Baked apples with oats and nuts stuffing

Baked apples with oats and nuts stuffing 

If you are bored serving the usual desserts that have loads of calories in them. Baked apples with oats and nuts filling are a yummy and healthy option. Your guest will not say no and I'm sure they will eat up an entire apple without any complain and ask for more.

Ingredients :

Apples : 2

Oats : 2 tbsp

Chopped/ crushed Nuts : 3 tbsp ( mixture of almonds, figs, raisins and dates )

Brown sugar : 2 tbsp

Melted butter : 1 tbsp (optional, i didn't use it) 

Honey : 1 tbsp

A pinch of cinnamon  

Method :

Cut the top of the apple and core them . 

Roast the oats slightly 

In a bowl mix the nuts, oats, brown sugar and cinnamon  . ( you can add the butter also- optional )

Spoon the mixture into the scooped apples. Sprinkle some water.

Place apples in the oven and bake for 30 mins at 150 C

Drizzle honey on the apple and serve them hot. 

Motichur ke ladoo

My love for ladoos started very early in my childhood. I was 4 yrs when i learnt the recipe for boondi ladoo... i shall tell you the story in my blog post on Boondi ladoo which is coming soon... but this post is on Motichur ladoo...

Ladoos are favourite sweets of Ganesha so I thought it would be apt to post the Motichur ladoo recipe, so that my friends can make them for Ganesh chaturthi  to be celebrated this weekend. Motichur ladoos get their name from the small pearl like boondi that made into ladoos. 

Ingredients :

For Boondi Batter :

• Gram flour                             - 1 cup
• Super fine semolina                  - 2 tbsp
• Melted ghee                         - 1 tbsp
• Saffron colour                       - a pinch 
• baking powder                      - a pinch

For Syrup:

• Sugar                                   - 1 cup
• Water                                   -  1 cup
• Saffron strands                    - a few
• Cardamom pwd                    - ½ tsp
• Rose water                          - 1 tsp

other ingredients 

• Sliced almonds                     - 6-7
• Raisins                                  - 1tsp
• Ghee                                    -  to grease hands
• oil to fry

Method : 

1.  Sieve gram flour and semolina, so that there are no lumps and add saffron colour and  baking pwd to it.
   
2. Add melted ghee and mix.
3.  Make a batter by adding water little by little and  making of pouring consistency ( don't make it too water or too thick) and keep aside. 
   
4. Take sugar in  bowl and add equal amount of water
   
5. Once the sugar is dissolved completely, bring it to boil with continuous stirring.
6. Turn the flame to sim till the syrup one string consistency  Turn off the flame and add cardamom powder, saffron strands, 1 pinch of colour,  rose water and mix. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
7. In a frying pan heat oil and start frying boondis. To fry boondis , hold a slotted spoon a little above the oil and pour a little amount of batter on it and rub the batter with a spoon so that small drops of batter fall in the oil.  
8. Fry boondi on medium flame for 2 -3 mins and remove them while they still soft ( dont let them become dark and hard)
   
   
9. Put the boondi in the sugar syrup
   
   
   
10. Repeat this till all the batter finishes 
11. Add the dry fruits , 3 tbsp of boiling water and mix well 
12. Put in a food processor and pulse once ( don't worry the boondi will not get smashed if pulse for 2 seconds... don't pluse too much)
    
13. Remove in a Plate. 
14. Grease your hands with ghee, take a small portion of the boondi and start making small round ladoos. 
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
15. Place the ladoos on small paper cups and garnish with almond slices. 
16. Your bhog for Ganeshji is ready :) 
    

Khopraye ki poori : Crispy sweet dumplings with coconut fillings. GUJIA/ KAJJIKAI

Hath hateli, champa ki kali, bhari nadi mein ther te chali.... Bolo kya ? Poori .... 

OMG! Im nostalgic. My mom used to ask me this riddle and i would wonder, what would this be and my brother used shout poori... And i would be like oh, how?.. and my mom used to explain the riddle to me.. last night when i made these, i asked my brother do you remember the riddle and he at once started reciting the line like a poem... oh cute was that. 

khopray-ki -poori : This is very famous sweet made during different occasion in our community.   No wedding in community would be complete without the ladies of the household and relatives getting together for the pre-wedding preparation of  which making poories was the main one. About 300, 500 or even 1000's of these would be made and decorated. They would served and gifted to the grooms family and friends. 

I remember we children would be asked to make design on the outer dough shell and we would try to pull the filling out and eat. 

The stuffing (pooran )in these poories can be of  different kinds and the poori gets its name based on the stuffing like.. Daal ki poori, Khopra ki poori ( dry coconut poori), aloo halwa poori and the more ... 

These poories are called by different names in diffrent parts of India Gujias in North India, kajjikayalu in Andra, Karchikkai in Karnataka, neureos/ nevris in Goa and pedakiya in Bihar. At all dhanki hoseholds its called poori ;) 

Ingredients : 

For the Cover :

1. 500 gms Maida (All purpose flour) 
2. 6 tblsp Ghee (melted) 
3. Pinch of salt.
4. Oil for deep frying 

For the Filling (pooran) : 

1. 3/4 dry coconut ( khopra) grated / shredded 
2. 1/2 tsp green Cardamom Powder 
3. 25 gms chopped Almonda 
4. 25 gms Raisins (Kishmish) 
5. 250 gms Sugar  or as per taste 
6. 25 gms poppy seeds
7. 25 gms dates chopped
8. 25 gms roasted peanuts 
9. 25 gms of chopped cashews
10. 2 tblsp Ghee

Method : 

Dough divided into small balls

Dough rolled into 4'' round

Filling or the pooran 

Half the round filled with pooran 

Folding the dough 

sealing the edges and designing 

Designing the sealed edges 

deep fry the poories 

• Sieve the flour
• Add the ghee and pinch of salt in the maida.
• Using fingers, mix well so that the mixture takes the form of breadcrumbs and binds to a certain extent.
• Now add some water and knead lightly.
• Keep adding water as required and knead into a soft but tight dough.
• Set aside and cover with a damp cloth.
• In a pan heat 2tbsps add almonds, cashews, dates, peanuts and raisins. 
• Fry for 2 minutes and remove from the heat. Allow them to cool.
• Add sugar, the roasted dry fruits, poppy seeds and cardamom powder to the grated Khopra and mix well... keep aside 
• Divide the dough into small balls and roll each ball into a small round of 4 inch diameter.
• Fill half the round with the khora mixture, fold it and seal the round, twisting the edges inwards, or you would make designs by making impression ( optional)
• Take care that the filling does not come out.
• Prepare all the poories and spread on a cloth.
• Heat oil in a wok and deep fry the poories in batches on a medium flame..
• When golden brown in colour, drain and remove.

Yummy gujia/kajjikai/poori 

Hope you tried them and like them? do let me know