Kalakand , a rich and delectable Indian milk cake made with milk and flavored with cardamom. It's one of the popular milk based sweets from North India. South Indian sweet palkova is something similar to this kalakand.

I came to know about this sweet years ago through blogging. Even though i have been making this sweet for a while now, i was waiting for an occasion to share this sweet recipe on the blog. What would be a better occasion than Diwali for making sweets, right? So here i'm with this yummy sweet recipe !

Milk 

Milk is the prime ingredient in this sweet. So use the full fat whole milk for this recipe for better flavor and taste. Don't use the skimmed milk or non-fat milk in this recipe, it doesn't taste  the same. 

Condensed Milk 

Adding condensed milk enhances the richness of the sweet. However you can use the regular white sugar too in this recipe. In the past, i made this recipe with sugar and it tasted good too.

I have used 3/4 cup of condensed milk for this recipe. It has moderate sweetness. If you like more sweetness in general, you can use up to 1 cup of condensed milk. 

Start with 3/4 cup of condensed milk, once the kalakand reaches thick consistency, do a taste test and if it need more sweetness then add more condensed milk at that time and cook it for a couple of more mins. 

Adding condensed milk at the final stage of the sweet wouldn't affect the taste or texture.

Flavoring Agent

I have used only the cardamom powder in this recipe. Rose water / Rose essence is the other common flavoring agent used in Kalakand. So you can use whatever flavor you like or combination of both too.  

Garnish the Kalakand

I have used only the chopped pistachios for garnishing. Chopped almonds , edible silver leaf are also great options for garnishing the kalakand.

Tips for beginners 

• Stir often while cooking the kalakand so that it doesn't get stuck to the bottom. It it sticks to the bottom, there is a high chance of burning at the bottom. Even the slightest burning would ruin the whole dish.
• Highly recommend using a non-stick or heavy bottom pan for making this sweet.

Now let's check out how to make this delectable kalakand !

Kalakand Recipe | Indian Milk Cake

Preparation Time : 5 mins | Cooking Time : 30 mins | Yields : 12 
Recipe Category: Curry | Recipe Cuisine: Indian
Kalakand, Paneer Kalakand,Milk Cake, Kalakand , a rich and delectable Indian milk cake made with milk and flavored with cardamom.

Sandhiya https://www.facebook.com/SandhiyasCookbook https://www.instagram.com/sandhiyascookbook/

Ingredients

Milk - 6 cups

Condensed Milk - 3/4 to 1 cup

Lemon Juice - 2 tbsp

Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp

Ghee - 2 tsp

Chopped pistachio - 1 tbsp

Procedure

First let's make fresh paneer. Heat 4 cups of milk in a sauce and bring it to boil. Once it starts to boil, keep the flame  low and add the lemon juice little by little.

Stir the milk continuously. Once all the milk curdles, switch off the flame. Place a cheese cloth on to the strainer and pour the curdled milk. Rinse the paneer in the running water well so that the lemon tartness will be removed. 

Squeeze the water from the paneer well and keep it aside.In a non-stick / thick bottomed pan, add the remaining 2 cups of milk and bring to a boil. Once it starts to boil, add the condensed milk(I used only 3/4 cup of condensed milk and it has mild sweetness, for sweeter version, use 1 cup of condensed milk)

And the prepared paneer. Mix it all well together.

Stir the milk mixture now and then. Cook the mixture till it thickens and is able to scoop it on the ladle(it takes approximately 15-20 mins in medium flame). Then add the ghee and cardamom powder.

Mix it all well together and when the mixture starts to leave the pan, switch off the flame. (The last pic in the below collage in for your reference on how the mixture looks on the day light)

Pour the mixture on to the ghee greased pan and level the top with a ghee coated spoon/any small bowl. Finally garnish the top with chopped pistachios and let it cool for 2-3 hrs. Then slice and enjoy!

                        My little one is helping me with garnishing :-)

Delicious Kalakand is ready ! 

Related: How to make Kaju Katli 

Notes:

• Store the leftovers in the refrigerator for longer life
• It stays well for upto 7 days in the refrigerator.
• Tastes great when it's fresh.

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Maravalli Kizhangu Murukku, a delicious and crunchy murukku made with cooked tapioca roots. This murukku has a unique taste from the tapioca and makes it more addictive. 

