Luqaimat / Kalemati / Gulgulla

Ramadhan is flying past in full swing, and this year, just like previous years’ tradition certain dishes will appear on the table to mark their annual territory. Certain foods ironically are only cooked and prepared during Ramadhan, even though they are easy enough to be an ordinary weeknight meal. This year once again saw me rushing home from work to prepare for Iftar, making sure there will be a plate of dessert on the table-after all its the dessert that we like to break fast with. Preparing a three-course meal on day-to-day basis, on top of fasting can really be exhausting.

But much to my rescue, the menu can sometimes be prepared in no time. Luqaimat, the traditional Arabic sweet dumplings are such that I only make during Ramadhan, using really basic kitchen staples and ready in no time, unless you count in the time for the dough to rise.

Funny how the simplest floury balls drenched in spice scented sugar syrup can be the most delicious snack in the whole world😊 This recipe I got from some blog which is a hit to make.

You can even just coat in normal sugar with cinnamon powder .
Enjoy your Luqaimat / kalemati or gulgulla as it's called in different language.

Mawa Coconut Gujiya (Pastry)

Mawa Gujiya from

 Revi''s foodograph

My variations from her recipe

 

Yields 11 or more dependso onot the sizes.

Ingredients

1. Oil - For frying

For Dough

1. All purpose flour - 3/4 Cup
2. Semolina/Sooji/Rava - 1 Tbsp
3. Ghee - 1 Tbsp
4. Salt - a pinch
5. Warm milk - 1/3 Cup
6. Water - as needed

For Filling

1. Mawa/Khoya - 1 Cup
2. Freshly grated coconut or dessicated  - 1/3 Cup
3. Almonds - 10 (Skinless and sliced)
4. Pistachios - 10 (Skinless and sliced)
5. Cashews - 10 (roughly chopped)
6. Raisins - 20
7. Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp
8. Saffron essence or strands
9. Sugar - 1/4 cup

For flour paste

1. All purpose flour - 1 Tbsp
2. Water - 2 tsp

For Sugar syrup

1. Sugar - 1/2 Cup
2. Water - 1/2 Cup
3. Rose essence - 2 drops
4. Saffron strands - a large pinch
5. Lemon extract - few drops (Optional) as the syrup does not crystaliseý

Instructions

1. Take the flour in a mixing bowl, add sooji, ghee, salt to it and rub them with your hands to get them well combined. You will get a crumbly mix.
2. Now add the warm milk, sprinkle water (if needed) and mix to get a smooth dough. I added about 1/2 tsp of water. Keep the dough covered with wet cloth for about 20-30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile we will start with the filling. Heat a pan, add the khoya and saute in low- medium flame until it turns slightly golden brown. By now the oils in them will start to ooze out. Turn off the flame keep it aside and let them cool down to room temperature. .
4. Peel the skin of almonds and pistachio by soaking them in hot water for 5 minutes, and then slice them finely.
5. Dry roast the freshly grated coconut in low-medium flame for a few minutes until it is slightly dry.
6. Now to the cooled khoya, add the roasted coconut, sliced and chopped nuts (preserve some for garnishing), raisins, sugar, cardamom powder and mix thoroughly. Filling is now ready.
7. Prepare a flour paste by mixing flour and water thoroughly.
8. Now we will come back to the dough. Again knead the dough to make it soft. Divide it into small equal sized balls and roll each of them into thin discs. Now place a spoon full of prepared filling at the center of the disc and apply the flour paste to the sides of the disc. Fold to form a semi circle. With the help of your fingers press the sides to get the perfect packing with no gaps. 
9. Then fold the corners of the gujiya as shown below just cut with a pizza cutter to get a perfect shape. You can also give a fork impression on the corners.
   
10. Repeat the same with all the dough balls. Then heat a kadai with oil. Fry the prepared gujiyas in low-medium flame until both the sides turns golden brown by flipping them at regular intervals. Do fry them in batches to maintain the oil temperature. Drain the excess oil on a paper napkin.
11. Now we will move on to the sugar syrup. Heat a pan with sugar, water and stir until the sugar dissolves. Add the essence, lemon extract, saffron and let it boil until one string consistency. Turn off the flame. Now add the fried gujiyas to the sugar syrup. Immerse them such that both sides are coated with syrup. Remove the gujiyas and transfer to the serving plate. Garnish with chopped nuts we had reserved. 
12. Enjoy warm or normal room temp.

Notes

1. - To get the perfect texture, keep the dough covered with wet cloth all the way during the process.
2. - While sauteing both khoya and coconut be careful. They will get burnt easily. So saute them in low-medium flame. Keep stiring continuously till done.
3. - Instead of using fresh coconut and roasting them. You can even use store bought dry shredded coconut.
4. - For the given measurement, I got extra filling in which I can prepare 5 more gujiyas. Do adjust the dough quantity accordingly.
5. - You can also skip coating the gujiya in sugar syrup and enjoy it as it is after frying. However you may want to add extra sugar to the filling.
6. - Adding lemon extract to sugar syrup is to stop crystallizing of sugar after cooling. You can skip, if you are going to consume immediately.
7. - Mawa / Khoya is concentrated milk solids, generally prepared by reducing milk. It is available in all Indian Supermarkets

Jelly Fruit Pudding or Catheral Window Pudding

My variations desert🙇

making 40 min.
Serves  6

 INGREDIENTS
⭐milk - 1 L
⭐cream - 200 ml
⭐Sugar - 1 cup
⭐fruits - 600 g mix of your choice from your favorite fruits
⭐vanilla - 1 tspn
⭐gelatin - 2-3 sachet
🔶1/2 cup yogurt thick OPTIONAL just to cut the milk taste.

