A Hint of Spice

As a kid I remember going to Gurudware on Sundays and on festivals and through out the Kirtaan and Path ,the one thing I eagerly waited for was the Path to get over and for all present to stand up.For me it meant that we are done for now and can move onto getting the Yummy,Delicious Parshad (This is not a speeling error.This is how it sounds in Gurudware"Parshad" instead of "Prashad").I believe it is not just me who did that....most of the kids I know today or even my cousins used to wait for Prashad.
              My friend's son Harshiv is one such Kid.He will sit with his Father in the gurudware.Once the sewadar's start offering the Prashad,he will have his share,will not say no to his Dad's Share and then will run to his Mom to get her's.Anytime he is visiting me....I ask "you want sheera?" and his answer is "Gurudware wala?".
Coming to the religious significance of Karah Parshad,is a type of halva made with equal portions of wheat flour, ghee, and sugar. It is offered to all visitors to the Darbar Sahib in a Gurdwara. It is regarded as food blessed by the guru and should not be refused. As it has a very high sugar and oil content, visitors may ask the Sewadar for a small portion. As a sign of humility and respect, visitors accept the Karah Parshad sitting, with hands raised and cupped. The Sewadar serves it out of the same bowl to everyone in equal portions. This kada prasad holds a lot of importance in Sikh faith. The religion gives prescribed method of preparation, distribution and the way of receiving kada prasad.

INGREDIENTS
Makes about 16 servings.
Cook Time: 15 minutes
 1 cup ghee
 1 cup whole Wheat flour (atta)
 1 cup sugar
 3 cups water
pinch of cardamom powder(optional)
10-12 Almonds slivered (optional)
or
10-12 cashews-Halved(optional)


DIRECTIONS
1.Measure all ingredients.
2.Add sugar to water in a pot and let it boil.
3.Melt ghee in a pan,and then add the Whole  Wheat Flour to ghee.
4.Keeping the Ghee-Whole Wheat flour mix on Medium heat,Keep stirring continously till the Whole wheat flour looses its light brown color to Deep Golden.At this point it will start giving a Nutty Aroma.
5.Also keep an eye on the water sugar mixture .Let the sugar melt completely and it forms a syrup.
6.Pour boiling sugar syrup into toasted flour and ghee mixture. Mixture will sputter. Take care not to be scalded. Stir rapidly until all water is absorbed.
7.Keep stirring prashad as it thickens into a firm pudding.
'njoy!!!

 Note that I have said Cardamom Powder,Almonds and Cashews to be optional.In traditinal Karah Prashad,these 3 ingredients are not used.If you are making this Halwa for serving as dessert you can use all these items.Add Cardamom Powder to the sugar syrup,almost towards the end.You can add the Dry fruis(Cashews-Almonds) to the Ghee -Whole Wheat Mix while toasting the flour.

TIP:-
1.The recipe above uses equal quantity of Ghee,Sugar and Whole Wheat Flour.That same proportion of ghee to other ingredients is required if you are making the Halwa for Parshad,As lesser amount of ghee will make the Parshad crumbly and the crumbs can fall on the floor while offering Parshad.
2.You can reduce the amount of ghee to 1/2 or even 1/4 ,If you plan to serve the Halwa as Dessert (in bowls).For this remember to keep stirring the Whole wheat flour-Ghee mix continously,so that it does not stick to the bottom of the pan.
3.This is a good snack for kids,especially Picky eaters(speaking from experience).Keep the Whole Wheat flour roasted ahead of time in a Air tight  Container.When you need to make the halwa just make the Syrup and add it to the flour.
This goes to Nivedita from Nivedita's Kitchen for her Event Celebrate Sweet-HALWA.

