One Day At A Time!

When I say Popcorn, which word instantly comes to your mind?  I am sure its movies. Nothing makes the movies more fun than the crunchy salty popcorn, be it a theatre or at home. My family loves both kinds... the regular salty, buttery and this salty sweet caramel popcorn. If you love binging on this popular Christmas treat, you must give it a try. Though time consuming, its worth the effort. Ingredients: Popcorn - about 10 cups Light Brown Sugar - 1/2 cup (tightly packed) Unsalted Butter - 4 tbsp Water - 1/4 cup Vanilla Extract - 2 ts Salt - 1/8 tsp Cooking Spray or Butter for greasing How to make Crunchy Caramel Popcorn at home: I cooked 1/2 cup popcorn kernels in 4 tbsp olive oil in a very big vessel with the lid on. You can use microwave popcorn as well. Add popcorn to a very big mixing bowl and keep 2 big spoons ready for mixing. Preheat the oven at 300 degrees F and grease a big baking tray with cooking spray. Heat butter, water and sugar in a ...

If you have a sweet tooth like me and love nuts as well, this Indian sweet will definitely be your new favorite. Generally, Kaju Pista Roll is made with a Pistachio stuffing in a Cashew dough and is slightly time consuming for me. To save some time, I skipped the stuffing part. The stuffed Kaju Pista Roll looks more pretty, no doubt, but these Mixed Nuts Roll with Badam tastes even better. Ingredients: Kaju/Cashews - 1/3 cup Badam/Almonds - 1/3 cup Pista/Pistachios - 1/3 cup Sugar - 1/2 cup Water - 1/4 cup Milk Powder - 1 tbsp (optional) Ghee/Clarified Butter - 2 tsp Saffron/Kesar - few strands Green Cardamom/Elaichi - 1 pod How to make Mixed Nuts Roll/Barfi: Crush cardamom seeds and saffron strands in a mortar pestle to a fine powder. Grind cashews, almonds, pistachios in a dry blender jar to a fine powder. MAKE SUGAR SYRUP: In a thick bottom pan, add sugar and water. Keep stirring until sugar dissolves. Add powdered cardamom and saffron.  Continue cooking until...

This was one of the new sweets I made this Diwali. Slightly different from the well known Kaju Katli . Its a good way to finish off those almonds lying in your pantry. Ingredients: Almonds/ Badam - 1 cup Sugar - 1/2 cup Water - 1/4 cup Milk Powder - 2 tsp (optional) Ghee/Clarified Butter - 1 tsp Saffron/Kesar - few strands Green Cardamom/Elaichi - 1 pod How to cook Badam Katli: Crush cardamom seeds and saffron in a mortar pestle to a fine powder. I have used Raw Almonds with skin for this Burfi. Discard the skin if you want your katli to look white or pale yellow. Grind  almonds in a dry blender jar to a fine or a slightly coarse powder. In a thick bottom pan, add sugar and water. Keep stirring until sugar dissolves. Add saffron and cardamom powder. Continue cooking until sugar syrup turns sticky. Touch the sugar syrup and check to see if it sticks to your fingers. Lower the heat and add almond powder. Continue stirring at low heat until no lumps are seen. Ad...

One of the new sweets I tried this festive season. The natural sweetness of dates and crunchy nuts make this treat a healthy one. And this Homemade Nutrition Bar cooked in a microwave does not require any sugar or sweetener. A guilt free, sugar free Barfi for this Diwali. Ingredients: Dates/Khajur (Pitted) - 1 cup Almonds/Badam or any other nuts  - 1/4 cup White Sesame Seeds/Til - 1 tsp Poppy Seeds/Khuskhus - 1 tsp Unsalted Butter - 1 tbsp How to prepare Khajur and Nuts Roll: Wipe a microwave safe bowl dry. Add almonds or walnuts or any other nuts of your choice to the bowl. Microwave for 1 minute. I used raw almonds with skin. Almond skin is rich in nutrients, but discard them if you don't like. Keep the roasted almonds aside. Check for seeds in the dates. Add dates to the bowl and microwave dates for a minute. You will notice that dates soften a little after heating. Microwave for one more minute. Add the dates to a dry blender/food processor jar and blend i...

