Baklava

Ingredients:

1)4 cups walnuts (chopped)

2) 1/2 cup sugar

3) 1 tablespoon cinnamon

4)1 cup butter (melted)

5) 1 pound phyllo pastry (thawed)

6)  3/4 cup water

7) 1/2 cup sugar

8) 1 stick cinnamon

9) 2 inch slice lemon peel

10) 2 inch slice orange peel

3/4 cup honey

Method :

1. Mix the walnuts, sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.

2. Brush the bottom of a 9X13 inch pan with butter.

3. Brush butter onto the top of a sheet of the phyllo dough and place the sheet into the pan. Repeat until there are 8 sheets in the pan.

4. Sprinkle 1/3 of the walnut mixture onto the phyllo in the pan.

5. Brush butter onto the top of a sheet of the phyllo dough and place the sheet into the pan. Repeat until there are 2 sheets on top of the nut mixture.

6. Sprinkle 1/3 of the walnut mixture onto the phyllo in the pan.

7. Brush butter onto the top of a sheet of the phyllo dough and place the sheet into the pan. Repeat until there are 2 sheets on top of the nut mixture.

8. Sprinkle 1/3 of the walnut mixture onto the phyllo in the pan.

9. Brush butter onto the top of a sheet of the phyllo dough and place the sheet into the pan. Repeat until there are 8 sheets on top of the nut mixture.

10. Slice the baklava with a sharp knife.

11. Bake in a preheated 350F oven until golden brown on top, about 25-35 minutes.

12. Bring the water, sugar, cinnamon, lemon and orange to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

13. Add the honey and simmer for 2 minutes.

14. Remove the cinnamon, and peals from the syrup.

15. Pour the syrup over the baklava when it comes out of the oven.

16. Let the baklava cool for a few hours.

Easy Recipe of Ukadiche Modak

Ganpati Bappa Moriya............!!!

Ingredients:

1) 4 cups (scraped) fresh coconut
2) 2 cups grated gud (jaggery)
3) ½ tsp Cardmom Powder
4) 2 1/2 cups Ambemohar fine rice flour
5) 3 cups of water
6) 3 teaspoon of white butter
7) ½ teaspoon of Salt

Method :

1) Mix coconut and gud in a pan and cook on medium heat till the mixture becomes dry but not too dry (it should not stick to your hand). Remove from heat and let it cool. Divide the mixture into small lemon size portions. Keep aside.
2) Bring one cup of water to a boil in a pan; add Pinch of salt and 1 teaspoon of butter to it.
3) Add one cup of rice flour in a flow, stirring continuously to prevent lumps from forming, on a low flame. Cover the pan for 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
4) Grease your palms with a little oil, and knead the hot cooked rice mixture or Ukad to soft dough. Keep covered.
5) Divide dough into big lemon size balls. With greased palms flatten a ball to form a disc with diameter of three inches. Place a portion of jaggery-coconut mixture in the center, form eight to ten pleats with finger, gather them together to form a tip and seal.
6) Repeat this procedure till all dough is used.
7) Steam them in a Pressur cooker without whistle, for ten to fifteen minutes. After steaming, the Modaks are ready to be served with pure ghee.

TIP :
Repeat the steps 4 to 8 for remaining batches, each of one-cup rice flour. Prepare only one batch of one or maximum two cups rice flour at a time, till you have Perfect in the making of an Ukad & Modak.

Soan Papdi

Ingridients:

1) 1/4 cup gramflour
2) 1 1/4 cup plain flour (maida)
3) 250 gms. ghee
4) 2 1/2 cups sugar
5) 1 1/2 cup water
6) 2 tbsp. milk
7) 1/2 tsp. cardamom seeds crushed coarsely
8) 4" squares cut from a thin polythene sheet

Method:

Sift both flours together. Heat ghee in a heavy saucepan. Add flour mixture and roast on low till light golden. Keep aside to cool a little, stirring occasionally. Prepare syrup simultaneously. Make syrup out of sugar, water and milk as shown in introduction. Bring syrup to 2 1/2 thread consistency.

Pour at once into the flour mixture. Beat well with a large fork till the mixture forms threadlike flakes. Pour onto a greased surface or thali and roll to 1" thickness lightly. Sprinkle the elaichi and gently press down with palm.
Cool, cut into 1" squares, wrap individually into square pieces of thin plastic sheet.

Sugar Syrup preparation

Mix enough water to cover the sugar. Heat it to dissolve slowly , stirring in between. Do not allow it to boil until completely dissolved. Once the sugar is biliong, do not stir more; If any crystals are formed at the sides of the pan, wipe it with a cloth dipped in warm water. Over stirring will affect the consistency of the sugar syrup while boiling . Boil the syrup in steady temperature

Sugar Syrup Consistencies:

Thin Syrup : Syrup gets a shine and the sugar is dissolved completely

Sticky Syrup: Dip your forefinger in the syrup after dipping it in cold water; When you rub thumb over fore finger it feels sticky.

Half thread consistency: String is formed when tested between thumb and forefinger ,but it will cut immediately.

One thread consistency: Thin string is formed when tested between thumb and forefinger.

Two thread consistency: When tested between fingers, two threads are formed.

2 1/2 - 3 thread consistency: when tested between thumb and forefinger, string appears in 2 or 3 places.

Gathered consistency: When a little syrup is poured over water, it settles down below the water. It can be gathered by hand.

Ball consistency: When syrup is poured over water , a smalll ball is formed when rolled with fingers, and should be hard enough.(Soft or hard depending upon the sweet)

Crack consistency: When a little syrup is poured over water, it becomes hard (No cracks to Brittle consistency)

Caramel consistency: Sugar syrup changes to a golden brown to a dark brown colour.

Besan Barfi(Mohan Thal)

Ingredients:

• 500 grams gram flour.
• 500 grams ghee
• 1/2 cup milk.
• 250 grams unsweetened mava or khoya.(or milk poweder)
  
• 350 grams sugar.
• 2 tblsps. coarsely pounded cardamom seeds.
• 1/2 tsp. essence of saffron.
• 25 grams each of charoli, almonds and pistachio nuts.
• Silver foil.

Method:

Add 50 grams of ghee to flour and mix nicely. Put in the milk, mix thoroughly and pass through a fine sieve. Put 2 cups water in sugar and prepare a syrup of one-thread consistency. Remove from fire and keep it warm.

Blanch and slice all the nuts. Heat the remaining ghee and fry the flour till it turns golden coloured and a nice smell emanates from it. Add khoya, carda­moms and nuts and cook till the mixture turns smooth and khoya turns a nice brown colour.

Add syrup and keep on stirring till the mixture turns thick and leaves the sides of the vessel add essence.

Put the mixture in a greased thali, level the surface, cover with foil and set aside to turn cold, then cut into small pieces and store in air­tight container.