#This modak recipe is very quick and easy to make. And, as people are becoming more and more health conscious, I chose to make this recipe with almonds and it’s just as deliciousl Chaturthi in India! These are traditionally made on Ganesh #Makes 30 modaks INGREDIENTS: 2½ cups almond flour (alternately use the same amount of almonds and make flour at home as explained in recipe ½ cup milk powder ¾ cup sugar ½ cup water Saffron (optional) Edible silver/chandi varak (optional for garnish)#(skip if using almond flour) If using almonds, place almonds, about % cup at a tre, in the toad. processor. Pulse until you reach a flour-like consistency, sift into a containe. Pace any ending. Mix almond flour and dry milk in a container. into flour. Make sure you do not pulse too much and the almonds should not relena ta. almond chunks back into the food processor and pulse. Repeat until all simonds we transomed To prepare sugar syrup, add sugar, water and saffron to a shallow pot and heat on low me a drop of syrup and pinch between two fingers. Stir often. flame. Heat for about 3 to 5 minutes till large bubbles start rising and you see threads when you Turn off the heat and add almond-milk powder mix to the syrup. Mix everything very well s becomes dough. Remove the dough and knead it for about 2-3 minutes and keep it thick. Ifyou have molds, make the modak, or use a fork to make the desig like l did. Wait for about 5 minutes and garnish with edible silver foil (silver varak). Keep it in the refrigerator for about an hour for it to set. Garnish with saffron. Enjoy!

#sweet#recipe #custard Gulab jamun #I love to eat and serve this cold dessert in the summer time! I am sure everyone will enjoy this colorful, delectable dish! Ingredients: Serves: 4 3 cups whole or 2% milk or whole milk 2 tbsp custard powder - vanilla or as you like Sugar to taste 8 small sized gulab jamuns - room temperature or a little warm if you want a hot/cold taste - cut as you like. Few drops of roohafza (can be found in Indian stores) For garnish - pistachio and almond slices Optional: grapes and pomegranate seeds Method Start a heavyweight pan at medium heat. Add the milk, then take a bowl and add ⅓ cup of water and custard powder. Mix and keep aside. When the milk is hot, add the custard powder mix, and wait until it boils. Check the consistency - we need it to be a little thick. Remember when it’s cold, the custard thickens more.If it’s watery, add more custard powder. Now, add sugar and stir. Then keep inside the fridge for about 3 to 4 hours or more. Take a serving bowl and add the custard milk and 2 gulab jamuns. Garnish with pistachios and almonds. If you want grapes and pomegranate, add at this time. Finally, add a few drops of roohafza. Enjoy!

#mawagujiya😋❣️#With Any festivals coming around, now is a great time to make sweets! One of my favorite #recipeon👇🏾 desserts is mawa gujiya. Gujiya is a delicious Indian sweet with a crispy outer crust, stuffed with a sweet filling. It’s made with flour, sugar, ghee, nuts, and most importantly mawa. It can also have stuffed sooji but the mawa taste is better to me. It takes a little patience, but it’s definitely worth it! Ingredients Serves 20 2 ½ cups all purpose flour 1 tbsp semolina (suji) Pinch of salt 3 tbsp ghee Oil for frying For the filling 1 cup mawa, roasted ½ cup sugar 1 tbsp coconut powder (nariyal ka burada) 1 tbsp cardamom powder 8 to 10 almonds - finely cut 8 to 10 cashew nuts - finely cut 20 raisins For syrup ¼ cup water 1 cup sugar 10 threads saffron (kesar) For garnish 15 pistachios 1 piece silver foil (chandi varak) - optional Gujiya maker Take a wide bowl and mix flour, suji and ghee for a minute or until crumbly. Take the flour in your palm and try to make a small ball - if you can’t, add more ghee. Now add water slowly and make a medium soft dough, then spread oil on the dough surface. Cover the dough with soaked fabric and let it rest for about 30 minutes. Take another bowl, and add mawa, coconut powder, cardamom powder, almond, cashew nuts, raisins and sugar. Mix everything, keep aside. Take the dough and make 20 pieces of uniform size. Take one piece and roll it out, about 4 to 5 inches. Add about 1 tbsp of the mawa mixture. Take a little water and apply on the edges using your finger. Then press in the gujiya maker (or press it closed into a ½ moon shape yourself), press lightly, and keep aside. Do all the same manner. Make sure to seal the gujiya well, otherwise when frying, the gujiya filling will fall out. To make the syrup, take a wide pan and add water and sugar, on medium heat. Cook for about 5 minutes or until threads form when mixing. Turn off the heat. Take a fry pan with oil and start on slow heat. Wait until the oil is hot. Then, add the gujiyas, making sure it is not crowded. Fry both sides until golden brown. Fry all in the same manner, then keep on a paper towel. Take the sugar syrup and remove #garnish .

