HOMEMADE BOONDI LADOOS

There was a time when I didn't know how to track the no. of visitors on my blog and there was a time I used to look forward to see that number increase.It gave me such joy that 1000's find my little bloggie useful in many ways! Most of you guys come here for recipes, some to ask me about crochet and other needlework and some of you just to read my 'stories' and take a peek at the photographs of what I post  randomly.

If you ask me what these 'stories' are, I wouldn't have known you read them as 'stories' until you all wrote to me. Funnily enough, I still don't consider them to be like that because I just write the association I have with that dish, from my real life :-)

When I got lazy in between, you all asked me to get back to this blog and start blogging again. I did and now I'm reaping the joys of it when this little space of mine has 10,00,000 hits as of today! It is a big achievement for me as I never even dreamt of this day when I started this space.

Now getting back to the ladoos, these are mine and Jobin's favourites! I've made them succesfully before, photographed them but it never made to my blog...I still wonder why! Maybe these ladoos had another destiny...to be here, on this special day :-) I dedicate these little yellow balls of pure joy to ALL OF YOU, dear readers! I wish I could share these with you in person...maybe someday it might happen! :-)

HOMEMADE BOONDI LADOOS
Recipe source: Manjula aunty

Ingredients:
1c besan/chickpea flour
1/2 c plus 1 tbsp water
11/2 c sugar
1 c water
Seeds from 6 green cardamom pods,crushed
8 pcs of cashewnuts,broken
Oil for frying

Method:Make a batter using besan and 1/2 c plus 1 tbsp water. Pass it through a perforated/slotted spoon and see if you can get them to fall back into the bowl. If it doesn't, add a little more water to the batter and mix well.Bring the 1 1/2 c of sugar and 1 c water to a rolling boil and boil till it reaches 220F on a candy thermometer. Keep it off the flame. Meanwhile,heat 2 inches of oil on medium high and drop some chickepea batter into it and if it sizzles up right away, you are good to proceed. Hold the perforated spoon 2 inches above the oil and pour the batter through it.The batter will fall as round balls into the oil, which is what we want. Fry them till they stop sizzling and golden brown in colour.Repeat and make sure your wipe your perforated spoon in between all the batches.Add these fried boondi's to the sugar syrup and let them soak for 10 mins. Transfer the soaked boondi's to a plate to cool a little until they are still warm to touch. Form balls/ladoos by squeezing them in between your palms, it might test your patience but it's worth every squeeze!

After my Piano lessons last night, we went shopping to the Malayali store here and found some sweets stacked up in the cooler. I gazed at them for a while and in the meantime Jobin pinpointed his favourites and even I pinpointed mine and finally we both pinpointed at the Boondi ladoos together! I asked him if he wanted me to pick up a box and he said, 'No, I want the ones you make, I like them the best!'. Now, no matter what, I had to get that request fulfilled! :-)

Now,with my feet up on our Lazyboy, watching the snow fall and with the warm ladoos sitting next to me,I'm waiting for him to get back from work and start digging into these along with him. These laddoos doesn't stay long in our house, they are so yummy!

HOMEMADE GULAB JAMUNS...from scratch!

If you noticed the title, I have mentioned that these Gulab Jamuns are made from scratch. It's just to avoid any confusions that I had when I was searching online for gulab jamun recipes. Many claimed it to be homemade (in the literal sense) and when I reached the recipe part,it asked for xyz brand of Gulab Jamun mix. I can get away with a readymade mix and I have done that many times before but knowing the person that I am, I have to make things at home, if it's possible :) I have searched high and low for a reliable source for it's recipe and have tried quite a few and I must say all of them were disasters. The main problems were a super sticky/stiff/dry dough or gulab jamuns not soaking the syrup.

Ateast once a week, there would be these experiments in our kitchen and when Jobin comes back home, instead of saying a 'Hello' it used to be 'This is the last time I'm ever going to try this!'. Everything went wrong but I never gave up. So after that, when he opened the main door,he would sniff, smile and say,'I thought last time was the last time!'.

So after many a 'last' time, I got hold of a proportion which worked like a charm for me! You will have to be careful about the consistency of the dough or else it will break while frying.If that happens, add a little more flour to the dough and fry another one.

