SHAHI PHIRNI WITH PISTACHIOS AND FRUIT TOPPINGS

                    It seems like Yesterday when I came across a Group of Bloggers on Google + sharing their delicious food based on a particular theme on every Monday like "healthy ingredients, family and comfort food recipes, real, local and sustainable food" and all the members have to cook the recipe according to theme ingredient and reveal it on the said date. By doing this one gets to learn new techniques and explore different cuisines. What attracted me is the passion of these bloggers to come up with new theme and cook accordingly despite their busy schedules.

                    One Simple mail to Jolly and I am part of this Group and donot know how time flies and we have came to celebrate our 25^th Foodie Monday BlogHop today. During this journey I came across some wonderful friends like Krithika, Rupal, Nisa,Sujata,Waagmi, Preethi and Jolly who have become part of my life. Thank you everyone of Foodie Monday BlogHop for your wonderful Contributions and making me realize my passion for experimenting with food and enjoying it on every Monday.

 

So to celebrate our 25th Foodie Monday Blog Hop theme of Sweets , I decided to make SHAHI PHIRNI  WITH PISTACHIOS AND FRUIT TOPPINGS.Who can resist chilled creamy Phirni, an absolute delight…and my all-time fav Indian Dessert! But making it the traditional way requires much of your time and attention…with constant supervision.

          Phirni is a traditional rice pudding that is prepared with full cream milk, paste of soaked raw rice, sugar and cardamom. The cooked creamy rice mixture is set in earthen clay pots or plates, richly garnished with edible silver leaf and garnished with nuts like pistachios and almonds. Phirni has its origins in the Middle East and has made its way to the Indian sub continent through the Mughals. You will find this easy sweet dessert prepared in the homes of Hindus and Muslims to celebrate festivals like Eid, Holi and Diwali.

Course:Dessert

Cuisine:Indian

Yield:6 servings

Cooking Time:1 hour, 45 minutes 

Ingredients

• 1 liter full cream milk
• 1/4 cup rice
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup pistachios chopped
• 1 teaspoon cardamom powder
• ½ cup chopped fruits of your choice( optional)

Let's Learn How to make this delicious Phirni:

• Wash and soak rice in little water for about an hour. 
• Drain water and pulse in a grinder till you get a grainy consistency.The grains should feel gritty between your fingers and should be slightly bigger than semolina.
• Heat milk in a heavy bottom pan and bring the milk to a gentle simmer, add the rice while whisking continuously. This will help avoid lumps. Bring this to a boil while whisking, and then lower the flame to a simmer. Keep stirring the mixture every couple of minutes. After about 20 minutes the mixture will start to thicken. 
• Simmer for another 20 -25 minutes till it thickens considerably and the rice is completely cooked. Add sugar,cardamom powder and mix till it dissolves. 
• Turn off the heat and allow it to cool completely. Refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours. 
• serve the Phirni with chopped pistachios along with seasonal fruits of your choice.

Eggless Strawberry Pancakes Recipe

Apart from providing us with energy, breakfast foods are good sources of important nutrients such as calcium, iron and B vitamins as well as protein and fibre. The body needs these essential nutrients and research shows that if these are missed at breakfast, they are less likely to be compensated for later in the day. What’s better than a hot, warm stack of pancakes to start the day off with? A favorite of adults and kids alike, nothing feels cozy like a fresh batch of pancakes, preferably with a couple hot cups of coffee or a glass of fresh juice. If you’re tired of your bowl of typical bowl of oatmeal or cereal, these pancakes are a delicious treat to enjoy .

Adapted from The New York Times Cookbook, these pancakes are fluffy on the interior and crispy on the exterior. These are those thick, spongy American pancakes that are often eaten with warm maple syrup and crisp fried bacon. You can easily cook these pancakes by dolloping the batter onto a hot griddle  or heavy based pan.

Strawberries are an excellent source of vitamins C and K as well as providing a good dose of fibre, folic acid, manganese and potassium. They also contain significant amounts of phytonutrients and flavanoids which makes strawberries bright red.I wonder what is so special about these Strawberries that make them so desirable.  Is it the delicious smell, the taste, beautiful rich red color? I don't know the reason but they sure make me feel special. With a Pancake cravings so high, I decided to make these Strawberry filled Pancakes for my breakfast. The strawberries, along with the melted butter, give these pancakes that little something extra. So much so that you don’t even need toppings except for some delicious honey .

While most pancake recipes do call for eggs, it is possible to make delicious pancakes without them also. This is an easy to make recipe with goodness of fruits.

