|| Byaru Kije Madan Gopal ||
 

Basic Recipes: Milk Khoya | Cashew Mixture | Almond Mixture | Pistachio Mixture | Sugar Syrup |
Recipes: Shyam-Savera | Aamras Bhaat | Pineapple Malpuas | Khus-Khus Seera | Malai Khaja | Kaju-Pista Paatra | Makhana-ni-Tokri | Pineapple Shrikhand | Peach Delight | Mawa-Pista Ghari |

BASIC RECIPES

Milk Khoya

Ingredients :
2 Liters Milk
2 cups sugar

Method :

  1. In a thick base kadai boil milk stirring continuously taking care that it does not stick or burn at base.
  2. Continue stirring occasionally till the milk quantity reduces substantially. When about a cup of thick milk remains continue to stir vigorously to avoid burning.
  3. If sweet khoya is to be prepared, at this stage, add sugar as desired
  4. Let the sugar water evaporate and do not stop stirring. You may reduce the flame little but see that it is still strong. The milk must not turn brown in colour.
  5. When thick remove from fire and beat fast, enabling the khoya to cool and dry fast.
  6. Spread evenly in the kadai
  7. When cool remove and knead well and keep aside

Cashew Mixture:

Ingredients:
2 cups Cashew powder
2 cups Khoya as prepared above.
1 cup sugar syrup of 2 consistency
Cardamom powder

Method:

  1. Knead khoya well and mix cashew powder.
  2. Add cardamom and mix sugar syrup as required and stir over low flame till thick.
  3. Spread in the kadai and allow to cool.

Almond Mixture :

  1. For Almond powder, soak the almonds in hot water for 15 mins and remove skin.
  2. Dry and then make powder.
  3. Proceed as above.

Pistachio Mixture :

Proceed as in cashew mixture method using pistachio powder.

Sugar Syrup (Chaashni) :

Ingredients :
2 cups sugar
1 cup water
½ cup milk

Method :

  1. Heat sugar and water in a pan and let it boil.
  2. Add milk to remove any sugar scum from the syrup.
  3. Boil till the required consistency is obtained ( tested by separating a drop of the mix between two fingers and seeing the threads).

Shyam Savera
Almond tacos filled with Pista filling

Ingredients :
1 ½ cups Almond mixture as in basic recipe
2 ½ cups Pista mixture as in basic recipe
¼ cup saffron ground and melted and ground in very little water.
Silvered nuts - optional

Method :

  1. Knead well the almond mix and divide the mixture into 6 - 8 equal portions, rolling out each portion in small circular shapes (between 2 plastic sheets) like small puris..
  2. Remove and keep aside
  3. Knead pistachio mixture and add broken pistachio pieces and divide into 6 - 8 portions shaping each into a small cylindrical shape to fill the above prepared puris.
  4. Take one almond puri in palm and place a pista cylinder in it, folding the puri half over the cylinder in the shape of a Tacos.
  5. Sprinkle saffron over the Tacos and sprinkle nuts within the Tacos and keep aside for Shreeji's Bhog.

Shyam Savera
Traditional style

Ingredients : same as above.
Method :

  1. Prepare Pistachio puris and Almond cylinders.
  2. Place Almond cylinders within and completely seal the cylinder with Pista puri.
  3. Cut horizontally and open half sprinkling with saffron and keep aside for Shreeji's Bhog.

Aamras Bhaat

Ingredient :-
6 Alphonso Mango pulp
2 cups Rice
1 kg. Sugar
½ cup pure ghee
1 T. spoon cardamom powder
1 ½ cups peeled and halved Almonds
saffron dissolved and ground finely in ½ cup of warm water.

Method :

  1. Wash and cook rice till soft and separate
  2. Add mango pulp ghee and cook for 10 min.
  3. Add sugar as needed and let it cookl for further 10 min and reduce the flame and cook till the rice is soft and done.
  4. Mix cardamom powder and saffron and garnish with peeled Almond.
  5. Keep aside for Bhog.

Variation : Musambi-no-Biranj
Sweet Lime Rice

Ingredient :
1 ½ cups rice
6 - 8 juice of sweetlime
peeled sweetlime pieces
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup pure ghee
saffron melted and ground well

Method :

  1. Wash and cook rice till half done.
  2. Add Sweet Lime juice, sweetlime pieces and ghee and cook till done.
  3. Add sugar and let the sugar water evaporate and add safer and cook for 5 more min.
  4. Cover the vessel and leave for about 15 min and stir slowly separating every grain of rice
  5. Garnish with Sweetlime pieces and serve the Lord with Love and affection.

