kalakand recipe with paneer and condensed milk / Orange Kalakand burfi recipe /

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Kalakand Recipe with Paneer and Condensed Milk / Holi Special Food / Kalakand Burfi Recipe with Oranges

Kalakand - Indian milk cake sweet - an amazing dessert 🍨 which is made during festival seasons. This sweet is loved by almost everyone as it is so rich and delicious 😋. I have already posted the basic recipe of kalakand burfi. 

Today's post of kalakand has a twist in it. I have added some fresh orange 🍊 pulp which makes it more tasty with a unique and typical taste. When I googled for this recipe, I did not find any but I found mango kalakand. So I prepared this sweet on a similar basis using oranges as this is the season of oranges.

Talking about the taste, as I said earlier, it is very yummy. Though it is a bit chewy, it is a mouth watering sweet. I have prepared this milk cake for the occasion of Holi. The previous post of kodbale which is a savory snack is also a special recipe for Holi.

You can also check my other festive recipes like

Chena Poda

Pumpkin Halwa

Custard Apple Rabdi

Palkova Recipe

Sabudana Vada Recipe

Poha Kesari

Carrot Kheer

Boorelu

Coconut Jaggery Laddoo

Paneer Kheer    and   many more.....

Preparation

Heat milk in a pan. Allow it to come to a boil.

When it starts to boil, add curd. You can also add lemon juice or vinegar to curdle the m milk. But in the latter case, you need to wash the Chena under running water to get rid of the sour taste from the lemon or vinegar.

Keep stirring gently until the milk Is completely curdled separating the chenna and whey. Now switch off the flame and strain the whey. Strain in such a way that there is no moisture left in the paneer. 

Take the Chena ( without any moisture ) in the pan and put it on a low flame. Strain the chenna well without any moisture. My pic shows that there is water, but make sure that you are not left with any water to speeder the cooking process and to get a soft kalakand. 

Add the orange 🍊 pulp and mix well.

Add the condensed milk and keep stirring to avoid burning at the bottom.

Cook on a low flame until there is no moisture left.

Meanwhile keep a plate or a pan greased with ghee and set aside.

When the water is completely evaporated from the mixture and you are left with a mass, switch off the flame.

Transfer to the greased pan and even it with a knife. Sprinkle dry fruits of your choice and allow it to come to room temperature.

Keep it in the fridge for 2-4 hours or overnight and cut into desired shapes. Enjoy with friends and family.

Ingredients

Milk  1 l

Orange  pulp 1/4 cup

Condensed milk  1/4 cup + 4 tbsp.

Curd  4 tbsp.

Ghee  2 tsp

Nuts  to garnish

Method

1. Bring milk to a boil. 
2. Add curd when it is boiling and allow the milk to curdle completely.
3. Drain the whey from the chenna.
4. Take the Chena in the pan and put on a low flame.
5. Add condensed milk and orange pulp and mix well.
6. Cook on a low flame until the moisture is completely evaporated.
7. transfer to a greased pan and garnish with nuts of your choice.
8. Allow to come to room temperature and refrigerate for 2-4 hours or overnight.
9. Remove and cut into desired shapes.

Notes

• If you do not have condensed milk, then cook milk until 1/4 th of its volume and then add Chena and orange pulp.
• Do not cook Chena for long as it will become too hard if cooked for long.
• Alternatively, you can first mix condensed milk and orange pulp. Cook until thickened and then add chenna. This way, the kalakand remains soft and tasty.
•  It took a long time for me to get the water evaporated as I had not strained the chenna well. But you do not do the same mistake as mine. Do strain the paneer well and then add the remaining ingredients like orange pulp and condensed milk. 

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Kodubale Recipe / Chegodilu with hyacinth beans / Karnataka Famous Food

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Kodubale Recipe / Chegodilu with hyacinth beans / Karnataka Famous Food   

This is a snack recipe. When I first saw the recipe here, I was quite surprised and found it very interesting. I had some avarekai left in the fridge after preparing some Charu. So I thought of using it for the preparation of these chegodilu ( as we call them in Andhra ). They are crunchy, crispy snacks that fill our evenings. But today, I am preparing a softer version which are not so crispy. But they have an excellent texture which are chewy and very tasty. I have adapted the recipe to suit my family´s tastes. Do try out and let me know how it turned out for you. 

