Godhi Kajjaya/Wheat Kajjaya/Athirasa- Quick and easy recipe

Deepavali  just passed. And this time I tried making a special dish on the day i.e, Kajjaya. They call it Kajjaya in Bangalore. It is also named as Athirasa in few parts of Karnataka. This is a household delight here in Bangalore on the occasion of Deepavali.

It is made using rice. Recipes are easily available. One has to make the dough the previous day and let it rest for a day before deep frying them. A simple procedure, but if one doesn't get the technique right everything is gone for a toss. I hear many failures during deepavali when people try to make it. Well I have seen it happening in my very own home. But there are many ways to trouble shoot and make the dough usable. You can write to me for the troubleshooting guide. There are many Kajjaya making experts among my family and friends who can help in this regard.

Moving on to the recipe of Godhi Kajjaya!! Yes!! You heard it right!! I used wheat flour instead of rice grain to make this. It takes about an hour to two including the preparation and cooking time. It is simple, easy, and chances of failure- very minimal or nil. 

These days I am obsessed with simple, quick and easy recipes considering the fast paced lifestyle we all have. Whatever it maybe, I love home cooked food and love to try traditional, challenging recipes.

Desiccated coconut Ladoo- Quick and Easy Method

This version of coconut ladoo is my very own take on the classic coconut barfi, but a quick, simple and easy method with very few materials going in to make it. And a special addition to it is ground almonds. Almonds give a different texture to the ladoos and comes as a surprise elements when you taste it. Here is my successful experiment. Go ahead, try and give me your opinion.

P. S- I always hear some complaining that they cant reproduce recipes from the web and that they fail most of the times. Let me give you an important tip. Follow the protocols carefully and sincerely. Don't be lazy and do not tweak . If one follows every step without fail it is possible to be successful at every attempt. After you are successful at reproducing, go ahead and give your twists and turns to the dish.

SCIENCE FACTS

When coconut has been grated and dried it becomes desiccated coconut. The process is called as Dehydration (removal of water content). Dehydration helps in preserving coconut, increasing its shelf life, thereby making it available to places where coconut is not grown/unavailable. Desiccated coconut is found to be rich in dietary fibers. It contains minerals which make out connective tissue strong. The minerals are Iron, Selenium, Copper.

MATERIALS REQUIRED

Apple Halwa/ Sebu Halwa/ Apple Pudding

COOKING IS A SCIENCE.I am a passionate cook. Cooking is very close to me. It is a stress buster and allows one to experiment and innovate. Cooking for me is like an experiment, I do back in my research lab. There is loads of learning, trouble shooting, understanding concepts of cooking and the science behind the same. So in this section I shall share my views about cooking. And of course, share recipes.

Remember, whatever I post here is tried, tested and tasted by myself and few others. Only when a dish excels my experiment in Kitchen, they will roll over here. So feel free to try the recipes, share your views after you try them. You guys can also share your innovations and experiments in cooking, and I will be more than happy to experiment them myself as well.

My very first post about food. I am super duper excited!  APPLE HALWA is not as famous as other Halwas available in India eg: carrot halwa. It tastes totally different than its other halwa counterparts.  

SCIENCE FACTS

Normally, its not a good idea to cook fruits as it deprives them of some of their essential nutrients. But it is completely okay to get into this sinful indulgence once in a blue moon. Let me point out that by heating apples, some enzymes or allergens responsible for APPLE ALLERGY (which some people are prone to) are deactivated. Apple Allergy is a form of OAS (Oral Allergy Syndrome)

• Tricks to still consume apples are plenty. These tricks may work variable on different people.
• Squeezing lemon onto the slices and let it sit for sometime before eating.
• Removing the peel may help in some cases.
• Microwaving for a brief period of time will also help.
• Cooking apples in any form is good to those who cannot consume raw apples. 

This holds equally good for other fruits which cause allergy. One can make APPLE SAUCE, APPLE PIES and TARTS etc.. and APPLE HALWA is just another such example.

MATERIALS REQUIRED

Apple- 3 no.s
Ghee/ Clarified Butter- 6 to 8 tablespoon.
Sugar- 1/2 to 1 cup (depending on sweetness of apples)
Salt- a pinch.
Cinnamon powder- 1/4 tea spoon.

Nuts- any nuts of your choice (I used cashews only)

Poppy Seeds- 1 tablespoon