Pineapple halwa

I have eaten pineapple halwa at hotels. I have liked it ...the aroma as also the flavour . I had seen it in some recipe blogs. I tried it & it turned out well. On Akshaytritiya, I decided to make it again.

I looked up the recipe on Veg recipes of India.  In another recipe ( I forgot the blog name )  of pinapple sheera, ghee used is 3 tbsps for making sheera using 1/ 2 cup rava. I decided to use this ratio of ghee to rava.

I got two packets of pineapple slices which is available on Mumbai streets now. Each packet costs 10 bucks & has 4-5 thin slices of pineapple .I used the pineapple slices of both the packets.

Ingredients : 8-10 slices of pineapple, 1/2 cup rava, 1/2 cup sugar, 3 .5 tbsps ghee, 1 cup water, kesar strands ( optional ) , 2-3 cardamoms ( powdered ) , assorted dry fruits thinly sliced ( optional ).

Method : Keep 1 cup of water needed, on slow gas for heating it up.

Cut the pineapple into bits. I pureed the slices. Some pieces ( the middle part ) remained like that only. Keep this mix of pureed & hard pineapple aside.

Meanwhile roast rawa in ghee in a kadhai. Roast it nicely. I had dry roasted rawa nicely earlier. So in ghee, I  roasted it for less than 2-3 minutes. Add the pureed pineapple & the hard pineapple pieces into the ghee roasted rawa in kadhai. Mix all nicely. Let it cook for 4-5 minutes. Keep a watch by constantly turning the contents of kadhai up & down with a large ladle so that nothing gets stuck to kadhai bottom. Add the heated  water to the kadahi. Mix all contents nicely.  After 2-3 minutes, stir up the contents & continue cooking for 2 -3 minutes. Uncover the lid. Add sugar.Mix all the contents nicely. Add kesar strands. Mix again. Let it cook for 2-3 minutes. Stir with the ladle.Add cardamom powder.Mix all contents nicely. Cook for 1-2 minutes. The sheera is ready. If water can still be seen in the kadahi , cook for 2-3 minutes more. Switch off gas.

Cut thin slices of assorted dry fruits & garnish sheera with the slices of dry fruits.I have garnished with thin slices of cashew nuts. Even almonds & pistas can be used as garnish. Some recipes raost dry fruits in ghee & add them to such halwas.

Igfelt that 1/4 cup ghee was a better ratio for making sheera from 1/2 cup sooji so that the sheera looks moist. Mine was some what dry.

Beet root halwa in microwave.

I had made beetroot halwa once earlier a kadhai on gas stove once.I had not posted it then. This time in Navratri, I decided to make this halwa in the microwave.

A few words about malai or cream. I remove malai daily from the milk which has been heated up & cooled as I don't like malai in tea, coffee , chaas etc.I cannot use this malai for making butter or ghee as it is low fat .I get low fat milk . .Every once in the month, when malai has accumalated to nearly 1 cup or more, I make some sweet dish using malai like carrot halwa, doodhi halwa etc.

Ingredients : 1.5 cups peeled & grated beetroot, 1 cup malai, 1/2 cup sugar,1/2 tsp elaichi powder, 1 tbsp ghee, assorted dry fruits for garnsihing.

Method : Take a microwaveable vessel.Add ghee to it & grated beetroot to it. Mix gheee with beetroot .Microwave on high for 2 minutes. Remove the vessel .Stir the beetroot nicely.Add the malai to it & mix with the beetrroot. Microwave on high for two minutes. Remove vessel from microwave. Give the ingredients a good stir. Microwave on high again for 2 minutes .Give one more good stir to the ingredients of the vessel & once gain microwave on high for 2 minutes.

Add sugar to the vessel.Mix all the ingredients in the vessel nicely so that sugar is evenly distributed. Microwave on high for 2 minutes. Give the ingredients astir & repeat heating in microwave on high. Repeat process one or two  times.Add cardamom powder to the vessel. Mix all ingredients nicely. Microwave on hih for one minute. Put off microwave.

