Badaam Ka Halwa

After Moong Daal ka halwa, Badaam ka Halwa has been my favorite. I just love the flavor of Almonds with the grainy texture cooked in ghee with the sweetness that can melt hearts.

Halwa are the innovative creations a gift from Mughla or Persian rulers. The halwas were introduced in wide range from Moong Daal Halwa or Chana Daal Halwa to those made with Carrot and Bottle Gourd and if you can dare to be more exotic one is made with just Almonds. All Halwas are rich, full-of-ghee fudges and are cooked to perfection in milk solids and milk.

Badaam Ka Halwa of course, is the quintessential rich man’s dessert. The expensive sweet dish is cooked simply, adding richness with Saffron or Zaafraan and Milk solids like Khoya. A little flavor of Screwpine water or Kewra adds a lot fragrance when added with Saffron. Kewra and Zaafraan together not just enhance flavor and fragrance but also enhance color. I always love decorating my sweet dishes with Silver varq, and I always feel that silver varq adds a lot of glamour to a dish. And for something that looks beautiful always wins the first food serving battle of presentation, since it’s a feast for the eye. Of course, if the flavors aren’t doing justice to your taste buds, then the eye feasting doesn’t do much. In this case the sweet dish is very easy to make. All you have to pay attention to is adding the right quantity of ingredients at the right time. Almonds are known to absorb flavors while maintaining their own. So you wouldn’t want anything to be added in quantity more than required specially if things cannot be reversed. Because of the copious mounts of ghee and heavier grain, this Badaam Halwa is basically a winter delicacy.

Halwas made using vegetables were invented in the kitchens of the Mughlia Empire when the Mughal culture was at its zenith of cooking. The use of lavish Almonds, pistachios, cashews , walnuts and saffron added to those delicious inventions made them more desirable and put them under the category of celebration food. Though I am not a big fan of dishes like Apple Halwa and a new known mango Halwa. I feel a hint of those fruits with Flour or Semolina and serving it as a Halwa is fine. But the moment the entire halwa is made using a single fruit, as much as people feel its something innovative, my personal opinion differs. I feel a hint of a fruit gives out lovely flavors as opposed to an entire fruit that might leave you with a very strong taste for hours and I am someone who enjoys a mix of flavors in a bite than one flavor over powering the others.

Coming back to Badaam ka halwa. This sweet dish is rich and extremely loved in every family I ever made it for.

Malpua and Rabri

Rabri and Malpua go hand in hand for marwaris, specially for Jodhpuris. I remember my father and my maternal grandmother being huge fan of Malpuas. Though I have never liked them much, for their bonding relationship with sugar syrup and just like Jalebis, Imartis and Bengali sweets, malpuas also happened to be a sweet dish that I never tried. But, I was always a huge fan of Rabri. In fact, there is a very famous shop in Jodhpur, by the clock tower, an important stop for all tourists, that is popular for its lassi, kulfi and Rabri and every time I traveled to Jodhpur, that would be on my eating out list.

As for the history of Malpua, first reference of this sweet dish was made in the Rigveda, as ‘Apupa’. The recipe of Apupa was something that uses barley flour made in form of flat cakes, deep fried in ghee and then dipped in honey before serving.

Rabri seems to be connected with Bengal because of its flavor resemblance being close to Basundi. Its made by over boiling of milk on low heat, until it becomes dense and pale yellow in color.

I remember when I was 15, a family friend’s daughter, almost 10 years older than me, soon to be married. She loved to cook and would often come to see my mom and would also showcase her cooking skills. She would come to our house very often and she once made Khoye ke malpua and all I saw was 2 people busy making Malpuas and I never gathered the courage to go and peep to even see what was going on. All I saw was my Father and maternal Grandmother, both diabetic, hogging on to those Malpuas before anyone could stop them. They offered it to me and with the look of the dripping sugar syrup, it was a NO from my side. I then saw someone bring in Rabri from my favorite store and I was more than happy eating my plain Rabri. Now since, I have never been a big fan of Malpuas and Mr. Parveez never mentioned it either, it never occurred to me that I should try making them at home. In addition to that, I don’t know why but I always felt that making Malpuas must be too much work and I kind of never felt the need to even try it.

One day, we happened to be watching a Food channel where a food blogger went to Mumbai and showed this guy making big size Malpuas being thrown in the Kadai with boiling ghee and further dipped in the sugar syrup and being served straight away with cold Rabri and Mr. Parveez looked so impressed. So, I just asked him, “Do you like it?’ and he said, “yes”. With me that was more than enough to try making this out.

