It is that time of the year when sibling rivalry transforms to sibling revelry across the country.
Apart from the customary rakhi, tilak and good wishes, Rakshabandhan is all about indulging one’s sweet tooth. Sisters love to pamper their brothers on the day by preparing a hearty spread with the quintessential mithai.
Laddoos, peda, kalakand, gulab jamuns, halwas and kheer are top favourites. While many would love to take some time off and prepare elaborate dishes, not many have the time or capacity to make sweets at home. So here are easy recipes that can be quickly prepared within 15 minutes.
Almond Pedha
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup almonds
- 1 1/4 cup instant non fat dry milk (fine milk powder)
- 4 to 5 cardamoms, powdered fine
- 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
- 3 tbsp plain milk
- 2 pinches of good quality saffron (optional)
- 3 to 4 tsp of ghee
Method
- Powder almonds along with skin to a fine powder in a spice grinder using pulse feature on blender. Do not over-grind as the nut butter will cause the almond powder to start clumping together.
- In a shallow microwave safe dish, mix together almond powder, non fat dry milk, cardamom powder, saffron and mix well. Add sweetened condensed milk, milk and ghee to this and mix well.
- Place the shallow dish in the microwave and heat for 1 + 1 minute, stirring frequently or until the mixture can be rolled between your fingers. Cool slightly and shape into round balls and flatten slightly to form the typical pedha shape.
- Cool thoroughly and place in an airtight container. Yields 14 to 15 pedhas. Consume within 2 days
Recipe courtesy: Usha R, food blogger, Veg Inspirations
Kaju Besan Barfi
Ingredients
- 1 cup chickpea flour/besan/kadalai maavu
- 1 cup cashewnuts
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- A pinch of cardamom powder
- 1/4 cup ghee
Method
- Grind the cashewnuts to a fine powder. Do the grinding in small intervals so that the oil does not ooze out.
- Grease a plate or tray or a cake tin with ghee and keep it ready. Heat ghee in a heavy bottom pan and when it melts, add the besan.
- Roast the besan for 5 minutes till the raw smell goes and gives out a nice aroma.
- Keep it aside in another bowl.
- For the sugar syrup, combine the sugar and water. Allow the sugar to dissolve.
- Boil for more time and stircontinuously to check the one string consistency.
- At this stage, add the roasted besan and ground cashew powder. Mix well. Add the cardamom powder. Keep stirring till the mixture itself does not stick much to the spoon.
- Put the mixture on the greased plate. Level it with a knife or a spoon.
- When it hardens a little (in the next few minutes) and gets slightly warm, using a sharp knife, cut into desired shape.
- Invert plate on another plate to separate pieces.
Recipe courtesy: Sowmya Madhavan, food photographer and blogger, Creative Saga
Mango Kalakand
Ingredients
- 1 cup mango puree
- 1 kilo paneer or ricotta cheese
- 1 cup condensed milk
- 5-6 chopped pistachios
Method
- Grease a tray with ghee and keep it ready.
- Take the paneer or cheese in a nonstick cooking pan. Add equal amount of condensed milk.
- Add the mango puree.Mix well and heat the pan. Cook on a medium flame.
- Keep stirring till it thickens. You have to stop when it does not stick to the sides. It usually takes around 15 minutes.
- Pour the cooked mixture in the greased tin.
- Spread it and even the layer with a help of a greased knife.
- Sprinkle the nuts on the top.
- Cut into squares. Seperate the pieces and serve
Recipe courtesy: Sowmya Madhavan, food photographer and blogger, Creative Saga
Homemade treats
- If the milk powder (a common ingredient in most sweets) you have has a very thick granular texture, give it a turn in the mixer to grind to a fine powder
- Sweets prepared at home need to be stored in airtight containers and need to be consumed within 2 days.
- Making sweets at home can make you feel less guilty as you can control the amount of sugar, ghee and other ingredients suitably
