Carrot Halwa / Gajar Ka Halwa – Microwave Method / Easy Diwali Sweets

                                                         “200th Recipe “
 


Hi Friends,

I’m really excited to write my 200th post. Its been 10 months since I started my blog. I’m very happy that I shared and posted almost 200 recipes. Thanks for the comments, support and appreciation as I continue traveling in my culinary journey. Thank you everyone 🙂 🙂

Gayathri Ramanan

Carrot Halwa / Gajar Ka Halwa is a traditional Punjabi dessert made with carrot, milk, ghee and sugar. This rich and colorful dessert is getting popular worldwide, also you can see this in Indian restaurant menu card. This is very quick to make dessert using microwave. You can also make this  in stove top or pressure cooker. Addition of ghee and nuts makes the dessert more rich and delicious. The cardamom gives good aroma and a flavor to the dish. You can make this halwa for any special occasion. Serve this halwa with ice cream on top. Try this recipe and enjoy 🙂 🙂

 

Ingredients

  • 2 Carrots, Large (1 and 1/4 Cup)
  • 1 Cup of 2% Milk
  • 6 Tbsp of White Sugar
  • 2 -3 Tbsp of Ghee (Clarified Butter)
  • 2 Cardamom Pods
  • Handful of Roasted Cashew Nuts

Method

  • Wash, peel and grate the carrots, I got 1 Cup of Grated carrots. Crush the cardamom seeds in a mortar and pestle to a fine powder. Keep this aside.
  • In a microwave safe bowl, add ghee (1 Tbsp ) and grated carrots. Microwave this for 5 mins.
  • Add milk and stir well. Microwave this for another 5 mins, stirring for every 2 mins.
  • Add cardamom, ghee(1Tbsp) and sugar, stir well. Microwave this for 12 mins until carrots turns soft and milk fully absorbed, stir it for every 5 mins. Carrot halwa is ready.
  • Garnish it with roasted cashews or any nuts of your choice. Serve it warm or cold.


Tips

  • You can use condensed milk instead of adding 2% fat milk.
  • Add any nuts of choice for garnish.
  • If you have unroasted cashews, roast it in ghee before you serve.
  • You can also serve this halwa with ice cream on top.
  • It will lasts for 2-3 days so refrigerate it in an air tight box.
  • Adjust the amount of sugar according to your taste.
  • When you add sugar, the mixture turns watery so microwave till all the milk is absorbed.

 

    Health Benefits of Carrot

    • Good for the eyes.
    • Prevents cancer.
    • Vitamin A and antioxidant in carrot protect the skin from sun damage.
    • Prevents heart disease and stroke.
    • It has anti-aging property.

 



Homemade Strawberry Frozen Yogurt – Summer Recipes




        Strawberries are everywhere right now !! I got strawberries from ” Pick your own fruit farm”. Strawberry frozen yogurt is simple, delicious and healthy. It requires only few ingredients and is made without cooking. I really love the gorgeous pink color and the taste is just amazing. Try this yogurt and let me know your feedback.


    Ingredients

           1.5 Cup of Strawberries
           3/4 Cup  of Yogurt
           2 Tbsp of Sugar
           2 Tbsp of Honey
           1/2 Tsp of Vanilla Extact
           1/2 Tsp of Lemon Juice
           Pinch of Salt




   Method

  • Wash and slice the strawberries into pieces.
  • In a blender/ mixie, add the strawberries, yogurt, sugar, honey, vanilla extract, lemon juice and salt.  Puree until the mixture is smooth.
  • Transfer the contents to an airtight container and freeze until set, ideally overnight.
  • Remove from the freezer and let stand at room temperature for 15 -20 mins before serving.





   Tips

  • If you get Greek yogurt, add that instead of using normal yogurt.
  • Use stevia or agave for sweetness instead of adding regular white sugar and honey.
  • Addition of salt is to enrich the sweetness of yogurt.


    Health Benefits of Strawberry 

  • The dietary fiber in strawberry keeps digestion regular and lowers the blood pressure. 
  • High in vitamin C and manganese.
  • It has anti inflammatory and anticancer properties.
  • Good for eyes and bone health.




Rasagulla Recipe / Rasgulla Making / Bengali Sweet



       Rasagulla Recipe is a freshly made homemade cheese balls simmered in a pot of sugar syrup,it is a famous bengali sweet usually I make it for diwali.. “Ras is the syrup and gulla is a ball”.  I’m a big fan of Milk sweets especially I love Rasgulla and basundi because of its rich, creamy and delicious in taste.You can make this rasgulla for diwali or any festival occasion. I made this sweet for our wedding anniversary last week.  For this sweet, I used 2 % milk, you can also use full cream milk and I made this recipe using pressure cooker. Got this recipe from here. This is very easy to make rasagulla and also yummy in taste and also it can be done so quickly. Try this delicious sweet and let me know your feedback.


    Make : 7 Rasgullas
    Ingredients

       2 Cups of  Milk (2%)
       2 Tbsp of Lemon Juice
       3/4 – 1 Cup of Sugar
       2 and 1/4 Cup of Water
       Pinch of Cardamom Powder



    Method

    To Make a Paneer/ Indian Cottage Cheese

  • Boil the milk in a heavy bottomed vessel over medium heat, when milk starts boiling, just simmer it, then add the lemon juice to the boiling milk, stir the milk gently. Now milk will starts curdling and then whey will separate. Switch off the flame.
  • Strain the curdled milk in a cheese cloth/muslin cloth placed in a strainer. Keep the bowl under strainer to collect the whey. Donot waste the whey, they are nutritious and has protein in it.
  • Wash the milk solids in a cold running tap water, this has to be done to remove the lemon smell. Squeeze the excess water and hang it for 15-20 mins. After that, take out the milk solids/ paneer from muslin cloth, knead it well with hand for 10 mins until you get a soft and smooth dough and make them into a small round size balls. I made 7 balls.

 


     To Make Rasgulla

  • In a pressure cooker, add sugar, pinch of cardamom powder and water, bring it to a boil, add the panner balls and close the pressure cooker. After you get 1 whistle, simmer it for 7 mins. Turn off the flame.
  • After you open, you can notice, the rasgulla will be doubled in size. Keep this rasgullas in refrigerator for 1 hr and serve it chilled.

 

 

 
    Tips

  • Use homemade rasgullas to make rasmalai dessert.
  • You can use the whey to make soft chapathi or in bread making. Don’t waste it.
  • You can also cook rasgulla in a heavy bottomed pan instead of using pressure cooker.
  • Use rose water to the sugar syrup to get a nice flavor to rasgullas.
  • Add pistachios and saffron strands for a color and to get a great taste.

      
    Health Benefits of Panner / Indian Cottage Cheese

  • Paneer is a good source of vit D and calcium, which helps to build strong bones and teeth.
  • Panner in moderation, is associated with lower body weight, reduced risk of insulin resistance syndrome.
  • Paneer is high in protein and reduces cancer risk
  • Helps in lower, back and joint pain.
  • Paneer prevents osteoporosis in women.
  • Good for digestive which helps in activating the hydrolysis of protein
  • Whey acts as a cleansing agent, helps in function of urinary system.