Hot Milk Cake

Ingredients :

• Eggs - 4
• Sugar - 2 cups
• Vanilla extract - 1 tsp
• All purpose flour(maida) - 2 1/4 cups
• Baking Powder - 2 1/4 tsp
• Milk - 1 1/4 cups
• Butter - 10 tbsp, cubed

Method :

1. In a large bowl, beat eggs on high speed for 5 minutes or until thick and lemon-colored. Gradually add sugar, beating until mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Combine flour and baking powder; gradually add to batter; beat at low speed until smooth.
2. In a pan, heat milk and butter just until butter is melted. Gradually add to batter; beat just until combined.
3. Pour into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Yield: 12-16 servings.

 

Paneer Payasam

Ingredients :

• Paneer - 1/2 cup (grated)
• Milk - 1 cup
• Custard powder -  3 tbsp
• Condensed Milk -2 tbsp
• Sugar - as required
• Dry fruits - almonds, cashews, raisins (chopped into pieces)

Method :

1. Heat the wide pan with 2 cups of water and make to boil . Now place the another small vessel  inside the wide pan of boiling water. Now we are cooking in this small vessel using the heat from the boiling water and not directly from the original heat source. This is called double boiling method.
2. In the small vessel add the milk, custard powder and make to boil. 
3. Then add paneer, condensed milk, required sugar, mix well and make to boil. Then switch off the flame and add dry fruits mix well.
4. Keep it refrigerate and serve cold.

Semiya payasam (Vermicelli Payasam)

Serves : 2

Ingredients :

• Semiya/Vermicelli - 1/4 cup
• Milk - 3  cups or more depending on the consistency
• Sugar - 1/2 cup or more
• Cashews - 6 no
• Raisins - 6 no
• Cardamom Powder - a pinch
• Saffron - a pinch
• Ghee - 2 tsp 

Method :

1. Heat 1 tsp of ghee in a pan fry cashews till light golden brown and keep aside. In the same pan fry the raisins for few seconds and keep aside.
2. In the same pan heat 1 tsp of ghee fry the vermicelli till it turns golden brown and keep aside.
3. In a separate pan boil the milk then add the roasted vermicelli and cook for 15 minutes in a medium flame stirring occasionally. 
4. Add sugar, cardamom powder, saffron and cook for 5 minutes.
5. Now add the roasted cashews and raisins and switch off the flame.
6. Serve hot or cold.

Tips :

• Once you turn off the flame the semiya payasam will get thicken after sometime. The payasam thickens even when refrigerated. So at the time of serving add some few tablespoons of warm milk and mix well and serve. 
• Here i  used the ordinary vermicelli so i roasted with the ghee(step 2). If you use the roasted vermicelli (available in indian stores) skip the step 2. 

                                        

Pineapple Kesari

Ingredients :

• Rava or Sooji - 1 cup
• Sugar - 2 cup
• Pineapple - 1/2 cup (finely chopped)
• Cashews - 12 no
• Yellow food color - 1/4 tsp
• Pineapple essence - 2 drops
• Water - 3 cups
• Ghee - 5 tbsp
• Oil - 2 tbsp

Method :

1. Heat 1 tbsp of ghee in a pan and fry the rava till its become light brown color (careful not to burn the rava). Keep the roasted rava aside in a vessel .
2. Heat the pan with Oil and Ghee(2 tbsp). Add Cashews fry until color changes to light brown. Now add Pineapple pieces and fry for one minute. Then add the roasted rava and fry for some time .
3. In another pan boil the water (3 cups) and add the yellow food color to the boiling water.
4. Do the step 2 & step 3 side by side in a separate pan. 
5. Now add the boiling water(step 3) to the rava mixture(step 2) and mix well. Reduce the flame and cover it with the lid and cook for 5 to 8 min.
6. Next add sugar and mix well. Keep stirring for 5 min to avoid the formation of lumps (once sugar melts, whole mixture will be in semi solid state).
7. Now add 2 tbsp of ghee, 2 drops of pineapple essence and mix well for another 3 min and switch off the flame(Kesari will be in semi solid state, allow it to cool for 20 min to become solid).
8. Pineapple Kesari is ready to serve. 

Tips :

• Before adding the pineapple pieces to the kesari, add 2 tsp of sugar to the pineapple pieces and mix well. Keep that pineapple mix in the fridge for 2 hrs or overnight. (By doing this sugar can reduce the sourness of pineapple). 
• Do the step 2 & step 3 side by side in a separate pan. Because while mixing (step 5 ) both water and rava mixture should be in hot state.

Rava Kachayam

Ingredients :

• Rava (Suji) - 1 cup
• Sugar - 1 cup
• Maida or All purpose flour - 1 cup
• Ripe Banana - 1/2 (mashed)
• Cardamom Powder - 1/4 tsp
• Cooking Soda - a pinch (very little)

Method :

1. Soak the Rava in water for half an hour. 
2. Drain the excess water completely and add Sugar. Mix well until the sugar dissolvs.Then add Maida and mix well.
3. Add the Cardamom powder, Cooking Soda, Ripe banana (mashed) and mix well (no need to add water). 
4. The batter (mixture) should be thick in consistency.
5. Heat the oil in a pan for deep frying. 
6. Take a medium spoon full of batter and drop it carefully into the oil.
7. Fry both sides till it  turns golden brown color under medium flame.
8. Repeat the process for the remaining batter.
9. Now the sweet Rava Kachayam is ready to eat.

Tips :

• Banana is optional here.You can also make rava kachayam without adding banana.