Rava ladoo- Diwali special

This is one recipe which I wanted to share with my readers long back and I got the opportunity when we made this yesterday, as this is a very popular sweet made especially during diwali. I have seen many recipes for rava ladoo. This recipe was given to me by a Maharashtrian friend. I have tried this recipe before and the ladoos does turn out perfect and delicious!!

Ingredients-(makes around medium sized 25 ladoos)

Rava/semolina- 2 cups

Sugar- 2 cups

Water- 1 cup

Cardamom powder- 1tsp

Cashew nuts- A handful broken to small bits

Ghee/clarified butter- 2tbsp

Warm Milk- Few drops Only if required

Method-

Melt the ghee in a pan. Add the cashewnuts and roast them till they are golden brown. Remove them and keep them aside. In the same pan, add the semolina and roast it till you get a nice aroma and the colour changes slightly. You may need to roast the rava for around 15 minutes. Remove and place the roasted semolina on a big plate.

Combine the water and sugar and heat on medium flame. Keep stirring till you get a one thread consistency.

Add the cardamom powder and roasted cashews to the roasted rava. Now pour the sugar syrup on it. Mix this with a spatula. When the heat is bearable, use your palms to combine everything together and wait for around 15 minutes, so that the sugar syrup is absorbed properly. It should be a little moist so that you can gather the mixture into a firm ball (ladoo). If you find it too dry, add a few drops of milk (this is done only if necessary).In case you find it too moist, wait for somemore time for the syrup to be absorbed completely. Press the semolina mixture using your fingers and palm and make small balls with it.

Inji lehyam/ ginger jam- Diwali special

Inji lehyam is especially made during diwali usually by the Tamil brahmins. It is said to have medicinal values which helps in digestion and prevents stomach problems. Its also popularly known as diwali marundhu or medicine. A small portion of this lehyam is served first thing on the diwali morning. Some people even add black pepper and omam/ajwain/carom seeds. Some even use other medicinal herbs for its preperation. At my place, we make it in a very simple manner and it does tastes delicious. So , I thought of sharing this with you all when my grandmother made this today. I am sure it will be quite a useful post for many.

Ingredients-

Ginger/inji- 1 cup chopped

Cumin seeds/jeera- 1tbsp

Coriander seeds- 2tbsp

Jaggery- 1 cup

Cardamom powder-1tsp

Ghee/clarified butter-2tsp

Method-

Grind the chopped ginger, jeera and coriander seeds to a fine paste. Add few drops of water while grinding.

Heat some water in a heavy bottomed pan. Add the jaggery. Allow the jaggery to melt and keep stirring to a one string consistency.Add the cardamom powder followed by the ground paste. Keep stirring till you get a thick, non sticky ball like consistency. Add the ghee and mix well.

Have a teaspoon of this medicinal jam before you feast on rest of the sweets and savouries.