Ingredients • Whole wheat flour-  3/4 cup • Maida/unbleached flour- 3/4 cup • Baking powder- 1 tsp • Eno- 1 tsp • Crushed pineapple with juice- 1 can(8oz) • Very Ripe banana (about 1/2 large), mashed-1/4 cup • Vanilla/almond essence- 1 tsp • Finely chopped dates- 2/3 cup For Assembling the Mrdang pattern. • Cake • Butter cream Icing mixed well with orange red colour powder. • Fondant-  1cup approx coloured grey or black or white- to make the hooks on either side of the Mrdang (made 2-4 days in advance) • Silver ribbon- to tie on the hooks to carry the Mrdang • Gum paste- 1/4 tsp of gumpaste mixed with 1 tbsp of water. kept for 10-15 minutes(acts like gum) Method 1. Combine the flours, baking powder and eno, and stir to mix well. 2. Stir in the pineapple including the juice, banana, and vanilla/almond essence. 3. Fold in the dates. 4. Coat an 8 inch pan with non stick cooking spray/ lightly greased and powdered well with flour. 5. Spread the batter evenly in the pan. 6. Bake at 325F for 25-30 minutes or till wooden toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. 7. Cool the cake for 20 minutes. For Assembling the Mrdang pattern. 1. Depending on the size of the Mrdang you want, make one/two 10′ round cake(for the center) and one/two 8′ round cake(for the left half of the cake) and two/three 6 inch round cake(for the right half of the cake). ( theres no need to buy so many cake pans. You can increase or decrease the size of the cake by adding extra cake or removing the cake off. It will get hidden by the icing) 2. Arrange the height of the cake carefully. The centre is the tallest part and the right half...

Ingredients For the cake • Self raising flour.( already has baking powder in it)- 2 cup • Castor sugar- 1 cup • Eno- 1/2 tsp • Milk/water- 1 cup • Oil- 1/4 cup • Vanilla/ pineapple essence- 1 tsp • Yellow colour- 3-4 drops (optional)   For Ricotta Cheese icing • Ricotta cheese- 2 cups • Vanilla extract- 1 tsp • Honey/maple syrup- 3-4 tbsp   For Butter cream Icing • Butter- 1/3 cup • Salt-1/4 tsp • Vanilla extract- 1 tsp • Sifted confectioners Sugar- 3 1/2 cup or 1 pound. • Milk/water/light cream- 3-4 tbsp • Pink colour for roses, Juniper green for leaves   Preparation For the cake 1. Preheat oven to 375 F for 10 minutes 2. Mix all the dry powders first- flour, sugar, eno. 3. Mix the liquids- Milk, oil, essence, colour. 4. Add flour little by little and mix. 5. Whisk till bubbles appear and it is soft and creamy. 6. Bake at 350F for 30-35 minutes or till toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out dry. 7. After the cake has cooled. Cut in half and fill with Ricotta cheese icing. Then join the two halves and decorate with butter cream icing and roses as shown in the picture.   For Ricotta Cheese icing 1. Mix all the above in a blender/ food processor till smooth. This recepe makes enough for a 9x 13 inch cake   For Butter cream Icing 1. Cream butter , salt, vanilla with electric hand mixer.  2. Add sugar gradually 3. Add 3 tbsp milk/water or light cream 4. Beat till smooth. 5. Beat more milk till desired consistency.( For Roses you need firm consistency, for leaves and basket weave pattern you need little smooth consistency) (We dont use Meringue powder in icing as it has eggs.)   For Decorating 1. Make Roses-...

