Sago Halwa

 Ingredients:-

Sabudana - 1 cup

Jaggery - 1 1/2 cup

Chopped Nuts - 20 nos. cashew/almond

Ghee - 3 tsp

Cardamom Powder - 1/8 - 1/4 tsp

Nutmeg powder - 2 pinches

Soak the Sabudana.  Drain the water and grind it smoothly with 1/2 to 3/4 cup of water

In a kadai add 1 tsp ghee and add the chopped nuts and remove them after they turn golden brown.

Now add 3/4 cup of water and Jaggery.  Bring it to boil and now add the ground Sabudana paste.  Stir it continuously adding the remaining ghee one tsp at a time in high heat.   When the halwa becomes thick and no more sticking to the pan, remove it from the fire and add it to a greased plate.  After it cools cut it into pieces and enjoy.

Healthy Popsicle

 Ingredients: for 5 to 6 popsicle

Ripe Mango - 1

Strawberry 4

Sugar - 4 tsp (can be increased or decreased - or replaced with honey)

Almond Flour -2 tsp

Vegan Milk - 2 tablespoon

1.  Cut the Mango and grind it with 2 tsp sugar and 2 tsp Almond Flour adding around 2 tablespoon water or milk or vegan milk

2.  Cut the strawberries and grind it with 2 tsp sugar without adding water.

Now take the popscile mould and pour ground mango pulp upto 1/3rd of the mould.  Then you can add ground strwberry pulp upto next 1/3rd of the mould.  Now add the mango pulp and cover the mould with the lid and freeze it.   

 Another version is you can freeze the first 1/3 mango pulp for 2 hrs. and then add strawberry pulp, again freeze it and then add mango pulp and freeze it.  By doing this you will be able to get proper layers of the popsicle.

Enjoy it.

Banana Flower Vada (Airfryer)

Ingredients:

One whole Banana Flower

Moon dal- 1/2 cup

Besan Flour - 2 - 3 tablespoon 

Rice Flour - 1 tablespoon

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Red chillies - 2-3

Asafoetida - 1/2 tsp

Cumin Seeds - 1/4 tsp

Oil 

Salt to taste

Clean the banana flower and cut them into fine like cutting coriander leaves.  (Important cut the banana flower only while making the vada otherwise they will turn dark in colour)

Grind the moong dal into a thick paste adding red chillies, salt required, asafoetida and cumin seeds. Do not add water to it.  Add the ground paste to a bowl and add cut banana flower, turmeric powder, besan flour, rice flour, one tsp oil and mix them all together.   Make vadas  and arrange it in a airfryer plate.  Brush some oil on top of the vada and airfry them for 15-20 mts., flipping the vada after one side becomes golden brown.  When both sides become golden brown take it out and enjoy.  

Dates Banana Payasam

 Ingredients:

Banana - 3 (big size)

Dates    - 12 nos (seeds removed)

Ghee - 2 tsp

Almonds - 6 to 8

Raisins -2 tablespoon

Shredded almonds - 2 tablespoon

Almond flour - 2 tsp

Coconut (shredded) - 4 tablespoons

Cardamon powder - 1/4 tsp

Nutmeg powder - 2 pinches

Edible camphor - size of a mustard

Jaggery - 2 tablespoons

Grind the coconut with 250 ml of water and Extract coconut milk.  Then add the dates and pulse it and then add 2 tablespoons of almond flour and 50 ml water and grind it to a paste. If water is need add little by little.

In a pan add 1 tsp ghee and the sliced bananas.  Saute till the bananas are cooked well. Now add the coconut milk and dates, almond flour paste and two tablespoons of jaggery and stir it continuously till it starts to boil.  Boil for a minute switch off the stove and add cardamon powder, nutmeg powder and edible camphor.   

In a pan add 1 tsp ghee and add shredded almonds and raisins.   Saute till the raisin puffs up.  Switch off the stove and add it to the payasam.  Now the payasam is ready.   This is healthy version of payasam.  I hope everyone will enjoy my recipe.

Please post your comments if any in the review section so that I can improvise my cooking.  Thanks everyone for your continued support.  Happy Pongal.