#airfrier #pakora #Few foods carry the kind of soul-warming nostalgia that pakoras do. Across India, these crispy, spiced fritters have graced street food carts, family kitchens, and roadside dhabas for generations. Pakoras are synonymous with the monsoon season — the kind of snack you reach for when rain is hammering the windows and a cup of chai is already brewing on the stove. This air fryer version is a game-changer. You get the same deeply spiced, shattering crunch on the outside and a soft, steamy interior — without the liters of oil, the splatter, or the lingering smell - ready in under 30 minutes! No frying. Eat guilt free and enjoy any time. Simple and tasty. Ingredients 2 cups palak (spinach) - washed, dried and finely chopped 1 small onion - finely chipped 2 green chilies - finely chopped (adjust as per taste) 1 cup besan (gram flour) 1 tbsp rice flour/ corn flour ( optional, for extra crisp) 1 tsp ajwain (carom seeds) 1 tsp red chili powder (adjust as per taste) ½ tsp turmeric powder 1 tsp garam masala Salt to taste Oil for brushing or spray Method In a bowl, add besan, palak, onion, rice flour, green chilies and spices Mix well and let it rest for a few minutes since spinach and onions will release water. Add extra water (little at a time) to make a thick batter( pakora - style). Mix very well. Keep aside for 15 minutes. Preheat air fryer @ 190 C or 375 F Lightly grease the air fryer or put on parchment paper. Mix pakora mix, shape pakora with a spoon or hand and put in an air fryer. Keep space in between and do not over crowd. Bake for 5-7 minutes, then apply oil on top with a brush or spray. Bake for 5-7 minutes or until golden brown. Flip pakoras, apply oil on reverse side and bake for another 5-7 minutes Serve with green chutney, imli chutney and masala chai

#SweetAndSpicy #IndianDrinks #IndianSharbat #SummerDrinks DesiDrinks MasalaDrink#This sweet, spicy, and tangy Imli Drink is a refreshing Indian-style drink with the perfect balance of tamarind, jaggery, roasted cumin, and spices. It tastes just like a delicious street-style Indian sharbat! Prep time 15 minutes Servings 2–3 glasses Ingredients ¼ cup seedless tamarind (imli) 2½ cups water 2–3 tablespoons jaggery or sugar, to taste ½ teaspoon roasted cumin powder ½ teaspoon chaat masala ¼ teaspoon black salt ¼ teaspoon regular salt, or to taste ¼ teaspoon red chili powder, adjust to taste ½ teaspoon grated ginger or ginger juice 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (optional) Fresh mint leaves 2 or 1 green chilli - cut into 2 peices(optinol) Ice cubes, as needed Soda or Sparkling water Instructions Soak the tamarind: Place the tamarind in 1 cup of warm water and soak for 15–20 minutes until soft. Extract the pulp: Mash the tamarind thoroughly with your fingers or a spoon. Strain through a sieve to remove fibers and seeds. Sweeten the drink: Add jaggery or sugar and stir until dissolved. Add the spices: Mix in roasted cumin powder, chaat masala, black salt, regular salt, red chili powder, and ginger. Add soda or sparkling water: Pour and add lemon juice, if using. Mix well. Chill and serve: Taste and adjust the sweetness, tanginess, and spice level. Serve over ice and garnish with fresh mint leaves. Tips for the best flavor Use jaggery for a deeper, traditional Indian flavor. Add extra roasted cumin and a pinch of chaat masala for a street-style taste. For more heat, add a little finely chopped green chili. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving so the flavors blend together.

#Kaju (Cashewnut) Katli is probably the most popular sweets in India. It is the most bought and gifted sweets during festival season and for other occasions. People always admire it if you serve or give a gift of Kaju Katli . General thinking is that kaju katli is difficult to make at home but surprisingly it is very quick and easy to make. Just follow my recipe step by step and you can make Kaju katli that tastes and looks similar to that sold at large sweet shops. No one will believe that it is homemade. Ingredients: Make 500 gm. 250 gm Kajus (Full or split or broken) 50 gm. milk powder 160 gm. Sugar 100 ml water Saffron (optional) Edible silver/ chandi varak (Optional for garnish) One thick plastic sheet, or parchment paper for rolling Method: Place Kajus, about 1/2 cup at a time, in the food processor. Pulse until you reach a flour-like consistency; sift into a container. Place any remaining Kaju chunks back into the food processor and pulse. Repeat until all Kajus are transformed into flour. Make sure you do not pulse too much else Kajus will release fat making it non suitable for the recipe.. Mix Kaju flour and dry milk in a container. To prepare sugar syrup, add sugar, water and saffron in a shallow pot and heat on low-medium flame. Heat for about 3 to 5 minutes till large bubbles start rising and you see two threads when you take a drop of syrup and pinch between two fingers and release fingers. Stir often. Turn off the heat and add Kaju - milk powder mix to the syrup. Mix everything very well so that it becomes like dough. Spread it in the pan and let rest it cool. Dough should be firm and stiff. If it is sticky, add Kaju flour one spoon at a time to make it firm and stiff. Remove the dough and knead it for about 2-3 minutes by keeping it in between thick plastic sheets. Keep the dough between plastic sheet and roll the dough into a flat sheet about ¼ inch thickness (like a big chapati) Wait for about 5 minutes and garnish with edible silver foil (silver varak) and cut into diamond shapes of desired size. Keep it in the refrigerator for about an hour for it to set. Store it in the refrigerator. More recipes on my website. Enjoy!