Ingredients • Wholemeal self raising flour- 1 1 /4 cup • Eno/ fruit salt- 1/2 tsp • Dried apricots- 1 cup • Soya milk/ or any thick milk- 11/4 cup • Chopped roasted almonds/peanuts- 1 1/4 cup • Ground almonds/peanuts- 1 cup • Vegetable margarine- 3/4 cup • Sugar-6 tbsp • Almond essence- 1 tsp • Few sliced / whole almonds for decoration  Preparation Finely chop the apricots, put them in a bowl, pour soya milk over, cover and leave to stand for several hours, can be overnight.Coarsely grind it in the morning. 1. Preheat oven to 325F or 160C or gas mark 3 2. Grease and line the cake tin. 3. Put the flour, ground almonds, eno and baking powder in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Melt the margarine and sugar in a small saucepan over a low heat before adding it to the flour mixture. 4. Mix well and add the soaked apricots along with it’s liquid, the roasted almonds and the almond essence. Combine all thoroughly. 5. Transfer the mixture to a greased, floured cake tin. Decorate with whole almonds and bake in the middle of a warm oven for about 50 minutes till a warm knife inserted in the centre comes out cleanly. 6. Allow to cool in the tin before removing.  For Assembling the cake 1. Make the rope of the bouquet with gumpaste and fondant or only gumpaste 4-7 days before. 2. Mix yellow and black and orange colour. Set it over a broad mouthed jar to dry. 3. Make the flowers with gumpaste and fondant or only gumpaste – atleast 4-7 days before Slice the cake in half and fill with apricot or guava jelly with apricot pieces. 4. Decorate with buttercream icing and green coloured coconut...

Ingredients • Maida – 2 cups • Powdered sugar – 1 cups • Butter – 100 gms or 3 ½ tbsp • Baking powder – ½ tsp • Vanilla essence – ½ tsp • Milk as required For Cream • Butter – 2tsp • Icing sugar – 3 tbsp • Any colour and essence- orange colour and orange essence, yellow colour and pineapple essence or lemon essence, green color and mint essence, Red colour and rose essence Preparation 1. Sieve Maida and Baking powder together. 2. Beat butter and sugar with a hand blender till soft and creamy. 3. Add maida and mix properly with hand. 4. Add essence. 5. Prepare like dough adding milk as needed. 6. Roll out into ¼ “ thick rounds applying maida on top and bottom. 7. Cut half of the biscuits with ordinary round cutter, and remaining half with a cutter having a hole in the centre. Both the cutters should be of same size. 8. Grease the baking tray, and arrange the cookies in the tray. 9. Bake in a preheated oven at 170C or 340 F  for 10-15 minutes.( dont wait for it to be browned) 10. Stick cream on it when cold. For Cream 1. Mix Icing sugar and butter with a spoon in a glass bowl. 2. Mix colour and essence. 3. Stick cream on a whole biscuit/ cookie and press the cookie with a hole over it. Press lightly. 4. Decorate the center with cream from a star tip #18.(optional) 5. Pack in an airtight tin after 1 hour. By Bhaktin...

Ingredients: • Homemade noodles (made from 3 cups of atta or fine wheat flour. I've also used whole wheat.)  • Plum tomatoes (preferably blanched and peeled), finely chopped – 25  • Oregano – 1 1/2 tsp • Basil – 4 tsp  • Hing – 1/4 tsp • Black pepper – 1/2 tsp • Atta – 1/4 cup • Butter – 2 tbsp • Ghee – 2 tbsp • Salt, as desired • Ghee for deep frying • Paneer from 2 liters of milk   Preparation: 1. Briefly chaunce the oregano, basil, pepper and hing in the ghee and add the chopped tomatoes. Stir, add a couple cups of water, bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer until tomatoes are cooked.  2. Toast the flour in the butter about 5 minutes. Add to the tomato sauce and cook until thickened. Remove from heat. 2. Cook the noodles in boiling water for about 7 minutes. Drain. Rinse and drain once more. Then add to the tomato sauce. 3. (Either slice the paneer into small pieces and stir fry as pictured below or) Knead the paneer until smooth. Roll into small balls. Deep fry in ghee. Drain. Soak in 2 cups water with 2 t turmeric and 1 T salt for at least 45 minutes. 4. Add the cheese balls (or cubes) to the sauce and noodles.   By Bhaktin Priya  ...

