Shakarpara | Khurma

I can’t imagine a Diwali without any Khurma (as we call it up North) or Shakarpara (little chunks of pastry dough flash fried and turned crisp, then cooled and dunked into a thick sugar syrup…to make these melt in the mouth sweet bites!)….I am sure your are salivating as you read the description 😜😁 each of these little bite sized yummies are super crisp and taste out of the world….pop one into your mouth and your in food heaven! 

Don’t they look so pretty…every single one of them looks like a gold nugget to me 😍!! Lol! The flavour is amazing too….it’s very hard to resist them. I remember eating them by the bowls as a kid when my Mom used to make these during Diwali or even during summer vacations as a quick snack. They’d disappear within days…hardly leaving any to be gifted to friends and family.

As these beauties are dry in texture and stay fresh for almost a week in an airtight container, they make for an ideal gifting idea. Pack them in pretty jars…add a personalised message or not…cover with a delicate doily or an overturned cupcake liner….tie a little festive raksha around them and they are ready! I suggest you add them to your Diwali Goodie Bag list for your loved ones😊

This was also a part of my Karwa Chauth Sargi….although made by me! I guess my hubby had more of them than I 😂

Anyways…I will share some tips and tricks here with you how to make perfect, crispy and delicious Shakarpara/ Khurma.

Yield: approximately 3 cups

Equipment: a rolling board, rolling pin, a knife, measuring cups/ spoons, 2 heavy bottomed wok, a slotted spatula, kitchen tissues, mixing bowl.

Ingredients:

2 cups Maida (APF)

2 tsp Bombay Rawa  (semolina)

a pinch of salt

a pinch of baking soda

5 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)

Water as needed

oil to fry

For the syrup:

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup water

Method:

In a mixing bowl, seive maida (APF). Add salt, rawa, baking soda and ghee. Rub these together until the texture of the flour resembles to that of bread crumbs. This step is crucial as it ensures the crispness of the shakarpara. I rub these ingredients together for almost 20-25 mins.

Next, take very little water to knead a stiff dough. Cover the dough with a napkin and let it rest for 15 mins.

Divide the dough into 4 equal parts and roll them on a board to a thickeness of 6mm or so. Using a knife cut into small diamond shape pieces. Set them on a plate.

Heat oil in a wok, once it’s hot, lower  the flame to minimum and fry the pieces until golden. Keep moving the pieces around in the oil so that they get a golden colour and cook evenly. Cooking on low flame ensures that they are crisp.

Fry the entire batch and keep it on kitchen tissues to absorb any extra oil. Let them cool down completely. They will crisp up as they cool down.

Syrup:

In a wok, take water and sugar. Heat these on medium flame while stirring continuously. The sugar will start melting and also will become very thick. Keep stirring and once the sugar starts settling like a white powder around the wok, add the fried pieces of Maida (APF).

Mix everything together quickly to coat the fried pieces with the sugar. Be quick as the sugar will dry and set within 5 mins.

Let them cool completely before storing in airtight boxes.

Hope you try them soon. Also, check out Khasti Mathri recipe here. 

Love

Shreya💖

 

Instant Kesar Peda

Yes, everyone knows I love Pedas 😉 I like them all…well almost! What’s not to like, they are sweet, slightly fudgy and so delicious! Much like these golden beauties…my Instant Kesar Pedas (saffron fudge). A 15 min wonder..more like. 

My blog has many recipes for Pedas, some very quick and some slightly lengthy…but each hold their own…..they are yummy and so tempting.

I made these Pedas on the first day of Navratri last weekend…I could think of my Kaju Katli…but I will make that for Diwali 😁along with some Karachi Halwa! I am salivating just thinking about the feast in store for the days to come 😍

Anyways, coming to these Pedas….you may or may not have them during Navratri fasts depending on what rituals you follow…

Yield: 8-10 Pedas

Equipment: measuring cups/ spoons, a heavy bottom non-stick pan, a wired whisk, a plate.

Ingredients:

200 gms condensed milk

1 cup milk powder

2 tsp warm milk

9-10 strands of saffron and some extra to use for the garnish

2 tsp ghee + extra to grease your palms while shaping them

Method:

Mix warm milk with the saffron strands and let it stand for 5-8 mins until the milk is coloured beautifully.

Next, add milk powder and condensed milk to the pan. Add the saffron infused milk too. Whisk it well until it’s lump free. Place the pan with the mixture on medium flame and cook while you stir it constantly. Add 2 tsp ghee and keep stirring, I cooked it for about 10 mins to achieve a dough like consistency which leaves the sides of the pans once cooked.

Take the mixture from the pan onto a greased plate. Knead the mixture like a dough for 2 mins. Let it now cool for the next 8-10 mins. Then, grease your palms with some ghee and take a small portion of the dough and shape it into a Peda. Do the same for the rest of the dough. You can use any stamps to make some pretty designs or simply decorate them with a few strands of saffron.

