Besan Kheer ( Chickpea flour kheer )

One of the easiest kheer that my grandma taught me was this. Easy to make and very comforting too. Sometimes I feel that I am having "Mysorepak" in a liquid form. Ready in a jiffy is this Besan Kheer ( Kadalaimaavu paayasam).




Ingredients :

1 litre milk
4 tbsp. besan / kadalaimaavu
4 tbsp. ghee
1 cup sugar ( adjust according to taste )
1 tsp. cardamom
1 tbsp. charoli / saraparuppu / chiroti
a few strands of saffron


Method :

1. Heat ghee in a pan on low and fry the charoli till they are slightly crisp. ( You can substitute with cashewnuts also ). Remove from ghee and keep aside.
2. In the same ghee, add the besan flour and fry till the besan gives out a sweet aroma and it is fried in the ghee. Meanwhile keep milk to warm in another pan.
3. Add the sugar to the besan and keep stirring till the sugar melts and is infused with the besan.
4. Add the warm milk little by little and keep stirring while pouring all the milk and allow a boil.
5. Garnish with chiroti, cardamom and saffron and serve warm.

Variation of flavour : Instead of cardamom and saffron, try adding a tsp. of vanilla essence.

A Royal Treat for the Taste Buds

A friend of mine had to attend a potluck party and she wanted to make something rich and elegant. As she is a south Indian and don't know much about North Indian cuisine, I suggested her to make "Malai Koftas". I have a collection of recipes from Tarla Dalal and we decided to make Malai Koftas in Makhni gravy with some variations here and there. It sure was a royal treat to the taste buds and she was very proud to have tried it for the first time with such a rich flavour.







For the malai koftas :


1/2 cup paneer, grated ( we made paneer out of scratch out of 1 litre milk )
2 potatoes, boiled and grated
1 tablespoon milk powder
1 teaspoon chilli powder
a pinch turmeric (haldi) powder
1 carrot, grated
1/2 capsicum, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ginger, grated
1 tablespoon chopped coriander


For the tomato paste :


1 onion, sliced
a small piece ginger, chopped
3 cloves garlic
2 large tomatoes, chopped
4 to 5 cashewnuts
¼ teaspoon turmeric (haldi) powder
1 teaspoon chilli powder



Other ingredients :

oil for deep frying
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon garam masala
4 to 5 tablespoons cream
½ teaspoon kasuri methi
1 tsp. sugar
2 tbsp. butter
salt to taste
Coriander leaves to garnish


Method :


For the malai koftas :

1. Combine all the ingredients and mix well.
2. Roll them into rounds and deep fry them over a medium flame till they are golden brown and keep aside.



For the gravy :

1. Combine the onion, ginger, garlic, tomatoes, cashewnuts, turmeric powder and chilli powder with ½ cup of water in a pan and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes till the vegetables are soft. Cool completely.
2. Blend this mixture to get a smooth purée.
3. Heat butter and add the cumin seeds. When the seeds crackle, add the tomato paste, garam masala, kasuri methi, sugar and salt and bring to a boil.
4. Add the cream and mix well.
5. Just before serving, add the koftas to the gravy and serve hot, garnished with the coriander and butter.