Basundi

Basundi is one sweet that can never go wrong.It is nothing but sweetend milk...ah and it tastes heavenly.I have made this number of times and each time it turns out tobe amazingly delicious.It is one sweet that is easy to make,requires minimal ingredients, but is a little time consuming,yet anyone who has ever tasted "Basundi" will agree to the fact that the end product is worth the effort and taste.All that is reqiured in the making of "BASUNDI" is patience and a little time.

Lots of recipes that I have come across calls for adding  lime juice into the milk,but I have never used it.For all those friends and family who have had this sweet at my place and loved it,here is the recipe ,specially for Uzwal,Ram,Suresh and of course purvi and pratikbhai :).

Ingredients :

1. 1/2 Gallon Whole Milk.
2. 1 pint heavy whipped cream.
3. 2 Parle -G Biscuits powdered(optional).
4. 5 tbsp Elaichi powder.(can be added according to the taste).
5. 3-4 strands of kesar(optional).
6. Sugar to taste.
7. PATIENCE.(Not optional)

Method:

1. In a thick bottomed pan pour about half a cup of water and then the milk.Water prevents the sticking of milk to the bottom of the pan.
2. Heat the milk on slow flame till it is reduced to half.Stir occassionally.It will take time for the milk to reduce to half.
3. At this point add the cream,biscuit powder and sugar as per the taste.Adding of these things will increase the quantity of the already reduced half milk.
4. Keep on heating the milk on slow flame till it reaches it original half reduced quantity,make sure to stir occassionally.
5. Add elaichi powder and kesar to it and allow it to cool at room temperature.
6. Once at room temperature refrigerate in a clean container for 10-12 hours.
7. Tastes best when refrigerated for 10-12 hours,though it can be had without refrigerating too.

BASUNDI

Variation/Tip

• For metric conversion take 1 litre milk and 250 gms of cream.Rest ingredients remain the same.
• The adittion of biscuits gives it a nice flavor.Though it can be excluded in the recipe.
• One may add dry fruits as they want like almonds,pista and cashewnuts.Avoid adding raisins.
• To add kesar take a little quantity of warm milk and add kesar to it.Let it stand for sometime till the kesar melts and the milk turns yellow.Add this kesar milk to the plain milk of basundi.Adding kesar directly to the basundi may not let kesar to dissolve completely.

Raiwala Marcha

Raiwala marcha is a pickle that can be found in every gujarati's house...well..its almost a year and this is just my second post though one of my last years "NEW YEAR" resolution was to post atleast one recipe each week on the blog...inspite of my best intentions week became months and months became a year...though through out the year i kept on cooking and clicking the pics but had yet to find time or at the least energy to post them.

Moreover it was my personal obsession to post this recipe as my second one.My sister-in-law whose inspiration can be seen in lots of things that i do(blogging being one of them),likes this pickle a lot and requested the recipe long time back...I could not bring myself to post anythig else before posting the recipe of this pickle.I took almost a year to learn and post this.All said and done,this is for you Dee.

Ingredients :

1. 100 gms Indian green chillies(long and slit into halves).
2. 1/2 teaspoon Asofoetida.
3. 1/2 teaspoon tumeric.
4. 3-4 tbs oil.
5. 5 tbs rai na kuria(crushed mustard seeds).
6. 1 large lemon.
7. salt to taste.

Method:

1. Slit the green chillies into half.(Apply oil in both the hands before doing so,this will help prevent the burning sensation due to chillies).
2. Apply salt liberally over the chillies and let them stand ovenight or for atleast 10-12 hours.This will help drain out the excess water from the chillies and will help them stay fresh for longer,however if the quantity is less this step might be excluded.
3. Drain out the excess water from the slit chillies.
4. Heat oil in a pan to a temperature where it is not smoking hot but is warm enough.Swithch off the gas as soon as oil reaches the desired temperature.
5. Add Asofoetida ,tumeric and Rai na kuria immediately into it.
6. Rai na kuria will emit a smell typical to its flavor and will start dancing in the oil at this point pour the oil on the slit green chillies.
7. Add lemon and mix them well.
8. Adjust salt according to the taste.
9. keep them refrigerated in an airtight bottle.
10. These chillies taste best after a day or two.

RAIWALA MARCHA

Variation/Tip:

• The green chillies can always be cut into small pieces then cutting it lengthwise.This helps save time. :)
• If Rai na kuria is not available(which is nothing but split mustard seeds ),one can always take whole mustrad seeds and grind it to powder for use,instead of Rai na kuria.