Ingredients:

• Almond (Badam) - 2 cups

• Granulated Sugar - 1 cup

• Ghee - 1 cup

• Cardamom Powder - 1 tsp

Steps:

1. Soak almond in a hot water for 2-3 hours. Peel the skin and grind them into a fine paste with little water.

2. Heat ghee in a non-stick skillet or in a heavy bottom pan add almond paste, sugar and cardamom powder.

3. Stir and cook till it gets thickened.

4. When the paste gets thickened (i.e. when it doesn't stick to the sides), pour them in a well greased tray with ghee.

5. Cut them into small pieces.

Serves: Two

Ingredients:

• Carrot - 1/2 kg.

• Cashew nut - 50 gms. (For grinding)

• Almond - 12 Pieces

• Sugar - 250 gm. (can add more depending on your taste)

• Cardamom Powder - 2 pinch

• Cashew nuts - 10 pieces (For frying in ghee)

• Milk - 1 lt.

Steps:

1. Peel the skin of carrot and cut into cubes and pressure cook them with water.

2. Soak 50 gms. of cashews and almond in hot water for half an hour. Peel the skin of almond and grind these two along with the boiled carrots in a blender adding little milk into a fine paste.

3. Boil the 1 lt. milk well and once it is boiled, simmer the flame and keep stirring the milk till it gets condensed to 3/4 litre. (Note: keep stirring the milk now and then)

4. Now add the ground carrot paste to the condensed milk and allow it boil for 5-10 minutes.

5. Add sugar and keep stirring for another 5-10 minutes.

6. Finally add a pinch of cardamom powder and put off the heat.

7. Before serving, garnish it with fried cashew nuts.

Note: You can also add 2-3 tsp. of Milkmaid (sweetened Condense Milk ) to the payasam before serving. This gives added taste.        

Serves: two

Ingredients:

• Cashews (chopped) - 2 cups

• Granulated Sugar - 1 cup

• Milk - 1 cup

• Ghee - 1 cup

• Cardamom Powder - 1 tsp

Steps:

1. Soak cashews in the milk for 2-3 hours. Grind them into a fine paste. Don't add water.

2. Heat ghee in a non-stick skillet or in a heavy bottom pan add cashew paste, sugar and cardamom powder.

3. Stir and cook till it gets thickened.

4. When the paste gets thickened (i.e. when it doesn't stick to the sides), pour them in a well greased tray with ghee.

5. Cut them into small pieces.

Serves: Two

Ingredients:

• Semolina (rava) - 1 cup

• Sugar - 1 1/2 cup

• Ghee - 1/2 cup

• Half Cashews - 8

• Raisins - 10

• Ground Cardamom - 1/4 tsp

• Water - 2 cups

• Saffron - 1/4 tsp

Steps:

1. In a non stick pan with little oil roast the semolina over medium heat stirring continuously until it gets golden brown. Set aside.

2. In a heavy bottomed pan heat 1 tsp of ghee. Add cashews, raisins and sauté over a minute until cashews turns into brown. Add 2 cups of water and sugar, bring to boil.

3.Reduce the heat to low. Add rava slowly and constantly stirring.

4. Simmer for 2 minutes until all the water is being absorbed.

Serves: two

Ingredients:

• Coconut Powder - 2 cups

• Milk Powder - 100 gms

• Granulated Sugar - 1/2 kg.

• Milk - 1/2 lt.

• Ghee - 1 cup

Steps:

1. Heat ghee in a non-stick skillet or in a heavy bottom pan add coconut powder, milk powder, sugar and milk.

2. Stir and cook till it gets thickened.

3. When it gets thickened, pour them in a well greased tray with ghee.

4. Cut them into small pieces.

Serves: Two

Ingredients:

• Moong Dal - 1 cup

• Milk - 1/2 cup

• Sugar - 1 cup

• Saffron - a generous pinch

• Mawa (Khoya) - 3/4 cup

• Ghee - 1 cup

• Almonds - 10-20

Steps:

1. Wash and soak the moong dal for 6 hours. Grind coarsely using little water. Set aside.

2. Prepare one string sugar syrup by using 1 cup sugar and 1 1/2 cups of water. Keep aside.

3. Soak saffron in hot milk, crumble mawa (khoya) into fine granules.

4. Blanch almonds in boiling water for 5 minutes. Cool and peel them, slice them. Set aside.

5. Heat ghee in a thick bottomed pan, add the ground moong dal paste. Keep stirring over a low flame till the dal turns brown.

6. Add sugar syrup and saffron milk, stir well till they are thoroughly incorporated and the halwa is dropping consistency. Add mawa and cook till it dissolves.

7. Garnish with sliced almonds. Serve hot.

Serves: Two

Ingredients:

• Rava (semolina) - 2 cups

• Granulated Sugar - 1 1/2 cups

• Ghee - 1 cup

• Cashews - 10

• Cardamom Powder - 1 tsp

• Raisins - 1 tsp

Steps:

1. Heat 1 tsp of ghee in a non-stick pan and dry roast the rava till golden.

2. Grind the fried rava and sugar into a fine powder.

3. Heat the remaining ghee in a non-stick skillet add the powdered rava and sugar followed by cahews, raisins, cardamom powder.