HOMEMADE GULAB JAMUNS
My own recipe

Ingredients:
For the dumplings
1 1/4 c milk powder (Use Everyday- It's available at Indian grocery stores)
1/2 c all purpose flour/ maida
A good pinch of baking soda
3 tbsp cold butter
A few drops of cold milk (not more than 3 tbsp)

Method:Mix together milk together, flour and baking soda. Add the cold butter and rub it well into the flour.It will change the texture of the flour. Add milk little by little( you may or maynot need all of it) and form a smooth yet firm dough. Divide into 25 smooth small balls and deep fry in hot oil.Add the fried dumplings into hot syrup (recipe below) and leave aside for 30 mins.

The  oil should not be very hot or else the centre wouldn't be cooked completely. Add a ball of dough into the hot oil, it should settle at the bottom and rise slowly at the count of 10.That is the perfect temperature for frying the dumplings.

For the sugar syrup
1 1/2 c sugar
1 1/2 water
5 green cardamom pods, crushed

Method: Boil together for 5 mins and keep warm on low heat.
Serve warm or chilled.It's delicious when served with a scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream.

You can flavour the syrup with Rose water too.

The end result was melt-in-your-mouth Gulab Jamuns. The centres were perfectly cooked and the syrup was well absorbed making the dumplings pleasantly sweet. We really love these homemade Gulab Jamuns,especially Jobin! If at any point you feel that the dough is breaking during frying, add some more flour to the dough and knead it in. Your problem will be solved! :-)

BADUSHA...for the two of us :)

When I was young,that is when I was in school, I was a huge fan of Indian Sweets. Not the 'payasam' types but Kaju Burfi, Mysore Pak, Jalebi types. Luckily whenever I tried it at home, they were a big success. Oh, actually no! The first time I tried making Rasgulla, it was terrible...but later when I tried it , it came out spongy and juicy. One thing I learnt from that was, you need a real good recipe. What I know and have heard of is, there are millions of recipes floating around, but not all are good. Some are just OK but some are terrible that you might never even try thinking about it!

Somehow when I read through a recipe, I visualise it in my mind and give a quick check on the combination and proportion of ingredients just to make sure it's worth the time and effort in trying them.The other day we were at the Indian grocery store. I usually stop by the 'Sweets' section, drool looking at it and then walk away.I have this habit...I want to eat what I see  but I don't want to eat store made, instead I want to make it at home. So I showed the Badusha there and told Jobin how much I like it .'Even I like it', came the reply. So that's how I ended up making it at home and I'm so glad I did!

A lot of my readers ask me my 'secret' in getting consistent results everytime (Ahem!). My answer has always been ' I just attack a recipe & I don't think about the difficulty level. I just go with the flow and I somehow reach wherever I am supposed to reach'. So next time, don't think twice, just go for it and I am sure you will get it right! If you are making it for the first time, try to follow the recipe to the dot and then the next time on, you can add or substitute whatever you like/dislike. Atleast that way, if you have a failure you will know where you could have gone wrong because you got it right the first time.In baking, especially, you need to be careful about what you add and how much you add. Too little or too much can give you disasters. So if you are new to baking or you are baking your first cake, follow the recipe blindly.I really hope this helps! :)

I had bookmarked this particular recipe for a long time now and I think the perfect time to try it out was 2 days ago. It's been a year since we moved into our first home and I wanted to make something sweet because it was celebration time!! :)
Also, nominations are open for the Best Food Blog on Saveur.com, so if you think Ria's Collection's deserves it, please do nominate my blog under the 'Best Cooking Blog' catergory here. Thanks in advance!

BADUSHA
Recipe source: Raks Anand
Makes 8 nos.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 c All purpose flour/Maida
1/4 c unsalted butter
2 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp yogurt
2 pinches of baking soda
1/4 c (approx) water
Oil fr deep frying

For the syrup:
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c water
5 strands of saffron (optional)
1 tsp lemon juice

Method:
Melt the butter in microwave. Add oil, sugar,yogurt,baking soda and whisk well.
Add the flour and mix well to make it crumbly.Add water to mix and form a dough.
Knead it till it becomes smooth, appox 2-3 mins or till the dough releases oil
Divide them into small balls and shape them (I got 8). You can shape them the way I did or just poke a finger into the centre of the balls of dough so that it has a depression in the centre.Cover it with a towel.

