There are so many stories attached to this one. Here's one that comes to mind..When mom was a very little girl (Maybe 10-12 years), she made a small quantity of this exactly as per the recipe...the right proportions, and the right order and everything. Everyone in the house was extremely impressed..wow..little Beena made Sheero? They all loved it. The next time, when Baa was away, mom decided to make it again. This time, she wanted to make a lot of it, so everyone can have enough..just that .. she thought Baa was being too picky (Why is it that three generations later, this sentiment hasn't changed much?). She thought this whole process of heating up ghee, waiting for it to melt, roasting the atta, waiting for it to brown, adding the milk, waiting for it to be soaked up, adding the sugars and waiting for them to be reduced...was all too cumbersome...so she did the smart thing...She just put everything together in a big pot - ghee, flour, milk, sugar, gud - a good quantity of it..and started stirring everything together...for a while...You really don't want to know what happened...!!
Fast forward some 50 years...her daughter, that is, me was faced with making this dish in a large quantity. Actually, I'de been married only for a few days, and the tradition at my in-law's place is that the new bride doesn't enter the kitchen until a special ceremony is performed. And as part of that ceremony, she makes something sweet for the whole family. My mom-in-law asked me what I wanted to make, and I picked this. It's called Atte-jo-Seero in Sindhi. Just that my in-laws sometimes make it with oil, and water, and sugar (no Gud). I wasn't very comfortable with that version, but my mom-in-law said "Just tell me what you need and I'll prepare everything for you". She got everything out, and then left the kitchen, so I could cook without any pressure. Yeah, right..No pressure! Well..thankfully, I had made this several times..and so it turned out really well..and it's all we had for the meal that day (except, my mom-in-law also asked me to roast some papads to go with it(incidentally,in the old days, a new bride was asked to roast papads to check if she knows how to cook). Like all other wedding ceremonies, this one also ended with me being loaded with cash, including my hubby!!
So, here's the actual recipe. If someone know the exact measures, pls post them in the comments..
Heat up a good amount of ghee in a pan. Let it melt. Now add regular roti atta (as much as to make a thick paste). Keep roasting till it turns a nice golden brown and gives out wonderful aroma. Add milk to this and continue stirring (so as not to form lumps) till you get a soft mass. Now, with a spoon, get this soft mass to occupy only half of your pan, so that the remaining half can be used to measure the sugars. Fill half of the empty half with white sugar, and the remaining half of the empty half with chopped Gud. Mix everything well. Once Sheera consistency is reached, remove from fire and add cardamom, nutmeg and nuts. Serve warm.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Magas - Pallika
I don't have proportions for this. I make it twice a year for L.'s fasts. Of course, I also have the memories of getting a "bau ni goli" from Baa when I was a young girl. I think this was a standard sweet for her Seva.
Heat good amount of Ghee (I usually use about half a cup or so). Add Besan till you get a wet mixture. Keep roasting on a slow to medium heat till it turns a nice golden color, and your home is filled with Roasting besan aroma (Remember, you might not smell it in the kitchen yourself, but people in other rooms can). At this point, take it off the heat, and add ground sugar (in the US, just use regular Sugar). Roughly the same volume as the roasted flour. Mix well so the sugar melts. Add ground cardamom, grated nutmeg, and chopped nuts (optional). Transfer to a greased plate or a small casserole dish, and let cool for about half an hour to an hour. Make small indentations with a knife, and let cool completely. Now make the pieces and store in a cool, dry place.
Heat good amount of Ghee (I usually use about half a cup or so). Add Besan till you get a wet mixture. Keep roasting on a slow to medium heat till it turns a nice golden color, and your home is filled with Roasting besan aroma (Remember, you might not smell it in the kitchen yourself, but people in other rooms can). At this point, take it off the heat, and add ground sugar (in the US, just use regular Sugar). Roughly the same volume as the roasted flour. Mix well so the sugar melts. Add ground cardamom, grated nutmeg, and chopped nuts (optional). Transfer to a greased plate or a small casserole dish, and let cool for about half an hour to an hour. Make small indentations with a knife, and let cool completely. Now make the pieces and store in a cool, dry place.
