Thandai Rasmalai ( Holi Special Recipe )

Spring is here. And it is mating season in the animal world. Nothing sinister about it. Just a matter of probability given that the survival chances are maximized by the ambient weather and food. availability. Now is it is possible that some relic of this animal instinct has been overlooked during the evolutionary process and has stealthily made it's way into the human DNA ? Well, the probabilities look high given that most cultures do make a song and dance about the arrival of spring.

Holi, the Hindu festival which falls in the month of March, is first and foremost an announcement of the harbinger of spring. While there are many myths surrounding this festival, most of us believe it to be a show of love between Lord Krishna and his consort Radha. No wonder, this carnival of colors allows for the free mixing on both genders. A fact that has been re-iterated by Bollywood, time and again. 

One of the most special drinks associated with this festival is the 'Thandai', a refreshing concoction of rose petals, various nuts and spices steeped in milk. While it is guaranteed to perk up sagging spirits after hours of playing in the sun, for those looking for a different kind of high, a bit of 'bhaang' or cannabis can do the trick. But what does not come as a surprise is that most of the ingredients in it are loaded with aphrodisiac properties. Trust the humans to elevate (and of course mask) the mating ritual ( uhh!! We are civilized chimps, aren't we ?) to a summit hitherto unexplored by other species. 

But moving on from one basic instinct to another, let us explore the possibilities of consuming this 'passion enhancer' magic potion in other ways. Not a tough call given that milk is the major component of this drink. So, it can be easily used in any milk based dessert. Here I have chosen it to be the fluid component of a very refreshing 'Rasmalai'. Thinner than it's regular counterpart but infused with the mellow notes of rose, fennel, pepper, cardamom, saffron and other nuts, this one is a winner. Serve it to your guests on Holi and watch the pics go viral.

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 1 hour

Ingredients -

For the Thandai -

• 1 litre whole milk ( use skimmed if you want to reduce calories )
• 16-18 nos almonds
• 10-12 nos cashews
• 7-8 pistachios
• 1 1/2 tbsp poppy seeds (khuskhus)
• 1 1/2 tbsp watermelon seeds (magaj)
• 1 1/2 tbsp fennel seeds
• 4-5 green cardamons
• 1 tsp peppercorns ( reduce by half for kids )
• a few strands of saffron
• 1 tbsp rose water/essence (use fresh petals if you find some, the dark pink ones are best)
• 1 cup sugar

For the rasmalai - 

• 1 litres whole milk
• 3-4 tbsp vinegar
• 1 tsp maida /all purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar 

For the Thandai :

Preparation - Soak the almonds, cashews, pistachios, poppy seeds and watermelon seeds together. (Remove the almond skin once it is soaked)

Dry roast the peppercorns, fennel and cardamom till it gives off a fragrance.

Cooking - Bring the milk to boil in a thick bottomed vessel. Let it simmer till it reduces to 2/3rd of the original volume and then switch off flame.

Add the sugar and saffron strands to the still hot milk. Mix gently so that the sugar dissolves.Allow to cool.

Transfer the roasted spices to a grinder and buzz till they are powdered. Add all the soaked nuts and grind everything till you get a very fine paste. Add a little water to thin the consistency if it is getting too difficult to grind. Add this paste along with rose essence to the milk and allow to stand for 1 hour.

Use a cloth to strain and transfer the milk into another vessel (an earthen pot would be ideal but do not worry if you cant find one).

For the Rasmalai Balls :

Preparation - Bring the milk to boil in a saucepan. Do not let it boil for more than 4-5 mins.

Dilute the vinegar with equal amount of water and add to the milk. This should be sufficient to separate the paneer from the green colored water. However if the water still looks milky, add some some water-vinegar mix. Once all the paneer is separated, add a few ice cubes and 2-3 cup water to the saucepan. This prevents the paneer from cooking further.

Strain all the paneer and wash it under running water to remove any traces of vinegar. Gather it in a piece of cheesecloth/muslin and hang for 20-30 mins to remove excess water.

Transfer to a plate. Knead it with the heel of your palms for 10 mins to get a uniform mixture. Add the maida at this stage and knead for another 5-6 mins.

Divide into 25-30 lumps and shape each into a smooth ball with no visible cracks on the surface.

Add the 2 cups sugar along with 5 cups water to a pressure cooker. Let it boil for 5 mins before adding the paneer balls. Close the lid and cook for 25-30 mins. Remove from the flame and allow to cool down to room temperature.

