Karachi Halwa(Bombay Halwa)

Diwali, the most celebrated festival of lights is here again, and I have come out with Karachi Halwa(Bombay Halwa) in two flavours for our followers.

Strawberry flavoured chewy Karachi Halwa

When I talk about Karachi Halwa, my memory dates back to the mid Sixties, when my brother Shashikanth got his job in Bank Of India and settled in Bombay. Every year when he visited home town, he used to bring two types of halwas from Bombay, the popular Mahim Halwa or the Ice Halwa and the chewy sticky Karachi Halwa. Those days we called it Bombay Halwa. This halwa was formulated by the Sindhis from Karachi before Independence, when Karachi was part of India, and trade activities were brisk between Bombay and Karachi.

Karachi Halwa is a chewy Indian sweet meat made with arrowroot powder or corn starch, loaded with the goodness of almonds, pistachios and other dry fruits. In Mumbai it is available in different colours and flavours, sold in every nook and corner by mithaiwalas and this sweet has a prime place among Diwali Sweets. Typically they make this adding hydrogenated vegetable oil or vanaspati, but this tastes awesome when we make it with pure ghee. The chewy sticky halwa releases vivid flavours as we bite into the crunchy roasted nuts embedded within. Fine halwa comes in two textures, soft and sticky. Soft ones can not be preserved for more than 2 weeks and they also smell old sooner. Sticky ones can be preserved for over a month. The whole process requires nothing but patience, for you may need to keep stirring the contents for one to and one and half hours.

I am fond of this halwa which I wanted to make long ago, but somehow never tried until recently. First I tried this recipe from NDTV Food Channel by Chef Niru Gupta, but with my own variations. I also added strawberry crush which is readily available in 750ml bottle. That enhanced the taste of the halwa, making the eater crave for more and more!

Saffron flavoured soft Karachi Halwa

Second attempt was, making this with saffron flavour. This time I reduced the amount of added sugar and also set the halwa faster, which made it firm but soft. You can add amount of sugar in the proportion 1:1 but you can also increase the amount of sugar upto 1:2, that is for 1 cup arrowroot powder, you add 2 cups sugar. My preference is 1:1 for soft halwa and 1:1.5 for chewy one. Adding any fruit crush which has sugar in it, calls for reduction in amount of added sugar proportionately. In such case, my 1:1.5 formula works wonderfully well. Please also note that the total volume of added ghee should be not less than 100 ml for 1 cup of arrowroot powder and proportionate sugar. If you add more ghee, it floats over the top after setting the halwa, and can be used for making some other sweet dish or can also be used for pouring over Puran Polis. I didn't add cardamom to this halwa, as it spoils the flavour of strawberries as well as saffron.

Happy cooking, "Happy Festival of Lights to you all"!

Ingredients:
Sugar - 250-500 Gm(1-2 Cups depending on your requirement)  
Arrowroot Powder/Corn Flour - 1 Cup(115 Gm)
*Red/Orange/Green Food Coloring(As per the flavour you choose) - 3-5 Drops 
Strawberry/Orange/Pineapple/Lychee/Grape or any similar tangy fruit crush - 1/4 Cup(Optional)
Saffron - A generous pinch(Optional)
Lemon juice - 2Tsp or 1/2Tsp Ciric Acid dissolved in little water(I used lemon juice concentrate)
Ghee - 100 to 110 Ml
Almonds - 40 Gm 
Pistachios - 30 Gm 
Melon Seeds(Magaz) - 30 Gm
Water - 4-5 Cups 

Method:
Roast nuts and chop almonds and pistachios.
If you use saffron, soak it in little hot water and keep aside.
Dissolve sugar in 2 cups of water. 
Stir and boil for 5 minutes.
Mix arrowroot powder with sugar syrup.
Add 2-3 cups cold water to make a thin solution.
Strain through a sieve lined with muslin cloth.
Cook, stirring constantly with the wire whisker or wooden ladle, until the mixture thickens into a semi transparent gum.
Add lemon juice, food colour, optional fruit crush or saffron soaked in hot water.
Lemon juice/citric acid prevents sugar from crystalising. 
Keep stirring on medium heat, taking care not to char the contents.
When the mixture starts to stick to the base of the pan, add 1 tbsp ghee.
Keep stirring constantly with preferably a wooden ladle.
Now you can increase the heat to high.
Keep adding one tablespoon ghee every 3-5 minutes until the mass begins to foam, and forms sticky lump.
When stirring becomes difficult, the contents move with the ladle in one sticky mass and ghee oozes from the sides, switch off the flame.
Fold in the nuts. 
Pour into a greased tray. 
Smoothen with a greased spoon. 
Allow to cool completely.
This takes over 2-3 hours.
Cut into 1 inch squares and store in an airtight container.

