Dates Rolls

By: Kusum

Special Notes:
Need aluminum foil and non-stick heavy bottom pan

Ingredients:
1. Pitted dates..............3 1/2 pounds
2. Almonds..................1 cup
3. Walnuts....................1 cup
4. Cashews...................1 cup
5. Pistas........................1 cup
6. Dessicated coconut....1 cup
7. Condensed milk.........1 can

Directions:
1. Chop dates and place them in a pyrex dish to microwave for 8 minutes stirring occasionally.
2. Place the pan on medium heat and empty the contents of condensed milk.
3. Add the dates and keep stirring for 10 minutes adding nuts and continue to mix for another 5 min.till it leaves the sides of pan and looks like dough.
4. Place the aluminum foil on a flat surface and spread 1/4 coconut mixture evenly.
5. Take 1/4 dough and start shaping in a form of log with the help of coconut powder. Do the same with rest of the mixture. Place these logs in the fridge for 4 hours.
6. Cut into rounds about 1/2 inch thickness.


Tips:
[Tips]

KATAIFI

BY: Kusum

Special Note: Need 2 baking trays

Ingredients:
Shredded filo dough.......1 packet ( thaw at room temperature)
Unsalted butter...............2 sticks ( one cup butter ) melted

Walnuts..........................4 cups coarsely ground
Green elaichi powder......1/2 tsp
Cinnamon powder..........1/4 tsp
Sugar..............................1/2 cup

For syrup
Sugar............................2 1/2 cups
Water.............................1/2 cup
Green elaichi powder.......1/2 tsp
Saffron............................1/2 tsp

Pista slivers for decoration

Directions:
1. Pour melted butter over the shredded dough and mix properly.
2. Mix next four ingredients together.
3. Grease the baking trays and preheat the oven to 350.F
4. Make the syrup by adding all 4 ingredients and boiling for one minute.
5. Spread quarter of dough in each of 2 trays. Spread the nut mixture evenly over it. Cover divided quarter dough over the nuts evenly, pressing firmly.
6. Bake keeping a watch to see that it bakes slowly to light golden color.
7. Pour the syrup as soon as you take the baked Kataifi out.
8. Cut into squares and decorate with pista slivers.

Tips:
[Tips]

Gajar (Carrot) Halwa

By: Kusum

Special Notes:
[Notes]

Ingredients:
2 lbs carrots
1/2 gal milk
1 stick unsalted butter
2 cups sugar

Directions:
Wash, peel and grate the carrots.

Heat a heavy bottom pan with milk and grated carrots.
Cook uncovered over medium heat stirring all the time till it boils and milk starts to get thickened.
Add butter and sugar.
Keep stirring constantly till the mixture is thick enough to leave the sides of the pan.

Tips:
Use heavy bottom pan
60 minutes to prepare
Serves 10

Besan ki Burfi

By: Kusum

Special Notes:
[Notes]

Ingredients:
3 cups besan
1/2 lb unsalted butter
3 cups Carnation milk powder
2 cups sugar
1/2 pint whipping cream
Few almonds
Few pistachios

Directions:
Grease a 8"-10" pan lightly with butter. Set aside.
On medium heat place a heavy bottom pan.
Add butter and besan, and mix it slowly.
Lower the heat slightly and let the mixture roast stirring constantly for 45 min.till it is golden brown.
While the besan is roasting in another pan, boil cream and sugar.
Add mild powder to the besan followed by sugar-cream mixture stirring constantly.
Be careful at this point as the mixture tries to boil over so keep a lid handy.
Shut the heat off and pur the mix in a greased pan.
Shake the pan so the mix spreads evenly.
Decorate it with chopped nuts.
Cut in even square sections.

Tips:
Heavy bottom pan
50 minutes to prepare
Serves 20

Kulfi Falooda

By: Kusum

Special Notes:
[Notes]

Ingredients:
Kulfi:
2 cans evaporated milk
1 can condensed milk
1 pint heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup almonds (blanched and soaked)
2 tbsp pistachios (chopped)

Falooda:
1 packet syfun bean noodle

Syrup:
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
Rose water

Directions:
Place almonds in the blender add little evaporated milk grind till smooth.
Little by little keep adding cream, condensed milk and evaporated milk alternating at slow speed.
When the mixture seems frothy pour in a plastic container.
Decorate with chopped nuts.
Put in the freezer for 1 hour.
Pressure cook noodles for 2 minutes and cool immediately under cold water.
Make the sugar syrup.
For serving cut the cubes of kulfi, place a handful falooda, put syrup, top with rose water and nuts.

