Well now in India, as the festive season is coming around (Navratris and Dussehra), I thought of including some special dishes for those who keep fasts during these times. So I have brought two simple dishes for today, which are easy to cook as well as nutritious. Those who keep fasts during these days (Navratris) can easily eat these items and enjoy the flavours. So here they are: Sweetened Banana Idli and Kaju Katli.
- SWEETENED BANANA IDLI
Ingredients:
· Banana (ripen) 2 nos.
· Semolina (Suji or Rava) 1 cup
· Powdered Rice 4-5 tbsp.
· Powdered Sugar ½ cup
· Baking Soda a pinch
· Grated Coconut paste 2 tbsp.
· Salt ½ tsp.
· Milk ½ cup
· Condensed Milk 3 tbsp.
· Raisins 8-10 nos.
· Cashew nuts halves 10 nos.
Method:
1. In a kadhai (wok), dry roast the semolina (suji) for a few minutes and cool it.
2. In a bowl, take this roasted semolina, mix in powdered rice, powdered sugar, baking soda, salt, nicely mashed bananas, grated coconut paste and adding milk, mix nicely into a smooth batter. Also add condensed milk, raisins and cashew nut halves and mix nicely.
3. Grease the cups of idli mould with a little oil or butter. Fill the idli cups with the prepared batter and place the lid in the steamer to steam for about 8-10 minutes.
After steaming for about 10 minutes, the sweetened banana idlis would be ready to serve.
KAJU KATLI
(CASHEW NUT POWDERED COOKED WITH CANDIED MILK AND THEN SET)
Ingredients:
· Cashew nuts 500 gms.
· Sugar 500 gms.
· Khoya or Mawa (Candied Milk) 200 gms.
· Milk ½ cup
· Condensed Milk 4 tbsp.
· Rose Essence (Gulab Jal) 1 tsp.
· Cardamom seeds, coarsely pounded 1 tsp.
· Silver Wark for garnishing
· Grated Dark chocolates 3 tbsp.
Method:
1. Leaving behind 6-7 whole cashew nuts aside, grind the cashew nuts to a smooth paste, adding milk.
2. To this cashew nut paste, add sugar, pounded cardamom seeds, cashew nut halves and mix all of them nicely.
3. Keep this mixture in a non-stick pan over a slow fire and cook, stirring frequently for about 5 minutes.
4. Now mix in grated khoya and condensed milk and cook for another 3-4 minutes till the mixture turns thick and leaves the sides of the vessel.
5. Put this mixture onto a lightly greased flat bottomed plate or thali. Spread evenly and level the surface (the thickness should be about 2 inches). Grate the dark chocolates and spread all over the surface.
6. Cover with a silver wark and leave for 20 minutes to set.
7. After it has been set, cut into squares, diamonds, triangles or any other shape and keep them in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, take them out from the refrigerator and serve cold.
