Saturday, November 10, 2007

Diwali Treats and the stories behind them

Hi friends,
Hope all of you had a fantastic Diwali and back again to your normal routine. I had a great one too. The past one week was too hectic. That's why I couldn't reply to any of your comments or upmdate my blog with a new post. Anyway, Thanks for your understanding.

So, let me tell you about my diwali treats. This time I decided to do the sweets and snacks based on what I already had in the pantry. No special shopping.Then I went thru my favorite blogs and picked the recipes. Believe me...the list was huge. I had such a hard time in narrowing it down. Finally, I came up with 5 sweets and 1 snack item. They are:

Kesar Mawa Rolls:

I found this recipe from Sirisha who owns a great blog Ambrosia. This is the first time I tried a sweet with homemade khoya. I never knew that it was this easy. But I had a few pitfalls too. If you look at the original recipe you can see how the layers are distinct in color. But ,when I did mine i did not soak the saffron in milk for a long time. Moreover I guess mine needed a little more saffron. But the taste was great. A little like the cheesecake , a bit sticky to the palatte. This sweet laid the foundation for me to try the other khoya sweets with a better confidence in me.
Thanks Sirisha for all your guidance thru the comments. Truly appreciate it. The original recipe can be found here.

Next is..... Mango Coconut Truffles:
The original recipe was for Mango coconut burfi. Actually the first time I saw this recipe was in Asha's blog and I bookmarked it. Later when I decided to make it for Diwali I saw that it was originally Viji's recipe. So I combined both by using canned mango pulp and fresh coconut.
Check out Aroma of Asha's and vcuisine of Viji's versions.

I was following the recipe good, suddenly fate came in the form of my hubby. Out of no where he popped up to help me. When I was about to add sugar (1 1/2 cups) he stopped me at 1/2 a cup and said this would be perfect. He also gave me a big lecture on cooking with some common sense too. Finally I listened to him b'coz he had been my guru & critic in cooking. You know what happened in the end?
The burfi did not set. I could not make slices nor would it hold it shape as it did not have enough sugar in it. I even set it overnight in the fridge. Nothing much changed. My hubby said that we cannot serve it this way to the guests and he asked me to discard it.

OMG! How can I do it? The taste was out of the world and the aroma was unbelievable. I had to save it somehow.

So, This is what I came up with. I greased my palms with ghee and made the mango burfi into mini balls. Then I rolled them in powdered sugar so that they don't stick to the serving dish. Finally I garnished with a bit of pistachio and also came up with a new name....Mango Coconut Truffles. I served it chilled.

You won't believe it. This was the super-hit item in the party. Everbody enjoyed it and never knew that something was wrong with it. And, I was really proud of myself to have used my common sense to save the dessert although it was ruined by Mr. Perfect.

All along the preparation I was informing Viji ka about my mistakes. So, she took pity on me and emailed me her Almond peda recipe just for me although she hadn't posted it in her blog yet.
I was so happy to see the simplicity of the recipe . So the next sweet was almond peda.


Almond Pista Peda:

Here is another recipe that I got from Viji. It was so easy to prepare and it turned out really good. I did it without any disturbances as I was alone. Using my knowledge of handling khoya when I did mawa kesar rolls i handled this like a pro. Everyone thought that it was store-bought. I did not make plumpy pedas as Viji's as I had a lots of sweets and didn't want people to feel full with just one. (All the sweets were done for the Diwali party we had at our friends place. It was not a potluck. Infact the dinner was ordered from outside. but I just made these to share it withmy friends and all of you.)

Gulab Jamuns:

I made this with the MTR mix. Most of you might think what's so special about doing jamons with mix. But you what? So many things matters. The jamons should be the perfect shape, fried to the right consistency, soaked enough in the sugar syrup and all that. I've done jamuns so many times in the past and it had always been a success. But this time....OOPS. It went wrong.

I was already late for Kavin's gym classes. So I fried the jamuns and dropped them in hot sugar syrup. I mean really hot syrup. With 10 to 15 mins the jamons absorbed the syrup and they looked supersoft and spongy. In my mind I was imagining all the compliments I was going to get from my hubby.

After that I left for the classes. On my return, I tried to tranfer the jamons to a serving bowl. Alas, the disaster happened. All the jamons started loosing their shape and just melted just like that and the I ended up in one big mess. I was so mad. I wanted to scream at myself for being so idiotic. I couldn't fix it at all. I tried saving a few but it wasn't that great. I couldn't save it in anyway.