If you have followed me on IG, you might already know that how much we like maravalli kizhangu. I often make them as a snack for evening time. Steamed maravalli kizhangu with salt and freshly grated coconut is absolutely delicious. 

Last year, around diwali time, i came to know about this murukku through social media(now can't remember where it is from ) and tried it in a very small quantity for the first time and it turned out super delicious. Ever since it's been added to my snack list and i have already made it 3-4 times and every time we loved it. 

So if you're looking for a unique murukku recipe to try for this Diwali, then definitely give this a try. I'm sure that you would be amazed by its taste and texture.

Maravalli Kizhangu / Tapioca Roots

Usually, here in Canada, i buy maravalli kizhangu/tapioca roots from Walmart as well as Indian Stores. Both are the same and taste similar. If you're not using maravalli kizhangu much in your cooking, then check out this post when i shared how to peel and use the maravalli kizhangu. 

Maravalli kizhangu has a lot of starch like potatoes so adding maravalli Kizhangu to the rice flour makes the dough more pliable and the dough doesn't break often when you make murukku.  That's one thing that i really love about adding the maravalli kizhangu to the murukku dough.

Cooking the maravalli kizhangu

For this recipe, cook the maravalli kizhangu in a steamer plate instead of boiling it in the water. Because when boiling it in the water, maravalli kizhangu tends to absorb a lot of moisture so later while frying murukku, it seems to absorb a lot of oil. 

So to avoid the excess absorption of  oil in the murukku, i highly recommend to steam cook the maravalli kizhangu. You can steam it in an idli plate or any steamer plate without touching the water.

Now let's check out how to make this yummy maravalli kizhangu murukku.

Maravalli Kizhangu Murukku | Tapioca Murukku

Preparation Time : 10 mins | Cooking Time : 25 mins | Yields : 32-35  
Recipe Category: Snacks | Recipe Cuisine: Indian
Maravalli Kizhangu Murukku, Tapioca Murukku, Diwali Murukku Maravalli Kizhangu Murukku, a delicious and crunchy murukku made with cooked tapioca roots.

Sandhiya https://www.facebook.com/SandhiyasCookbook https://www.instagram.com/sandhiyascookbook/

Ingredients

Rice Flour - 1 cup

Cooked and Mashed Tapioca Roots - 1/4 cup

Butter(melted) - 1 tbsp

White Sesame Seed - 2 tsp

Water - as needed

Salt - to taste

Procedure

First peel the tapioca steam and cut into small pieces(remove the center small stem if you have). Steam cook it for 5 mins or until it's soft. Let it cool completely and put it in the mixie jar and pulse it a couple of times or until it's completely mushy.

In a bowl, add the rice flour, mashed tapioca, butter, sesame seed and salt. 

Mix it all together with your finger and then add water little by little to make a soft dough.

Use the star shaped disc for your murukku press and fill it with the murukku maavu/dough. Then make a small murukku on the parchment paper/ small ladle.

Heat the oil for frying and then add a few murukku at a time and cook till the "shh" sound stops completely. Drain the murukku from the oil and place it on tissue paper.

Tasty and crunchy murukku is ready ! Cool it completely and store it in airtight container. 

Related:How to make Coconut Milk Murukku

Notes:

• Instead of white sesame seeds, you can also use black sesame seeds.
• You can use any murukku press disc to make this murukku.

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Badam Halwa Using Almond flour | Easy Badam Halwa

Badam Halwa, a rich and delicious sweet made with almond, milk, ghee and sugar. Even today, it's consider as one of the  luxurious sweets because of its richness and heavenly taste.   

Traditionally, Badam Halwa is made from the whole almonds and the whole process is taking a very long time because it involves soaking the almonds, peeling them and then ground them into fine paste. Now, thanks to the readily available almond flour so that you can skip all those steps and make the badam halwa under 30 mins. 

Almond Flour 

In the market, if you're looking for 'grounded almond', you can find almond flour and almond meal. This recipe requires almond flour not the almond meal. Almond flour is basically made from the blanched almonds .So make sure to get the almond flour which has more fine texture compared to almond meal.

Also, in some places, almond meal is made with whole skinned almonds, so the color of the almond meal would be little darker compared to almond flour.

Flavoring Agents

Here in this recipe, i have used both saffron and cardamom for the flavors. I never thought of making Badam Halwa without saffron. But one of my friends told me that she liked it without any flavoring because that's how badam halwa is made by her family for years. 