Heat oil, add a pinch of dough to it and if it floats to the top immediately, you are good to go.Do not let the oil heat up any more but if you did so, just add some cold oil to it and it should be good.
Add in 3-4 badushas at a time and take the pan off the heat,let the badhusha's cook in the pre-heated oil for 5 mins.By this time, badusha's will float.
After 5 mins, keep the pan back on the flame on medium -low heat and cook till golden brown. It took me around 8-10 mins.

In the meantime, prepare the syrup by boiling together all the ingredients. As soon as you get it to a one-thread consistency (110 C), remove from flame and let it cool.
Once the badhusha's are fried, drain on kitchen towels and drop them into the sugar syrup immediately. Leave it for 1 mins. Remove and let it come to room temperature.
Store in airtight tin for upto 1 week. Do not store in refrigerator.

Verdict: These were excellent!! The recipe is almost fool proof and you can make it in no time! Everything comes together like a charm.A must try! It tastes the best on the 2nd day onwards (in my observation).

We loved it!

Plus, this month's Kerala Kicthen will be hosted by 'yours truly'. So please send in your entries with a picture to airmathew AT gmail DOT com by the 30th of April. Thank you!

DILKHUSH...an Indian favourite my way!

In one of our telephone conversations Amma & I happened to speak about 'Dilkush'. We both had it in our respective hostels during our college days. It was served as a tea- time snack. When I mentioned it to Jobin that evening, even he remembered eating it. Actually we 3 had very fond memories of it so I thought of giving it a try. I knew it was not a puff pastry casing instead something in between rough puff pastry and shortcrust pastry and I had no idea as to how to make it. So I thought of using the rough puff pastry I made a few days ago.

I love the filling. You can really have it alone if you are craving for something sweet.I couldn't stop myself from digging into it while I rolled out the pastry shell. I don't know how far I was successful in it because I think this is the closest I can get to in replicating that sweet at home unless that Bakery guy shares his recipe with me.

Today (Feb 22) is Amma's birthday and I thought I'd post this for her. Last year, we were there in Kannur on that day to celebrate her birthday with her. This year we are continents apart from each other!

DILKHUSH  my way!
Recipe for the rough puff pastry- My grandmother's cookbook
Recipe for the filling- My own


Ingredients:
For the rough puff pastry:
150g butter
200g plain all purpose flour
a pinch of salt
1 tsp lemon juice
125 ml ice cold water

For the filling:
1 c freshly grated coconut
3-4 tbsp granulated sugar
1/4 tsp cardamom powder, optional

1 egg, lightly beaten for glace

Method:
For the rough puff pastry:
Cut the firm but not hard butter into walnut sized pieces.
Sift the flour and salt together into a wide bowl and add the butter with lemon juice & water.Mix the ingredients lightly with a round bladed knife and maybe use your fingertips too, to form a soft elastic dough.
Turn out the dough to a floured surface & knead it lightly.Shape it into a rectangle and then roll it out into a strip about 3/4 " thick, 12" long and 4"wide keeping the edges straight. Butter will be clearly seen as yellow streaks in the pastry.
Fold the bottom third of the pastry up& upper third down.( It will look like a parcel)
Turn the pastry so that the fold points toward the left hand side, seal the edges lightly with the edge of the little finger.
Roll out the pastry again keeping it 1/2" thick and to a rectangle of 18" x6".Fold it once again.
Place in a plastic bag and leave it in a cool place for 20 mins. Repeat this 4 times more .
Rest the finished pastry for 10 mins before shaping .

For the filling:
Dump all the ingredients together in a pan. Cook on medium heat till the sugar dissolves and it becomes slightly sticky (about a minute or two).
Let it cool completely before you fill the pastry case.

Assembling:
Pre-heat the oven to 425F and position the rack in the centre.
Line a rectangular baking tray with parchment/butter paper.
Divide the dough into 2 parts and roll out each part on a lightly floured surface or using a parchment paper.
Take one rolled out circle and place on the baking sheet.
Top it with the filling. Place the other rolled out pastry sheet over it and seal the edges using water.Fold it over to create a decorative edge.
Brush the top with the egg and cut a small X in the centre of the pastry (just a steam vent).
Bake for 25-30 mins or till it is golden in colour.
Cool completely on a wire rack before serving.

Verdict: I wouldn't say this was the exact same replica, it was definately different. This was more crunchier than the original. Jobin had a totally different filling idea and I didn't know that until he ate a slice. 'Oh this was not the filling that I had in mind but whatever this filling is, it's really good' was his reply after he had a bite!

