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.

Meth amba

I had been introduced to this tangy dish by my Mahrashtrian colleagues whilst I worked at office.I savoured it & was told the recipe. I wanted to try it years later. I googled it & got this recipe .I added a chopped green chilli to the dish .Rest of the recipe remains the same.

Ingredients : 2 tsp oil, 3/4 cup kairi chopped ( raw mango-used here is Totapuri raw mango ), 1 medium sized green chilli washed & chopped, 1/4 tsp powdered hing, 1/4 tsp haldi, 1/4 tsp  mustard seeds, 1/8-1/4  tsp methi seeds, 1/2 tsp red chilli powder, 2-3 tbsp chopped jaggery , salt to taste.

Method : Take oil in kadahi. Heat it on slow gas.Add mustard seeds.After they pop up, add methi dana. They will change colour & get aromatic. Add hing followed by chopped green chilli pieces. Fry for 10-15 seconds. Add chopped kairi pieces. Fry them nicely.Add hal;di. Mix all contents nicely. Add 2-3 tbsp water. Cover it cooked for 3-4 minutes. Add jaggery & salt. Mix nicely. I had added big chunks of jaggery. So added more water ( approximately 2-3 tbsp water ). Cook it for 10 minutes or till it gets almost dry. The mango pieces would be soft & mushy now. Put off gas. Add red chilli powder. Mix nicely all the contents with red chilli powder. Enjoy with roti & or rice.

This has to be stored in refrigerator.And that would be nearly impossible as this is so tangy that it gets over in no time. It will stay, just for 1 week, in the refrigerator but, believe me, it will get over before that ! It can also be used as a spread on bread.

I used totapuri kairi in this dish. If more sour varieties of kairi are used, jaggery & chilli powder & salt will have to be adjusted ( added more accordingly ) . Totapuri is sour & sweet too.

Pumpkin sabzi :North Indian style.

I have loved the Pumpkin sabzi that is served in Pancham Puriwala at CST, Mumbai. My north Indian friends make it as an accompaniment to puris on festivals.

I made this sabzi last week with green chillies, red chilly powder, methi dana ( fenugreek seeds )  & amchur ( dry mango powder which is a souring agent ),This time , I made this dish by following Sangeeta Khanna's recipe from banaras ka khana .I did add methi dana, jaggery and amchur though she has not added any of these in her dish.

Ingredients : 250-300 gm red pumpkin deskinned , washed &  cubed, 1/ 2 tsp jeera, 6 peppercorns, 1 badi elaichi, 1 green elaichi, 1 star anise, 1 small  cinnamon stick, 1/4 tsp powdered hing, 1/4 tsp haldi, 2 -3 byadgi mirchis broken into 2-3 pieces each, 2-3 tsp oil, 1 tsp amchur powder, 1 tsp jaggery sugar, 1/ 4 tsp methi dana, 1/ 2 cup water, salt to taste.

Method : Heat oil in kadhai. Add powdered hing. Add cinnamon stick, slightly crushed peppercorns, slightly crushed badi elaichi & green elaichi , star anise. Fry them for a few seconds.Add broken byadgi mirchi pieces, methi dana & cumin ( jeera ).Jeera & methi will get aromatic. Add Pumpkin cubes. Saute them. Add haldi. Mix nicely all contents of kadahi. Add half cup water. Mix all contents nicely. Cover kadahi with lid. Let it cook for 7-8 minutes. Add jaggery powder & am

chur powder to contents in kadahi. Cook for 4-5 minutes. Put off gas. The cubes must retain their shape & yet be soft enough to melt in mouth. Serve with rotis or puris.