Variation 2. Naarangi-no-Biranj (Orange Biranj)

Ingredients :
1 ½ cups Rice.
6 - 8 Orange juice.
Pieces of 1 orange.
1 ½ cups sugar.
1/2 cup pure ghee
Saffron, melted and ground finely.

Method :

  1. Wash and cook rice till half done.
  2. Add Orange juice pieces, ghee and cook till done. Add sugar and cook till the sugar water evaporates.
  3. Add safron and mix gently. cover the vessel and remove from fire leaving it covered for 15 min.
  4. Server Shreeji.

Pineapple Malpuas
a delightful change from the traditional pancakes

Ingredients :
For the Malpuas :
1 cup cream / beaten Malai
1 cup Plain flour (Maida)
Ghee for frying.

For Saffron, Sugar and Pineapple Syrup . . . . . .
For 1 string consistency :-
1 T. cup sugar
Water
Saffron
1 cup Pineapple pulp

Method :

For Syrup

  1. Boil sugar with very little water adding
  2. table spoons of milk to remove the scum from the sugar syrup.
  3. Add Pineapple pulp and boil till the mixture thickens and add a few drops of saffron and mix and keep warm over low gas.

For Malpuas

  1. Mix flour and cream and keep aside for 2 hours.
  2. Heat Ghee in a thick based flat pan and and spread a little batter in the shape of a pancake to shallow fry.
  3. Turn and fry on both sides till golden brown.
  4. Remove and dip the Malpuas in the Pineapple - sugar syrup for 3 - 4 minutes and remove, drain on a sieve and place in a dish.
  5. Garnish with sweet pineapple slices.
  6. Keep aside for Shreeji's bhog.

Khus Khus Seera
a pleasant very Traditional variation to the normal seera

Ingredients :
2 cups Khus Khus
2 cups sugar
1 cup Ghee
Rose water
Cardamom powder
1 cup hot Milk
finely chopped almonds and pista

Method :

  1. Soak Khus Khus overnight in water and next day grind it very finely on a stone/ in a mixer.
  2. Heat Ghee in a kadai and add finely ground Khus Khus and roast till light brown in colour. Once the colour changes to dark brown add sugar and mix well till the sugar water evaporates.
  3. Add milk to obtain a soft and loose consistency
  4. Add cardamom powder and mix well and remove from fire covering the kadai and letting it cool.
  5. Remove it in a bowl and garnish with finely chopped almonds and pista.

Malai Khaja
an all time favorite with Shri Thakorjee

Ingredients :
2 cups plain flour ( Maida )
1 Tbl spoon oil
1 cup cornflour
2 cups melted fat (Ghee)
¼ cups Khoya
4 cups
2 cups,2 strings consistency sugar syrup.
Ghee for frying
¼ kgs chopped almonds and pistas.
Cardamom powder.

Method :-

  1. Sieve flour and add 1 cup melted fat and knead into a soft dough using more melted fat if required.
  2. Prepare 14 very thin pancakes ( Chapatis) and keep aside.
  3. Mix well one cup melted ghee and cornflour and apply on each of the pancake. Place the pancakes one on top of the other.
  4. Roll tightly and cut the roll into 4 pieces
  5. Further give a half cut to each of the four rolls.
  6. Mix khoya, dry fruits and prepare small balls placing into each of the cuts in the four rolls.
  7. Seal the rolls with fingers and give a sealed shape.
  8. Heat Ghee in a kadai and on slow flame fry the khajas. Remove on a butter paper.
  9. Heat the sugar syrup and pour over the Khajas and sprinkle chopped nuts.
  10. Serve Shreeji.

Kaju - Pista Paatra
a sweet version of the traditional Gujrati farsaan

Ingredients :
100 gms cashews ground finely
100 gms pistachio ground finely
250 gms milk khoya - sweetened
cardamom powder
finely chopped almonds
varkh, saffron powder
2 cups 2 string sugar syrup

Method :

  1. Divide the Khoya into 2 portions.
  2. Mix one portion of the Khoya with Cashew powder and stir over a slow flame adding little sugar syrup and continue to stir till the mixture thickens and is able to form into a roll without sticking to the surface. Add cardamom powder and mix well.
  3. Repeat the process with Pistachio powder.
  4. On a flat and smooth surface, roll out Pistachio mix with the help of a rolling pin
  5. Roll out the cashew Mixture also in the same shape with the help of a rolling pin.
  6. Place the Cashew pancake over the pista pancake and gently press both together running a rolling pin over it if necessary.
  7. Gently start to fold over both the pancakes into a tight roll sealing both sides.
  8. Roll in a varkh (silver food sheet) and firmly press chopped nuts onto the roll and allow to cool for 45 mins to 1 ½ hrs.
  9. Wet a knife and cut into rolls and place horizontally onto a dish for Shreeji.

