Wishing all my readers and friends a very Happy Diwali ..May this festival of lights enlighten your lives ..Today's post is a favourite sweet/mithai  .Mawa /Mava Peda/Kesar Mawa Peda is a delicious mithai or Indian sweet which is a favourite of many .It'smade with Mawa/mava or Khoya /Evaporated milk solids . The saffron's or kesar gives this pedas a very nice colour and flavour.

These Mawa pedas are very delicious and easy to make at home it hardly took me 30minutes to make these yummy pedas .Try it out you will love it..

ingredients
250 g mava/khoya
1/2 cup sugar
6-7 green cardamom
A generous pinch of saffron/kesar soaked in 1 tbsp warm milk

Method

• Take a heavy bottomed pan or kadhai , I use non stick pan add the Khoya and sugar and mix on low flame.
• Add saffron infused milk and cardamom powder and mix .
• Keep stirring continuously till sugar dissolves and the mixture starts to leave sides.
• Once you see oil releasing and mixture leaving sides ,switch off the flame and take the mixture in a greased thali or plate .
• Let the mixture cool.

• Divide the mixture in small balls and shape it into round pedas.
• I have used a fondant cutter to give it a design you may simply stick almonds or pista flakes on the Peda.
• Enjoy delicious home-made pedas .

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Atte ke Ladoo or atta Ladoo are ladoos or balls made from wheat flour sugar and ghee .These can be made within 30 minutes .
Atta Ladoo is my family's favourite Ladoo excluding me j love besan ladoos .These are often made at home .they stay well for many days with ingredients easily available in your pantry do try them this Diwali .
The flour used here is whole wheat flour which is a little coarse in texture,its available easily in every grocery store if not use the whole wheat flour you use for chapatis.

Ingredients
1/2 kg atta (coarse)
1/4 kg powdered sugar
1/4 kg  ghee
Elaichi /cardamom powder
Cashews almonds coarsely chopped

Method

• Heat a kadhai or a nonstick pan add ghee and let it melt .
• Add flour and stir constantly till its light brown and emits a good aroma  .
• Remove It in a plate .
• Add to this powdered sugar while its still warm also mix in cardamom powder and chopped cashews,raisins and almonds.
• Take a little amount of this mixture in your hands and roll it round to shape into ladoos.
• Once you have finished all ladoos store the ladoos in an airtight container.
• These stay well for 2-3 weeks.

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Poha Chivda ,Crispy savoury yummy snack made during Diwali by Maharashtrians .Poha chivda is my favourite  snack which i love to munch on any time of the day .There are  different variety of  poha chivda .The one which is made  from thick poha is deep fried with lots of oil but this is kind of healthy version since we use very little oil just to temper and fry  nuts ,the poha is roasted until crisp .
This poha chivda has a very  long shelf life you can  store it for many weeks or until months if stored well in an airtight containers.

ingredients
1/2 kg flattened rice/thin poha
1/2 cup roasted gram/daalia
1/2 cup raw peanuts
2 tbsp raisins
15-20 cashew  halved
3 green chillies

2 sprigs Curry leaves
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tbsp fennel/sauna
1/2 tsp haldi/turmeric powder
1/4 tsp asafoetida/hing
1 -2 tbsp sugar
Thinly sliced coconut 1 tbsp
2 tbsp oil

Method

• In a large kadhai/Pan dry roast poha on medium heat until crisp .
• Roast poha in  batches
• Transfer the poha in a plate or bowl.
• Heat oil in a pan add oil once the oil is hot switch the flame to medium and add peanuts and daliaa fry well on medium flame till light brown and crisp.
• remove the peanuts and daliaa in a plate In the same oil add cashews and raisins and fry till golden brown ,remove in a plate .
• Now add mustard seeds cumin seeds curry leaves ,green chillies and turmeric powder/haldi
• Immediately add the poha and mix well
• Add the fried cashews peanuts and raisins .
• Add salt ,sugar,fennel seeds and mix well.
• Let the chivda cool completely before storing in airtight container.
• Enjoy with a cup of tea or coffee or just munch on in any time of the day .

Notes
Fry the curry leaves and green  chillies till crisp or it will remain soggy and make the chivda soggy too.
Roast the poha over medium flame always and keep  stirring it so that it does not turn brown.
You may increase the green chillies according to your taste.
You can use powdered or granulated sugar,i have used granulated.
I did not add roasted coconut slices as i don't like,you can roast thinly sliced dry coconut before roasting peanuts .