If you love mangoes, you must try this Mango flavored Kalakand .  Plus, it is a hassle free microwave version, perfect for this festive season. Some might also call this mithai as Amba (Mango) Barfi and to some it is Mango Sondesh.

Indian Cashew Fudge popularly known as Kaju Katli or Kaju Barfi . At least twice a month, I prepare some sweet in my kitchen - cake or kheer or halwa. Although, I love most sweets, I prefer Barfi ,  Pedha or a small Ladoo  where one piece after a meal satiates my sweet tooth. Ingredients: Cashews/Kaju - 1 cup Sugar - 1/2 cup Water - 1/4 cup Ghee/Clarified Butter - 2 tsp Saffron/Kesar - few strands How to prepare Kesar Kaju Katli or Burfi: Raw/unroasted and unsalted cashews work best for this barfi. Grind cashews in a dry blender jar to a slightly coarse or fine powder. In a thick bottom pan, add water and sugar. Keep stirring until sugar dissolves. Add saffron strands. You can use green cardamom/elaichi powder as well. Continue cooking until sugar syrup turns sticky. Touch the sugar syrup to check if it sticks between your thumb and index finger. Also, see if a single thread forms between your fingers. Lower the heat and add cashew powd...

Happy Ganesh Chaturthi Readers :) Festivals are the busiest times for everyone, especially working women and busy Moms. Hope today's Microwave recipe of Coconut Burfi saves you some time. Ingredients: Shredded Coconut (fresh or frozen) - 2 cups Sugar - 3 tbsp Milk - 1/4 cup Ghee (Clarified Butter) or Coconut Oil - 2 tsp Green Cardamom/Elaichi - 1 pod (seeds only) Cashews/Kaju - 1 tsp (small pieces) How to cook Coconut Burfi in a Microwave: Fry cashews in 1/2 tsp ghee/clarified butter until they turn slightly brown. You can use any other nuts of your choice or skip nuts entirely.  Vegans can use coconut oil instead of ghee and coconut milk can be used as an alternative for dairy milk. Grease a flat plate or tray with ghee or coconut oil. Crush the cardamom seeds to a fine powder in a mortar pestle. Wipe a microwave safe big bowl dry. Add remaining ghee and grease the bowl well. Add coconut and mix well with a spoon. Microwave for 2 minutes. Stir and micro...

Jackfruit or Phanas (as said in Konkani), both raw and ripe, is commonly used in Konkani coconut curries, steamed idlis etc. Even jackfruit seeds are relished. These sweet Jackfruit fritters, called as Phonsa Mulik  are similar to French Beignets or doughnuts, but are perfect for vegans and vegetarians. Ingredients: Jackfruit/Phanas - 8 pieces Grated Coconut (fresh or frozen) - about 1/2 cup Semolina/Rava - 3 tbsp Jaggery/Gud/Gul - 2 tbsp Green Cardamom/Elaichi - 1 pod (seeds only) Oil How to prepare Konkani Phonsa Moolik/Mulka: Crush cardamom seeds in a mortar pestle to a fine powder. Fresh jackfruit is the best any day. But I used a 565 gm tin of canned jackfruit, which had about 8 pieces. Drain all the liquid. Place the jackfruit pieces in a strainer for 15 - 20 minutes, so that most moisture is lost. Grind grated coconut to a coarse dry paste. I used frozen shredded coconut and a mini food processor. Water was not needed. Add very little water, if req...