Ingredients •Uncooked pasta shells………………….2 C •Olive oil……………………………………..2 Tbsp •Asafetida powder…………………………..½ Tsp •Italian seasonings………………………….½ Tsp •Dried oregano………………………………½ Tsp •Dried basil…………………………………..½ Tsp •Dried celery stalks…………………………1 Tsp •(or fresh celery stalk……………………..1) •Zucchini chopped in small cubes………..1 •Bell pepper chopped………………………1 C •Carrot shredded…………………………..1 •Broccoli florets……………………………½ C •Black pepper……………………………..½ Tsp •Salt……………………………………….1 Tsp •Tomato chopped ……………………….1 •Cream cheese…………………………..1 Tbsp •Sour cream………………………………1 Tsp Preparation 1) Cook the pasta shells in water according to the directions. Drain the pasta and keep aside. 2) Heat oil in a pan; add asafetida powder, all the dried herbs and sauté for 30 seconds. Add zucchini, bell pepper, carrot, broccoli and stir fry until they are tender-crisp. Addthe black pepper and salt. Turn off the heat source and fold in the tomatoes and cooked pasta. 3)Combine the cream cheese and sour cream until smooth; add to the pasta and mix well. Serves Four- Five By Anand Lila Devi Dasi  ...

Ingredients • All Purpose Flour – 1 ¼ cup  • Baking powder – 1 tsp  • Baking soda – ½ tsp  • Salt – ¼ tsp  • Elaichi/cardamom powder – ¼ tsp  • Sweetened condensed milk –  ½ can 7 oz  • Unsalted melted butter – ½ cup  • Crushed pineapple – 120 oz can  • Crushed walnuts (optional) for decoration.   Preparation 1. Preheat oven to 325 F. 2. Drain juice from the pineapple and keep it aside. 3. Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl. 4. Add condensed milk, butter, ½ cup pineapple juice and ½ cup pineapple pieces on to the dry ingredients. Fold in gently with a spatula. 5. Grease and lightly flour an 8×8 inch square cake pan. 6. Pour the ingredients and bake at 325F for 25 minutes. 7. Remove from oven and let cool for few minutes. 8. Make few  holes on top of it gently with a fork and brush in pineapple juice. 9. Decorate with whipped cream, pineapple pieces and crushed walnuts. 10. Serve to the Lord and distribute the mercy.   Serves  8 – 10 Persons   By Bhaktin Meena  ...

Ingredients 1. Maida/All purpose flour- 2 cups 2. Apples green/red- 2, peeled and grated 3. Baking powder-2 tsp 4. Baking Soda-1 ½ tsp 5. Eno- ½  tsp 6. Butter, melted- ½ cup 7. Sugar- 1 cup 8. Milk-7 tsp 9. Salt- a pinch 10. vanilla/rose essence- ½ tsp 11. Colour- green/orange-red- ½ tsp 12. kismis- 2 tsp 13. whipped cream/ 1 cup heavy cream whipped with 3-4 Tbsp sugar 14. Apple pieces   Method 1. Mix and sieve together properly-Maida, baking powder, salt, Soda and eno. 2.  Beat sugar and butter till smooth and creamy, approximately for 5 minutes. 3. Add  Milk  to the above dry powders. Beat for 1-2 minutes. 4. Slowly add in the beaten sugar-butter mixture. Beat for 2-3 minutes. 5. Add in apples, kismis, essence and colour. Beat well for 2-3 minutes. 6. Grease a 6 or 8 inch round baking tray with ghee/oil and dust with maida. 7. Pour the batter and bake at 350F for 40-45 minutes or till a toothpick comes out dry when pierced in the center. 8. Allow the cake to cool for 30 minutes. Invert it and cool for 2-3 hours for easy slicing 9. Cut into half and ice with whipping cream mixed with apple pieces. 10. Join the 2 halves and ice with butter cream icing. 11. Add the green fondant Tulsi leaves immediately on the wet icing. 12. Offer the Tulsi cake to the Lord and serve as prasadam.   B. Butter cream Icing  (makes 3 cups)   Ingredients 1. Butter- half cup 2. Vegetable shortening- half cup 3. Confectioners sugar- 1 pound 4. Water-3-4 tbsp (can add more if thinner consistency is needed) 5. Vanilla essence-half tsp 6. Green colour- ½ tsp   Method  Mix all the above and beat well. Can add more water...

