Prarthana's Vegetarian Delight

My mom used to make this coconut milk payasam during festivals. We recently went to Batam, Indonesia. My husband ordered a dessert called 'Kolak Pisang'. I was first freaked out to try the dessert. But, he assured me that it's tasty. It exactly tasted like coconut milk kheer with banana pieces. We both loved the dessert and I tried it once at home. Here's the simple recipe of Kolak Pisang. Ingredients: 1. Coconut milk- 2 cups 2. Banana- 1 3. Jaggery- half cup Method: 1. Freshly made coconut milk is always better. If not available, use the store bought ones. Grind scrapped coconut with water and extract the milk. Keep it aside. 2. In a pan, heat 1 tbsp water. Add the jiggery and heat until the jaggery melts. 3. Once melted, filter the jaggery syrup. This will ensure the impurities are filtered out. Add the filtered syrup again to the pan and heat in low flame. 4. Now add the coconut milk and boil in very low flame for 5-10 minutes. 5. Add choppe...

Gajar ka halwa is my favorite dessert. I have never got the perfect consistency before learning the OPOS technique. This quick method of carrot halwa is just amazing. Ingredients: 1. Carrot- 1 cup 2. Sugar- 1/2 cup 3. Water- 3tsp 4. Ghee- 1 tbsp. Method: 1. In a 2 litre pressure cooker, add 3tsp water, 1/2 cup sugar. Add the grated carrot as the next layer. Finally add the ghee as a last layer. 2. Close and cook on high flame for 6-8 mins. The cooking time depends upon the juiciness of the carrot. 3. Once pressure settles, mix and serve hot. Notes: 1. Add in some ghova or fresh cream for richer taste 2. Add in roasted nuts for nuttier flavor

Paal payasam/ Milk Kheer is a very basic dessert. In our home, we prepare this paal payasam during festivals. My mom makes excellent paal payasam and is appreciated by everyone for the unique taste in the payasam/Kheer. INGREDIENTS: 1. Raw rice or Basmathi rice Broken- 2 tbls. 2. Milk- 2 cups. 3. Sugar- 8-10 tsp. 4. Saffron- Few strands. 5. Elachi Powder- 1 tsp. 6. Cashews- 4-5 pcs. 7. Raisins- 4-5 pcs. 8. Ghee- 2 tsp. METHOD: 1. Heat a pan with 1tsp ghee and fry the broken rice. I used broken raw rice. Using basmathi rice will enhance the flavor. Fry the rice until it emits nice aroma. Keep it aside. 2. In the same pan, add 1/2 tsp ghee and fry raisins and cashews. Fry until the cashews turn golden brown and keep it aside. 3. In a pressure cooker, add the remaining ghee and milk. Once the milk starts boiling, add the rice and close the lid. Put a clean spoon inside. It will prevent the milk from getting burnt in the bottom. Keep in medium flame until the first...