A desi Mithai  Badam Burfi with an Italian Cheese. This nutrient rich Almond Barfi tastes great and cooking it in a microwave will save you some time.  Traditionally, Khoya or Mava is used to prepare this sweet. But nowadays, I use Ricotta Cheese which works as the best alternative for our desi Khoya. Ingredients: Almonds/Badam - 1/4 cup Ricotta Cheese - 1 cup Ghee/Clarified Butter - 1 tsp Sugar - 2 tbsp Green Cardamom/Elaichi - 2 pods Saffron/Kesar - few strands Almonds for garnish - 2 How to prepare Almond Barfi in a microwave: Soak almonds in water overnight or for two hours. Soaking will enable the almond skin to come off easily. Drain the water and peel the almond skin. Grind almonds to a fine powder in a blender. Crush cardamom seeds and saffron in a mortar pestle to a fine powder. Chop 2 almonds for garnish. Grease a tray with few drops of ghee. In a microwave safe bowl, add ghee. Grease the bowl well with ghee. Now add ricotta cheese and mi...

An easy and hassle free microwave recipe of Gajar or Carrot Halva using sweetened Condensed Milk. This 20 minutes Microwave recipe is a savior whenever we have friends over for dinner. By the time I am cooking the main course on the stove top, my dessert is getting ready simultaneously in the microwave. Ingredients: Carrots/Gajar (grated) - about 4 1/2 cups Sweetened Condensed Milk - 14 oz (396 gm) Milk - 1/4 cup Butter or Ghee/Clarified Butter - 1 tsp Pistachios/Pista - about 20 Green Cardamom/Elaichi - 2 pods (seeds only) How to prepare Condensed Milk Gajar Halwa in a Microwave: Peel and grate the carrots. Crush the cardamom seeds in a mortar pestle to a fine powder. Finely chop the pistachios. Preparing Gajar Halwa in a microwave is quite easy. Keep checking after every minute or two, to avoid burning. Wipe a microwave safe bowl dry. Grease the bowl with butter or ghee. Add carrots and microwave for 3 minutes.  Stir after every minute. Now add milk to the bowl. M...

Gulab Jamun is one of the popular Indian sweets made of Khoya or Mava. Till date, I used to prepare Gulab Jamun using milk powder, as Mava is not easily available here.  Recently, I started using Ricotta Cheese as an alternative to Mava for Mithai like Kalakand and Rasmalai .  Today I tried this Italian Cheese for our desi Gulab Jamun and it turned out excellent. Ingredients: Ricotta Cheese - 15 oz (425 gm) All Purpose Flour/Maida - 2 1/2 tbsp Baking Soda - 1/8 tsp Sugar - 1 3/4 cups Water - 1 3/4 cups Lemon Juice - 1 tsp Green Cardamom/Elaichi - 2 pods Saffron/Kesar - few strands Oil or Ghee for frying   How to prepare Indian Gulab Jamun using Ricotta Cheese: Preparing Sugar Syrup: Crush cardamom seeds and saffron in a mortar pestle to a fine powder. Heat sugar and water in a vessel. Bring it to a boil. Cook at low flame until the sugar syrups turns sticky (one thread consistency). When you touch the sticky syrup, you can see a single thread forming ...

Rasmalai is a popular dessert made of fresh paneer (Indian cottage cheese). Today's recipe is comparatively easier and less time consuming.  A baked desi Rasmalai version using Italian Ricotta Cheese. Ingredients: Ricotta Cheese - 15 oz (425 gm) Milk - 5 cups Sugar - about 1/2 cup Green Cardamom/Elaichi - 4 pods (seeds only) Saffron/Kesar - few strands Pistachios - 5 How to make Rasmalai using Ricotta Cheese: Crush cardamom seeds in a mortar pestle. Finely chop pistachios or any nuts of your choice. Heat milk in a heavy bottom vessel. I used whole milk. Keep stirring after every few minutes. Cook at low heat until milk is reduced to half. Continue cooking until you get the desired consistency. Add 1/4 cup sugar, half of the cardamom powder and saffron. Turn off the heat when sugar dissolves. Let this sweetened milk cool. To save some time, you can use store bought  Sweetened Condensed Milk and dilute it with milk, until you get the desired consistency and sweet...

