Lamcha

I am back from a family wedding and in dire need of a mental detox. Even before the celebrations were over, my 'Hum saath saath hain' types extended family was coming apart at the seams. Not to be content with bitching behind each others back, some of them were having a field day hurling accusations at each other. And that too in full public view or hearing ( with the latter having a more damning effect). If one was ever in doubt as to why those ladies steal all the screen time in those silly soaps, the drama unfolding before my very eyes was proof enough to show that the weaker sex calls the shots on the domestic front. When they are not fretting over someone else's saree or jewelry, these women focus their energies on jacking up their position in the pecking list of a favorably disposed relative.

I am lucky that none of them have the slightest inclination in reading my blogs or else I wont be here pouring out my heart to you folks. This is my first recipe after a break and I am sharing a sweet that is a childhood favorite of mine. Thought of sharing this on Holi but could not find the time as was busy in the arrangements of the wedding. Read on for the recipe -









Preparation Time - 40-50 mins

Ingredients -

• 1 cup chenna (home made paneer)
• 1/2 cup milk powder
• 1 tbsp maida
• 1 tbsp semolina
• 2-3 pinch cardamom powder
• 2 cups sugar
• 11/2 cup water
• Oil for deep frying

Preparation - Gather the chenna in a cheese cloth and tie it up. Allow to hang for 1 hour so that the excess water is drained off. Take it on a clean kitchen platform and mash it with the heel of your palm for 3-4 mins.

Add the milk powder, maida, semolina and cardamom powder to the chenna . Mix everything into a smooth dough. Knead this dough for another 5 mins. Keep aside for 10 mins.

Take the sugar and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Allow to boil for 7-8 mins till the syrup reaches a medium consistency.

Heat the oil in a wok. Break small portions from the dough and shape each one into a smooth cylindrical shape. Ensure that there are no cracks.

Drop 3-4 pieces into the hot oil at a time and fry on a low temperature. Once they become brown uniformly, remove from the oil and place them in the sugar syrup. 

Bring the already hot sugar syrup to boil for 1 minute. Switch off the flame and allow the 'Lamchas' to soak for a minimum of 30 mins.

Serve warm.

Doodh Peda

Ganapathi Bappa is known to be partial to laddoos, his favorite sweet. 'Til ke laddoos in particular' retorted my MIL. But since i did not have any til or sesame in stock, I decided to offer something different to the Lord on this Ganesh Chaturthi. One quick recipe that came to my mind was 'Doodh Peda'. Not the traditional variety which takes hours but an improvised version with condensed milk and milk powder. Here is the recipe:

Preparation Time - 20 mins

Ingredients - 1 cup condensed milk ( milkmaid/mithai mate ), 2 cups milk powder, 2 tsp ghee, 14-15 almonds, almond essence.

Preparation - Take the condensed milk and milk powder in a heavy bottomed vessel ( preferably non-stick ). Mix well till no lumps remain.

Cooking - Put the vessel on a low flame. Add the ghee. Stir continuously for 9-10 minutes till the mixture thickens and just starts to leave the bottom and sides of the vessel. ( if the mixture is cooked for longer time, the peda turns hard )

Remove from flame and allow to cool down till it is bearable to touch.

Take small balls of the dough. Roll into small balls without any cracks and flatten with the thumb. ( If it is too hard, add 5-6 drops of warm milk and knead well. If it is still hard, repeat the process till dough is pliable enough )

Stick a almond into the middle of each peda. Allow to cool down.

Store in a airtight container in a fridge. Stays fresh till one week to ten days.