Carrot Halwa (Gajar ka halwa)

Ingredients:5 cups of shredded carrots,1¼ cup of sugar,4cups of milk,¼cup of clarified butter(ghee),1 teaspoon of cardamom powder(elaiti),Cashew nuts,grated coconut.

Method:  In a pan, add some ghee (approximately 3 tablespoons), add the shredded carrots, and let them cook for 10 minutes until the colour of the carrots changes.  Add in the milk, let it boil. The carrots should absorb all the milk after few minutes. Keep stirring. After 20 minutes, add the sugar, mix well. Let it cook for 10 minutes until the mixture thickens. Add the ghee, the cardamom powder and chopped cashews. Cook for 10 minutes more. Meanwhile, grease a tray. When the halwa is ready, place it on the greased tray. Leave to cool for few hours. You can place it in the refrigerator, to be able to cut into shapes later on. Or once the halwa is already cooked, you can simply have the halwa warm. Decorate with grated coconut and cashews or almonds.

Delicious Nankhatai Biscuits -Easy Recipe

Ingredients : ¼ cup semolina(sooji),½ cup gram flour,1 ¼ cup of all-purpose flour, 1 cup of powdered sugar(icing sugar), 1 teaspoon of cardamom powder,1 teaspoon of baking powder, a pinch of baking soda, 1¼cup of melted ghee,1 tablespoon of chopped pistachios(to add in the mixture), Sliced pistachios for decoration. 

P.s : I used yoghurt Cup to measure the ingredients. 

Method: Mix all the dry ingredients. Add the melted ghee to the mixture, mix everything well. Make a smooth dough.  Let it rest for 5 minutes. Meanwhile preheat your oven to 160°C and grease a baking tray (I have placed an aluminium foil (you can use parchment paper instead of you want) on my tray and I have greased it with a little amount of ghee). Make small round shape with the dough and place them on the baking tray. Make a small dent in the centre and add the sliced pistachios on each nankhatai biscuit. Bake for 15 minutes .While the biscuits are in the oven, I have let them bake for 10 minutes on the bottom surface, then I have turned off the heat for the bottom surface (to avoid the biscuits from becoming darker) and i have turned on the heat for the top surface for 5 minutes only (that’s how the cracks are formed) and the Nankhatai biscuits are ready. Voilà, it’s very easy. They taste awesome. 

Taro Fritters (Gâteau Arouille)

Ingredients: 400g of taro, 1 ½ tablespoon of ginger paste, 1 ½ tablespoon of cornflour, ½ teaspoon of salt, 1 ¼ tablespoon of sugar.

Method: Peel the taro roots and grate them. Add the grated taro in a large mixing bowl. Add the ginger paste, salt, sugar and corn flour. Mix everything well.  Shape the mixture into small round shape. Heat oil in a deep frying pan and deep fry the taro balls until golden brown in colour. When done, drain well on absorbent paper.You can have them with spicy chutney or chili sauce. They taste amazing.

Mauritian Banana Fritters

Ingredients: 6 ripe bananas, 1 cup of flour (you can add more depending on the consistency of your batter), ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract, ¼ cup of sugar, 3 tablespoons of water, ½ teaspoon of baking powder, Oil for frying

Method:Firstly in a large bowl, peel the bananas and mash them well.Sift the flour and the baking powder. Add the flour and baking powder in the bowl of mashed bananas. Add the sugar.Mix well. Moreover, add the water and the vanilla extract to the mixture.Mix everything. The batter should be smooth. In a pan, heat oil over medium heat and scoop the batter with a large tablespoon and fry until they turn out golden brown in colour.

Voilà! Yummy banana fritters are ready.

Sweet Vermicelli Cake

Ingredients: 275 g vermicelli, 60 g of ghee, 1 ¼  cup  of sugar, 1 small cinnamon stick, 6 cardamom pods,1 ¾ cups of liquid milk, raisins, ¼ cup of sliced almonds, 5 tablespoons of  dessicated coconut.

Method: Grease a tray and place aside. Meanwhile, in a pan, roast the vermicelli over low heat until it turns slightly darker. After few minutes, remove from heat and set aside to cool. In another pan, add the ghee, almonds, raisins, cinnamon stick, cardamom pods and stir all for 1 minute. Add the liquid milk, let it boil. Add sugar, mix well and add the vermicelli. Cook well, until the vermicelli absorbs all the liquid. If required, you can add some more liquid milk.  When cooking is done, pour the mixture in the greased tray, leave to set for 2 hours. Garnish with grated coconut and sliced almonds. After few hours you can cut them in square shape. I apply some ghee in the knife edge so that cutting can be easily done.

Voilà the sweet vermicelli cake is ready!

Milk Peda

Ingredients:  Sweetened condensed Milk (approximately 200g) 1 ½ cup of milk powder, 3 teaspoon of ghee (if you don’t have ghee, you can use unsalted butter, but it tastes best with ghee though), a pinch of saffron  thread dissolved in 1 ¼ tablespoon of warm milk, 1 ¼ teaspoon of cardamom powder, you can use almonds, grated coconut, raisins or pistachios for decoration. I had used grated coconut and raisins.

Method:  In a microwave dish, mix together the condensed milk, milk powder, and ghee (clarified butter). Cook in the Microwave for 2 minutes. Take it out (use a kitchen towel to hold the microwave dish), Stir the mixture well, and Cook for another 2 minutes. Take it out, again be careful. Next, you shall add the saffron and the cardamom powder, mix well.  Cook for 3 minutes in the microwave. When done, place aside, let it cool down a bit. After 15 minutes, knead the mixture well with your hands, rub some ghee in the palm of your hand, and roll into round shape.  Make a small dent at the centre of each peda, you can add raisins/pistachio, or almonds on top of the pedas. Then spread some grated coconut on top. Delicious, milkylicious Pedas are ready. They taste amazing.

If you have any questions, write them in the comment section. I shall reply to you soon.

Sesame Seeds Balls (Mauritian Gâteaux Zinzli)

Ingredients: 2 ¼ cups of flour (I use all-purpose), 6 tablespoons of milk powder, 1 ¼ teaspoon of baking powder, 1teaspoon of cardamom (elaiti) powder, 1 cup sugar, 3 tablespoon of melted butter, you will also need liquid milk to make the dough (I don’t have any exact measurement, as you need to add the milk gradually until you get a smooth dough), 3 tablespoon of sesame seeds.

Method: Put the 3 tablespoons of sesame seeds in a little bowl of water. Leave for few minutes, then remove the water and place the sesame seeds on a plate. Next in a large bowl mix the flour, milk powder, baking powder, cardamom powder, sugar and butter in a bowl. Add liquid milk gradually until you get a smooth dough. When done, make small balls with the dough, roll each small ball on the plate of sesame seeds. Heat oil in a pan; fry the balls over medium heat. Once they turn into a brownish colour, they are ready.  

You can have them with a cup of hot tea, coffee, or any other drink of your choice. Nevertheless, they taste great with a cup of tea.