Diwali Delight - Rava Laddoo

As Diwali neared, I decided it's time for me to crack sweet-making. That's something I'd never been able to master, and even the most simplest of sweets (not counting payasam and chakkara pongal) always left me nervous. I have made a mess many a time and have had to throw away batches. (I did perfectly make vella cheedai and I pride myself on that :D and I suppose vella paagu is slightly more forgiving than chakkara paagu)

And mom and I always end up fighting in the kitchen (the proverbial territorial fight) and this time I clearly told her that for once, I only want her guiding and instructing me and not actually making the sweet. And with that out of the way, we got into gear.

Rava ladoo was the first. Easy peasy stuff and no sugar syrup required. Yay! (And I know someone who loves this, so all the more better for me to learn how to make this one)

And here is how we make these cute little balls!

Ingredients:

Bombay Rava (Sooji) - 1 cup
Sugar - 1.5 cup
Melted Ghee - 1 cup (You can substitute with vanaspati if you like, but hey, what's a little indulgence without fresh ghee)
Cardamom powder - 1 pinch
Cashew nuts - chopped - 4 tsp (approx - use judgment)
Gram flour / Roasted gram flour - 1/2 cup (optional - I didn't use this while making mine)

Method:

Roast Rava until hot and aroma is released. But ensure it doesn't turn brown. (That means constant stirring and keeping an eye on it). Let cool
Grind into fine powder in a mixie. (Pass it through a sieve if it's not fine enough)
Grind the sugar. (If you can find powdered sugar in the store, nothing like it)
In a mixing bowl, add the rava, sugar, cardamom powder and cashew nuts.
Slowly add the melted ghee, and mix with a spoon. (Add more ghee if you think the mixture is a little too dry / crumbly)

Now, we come to the actual art (er..) of making the laddoos. Bunch up a big portion of the mixture in your hand, and squeeze it within an inch of its life. Squeeze, turn, squeeze turn - alternatively, until you produce a nice little ball without cracks. Place it slowly in a dish, and repeat act with the rest of the mixture. There, we are done!

Happy Deepavali :-)

Masterclass with Sara Koshy - Desserts Delight

After the huge success of the trial class, the next one was a little long in coming, but when it did, it was absolutely brilliant. Well, what else can you expect if Sara Koshy is teaching you! :-)

This workshop, tag lined - Simple, Easy and Tasty - truly lived up to its expectations.

Sara made a super-complex dessert like Tiramisu seemingly super easy and sinfully tasty. The Old Fashioned English Trifle is healthy yet has all the ingredients of a perfect dessert. And finally, the coconut crepe pancake - sigh - the flavor and aroma of the pandan leaves is just - well - you have to experience it to know it!

All the ingredients are available at Gormei Market. Just drop by to pick up fresh organic produce or ingredients for your baking / cooking, not to forget the fresh organic milk!

It was great meeting some new participants this time and of course the usual banter with the old timers. All in all, a fun and sweet (literally) evening, a perfect way to begin the Diwali weekend!

Some pictures from the workshop.

Ayna - Hyderabadi Food Fest

Yet another bloggers' meet at the Hilton. I'd already missed the first one, and wouldn't miss this for the world.

This is a live blog and I will be posting as we eat. Shadir, Karthik and I are already here. Doc Waz just reached. We are waiting for Divyan to join us. Mr Karthik (Ayna) is here to help us and walk us through the menu and will assist us through the dinner.

The welcome drink arrives - Sherbat-e-Shahi. This has dates, cashewnuts, gulkhand, almonds. Cold and refreshing, this is a perfect drink to start the evening. As we start, the Chef is here. Chef Vijay is going to send the starters now.

The veg starter is Dahi ke Kebab - Boy ain't I impressed. Succulent, slightly sour from the curd, soft and tender, melts in the mouth and any other yum adjective that I can think of.

The pick of the non veg starters is Lal Mirch ka Jinga. :)

Next to arrive is the bharwan mirchi - molaga bajji molaga stuffed with corn and peas. Not spicy at all, but tastes yum with the tomato garlic side. This is followed by the ambada (gongura) paneer tikka. An interesting combination I must say. I really couldn't feel the taste of gongura but it sure was mildly sour. 

We were asked to try it with lal mirch rotis. Doc asked me to try the zaffrani paranthas. These are made with fine flour and saffron, topped with poppy seeds, almonds and pistachios. Crunchy on the outside, soft and perfectly cooked on the inside, slightly sweet but perfect! 

Doc Waz is eating and the plate is snatched taken away :D :D whattay! ;-)

The main course arrives. 

Sabz Milano (no, not that Milan), Panneer Tamatar and Kheri Dal, with Indian Bread. :) I really can't explain how tasty each dish is. Just that this is a Hyderabadi festival but the food is not SPICY. The Chef explains that the foreigners find it too spicy and hence he had to tone down the spice!

The dessert arrives. Meantime, we were discussing on food blogs :-) And the non vegetarians took on the poor ol' veggie me (the lone lady) with all the teasing - but hey, what's a CFG meet without a little fun! :P :P

Khubani ka meeta (stewed apricot with cream) and shahi tukda - a little too sweet for my liking. And all of us felt that way! 

And we are done.  Chef Vijay Singh is open for feedback and accepts our comments gracefully rather than defending why he made the dish a certain way. Wasim is explaining what he loved. And explain what I loved in the veggie lot. 

A happy lot we are.Doc gave the vote of thanks and we now thank every one else and almost about to step out! Thanks to Karthik - Ayna's manager - for obliging to my request for getting me an internet connection. :) 

This fest is on until next Sunday (10th Nov). Don't miss it! 

I loved blogging live and I'm super kicked about it! I hope I can do this more often :-) 

Adios from Ayna! Thank you for a wonderful experience!