Oriyarasoi is on twitter !

Showing posts with label Janmashtami Neivaidyam. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Janmashtami Neivaidyam. Show all posts

Saturday, September 5, 2015

Gopalkala (Janmashtami Special)

"Haathi Ghora Palki, Jai Kanhaiya Lal Ki" - A very Happy Janmashtami to all my readers !!


Today's recipe is a simple yet delicious dish that is usually offered to Lord Krishna on his birthday. Most of you would be aware that milk products are the Lord's weakness and so most of his offering incorporate atleast one type of milk derivative. This one for example makes use of curd and buttermilk, but some folks do substitute the latter with some milk. The other major ingredient is 'poha' or chuda which is symbolic of his friendship with the poor Sudama.

Read on for the recipe -

















Preparation Time - 10 mins

Ingredients -


  • 1 cup poha /chuda/rice flakes
  • 1/2 cup grated coconut
  • 1/2 cup chopped cucumber
  • 4-5 tbsp buttermilk
  • 4-5 tbsp curd
  • 1/2 tsp chopped ginger
  • 1/4 tsp cumin seeds
  • 2-3 chopped green chilis
  • 1 tbsp ghee
  • salt to taste
  • a sprig of curry leaves
  • 1 tsp sugar (optional)

Preparation - Wash and soak poha for 2-3 mins. Drain for another 5 mins.

Take it in a mixing bowl and add chopped chilis, coconut, buttermilk and curd. Season with salt. Mix well.

Heat ghee for tempering. Add curry leaves and cumin seeds. Pour this spluttering mix over the contents of the mixing bowl.

Mix well and serve.





Sunday, August 17, 2014

Shrikhand

Shrikhand is a simple yet easy to make and good to eat Indian dessert. By using a low calorie yogurt and substituting Sugarfree/Splenda for sugar, it can be transformed into a low calorie delight. One can also add fruit puree to it. Also it happens to be one of Bal gopal's favorites.

Read on for this recipe which is also offered as prasad/neivaidyam on the occasion of Janmasthami-






Preparation Time - 10 mins

Ingredients -



  • 1 cup hung curd
  • 1 1/2 - 2 tbsp powdered sugar
  • a pinch of cardamom powder
  • a few nuts
  • 3-4 strands of saffron
  • 1 tbsp warm milk
  • 1-2 drops rose water/kewda water (optional)



Preparation - Soak the saffron in the milk for 10 mins.

Transfer all ingredients (except nuts) to a blender. Buzz to get a smooth paste.

Garnish with the chopped nuts and serve chilled.


















Note - I personally prefer to make shrikhand with a day old yogurt so that it has just a hint of sourness. 

Sunday, August 10, 2014

Chuda Kadamba ( Avalakki/Poha Laddoo )

Chuda santula (Poha). Chuda Kadali Chakta. Chuda khera. Chuda payas. While there are many ways of consuming beaten rice ( or 'Chuda') in  Odisha, I came across this one very recently. 'Chuda Kadamba' or laddoos made of powdered beaten rice are not only easy to make, they taste great and are super healthy too!! They do sound like manna from heaven for folks on a strict diet regimen ( one can cut down on the quantity of ghee by half and use skim milk instead ) .

I was inspired to make this for my kid who is on a snacking spree these days. Store bought stuff can be unhealthy at times ( MSG, too much sugar, artificial sweeteners) and he is always looking for more variety. Hence I tried these laddoos which did not call for much effort and are low on white/refined sugar too !!! While I have added some cashews and raisins to my version but one can also omit the same. Read on for the quick recipe -






Preparation time - 10 mins

Ingredients -


  • 2 cups thin poha/chuda (beaten rice)
  • 5 tsp brown sugar/jaggery
  • 2 green cardamoms (powdered)
  • 1 tsp ghee
  • 4 tbsp freshly grated coconut
  • 4-5 tsp warm milk ( or as needed for binding )
  • a pinch of edible camphor (optional)
  • 3-4 tbsp broken cashews (optional)
  • 2 tbsp raisins (optional)


Preparation - Heat 1/2 tsp ghee in a pan. Add the cashews and raisins and fry for 10-15 seconds. Keep aside to cool down.

Grind the beaten rice to a fine powder.

Next add the cardamom and brown sugar/jaggery to the same blender jar and buzz till mixed.

Add freshly grated coconut, ghee, fried cashews and buzz for 1-2 seconds.

Finally add the milk little by little and give it a buzz. All the ingredients should come together like a dough. If not add more milk by the teaspoon ( be careful at this stage ).

Rub ghee on your hands, take a little of the mixture and try to form a ball/laddoo. If it is binding well, remove the mixture from blender jar into a mixing bowl else add more milk . Add raisins and camphor. Mix well.

Make into small balls. Pop into the fridge for a few hours. Keep refrigerated and consume with 2-3 days.


Monday, March 10, 2014

Quick Kesar Kalakand (Holi Special)

Kalakand is a classic Indian dessert that requires hours of slogging in the kitchen to prepare a single batch and undoubtedly years of practice to perfect it. But the crumbly melt-in-the-mouth goodness more than makes up for the effort. It was quite by chance that I came across this quick version of 'Kalakand' when leafing though Tarla Dalal's cookbook. First, I was not looking for a dessert. Secondly, while I had seen the recipe pics earlier, I had not even glanced at the time required to prepare it. But this time when I noticed that it would take less than 20 minutes to get a batch ready, I promptly added it to my 'Holi Special' menu.

The only thing that we need to take care of is the quality of the paneer.  It should be fresh (no frozen ones allowed) and soft ( Check out the Delhi Panner at Total Superstore or Hypercity) . Also do not overcook the mixture. I have a confession to make. I would never have dared to prepare this dessert had it not been for Tarla Dalal's recipe. Read on for the recipe:


















Preparation Time - 15 mins

Ingredients - 3/4 cup finely grated paneer, 1/2 cup fresh cream, 1/4 cup sugar, 8 tbsp milk powder, 1/2 tsp cornflour, a generous pinch of saffron, 4 tbsp milk.

Preparation - Soak the saffron in 2 tbsp warm/hot milk.

Dissolve the cornflour in 2 tbsp of milk at room temperature.

Cooking - Heat a wok. Add grated panner, fresh cream, sugar and milk powder to it. Mix everything and cook on a low flame.

Add the saffron milk after 2 minutes.

Cook till the mixture starts coming together and leaving the sides of the wok. (continuous stirring is required throughout the process)

Add the cornflour mix at this time. Cook for another 2 minutes and remove from flame.

Spread uniformly on a flat vessel or thali into a layer of about 1.5 cm thickness. Keep it in the fridge for half an hour to set the mixture. Remove and cut into cubes.

Garnish with a few strands of saffron and nuts and serve.








Note - I have used Kesar or saffron as the flavoring. One can also stick to cardamon flavor as mentioned in the original recipe or experiment with a range of flavors like chocolate, mango and even pineapple.



Featured Post

Green Papaya Laddoos (SugarFree recipe)

Mom is undoubtedly the dessert specialist at home. God forbid, if she takes to blogging, she could give a lot of folks a run for their mone...