Eggless Strawberry Pancakes Recipe

Prep + Cooking : 15 mins
Yields: 8 Pancakes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• A pinch of baking soda
• 1 tbsp sugar 
• A pinch of salt
• 2 tsp  oil
• 1 cup + 2 tbsp milk
• 1/4 cup yogurt
• 1/4 cup Strawberries (fresh or frozen) + 2 to 3 Strawberries for serving
• 2 tbsp butter to spread on pancakes while cooking
• Honey for serving

Let's Learn How to make these pancakes:

• Mix Plain flour,Baking Powder, Baking Soda, Salt and sieve it for 2 to 3 times.
• In a bowl add together the flour, baking powder, baking soda  and mix well with a whisk to evenly mix all the ingredients.
• In a bowl add the yogurt and beat well without any lumps. Now add the sugar and salt and beat well until dissolved. Add the oil and beat well.
• Add the flour mixture sifted and kept a scoop at a time and mix well. Once the mixture starts to become thick add some milk and loosen the batter. Add milk and flour alternatively till the whole lot finishes. 
• The consistency should be that of an pouring batter .Using the whisk mix well without any lumps and set aside for 10 -15 minutes to ferment the batter.
• Heat a nonstick pan and add half a teaspoon of butter and once the butter melts add a ladle full of batter and do not spread the batter. Sprinkle some chopped strawberry on top.
• Close with a lid for even cooking once the top of the pancakes forms air bubbles slightly flip the pancake using a ladle.Cook the other side till golden colour appears.
• Serve it with some chopped Strawberries on top and pour some honey over it.

Sending this recipe to Cooking From Cookbook Challenge

TRICOLOR PANA COTTA - CELEBRATING INDIA's 67th REPUBLIC DAY

Republic day in India is celebrated every year with great enthusiasm on 26th of January to honour the Constitution of India as it came into force on the same day in the year 1950.Republic Day is the symbol of true spirit for the independent India where military parades, exhibiting military equipment, salute to the national flag by the Indian president and variety of events are take place at this day. The National Flag of India is a national symbol designed in horizontal rectangular shape. It is designed using three colours such as deep saffron (top most), white (middle) and India green (lower most). The middle white colour contains navy blue Ashoka Chakra (means Wheel of Law)in the centre having 24 spokes in the wheel. 

Indian National Flag

Indian flag means a lot to us. It is our symbol of unity to lead us on one common way of Dharma even after being of different faiths and religions of Buddhism, Jainism, Hinduism, Islam and Sikhism. The topmost part of the national flag is designed using saffron colour which indicates courage and selflessness of the nation. It is the common and religiously significant color of the religions like Hindu, Buddhist and Jain. Saffron colour indicates renunciation and absolution of the ego of the people belongs to different religion and unites to become one.

 The middle part of the Indian national flag is designed using white colour which represents the honesty, purity and peace of the nation. According to the Indian philosophy, white colour also represents the cleanliness and knowledge. It lightens the path of truth in order to guide the nation. 

The lowermost part of the Indian national flag is designed using the green colour which represents the faith, fertility and prosperity of the nation. According to the philosophy of India, green colour is a festive and stabilizing color which represents the life and happiness. It indicates the greenery of earth all over the India. 

 

According to the Hindu religion, the meaning number 24 is of great significance in the Puranas. Ashok Chakra is considered as the Dharma Chakra which is also known as the Samay Chakra. Ashok Chakra contains 24 spokes in the centre which represents the 24 precious hours of the whole day. It also represents 24 Dharma Rishis of the Hindu religion Who wielded whole power of the Gayatri Mantra (a most powerful mantra of the Hindu religion). All 24 Dharma Rishis of the Himalayas gets represented with 24 letters of the eternal Gayatri Mantra (first one represents the Vishvamitra whereas last one represents the Yajnavalkya who governs religion means Dharma). 

According to the Hindu religion, all the 24 spokes of the national Flag represents the Life means The Dharma which are as follows: Love, Courage, Patience, Peacefulness, Magnanimity, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Selflessness, Self-Control, Self Sacrifice, Truthfulness, Righteousness, Justice, Mercy, Gracefulness, Humility, Empathy, Sympathy, Spiritual Knowledge, Moral Values, Spiritual Wisdom, The Fear of God and Faith (Belief or Hope).Navy blue colour, of the Ashok Chakra in the centre of the white strip of the national flag, indicates the most truth of the universe. It represents the color of sky and ocean.

India is a country having people of different cultures, societies, religions and languages who interplay with each other harmoniously. Independence to the India is the great pride as it was obtained over years after facing a variety of obstacles and hurdles.So on this republic day, we the Bloggers at the Foodie Monday Blog Hop theme decided to  celebrate the Tricolor and what better way than expressing it through Food.So here is my take on expressing my gratitude and celebrating the 67th Republic Day by this tricolor Panacotta.

