HAPPY LIVING WITH SOKHI

Indian Rice Pudding ( Kheer, Payasam or Payesh)   Rice pudding is flavored with cardamom and full of nuts which is creamy in texture. It's a great dessert for any time of the year and its made all over India. In southern and eastern   India it is specially made for certain festivals. In the South,  kheer  is called  payasam  and in the east, it is known as  payesh. We Bengalees cook payesh in any happy moments and time of celebrations. Ingredients: 2 liters of full-cream milk 1 can (400 gms) Condensed milk 1 tsp. Cardamom powder. 1 cup of sugar 1/2 cup Basmati rice 50 grams of almonds 50 grams raisins 25 grams pistachios 50 grams cashew nuts A few strands of saffron and rose petals to garnish (optional). PROCEDURE 1.    Wash the rice well and soak for half an hour in enough water to cover it fully. 2.    Put the milk to boil nicely in a deep, thick-bottomed pan and let it reduced a little. 3.      Add the soaked rice let it come t

DESSERT:  MALPUA  Ingredients: Refined flour ( Maida) – 300 gms Sugar – 500 gms Semolina (Suji) – 100 gms Fennel seeds powder/ crushed – 1 tsp Oil( WHITE) for frying Procedure : 1. In a bowl, mix all ingredients except fennel seeds with very less water. The batter should be of flowing consistency, neither too thick nor too thin. Keep this material overnight or for 3 to 4 hours. 2. Once the batter is ready, add fennel seeds crushed. Heat oil in a Kadai, add a ladder full of batter in hot oil at high flame. Then immediately lower down the flame and cook malpua at the lower flame. With the help of spoon push the heater oil over the malpua so that center gets puffed up. Cook till the edge gets brown. With the help of a spatula, take this malpua on a plate and serve it hot or even cold. 3. Malpua can be served with rabri too.