Rasmalai

Ingredients :

1. Whole Milk - 4-5 cups
2. Lemon juice - 1tsp
3. Sugar - 1 ¼ cup
4. A pinch of saffron
5. crushed cardamom seeds - ¼ tsp
6. blanched almonds - 3-4 tsp
7. crushed pistachios - 2 tbsp

Preparation method :

1. Boil 2 cups of whole milk to half the quantity and add lemon juice.

2. Mix it well and when it starts curdling, strain the granules using a muslin cloth and keep aside for an hour.

3. After an hour, crush the contents of muslin cloth, knead into a dough and make small balls as done in gulab jamoons.

4. Add the rest of the milk to a hot pan and boil till it gets into half its quantity.

5. Add the sugar and saffron to it. mix well.

6. Now add the milk balls into it and slowly keep stirring,making sure the balls do not break.

7. Once the milk thickens well, switch off the heat and decorate with almonds and pistachios.

8. Chill in refrigerator and serve.

Mango rice

Ingredients :

1. Rice - 2 cups(cooked adding salt while being cooked)
2. Grated coconut - 3 tbsp
3. Grated mango (raw) - ¾ cup
4. Ghee - 2 tbsp
5. Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
6. Dried red chilly – 2-3 nos
7. Green chillies(finely cut) - 3 nos
8. Curry leaves - 1 sprig
9. Salt - 1 tsp
10. Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
11. Cashewnuts - 12 nos(cut in small pieces)
12. chana dal - 1 tsp
13. urad dal - 1tsp

Preparation method :

1)Heat ghee in a large pan over medium heat.

2)Add mustard seeds, 2 red dried chillies broken into halves.

3)Add green chillies,chana dal and urad dal. Stir for few seconds.

4)Add curry leaves, a pinch of salt and a pinch of turmeric powder.

6)Add grated mango, coconut, fried cashews and raisins and cook till it becomes a thick paste.

7)Add rice to this thokku. Switch on the gas to low flame and slightly stir for another 3 minutes to mix all the ingredients well.

P S: This "thokku" can be frozen and used for next 1 month.

Kozhukattai

Ingredients :

1. Roasted rice flour – 2 cups
2. Boiled water - 1 1/2 cups or more
3. Salt - As reqd
4. Grated coconut - 1 cup
5. Jaggery – ½ cup or as reqd
6. Cardamom - 2 nos

Preparation method :

1)Boil about 2 cups of water in a vessel along with the reqd salt.

2)Mix together the roasted rice flour and the boiled water.

3)Knead them well to form a dough.

4)Add coconut, jaggery and cardamom in a mixer and blend well.

5)Coat your hand with extra flour to prevent sticking and Make 10 small balls off the above dough and flatten them.

6)Place a small quantity of the coconut mix in the middle of the flattened balls.

7)Seal the edges so as to form the shape of a ball.

8)Repeat the procedure for the remaining balls.

9)Steam these balls for 10 mins.

Uthappam

Ingredients :

1. Idli Batter - As reqd
2. Onion - 1 no
3. Carrot - 1 no
4. Coriander leaves - As reqd
5. Green Chillies - 2-3 nos
6. Oil - As reqd

Preparation method :

1)Cut onion and coriander leaves into small pieces and grate carrot.

2)Mix them well together.

3)Pour 1 tbsp of oil on a tava.

4)Pour 2 ladle of idli batter or idli mavu and spread a little ( do not spread it very thinly as in case of dosas).

5)Sprinkle chopped onion, carrot and coriander leaves.

6)Flip the side to cook the other side too.

7)When both the sides are cooked, remove from the tava and place it on a serving plate.

Carrot Halwa

Ingredients :

1. Carrots - 1 lb
2. Milk - 1 cup
3. Sugar - 1 cup
4. Ghee - 3 tsp
5. Cashew nuts - for garnishing
6. Raisins - for garnishing

Preparation Method :
1)Peel the carrots and grate them.
2)Soak the grated carrots in the milk and pressure cook.
3)Heat sugar and ghee in a non stick pan.
4)Add the pressure cooked carrots and milk. Stir well.
5)Keep the lid closed when the milk and ghee boil together.
6)When the halwa begins to thicken, remove from flame.
7)Garnish with cashews and raisins roasted in ghee.