Karachi Halwa with Lychee flavour

*As per flavours you choose, you can add these colours:
Strawberry/Raspberry/Cranberry - Red
Saffron - Orange Red
Pineapple - Yellow
Orange - Orange Red
Grape/Mixed Berry - Purple
Lychee flavour - No colouring
Plain(Without any added fruit pulp or flavouring) - Green 

Mango Kesar Burfi

Before I get on to the main thing, let me narrate a story about how I was interested in sweet making, especially burfi.

It was year 1964 and the month was May. I was just Seven year old boy then, and my only sister was getting married on the 24th. An expert sweet maker called 'Mithai Venkatesha' was hired by my father for making traditional sweets such as Besan Laddu, Besan Burfi(Khadi), Saat, Maalpuri and Mysore Pak, if not the savoury items like Sev, Tukdi and Banana Chips. Two days before the wedding, Venkatesha arrived at our home with his implements and established himself in the utility room at the back of the house. Loads of flour, tins of pure Agmark ghee and heaps of sugar, raisins and cashewnuts were indented from Kumble's shop in Bunder Mangalore. I called it a day and sat in a corner to watch Venkatesha in action. It was hot summer, sweat trickled down the pinkish red face of Venkatesha who patiently handled sweet making, taking care to maintain utmost hygiene. That's the beauty of traditional Mangalorean cooks. They are very meticulous!

Of all the sweets, I very well remember how he made besan laddus and besan khadi. The heat and smoke of wood fire made me intolerant and skip watching further. However, I noticed how he roasted besan or chickpea flour with ghee, how he mixed in cardamom powder, cashewnut bits and castor sugar to make besan burfi or khadi, which is the simplest burfi among Indian sweets.

Many years later, I tried my hands at making besan burfi and succeeded. I also made that adding pineapple juice to make Pineapple Khadi. 

Burfi is one of the most popular North Indian sweets. It is more famous as Bombay(Mumbai) Sweet, as expert sweet makers from Karachi, Gujarat, Rajasthan and UP have settled in Mumbai and they make awesome burfis and pedas. Burfi can be made with different flavours, adding fresh fruit pulp or dry fruits, mixing with milk solids like khova, milk powder and some flour like besan, refined flour or corn flour. Mango Burfi is essentially an invention by sweet makers of Mumbai. Today, Chitale Bandhu Mango Burfi from Pune is the best as per their claim online. When I saw the ad for Chitale Bandhu Mango Burfi on Facebook, I was tempted not to order that online, but to try my hand at making similar burfi at home!

Now is season for fresh mangoes, I thought of making Mango Burfi and checked for recipes online. I found one convincing, but that turned out to be a disaster, as the author has given wrong proportions of ingredients. I ended up making mango halwa instead of burfi!

Then I looked into more recipes, many seemed easy and convincing, but I didn't have the heart to try them, as I had failed with one recipe already. Meena said, burfi needs to be but soft not chewy, firm and easily cut into squares or diamonds without blunt edges. I logically deduced the ingredients for making burfi and tried my own method twice with slight changes, succeeding in getting the right texture and taste. Consistency wise the last attempt was better, and that was just perfect!

You can make this burfi softer or harder according to your liking. If you want it harder, add little more roasted besan or chickpea flour. You can also add little corn flour along with castor sugar to make them harder.

Few points to remember while making mango burfi:
1. Don't roast or fry the ingredients on high flame or char the contents.
2. Ratio of solids to liquids should be almost 4:1.
3. Don't add too much ghee or oil to burfi. It will change the consistency and makes the stuff chewy like halwa.
4. Don't fry the ingredients after you add powdered(Castor) sugar. Castor sugar helps in binding the burfi and allows the knife to cut through them while giving the burfis sharper edges.
5. Use best quality mango for making this burfi, such as Alphonso, Mallika or similar more pulpy, less fibrous and juicy variety.