With a heavy heart I threw away everything and did a fresh batch taking enough care all the way through. This out turned perfectly good and it made up my heart for the jamons I lost. So, next time guys...don't think jamons from mixes are damn easy. Everything has to be done in a certain way to get it right.

Next was...Chocolate Pista Rolls from Viji's:

I know, I have done 3 of her recipes this time. I wanted to try something else, but the chocolate had got me pinned to it. I had no other go. This also turned out great and I also shapped them into balls and placed the pista stuffing inside. Also, I did the chocolate khoya once again and rolled them with the plain khoya to make a marbled effect. Altogether it was good and it was specially "B"'s fav.
For the original recipe go here.

The snack was Pottukadalai Murukku:

It's been years since I made this. So, I had a hard time in searching for the murukku aachu. Finally when I found it ,the star plate was stuck to the aachu. I couldn't change anyother plate whatsoever. That's why I did only one item this time.

This is my friend's Valli Meyyapan's recipe. She is not a blogger but is a good cook. We were neighbours when we were in Michigan. This recipe of hers has always been a hit in my house. Hope you like it too.

Diwali Breakfast:

Usually we have idlli and brinjal gosthu for our diwali breakfast. But this time I donno , I couldn't find time to get the batter done. My hubby was a little disappointed with that b'coz this is what he had been eating traditionally on every diwali for as long as he could remember. So, I had to do something that is equally good.

Luckily I found the 'Rava Dosa' recipe from Prema's cookbook. Thanks to her, my hubby really really enjoyed it so much that he kept eating it in jet speed not allowing me to take even one pic. Finally I took one, but by that time the chutney was all gone. Still he finished it off with some sugar. I just got to taste just one piece of it. But I was glad that it made up for the idlli-gosthu breakfast.Thanks Prema once again. (The picture is not that great. But it tasted so good. Will update this post with a good pic soon).

Anyhow, the celebration was great and all the guests enjoyed everything. I was also satisfied with the net result although I had a little bit of downfalls here and there. I know, that it is a long post. Just wanted to share with you what all I went thru in the process of preparing everything. Sorry for boring you guys.
Will continue with my normal posts and reply back to all of your comments soon. Thank you all for inspiring my Diwali. I had so many other items on the list, but didn't find time.
Will do it all for the next festival.

47 comments:

Seema said...

Kribha - Now we know why the silence!!! So many sweets & a snack.. loved it! Your friends sure had a great time...Rava dosa looks yum.. i am trying it soon. Hey, did not know you were tagged already...sorry :-(

Laavanya said...

Wow Kribha, what a beautiful array of sweets you've made for Diwali. All of them are different and very good. Am sure Sirisha, Asha and Viji are very happy. The murukkus look really good.. Have you already posted the recipe for these before?

FH said...

Kribha, that was a great feast! Loved reading all that. Hope you reminded your hubby of how you saved his mistake ie manogo burfi fiasco! He seems to love putting you down!!;D
Hope you type in recipe for Chaklis, I love how it looks. Dosa looks yum.It was quite chilly here outside, but we did have a good time!:)

Rajitha said...

yum kribha..makes me wish i was living near ur place to eat the sweets u have prepared..all of them look great!! glad u had a great diwali :)

indosungod said...

Kribha, wow that is a feast of yummy sweets. Looks delicious.

Shobana senthilkumar said...

Hi kribha,
enna ethellan.... chance se ella...
wat a vareity of sweet.I admire u a lot .Having a kid and doing this many variety....gr8 :)

Richa said...

hey kribha, u r driving me crazy with ur delicious spread! wow! it looks absolutely fantastic, ur friends sure are lucky to get all the variety, wish i too stayed nearby ;) hope we get the almond peda recipe soon :) all pedas and rolls are soooo tempting! i think u r a really good cook, u salvaged everything and the quantity also looks huge!!!!!!
this post of urs brought a BIG smile to my face, loved it!!!

Raks said...

Wow Looks mothwatering!! I enjoyed looking at all the recipes here and I agree with you with that instant jamoon mix and making...:))
You took most of them from Viji's!!;D

Finla said...

Kribha. What can i say, ev erybody here before me have told it already.
But still your family is lucky to have you. Such a spread for diwali.
Chocolate pista roll look so delicious not to mention the pista peda
OH and the mango truffel
Do i have to continue......
And i have tagged you for meme. Check it out.
Do only if you have time

Prema Sundar said...

wow ... amazing. u made so many sweets kribha? looks like u had a great diwali.. All the sweets are wonderful. would surely try some of these.. glad to know that u loved my rava dosa too.

