Navarathri Neivedyam VIII - Coconut milk pudding

My pantry had a can of coconut milk waiting patiently for its turn. I had brought it to be used in curries, gravies, etc, but never got around to using it. Recently while I was going through Aparna's lovely blog, I saw this pudding and had bookmarked it. Ever since I began making neivedyam on a daily basis for Navarathri, I wanted to make it and today was the day. With few changes to Aparna's recipe, I was good to go. I used Vegalicious' method of stovetop for cooking since I am not a very great fan of microwave cooking for various reasons.

The pudding resulted from a 10 minute stir on the stovetop over medium heat. It was creamy, coco-nutty and rich. It is a great to see how such few ingredients can lead to such a wonder!

Now over to Navarathri Neivedyam VIII - Coconut milk pudding

Ingredients (serves 4 since it is slightly heavy):


Thick coconut milk: 400 ml (one can, store bought)
Sugar: ¼ cup (plus one or two tbsps extra if you want it a little sweeter)
Cornstarch / cornflour: 3 tsps
Elaichi: 8 pods
Edible camphor: a pinch
Fresh coconut pieces: ¼ cup
Almonds (chopped fine): for garnish

Method:

Take about 50 ml of the coconut milk in a cup. Add the cornstarch to it and mix well. Make sure no lumps are formed.
Take the remaining coconut milk, sugar and camphor and mix in a heavy bottomed vessel.
Mix the cornstarch mixed coconut milk to it. (This step is done just to avoid formation of minor lumps)
Grind the coconut pieces and elaichi to a smooth powder.
Bring the coconut milk to a boil over medium flame stirring all the time. It will start bubbling in about 6 minutes.
Keep stirring patiently as it thickens. When you feel the right consistency has been attained, add the coconut-elaichi powder.
Mix well. Keep stirring for 2 minutes and finish.
Offer to God.
Pour in individual serving cups and refrigerate for about two hours.
Enjoy!
This pudding goes to 'Cooking for Kids - Festive Sweets/Savoury Event' hosted by Suma and created by Sharmi

Navarathri Neivedyam VII – Carrot and Chana dal Payasam

“Today should be a payasam”, I thought. I had not made one for the Navarathri yet. Again, I wanted a neivedyam which did not need any major effort from my side. I remembered the carrot and chana dal payasam by Priya, which I had bookmarked a few days back. I zoomed into the recipe. As it is, the recipe sounded very easy, and I simplified it further. I wanted carrots to dominate the payasam, hence changed the proportions of ingredients to suit my taste. The end result was a lovely thick payasam which had a deliciously creamy custardy consistency. And the colour was a beautiful brilliant orange!

Navarathri Neivedyam VII – Carrot and Chana dal Payasam

Ingredients (serves three)

Carrots (chopped): 1 cup
Chana dal (raw): 1/3 cup
Sweetened condensed milk/ Milkmaid: ¼ cup
Milk: ½ cup
Sugar: 3 tbsp
Elaichi: 5 – 6 pods, crushed
Edible camphor: one pinch
Ghee: 1 – 2 tsp
Cashews, almonds and raisins (chopped or broken): 1 tbsp each

Method:

Wash and soak the dal for atleast half an hour.
Pressure cook the dal together with the carrots adding about ¾ cup of water.
Cook it for about 5 whistles so that it gets mushy.
Once the pressure releases, cool it and grind into a fine paste.
Now, in a deep bottomed vessel, heat ghee and fry the dry fruits and keep aside.
Add the ground carrot-chanadal paste to it.
Add the milk, condensed milk, camphor, elaichi and the sugar to it.
On a medium flame, cook it and allow it come to a boil.
Switch off.
Mix the garnishing and offer to God.
Serve warm or cold and enjoy!

This bowl of payasam goes to 'Anyone can cook Series - 3' and to 'Celebrate Sweets - Kheer' events hosted by Taste of Pearl City

Navarathri Neivedyam V - Kesari Poli

'Kesari Poli' is what I preferred to name it. It is nothing but our good old rava kesari stuffed into a chapati. This is also known by the name of 'Sanjachi poli' or 'Sanjori' and has its own designated place in Maharashtrian cuisine. I understand this is mostly done with leftover Sheera or Kesari, deliberately cooked in large quantities for a puja or a ritual so that Sanjori would follow the next day.

