Kesar Peda

Peda is a sweet from the Indian subcontinent, usually prepared in thick, semi-soft pieces. The main ingredients are khoya (Mawa), sugar and traditional flavorings, including cardamom seeds, pistachio nuts and saffron. The color varies from a creamy white to a caramel color. The word peda is also generically used to mean a blob of any doughy substance, such as flour or khoya. Variant spellings and names for the dessert include pedha, penda (in Gujarati) and pera. 

Pedas originated in the city of Mathura in present-day Uttar Pradesh. The Mathura Peda is the characteristic variety from the city. From Uttar Pradesh, the peda spread to many parts of the Indian subcontinent. For our 133rd foodiemonday Bloghop event we are back with #Holionmyplatter theme, for this theme I am back with splash of saffron and khoya in the form of Peda. These Kesar Peda are so delicious and melt in mouth.

kesar peda is a classic sweet made for festive occasions. They are delicious and made with very few ingredients, milk and sugar, flavored with cardamom and saffron. This is a easy recipe to make. check out the recipe below and Enjoyyy...wish you all a very Happy and safe Holi. :)

2 cups dry milk powder
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon crushed cardamom
Few strands of saffron
1 tablespoon milk to soak the saffron
1 tablespoon sliced pistachios for garnishing


Method:

1. Soak the saffron strand in warm milk. Set aside.

2. Heat the frying pan on low heat, Add cream and milk powder. Mix it well. Mix will start getting soft consistency of thick batter as it gets warm.

3. Cook mixture on low medium heat stirring continuously until mixture becomes lumpy like soft dough. This should take about 12-15 minutes. Add saffron and cardamom mix it well and cook for 2-3 more minutes until it is consistency of soft dough. Turn off the heat. Now this is known as khoya.
Transfer the khoya into a bowl and let it cool off until khoya becomes lukewarm.

4. Add the sugar into the khoya and knead it for about a minute until everything blends together and become soft dough.

5. Divide the mix into 20 equal parts or more, less depends the size you prefer. Make them into ball rolling between your palms. make any design you like on peda or simply make a dent on it.

Garnish them with pistachios.

Rose flavored Butter cookies

These piped cookies are also commonly known as Melting Moments. As the name implies, they literally melts in your mouth. The dough is made by the creaming method, that is, creaming butter with icing sugar to give a soft and crumbly texture. Icing sugar is used instead of caster sugar to prevent the cookies from spreading. Although the finer the sugar granules, the more spreading they cause, icing sugar which contains cornstarch will actually help the cookies to hold their shape better. Corn flour is also used alongside plain flour  to create the tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture.

These delicate butter cookies are a great treat! The Rose flavor and pink color enhance the beauty of these cookies. The home was with aroma of rose flavor. The recipe is straight forward and down right simple. It requires minimum ingredients and the dough was done in no time. The only difficult part was piping them! I thought I could use my Wilton 1C and 2D  decorating tip as it gives very impressive rosettes just like I did.

The valentine's day is right on the corner, You can make these beautiful rosettes in cookies form and serve this to your valentine. This is going to our 131 #Foodiemonday #Bloghop event, and this event we are back with #Valentinerose recipes. This is a contribution to out bloghop event, check out the recipe below and Enjoyyy!!!!!

Ingredients

175 g unsalted butter, softened at room temperature

40 g icing sugar

1/2 teaspoon Rose Essence

1 or 2 drops of edible red color (This will mix with all the white ingredients and turn in to pink color)

175 g plain flour

40 g cornflour (cornstarch)

Method

1. With an electric mixer, or with manual beater cream butter and icing sugar together until pale and fluffy.

2. Add the Rose Essence and beat for a few seconds.

3. Sift the flour and cornflour together over the butter mixture and mix until smooth. Add 1 or max two drops of edible red color and mix the color in the dough very well.

4. Spoon the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a large star-shaped piping nozzle. Pipe into the required shapes on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Space the shapes well apart.

5. Bake the cookies in preheated oven at 180 deg C for 12 minutes or until they are a pale golden color.

Leave for a few minutes on the baking tray to firm up slightly before transferring to wire rack to cool.


Enjoyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!!!

Beetroot Tomato Soup

Tomato & Beetroot Soup is a comforting and easy dish to make on cold days. This recipe uses no cornflour or heavy cream, relying on the goodness of vegetables alone to provide all the goodness, flavor and body to the soup. This is ideal for this season when the sniffles attack and you crave warm, satisfying meals over complex full meals. 

Beetroot Soup is not only a fabulous color but delicious too. Personally, I am not a big fan of eating beetroot raw, So I have to keep finding ways to make it delicious, because we can settle for nothing less! So I figured out one of the best ways to eat this extremely healthy root, and that is to turn it into a Soup. My amazingly smart mother is always telling me to somehow, anyhow eat beet which I keep trying to avoid but after this recipe I will be happy to be eating it as much as she asks me to:) Moreover it's a very easy recipe so it's a great thing to add to the regulars on your menu.

This is our 130th #foodiemonday Bloghop event, and we are back with #seasonofred recipes theme,  My contribution for this event is beetroot tomato soup. check out the recipe below and enjoy the warmth of healthy root.

Ingredients

4 Tbsp oil
11/2 tsp whole cumin seed
1 large clove of garlic, thinly sliced
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp Red chili powder
1 bunch of beets (3 to 4 roots), topped, tailed, scrubbed and cut into 6 wedges per beet
11/2 cups chopped Tomato
1 tsp salt
11/2 cups water

Method

1. Heat the oil in a medium-sized pot over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds. Let them sizzle for a few seconds until they start to darken, then throw in the garlic. Stir-fry the garlic until it starts to turn golden. Add the onion. Stir-fry for 2 minutes until the onion softens.

2. Add the flour. Stir and fry for a minute, taking care not to burn them. Add the beets, tomatoes, salt, red chili powder and 2 cups water and bring to a simmer. Cover and turn heat to low.

3. After about 30 minutes the beets should be tender. Remove the lid and turn up the heat to medium. Cook uncovered for about 5 minutes. Use a blender to puree the soup. Adjust the seasonings and add a little water if it seems too thick — it should have a thick, creamy consistency. Heat through over medium-low heat. Serve in bowls. 

Enjoyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!