I checked with a family friend who got me a recipe from one of Jodhpur’s authentic Malpua maker. Sometimes people share secrets, they one have to be sure that no one is taking their business away, second, you need to contact through the right source and third and most important, you just have to be sweet when you ask, and mostly people fail to do the third thing. He never gave me the exact measurements though, but when you cook, ingredients are usually enough for you to crack a recipe because even if you use the exact same measurements, the dish would be completely different when made by 2 different people. I always tell everyone I teach, Don’t learn, get inspired. Learning while copying to do the same, makes you good, But Learning while getting inspired makes you outstanding. Never give up on being unique.

Now my first goal was to work on the Rabri, of course personal reasons. So, I started working on it, it was a slow process and the first time I made it, I was restless because I thought I was doing something wrong and its taking too long, but after that I was a pro and I can now cook 4 dishes the same time as I make Rabri. and, when I tasted it, I was so happy with myself, it tasted much nicer than the Rabri from my favorite sweet store in Jodhpur.

Now the Malpuas, they were much easier than I thought. Few ingredients, paying attention, and your Malpuas are ready to be served. They are very much like pancakes. My first attempt made them a little thick, the second time, I mixed in more milk trying to make them more thin. Try taking a good non stick pan to reduce the quantity of ghee you take.

Rabri can be refrigerated for up to a week. Malpua batter can also be refrigerated for up to 3-4 days. It tends to thicken a little while being refrigerated, you can always add a little milk tablespoon by tablespoon to make the consistency thinner.

I have out up ways and pics of both the thick Malpua and the thin Malpua. You can see both ways and pick your favorite. Though I have given the recipe of Rabri after the Malpua, but its always recommended that you make the Rabri few hours, if not a day before and refrigerate it. The Malpua needs to be hot and the Rabri needs to be chilled when served.

Decorate with silver leaf, crushed nuts and roses or anyway you like or just plain…the taste is so good that it will be loved and appreciated any which way. Enjoy!!!

Kala Jamun

Kala Jamun is a distant cousin of Gulab jamun. It was first prepared in Mughal Era in India, introduced by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan by his personal chef. The difference between Gulab jamun and Kala Jamun is the color and texture. While Gulab Jamuns are golden, Kala Jamun have a dark color with a shade slightly away from Black.

Its always advisable to use good quality Khoya and Paneer. Always use best quality khoya available at dairy. Mr. Parveez and my boys love home-made desserts. In fact the most awesome part that I don’t even eat any sweets that are dipped in sugar syrup, but Mr. Parveez stopped eating the sweets from sweet stores which is a huge compliment for me. Our guests always wonder if the mithai we serve, is from a store. Actually, I never thougth that making certain sweet dishes at home could be so easy, enjoyable and emotionally rewarding. And now, I just love making Indian Mithai, Cakes, Pastries and Pies, and making them is always my “happy time”. In fact, I can always hop into the kitchen happily to make mithai if asked.

Though I have never been a fan of either but, When I was a kid, I often used to get confused of what exactly is the difference between Kala Jmaun and Gulab Jamun and for the longest time, I believed that Kala Jamun was Gulab Jamun with black color. i only found the difference when I got down to making them.

Like I said above, dry kala jamun is a distant cousin of gulab jamun  and it uses paneer, suji, sugar and sometimes also uses a  dash of dry fruit stuffed inside balls. Though I never stuffed any in mine, because that would make them close to mewa baati and probably a little heavy too. Gulab Jamun dough does not have any paneer or sugar, where as the dough of Kala Jamun requires a little sugar. Gulab Jamuns are usually served with a little syrup, but these tend to be dry, so they require a little sugar boost from within. Kla Jamun also needs to be fried for longer on low to medium flame, without burning them to give the beautiful dark color.

Gulab jamun dough does not need much kneading but this dough has to be kneaded really well. The texture can be obtained only with a good dough, that has been kneaded well. You can also use a mixer if you find it difficult to do it by hand.

Keep the kala jamun soaked in a sugar syrup for at least 3-4 hours before serving, refrigerating them id preferred too.

If you want to make it as dry kala jamun, then once the jamuns are soaked well in syrup, you can take them out of the syrup and store it in a container or serve. They keep good easily for a week the refrigerator. I feel they are one of the best recipes to take to a friend’s house or as a goody bag after a party.

