Churma
Churma is a very popular sweet from Rajasthan. Churma or churma ladoos are made in most households in Rajasthan on big and small occasions. As you start eating this sweet, it grows on you. Churma satisfies your sweet tooth completely and makes you feel connected to your rich heritage.
Recipe of churma
1 cup atta (whole wheat flour)
3 tbsp sooji (semolina/ rawa)
6-7 tbsp powdered sugar (vary according to taste)
4 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)
1/2 tsp elaichi (green cardamom) powder
Mixed chopped nuts like almonds, raisins
Ghee for frying
1. Mix atta, sooji and ghee. Adding warm water, knead it into stiff dough.
2. Take small balls (pedas, muthias) from the dough and deep fry in ghee. Heat should be medium for frying. Fry till brown. Shape of the balls is not important. When fried, drain by a slotted spoon.
3. When the fried balls have cooled down, grind them in a mixer to a coarse powder.
4. Mix powdered sugar, chopped almond, raisins (kishmish) and elaichi powder. Store this churma in an airtight container. It stays fresh for a few days.
Sookhe kale chane
Sukhe kale chane ki recipe comes straight from my mom’s kitchen. It brings back memories of childhood days when she used to prepare them on ashtami along with puri and sooji ka halwa for kanjak. It was to be distributed to the little girls who used to visit us on this day.
Recipe sukhe kale chane
2 cups kale chane (black chickpeas)
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
1/2 tsp amchoor (dried mango powder)
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp oil
1. Soak kale chane overnight, drain. Place kala chana along with enough water and salt in a pressure cooker. Let 1 whistle come, then turn the heat to medium. Pressure cook for 20 minutes in total. When the pressure drops down, open and strain. You can have the remaining chana water as soup as it is very nutritious.
2. Heat oil in a kadhai or a pan and add cumin seeds. When they change color, add kale chane and all the spices. Roast for 4-5 minutes on a medium heat, uncovered. Turn off the heat and garnish with coriander leaves.
Rice kheer
Rice kheer or chawal ki kheer is one of the most popular desserts of Indian Subcontinent. It is even offered as prasad. It’s very delicious and my family prefers it chilled. So after the kheer reaches room temperature, we refrigerate it.
Recipe of rice kheer (payasam)
1 liter milk
1/4 cup rice
1/4 tsp elaichi (cardamom) powder
4-5 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp almonds (blanched and slivered)
1 tbsp kewra water (optional)
1. Soak the rice for 1/2 an hour. Drain.
2. In a heavy bottomed pan, bring the milk to boil. Add rice and lower heat.
3. Cook stirring in between till rice is cooked and kheer thickens. Cook till the desired consistency is reached.
4. Add sugar and cook stirring till sugar dissolves. Turn off heat and add almonds and cardamom powder. When the kheer has cooled down somewhat, add kewra water. Serve hot or cold.
Kheer made for bhog on Janmashtmi
If you add few strands of saffron (kesar) to the kheer, you get kesari kheer.
Kesari kheer
Kassar
Kassar is an after prayer offering to devotees in mainly Northern parts of India. This is a sweet offering given in both Hindu temples and homes. Kassar is dry with various fruits added to it and is usually offered with charnamrit. It is mainly made on Purnima (full moon day).
Recipe of kassar
2 cups atta (whole wheat flour)
4 tblsp ghee (clarified butter)
3/4 cup boora (castor sugar)
2-3 green cardamoms- powdered
1 tblsp desiccated coconut
1 tsp tulsi (basil) leaves
Mixed chopped fruits like apple, banana, orange segments
1. Heat ghee in a wok or a kadhai. Add wheat flour and turn the heat to medium- low. Roast it till it becomes golden brown and a distinct aroma start coming out of it much similar to baking. Turn off the heat.
2. Mix cardamom powder and allow the flour to cool. Add boora, coconut, tulsi leaves and fruits. Mix well and offer as a prasad along with charnamrit.
Charnamrit
Charnamrit is a sweet drink offered after hindu prayer meetings both in temples and at home. ‘Charan’ means feet and ‘amrit’ means nectar from God’s feet which makes one’s soul live forever. I am sharing here the simple recipe of this divine drink.
Recipe of charnamrit
200 ml cold milk
1 tbsp curd (yogurt/ dahi)
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp honey
1-2 tsp Ganga jal (holy water from river Ganges)
1 tsp basil (tulsi) leaves- torn roughly
1. Take milk in a bowl and mix sugar. Stir in rest of the ingredients. Remember to just stir and not beat. Curd appears in the form of lumps in this drink. Offer 1 tablespoon to each devotee after prayers or pooja as a prasad.
Sooji halwa
Sooji halwa is a dessert enjoyed in Indian homes since ages. In many temples, it is offered as prasad. Sooji ka halwa is also made by mothers to comfort their child or when the child craves something sweet but that does not mean it is not enjoyed by adults.
Recipe of sooji halwa
1 cup sooji (rava/ semolina)
4 cups water
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup ghee (clarified butter)
5-6 almond- blanched and slivered
2 tsp raisins
2 tsp cashew nuts- broken
1. Heat ghee in a karahi (heavy bottomed vessel) and add sooji. Turn the heat to medium and roast suji till it turns golden brown, stirring constantly.
2. While sooji is being roasted, take water and sugar in a sauce pan and put it on the stove. Turn on the heat and when the water begins to boil and the sugar dissolves completely, turn off the heat. This sugar containing water or syrup is now called chashni.
3. Now, that your suji has turned brown, add this syrup or chashni to it. Lower heat and mix well.
4. Stir continuously till all water gets absorbed. Turn off the heat, add raisins and cover the karahi.
5. Let it stand for 5 minutes, covered.
6. Transfer the halva to a serving bowl and decorate with almond slices and cashew nuts.
Sooji ka halwa is also called sheera in some parts of India and if you add few saffron threads to the halwa, it can also be called rava kesari. It is also offered as prasad in Gurudwaras.
Sabudana kheer
Sabudana kheer or sabudana payasam is mainly eaten in fasts including those of Ekadashi and Navratras. It takes a short time to cook after soaking and tastes absolutely divine.
Recipe of sabudana kheer (payasam)
3/4 cup sabudana (sago)
1 liter milk
1/2 cup sugar
3-4 strands saffron (optional)
A big pinch elaichi (green cardamom) powder
Nuts like almonds, raisins and cashew nuts
1. Soak sabudana for 2 hours in just enough water so that sago is submerged.
2. Soak saffron in a little milk. Soak almonds.
3. Heat milk in a pan and let it bring to boil. Add sago and lower heat. Cook stirring continuously as sabudana has a tendency to stick to the bottom of the pan. When the sabudana turns transparent, that means it is cooked.
4. Add sugar and cook stirring for 2-3 minutes. Cook till you get the desired consistency of the kheer. Turn off the heat.
5. Add saffron, elaichi powder, slivered almonds, raisins and broken cashew nuts. Serve hot or cold as per your liking.