Julie said...

Wow, all of these desserts and the breakfast look and sound so delicious! The only dish here I've ever tried was the Gulab Jamun, and I love it! The story about your husband stopping you from adding sugar to your burfi was hilarious! Brilliant save on your part!

remya said...

wow!!! kribha ur rocking!!!! such alovely diwali treat..amazing dear...love all ur sweets...no wonder u were sooo busy...like to have one of all these...

Cynthia said...

Kribha, on my goodness. You really cooked up a feast! You are an amazing woman, you did all that and still went to class? :O

Everything looks so delicious, I wish I could have been there to celebrate with you :)

Chef Jeena said...

Wow I love all these sweets Kribha yummy. :) I wish I could have been at your house they all looks so fabulous! Great post I really enjoyed reading it. :)

DEEPA said...

kribha ....you are rocking lady...so neatly arranged sweets ...if i show this to my husband .. he is going to die for all these...he loves sweets ...and your i am sure must be tasting great .....

Shella said...

Wow Kribha - your sweets look really pro. Very very good work yaar.

S said...

oh my god kribha those r really really good.....nice pics u got dear.....i love all the sweets n truffles......they look so neat n perfect...

u asked me a question abt gardening rite.dont put any plate under ur pot if ur pot is small.because when the plant is growing it forms roots till the end of the pot and if the water stangnates it will soak the roots n ur plant will die.pour enough water.if there is any excess water it comes into the plate.remove that water in the plate.In some cases people let water dry the water in the plate n then they water the plant again...but this is not good...have a happy gardening dear...

Mansi said...

Kribha!!! you and all your sweets are amazing!!! man, have to credit you for your patience in making so many things!!! I'm sure there will be some leftover stuff...can I come?:)

everything looks perfect, and I love the way you packaged each sweet into individual wrappers! I'd never do that:D

You are sending this to the JFI:Festive series, right??

-Mansi

USHA said...

Hi Kribha,
Wow!!just amazing Diwali celebrations with such rich and delicious sweet....Your writeup was interesting,which has pictured your hard work behind that beautiful creations...

Hey even you posted Prema's rava dosai....myhubby even liked alot....I did again yesterday for dinner too...Its reallyv ery perfect and easy right?

TBC said...

What a nice selection of sweet treats!:-)
I like the gulab jamuns the most.

Kribha said...

Hi Seema,
Thank you dear. Yes, the week of diwali was very hectic. My hubby offered to help, but after he messed my mango burfi I was not ready to take any chances.
That's ok dear about the tagging. I'm glad that you had me in mind.

Hi Laavanya,
Thanks dear for your appreciation. I hope that sirisha, viji and asha don't get mad for messing up their original ones. Actually, I have not yet posted the murrukku recipe. Sorry dear. I guess I forgot to type it. Will update it soon.

Hi Asha,
Thanks dear. You are so kind. Glad to know that you had a good diwali inspite of the chillness. About the chaklis...I forgot to write the recipe. Will update it soon. Thanks for reminding.

Bharathy said...

KRIBHAAAA ASATHITTINGA!!!!!I am speechless...GUP CHIP :)

Lissie said...

kribha, what a fantastic feast! mouthwatering sweets... :)) you are such an amazing woman!!!

Kumudha said...

Wonderful Diwali Spread!

Swaruchy said...

Kribha.....A feast indeed......The Kesar rolls have come out great dear.....This time use a little more Saffron....u get the perfect color....
Every dish looks mouthwatering....YUMMMMMM :-))

Please don't mind If I don't comment the next few months as I would terribly busy with my academic work......Hope u understand dear....I will be back in no time :-)

Rina said...

Wow! Kribha how did I miss this post all these days. This is indeed a treat. Love all of them. This post is bookmarked dear.

Swati said...

Wow!! I can imagine the kind of effort you took to prepare all the sweets...the results too were fab!!

Kribha said...

Hi Rajitha,
I'll would have been glad too if you lived close-by. We could share all the goodies and it would be fun. Anyway, please accept everything virtually for now.

Hi Indo,
Thank you so much. I'm so happy that you enjoyed it.

Hi Priar,
Thank you dear. That's quiet a compliment. You made me so happy. Yes, it was difficult to do things having kavin at home. I had more recipes in my list. But time didn't permit me. Hope to do more next time.

Hi Richa,
thanks dear, You made me feel so special. I wanted to post the recipe for almond peda but I thought Viji should post it first as it was her recipe. Try it sometime after viji posts it. It was super good.