JALEBI for the Festival of Lights - Diwali

I
f you are a follower of my blog, you would have noticed that I usually do not celebrate a lot of festivals here. It's not because I am partial towards any,it's just that I am not sure whether I'd be able to follow it every year. But Christmas is celebrated big and wide here :-) And I am so waiting for this year's X'mas, as it is our first X'mas together, my first white X'mas and also my first X'mas outside India and my family being SO far away.

I had been planning to try out Jalebi for sometime now and it just happened to be today and so I thought I'd rather kill 2 birds with one stone :-) This is not the first time I am making Jalebi's. When I was in India, I had tried it out once and it did come out pretty nice.So this time around I thought I'd use a different recipe so that I can compare the results between the previous recipe. I would say, this recipe had a better outcome. Or maybe I have become a better cook now :-)

Anyhow, this recipe is a keeper and you all should try this sometime. You may have to be a bit patient, though. I tried squiggling with the batter and the batter wouldn't come out. It let out air into hot oil and I was seriously loosing my patience.My friend, Reeta, who was with me when I tried it out last afternoon , suggested that I keep the squeeze bottle nozzle - side down so that the batter will flow down...and it did! :-) Then we both had a great time making Jalebi's :-) Oh by the way, try to have it as hot as possible, there's nothing like it!

JALEBI
Recipe source: Hetal & Anuja
Please note that I made only half the quantity and it yielded me about 20-22 jalebi's.

Ingredients:
All purpose flour/Maida- 2 c
Cardamom powder-1/8 tsp
Yeast-1 tsp
Warm water-1/4 c
Cornflour/Cornstarch-2 tsp
Oil-1 tsp
Yoghurt-1 tbsp
Warm water- 3/4 c

For the syrup:
Sugar-1 1/4 c
Water-1cup
Lime juice-1 tsp
Red food colour- a pinch
Cardamom powder-1/4 tsp

Method:

• Dissolve the yeast in 1/4 c warm water and keep it aside for 10 mins until frothy.
• Mix rest of the ingredients together and add in the yeast mixture.
• Place this bowl in another bowl filled with some warm water. Cover the bowl with the mix with a lid.
• Leave this in a warm place and let the mix rise for 45 mins.
• Once it's risen, stir with a spoon , just to mix everything together.
• Pour into a mustard/sauce bottle and keep aside.

During the last 5 mins of the dough rising, make the syrup for the jalebi and also heat the oil for frying.

For the syrup:

• Heat everything together on high for 2 mins. Reduce the flame to a simmer.

Making the Jalebi:

• When the oil is hot, squeeze out some batter from the bottle and move your hand in a circular motion till you form one jalebi. You might have to go round and round 5-6 times. Make sure you don't leave any loose ends because the jalebi will be open, otherwise.
• Fry till golden on one side, the flip it over. When the bubbles subside, they are done.
• Transfer the hot jalebi's into the simmering sugar syrup. 
• Do not leave it for more than 30 seconds in it.Turn them and make sure the sugar syrup is coated on either side.
• Transfer them to a plate and serve them hot!

Verdict:
It was perfectly sweet, juicy and crunchy.We really enjoyed this treat! I don't think it can get any simpler or easier to make at home. If you are having guests coming for lunch or dinner, you can surely make this ahead and serve it to them. Jalebi's have a very high 'oomph' factor attached to it :-)

So here I am, wishing all my readers a very happy & safe Diwali! ~*Enjoy your day*~

GUILT FREE PEANUT LADOO

Trust me, I am in no mood to talk today. I think I have a spoken enough for the rest of my lifetime already! Jobin says I talk less these days ,when I feel I kill him with my non-stop nonsense banter (do couples always think opposite? ) He says I have become funnier after our wedding, when I think I have become boring day by day (so couples do think opposite, 100% sure!)

Now don't ask me what is the connection between my talks and this sweet. Absolutely nothing.This is how I am when I am in no mood to talk. I talk about things which has no connection between them. I get so bored talking about one thing at a time and Jobin gets so confused switching between topics at the same speed that I switch topics. 

Let me let you in on a big secret. I speak Malayalam way way way too better than Jobin. He will never agree to this, though. If he happens to read this post ( I am sure he will) , he will ask me to speak in Hindi (Uh-oh!).