Lauki Ki Kheer

Kheer originated from Mughlai kitchens of India and is an important sweet delicacy for Muslims of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh especially during Eid or any other special celebrations. Other similar dishes like Payasam or Kheer originated in the kitchens of imperial Muslim rulers of India and is an important sweet delicacy for Muslims of India, especially during Eid or any other celebrations. … Other terms like Payasam or Payesh ( are inspired from Kheer and the names have been derived from the Sanskrit word Payasa or Payasam, which also means “milk”.

Kheer has been one of my most favorite desserts ever. Every Eid my Mom would make Rice Kheer which I always believed was the best Kheer I have ever had. Muslims know that its a real chaos when you find out around 11 PM that its Eid the next and women in the family have to start preparing. Almost the whole night passes in prepping for the next day and out of all the work, preparing Kheer has always been the most tedious and tiring of all. Probably making a small batch wouldn’t have been painful, but when you have a small close family of close relatives that reaches 100+ plus add up all distant relatives and friends who come over to meet and greet. So, Kheer is something that’s not just popular but also served to everyone, vegetarians and non vegetarians on Eid, so you can’t really afford to run short.

So, learning how to make my basic Kheer came from my mom. Cooking the milk on low to medium heat, stirring it constantly for almost 3 hours, reducing it to half the original quantity is always the basic to any delicious Kheer. But to my despair, Mr. Parveez doesn’t like Rice Kheer much. In fact, he never liked any Kheer when we got together, but with time I got him into loving Sheer Khurma/seviyaan Kheer, but not the rice one.

Anyways, I always hear people talking about Apple Kheer or Potato Kheer but I couldn’t ever get down to trying. Carrot Kheer or Gajrela was my mom’s go to dishes during Ramadan. I never tried finding out the reason why but may be she fely that this was the easiest way to incorporate some veggie and milk into her kids system while we fasted, I guess. So, after me successfully making Lauki ka Halwa, I wanted to try making the Kheer. It came out fabulous and I think for everyone who even doesn’t like Lauki would love it.

Dalia Sooji Laddu

Laddus don’t need an occasion, it just tends to make the day special when you make them. Have you ever noticed the expressions of your little ones running around the kitchen and making excuses to keep tasting the boora while you are still in the middle of making those laddus. The excitement and happiness makes me even happier making these little balls of delight.

I make different kinds of laddus and its always easier to add or change something while you are still making them and that’s the reason I find them an easier sweet dish to experiment with than the other sweets.

This particular recipe is my family favorite. This is made from Chane ka Dalia, which is healthy and tastes super delicious.

Chane ki Daal ka Meetha

This is the first sweet dish that I made from my Sasuraal side. Coming from Rajasthan, I was in love with Moong ki daal ka Halwa and when I heard about Chane ki daal ka Halwa, I was super excited and loved the taste when I tried it. Once we moved to USA, I started trying to make it on home.

The first try was something I did by myself, without asking my Mother in law for the recipe, but for some reason it wasn’t as good as what we had eaten and neither me, nor Mr. Parveez was able to figure out what went wrong or what was missing. And, that’s when my Mother in law came to the rescue. I spoke to her over the phone, giving her details about how I tried making the “meetha” and that I didn’t understand what went wrong. She patiently explained the over all recipe and the “magic ingredient” that I missed was Cinnamon and cloves.

Little did I think that Cinnamon and clove make so much difference to this Halwa. I could never imagine adding these 2 ingredients will actually add so much flavor and fragrance to this sweet.

This sweet dish is one of the easiest sweets I have ever made and it has always impressed everyone. The best part that I like about this sweet dish that, it’s mistake proof. Having said that, I mean that there is no mistake that you make while cooking this, that cannot be fixed and that too easily. So, if you are new at making Indian sweet dishes, this is your go to dish. It’s great for beginners and also great if you have to make something in a jiffy.

Pistachio Khoya Kulfi

The wonderful world of cold desserts and the version of ice creams served in India “Kulfi”. The word Kulfi or Qulfi is an Indian word derived from the Persian word “Qufli” which means “covered cup”. The dessert was likely originated during the era of the Mughal Empire in the 16th century. The mixture of milk, sugar and nuts. Kulfi is a gifted recipe from the Middle eastern travelers and settlers to India and neighboring countries. Along with so many architectural gifts to India, like the Taj mahal, which even till date makes our country so proud and has millions of visitors travel India only to see Taj Mahal once in their lifetime and so many gorgeous forts, along with Red Fort where the PM addresses the nation every year are all an awesome example of Mughal architectural skill.

