Agra Petha

Ingredients:

Ash gourd/ Kumbalanga/ winter melon - 2 kgs

Sugar - 1kg or 4 cups

Chuna/Chunambu /Limestone - 2tsp

Method:

1. Clean the ash gourd by removing its thick green skin and the soft seed flesh. Then cut the ash gourd into small cubes.

2. Prick the cubes from all the sides with a fork.

3. Take enough water to cover the ash gourd and add chuna to it and mix well.

4. Add the ash gourd cubes to this water and keep it aside for about 12 hours.

5. After 12 hours, rinse and wash the ash gourd cubes 3 to 4 times in fresh water so that all the chuna is properly washed off.

6.  Then, boil enough water and add the washed and cleaned ash gourd cubes to it. Boil this for around 10 - 12 minutes.

7.  Drain it and keep aside.

8.  Now take a large vessel and add sugar and 1/2 cup water to it.

9. Heat it till the sugar dissolves. Then add the cooked ash gourd cubes to this and boil till the water is completed evaporated and sugar coats the ash gourd. 

10. Transfer the pieces to a plate or wire mesh and allow it to cool for 3-4 hours. The store it in an airtight container.

Enjoy!!

Sweet diamond cuts

Ingredients :

1. All purpose flour - 2 cups
2. Butter - 1 tbsp, at room temperature
3. Egg - 1
4. Salt - 1/4 tsp
5. Sugar - 1 cup
6. Water as needed

Method:

1. Take all purpose flour, salt and butter in a mixing bowl. Gently mix it.
2. Beat the egg and add it to the above mixture and fold it.
3. Add water 1 tsp at a time to make a soft dough. Keep aside for 10-15 minutes.
4. Make small balls and roll them round like we make roti. Then with a pizza cutter cut the rounds diagonally first from left and then from right to make small diamonds.
5. Heat oil in a frying pan and deep fry these diamond cuts until golden brown and drain it in a paper towel.
6. Meanwhile, add sugar to a wide pan along with 1/4 cup water . Boil this to make a sugar syrup with one with one string consistency.
7. Once the sugar syrup is ready ,  switch off the stove and allow it to cool down a little. Then add the fried diamond cuts to the sugar syrup and mix well.
8. The sugar will crystallize and coat the diamond cuts. Store it in airtight containers.

Rasmalai

Source - RaksKitchen

Ingredients:

Rasgullas - 8
Milk - 2 cups
Condensed milk - 1/4 cup
Sugar - 2 tbsp
Saffron - a pinch
Pistachios - 7-8


Method:

1.  Warm 2 tbsp of milk and add saffron to it.
2.  Grease a heavy bottom vessel with few drops of ghee. Add milk to it and boil. Keep stirring every    2 minutes to avoid burning of milk at the bottom.
3. Keep stirring for another 25-30 minutes till the milk reduces to half.
4. Now add the saffron milk and condensed milk and boil for another 2 more minutes.
5. Now add sugar and pistachios and boil for another 2 minutes.
6. Gently squeeze the water out of the rasgullas. Be careful when you squeeze as too much pressure will break the rasgullas.
7. Add this to the boil milked. The rasgullas will absorb milk . Allow it to cool down and refrigerate.

Serve cool.

Maladdu

Ingredients:

Pottukadalai / Split chickpea - 1 cup
Sugar - 3/4 cup
Ghee - 1/2 cup
Cardamom - 1
Cashews - 8-10

Method:

1. Dry roast pottukadalai for 3-4 minutes om medium heat till its raw smell is gone. Powder it in a mixie. Keep aside.
2. Now powder sugar and cardamom and keep aside.
3. Melt the ghee in a small skillet and fry the cashews.
4. In a bowl, add the powder pottukadalai, sugar and cashews. Give it a mix. Now slowly add melted ghee to this and mix well. Make small balls when the mixture is still warm.

Eggless Nan Khatai

Ingredients:

Unsalted Butter - 1 stick ( 1/2 cup) at room temperature
Powdered Sugar or Confectioners sugar - 1/2 cup
All purpose flour -   1 cup
Nutmeg powder - 1/4 tsp
Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp
Baking powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt - 1/8 tsp
Chopped pistachios - 2-3 tbsp

Method:

1. Butter should be very soft. So keep it out of refrigerator for 3 -4 hr. Add small amounts of powdered sugar to butter and mix it until the mixture is soft and creamy.
2. Add the nutmeg powder and cardamom powder and mix well.
3. In a separate bowl, sift together all purpose flour, baking powder and salt.
4. Add the flour mixture to the butter-sugar mixture, little at a time. mix it well to form a soft dough.Keep it aside for 20-30 minutes.
5. Preheat oven to 300 F.
6. Knead dough again and make small balls of it. Place it on a baking tray lined with parchment paper/wax paper.
7. Decorate it with pistachios and bake it on the middle rack for 25-30 minutes.Make sure the nan-khatais remain white.
8. Allow it to cool on a wire rack for 5-10 minutes before serving. 

Milk Peda

Ingredients:

Milk powder - 1 cup
Condensed milk - 1 cup
Milk - 2 tbsp
Saffron - 2 -3 strands
Pistachios - 6-7 chopped
Ghee - 2 tsp

Method:

1.  Soak saffron strands in warm milk .
2.  In a heavy bottom pan, add milk powder, condensed milk , saffron milk and ghee. Mix well so that no lumps are formed. Now switch on the flame and boil the mixture.
3. Keep stirring it continuously until the mixture becomes thick and start to leave the sides of the pan. Now switch off the stove and allow the mixture to cool down for 10-15 minutes.
4. Apply some oil or ghee to your hands and make small balls or pedas out of the mixture. Flatten the balls slightly and make a dent at the center with you thumb. Decorate it with the chopped pistachios.

Besan Laddu

Ingredients:

Besan flour - 1 cup
Powdered Sugar - 1/2 cup
Melted Ghee - 1/4 cup


Method:

1. Sieve the besan flour and roast it in medium - low flame till the colour starts changing to golden brown. Keep stirring continuously to avoid burning the flour. It will take around 10 mins.
2. Switch of the stove and add powdered sugar to this and mix well. Allow it to cool for about 5 -8 minutes . Don't allow the mixture to cool completely.
3. Now add the melted ghee and mix well.  Make small balls when the mixture is still warm and able to handle with hand.

Garnish it with any of the nuts of your choice!!