Coconut Ladoos - Sweet and Delicious

Coconut Ladoos are my favorite! They go so well in the evening snacks. Love feast is incomplete without sweet. Also, sweet makes the menu complete. And for those who are lovers of sweet, they cannot resist these ladoos. They are ideal to offer to Lord on any auspicious occasion. 

There are so many ways to make coconut ladoos like with dry coconut, wet coconut, adding semolina etc. In this recipe I will show easy way of making the ladoos with wet coconut. Many times wet coconut remains in the fridge, especially after visiting temple, without proper utility. Making these ladoos out of the wet coconut is an easy way to use it.

Ingredients:

• One full coconut - break and remove the water 
• Sugar - 3 cups
• Cardamom power - 1/2 teaspoon
• Sweetened condensed milk - 2 tablespoon

Procedure:

1. Remove coconut from its hard shell and run it a couple of times in the blender or mixer. Grate it finer as it is done for coconut chutney. 
2. Take a non-stick pan and put the grated coconut in it and turn on the stove on medium heat.
3. Keep roasting the grated coconut in the pan till the water dries out and the coconut appears with brownish tinge.
4. Now add the sugar and let it melt completely in the heat. Again roast in the same way till water in the sugar goes away and the mixture gets good consistency. 
5. Add cardamom powder and sweetened condensed milk. Stir it well for 2 minutes and switch off the stove. Let it cool for 5 minutes. They should be warm enough to give them shape.
6. Grease your hand with ghee or oil and make laddos of the mixture. Make them into balls of uniform size and let them cool to room temperature. Store them in air-tight box. 

Time: 30 minutes

Yields: 15 to 18 ladoos

Note: When the same mixture is fried for long time, it increases its consistency, making it thick and hard. It can be spread over a greased plate and cut into barfis. So the procedure is same for coconut barfi as well!

Offer to Lord and have these delicious ladoos anytime!

Minestrone Soup - Italian Veggie Soup for the Winter

There is interesting event behind Minestrone soup. This is one of special recipes that I demonstrated in Stanford Cooking class. I came to know about this recipe from my friend Sundari Lila. My gratitude to her for showing me this recipe. She also cooked one day and it was just amazing! From that day I loved this soup and often make it during the weekends. 

Minestrone soup is quite simple to make. Just boiling all the vegetable in sufficient water. It is great recipe for the winter. Best when you have lots of, varieties of vegetable and like to eat something hot and tasty. Here is the recipe...

• 1 Tbsp olive oil 
• ½ Tsp yellow asafetida powder
•  ¾ Tsp Italian seasoning (containing basil, rosemary, marjoram, thyme, sage and oregano)
• 1 stalk of celery, diced
• 2 zucchinis, sliced about half inch thick
• 1 big carrot or 2 medium sized carrots, sliced
• 1 big potato, peeled and diced into 1.5 cm cubes
• 1 bell pepper (capsicum), diced into 1.5 cm cubes
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 3 tomatoes or 1 cup tomato puree
• 1 C cooked chickpeas
• 1 C cooked red kidney beans
• 6 to 8 C water 
• 1½ Tsp salt
• ¼ Tsp ground black pepper
• ¼ Tsp red chili flakes
• ¾ C uncooked pasta (any shape of your choice)

Procedure:

1. Heat oil in a saucepan over moderate heat, sprinkle asafetida powder, Italian seasoning. Do let it burn so add celery quickly and sauté for 30 seconds. Add all the vegetables one by one, stir fry for a while. Now add half the amount of water. Let it cook for 10 minutes over medium.

2. Pour the tomato puree and add the parsley. Add the chickpeas, kidney beans, water, salt, pepper and chili flakes. Add remaining water and cook covered partially over very low heat for 1½ hours (this soup tastes best when cooked slowly). If you want to cook fast add more water and cook on medium heat. It takes about half hour.

3. Add the uncooked pasta and raise the heat to medium and cook until the pasta is tender. Reduce the heat again to very low and cook for another 8-10 minutes. 

Offer to the Lord and enjoy with bread, pav or toast. It goes well with chapati also!

Cook Time: Minimum 30 minutes

Serves: 6 to 8

Rasmalai - The Best Use of Extra Milk

When I just opened my fridge today, I found that there is lot of milk. Then thought came to me to make the best use of the milk. Rasmalai!!!! Then I reeled my memory those my days in India when my brother Sreenath used to make Rasmalai whenever he came home in holidays. Yes I remember. Let us start..