Putting it together -

Gently squeeze the paneer balls to remove excess sugar water. Then drop them into the thandai. Refrigerate (at least for 2 hours) till you serve it.

Garnish with saffron, pistachios and rose petals while serving.

No-Bake Strawberry Delight ( V Day Collab with Adollopofthat and Potpourri )

Continuing the tradition of 'idiot proof' recipes for V-day, I have a very easy to do strawberry dessert that tastes much better than the measly effort that goes into it. And also, it sits rather well in a jar just in case you want to show the world what you are eating with that special one. Single ? No problem. That's even better as you can have the whole of it just for yourself.

Discovered this one while browsing through 'Taste of Home', yet another great website for home cooks. Made a few minor changes to the recipe suit myself and voila, I had a dessert in under 30 mins. Best part is that this taste great even when we substitute the sugar with any low calorie sweetener.

That's just not all. Partnering with my blogger friends Parinaaz and Saswati, I have got you more recipes to check out for V-day ! Hop on to Saswati's Blog for sampling some yummy Gajar Halwa Cheesecake Pie  and on to Parinaaz's blog for the ravishing Red Velvet Trifles .

Read on for a great 'do it yourself' dessert recipe for V-day -

Preparation Time - 25 mins

Ingredients -

• 200 gm vanilla sponge cake
• 1 1/2 cup chopped strawberries
• 4 tbsp gelatin
• 1 1/2 cup water
• 2 tsp rose syrup
• 1 liter milk
• 40 gm custard powder
• 3-4 tsp sugar

Preparation - Sprinkle the powdered gelatin into the cold water. Whisk it with a fork. Let it stand for 10 mins till the grains swell up and it starts thickening.

Place the bowl on a double boiler or in a bigger bowl half filled with hot water. Let the gelatin dissolve completely.

Remove the bowl and allow it to cool down slightly. Stir in the rose syrup and strawberries.

Cut the sponge cake into tiny cubes. Layer the cubes in a mason jar or a small glass. Pour the gelatin mixture over it and press lightly with a spoon.

Let it stand for 10 mins.

Cooking - Take 1 cup milk and dissolve the custard powder in it.

Bring the rest of the milk to a boil. Stir in sugar.  Add the custard powder dissolved in milk. Stir continuously to prevent lumps. Remove from flame after 2-3 mins.

Allow it to cool slightly before pouring over the contents of the jar or glass. Refrigerate for at least 30 mins before serving.

Serve chilled with freshly sliced strawberries.

Home made Frozen Yogurt

Frozen yogurt is the new ice-cream ! Sounds cliched but is true. However what I cannot understand is the fact that people are ready to shell out big bucks for a tiny tub of what is essentially some Greek yogurt dunked in a whole lot of chemicals (???).

Simply going by the definition, frozen yogurt is super cooled yogurt with fruit in it ! And it is super easy to make some at home too. Without resorting to artificial flavors, gelatin and even a ice cream maker. You will just need a regular blender or super fit biceps. Yeah, you need the latter in case you have to beat the yogurt in a big bowl with a heavy metal/wooden spoon to get that creamy consistency.

But rest assured that you will be suitably rewarded for you efforts and patience. Read on for recipe -

Preparation Time - 4-5 hours ( dont worry a lot off it is just standby time)

Ingredients -

• 2 cups hung yogurt or Greek yogurt
• 3 tsp milk
• 4-5 tsp sugar (as per taste)
• 1 cup frozen fruit of your choice

Preparation - Beat the yogurt, milk and sugar till the sugar dissolves. Pop it into the freezer in a freezer-safe bowl.

After 30 mins take it out and churn it in a blender to break the formation of crystals. Put it back into the freezer. This process needs to be repeated 6-7 times to get that creamy texture.

Just before serving, take out the frozen yogurt from the freezer and give it a good buzz with the frozen fruit.

Serve immediately or atleast within an hour ( keep refrigerated till you serve it ).

Note - Vary the sugar as per taste. Sugar free can be used as a substitute if you are ok with using gelatin. The cooled gelatin liquid needs to be stirred into the beaten yogurt.

