Kadala Parippu Payasam

https://www.sinamontales.com/onam-recipes-dal-payasam-kadala-parippu-payasam/

Easy Carrot Cake

A cake you can't go wrong with! Fabulous and easy recipe by Satya Sadasivan - thank you! Turns out well every single time, everyone loved it. You could innovate a lot with this one, especially with the topping. And a great way to eat carrots. :) :)

Ingredients

• Eggs: 4
• Carrots: 2 cups peeled and shredded [the red Delhi carrots that come in winter are perfect for this]
• Sugar: 1 cup [I reduced this a bit and added more raisins for the sweetness]
• Brown Sugar: 1 cup
• Vegetable oil: 1 cup [I used my regular cooking oil]
• Flour (maida): 2 cups
• Baking powder: 1.5 teaspoons
• Salt: 1/4 teaspoon
• Nuts: 3/4 cup [I believe it is good to lightly roast nuts first - especially walnut, will take away that slight bitter taste. I add a lot of raisins]

Steps

1. Heat the oven in advance for 10 mins at 180 degrees, while you are preparing the mix.
2. Apply a bit of butter on the baking tray, and then sprinkle some flour on it and spread - this is to make sure the cake doesn't stick to the pan.
3. Sieve flour, salt, and baking powder together, so that the baking powder is evenly distributed.
4. Roast nuts a bit if needed. 
5. Mix the oil and sugars well in a big cake-mixing bowl.
6. Beat eggs thoroughly, scrape carrots.
7. Add beaten eggs and carrots and nuts to the oil and sugar.
8. Add the flour mix to it, mix everything really well.
9. Now pour into the cake tray and bake for 45 mins at 180 degrees. 
10. Check with a fork - if it's still sticky, keep for another 15 mins. 
11. Leave the cake out to cool a bit and then cut. It will be a very soft cake, a bit moist. 
12. If you are creative, you can make a cream/icing topping - lots of scope to innovate there. :)

Healthy Atta Burfi

Recipe by my colleague Vidya -

Here’s the recipe for that quick burfi we discussed over lunch. It’s called Sukhdi. It’s popular in Gujarat and some parts of Maharashtra. I found the recipe in a Konkani recipe book, although it was the first time I was tasting it myself! It’s also called Golpapdi. Apparently, it is also given to babies when they are teething!!

Preparation time: 10 mins
Makes about 25-30 burfis

Atta – 1 cup
Jaggery (grated or sliced thin and really fine) – ¾ to 1 cup
Ghee – ½ to ¾ cup
Cardamom – a few pods, powdered
Pista, Cashew nuts – optional

Keep a greased thali (tray) and spoon ready before you begin.

Roast the atta in ghee until it turns slightly golden. The aroma is the best way to know it’s roasted well. Take it off the flame. Add the grated jaggery immediately and mix briskly. The jaggery melts and should blend well into the atta-ghee mix. Add the powdered cardamom and mix well. If you are adding nuts, now is the time. Immediately transfer this to the thali, spreading it evenly using a greased spoon. When it is still warm, cut into squares/diamonds.

Remove the pieces from the thali when it cools.

Some people add milk and more ghee to the mix when it is still being roasted. Not sure how that is done. This is ‘supposed’ to be the original and most basic recipe. This is usually made in winter, because atta generates heat in the body, so it helps keep warm. A healthy dessert, better than eating high-fat, high-sugar sweets.

Tender Coconut Dessert/Fresh Orange Kheer

My friend Aditi's recipe, she's a super-innovative cook. A perfect summer dessert! There's also a variation, - fresh orange kheer - adding it at the end.

Ingredients

Milk - half litre
Condensed milk - half a tin
Coconut milk - you can buy that small packet of Hommade coconut milk (I think it is around 200 ml)
The white stuff inside the tender coconut (ask the tender coconut man for the really tender ones, so that this is almost translucent) Leechis or any other soft sweet translucent fruit will also do - thatti nungu?

Preparation

Take half a litre of boiled milk.
Add half a tin of condensed milk to it, keep on fire, and keep stirring until the condensed milk is well-blended with milk. Does not have to boil.
Take it off the fire and allow it to cool completely.

Then add a small packet of coconut milk. Or make the coconut milk fresh if you can :)
Add thinly chopped pieces of the white stuff you get inside tender coconut - ganji or whatever you call it. Or the lichee or the water chestnut or whatever other fruit you choose.
Check taste - if you want it sweeter, add more condensed milk.

Now chill it nice and proper in the fridge/freezer! The chilling is what adds a lot of the flavor.
Serve chilled.

Variation: Fresh Orange Kheer

"the same milk and condensed milk recipe can be adapted to make fresh orange kheer.... yummm!
leave out the coconut milk, though....
allow the mixture to cool down, then chill.....
once really cold, plonk in peeled orange segments without the pith and pips....
i like this one even better than the tender coconut variant...:-)"