Banana Fudge ( Halwa)

Before I go on to today's post just a quick update. I have been on a photo updating spree and have updated a lot of my old posts with newer pictures. In case you want to take a quick peek, these are some of the posts that I have updated.....

Chickpea and Oat cutlets

Sweet Sesame Rice (made with brown rice)

Barley Oat Roti

Spinach Chickpea soup

Mixed Vegetable Khichdi

Moving on....banana halwa is a quick and simple Indian sweet that is made with ripe/ overripe bananas. Halwa is a kind of a generic name given to Indian sweets made usually with sugar that has a consistency slightly softer than fudge but firmer than pudding. I have seen and tasted a variety of halwas made with grains like wheat, nuts like almond (I recently posted this one) or vegetables like carrot or fruits like banana.

Banana halwa is among the simplest of halwa's, it is quick and simple to make and other than the optional garnish requires only four ingredients with the main ones being bananas and sugar. This is also a quick and simple way to use up those ripe bananas sitting on your counter, especially for those that do not want to bake banana bread or do not have an oven. This quick stove top sweet does not fail to satisfy and if you like bananas this is one sweet you should not miss trying.

Click here for a printable view of this recipe

Ingredients and Method to make Banana Halwa

2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 4 large bananas)

1/2 cup sugar (or less if you want it even milder)

1/4 tsp cardamom seed powder

4 tsp clarified butter (ghee)

Optional garnish

a few slivers of almonds

Mix mashed bananas, sugar and clarified butter in a wide heavy bottomed pan and place on medium to medium high heat.

Stir frequently while the mixture bubbles and goes from creamish color to nice golden to a deep golden color.

When the mixture begins to thicken and the edges start leaving the sides, add cardamom seed powder and mix well.

Allow to heat for a few more minutes. To know if done, pour a drop on a plate allow to cool and roll between fingers if it is fine then the halwa is done (while testing remember to lower the heat on the stove to low so that the rest of the mixture does not overcook )

Then remove from heat and pour into a plate/ tray. Cool thoroughly, roll into small marble sized or lime sized balls and garnish with a sliver of almond placed on top of each ball.

Store in an air tight container and keep in a cool place.

This sweet does not require refrigeration for about 3 to 4 days.

Yield will depend on the size of the balls.

Notes

With these proportions the sweet was mildly sweet not very, so you could increase or decrease the sugar depending on your taste

If you want to veganize this sweet you can easily use oil instead of clarified butter/ ghee (I used ghee just for the flavor)

Watermelon Curry

I know what most of you are thinking......... watermelon in a curry? even saying it seems somehow funny. Mostly I have, in the past always associated watermelon with being one of the most awesome summer fruits and something that I like to have in plenty, on hot days. But when I say watermelon I am not talking about the sweet red fruit portion of the melon, I am talking about the white part of the melon. Have you ever thought about the white part of melon, the one just below the red fruit portion that we normally discard along with the skin and wondered if you can use it in cooking. I have never even spared a thought to that part of the watermelon until I came across this post on Nithya's site.Once I saw that post I was instantly intrigued and I could not resist trying out that part of the melon in my cooking. Cautiously at first I tried a small quantity of it, and when I was sure it tasted nice in savory dishes, I decided to experiment with it and make a curry with it.

I wanted to create a curry that would work well with roti's ( Indian flat bread) but this one would have worked just as well with plain steamed rice too. The curry was both mildly spicy and subtly sweet and the peanut and almond powders gave this curry some texture and a very slight creaminess. A surprising fact about this melon was that it managed to hold its shape even after being cooked, somehow I thought that cooking the melon would turn it into mush. It did not and the curry was really well liked. If you regularly buy this fruit and are in the mood for experimenting try this simple, unique and low fat curry, you may be pleasantly surprised by this one :-)

Click here for a printable view of this recipe

Ingredients and Method to make watermelon curry

1 large onion cut fine

2 medium tomatoes cut fine ( I used roma variety of tomatoes)

4 cups of white part of watermelon (skinned and cut into 1/2 inch pieces and the fruit part removed) (see notes)

1/8 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp red chilli powder (or according to taste)

1/2 tsp coriander powder

1/2 tsp cumin powder

1/2 tsp jaggery powder (or sugar) (optional)

2 tsp oil

3/4 tsp cumin seeds

3 tsp tomato ketchup

2 tbsp dry roasted unsalted peanuts (without skin)

1 tbsp almonds

Handful of cilantro (coriander leaves )cut fine (optional)

Heat oil in a large heavy bottomed pan. When hot add cumin seeds to it . When the cumin seeds start to splutter and onions and saute until onions are transparent.

