Chandrahara / Chandrahaara Recipe

Chandrahara recipe / Popular Karnataka Dessert Recipe

This is a famous dessert delicacy usually made during weddings, house warming, upnayana etc. in Karnataka.


Ingredients for chandrahaara (dumpling)

1 1/4 cup all purpose flour or maida
1/4 cup fine semolina or chiroti rave
3 tbsp clarified butter or ghee
a pinch of salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
15 cloves to fold the chandrahaara (or as much needed)
1-2 cups vegetable oil for frying

Ingredients for syrup

3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup milk solids or khova or mava
1 tsp cardamom powder
8-10 strands of saffron
1/4 cup chopped assorted nuts, for garnishing

Method to prepare syrup

1. In a pan over medium heat pour the sugar and add enough water to immerse the sugar and gradually stir them for 10-15 mins until all the sugar crystals dissolve and syrup starts to boil.
2. Let it boil for 5 more mins and turn off the heat. Add cardamom powder and saffron strands and combine well.
3. Once the syrup cools down add the milk solids an stir well to remove the khova lumps. Add milk and mix throughly. Add half the quantity of nuts to the syrup and mix.

Method to prepare chandrahaara (dumpling)

1. In a mixing bowl add the flour and fine semolina along with salt and baking soda and throughly combine.
2. Add ghee to the mixture and mix well.
3. Make a dough out of the mixture by adding little water at a time. Make sure the dough is neither too hard or too soft. Knead well.
4. Smear ghee to the dough and rest it for an hour by covering it with a damp kitchen towel (paper towel).
5. After an hour's time make small size balls (golf ball) out of the dough. Smear all purpose flour on the board and roll it out using a rolling pin like a chapati/roti.
6. Using a knife cut the rolled out dough into quarters and fold each of them separately into a purse shaped dumplings and poke a clove to hold the foldings.
7. Heat enough frying oil in a pan and add the dumplings for frying. Make sure you have enough space between each dumpling to puff up. Fry on both sides to get a beautiful golden brown color and place them on a paper towel to remove excess oil from them.
8. Place the chandrahaara in a big bowl and pour the syrup on top and garnish with the rest of the chopped assorted nuts before serving. It tastes best when served hot. During hot months the syrup could be kept in the refrigerator before serving, or as desired.

Besan Burfi

Besan Burfi
A quick and easy dessert that could be made with a very few ingredients found in your pantry. This burfi is a simple dish that ca be prepared on any occasion like for festivals, at a pot luck (party dessert), a quick dessert to entertain over night guests, or occasions when you crave for sweets.


Ingredients
1 cup Besan or chickpea flour
2 cups clarified butter or ghee ( or vegan butter)
3 cups milk, reduced fat or whole milk (coconut milk for vegans)
3 cups of sugar, increase or decrease to taste
1/2 cup blanched almond flour (or cashew/ any nut powder)



Method

1. Combine all the above mentioned ingredients in a pan and mix them throughly until well combined.
2. Turn on the heat to a medium flame ad continuously stir the mixture for about 15- 20 minutes.
3. By then you can observe the ghee separating from the mixture and all the contents form into one lump.
4. Continue to stir well for another 5 minutes or as much desired (to get a thick burfi consistency).
5. Pour the mixture onto a ghee greased plate and spread the burfi evenly using a cup or a flat spatula.
6. Allow the burfi to cool down for about 25 minutes and cut them into pieces. Besan Burfi is ready to be served and devoured.

Raisin Sweet Flatbread / Raisin Holige / Drakshi Holige - Habba Adige Madhwa Brahmin Dessert

Raisin Holige Recipe /  Drakshi Holige - Habba Adige Madhwa Brahmin Sweet/ Raisin Sweet Flatbread Recipe

Authentic holige is a dessert made in Karnataka, South India during festivals and special occasions. This delicacy is traditionally made with a dough filled with either bele hoorna (dal stuffing) or kobbari hoorna (coconut stuffing). I tried and tested this raisin/drakshi hoorna holige recipe and was a big hit during a recent festival celebration at home.

