SWEET DISHES

No Indian meal is complete without a generous treat of sweets that tickle the taste buds. A rich variety of sweets are prepared in the Indian households not only on special occasions like festivals and fairs but also to treat their guests.

Most popular among the Indian sweets are the different types of Laddoos, halwas and syrup-based sweets.
 

Fruit cake
 

Ingredients Salted Butter                            100 gms  Castor sugar                              100 gms  Egg                                            2 nos  Flour                                          125 Gms  Milk                                            2 tablespoons  Kismis                                       ½ cup  Baking powder                         1 teaspoon  Lemon color                              few drops  Vanilla essence                        few drops

Method Mix butter and sugar till it is light and fluffy. Mix the dry ingredients and mix it with the batter slowly while stirring.  Add the colors, kismis and milk and stir for some time.  Pour the batter into a greased plate and cook on power 60 for 3 minutes at high mode.  Allow it to stand in the oven for sometime before serving.

Carrot Halwa
 

Ingredients Carrots                                      ½ kg, grated  Condensed milk                      1 tablespoon  Sugar                                        1 cup  Khoya                                        1 cup  Cashews                                   1 tablespoon  Currants                                    1 tablespoon
Method Take the carrot along with half the amount of sugar and cook covered on power 60 for 14 minutes.  Add the condensed milk, khoya, and the rest of the sugar and cook uncovered for 8 minutes.  Garnish with the cashews and currants and serve.

Eggless Black Forest Cake
 

Ingredients   Condensed milk Flour  Butter  Cocoa powder  Aerated cola drink  Baking powder Cream  Cherries Chocolate 400 gms, sweetened   225 Gms  125 Gms  4 tablespoons  200 ml  1 teaspoon  1 teaspoon ¼ cup  ½ cup, grated
Method Mix the butter and sugar well. Add all the dry ingredients and the cola drink and mix.  Pour in a greased plate and cook on power 60 for 3 minutes at high.  Allow it to stand for 5 minutes on the oven.  Icing Cool and slit the cake horizontally. In a bowl whip the cream and sandwich the two layers with the cream. Top with the cherries and grated chocolates.

Semiya Ki Kheer
 

Ingredients   Semiya or vermicelli Milk  Sugar  Green cardamom  Ghee Raisins Condensed milk  200 gms  ½ cup  ½ cup  1 tablespoon  2 tablespoons  ¼ cup  ½ cup
Method In a dish take the ghee, semiya, cashews, raisins and cook on high for 4 minutes with stirring in between.  To this add the milk, condensed milk, and cook on high for 3 minutes. Add the sugar and cardamoms and cook on medium power for 8 minutes till the kheer turns thick.  Serve hot or cold as desired.

Curd Cake
 

Ingredients   Plain yogurt  Sugar  Oil  Flour Baking soda Vanilla essence  Cocoa powder  1 cup  1 cup 1-3/4 cup ¾ cup  1 teaspoon 1 teaspoon 5 teaspoon

Method Mix the yogurt, sugar, and oil and vanilla essence together.  Sieve all the dry ingredients and mix to the batter.  Add one tablespoon of milk and blend well.  Cook on high for 11 minutes.  Allow it to stand in the oven for sometime before serving.

Coconut Laddoos
 

Ingredients Condensed milk          400 gms, sweetened  Grated coconut            4 cups, desiccated
Method Take some 50 Gms of the grated coconut and keep aside.  Add the remaining coconut to the condensed milk and cook on slow fire.  Gently mix till the mixture leaves the sides of the pan.  Cool and roll into small laddoos with greased palms.  Roll the laddoos in the coconut powder set aside and serve.  This makes around 20 medium sized laddoos.

Thandai
 

Ingredients   Condensed milk  Milk  Almonds  Pepper corns  Elaichi  Saunf  Khus essence (poppy seeds) Ice cubes 250 gms, sweetened  1-1/2 litre  10 nos, soaked and peeled  6 nos  4 nos, crushed  2 teaspoon 1 teaspoon  a little, crushed
Method Grind well the peeled almonds, elaichi and saunf to a fine paste and mix with the rest of the ingredients.  Strain the mixture well.  Take crushed ice cubes in a glass till half and fill the rest with the above mixture.  Serve garnished with rose petals.  This makes for 12 glasses.

