Category Archives: Desserts

Protein rich healthy ladoos | Hurikadle Peanuts Sesame seeds ladoo

October 16, 2025 Healthy Cooking with Mitha Leave a comment

A blog after long and what time better than Deepavali to make a comeback and what sweet better than ladoo (my nickname 😀) to start with.. ❤️

This recipe was shared by my dearest aunt and close friend, Mamta Baliga Shenoy mai.. She might be related to me slightly distantly but our hearts are not far apart at all.. She has been my greatest cheerleader and someone to have tried the most recipes from my blog.. So to add her recipe on the blog is a loving tribute by me to her.. ❤️

These ladoos are quite easy to make, simple to look at but very tasty and healthy too.. Combining the nutrients of roasted Bengal gram or hurikadle, peanuts and sesame seeds, they are rightly named by her, protein rich ladoos..

Thank you so much for your recipe mai..It’s an honour to add the recipe on my blog.. Love you loads and hope our friendship lasts all our life.. ❤️

RECIPE:

1 Cup = 250 ml

Ingredients: { Makes around 20 medium sized ladoos }

1 Cup Hurikadle / roasted Bengal gram (whole or halved), peeled

1 Cup peeled Peanuts/ Groundnuts

1/2 Cup roasted white Til or sesame seeds

1 Cup Jaggery powder

9 spoons (Tbsp) of melted Ghee

Seeds of two Cardamom pods

Step by step recipe:

Dry roast hurikadle on low flame till it changes colour slightly and gives out an aroma.. Remove from flame and allow it to cool.. You can use both whole or halved hurikadle..

2. Now in the same pan, dry roast peanuts on low flame till it turns slightly brown.. Remove from flame and allow to cool down.. I had peeled Peanuts with me.. If you have whole unpeeled ones, roast and then remove peels..

3. Now add both roasted hurikadle and peanuts in a mixer jar and make powder of it. If it is slightly coarse, it’s fine..

4. Now add roasted til or sesame seeds and jaggery along with Cardamom seeds.

5. Make fine powder and add to a vessel.

6. Now add ghee as required so that you can form ladoos from the mixture.. It took me 9 spoons of ghee.. You can add more too if needed..

10. Taking small portions of the mixture in your palm, make ladoos as shown.. Done 🙂

Notes:

Store in an air tight container, free from moisture.
Lasts well for a week atleast. Mine gets finished off by then.. 😀
If you have halved hurikadle, it’s even quicker to blend in mixer as compared to whole ones is what I noticed.
Since I had peeled halved peanuts, I used those and my job was easier. If you have whole peanuts, dry roast, peel and then use..
I had roasted white sesame seeds, so I did not roast it again. If you have plain sesame seeds, make sure to roast it lightly before using.
These ladoos are rightly sweet and not over sweet. If you are a sweet lover, add around 2 spoons more of jaggery powder if you feel like. Taste the mixture and decide accordingly.
If you are unable to bind the ladoos, add more ghee..

For more easy sweet recipes, here is my Easy 15 mins healthy sweet recipes Compilation for you to check..

Desserts, Millet recipes

Jowar flour Halwa | Jowar jaggery sheera | Gluten free sweet

February 6, 2025 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 2 Comments

The sweet lover in me, the Meetha in Mitha 😅 always finds ways to add sweets in her life and when life (rather grand mall) gave me two kgs of Jowar flour on offer, I made Meetha out of it too.. 😂😂

Jowar flour and Ragi flour are my favorite in millet flours and I regularly make Dosa, idli, ladoos and cake with it. Halwa or Sheera as we call in Konkani tastes only good with Rava was my assumption.. until I substituted it with Jowar flour one day and this delicious Jowar Sheera was born.. 😍

Can you believe I am no longer making my childhood favorite Rava sheera as am completely smitten by this Jowar flour sheera instead.. It tastes divine and like temple prasad .. A must try for sure.. ❤️

Dedicating this to sweet lovers like me with loads of love ❤️

Happy and healthy cooking!

RECIPE:

Ingredients: {Serves about 4 people}

1 Cup = 240 ml

1 Cup Jowar flour

3/4 Cup Jaggery powder

2 Cups Water

3 Tbsp Ghee

3 Tbsp Cashews

3 Tbsp Raisins

1/2 tsp Cardamom powder

Step by step recipe:

Heat 1 Tbsp Ghee in a heavy bottomed pan and fry cashews and raisins in it till cashews turn golden brown.