These field bean snacks are very easy to prepare and very tasty as well. However, they are not very healthy in the sense that they absorb too much oil when deep fried. So, I do not recommend these snacks on a daily basis, but are perfectly ok 👌 for festive occasions. Since Ugadi 2018 is another 20 days ahead of us, I planned to prepare this dish for the same.

The outcome of this snack is supposed to be crunchy and crispy but I made a soft version which was delicious as well. Serve this hot and your family 👪 would enjoy it thoroughly. However, you can also serve it cold, there is no compromise on taste.

You can also try out my other snacks like

Poha Oats Chivda 

Jowar Flour Murukku

Sago Vada

Soya Bean Sundal

Black Chickpeas Sundal

Aloo Matar Chat

Homemade Tapioca Chips

Masala Sweet Corn

Preparation

Cook the field bean seeds into soft in a pressure cooker until soft for upto 3-4 whistles. 

When they cool down, drain the water and mash them with a masher or hands.

You can also put them in a blender to get a smooth consistency. Do not throw away the water. We will require it to make a dough. Add salt, chilli powder, curry leaves, ajwain and hing. Mix everything well.

Now add the rice flour and maida flour and combine everything with your hands.

Heat homemade ghee until smoking point and add to rice flour mixture.

Carefully mix thoroughly with your fingers such that the ghee is nicely coated with the flour mixture. Now add the water ( that was kept aside earlier ) little by little to make a soft dough. It should neither be too watery nor too dry.

The consistency of the dough should be such that we should be able to form rings from the dough without breaking. If the dough Is too watery, then it will not hold the shape. Similarly if the dough is too dry, the dough will break when we try to form rings. Once the dough is ready, prepare the rings as shown in the video.

Sprinkle few sesame seeds on the platform. Take a small lemon sized ball from the dough and roll gently on the sesame seeds. Pressing gently, roll and form an even shaped cylinder. Join the edges and press gently such that they do not get apart. Prepare the rings until the dough is finished.

Heat oil in a pan for deep frying. The oil should not be too hot. If you drop a small piece of dough, it should come up immediately. At this point, drop the prepared rings in batches of 5 - 6.

Immediately, reduce the flame and cook on a low flame until they are cooked. They become light brown in colour and the bubbles also reduce. Remove from oil with the help of a slotted ladle and place on a tissue paper to absorb the excess oil. Repeat the frying process until completely done. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Ingredients

Avarekai. 1 cup

Rice flour  2 cups

Maida  1/4 cup

Salt. To taste

Chilli powder. 1 tsp

Curry leaves  2 -3 sprigs

Hing  a big pinch

Ajwain 1/2 tsp

Ghee 2 tbsp.

Sesame Seeds  2 tbsp.

Oil for deep frying

Method

1. Cook avarekai in a pressure cooker until soft for 4-5 whistles.
2. Drain the water and mash the avarekai very well. 
3. Add rice flour, maida, salt, chilli powder, curry leaves, ajwain and hing. 
4. Mix everything well and add hot ghee. 
5. Carefully mix with your hands such that the ghee incorporates in the flour completely. 
6. Now add water little by little and make a smooth dough just enough to make rings out of it. 
7. Make rings with the dough as shown in the video. 
8. Heat oil in pan for deep frying. 
9. Fry these rings in a low to medium heat until they become golden brown in colour or until the bubbles stop. 
10. Put them on a tissue paper to absorb the excess oil. 
11. When they cool down, store them in an airtight container. They stay fresh for until 2-3 days.

Notes

• These chegodilu are soft on the inner side and are chewy. An awesome evening snack. 
• These can also be made crispy and crunchy by another method. I will share the same in another post. 
• You can also use white sesame seeds instead of black sesame seeds.  
• You can also add finely chopped coriander leaves, cumin seeds or ginger garlic paste as per your taste and preference.
• You can also add butter or oil in place of ghee. 

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Chhena Poda Recipe / Food Odisha / Famous Oriya Sweets

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Chhena Poda Recipe / Food Odisha / Famous Oriya Sweets

There are 2 occasions coming up on Feb 13 and Feb 14, 2018. Feb 13, 2018 is Maha Sivarathri and Feb 14 is Valentines Day as all of you know. There is a special recipe which suits both these occasions which I have been planning to post since long. I thought of posting this recipe for a long time but I was waiting for the right occasion. There could not be a better occasion more than this because there are two reasons to celebrate. 