Malai Peda
 

Ingredients   Condensed milk  Milk  Corn flour  Citric acid  Elaichi  Ghee  Yellow color 500 gms, sweetened  1½ cup  ¼ teaspoon 1 teaspoon 4 nos, powdered  1 tablespoon  a few drops

Method Heat the ghee in a vessel. Add the condensed milk, the milk and the citric acid dissolved in a little water to it.  Stir well till the mixture curdles. Make a paste of the corn flour with two tablespoons of water and mix it with the above mixture.  Cook till the mixture leaves the sides of the pan.  Add the color and mix well.  Slightly cool the mixture and shape into pedas.  Serve garnished with elaichi powder.  This would make some 20 normal sized pedas.

Kalakand
 

Ingredients   Condensed milk  Paneer  Elaichi  Cream milk powder Silver leaf 500 gms, sweetened ½ kg  4 nos, powdered  2 tablespoons  1
Method Mash the panner coarsely and add the milk powder, condensed milk and mix well. Heat the above mixture in a thick-bottomed pan for about 10 minutes with constant stirring.  Continue cooking till the mixture becomes thick. Remove from the fire and spread it on to a greased plate.  Sprinkle elaichi powder on the top and also top it with the silver leaf.  Cool it and cut into square pieces.

Kesari
 

Ingredients   Condensed milk Suji or semolina Ghee  Water  Kesari powderor yellow color Cashews and raisins 250 gms, sweetened  1 cup  ¾ cup 1 teaspoon  1 teaspoon a handful

Method Heat the ghee and fry the cashews and raisins and keep aside.  Fry the semolina in the ghee till it turns brown.  Add the kesari powder to the 2 cups water and add to the semolina.  Keep stirring so that no lumps are formed.  Then add the condensed milk and keep stirring till the mixture leaves the sides of the pan. Put on a greased plate and when cooled cut into the desired shapes.  Serve garnished with the roasted cashews and raisins.

Pine Apple Souffle
 

Ingredients   Condensed milk  Pineapple  Gelatin  Cream  Lemon juice  Milk  400 gms, sweetened  around 4 slices, chopped  2½ tablespoons  1½ cup  of 4 limes  1½ cup
Method Soak the gelatin in ½ cup water and dissolve in a pan of hot water.  Mix the dissolved gelatin, condensed milk, chopped pineapple slices and lemon juice well.  Whip the cream till it is stiff and add to the above mixture.  Pour the mixture in a mold and refrigerate it for sometime.  When set unfold it onto a dish and serve with beaten cream on top.

Fig Fantasy
 

Ingredients   Condensed milk  Fig or Anjeer  Milk Ghee  200 gms, sweetened 250 gms, chopped  ½ litre, boiled  2 tablespoons
Method Soak the figs in the milk for some one-hour.  Grind it into a paste.  Heat the ghee in a pan and add the condensed milk and the fig paste and stir continuously till it leaves the sides of the pan.  Serve hot garnished with silver leaf and cashews.

Tender Coconut Souffle
 

Ingredients   Condensed milk Tender coconut water Gelatin  400 gms, sweetened  5 cups  3 tablespoons
Method Dissolve the gelatin in half a cup of coconut water over a pan of hot water.  Mix the condensed milk to the dissolved gelatin. Mix the above mixture with the tender coconut water and refrigerate it.  When set serve with cream or cherries and strawberries.

