PEAR HALWA

    As sceptical as ever, my daughter lifted her brow when I handed her a bowl of Halwa. Though I didn't mention what it was, she was damn sure that it was experimental. It looked like Kasi Halwa(Poosanikai Halwa) she was trying to find what the base ingredient was. She said some fruit, maybe apple and I said, it was Pear Halwa. She is biased when it comes to experimental recipes like this though she loved the texture of the Halwa, especially the texture of crunchy nuts in it. My next victim was my husband, who ate it with no comment. Then asked for an extra serving, I knew it was good. Have made this Pear Halwa three times in a row, just with the idea of finishing a whole lot of Pear.

    Why Pear Halwa? When you end up with having a few Pears just bland, eating it as such was not working & I was wondering what I could make out of it. And there I went with my whims & fancies & tried to recreate a version of Halwa with Pears. I was totally convinced with the results, perfected the measurements in my second attempt & here you go with the recipe. Trust me you can surely give a try & it is not going to disappoint you at all. 

    I followed the same method as for Kasi Halwa(Poosanikkai Halwa). Pear Halwa is prepared with Pears, Sugar, Ghee and Cardamom Powder and garnished with an extra bit of slivered Almonds & Cashew nuts fried in ghee which gives a whole lot of crunchy texture in every bite. I have not added Milk in this recipe. You have no strict rules while making this Halwa. Pears with its unique taste & the roasted slivered Nuts add texture to this Pear Halwa. And above all, this is an easy recipe & can be incorporated within minutes. 

    Just one thing to remember - Use the grated Pears immediately.  Otherwise, it tends to get oxidized & the colour of the Halwa may turn dark. No need of squeezing out any extra water in it. Add the grated Pears into the Ghee and cook it on a low flame until it turns soft &tender. Let the mixture be dry before adding sugar & flavourings into it. And when it comes to Sugar, I have added 1/4 Cup of Sugar for 2 Cups of Pear. The Pear I used was not sweet. If you are using a sweet variety, I suggest you to adjust it accordingly.

 For more INDIAN SWEETS, Click here...

 Cuisine - Indian

 Recipe Type - Sweet

 Difficulty - Medium

 Serves - 2-3

 Author - SM  

 Preparation Time - 15 -20 Minutes.

 Cooking Time - 20-30 Minutes.

 For more DIWALI RECIPES, Click here...

HOW TO COOK PEAR HALWA 

PEAR HALWA

INGREDIENTS:

For Pear Halwa:

Ghee - 3-4 Tbspns

Cashew Nuts - 10 Nos.

Almonds - 10 Nos. 

Pear - 2 Cups

Sugar - 1/4 Cup

Cardamom - 2-3 Pods

Saffron - few Strands

Yellow Food Colouring - few Drops(Optional)

 Salt - a Pinch

METHOD:

Preparation:

• Grind Cardamoms along with few teaspoons of sugar into a fine powder and keep it aside.
• Soak Saffron strands in few teaspoons of warm water.
• Sliver the Nuts and keep them aside. 
• Wash, peel & cut the Pears into halves.
• Remove the Seeds.
• Grate the Pears using a grater.
• Use the grated Pears immediately. 

For Pear Halwa:

• Heat 3 Tbspn of Ghee in a heavy-bottomed pan, roast the slivered, Almonds & Cashew Nuts.
• Add the grated Pears and cook on a medium-low flame for a few minutes.
• Cook the Pears until it turns soft & tender.
• Cook until the Pears turn dry and there is no water.
• Now add the sugar along with Saffron soaked Water, Cardamom Powder and give a quick stir.
• Add a few drops of yellow food colouring and mix well.
• Cook this on a low flame for about 5-7 Minutes.
• At this stage, Pear Halwa starts to bubble up.
• Now add a Tablespoon of Ghee and give a quick stir.
• Cook this on a low flame for another 5-7 Minutes.
• Add a pinch of salt and the remaining Ghee to the Halwa and mix well.
• When the Ghee starts to separate & the Pear Halwa begins to leave the sides of the pan, switch off the fire. 
• Serve Pear Halwa hot or at room temperature.
• Can keep it refrigerated.  
• Lasts up to a week when refrigerated. 
• The texture of the Halwa remains the same when refrigerated.