I am talking about the famous Orissa sweet - Chenna Poda. Chhena Poda is also known as Pitha Poda.  This famous Odia sweet is  purely an Indian cake 🎂 which is made with  Fresh chenna ( paneer ). This is one of the traditional recipes of Orissa that is quite famous which is served to Lord Jagganath in Puri. This is a very rich cake or dessert dish that is sooooo delicious and lip smacking. My man and daughter just love this cake.

 

The origin of this Indian milk cake is from the state of Orissa. I was born in Berhampur, a famous town area in Orissa and was brought up in the capital city of Bhubaneshwar until the age of 7 after which I moved to our own state of Andhra. But my dad made frequent official visits to Bhubaneshwar. And there was this delicious eggless cheesecake on his return. In that way, we were connected to this dessert.

Traditionally this is made in a big earthen pot which is cooked on a very low flame 🔥for hours together. Since we do not have such equipment in our homes, we can make it in an oven or even in a pressure cooker. Today, I am gonna give the recipe that requires an oven.

Preparation

Take milk in a big vessel and bring it to a boil.

When it is boiling, add curd to cuddle the milk. If it doesn't curdle, add more curd and mix gently until the whey is separated from the milk solid.

Switch off the flame immediately and strain through a muslin cloth or a clean cotton cloth.

Do not throw the whey. You can use it for the preparation of chapathi or any other curries. You need not drain the water completely, it's ok even if there is a little amount of water in the chenna. Take curdled milk ( while it is still hot ) in a bowl and beat or stir until smooth.

Add sooji and mix well until smooth.

Add sugar and mix again until the sugar is completely dissolved.

Now add cardamom powder and mix once again. Add any nuts if you wish at this stage and mix well. I do not like any nuts or raisins in this cake, hence I have not added any. Keep aside.

Now take a pan and heat ghee. Add sugar and stir until it dissolves. 

Immediately switch off the flame and pour this sugar mixture in the greased baking pan. This gives a caramalisation effect for this pitha poda. This also makes the cake so juicy unlike the normal cakes. Now add the chenna mixture and bake at 170 degrees centigrade for 45 - 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. After baking, leave the cheesecake in the oven until it cools down completely. Once it comes to room temperature, invert the cake upside down onto a plate and cut into slices. Enjoy with family on the auspicious occasion of Mahasivarathri.

Ingredients

Milk  2l

Sugar  1 cup

Sooji  3 tbsp.

Cardamom powder  1/4 tsp

Nuts  2 tsp

Ghee to roast sugar 1 tsp

Curd  4 tbsp.

Sugar   ( for caramelisation )  1 tsp

Method

1. Curdle milk with the addition of curd at its boiling point. 
2. Strain the curdled0 mixture to separate the whey. Do not throw the whey.
3. Take the chenna in a bowl and add sooji. Mix well until smooth. 
4. Now add sugar and continue mixing until the sugar is well dissolved. 
5. Add cardamom powder and nuts and mix. Keep aside. 
6. Heat ghee in a pan and add sugar. Keep stirring until it dissolves. 
7. Immediately, pour it in the greased pan and add the chenna mixture on it. 
8. Bake at 170 degrees centigrade for 45 - 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. 
9. Let the cake cool completely in the oven. Remove on cooling and invert and slice the cake into pieces. 

Notes

• Adding roasted sugar to the baking pan gives a lovely caramelising to the ricotta cheesecake. So do not skip on this step. 
• The cake mixture should be smooth and like that of the normal cake mixture. Add little whey if your cake mixture is very thick.
• The original recipe calls for the addition of baking powder. But I did not feel the need of adding in my recipe. But if you wish, you can add 1/4 tsp of baking powder.

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healthy banana oatmeal muffins with yogurt / quick and easy oatmeal muffins / banana oatmeal yogurt muffins

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Healthy banana oatmeal muffins with yogurt / quick and easy oatmeal muffins / banana oatmeal yogurt muffins

Banana 🍌 and oats - very good and healthy combination of food. There are so many dishes that can be prepared with this combo. Today I am sharing a simple muffin recipe with this combo of bananas and oatmeal.