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Paneer Ladoo or Malai Ladoo are easy to prepare mouthwatering ladoos made on festive occasion. Here I have used saffron/kesar to enhance the flavour and taste These kesar malai  ladoos are soft and  super delicious. Try these yummy Paneer ladoos this festive season ..

Making these malai ladoos is super easy and quick  .If your press with time these ladoo are just perfect  Do try it.you surely will  keep making it again and again.

Ingredients
200 gms Paneer
200 gms condensed milk
Generous pinch of saffron soaked in 1 tbsp warm milk
1/2 tsp Cardamom powder
1 tsp Ghee

Method

• Crumble paneer and keep aside
• Grind paneer and condensed milk  together in a blender or mixer to a paste .
• In a non stick pan add the paste and cook on low flame .
• Add cardamom powder and ghee and keep stirring occasionally so that it doesn't stick to the bottom of pan .
• Add saffron infused milk and mix well .
• You will see that it begins to thicken .
• Continue to stir until it starts leaving sides.
• Once it reaches this stage switch the flame off .
• Remove the paneer mixture in a plate greased with ghee
• Let it cool for sometime.
• With the palm of your hands knead to a dough .
• It will look grainy initially but as it cools It will be easier to knead to a soft dough.
• Divide into equal balls and shape into ladoos .
• You can stick almonds/pista or any nut you wish .
• Enjoy these delicious ladoos .

Notes
You can even add 5-6 tbsp powdered sugar and  1/4 cup milk  and skip adding condensed milk .
The original recipe calls for 3/4 cup but this was perfect for me.
You can even keep it simple and white in colour,in that case avoid adding saffron.
If using store brought frozen paneer,immerse it in hot water for 15 minutes or till it softens .
If using sugar you can grind the sugar and milk along with the crumbled paneer .
You can decorate it by making a coloured dot using food colour.

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Cham Cham/Chom Chom is My favourite sweet since childhood .I'm super crazy for Indian sweets specially Bengali and milk based .
We have a very popular sweet Shop  near my place which has a wide range of Bengali sweets and cham and all the sweets used to be a fav of mine.I have made rasgullas and posted in the blog since then I also wanted to try making Chom Chom . Finally made it few weeks back . I referred the recipe from Nisha Madhulika and Trupti who posted this in a Facebook foodie group .

 Try this super delicious melt in mouth Malai Cham Cham you will love for sure .Cham Cham can be made simple by just rolling them in desiccated coconut and grated mava but I love the malai cham cham and malai sandwich so used so made the mava filling ones . Everyone at home enjoyed it to the core now no more buying cham cham or malai sandwich from out .Do try this out and let me know how it turned out.

Ingredients
1 litre cow milk(full fat)
2 tbsp vinegar/lime juice
1 tsp semolina/rava
1 tsp sugar
2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cardamom seeds
100 gms mava/Khoya
1 tbsp milk powder
saffron soaked in warm milk
10-12 almonds
5-6 Cherries

Method

• Boil milk in a vessel once it's boiled switch the flame off.
• Wait for 3-4 minutes.
• Then add vinegar or lime .
• You will see the milk starts to curdle.
• Once it has curdled pour it in a sieve .

• Pour 2-3 cups of water to wash off the vinegar or lime taste .
• Squeeze all the whey and hang it in a muslin cloth.
• Tie it and hang it for 30-40 minutes.
• The whey should drain completely.
• Squeeze out the cloth well to drain any whey .
• Take this Chenna/channa in a plate and add semolina and 1 tsp sugar .
• Knead well with the palm till smooth .

• Knead for atleast 6-8 minutes Till the Chenna is smooth and the semolina and sugar has well Incorporated.
• Divide into equal balls and shape into cylindrical shape or oval .
• In a pressure cooker take 1 cup sugar 2 1/2 to 3 cups water and add cardamom seeds.
• Cook till the sugar melts completely.
• Now drop the shaped Chenna balls one by one .
• Cover the pressures cooker with the lid and let it cook for one whistle.
• After one whistle cook for 5 minutes on sim.
• After 5 minutes ,switch the flame off .

