Easy Vegetarian Quesadillas

Having got bored with the usual breakfast menu, I was looking for a change. Something more filling and healthy was what I wanted. That is when I came across someone's post of Quesadilla on FB. Not that I had not seen it before. But it never occurred to me that I could make this super easy snack at home whenever I wanted instead to buying it from outside everytime. That way I could also decide what filling I wanted to put inside it.

While the totillas are made from bleached wheat flour or maida, I decided to stick to the usual multi-grain wheat flour that we use on a everyday basis. For the stuffing, I have used peppers, spring onions and tomatoes but one can add anything from mushrooms to paneer along with loads of leafy stuff like cabbage, spinach, lettuce, etc. Read on for my version -

Preparation Time - 25 mins (plus some standby time)

Ingredients -

For the Tortilla/rotis -

• 1 cup wheat flour or maida
• 1 tsp butter
• salt to taste
• a dash of pepper
• warm milk for kneading

For the filling and final touches -

• 1 cup chopped vegetables ( I used spring onions, peppers and tomatoes )
• 1/2 tsp olive oil
• pinch of cayanne pepper
• pinch of pepper
• salt to taste
• 4 tbsp grated cheese (I used Amul processed cheese, use can use any other too)
• 2 tbsp mayonnaise (optional but give a great taste)
• EVOO for brushing the quesadillas.

Preparation- Take the flour in a wide plate. Add salt, pepper and butter. Rub in.

Add milk to the flour, little by little and keep on mixing so that it is well incorporated into the dough. We want a soft dough. It is ok if it is slightly sticky but too sticky means more flour should be added.

Cover dough with moist cloth and rest aside for 30 mins.

Cooking - Heat the olive oil in a frying pan. Add the vegetables to it and sprinkle pepper and salt. Saute on high for 2 mins max. Keep aside to cool down.

Pinch small balls from the dough. Dust a working surface with flour and roll out into thin circles.

Heat a tawa/flat pan. Put the roti/tortilla on it. Wait till small bubbles begin to form. Add some of the stir fried veggies to one half of the circle. Sprinkle mayonnaise and cheese on the veggies. Fold over the other half so that the veggies and the cheese are sandwiched inside.

Slightly press with a splatula for 1 minute or so to allow the cheese to melt from the heat. Brush some olive oil on the side. Flip over and brush more olive oil on the other side. Cook for 30 seconds.

Remove from tawa and keep aside. Repeat with the remaining dough and veggies.

Serve hot with a hot sauce/sour dip of your choice.

Chingudi Mahura/Chingudi Ghanta ( Prawns and mixed vegetables curry )

Found some tiny shrimps last weekend and after making a chechha,a jholo and a fried rice with those, there were still a few remaining. As I had posted the recipe for Maccha Mahura few days back, it was still on my mind and I could not think of doing anything better with the last of those tiny juicy prawns. Used the same recipe/method to prepare 'Chingudi Mahura' with. Did not have all the veggies that I would have liked to put into the curry so made the best use of whatever was there in the fridge. Cut down the amount of spices a bit and the curry turned out to be good.

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 30 mins

Ingredients -

• 1 cup tiny shrimps/prawns ( actually I had less than 1/2 cup remaining )
• 1/2 cup chopped eggplant
• 1 cup chopped pumpkin
• 1/2 cup pointed gourd/parwal/potolo
• 1 big potato
• 1/2 of a small ridge gourd
• 8 Malabar spinach stems ( about 2" each, use only the thin ones )
• 1 medium sized tomato
• 1/3 cup shelled green peas
• 1 small onion
• 4-5 garlic cloves
• 1 inch ginger
• 1/3 tsp coriander seeds
• 1/3 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 dry red chilli
• 1 large bay leaf
• 2 cloves
• 4-5 peppercorns
• 1 inch cinnamon stick
• 1 green cardamom
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• oil (as per requirement)
• salt to taste

Preparation - Marinate the shrimps with salt and a pinch of turmeric.

Grind the onion, garlic and ginger into a coarse paste.

Chop the tomato into small pieces.

Cooking - Heat 1 tsp oil in a wok. Add the malabar spinach stems and fry on high for 3-4 mins. Remove and keep aside.

All the vegetables (except tomato and green peas) should be chopped into similar sized cubes. Clean and transfer them to a cooker with 1/4 cup water. Add a pinch of turmeric and salt. Cook on high flame for 2 whistles.

