MAKHANA NAMKEEN

 I  recently started to use phool makhna and I am already loving it. So handy when you want something to snack on, light on tummy and easy to make too. Phool makhna or lotus seeds is a power house of nutrition. Rich in fiber and they are low on calories too. Phool makhna is widely used in Indian cuisine like roasted makhna, makhna kheer, raita, curry etc. I tried some of them and yet to try some of those. I made this super easy and delicious makhna namkeen. We all love sweet and spicy chivda recipe or mixture recipes at home. To make makhna namkeen / chivda I just followed my traditional poha chivda recipe. I have just replaced poha with roasted makhana. As usual I tried a no deep fry version and it was such a light, healthy and non greasy snack. If there is a chance in any recipe to be tweaked with less oil I just do that and save the deep frying for another recipe 🙂Keeping in mind the nutritious benefits of Makhanas, I have come up with this healthy yet delicious Makhana Namkeen Recipe.

The benefits of eating this desi snack are endless and very well known in every Indian household but its time to eat this wonder nut beyond your pooja and prasad!If you are a Makhana lover like myself and want to relish a good recipe or two without having to  worry about those extra pounds you can try this Namkeen Makhana recipe.

If you found this post useful, I would really love it, if you pin it or share it with your Facebook Instagram fans followers or Google+ circles today. All it takes is a simple click on the “pin it” “like,” “share,” “tweet,” or Google+ buttons below the post. It will keep me motivated. Thank  you!

📌📌 Watch the full video recipe here 📌📌

INGREDIENTS :

2 Cup Phool Makhana / मखाने 

1/4 Cup Peanuts / शेंगदाणे 

2 tablespoon Coconut Flakes

15-20 Cashewnuts / काजु 

15-20 Almonds / बदाम 

15-20 Raisins / मनुके 

Few Curry Leaves / कढी पत्ता 

1/4 teaspoon Turmeric Powder / हळद 

1 teaspoon Red Chilli Powder / तिखट 

1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper Powder / मिरे पूड 

1/2 teaspoon Cumin Powder/ जीरा पावडर 

1/2 teaspoon Chaat Masala / चाट मसाला 

1/2 teaspoon Aamchur Powder / आमचूर पावडर 

1/4 teaspoon Asafoetida/ हिंग 

Salt to taste

2 tablespoon Ghee / Oil

METHOD :

STEP 1 - Heat ghee in a pan - add makhana roast until crisp. Check if you break and see it should be crisp that is the correct stage. ( see notes )

STEP 2 - Transfer to plate and set aside.

STEP 3 - In the same pan, heat 1 tablespoon ghee/oil .

STEP 4 - Add  peanuts roast until golden then add coconut flakes, cashews, almonds and raisins. Roast until golden brown. Transfer on a plate. Keep aside.

STEP 5 - Then add curry leaves and fry until crisp. Transfer on a plate.

STEP 6 - Heat the remaining ghee in the pan. 

STEP 7 - Add all the spice powders, salt and mix and cook for 30 seconds.

STEP 8 - Finally add roasted makhana with all the other ingredients and toss it well on low flame.

STEP 9 - Switch off the flame and transfer it to a serving bowl.

STEP 10 - Cool down Makhana Namkeen for a while, then store in an airtight container or serve immediately.

Namkeen Makhana keeps well for 7-10 days when stored airtight. Serve this chivda with evening tea or coffee.

NOTES - * To make it more healthy, dry roast makhana without any oil / ghee.

* Roast makhana on low flame for 8-10 minutes.There will not be much of color change. Just check by breaking it between two fingers.

* Increase or decrease spice level as per taste.

* Add any nuts of your choice.

CHANDRAKALA/ चंद्रकला

 Chandrakala is a very elegant and royal Indian sweet usually made during Diwali and Holi in North India. With a lot of variation it is also made in Maharashtra and south Indian States. It is quite similar to the humble Gujiya  but richer in taste and looks. Unlike the Gujiya, it is round in shape and hence the name Chandrakala. It is also rightly called Rasbhari Chandrakala because when you bite into it you can taste the sugar syrup and sometimes it might drip down also. Making Chandrakala is an art, but with a little patience you can sail through this process easily . The outer covering is made of flour and the stuffing is traditionally made using dry fruits like raisins, coconut, almonds, and cashews, along with khoya, semolina, cardamom, sugar, and pistachio. 

CHANDRAKALA gets the name from the shape. Chandrakala in Chandra means Moon, so it can half-moon shaped. Chandrakala recipe is very famous and very rich Indian sweets found in sweet stalls but we can make it at home too. Chandrakala sweet, is Indian Diwali sweets prepared with maida and khoya as main ingredients. These are prepared during Deepavali festivals or on special occasions at home. Quite a rich sweet as we stuff with koya and drynuts mixture and a syrupy outer layer, perfect for celebrations and festivals.  The difficult part is the folding method of the sweet. But by practise you can make a super perfect foldings of the sweet. The beauty of the sweet is the foldings and then the taste of the sweet. Though the preparation of this sweet is little bit lenghty process but the sweets tastes so delicious.