1.SOFT & CREAMY CAKES -Add a little of milk when the cake is baked. This will make the cake softer and creamier.
2.KEEP LEFTOVER PASTRIES FRESH -Left over cakes and pastries should be packed or wrapped in cling film and stored in a cool place like a refrigerator. It is very important to see that they are not exposed to air at all, which would otherwise dry them out.
3.ICING TROUBLE -To avoid the cream from becoming watery and for it to come out of the pipng bag easily; the cream has to be chilled before you start to beat it. A safe way is to place the container over ice. If cream is not chilled enough it will always curdle (and water separated will ooze out), and the rest will be buttery.
4.SOFTER FRUIT CAKE -The more the proportion of fruit (for Christmas fruit cakes), the less soft it will be. But to improve it, soak the fruit in juice or rum overnight. Also keep a bowl of water in the oven while baking to keep the atmosphere moist
5.PIE CRUSTS -The secret to making a good pie crust - if there is one - is to bring the flour, water, and fat together, and mix it just enough without overworking the dough.
6.SPLITTING CAKES -Cake splitting on the surface as they rise is very common while baking cakes. Since the sides of the baking tin are in direct contact with the batter, they bake faster than the middle of the cake. Since the center is still rising, it tends to push the cake to the top and causes cracks on the surface.
7.STORING COOKIES -Before you store cookies, be sure to cool them completely. Otherwise you run the risk of taking funny shapes if packaged when they're warm. It's also a good idea to store different types of cookies separately, rather than in the same tin.
8.STORING BROWNIES-As brownies cool, they move away from the edges of the pan. So it's a good idea to cut cooked brownies after they cool down to room temperature.
9.How do you tell if brownies are done? -Brownies are generally cooked when the edges look hard and the top has cracked a bit. Check that the center should not jiggle when you shake the pan.
10.COOKING APPLES -If you want to cook fresh apples, remember you will be left with only half the amount you started out with. I kilo of raw apples = 1/2 kilo cooked apples.
11.SUBSTITUTE FOR SUGAR-Substitute one cup of sugar, with two cups of corn syrup.
12.JELLY BELLY -To unmould jellies, dip the container into hot water up to the rim, place an inverted plate over it, then invert the tin and plate again, shake the tin a little and the jelly will come off.
13.MERINGUES -To store meringues, wrap in foil or arrange in an airtight tin, putting grease-proof paper between two layers. Will keep fresh for up to two months.
14.CARAMEL CUSTARD -Do not cook a caramel custard too quickly, as this will cause bubbles in the mixture.
15.SHORT CUT DESSERT -Arrange stewed or canned fruit in an oven-proof dish, sprinkle with icing sugar and brandy, cover with marshmallows and brown under a hot grill.
16.FREEZE ICE-CREAM-Always turn the refrigerator to its coldest setting, one hour before freezing ice-cream. When cream has frozen, turn back to normal.
17.ROCK HARD BROWN SUGAR  -To soften rocky brown sugar, simply add a slice of soft bread to the package and close the bag tightly. In a few hours the sugar will be soft again.
18.ICE CREAM -Always chill glasses before preparing the ice cream in it. It will not melt quickly. Never try to refreeze ice cream that has melted completely. It will taste awful! Instead, convert it to make a delicious milk shake or add a fruit and run it in the mixie for a fruit shake.
19.PASTRIES-Always use whole milk rather than skim or reduced fat milk in your pastry recipes
20.OLD CHOCOLATE -If you notice a grayish color on your chocolate slab, don't worry. This is called bloom, and it is a sign that the cocoa butter has risen to the surface. It does not affect the flavour of the chocolate, and the grayish color will disappear when the chocolate is melted
21.CHOCOLATE -Always let chocolate come to room temperature to prevent it from flying around when being chopped; cold chocolate is too hard to cut and the knife may slip and cut you.
22.For maximum flavor and the best results when nuts are called for in a recipe, toast them before incorporating them into the batter or mixture.
23.NUTTY DESSERTS -To prevent nuts and fruits from sinking to the bottom of a cake during baking, warm them a bit in the oven and toss them with flour. Shake off excess flour before mixing them into the batter.

Peda is a sweet which is said to be originated in Uttar Pradesh specifically Mathura.They are basically dough like sweets rolled in round shape and are made from khoya,sugar and few other ingredients to give it its distainct taste.Trust me nothink can beat a peda made from Khoya (mawa) but the following peda can still give it competition.

'njoy!!
Sending this recipe to Srivalli from Cooking 4 All Seasons  for her event "365 days of Microwave Cooking " and also to Jagruti from Joy of Cooking for her sweet event Celebrate Sweeta-Peda.

Hey Everyone,

Sorry I am posting after a long hiatus.Just had to take some personal time off.....what with the festival season and many other things going on in life.Now I am back and fully recharged.So for a fresh start ,why don't we start with something sweet.

Ingredients
1 cup Crumbled Paneer(Chena)
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup shredded coconut
1/4 tsp elaichi powder (cardamom powder)
3-4 drops kewra essence
raisins (kishmish) to garnish
1/2 cup shredded coconut to garnish

Directions
1.Prep the paneer...by prepping I mean,If you have store bought paneer crumble it and mash it so that it is very smooth.If you have home made paneer,ensure that all the water is drained and then mash it.
2.Mix all the ingredients (except raisins) well and start making them in any shape you want...peda,roll etc.
3.Garnish each roll with a single raisin and sprinkle shredded coconut over them.
4.Keep the rolls in fridge for 10-15 minutes to set.
5.Store the rolls in fridge.They will stay fresh for 2 weeks (if they don't end up in your tummy before that).
'njoy!!!!

This is a Sweet that my DH just loves and cannot have enough of it.I learned this from my mother-in-law some time back and had been practising ever since.Finally I got the Seal of approval from DH.