For Rasmalai you need:

1. One gallon of milk - approx 3.7 liters of milk
2. Lemon juice - 3 tablespoons 
3. Sugar 3 cups
4. Cardamon power - 1 teaspoon
5. Water - 2 cups
6. Dry fruits like almonds, cashews, pista, raisins etc - 1/2 cup each

Procedure:

• Take 2 pots and empty the milk in two equal halves. That means each pot has about 1.8 liters of milk (approx)
• Boil both the pots say A and B
• When the milk in pot A comes to boil add lemon juice. This breaks the milk and the paneer part of the milk separates out.
• Meanwhile continue boiling the milk in pot B till it is reduced to half. Keep it in simmer so that it takes good amount of time without burning the bottom of the pot.
• Let the pot A cool a little. Then filter the paneer from the pot A by using a kerchief or a cotton cloth. Wash the paneer with extra water so that sourness of lemon goes away. Let the water drain completely. It takes about one hour.
• Now spread some oil on the palm and make one-and-half inch long elliptical balls. You can get about 15 to 20 balls.
• Take a pressure cooker and boil 2 cups of water with 1 cup of sugar in it. Now place these balls slowly and close the lid.
• Let the pressure cooker give out 5 to 6 whistles. Off the cooker and let it cool by itself. Before opening the lid let some cold water run down the cooker.
• Put the cooked balls in the pot B when the milk has reduced to half. You can add the water remaining the cooker. Let it cook for 2 minutes in the mixture.
• Add 2 cups sugar and all the dry fruits.
• Add cardamon powder and let it cool. It is best when served chilled.

Radhastami Ahead!!!

On the occasion of Radhastami 2012, I am starting this blog for the pleasure of Vaishnavas and all those who love food. This blog contains about feasting love and loving feast!!! It contains the recipes that I enjoyed trying, the practical tips to keep the kitchen clean, my personal experiences in cooking,  the ingredient 'LOVE' in cooking, offering bhoga to the Lord, serving the food, and much more!!

Dear friends so let me start with with glorifying Srimati Radharani, who is the best cook in Goloka Vrindavan, who cooks for the pleasure of Lord Krishna. Let me post one interesting pastime about Srimati Radharami today...............

SRIMATI RADHARANI

rasa-lasya-gita-narma-sat-kalali-pandita

prema-ramya-rupa-vesa-sad-gunali-mandita

visva-navya-gopa-yosid-alito ‘pi yadhika

mahyam atma-pada-padma-dasya-dastu radhika  

(Sri Radhikastakam 5)

Sri Radhika is expert in all the most astonishing arts of the rasa-lila, such as dancing, singing and joking. She is adorned with prema, enchanting beauty, dresses and ornaments and decorated with all virtues. Sri Radhika is the foremost gopi in Vraja mandala. May Srimati Radhika always bestow upon me the service of her lotus feet.

Srimati Radharani is very artistic. She is expert in all the arts including cooking. In Vrindavan Srimati Radharani has the service of cooking for Krishna. It is Nandagram where Krishna and Balaram live with Mother Yashoda and Nanda Maharaj. She cooks everyday for Krishna.  Like to know how Radharani got this service? She got a benediction from Dusvasa muni.

One day sage Durvasa Muni came to Vrindavan. He was known for his anger and everyone use to flew away from him. When he saw Radharani, he at once felt divine love gushing out of his heart. Radharani reached him with great respect. She gave him all hospitality. Radharani cooked a wonderful feast for Durvasa muni and served him with great care and affection. Pleased with her service Durvasa muni gave her benediction that whatever Radharani will cook will taste like pure nectar and anyone who eats anything cooked by Radharani will never become sick. 

When Mother Yashoda came to know about this, she made Radharani to cook for Krishna. Actually Radharani cooked with so much love and affection that the ingredient 'LOVE' made everything taste nectar. She is so expert in cooking that she never repeat any recipe. Whatever she cooks is a new recipe! So variegated recipes that every recipes tastes excellent and yet very different than any recipe made before. 

I pray to Srimati Radharani for Her mercy upon me so that I could serve all Vaishnavas (devotees) in Her spirit and serve Her in the spirit of servant of the servant of the servant.....

Srimati Radharani Ki Jai!!