Ingredients • Milk – 4 cups. • Lemon juice – 2tbsp + 1tbsp water • Sugar – 1 ½ cups. • Water – 2 ½ cups. • Rose essence – 2tsp Preparation 1. Boil the milk in medium flame stirring occasionally so that it doesn’t get burned at the bottom. 2. Then add the mixture of lemon juice and water (2tbs +1 tbsp) slowly to that boiling milk to get the whey. 3. Let the gas be in simmer as the whey get separated, remove the pan from gas and drain the whey alone with a cheese cloth. 4. Wash the cheese with the running water to remove the lemon flavor from it. 5. Squeeze out all the water from the cheese cloth. 6. Take all the whey out and rub the cheese with very little pressure. 7. Take a small size of cheese and check out if you can make balls without any scratch on it. 8. Now split the whey or cheese into equal 12 pieces and make clear balls of it. 9. In the mean time mix the sugar and water in the pressure cooker and let it boil in medium flame. Once the sugar syrup starts boiling put the cheese balls one by one into it and pressure cook it till one whistle. 10. Then off the gas.     11. Now transfer the rasgullas one by one to another container and pour the sugar syrup also in that. 12. Add the rose syrup. Let it come to room temperature. 13. Keep it in the refrigerator till it cools. And serve. Serves 5-6 Persons By Bhaktin Sushma  ...

Ingredients • Whole milk – 10 cups (2.5 litres)  • Caster sugar or icing sugar – 1/2 cup (125ml)  • Strip of lemon rind – 7.5 cm (3-inch)    Preparation 1. Knead and bray the curd cheese on a clean surface until it is silky smooth and creamy. Gather into one lump and calculate its volume with measuring cups. Measure one-quarter that volume of sugar. Combine the cheese, sugar, and lemon rind and again briefly knead and bray the cheese. 2. Place a heavy-bottomed pan on the lowest possible heat and, constantly stirring with a wooden spoon, cook the cheese for 10 to 15 minutes or until its surface becomes glossy and its texture slightly thickens. 3. Scrape the sandesh from the pan and remove the lemon rind. Press the sandesh onto a lightly buttered tray into a flat 1.25 cm (1/2-inch) thick cake. Cool to room temperature. Cut the cake into 2.5 cm (1-inch) squares, or mould into decorative shapes. (The ones pictured are made in special wooden sweet forms from India). When completely cool, store in an airtight container in a single layer. The sandesh can be refrigerated for up to 4 days.   By Kurma   Source:www.kurma.net  ...

This is the most popular flour-based confection in North India, where several versions are sold in sweet shops. You could use any type of solid or liquid sweetener, bearing in mind that each varies in sweetening power and that adjustments in cooking time will be necessary. This version, served at the home of the late Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, is one of my favorites.   Cooking and preparation time (after assembling ingredients): about 20 minutes Ingredients • Ghee or unsalted butter – ¾ cup (180 ml)  • Sifted chickpea flour (Sifted before measuring) – 2 cups (205 g)  • Grated dried coconut – 2 tablespoons (30 ml)  • Chopped pecans or walnuts – 2 tablespoons (30 ml)  • Freshly ground nutmeg –  ¼ teaspoon (1 ml)  • Brown sugar or maple sugar, packed – ¾ cup (110 g)    Preparation 1. Melt the ghee or butter in a heavy-bottomed frying pan over moderately low heat. Add the chickpea flour, coconut, nuts and nutmeg and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for about 5 minutes. Add the sweetener and continue to cook for 10-15 minutes or until the mixture is thick and deep golden brown. 2. Scrape it onto a marble surface or countertop, and, while hot, spread it into an even slab with a buttered spatula. When cool enough to handle, roll into 24 balls, or cool until set and cut into squares.   Makes 2 dozen balls   By Yamuna Devi...

