Popular Indian Desserts and Puddings Cooking Recipes
Malpua Cooking Recipe
These pancakes are soaked in syrup, making them one of the best desserts for people with a sweet tooth. Prepare the batter at least one hour before frying the malpuas.
INGREDIENTS
Makes 20-24 small malpuas
BATTER
- 1 cup flour (maida),
- 2 tbsp whole wheat flour (atta)
- 1 tsp fennel (saunf) – crushed,
- seeds of 2 green cardamoms (chhoti illaichi) – crushed
- 1 cup malai – keep in the strainer for 1 hour
- ¼ cup milk, optional,
- ghee for frying
SUGAR SYRUP
- 1 cup sugar,
- ½ cup water,
- a few strands saffron or 1-2 drops yellow food colour
- 2 green cardamoms (chhoti illaichi)
COOKING METHOD
1. Mix both flours with malai so that no lumps remain. The batter should be of a thick, soft consistency, like a cake batter. Add a little milk if needed. A thin batter will spread. Add fennel and cardamoms. Leave aside for 1-2 hours (important).
2. Heat ghee for deep frying in a nonstick frying pan. With the help of a spoon drop a spoonful of batter in moderately hot ghee. Spread with a spoon to get a small round malpua. Put as many (about 2-3) malpuas as the pan can hold.
3. Reduce heat. Fry malpuas in oil for about 4-5 minutes on low heat till golden brown on both sides. Drain and keep aside.
4. Mix sugar, water and all other ingredients for sugar syrup in a pan. Boil for 5- 6 minutes to get one thread consistency syrup (ek taar ki chaashni). Remove from fire. Drop malpuas in hot sugar syrup, 2-3 at a time. Give 1-2 boils. Remove with a slotted spoon so that excess syrup is drained. Place on a serving dish and garnish with chopped almonds and pistas. Serve plain or with rabri or kheer.
Note: Malpuas can be fried in advance and kept without sugar syrup in an airtight box in the fridge for 1-2 days. At the time of serving drop into hot sugar syrup, give 1-2 boils and serve hot.
Besan ki Burfi Cooking Recipe
INGREDIENTS
Makes 24 pieces
- 250 gm (¾ cups) gramflour (besan),
- 150 gm (1 cup) powdered sugar
- 150 gm (¾ cup) pure ghee,
- 3-4 green cardamoms (chhoti illaichi) – powder
COOKING METHOD
- In a heavy bottomed pan, put gramflour. Dry roast gramflour for about 10 minutes on low heat, stirring continuously till it becomes fragrant and gives out a roasted smell.
- Add ghee. Cook on very low heat for about 15 minutes till the gramflour turns golden. Do not make it brown. Make it just golden with a hint of brown.
- Remove from fire. Add sugar and mix well.
- Transfer to a greased thali. Press well to make the top smooth.
- Sprinkle green cardamom powder. Leave to set for 5-6 hours at room temperature in a cool place but not in the refrigerator. You can leave it over night to set well.
- Cut into 1” squares and store in an air tight box after it turns absolutely cold.
Note: To make besan laddoo, increase the besan to 3 cups.
Kesari Phirni Cooking Recipe
A milk pudding cooked with ground rice paste and flavoured with saffron and green cardamoms.
INGREDIENTS
Serves 6
- 3½ cups (700 gm) milk,
- 1/3 cup basmati rice
- 1/3 cup sugar (slightly less than ½ cup) or to taste
- 25 almonds – blanched and ground to a paste with some water
- 4 almonds (badam) – shredded
- 5-6 green pistachios (pista) – soaked, peeled and sliced
- 2 small silver leaves – optional
- seeds of 2-3 green cardamoms (chhoti illaichi) – powder
- 1 drop kewra essence or 1 tsp ruh kewra
- a pinch of yellow colour
DECORATION
- a few rose petals – dipped in cold water,
- a few strands kesar – soaked in warm water
- a few fresh anaar ke daane
COOKING METHOD
1. Soak rice of good quality for about 2-3 hours and then grind very fine with 4 to 5 tablespoonfuls of cold water to a paste. (You may soak rice overnight and keep in the fridge.)
2. Dissolve the rice paste in Vi cup milk and make it thin.
3. Mix the rice paste with the remaining 3 cups milk in a heavy bottomed pan. Keep on fire and cook on medium heat, stirring continuously, till the mixture is of creamy consistency, about 5 minutes.
4. Add the kesar water or a drop of colour, sugar and cardamom powder and stir. Simmer till sugar is fully dissolved and then boil for 5-6 minutes on medium heat.
5. Remove from fire. Add almond paste. Mix well.
6. Add ruh kewra or the essence and half of the shredded almonds and pistachios.
7. Pour the mixture into 6 small earthern containers. Chill. Decorate each dish with a silver leaf, rose petals, kesar and the remaining shredded nuts. Top with some fresh anaar ke daane.
Saffron Kulfi Falooda Cooking Recipe
The delicious Indian Ice cream topped with sweetened thin vermicelli. Saffron lends it’s flavour and colour to this most popular Indian dessert. Pistachios and almonds add to the richness.
INGREDIENTS
Serves 6-8
- 1 kg (5 cups) full fat milk
- 5 tbsp skimmed milk powder,
- 3 tbsp cornflour
- ¼ cup sugar,
- 6-7 strands saffron (kesar)
- 3-4 green cardamoms (chhoti illaichi) – crushed,
- 1 tbsp shredded pistachios (pista)
- 1 tbsp shredded almonds (badam)
FALOODA
- 1 cup thin rice vermicelli,
- 3-4 strands saffron (kesar)
- 3 tbsp sugar,
- 2 green cardamoms (chhoti illaichi)
COOKING METHOD
1. Dissolve cornflour and milk powder in ½ cup milk to a paste. Heat the rest of the milk with sugar and saffron. Add the paste gradually, stirring continuously. Mix well. Add crushed seeds of green cardamoms. Boil. Simmer on low heat, for about 15 minutes till slightly thick.
2. Cool. Add pistachios and almonds. Fill in clean kulfi moulds and leave to set in the freezer for 6-8 hours or overnight.
3. To prepare the falooda boil 4 cups water. Add the rice vermicelli. Boil. Simmer on low heat for 2-3 minutes till the vermicelli turns soft and no crunch remains. Strain. Add cold water to refresh. Strain again.
4. Make a sugar syrup by boiling ¾ cup water, 3 tbsp sugar, saffron and green cardamoms together. Simmer for a couple of minutes. Remove from heat and put in the boiled vermicelli. Keep soaked in sugar syrup, in the refrigerator, till serving time.
5. To serve, remove the kulfi from the mould, cut into two halves lengthways and top with some falooda (without the syrup). Serve.
Gajar ka Halwa Cooking Recipe
Almost every home in India has a box stocked with this carrot pudding in winters. It is served hot during the cold winter months, when fresh, red carrots are in plenty.
INGREDIENTS
Serves 4
- 500 gm carrots – grated into long shreds
- 1 cup milk
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2-3 tbsp ghee or unsalted butter
- 5-6 almonds (badam) – shredded
- 10-12 raisins (kishmish)
- seeds of 3 green cardamoms (illaichi) – crushed
- 100 gm khoya – grated
COOKING METHOD
- Boil milk with crushed cardamom seeds in a clean wok or a deep pan. Add grated carrots and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, till milk dries.
- Add almonds and raisins. Stir for 1 minute. Add sugar. Cook till the mixture turns dry again.
- Add ghee and stir fry for 10 minutes on low heat till ghee separates.
- Add khoya and mix well for 2-3 minutes. Serve hot garnished with some nuts.