Set aside for allowing steam to escape. Drain excess water and keep aside.

Dry roast the coriander, cumin, chili, bay leaf, peppercorn, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom till fragrant. Remove and allow to cool down. Grind into a fine powder.

Heat 2-3 tsp oil in wok. Add the shrimp and fry for 4-5 minutes. Remove and keep aside.

In the same wok, add some more oil. Add the onion-garlic-ginger paste and fry till raw smell goes away.

Add the chopped tomatoes and sprinkle a little salt. Allow to soften a bit. Add the boiled vegetables along with the green peas and fried malabar spinach at this stage. Turn up the flame and fry for 3 minutes.

Finally add the powdered masala along with some of the water used for boiling the vegetables. Cover with a lid and simmer on low flame for 3-4 mins.

Add the shrimps and simmer for another 4-5 mins.

Serve hot with white rice or rotis.

Easy Oreo Cake

I am still to come across a kid who does not love Oreo biscuits. Maybe thats why we have so many Oreo cakes recipes floating around on the net. I went though a dozen (or was it even more ??) recipes and finally selected this one from 'Apy Cooking' (Do check her blog for more interesting recipes). But I wanted to make it more fun for the kiddo so decided to make a two layer cake with buttercream frosting in between ( in short, the cake mimics the look of an Oreo biscuit. Had planned to do some detailing with chocolate frosting on top of it but finally gave up as my hands had gone numb with all the whipping involved in preparing buttercream frosting ). The cake itself is a zero effort one that is eggless and calls for very few ingredients.

As the biscuits are a bit salty by themselves, the cake is not too sweet. So, one might need to add some more sugar to the batter to adjust the sweetness as per one's preference. I myself did not add any extra sugar in this one. Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 25 mins

Ingredients -


20 Oreo biscuits (regular ones)
1 1/4 cups milk (room temperature)
2 tbsp cocoa powder
3-6 tsp powdered sugar (optional)
3/4 tsp baking powder
butter for greasing the pan
flour for dusting the sides of pan
baking sheet/parchment paper for lining the tray

For the buttercream frosting -

50 gm unsalted butter
1 1/2 cup sugar ( powdered )
10-12 drops vanilla essence (use extract if you have it)
2-3 tsp milk

Preparation - Crush the Oreo biscuits nicely with you hands so that there are no large pieces remaining.

Transfer the crushed biscuits to a blender/mixer with milk, cocoa powder, sugar and baking powder. Blend to get a smooth mixture/batter.

Line two 8" diameter round trays with parchment paper. Brush sides and bottom with butter and them dust lightly with flour. Pour half of the mixture into each tray. Tap lightly to release any trapped air.

Baking - Pre-heat the oven to 170 degrees C for 5-6 mins. Place the trays inside the oven.

Allow to bake for 10-12 mins. Carefully press the centers of the cakes. If it springs back, then turn off the heating. It will continue to cook for another 5-6 mins inside the oven.

Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack.


To prepare the buttercream frosting -

Take the butter (at room temperature) and beat with a heavy wooden/metal spoon till it turns lighter in color. Then add 1/2 cup powdered sugar and beat till it is well incorporated. Slowly add the remaining sugar, 1/2 cup at a time.

Continue beating till the frosting turns almost white in color. It will have a very fluffy texture at this point.

Add the milk and sugar at this point and beat some more till it turns very smooth to touch. (If you want to make flowers with the frosting then you might need to add more powdered sugar for a stiffer consistency.)


To assemble the cake -

Place one layer of the cake with the bottom side facing upwards. Add the buttercream frosting on top and use a spatula to smoothen it all over the surface. (This needs a bit of practise to get a smooth and even layer. M still to get it right.)

Place the other cake (bottom side) over the frosting. Dust the surface with some powdered sugar or if you feeling indulgent, go for some detailing with chocolate frosting.

Mochar Chaap ( Banana flower /Plantain flower cutlets )

A very famous street food from Kolkata, I keep reading about in many of the blogs. Crunchy on the outside and filled with a slightly chewy mix of banana flower and potato in the inside, it almost mimics the texture of a mutton cutlet. I have used a very fragrant 'roasted masala' in my version that I had read about in a blog sometime back. Sadly I did not remember the exact proportions of the masala nor the blog name so that I could go back for a second look. But as the masala was somewhat similar to what my MIL sometimes uses in the 'Ghanta' or 'Chencheda', I went ahead and made it.

