BADAM HALWA

BADAM HALWA

When I was a child one of my favourite Indian sweets was Badam Halwa, so rich and sweet, made with almonds which were not so commonly available then. We didn't have this frequently but relished it whenever we had this as a treat! There are many ways to make Badam Halwa. While almonds, ghee and sugar are constants, some use milk, others use condensed milk, and some use neither to make this sweet.

Remembering those days, I have made this today to celebrate the 4th anniversary of my blog, "Cooking With Shobana." Here's the link to the Facebook Page where you get links to all the blog posts.

By the grace of God, and the encouragement of my family, friends and well-wishers, this blog continues to grow year after year. It has today over 1,000,000 page views. My sincere thanks to all of you!

Ingredients:

•  Badam ( Almonds), 1/2 cup * I used California almonds
• Ghee, (Clarified Butter), 1/3 cup * I used home made ghee
• Sugar, 1/2 cup, or to taste
• Kesar (Saffron) , 8-10 strands
• Warm Milk, 1-2 tsp * to soak the saffron strands
• Cardamom Powder,  1/2 tsp (optional) 
• Pista, a few pieces, for garnish

Method:

The first step is to blanch the almonds which means to remove the outer skin. Soak the almonds in boiling hot water and keep them for half an hour or so. You can also microwave them to blanch them faster. Once they are blanched, drain away the excess water and remove the outer skin of the almonds. 

Take 1-2 tsp of warm milk in a bowl and drop the saffron strands in them and keep them soaked for about 15 minutes.

In a mixer jar, grind together the blanched almonds along with 1/3 cup of water to get a paste of rava/ sooji consistency. Make sure the paste does not become too fine. To get the right consistency, do not add all the water at one time. Grind the almonds, using the pulse mode in the mixer, adding water little by little.

Heat a thick-bottomed kadhai and when it gets hot, on medium/low flame add the almond paste. Keep stirring continuously on low flame and cook the almond paste.  After a few minutes when the almonds give off an aroma, add 1/2 cup of sugar and keep stirring on low flame till the sugar gets fully dissolved in the almond paste.

Keep stirring till the paste begins to thicken, cook uncovered on low flame for another 5-6 minutes. Now add the prepared saffron soaked in warm milk and mix it in completely to the almond paste.

We now begin to add the ghee in small quantities. Initially, add 2 tbsp of ghee, mix well and cook stirring continuously till the ghee is fully absorbed.

Then add another 2 tbsp of ghee and continue the same process till all the ghee has been used up.

By now the almond paste and ghee is well blended and thickens to form a halwa.
Continue to stir till the halwa leaves the sides of the kadhai.
Add the cardamom powder, if you are using this at this stage and mix it well.

Once you get the desired consistency, switch off the gas and transfer the halwa to a serving bowl or alternatively grease a plate and transfer the halwa. You can then spread the halwa and when it cools, cut the halwa into the desired shape.

Garnish the badam halwa with slivers of almonds or with pistas.

Your badam halwa is ready to be served.

BROCCOLI & ALMOND SOUP

BROCCOLI & ALMOND SOUP

We usually have soup as part of our dinners from time to time as they are both healthy and tasty, especially when they are designed not to be too heavy on the stomach. You will find recipes for Tomato & Carrot Soup and Spinach Soup elsewhere in this blog.

Today's soup is made up of two very healthy ingredients: broccoli and almonds. Here are 7 Health Benefits of Broccoli from an article in the Times of India. Likewise, almonds are described as being "heart-healthy" being rich in fibre, calcium and vitamins in this article in LiveScience,

This recipe is adapted from Broccoli and Almond Soup by the legendary Tarlaji Dalal in her collection of Protein Rich Recipes. This version does not call for the addition of butter or cream but yet it was delicious. I used coriander leaves in place of celery.

Ingredients:

• Broccoli Stalks, 1/2 cup
• Broccoli Florets, 1 cup
• Onions,  finely chopped, 1/4 cup
• Garlic, finely chopped, 1 tsp
• Coriander leaves, finely chopped, 1 tsp
• Salt, to taste
• Cornflour, 1/2 tsp 
• Milk, 1/2 cup 
• Freshly Ground Pepper, 1 tsp
• Almond Slivers, 1 tbsp + 2 tsp for garnish

Method:

Wash the broccoli and separate the florets from the stalk.
Finely chop the broccoli stalk and keep aside
Dissolve the cornflour in 1/2 cup of milk, making sure there are no lumps. Keep aside
Dry roast or microwave the almonds, make slivers and keep aside.
In a thick bottomed kadhai, heat 2 cups of water and first add the broccoli stalks as they take longer to cook than the florets
Cook the broccoli stalks on medium flame for 4-5 minutes

Add the broccoli florets, finely chopped onion, garlic, and coriander leaves
Add salt, mix well and cook for 5 minutes stirring from time to time

Once they are cooked, put off the gas and allow it to cool a little

When it is cooled, blend it till it is smooth in a mixer
Transfer the smooth broccoli mixture back to the kadhai,
Add the cornflour-milk mixture, mix well, add water if required to get the desired consistency. and cook on medium flame for 2 minutes stirring continuously. 

Add the pepper powder and 1 tbsp of roasted almond slivers, mix well and cook on medium flame for another 1 minute

Garnish with the remaining roasted almond slivers and serve hot

DATES AND ALMONDS KHEER

DATES AND ALMONDS KHEER

As this is the first post for 2016, let me wish you a bright, happy, and prosperous New Year. It is customary to start the year with a sweet, so today I present to you one of my favourites: a kheer made of dates and almonds.

Apart from the taste,  dates are good for more reasons than one and are available in many varieties.
Elsewhere in this blog, you will find another interesting recipe for Dates, Figs, & Dry Fruit Ladoos, a guest post by Tanushree Aich.

The amount of sugar you add to this kheer will therefore depend on the sweetness of the dates, as also on how sweet you want the dish to be.

While this kheer can be served either hot or chilled, I always prefer to serve it chilled. I hope you will enjoy the Dates and Almond Kheer as much as I did.

Ingredients:

• Pitted Dates, 15
• Milk, 500 ml ( 400 + 100) 
• Almonds, 15-20
• Sugar, 1/4 cup, or to taste
• Cashewnuts, chopped, 6-8, 
• Ghee, 2-3 tsp
• Powdered Cardamom, from 2-3 pods

Method:

Boil 400 ml of milk ( 2 cups) in a thick-bottomed vessel and keep aside

Soak the almonds in warm water for about half an hour. Keep aside

In a pan, heat 1 tsp of ghee and add the chopped cashewnuts and roast them till they turn slightly golden brown and keep aside

In the same pan, roast the raisins and keep aside

Add the remaining ghee and on low flame lightly roast the dates for a few minutes till you get a good aroma

Let them cool then grind the roasted dates along with the soaked almonds to a paste, adding 100 ml (1/2 cup) of milk, a little by little, while grinding. 

Add the ground paste and the sugar to the boiled milk, mix well and bring it again to a boil stirring continuously so that it doesn't get burnt at the bottom 

Switch off the gas, add the powdered cardamom and mix well

Garnish with roasted cashewnuts and raisins
Serve hot or chilled, as per taste

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