Ganesh Chaturthi Special- MODAK

As I started with this blog  many of my childhood memories got trigger. I used to wait for ganesh chaturthi because it was the only day of the year when my mother prepare modak.  At that time highlight of ganesh chaturthi were modaks, nothing else.

Modak is a sweet offered to lord Ganesh as prasad during Ganesh chaturthi puja. It can be prepared by many different ways for example; steamed modak, fried modak, molded modak etc.  Today I will share with you all my fav fried modak recipe. Outer layer will be made up of all purpose flour and stuffing will be of dried coconut mixed with sugar. 

Ingredients:-

1. All purpose flour

2. Grated coconut (dried)

3. Powdered sugar 

4. Raisins

5. Cardamom powder

6. Ghee

7. Milk

8. Milk powder

9. Oil

Method:-

Step 1:-

For outer layer we need to prepared a dough. In a bowl take 1& 1/2 cups of all purpose flour, add 3 tbsp of ghee and mix well with your fingertips till you get breadcrumb like texture of the mixture. With the help of warm milk (approx 1/2 cup) knead a soft dough. Grease the dough with ghee and set aside.

Step 2:-

Stuffing:-

Take 4 tbsp of ghee in a non stick pan. Add to it 1 cup of grated dried coconut, 1/2 milk powder (preferred mawa (koya)), 1/2 cup of powdered sugar, 1/4 tsp cardamom  powder, 1 tbsp  raisins and cook it for 2-3 mins on a low flame till it turns light brown. Keep aside and allow it to cool.

Step 3:-

Take small portion of dough by which you can able roll out approximate 3''- 4'' diameter puri. Then put 1 tbsp stuffing on it and bring all the sides of puri in the center and seal it with pinch.

Step 4:-

Repeat step 3 to make few more modaks.

Step 5:-

Heat oil in a deep non stick pan, deep fry few modaks at a time till they turn to golden brown. 

Offer Lord Ganesh his favorite Modaks and you all enjoy them too.  

Cheesy Minity Pasta

Pasta is traditional Italian cuisine. There are approximate 90 varieties of pasta available in market. Its a great ingredient for quick and delicious dishes.  Combining specific sauce with appropriate type  of pasta is a challenging job. Here i am sharing one of my favorite pasta recipe. It is called "Cheesy Minty Pasta".

Ingredients

• Pasta
• green bell pepper
• onions
• garlic
• mint leaves
• coriender
• green chilly
• cheese
• milk 
• water
• butter
• salt
• corn starch
• black pepper powder
• oregano 

Method

Step 1

To Cook Pasta:-

In a vessel  take 4 cups of water and bring it to boil. Add 1 cup of raw penne pasta, salt and 4-5 drops of oil. Cook it for approximately 5-6 mins, check (if you are able press pasta by your fingers easy then its cooked) and  turn off  the flame. Drain off the excess water and rinse it with cold water. Set aside.

Step 2

To Make Sauce:-

1. In a mixer jar take 1 cup of mint leaves, 1/2 cup coriander leaves and 1 green chilly. To make smooth paste add 4 tbsp of water.
2. Take 2 tbsp of butter in a non stick pan. Saute 1 tbsp of finely chopped garlic on medium flame. Once it start releasing garlic flavor add finely chopped onion ( appox 2 medium size onion) and 1/2 green bell-pepper( julienne cut- long and thin cut) saute it for 2 min.
3. Then add green paste we have prepared earlier. 
4. Add one cup of milk as well as water and stir it. To achieve saucy consistency, dissolve 1 and 1/2 tbsp of  corn starch in minimum amount of water required.
5. Stir the mixture till it achieve saucy consistency. Then add 3 grated amul cheese cube (approx 75 gms). For seasoning add 1/2 tsp black pepper powder, 1 tsp oregano and salt to taste.

Step 3

 

In the final step add the boiled pasta into the green pasta sauce. Mix  well and serve it hot. 

Enjoy cheesy minty pasta with your dear and near ones. 

Rakshabandhan Special

Festivals are the heart of people's lives in India. They reflect richness of Indian culture. And festival   without sweet is next to impossible here. So today i had prepared milk powder burfi on special occasion of Rakshabandhan for all my brothers and sisters. Lets have a look to its recipe.

Ingredients:-

•  Milk powder 2 cups
•  Sugar 1/2 cup
•  Milk 1/2 cup
•  Ghee 4 tbsp
•  Pistachios
•  Sliced almonds
• 7 Cardamom powder 1/4 tsp

Method:-

Step 1

Take non stick pan, add 4 tbsp ghee and 1/2 cup milk and allow it heat for a minute on low flame.

Step 2

Add 2 cups of milk powder, 1/2 sugar and 1/4 tsp cardamon powder to it. Stir continuously to get rid of lumps so it will be a smooth mixture.

Step 3

Most important thing is you have to stir it continuously on low flame till it reduce to dough form ( it will take approximately 15-20 min). Once it is done mixture will leave the pan surface and it's colour will change to  light brown.

Step 4

Grease a plate with ghee and spread the mixture evenly in it.  Garnish it with pistachios and sliced almonds. Cool it down to room temperature and then cut into pieces.

Milk powder burfi is ready to serve. Enjoy it with your dear and near ones.