Ingredients for Kanaka

3/4 cup whole wheat flour or all purpose flour
1 cup fine semolina (chiroti Rave)
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp turmeric
3 tbsp vegetable oil
water, as required

Ingredients for Raisin/Drakshi Hoorna

3/4 cup raisins
5 pitted dates
1/2 cup sugar (if in a crystal form, use powdered sugar)
1 tbsp poppy seeds, dry roasted
2 tbsp mixed nuts, toasted (cashew, almonds or walnuts)
1/2 cup dry coconut shredded or powder or desiccated coconut
1/4 tsp fresh cardamom powder, if you like stronger flavor add more
1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg (optional)

Ingredients to make Holige

1/4 cup ghee/clarified butter (optional)
1/4 cup whole wheat flour or all purpose flour (optional)


Method to prepare Kanaka

1. In a large mixing bowl combine the whole wheat flour, semolina, salt, turmeric and mix well.

2. Add 2 tbsp oil to this mixture and throughly blend the oil in the flour mixture.

3. Now add water and form a soft dough. Smear the remaining 1 tbsp oil in the dough and cover the dough with a damp cloth or paper towel and rest it for 2 -3 hours.

4. Make tiny balls (roughly 3/4-1 inch) out of the Kanaka dough and keep them aside.


Method to prepare Raisin/Drakshi Hoorna

1. In a food processor or a high powered blender add raisins and dates to form into a dough like consistency. Transfer it into a mixing bowl and keep it aside. If your food processor/blender accommodates all the ingredients let the raisin and date dough stay and add in rest of the ingredients and blend well making sure the stuffing is very finely blended.

2. Transfer the contents from your blender combine everything and mix well. By now the stuffing should be in a solid form. Make small (golf sized) balls out of the mixture.

Method to prepare Holige

1. Take a tiny ball of Kanaka and spread it wide with your fingers or roll it out using a rolling pin on a floured surface (use whole wheat flour or all purpose flour) to accommodate the stuffing.

2. Now keep a raisin hoorna ball at the center and cover the stuffing with the kanaka with your fingers.

3. Place the stuffed dough again on the floured surface and roll it out (like a flat bread or a chapati/roti).

4. On a preheated griddle/pan smear some ghee cook the rolled holige on one side with a tsp of ghee until small brown spots form on the holige.

5. Flip the holige onto the other side and drizzle 1 tsp ghee to cook until brown spots appear.

6. Now the holige is ready to be served with a dollop of ghee on top. Also, it tastes heavenly with a side of almond flavored milk (Badam milk).

Damrot - Wintermelon Halwa / Kumbalakayi Halwa / Kashi Halwa

Wintermelon Halwa / Ash Gourd Halwa / Damrot / Kumbalakayi Halwa / Kashi Halwa
Damrot is a very common delicacy in kannada madhwa brahmin homes esp. during marriages, bramhopadesha or special occasions. This also called as "Kashi halwa" in Karnataka. The taste lingers even after years. I remember eating Damrot at many such occasions and at home, my mother prepares this dish very often on special days and taught me this fantastic delicacy.



3 cups Grated wintermelon/ash gourd/white gourd (tightly packed shreds without its water)
1 3/4 cup Sugar
3/4 cup Milk powder
1 cup Almond flour
1/2 cup Ghee/clarified butter
1tbsp Milk
5 strands Saffron
1 tbsp Ghee/clarified butter to fry the mixed nuts
3 tbsp Mixed nuts of your choice (almonds, cashew, pistachios or walnuts)
1 tbsp Raisin (Optional)
1/2 tsp Ground cardamom, preferably freshly ground

Method

1. Peel the rind of the wintermelon [found in asian grocery store] and deseed, discard the skin and use the seeds (toast them in the oven and add seasonings of your choice for an evening snack) that has a lot of health benefits. Grate the melon [In case of large quantities you may use a blender to shred the melon] and squeeze out all the water. Use the excess water as a vegetable stock to prepare soups/stews.

2. In a thick bottomed pan heat 1/4 cup ghee and add grated melon and fry until all its moisture is lost for about 15 mins on the stove in medium heat setting.

3. Add the almond flour and fry for another 5 minutes. Now, add sugar in the pan and mix well. Stir continuously until the moisture from the sugar is evaporated.

4. Meanwhile, in a bowl warm the milk and add the saffron strands and mix well.

5. When the sugar is completely dissolved add saffron milk mixture to the pan and stir for a while, then add 1/4 cup ghee and stir for about 15-20 mins until the mixture starts leaving the sides of the pan and ghee separates out. Now the halva is cooked. Add 1/2 tsp ground cardamom and combine well. Remove pan from heat and transfer the contents into your favorite dish.

6. In another small pan heat 1 tbsp ghee, fry the mixed nuts of your choice until light golden brown/pink and lastly add raisins and fry for about 15-20 seconds and switch off the flame just before the raisins start to puff up. Taking care not to burn the almond and cashew.

7. Garnish the halva with the fried mixed nuts and raisins.

8. You may serve it hot/warm on a cold day. Also you may serve with whipped cream on top and enjoy the delicious wintermelon halwa cold or as desired.