Cordial /Coconut sweet yet another delicious Christmas Sweet/Kuswar made using fresh coconut .It's my hubby's favourite Christmas sweet and loved by all at my place .Making this for Christmas is mandatory .Like every other Christmas sweet/Kuswar this too requires stirring and cooking on low flame but it relatively needs less elbow grease as compared to doce ,milkcream and cooked marzipan. 

With everyday pantry ingredients making Cordial/Coconut sweet is easy and can be put together in just 30 to 40 min 

Ingredients

250 gm fresh grated coconut
300 gram sugar 

100 ml condensed milk 

2 to 3 tbsp rose water. 
50 gm cashew.
1 tbsp ghee

2 drops of pink colour
1/2 tsp rose essence

Method

Grind Coconut with rose water to a fine paste.

Also powder the cashews/grind it to paste.

Take a thick bottomed Pan into it add the ground paste 

Also add the sugar , Condensed milk,ground cashews/paste ,mix well with a wooden spoon or spatula.

Add a drop of pink colour also add ghee .

Once it starts thickening add essence. 

Keep stirring occasionally once the mixture stars leaving sides, switch the flame off.

Remove in a greased plate or tray .

Level it with a spatula or a greased butter paper or parchment .

Let it cool down a bit .

Cut in diamond or desired shapes.

Store in airtight container .

Notes

You may omit the condensed milk and use 400 grams sugar instead .

Also if using only sugar 1 cup milk can be added 

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Shawarma is a delicious middle eastern dish now popular world wide .Shawarma is yummy chicken wrap  /roll ,where chicken is cooked/grilled on spit/rotisserie then chopped fine and rolled in pita bread with pickled veggies and garlic sauce .Taste absolutely delish!

Shawarma is now available everywhere and  easily adapted according to one's taste buds .Shawarma that we get here in Mumbai can be found in different varieties and fusion .Somehow I love the way it's served in the Middle East and tried to replicate it at home And was quite satisfied with the outcome .So now try this absolutely amazing shawarma recipe in the comforts of your home and without the spit /machine all made from scratch.

I will soon share a detailed post on garlic sauce and pita for now find the recipes mentioned below.

Since we are making it from scratch let's break it I to 3 parts .the marination ,the pita the pickled veggies and garlic sauce and finally assembling.

Chicken Marination
500 gm Boneless chicken pieces
1 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp ginger garlic  chilli paste
1 / 2 tsp pepper powder / as needed
1 tsp paprika/red chilli powder
4 tbsp curds
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
Salt to taste
Cut chicken into long thin strips or you can chop them into small cubes.
Apply salt and lime and keep aside for 10 min then add garlic ,ginger garlic paste beaten curds ,cumin and cinnamon powder ,paprika or chilli powder and marinate for 3 to 4 hours or overnight.
When ready pan fry the chicken with very little oil till done or grill it and set aside .

Making the pita breads

2 cups Maida
1 tsp yeast 1/4 cup  lukewarmwater/milk
1 tsp Sugar 1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp Olive oil
In 1/4 cup lukewarm water or milk add sugar and yeast and set aside to froth.
Take sifted flour in a bowl add salt and mix in the yeast mixture adding warm water to knead to a soft dough .
Allow it to double it may take 1 1/2 to 3 hours
Once doubled punch down the air and knead for a minute .
Divide into small balls and roll into round disc/ chapati
Either cook them on a tava or in the oven until they puff up and small brown spots appear .
Cover them in a kitchen napkin or store them in air tight container.

For the pickled veggies
1 cucumber cut lengthwise
1 beetroot cut lengthwise
2 /3 rd cup vinegar
1 /4 cup water
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp sugar
Boil water and vinegar with salt and sugar .
Pour it over the veggies in an sterilized glass bottle and keep aside for 2 days .
For instant version add the cucumber to the boiling water and cook for 5 to 7 minutes .
You can later add beet to this.

For the garlic sauce click link

• Other ingredients
• Cut 1 potato to wedges add little salt .
• Shallow fry it and keep aside .
• Also grate cabbage and tear some lettuce .

Now let's assemble

• You will need garlic sauce  pickled veggies and pita

• Take a butter paper cut in squares
• Place it on  a plate
• Place a pita over it.
• Apply a generous amount of garlic sauce
• Spread cabbage and lettuce and place the pickled veggies and fried potatoes
• You can cut the chicken into small pieces I prefer keeping it like this .
• Drizzle some garlic sauce
• And roll it tight.

