Caramelized Kerala Banana | Nandarbale Kele Bhajile | Konkani Dessert

 

 

The flavoursome bananas from Kerala, locally called as Nendram pazham are so versatile, that they taste yum just as is and also can be transformed into several scrumptious desserts. The Kerala Banana Fry Halwa is my favourite variation while this simple to put together pan fried or caramelised version comes a very close second. 

 

Well, there is not much of a recipe here really, but I realised this is a simple dessert that we Konkanis prepare and I felt it is simply too good and so easy that it has to be shared to others as well.

 

 

 

 

This calls for the banana to be pan-fried and uses very little ghee.. thus making it a healthy dessert option. And if like, you can even cut out the sugar from it, but hey.. what is a dessert with no sugar eh?! So that much indulgence is allowed :) Tastes best right off the stove while the banana is still warm and soft while the sugar is crunchy. As it cools the sugar may get syrupy, which I personally do not prefer. But again its up to individual preferences. So, here is how you can make yourself some Caramelises Kerala Banana :)

 

 



Kerala Banana Fry Halwa | Nandarbale Kela Thalolo Halwo | Konkani Dessert

This Banana Halwa is a popular Konkani dessert made out of a special variety of banana which is grown in Kerala. This variety is also available in other states and is popularly called Kerala Banana or Nendrampazham (Malayalam/Tamil)  / Nandarbale Kele (Konkani). It is longer and slightly thicker than the regular banana. The peel is a deep yellow colour while the fruit itself is also a creamy yellow colour as compared to the creamy white colour of the regular banana. With a unique flavour of its own, this Kerala Banana is used to make several sweet dishes one of which is the dish we are talking about today. 

This is my favourite preparation of the fruit. It is simple and easy to make and the taste... oh yum, deliciously flavourful. The best suited banana for this sweet dish are the perfectly ripe ones... not raw, not too ripe. My mum is visiting me and this is her preparation that I am sharing today.

Carrot Halwa (without khoya)

Carrot Halwa is one of my favourite Indian sweet and so is my Dad's. In fact, he loves it so much that he wouldn't mind taking on the laborious task of grating all the carrots required to make this yummy delight. Ah, if the fruits of hard work was this sweet... who wouldn't mind? :) And whenever my mum or I make this while he is around, we would gladly load him with the carrots promising to give him extra serving for the effort :P Well, the process of making this sweet is simple but slow and moreover it requires constant attention. So since a lot of time and effort is required to be spent at the stove making this, the primarily task is gleefully delegated, after all its team work! :D

This sweet can be made with regular carrots the ones that are small and light orange. The ones that are most commonly available in the Indian market. However, there is this longer and darker version of carrots that we call Delhi Carrots which are much sweeter and make yummilicous carrot halwa! So come winter season, the markets are flooded with Delhi Carrots and this much loved dessert is prepared at least once in that season.

Cucumber & Walnut Kesari | Semolina pudding - ready in 20 mins!

I have always loved putting together ingredients that are not a common combo. Well, there have been some disasters :P but mostly, these unique marriages have ended up in success stories :) Thanks to Kalyani's Magic Mingle which has helped me take forth this fancy of mine. Each month I get to play around with two absolutely different ingredients and come up with a dish! So this months, combo ingredients are Cucumber and Walnut!

Well, after racking my brains for a week now, I have finally landed up with this sweet dish. I was a little skeptical on how it would turn out as cucumber isn't really a dessert veggie. Anyway, went on with it with small portions of the ingredients and was I delighted by the outcome!! :)
Walnuts are a little more crunchier and chunkier than cashew nuts. If you like some extra crunch, you would love this. Else, you could go back to using cashew nuts instead. Apart from this, the kesari was simple and yum, with not a hint of the cucumber except for some friendly crunches amidst the softness of the semolina. Try is, if you like variety as this needs not much time to make :)

Choco Khoya Kalakhand | Ready in 20 minutes! - my 100th :)

Though I do not have much of a sweet tooth, simple sweets delight me! The ones that are mild on flavours and are light on the tummy. By simple sweets I actually meant flavourwise but if they happen to be easy to make as well... what more to ask for! :) Here is my latest find of an amazingly simple recipe which would make you read the recipe twice to beleive it needs just 20 minutes to put together! :D

  

Nags had posted this beautiful recipe on her blog a few months back and it had instantly caught my attention. They look so elegant and professional.