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Mag Ni dal no sheero - Rakshaben
Generally u have to use mung dal(Soaked for 5-6 hrs & made in to paste), but in that sheera lot of ghee is required so for our use I generally use Mungdal crushed in to powder not very fine powder it should be kakra( to make powder micro the whole mung dal for 2 mins. than after it cools down than crush it but don't make it very kakra also) Take 1 vati powder , 4-5 spoon of ghee mix it properly keep in micro for 2-3 min, mix it again & micro it for another 3-4 minutes. You should mix it in between to avoid darkning from middle. You should micro it till it becomes light brown in colour, add 21/2 vati of warm milk to it, again micro it till all the milk gets absorbed.add 1 vati of sugar , if u want to use mawa add 1 vati of mawa in that case u have to add 1/2 vati sugar more. Micro it till u get the consistancy. Now u can add elaichee, kesar, badam, pista whatever u wish to add. This method is with less of ghee as well as take less time to cook.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Churma na Ladoo - Pallika
This is one of my most favorite recipes..ever..It is a little bit of work..but it's worth it. I remember my mom packing a big container whenever we went on a trip..where she wasn't sure about finding decent food for me. All I needed was a couple of these ladoo's and milk, and I was good. The proportions are not exact, but I'll try to describe them as best as I can.
Take Ladoo no Lot (Coarse Wheat flour) in a bowl. Add enough ghee to make "Muthi padtu mon" (This means that as you rub the ghee in the flour, try to hold it in your fist. If the flour holds it's shape somewhat, that's enough ghee). Now add enough Milk to make a very soft dough, cover, and leave aside (The coarse wheat flour will absorb a lot of milk, so make sure there's extra). After the dough has rested for half an hour or so, knead it gently, and make fist-sized muthias. Make sure they are flat, with indentations made with your fingers. This will ensure even cooking. In a kadai, heat ghee and start frying the muthias on a low-medium flame. You can overlap the muthias slightly on top of each other. This would steam them and make sure they get cooked. We really want to make sure they are not raw in the middle, but not completely crisp either. Once you get a nice golden brown color, drain from the ghee and immidiately break into small pieces. Let cool slightly, and before it cools completely, run it through a blender or a food processor. Now, take a big Parat (Kathrot, or a big thaali), and sieve the ground muthia, or "churmu" through a very coarse sieve (Usually a stainless steel one with big holes works the best). Repeat with other batches of the muthias till all the churmu is ready. Now, drain out the ghee from the kadai, and dry roast sesame seeds (as per taste). Transfer the toasted sesame seeds to the Big Plate with the churmu. You may also add khus khus, and grated dry coconut, in a similar way. Grind some ilaichi seeds into powder and add to the churmu. Add freshly grated nutmeg and mix everything well. Now, heat a small amount of ghee in the kadai. Add Gud (roughly half the amount, by volume, of the total churmu). And heat it gently. You may also add a spoon or two of water at this stage. As soon as the Gud is melted, Add the Churmu to the melted Gud, mix everything thoroughly, and cover (so as not to lose heat). Now transfer small batch of this mixture back to the Thaali, and start making Ladoos (you may cover these with khus khus, if you like..I don't think my mom did that). Doing it in batches will make sure that all the mixture does not cool down at the same time, hence giving you time to form the ladoos. In case it cools down, you can gently heat the kadai again. Transfer the laddos to an airtight container only after they have completely cooled down and set. Enjoy!!
