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What's Cooking? Indian recipes
P.S. Lakshmi Rao, a retired banker, has a passion for cooking. Her friends and family enjoy her culinary delights. Lakshmi is a long time Atlanta resident.

<<What's Cooking? Main


Rava Laddu (Cream of Wheat Laddu)


2-tablespoons ghee (clarified butter) 
˝ cashew nut pieces
˝ cup raisins
2 ˝ cups course rava
1 teaspoon crushed cardamom seeds

2 cups shredded fresh coconut or frozen (thawed)
2-˝ cups sugar
1 ˝ cups water

In a 3 or 4 quart–saucepan, heat ghee over medium low heat. Add cashews and raisins. Fry until raisins become plump and cashews are light brown. Add rava and stir continuously in low heat until it produces slight aroma. Transfer rava in to a plate and mix cardamom powder. Return the pan to the stove. Put the coconut in the pan and fry over low heat until all the moisture is evaporated and coconut feels dry. Save it in a separate plate. 
Mix sugar and water in the same saucepan and return it to the stove. Boil the sugar mixture on high heat until sugar is melted. Place a drop of syrup in a small plate. Pick it with two fingers and stretch; you should see a single string when syrup is ready. Syrup should not feel watery. Take the syrup out of the stove. Add rava and coconut to the syrup and mix. 
Keep it for an hour and make lime-sized balls. If you have problem making the balls add little milk or water.
Makes 45 laddus. 

These rava laddus are a little soft and they will not become powdery when you bite in to them.

Variation: You can mix crushed pistachios, almonds, and little saffron also.



Healthy Mixture (Chivda) 



SPICING

1 teaspoon ground red pepper
˝ teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
˝ teaspoon white or black ground pepper
˝ teaspoon mango powder (amchur)
˝ teaspoon crushed cumin powder (jeera)
˝ teaspoon coriander powder (dhania)
˝ teaspoon madras curry powder (optional)

Mix all these spice powders together and keep them in a bowl.

1cup oil
4 large flour tortillas cut in to ˝ inch squares or diamonds 
˝ cup raw cashews
˝ cup raw peanuts or home roasted peanuts
4 long curry leaves
3inch long fresh ginger cut in to small pieces
3 long green chilies cut in to small pieces
1 bag of store bought Punjabi, Madras, or Karala Mix (available in Indian stores)
1 box of rice krispies (13.5 ounces)

Heat oil in a small frying pan. Drop one tortilla square in to oil. If the square floats immediately the oil is ready for frying. Drop a handful of squares in to hot oil and fry until light brown and crisp. Remove them from oil with a slotted spoon on to three layers of paper towels to absorb oil from the squares. Repeat until all the squares are fried. 

In same oil, fry cashews and raw peanuts until light brown. Don’t fry the peanuts if they are already roasted. Remove nuts from oil on to paper towel. Add curry leaves, ginger, and green chilies one after the other and fry for two minutes each. Keep them on paper towel and blot them to remove any oil. Let them cool.

Mix all the spices, nuts, curry leaves, ginger, and green chilies together in a big bowl. Add fried tortilla squares, store bought mixture and rice krispies and mix well. Keep the mixture in a box with tight lid. If stored properly it will remain fresh for a long time.

Variation: You can eat this mixture plain or with lemon juice, chopped fresh green chilies, chopped coriander leaves, onions, date chutney, and yogurt.

With Happy Deepavali Greetings!


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