 

I had some over ripe bananas which my kids never dared to touch. So I had to use them in some preparation. I have already posted some recipes with over ripe banana like banana Choco bread 🍞, banana appalu. I wanted to prepare a banana walnut loaf bread with these over ripe bananas, but changed my mind and went ahead with these healthy banana muffins with yogurt.

These moist banana oatmeal muffins were so tasty 😋 that my man 👨 and kids loved them a lot. I also packed these tiny banana cupcakes for their snack break as well. These were loved by their friends as well. There is a secret ingredient added to this muffin recipe which might have contributed to that amazing taste.

 

The secret ingredient is sugarcane juice. Yes, you heard it right. I have added sugarcane juice to these muffins. But, if you do not have it handy, then you can substitute it with maple 🍁 syrup. You can check my recipe to extract juice from the sugarcane at home. The other main ingredient that goes into the preparation of this egg free banana muffins is Greek yogurt. So these muffins are so healthy considering the fact that Greek yoghurt, bananas, sugarcane juice and oats are very good for health.
These breakfast banana muffins are soft, moist and delicious 😋. They can be had as such for breakfast, brunch or as an evening snack. Kids or elders who are hesitant to eat oats will love ❤ this muffin as they cannot even hint that they are made with oats.

You can also check my other bakes which are very healthy and nutritious

Chocolate oatmeal cake 

Finger millet carrot cake

Whole wheat ginger cake

Eggless whole wheat pumpkin cake

Whole wheat banana chocolate cake

 

Preparation

Powder sugar and jaggery separately one after the other and keep aside. Similarly, make a fine powder of oats and sieve it through a fine strainer. Set aside. Mash the banana well with your hands or use the blender to make a smooth pulp without any pieces or lumps in it. Keep aside. Now take all the dry ingredients namely oat flour, maida, flax seed powder, salt, cinnamon powder, baking powder and baking soda in a bowl.

Take yoghurt in another bowl and add the banana puree.

Mix well and add olive oil.

Give a nice mix and add the sugarcane juice and vanilla essence. Mix well until combined.

Now add the powdered jaggery and sugar and whisk well until it is all mixed up completely.

Now add the dry ingredients mixture little by little. Mix well until incorporated. Do not over mix.

Pour into greased muffin tray or cups. Garnish with sliced pistachios or raisins or any other nuts of your choice. Bake at 180 degrees Centigrade for 30 - 40 minutes  or until a tooth pick inserted in the centre of the muffin comes out clean. Allow it to cool completely before removing them from the tray or cups.

Ingredients

Jaggery powder 1/2 cup
Sugar  1/4 cup ( powder it )

Dry Ingredients

Oat flour 1 3/4 cup
Maida 1/2 cup
Baking powder  1 tsp
Baking soda  1/2 tsp
Salt  big pinch
Cinnamon powder  3/4 tsp
Flax seed powder  1 tbsp.

Wet Ingredients

Mashed bananas 1 1/2 cups ( about 3 bananas )
Sugarcane juice  1/4 cup
Olive oil  3/4 cup
Vanilla essence  1 tsp
Greek yoghurt 1/2 cup

Method

1. Powder the sugar and jaggery separately and keep aside. Powder the oats into fine flour and sieve. Keep aside.
2. Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
3. Take the wet ingredients namely yoghurt, mashed bananas, vanilla essence, olive oil, sugar cane juice one after the other and mix nicely until everything is combined.
4. Add jaggery powder and sugar powder and mix again.
5. Now add the dry ingredients slowly little by little stirring well after each addition.
6. Pour into greased muffin moulds or cups and top with nuts, raisins, dates or cherries 🍒.
7. Bake at 180 degrees Centigrade for 30 - 40 minutes or until done.
8. Cool completely before removing from the muffin tray.

Notes

• Do not overmix the batter after adding the dry ingredients.
  
• The original recipe calls for maple 🍁 syrup in place of sugar cane juice. 
• You can top the muffins with any nuts or dates of your desire or a combo of any of these. 
• You could also use whole wheat flour instead of oat flour.
• Make sure that you puree the bananas well without any pieces in it. You can grind it in a mixie to get it right.
• You can substitute cinnamon powder with cardamom powder if you like the flavour of the latter. 

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