Anyway, let's get back to the ladoos. This is a 3 ingredients, ghee-less, guilt - free ladoo than most of the ladoo's around. Try it and you won't be disappointed.

GUILT FREE PEANUT LADOO
Recipe source: Anushruti RK

Ingredients:

Roasted unsalted Peanuts without skin- 2c

Jaggery-3/4 c, powdered (You can find it in Indian grocery stores ]

Cardamom-4,seeds powdered and pods discarded.

Method:

For all those who have only raw peanuts with you, like me:

• Heat a flat bottomed pan.Add in the peanuts (skin on) and roast for 5-6 mins or till you get a nice aroma . Is still in doubt, bite into one and if you get the roasted taste, switch of the flame.
• Take the pan off the fire and transfer the peanuts onto a kitchen towel.
• While it is still warm, rub the peanuts together using the help of the towel. The skin will come off easily. 
• Use these peanuts for making ladoo's.

For making these round beauties you need to:

• Powder the roasted peanuts in your mixie/magic bullet (small jar & 4 blade bottom) stopping every once in a while to ensure that it doesn't turn pasty.Nuts release oil when they are ground, so be careful.
• Transfer this to a bowl and add the powdered jaggery and cardamom seeds to it.
• Mix very well, if you have lumps in the jaggery, mash the mixture with a potato masher. I skipped it because I love biting into jaggery pieces.
• Form the mixture into ladoos. You will need to use little bit of strength here to form them into balls as you don't any wet ingredient. But trust me, it's easy.
• The peanuts must be warm while grinding so that the mixture remains warm when you form the balls, or else it will be slightly difficult. Just in case your mixture turns cold, like mine, microwave it for 10 secs and proceed to form the ladoos.

Verdict:

 For all those who love the ultimate combination of peanut and jaggery, go for it. I thought it would taste like 'kadala muttai' or 'peanut chikki' . Not exactly. It has it's own magic of lending a different flavour altogether.

A very appealing, easy to put-together recipe for all occasions. Jobin & I loved it and I had a tough time keeping some aside so that I could take pictures of it.

 I am sending this post as an entry to Sugar High Fridays : Bite sized desserts hosted by the lovely Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen.

MYSORE PAK & an update after 20 days!

I'm back! :) with a bang from a 3 week shopping + no internet + a dead laptop charger scenario at home  :) A big thank you to you my dear readers for still being interested in my blog :)

I have to be honest that inspite of me travelling extensively in the last few weeks, I still managed to cook/bake a lot of stuff but I'm having a huge sugar craving right now hence none came out into the limelight :)

Mysore pak was something I always wanted to try and I did last year...before I started my darling blog. But the end result was bitter and what not! And you wouldn't believe how upset I was with the result...and Aparna knows the rest! I am still so sorry :)

But no matter how many days,weeks & months passed by, it was one thing that I wanted to perfect upon...and I did it! YAY! Thank you Aparna & Srivalli for helping me out with the one-thread consistency for sugar. You see, twitter SOS works like a charm! :)

MYSORE PAK

You can check Aparna's blog for the recipe

For all those who have never attempted making this sinful Indian sweet at home, please go ahead ! This recipe is a marvel! My pics haven't done justice to the ghee-yellow colour the sweet had. It does look a bit dry on the outside, but when you bite into it...it just melts in your mouth!

BESAN LADOO & a new friend for life! YAY!

If I have something on the back of my mind, I HAVE to sort it out somehow! And one such thing was my relationship with besan! Seriously, I could never get along with it somehow!

I had tried many times in the past to make good friends with them but they always turned out to be a bitter experience! Have tried making ladoo's , mysore pak (Aparna, I am still sorry for that rude comment! ) etc. Everything failed !

My best friend from college Vasu, always used to get these ladoo's from her home in Allahabad. And I was the one who used to finish it for her. I have always asked her to get me the proportion but she always said her mom eyeballs the amount of ingredients used in it. So I decided to eyeball it myself one day! There are no prices for guessing where it all went into in the end! It was so bitter, besan was uncooked and I wasted my precious ghee! Ghee, butter,fresh cream & chocolates are something I am terrified of going waste!

But this time around, I was sure that I will get it right because Hetal & Anuja are so good with their recipes and instructions.And I have always found sucess with their recipes I had tried out so far ( Kaju Burfi, Reshmi Kababs) I would advise you to see their video for this recipe to get that small tip which helped me find my sucess!