Kalakand is an Indian milk fudge which needs no introduction. Condensed milk adds a nice creaminess to any mithai and also reduces its cooking time. If you are looking for a hassle free and quicker version of Kalakand, this microwave recipe is perfect. Ingredients: Ricotta Cheese - 15 oz (425 gm) Sweetened Condensed Milk - 14 oz (396 gm)  Green Cardamom/Elaichi - 2 pods (seeds only) Saffron/Kesar - few strands Butter or Ghee (Clarified Butter) - about 1 tsp Pistachios - 5 How to prepare Kalakand in a microwave: Crush the cardamom seeds and saffron strands in a mortar pestle to a fine powder. Finely chop pistachios or any nuts of your choice. Grease a big microwave safe bowl with few drops of ghee. Add condensed milk and ricotta cheese. Stir with a spoon so that ricotta cheese lumps are dissolved. Ricotta cheese works great as a substitute for fresh paneer/Indian cottage cheese. Microwave this milk and cheese mix for about 10 minutes. After every 2 minutes, sti...

Friday calls for something special. And a special menu comes with a dessert. Today's mithai is a microwave recipe of Milk Fudge made of condensed milk and milk powder. This Doodh Pedha is instant with a cooking time of just 5 minutes. Ingredients: Sweetened Condensed Milk - 396 gm/14 oz Milk Powder - 1 1/2 cups Unsalted Butter - 4 tbsp Green Cardamom/Elaichi - 2 pods Saffron/Kesar - few strands (optional) Charoli/Chironji or any nuts How to cook Dudh Peda in a microwave: Add butter to a dry microwave safe bowl and microwave for 1 minute so that the butter melts. To the melted butter, add milk powder and condensed milk. Mix well with a spoon. Microwave for 3 minutes and mix after every minute. Now add ground cardamom and/or saffron and mix again. Microwave again for 1 minute and let the peda mix cool. The cooking time in a microwave may vary. So keep checking and do not let the pedha mix turn too dry. When it turns cold enough to handle, grease your hands with butter ...

Shrikhand is an easy, effortless dessert made of thick yogurt. Ingredients: Yogurt/Curds - 4 cups Sugar - 2 tbsp Green Cardamom/Elaichi - 2 pods Saffron/Kesar - few strands Pistachios/Pista - 2 How to prepare Homemade Shrikhand: Arrange a sieve/strainer with 2 layers of a thin cotton cloth. Place a bowl below the sieve to collect the water from the yogurt. Pour yogurt in cloth lined sieve and wrap the cloth on the yogurt. Keep this yogurt overnight in the refrigerator so that all the water from yogurt drips down in the bowl. Alternatively, you can hang the yogurt in a cloth as well. You will get about 2 cups of thick yogurt. This hung thick yogurt is also called as Chakka . Crush cardamom seeds in a mortar pestle. Chop the pistachios or any other nuts of your choice.   Mix sugar, saffron and thick yogurt in a bowl until sugar dissolves. Add more or less sugar to suit your taste. Garnish with cardamom and pistachios. Enjoy Shrikhand with Puri .

Once or twice every week, my Dad used to get some treats on his way back home. Somedays it used to Kandi Pedha or Kesar Pedha. This is my attempt of making Indian Mithai at home. I might dare say, I was pretty successful. Touch Wood! Tasted and looked great! If you are a fan of milk sweets, do try this easy home made Kesar Pedha recipe made of Ricotta Cheese and milk powder. Ingredients: Ricotta Cheese (full fat) - 15 oz (about 400 gm) Milk Powder - 3/4 cup Whole Milk - 1/2 cup Sugar - 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp Ghee/Clarified Butter - 1 tbsp Green Cardamom/Elaichi - 2 pods Saffron/Kesar - few strands Pistachios/Pista - 3 How to make Pedha using Ricotta Cheese: Crush cardamom seeds and saffron in a mortar pestle to a fine powder. Finely chop or slice the pistachios or any other nuts of your choice. Heat ghee in a heavy bottom kadhai or pan. Add ricotta cheese and stir continuously. Stir until water from the cheese is evaporated and starts forming a lump. It will take about 15 - ...

