Pajama "Pop in the Mouth" ladoos : Rose Day special

Peanut Urad Daal ladoo : I have already posted the recipe of Peanut ladoo earlier :
http://cookininpajamas.blogspot.in/2013/10/peanut-ladoos.html
This time when my mother visited me, she gave me this idea of adding Urad daal to peanut ladoos. This, i suppose is a south indian combination and one of her office colleagues had mentioned about this to her.

Grown in southern parts of Asia, Urad daal ( also known as Black gram or Black daal ) has numerous health benefits. Its extremely high protein content makes it a hit with workout-enthusiasts. It is rich in fibre, and hence easy to digest too. It boosts energy in your body, and it's good amount of iron content, makes it a must-have for women!!!

My husband is not much of a urad daal fan, if cooked in a normal way ! So i thought this is a great idea to incorporate Urad daal in our diet, as ladoos are a favourite sweet of his and can be popped in the mouth anytime of the day!!!

Now what's the "Pajama twist" to it is, i added "Gulkand" to it...That makes it extremely healthy, nutritious and more yummmyyyy.... Everyone loves Gulkand and it has some good health benefits too...You can make and store this for a week at room temperature in winters, and in summers, keep them in the refrigerator after 2-3 days ( lasts for about a week or so )

Ingredients :

The ingredients are same as peanut ladoos, the only addition is gulkand and urad daal.
Peanut Powder - 1 cup ( Dry roast peanuts till light brown, remove their skin and then grind it to a powder in mixer. Make sure you grind it slowly and check in between, otherwise it starts oozing oil and powder turns sticky. You can make ladoos even with the sticky mixture, but a course powder tastes better than the sticky one )

Jaggery - 1 cup ( If you are adding powdered sugar, add 3/4 cup or according to taste. The powdered sugar has to be little coarse and not too smooth )

Urad daal powder - 1 cup ( Dry roast Urad daal till it turns brown. Grind to a fine powder after cooling. Sieve the powder.

Cardamom powder - 1 tsp

Ghee - 3 tbsp

Gulkand - According to taste ( to stuff in the ladoos )

Recipe :

Mix Peanut powder and Urad daal powder well. If needed, give a pulse in the mixer-grinder together.

Now add the jaggery ( or powdered sugar ) and cardamom powder.

Now add the ghee and mix it all well.

Make small round balls ( ladoos ). While rolling the ladoo, make a small hole in the center with your finger... Add little gulkand and then press it well inside ( so it doesn't come out ) 

Pajama Pop in the mouth ladoos are ready !!!

Happy Cooking :)

Peanut Chutney : Rekha's special

As is the saying in the film Ratatouille, "Anybody can cook"... I have come up with a new saying, "Recipes come from anywhere". This is really true! Women who work as domestic help ( commonly known as Maids in India) have a special place in our lives...I think all Indian married women can relate to this statement. We feel the world has gone upside down when she doesn't come for a day or if she doesn't finish the work on time ! Thankfully, i share a very good rapport with my domestic help and vice versa. Rekha - She is this ever smiling female, keeps cracking jokes and yes, does all the work to perfection ! 

Just one day when she saw i had kept Peanuts on my kitchen platform, she mentioned , "Didi ( Elder sister - that's what they call here to young women and "Aunties" to elder women...Yes, that does state that i am still young :) Anyways, jokes apart...) even i made peanut chutney yesterday". Curious to know, how her version of chutney was, i asked her the recipe and she did mention it to me in detail. And as excited i am to try new recipes always, i made it the same day and had them with plain Parathas ! It was super yummy....

So here comes an easy recipe from a remote village in Rajasthan near Jaipur ( she mentioned that they make different kinds of chutneys in her village and have it with bajra rotis. So i am going to make some more chutney recipes soon :)

Ingredients :

Peanut powder - 1 cup ( Dry roast the peanuts, remove its skin and grind it to a powder in mixer )

Garlic - 8 pieces

Ginger - 1 inch piece

Green chillies - 3 ( or according to taste)

Onions - 1 medium chopped finely

Jeera - 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Red chilli powder ( 1/2 tsp if you need it more spicy )

Oil - 1 tbsp

Recipe :

You can make this recipe in 2 ways... Either make a paste of onions, green chillies, ginger and garlic or chop all of them finely. Either ways it tastes good.

I made a paste of green chillies, ginger, garlic and half of the chopped onions. Don't add water. If its not smooth paste, it's fine or even better ! Let it be coarse.

Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a pan. Add jeera and when it sputters, add the remaining onions. Fry for a minute. Then add the paste. Fry for another 2-3 mins. Add the peanut powder, salt and red chilli powder if you want. Mix well and fry for another minute. Remove from heat. It becomes like a one thick ball.

Peanut chutney is ready!!!

You can store it in air tight container in a fridge.

Happy Cooking :)