DELICIOUS EASY INDIAN RECIPES THIS RAKSHA BANDHAN

Raksha bandhan is an Indian festival which celebrates the bond of love between brothers and sisters. Raksha Bandhan literally means "the bond of protection or care". On this day, sisters tie a Rakhi around the wrists of their brothers and get gifts in return. 

While Rakhi is basically meant for brothers, another Rakhi which has widely gained popularity is the Lumba Rakhi. It is a special Rakhi that is meant for the sister-in-laws (brother’s wife or bhabhi). In many places, sisters tie a lumba rakhi around the wrists of their bhabhis. These Rakhis are more vibrant and colourful than the regular Rakhis that are meant for the brothers.

Raksha Bandhan is celebrated across India and a variety of sweets are prepared on this day. As Raksha Bandhan is round the corner, I am going to share three delicious Indian sweet recipes that you can prepare for Rakhi. These recipes are delicious, quick and easy to prepare.

1. CARROT HALWA

Carrot halwa is one of the most popular sweets in India. Here I am sharing a easy recipe of making carrot halwa in just 15 minutes in a pressure cooker. This carrot halwa has the wonderful bite of carrots, the sweetness of sugar, the flavour of condensed milk and the aroma of ghee and tastes simply delicious.

Serves: 4
Ingredients

4 tbsp ghee

6 carrots, skin peeled and grated

2 cups milk
6 tbsp condensed milk

1 cup sugar (or to taste)
pinch of cardamom powder

5 to 6 tbsp chopped dry fruits (cashews, pistachios, almonds)

Method

• Melt ghee in a pressure cooker, add 3/4th quantity of dry fruits and saute till they turn golden. 
• Add grated carrots and fry for a minute.
• Next add milk and mix well.
• Close the lid of the pressure cooker and pressure cook for 1 whistle and switch off the gas.
• When the pressure has released, open the lid of the cooker and switch On the gas.
• Add sugar now and continue cooking for about 5 minutes..
• By this time, most of the liquid would have evaporated..
• Now add cardamom powder and condensed milk and mix well.
• After a couple of minutes, switch off the stove.
• Transfer to serving bowls an garnish with the remaining chopped nuts on top.
• Serve warm or refrigerate for a few hours and serve cold.
• Carrot halwa stays fresh when refrigerated for up to 1 week.

2. GULAB JAMUN

Gulab jamun is a very popular sweet in India, often served during special occasions and festivals. It is commonly made using khoya, flour and sugar and flavoured with rose water or cardamom powder. Here I have shared the recipe of making gulab jamun using gulab jamun mix. The gulab jamuns are ready in less than an hour and taste delicious.

Ingredients

175 gms Gulab jamun mix
water for kneading the dough

About 3 cups of Oil for frying the jamuns

5 cups sugar (approximately 700 gms)

5 cups water

Method

• Take sugar and water in a pan or vessel, mix well and allow the syrup to boil for 12 to 15 minutes.(The syrup should just be sticky but should not reach one string consistency.)
• Add a few drops of rose water/ essence or 1/4 tsp of cardamom powder for flavouring and switch off the gas. 
• While the syrup is getting cooked, transfer the contents of the gulab jamun mix to a bowl.
• Add water little by little and mix gently to form a soft and smooth dough. Close with a lid. (Do not make the dough firm as it will be difficult to make crack free jamuns.)
• After about 5 minutes, pinch small bits from the mix and make smooth and crack free balls.
• Depending on the size of the balls, the number may vary. This recipe usually makes 40 to 45 jamuns. Keep all the jamuns ready and close with a lid till you are ready to fry them.
• Then heat oil in a pan.
• When oil is hot enough carefully add 20 jamun balls and deep fry in medium to low flame till the jamuns are cooked and are uniformly dark brown in colour. Keep stirring in between to facilitate even cooking.
• Once the first batch is cooked transfer them directly to the hot syrup. Do not close a lid.
• Add the next set of jamuns for frying. Increase or decrease heat as and when necessary. When the next set is also cooked, add them to the syrup too and gently mix.
• Close the lid only till it is 3/4 covered. 
• Allow the jamuns to soak in the syrup for 1 to 2 hours. After the syrup has cooled down, transfer the gulab jamuns to an air tight container.
• Gulab jamuns are now ready. 
• You can also heat the syrup along with the jamuns in a pan for a minute or two and serve hot with ice cream.

Tips:

If you have prepared the sugar syrup in advance then make sure to boil it again before adding the jamuns to the syrup. The jamuns soak better when the syrup is hot.


3. INSTANT MILK PEDA

Here I have shared a simple, delicious and instant recipe of Milk peda. This is made with  milk powder and condensed milk. Do try out the recipe, I am sure you will like it.

Ingredients

½ cup milk powder

100 gms condensed milk

¼ tsp cardamom powder

2 tsp ghee

Almonds for garnishing (optional)

Method

• Heat ghee in a non stick pan, reduce flame and add milk powder and condensed milk.
• Mix well such that there are no lumps and then add cardamom powder.
• Keep cooking in low flame for 2 to 3 minutes while stirring continuously.
• As you keep cooking, you will notice that it will start getting thicker
• When it comes together and starts to leave the sides of the pan, switch off the gas immediately transfer to a plate.
• Allow it to cool down a bit, grease your hands with ghee and make small balls or peda.
• Garnish with almonds on top.
• Milk peda is ready to be served.
• Store it in an airtight container. This stays good for a couple of days. You can increase the shelf life of the pedas by refrigerating it.

Tips

• Always use a thick bottomed non stick pan, 
• keep stirring to avoid burning the mixture.
• never over cook the mixture as it will turn chewy. 

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