So it's more of a personal choice or how you like it than what recipe calls for, right?. Hence you can use any one of this flavoring agents or you can skip the both . Still it would be delicious.

 

Milk

Whole or full fat milk is the best for this halwa. For this badam halwa recipe, I have used 1.5 cups of liquid out of which 1 cup is milk. You can make this recipe with 1/2 cup of milk too. But the richness and the creaminess wouldn't be the same. 

Adding more milk would increase the cooking time but however it gives the rich flavor so i highly recommend to use the given quantity of milk for better tasting halwa.

Now let's see how to make this delicious and rich badam halwa!

Badam Halwa Using Almond flour

Preparation Time : 0 mins | Cooking Time : 25 mins | Serves : 4 
Recipe Category: Sweets | Recipe Cuisine: Indian
Badam Halwa with Almond flour, Almond flour halwa Badam Halwa, a rich and delicious sweet made with almond, milk, ghee and sugar.

Sandhiya https://www.facebook.com/SandhiyasCookbook https://www.instagram.com/sandhiyascookbook/

Ingredients

Almond flour/ meal - 1 cup

Sugar - 1/2 cup

Water - 1/2 cup

Milk - 1 cup

Saffron - a few strands 

Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp

Ghee - 1/4 cup

Procedure

First soak the saffron in 2 tbsp of warm milk for 30 mins. Heat a non-stick pan, add the 2 tbsp of ghee, let it melt completely and then add the almond flour.

Keep the heat in medium and roast the almond flour in the ghee for 3-4 mins. Make sure that the almond flour doesn't change color. Next keep the heat  low and add the water.

Cook till all the water is absorbed by the almond flour. Next add the remaining milk after using i2 tbsp for soaking saffron and mix it continuously so that it doesn't form any lump and smooth. Now increase the heat to medium.

Cook the mixture till the milk quantity is reduced to 1/2(Make sure that the heat is medium and stir it frequently otherwise the bottom would be burnt). Now add the sugar. When the sugar melts, the mixture again loosen a bit. 

Cook the mixture till it become thick. It would take approximately 18-20 mins after adding the milk to the mixture with medium heat. When the mixture starts to thicken, it splatter a bit, so be careful.   At this stage add the saffron milk. Mix it well and the mixture turns pale yellow.

Finally add the remaining ghee and cardamom powder. Cook it for another 3-4 mins and switch off the flame.

Delicious Badam Halwa is ready.

Related : How to make Bombay Karachi Halwa

You can serve this halwa in a bowl or you can pack a spoonful of halwa in a butter paper and serve it like in marriage function. Store the remaining in the refrigerator.

Related: How to make Almond Flour Cookies

Notes:

• This Halwa tends to thicken when it's cool down completely. So remove from the heat when it's a bit runny.
• Added a few pistachios for garnishing on the top. But this halwa doesn't need any nuts.

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Pazham Pori | Ethakka Appam | Nendra Pazham Bajji

Pazham pori is a delicious banana fritters made with a special variety of banana know as Nendra pazham. Nendra pazham is a regional famous banana variety in the state of Kerala and it's known for its unique texture and taste.

Nendra pazham(both ripe and un ripen) is great for cooking and a lot of dishes can be prepared with it and this  Pazham pori is one of  dishes made with the well ripen nendra pazham.  

Nendra Pazham

As i said earlier, this fritters is only made with nendra pazham and you can't substitute other varieties of bananas for this recipe. In the states of Tamilnadu and Kerala, you can easily find this banana in most of the stores. Here (both in US and Canada), you can find them  in Indian Stores around the Onam festival time. 

Frying

I have used the Sunflower oil for frying but heard that coconut oil is used for this recipe for great flavor and taste. So you can try frying in coconut oil too if you want.

It's such an easy recipe and can be prepared in less than 20 mins. So it makes an idle chai time snack. Do give it a try and i'm sure that you will love it.

Pazham Pori | Ethakka Appam

Preparation Time : 5 mins | Cooking Time : 15 mins | Serves : 3 
Recipe Category: Curry | Recipe Cuisine: Indian
Pazham Pori, Ethakka Appam, Nendra Pazham Bajji,Indian Banana Fritters Pazham pori is a delicious banana fritters made with a special variety of banana know as Nendra pazham.

