Ricotta Ras Malai

Ingredients:

For the patties:

Ricotta Cheese - 15 oz
1/4 C sugar

For the milk mixture:

4-5 C Milk
2-3 tbsp. sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp cardamom powder
1/4 C Sugar  or more to suit your taste
few strands of Saffron/Zafran
1/2 tsp Kewra Water/ rose water

Sliced Almonds / Pistachios for garnish


Method:

In a heavy bottom vessel , heat milk on medium low heat, stirring occasionally, till it thickens or reduces to half . Add sugar, cardamom powder,condensed milk and saffron.Cook for a few mins.  Turn off the heat, let it cool slightly , now add kewra water.  Let it cool completely and refrigerate till ready to use. 

Preheat the oven at 350 degrees F.In a mixing bowl, whisk together the ingredients for patties ,ricotta cheese and sugar.  Mix well. Grease a 8X8 glass baking dish, pour the ricotta cheese mixture and bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until ricotta cheese looks pale yellow and has turned slightly golden at the edges. A way to test if ricotta is ready to take out of the oven , would be to insert a toothpick and see if it comes out clean. Let it cool completely.Now with a round cookie cutter, cut small round patties, you could also cut squares if you like.

Arrange the baked ricotta rounds in the serving dish, pour the cooled milk mixture and refrigerate for at least half an hour. Serve chilled.

Enjoy !

Notes:

• You could make the milk mixture and the ricotta rounds at least 3 days in advance. Remember to store them separately.
• Mix them the day you would like to serve them, so they don't be too soggy or break apart.
• You could also use half and half or evaporated milk or even add some heavy cream for added richness.
• I used a glass baking dish, but you could use any, the baking time may vary in that case
• Also if you want you patties thinner use a bigger baking dish, baking time may vary if you do.
• Adjust the quantity of sugar and flavoring to suit your taste, you dont have to add the exact amount mentioned in the recipe, you could  make it more sweeter, use less /more of cardamom or kewra

Sending it to Jagrutis, Grand Festive Feasts event.

Ciabatta Halwa

Though I am not a dessert person, Bread ka halwa is one dessert I can never pass. I have loved it since childhood and it still remains my favourite halwa.

There are many ways Bread is enjoyed in form of halwa. Like the Double ka meetha, where its sliced and fried and soaked in cream mixture keeping the slices intact, or as halwa where its sliced and fried but cooked with the cream/milk mixture (looks like the halwa I have made today ) and also where the stale bread is made into fine crumbs by grinding in food processor and then made just like Sooji ka Halwa, except you use powdered bread instead of sooji.

To make a good halwa with bread, its important that the bread is somewhat stale. Back at home if we did not have stale bread, I remember my mom would let the fresh bread dry out on old newspapers.

So I thought Ciabatta would be perfect for the halwa, as it really dries out when stale. I pounded the bread using a pestle, but you dont have too, you can grind it in food processor, it tastes even better that way I think.

Ingredients:

1/2 C ghee

2 1/2 C coarse bread crumbs

1" cinnamon

1 1/2 C milk

3/4 C sugar

pinch saffron

1/2 tbsp. elaichi pdr/ cardamom pdr

1/4 C sliced almonds

1 1/2 tsp Kewda extract

Method:

Pound or chop stale Ciabatta into coarse crumbs.Heat ghee , add the cinnamon and bread crumbs and roast till golden.

Add milk, saffron, and cardamom pdr and cook till the milk is absorbed. Then add sugar and cook for few more minutes

Remove from heat add the Kewda extract and mix well.I like it best while its warm

Enjoy !

Tips:

Use the measurements of the ingredients as a guide, the quantity of ghee, milk and sugar will depend on how dry/stale the bread is.

P.S. Check out my other blog "the halal foodie " , subscribe and follow to keep in touch. I look forward to see you there :)

Eggless Custard Powder Cupcakes

Few days back I came across this recipe on Easy Crafts and wanted to try it. So when my son asked for a cake I knew exactly what I was gonna bake.
After looking up for more similar recipes, I decided to go with this one made by Nithya of 4th sense cooking. I followed the recipe closely, the only difference is I baked my cupcakes at 375F for about 15 mins.

I tried an eggless cake recipe for the first time and I did not miss the eggs at all, infact I forgot to cream the sugar with the butter and added it to the flour mixture, the cakes still turned out to be super moist, but my muffin tops were dry, I guess I should have baked them at a lower temperature or for less time.

(Recipe by Nithya of 4th Sense Cooking)

Ingredients:

11/2 C All purpose flour(maida)
3/4 C Custard powder(vanilla flavor) 
3/4 C powdered sugar 
2 1/4 tsp. baking powder 
3/4 C butter, at room temperature
1 C Milk


Method:

Sift maida, custard powder and baking powder together.

In a bowl, beat butter and sugar until creamy. Add the sifted flours to the butter sugar mixture and mix well. Add the milk gradually and beat slowly until everything comes together.

