Coconut Laddu

Ingredients:

Fresh coconut                  -  2 cups (finely grated or desiccated)
Desiccated coconut         -  2 table spoons
Sugar or grated jaggery   -  3/4 cup
Milk                                 - 1/2 cup
Milk maid                        -  1 cup(This can be used instead of milk and sugar)
Ghee                                -  2 table spoon
Cardamom powder          - 1 pinch

1.  Heat a heavy bottom kadai, add ghee to it.
2.  Add the grated coconut to the kadai and saute for a few minutes.
3.  Add sugar and milk to the coconut and mix it thoroughly and keep the stove in low flame.
     (If you are using Condensed milk, use it instead of milk and sugar)
4.  Keep stirring till the coconut mixture has absorbed the whole milk and is ready to be rolled into the ball.
5.  Remove from stove and allow it to cool.
6.  Roll the mixture into small balls.
7.  Roll the balls in the desiccated coconut.
8.  Excellent dessert.  Can be stored in air tight container and refrigerated.  Use it within 5 days.

Besan laddu (Kadalaimaavu Laddu)

Ingredients:

Besan(Kadalai Maavu) -  2 cups
Sugar                           -  1 1/2 cups
Ghee                            -  1 cup
Cardamom powder      -  1 table spoon
Grated Badams            -  1 table spoon

1.  Sieve Besan nicely without lumps.
2.  Grind sugar to a soft powder.
3.  Heat ghee in a kadai and add besan(Kadalai maavu).
4.  Keep the flame in low and roast, stirring continuously till besan turns to golden brown colour.
5.  Remove from stove and allow it to cool.  It be warm.
6.  Now add the ground sugar, cardamom powder and grated badams to it and mix thoroughly.
7.  Make them into small laddus.  Remember it should be slightly warm.  Only then the laddus would come to shape.

Carrot Halwa (Gajar ka Halwa)

Ingredients:

Carrot Halwa

Carrots                   -  3 cups
Milk                       -  1 cup
Sugar                     -  3/4 cup
Ghee                      -  2 table spoons
Cardamom powder -  1 tea spoon
Cashew nuts            -  1 table spoon

1.  Wash, peel and grate carrots.
2.  Heat milk and allow it to boil till it becomes half its quantity.
3.  Add the carrots and sugar to the milk and bring it to boil.
4.  After it starts to boil bring the flame to low and allow it to boil, stirring occasionally.
5.  Continue to stir cook till all the milk and sugar mixes with the carrots and comes to halwa consistency, and then remove from stove.
6.  Heat ghee in a kadai and add finey chopped cashews and badams.
7. Add it to the halwa and mix thoroughly.
8.  Serve hot or chilled for dessert. 

Caramelized Gooseberries (Amle ka Murabba)

Ingredients:

Amla (Nellikai) -  1 kg

Nellikkai 

Sugar               -  1 kg

1.  Wash and dry gooseberries.
2.  Take sugar in a thick bottomed vessel.
3.  Add little water, and bring the sugar solution to boil.
4.  Add the gooseberries and allow it to cook in low flame.
5.  Allow it to boil till the gooseberries turn to brown colour and the sugar solution becomes very thick.
6.  Remove from stove.  Allow it to cool.
7.  Store in air tight container.
8.  Taking one caramelized nellikkai a day is very good for health.

Nellikkai Jam (Gooseberry Jam)

Ingredients:

Nellikkai Jam

Gooseberries  -  1 kg
Sugar             -  1 kg

1.  Wash and wipe the gooseberries clean of water.
2.  Grate the gooseberries with the help of cheese grater.
3.  Take a heavy bottomed vessel.
4.  Add the grated gooseberries and sugar to the heavy bottomed vessel.
5.  Keep the flame in low and keep stirring.
6.  The sugar will melt and start boiling.
7.  It should be allowed to boil for almost 1 hr.
8.  The gooseberries and sugar will blend and become dark yellow and glassy.
9.  The froth will dry off.  Now remove from stove and allow it to cool for atleast 10 hr.
10.Transfer it to air tight container.
Shelf life:  More than a year.

Moongdal Laddu (Payathamavu Laddu)

Ingredients:

Payathamavu Laddu

Moong dal               -  1 cup
Sugar                       -  1 cup
Cardamom(Elakkai) -  4 - 6 nos
Ghee                        -  3 - 4 table spoons
Cashew nuts             -  6 - 8 nos

1.  Heat kadai and stir fry moong dal till it turns golden brown.
2.  Allow it to cool.
3.  Add sugar and cardamom to the dal and grind them together into fine powder.
4.  Take the ground mixture in a bowl.
5.  Heat ghee in a kadai, add broken cashew nuts and add it to the ground mixture.
6.  Make them into laddos.
7.  Moongdal laddu ready.  Payathamavu laddu ready.

Sweet Shankarpali

Ingredients:

Sweet Shankarpali

Maida                 -  1 cup
Sugar                  -  1 cup
Milk                    -  1 cup
Ghee                   -  1/2 cup
Rava                   -  1/2 cup
Salt to taste
Cooking oil for deep frying

1.  Grind sugar into powder.
2.  Add together maida, rava, sugar powder, salt and ghee.
3.  Add milk little by little and make it into a dough.
4.  Keep it aside covered for 1/2 hr.
5.  Take a portion of dough, roll it into a chapati using rolling pin.
6.  Cut the rolled chapati into small diamonds.
7.  Heat oil in a kadai, deep fry the cut diamond shapes in low flame till golden brown.
8.  Allow it to cool and store in dry, air tight container.
9.  Serve with tea.  It tastes good.