Let the vessel cool in microwave for 15-20 minutes. Remove the vessel from microwave. Add thinly sliced dry fruits as garnish. Serve beetroot halwa hot with assorted dry fruits as garnish.

I used thinly sliced pistas as garnish & the green colour of pistas perfectly compliments the rich red hue of the beetoot halwa ! I read that beetroot halwa will taste divine with ice cream, ! Next time, I make this halwa, I will get ice cream to go with it ! 

Whole wheat flour halwa in Microwave.

I was craving for atte ka sheera. I thought why not make it in microwave. I googled & came caross this Tarla Dalal recipe.

I tried it by mixing whole wheat flour with ghee & microwaving on high for 3 minutes at one go. Obviously , some part got burnt. So I discarded it & made gain. It turned out yumm !

Ingredients : 1/ 2 cup atta, 1/ 4 cup ghee, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 tsp cardamom powder, dry fruits of choice for garnish.

Method : Take ghee in a microwaveable vessel & microwave on high for 10 seconds. The ghee should be in  clear liquid form. Then only it will mix properly with the flour. If ghee has not melted properly, microwave more for 5-10 seconds. Add the atta or flour to the ghee & mix  both nicely.

Microwave on high for 1 minute. Put off microwave. Remove the vessel & stir the atta ghee mixture .Keep vessel with mix in microwave. Microwave on high for 1 more minute. Again remove, stir & microwave on high for 1 more minute. Repeat one more time .

Take out vessel.Add  1 cup water. Mix nicely so that no lump remain. While adding water, be careful as the atta ghee. mix is extremely hot .Water will give bubbles when it is added to atta ghee mix.Add sugar. Mix all ingredients nicely.

Microwave on high for 1 minute. Remove vessel.Stir the ingredient mix in vessel.Again microwave for 1 more minute. Repeat one more time. Add cardamom powder. Mix properly with the halwa.

Serve attae ka halwa garnished with dry fruits of choice.

Since I had walnuts, I toasted walnut bits  in microwave for 30 seconds.I used these walnut bits as the garnish .

Chitranna

Chitranna is what we call Lemon rice in Kannada.It is a quick rice that is part of feasts.On festive occasions like Ugadi,it is this  flavoured rice, that is part of the spread.

I love it as it is quite easy to make & is quick too.Moreover,the lemon juice brings it a freshness which is so invigorating.

Ingredients : 3/4 cup rice,1 tbsp oil, 1/ 2 a lemon 1 tbsp peanuts,1/4 tsp mustard seeds, 1/4 tsp urad dal, 1-2 chopped green chillies ,1 red byadgi mirchi broken into pieces, a sprig of curry leaves,14 tsp haldi,1/4 tsp hing, salt to taste.

Method : Pressure cook rice for 3 whistles.Take care to prepare rice by using lesser quantity of water than otherwise as the rice grains must be all separate for this dish.

I cook for 3 whistles. Then I put off gas.After the pressure is off,I remove the rice & spread it on to a plate so that rice grains are not sticking to each other,Keep it aside.

In a kadhai take oil. Put on the gas.Add mustard seeds,When they splutter,peanuts,Let the peanuts brown alittle.Add urad dal ,byadgi mirchi,chopped green chillies, curry leaves.After 1 minute.put off gas.Add haldi & hing to kadhai & mix.The oil ,peanuts,urad dal ,chillies,kadi patta mixture is all yellow .Keep it aside.

Take the spread out rice.Squeeze half alemon on the rice & mix nicely.Pour the yellow oily vagar prepared by using peanuts,urad dal etal over the rice. Add salt to rice & mix all the things with a spoon.The chitranna is ready.

Chitranna can be garnished with fresh finely chopped dhania & fresh grated coconut. I am too lazy to do all this .Moreover ,the aroma of lemon rice keeps beckoning me to savour it & I simply comply.

If the tanginess is found wanting ,more lemon juice can be added.Some even add 1/4 to 1/2 tsp sugar while mixing vagar with lemon juice.