BARFI (bur-r-fee) : A popular sweetmeats, testimony to the Indian sweet-tooth. Prepared in a jiffy, they are a favorite snack. Serve them with piping hot tea and savories and watch the conversation fly. Recipes for barfi often call for semolina, coconut, powdered nuts but milk, sugar and that touch of cardamom are a mainstay. C O C O N U T B A R F I To make a 9 x 1 x 13 baking tray, START WITH 7 oz bag of unsweetened desiccated coconut, 1 cups sugar, 1/2 cup of milk, 2 (8 oz.) tins of condensed milk, 3 tbsps of clarified butter (ghee), melted and warmed, 3 pods of cardomom, dehusked and ground, 1/2 cup of coarsely crushed cashewnuts. AND THEN, Put half the dry coconut in a blender,and powder finely. Place all the coconut, (ground and reserved) in a heavy bottomed non-stick pan, adding in sugar, milk, condensed milk, half the ground cardomom, and ghee. Mix well. Cook till lightly browned, stirring constantly till bubbles burst through and the preparation leaves the sides of the pan. Stir in the reserve cardomom and ground cashewnuts, reduce to medium heat and cook for another 3-5 minutes. Pour into greased 9x13R baking trays or pyrex dishes. Cool slightly and cut into squares or diamonds when still warm. Let cool and set completely, prior to storing in an air-tight container. They can last for over a month; but we found they disappear too quickly to test out this theory!! NAMKEEN PURI: 2 cups self-rising flour, 1/2 tsp turmeric powder, 1 tsp salt, 3 tbsp ajawan seeds, 1/2 tsp asafoetida. Prepare dough by adding warm oil and water. Wait for 1/2 hour. Using rolling pin spread out some dough on a flat surface, form a thin sheet. Cut out round shapes, deep fry. PAKORAS (puck - oraa) : The INDIAN answer to the FRITO-LAY' Brigade!!! Include this savory snack to the spread as you cheer your favorite SUPERBOWL team...we've found it does wonders for our very own CRICKETING XI. And if you are looking to keep the children entertained, round them up for a session of pakora making. R I B B O N P A K O R A To fill a 12 oz bag, START WITH3 cups of ground chick-pea flour (besan), 1 1/4 cups of rice flour, 2 tbsp red chilli powder, 4 tbsp of ground thyme or cumin, salt to taste, 2 tbsp of clarified butter, (ghee) Cold water to knead, Oil for deep frying. AND THEN, Sieve and mix all the dry ingredients with a wisk. Rub in the ghee. Knead with cold water to form a supple but firm dough. Load into press and drop into hot oil. Fry until evenly browned. Drain on paper towels and cool completely prior to storing in air-tight containers. Enjoy!! Note: This recipe requires a special press, but a pasta maker on the wide setting would most likely work. CHIWADA : Warm rice flakes in a large container. Fry raw peanuts, roasted chick peas (without shell) in a separate vessel. Also prepare seasoning by adding turmeric powder, asafoetida, mustard seeds, cumene seeds (or powder). After the flakes become fairly crisp, add the fried peas and peanuts and the seasoning to them. Add salt and a tea-spoon of sugar. Mix well and keep warming till the flakes are crisp. BARFI (bur-r-fee) : A popular sweetmeats, testimony to the Indian sweet-tooth. Prepared in a jiffy, they are a favorite snack. Serve them with piping hot tea and savories and watch the conversation fly. Recipes for barfi often call for semolina, coconut, powdered nuts but milk, sugar and that touch of cardamom are a mainstay. C O C O N U T B A R F I To make a 9 x 1 x 13 baking tray, START WITH 7 oz bag of unsweetened desiccated coconut, 1 cups sugar, 1/2 cup of milk, 2 (8 oz.) tins of condensed milk, 3 tbsps of clarified butter (ghee), melted and warmed, 3 pods of cardomom, dehusked and ground, 1/2 cup of coarsely crushed cashewnuts. AND THEN, Put half the dry coconut in a blender,and powder finely. Place all the coconut, (ground and reserved) in a heavy bottomed non-stick pan, adding in sugar, milk, condensed milk, half the ground cardomom, and ghee. Mix well. Cook till lightly browned, stirring constantly till bubbles burst through and the preparation leaves the sides of the pan. Stir in the reserve cardomom and ground cashewnuts, reduce to medium heat and cook for another 3-5 minutes. Pour into greased 9x13R baking trays or pyrex dishes. Cool slightly and cut into squares or diamonds when still warm. Let cool and set completely, prior to storing in an air-tight container. They can last for over a month; but we found they disappear too quickly to test out this theory!! NAMKEEN PURI: 2 cups self-rising flour, 1/2 tsp turmeric powder, 1 tsp salt, 3 tbsp ajawan seeds, 1/2 tsp asafoetida. Prepare dough by adding warm oil and water. Wait for 1/2 hour. Using rolling pin spread out some dough on a flat surface, form a thin sheet. Cut out round shapes, deep fry. PAKORAS (puck - oraa) : The INDIAN answer to the FRITO-LAY' Brigade!!! Include this savory snack to the spread as you cheer your favorite SUPERBOWL team...we've found it does wonders for our very own CRICKETING XI. And if you are looking to keep the children entertained, round them up for a session of pakora making. R I B B O N P A K O R A To fill a 12 oz bag, START WITH3 cups of ground chick-pea flour (besan), 1 1/4 cups of rice flour, 2 tbsp red chilli powder, 4 tbsp of ground thyme or cumin, salt to taste, 2 tbsp of clarified butter, (ghee) Cold water to knead, Oil for deep frying. AND THEN, Sieve and mix all the dry ingredients with a wisk. Rub in the ghee. Knead with cold water to form a supple but firm dough. Load into press and drop into hot oil. Fry until evenly browned. Drain on paper towels and cool completely prior to storing in air-tight containers. Enjoy!! Note: This recipe requires a special press, but a pasta maker on the wide setting would most likely work. CHIWADA : Warm rice flakes in a large container. Fry raw peanuts, roasted chick peas (without shell) in a separate vessel. Also prepare seasoning by adding turmeric powder, asafoetida, mustard seeds, cumene seeds (or powder). After the flakes become fairly crisp, add the fried peas and peanuts and the seasoning to them. Add salt and a tea-spoon of sugar. Mix well and keep warming till the flakes are crisp.