MAWA GULAB JAMUN using KITCHENAID

Gulab Jamun is my daughter's absolute favorite dessert. During our last visit to family in India she devoured it at every chance she got. So here is the recipe trying to replicate the taste of gulab jamuns we get in India.. made with Mawa and fried in Desi Ghee.. Yes, pure indulgence and pure delight too! I promise you, once you try these you can never go back to the poor substitutes with sooji and milk powder. 

I have followed one of the online recipes but used my kitchen aid to cut down on the kneading time and it saves a lot of energy too. Do try this and share your experience with me here.

Recipe Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_lMfC59S60

INGREDIENTS: 

Mawa- 500 gms

All Purpose Flour - 125 gms

Baking Powder - 1/4 tsp

Sugar - 1 kg

Saffron - 1.5 tsp, freshly ground

Milk - 4 tbsp (depends on how dry your dough gets)

Desi Ghee - for deep frying

Water - 1 litre 

PROCEDURE:

1. Let's start with placing our fresh mawa in our kitchenaid mixer. 

2. Using the hook attachment, start with the stirring function on your kitchen aid. 

3. We will start adding the all purpose flour and baking powder mixture, a little at a time, gradually. Scrape from the sides at intervals to make sure the dough doesnt get stuck there. 

4. As we add the flour, the mixture will get dry. We will add a tablespoon or two of milk each time you feel the dough is too dry. At this time I have increased the kitchenaid speed from 'stir' to '2'. Also, time to add half of the cardamom and saffron powders to the dough. It took me about 6 minutes to bring together the dough in my kitchenaid.

5. Now we will remove the dough into a wide plate and knead it with our hands to smoothen the dough. 

6. Now cover and leave the dough to rest for 30 minutes.

7. In the meantime, we will start on our sugar syrup. Take the sugar in a thick bottomed pan and add the water. Turn the heat to medium high. 

8. I have simultaneously, also placed ghee in a separate thick bottomed pan and placed it on low medium heat.

9. Keep stirring the water and sugar mixture until it comes to a boil. 

 

10. Once the syrup has come to a boil, take a few drops in a bowl and once it cools down a little check the stickiness by rubbing it between your fingers. It should be sticky. If not, boil a few more minutes. 

11. Time to add the remainder of the cardamom and saffron powders. Give it a mix and turn off the heat. 

12. Let's get back to our dough now. We shall knead it once more and then divide it in equal portions. I have made them small as my daughter is fond of mini gulab jamuns but feel free to shape them into desired size. 

13.  We will roll the individual jamuns by pressing them between your palms and kneading them between the palms again and them shaping them into smooth balls without cracks. 

14. Our balls are ready to be fried. Test with frying one ball first. 

15. Then fry few balls at a time and let them turn brown. 

16. Once browned, flip them to cook on the other side. Ensure not to flip them too much and risk breaking the balls. 

17. Once brown on both sides, remove the jamuns and immerse the balls in the earlier prepared sugar syrup. 

18. Once all the jamuns have been prepared in this way, let the jamuns rest for 30 minutes before serving. This gives them enough time to soak in the syrup. 

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19. Gulab Jamuns are best enjoyed warm! Do try and share your experience. 

COCONUT COOKIES

I love baking cookies and these are one of my favorites. They are crispy from the outside yet a little chewy when you bite into these. They are very easy to make and are ready in no time. There are lots of coconut cookies recipes out there and after experimenting with a few of them, I found this yields the best results. 

I am making this in my kitchenaid mixer but feel free to use a wooden  spoon.

Let's start:

Recipe Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytAeQlF1Q2o

INGREDIENTS:

Butter - 150 gms

Sugar - 3/4 cup

Egg - 1 

Coconut Powder - 1 cup

All Purpose Flour - 1 cup

PROCEDURE:

1. Preheat the oven at 360 F. We start with the butter. Good idea to leave it outside the night before. If not, fill a glass with hot water, after a few seconds, dispose off the water, wipe it with a dry kitchen towel and place it upside down over the butter stick. Leave it like that for a few minutes and the butter will achieve the consistency we desire. 

2. Add sugar to the butter and cream it together on low speed until light in color and turns light.

3. While that is happening, we will mix together coconut powder and flour in a different bowl on the side. This helps us mix everything together evenly in the end. 

4. Once the butter and sugar has creamed together, we'll add our egg. Egg also is best when at room temperature. Leave it outside with your butter the night before. If not, leave it in warm water for a few minutes until it comes to room temperature. 

5. Now that everything is blended well together, we will start adding the flour and coconut mixture. A little at a time. We will use the stir setting on our mixer for this so we don't over mix the dough. An over mixed dough leads to flat cookies. 

6. Our dough in now ready. We will place it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to rest. Or you can also freeze it and use later. This stays good in the freezer for at least 1 month. 

7. After 30 minutes, we will remove the dough and make desired sized balls and flatten them a little between your palms and place them on a cookie sheet. Bake them for 20-25 minutes in the preheated oven until they are light brown and crispy.

8. Our cookies are ready. Remove them from the oven and enjoy them hot with some tea or coffee. 

9. Be sure to cool them completely before you store them.  

ATTE KA HALWA

ATTE KA HALWA is a family favorite in my house and its named as 'Dadi Halwa'. My grandmother-in-law used to make this halwa for my husband when he was a kid and now she cooks this for her great grand daughter every time we visit, hence the name 'Dadi Halwa'. Both my daughter and my husband favor this dessert.

The key to making a good halwa is in the frying. We need to bhuno the ghee and atta on low medium heat until it turns dark brown in color and releases the aroma of cooked flour. This is my go to dish when my daughter wont eat anything else. Its quick, easy to make and needs absolutely no prep work. It can be made with ingredients readily available at home and also be refrigerated and stored for future use. It is also a great way to sneak calories into your kids diet too. 

This is the way I make it:

INGREDIENTS:

Whole Wheat Flour - 1 cup

Ghee - 1 cup

Sugar - 1 cup 

Water - 2 cups

Cardamom Powder - 1/4 tsp

PROCEDURE:

1. Heat sugar and water in a thick bottomed pan on medium heat. Stir occasionally. 

2. Heat ghee on medium heat in a thick bottomed wide wok. 

3. While the ghee in heating, stir and check the water and sugar syrup.

4. Once the ghee is warm, add the flour and turn the heat to medium low. 

5. Keep stirring continuously. After about 8-10 minutes of continuous stirring, the flour will turn light and frothy. 

6. Once the sugar and water mixture comes to a boil, turn off the heat. 

7. Now the flour mixture has been thoroughly fried in ghee. It has turned dark brown and is extremely light and aromatic. 

8. We will slowly start adding water, a little at a time. Be extremely careful when adding water as it will splurt. This is another reason why we should use a large vessel when making this. Carefully keep mixing each time after adding water. 

9. Once you have added all the water, mix thoroughly to combine well. Cover and let it sit a couple of minutes before serving. 

10. Enjoy hot with your family and friends!