4. Mix thoroughly and make balls out of it when still warm.

Serves: Two

Ingredients:

• 1 cup water

• 1/3 cup sugar

• 1/3 cup ghee

• 1 1/2 cup maida (plain flour)

• ghee to deep fry

Steps:

1. Warm the water, sugar and ghee together till sugar dissolves.

2. Add maida and knead into a soft pliable dough.

3. Divide dough into 4 parts.

4. Roll into chappatis 1/3" thick.

5. Cut with a cookie cutter or knife into small diamond shapes.

6. Lift with spatula and loosen. Keep aside on a dry cloth for 1 hour.

7. Deep fry in hot ghee over slow flame till light golden brown.

8. Drain well and keep aside till cool.

9. Store in clean, dry containers.
   Makes: 2 1/2 cups.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cup maida (plain flour)

• 1/2 cup jaggery

• 1 cup water

• 1/4 tsp. cardamom powder

• 1 tbsp. ghee

• ghee to deep fry

Steps:

1. Heat the water and jaggery till all of it dissolves in the water.

2. Strain and cool a bit.

3. Mix the cardamom powder and ghee in the flour.

4. Knead the flour with the jaggery water.

5. The dough should be stiff but pliable.

6. Break into approx. 20 parts.

7. Knead each with palm and roll into 4" rounds.

8. Make many tiny slits with knife or fork on each on both sides.

9. Keep them aside on a clean cloth for an hour or so to dry a bit.

10. Deep fry in hot ghee on low flame till light golden in color.

11. Drain and cool for a while.

12. The khajas will become crisper and harder as they cool.

13. Store in airtight container after cooling completely.

Makes: 20-25 pieces

Ingredients:

For cover

• 1 cup plain flour (maida)

• 1 tbsp. ghee

• water to knead

For filling

• 1/2 cup coconut flakes fine

• 1/2 cup khoya

• 1 tbsp. poppy seeds (khuskhus)

• 1 tsp. cardamon powder

• 1 tbsp. crushed almond

• 1/4 cup sugar ground

• 10 to 15 raisins

Steps:

For cover

1. Roast khoya to a light pink by stirring continuously over low heat.

2. Cool and break in fine crumbs with fingers.

3. Mix flour and ghee well.

4. Add enough water to make soft pliable dough.

5. Keep aside.

For filling

1. Roast coconut flakes lightly. Cool.

2. Mix all other ingredients.

3. Check for sweetness.

4. Make small (4 ") rounds, not too thin not too thick .

5. Place 1 tsp. filling in one half of round .

6. Fold over the other half, sealing in the mixture.

7. Seal edges by twisting or pressing together .

8. Make all in t he same way.

9. Dry on clean cloth for 30 minutes.

10. Deep fry in hot ghee on low till light brown on both sides.

11. Drain and cool completely before storing.

Note: You may use a karanjia mould for filling them if available.

Makes: 13 to 15 pieces.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup gram flour

• 1/2 cups sugar

• 1 cup water

• 1/4 tsp. cardamom powder

• 6-8 chopped almonds

• ghee to deep fry

• perforated flat spoon about 5" diameter

Steps:

1. Boil the sugar and water together. Add a tbsp. of milk to bring up the scum.

2. Remove scum and boil liquid till the syrup is sticky between the fingers.

3. Keep aide, but keep warm for use.

4. Make batter with gram flour, which should not be too thin.

5. The batter should evenly coat the back of a spoon when dipped in it.

6. Heat ghee, hold perforated spoon a little above the hot ghee, pour some batter on the spoon.

7. Tap very lightly at edge of spoon to allow small droplets to fall in the ghee.

8.  Pour back remaining batter and wipe spoon.

9. Stir the boondis in the ghee gently and fry till crisp but not brown.

10. Drain and put into the syrup. Keep for 3-4 minutes before draining from the syrup.

11. Spread on a wide plate, add cardamom powder, almonds and mix gently.

12. Cool completely and loosen the boondi with finger till each droplet separates.

13. Store in airtight container.

Note: Take great care while dropping the boondi in the hot ghee so as not to burn yourself. A little practice and it is very easy.

Makes: 3 cups approx.

Ingredients:

• 250 gms. almonds (Badam) (soaked overnight)

• 200 gms. Sugar powdered

• few tbsp. milk

• Silver foil (optional)

Steps:

1. Drain and change water from almonds.

2. Peel almonds, keep aside.

3. Wash once more, to remove any traces of brownish tinge.

4. Grind to a fine paste, using as little milk as possible.

5. In a heavy large skillet, mix paste and sugar.

6. Cook, stirring constantly, using a large handled spoon or spatula.

7. Take care of splattering in initial stages.

8. Also, do not stop stirring, or the mixture burnt and stuck to bottom of skillet will spoil the taste.

9. When a soft lump is form, which leaves sides of skillet easily, take off fire.

10. Grease a clean work surface and a rolling pin with melted ghee.

11. Put lump on it, roll quickly while still warm, to 1/5" thickness.

12. Apply silver foil, and press lightly with foil paper.

13.  Mark out long diamond shapes with a sharp knife.

14. When almost cool, remove carefully with a sharp edged wide spatula.

15. Cool completely before storing in layers between sheets of butter paper.

Makes: 35 katlees (approx.)