Desserts with Gram flour (Besan)!!

INDIA is a culturally rich country. Different regions follow different cultures and so the New Year traditions also vary.People in various parts of the country celebrate New Year as per their traditional calender. And since its festive season in the deccan region of India, i thought of posting some interesting desserts which will be apt for festivals of this kind. I'm going to share 2 recipes made with Gram flour (Besan) in this post.

Besan Halwa/Gram Halwa:

Besan Halwa is one of the authentic Indian sweets, it is usually served with main dishes, in an important occasion. It is a heavenly dessert different from any western dessert. The gram flour releases an aromatic nutty flavor when it starts browning. The cardamom and almonds add a subtle dimension in taste. Its main ingredients are gram flour, milk, sugar and ghee. Kids love this sweet.

You will Need:

...1 cup gram flour/chick pea flour (Besan)
...1 cup milk
...¾ cup sugar
...½ cup pure ghee
...1 tsp. cardamom powder
...2 tbsp. finely sliced almonds
...2 tbsp. finely sliced pistachios

Directions:

...In a sauce pan, heat the ghee and add gram flour to sauté until it turns golden color and an aroma emanates from it (approx for 5-6minutes).

...Be careful not to burn the Besan.

...Now add milk, sugar and cardamom.

...Keep stirring until the mixture turns thick. ( 8-10minutes).

...Then place it on a serving dish.

...Garnish with almonds and pistachios. I used only almonds.

Serve hot. Do not refregirate this dish. A chilled dessert might not be so tasty as it loses its softness.

Remember...hot foods should be served hot and cold foods should be served cold.

Besan Laddu/Chickpea Flour balls:

Besan Laddu or Chickpea Flour balls are an all-time favorite. The best way I can describe this dessert is a cookie ball. These Laddus are popular all over North-India. Thanks to my friend Raji for sharing this recipe and wonderful pics.

You will Need:

...1 1/2 cup gram flour/chick pea flour (Besan)
...4 tsps Sooji/semolina
...3/4 cup Sugar
...1/2 cup Ghee
...2 tbsp. finely sliced almonds

...2 tbsp. finely sliced pistachios

Directions:

...Take a non stick pan. Put besan, semolina, ghee one by one and mix them thoroughly for 5 mins.(without flame)

...Now turn on the flame to low heat and keep on stirring for 15-20 mins until....

A)The raw smell of besan goes off and pure aromatic smell comes out of the pan.
B) The besan begins to start browning.

...Be careful not to burn the Besan.

...Remove the cooked flour from the heat and add sugar, Pistachios, almonds.

...Mix them thoroughly with hands to make into a dough.

...With Ghee greased hands, make the dough into small lemon sized balls(laddus).

...Garnish them with almonds and pistachios.

Tips to Garnish:

Gently dip the top most tip of the laddu in ghee and then dip in the nuts.Also, alternatively you can roll the Laddus in sugar.

Hope you find these recipes interesting. To all those who are celebrating the new year today, i wish a harvest of happiness and prosperity.

Wishing you good luck for the year ahead!

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ONE N ALL!!

Time for me to say adieu. Will come soon with yet another interesting post. Till then stay tuned and keep visiting my blog!!!!!