Nasuha Blog

It's been really long since I made some Indian sweet. With the festive season coming close, it's the right time to indulge in some sugary treats and so I bring you this easy to make yet very delicious Nariyal Ki Barfi. Nariyal ki barfi or coconut fudge is a must make sweet for the weddings in Mathur community and is called Pili barfi for it's yellow color. The sweet which is decked with silver foil, saffron strands and dry fruit slivers is arranged on a big thaal or plate and is send to the grooms family along with the other goodies as a token to mark the beginning of the celebration. The soft, melt in your texture of this sweet is loved by all in my family and it is so easy to make that I end up making a batch of this goodness for all the festivals. Keep the consistency of sugar syrup in check and you will nail this recipe. Here is how to make this simple yet very delicious Nariyal Ki barfi.


All you need is

Grated fresh coconut - 3 cups
Ghee - 3 tbsp
Sugar - 1 cup
Water - 3\4 cup
Yellow food color - 1\4 tsp
Cardamom powder - 1 tsp
Khoya - 200 g
Dry fruits slivers, silver foil and saffron strands for garnishing



Method of preparation

Grease a 9 inch pan with ghee.
Keep aside.
Heat khoya in a pan.
Fry till pinkish in color.
Keep aside.
Heat sugar and water in a pan.
Cook till the sugar dissolves and the syrup reaches a 2 string consistency.
Do not swirl while the sugar syrup is cooking.
Add yellow food color and cardamom powder.
Mix.
Meanwhile, add ghee in a pan.
Add grated coconut and fry on medium heat for 5-6 minutes.
Add khoya and sugar syrup and mix well.
Pour the mixture in the prepared pan and spread evenly.
Let the barfi set for 3-4 hours.
Cut into small pieces.
Garnish with dry fruits slivers, silver foil and saffron strand.

Note - If your Barfi is not setting and is too soft, just microwave the mixture for 3-4 minutes and set again.
You can skip using food color and can make a white color barfi.
The consistency of sugar syrup is important for the barfi to set nicely.

Phirni is a traditional Indian dessert where grounded rice is cooked with milk till it is creamy and thick. Usualy kesar and cardamom are added to enhance the flavor of phirni. I have already made a kesar ilachi phirni before, so this time though to flavor it with rose. Gulab phirni came out very delicious. It was rich and creamy with a subtle flavor from the fresh rose petals and rose water. Here is the recipe.


All you need is

Full cream milk - 1 liter
Rice - 1\4 cup
Rose petals - 2 tbsp ( chopped, use the petals of local variety of rose. The hybrid ones doesn't have good flavor and smell )
Sugar - 1\2 cup
Rose water - 1 tsp
Slivers of almonds and pistachios for garnishing



Method of preparation

Soak rice in 1\2 cup of water for 3-4 hours.
Grind in a blender to make a coarse paste.
Heat the milk in a heavy bottom pan.
When the milk comes to a boil, add the ground rice.
Keep stirring to avoid the rice sticking at the bottom of the pan.
Simmer the heat and cook for 30-40 minutes, till phirni thickens.
Keep stirring in between.
Add sugar and rose water and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
Transfer the phirni in the serving bowl.
Garnish with almond and pistachios slivers and a few rose petals.
Chill in the refrigerator for a few hours before serving.

Note

The consistency of phirni is much thicker than the kheer.
So cook it accordingly.
It will thicken further after cooking so keep that in mind.
Keep stirring in between to avoid burning from the bottom.
Phirni is best served in clay pots.

Mathri is a snack which is mostly found in all Indian homes and is enjoyed with morning or evening tea. There are many variations to make mathris and each house has it's own recipe passed on through generations. In the earlier times when there were so little ready made options available, home made snacks were relished with great pleasure. I remember having a small cabinet in my dining room specially used to store all the home made snacks and pickles. Ladoos, mathris and home made namkeens were always there along with a range of pickles. When the festivals approached, this cabinet used to be packed with variety of stuff which was made specially during that particular festival. Now that holi is around the corner, I thought to make all the special treats that we enjoyed as a kid during this time. The list is long and I will try to make maximum number of things, but to start with here is the easy recipe of crispy and crunchy Methi mathris which can be stored for a few days in an airtight container. You can make it a few days ahead of the festival and save yourself some time. Here is the recipe.



All you need is

Maida \ All purpose flour - 2 cups
Sooji \ Semolina - 1 tsp
Fresh methi leaves - 25 gm ( Finely chopped ). Or you can 2 tsp kasuri methi if fresh methi is not available.
Green chili - 1 ( Finely chopped )
Salt - 1 and 1\2  tsp
Ajwain \ carom seeds - 1\2 tsp
Oil - 1\4 cup and for frying
Warm water for kneading



Method of preparation

Mix maida, sooji, methi leaves, green chili, salt, ajwain and 1\4 cup oil in a pan.
Mix well with your finger tips.
Knead with warm water to make a tight dough.
Cover and keep the dough aside for 10 minutes.
Make small balls from the dough and press them between your palms to flatten them.
Roll the mathris slightly with a rolling pin.
Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan.
When the oil is hot, add the mathris and simmer the heat.
Do not overload the pan. Fry the mathris in small batches.
Fry the mathris on low heat till golden brown from both the sides.
It will take 15-20 minutes to fry one batch.
Remove the fried mathris on a tissue lined plate.
Cool and store in an airtight container for up to 15 days.