BESAN LADOO

Adapted from Show me the curry

Ingredients

Besan/Chickpea flour- 1 cup ( approx 100 g)

Warm milk-1 tbsp

Warm ghee-1 tbsp

Ghee/Clarified Butter-1/3 cup

Sugar-1/2 cup (110g)

Powdered Cardamom -1/4 tsp

Cashewnuts for garnishing

Method:

• Mix the warm milk with warm ghee.
• Mix Besan with ghee & milk mixture and keep aside for 5-6 mins.
• Rum the flour through a medium holed sieve to give it texture.
• In a non-stick pan, heat ghee and fry besan on low flame until light golden & fragrant.Stir continously.
• Switch of the stove & add the cardamom powder and sugar and mix well.Let it cool.
• Form ladoos & garnish them with cashew nuts.
• Store in airtight containers.

These ladoo's were a big hit at home. Dad gobbled down 4 in one go and I gobbled down 3! :)

P.S Thank you all for wishing me good health ( from my previous post)! Please wish me more as I am recovering from a food poisoning! :(

I am sending this post as an entry to My Legume Love Affair-16th helping hosted by Jeanne of Cook Sister which was started by Susan of The Well Seasoned Cook

I am also sending this post as an entry to Sanghi's FIL- Ghee event.

~Silky Smooth Pedas~

I was thinking of what should my next post be and that's when I came across this blog of Srivalli who was hosting a Mithai Mela! What more do I need?? I have an Enormous sweet tooth :D So I knew right then (for a change!! lol )what my next one would be!! :)
I loooovvee Pedas especially 'Milma' pedas :D and I have been making a version of mine since 7th grade! :) That's very very yummy but aesthetically unappealing! :D I never had any fixed quantity for it so it used to be a bit runny but tasted heavenly!

And so my search for the perfectly yummy and perfectly easy peda recipe ended at Show me the Curry .com with Hetal & Anjua! They are amazing!! The whole dish is prepared in less than 10 mins flat!! How cool is that??? :D

I am sending this post to Mithai Mela hosted by Srivalli of Cooking 4 all seasons! Thanks Srivalli!

Recipe adapted from Show me the Curry.com
Ingredients

Milk powder - 150g

Condensed milk -1 tin

Unsalted butter-113 g

Method:

In a microwave safe dish, melt the butter.
Add in the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
Cook in the microwave for 3 minutes, stirring very well after every minute.
After the 3 minutes, mix well again and leave aside for the mixture to cool down enough to handle.
Once the mixture has cooled down, grease your hands and make balls.
Gently press the balls and flatten them to shape…round and flat.
Decorate them with coloured sugar, almonds, cashews, pistachios or raisins.
Let the pedas set and cool down.
For a pretty presentation, place them in baking cups and serve.

For best results store them in a refrigerator and serve at room temperature.

That was super fast! Cooking with 3 ingredients in 3 minutes! Thanks a lot Hetal & Anuja!!

-Ria

KAJU BURFI

Well, it might sound strange but then I connect people with different food out of which one had been revealed already in my January post! Here's another one!!
The word 'Kaju Burfi' reminds me of my cousin Ryan whom we fondly call as 'Kuttu'. He is an absolute, ardent fan of 'Kaju Burfi'! He was in Kannur till few years back after which he moved to Muscat with his parents. He was so fond of this sweet so much that when my grandmom used to ask him what he wants .. the answer would be Kaju Burfi! And I used to wonder how on earth can someone like this!!!
I never liked it! But gradually as my taste buds explored the world outside the" food i always loved".. they liked it.. liked it so much that it fell in love!

Now I'm in deep love with it! :)
I clearly remeber how I used to stare (which I still do) at displays at all the Mithai shops, bakeries et all. Never knew how they managed to get such a clear cut, smooth, equally shaped, lump free Burfi's, Peda's etc. I used to search for hours online for recipes for Indian sweets but nothing could convince me to try because of their lengthy procedures and unending 'stirring' required!!

And finally.. Finally!!!! I got the answer!! I met Hetal & Anuja at Show Me The Curry.com
They are brilliant! I owe my first sucess at Kaju Burfi to them!!! This recipe is just TOO perfect!!

You can find the recipe here :

Hope you all loved this post as much as I loved posting ( and eating ;D ) it!!

Have a great weekend!!

-Ria