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Garlic Sauce is an flavourful yet so easy to make sauce .Garlic sauce is one of essential sauce used in shawarma .Garlic sauce goes well with grilled meat or as a dip too.Just few basic pantry ingredients and 5 min is all you need to make this .

Ingredients
1 cup thick curd/yogurt
1 tbsp tahini/sesame seeds paste
3 to 4 garlic cloves grated/ made to paste
Salt to taste .
1 tsp lime juice.

Method
In a bowl mix all the ingredients and mix it well using a whisk .
Keep it in the refrigerator.
Use it in shawarma / wraps or as a dipping sauce .

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Gajar Halwa /Carrot Halwa is one of the most delicious and poplar Indian dessert. Gajar Halwa is loved by all especially in winters since the Red/Delhi carrots are available in abundance .You will find gajar halwa as dessert in parties ,weddings and in most of the sweet shop .Gajar Halwa can be enjoyed hot or cold personally I love it hot.

Gajar Halwa is my favourite and I make it quite often in winters until these Delhi carrots disappear from the market.

I have shared the traditional way of cooking halwa in the blog years before .Slowly cooked halwa with nuts and mawa taste simply divine but can be tiresome since it takes a while to get slow cooked .Today I'm sharing a quicker version that I make when I crave for this halwa and have no patience to cook it slowly .Using a pressure cooker makes things easy and saves the cooking time  without compromising on the taste .

Ingredients

1 1/2 kg carrot/Delhi carrot

150 gm.mawa

3 1/2 to 4 cups milk

1 1/2 to 2 cup sugar / as needed

1/2 cup mix nuts I used cashews almonds raisins and charoli.

1 /2 tsp cardamom powder .

4 tbsp ghee  

Method
Rinse ,peel and grate carrots .
Heat n a pressure cooker  and add ghee.
Once hot add the grated carrots and saute for 6 to 7 minutes.
You may add the nuts and fry well.
Then add milk and mix.

Cover the pressure cooker with lid and cook for 2  whistles.
After 2 whisles cook over medium flame till the third whistle releases.
Release the pressure and open the lid .
Cook the carrots and dry up the milk.

Add sugar and cardamom powder and cook over medium flame until the mixture is dry when the mixture is dry add the crumbled mawa and mix.
Serve warm and enjoy .

• You can add more sugar if required .
• Mawa is optional but it adds more richness and taste .
• Add nuts of your choice .

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Chakli is one of the most popular Diwali snack .Chakli tastes crunchy crispy and absolutely delicious. There are different versions and recipe to make chakli .Bhajni being most popular and loved and my utmost favourite but it is a very tedious process if you want to make it from scratch.
This recipe for chakli which ill be sharing is instant, very easy fail proof and taste delicious as good as bhajni chakli.do check the notes for making prefect crispy chakli.

Ingredients
1 cup rice flour
1/2 cup maida / all purpose flour
2 tbsp besan / gram flour
2 1/2 to 3 tsp red chilli powder / as needed
1/4 tsp ajwain/carom seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric powder/haldi
1/4 cup curds
1 1/2 tbsp salted butter
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tbsp sesame seeds / til
Salt to taste
Oil to deep fry.

Method

• In a bowl mix sifted flours , maida rice and besan together
• Add salt red chilli powder coriander ,turmeric powder ajwain sesame seeds and mix
• To this add butter and mix well
• Add curd and mix

• Add water as needed to form a soft yet firm dough .
• Grease the chakli mould with oil
• Divide the dough into 3 to.4 parts

• Fit in the star disc/ chakli disc
• And place  the dough .
• line a plate with parchment or butter paper and make chakli .
• Add oil in a kadhai and turn the flame on.
• The oil should not be very hot.
• Once the oil is hot lower the flame.
• Slide 3 to 4  chakli and fry over medium low flame.
• Turn it on the other side and fry till done.
• It takes roughly about 2 to 3 minutes each side.

• Once done  remove it out on kitchen towel/ absorbent paper .
• Repeat the same till all the chakli are fried
• Once cool store in air tight container .

Notes / tips

• Make sure the oil is not very hot and also fry over medium low flame.
• If you turn the flame high the chakli will remain uncooked from inside
• If the oil is not hot the chakli may break and lot of froth will appear.
• So always fry 3 to 4 at a time if kadhai is big you can fry 6 to 7 in a batch .
• Keep the dough  covered as you make them in batches.
• If the dough is left open it will dry a bit then knead again and proceed .