PEAR HALWA

NOTES:

• Grate the Pears evenly, which would facilitate even cooking.
• Once the Pears are grated, use it immediately.
• Otherwise, the Pears may tend to get oxidized.
• There is no need to squeeze the extra water out of the Pear.
• It helps the Pears to get cooked well.
• Saute the grated Pears and cook it along with the water until it turns soft, cooked and there is no more water content, before adding the sugar. 
• Some recipes call for adding Milk in the recipe.
• Can use 1/4 Cup of Milk and cook for an extra bit of time until the mixture turns dry before adding the sugar.
• Perfectly cooked Pears gives a perfect texture to the Halwa.
• Adjust the amount of sugar to suit your sweet tooth.
• I have flavoured the Halwa with Cardamom Powder.
• Adding a bit of extra Ghee will give a rich texture to the Pear Halwa.
• Adding Saffron is purely optional.
• Adding artificial food colouring is purely optional.
• I have added a few drops of yellow food colouring to the Pear Halwa. Can use orange/green food colouring too.
• Adding a pinch of salt to the Halwa is purely optional, but it helps to balance the overall taste of the dessert.

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NAMAK PARE

     Namak Pare - though the name is new to me, I had been preparing this recipe in the name of spicy Diamond Cuts since my college days. Though with a slight variation and when I started frequenting with Chaat Items at home I started preparing Papdi, Puri, Boondhi, Sev etc., Long & tiring process, I started converting Papdis into Namak Pare, cutting them into diamond shapes seemed to be an easy task otherwise which needed me to roll out the dough and cut small roundels out it, prick it out with a fork so that it doesn't fluff up etc., & etc.,

    This way just cutting it out into diamond shapes with the cutter was less time consuming for me. So I started making some batches of Namak Pare which can be eaten as a snack and also can be crushed and added into Bhel Puris. 

    Namak Pare is a crispy, tasty and savoury fried snack which is quite popular in North India. There is another counterpart of the same snack, a sweet version called Shakkarpare/ Shankarpali. The process of making this snack is an easy one except for the cutting and frying portion takes a bit of time & patience. The trick to making crunchy Namak Paare is to knead the dough as tightly as you can and fry them on medium-low heat. The amount of ghee added to the flour while kneading makes Namak Pare deliciously crunchy.

    Namak Pare is a good Teatime snack. Serve it along with hot Chai or a cup of Coffee. It is also one snack popular during Diwali & Holi. With the upcoming Diwali season, you can easily sneak in this simple Namak Pare recipe into your Savoury list. These are also great to serve to guests, along with Murukku, South Indian Mixture, Roasted Cashews, Sweet Mixture, Moong Dhal Namkeen,
Oma Podi, Aloo Bhujia etc., & etc.,

For more recipes on SNACKS & SAVOURIES, Click here...

Cuisine - North Indian
Recipe Type - Snacks
Spice Level - Low
Difficulty - Medium
Author - SM

Preparation Time - 25-30 Minutes
Cooking Time - 30 -45 Minutes
 

HOW TO MAKE NAMAK PARE 

NAMAK PARE

 

Two main factors to remember for crispy Namak Pare

• The dough should be slightly stiffer.
• Fry the Namak Pare on a medium-low flame until it turns into Golden Colour.  

INGREDIENTS:

For Namak Pare: 

All-purpose Flour(Maida) - 2 Cups

Baking Soda - 1/4 Tspn

Salt - To Taste 

Carom Seeds(Ajwain) - 1 Tspn

Cumin Seeds - 1/2 Tspn(Optional)

Oil/Ghee - 2-3 Tbspn

Water - 1/2 - 3/4 Cup(Approximately)

For Frying:

Oil

METHOD:

For the Dough:

• Sieve the All-purpose Flour (maida) along with baking soda & salt once.
• Add Carom Seeds(ajwain), Cumin Seeds to the sieved flour and give a quick stir.
• Pour in the Oil/Ghee.
• Add little water at a time and knead it into a slightly stiffer dough.
• Add water at intervals. Do not pour in all the water at a time.
• I used approximately a little lesser than 3/4 Cup of Water.
• Amount of water required depends on the quality of the flour.
• The dough should be slightly stiffer.  