Cool them in the refrigerator before you serve. They stay fresh in the refrigerator for about 3-4 days.

You can also try my instant Dhoodh Peda, Mathura ke Pede, Khoya Peda, Mawa Burfi among many others this Diwali 😊

Love,

Shreya💝

Moong Dal ka Halwa

I welcomed Ganpati Bappa with a simple and delicious Moong Dal ka Halwa. Yes, no Modaks at my place because I am not good at shaping them. So, I offer him goodies which I am good at making myself😊 ….maybe next year I will get a cute little Modak mould/ maker and then use that to shape them well! So much to learn 😀  

We do not actually bring a Ganesh Idol home every year but we do decorate our home with garlands of fresh marigolds and lots of roses…bright ‘diyas‘ adorn our Pooja Ghar and I do cook a special meal for my favourite Lord!

This year the menu consisted of Phalhari Kadhai Paneer, Masala Puris, Vrat ki Chutney for Dahi Wade as we don’t include onion and garlic in our meals on auspicious days…and of course, the moong dal ka halwa..:)

My hubby likes the halwa to be slightly grainy and moist..hence the quantity of ghee is obviously more…one can adjust that while making it. Also, I only prefer pistachios with this halwa, feel free to add almonds or walnuts…anything you like! As always, this is easy and turns delicious👌 Simply mouthwatering…I had to really resist hard until we had offered the bhog to the Lord before we could gorge on some😂

Let’s make some…

Yield: serves 3-4

Equipment: a heavy bottomed non-stick pan (I use non-stick, it’s easier to work with it), measuring cups/ spoons, a small pan.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup split yellow lentils (dhuli moong dal)

8-9 tbsp ghee

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup water

1/4 tsp cardamom pwd (elaichi pwd)

Slivered pistachio to garnish as needed

Method:

Rinse and soak the lentils (dal) in lukewarm water for 2-3 hours (I always use lukewarm water here as it ensured that the lentils are soaked well in less time).

Once the lentils have soaked well, strain them. Blend them in a mixer without adding any water until smooth (I leave them a bit grainy as I mentioned above too). Set it aside.

Heat ghee in the pan, once it melted, add the blended lentil paste and keep stirring on low flame for 15-20 mins. Do not cease stirring as the lentil paste will burn or colour unevenly. After 15-20 mins, the ghee will seperate from the lentils and the lentil paste will be a bit crumbly and golden in colour. Turn off the flame and set this aside.

Now, heat water and sugar in a small pan. Melt the sugar in the water, add cardamom powder and stir well. Turn off the flame. (We are not making a sugar syrup with a thread consistency, we are just melting the sugar here, that should take 3-5 mins)

Now, add the sugar syrup to the cooked lentils and turn on the flame, keep it on low. Keep stirring it and let it come to a gentle boil. Cover with a lid and let the sugar syrup reduce and cook for 5-7 mins with the lentils. Open the lid, check the consistency and cook further if it’s still watery, else, add 1 tbsp of ghee and turn off the flame.

Garnish with nuts of your choice or just pistachios like I have done here, best served warm. Or create a fusion by add a scoop of ice cream to the bowl!

Happiness doesn’t come without calories 😉

Love,

Shreya💖

Til aur Moongfali ki Chikki

The Kite Flying Season is here! The Harvest Festival or Makar Sankranti as known in most parts of India…or Lodhi in Punjab! It brings us such joy to celebrate this festival…😊 And it marks the beginning of Spring in India! 

Eating Sesame (til), Peanuts (Moongfali) & Jaggery (Gur) is a tradition on this day…and making Chikki (brittle) or Laddoos (fudges) with these ingredients are very common is every household. My Mom would make these too and we enjoyed them for weeks as she’d make them in large batches😁

A lot of people make these Chikkis with sugar too…and my Mom shared her recipe with me a few years ago…as I wanted to make another variety of these…along with the usual jaggery ones. The ones made with sugar are more crispy! Let’s get started…

Yield: 4 large quarters or 8-10 smaller pieces

Equipment: a non stick pan, a plate/ tray, a spatula, measuring cups/ spoons.

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup roasted sesame seeds (white/ black)

1/2 cup roasted & husked peanuts (unsalted)

1/2 tsp cardamom pwd (optional)

1 tsp ghee + extra to grease the tray

Method:

Grease the tray and keep it ready. Heat ghee in the pan and the sugar. Let the sugar melt on low flame until it dissolves completely. Then add the cardamom pwd, sesame seeds & peanuts.

Keep the flame low and mix everything very well. Turn of the flame immediately. Now pour this mixture on the greased tray quickly and spread it out a bit. Take a knife and make lines on the mixture if you want to have evenly shaped pieces later. 

Wait for the mixture to cool down..it will take about 15-20 mins. Then break it into pieces and store in an airtight container. It remains fresh for upto 2 weeks.

Happy Sankranti Everyone!

Love,

Shreya💕