Apple halwa recipe, Without milk

Apple halwa with just 3 main ingredients. Apple halwa recipe without milk or khoya. Learn how to make apple halwa recipe with step by step pictures recipe.
I have already once tried apple halwa couple of times, once from a cookbook I have. It asked me to cook grated apple in milk. When I added apple to milk, the milk curdled and it made me so upset to see the apple and milk going waste. So was not ready to try the halwa again. Again tried by referring a video which asked for 1 & 1/2 cups sugar for 3 apples, I too added same and found it too sweet, turned out burfi. Realized it could a different measure of 1 cup. So this time I tried half the sugar and got it exactly how I wanted.
I love halwa with a slight tanginess, and this really matches my needs. I was really happy with the outcome. I had lots of apples from Navarathri guests. Though I understand halwa needs only 3 apples, somehow wanted to try it out now as I had apples in stock enormously as well as I am posting Deepavali recipes 🙂 Last week it was banana, this week it's apple. No more halwa posts, promise 😆 Apart from the fact it would be boring for you readers, the ghee and sugar already made me saturated. Not sure how I am going to proceed with more Diwali sweets posts.
Though I made banana halwa with jaggery, wanted to use sugar for apple halwa as I wanted more glossy effect.

Apple halwa recipe

Recipe Cuisine: Indian |  Recipe Category: Sweets
Prep Time: 5 mins  |  Cook time: 25 mins |  Serves: 4  | Author: Raks anand

Click here for cup measurements

Apple halwa with just 3 main ingredients. Apple halwa recipe without milk or khoya. Learn how to make apple halwa recipe with step by step pictures recipe.

Ingredients

Apple, large - 3
Sugar - 3/4 cup
Ghee - 4 tbsp
Cashew nuts - 6
Cardamom - 1
Nutmeg powder - a pinch

Apple halwa recipe method:

1. Peel the skin of the apples. Chop into small pieces, eliminate the seeds.
2. Grind smoothly in a mixer.
3. In a kadai, add 1 tbsp ghee and fry broken cashew nuts in medium flame until golden and crisp. Set aside.
4. Add ground apple, remaining ghee and keep cooking for 5 mins. It might splutter, so use a cover initially.
5. Once water is evaporated and gets thicker, add sugar. Mix well.
6. Continue cooking carefully, until you see ghee oozing out, doesn't stick to the bottom.
7. Time to be careful, you will see whitish bubbles (frothy) forming at the bottom as you stir from bottom.
8. Continue cooking in medium flame until the whole mixture starts becoming frothy, pale. Add powdered cardamom, nutmeg and cashew nuts. Mix well and switch off the flame.

Notes

• If you switch off early, the halwa will be soft more like pudding.
• If overcooked, it will turn chewy or burfi. So switch off as soon as you see pale frothy halwa.
• You can add a pinch of saffron for colour and flavour. You can also add food colour, but I recommend you to use natural food colour than artificial ones. 
• Troubleshooting: 🔹Even after cooling down, if halwa is not in halwa consistency and if it is soft, again cook the halwa to get the desired consistency.🔹 If it has gone hard because of over cooking, add little milk and heat to loosen in low flame. But have to consume within the day. 
• I used fine grain sugar. 
• Approx. 15 mins of cooking after sugar is added.

Tags:banana halwa, diwali sweets

Step by step pictures of how to make apple halwa:

1. Peel the skin of the apples. Chop into small pieces, eliminate the seeds.

2. Grind smoothly in a mixer. 

3. In a kadai, add 1 tbsp ghee and fry broken cashew nuts in medium flame until golden and crisp. Set aside.

4. Add ground apple, remaining ghee and keep cooking for 5 mins. It might splutter, so use a cover initially.

5. Once water is evaporated and gets thicker, add sugar. Mix well.

6. Continue cooking carefully, until you see ghee oozing out, doesn't stick to the bottom.

7. Time to be careful, you will see whitish bubbles (frothy) forming at the bottom as you stir from bottom.

8. Continue cooking in medium flame until the whole mixture starts becoming frothy, pale. Add powdered cardamom, nutmeg and cashew nuts. Mix well and switch off the flame.

I love the slight tanginess well balanced with sweet in this halwa. Also the apple made as halwa gives a great halwa texture.