Preheat oven to 375°F . Line the muffin tray with liners.

Fill muffin cups with batter up to 3/4th and bake it for 15-20 mins at 375°F or 190°C. 

Check if cooked by inserting a skewer in the center. Once done, allow it to cool on a wire rack for a while.

Sending this to Srivallis Kids Delight - Easy to make Snacks under 30 mins. event hosted by Rujuta

P.S. Check out my other blog "the halal foodie " ,  subscribe and follow to keep in touch. I look forward to see you there :)

Veggie Pesto Pizza n Homemade Strawberry Mint Pops

Pizza is my go to recipe for quick fix dinners. Its even quicker and less messier if you have the store bought pizza crust waiting to be baked in your refrigerator. What I like about a pizza is, just like biryani, you can never go wrong ! Atleast thats how kind it has been to me :) I have yet to come across a well made pizza that I did not like. 

If you know someone who just wont eat their veggies, this is the way to go, hide it all under a layer of cheese :) 

What I did to make this pizza is drizzle some extra virgin olive oil on a store bought pizza dough, spread some home made pesto (for recipe click here and scroll down) layered it with sliced tomatoes, red onions, baby spinach lots of mozarella and Monterey Jack, some salt n pepper and some dried oregano. Baked it using manufacturers instructions and Voila ! Dinner is served.

Its best if you make your own Pizza dough or buy some from your local pizzeria. A packet of this in your fridge will always come handy to rescue dinner.

Its been a mix of crazy hot and crazy pleasant days here, and to beat one such crazy hot day heat I made these...Strawberry and Mint pops. Super easy and super delicious. Just blend some strawberries (fresh or frozen) with a bunch of mint leaves , add sugar if and as much needed to suit your taste, a dash of lemon juice just to brighten things up and freeze them in ice pop moulds. Enjoy it on a hot summer day, you will never go back to store bought ice pops ever again !

Update:

These quick and easy recipes have been sent off to Ayeshas Anyone Can Cook Event

Dahi ke Jamun

Hey, did I just reveal the secret ingredient in the title itself ? I guess I did :)

I never knew the guessing games are soooo much fun, its almost addictive :) Thank you all who played along and made it this exciting for me. Most of you thought  the jamuns were made using bread or potato/sweet potato , some even suggested paneer , rice, etc ....but after all those guesses no one could come up with the right ingredient... so its finally on me to announce that the key ingredient is Yogurt ...yes... Dahi (as its know in India).

Hung yogurt kneaded with flour n semolina n soaked in rose syrup... This is a very versatile recipe ...you can also try flavouring your jamuns with Vanilla but I like the traditional taste.If the Jamuns dont cook through till the centre you can make flat patties , like the one you would make for ras malai or cutlets and fry n then soak in syrup. Choice is yours. But overall this is a delightful recipe. 

Ingredients:

For Jamuns:

1 C all-purpose flour,

1 C semolina,

1 C yogurt,

1 tbsp. ghee,

a pinch of baking powder,

1/2 tsp. cardamom pdr,

1/2 tsp. nutmeg powder,
oil/ ghee for frying.

For the syrup:

1 C sugar

1/4 C water

1 tbsp. rose water

Method:

Cover a colander with muslin or paper towel and let the yogurt drain overnight.

Sift together the flour, semolina, baking pdr, cardamom pdr and nutmeg pdr. Rub in the ghee. Add the hung yogurt and knead well. to a smooth dough. Cover and set aside for atleast 3-4 hrs.

Meanwhile make the syrup. Heat the sugar and water together till you get a single thread consistency. Let it cool slightly and add the rose water.

Heat oil, shape the jamuns and deep fry on medium heat until they turn golden brown. While the jamuns are still hot either soak them in the syrup or just drop in the syrup and take them out immediately.

This sweet treat is being sent to the following events:

Sweets and Savouries for Diwali hosted by Sri

Party treats event series of Monthly mingle  hosted by  Saraswathi and started by Meeta

Only Kids delight hosted by Pari  

and Iftaar Moments hosted by Ayeesha.

Khajur

After much deliberation, Lazzat is finally on Facebook ! Ya , it took me this long :) As naive as this may sound , I would  love any suggestions or tips or even tutorials  relating to Facebook .

Ramadan is just a month away, and as usual I will officially be on a blogging break. Meanwhile I would like to share some interesting recipes and also get some drafted .

Khajur is a big part of my childhood memories. This is one simple recipe, can be stored for almost a month , though they wont last that long. Its a perfect snack for kids of all ages. We always take a big bag of khajurs when we plan a road trip.

The best part is you can freeze them n fry as and when needed (see tip below) , which comes handy especially during Ramadan. 