Aloo bhujia is dry snack made with chickpea flour and potatoes. It can be enjoyed as evening snack with a hot cup of tea. Here is an easy recipe to make aloo bhujia at home. Do give it a try.


All you need is

Potato - 1\2 cup ( Boiled, peeled and grated )
Besan - 1 cup
Oil - 1 tbsp and for frying
Salt - 1 tsp
Chaat masala - 1\2 tsp and 1\2 tsp for sprinkling on top.
Red chili powder - 1\2 tsp
Heeng - 1\4 tsp
Baking soda - a pinch
Lemon juice - 1 tbsp
Dry pudina powder - 1\2 tsp



Method of preparation

Mix besan, grated potato and oil in a pan.
Mix together nicely.
Add salt, 1\2 tsp chaat masala, red chili powder, heeng, baking soda and lemon juice.
Mix nicely.
Add very little water and knead to make a tight dough.
Cover and keep the dough for 10 minutes.
Heat oil in a pan.
Divide the dough in 4 parts.
Fill one part in the sev press fitted with fine net.
Press the sev press over the hot oil.
Simmer the heat.
Fry till golden brown from both the sides.
Remove from oil on a kitchen tissue lined plate.
Cool.
Break the bhujia into small pieces.
Sprinkle the remaining chat masala and dry pudina powder on top.
Store in an airtight container.

All you need is

Full cream milk - 3 lt ( preferably cow's milk )
Lemon juice - 3 tsp
Arrowroot powder - 4 tsp
Baking soda - a pinch
Sugar - 1 and 1\2 cups and 1\4 cup
Water - 4 cups
Cardamom - 2-3  ( crushed )
Cashew nut - 2 tbsp
Cardamom powder - 1 tsp
Saffron - a good pinch
Rose water - 1\2 tsp
Yellow food color - a small pinch
Dry fruits slivers for garnishing



Method of preparation

Heat 2 lt milk in a pan.
Switch off the heat when it comes to a boil.
Add lemon juice.
The milk will curdle immediately.
Let it rest for 5 minutes.
Drain the curdled milk in a cheese cloth.
Wash the cheese under running water to remove the traces of lemon juice.
Hang the cheese cloth for an hour to drain all the whey from the cheese.

Mean while, heat the remaining 1 lt milk in a heavy bottom pan.
Add saffron and yellow food coloring.
Cook on low heat, till milk is reduced to half.
Blend sugar and cashew nuts in a blender.
Add in the reduced milk.
Add rose water and cardamom powder.
Mix well.
Keep the milk aside.

Remove the chenna from the cheese cloth.
Add arrowroot powder and baking soda.
Knead the chenna with your palms for 6-8 minutes.
Make 12-14 equal size balls from the chenna.
Flatten the balls a little bit.
Heat 1 and 1\2 cup sugar and water in a pressure cooker.
When the water comes to a rolling boil, add the chenna balls.
Do not over crowd the cooker.
The balls should not touch each other.
Put the lid with the whistle and cook on high heat till 2 whistles.
let the cooker cool on it's own.
Open the cooker and take out the rasmalai gently and add in the reduced milk.
Make all the rasmalai in the same fashion.
Add 2-3 tbsp water every time before adding the balls  in the cooker.
Refrigerate the rasmalai for at least 5-6 hours before serving.
Garnish with dry fruits slivers before serving.

Crispy and crunchy namakpare are a great snack to enjoy with a cup of hot ginger tea. This snack takes me back to my childhood. There always used to be a box full of namakpare in the house and every evening with tea, my nani used to  keep these with other dry snacks in huge plates for all of us to munch on. I too always make namakpare for Diwali and Holi, though in a very small amount. The trick to make crunchy namakpare is to knead the dough, as tight as you can and fry them on very low heat. Here is the recipe.


All you need is

All purpose flour \ Maida - 1 cup
Semolina \ Fine sooji - 2 tbsp
Salt - 3\4 tsp
Carom seeds \ ajwain - 1\2 tsp
Clarified butter \ ghee - 2 tbsp
Lukewarm water - to knead
Oil for frying


Method of preparation

Mix maida, sooji, salt, ajwain and ghee in a bowl.
Mix nicely.
Add a tbsp of lukewarm water at a time and mix to make a tight dough.
Cover and keep the dough for 10-15 minutes.
Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan.
Divide the dough in 2 parts and roll each in a thin circle.
Cut the circle in long rectangles or diamonds.
When the oil is hot, simmer the heat.
Fry the namakpare on low heat till golden brown.
Keep in mind that these will continue to brown a bit even after taking out from oil.
Remove from oil on a tissue lined plate.
Cool and store in an airtight container for up to 10-15 days.