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Poondu murukku, garlic murukku recipe, mini murukku

Poondu murukku, garlic murukku is a flavourful twist to the regular murukku you prepare. I have made this as tiny mini murukku. It turns out flavourful, super crispy.
Whenever my in-laws visit kumbakonam, they make sure to buy sweets and snacks apart from coffee powder and other stuffs. Though we too make a short stay at Kumbakonam every year when we make our yearly temple visit, somehow it will be hectic and my father in law alone goes and grabs few sweets and snacks last minute. My mom in law says they usually buy a garlic murukku that is so flavourful and it is sold only in a particular shop. Mama buys similar murukku, which is plain flavour and white in colour. I could clearly feel it is just rice flour murukku. But as mami and co-sis raves about the garlic murukku I get tempted a lot.
This time, when Vj went for an official trip to India, he visited Chennai and my mami passed the tiny plain murukku through him. I was telling my mami over phone that I wanted to prepare the same way as it is. Actually last year itself I did attempted to make tiny murukku but ended up in making regular ones😄. When I told her, she asked me to try again, which I already had decided.
I have seen my mom covering two star shaped holes in her murukku press plate using cotton cloth rolled and stuffed in the two holes to block it. So that we have control over the shape, while squeezing with single hole in the murukku press. I thought, should adapt that method and try again to make tiny murukku.

In my murukku press, I have this plate which is slightly thicker than the sev/ idiyappam hole, but thinner than the regular murukku holes. Last year also I attempted with the same. So I was thinking to customise the same plate, by blocking the holes and having fewer holes.
My mom in law uses comparatively smaller murukku achu (murukku press) usually. I have tried the same dough in two different murukku achu with larger hole plate and comparatively smaller holed plate. The murukku made thinner are super crisp, pale in colour too when compared to the thicker murukku. Now a days I too follow the same as much as possible. Thin murukku➡Crispy, lighter colour murukku.
One thing I noticed was for garlic murukku, we should not add ajwain or cumin seeds and let the garlic flavour dominate the murukku. I added ajwain and thought I should not have added it. So do try without ajwain. I have used rice flour as main ingredient, with urad dal flour in it. You can use my pottukadalai murukku recipe too and adapt the same method to prepare garlic murukku.

Poondu murukku recipe

Recipe Cuisine: Indian |  Recipe Category: Snacks |  Prep Time: 15 mins  
Cook time: 20 mins |  Serves: 35 mini murukku  | Author: Raks anand

Click here for cup measurements

Poondu murukku, garlic murukku is a flavourful twist to the regular murukku you prepare. I have made this as tiny mini murukku. It turns out flavourful, super crispy.

Poondu murukku ingredients

Garlic - 5 flakes
Rice flour - 1 cup
Urad dal flour - 2 tbsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Ajwain (optional) - 1/2 tsp
Butter, melted - 1 tbsp
Salt - As needed
Oil - to deep fry
To make urad dal flour, roast white urad dal in medium flame until golden in colour. Cool down and powder in mixie. Sieve it and store to use in recipes. Click here to see picture.

Garlic murukku method:

1. First grind the garlic flakes in a mixie. You can add salt too and grind so that it gets ground well. Later add some water and grind again so that it gets ground well.
2. In a mixing bowl, add rice flour, urad dal flour, red chilli powder, salt, butter (ajwain if adding) and mix well.
3. Add ground garlic, water little by little as needed and make a smooth dough without cracks.
4. Take a murukku press with smaller holed plate. *Refer notes* Fill the press with prepared dough.
5. Heat oil in kadai. While oil is heated, grease some flat spatulas with oil. Squeeze the murukku over spatulas, holding in a good height so that you have control over the shape.
6. Squeeze multiple murukku enough for one batch and once oil is hot, add the squeezed murukku in oil.
7. Cook both sides in medium flame until bubbles and sound reduces completely. Drain over paper towel.

Notes

• I cut out an aluminum foil same as the murukku press plate. Trimmed the edges. Again layered aluminum foil and layer both. I used the second aluminium foil to secure around the plate. Then poked hole in the aluminium foil (along the hole in the murukku press plate)  just in the middle.
• Since I made mini murukku, I squeezed 2-3 per spatula so that I could fry maximum per batch.
• Use finest rice flour for best results. I used idiyappam flour. It gives crispier result.
• If the flour is too coarse, the murukku breaks, either while squeezing or in oil/ after frying.
• Do not add more butter than mentioned as it will make the murukku dissolve in oil.
• Oil should be hot enough so that murukku sizzles as soon as you add to oil.

Tags:poondu murukku, garlic murukku

Step by step preparation of poondu murukku:

1. First grind the garlic flakes in a mixie. You can add salt too and grind so that it gets ground well. Later add some water and grind again so that it gets ground well.