For Namak Pare:

• Divide the Dough into 3 Balls and keep them aside.
• Dust the Dough Balls with some All-Purpose Flour and roll it out into a flat, neither too thin nor thick circle.
• Cut the circles into Diamonds/Squares with a Knife/ Spiral Cutter.
• Transfer the Cut Diamonds/Squares to a plate dusted with All-Purpose Flour.
• Follow suit for rest of the dough balls.

For Deep Frying:

• Heat Oil in a Deep Pan or a Wok.
• Once the oil becomes hot, reduce the flame to medium-low.
• Gently drop the Cut Diamonds/Squares into the Oil.
• Fry the Namak Pare on a low- medium flame until it turns into Golden Colour.
• Once done, remove the fried Namak Pare with slotted spoons from the oil.
• Drain them on Paper towels 
• Once cooled down, store them in airtight containers.
• If stored properly, it may last up to a week to 10 days.

Baking Namak Pare In an Oven:

• Follow the steps as above until cutting the Namak Pare into desired shapes.
• Preheat an Oven at 160°C.
• Spray the baking tray with Oil.
• Line it up with the cut diamond-shaped/square shaped Namak Pare.
• Bake it in the preheated Oven at 160°C for about 25 - 30 Minutes.

NAMAK PARE

NOTES:

• Can substitute half the amount of All-purpose Flour with Wheat Flour(Aata).
• Some recipes even call for adding a few teaspoons of Semolina while kneading the dough.
• The dough should be stiff, which is the main factor behind crispy Namak Pare.
• Can use Ghee/Oil for the recipe. Both work equally well.
• Don’t roll it too thin. Roll it as you do it for chapati, but slightly thicker.
• Can use a Knife/Spiral Cutter/Pizza/Pie Cutter for the purpose.
• Cut the flat circles into long rectangular shapes or squares or diamond shape.
• Fry the Namak Pare on a low- medium flame until it turns into Golden Colour.

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HOW TO MAKE KHOYA(MAWA) - HOMEMADE KHOVA

    Navratri has begun & Diwali is round the corner. The Season of lights, celebrations, new clothes, crackers & good food. In Indian terms, a festival is synonymous to good food which comes along with loads of Sweets layered with milk, ghee & Sugar. Then comes the long list of Savouries fried in a copious amount of Ghee/Oil. In other terms, it is the season for guilt-free indulgence with a mild side effect of weight gain. Forget it! What's a celebration without sweets & fries.

    Well with the upcoming festive season one ingredient which can turn out to be useful while making milk-based Indian Sweets would be KHOYA/MAWA/KHOVA. Khova/Mawa is used to make Indian Sweets like Gulab Jamuns, Laddoos, Rabdi, Halwas, Barfis, Kulfis etc., The one & only ingredient you would need to make Khoya/Mawa is full-fat milk in addition to an extra bit of patience and a bit of time near the stove. Khoya/Mawa is nothing but Milk Solids, left aside when full-fat milk is simmered for a long time. 

We can classify Khoya/Mawa according to its textures:

DHAPA/CHIKNA - This is the softest stage with a slight soggy-like consistency, with quite a lot of moisture retained within. Chikna is used to make Indian sweets like Gulab Jamun, Rabdi, Basundi, Kulfi etc.,

DANEDAR - This is slightly firmer with less moisture & a grainy texture. Danedar is used to make Indian Sweets like Milk Cake(Halwa), Kalakand, Palkova etc.,

PINDI - This type of Khoya is firm with no moisture in it. It has a hard texture, usually moulded & shaped into small blocks. Pindi is used to make Indian Sweets like Barfi, Laddu etc.,

    Khoya/ Mawa has difference pronunciation in and around India. In the North India States, it is called as Khoya/Kova. It is called as Mawa in Western States of India like Gujarat & Rajasthan. The South Indian States call it Khoya/Khova as from Palkova. Palkova is a traditional South Indian Milk-based Sweet made from just two ingredients MILK & SUGAR. It is traditionally prepared by reducing the Milk until all the liquid is evaporated and only the Milk Solids are left and then sweetened with Sugar. When you leave it unsweetened you get Khova/Mava which can be used as a base for several milk sweets. Khoya/Mawa is an unsweetened Milk Product reduced & thickened until all the moisture is evaporated from the milk.

For PALKOVA RECIPE, Click here...