The ingredients given in the list can be varied according to personal preference, but don't cut down on besan much. After you mix in besan, it blends well with the mango pulp, sugar and khova, giving a brittle consistency to the burfi, neutralising the stickiness within the mango pulp blended with sugar and khova, while it loses its typical aroma completely. I didn't add cashewnut bits, as I like the burfi with just mango taste and saffron flavour.

Ingredients:
Chickpea flour(Besan) - 1/2 cup
Ghee - 3 teaspoons
Tiny Cashewnut Bits(Optional) - 1 Tbsp
Mango Pulp - 1/2 cup(Or approximately 100 Gms)
Crystal Sugar - 1/2 Cup(Adjust according to taste)
Castor Sugar - 1/4 Cup
Khova(Mawa) - 200 Gms(approx 1 cup crumbled)
Saffron - A pinch soaked in 2 Tsp hot milk
Crushed Cardamom Seeds(Optional) - 1/4 Tsp

Soft Burfis that need to be refrigerated after 3 days

Method:
Grease a 7" square baking tray or a 7" diameter stainless steel shallow plate for moulding burfi.
Crumble khova and keep aside.
Heat a thick bottom nonstick pan and melt 2 teaspoon ghee.
Add besan, reduce heat to medium low and roast well for 5-8 minutes, taking care not to burn the ingredients.
Add optional cashewnut bits, roast for one more minute and remove from heat, keep aside.
Wipe the wok clean with a kitchen cloth.
Heat the wok again, add one teaspoon ghee.
Add the mango pulp along with crystal sugar and keep stirring on medium flame until the pulp starts to thicken.
Reduce the heat and keep stirring for another 3-5 minutes, when the mango syrup gets as thick as jelly.
Add the crumbled khova and keep mixing on low flame.
As the mass starts to thicken again, add the saffron soaked in milk and stir well.
Keep mixing until you feel the ladle is not moving freely and the mass can be rolled into a firm ball.
Now add the roasted besan and mash the contents for 2-3 minutes using a paav bhaaji masher or a heavy churner, until the mass feels smooth and brittle like chapati dough.
Switch off the flame, mix in castor sugar and optional cardamom powder.
Collect the mass together and transfer into the greased burfi mould.
Pat with the ladle to spread the dough evenly.
Smoothen with a spoon to get an even surface.
Burfi spread should be at least 1/3 inch thick.
Allow to cool down for 10-15 minutes at room temperature.
Score(Make crisscross gashes) on the surface at equal distance to design almost 1 inch squares.
Allow the burfi to cool down completely.
Cut along the scored markings to get perfect burfis.
Store in an airtight container to consume over the next 7 days or more.
If the burfis are soft, store them in the fridge after 3 days.

Hard Burfis that can be kept at room temperature for a week

Whole Wheat Flour Paav Bun

November 17: Today is Homemade Bread Day
Bread has been around for thousands of years. Nowadays, people just don't have time to bake bread. The origin of this day is shrouded in mystery. but its purpose and benefits are obvious. The invention of the bread maker has taken a lot of the effort out of baking. There is no reason why everyone should not enjoy home made bread. It is healthier, higher in fibre content, and lower in salt and additives. Consider investing in a bread maker or borrow from a friend and get to baking home made bread today.

Your nose, your taste buds, and your whole family will be glad you did!

(Info source: Konchadi Vasanth Pai)

I suddenly realised about Homemade Bread Day after reading the above post by my senior friend Konchadi Vasanth Pai, in a social network group. Hence I hurriedly compiled this recipe article, and here I go!

Paav Bun or Pav Bread is a staple snack for Maharastrians and those living in Konkan belt. It is mostly served with the world famous Mumbai street snacks like Paav Bhaaji, Vada Paav or Maska Paav. In Konkan and Goa, it is served as Misal Paav, a mixed sprouts curry with paav bread. They call paav bread as ladi paav, and the bread is baked in sheets which have tiny buns sticking to one another, but can easily be separated.

