Kaayi Holige

Ingredients:

For the filling:
Shredded coconut — 2 cups
Jaggery — 2 big cubes (or sugar — 2cups)
Poppy seeds (kas kas) — 2 tsp
Cardamom — 4 pods

For the outer layer :
Maida — 2 cups
Oil — 1/2 cup
Salt — a pinch

 

Method:

To make the filling, grind the shredded coconut coarsley without adding water. To make jaggery syrup, first boil 1/4th cup of water and add jaggery or sugar to it. Keep boiling on a medium flame till all the jaggery dissolves and starts bubbling. Keep boiling for another minute, add the coconut paste and roasted poppy seeds. Keep stirring till the mixture becomes thick and all the liquid has evaporated. Add cardamom powder. The mixture should have no liquid in it and be hard enough to get the shape of balls. Allow the mixture to cool completely.

To make the outer filling, make the smooth dough of maida adding a pinch of salt with water. It should be in the consistency of chapati dough. Add 1/2 cup oil and mix the dough thourougly so that the oil is completely absorbed. Set aside for 1 hour. The more longer you keep the dough, the more softer it becomes.

To make hoLige, divide the filling and the outer cover into equal number of portions by making balls. Let the filling be bigger than the outer cover. Roll the outer cover into small circle. Place the filling, fold all the sides and cover the filling entirely, like how you do for stuffed parathas. Continue to roll into big cirlce, like a chapati. Heat it on medium flame on a flat griddle with oil/ghee. Serve with a tsp of ghee on top.

Sago Payasam

Ingredients
Sago: 1 cup
Sugar: 1 ½ cups
Milk: 4 cups
Cardamom powder: A pinch
Ghee: 2-3 tsp
Cashew nut, raisins and coconut pieces: ¼ cup



Method
Soak sago for 3-4 hours. Boil milk and add the soaked sago. Cook till the sago is transparent and soft. Add sugar and stir well. Fry cashew nuts, raisins and coconut pieces in ghee and add to the payasam. Add cardamom powder and remove from the flame. Serve hot or cold.

Note: Can add jaggery instead of sugar

Flaked Rice Payasm

Ingredients
Flaked rice: 1 cup
Sugar: ½ cup
Milk: 2 cups
Cardamom powder: A pinch
Cashew nut and raisins: 2-3 tsp
Ghee: 2-3 tsp



Method
Heat ghee in a pan and fry cashew and raisins till golden brown. Remove from the fire and set aside. With the remaining ghee, fry the flaked rice till golden brown. Boil milk in a pot and add the fried flaked rice to it. Cook in medium flame till the flaked rice is done. Add sugar, cardamom and stir well. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with cashew nuts and raisins.

Note: Can add jaggery instead of sugar.

Aloo Shami Kebab

Ingredients
Potatoes: 4-5
Chana dal: 1 cup
Garlic: 12 cloves
Cumin: 1 tsp
Black pepper: 1 tsp
Dry red chili: 10-12
Black cardamom: 1
Green cardamom: 3-4
Clove: 3-4
Cinnamon: 1 inch piece
Coriander leaves: 2-3 tsp
Onion: 2 tsp, finely chopped
Green chili: 1tsp
Lemon juice: 1 tsp
Saffron: A few strands
Sweet kewra: A few drops
Salt: As per taste




Method
Peel, wash and boil potatoes with chana dal, garlic, cumin, black pepper, dry red chili, black cardamom, green cardamom, salt, clove and cinnamon, together until chana dal becomes soft but not placid. The water level over the ingredients should be only 1 inch above the ingredients. Grind the cooked ingredients without adding any water. Check salt at this stage. Then add chopped green chili, chopped onion, chopped coriander leaves, kewra, saffron and lemon juice to the paste. Make small balls and flatten between your hands like an aloo tikki. Heat oil in frying pan and shallow fry kebabs till golden brown and serve with pudina chutney.

Note: If the paste becomes too soft, you can add some roasted gram flour as a binding agent.

Moong Dal Payasam

Ingredients
Moong dal: 1 cup
Sugar: 1 cup
Milk: 1 cup
Water: 3 cups
Cardamom powder: A pinch
Saffron: A pinch
Cashew nut and raisins: 3-4 tsp
Ghee: 3-4 tsp



Method
Take a pressure cooker and fry moong dal with little ghee till golden brown. Add 3 cups of water and pressure cook it up to 2 whistles. After that, mash well in the ladle. In another vessel, bring milk to boil adding saffron. Add the mashed moong dal and boil well for 5-10 minutes. Add sugar and stir well before adding ghee roasted cashews and raisins. Remove from the flame and add cardamom powder. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with cashews and raisins. Serve hot or cold.

Note: Can add jaggery instead of sugar.