    The demand for Khoya rises during festive seasons like Diwali when sweet delicacies come into the limelight. Especially, most of the milk-based Indian Sweets use Khoya as the key ingredient. When the demand for Khoya is on the rise, producers and vendors adulterate this dairy product with harmful chemical or contaminated ingredients to meet the high demand. Khoya is the most adulterated milk product sold in markets.

    If you are preparing sweets using store-bought Khoya, you have a high chance that it can be adulterated. Generally, Khoya is contaminated with ingredients like starch, blotting paper, flour, urea, detergent and other synthetic chemicals. Some even make Khoya with adulterated milk or low-quality Milk. So one best way to get the best for your family is to prepare Khoya/Mawa at home. At the least, we would be sure enough to know what goes in it and above all, we are not using any chemicals, preservatives, artificial colouring or bleaches in it. It is always best to get it done at home.

    The reason behind me making these Milk products at home is that I do not get these items locally. Though I have seen and made Curd, Buttermilk, Butter & Ghee for a long time since childhood, making Paneer, Khoya/Mawa started only after I moved to Malaysia.  Since past 12 years I have been making Paneer & Khoya at home and I have always been happy with these homemade Milk Products. I use these products in cooking and I stock it up regularly.  Fresh homemade milk products with no additives & preservatives turns out to be an extra advantage.

For HOMEMADE MILK PRODUCTS, Click here...

    Though there are quite a several versions and methods of preparing Khoya/Mawa. There are few recipes which suggest instant versions with Milk Powder. But this recipe is prepared traditionally by slow cooking in a heavy-bottomed pan. This Homemade Khoya/Mawa is a simple recipe with just one ingredients Milk, preferably full-fat Milk. 

Just follow these simple tricks to get perfect Khoya/Mawa:

• Preferably, use full cream milk.
• Use a heavy-bottomed pan or a non-stick pan.
• Slow-cook milk on a medium-low flame.
• Stir the milk frequently.
• Do not leave the pan unattended.

For More INDIAN SWEETS RECIPES, Click here...

Cuisine - Indian
Recipe Type - Homemade Milk Product
Difficulty - Medium
Yields - 175 - 200 Grams/Litre
Author - SM

 
Preparation Time - 5-10 Minutes
Cooking Time - 45 Minutes - 1 Hour

For DIWALI SWEETS & SAVOURIES Click here...

HOW TO MAKE KHOYA/MAWA - TRADITIONAL METHOD OF MAKING KHOVA FROM MILK

HOW TO MAKE KHOYA(MAWA) - HOMEMADE KHOVA

INGREDIENTS:

Milk - 2 Litres

METHOD:

• Pour in the milk into a heavy-bottomed pan or a non-stick pan.
• Bring the milk to a boil.
• Reduce the flame to medium-low and cook for another 8-10 minutes until the milk thickens.
• Stir it frequently to prevent the milk from scorching at the bottom.
• Continue to process.
• Scrape the milk which sticks to the sides of the pan and add it into the milk.
• After about 20 minutes, the milk would turn creamy.
• Reduce the flame to low and continue to cook, stirring it frequently.
• After about 40 -45 Minutes, all the liquid would have evaporated & the milk would have turned into a solid form.
• Continue to cook on a very low flame until the mixture separates from the pan.
• Switch off the flame and allow the mixture to cool down.
• Homemade Khova/Mawa is ready.
• Can use it to make a variety of Milk-based Indian Sweets.
• If stored properly, it may last up to a week in the refrigerator.
• And up to two weeks in a freezer.

HOW TO MAKE KHOYA(MAWA) - HOMEMADE KHOVA

NOTES:

• Use a heavy-bottomed pan or a non-stick pan while preparing Khoya/Mawa.
• This is one best way to avoid milk from scorching at the bottom or burning, which would alter the taste of Khoya/Mawa.
• Stir frequently, while boiling the milk.
• Scrape down the milk solids which stick to the sides of the pan and add it back into the pan.
• Cooking time depends upon the type of stove you are using. 
• Once the Khoya/Mawa is ready, transfer it into a flat plate to stop further cooking.
• Overcooking can make Khoya/Mawa chewy.
• Once cooled, store it in an airtight container.
• If stored properly, it may last up to a week in the refrigerator.
• The texture of the Khoya/Mawa remains the same when refrigerated.
• Can be stored up to 15 days in a freezer. Thaw it before using it any of the recipes.
• 2 Litres of Milk yielded approximately 350-400 Grams of Khoya/Mawa.

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