MAKING
Dissolve gelatin in water according to package directions. During this time, boil the milk with the cream, sweeten it with sugar and add vanilla. Remove it from the heat and stir in gelatin until dissolved, the mixture should not be too hot. Let the milk mixture to cool without hardening however and add the yogurt and whip well into smooth consistency.
Cut your favorite fruits into pieces and mix them to the cooled mixture.
Transfer it to a large cake form or more smaller shapes. Put in the fridge to firm for several hours.
Before presenting immersed in hot water for seconds to loosen from tin and turn into a platter or plates.
Enjoy your sweet Desert.

🔷 The same desert you can make with set jellies cubes inside the milk mixture.  You have to cool the mixture just enough not to set the mixture and add lastly the cubed coloured jellies so it does not melt. You can set the mixture in small serving clear glasses as well.🔷

Masala Tea

Masala Chai Or Masala Tea
by Tarla Dalal

Masala Chai Or Masala Tea recipe - 

A simple humble drink for every home.  This is the brewed tea. Everyone else has different types of tea and this is one of the common quencher esp in cold climate as it really warms you up.  

Curling your fingers around a steaming hot cup of Masala Chai, slowly sipping the invigoratingly flavoured and aromatic beverage, is like spending quality time with a friend! It can soothe you when you are unwell, rejuvenate you when you are tired, and revive your spirits when you are bored. Turn to this recipe, to learn the perfect way of brewing this magic potion, with the right proportions of chai masala, ginger and other peppy ingredients. Savour the Masala Tea hot fresh, and avoid reheating it, because that makes tea slightly bitter.

Preparation Time: 5 mins  Makes 3 cups.

Ingredients

1/2 tsp chai masala
2 tbsp tea powder
4 tbsp sugar or to your taste
2 lemon grass stalks. (2”) pieces (we call this Chai Chai)
1/2 tsp crushed ginger (adrak) or powder
2 cups milk

2 cups water

Method

1. Combine 2 cups of water, tea powder, sugar, lemongrass, ginger and chai masala in a non-stick pan and boil on a medium flame for 2 minutes.
2. Add the milk, mix well and bring to boil on a medium flame. When the mixture boils till the brim, reduce the flame to slow to prevent it from spilling out and continue to boil for 4 to 5 minutes, while stirring occasionally if required.
3. Strain immediately using a strainer and discard the tea powder mixture.
4. Serve immediately
   

Barley Lemon Honey water

Barley is commonly called as ‘Jau or Jav” in Indian language. Barley- a cereal that existed since our ancestor’s era. This miraculous grain is stacked with several health benefits, but we disregarded the prosperity of this god- send boon. The present era is so health and fitness conscious that gradually we are rising up to the fact-home remedies are better to prevent the ailments compared to chemical remedies. 

Have you really ever wondered about  how healthy barley is? Let’s savvy about the benefits of barley. It is richly filled with soluble and insoluble fibres that induces the reduction of triglycerides and cholesterol levels. Barley aids digestion by disposing harmful toxins and maintaining healthy bowel movements, probably the best tonic for gastric inflammations.

The beta-glucan fibre present in barley cuts the risk of Type-2 diabetes.

Selenium element present in barley preserves the elasticity of the skin giving us clean wrinkle free skin decelerating the signs of ageing.

The diuretic property of this grain keeps the urinary tract infection away. Barley is trusted remedy for kidney ailments. I can go on and on talking about the benefits of barley as they are just endless.

Drinking barley water induces the urinations releasing the toxins out of the body. It acts as a cooling agent, hence reduce the burning sensations of the stomach. During summers, the regular consumption of barley water brings down the heat content of the body. It is an excellent substitute for fizzy beverages. 

Barley water has a bland taste, so adding a dash of lemon and honey will not only enhance the taste but also provide health benefits of lemon and honey too. With so many advantages of barley, for me it is definitely the best drink this coming blessed month of Ramadan. So, next time when you think about coolers, I bet it has to be this 

Ingredients:-

100 gms, barley

1.5 litres, water

lemon juice as required

honey as required

Few mints leaves

1/2 tspn Gund (optional) Soak few hrs to dissolve.  It is good for bones.

Few ice cubes(optional)

☆PLEASE DO NOT MAKE MORE AS IT FERMENTS AND BECOMES ALCOHOL IF KEPT FOR MORE DAYS☆

Method:-

Clean, and wash barley.  Soak overnight.  

In a vessel or a pan, bring the water to boil.