One would say cleaning and dressing the banana flowers is a hard task but one bite of this sinful treat and all that is easily forgotten. I have shallow fried the cutlets (now don't I do that every time) instead of deep frying them as is the standard norm. Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 1 hour

Ingredients -

• 1 banana flower
• 2 medum sized potatoes
• 1 medium onion + 1 small onion
• 1 tsp GG paste
• 1/2 tsp red chili powder
• 1 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/3 tsp coriander powder
• 2-3 green chillis
• a handful of peanuts
• salt to taste
• 3 tsp oil + more oil for shallow frying
• 1 tbsp besan
• 1 tbsp cornflour
• 1 tbsp rice flour
• 2/3 cup breadcrumbs 

For the roasted masala -

• 2 tsp cumin powder
• 1 bay leaf
• 3-4 cloves
• 2 inch cinnamon stick
• 2-3 green cardamom
• 1 dry red chili

Preparation - Clean and chop the banana flowers into small pieces. Soak them in water along with 1 tsp turmeric and 1/2 tsp salt for 3-4 hours. 

Crush them slightly with your hands and drain the water. Wash again under running water.

Chop the onions and green chilic into small pieces.

Dry roast all the ingredients mentioned under 'for the roasted masala' till they give off a fragrance. Grind into a fine powder and keep aside.

Cooking - Take the banana flowers in a pressure cooker with 1 cup water and a little salt. Cook for 10-12 mins or 1-2 whistles. Keep aside to cool down.

Once the steam escapes, open lid and drain the water. Use your hands to squeeze out as much water as you can (very important else your cutlets will break).

Meanwhile cook the potatoes for 2-3 whistles. Keep aside to cool.

Heat 3 tsp oil in a wok. Add the chopped green chili and peanuts. Allow peanut to crackle before adding the chopped onion. Fry till translucent.

Add the GG paste and fry till raw smell goes away.

Add the boiled banana flowers along with turmeric, chili powder, coriander powder and 1 tsp of the roasted masala. Adjust salt. Fry on medium high flame till all the water evaporates.

Add the peeled and mashed potatoes at this point. Mix everything and cook for 3-4 minutes more.

Remove from wok and keep aside. Allow to cool down.

Meanwhile take the besan, rice flour and corn flour in a mixing bowl with salt, chili powder, a pinch of turmeric and just enough water to get a paste of medium consistency.

Heat a frying pan and add sufficient oil for shallow frying the tikkis.

Pinch some of the banana flower and potato mix and shape into tikkis or flattened dics (or you can give any fancy shape you want). Dip into the paste and then roll over the breadcrumbs.

Place the tikkis on the hot frying pan and fry on both side till brown and crisp. Remove and keep aside on a paper towel to absorb excess oil.

Repeat for the remaining mixture.

Serve hot as starters/snacks with some ketchup or even as a dry side dish.

Lau Posta (Bottle gourd in poppy seeds gravy)

How do I classify if a recipe is 'authentic' odia or not ?? How far do I need to travel back in time to unearth its origins ? Now that people keep asking me that question, I have set my own parameters to gauge the authenticity of a recipe. If it was a dish that my 'Jejema/Dadi' or 'Aai/Nani' used to cook up, then I deem it as authentic else i contribute it to external influences. It is not a foolproof yardstick as both my grandmothers spent the better half of their adult lives in a place like Rourkela which has a very cosmopolitan feel to it. You find a lot of Bengalis, Biharis, people from the North and South alike due to the presence of SAIL in the city. But still they would have learnt a lot of cooking from their respective mothers ( girls in those days were trained in the kitchen at a very young age ) and picked up the nuances of regional Odia cooking.

However, I cannot say the same for the next generation ( my Mom, MIL, mausi, etc ) who were influenced to a great extent by magazines like Women's era, Grihalakshmi and the sort. Now this would vary from person to person given the kind of environment that they were exposed to. Not very accurate, many would argue. I agree on that point.  Given some kind of documentation, things would be easier to decide but sadly Odia recipes are not very widely published. One might find something written in Odia but it is difficult to find a good book that has been written in English. That acts as a hindrance for some people of my generation who are not very fluent in the written word owing to a convent school background within the state or maybe because their fathers were working in another part of the country or even abroad. But with a lot of Odia blogs coming up these days, things are looking brighter and better.