Chuda Ghasa Parfait ( Diwali Recipes Collaboration )

Its time to begin the festivities as the 'Festival of lights' is literately knocking on our doors. To make this Diwali extra special for all my readers and well wishers, I will be collaborating with a very talented blogger Parinaaz Marolia . Parinaaz is a mum to a toddler, passionate blogger and amateur photography dabbler. She blogs at A Dollop of that! It is mostly about Parsi recipes and baked stuff.
For today's post, she has made assorted chocolates in two variants brandy creme and honeyed pistachio. ( For more info, scroll down to the bottom of this post )

As an added bonus another blogger is joining us at the last minute. Ms Saswati Hota, also from Odisha, is a part of the Indian Air Force family . She is contributing with a sweet known as Labanga Latika in Odisha.

Coming back to my recipe, Chuda Ghasa is a traditional preparation from Odisha. A coarse mix of beaten rice with sugar, ghee and freshly grated coconut, it is prepared during festivals. Some people also add chopped fruits and boondi to it to enhance the taste. With this recipe, I have attempted to deconstruct it and serve it in the form of separate layers just like a parfait. But a much healthier and simpler one.

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 20 mins

Ingredients -

• 1 1/2 cup beaten rice
• 4 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp ghee
• 2 tsp freshly grated coconut
• 3 tbsp chopped berries (I had only dried ones)
• 2 tbsp chopped orange
• 1/2 cup hung curd (Greek yogurt)
• 1 tsp chopped pistachios
• 1/4 cup sweetened boondi ( or 1 motichoor laddoo)
• 1-2 green cardamoms
• a pinch of cardamon
• a pinch of saffron

Preparation - Take the beaten rice, 2 tbsp sugar and cardamom in a mixer. Give a buzz to get a coarse mix. Add the ghee and freshly grated coconut to the mixer jar and give another buzz. This is the regular chuda ghasa which looks like breadcrumbs.

Mix the hung curd with 2 tbsp sugar, a pinch of saffron and pistachios.

Mix the boondi/crumbled motichoor laddoo with the 2 tsp chuda ghasa.

Take two small glasses . Spread a thick layer of the chuda ghasa on the bottom. Top it with the oranges and chopped berries.

Top it with the hung curd .

Finally add a layer on boondi mix and garnish it with toasted pistachios.

Chill it in the fridge for 1-2 hours before serving.

Do not forget to check this out !!

Parinaaz's recipe - Assorted Chocolates (feat.) Liquor & Honeyed-Pistachios

And

Saswati's recipe - Labanga Latika

Vanilla Panna Cotta

Summer vacations are synonymous with hungry kids who are always on the lookout for a tasty bite or two. But too much of packaged products are a strict no-no with the copious amount of preservatives and additives going into them. Making those traditional delicacies by following grandma's recipes and slogging it out in the kitchen in the sweltering heat does not seem practical either.

A basic Vanilla Panna Cotta, an Italian delicacy, is one such recipe that calls for minimal time and effort. Moreover it goes well with fruit and kids gets a healthy dose of vitamins along with the goodness of milk and cream. Other easy summer snacks options can be sandwiches that can be whipped up in less than 10 mins or fruit chaat or loads of fruity milkshakes ( you will find lots of recipes on my blog else drop me a comment and I will be happy to reply ).

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 10 mins

Ingredients -

• 1 1/2 cup cream (I use Amul fresh cream or Milky mist fresh cream)
• 1 1/2 cup whole milk
• 3 1/2 tbsp sugar ( i prefer a little less but you can add more as per taste )
• 2 1/2 tsp ( level ) powdered gelatin 
• 1 vanilla pod

Cooking - Take the milk and cream in a saucepan. Using a knife, slice the vanilla pod and scrape the insides. Add the insides as well as the vanilla pod to the saucepan. Place it on a low flame and just bring to a boil. Add the sugar and stir till it dissolves. Simmer for another 2 mins.

Remove from the flame. Keep aside for 5 mins and them remove the Vanilla pod.

Take the gelatin powder in a steel bowl. Add 2 tbsp hot water to it and stir. Then place the bowl in hot water and stir till the gelatin is completely dissolved.

Stir the gelatin into the milk and cream mixture. Allow the mixture to cool down further before pouring into molds or small glasses ( lightly butter the molds or glasses so that de-molding will become easier ).

Refrigerate for 4-5 hours before serving.

Note - Serve the Panna cotta with a topping of chocolate sauce or fruit crush. Goes great with fresh figs, strawberries or any other berries too.