Tips:
20 minutes to prepare
Serves 10

Baklava

By: Kusum

Special Notes:
[Notes]

Ingredients:

Baklava:
1 packet fillo sheets (frozen)
3 sticks unsalted butter
4 cups walnuts (crushed)
1 tsp elaichi (green cardamom) powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
1/2 cup sugar

For Syrup:
1-1/2 cup sugar
1 cup water

Directions:
Thaw the filo sheets at room temperature, and melt the butter.
Grease the baking trays.
Line the tray with filo sheet, spread butter over it.
Keep doing it with 5 to 6 sheets with butter in every layer.
Spread a generous layer of nuts over it.
Again, spread 5-6 layers of fillo sheet alternating with butter every time.
Again spread nuts and lastly 3-4 layers fillo.
With a sharp blade, make cuts lenghthwise, and only slits width-wise as if making marks for the final squares.
Bake at 325 deg. F for 20 minutes or till pastry is golden brown.
Let it cool.
Make the sugar syrup and pour half of it on one tray, and half on the other.

Tips:
Use baking trays (2)
60 minutes to prepare
Serves 20

Kalakand

By: Kusum

Special Notes:
[Notes]

Ingredients:
2 lbs ricotta cheese OR paneer from 1 gal milk
1 can condensed milk
1 pinch saffron
pistachios (chopped)

Directions:
Place ricotta cheese or paneer in a cheese cloth for 2 hours to take out all the water.
Place the cheese in the food processor, add the condensed milk and saffron.
Mix it until it forms a smooth paste.
Transfer the contents in a pyrex or corning dish.
Microwave for 8 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes.
Take it out and decorate with chopped pista.
When cold, cut into squares and serve.

Tips:
Use pyrex dish
60 minutes to prepare
Serves 10

Badaam (Almond) Burfi

By: Kusum

Special Notes:
[Notes]

Ingredients:
1 cup almonds
1/2 cup sugar
Varak (silver foil)

Directions:
Put almonds in a glass dish, cover them with water and microwave them for 10 min.
Peel the brown skin and wash them.
Place them in a food processor along with sugar and grind them till they are ground fine.
Heat a heavy bottom non-stick pan and put the powdered mixture into it.
Keep stirring till it leaves the sides of the pan.
Pour the mixture on a wax paper sheet.
Cover with another wax paper and roll with a rolling pin till burfi is 1/2" thick.
Uncover and decorate with the silver foil and when it is cool, cut into diamond shape.

Tips:
Use heavy bottom non-stick pan, wax paper
30 minutes to prepare
Serves 10

Sweet Gunjia

By: Kusum

Special Notes:
Made during the Holi festival

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 pinch salt
water (for kneading flour)
1/2 cup sooji
4 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup mixed nuts (crushed almonds, cashews, pistachios, etc.)
1 tbsp coconut
1/2 tsp elaichi (green cardamom) powder
1/2 cup sugar
Crisco shortening (for frying)

Directions:
Mix flour, salt and shortening and knead into a soft dough using enough water to form a soft dough.
Heat 4 tbsp shortening in a frying pan add suji and fry over slow heat for 10 min. and add all nuts and coconut.
Remove from heat.
Add sugar and elaichi.
Divide the dough into small balls.
Roll each ball into a thin circle.
Place a tbsp of filling in the circle.
Wet the edges with water and fold over to form a semi-circle.
Press the edges firmly.
Heat the shortening and fry 2-3 gunjias at a time over slow heat till golden brown.

Tips:
Use deep frying pan
60 minutes to prepare
Serves 20

Moong Daal Halwa

By: Kusum

Special Notes:
[Notes]

Ingredients:
2 cups moong daal
2 cups sugar
1 cup ghee or unsalted butter
3 cups water
10 almonds
10 pistachios
1 pinch saffron

Directions:
Soak the moong dal overnight or atleast for 3 hours. Drain.
Grind the dal without the water in the food processor coarsely.
Heat ghee or butter in a heavy bottom non-stick frying pan on medium heat.
Add the ground dal and fry constantly stirring it all time till it ls light brown in color.
To this add water then sugar, and keep stirring slowly till it leaves ghee.
Turn the heat off.
Add the saffron and cover the pan for 10 minutes.
Before serving decorate it with slivered almonds and pistachios.

Tips:
Use deep non-stick frying pan
60 minutes to prepare
Serves 20

Gulab Jamun

By: Kusum

Special Notes:
This is the first desert I learned after coming to the U.S.

Ingredients:
2 cups dry carnation milk powder 

1 cup Bisquick 

1/2 pint whipping cream 

2 cups sugar

1 cup water

Crisco shortening 

1/4 tsp small elaichi powder

Directions:
Mix first three ingredients in a mixing bowl in the form of a dough.
Make sugar syrup on medium heat. 
Let the syrup boil for 2 minutes.
Remove the pan from heat.
Add the elaichi powder. 
Make small balls from the dough in the size of 3/4" diameter.  
Heat the shortening on medium heat in a deep frying pan.  
Fry 6-7 balls at a time constantly moving them around gently till they are golden brown in color.  
Soak them in warm syrup for 5 minutes. 
Repeat with the rest of the balls. 
Pour remaining syrup on the finished dish.

Tips:
Use deep frying pan
40 minutes to prepare
Serves 25