2. In a mixing bowl, add rice flour, urad dal flour, red chilli powder, salt, butter (ajwain if adding)and mix well.

3. Add ground garlic, water little by little as needed and make a smooth dough without cracks. 

4. Take a murukku press with smaller holed plate. I cut out an aluminum foil same as the murukku press plate. Trimmed the edges. Again layered aluminum foil and layer both. I used the second aluminium foil to secure around the plate. Then poked hole in the aluminium foil (along the hole in the murukku press plate)  just in the middle. Make sure that the securing foil by folding it, is not too thick, that is to not roll and seal. Otherwise it will leak because of the gap when you fit to the press.

5. Fill the press with prepared dough. Heat oil in kadai. While oil is heated, grease some flat spatulas with oil. Squeeze the murukku over spatulas, holding in a good height so that you have control over the shape. 

6. Squeeze multiple murukku enough for one batch and once oil is hot, add the squeezed murukku in oil. Cook both sides in medium flame until bubbles and sound reduces completely. Drain over paper towel.

Cool down completely and store in airtight containers to enjoy as tea time snack.

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Banana halwa recipe, with jaggery

Banana halwa with simple ingredients available at home. Learn how to make banana halwa step by step pictures and detailed method.
Since it's festival time and I have kept golu, I got a huge number of fruits by the guests. Some banana were frozen and made milkshake with bournvita, some ate as such and still had loads of banana to finish. One bunch of Dole long variety banana was getting over ripen. So I was thinking of trying some sweet. I recently saw banana halwa from Divya's cookbook. It was kerala style banana halwa with nendran banana with simply sugar and ghee. I knew the same method could be adapted to prepare with regular banana too.  Though there are various methods to prepare banana halwa, the one she shared was really easy method as well as tempting. So decided to try it out. I was not even very confident as the measurement were given in weight whereas I added in cup measurements roughly. Also I used jaggery in place of sugar. So was skeptical about the result.

It turned out so yummy and flavourful. Actually when I hear about banana sheera, I used to think how the banana would smell in a sheera. Same thoughts about halwa. But it was totally different from the way I had imagined.
With jaggery and cardamom, there was no trace of banana flavour over powering the halwa. It was really good. I was so tempted to use coconut oil for preparing the halwa somehow, but first time did not want to test.
I am sure many of you will love this recipe both because of its simplicity as well as the way banana's put in use.

Banana halwa recipe

Recipe Cuisine: Indian |  Recipe Category: Sweets
Prep Time: 5 mins  |  Cook time: 25 mins |  Serves: 6  | Author: Raks anand

Click here for cup measurements

Banana halwa with simple ingredients available at home. Learn how to make banana halwa step by step pictures and detailed method.

Ingredients

Banana, long variety - 5
Jaggery, crushed - 1 & 1/4 cup
Sugar, unrefined - 1/4 cup
Lemon juice - 1 tsp
Ghee - 4 tbsp
Cashew nuts - 10
Cardamom - 1, powdered

Method:

1. Peel banana and puree it in a blender. I got 2 & 1/4 cups.
2. In a heavy bottomed vessel, heat banana puree with jaggery, sugar.
3. Once it starts boiling, add lemon juice. This gives a nice taste as well as prevents turning burfi.
4. Once it turns glossy, start adding ghee one tbsp at a time.
5. Let the mixture thicken. First it starts to leave sides.
6. As you keep cooking and add ghee, at one stage, you will see whitish frothy here and there while you stir from bottom.
7. Add powdered cardamom, chopped cashew nuts and mix.
8. At one stage at many places in the mixture starts turning pale, slightly frothy.
9. Pour to a greased serving bowl. I poured to a plate.

Notes

• I used unrefined demerara sugar. If using white sugar, just 2- 3 tbsp is enough. 
• Sugar is used for more glossy effect.
• Regulate the heat so that the mixture is not always cooked in high heat. 
• If over cooked, it will become hard chewy like candy. 
• You can add roasted cashew nuts too. I liked raw cashews.
• You can add more ghee if you want. extra 1 or 2 tbsp.
• If too gooey even after cooling down, you can again reheat and add ghee to make it more glossy and non sticky.

Tags:banana halwa, diwali sweets

How to make Banana halwa step by step:

1. Peel banana and puree it in a blender. I got 2 & 1/4 cups.

2. In a heavy bottomed vessel, heat banana puree with jaggery, sugar.

3. Once it starts boiling, add lemon juice. This gives a nice taste as well as prevents turning burfi. Once it turns glossy, start adding ghee one tbsp at a time.

