 6 cups 

Condensed milk  - 2 tbsp 

Finely Sliced Almonds - 1/2 cup

Ghee - 3 tsp

Sugar - 3 tsp

Cardamom Powder - 2 tsp

Saffron Strings - 10 strings

METHOD:-

Set all the ingredients ready.

Boil milk in  a sauce pan. Once it is boiled, keep the flame in low/sim, and let it boil for 30 to 40 minutes. Scrap the sides of the pan. Stir frequently to avoid  burnt. After sometime, allow it to cool.

Peel the skin of the apple and grate it. (grate the apple, before starting cooking)

Heat ghee in a separate pan and add sliced almonds. Fry for a minute and add the grated apple. Saute continously till the water in the apple are absorbed completely. 

Add the cardamom powder, saffron strings, condensed milk, sugar and mix together, for 2 minutes. Allow it to cool.

Mix  the milk and the grated apple mixture together, when both are completely cools.

Apple -Almond kheer is ready to serve.

Note:-

Use the same cup for measuring the ingredients.

The cup which I used is, 1 cup = 150 ml. 1 tbsp = 15 gms, 1 tsp = 5 gm

PHIRNI

This is a famous Punjabi dessert similar to Semiya Payasam, Sooji payasam in South India. Since Punjab is famous for Basmathi rice, this kheer/dessert is done using basmathi rice. 

INGREDIENTS:
Milk - 500 ml
Basmathi rice - 1/4 cup
Saffron/Kesar - 5 strands
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Badam - 6
Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp

METHOD: 
1. Soak Badam for few minutes in hot water, peel the skin and chop finely.
2. Wash Basmathi rice thoroughly, soak for 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Drain the water completely, grind to Rava/Sooji consistency, using a mixer and keep aside.
4. In a thick bottomed tawa, add milk and allow to boil.

5. Add saffron strands and basmathi rice, chopped badam and mix well in regular intervals in low flame.
6. Keep on stirring at intervals so that no lumps are formed and the rice gets cooked well.
7. After the rice is almost cooked, add sugar and cardamom powder and cook for a while till the milk thickens.
8. Taste for sugar, if needed add a little more.
9. Tasty and delicious Punjabi Phirni is ready to be served.
10. Serve it after it cools well.
11. It tastes well if refrigerated and served.

 



   

MYSORE PAK

Regular mysore pak, consumes lots of ghee and  time. I tried preparing Mysore pak using limited amount of ghee and less time.

INGREDIENTS:-

Besan Flour / Kadalai maavu - 1 cup
Sugar - 1 cup
Water - 1/2 cup
Ghee - 1/2 cup
Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp



METHOD:-

Grease a tray using ghee and set aside.

Dry roast besan flour for  7 to 8 minutes in low to medium flame, till nice aroma arises. Make sure that you don't burn the flour.

Dry Roast

Add ghee and cook for 5 minutes. Switch off the flame and set aside.

Ghee added

Side by side, Switch on the Electric Rice Cooker, add sugar, water, cardamom powder.

Sugar added in Electric Rice Cooker

One String Consistency is required to prepare the  mysore pak. Once it reaches One-string consistency, keep it in warm mode and immediately add the besan flour mix. 

Besan flour mix in sugar syrup

Stir continuously for 1  minute and transfer immediately to the greased tray.  

After 5 minutes, Cut into desired shapes. Allow it to cool and tap it on a plate.

Tasty mysore pak is ready.

Note:-
Instead of 1/2 cup ghee, 1/4 cup oil plus 1/4 cup ghee can be added. Adding oil, gives texture to the mysore pak.
Giving a gentle mix of the besan flour mix to the sugar syrup, and immediately pouring gives a Soft-Mysore Pak, while 2 to 3 minutes stirring gives a little Hard Mysore Pak.

LUNCH MENU

In South India, Meals Menu comprises, Sweet,  Rice, Kuzhambu/Sambhar, Kara Kuzhambu or Buttermilk Kuzhambu, Kootu, Porriyal or Usli, Curry, Pachadi, Pickle, and Payasam/Kheer with papad, Rasam, Buttermilk/Curd.

In this blog, we have most of these categories.

Kara Kuzhambu is preferred during winter or rainy seasons, whereas, Buttermilk Kuzhambu is preferred during summer seasons.

Following are the suggestions for Lunch Menu.

Lunch Menu No.1

Lunch Menu No.1

1. Dessert - Badam/Almond Halwa
2. Rice
3. Paruppu-Ghee
4. Sambhar/Kuzhambu 
5. Kara Kuzhambu - Sundaikkai Kara Kuzhumbu
6. Kootu - Plaintain Stem Kootu
7. Usli  -  Beans Paruppu Usli
8. Curry -  Lady's finger & Brinjal Curry
9. Pachadi - Mango Pachadi
10. Pickle
11. Rasam
12. Payasam/Kheer with papad - Semiya Payasam
13. Buttermilk