BALUSHAI

Ingredients : Flour 230 gmns. Yoghurt (natural) 85 gmns. Warm water - use as required. Kewra essence - a few drops. Khoya 30 gmns. Ghee (melted) 85 gmns. Soda bi carb ¼ tspn. Sugar 285 gmns. Water 150 gmns. Pistachio nuts 15 gmns (chopped).

Method : Sieve the fl our, after adding soda bi carbonate, to the fl our. Add melted ghee with the tips of the fi ngers and mix well. Mix slightly heated curd and water and knead until it becomes a soft dough. Divide the dough into 16 equal parts and shape them into round balls. Make a depression in the centre of each one and fl atten. Heat the ghee in a heavy pan (karai) and remove from the fire as the ghee simmers around them. When it stops simmering, put  the pan on slow heat again and cook until Balushai swells, becomes light brown in colour. Prepare the syrup and water and cook till it becomes quite sticky. The consistency of sugar syrup should be 3-thread consistency. Add Kewra essence and mix. Arrange the cooked fl attened balls in a deep tray or a plate and pour the syrup over them. Decorate immediately with shredded almonds and pistachios. Let the sugar syrup set on the balushai.

BESAN LADOO

Ingredients : Basen (chick pea fl our) 250 gmns. Ghee 250 gmns. Powdered sugar 250 gmns. Cardamom powder 10 gmns.

Method : Heat ghee, add basen  and stir on moderate fire, then lower fi re and keep on stirring till the ghee leaves the basen. Remove the mixture in a thali (Indian term for a round steel plate). Add sugar mix well and form balls, even shaped. Serve when cool.

GULAB JAMUN

Ingredients : Milk pwdr 200 gmns.Flour 60 gmns. Baking powder a big pinch. Cream to bind milk powder and flour. Sugar syrup. Rose water a few drops. Crushed cardamom powder 1 tspn. Water 1-1/2 cup.

Method : Mix flour, milk powder, baking powder and make a dough with cream. Put sugar, water and cardamom powder in a pan and make sugar syrup. Cook and when the syrup is ready (1 string). Make small balls of the dough and deep fry on low fire till they are brown in colour. Remove from fire and put in hot sugar syrup. When Gulab Jamuns have swelled up, place small bowl, with little sugar syrup on top.

KHEER(Rice Pudding)

Ingredients : Milk 1 litre. Rice ½ cup. Cardamoms 3 nos (crushed). Nutmeg a little. Cloves 3 nos. Sultanas a few. Sugar 4 tblspns. Water 1 cup. Ghee 1 tblspn. Almonds (blanched), remove skin and chop for mixing them into the Kheer.

Method : Cook rice in water and remove water when rice is cooked. Add milk and cook further. Add almonds, sultanas and sugar. Kheer should be of the consistency of ordinary custard. If it is too thick add more milk. Remove from heat, add crushed cardamom and nutmeg pwd. Serve cold or hot.

HALWA

Ingredients : Semolina 1 cup. Water 2 cups. Sugar ½ cup. Ghee (Butter oil). Raisins 10 gmns. Cashew nuts 60 gmns (cut into thin slices).

Method : Heat up the ghee in a karai (wok), at medium heat and add semolina. Stir well. Add water and keep stirring to make sure there are no lumps. Add sugar, dry fruits (raisins, long slices of almond) and stir. When water dries up and consistency is right, remove from it from fire. Halwa is usually off ered as Parshad (after prayers).

MOHANTHAL

Ingredients : Basen 120 gmns. Ghee 170 gmns. Sugar 340 gmns. Milk 60ml. Cardamoms 6 nos (powdered). Pistachio nutss and Almonds 30 gmns.

Method : Put melted ghee in the Karai, heat slightly, add basen and fry till you get a good cooked smell. Add khoya mix and make a smooth mixture and stir for a few mins. Add sugar, stir in cardamom powder and saff ron. Add water, mix well till the basen is cooked and gets a mixed form. Remove and set in a thali (flat round steel plate). Cut into wedges, and let it set and cool.