#paanladdu#Paan Laddu is a #delicious#, elegant, quick and rich #dessert made with Paan leaves, gulkand, condensed milk and coconut. Fresh Paan leaves and gulkand provides an authentic paan flavor and will wow your guests. Ingredients Serves 8 ½ cup condensed milk 4 paan leaves 1-1/2 cup coconut powder ⅓ cup Gulkand Nuts (optional) Rose Petals Ghee Food color - Green Method Add condensed milk and paan into a food processor or grinder and grind for about 2 minutes till leaves are crushed (Do not make a paste) Add 2 or 3 drops of green color and turn the grinder for a few seconds to mix. Keep aside. Put a pan on slow heat and add 1 tbsp ghee. Add 1 cup coconut powder when the ghee has melted. Keep stirring and roast for about 1 minute on very low heat otherwise the coconut will burn. Keep aside. Put another pan on slow heat and add condensed milk, paan mixture and mix until thick (about 3 to 5 minutes). Remove from heat. Add roasted coconut into the condensed milk- paan mixture and mix well to make a dough. Mix ½ cup coconut and 2 tbsp rose petals in a bowl and keep aside. Divide paan mixture and divide into 8 equal parts. Take a part and roll it into a flat disc about 2 inch diameter using your palm. Add 1⁄2 tsp gulkand and nuts, if desired. Roll in your palms to make a laddu. Roll into coconut - rose petal mixture and keep it on a plate. Repeat to make the rest of the laddus and keep in the fridge for about ½ hour. To serve, sprinkle coconut and rose Petals on top! Note: You can cut laddu into 2 or 4 parts and serve. It will be tastier if you make it on the previous day and serve the next day. See similar recipes on my cookbook on Amazon

#Happy Ashtami 🌹🙏 Kala channa recipe #maaduraga🌺🙏 #This is a very high protein and delicious dish! We always offer it in Durga puja (a Hindu holiday), because we believe Durga Ji loves it. This is easy to make, and a great snack or lunch. This recipe is also oil free, sugar-free, vegan and gluten free. In India we used to eat it quite often, and some people also add potatoes, tomatoes, and spices to make a thick curry and serve with rice. Ingredients Serves: 2 or more For puja or dry chana 1 cup kala chana - soak for 5 to 6 hours 2 green chili - finely chopped (optional) 2 tsp salt or to taste 1 tsp cumin seeds 1 tsp garam masala 1 tej patta (bay leaf) ⅓ tsp hing 1 tsp ginger - finely chopped Cilantro - finely chopped (optional) Kala Chana Salad 1 medium size tomato - finely chopped 1 small size onion - finely chopped 2 tbsp cilantro - finely chopped 1 tsp mint - chopped (optional) 1 tsp kala salt (black salt) 1 tsp chaat masala 2 tbsp lemon juice Method First, boil the chanas with salt in a pressure cooker for about 10 to 15 minute minutes. Rest for about 10 minutes (don’t drain the water yet). Keep aside. Dry Channa If making for puja, add oil in a fry pan and add cumin seed, bay leaf and hing. Wait until the seeds crackle. Add chanas (keep about ½ cup water and drain the rest), salt, and garam masala. Stir. Cover for about 5 to 8 minutes. Garnish with ginger, cilantro and green chili. Enjoy! Salad Drain the chanas and mix them well with tomato, green chilli, onion, lemon juice and chaat masala. Garnish with cilantro and mint. Enjoy!

#This recipe provides a great kick start in the morning time or any other time. It has no oil nor much carbs, so it’s good for your health as well and more over during the fasting time (like Navratri) is a very delicious recipe. #vartrecipe😘😘😘😘😘😍😍😍😍 #recipe #duragamaa❤️ INGREDIENTS Serves: 4 1 ¼ whole buckwheat (kuttu) ⅓ cup dried fruit (prunes, pear, cranberry and apricots) or whatever you have - coarsely chopped 1 tsp grated fresh ginger 2 - 3 cinnamon sticks 1 tsp cardamom seeds ½ tsp vanilla extract A pinch of sea salt Fresh blueberries for garnish ½ cup milk (any milk is fine) Sugar (optional) METHOD First, rinse the buckwheat in running water. Add to a medium saucepan with 2 ½ cups water, dried fruit, spices, vanilla, and sea salt. Wait until it boils, then simmer heat. Gently simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring often. When the water is absorbed, the porridge should be tender. Now, close the lid for about 2 to 4 minutes. Take a big bowl and add the buckwheat then pour in the milk . Now garnish with fruits. Serve hot or at room temperature. Enjoy!