4. Let the mixture thicken. First it starts to leave sides. As you keep cooking and add ghee, at one stage, you will see whitish frothy here and there while you stir from bottom. Add powdered cardamom, chopped cashew nuts and mix.

5. At one stage at many places in the mixture starts turning pale, slightly frothy. Pour to a greased serving bowl.

Use spoon dipped in ghee to scoop for easy serving. 

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Corn dosai, makka chola dosai

Corn dosai made with dried corn, rice and urad dal as ingredients. Just three ingredients for making this delicious dosai.

I have been told to try this recipe a couple of years back by my BIL, but somehow I missed the recipe or I was confused with lots of doubts. Again last week my friend Sugapriya sent me a voice note that she had prepared chola dosai. She sent me the outcome of the recipe too as pictures. She made paniyaram with the same batter too.

Not with sweet corn, the good old corn, firm and flavourful one we used to enjoy as kids. If you have excess of this corn as fresh ones, just peel it off and dry it for couple of days (or can use it as such too if old) and utilize to prepare the dosa or paniyaram. 

Corn dosai recipe

Recipe Cuisine: Indian |  Recipe Category: Breakfast
Prep Time: 10 Hrs  |  Cook time: 15 mins |  Serves: 15  | Author: Raks anand

Click here for cup measurements

Corn dosai made with dried corn, rice and urad dal as ingredients. Just three ingredients for making this delicious dosai.

Ingredients

Corn, makka cholam - 1 cup
Idli rice - 1 & 1/2 cup
Urad dal - 1/4 cup
Salt - As needed

Method

1. Soak maize, rice and urad dal together for 2 hours. 
2. Grind it to a smooth batter in mixie or wet grinder.
3. Mix salt and set aside for 5-8 hours. It should ferment like regular dosa batter.
4. Adjust the batter consistency so that it is not too firm, have to be in pouring consistency so that it can be spread easily just like idli dosa batter.
5. Heat a dosa pan and pour required amount of batter (2 ladles) and spread to thin dosa.
6. Drizzle oil over and cook both sides for a minute or two by flipping. 

Notes

• My friend said she fermented only 4 hours but she is residing in hot humid weather. 
• You can make paniyaram also with the same batter. 
• I felt adding 1/2 tsp of methi seeds will give more softness in the dosa. Next time am going to try that.
• Few of you asked if fersh corn can be used. I suggest to dry it for couple of days and use it.

Step by step pictures:

1. Soak corn, rice and urad dal together for 3 hours.

2. Grind it to a smooth batter in mixie or wet grinder. Mix salt and set aside for 8 hours. It should ferment like regular dosa batter. Adjust the batter consistency so that it is not too firm, have to be in pouring consistency so that it can be spread easily just like idli dosa batter.

3. Heat a dosa pan and pour required amount of batter (2 ladles) and spread to thin dosa. Drizzle oil over and cook both sides for a minute or two by flipping.

Serve hot with sambar or chutney.

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Aloo jeera recipe, No onion no garlic

Aloo jeera is a simple no onion no garlic, a dry subji made with potato and simple ingredients but total burst of flavours. Step by step pictures recipe.
I had seen this recipe many times and think it is very popular too. Never tried this way since I make it with south Indian flavours mostly. But I know it would turn out really good as we too cook almost with similar spices for puri in gravy form. If it is done in the right way, it's the most tastiest. Many have wrong assumption about this combo due to their bad experience in restaurant or tried themselves because of poor balance of spice. Trust me, sometimes simple is best. This is tastes really good with loads of flavour. Do try it out.
Reader friends in Singapore, since Saraswati pooja coming up, you might find this below offer from Pushcart.sg very useful. Click here to download their app and order now.

Meanwhile bit busy with Navarathri, golu hopping and lots of cooking. Here is my this year's simple  Navarathri golu 🙂

Aloo jeera recipe

Recipe Cuisine: Indian |  Recipe Category: Sides
Prep Time: 5 mins  |  Cook time: 15 mins |  Serves: 3  | Author: Raks anand

Click here for cup measurements

Aloo jeera is a simple no onion no garlic, a dry subji made with potato and simple ingredients but total burst of flavours. Step by step pictures recipe.