2. Now remove the cashews and raisins in a plate. In the same pan add 2 Tbsp more Ghee and add jowar flour. Start roasting it on a medium flame.

3. Roast continually till the colour changes to a darker shade and an aroma starts to come. Usually takes about 8 to 10 mins.

4. Now boil 2 cups water with 3/4 Cup jaggery powder in it. When the water boils, Jaggery will melt. Add this hot jaggery water to this roasted jowar flour, little by little, mixing well with spatula.

5. Keep mixing well with spatula, removing lumps if any by pressing it using the spatula. It will take another 8 to 10 mins of mixing well using the spatula till the jowar flour absorbs all the water and the mixture starts leaving the sides of the pan.

6. In this stage, add the roasted cashews and raisins and cardamom powder. Mix well.

7. Done! Serve it warm with love ❤️

Notes:

** The measurement is of perfect ratio ie 1 Cup Jowar flour to 3/4 Cup Jaggery to 2 Cups water. Don’t alter it or the consistency and taste of halwa will not come well.

** One thing to be taken care while making this halwa is when you add the hot jaggery water to the roasted jowar flour. Add little by little, mixing well to avoid lumps. Even if lumps get formed, don’t worry, just press it while mixing using spatula, the lumps will go while doing so.

** Sharing few dishes that I make regularly using Jowar flour:

** More recipes with Millets :

Millet Recipes

Desserts

Aval Payasam | Phova godshe | easy sweet with poha

April 17, 2024 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 2 Comments

Today is Shree Rama Navami which is one of the most important festivals for us. We Konkanis make many dishes today dedicated to Shree Rama which I have already shared in my Rama Navami recipe collection page. I also made Paanak and moong dal kosambari to celebrate this occasion.

Along with that, like always, I had to make a sweet too. Usually it would be jaggery Poha or godu phovu as we call it. But today I decided to make something different yet very tasty Aval Payasam. It’s easy and hardly take 15 mins to make but is delicious. Today as I made it on a special day, it was extra tasty due to Shree Rama’s divine grace. 🙏

I sat quickly to write the recipe as well so that it’s helpful for those of you who are looking for easy sweet recipes. Hope you all try and like it too. Wishing you all a very blessed Shree Rama Navami. Jai Shree Ram 🙏

RECIPE:

Ingredients: { Serves 3 to 4 people }

1 Cup = 240 ml

1/2 Cup thick Poha/ flattened rice/ Aval

2 Tbsp Ghee

Handful of Cashews and raisins

1 Cup thin Coconut milk (1/2 Cup thick coconut milk + 1/2 Cup water)

1 Cup thick Coconut milk ( I used canned)

1 Cup Jaggery powder

2 tsp Cardamom powder

Step by step recipe:

1. Heat ghee in a thick bottomed pan. Add cashews and raisins. Roast till it turns slightly brown in colour.

2. Now add 1/2 Cup thick Poha. Roast for couple of minutes till it turns crisp.

3. Add 1 Cup thin Coconut milk. I had used canned coconut milk. I took 1/2 Cup of thick Coconut milk and added 1/2 Cup of water to make 1 Cup thin Coconut milk. Allow it to boil for about 5 mins.

4. Add thick coconut milk and jaggery, 1 Cup each together. Allow it to boil for about 5 to 8 mins till the Poha turns soft. Adjust the consistency of the Payasam if needed.

5. When the Payasam turns thick, add cardamom powder. Mix well. Done! Enjoy hot Payasam.

Notes:

* Use thick Poha and not thin as thin Poha will not give the desired texture of the Payasam.

* I have used canned coconut milk. You can use fresh one by grinding fresh coconut and sieving to extract the milk.

* You can increase the coconut milk depending on the Poha, if it absorbs and becomes thick.

* Do check my other recipe collections:

Ram Navami recipes compilation

Ready in 15 min easy sweets collection

Desserts

Carrot Jaggery Halwa | Gajar ka halwa with jaggery

February 6, 2024 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 1 Comment

My first blog this year and so glad I am starting on a sweet note ❤️ I have a special relation with sweets, my name Mitha meaning sweet in Hindi, my best friends call me Ladoo and most of all, I can’t resist any kind of sweets. 😍 Be it our authentic Konkani godshe, payasams from Kerala, kesari from Tamil Nadu, Mysore pak, gulab jamun and all milk based sweets too.. I can just go on and on.. 😀 Being in Qatar since more than 12 years now, Arabic sweets have a special place in my heart ( and tummy 😅) too ❤️