• Open the cooker only after an hour .
• You  will see that the cham cham have  doubled
• Remove the cooked cham cham with a slotted spoon.
• In a bowl/vessel add some normal water and place the cham cham there.
•  Squeeze out the water from the cham cham .
• To the remaining sugar syrup add 1 cup sugar and let it boil till the sugar dissolves completely.
• Now once the sugar syrup has cooled completely add the cham cham.
• Let it soak in this syrup  for 2-3 hours .
• Squeeze out the sugar syrup by gently press in the cham cham .

• Make the filling

• In a bowl mava/khoya , cardamom powder and saffron and milk powder and mix well till smooth and creamy.
• Now make a slit with a knife in the cham cham and fill  the  kava/khoya filling.
• Place slitted cherry and place the nuts .
• Refrigerate for 1-2 hours serve chilled

Enjoy your homemade delicious cham cham..

See how spongy and juicy it is ..

Notes
The original recipe had only 50 gms mava for the filling I have taken 100 gms .
You may add colour to the chenna when you knead it  since I was adding kesar or saffron to the filling I have skipped adding it to the chenna .
You can cook the cham cham in a wide open vessel but trust me this pressure cooker method works wonders .
Original recipe called for arrowroot powder while kneading the chenna ,suji gave a nice texture.
Be sure you squeeze out all the whey from the chenna before you knead it.
you can add rose water or essence to  the sugar syrup  once  cooled.
do not use tetra pack milk.
Add 1 tsp powdered  sugar while mixing the milk powder and  khoya you can mix some sugar syrup  too.

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Pound Cake a soft moist rich and absolutely delicious cake . Pound Cake is my family's favourite Cake.We love  to enjoy this  as an evening  snack .This is  a no fail recipe for a perfect rich buttery moist Pound Cake.
You  can enjoy this  pound cake by dusting some  powdered sugar or drizzle some chocolate sauce or even serve this with any ice cream. Do try this absolutely delicious  pound cake,you will love for sure.

You  can enjoy this  pound cake by dusting some  powdered sugar or drizzle some chocolate sauce or even serve this with any ice cream. Do try this absolutely delicious  pound cake,you will love for sure.

Ingredients
150 gms flour/maida
150 gms sugar
180 gms butter
3 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract/1 tbsp vanilla  essence.
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp milk .
1 tsp baking powder

Method

• Grease a 9x5x3 inch loaf tin and line it with parchment.
• Preheat oven at 180 degree Celsius for 10 minutes.
• Mix together flour ,salt and baking powder.

• In a bowl cream butter and sugar until fluffy .
• Add in vanilla  extract and eggs ,one at a time .
• Beat until creamy .
• Add milk and beat .
• Mix in the sifted flour and mix till all well incorporated.

• Pour it in the prepared loaf pan.
• Bake for 55-60 minutes .

If using salted  butter avoid adding salt
This cake takes 50 to 60 minutes to bake depending  upon the  temperature of every oven.
I have  used powdered sugar
Measure all the ingredients  correctly.
Eggs,milk  and  butter at room  temperature.

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Chicken Cheese cutlets.. Mouthwatering cutlets crisp from out and melt in mouth inside.These Chicken Cheese cutlets make a great snack perfect to serve as starter for any parties.

These cutlets are loved by kids as well ..pack them for kids tiffin or serve them with some ketchup they will love it .

These chicken are very easy to make and taste super yummy just few pantry ingredients  you are sorted .You can serve these cutlets with your burger buns as well.Do try you will love it.

Ingredients
250 gms chicken breast
2 med sized potatoes boiled
2 green chillies
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
1 tsp lime juice
2-3 tbsp coriander leaves chopped
3 -4 tbsp cheese grated
Salt

Oil to deep fry
1 egg beaten
Breadcrumbs to coat

 Method

• Boil Chicken breast with salt ,1 tsp ginger garlic paste and 2 crushed green chillies.
• Shred to pieces ..
• In a bowl take boiled potato , shredded Chicken, coriander leaves,grated cheese mix well
• Add garam masala powder and pepper powder.
• Mix well till all well combined.
• Shape into cutlets
• Dip in egg and roll on breadcrumbs.
• Shallow fry on both sides till golden brown.
• Serve with ketchup,chutney or any dip 

You can add more green chillies as you prefer .
Use any cheese you prefer I have used processed cheese.
If you don't prefer dipping cutlets in egg before coating it in breadcrumbs dip it in maida or cornflour mixed with water and later coat it breadcrumbs.
Use salt sparingly since we adding cheese which has lot of salt,check when you mix all ingredients add salt only if needed.

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