Coming to the recipe that I am sharing today, I first read about it in a Facebook group. It is very similar to the 'Janhi-Posto' but cooked using the traditional 'batibasa' method. Very easy and quick to make and quite delicious tasting too. Read on for the details -

Preparation Time - 20 mins

Ingredients -

• 1 small bottle gourd (peeled and diced)
• 1 medium sized potato (peeled and diced)
• 1 medium sized onion (cut into small pieces)
• 10 garlic flakes
• 1 medium sized tomato ( finely chopped)
• 2-3 green chilis
• 2 tbsp poppy seeds
• 1/3 tsp turmeric
• 1/3 tsp chili powder
• 2 tsp mustard oil + extra for drizzling later
• 1-2 tsp chopped cilantro
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tbsp badi chura ( urad dal vadis, fried and crushed )
• salt to taste

Preparation - Dry grind the poppy seeds with 1 green chili and 7 garlic flakes. Then add little water and grind again to get a smooth paste.

Take the chopped vegetables, chopped onion, slit green chili, turmeric, red chili powder, mustard oil, bay leaf, half of the cilantro, poppy seeds paste and salt in a wok. Add 1/2 cup water and mix well.

Cooking - Put the wok on a low flame and cover with a lid.

Stir once or twice in between. Do check for water and top up with more hot water if it is catching at the bottom. ( Usually the vegetables leave a lot of water and extra water will not be required )

Once the vegetables are cooked through, add some more mustard oil (another 1-2 tsp), crushed garlic flakes and chopped cilantro. Give a stir and remove from flame.

Garnish with the badi chura just before serving.

Enjoy with white rice or even rotis.

Falooda (Faluda)

Another sweet delicacy from Hyderabad! This rose flavored ice-cream shake cum dessert is a must try on a visit to the city (of course after the sumptuous dum biryani). I had it for the first time at Charminar and i still covet the unique taste. It is so thick that one hardly gets a few sips with the given straw. That's why they give you a spoon with it so that you can dig in. One can find it on the menu of quite a few eateries in the city but I would suggest having it at Charminar. And do not think about the calories while you are enjoying it.

And yes, they also serve it at the 'iftar' parties during Ramzan. Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 15 mins ( plus 1 hour standby )

Ingredients -

• 1 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tbsp condensed milk
• 3-4 tbsp rose syrup
• 2 scoops of vanilla ice-cream ( use 2-3 more scoops if you want it thick but then reduce the quantity of milk by half )
• 1 tsp basil seeds (sabza) or 2 tsp Chia seeds 
• 1-2 tsp sugar
• cherries or nut for garnishing 
• 2-3 tbsp faluda sev or regular vermicelli 
• crushed ice (optional)

Preparation - Soak the basil seeds with 1 tbsp rose syrup and 6-7 tbsp water. Keep aside for 1 hour.

Boil the milk with sugar and condensed milk for 2-3 mins. Keep aside to cool down.

Cook the faluda sev or regular vermicelli as per instructions on the packet. Drain and keep aside till cool.

Once the milk is cool, add 1 scoop icecream, 1 tbsp rose syrup and some crushed ice. Buzz for 1-2 seconds in a blender.

Assembling -  Take a tall glass. Pour a little rose syrup on the bottom. Top up with the faluda/vermicelli. Pour a little milk over it.

Next add a layer of the soaked basil seeds. Top it up with the flavoured milk.

Finally add the ice-cream on top and garnish it with cherries/dry fruits and rose syrup.

Serve immediately.

Note - Be careful while assembling the layers. Do it slowly so that the layers do not get mixed up..
But then one can also throw in everything together coz, trust me, it tastes just as good :)

One can also use Rooh-afza instead of rose syrup.

I personally prefer to use Chia as I find that they taste much better .

Double ka Meetha

I tasted it for the first time when I had moved to Hyderabad sometime during 2006. 'It is just fried bread dipped in sugar syrup', I had exclaimed. But with passing time it slowly grew on me as did the city. While the sugar syrup version is quite common, most good restaurants soak the bread in a flavorsome 'rabdi' and garnish it generously with nuts. Very popular during iftar , it is a breeze to make unlike most of the Ramzan special dishes which require lots of time and effort

Read on for my version of this timeless Nizami dessert. Made it specially for Ramzan -

Preparation Time - 10 mins ( plus extra time for soaking )

Ingredients -

• 2 slices of white bread
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tbsp condensed milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp butter
• 1 green cardamom
• a few strands of saffron
• nuts for garnishing

Cooking - Take the bread and cut off the sides. (This is optional and i usually do not do it) Cut each bread slice into two triangles. 