Since I am such an ardent fan of sweets, I have learned to make many at home over the years. Have shared most of the recipes here on the blog. One sweet dish that I make regularly specially during winters is this Carrot halwa or lovingly called as Gajar ka halwa 😍 I rarely eat this dessert from outside and I truly love the way I make my halwa ❤️

So here’s sharing this easy yet finger licking delicious recipe with all of you so that you can try at home too. Dedicating this to all sweet lovers like me ❤️ Happy and healthy cooking ❤️

RECIPE:

Ingredients: { Makes about 4 half cup servings }

1 Cup = 240 ml

2 Cups Grated Carrot

1/2 Cup Milk

3/4 Cup Jaggery powder

3 Tbsp Ghee

About 5 to 7 Cashews

About 8 to 10 raisins

1/4 tsp Cardamom powder

Step by step recipe:

1. Take carrots, cut off the ends, wash and peel them. Grate using a grater. I took two large carrots and it gave me 2 Cups of carrot gratings. Keep it aside.

2. Heat a thick bottomed pan. Add 1 Tbsp Ghee and add chopped cashews and raisins. Fry on medium flame till cashews turn light brown and raisins plump up. Remove it onto a plate.

3. Now heat the rest of the ghee (adding around 2 Tbsp more). Add the grated Carrots and fry continually for 5 to 7 minutes till the rawness of carrots goes away.

4. Add milk and cook the carrots in milk for about 10 mins till the milk gets absorbed by the carrots. Keep the flame on medium to low always, mixing every couple of minutes.

5. When the milk gets absorbed well by the carrots, it looks like this.

6. Now add jaggery powder to this.

7. Mix well and let the carrots absorb the jaggery. Cook on medium flame till the mixture turns thick.

8. After about 10 mins, the mixture looks like this. It’s perfect halwa and you can remove the pan from the flame now.

9. Add the halwa to the fried cashews and raisins. Also add cardamom powder. Mix well. Halwa is ready.

10. Serve warm halwa. Tastes delicious in this cold weather ❤️

Notes:

* I have used orange carrots as they are easily available here but you can also use the red carrots which are regularly used to make carrot halwa.

* Three most important points while making this halwa is:

1. Fry the carrots well in ghee till the rawness of the carrots goes away. This is a very important step else the carrots will have a raw flavour.

2. Secondly make sure the milk is absorbed fully by the carrots before adding jaggery. Else the jaggery can curdle the milk (depending on the brand). Also the flame should be from medium to low while the carrots are cooked in milk, else milk can stick to the bottom of the pan..

3. Thirdly, when jaggery is added, the mixture will become liquidy but keep cooking on medium flame till the mixture thickens and the jaggery is well absorbed by the carrots.

* Don’t skip cardamom powder. Gives a wonderful flavour to the carrot halwa.

* I also make refined sugar free Dates Carrot Halwa. You can try that too if you don’t want to use jaggery as well.

* Another unique sweet that I make with Carrots are Dates Carrot Puranpoli or Ubbatti. Tastes really delicious.

* I usually make sweets which takes 15 mins or less time to make. Have compiled all the recipes together in a page. You can check that :

Easy to make, 15 min sweets collection

Desserts, Millet recipes

Easy Jowar flour Ladoos with Jaggery |Sorghum millet ladoos | Gluten free

November 9, 2023 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 3 Comments

Please click on the picture to save the recipe on Pinterest

I always make few sweets for Deepavali as we have our friends come over to wish us and they bring homemade goodies with them. It feels so happy to share our sweets and joy during festivals, specially during Deepavali where our houses are lit with lamps and lights.

Today is the last weekday here being Thursday and the next two days, my kids are at home. When they are home, my whole day gets busy cooking, with their studies and listening to them (Amma life 😀). So I decided to make the ladoos this afternoon, when the house was silent 😁 and took step by step pictures to share it with all of you. I was amazed to see how many of you liked the Instant Jowar flour Dosa recipe even though it was very simple. Hence I felt this simple recipe will be very useful to you too, during this festive season.