Doughnuts
 

Ingredients   Condensed milk  Milk Maida  Egg  Butter  Dried yeast  Salt Powdered sugar  Cinnamon powder 2 tablespoons, sweetened ½ cup  250 gms  1 1 tablespoon  2 teaspoon  a pinch  50 gms ½ teaspoon

Method Mix the condensed milk and milk and warm it over a pan of hot water.  Mix the yeast and one or two tablespoons of maida and allow it to ferment for 30 minutes.  Mix the salt, remaining maida, beaten egg and melted butter to the fermented yeast and stir well.  Knead the dough well and cover it with a polythene sheet and allow it for 30 minutes.  Then roll the dough into ¼ inch thickness and cut it into rings with a doughnut cutter.  Deep fry this and roll it over sugar and cinnamon mixture and serve.

Carrot Burfee
 

Ingredients   Condensed milk  Carrot  Ghee  Corn flour  Water  Cashews  200 gms, sweetened  ½ kg, grated  1/3 cup  2 tablespoons ½ cup  few to garnish
Method Cook the carrots in ½ cup of water till tender.  Add the condensed milk, ghee and corn flour.  Cook this mixture till it leaves the sides of the pan.  Remove form fire and spread over a greased pan.  Cool and cut it into squares and garnish with the cashews.

Rava Laddoo
 

Ingredients Condensed milk            400 gms, sweetened  Suji or semolina            2-½ cup  Ghee                              3 tablespoons Cardamom powder      ½ teaspoon
Method In a kadai, fry the semolina till it is brown. Add the ghee and roast for 10 minutes.  Add the condensed milk and cardamom powder and stir till the mixture leaves the sides of the pan.  Remove form the fire and make into small laddooos with greased palm.  Garnish with roasted cashews and raisins.

Date Burfi
 

Ingredients Condensed milk       400 gms, sweetened  Dates                        500 gms, deseeded & chopped  Ghee                         2 tablespoons  Water                        ½ cup  Maida                       2 tablespoons  Silver leaf                 2
Method In a pan heat the ghee, add the maida and fry for a minute.  Add the water mixing well and allow it to boil.  Add the dates, condensed milk and cook well, till the mixture leaves the sides of the pan.  Remove from fire and cool and cut into squares.  Serve garnished with silver foils.

Mohan Thal
 

Ingredients Condensed milk          400 gms, sweetened  Besan (gram flour)      3 cups  Pista or badam           5 tablespoons, chopped  Ghee                            1 cup  Milk                               2 tablespoons
Method Mix the milk and besan well and keep for about half an hour.  Heat the ghee in a pan and roast the besan on slow flame for 12 minutes.  Add the condensed milk and cook with constant stirring for 15 minutes till the mixture thickens.  Remove from fire and place in a greased plate and garnish with the dry fruits.  Cut into desired shapes and serve.

Payasam
 

Ingredients   Condensed milk Green gram (whole) Jaggery  Elaichi powder  Coconut  Cashews  Ghee  400gms, sweetened  1 cup  100 gms  ¼ teaspoon  1 10 nos  1 tablespoon

Method Cook the moong dal well till soft and mash it well.  Heat the jaggery in one cup of water till it dissolves and strain it well.  Grate the coconut and keep aside 2 tablespoons of it for final garnishing.  Pour 1 cup of hot water over the coconut gratings and allow it for half an hour.  Strain this to get one cup of thick milk.  Again pour some 2 cups of hot water over the coconut gratings and keep for 15 minutes.  Strain this to get 2 cups of thin coconut milk.  Mix the jaggery syrup, cooked moong and the thin milk and cook for 5 minutes with constant stirring.  Add the condensed milk and stir well.  Remove from the fire and add the one-cup of thick coconut milk.  Add fried cashews and raisins to the payasam and top it with the grated coconut and elaichi powder and serve hot.

Coconut Burfi
 

Ingredients   Condensed milk Coconut  Full cream milk powder Milk  Red color 400 gms, sweetened  300 gms, grated  100 Gms  ½ cup few drops

Method Heat the condensed milk, coconut powder, milk and milk powder in a thick-bottomed kadai.  Once heated cook on slow flame till the mixture leaves the sides of the pan.  Divide the mixture into two equal portions.  Spread one portion evenly on a greased plate.  To the other portion add the red color and mix well.  Spread it over the white layer and allow it to cool.  Cut into squares and serve.