Coconut Burfi / Thengai Mittai

It has been more than a month since I published my last post. Few personal things had kept me busy for a while.

Now I'm back and I bring you a easy, tasty and my favorite childhood recipe "Coconut Burfi". The coconuts used in this recipe are straight from our farm and this time my mom helped me to prepare this dish. Though the preparation looks very easy, it requires lots of attention to get a good texture. So one should take care right from grating the coconut. Grate only the white part of the coconut and not the brown part. The next thing one should take care is taking out the coconut sugar mixture from the flame at correct time when bubbles start oozing out from the sides of the pan. These two precautions will help you to prepare a good coconut burfi.

Basic Information:
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cookting time: 40 minutes
Idle Time: 8 hours
Makes: 18-20 nos

Ingredients:

Grated Coconut - 3 cups, tightly packed

Granulated Sugar - 3 cups
Water - 1/4 cup (slightly less than 1/4 cup)
Whole Cardamom/Cardamom Powder - 5 nos / 1/2 teaspoon
Ghee - to grease the plate

Method:

1) Take a wide plate and grease it with ghee. Keep it aside.
2) In a heavy bottom pan, mix the sugar and water. Heat it. Continue heating the pan till the sugar melts. Stir continuously for 3-4 minutes.

 

3) Add cardamom powder / crushed cardamom into the melted sugar. Mix well.

4) Turn the flame to low and add the granted coconut and stir well to incorporate both sugar and coconut.

5) Stir continuously till you see the bubbles at the edges/sides of the pan. It will take 10 - 12 minutes.
6) At this stage quickly pour this mixture into a plate and spread it evenly.

7) Allow it to cool for 30 minutes or1 hour and make your own cuttings. Keep aside for whole night or 8 hours.
8) After 8 hours, store it in air tight container and enjoy.

Note:
1) If you are using freshely grated coconut, you can use less quantity of water than the quantity mentioned here.
2) If you don't like too much of sweet, reduce the sugar quantity to 2 to 2 and 1/2 cups for 3 cups of coconut. This will also give good shaped burfi. But I always use equal quantity of sugar and coconut.
3) Don't hesitate to get someone's help for pouring the coconut sugar mixture to a plate, as this step has to be done very quickly.

Vendhaya Keerai Kulambu / Methi leaves & Dhal Sour Curry

I love to add greens to any dish possible. It gives a new dimension of taste and increases the health quotient of the dish. Methi leaves are hard to come by here in US except during Spring/Summer. I never fail to pick a bunch of fresh greens when I find them. This time I was happy to find this fresh methi leaves during my grocery shopping. Was planning something different this time, but I

Trifle Pudding

It is Summer Vacation for my Kiddo, Poor fellow is getting so damn bored sitting @ home. Since we are not going to India this time, he is even more bored with the thought of not going to vacation, He Keeps saying "All my Friends have gone for vacation, why am i still in sharjah?" Poor Mommy and Daddy are tired of explaining him the reason why? Two of my friends too had a baby this time, he compares me with them saying "Amma you Lost the race, that aunty won the race by giving Shrisha(name of their daughter) first"? Now come on tell me, how to handle this guy? 

Apart from this, another big thing is to keep him happy with Food. It is so damn hot here, even @  9 in the night, we get a super hot breeze of Air. Keeping kids hydrated is one big task.I try to give him some fresh fruits to keep the body cool. Now to make a kid eat Fruits, hope you all understand the work involved!!!!!! This recipe of Trifle Pudding, i came across @ Food Food channel program Budget Kitchen. Loved the Simplicity of the recipe and all the healthy ingredients involved. A Definite Kid Please recipe. Try it, you will definitely Love it and make it often!!!

Ingredients

200gms Whipping Cream

2 tbsp of Brown Sugar

2 slices of Vanilla Sponge Cake/Chocolate Sponge Cake, Cut into cubes

1 tsp Vanilla Essence (optional)

For Custard

1 tbsp Custard powder  + 1 tbsp Water

1/2 Cup Water

Fruit Basket

1 Apple, Cored, Chopped

1 Mango, Chopped

1 Medium-sized Peach, Deseeded, Chopped

1/2 Cup Pomegranate Pearls 

Maraschino Cherries, for Garnish

Method

To Make Custard

• Mix Custard Powder with water and make a mixture without any lumps.
• Boil 1/2 Cup of Water in a pan, when it starts to boil, reduce the flame, Add the custard mix to it and keep stirring with a whisk. Let it cook for 5 minutes, keep stirring, as it reaches the gooey consistency with a wonderful glaze on top. By this time, the custard would have thickened well to a jelly form. take it off the flame.
• Making Custard with water, this might sound different for some, but this definitely gives a wonderful glaze to the custard. This too i learnt from another TV Program.

To Make the Trifle Pudding

• In a Deep Bowl, Add whipping Cream and sugar and using a Blender,  blend for 5-8 minutes. The cream will start forming stiff peaks. 
• To this Whipped Cream, add chopped fruits, Prepared Custard, Pomegranate pearls, Sponge Cake and Mix well. 
• If adding Vanilla Essence, add now and Mix well.
• Fill in Small Ice-cream Bowls and garnish with some maraschino cherries and pomegranate pearls and Serve.

The Pudding is not very sweet, i didn't want to spoil the natural sweetness of the fruits by adding Sugar. The Pudding can be cling-wrapped and stored for 2 days, if it stays that long!!!! I made a Big Bowl of 4-5 servings, shared some with my neighbor and the rest my kiddo and hubby devoured the same day!!!!! Tummy Happy and Mommy too Happy Happy!!!!!

Sending this to Kids Delight - Evening Snacks, happening @ Cooks Joy, Event by Srivalli