Sandhiya https://www.facebook.com/SandhiyasCookbook https://www.instagram.com/sandhiyascookbook/

Ingredients

Nendra Pazham(ripen) - 1

All purpose flour - 1/2 cup

Sugar - 1 tbsp

Salt - 1/8 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/8 tsp

Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp

Baking soda - a pinch

Water - as needed

Oil - for frying

Procedure

First peel the skin of the nendra pazham and cut into thin slices in preferred length(as shown in below pic). Next in a bowl, add the all purpose flour, sugar, salt, turmeric powder and cardamom powder. Mix it all well together. 

Next add the water little by little and make a thick batter like the bajji batter. 

Heat the oil for frying. Once the oil is hot(check by add a drop of batter and it should come up in  3-4 secs) , take a slice of nendra pazham, dip it in the batter so that both the sides are well coated with the batter and then drop it in the oil gently. Do the same for the remaining.

Cook the pazham pori in the medium heat for 3-5 mins or until the outside layer is crispy. Once it's well cooked, remove it from the oil and place it on tissue paper.

Delicious Pazham Pori is ready. Enjoy it hot with a cup of chai !

Related : How to make Rava Appam

Notes:

• Don't add too much baking soda. Otherwise it will absorb a lot of oil.
• Here i have used crushed cardamom seeds instead of cardamom powder.

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Thengai Pidi Kozhukattai | Easy Kozhukattai Recipe

Thengai Pidi Kozhukattai, an easy to make delicious kozhukattai with wonderful coconut flavor. Honestly, this kozhukattai recipe is not a standalone one, we make this kozhukattai with the last batch of idiyappam dough whenever we make idiyappam at home. 

If you're from the southern parts of Tamilnadu or especially from the Tirunelveli state, you might know this habit of making kozhukattai with the last bits of idiyappam maavu(dough). When i was a kid, i absolutely loved this kozhukattai and even asked Amma to make a little extra of this kozhukattai.  

It doesn't need any fancy ingredients but the flavor and the taste are awesome especially when it's hot. 

In those days, people didn't like to waste anything, this kozhukattai is mainly made in order to avoid  throwing  away the last bits of idiyappam maavu which would be cold and hard to squeeze at the end. So people simply make these kozhukattai by adding some coconut and sugar for the sweet version or only coconut for the savoury version.

Though it's made with leftover idiyappam maavu, today i have shared the whole recipe from scratch. Instead of sugar, you can also add jaggery powder but i grew up eating these sugar kozhukattai so still i have been making it like that.

If you're looking for an easy evening snack then definitely give this kozhukattai a try. Now let's check out how to make this easiest and delicious kozhukattai. 

Thengai Pidi Kozhukattai

Preparation Time : 5 mins | Cooking Time : 10 mins | Serves : 2 
Recipe Category: Snacks | Recipe Cuisine: Indian
Thengai Pidi Kozhukattai, Kozhukattai,Pidi Kozhukattai,Coconut Kozhukattai Thengai Pidi Kozhukattai, an easy to make delicious kozhukattai with wonderful coconut flavor.

Sandhiya https://www.facebook.com/SandhiyasCookbook https://www.instagram.com/sandhiyascookbook/

Ingredients

Rice Flour - 1/2 cup

Water - 1/3 cup

Sesame oil - 1/4 tsp

Salt - a pinch

Sugar - 1/4 cup

Grated Coconut - 1/2 cup

Cardamom powder  - 1/4 tsp

Procedure

First take the rice flour in a bowl, add the salt and mix it well. Heat the water in a saucepan, when the water starts to boil, switch off the flame and add the sesame oil into it and then immediately pour the water into the rice little by little.

Mix it with a ladle vigorously.  Once the rice starts to form a dough, stop adding the water(depending on the quality of the rice flour, you may need little less or more of the water mentioned here) and cover it with a lid for 10 mins. When the rice is hot enough to touch, make a nice dough and add the remaining ingredients(sugar, grated coconut and cardamom powder) into it. 

Mix it all together and then pinch a small ball of dough and make the kozhuttai.

Place it on the oiled steamer/idli platter and steam it for 5-7 mins. 

Delicious and flavorful kozhukattai is ready.

Related: How to make Thengai Poorna Kozhukattai

Notes:

• You can make this kozhukttai without cardamom powder too.
• Don't over cook the kozhukattai otherwise it might be rubbery.
• Kozhukattai would be shiny when it's fully cooked.

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