Pana cotta, is a traditional Italian dessert that is made with cream, milk, sugar, vanilla and gelatin, often served with caramel syrup . Panna cotta is a very basic pudding that is made of dairy thickened with gelatin. It originated in Italy and its name literally means "cooked cream," since the earliest versions were made of thick cream, sometimes thickened with fish bones. You can eat it straight out of a cup, but it's often un molded onto a plate and drizzled with sweet sauce and garnished with fruit. A bite of panna cotta is remarkably creamy, melting in the mouth without a trace of grittiness or lumps. Panna cotta is one of my ideal desserts: it’s very easy and quick to make, it can be made ahead of time, and it is an overall crowd pleaser. 

Cuisine: Italian

Type: Dessert

Serves:4
Ingredients:

• 400 ml Amul cream
• 50 ml milk
• 50 gms sugar
• 2 1/2 tsp of gelatine powder
• 4 tablespoon of cold water
• ¼ tsp of cardamom powder
• Liquid food color  red and green( Optional)
• 2 tablespoon Green apple Crush 
• 2 tablespoon of Orange crush
• 3 to 4 Strawberries for garnishing

Let's Learn How to make this dessert:

• Put the gelatine powder  in a bowl filled with cold water for 15 minutes or until soft.
• Put the cream, milk and sugar in a deep vessel  and cook it on a slow fire until the mixture boils. Put the cardamom powder in it.
• Turn off the fire and add the soft gelatine powder.  Mix well until the gelatine is well dissolved.
• Divide the mixture into 3 small bowls.
•  Add the green apple crush  in one of the bowls along with some green color, the orange crush along with the orange color  in the other.  Adding of food color is optional but to bring the exact shade of the Tricolor I have used the color.
•  Keep the 3 small bowls in a pot filled with hot water, so the gelatine doesn’t solidify while you prepare the 3 layers of panna cotta.
•  Put some of the Green panna cotta in a serving glass and put it in the freezer for at least 30  minutes or until it solidifies.
•  Then add the white panna cotta and put the glasses back in the freezer until it solidifies.
•  Put the last layer of Orange Panacotta and put the glasses in the fridge overnight before serving.
• Decorate with some strawberry and enjoy this beautiful textured dessert on this Republic day.

 

HAPPY REPUBLIC DAY TO ALL MY FRIENDS………

Pomegranate Ice cream - Guest Post for Sapana Behl

This is my first guest post and what better way to start it than with a dear friend Sapana Behl of Cookingwithsapana . I came across Sapana's Blog while I am doing Cooking for cookbook challenge with her and I was amazed by the collection of recipes at her blog and  I am very happy and super excited when she asked me to do a guest post for her and made some super yummy Pomegranate Ice cream for her.For the recipe checkout her Blog.

Sapana is a very talented blogger who blogs regularly at her beautiful Blog Cookingwithsapana .I like her approach to deal with everyday food and the magic she creates around them. She has a huge collection of around 800 recipes of Indian and International Cuisine. Out of her collection I     found neapoliitan-style-pizza,  spinach-paneer-pinwheels,  phyllo-pizza are some of the collection which one must give it a try. I am looking forward to see her touching the pinnacle of success in blogging community and achieve whatever she aspires in her life.

Pomegranates are among the healthiest fruits on earth which contains a range of beneficial plant compounds, unrivaled by other foods. Pomegranate is a thick skinned super seedy fruit, with a brilliant red hue which is now touted as a wonder fruit by scientific researchers. The name pomegranate derives from the French word “pomegranate” or seeded apple.

 

They are believed to have originated in Iran and brought to Egypt in 1600 BC, where it was not only revered as an important food source but was also widely used for its medicinal value. It was held in high esteem even during those times, as it is evident by their depiction in Egyptian paintings and tombs. Inspired by the abundance of jewel toned seeds within the bright red rind, pomegranate is considered to be a symbol of fertility and prosperity in some cultures. Some people might find it a bit cumbersome to deal with the little seeds, which is why, extracting its juice is the best way to utilize the benefits of pomegranate juice.

 

Drinking it allows for a quick and easy assimilation of all the nutrients found in the bloodstream by the body. In comparison to other fruits, pomegranates contain the maximum amount of anti-oxidants. It contains approximately 3 times more antioxidants than green tea and oranges.

A delicious, fresh pomegranate ice cream which is  super easy to make , with no eggs, no cook, no churn. The combination of fresh pomegranate juice and heavy cream produces a lovely shade of pink which you will simply love and with the contrasting bright red pomegranate seeds, this ice cream is a delight to watch!