Jowar flour is a very tasty flour and is healthy too. I am trying to include it more in our diet and I am glad that my kids love it too. Hope you all try and love it as well. Happy and healthy cooking ❤️ Wishing all of you a very happy Deepavali. May this festival of lights bring loads of love and happiness in your lives. 🪔

RECIPE:

1 Cup = 240 ml

Ingredients: { Makes around 20 medium sized ladoos }

2 Cups Jowar flour / Sorghum millet flour

1 and 1/2 Cups Jaggery powder

1/4 Cup Ghee (plus 1/2 Tbsp to fry raisins and cashews)

10 to 12 Cashews

10 to 12 small golden raisins

Step by step recipe:

1. Heat 1/2 (half) Tbsp ghee in a pan and add finely chopped cashews and small raisins. Fry on low flame till raisins swell up and cashew bits turn golden. Remove in a bowl.

2. Now heat 1/4 Cup Ghee and add 2 Cups Jowar flour to it. Make sure the flame is medium to low, else the flour can burn. Saute the flour for about 5 to 8 mins till a nice aroma starts coming. Break the lumps using spatula while sauteing.

3. Once the aroma starts coming, saute for few more minutes (about 2 to 3 mins) till the mixture looks like in the below picture. That is when you press using spatula, it should hold shape.

4. Remove from flame and when it’s still warm, add jaggery powder and the fried cashews/raisins.

5. Now mix well till the jaggery powder blends with the jowar flour into a uniform mixture.

6. Start forming ladoos using your hands by taking a small size mixture in your palm as shown.

7. Open and close your fingers while shaping the ladoos in your palm. It is actually very easy to shape these ladoos and they hold shape quickly but if you find it difficult, you can add a little more ghee to shape the ladoos.

8. Repeat the same with all the mixture and the ladoos are ready to be enjoyed ❤️

Notes:

* Store it in a moisture free container. I usually store in a steel box.

* The ratio of ghee to jowar flour to jaggery works perfect for me. You can reduce jaggery powder if needed but I feel this much sweetness is necessary for these ladoos.

* You can skip cashews and raisins if you don’t like it or add more chopped nuts if you like.

* Important step is sauteing of the flour. Make sure the flame is medium to low and saute till the flour turns aromatic and starts holding shape. Don’t keep on high flame as it may burn the flour.

* If you find it difficult to bind the ladoos, you can add more ghee into the mixture or grease your hands with ghee. I do not do both as it was quite easy to bind the ladoos.

* You can also check the other ladoos I make:

* Wheat flour Jaggery Ladoos ( Churmundo)

* Ragi Jaggery ladoos

* Dry fruit Coconut ladoos

* Peanut Jaggery Ladoos

* Mango Coconut Ladoos

* Coconut Badam Ladoos

* I have compiled some of my easiest sweet recipes. They are all sweets that can be made within 15 mins. Hope it will be helpful for you.

Easy Sweets Collection

* Other dishes with Jowar flour that I make regularly:

* Jowar flour Idli

* Jowar flour Dosa

* Instant Jowar flour Dosa

* Jowar Vegetable Bhakri

Breakfast time, Desserts, Millet recipes, Snacks

Ragi Ela Ada | Steamed Finger Millet snack | Vegan, Gluten free and Oil free

May 8, 2023 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 3 Comments

Click on the image to save the recipe on Pinterest

Kids’ schools have started after Eid holidays and days have started flying again. Waking up early, preparing their snack boxes, sending them to school, morning walk, cleaning the house, relaxing till they come back and after that hearing about their day at school, teaching them, walking again in the evening while they play outside, finally preparing for their next day at school and putting them to sleep.

Days are super busy but I would not want it any other way. I have realized being busy is actually great than sitting idle and overthinking. So it’s a blessing in disguise for me. ❤️

In midst of this, is cooking which I love and which brings me happiness. I listen to bhajans and songs while cooking which makes it so peaceful. Music is truly therapeutic. ❤️

Apart from breakfast, lunch and dinner, there is one meal of the day which is most difficult for me – Snack time. Finding a quick, healthy and tasty snack which the kids also love is very hard. So when I tried this Ragi ada inspired by my Kochi memories of the regular ada and it came out so well that we all loved it, I knew I had to share it with all of you too. ❤️

I don’t know why some people think Ragi is bitter. Ragi is such a tasty millet and I use it regularly in my cooking. It is tasty and very healthy too. Have shared all the recipes that I make using Ragi in the notes section towards the end. Do try and I think if you follow the recipe well, adapt it in your cooking, in few days, you will love Ragi too, just like we do. ❤️

Happy and healthy cooking ❤️

RECIPE:

Ingredients: { to make about 5 adas }

1 Cup = 240 ml

Banana leaves to make the ada

To make outer covering:

1 Cup Ragi flour ( finger millet powder)

Salt to taste

Approx 1 Cup hot water

To make inner filling:

3/4 Cup Jaggery

3/4 Cup freshly grated Coconut

1/4 tsp Cardamom powder

Step by step recipe:

1. Dry roast Ragi flour ( do NOT add oil while roasting) on medium flame till you get an aroma of the flour and it changes colour to a darker tone.

