Vella Aval (Sweet Rice or Sweet Poha)

Aval or Flattened/Beaten rice is considered very auspicious and is used for many religious festivals as an offering to God. Vella Aval is specially made for Krishna Jayanthi. Extremely easy to make, it can be made even as a snack under very short notice. 

Difficulty Level: Easy

Time: 1 and 1/2 hrs (prep time), 10 min (making time)

Ingredients:

• Aval - 1 cup
• Water
• Jaggery - 3/4 cup
• 2 tbsp scraped coconut
• a pinch of cardamom powder
• 1 tbsp cashews
• 1 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)

Method de Preparation:

1. Soak Aval in water for an hour to an hour and a half and drain it, keep aside.
2. Roast the cashews in ghee and keep aside.
3. In the same vessel, take the jaggery on the stove top, add just a bit of water to immerse, and melt it.When it thickens starting to boil, add the coconut, cardamom powder and keep stirring.
4. Add in the aval when the jaggery solution had reduced some in quantity and keep stirring, till it all comes together. Turn off heat at this point.

* The vella aval shown in the picture below has been cooked well but is not granular or separated by rice flakes. If you like it that way, soak the aval for lesser time and take care to condense the jaggery solution well before adding the aval.

Paal Payasam ( Milk Kheer or Rice Pudding)

When I think of Paal Payasam, the story that comes to my mind is that of the famous Tenali Raman. He is known for his great appetite along with his infamous wit. After a very sumptuous meal, he states he cannot even eat a morsel more. And proceeds to drink liters of this amazing dessert when it was served. The king asks him how he managed that when he said he was stuffed. To that the witty Tenali Raman responds "Your majesty, just like all the people in a crowded street clear the road when you arrive, all the food in my stomach clears way for the king of sweets - Paal payasam!"

Like any dish, making the paal payasam can be considered a trivial task where one can just mix milk, sugar and cooked rice and call it that :) However once you have tasted the dish as it should be made, you will know the difference trust me. I would like the recipe to speak for itself, but I urge you to go ahead and try this version and you will love it!

Difficultly level : Medium

Time : 30 min (prep time), 30 min (making time) -Pressure cooker method

          6 hrs (slow cooker method)

Ingredients:

• Milk ( 1 litre or .25 gallons or 5 glasses)
• 1/4 cup raw rice
• 1 glass sugar (~ 200 to 250 gms)

Optional additions:

• couple of strands of saffron
• a tsp of ghee
• a tbsp of cashews
• a pinch of cardamom

* The glass I refer to here is a normal stainless steel one found in most Indian homes that holds about 200 ml of liquid.

Method de Preparation: ( Pressure cooker)

1. In a vessel keep 3/4 the milk and the raw rice along with the strands of saffron (if adding) and allow to cook. Keep the heat at a medium to medium low and allow the mix to cook slowly (equivalent of 3-4 whistles).
2. Once it is done and you can open the cooker, take the mixture out. The rice should have cooked well and the payasam will have a lovely pinkish/reddish tinge to it. 
3. Transfer to a vessel on the stovetop, add the sugar and the remainder of the milk. Keep stirring without allowing it to stick to the bottom.  The mixture will first turn watery as the sugar melts some and then will begin to condense. When it does, you can turn off the gas. Approximately the payasam in the end will he half the original quantity you would have started off with.
4. At this point, my mom is done. She keeps is plain, simple yet extremely tasty. If you like you can add a pinch of cardamom powder and also roast the cashews in ghee and add to this.

Method de Preparation: ( Slow Cooker)

1. Add the rice,saffron and entire milk to the slow cooker and keep on lowest setting for the first 4 hours. You can mix a couple of times in between.
2. Add the sugar and turn to medium setting and allow to cook for another 2 hrs.
3. You can add the cardamom and roasted cashews at the end if you like. Make sure you turn of the heat at 6 hrs, and if you find the payasam already condensed at that time transfer it to another vessel because the slow cooker's vessel retains heat and keeping it in it will continue to condense the payasam further.

Shahi Tukra or Shahi Tukda or Double Ka Meetha

I first tasted this sumptuous dessert in an Indian restaurant at a buffet. I loved it! Needless to say it has been on my list to make for a long long time. I finally tried it and was not disappointed in the least. However my first attempt was not perfect and I have some learnings to share from the same so that yours can end up yum yum yum!

Difficulty level : Medium

Time:  1/2 day (prep time) 40 min ( Cooking Time)

Ingredients

• Bread ( 4 slices)
• Milk ( 1/2 a gallon)
• Sugar ~ 2 cups ( as required 1:2 ratio with the water used for sugar syrup)
• Ghee ~ 1 cup or more (for shallow deep frying)
• Chopped nuts (Almonds, Cashews, Pistachios) -2 or 3 tbsp
• Saffron ( a pinch)
• Cardamom powder ( a pinch)
• a few drops of lemon juice

Method de Preparation

1. Cut each bread slice into 4 triangles and then allow to dry uncovered (for a few hours or a half a day) so that it becomes dry and the moisture evaporates. (I failed to do this as I did not realize it was  needed and as a result the bread became soggy when soaked in the milk and sugar syrup). 
2. Soak nuts in water for a few hours and then chop them into tiny pieces.
3. Boil milk in a flat bottom vessel and allow it to reduce in quantity till it thickens. Add the saffron strands to it and a bit of cardamom powder in the very end. Reduce to about half the original volume. Add a little bit of sugar and allow it all to come together(~ 1/2 cup sugar).
4. Taste a little bit ( do not drink spoonfuls) to see if you need more sugar.
5. Take another pan and boil sugar and water in it in the ratio 2:1. You can use about 1 cup sugar to 1/2 cup water for this quantity. Add a little bit of cardamom to it and squeeze a few drops of lime to prevent it from crystallizing.
6. Use a small shallow flat bottom pan and deep fry the bread slices in the ghee (clarified butter). Start with just enough required and add more as needed. You can use some oil too but that will affect the taste some. Use medium flame to ensure even frying and avoid browning.
7. As each batch finishes frying, soak it in the sugar syrup. When you take out the next batch, transfer the first batch from the sugar syrup into the milk mixture.
8. In the end when all the bread has been fried, fry the nuts in the remaining ghee and add to the milk mixture.
9. Refrigerate for a few hours and serve.

Sources:  I checked out the versions here, here and here before coming up with what I wanted to use for the above :)