Once water starts to boil, add barley, simmer until water reduces to 1litre and turns milky. While boiling, remove the scum if any.  Finally add honey to taste.

Take it off the stove add the Gund water, mint leaves, lemon & honey to taste and allow it to cool completely  & sieve the water when cool.  Add few ice cubes if you want cold or leave in fridge to be  old and consume every night in Ramadan ~ stir, sip and enjoy.

Note:-

☆Barley water can be prepared and kept in refrigerator not more than 2 days depends on climate.

☆You can re-use the strained barley pearls in soups, salads, porridge or curries

☆Adjust honey and lemon juice as per your preference

☆In normal day, you can stir and enjoy this barley water as much as you want

I have a routine of a thing, yes, of a thing, which I try to follow. Something extremely healthy, full of boons and boons and boons! Wanna to know, what is it?? It’s nothing but simple humble and healthiest one of the other drink that you can blindly choose to consume it on the routine basis (apart from Jaggery water to give change to taste) - This Ramadhan I will try making this healthy drinks and enjoy with my other half.  Please just take a glass of this mixture as you tend to urinate much with this water hence all the impurities are flushed out.  In Ramadan you don't want to get loose due to going to washroom all the time:)
Daily after making barley water, you are always left with boiled healthy pearls which I avoid discarding it as much as I can. Those boiled pearls can be turned into scores of healthy eats, it can be porridge, soups, savoury porridges, salads, kheer, veg&barley khichdi, Gugri (sweet dish)…anything! 

“2016, have been a blessed year for me. It has brought many beautiful moments and surprise to me, Alhumdulillah (“All the praises and thanks be to Allah SWT”)

BUKHOOR, BAKHOOR OR OUD SCENTS

THE TRADITIONAL WAY TO MAKE BAKHOOR AT HOME:

I had seen my mom~in law making very aromatic oud at home 

and am sharing her way of making Oud/Bukhoor

All ingredients:

Take  Sahal powder (SANDALWOOD POWDER OR CHUNKS) (by two cups)

Add 3/4 parts of the sugar powder

Add 3/4 parts of MISK powder 

Mix sahal misk and sugar powder well together on low heat till sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and add these remaining ingredients while still warm.  Your home will have and aroma to last few days when you add the scents now:   

Add AMBER three spoons each spoon mix all well together

Add attar/perfume 6 spoons (Attars should be good quality)

Add pure rose oil

Once all done, store in glass jar at room temperature for about 3 days.

After that you can put them in box or cover with aluminum foil and place in cool place. . Now you can burn it on the coal or electric mabkhora (oud burner).

They can be used after some time when all ingredients are filled each other and get a little dry.

I had to share this lovely blog as love bukhoor/oud by Khaleej.

"HOW TO", TRADITION & HISTORY OF THE USE PERFUME AND BAKHOOR IN AL-KHALEEJ/العطور والبخور في الخليج

Khaleejia said: Today we will enter local house to witness & share the secret of making bukhoor at home, but in the beginning, let’s remember the history of perfume and bukhoor in the Khaleej Arabic way.

History and types of the Bakhoor* (Incense) If the pearl diving was one of the most important aspects of life in the old time, and disappeared with the passage of days due to the development of the society, there is still some semblance of life at the time, yet exist in some homes, and there are still some families who are keen to hold on to them, such as Bakhoor* incense. The incense is still used so popular today in some homes its used daily and other burn incense only on special occasions. The interest in incense and the way to use it goes to the Muslims doctrine, it is saying that when Prophet Mohammad SAW, while entering the city, he was greeted with aromas of burning ladan &incense as an expression of joy & happiness by welcome.   Therefore, the use of the incense associated in people's minds with the remembrance of the Prophet, peace be upon him.

AL-OUD Usually Oud was imported from India, men were keen to apply perfume in the holidays and before going out to pray and while gatherings. Women used the kind of incense named Al-dkhoun. Most women were knowledgeable in the way of making All-Dkhoun and know well components and proportions of each one.  The home made paste composed of misk, amber, absorbent and after kneading it was formed in the shapes of tablets or balls. which were placed in a wicker  bags attached to dresses and the remain odor stayed for always, even after washing .But this did not prevent  women from burning incense at home every evening as well. Al-Bakhoor Bakhoor and smoke are considered as basic and necessary things in the Arabic houses. There are many kinds of them like Al-Hassat, Al Amber, Al-Misk and Al-Haboob. Dakhoon al Oud -  made by adding to powder of the oud tree misk , rose oil, mix of oil perfume, amber. Then all getting kneaded and small ball are shaped. They can be used after some time when all ingredients are filled each other and get a little dry. Then it is put on the coal to welcome the guest or for other occasions or reasons: Bakhoor for ill people. One of the most common habits to use bakhoor as cure for ill people and also against demons, envy and jealousy. It is known that rooms where medicine are used have specific smell, and than more ill people lay in the bed, than more it effects the smell of the room. So bakhoor is the best way to change this smell. Bakhoor for Weddings It is a must on the weddings. Not earlier than one hour before the wedding starts a bakhoor carrier starts going around the halls and guests smoking the atmosphere with bakhoor and splitting perfume.