Heat a pan. Place the bread slices on it and toast for 2 mins. Flip over and apply a little butter on the browned side. Toast the other side for another 2 mins and flip over. Apply a little butter on this side as well.

Remove and keep aside.

Meanwhile take and water and sugar in a saucepan. Bring to boil and simmer for 3-4 mins. Add the crushed cardamom. Keep aside.

In another saucepan, add the milk and the condensed milk. Dissolve and bring to boil. Simmer for 3 mins. Add the saffron strands and keep aside.

Fry the nuts in a little ghee and keep aside.

Lay the bread slices side by side on a plate. Pour a little of the milk all over the slices and wait for 2-3 mins till completely absorbed. Next pour a little sugar syrup over the slices. Wait for 3-4 mins till it gets absorbed.

Repeat the process 2-3 times till you can see that the bread is no longer absorbing any liquid.

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

Remove from the fridge and garnish with roasted nuts just before serving.

Note - Keep aside some of the saffron flavored milk and drizzle a few teaspoons over the bread just before serving.

Bhendi Amba Khatta

Usually 'Ambula' or 'dried green mangoes' is the preferred ingredient for adding a touch of tang to this simple and tasty dish. But since green mangoes are plentifully available, i decided to save up on my ambula stock and use some green mango this time. And since some of our South Indian friends find the all out mustard-garlic flavoring a bit too overpowering, I also added a few slices of fresh coconut to the mustard paste to sweeten it a bit and turn down the heat.

The result was a sweet and tangy gravy that became the high point of my lunch. Had it with white rice and dal. Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time : 15 mins

Ingredients -

• 200 gm Ladies finger/bhendi
• 3-4 thin slices of green mango
• 1 green chili
• 1 red chili
• 3-4 flakes of garlic
• 2 tsp mustard seeds
• 4 tbsp chopped fresh coconut
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• a pinch of fenugreek for tempering
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 3 tsp oil
• salt to taste

Preparation: Wash the ladies finger and cut across the section into 1.5 inch sized pieces (do not slit it along the length).

Keep aside a few mustard seeds and one pod of garlic for the tempering. Grind the mustard seeds and remaining garlic pods along with the coconut and green chili into a fine paste.

Cooking: Heat 2 tsp oil in a deep vessel and fry the ladiesfinger pieces till the stickiness goes away.
Remove from vessel and keep aside.

Add another tsp oil. When it starts smoking, add the broken red chili, fenugreek seeds and mustard seeds. Add the curry leaves and crushed garlic pod to the spluttering seeds.

Add the green mango slices and cook on high for 2-3 mins.

Add the mustard-coconut-garlic paste along with 1 cup of water. Bring it to a boil and add the fried ladies finger pieces along with turmeric powder, sugar and salt to taste.

Allow the curry to boil for 5 mins or till the ladies finger becomes soft. Remove from the fire and serve with rice.

My Food Canvas!!!!!!!!!!!

"Do not judge a book by its cover". Haven't we been hearing this lines ever since we can remember. But I cannot recollect a single meal that I have not judged by appearance. In fact, good food to me is something that seduces by the looks, titillates the tongue and finally satiates the soul. As a food blogger, I do keep thinking about food at all times of the day and conjuring up tantalizingly colorful image in my mind. Well, I am about to share a meal about which I have been dreaming lately. ( Shhh....this is a secret between you and me. If you have been planning to make that someone special fall in love with you, this meal is the good old fashioned way of doing it!!!)

I plan a menu that is simple yet elegant. With a play of colors on my mind, the next step was to finalize a canvas (read 'Plate') that whispers subtle and understated class while providing the perfect backdrop to showcase my creations . The 'English Summer - Milano' collection by Borosil is what I have in mind.

Starting the meal with something healthy, a colorful salad which is a mix of lightly fried aubergine slices, baby corn, yellow peppers, red peppers, thinly sliced onions and cherry tomatoes tossed with the right amount of lemon juice, paprika and some roasted cumin powder would provides the right color and crunch. The round casserole used for serving the salad showcase the riot of colors infused into this recipe. It gets one into the mood for the good things yet to come.