If you found this post useful, I would really love it, if you pin it or share it with your Facebook fans or Twitter followers or Google+ circles today. All it takes is a simple click on the “pin it” “like,” “share,” “tweet,” or Google+ buttons below the post. It will keep me motivated. Thank  you!

📌📌 Watch the full video recipe here 📌📌

INGREDIENTS :

TO MAKE THE DOUGH -

1 Cup Maida

2 tablespoon Ghee

Salt a pinch

Oil to deep fry

FOR SYRUP -

3/4 Cup Sugar

½ Cup Water

1 or 2 drops of Rose Essence OR  1 Cardamom powder 

Few Saffron strands 

FOR STUFFING - 

1 Cup Khoya

1 tablespoon roasted Semolina/ Rava

2 tablespoon desiccated Coconut 

2 tablespoon powder Sugar

1/2 teaspoon Cardamom powder

1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg powder 

2 – 3 tablespoon chopped Dry-fruits 

1 tablespoon Raisins 

METHOD :

PREPARATION OF DOUGH -

STEP 1 - Prepare dough by mixing maida + salt +  melted ghee . 

STEP 2 - First mix this well to resemble bread crumbs. Take some mixture in your hand and try to press. If it holds the shape then the moyan is perfect.

STEP 3 - Add water little by little to make dough.

  STEP 4 - Cover and keep aside for 30 mins.

PREPARATION OF STUFFING -

STEP 1 - Heat a heavy bottom pan, add crumbled khoya & roast for 2-3 minutes. Switch off the flame.

STEP 2 - Transfer into a bowl. 

STEP 3 - Now roast the semolina for 2-3 minutes and mix with khoya. 

STEP 4 - Let it cool completely. Mix all the ingredients of filling together and give a nice mix.

STEP 4 - Finally, add powder sugar and mix everything well until combined.

PREPARATION OF SUGAR SYRUP -

STEP 1 - Add sugar and water in a sauce pan and cook it on low flame.

STEP 2 - Prepare sugar syrup by boiling on medium- low flame till sticky consistency. ( half string consistency ). Off the flame and add rose essence / cardamom powder and saffron strands. Keep aside.

MAKING & SHAPING CHANDRAKALA -

STEP 1 - After the resting time, knead the dough again to make it into smooth and soft without any cracks.

STEP 2 - Divide the dough into 2 parts.

STEP 3 - Take one dough ball, roll to a thin sheet ,cut with lid as shown in pic .

Remove the extra dough and mix with the remaining dough.

STEP 4 - Take 2 circles ,add 2 tsp stuffing in the centre of one disc.

STEP 5 - Apply water on the edges. 

STEP 6 - Cover with another circle. The edges should have less dough part, if too much dough is there, then you can trim with knife. Otherwise the edges will take long time to get cooked. Also the edges too thin, if the edges are thin then it may turn very crisp.

STEP 7 - First press at the edges to seal completely. Make sure to fold properly otherwise the stuffing  might ooze out  and spoil the oil

STEP 8 - Pinch fold and twist the edges continuously with your thumb and first finger to get pattern as shown in pic . The folding comes by practice.

Likewise, make all and keep covered with a damp cloth.

STEP 9 - Heat oil in a kadhai .

STEP 10 - Slide in  2- 3 chandrakala at a time. 

STEP 11 - Cook on a  medium to low  flame.  If the oil is too hot, khoya will sure come out, so do not let the oil become very hot .

STEP 12 - Keep turning to ensure even browning. and fry until golden brown.

STEP 13 - Drain the excess oil and then add it to warm sugar syrup.

STEP 14 - Let it soak for 5 mins. After that turn so that the other side is also well coated with sugar syrup.

STEP 15 - Drain the extra sugar syrup and remove it from the syrup. Similarly, fry all and soak in sugar syrup.

STEP 16 - Arrange them on a plate / box .

STEP 17 - Decorate each chandrakala with a small piece of silver varq on top and sprinkle a little chopped pista.

Your ROYAL looking and delicious Chandrakala sweet is now ready to serve.

NOTES - * After mixing ghee, take some mixture in your hand and try to press. If it holds the shape then the moyan is perfect.

* Stuff with enough khoya mixture to get good looking chandrakala. Otherwise it will look flat.

* Make sure to fold properly otherwise the khoya might leak and spoil the oil. If the oil is too hot, khoya will sure come out, so do not let oil smoke.

* While folding, the edges should have less dough part and the beauty of the sweet is the folding design.

* While frying the Chandrakala, once they start to puff up reduce the heat to low and fry till light brown.