Hi Raks,
So happy that you liked them all. Yeah, the gulab jamun was a nightmare. Thankgod the next batch came ok. As for the recipes, I had so many on my mind. But I don't know finally I ended up in making more of viji's.

zlamushka said...

Wow Kribha,

you did some serious cooking here. I love the saffron threads peeking out of Kesar Mawa slices... very pretty

Latha Narasimhan said...

Kribha dear, what a great feast! And how you managed to save a wonderful sweet and came up with a new name! :)Hubbys donot have the practocal knowlidge and act as Mr. perfect in many homes! :D

Bharathy said...

Kribha..cant forget your lovvely looking jamuns here!!Sooo divine and pretty...as you said I always mess up with the instant jamuns..my son who is an ardent lover of jamuns started hating it after tasting mine :(

I think I repeatedly make mistakes with the frying part...need your tips!!:)

Padmaja said...

Kribha!!!
I missed few posts at diwali time and here i am so late at your diwali treats?? any leftovers??
love all those dishes and especially those kesar mawa rolls!!!
delicious

Kribha said...

Hi HC,
I was flattered after reading your comment. Thank you so much dear. I see that you have tagged me. Actually, I have already done the fantastic four. So I'll do the 'what's in the name' meme alone. I'm so happy to do it but I need a little time though.

Hi Prema,
Really really sorry dear for my late response. Actually I owe you a big thanks for saving my day on diwali. We enjoyed your rava dosa sooooo much. My hubby started his day with a big smile and I had a big sigh of relief.

Hi Julie,
Thankyou so much dear. Do try the mango burfi from viji's sometime. You will surely like it.

Hi Remya,
Happy that you enjoyed them. Sorry for not getting back on time. My kid had been a sick since diwali.


Hi Cynthia,
Thanks dear. Although, you were not here , I had each and everyone of you on my mind. Glad that you liked them all.

Kribha said...

Hi Jeena,
Thanks for your kind words. You made me so happy. Do try the recipes, you will surely like it.

Anonymous said...

Hello Kribha,

My name is Sahana and I am a silent reader of your blog and I must say you a wonderful blog with nice recipes. I do not own any blog but I do try out some recipes from other blogs. This weekend I tried Gulab Jamun (from MTR mix) and as soon as I put them into the oil, they kinda a broke down (or they will break down once I put them into the syrup). Can you please give me some tips on how to make wonderful jamuns that you have in your pic. I will be greatful to you.

Thanks.

Latha Narasimhan said...

Kribha dear, Your story was replayed in my home yesterday! :D I have not learnt the lesson even after 26 years of marriage! :D

Kribha said...

Hi Deepa,
you are such a sweet-heart. Thanks dear for your cute comment. Do try it sometime. You will surely like it.

Hi Shella,
So happy to have you here and thanks for your kind comment. You made my day. Please keep visiting.

Hi Shanti,
Thanks dear for your kind comment as well as your tip on gardening. will keep them in mind for the next summer. Truly appreciate it for taking the time and letting me know.

Hi Mansi,
I was flattered by your comment. Thankyou so much dear. About the festive series event...I did not know about it earlier. When I checked it after seeing your comment,the deadline was already over. That's why I couldn't send it. Anyway, will try to make it someother time.

Hi Usha,
thanks dear. I didn't want to just show-off my sweets and act as though it came out all perfect and fine. Really, I learnt a lot from my mistakes. That's why I posted it so that it might help someone else too.

Hi TBC,
Thanks dear. Glad you liked the jamuns. Hey, did you read the story behind it. It was my second batch actually. The first one was a utter flop.

Kribha said...

Hi Bharathy,
To get a comment from a great cook like you means so much to me. Thanks dear. I had your suzhiyam in mind for diwali. But when I messed up my jamuns I became sad and lost intrest to anything further. Anyway, will try it next time.

Hi Lissie and Kumudha,
Thankyou dears for your kind comments. You guys made me very happy.

Hi Sirisha,
Once again a big 'thanks' for all the support and encouragement. Will correct my mistakes next time. Don't worry about not commenting. Take your time and come back when you find time. Will keep missing you until then.

Hi Rina,
Thankyou so much dear. Do try them sometime. You will surely like it.

Hi Sugar Craft,
A warm welcome to you dear. I felt so happy to get a comment from a pro like you. Thanks dear.

Kribha said...

Hi zlamushka,
Thanks dear for your cute comment. I was so happy that you liked it.

Hi Latha ma,
Thank you so much. You are so right about the MR. Perfect ones. I wasn't angry when he messed up the dessert. I got mad only when he asked me to throw it away. Finally, he gobbled so many of them with a grin on his face.

