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Go Green with some Lauki Ka Halwa

I have been wanting to try this recipe for a long time now. I remember this friend of mine making this for me when I was in college but when I saw her make it I never thought I would ever get down to making this sweet treat the reason being the elaborate procedure. I could not manage stirring this the Lauki with milk and sugar for an hour or so in a hot Indian kitchen. Mind you its really hot here..Uff!!!... So I swore to find a easy alternative to this recipe where I could make it in a jiffy.. My desire came true the other day when I made it in my kitchen. I did not get this idea all by myself so I cant shout Eureka Eureka :(... I saw one of my favorite chef cooking this on TV.. Yes.. Aditya Bal of NDTV Good Times and I said to myself 'this is so simple and a must try'.

Thus this sweet treat reincarnated in my kitchen... As sweet as the traditional version..LAUKI KA HALWA...

You need:

1 small Lauki, Bottle Gaurd

3 Tbsp sugar (depends on how sweet you want it)

2 cups milk

4 pods of cardamom (remove the seeds and pound it)

3 tbsp clarified butter or ghee

Salt to taste

Make it:

Take a wok and add ghee to it.

Once the ghee is hot add the Lauki and cook till it changes colour to a brownish green. Add salt while cooking it

Then add sugar and cook.

While the Lauki is cooking, take another vessel and heat milk to half its original quantity.

When the milk has started simmering add the cardamom seeds. This will infuse the milk with the flavor and your kitchen will be hit with a sweet aroma.

Once the Lauki is cooked add the milk and let it cook till all the milk evaporates.

Milk will Evaporate in 5 to 10 min.

Garnish it with cashew nuts or any nut you like.

NOTE:

Let the milk condense to half, this will make the last procedure fast. You will not be in the kitchen stirring it for long

Keep stirring the Lauki when you are cooking it. Chances are that it may burn if left unattended.

I used Jaggery instead of sugar. It tasted awesome :)

You can fry the nuts with ghee  at the beginning and then use it for garnishing. It brings out the flavor of the nut.

To make pounding of the cardamom seeds easier, heat the seeds in a pan and then pound it. It will powder in no time.
Top it with a dollop of ice cream for extra sweetness.

Indulge!

BITE INTO SOME MUTTON CUTLETS...

"Make beef cutlets for me when I come tomorrow", said Natasha. Whose Natasha? Yup she is my younger sister and those where the exact words she said when she spoke to me over the phone day before yesterday. My sis is working in Mumbai and was coming to Mangalore to give her CS exams. She wanted to have something special so now that she asked me to make these for her, how could I refuse.

So, my dad and I went to the supermarket to get some minced beef...oooops we forgot that beef is band in the state of Karnataka and I had no other choice but settle in for some mutton mince. But no regrets coz these turned out just the way I wanted it to.. A juicy filling with a crunchy coating. Sounds tempting? Well.. then make these, they are super easy. And yeah this one is my own creation (I can finally own something).. off course this recipe came to me after loads of trial and error. So do try these at home and let me know what you think???

MUTTON CUTLETS

You need:

400 grams mutton mince or ground meat (you can use beef or chicken too)

4 cloves

1tsp coriander seeds

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1 inch cinnamon stick

2 cardamom or elichi

Ginger Garlic paste

2 tsp pepper powder

lil turmeric powder

1 small onion

lil coriander leaves

3 small potatoes

salt to taste

For Coating

Maida or all purpose flour

Egg white

Bread crumbs

You make it:

• Wash the mince and let it drain completely.
• Then grind the cloves, cinnamon, elichi, cumin and coriander in a spice blender and keep separate.
• In a vessel take some oil. Now add the ground powder and cook for sometime. Then add the ginger garlic paste and cook for a min.
• Then add the mince. When it is half done add turmeric powder, pepper powder and salt.
• Let it boil. Do not add water.
• Turn it off them done and let it cool.

• Now cut the onions and coriander leaves and keep them.
• Once the mince has cooled completely add the onions and coriander leaves and mix. Keep aside.

• Meanwhile boil potatoes with some salt.
• Once done let it cook. After it has cooled, mash it. Check the salt. Add if you need more salt.
• Add the mashed potatoes to the mince and mix well
• Refrigerate for 1 hour.

• Then remove the mixture for the refrigerator and make round balls and flatten it with your hands.
• Dip it with Maida and then the egg whites and then with the bread crumbs. Dust off all the excess bread crumbs from the cutlet.
• Refrigerate for another hour.

• Then deep fry with oil. You can shallow fry it too.

NOTE:

• Refrigeration of the mixture is very important for the mixture to set. If you do not do it the cutlets will break open when you fry them.
• Yes the onions are raw and will cook when you fry it. The onions give them an additional crunch and taste.
• Deep frying the cutlets make them more crispy.
• Serve immediately.

Enjoy your snack.