Then add tomatoes and saute until tomatoes become soft and mushy.

Add turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder and cumin powder and stir for a few seconds.

Add the cut white part of the melon, salt to taste, sugar (if using) and a little water (about 1/4 cup) and on medium heat let the melon cook.

In the meanwhile powder the roasted unsalted peanuts and almonds in a spice grinder and keep aside.

When the melon is cooked, add powdered peanuts + almond mixture and ketchup to it and let it simmer for a couple of minutes.

Garnish with cilantro and serve hot with rice or roti (Indian flat bread)

Serves approximately 3 to 4

Barley and Vegetable Herb Soup

You know how so many health and nutrition article suggests that all of us should eat all colors of fruits and vegetables each day. Well this is easier said than done, it is definitely not easy to include veggies and fruits of all colors each day....each week maybe... but each day......not so much. Having said that, just knowing that we need to get all colors of vegetables in our diet motivates me to at the very least try and get a good variety of vegetables and fruits in my diet each day. Soups play an important role in my kitchen as a means to getting in as many veggies as possible in one serving.

This barley and vegetable soup of mine is something I came up with in an attempt to try and create a soup that was balanced in the sense that it included veggies, some protein and at least one grain. Since I was looking to give the soup some unusual flavors (at least they are unusual for me ) I went with dried herbs like mint and fenugreek leaves for flavoring. I also spiced it with a mixture of freshly roasted and ground coriander and cumin seeds and added a touch of tartness with some dry mango powder. Since I gave this soup flavors from Indian cuisine , I also served it with oat pav (a healthier variation of rustic Indian bread ) to complete the meal.

Click here for a printable view of this recipe

Ingredient and Method to make Barley and Vegetable Herb soup

3 stalks celery cut into 1/4 inch slices (Yielded about 1 1/2 cups cut celery)

3 carrots cut into 1/4 pieces (yielded about 1 1/2 cup carrots)

1 cup frozen or fresh green peas

1/2 cup whole moong bean soaked for about 6 to 8 hours

1/2 cup fine barley

1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)

1 tsp dried mint leaves

a handful fresh cilantro cut fine

1 1/2 tsp coriander seeds (dhania)

1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)

3 dry whole red chillies (or according to taste)

salt according to taste

optional spices

1/2 tsp dry mango powder (amchur powder) (see notes)

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

Soak whole moong beans for at least 6 hours or overnight.

Dry roast coriander seeds, cumin seeds and dry whole red chillies in a heavy bottomed pan until the mixture starts giving out a pleasant aroma. Alternatively place all the spices in a microwave safe plate and place in a microwave. On a lower power level, heat for a minute or a minute and a half until the spices are slightly warm and give out a fragrance.

Cool to room temperature and grind in a spice grinder until the mixture turns to a fine powder.

In a heavy bottomed pan place the soaked and drained moong beans, fine barley and sufficient water and place pan on high heat. When the water begins to boil,lower heat and allow the beans and barley to simmer for about 15 to 20 mins.

When the beans and barley are softer, add dried fenugreek leaves, dried mint leaves and all the vegetables. Let this mixture simmer for a little while on a medium to medium high heat.

When the vegetables are nearly cooked, add the ground spice mixture, salt to taste and adjust water to achieve required consistency.Let this mixture simmer for another 5 to 10 mins for the flavors to assimilate.

Garnish with cilantro (coriander leaves)

Serve hot with bread of choice. ( I served mine with some rustic Indian Oat Pav)

Serves approximately 3-4

Notes

I used dry mango powder (amchur) to give the soup a slight tartness. You can skip this if you wish and use lemon juice instead, use lemon juice according to taste just before serving.

Do not add salt to the water while moong beans and barley are just beginning to cook, it delays the process of cooking for moong beans. Add salt after the beans are fully cooked.

This soup is off to the No Croutons Required monthly event being hosted by Lisa