Note: Even if you have roasted ragi flour with you, dry roast for few minutes as it enhances the flavour a lot.

2. Transfer it to a bowl. Add salt.

3. Now add hot water, little by little. Mix as you add water.

4. As you add hot water, little by little, after mixing, the dough will look like this. Do NOT add water after this.

5. Now the dough will be warm. Using hands, mix together to form a smooth and soft dough.

6. Now make the inner filling. Take coconut and jaggery in a pan. Heat it together on medium flame till the jaggery melts and coconut will stick to jaggery. Remove from flame. Add Cardamom powder. Mix well.

7. Now cut the banana leaf into rectangle pieces as shown. Clean it with water and wipe it dry.

Also divide the ragi dough into equal sized balls. If you have taken 1 Cup (240 ml) of Ragi flour, you will get 5 balls.

8. Take a ball of ragi dough and spread it using slightly wet fingers as thin as possible.

9. Take a spoonful of the filling and place it on one half side. Spread it on the half side using spoon as shown in the image below.

10. Fold the banana leaf while closing both the halves as shown.

11. Seal the edges of the dough using fingers so that the filling does not come out.

12. Repeat the same with the rest of the dough balls. Place it on a idli steamer.

13. Steam for 20 to 25 mins on high flame till the ada cooks thoroughly. Remove from flame. Allow it to cool for 5 mins.

14. Now peel off the banana leaf, discard it and enjoy the warm Ragi ela adas. 😍

Just look at the inside of the ada. Sweet, juicy and so delicious 😍

Notes:

* As you can see from the above picture, the ada is of the right thickness and also steamed fully. This is due to spreading the dough thin over the banana leaf and also steaming for atleast 20 mins.

* Even if you have roasted ragi flour with you, dry roast for few minutes to get perfect aromatic ragi adas.

* Do use only hot water while preparing the dough. It took me around 1 Cup hot water for 1 Cup Ragi flour. Add only 1/4 Cup at a time and mix well till you get the dough as in step number 4. Then mix using hands to form a smooth dough.

* Don’t add a lot of water while making dough. It will be difficult to spread if dough is too soft.

* For 1 Cup Ragi flour, 3/4 Cup coconut and 3/4 Cup jaggery made the right filling for me. If you add a lot of filling, it will be difficult to seal the edges. So add only a spoonful to cover half of the ada.

* I have not made this without banana leaves. So can’t say the alternative to it. Spreading the dough on the leaf is easy and the ada turns aromatic too. So try to get the leaves if you can.

* These adas are best eaten soon after they are steamed but tastes yummy even after few hours too. So you can carry it in tiffin box and during travel too.

* A similar recipe with coconut jaggery filling is this Kerala style Nendrapazham nirachathu or stuffed Nendran Bananas..

Nendrapazham nirachathu

* I make many dishes using Ragi flour. You can check the recipes here:

Instant Ragi Rava dosa

Ragi Set Dosas

Instant Ragi Idlis

Ragi Urad Idlis

Ragi Malpuas/ Ragi Pancakes

Ragi Jaggery Ladoos

Ragi Butter cookies

Eggless Ragi Chocolate Cake

Desserts

Coconut Badam Ladoo | Easy Vegan ladoo recipe | Coconut Jaggery Ladoo

October 20, 2022 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 2 Comments

In three days, it’s Deepavali and we will all soon be busy decorating our houses, lighting lamps, making sweets and savouries, enjoying this festive time with our families. Even though Deepavali is not the same here in Qatar, being far away from our dear ones, I still make sure kids don’t miss out on the essence of the festival by telling them the story of Ramayana, lighting lamps, wearing new clothes and making sweets to celebrate the festival. ❤️

Today morning I made these Coconut Badam ladoos which are the kids’ favorite as they love coconut based sweets a lot. They have holidays for the next four days and I will be busy with them, listening to their chatter. 😍 So I decided to share this recipe today itself to wish all of you a very Happy Deepavali. ❤️

