Gajar Halwa-Carrot Halwa

Most of the Indian folk I know associate gajar k halwa and aloo paratha to Hindi Movies. Picture this, the hero comes home to his hut,( most Hindi film Heroes are poor) after a long day of manual work, his old mom who can barely see, asks him Beta kya kahoge, maine aaj apne haathon se aloo parathe aur gajar ka halwa banaya hain, (Translated to, What will you eat son, I have made gajar halwa and aloo parathe with my own hands) With Hindi films, logic is best kept out. My Munchkins find it very amusing that one guy fights 5-6 big guys alone and yet has no scratch, only when there is his mom or girlfriend involved that he gets cuts on his wrist, forehead...For me, gajar ka halwa was a very simple and humble dessert, that was glorified and given new respect by none other than Hindi film industry. Poor people starving, wearing torn clothes enjoy aloo parathe with butter and gajar ka halwa would only have its prominence there. Come on now spare us with this...

I am no filmi maa to make this nor anyone in Ashland does any kind of manual labor, but we do enjoy these staples form time to time. No particular reason  as to why I made it; maybe one lazy reason could be that our grocery store had a sale on grated carrots that week and Mr. Ash got 2 packets for me. Hint Hint!!! Saved from the trouble of grating carrots,  made it for Mr. Ash. As you all know by now, I am serious about the weight loss program introduced to me by Manali of Cravings. I have cut down on my bad fat intake and portion control has become the key for me, I have lost 13 lbs since January and wish to lose more by year ends. But again, the cravings win at times and I make such sinful desserts. Not for me but for my munchkins...I swear I had only 50% of what I made. :)

You will need;

2.5 cups of grated carrots-- I used 2 small bags of grated carrots

2 cup milk

2 tbspn Ghee/Clarified butter

1 cup sugar

1 tbspn milk powder/mava powder

1 tbspn dry nuts powder/masala.-- Cashew/almond/ pistachio

1 tspn cardamom crushed

In a wok, heat the ghee, then add in the grated carrots, let them cook covered till they get soft, add little milk to help it cook. Once they get tender, add in the rest of the milk, sugar and the mava powder and cook till the milk gets absorbed by the carrots. The halwa is ready, Garnish with the Nuts and the cardamom powder and serve hot or cold. Hot Halwa and cold vanilla ice cream tastes amazing. This is one of the most common and popular desserts served in Indian weddings. So what are you non filmi moms waiting for, Make this for your Dharam paji  or Amit ji today!!!!!

Egg Curry- Homestyle

Hello Dearies. Hope the sun and the sand are calling your name. It's been an exceptionally  busy start of summer for us in Ashland. We kick started the summer by taking  a mini vacation to Seattle to visit the Boeing factory and visiting my cousin. IT felt really nice seeing and meeting my cousin and bhabhi/SIL after 15 years. Vacations are always good for the mind and the soul. I wish the vacation part never ends. I however dread the post vacation work, like unpacking, laundry and sorting through the giant mess which I kind of accumulate in short 4 days. But memories of Seattle will help me pass through this phase. I will do an individual post on our Seattle trip. I am in love with that city. Everything was so laid back and relaxed. The scenic beauty of the city stole my heart. When my good friend moved there, she told me that she always wanted to have a home her roots in Seattle. I now kind of understand what she truly meant.

Coming back to routine, work and the long list of chores kind of made coking a decent meal unimaginable. But there are so many fast and nutritious meals in our menu for such days, that I really cannot say I cannot cook anything simple. Egg curry is one such dish that appeals to everyone in Ashland and makes dinner a breeze. This curry goes well with rice, bread or parathas. I make curry in 2 ways, either with boiled eggs or with poached eggs. Poached egg curry is yet anr family favorite.
This time I made with boiled eggs, as we were having it with bread, I preferred a thick gravy.

For the eggs
3 hard boiled eggs
After boiling shell and cut the eggs in half.

For the curry;
1 medium sized onion-diced small
1 cup tomato puree
1 tbspn ginger garlic paste
1/2 tspn haldi/turmeric
1 tspn cayenne pepper powder
1 tspn Garam masala powder
1 tspn cumin powder
1 tspn coriander powder
1 cup water
Salt to taste
1 tsp dry Kasuri methi for garnish

Tempering;
2 tbspn oil
1 tsp cumin
1 tspn shahjeera/Caraway seeds-Optional

In a deep wok, heat the oil on medium. Once the oil is hot add the seeds and let them sizzle for 2-3 seconds, then add the ginger-garlic paste and onions, then add in the tomato puree and cook till the oil leaves the sides of the onion and tomato mixture, then add in the turmeric/haldi, and the spices and add water and salt and cover and let it boil.Garnish with dry kasuri methi leaves.

This is a fairly easy gravy based egg curry. The basic gravy can be used for making paneer masala by adding fried bits of paneer, or adding boiled sprouts for sprout gravy or even boiling few potatoes. How do you celebrate the long weekends, do you prefer a vacation or a stay-a-cation. Either ways find time to spend such moments with loved ones and building memories for your kids to grow on.

Have a safe summer!