Water Chestnut flour fudge: Singhare ke atte ki burfi: GF

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Fasting once a week or once every fortnight has long been prescribed by our ancestors as a  means to stay fit. “Keeping the body light ” has many benefits as shown in recent studies by the Nobel Laureats.

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Maha Shivratri or the Night of Shiva is a time when there is an upsurge of natural energy in the Northern hemisphere. ( Isha.Sadguru.org).This can be utilized in a positive way by sitting erect, keeping the vertebrae straight and  practising to calm the mind.

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Grain free food is recommended on these days. The human body is about two thirds water. Just like the waves  of the ocean rise high or gets pulled up on full moon or new moon days, the same forces can affect the human body, causing  a disruption. in the metabolic system. In order to have a control of the mind, food that has less water in them are prescribed. Since the grains have lot of water in them, they are avoided.

Water chestnut is a fruit, the skin of which is removed, and then the fruit is ground, dried into a flour.

Hope you get to try this interesting flour!

Recipe About 20 pieces, depending on size

Ingredients

Water Chestnut flour                              3/4 cup

Sugar                                                     1/2 cup

Ghee                                                     2 tsps

Cardamom powder                                1/4 tsp

Water                                                     21/4 cup

Slices of cashew, almonds and grated coconut to garnish.

Method ;

Take the flour and ghee in a non stick pan and dry roast on medium heat till the colour changes to light brown. Collect it in a bowl. Add one cup water to it and mix till you get a lump free solution. Set aside.

Grease a small tray and keep ready.

Take the above lump free flour solution in a pan, add the rest of the water, sugar and cardamom powder, on high heat. Keep stirring until the mixture thickens, crank the heat down and let it cook till it leaves the pan.

Transfer the mixture to the greased tray, garnish with the chopped nuts and grated coconut. Wait for about half hour for it to set. Cut in pieces and enjoy.

Notes; This flour is available at Indian grocery stores.

Kaddu ka meetha: Sweet Pumpkin balls

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IMG_2976 Laddus  ( sweet balls )are a very common dessert back home. the permutations and combinations of the ingredients are many. Almost anything can be made into Laddus.

I am a little unfamiliar with sweet pumpkin recipes. With the festival season round the corner,, it is raining pumpkins everywhere in the Instagram and in stores, i decided to give this “Laddu” a try.

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Pumpkin spice latte is something I look forward to every fall. When I was contemplating a sweet recipe with pumpkin, I knew I was not using cardamom  powder or vanilla essence for flavouring. I wanted the pumpkin spice flavour in the sweets.

Give it a try friends. It was ready soon, tasted great and gluten free.

Here is the recipe….

 

IMG_2966 (1)Recipe: made 21 pieces.

Ingredients;

Chickpea flour (Besan)                                1 cup

Grated pumpkin                                          11/2 cup

Desiccated coconut                                    1/2 cup

Sugar                                                         1 cup

Milk                                                            1 cup

Ghee                                                          2 Tbsps

Melon seeds                                              1/3 cup

Nutmeg powder                                         1 tsp

Mace powder                                            1/2 tsp

Clove powder                                            1/2 tsp

Ginger powder                                           1/2 tsp

Pistachio slivers                                         1 tbsp

Method ;

Dry roast the melon seeds till they pop, a few minutes, and collect on a bowl.

Strain the Besan, and dry roast it on low heat till there is a nutty aroma, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Dry roast the grated pumpkin so it cooks slightly, looses water, about 7-8 minutes.

Now add the besan, desiccated coconut, milk, sugar and cook on medium heat, stirring often to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan. The mixture will start to thicken, add the ghee. Mix thoroughly . Put the gas off when a dough forms.. Add the melon seeds, nutmeg, mace, clove and ginger powder. Mix once again.

Wait till the mixture cools down such that one can handle. Take a tablespoon of this mixture and form into balls. Garnish with the pistachio slivers.

Share it with your friends and family.