Ingredients • Chick pea flour (besan) – 2 cups • Ghee – 1 ½ cups • Sugar – 2 cups • Water – ¼ or ½ cups Preparation 1. Put besan in a bowl. Use fresh besan for best results. 2. See that there are no lumps in the besan if there are lumps you can sieve it. 3. Put ½ cup warm ghee and mix well making sure there are no lumps 4. Pour the remaining 1 cup ghee and mix well again, Keep aside for 15 to 20 min. 5. After 20 min. place a thick bottomed pan on gas, put sugar and half cup water. 6. Let it boil till one string consistency is attained. Lower the heat. 7. Now slowly add this mixture stirring continuously. 8. Keep stirring until the mixture thickens and the oil starts separating from the sides 9. Grease a deep tray or a plate. Pour this mixture. 10. It will solidify quickly within few minutes. 11. When it is solidified cut them into desired shape. Serves 4 Persons By Bhaktin Sushma  ...

There are no separate courses in a Vedic meal, though for a full-scale feast menu  more than 30 dishes  there is an order of serving. Fruits may be served at any time in the meal, from beginning to sweet conclusion. For breakfast, cut fruit often make up the entire meal. As a snack, a combination of three or four fruits is infinitely satisfying. Fruit combinations are endless, limited only by availability and imagination. Try specialty fruits such as cherimoyas, guavas, kiwis, carambolas, persimmons and fresh figs. Chat plates require no preparation except the peeling and cutting of the fruits. Fruits are served in large pieces with a lime wedge and an optional sprinkle of either chat masala or black salt. To enhance the flavor of the fruits. I have suggested two fruit dressings. Crème Fraiche Cardamom and Fruit Juice. The following recipes make about 1 cup (240 ml) of dressing. Simply combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and whisk until blended.   Fruit Combinations: • Tangerines, blueberries and cherimoyas • Orange and papaya slices with pineapple cubes • Avocado slices, * grapefruit segments and stuffed fresh dates • Sweet cherries, bananas* and yellow peaches* • Sliced pears,* seedless green grapes and prickly pears • Guava cubes, kiwi slices and persimmons • Apple slices, * raspberries and fresh figs • Cucumber slices, strawberries and blue plum slices • Passion fruit, lychees and cape gooseberries • Carambolas, tangelos and pomegranates • Casaba melon, cantaloupe and Crenshaw melon   *Dip in lemon, lime or pineapple juice to prevent discoloration.   Ingredients For the Crème Fraiche-Cardamom Dressing: • Crème fraiche, yogurt or sour cream – 1 cup (240 ml)  • Honey – 2 tablespoons (30 ml)  • Strained fresh orange juice – 2 tablespoons (30 ml)  • Ground cardamom – 1 teaspoon (5 ml)    For the fruit juice Dressing:...

In Bengal this halva is called mohan bhog, “captivating dish”, and is a personal favorite. Flavored with warm aromatics –saffron, black pepper, fennel seeds and cassia leaves –it is rib-sticking fare for a cold winter day.   Preparation and cooking (after assembling ingredients): about 30 minutes   Ingredients • Milk or a mixture of 1 cup (240 ml) milk and 1 ¼ cups (300 ml) water – 2 ¼ cups (540 ml) • Sugar – 1 cup (210 g)  • Good-quality saffron threads – ¼ teaspoon (! Ml)  • Currants – ¼ cup (35 g)  • Ghee or unsalted buffer – ½ cup (120 ml)  • Cassia or allspice leaf, or ½ bay leaf – 1  • Fennel seeds – ½ teaspoon (2 ml)  • Sifted chickpea flour (Sifted before measuring) – ½ cup (50 g)  • Fine-grained semolina (pasta flour) – ¾ cup (125 g)  • Sliced or slivered almonds – ½ cup (55 g) • Freshly ground black pepper – 1/8 teaspoon (0.5 ml)  • Freshly ground nutmeg – ¼ teaspoon (1 ml)    Preparation 1. Combine the milk or milk-water mixture and sugar in a heavy saucepan and, stirring constantly, bring to a boil over moderately high heat. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting, add the saffron and currants, and cover. 2. Place the ghee or butter in a heavy pan over moderate heat. When it is hot, add the cassia, allspice or bay leaf and fennel seeds, and fry for several seconds. Stir in the chickpea flour, semolina or farina and almonds. Reduce the heat to moderately low and, stirring constantly, toast the ingredients for 10-12 minutes. It is ready when the chickpea flour and semolina darken a few shades to a warm golden color; they should not be allowed to brown. 3. Remove the pan from the heat. Stirring constantly, slowly pour...