Take Ladoo no Lot (Coarse Wheat flour) in a bowl. Add enough ghee to make "Muthi padtu mon" (This means that as you rub the ghee in the flour, try to hold it in your fist. If the flour holds it's shape somewhat, that's enough ghee). Now add enough Milk to make a very soft dough, cover, and leave aside (The coarse wheat flour will absorb a lot of milk, so make sure there's extra). After the dough has rested for half an hour or so, knead it gently, and make fist-sized muthias. Make sure they are flat, with indentations made with your fingers. This will ensure even cooking. In a kadai, heat ghee and start frying the muthias on a low-medium flame. You can overlap the muthias slightly on top of each other. This would steam them and make sure they get cooked. We really want to make sure they are not raw in the middle, but not completely crisp either. Once you get a nice golden brown color, drain from the ghee and immidiately break into small pieces. Let cool slightly, and before it cools completely, run it through a blender or a food processor. Now, take a big Parat (Kathrot, or a big thaali), and sieve the ground muthia, or "churmu" through a very coarse sieve (Usually a stainless steel one with big holes works the best). Repeat with other batches of the muthias till all the churmu is ready. Now, drain out the ghee from the kadai, and dry roast sesame seeds (as per taste). Transfer the toasted sesame seeds to the Big Plate with the churmu. You may also add khus khus, and grated dry coconut, in a similar way. Grind some ilaichi seeds into powder and add to the churmu. Add freshly grated nutmeg and mix everything well. Now, heat a small amount of ghee in the kadai. Add Gud (roughly half the amount, by volume, of the total churmu). And heat it gently. You may also add a spoon or two of water at this stage. As soon as the Gud is melted, Add the Churmu to the melted Gud, mix everything thoroughly, and cover (so as not to lose heat). Now transfer small batch of this mixture back to the Thaali, and start making Ladoos (you may cover these with khus khus, if you like..I don't think my mom did that). Doing it in batches will make sure that all the mixture does not cool down at the same time, hence giving you time to form the ladoos. In case it cools down, you can gently heat the kadai again. Transfer the laddos to an airtight container only after they have completely cooled down and set. Enjoy!!
Monday, May 3, 2010
Mohanthal - Rakshaben
Take chana no kakro lot 2 katori, 50 gm 0f mawa, little more than11/2 katori of sugar, elaichee powder, kesar, 1/2-3/4 katori of ghee
Make chasni , as Palli was saying don't bother you have to boil it till sugar melts and never take to much of water.In other vessal take Ghee and when it starts melting add atta to it,mix it till it becomes gulabi(golden)
Make chasni , as Palli was saying don't bother you have to boil it till sugar melts and never take to much of water.In other vessal take Ghee and when it starts melting add atta to it,mix it till it becomes gulabi(golden)
Kaju Katri - Rakshaben
Take 2 katori of kaju powder, 1/2 ltr of milk, 100 gms of mawa, 11/2 katori of sugar , kesar,elaichee powder
Make chasni to melt sugar, (add very little water) add kaju powder, milk to it let it boil when it starts thickening add mawa to it cook for 4-5 min., when it leaves the pan( consistancy should be thick) remove from gas add elaichee & kesar mix it properly.( Spe. Tip :Take little of ghee apply it on plastic sheet & put the ready daugh like mawa in it & with covering it with sheet mix it properly to make it smooth)Let it be in plastic sheet & make rotla out of it & cut in the shape you like.
Note : if some time you feel it is still not so thick you can keep it on gas again, & some times you feel it has turned out very hard you can add little milk and can cook it again.
Make chasni to melt sugar, (add very little water) add kaju powder, milk to it let it boil when it starts thickening add mawa to it cook for 4-5 min., when it leaves the pan( consistancy should be thick) remove from gas add elaichee & kesar mix it properly.( Spe. Tip :Take little of ghee apply it on plastic sheet & put the ready daugh like mawa in it & with covering it with sheet mix it properly to make it smooth)Let it be in plastic sheet & make rotla out of it & cut in the shape you like.
Note : if some time you feel it is still not so thick you can keep it on gas again, & some times you feel it has turned out very hard you can add little milk and can cook it again.
Mango Barfi - Rakshaben
As it is mango season I would like to mention this ,
Take any mango Pulp 1/2 Kg or you can take katori measurement ( 6 Medium size Katori pulp), 1/2 ltr. of milk, 150 gm of mawa, 350-400 gm of sugar(4- 41/2 katori sugar)
Mix mango pulp( Afoos, rajapuri anything will do) with milk, let it boil (Special tip: Take nonstic pan with lid) till it becomes thick in consistancy, add sugar again let it boil, when it becomes thick again add mawa in to it, cook it for 4-5 min and remove it in greeced thali.
Take any mango Pulp 1/2 Kg or you can take katori measurement ( 6 Medium size Katori pulp), 1/2 ltr. of milk, 150 gm of mawa, 350-400 gm of sugar(4- 41/2 katori sugar)
Mix mango pulp( Afoos, rajapuri anything will do) with milk, let it boil (Special tip: Take nonstic pan with lid) till it becomes thick in consistancy, add sugar again let it boil, when it becomes thick again add mawa in to it, cook it for 4-5 min and remove it in greeced thali.
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