Hope this beautiful festival of lights bring peace and happiness into your lives. Happy Deepavali to you and your family. Jai Shri Ram. 🙏

Do try these easy ladoos if you find time and you are sure to relish it. Happy and healthy cooking ❤️

RECIPE:

Ingredients: { Makes about 12 small ladoos }

1 Cup = 240 ml

2 Cups Desiccated Coconut (or freshly grated coconut)

About 15 Almonds/ Badam

1/4 Cup Water (to make Almond paste)

3/4 Cup Jaggery powder (or grated jaggery)

1/4 tsp Cardamom powder, for flavour

Step by step recipe:

1. Soak Almonds one night before making the ladoos. Just immerse in little water for about 8 hours.

2. Drain the water and peel the almonds. The peels come off easily as they have been soaked well.

3. Add to a mixer along with 1/4 Cup water and grind to a fine paste.

4. In a thick bottomed pan add coconut gratings or desiccated coconut, jaggery powder or grated jaggery and the almond paste. Don’t keep it on flame yet.

5. Now mix well using a spatula.

6. Now keep the pan on medium flame and start mixing using the spatula. Jaggery will melt and the mixture will start becoming soft and blend well. Keep mixing for about 8 to 10 mins. Add cardamom powder.

7. Mix once and remove the mixture into a bowl.

8. When the mixture is warm, start making ladoos using your hands. It is very easy to make when the mixture is warm and moist. Take a small portion and open close your right hand till the mixture binds well to form a round shaped ball.

9. Make ladoos with all of the mixture. You can also decorate the ladoos with fine sliced Almonds. Done ❤️

Notes:

* I have used desiccated coconut to make these ladoos. You can use freshly grated coconut too.

* Soaking Almonds overnight makes it easier to peel and also increases the nutrition of the Almonds.

* Once you mix coconut, jaggery and almond paste before keeping on the flame, it might seem dry but when you heat it, the jaggery will melt and help combine the mixture well.

* Heat it on medium flame though, else jaggery will burn if heated on high flame.

* When the mixture is warm and moist itself, make ladoos as it is easy that time.

* Store in a dry container for a day or two and then if leftover, you can refrigerate.

* Jaggery can be substituted with sugar too in case your family does not like jaggery flavour.

* Almonds can be substituted with Cashews too.

* I make Coconut Burfis with Cashews and sugar which I learnt many years back from Konkani Saraswat Cookbook by Asha Satish Philar mai. Here is the recipe – Coconut Burfis.

* Other Ladoos with Coconut that I make –

Microwave Mango Coconut Ladoos

Mango Coconut Ladoos

Dry fruit Coconut Ladoos

* All my easy sweet recipes that can be made within 15 mins – Easy sweet recipes Compilation

Desserts, Konkani Recipes

Madgane | Konkani traditional Chana dal sweet/ payasa/kheer

October 4, 2022 Healthy Cooking with Mitha Leave a comment

Though I am not an expert at making traditional Konkani dishes, if there is one Konkani sweet dish I can make really well, it is Madgane. Madgane is made on Ugadi day which is new year for us, as per Hindu calendar. When I made it for Ugadi few months back, I realized I had not shared this delicious recipe on the blog.

That’s when I decided to make it again during Navaratri which is yet another important festival for us and share with all of you. Today is a final day of Navaratri, tomorrow being Vijayadashami or Dussehra. 🙏

If there is something I miss the most living in Qatar, it is going to temples specially during festivals. My dad has been going to all Devi temples across Udupi and sends me pictures of beautifully adorned Devis. 🙏 Feels so happy for him. ❤️ It is a great blessing from the divine which we don’t realize the value untill we are away from it.

Wishing all of you a blessed Navaratri and Vijayadashami. 🙏

Hope you all try Madgane and relish it like we do. Happy and healthy cooking! ❤️

RECIPE:

Ingredients: ( makes about 6 bowls/ servings)

1/2 Cup Chana dal

1 3/4 Cups Coconut milk ( about 400 ml)

1 Cup Jaggery powder

2 Tbsp Rice flour

1 Tbsp Ghee

About 10 Cashews and few raisins

1/2 tsp Cardamom powder

Step by step recipe:

1. Roast Chana dal on medium to low flame till it starts letting out an aroma and starts browning.

2. Immediately remove from flame and wash well. Add fresh water, a little above the level of Chana dal, as shown in the picture.

3. Pressure cook till soft but not mushy. Chana dal should retain shape. I cook on high till 2 whistles, then keep on medium flame for 10 mins in my electric stovetop.