Ingredients

Potato, small sized - 5
Green chilli - 5
Ginger, finely chopped - 2 tsp
Coriander leaves, finely chopped - 4 tbsp
Lemon juice -  2 tsp
Oil - 2 tbsp
Jeera, Cumin seeds - 2 tsp
Salt as needed

Method:

1. Wash and cut potatoes into two. Take water enough to immerse the potatoes in a small pressure cooker. 
2. Pressure cook the potatoes for 3 whistles. Cool down, peel off the skin.
3. Cut the potatoes into quarters.
4. Heat oil in pan, once hot, splutter cumin seeds taking care not to burn.
5. Add chopped ginger, slit green chilli. Give it a stir.
6. Add cut potatoes, turmeric and required salt. Mix and cook for a minute.
7. Add coriander leaves, lemon juice and cook for 2 more mins stirring occasionally in between. Switch off the heat.

Notes:

• Do not overcook potatoes. 
• Skip ginger if you do not like it's flavour.
• If you do not want to lose the nutrients in lemon juice, add after switching off the heat. 

Tags: aloo jeera, potato, cumin seeds,

How to make aloo jeera:

1. Wash and cut potatoes into two. Take water enough to immerse the potatoes in a small pressure cooker. Pressure cook the potatoes for 3 whistles. Cool down, peel off the skin. Cut the potatoes into quarters.

2. Heat oil in pan, once hot, splutter cumin seeds taking care not to burn. Add chopped ginger, slit green chilli. Give it a stir. Add cut potatoes, turmeric and required salt.

3. Mix and cook for a minute.Add coriander leaves, lemon juice.
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4. Cook for 2 more mins stirring occasionally in between. Switch off the heat.

Serve as accompaniment for rice with gravy.

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Namak para recipe, easy tea time snack

Namak para is an easy to make snack, perfect to go with tea, coffee. Just few simple ingredients and easy preparation for this crispy snack. Full video step by step pictures recipe.
Namak para is in my to do list for long time. The name itself tempts me a lot to try. I keep browsing recipes to prepare and end up thinking it is similar to the diamond cuts or maida biscuits we make. But there are slight variations between them, so I thought it is worth a try.

It turned out really good and I love the simplicity of the recipe. Even we make maida diamond cuts simpler way but I almost never make it. I always make this spicy diamond cuts version. Even make my sweet maida biscuits by adding powdered sugar rather than mixing sweet in dough.
But it was really a nice variation to and a dream come true to try shakkar para, so I am glad to try namak pare as well. This could be useful for many of you during this festival season 🙂

Namak para recipe

Recipe Cuisine: Indian |  Recipe Category: Snacks
Prep Time: 15 mins  |  Cook time: 15 mins |  Serves: 3 cups  | Author: Raks anand

Click here for cup measurements

Namak para is an easy to make snack, perfect to go with tea, coffee. Just few simple ingredients and easy preparation for this crispy snack. Full video step by step pictures recipe.

Ingredients

All purpose flour (maida) - 1 cup
Wheat flour - 1/4 cup
Oil - 2 tbsp
Ajwain - 3/4 tsp
Black pepper, crushed - 1 tsp
Cooking soda - 1 pinch
Salt - as needed
Oil - to deep fry

Method:

1. Take maida, wheat flour, 2 tbsp oil, pepper, ajwain, cooking soda in a mixing bowl. Mix well. Add water to make a smooth yet stiff dough.
2. Keep aside for 10 mins, knead again and divide into 4. 
3. Dust a countertop well, flatten a dough ball, dusted well and roll it out to thick rotis.
4. Dust slightly again to avoid stickiness. Cut into strips, then into small pieces. 
5. Heat oil, gather the cut pieces gently and fry in batches.
6. Stir occasionally. Cook in medium flame until bubble ceases, turns golden and light. Drain over paper towel. Repeat to finish.

Notes

• Make sure to make the dough stiff, not sticky.
• Do not worry if the shapes gets changed. But while deep frying it will be alright.

Tags: namak para, namak pare

How to make namak pare recipe step by step:

1. Take maida, wheat flour, 2 tbsp oil, pepper, ajwain, cooking soda in a mixing bowl. Mix well. Add water to make a smooth yet stiff dough.

2. Keep aside for 10 mins, knead again and divide into 4. 

3. Dust a countertop well, flatten a dough ball, dusted well and roll it out to thick rotis. Dust slightly again to avoid stickiness. Cut into strips, then into small pieces.

4. Heat oil, gather the cut pieces gently and fry in batches. Stir occasionally. Cook in medium flame until bubble ceases, turns golden and light. Drain over paper towel. Repeat to finish.

Cool down, store in airtight box to enjoy as tea time snack.

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