Hi Bharathy,
I'm so suprised. Such a great cook asking tips from me. Still, I feel so honored. Here is what I learnt from my mistakes,

1. Make the mawa balls little. The bigger, the better chance of breaking up.
2. As you roll them, take care that there are no cracks on the outside. It should be smooth.
3. The oil should be in between medium and high. Fry them in batches ,little by little. Keep turning them now and then so that it gets fried evenly. If the heat is too low, jamuns will break. If the oil is too hot, the outer part will get a dark color while the inside will be still uncooked. Deep fry a little more than golden brown. But not too much. Just a little darker shade.It helps the balls to retain it's shape when soaked in warm syrup.
4. The sugar syrup should be boiled for 10 to 15 mins only. Not more than that. I boil mine upto 10mins.
5. Syrup should be little warm (not hot)when the balls are soaked. In 10mins the jamuns will get soaked well. If the syrup is too hot, the jamuns will soak up really really well and soften up too much. When you tranfer it to another vessel at this point of time, everything will break and lose it's shape. This is what I did in my first batch.

Hope this helps. If you try it, let me know how it turned out.

Kribha said...

Hi Padmaja,
It's been a long time. Actually, you what, my google reader has not updated your posts since october. Donno why. Also if I click on those links to open in a new window I get a message' feed not available'. Will look into it soon. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a few words.

Hi Sahana,
First of all you have a beautiful name. When we were selecting names to name our baby we chose 'sahana' for girl. But we ended up having a boy. Secondly, A warm welcome to you dear. Glad to know you and please keep visiting.
Here are the tips you have asked for. It's based on my experience only. Hope it helps.

1. Make the mawa balls little. The bigger, the better chance of breaking up.
2. As you roll them, take care that there are no cracks on the outside. It should be smooth.
3. The oil should be in between medium and high. Fry them in batches ,little by little. Keep turning them now and then so that it gets fried evenly. If the heat is too low, jamuns will break. If the oil is too hot, the outer part will get a dark color while the inside will be still uncooked. Deep fry a little more than golden brown. But not too much. Just a little darker shade.It helps the balls to retain it's shape when soaked in warm syrup.
4. The sugar syrup should be boiled for 10 to 15 mins only. Not more than that. I boil mine upto 10mins.
5. Syrup should be little warm (not hot)when the balls are soaked. In 10mins the jamuns will get soaked well. If the syrup is too hot, the jamuns will soak up really really well and soften up too much. When you tranfer it to another vessel at this point of time, everything will break and lose it's shape. This is what I did in my first batch (you can see it in the post).
Good luck for your next try. Hope it turns out great. :-)

Hi Latha ma,
I'm sorry, I did not understand which story you were talking about. I have done so many mess-ups. That's why I couldn't relate to which one you were mentioning.

Pravs said...

WOW !! so many sweets and you made all of them ?? great job Kribha. I bet your friends enjoyed all the sweets you made and you had a great diwali.

Viji said...

Hi krbha, nice post. I am glad that you could succeed in Choco Pista Rolls. Though it looks simple, need some patience. Will post the peda soon. Thank you for the feedback. Why did you throw the Jamoons? You could have made a new sweet with that. How is your son now? take care of him. Sent you one email. Take care. Viji

Bharathy said...

A great THANKS!!!:D...My dear KRIBHA KUTTY!!!for the jamun tips~~~ :D

Anonymous said...

OMG! Kribha, those are just awesome! All I can say is "WOW"!!!

Latha Narasimhan said...

Kribha kutty, ( I have decided to call you this way after reading Bharathy,s comment) I was talking about your Mr. perfect story! :D

Kribha said...

Hi Pravs,
Thanks dear. Sure, my friends enjoyed it too. Many of them were americans ,so they were eager how it was made and all that. Altogether it was a very good diwali.

Hi Vijika,
Thanks so much for all your help, advice and encouragement. Will be trying this chocolate rolls someother time too. As for the jamons...it became a mess. Couldn't save it at all. Moreover I was too sad that it turned out that way that my brain stopped working.

Hi Bharathy,
That was chooooo sweet of you. Thanks dear. Hugs. :-)

Hi Sneha,
wow...is a great comment too. Thankyou so much dear.

Kribha said...

Hi Lathama,
I'm so elated to be called so. As for the Mr. Perfect story, it might have been hilarious to you. But for me, it was so tough until I fixed it up. Anyway, glad that you all laughed about it.