After making Bengali Rasgulla at home, I had to try Rasmalai. Everyone loves Rasmalai at my place. A delectable Indian dessert of Rasgullas (cottage cheese or paneer balls) in sweetened condensed milk. Ingredients: Whole Milk - 8 cups Sugar - 1 cup and 2 tbsp Water - 4 cups Lemon Juice - 2 1/2 tbsp Green Cardamom/Elaichi - 2 pods Saffron/Kesar - few strands Pistachios/Pista - 8 How to cook Rasmalai: Cooking Rasgullas: Heat 5 cups milk in a thick bottom vessel. Keep stirring after every 5 minutes. When milk starts boiling, add lemon juice gradually and stir at the same time. Turn off the heat and curdling of milk will take a minute. Let it rest for about 10 minutes. Line a sieve/strainer with a thin cotton cloth, to separate the milk solids/paneer/chenna and clear liquid/whey. I prefer using 4 layers of a thin cloth. Pour the curdled milk in the cloth lined sieve and rinse the paneer with cold water to wash off the lemon juice. When it turns cold enough to handle, ...

Bengali Mithai are the most loved Indian sweets. My family loves Bengali Rashogulla. Till date, I used to bring those canned Rasgullas. But nowadays, we love homemade Roshogullas made of fresh paneer. Though, a little time consuming, these sweet, soft paneer balls are worth the effort. Try this in your kitchen and find out for yourself. Ingredients: Whole Milk - 6 cups Sugar - 1 cup Water - 4 cups Lemon Juice - 2 1/2 tbsp Green Cardamom/Elaichi - 2 pods Saffron/Kesar - few strands Pistachios/Pista - 2 (optional) How to cook Bengali Rasgulla: Heat milk in a thick bottom vessel. Keep stirring after every 5 minutes. When milk starts boiling, add lemon juice gradually and stir at the same time. Turn off the heat and curdling of milk will take a minute. Let it rest for about 10 minutes. Make arrangements for a sieve/strainer lined with a thin cotton cloth, to separate the milk solids/paneer/chenna and clear liquid/whey. I generally use 4 layers of thin cloth. Pour the curdl...

I love desserts, maybe more than the entrees. After coming to US, two desserts turned to be our new favorites - Warm Apple Crumble and Cheesecake. Apple Crumble seemed something I could try in my kitchen and take my word, it is absolutely scrumptious too. A baked dessert made of soft caramelized apples topped with a crisp crust, also known as Apple Crisp or Apple Crostata . I make this more often now, whenever I want to finish off the apples. Also, an effortless dessert perfect for entertaining guests. Ingredients: Apples - 2 Lemon Juice - about 1 tbsp All Purpose Flour - 1/4 cup Whole Wheat Flour - 1/4 cup Almonds or Walnuts or Pecans - 1/4 cup Light Brown Sugar - 1/2 cup Ground Cinnamon/Dalchini Powder - 1/2 tsp Ground Nutmeg/Jaiphal Powder - 1/8 tsp Butter - 1/4 cup/4 tbsp  Vanilla or Dulce de Leche Ice cream How to prepare Crispy Apple Crumble: In a big bowl of water, add lemon juice and mix. Peel the apple skin. Add thin sliced apples to the...

Gulab Jamun is one of the most delectable Indian sweets made of khoya or mava. Khoya is similar to ricotta cheese and is also used in making desserts like kheer.  Today's Gulab Jamun recipe is using milk powder, which is quite easy.