Carrot Halwa

Ingredients:

• Shredded carrots - 2 cups
• Milk - 2 cups
• Unsalted butter - 3 Table spoons
• Sugar - 1/4 cup
• Cardamom powder - 1/2 Tea spoon
• Roasted cashews - 8

Method:

• Microwave milk in a microwave safe bowl for about 20 mins or until the milk is reduced to one cup.
• Melt butter in a pan over medium heat, saute carrots till they are tender.
• Now add milk and saute till the milk dries.
• Add sugar and cardamom powder, saute until halwa starts to leave the sides of the pan.
• Garnish with roasted cashew nuts.
• Serve warm as a dessert.

Source: Manjula's Kitchen.com

Sago - Mango Kulfi

I got the basic kulfi recipe from the book “Ice creams and frozen desserts” and made some alterations.
Ingredients:

• Sago – 100 g
• Skim milk – (2½ cups) 500 ml
• Milk powder – ¼ cup
• Sweetened condensed milk – ½ cup
• Mango pulp – 1 cup
• Sugar – 50 g

 Method:

• Cook sago, cool and keep aside.
• Heat a non stick - pan, add skim milk, milk powder, condensed milk and sugar.
• Bring it to boil and simmer for 10 mins until the mixture thickens. Cool completely.
• To this add mango pulp and sago.
• Adjust sugar and pour into kulfi moulds.
• Freeze till set for about 6 – 8 hours. Unmould and serve as a dessert.
• Before taking picture, I allowed the kulfi to slightly melt so that we can clearly see sago on kulfi.

Black eyed pea sprouts Opputtu

Ingredients:

• Black eyed peas - 150 g
• Split channa dal – 150 g
• Jaggery – 150–200 g
• Grated coconut – 100 g
• Cardamom – 8 nos
• All purpose flour – 200 g
• Water
• Turmeric powder – ½ Tea spoon
• Salt
• Oil or ghee

Method:

• Soak black eyed peas in water for about 6 to 12 hours, drain water, wash with fresh water and cover them with wet cloth. In between rinse them with fresh water twice a day. In 24 hours they start sprouting. In the second day the sprouts will be ready to use, so carefully wash the sprouts with fresh water by not breaking the tiny sprouts. Drain excess water and spread them in a clean plate and keep aside.
• Soak split channa dal for about an hour and cook (do not mash) those with sprouted black eyed peas by using little amount of water.
• Discard cooked water (or can be used for making rasam) and grind with jaggery into coarse in a wet grinder. Keep aside.
• Dry roast grated coconut.
• Mix the ground mixture, roasted coconut, pinch of salt and cardamom seeds.
• Then make them into small lemon sized balls. Keep aside.
• Mix all-purpose flour, pinch of salt, turmeric powder and water. This mixture should be of bajji or bonda batter consistency.
• Make that lemon sized small balls (dal, sprouts and jaggery mixture) into patties (or like vada), dip in all-purpose flour batter and place over heated dosa tava. Pour a tea spoon of oil or ghee and cook both the sides until they are done. Cook one or two at a time.

Fenugreek - Barley Payasam

Ingredients:

• Fenugreek seeds – 1 Teaspoon
• Pearl Barley – 2 Teaspoon
• Tapioca pearls – 1 Tablespoon
• Palm sugar (Panang kalkandu) – 70 g
• Cardamom seeds - ¼ Teaspoon
• Skim Milk – 70 ml
• Dry ginger (Sukku) – small piece
• Water – 50 ml
• Salt – pinch

 Method:

• Dry roast barley and fenugreek seeds; grind together into a fine powder and keep aside. Make sure that not to over heat while roasting.
• Bring water to boil in a bowl and add tapioca pearls. When they are half cooked, add ground mixture, dry ginger and milk. Cook till they are done.
• Add palm sugar, salt and crushed cardamom seeds.
• Mix them well and simmer for few minutes.
• If you like little bit watery and sweet add little more water and sugar according to your taste.
• Serve chill or warm.

Barley Mango Pudding

Ingredients:

• Pearl barley – 2 Table spoon
• Mango (medium size) – 1
• Sugar – 3 Table spoon
• Water – 50 ml
• Salt – pinch

 Method:

• Soak barley for about an hour and pressure cook with 50 ml of water for about 5-6 whistles.
• Allow barley to cool and keep aside.
• Wash mango and peel outer skin and chop the pulp into pieces.
• Puree mango pulp together with cooked barley, sugar and salt.
• Keep the ground puree in refrigerator for an hour and serve chill.

Bibingka Cassava

It is a famous Filipino dessert. Since this has cassava you feel healthy, energetic and refreshing during hot summer.

Ingredients:

• Frozen cassava – 200 g
• Evaporated milk – 20 ml + 70 ml
• Granulated sugar – 50 g
• Grated coconut – 2 Table spoon
• Egg - 1
• Butter – 1 Table spoon
• Vanilla essence – a drop
• Salt - pinch

 Method:

• Thaw frozen cassava, grate and keep aside.
• In a bowl, melt butter and add 20 ml evaporated milk and keep aside.
• Beat egg with sugar until fluffy.
• In a large bowl, mix grated cassava, grated coconut, evaporated milk, egg-sugar mixture, vanilla essence and salt.
• Pour this mixture into a parchment lined baking dish.
• Pre-heat oven at 350 degree F and bake for about 30 minutes.
• Then pour already prepared butter-evaporated milk mixture over baking mixture.
• Again bake for about 15 – 20 minutes or until it turns golden brown.
• Allow this to cool and cut as you like.
• Chill in refrigerator before serving.
• Enjoy this cool and delicious dessert with your family and friends.