Now, when my dear 'Nan's yum-yums!' has reached a century... I felt this delightful dessert is perfect for a sweet celebration! :) Yay!! :) Happy 100 to you! :D 

...oh, and the hubby thought these were store bought ! :D double yay! :)

Besan Ladoos | Chickpea Flour Sweet Balls

Diwali is here! And most homes must be filled with the smell of ghee, sweets and savouries. Ours isn't much of a traditional family, we haven't any rituals at home, but then... who would say no to a sweet?! :) And what better excuse to cook up a homemade delicacy, than the festive season! :)

Besan ladoos is one of the most simplest of the traditional sweets. There are many methods making rounds, while I chose one which uses just 3 main ingredients - Besan/Chickpea flour, Sugar and Ghee! Apart from these, Cardamom is used as the flavouring agent and nuts (cashew nuts and pistachio) were used for making the ladoos look pretty :)

Had invited parents-in-law for a Diwali lunch and surprised them with these cheerful besan ladoos :) This was my first attempt and I was thrilled to see the family happily munched on these light and tasty ladoos after a simple homemade lunch :)

Happy Diwali to you all! :)

Hearty Kesari - for a baby shower! :)

There are so many moments in life, which I wish I could freeze forever! I have so many such treasured memories. And one person who has been by my side and a part of a several of these memories from my childhood, is my cousin sister. Just a year older to me, we are more like best friends than cousins and share a very close bond. 

In just a couple of months, my dear sis who is gracefully marching towards the lovely phase of parenthood, is going to make me one happy aunt! :) Yesterday was her baby shower, and I just had to make something special for her.

As part of the ritual, we are to give her sweets. I chose to make my own rather than buy, of course how else can I make it special for her, if not for some personal touch! Babies bring so much joy with them that fill our hearts with love. What can depict this feeling better than lovely heart shaped sweet? :)  

Godda Appo | Sweet mini Rice Pancakes | Konkani Dessert

Jaggery is said to be way healthier than sugar and is a popular substitute used to make several sweet delicacies all over India. Come festive season, and you would find every home smelling of the aromatic sweetness of jaggery. My home was no exception, godda as jaggery is known as in Konkani is commonly used in Konkani cuisine... be it Godda Payasu to Godda Phovu to this popular delicacy called the Godda Appo. As it needs not much cooking, jaggery is an easy ingredient to work with. 

Frankly, the flavour of jaggery is not one of my personal favorites, but do not mind occasional indulgence in desserts made out of jaggery. As part of the Magic Mingle challenge given my Sizzling Tastebuds this month, I was forced to create a dish out of jaggery and sesame seeds and chose to make these sweet mini pan-cakes and gave them a little makeover by adding in sesame seeds and some cashew nuts for decoration :) I am actually glad the way they turned out, not bad for a first attempt huh!? :) 

A similar dessert, called the Sweet Paniyaram is a similar dish popular in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. 

Bun Puri | Sweet Puris | Konkani Dessert

I have very beautiful memories of my childhood, school days in particular, when my brother and I returned from school all exhausted but bubbling with anticipation and excitement of what goodie awaits us at the dining table! Mum used to make yummies for us every evening to recharge our batteries and that itself was an event I used to look forward to. 

Junk food hardly had any space in mum's menu but that did not stop her from making the usual boring healthy dishes taste yummy. These Bun Puris featured quite often in her menu and were much loved by us all. Quick and easy to make, she would prepare these just before serving and we would devour them hot! Mildly flavoured, these soft sweet puris were quite filling and healthy too. 

After my wedding, I learnt of a similar looking and tasting sweet dish prepared by my Ma-in-law called the Mangalore Buns. This apparently is a famous sweet dish of Mangalore. The preparation of Bun Puris is simpler compared to their Mangalore cousins, owing to the lesser number of ingredients these use.