Ingredients • Oil – 2 tbsp • Mustard seeds – 1 tbsp • Cumin seeds – 1 tbsp • Pinch of asafetida powder • Turmeric powder – ½ tsp • Raw peanuts – 2 tbsp • Dalia – 2 tbsp • Curry Leaves – 10-15 • Green Chilies – 3 to 4 • Powdered Sugar – 1 tsp • Cashew nuts – 1 tbsp • Thin Poha – 3 cups Preparation 1. Heat 2 tsp of oil in a pan. 2. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves, green chilies and let them splutter for 2 minutes. 3. Add turmeric powder, asafetida powder, cashew nuts, and peanuts, mix well and stir them for 1 minute. 4. Add Dalia and again cook for 1 minute. 5. Add poha, mix well for 3 minutes stirring after every one minute. 6. Add salt and powdered sugar, mix well. 7. Poha Chivda is ready. Serves 4 Persons By Bhaktin Ranjana  ...

Preparation Time: 10 minutes, Baking Time: 35 minutes Ingredients • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour ( I put half white flour and half whole flower) • 1 cup curd/yogurt • 3/4 cup sugar • 1/2 tsp baking soda • 1 1/4 tsps baking powder • 1/2 cup refined oil (I used sunflower oil) • Spice or added flavor of your choice (I used cinnamon and nutmeg) Preparation 1. Preheat oven to 200 C for 10 mts. Grease and flour an 8″-9″ inch baking pan. 2. Cream the sugar and yogurt until the sugar is completely dissolved. Add baking pwd and baking soda and combine. Leave aside for 3 mts. You will find that bubbles appear. 3. Add vegetable oil and flavoring and combine well. Now, slowly add little flour/maida at a time using a large whisk and blend with the wet ingredients. 4. Bake in preheated oven at 200 degree C for 10 mts, reduce temperature to 175 and bake for 20-25 mts or till a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. 5. Cool the cake for 20-30 mts and then overturn onto a plate. You can add frosting or not. Here is a nice frosting recipe that I used: For Buttermilk Frosting: • 1/4 cup ghee • 4 cups powdered sugar • 3 tablespoons buttermilk or regular milk, or yogurt. By Bhaktin Christina Source : https://www.facebook.com/KrsnasTreatsAndInspiringIdeas  ...

Shrikhand is a classic dessert of Western India. Plain yogurt is transformed into an aromatic delicacy flavored with saffron and cardamom. With this Popsicle recipe you can change the flavor to whatever you want (Mango or Strawberry for example). Ingredients • 4 cups of yogurt • ¾ cup of sugar as needed • Few strands of saffron • 1 tablespoon warm milk (instead of milk and saffron I just used a pinch of turmeric) • About ¼ teaspoon crushed cardamom • 1 tablespoon sliced almonds • 1 tablespoon sliced pistachios Preparation 1. Drain the yogurt. Put a muslin or cheese cloth over a strainer. Now pour the yogurt over muslin cloth to drain. Place a bowl underneath the strainer to collect the excess water. 2. Next gently squeeze the excess water from yogurt. Make sure not to squeeze out the yogurt. 3. Move the yogurt with strainer and bowl into the refrigerator for at least six hours to drain excess water. 4. Yogurt will become thick in consistency. 5. Dissolve the saffron in warm milk. Milk will take on the saffron color, yellowish orange. 6. Add sugar, cardamom powder, and saffron milk to yogurt and beat well till sugar dissolves. You may use a mixer. 7. Mix in most of the almonds and pistachios to the yogurt place mixture inside little cups or a Popsicle tray. 8. Add little wood sticks and freeze over night. Note 1. When the water is draining from the yogurt, it’s suggested to keep the yogurt in the refrigerator in order to keep the yogurt from becoming more sour. By Bhaktin Christina Source : https://www.facebook.com/KrsnasTreatsAndInspiringIdeas  ...