Makhana - ni - Tokri
a falahaar prepared in a unique manner

Ingredients :
2 cups fried Makhanas.
1 cup thick curd
½ cup finely ground peanuts
½ cup finely ground fresh coconut
¼ cup roasted Til seeds
3 cups hot water
1 T spoon ground spices powder
salt to taste
Coriander leaves finely chopped
Ginger paste

Method :

  1. Soak the Makhanas in warm water for 5 mins and remove gently squeezing to remove any excess water - keep aside.
  2. In a bowl mix together curds, coconut, ground peanuts, til seeds, ground ginger and grind to a fine paste.
  3. In a pan or Kadai, pour ¼ cup ghee and add cumin seeds and mustard seeds. On spluttering add aseophotedia and add the fine paste stir frying. Add a little warm water if necessary to avoid the paste from sticking to base.
  4. When the paste starts to leave fat from sides, add half the spices powder and add 3 cups of warm water. Stir and bring to a boil and reduce flame to cook for 15 mins to thicken the gravy.
  5. Add Makhanas, balance garam masala and simmer on a low flame for a further 10 mins.
  6. Garnish with finely chopped fresh coriander
  7. Serve Shreeji.

Pineapple Shrikhand
An exotic variation to the traditional favourite

Ingredients :
1 Kg. fresh Curds
½ kg sugar
cardamom powder
saffron melted in little water and ground finely
2 cups finely chopped pineapple

Method :

  1. Tie curds in a muslin cloth and hang for at least 6 - 8 hrs.
  2. Remove from cloth and add sugar, mix well and keep aside for 1 hour mixing occasionally.
  3. Pass through a sieve to get a uniform consistency adding saffron and cardamom powder.
  4. Add chopped pineapple and mix well.
  5. Garnish with thin pineapple slices and dashes of saffron.
  6. Chill well and serve Shreeji

Variations:
Instead of Pineapple use :

  1. Custard apple to make Custard apple Shrikhand
  2. Finely chopped dry fruits to make Dry Fruits Shrikhand
  3. Finely chopped Sweetlime, Orange, grapes, Pomegranate for Fruit shrikhand
  4. Finely chopped fresh Strawberries to make Strawberry Shrikhand.

Peach Delight
a pleasant change to the traditional Indian Halwa.

Ingredients:
2 ½ cups finely chopped fresh peaches
½ cup cream or fresh Malai
¼ to ½ cup sugar pinch of cardamom powder
2 T spoons saffron melted in water
a little pure ghee

Method :

  1. Melt the ghee in a thick based kadai and add peaches stirring continuously to avoid sticking.
  2. Once soft, add malai or cream and stir gently till the mixture blends well. Add sugar.
  3. When the sugar melts and the water content evaporates the mixture will thicken and start to leave sides. Remove from fire and add cardamom powder and ground and melted saffron.
  4. Mix well and serve Shreeji.

Mawa - Pista Ghari
a very traditional saamagri

Ingredients :
2 liters milk (make sweet khoya as given in basic recipe)
2 cups pistachio powder
1 T spoon cardamom powder
½ cup powder sugar
½ kg pure ghee (preferably white)

Method:

  1. Knead the khoya well and keep aside.
  2. Mix Pista powder, powder sugar and cardamom powder and keep aside.
  3. Take a portion of khoya and roll it out in the shape of a thin pancake with a rolling pin.
  4. Place 1 table spoon pistachio powder mix in it and seal, patting from both sides forming a tikki shape. Keep aside in a flat tray lined with butter paper in it.
  5. In a thick base kadai, heat the ghee on a slow flame for very little while and let it cool, stirring vigorously to obtain a white consistency. While it is thickening, spread it over one side of the Ghaaris and let them cool.
  6. When thoroughly cool, flip over and spread ghee on the second side. Pour some ghee on the sides enabling to cover the same.
  7. When cool repeat till both the sides are thickly covered with ghee layers
  8. Remove from butter paper carefully and place on a flat decorative dish for Shreeji.