Phenori | Sugar-coated Spiral Crispies | Konkani Dessert

My childhood days are laced with fond memories of the four of us sitting around together during tea time, chatting away and munching on yummy home-made snacks. The flavour of these snacks was as diverse as our conversations! Mum used to offer us such variety in yums, without much ado, tending to our petty demands, cravings and fusses. Looking back now, I realise how much I had taken her for granted!

Well, as I have said before here, it is only when we step in into someone’s shoes do we truly admire them for what they are! Lately I have been stepping into mum's shoes a lot! And yesterday was yet another occasion. After a surprise discovery of a 'Mangalore store' near our home, I was reminded of this Konkani dessert, Phenori. Frankly speaking it wasn't one of my favorites back then, but now I was craving for my mum's version of this sweet that I just HAD to recreate it, in my kitchen! A quick phone call, some quick instructions and an hour later, I had this inviting bowl of sweet crispies in my hand :) As I munched on them, I was transported back in time :)

Kela Sassam | Banana in Sweetened Yogurt | Konkani Dessert

This is the only sweet dish I have come across that uses curry leaves as a flavouring agent! Yes, curry leaves in a dessert! A very simple to make, quick and delectable recipe, Kela Sassam is a Konkani delicacy which has been a favorite of mine since childhood.

An ideal dessert to make while in a rush and when you have guests coming over at short notice. Preparation time is just about 15 minutes with very basic ingredients you are most certain to find around in your kitchen. Also, when you have over ripe bananas and do not feel like eating them plain, you can just give them a make over and create this yummy-in-the-tummy goodie :)

Not to forget, this is a highly nutritious dish too.

So, whats holding you back?! Indulge in this dessert and feel the goodness of it's simplicity take over! :)

Malai Kulfi

Most of my cooking experiments have been either main course dishes or sides. Desserts have not been my strong point. Lately however, an urge to venture into desserts has built up and last few days have witnessed me collecting dessert recipes from here and there. 

And when we are talking dessert, who better to reach out to, than my aunt Sandhya!? Since my childhood days, her love, interest and patience towards cooking has always inspired me and I believe to an extent has also rubbed on to me. We share the passion to try out varieties of dishes and today she is my one-stop-shop for interesting exotic recipes and useful tips on cooking. 

This simple to prepare, yet perfect tasting kulfi is one of her specialties. I enthusiastically tried it out a few days back and it was set and ready perfectly on time for my ma-in-law's birthday! To my greatest delight, she was absolutely delighted with the treat and savored the yummy kulfis heartily :) 

Gulab Jamoon

Ingredients:

Gulab Jamoon Mix - 1/2 packet
Water
Oil


For Sugar Syrup:
Sugar - 3 cups
Water - 6 cups
Cardamoms - 2 (crushed)
Oil

Method:

• Take the gulab jamun mix and add just enough water to it make a smooth dough. Let it stand for about 30 minutes. 
• Take a pan and make the sugar syrup with water, sugar and cardamom powder. Mix well and boil at medium temperature for about 15 to 20 minutes.
• Transfer the sugar syrup into a serving dish.
• Make equal portions of the dough, and shape them into fine balls, without any cracks. Place these on a plate.
• Heat the oil and fry these balls one by one until they turn brown. Keep the flame on medium.
• Add the fried balls into the warm syrup. Garnish with powdered cardamom.

Coconut Burfi

Ingredients:

Coconut - 1 cup (grated)
Sugar - 1 cup
Maida - 1 tblsp
Cardamom -  2-3 (finely pounded)
Almonds - 5-6 (finely sliced lenght-wise)

Ghee

Method:

• Heat ghee in a pan and add in the grated coconuts, sugar and maida.
• Mix well and let the sugar melt into a syrup. 
• Stir at short intervals, with the flame on medium.
• Once the mixture thickens, and turns into a soft ball, transfer the contents into a bowl. (Dont let it get dry, as the burfi would then get hard.)
• Cut out small pieces of burfis. Garnish with finely pounded cardamom powder and sliced almonds. Serve hot!