* If you cook in low to medium flame only the outer layer will be soft enough to absorb the syrup.

* You can use ghee/vanaspati or mix with oil and fry for best taste .

* Do not let the syrup pass more than 1 string consistency. For this sweet 1/2 string consistency is more than enough. For safer side you can add few drops lemon juice to prevent crystallization.

* See that the chnadrakal absorves sugar syrup well . The syrup should go inside the sweet, so make sure to soak for enough time 2-3 mins is enough. Keeping the syrup hot helps.

* The chandrakala sweet becomes soft next day and tastes, smells best from next day.

CHOCOLATE MUG/ JAR CAKE

 This Chocolate Mug Cake recipe will become your new obsession; it's the easiest  way to make dessert for one or two, and you wont believe how delicious it is! This mug cake recipe is made with chocolate chips and no eggs.This is one of the easiest dessert recipe which is soft and fluffy and tastes super delicious.

 It was my birthday last week and want to make something different as I was cravings for chocolate cake. I wanted to make/ buy cake for my birthday but I was missing my daughters so badly😔😔  While I was struggling to decide what to prepare, my husband came to rescue and gave me the idea of preparing these yummy mug cakes. And problem solved . So tried this Chocolate Jar Cakes and satisfied with the results. It came out superbly and also satisfied my chocolate cake cravings 😌😌Now this has added to my favourites list. This one is really for a chocolate addict person who loves chocolate and vanilla ice cream together, because they both are a marriage made in heaven. The main advantage of mug cake recipes are, they do not need to weigh any ingredients and all the quantities are given in spoons. Secondly, I have added chocolate chips but these can be replaced with raisins, walnuts , almonds and even berries.

I tried my first mug cake recipe a few years ago and it was a disaster.  A few days later I tried another recipe.  Again, a disaster.  Most recipes were dry and tasteless, and contained eggs. Even some mug cakes I’ve ever tried came out gross and rubbery except this one. This is one of the easiest dessert recipe which is soft and fluffy and tastes super delicious.This chocolate mug cake is made  for a fudgy, chocolaty treat that is truly decadent. It's a great recipe for nights when  you need a yummy dessert that's ready in less than 30 minutes! You can add a few chocolate chips in the batter to make it extra rich and gooey. This easy mug cake is easy to make with basic ingredients in your kitchen pantry and comes together quickly just in minutes. It couldn’t be easier to make a homemade mug cake. Combine the dry ingredients in a oven-safe mug/ jar, stir in the wet ingredients, then cook in the oven until the cake is done. You’ll find the full, step-by-step recipe below with detailed instructions. Now this is PERFECT when I'm having a chocolate cravings anytime but not in mood of baking a regular chocolate cake 😀If you like and tried the recipe don't forget to share your experiences with us on Facebook, Instagram with a hashtag #kalpanaslacucina.

📌📌 Watch the full video recipe here 📌📌

INGREDIENTS :

1/4 Cup All Purpose Flour

3 tablespoon granulated Sugar

2 tablespoon unsweetened Cocoa Powder

1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder

dash of Salt

 1/4 Cup Milk (any kind of milk)

 2 tablespoon Vegetable Oil/ Canola Oil (or melted butter)

1 teaspoon Chocolate Chips , or your favorite flavor baking chips

Few drops Vanilla extract ( optional )

For Serving : 

Vanilla Ice cream

Chopped mixed Nuts / more Chocolate Chips 

Chocolate Syrup

METHOD :

STEP 1 - In a oven safe cup/ bowl/ jar add flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt and stir together.

STEP 2 - Add milk, canola oil, and vanilla extract ( optional )and stir until smooth.

 STEP 3 - Make sure to scrape the bottom of the mug. 

STEP 4 - Stir in chocolate chips or sprinkle them on top.

STEP 5 - Bake for 15-17 minutes at 175°C (see note) until cake is just set, but still barely shiny on top. (see notes ).

 STEP 6 - Remove from oven and allow to rest for 1 minute before consuming.

STEP 7 - Ready to serve.

Serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, chopped mix nuts/ chocolate chips on the top and drizzle some chocolate syrup and ready to dig in.

NOTES - * Sugar sweetens things up and balances the bitter cocoa powder. 

* Two tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder ensures a rich chocolate cake. 

* Baking soda acts as a leavening agent, which means it helps the mug cake rise. 

* A pinch of salt enhances the overall flavor of the mug cake, but it won’t make it taste salty. 

* Cooking time may vary because all ovens are different, it’s difficult to give a precise cook time. 

* Keep checking after 15 minutes. 

* The trick with mug cakes is to stop cooking the cake earlier than you think, because you want it to be soft on the inside, and the cake will also continue to cook as it cools.

* You can combine the dry ingredients ahead of time and store the mixture in an airtight container. That way, all you’ll have to do is add the liquid ingredients and bake.