Simple rava kesari

Rava kesari is the most simple dessert that can be put together in minutes. There are various versions to making this yummy halwa. Today's recipe is from my sister's MIL. She would make this very often during festivals. Here goes the recipe.

Ingredients
Rava/Sooji - 1 cup
Sugar - 1 cup
Milk - 1 cup
Water - 1 cup
1 to 2 tbsps of ghee
1/2 tsp elaichi powder
Chopped nuts and dry fruits for garnish
Saffron - a few strands
Orange color - optional (you can use orange color if you want to skip the saffron)

Method
1. Saute the rava in 1 tbsp of ghee on medium heat. Take care not to burn it.
2. Lower the flame completely and add sugar to the same pan. 
3. Add the elaichi powder and saffron strands/orange color.
4. Next add one cup of milk and one cup of water slowly while stirring constantly. Use a whisk to stir to avoid lumps. (See notes)
5. Turn back the heat to medium and cover and cook until the rava is completely cooked. It is purely optional to add ghee at this stage.
6. Meanwhile in a small saute pan add 1 tbsp of ghee and add the chopped nuts and saute until roasted. Add back to the cooked kesari and stir well.

Notes
1. For one cup  of rava you need to add 2 cups of water. Adding milk to the kesari gives it a very good taste and texture. I prefer to use a combination of milk and water. You can skip the milk and and add all water too.
2. If you find the rava water mixture too lumpy simply use a hand blender to remove the lumps. 
3. I used a combination of almonds, cashews, pistachios, cranberries and raisins.

Brussel Sprouts Sambar

Got a big bag of brussel sprouts from Costco. Some of them sneaked into this sambar and the remaining into two other recipes which I will post soon. Here goes the recipe.

Brussel Sprouts sambar recipe

Ingredients

1-2 cups of halved brussel sprouts (adjust according to taste)

1 cup of cooked thuvar dal

1 medium onion chopped

1 small tomato chopped

1 tsp of tamarind pulp (see notes)

1-2 tsps of sambar powder

1 tsp of red chilli powder (see notes)

1/4 tsp of turmeric powder

Oil for seasoning

Salt to taste

Seasoning

1/4 tsp mustard seeds

A few methi seeds

Curry leaves

Dry red chillies

Method

1. Halve the brussel sprouts and cook on the stovetop with a pinch of turmeric powder. (see notes)

2. In a big pot add the oil and season with mustard and methi seeds, curry leaves and red chillies.

3. Add the chopped onion and saute until soft.

4. Add the tomatoes and tamarind pulp along with 2 cups of water. 

5. Also add the turmeric powder, sambar powder and red chilli powder. Let it boil until the raw smell goes away about 7-8 minutes.

6. Then add the cooked brussel sprouts and boil for another 1-2 minutes.

7. Mash the cooked thuvar dal and add to the tamarind veggie mix.

8. Add salt and more water if you need the sambar a bit thinner.

9. Boil until well combined. Garnish with fresh coriander and serve with rice.

Notes

1. I use the tamarind pulp from the Indian store. If you are using fresh tamarind you will need a lime sized ball of tamarind. Soak in water and extract the juice.

2. Skip the red chilli powder if your sambar powder is spicy.

3. Do not pressure cook the brussel sprouts as they might get mushy. You can check the texture while cooking on the stovetop. 

Name confusion

Hi food bloggers

There seems to be some confusion with my name. I have been posting comments as Lakshmi Krishnan and it is misunderstood as a comment from Lakshmi from Flavors of Indian Rasoi. I am relatively new to the world of food blogging, so decided that I should not confuse the existing bloggers who have known Lakshmi of Flavors of Indian Rasoi for quite a while now.

So, I will now be posting my comments as Lakshmik instead of Lakshmi Krishnan. Also there was a comment that our blogs look similar. So, I have made a few changes to the current blog. I have retained the template as I simply love the layout.

Happy blogging!