Coming back the Kulfi, Indian cuisine were not aware of using Orange blossom, Rose water, saffron or a wide variety of dry fruits in the cuisine. The Mughals while introducing their cuisines and blending them with Indian flavors resulted in wide variety of Biryanis, Kebabs, curries and sweet dishes including Gulab Jamun, Jalebi and Rabri to name a few and of course, Kulfi.

This sweet dish is rich in flavor and can be made in various flavors and is always served cold. It can be served with Basil seeds or sabza that are soaked for an hour, as falooda. It can be flavored while serving as well. I usually like mine to be served with Rose syrup, or the popular Rooh Afza.

This particular recipe has Milk boiled till it thickens and reduces. Added Khoya and cooked further after adding sugar, cardamom powder, saffron, crushed Pistachio, Pistachio flavoring, a little green color and Milk powder to thicken the mixture making the Kulfi more dense and creamier. You can always change the flavors in a Kulfi keeping the base the same.

I also use Silver leaf for decoration, but that’s always optional, but something that makes you home kulfi different from the restaurant and trust me, even better.

Plain Shrikhand

When I was in school, I had a friend from the southern part of India. Her father was in a transferable job and he happened to be in Jodhpur for a few years. We were good friends and we used to have playdates. The family had a maid, who was an old woman and she traveled with them wherever they went. She was from their hometown and she was a super amazing cook. The people in the family, including my friend, lovingly called her “Amma”. My first experience of trying Shrikhand was at my friend’s house and I remember not liking the first look. Then I was told that its yogurt with sugar and I was convinced since I loved my Dahi-chini.

First, bite into that yummy dish and I loved it so much. I was ten years old then and I still came home and told my mom everything I gathered, but unfortunately, the information wasn’t enough for her to recreate that sweet magic.

And, then came in a company selling their flavored shrikhand in the market, and of course, we were the first few buyers in our closest store in the neighborhood. A store-bought product is something that was made weeks or even months ago, contains preservatives, has been refrigerated, thawed, and refrigerated, may taste great, but you know your portion has to be very controlled and you can’t eat it as carefree as it would be with something homemade. The difference between the first Shrikhand I tried at my friend’s house and the store-bought one was the texture of the Yogurt. While the Shrikhand at my friend’s house was a little runny, the store-bought one was thick and creamy.

I, then started experimenting and tried making my own Shrikhand at home, following all the advice of hanging the yogurt for at least 30 minutes, using castor sugar, and grinding cardamoms to a perfect powder. But, nothing would match the taste. There was something that was lacking and I just couldn’t figure that out. With time, my zest to perfect my Shrikhand took a back seat too.

A few years later, after I am settled as a homemaker, I try my hands on it again. This time my experiment had two new ingredients, Vanilla essence, and Rosewater. Now for those of you who love making Shrikhand at home, the rule is to always hang your Yogurt in a muslin cloth so it takes away all the excess water. If you do not have a lot of time in hand, since hanging the yogurt requires anywhere between 45-60 minutes, you can also use Greek Yogurt. Greek Yogurt is thick and 15 minutes in muslin cloth is enough to drain out the excess moisture. Now, you might already be adding rose water, but the addition of Vanilla essence just makes it a whole lot better. Vanilla essence not only enhances the sweetness but also the flavor adds a lot of freshness to this sweet dish.

So, don’t wait to try this awesomely delicious and super easy, no-cook, no-bake sweet dish and impress everyone around you.

Moong Daal Halwa

A sweet dish from the heart of Marwar. Moong daal Halwa is a popular sweet dish made on various occasions in families. Festivals have this Halwa as one of the main sweet dishes.

This is one of my most favorite sweets and Making it perfectly took a little while. I searched loads of recipes and tried recipes shared by friends, but either they were too time consuming or never came out tasting perfect.

Going through trials and errors, I finally came up with this recipe which is easy to make, less time consuming and tastes perfect as well. Moong daal Halwa has a long shelf life. It can be frozen for up to 3 months and in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Moong Daal Burfi

Moong daal ki burfi. It’s one of my all time favorites. This dish takes me back to my childhood days. This sweet was an Eid special for us. Every Eid, it was a tradition that went just perfect with Eid Biryani, kheer, kebabs, seviyaan, launji, curries etc. For a long time, I believed it’s an Eid dish. I guess these are a few perks of being raised in a diverse culture and having friends from all religions.

Traditionally, Moong daal Burfi is actually called Moong Daal Chakki in my home town Jodhpur. Its a sweet which is loved by the masses and has a chunky, sweet and filling. It can be made a few days in advance if you want to prepare it ahead of time for a party. It makes an excellent party favors too.