4. Now add cooked Chana dal, coconut milk and Jaggery in a thick bottomed pan.

5. Mix well and bring to a boil. Cook for 5 mins on high flame.

6. Take 2 Tbsp Rice flour and mix with 2 to 3 Tbsp water to form a paste free form lumps.

7. Add it to the Chana dal payasa while stirring continually so that it does not form lumps. Cook for 5 to 10 mins on medium flame till the mixture becomes thick. Remove from flame.

8. In another pan, take ghee, add cashews and raisins. Fry till raisins plump up. Add to the payasa. Also add Cardamom powder. Mix well.

9. Serve warm.

Click on the image to save the recipe on

Notes:

* I have used tinned coconut milk from Lulu hypermarket. If you are making fresh coconut milk, then take about 2 Cups of coconut gratings, grind it with little water to a fine paste in a mixer. Sieve it once to get thick coconut milk. Grind again with water, sieve to get thin coconut milk. Add thin coconut milk along with jaggery in step 4 and thick coconut milk along with rice flour paste.

* Be careful while roasting Chana dal as it burns very quickly. Roast on medium flame and remove as soon as it starts turning brown. Roasting is an important step as it gives a wonderful flavour to the payasa.

* While pressure cooking Chana dal, ensure that it retains shape and is not mushy. In Madgane, the bite of chana dal is important.

* Don’t add a lot of water while pressure cooking and even after that as that payasa will become watery.

* 1/2 Cup Chana dal to 1 Cup Jaggery works perfectly for me. You can vary as per your taste.

* Rice flour paste is added to give thickness to the Madgane. Don’t skip it as it enhances the texture so much.

* Traditionally, fresh Cashew or Bibbo is added to Madgane. I don’t get it, so I add regular Cashews roasting only slightly along with raisins.

* Don’t forget Cardamom powder as it gives a wonderful aroma to Madgane.

* Leftover Madgane can be refrigerated and had next day.

Desserts, Snacks

Nendrapazham Nirachathu | Stuffed Nendran Banana

October 1, 2022 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 3 Comments

It’s a special weekend day today as my daughter Ashritha’s half yearly exams are finally over and it really feels like my exams are over too. 😅 Teaching her for her second standard exams was not less than my engineering semester exams for me. 😁

Planning her lessons, teaching her, preparing notes, asking her questions while I do my work, then finally heaving a sigh of relief when she says the exams were easy… All of these were my last two weeks in short. 😄 So since yesterday, I have been making her favorite dishes to celebrate “freedom from exams” and today was the day to give freedom to these fast ripening Nendran Bananas too. 😍

Nendran Bananas are her favorite and apart from slicing round, frying in ghee, I also make this Nendran Banana Halwa when the bananas turn overripe. I also learned to make this Nendrapazham nirachathu last month which she loved a lot. So I decided to make it today with these bananas and took some pictures to add on the blog too.

This is very easy to make and tastes so delicious for words, specially if you love Nendran Bananas. Hope you all try it too. Happy and healthy cooking! ❤️

RECIPE:

Ingredients: { For two stuffed bananas }

Two Ripe Nendran Bananas (should not be very soft or over ripe)

4 Tbsp Freshly grated Coconut

2 to 3 Tbsp Jaggery powder

1 tsp Ghee + 1 Tbsp Ghee

1/2 tsp Cardamom powder

Step by step recipe:

1. Heat 1 tsp Ghee in a small pan and add freshly grated coconut and jaggery powder.

2. On medium to low flame, fry the coconut- jaggery well in ghee for a minute.

3. Remove from flame. Add Cardamom powder. Mix well.

4. Take the ripe Nendran Bananas. If they are very soft, we can’t use it as it will break when we fill and fry it. Just see that they are ripe yet firm.

5. Peel the bananas. Make a small slit with knife in the center leaving the ends as shown. Don’t make a very deep cut too. Just slit until 3/4th depth of the banana.

6. Now stuff the bananas with the coconut jaggery mixture using hands. Divide the mixture between the two bananas.

7. Now heat 1 Tbsp Ghee in a pan and roast all three sides of the bananas till they turn slight brown. Do it on medium to low flame, else they can burn.

8. Done. Slice into three to four pieces and serve. Enjoy! ❤️

Notes:

* If you have very soft or over ripe bananas, you can make this Quick Nendran Banana Halwa that I make regularly.