Ingredients • Leftover Dal – 1 cup • Whole Wheat flour – 1 ½ cup • Salt – as required • Peanut Oil – for deep frying Preparation 1. First make a paste of the dal and then knead the dough with whole wheat flour and salt water if required. 2. Roll out thin chapatis of it and cut them into 1 inch diamonds (or in any shape desired). 3. Heat peanut oil in a skillet on a medium – high flame. 4. Let the oil become hot then gently put these diamonds into hot oil and fry both sides or until crispy. 5. After they turn golden brown in color, transfer them onto paper towels to drain excess oil. 6. Let it cool and then transfer it to an airtight container. Serves 3-4 Persons By Bhaktin Mallika  ...

In south India these are as popular as potato chips are in America. It is a national snack pastime, and in much of the south, is almost always fried in coconut oil. This tasty oil is also pastime, and in much of the south, is almost fried in coconut oil. This tasty oil is also highly saturated, and should be avoided if you are on a cholesterol reduced diet; try sunflower, safflower or soybean oil instead. South Indians, from roadside cooks to housewives, swear by a special frying treatment for the wafers. Since it involves sprinkling water in hot oil, it breaks all safety rules. To avoid splattering, use a spray bottle set on the finest mist. It will cause the oil to foam, but splatter no more than when adding potato straws for frying.   Preparation time (after assembling ingredients): 10 minutes Soaking time: 30 minutes Cooking time: 15 minutes   Ingredients • Uripe plantains, each 9-12 inches (23-30 cm) long – 2 large • Turmeric – ½ table spoon (7 ml)  • Hot water – 2 table spoons (30 ml)  • Melted coconut or vegetable oil for frying   Preaparation 1. Cut away the hard skins from the plantains with a paring knife and slice cross-wise, slightly on the diagonal, as thinly as possible. Soak the plantain in ice water for at least ½ hour, then drain and pat thoroughly dry with paper towels. 2. Dissolve the salt and turmeric in the hot water and place it in a spray bottle. Pour 2 inches (5 cm) of oil into a deep-frying vessel. Place the pan over moderate heat and slowly heat to 370 F (190 C) on a deep-frying thermometer. When it is hot, drop in enough plantain slices to float to a layer on top...

This snack could easily become as popular as pretzels. It is a crunchy spiral, made from roasted chickpea flour and rice flour, shaped by forcing soft dough through a star-shaped nozzle or disk. A seviya machine is used to shape this and several other fried snacks in this chapter. It is available at Indian grocery stores. Because any star shape will do, you can also use a pastry bag fitted with a 5-star nozzle or a continuous-flow cookie gun, like the sawa, available through the William Sonoma mail order catalogue.   Preparation time (after assembling ingredients): 20 minutes Frying time: 15 minutes   Ingreidents • Sifted chickpea flour (Sifted before measuring) – 1 ½ cups (145 g)  • Coarse rice flour or ground rice – ½ cup (80 g)  • Salt – 1 ¼ teaspoons (6 ml)  • Cayenne pepper – 1 ¼ teaspoons (6 ml)  • Yellow asafetida powder (hing) – ¼ teaspoon (1 ml) • Baking soda – 1/8 teaspoon (0.5 ml)  • Sesame seeds – ¼ cup (40 g) • Grated fresh coconut Or dry coconut, unsweetened – 3 tablespoons (45 ml)  • Vegetable oil – 1 tablespoon (15 ml)  • Water – ¾ cup (180 ml) • Ghee or vegetable oil for deep-frying   Note: This amount applies only to yellow Cobra brand. Reduce any other asafetida by three-fourths.   Preparation 1. Place the chickpea flour in a heavy pan over moderate heat and dry-roast, stirring constantly, for 3-4 minutes or until the color darkens one or two shades. 2. Transfer to a large bowl, add the rice flour, salt, cayenne, asafetida, baking soda, sesame seeds and coconut, and stir to mix. Pour in the oil and then rub between your palms until the mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs. Add the water and work into a soft dough (similar in texture...