Coconut Jaggery Ladoo

I had prepared these ladoos after the festival of Ganesh Chaturthi was over. I perform the coconut pooja (called Vaina Pooja in Konkani ) and I had plenty of coconuts. Lots of coconuts means lots of coconut based dishes. Being a Konkani I am not complaining! Traditionally a sweet dish is prepared from the first coconut (meant for  pooja) that is broken and then offered to God.  My mom used to make these in the form of burfis. The procedure for making the mixture remains the same, however instead of making the balls, you roll them on a greased plate…

Sweet Dalia Pongal

Sweet Pongal is a South Indian traditional dish made with the combination of rice, jaggery and moong daal. It is like a thick porridge with gooey consistency.  This along with the spicy khichdi/ Khara Pongal is prepared during special occasions and also during the festival of Pongal/Sankranthi . This sweet pongal is something that is adored in our family. During festivals, I mostly prepare this dish using the traditional method of rice and moong daal. However I had some broken wheat/dalia that I wanted to use and so decided to try this sweet, by substituting rice with dalia.  I had tried the spicy…

Rava Ladoo for Diwali (Sweet Semolina Balls)

Wishing you and your loved ones a Happy and safe Diwali.  Hope you are all having a wonderful time celebrating Diwali with family and friends. Deepavali/Diwali called Festival of Lights inadvertently has been one of my favorite festivals. It symbolizes the victory of righteousness along with the removal of spiritual darkness. In India, the streets, markets are filled with people, bustling with activities; making the whole atmosphere charged up and filled with festivities. Growing up as kids we got to wear new clothes, decorate our homes, indulge on varieties of goodies, light up fire crackers, beautiful diyas(lamps), meet with friends…

Diwali Sweets and Snacks

Now that Diwali is just few days away, I am sure many of you are busy dishes in advance. Just like last year,I have put together recipe links to sweets and snacks recipes that I have posted earlier.  Hope you find something fun and interesting: Sweets/Mithai Besan Ladoo Microwave Besan Laddoo Wheat Flour Laddos (Churma Laados/ Atta Ladoo /Pitta Undo) Coconut Ladoo Coconut Burfi/ Nariyal Burfee Banana Halwa (Burfi) Mango Peda Coconut Mango Burfi Easy Ras Malai (using Ricotta cheese) Kalakand Recipe Milk Dates Peda in Microwave (Doodh Peda) Instant Carrot Laddoo in Microwave Snacks Corn Chivda/ Corn Mixture Masala Peanuts…

Banana Sooji Halwa/Sheera/ Balehannu Sajjige

Wishing all readers a happy and blessed festival of Navarathri. This Banana Semolina pudding or halwa or sheera is one of the easiest Indian sweet dishes that I know of. Although it involves three different processes, all made simultaneously it comes together in no time. If I need to make something quick for a pooja neivedya then I either resort to preparing this or the Sweet Poha. This recipe is also a good way to use up any overripe bananas. This Sheera or the plain one (without any fruits) is usually prepared during SatyaNarayana Pooja and offered as Prasad. While…

Sweet Poha/ Goda Pohvu

Flattened rice (also called beaten rice) is called Poha in Hindi, Avalakki in Kannada, Atukulu in Telugu and Aval in Tamil. In India, Poha/ Flattened rice is easily available and is usually associated with simplicity. Poha is considered a favorite of Lord Krishna and so this sweet dish is usually prepared on the occasion of Krishna Janamashathami.  Simple, divine and earthy are the trademarks of this Sweet Poha. Even though there are only four ingredients Poha, jaggery, coconut, cardamom, people prepare this in hundred different ways. Some heat the jaggery and coconut while others do not, some do not wet…

Carrot Kosambari/ Carrot Lentil Salad

Kosambari is a traditional salad in Karnataka. It is prepared during major festivals, auspicious occasions, and marriages and even offered as ‘prasada’ in temples. This is also called as Koshimbir in Konkani and Maharashtra and is very easy to prepare. Kosambari does not involve any cooking, it is basically a mix of soaked lentils and vegetable of choice (cucumber or carrot or both) with right seasoning.  It is healthy, high in protein and also has a cooling effect on the body. This is one salad, we love to have during summers. I have already posted the Cucumber Kosambari recipe here.…