* This recipe requires the bananas to be ripe yet firm to hold.

* While frying the bananas, be careful while turning and see that you do so on medium to low flame, else the stuffing can burn as it has jaggery in it.

Desserts

Mango Coconut Ladoos | Healthy version without condensed milk

June 13, 2021 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 3 Comments

Don’t the ladoos look pretty? I loved how this picture came out. 😍 Even though I have been making these ladoos since some time now, the cashew bits idea came while presenting them for the blog and they looked so cute that I felt so happy. ❤️

I have a Microwave Mango Coconut ladoos recipe on the blog which many of my readers have tried but the recipe is with condensed milk which they wanted to avoid and I got requests for alternatives. So, I started experimenting and substituted condensed milk with cashew paste. And it worked very well. 😍

The ladoos come out very soft yet melt in the mouth delicious. I still remember the first time that I made it, I shared it with my neighbor Trinita and she showered me with so many wonderful words saying it tasted really delicious. Happiness is sharing, everything tastes much more yummier once you have shared it with your loved ones! ❤️

**Wish I could share with all of you too** 😍

Similar is with my daughter. She can’t colour alone and needs me (only me, mind you! Mr daddy is invisible to her 😅😁) to colour along with her. I guess sharing the colouring page and pencils make it much more pleasurable an activity. So, we both colour together listening to our favorite songs. Her current favorite is “Mere Sohneya” from Kabir Singh movie. Listening with her, I too love the song now (super cute music and lyrics ❤️) which is coming very close to “Tujhe kitna chahne lage” which has been my most favorite from the movie. How kids change our song choices too! 😍

On the note, sharing this sweet recipe made from my favorite Mango. Hope you all try and love it. Happy and healthy cooking! ❤️

RECIPE:

Ingredients: { About 15 small ladoos }

2 Cups Freshly grated/ Desiccated Coconut

1 Cup thick Mango Pulp (fresh/canned)

1/2 Cup Cashews

1/4 Cup Milk

1/4 Cup Jaggery powder

1 Tbsp Ghee

1/4 tsp Cardamom powder

Step by step recipe:

1. Grind 1/2 Cup Cashews with 1/4 Cup Milk to a smooth paste.

2. In a pan, add 2 Cups desiccated Coconut, 1 Cup Mango pulp, 1/4 Cup Jaggery powder along with cashew paste.

3. Now mix everything well into an even mixture.

4. Keep this pan on medium flame and cook till moisture evaporates and the mixture turns dry. Takes about 10 mins depending on the moisture content of the mango pulp. Now add ghee.

5. Remove from pan and allow to cool. Add cardamom powder and mix well.

6. When it cools, using your palms form ladoos. It will be very soft and you can make ladoos easily. If the mixture sticks to the palm, apply ghee on your palms while making ladoos.

7. Repeat the same with the rest of the ladoos. Garnish with bits of cashews for it to look pretty. 😍

Notes:

* If using freshly grated Coconut, dry roast in a pan first to remove the moisture and then mix in mango pulp, jaggery and cashew paste like in step 2. Do not brown the coconut though. Just light toasting will do.

* You can use both fresh or store bought mango pulp during off season. If using fresh pulp, do not grind using water. Just slice mangoes and grind the mixer without water for a thick pulp.

* During off season, I use Mother’s recipe brand of Alphonso mango pulp. It works really well for this recipe.

* You can skip jaggery if the mangoes are very sweet. You can taste the mixture slightly and then add jaggery only if needed.

* You can use grated Jaggery in place of jaggery powder as anyhow it will melt when we cook it.

* For a Vegan version, you can skip milk and grind cashews with equal amount of water. Also you can skip ghee and use any neutral flavoured oil while greasing your palms while forming ladoos.

* Cook the mixture really well such that the moisture evaporates. Else it will be difficult to form ladoos is the mixture is sticky. But don’t cook a lot that mangoes lose flavour. It took me about 10 mins on medium flame in my cooktop.

* These ladoos are not like regular ladoos and very soft but tastes delicious.

* If you have difficulty forming ladoos even after applying ghee on your palms, then refrigerate the mixture for an hour or so. You can form ladoos easily after that.

* After a day, refrigerate the ladoos in a moisture free container.

* You can also check out these recipes:

# Microwave Mango Coconut ladoos

# Coconut Burfis

# Dry fruit Coconut Ladoos

# All Mango recipes list

# Easy, healthy sweet recipes ready in 15 mins compilation