This is a tasty traditionally made bread with simple methods. It is probably named as 'Paav' because of its size, one quarter of a pound of bread. We down South were not exposed to Paav bread until some of the North Indians set up chaat centers serving paav bhaaji. I first tasted paav bhaaji in Mumbai in 1975 at Lakhan's Paav Bhaaji and Kaala Khatta street food carts at the Five Gardens, Matunga. I used to go there daily with my friends Ananth, Vishwanath, Ajit, Anil, Panduranga and Ravi after dark and relish paav bhaaji loaded with butter, and wash it down with kaala khatta. Later when I visited Mumbai in 1978, I stayed at my brother's house in Mulund, but I used to go near Mukund market area and taste excellent paav bhaaji. At a bachelors' hostel in Bombay Central where my friend Alwyn Vaz stayed, they served paav bread with pork curry. I was wondering then, why Mangalore has not introduced that as yet! Very soon, maybe in 1980 Mangalore also started relishing paav bhaaji, thanks to a few street cart fellows and also to Hanuman Sweets Stall. By late Eighties Paav bhaaji was a favourite with Mangaloreans and we used to buy paav bread from Hanuman or from Nilgiri's in Balmatta.

Today we have every nook and corner of India serving paav bhaaji and vada paav. Yet, we get mostly paav bun that is very soft and spongy, not exactly like they make in Mumbai. We do get good paav bun at Nilgiri's or at a few local bakeries, but I always wanted to make this bread at home, ever since we started baking some breads. My experiment with paav bread from the dough made for Khaliat Al Nahal, the honeycomb bread proved 80% success, but that day we had power outage, and the bread didn't raise properly. Looking for a good recipe, I came across this blog Yummy Tummy, where the blogger Aarathi mentions that whole wheat flour is mixed with refined flour to make tasty paav bread. I imagined how stiff the bread maybe, and how close the texture maybe to that of the original Mumbai Ladi Paav.

In the deal to check if the recipe proves perfect, I didn't take step by step pictures, and I changed the volume of couple of ingredients to suit our taste. I also added some sugar to milk wash to get a 'kadak' or stiff and firm upper crust with a darker shade. This recipe yields about 12 medium size paav buns and 9 big ones. For step by step recipe you can browse following this link for the time being, and at a later date I shall update the recipe with good pictures.

You may buy paav bread from store easily and eat it in a choice of snack combo, but I guarantee you, once you start baking fresh paav bread at home, you won't compromise with ready made ones. The nice aroma that fills the kitchen while baking them is so appetising, you may eat one or two more than the ready made ones. Besides, whole wheat flour adds to taste, making this  a five star healthy bread with high fiber in your daily diet!

Ingredients:
Whole Wheat Flour - 1.5 Cups
Refined Flour(Maida) - 1 Cup + 2 Tablespoons
Salt - 1 Tsp(or according to taste)
Sugar - 2 Tablespoons + 1/4 Tsp for milk wash
Active Dry Yeast - 2 Tsp
Warm Milk - 3/4 Cup + 1 Tablespoon for milk wash
Warm Water - 1/2 Cup
Refined Vegetable Oil - 2 Tablespoons

Method:
In a saucepan,add milk, heat until it is luke warm.
Alternately you can warm it in a microwave for 10-15 seconds.
Take the warm milk in a glass tumbler or a non metallic bowl, mix in sugar and yeast, cover and keep for 10 minutes to proof/activate.
Mix 1.5 cup wheat flour, 1 cup maida and salt in a mixing bowl.
Make a pit in the center and pour the yeast milk mixture.
Knead well adding the oil, and water little by little, for 10 minutes, or until you get a sticky but firm dough.
Grease the bowl, apply oil on the dough ball, cover with kitchen cloth and allow to raise for one hour at warm room temperature.
The dough will have doubled by then.
Sprinkle little flour over the dough, punch it to release the air and knead again adding little flour for 5 minutes.
Roll the dough into a thick rope or log, cut into 9, 12 or 16 equal parts, shape each part into a ball, dust the balls lightly with flour and place them as close as possible to one another, in a 8x8 baking tin.
If you can't accommodate all the dough balls in one medium size tray, you can either place them in a single long tin or two small tins.
Cover the dough balls and keep for another hour or slightly more, when they double up again, stick to one another and fit snugly in the tray.
Mix 1 tablespoon warm milk with 1/4 Tsp sugar, brush this milk over the top of the dough balls.
Preheat oven at 180°C for 10 minutes, and place the tray on wire rack, bake for 25-35 minutes or until the bread gets brown on top.
Remove from oven, allow to cool down for 10-15 minutes, detach the bread from the baking tray using a butter knife and serve.
Apply little butter and warm them up for a minute in the microwave, serve them as Paav Bhaaji, Vada Paav or Maska Paav.
I relished them with Egg Burji for brunch.