I wanted Kesari Poli to be one of the Neivedyams for Navarathri. It is extremely easy to make. The only difference between a normal kesari and the one I used as a filling here is that I limited the amount of ghee to about two tbsp (else our kesaris have a notorious reputation of drinking cups and cups of ghee) and omitted the cashews so that rolling would be smooth. So, here we go.

Navarathri Neivedyam V - Kesari Poli

Ingredients (Makes 5 kesari polis)

For the Kesari (filling)

Rava (Suji): ½ cup
Sugar: ¾ cup (I wanted it a little sweet since it has to be sandwiched between two layers of flour)
Ghee: 2 tbsp
Water: 1 cup
Elaichi: 5- 6 pods, crushed
Edible camphor: one pinch
Raisins: 1 tbsp

Method:

Heat a heavy bottomed kadai.
Add ghee and roast the raisins till they puff up well.
Now roast the rava and fry till they turn a slight brown and a good aroma comes out.
Add the water to the rava and keep stirring vigourously so that no lumps form.
Add the camphor and the elaichi.
When the rava is well cooked, add the sugar.
Let it come together into a big mass.
Add the raisins and give it one final stir.
Finish!
Make normal chapati dough and set aside atleast for 15 minutes.
Take a big lemon sized ball and make parathas out of it.
Use ghee and roast it tossing and turning it few times.
Offer to God and enjoy!

Navarathri Neivedyam IV - Aval (Poha) Kesari

Navarathri Neivedyam IV - Aval Kesari



Ingredients (Serves two)


Poha (medium variety): 1/2 cup
Sugar: 1/3 cup (or a little less if you prefer it less sweeter)
Elaichi powder: 2 pinches
Edible camphor: 1 pinch
Ghee: 3 tbsp
Water: 1 cup
Raisins and cashews: a handful
Yellow colour (optional)

Method:

Dry roast the aval. Once cool, make a fine powder. Keep aside.
In the same kadai add about one tsp of ghee, fry the raisins and cashews till golden brown and keep aside.
Now add the water and the aval. Keep stirring so that it does not form any lumps.
Add the remaining ghee and keep stirring till all the water dries up.
Once all the water is dry, introduce the sugar.
Add the edible camphor, colour and the elaichi powder.
Keep mixing till it leaves the sides of the kadai.
Add the fried cashews and raisins and give it one final stir.
Done.
Offer to God and enjoy!

This recipe goes to 'Anyone can cook Series - 3' event hosted by Taste of Pearl City

Eggless Blueberry Loaf

I have been sincerely insincere to my blog. Not only have I neglected my poor blog, but also let my first blog anniversary pass without a single post! My poor blog turned one on the 1st of July! Too bad. I, in all earnestness want to atone for my bad karma :)

I would like to dedicate this post to my blog’s first anniversary. This may be a simple eggless blueberry loaf, but it is my first successful attempt at making a loaf after around six or seven humiliating fiascos. Each time I tried, I would follow instructions to the last letter, but, would still end up with a sorry-looking gluey mess. Parita’s recipe for a blueberry muffin gave me my first taste of success in baking. Thanks parita! You helped me restore and re-build the largely-lost confidence and enthusiasm of an amateur baker. I made as few changes as possible and stuck to the original recipe. This recipe yields one loaf.

Ingredients:

· All Purpose Flour or Maida: 2 cups
· Salt: ½ tsp
· Baking powder: 2 tsp
· Baking soda: ½ tsp
· Sugar: ¾ cup
· Milk: ½ cup
· Butter (softened): 1/3 cup
· Vanilla essence: 2 tsp
· Fresh blueberries: 1 cup

Method:

· Preheat the oven to 200 deg Celcius (390 F) and keep a greased loaf tin ready.
· Wash and wipe the blueberries with a clean cloth. Coat with one tbsp of flour and toss gently so that the blueberries are completely coated.
· Sieve all dry ingredients together (flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt) a couple of times and keep it in a large bowl.
· Mix all wet ingredients together (butter, milk, vanilla essence and sugar).
· Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredient bowl.
· Pour the wet ingredient mixture into it slowly.
· Mix gently.
· While you are in the middle of mixing, add in the blueberries.
· Parita suggests NOT to overmix. So, I ensured the ingredients came together. And left it right there.
· Once done, pour the batter into the greased loaf tin.
· Bake at 390 F for 40 – 45 minutes. Insert a greased knife in the middle and test if it is done.
· Slice and enjoy with tea, coffee, milk or as it is.