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Pole /Pola /Neer dosa /Ghavan  or panpole whatever you name it .Pole/Pola as we call it home is a lacy spongy dosa or crepe made with rice and  coconut .Panpole/Pola/Neer Dosa  green Chutney is a yummy breakfast combo and my all time favourite Sunday breakfast fare .
We enjoy pole or pola with our chicken or any non veg curries  the recipe is simple and the steps are easy to follow .Pole or pola are made on iron tava / griddle also called khapri in our dialect .But not to worry you may use a good non stick dosa tava or a normal frying pan as well .

We  East Indians make another version of pola that we call Chittaps  which is quite similar to this will share it too on the blog .For now try these yummy soft lacy pola /neer dosa .enjoy it with your Chutney or any veg or non veg curries..

Ingredients
1 cup kolam or  sona masuri
(I use 3/4 cup kolam and 1/4 cup ukda or boiled idli rice)
1/2 cup grated coconut
2 tbsp cooked rice .
1 tsp sugar (optional )
Salt as needed
Oil to smear the pan.

Method.
Wash the rice and soak it for 6 to 7 hours or overnight
Next morning grind the soaked rice along with Coconut and cooked rice to a smooth batter .
Add salt and 1 tsp sugar and mix well .

Add water and make a thin batter like buttermilk consistency.

Heat a griddle/skillet/ tava .Prick onion with fork or knife and dip it in oil and smear the pan alternatively you can just brush a little oil.

 Once hot take the batter in a ladle and pour from height spread it all over to get the hole or lacy effect.

 Cook over medium flame cover with the lid

Do not flip

Remove it in a plate or banana leaf. Let it cool then fold it.
Serve with Coconut Chutney or any veg or non veg curries.

 notes
You can use any short grain rice or idli rice .
Adding cooked rice gives softer polas/ neer dosa skip if you feel .
The batter consistency is very important it should be thin else the lacy effect won't come .
If your tava or pan is not hot the dosa won't have the holes , make sure it's hot and  you pour the batter from a little light and spread it over the pan you should hear a sizzle sound which means the temperature of the tava is perfect for the polas/neer dosa.

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Shankarpali or Shakapare a popular sweet snack made during festival like Diwali all throughout Maharashtra .  Shankarpali or Shakarpare are  crispy flaky fried cookie like snack,they taste amazing and are very addictive. Shankarpali as it is popularly called in Maharashtra is a very popular festive snack and made in almost all homes.The recipe though differs from each household.

Today i m sharing an easy version of shankarpali ,if you follow the recipe to the T you too will master in making crispy flaky shankarplai/shakkarpara. .There are many version and methods to make this yummy snack .Will share the other versions which uses semolina some other day .For now try these and enjoy crispy flaky kuskhit shankarpalis.

ingredients
maida/all purpose flour 500 gm/4 cups
ghee 90 gm
powdered sugar 125 gm to 140 gm
milk 100 ml/ 1/2 cup
cardamom powder 1 tsp
a pinch of salt
oil ghee or dalda to deep fry

.method

• heat  ghee and let it melt
• In a pan heat milk till  luke warm and add sugar to this and stir till it dissolves do not boil the mixture just let the sugar melt ,keep it aside.

• In a bowl take maida/all purpose flour and mix cardamom powder and pinch of salt and mix 
• To the maida add the hot ghee and mix with a spoon 
• Now add the warm milk and sugar mixture add in batches and mix well to a dough
• Cover with a cloth and let it rest for 20 to 30 minutes
• Divide the dough into 3 to 4 balls
• Roll out each ball to a round disc/chapati using rolling pin cut the edges 
• Using a knife or pizza cutter cut into  diamond or square
• Do not roll it very thin ,you can see the size in the pic below 
• Heat oil/ghee in a kadhai/deep wide pan once the oil is hot switch the flame to low medium.

• Fry the shankarpali in batches till golden brown and crisp
• While you fry keep on stirring with slotted spoon so that its fried evenly.
• Fry till golden brown.and remove it on a kitchen towel/tissue paper.
• Once cool store it in airtight containers
• Enjoy it as snack or with cup of chai .

tips
always make sure the flame is low and fry in batches
it takes a lot of time to fry, at any point of time do not turn  the flame high
if the oil is not hot the shankarpali will absorb a lot of oil and you will see foam appearing ,so heat the oil until hot and then lower the flame and fry them over low flame ,to test you can fry 3 to 4 shanakrpalis first then proceed with another batch
The frying should be done on low flame to get perfect flaky crispy shankarpali 

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