MAMRA LADOO (INDIAN VERSION OF RICE CRISPY)

                                                    MAMRA LADOO  
(INDIAN VERSION OF RICE CRISPY)

                                           (Yield: 10 Lemon Size Ladoo)

INGREDIENTS:

·      2 cups Mamra (Puffed Rice)

·      ½ cup Jaggery, finely chopped

·      1 T Water

·      To test jaggary syrup readiness, keep bowl filled with water ready by side

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LET’S COOK:

Sift mamra to remove white loose fuzz from it. Slow roast mamra on low heat with continuous stirring until crispy. Keep aside and allow cooling.

Heat heavy bottom pot/pan on medium heat and dry roast mamra until crispy with constant stirring. Remove in separate bowl and keep aside.

Combine jaggery and tablespoon water in a heavy bottom pan and heat on medium heat.

Allow jaggery to melt completely with stirring.

Continue cooking mixture until it comes to a boil.

When jaggery mixture changes color to light dark brown then perform jaggery syrup readiness test:

Drop 1 drop of hot boiling jaggery syrup mixture in a bowl filled with water.

After 3-4 seconds bring ball out of the water and check the ball. If it is hard and brittle means jaggery mixture is ready, if that ball stays soft means jaggery mixture needs to cook further.

Once jaggery mixture is ready add puffed rice into jaggery mixture and mix well.

Mamra will start binding with jaggary mixture and it will start coming together and form big mass.

Switch off the heat.

Remove the pan from the stove.

Wet your palm slightly with water before making ladoo, to avoid burning from hot jaggery and to avoid sticking on hands. (BE CAREFULL NOT TO BURN YOUR FINGERS)

Scoop a big ladleful of mixture into wet hand, press and give ladoo shape.

Try to make all ladoo as fast as possible when mixture is still hot.

Store mamra ladoo in an airtight container.

OR

Transfer entire mixture into a greased plate and press down evenly and let it set and cut them with knife into square pieces. Let it cool completely then separate square pieces like rice crispies.

It should stay good for 7-10 days.

Enjoy…

NOTE:

Add little cardamom powder into jaggery mixture for flavor if you desire.Click on the link below to like my "RASOI" Page. 

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PEANUT BRITTLE

                                               PEANUT BRITTLE

INGREDIENTS:

·      1 cup Roasted, Shelled and Split Peanuts

·      1 cup Sugar

LET’S COOK:

Dry roast peanuts in heavy bottom non-stick pan over medium-low heat until crisp. Let it cool completely. Remove the skin of the peanuts.   

Place shelled peanuts in thin kitchen towel and pound it gently on kitchen counter to split them. It works perfect for me!!!  J

Preheat heavy bottom nonstick pan over medium flame.

Once pan is hot reduce flame to medium- low.

Add sugar and shake pan to cover entire bottom of the pan.

Allow sugar to melt. Do not stir sugar with spoon otherwise crystals will form.

Shake pan little bit once sugar starts to melt.

Once all sugar melts and turns into brown syrup, add shelled split peanuts.

Swirl the pan around a bit to coat peanuts with the syrup.

Continue cooking until syrup color turns dark brown in color.

Grease cookie-baking tray.

Pour peanut mixture immediately on nonstick cookie baking tray and spread with heat resistance silicone spatula.

Cut into bite size pieces.

Keep aside to cool.

Store peanut brittle in an airtight container.

Enjoy…

    

NOTE:

If you are not comfortable to melt sugar alone then add 1 Tablespoon water and then heat the mixture.

VARIATION:

Use jaggery instead of sugar.

SESAME SEED BRITTLE

                              SESAME SEED BRITTLE

                       (Yield: About 30 pieces)

Makar Sankranti special sesame seed brittle.

INGREDIENTS:

·      ½ cup Sesame Seeds

·      1 cup White Granulated Sugar

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LET’S COOK:

Dry roast sesame seeds in heavy bottom non-stick pan on low heat until sesame seeds begin to turn light brown and crispy. Let it cool.

Preheat heavy bottom nonstick pan on medium flame.

Once pan is hot reduce flame to medium- low.

Add sugar and shake pan to cover entire bottom of the pan.

Allow sugar to melt. Do not stir sugar with spoon otherwise crystals will form.

Shake pan little bit once sugar starts to melt.

Once entire sugar melts and turns into brown syrup, add lightly roasted sesame seeds.

Swirl the pan around a bit to coat sesame seeds with the syrup.

Continue cooking until syrup color turns dark brown in color.

Grease cookie baking tray.

Place cookie baking tray on two stove top burner, with burner lit on simmer (lowest setting) to keep cookie tray warm, which gives enough time to spread sesame seeds mixture into brittle as thin as you prefer to make before mixture solidifies. (10-inch diameter with 1/4” thick sesame seeds brittle)

Pour immediately on nonstick cookie baking tray and spread with heat resistance silicone spatula as thin as you prefer.

Remove tray from stove and allow it to cool for 15 – 20 minutes.

With butter knife lift and push the entire one big slab of sesame seed brittle and take it off from the tray and break into bite size pieces.

Store in an airtight container.

Enjoy…

    

NOTE:

If you are not comfortable to melt sugar alone then add 1 Tablespoon water and then heat the mixture.