But the Pièce de résistance on this table happens to be the square variety platter whose elegance is rivaled only by the Hors d'oeuvre that it showcases. Reaching out for the Murg Malai Tikka, one cannot stop admiring the sophistication crafted into these pieces. The tender white chicken pieces which have been marinating overnight in a yogurt, cream, garlic and nut paste are cooked just to the extent required to preserve their succulent character while allowing them to develop a few of those 'aah...so perfect' brown spots. Slice through them in a single stroke to reveal the moist juicy interiors, dip them in that tangy minty chutney and embellish with an onion ring or two before popping a sinful morsel in your mouth. Doesn't it just melt into your mouth leaving your taste buds begging for an encore.

But the golden fried prawns with their upright tails have been beckoning you and one just cannot resist going after them. With their shells still on, they glisten with freshness and the only word that can describe them is 'Gorgeous'. One knows that inside the crisp exterior, the moist flesh would leave a divine sensation on the tongue. You bite into them, chewing slowly as you relish each bite. "This is not one of those meals that should be hurried through", you mutters to yourself.

By this time the "Chenna matar" has began to sulk, having been kept waiting for too long. Holding the elegant glass casserole gently in your hands, bring it up to your plate all the while appraising the aromatic gravy that has the dainty green peas gently jostling for space with brown balls of fried cottage cheese or 'chenna'. 'They look so fragile. Wont they break as I pick them ?', a quick thought crosses one's mind only to be squashed the next instant. The heady aroma is sufficient to overpower ones' senses, leaving one with no other option apart from giving in to its lure.

Glancing though the walls of the 'Deep round Casserole', one can see a beautiful white canvas that is dotted with cumin seeds and sweet corn. Helping oneself to the long grained Basmati grains that have been cooked to perfection, one cannot resist taking in a lungful of that heavenly aroma . Not even a single grain sticking to each other, but the corn pulao reveals more with each bite. The subtle aromas from the rich spices and the desi ghee which accompanied it while cooking still linger on. Cinnamon? Yes. Black cardamom ? Yes. Mace ? Definitely. Nutmeg ? Maybe, I am not too sure. A mental debate goes on.

Last but not the least, the delicious looking 'Dal Tadka' comes around in 'Souffle Dish', its transparent walls revealing the layer of ghee/butter that has separated from the glorious yellow. Spotted with kasuri methi, ginger juliennes and slit green chillis , it has been generously tempered. Spooning some over the fragrant rice, one cannot wait to taste it. The grains look to be in one piece but are surprisingly soft as they melt into one's mouth. It is a match made in Heaven ( or the host's kitchen in my case ).

At the end of it one is full to the brim but which meal is complete without a dessert. And for one that has been going so good, it should end in a double celebration. Arrives the 'rasmalai', delicate cheese balls soaking up in a semi thick rabdi and sprinkled generously with saffron and pistachios. The elegant mini plate sets used to serve the dessert heightens the excitement of tucking into it. 'Should I take in a spoonful of that deliciously creamy liquid or do I directly go after one of the fragile looking balls ?', one contemplates . 'Utter bliss', one exclaims after the first mouthful. One tries hard to prolong the moment of bliss, tucking into the dessert now and then, but it is all over too soon. Nevertheless, for a meal that is so good, the memories would still linger on.


This post is written for the "My Beautiful Food", a contest hosted by Borosil.

Chocolate-Gajar Halwa-Gulkand Truffles

I find working with chocolate a bit intimidating. Hence one will rarely find experimenting with chocolate recipes on my blog. But I do look at the posts put up by my fellow bloggers and dream of doing something like them someday. Finally, it was a contest that propelled me to try something new with chocolate.

While I been eyeing Chocolate truffles recipes in all kind of forms, from the simple ganache ones to the ones containing liquor, I wanted to try an Indian version. That is when i got the idea to use 'Gajar Halwa' inside the truffles. But it seemed a bit too simple. Wanted to add another dimension so went for a white chocolate core with 'gulkand' infused in it. The outer layering is made with dark chocolate. It was time consuming but loved the results (especially the white chocolate-gulkand core which was quite a revelation). Even my husband (who is not much of a chocolate person) quite liked it.