 

This recipe is so simple, so gorgeous, and so delicious that I simply couldn't keep it from you all. Though I have made this recipe a number of time, I could not able to put it on the Blog. But as the Valentine’s day is approaching, I thought of making this Ice Cream and sharing it with you all.Checkout this delicious and super easy  recipe at Sapana's Blog.

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Warm regards,
Alka Jena

Cottage Cheese & Fruit salad

Skimmed Milk Cottage Cheese is  a good source of protein and blends well with other veggies. Pineapple, Cucumber, Apple, gauva which are all low in calories along with Olives which add essential omega-3 fatty acids to this healthy bowlful of salad.This bowlful of salad which is low in calories but high in antioxidants and Omega-3 fatty acids  is a perk up food and is also excellent for the skin nourishment. This recipe has been adopted from Tasty Eating For Healthy Living by Sanjeev Kapoor. 

 Ingredients:

• 200 grams skimmed milk Cottage Cheese cut into cubes
• 1 teaspoon of garlic paste
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon of red chilli powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of mixed dried herbs
• 1 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil
• salt to taste
• A cup of fresh pineapple cut into cubes
• 1 apple cut into cubes
• 1 guava cut into cubes
• 1 large cucumber cut into cubes
• 6 to 8 black olives sliced
• 4 to 5 grapes

For the Salad Dressing:

• 1 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil
• 2 tablespoon of Vinegar
• 1 teaspoon of honey
• 1 teaspoon of mustard powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of crushed black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon of white pepper powder

Let's Learn How to make this:

• Mix together the garlic paste, lemon juice, chilli powder, dried herbs, salt along with the olive oil. Marinade the cottage cheese in this mixture in the refrigerator for 15 to 20 minutes.

• Mix together all the ingredients for the dressing in a bowl.

• Arrange the cottage cheese on  a skewer . Heat the Non Stick Pan and place the skewer on it.

• Cook the cottage cheese on both the sides till brown. Remove the cottage cheese pieces off the skewer and transfer onto a plate and set aside to cool.

• Combine the  grilled cottage cheese, Pineapple, Apple, Guava ,cucumber and olives in a large serving bowl.

• Drizzle the dressing over and toss to mix well. 

• Serve immediately.

Sending this entry to  cooking From cookbook Challenge

Patishapta - Popular Sweet snack from Bengal

Makar Sankranti is known as "Poush Sankranti" in West Bengal. Varieties of sweets are made with Ground rice, date palm jaggery , milk and many other ingredients. This festival is also known as Pithey Parbon in Bengal, pithey being a sweet made with basic agrarian ingredients of the region like rice, date palm etc. There are several varieties of Pithey known as Gokul Pithey, Ashkey Pithey, Shajer Pithey etc. Along with this, sweets like Pati Shapta, rice-flour crepes filled with khoya and coconut stuffing, Soru Chakli and many more are also made.

Patishapta Pitha  is a very common and favorite pitha preperation of Bengalis. Patishapta pitha or Khoya stuffed crepe, is a semolina, rice flour and wheat flour/maida crepe with thickened milk and jaggery fried coconut filling and is one of the most popular sweet snacks in Bengal. Patishapta is the most popular among all pithas prepared during Sankranti. 

Ingredients:

For the Crepes :

• 1 ½ cup All Purpose Flour( Maida)

• ½ cup Semolina

• ¼ cup Rice flour

• 1/4 cup powdered sugar

• 2– 2 ½cup milk or as required

For the Filling :

• 1 ltr milk

• 1/2 cup sugar

• ½ cup grated Coconut

• 1/4 cup jaggery

• 1 teaspoon of Crashed green cardamom

• Ghee    

Let's Learn How to make this recipe:

·       Boil the milk in a heavy bottomed pan & Condense it to make khoya by continuously stiring the milk with a big spoon.Add 1/2 cup sugar into the milk. The sweetness can be adjusted according to your taste.Add cardamoms for a nice smell in the khoya.

• In a wok mix grated coconut with  jaggery and place it over low flame. Add cardamom in it.Keep stirring the mixture till it gets sticky.  Add the khoya and keep on stirring till the mixture turns a light brown and is sticky. At this point the mix should not dis-integrate but should look like a light brown slightly sticky granular substance.

• Take maida, sooji and rice flour in a bowl.Add milk a little at a time to make a smooth and runny batter. Make sure that there is no lumps. 

• Heat the non stick pan. Put  a little ghee. Pour a thin layer of the mixture on it and      spread it quickly with the laddle. Put the filling lengthwise at one end  of it and roll it. Wait till the colour is light brown.

•  Place it on the plate. Serve hot or cold.

You can also find a collection of  Makar sankranti Recipes Here.