VARIATION:

Use jaggery instead of sugar.Click on the link below to like my "RASOI" Page. 
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             “HAPPY MAKAR SANKRANTI IN ADVANCE”

BREAD UPMA

                     BREAD UPMA

                                                             (Serves 1)

I would like to share with you the recipe for bread upma that can be made within 15 minutes. There is always bread lying around which needs to be used up. It is quick, easy and delicious breakfast, lunch or snack time item.

INGREDIENTS:

·      2 Bread Slices, cut them into small cubes with a sharp knife (Trim bread edges if you prefer) 

·      1 T Oil + 1 tsp. to roast bread cubes

·      1/3 tsp. Mustard Seeds

·      1/3 tsp. Cumin Seeds

·      ½ tsp. Sesame Seeds

·      5-6 Curry Leaves

·      Pinch Asafoetida

·      ¾ cup White Sweet Onion, cut into 1 “ long strips

·      ¼ tsp. Turmeric Powder

·      ¼ tsp. Kashmiri Red Chili Powder

·      2 Green Chilies or as per taste, chopped

·      1/4 cup Tomatoes, deseeded, cut into 1” long strips

·      1 tsp. Tomato catch up

·      ½ to 1 tsp. Maggi Hot & Sweet Tomato Chili Sauce

·      ¼ tsp. Sugar or as per taste to balance the acidity/sourness of tomato catch up

·      Salt as per taste (Note: Bread has salt in it so add accordingly)

·      1 T Coriander Leaves, chopped

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LET’S COOK:

Stack bread slices (remove edges if you prefer) and make small cubes with a sharp knife.

Heat 1-2 teaspoon oil in a non-stick pan on medium low heat.

Once oil is hot add bread cubes and roast them on low heat for 4-5 minutes, stirring in-between.

Make sure bread cubes are golden brown and crispy.

Keep aside and allow cooling.

Heat one-tablespoon oil in a pan on medium heat. Once oil is hot add mustard seeds, let them pop.

Add cumin seeds and allow them to sizzle little bit.

Add sesame seeds; curry leaves, asafoetida and let curry leaves to sizzle for few seconds.

Add chopped onion and stir-fry for 2 minutes.

Add turmeric powder, Kashmiri red chili powder and chopped green chilies and stir fry onions for 1 minute.

Add tomato pieces and stir-fry until tomato pieces are just tender. For minute or so. Do not overcook tomatoes.

Add tomato catch up, Maggi hot and sweet tomato chili sauce, sugar and salt and mix well.

Switch off the heat.

Add roasted bread cubes (Save few roasted bread cubes to top upma with it) and mix well to combine all masalas with the bread cubes and let bread cubes to absorb moisture and soften little bit.

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Serve immediately.

Enjoy…

VARIATIONS:

Add teaspoon Sāmbhar Powder or Rasam Powder instead of Maggi hot and sweet tomato chili sauce.Click on the link below to like my "RASOI" Page.

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FADA UPMA

FADA UPMA (CRACKED WHEAT UPMA)

                           (Serves 1-2)

INGREDIENTS:

·      ½ cup Fada (Cracked Wheat also known as Daliya), Use Fada with big grain size

·      1/3 cup. Onions, chopped

·      1/3 cup. Carrots, peeled and diced

·      1/3 cup. Frozen Peas, washed

·      15 Broken Cashew Pieces, stir-fry in 1 tsp. oil

·      1 ½ T Ghee (Clarified Butter)

·      ¼ tsp. Mustard Seeds

·      2 Whole Dry Red Chilies, cut them in half

·      5-6 Curry Leaves

·      Pinch Asafoetida

·      ½ tsp. Ginger, grated (Grate through the large holes of the grater)

·      2-3 Green Chilies or as per taste, chopped

·      ¾ tsp. Salt or as per taste

·      1 ½ tsp. Sugar or as per taste

·      1 1/3 cup Hot Water (Microwave for 3 minutes)

·      1 ½ tsp. Lemon Juice

·      1 T Coriander Leaves, chopped

LET’S COOK:

Heat tsp. oil in a small pan over medium low flame and stir fry broken cashew pieces until golden brown in color, keep it aside.

Heat ghee in a pressure cooker over medium flame.

Once ghee is hot add mustard seeds and let them pop.

Add dry red chili; curry leaves and asafoetida and let curry leaves to sizzle little bit.

Add fada and reduce heat to medium low and stir-fry fada for 2-3 minutes, fada will turn white then golden brown in color and it will emit roomful aroma.

Add grated ginger and chopped green chilies and stir-fry for 1 minute.

Add chopped onion and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes.

Add chopped carrots and peas and stir-fry for 1 minute.

Add salt, sugar, and fried broken cashews and add hot water and mix well and cover the pressure cooker and cook fada upma on medium heat for 2 whistles.

Allow pressure to go down.

Let fada upma sit in cooker for 10 minutes allowing fada to absorb water and grain to separate from each other.

Fluff up fada upma with a fork.

Add lemon juice and chopped coriander leaves and mix gently.

Transfer in a serving plate.

Serve hot Fada Upma with Roasted Urad Dal Papad and Salty Lassi.

Enjoy…

MUST SEE PICTURES. December 25th,2013.(CHRISTMAS) Clicked from my house backyard !!!