This is my entry for the 'Chocolate Girl' contest launched by Shoppal, one of India's leading coupon shop. Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 1 hour 15 mins ( the gajar halwa itself takes up around 45-55 mins )

Ingredients -

For the Gajar Halwa -

4 small carrots (grated)
1 1/2 cup whole milk
4 tbsp sweetened condensed milk
2 tbsp khoya
a pinch of cardamom powder
2 tbsp unsalted butter

For the inner white chocolate core -

5-6 tbsp white choco chips
1 tsp gulkand

For the outer layer -

40 gm dark chocolate chips
2-3 tsp grated white chocolate
2-3 tsp grated chocolate ( i used Cadbury's Dairy milk)

Butter/shortening for greasing the hands

Preparation -

For Gajar Halwa -
Heat the butter in a frying pan/wok. Add the grated carrot and fry on medium flame for 7-8 mins.

Around the same time, boil the milk separately. Allow it to reduce to 3/4 th. Then add the fried carrot and cook till the water has almost evaporated and it starts to looks lumpy.

Add condensed milk, khoya and cardamom powder to it and mix well. Cook till it almost turns into a solid mass. This will further solidify on cooling.

Remove from flame and allow to come down to room temperature before you pop it into the fridge.


Assembling the truffles -

For the inner core -

Put a bowl on double boiler. Add the white choco chips and allow them to just melt. Switch off flame.

Add the gulkand and stir it to incorporate it uniformly. Keep it aside till it starts to solidify again.

Rub shortening on hands. Pinch small portions of white chocolate and shape them into smooth balls about the size of a hazelnut.

For the middle layer -

Take a lemon sized ball of gajar halwa. Spread it into a thin layer on your palm. Place the white chocolate ball in the middle and close it from all sides. Using gentle pressure, mould it into a smooth round shape.

Keep these in the fridge for 2-3 hours to allow the gajar halwa layer to firm up.

For the outer layer -

Put a bowl on double boiler. Add the dark choco chips and allow them to melt. Stir a bit till they turn into a dark liquid. Switch off flame.

Remove the balls from the fridge and dip into the melted chocolate one by one, coating each one uniformly. Keep aside on a greased and chilled plate.

Spread the grated chocolate ( both white and regular ) on a plate.

Roll each ball over the grated chocolate to form a uniform coating. The truffles are now ready.

Serve immediately or store upto 3-4 days in a airtight container in the fridge.

( Note - If the gajar halwa has more water content/moisture, then the truffles gets spoiled too soon )

Reposting : Ratha Jatra ( 29 June 2014 )

Ratha Jatra is being celebrated on 29 June ( today ) this year.


















Ratha Jatra also known as the Chariot festival or Car festival, is one of the most important festivals in Orissa and also a major tourist attraction. This festival is celebrated in honour of Lord Jaganaath who is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu.

Every year in the month of Asada, the Chariots of the Lord Jaganath accompained with those of his siblings, Lord Balabhadra & Goddess Subhadra roll from Srimandira to Gundicha temple, the abode of his Mausi maa ( Mother's sister ). The sight of the sea of humanity which follows the Gods during this journey is a truely overwhelming experience.



















The majestic sandalwood chariots take more than two months to prepare and are built newly every year. The chariots also have very interesting names :
Nandighosa - Lord Jaganath's chariot
Taladhwaja - Lord Balabharda's chariot
Darpadalan - Lord subhadra's chariot.

Important rituals on this day are :
Pahandi - the Lords are carried from the temple to the chariots in a grand procession; and
Chera pahanra - the chariots of the Lords are swept by the incumbent King of Puri with a broom which has a few gold strands in it.

The chariots are pulled by the eager followers who believe it be aspicious. The journey takes about midday to evening. In case the Lords are not able to complete the journey on the same day, they resume the remaining jouney on the next day.

The Lords stay at Gundicha temple for 7 days and return to Shri mandira in a similar procession which is called the Bahuda or Ulta Ratha Jatra.

During their stay at the Mausi Maa Mandira, various edibles are offered to the Lords as prasad. SOme of them are Khaee, Khira Kadali, Gajja, Pheni, Poda pitha, Manda pitha, Enduri pitha, Arissa pitha and Karaka pitha.

Ratha jatra is also celebrated at the ISKON temples and by the oriya community settled in various parts of India and abroad.

Catch the live action in Hyderabad @ Jaganath Temple, Banjara Hills or @ ISKON temple, Secundrabad. Bangalore folks head over to the Jaganaath Temple in Agara.

Jai Jaganath!!!