Ingredients:

1/2 kg maida,

1/4 kg sugar,

1 tbsp khas khas/ poppy seeds, lightly roasted

1 tbsp ghee,

a generous pinch of saffron, dissolved in 2 tbsp. warm milk,

3 tbsp milkmaid / khoya,

1 t rose water,

15 dried dates, pitts removed and chopped,

1/4 - 1/2 C almonds, slivered or chopped

1/4 - 1/2 C golden raisins,

milk , as needed, (approx. 2-3 tsp.)

3 eggs

Method:

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and knead it into a stiff dough without using any water. If needed you can use some milk but use very little at a time. Cover with a damp paper towel and let it rest for about half an hour.Then take a portion, roll it out , approximate a centimeter thick and cut into diamonds. At this stage you can freeze them or store in Ziploc bags or heat oil and fry on medium heat on both sides till golden . Let cool and store in airtight container.

To freeze :

Once cut , place the khajurs on a plate n put it in the freezer. After 10-15 mins. they just pop out of the plate , stack them in Ziploc bags and put it back in the freezer without letting them thaw.

P.S: If you are hosting an event or are aware of any, which you think this post might be eligible please let me know, I would love to send in my entry and show my support to the host and the event :) You can drop me a comment or just email me (bloglazzat@gmail.com)

Thank You !

Thanks to Fathima this post is now being sent to Ayeesha for her event Iftaar Moments

Gajar Ka Halwa

This post, along with few others has been drafted quite some time ago hoping that I would be able to publish it while I was away for a vacation. Some how the vacation got so busy that I hardly had time to check my mails :)  

This is my recipe for the ultimate Gajar ka halwa. Its very rich , luxurious, delicious and gorgeous. Using a non stick kadai (or pan ) is a good idea so it cuts down the amount of ghee required.

Ingredients:

3 C grated Carrots ,
1/2 C evaporated milk
1/4 C heavy cream
1/2 C whole milk

2 T condensed milk / milkmaid

3T ghee (solidified)
1 C sugar

1/2 t elaichi pdr

3 whole elaichis / cardamom (lightly crushed)
1/2" dalchini /cinnamon

1 T ghee

1/4 C cashews halves.

Method :

In a kadai (or pan) heat 3 tbsp. of ghee, add whole elaichis , cinnamon and grated carrots. Fry till the carrots start to change color or appear translucent. Add milk,cream and evaporated milk. Cook till the carrots are done i.e they are soft and well cooked. Now add sugar and condensed milk, mix well and cook for few mins, add the elaichi powder and cook covered  for few more minutes. 

Meanwhile , heat a tbsp of ghee and fry 1/4 C cashews till they slightly change their color or are slightly browned. You don't want golden or browned cashews for this one. You can also use raisins and almonds along with the cashews.  Now pour the halwa in this hot ghee, mix well and cook for a min.

Treat yourself to the ultimate gajar ka halwa n enjoy !

Semi Home Made Event Round Up

The Semi Home Made Indian Recipes event is officially over and I am pleased to present to you the creative, smart and delicious round up. I am so glad I hosted this event coz this way I gotto know lots of new blogs and made new friends.

I would personally like to give a big hug and thank every one who did send in their contributions, who said they would try and even the ones who emailed me saying why they couldnt :)

One thing I would like to mention before going to the round up is that I am trying to include all the readers who comment (even if its only once) in my fellow bloggers list, if you have sent in your entry / commented and dont see your blog in the fellow bloggers list, please let me know.

Following are the entries in order I recieved them :


Yasmeen -- Salmon Burgers with Butternut Squash Fries

Ambika --- Egg Curry

Tazaika -- Egg Sandwich

Nithu -- Chilli Paratha

Priya -- Chilli Chicken 65

Priya -- Prawn Tikka Pizza

Asha -- Cinnamon - Brown Sugar Rolls

Asha -- Pickle Masala Dal



Kalai -- Fantastic Croissants

Swathi -- Vegetable Puffs

Ruchika -- Paneer Calzone

Divya-- Tomato Sevai

Priyanka -- Spiced Vegetable Couscous

SE-- Almond and Chocolate Rugelach

Preethi -- Chicken Tikka

Tazaika -- Curd Raita

Cham -- Vegetable Samosa

Cham -- Rasmalai

Jyoti -- Vegetable Stew

Cool Lassi(e)-- Tandoori Chicken

Cool Lassi(e) -- Chicken 65

Cool Lassi(e) --Ice cream lollipops

Cool Lassi(e) -- Sugarplum balls

Cool Lassi(e) -- Bread Pudding

Cool Lassi(e) -- Baked Mini Samosas

Cool Lassi(e) -- Malai Kofta

Nithu-- Pav Bhaji

Following are my contributions to the event

Grilled Indian Pizza

Raita

Vegeatble Korma

Gulab Jamuns

To choose a winner was the toughest, so we went for the lucky draw method and every entry was listed. If you sent more than one entry your name was included for every entry individually, and so the badge of honor goes to .....drum roll .... Cool Lassi(e) !!!

Congratulations, this is yours to keep :)

Have a great week y'all , hope to see you soon :D