How to make Sooji Halwa (Ashtami Prasad) - It is a traditional Indian slow cooked semolina pudding that made in with few ingredients which is easily available in our kitchen or indian stores.

Sooji halwa is often made for an auspicious occasion or a pooja, it could also be a festive occasion like Navratre, Ganesha chaturthi or a religious ceremony conducted in your home or you just want to have something sweet. 

Me and my family are a big fan of sweets hehehe :D Sometimes I made this often for my big sweet tooth...it is easy and quick halwa recipe, which I don't want any excuses or occasion to make it.:P

Sooji halwa is very popular dessert throughout India. It is called by different names across India – Sooji Halwa in North, Rava kesari in South India and Rava Sheera in West India.. Although the names are different, but the cooking technique is quite similar. 

Sooji or Rava is the main ingredient in this halwa, there are many variations also like we used water to make halwa & people also used milk instead of water. 


I made sooji halwa in both ways with cardamom flavor or without cardamom flavor..but for this recipe I used cardamom for flavor but my mom didn't used cardamom in halwa, so there are many things are differ but making of halwa is almost same.

This is one of my family's favourite sweet dish. This is my Mom's recipe and nobody makes this yummy Sooji ka halwa like my mom. It is very easy to make. 


This sweet is a traditional dessert made from sooji (rawa / semolina), cooked in a ghee with sugar syrup and other dry fruits. This is perfect combination with Pooris and Parathas. 

About Navratri - This is important festival of Hindus, celebrated with lot of enthusiasm and excitement all across the country. It's a "Nine Days Festival" and it is dedicated to nine forms of Goddess Shakti.

During the festival of Navratri, Goddess Durga is worshiped in nine avatars. Each goddess has a different form and a special significance. Nava Durga, if worshiped with religious fervor during Navaratri, it is believed, lift the divine spirit in us and fill us with renewed happiness.

After 7 days we do Ashtami Pooja on 8th day which is called Kanjak Pooja. It means young girls below the age of 10 and ceremonially worshiped. Some people celebrated this pooja either on Ashtami (the 8th day) or on Navami (the 9th day) of Navratri. We do Ashtami Pooja.

On Ashtami, we prepare a prasad and offer to small girls. Ashtami prasad consist of Sooji halwa, dried kala chana and poori or some people offer coconut slices too. It's totally depend on the family traditions.


What we do in this Kanjak Pujan!

* We welcome young girls in our house and wash their little feet.
* Apply kumkum on their forehead and tie a roli on their right hands.
* All girls are made to sit in a row and
* Later we served kala chana, halwa and poori – Ashtami Prasad
* We give gifts in form of money or toys or bangles.
* Lastly touch their feet and seek their blessings.

Ingredients :

Sooji / Rava / Semolina - 1 cup (thin one/chiroti)
Sugar - 1 to 1.5 cups(totally depend on your taste)
Desi Ghee / Clarified butter - 1/2 cup
Water - 4 cups
Chopped Almonds - 2 tbsp
Cardamom powder/ Cardamom pods - 1/4 tbsp / 2 pods (optional)
Raisins - 1 tbsp. [drain in water and soaked]

Note* : You can adjust the dry fruits or sugar as per as your taste.

Preparation Method :

1. Take a deep kadai or heavy based pan and put on a low flame, add the ghee and once the ghee becomes hot, add the semolina....

2. Cook sooji until it is light brown in color, stirring continuously. It take nearly 8 to 10 minutes.

3. Combine sugar and water in a pan. Bring it to a boil and Keep stirring until sugar is fully dissolved in water. Set it aside.

4. Now add the fresh cardamom with seeds..after a seconds discard the cardamom pod.(it's optional those who don't like cardamom flavor, no need to add & skip this step)

5. Add the sugar syrup in a roasted sooji & constantly stirring slowly by using your another hand...make sure that no lumps are formed.

6. Add the soaked raisins and chopped almonds...keep stirring for a minutes in a medium flame till the whole mixture starts thickening and starts to leave the edge of the kadai or pan. Always  maintain the heat at at medium low and keep stirring. 

7. Switch off the flame. Your Sooji Halwa is ready to serve. 

8. Garnish with chopped nuts, i used chopped badam /almonds, Serve it with Poori or Paratha also or plain after meal. 

If you are looking for more easy sweets recipes then do check

kesari rice kheer
rava kesari halwa
saffron sweet rice
kesar aam ras
motichoor ladoo
kesar phirni
zarda pulao

Happy Cooking & Enjoy !!

Dry Kala Chana - Ashtami Prasad :- Hi friends, today I am sharing my mom's recipe of kala chana with which she used to make it for Ashtami prasad. It is so easy to make and yet so tasty. Best going with sooji halwa and deep fried indian bread(poori) to make a lip smacking full meal.
 
About Navratri - This is important festival of Hindus, celebrated with lot of enthusiasm and excitement all across the country. It's a "Nine Days Festival" and it is dedicated to nine forms of Goddess Shakti.

During the festival of Navratri, Goddess Durga is worshiped in nine avatars. Each goddess has a different form and a special significance. 

Nava Durga, if worshiped with religious fervor during Navaratri, it is believed, lift the divine spirit in us and fill us with renewed happiness.

After 7 days we do Ashtami Pooja on 8th day which is called Kanjak Puja. It means young girls below the age of 10 and ceremonially worshiped. Some people celebrated this pooja either on Ashtami (the 8th day) or on Navami (the 9th day) of Navratri. We do Ashtami Pooja.

On Ashtami, we prepare a prasad and offer to small girls. Ashtami prasad consist of Sooji halwa, dried kala chana and poori or some people offer coconut slices too. It's totally depend on the family traditions.

What we do in this Kanjak Puja!

* We welcome young girls in our house and wash their little feet.
* Apply kumkum on their forehead and tie a roli on their right hands.
* All girls are made to sit in a row and

* Later we served kala chana, halwa and poori – Ashtami Prasad
* We give gifts in form of money or toys or bangles.
* We make diya from wheat flour dough and use this diya in a aarti of all girls.
* Lastly touch their feet and seek their blessings.

You can find end number of chole recipes here..
 kala chana curry
punjabi white chole masala
kabuli chana cholle
amritsari style chole

Now let's go to the recipe of kala chana with poori recipe with step by step photos..

Ingredients:

Black chana/chole - 1 cup
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Red chilli powder / lal mirch powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Coriander powder/ Dhaniya powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Oil - 2 tablespoon

Preparation Method :

1. Clean, wash and soak chana overnight.

2. On next day, chana comes double in size. 

3. In a pressure cooker add chana (use the same water which you soak it, if it is clean drinking water otherwise strain it, I have used clean water..so I am using the same one with along more water. Add salt, mix and close the lid.

4. Pressure cook for 8 to 9 whistles on full flame. Once the steam is out, open the cooker and check if chana is cooked. Strain the boiled chana.

5. For that spoon out some chana and press them between your fingers. If they mash up easily without pressing too hard - they are cooked. Set them aside.

6. In a pan heat oil, add cumin seeds and 

when jeera starts crackle add all the spices one by one.

7. Add boiled chana, if water is their let it be is evaporate it.

8. Your dried kala chana is ready.

9. Serve hot with Poori or suji halwa or paratha..I can eat alone or mix with sooji halwa, yumm !!


Recipe of Poori/Puri

Poori or puri is a very popular indian fried bread......made from whole wheat flour and are usually served with a side potato dish, dry or curry.

Ingredients :

Whole wheat flour dough
Whole wheat flour for rolling
Oil for deep fry

Process of making soft, crispy pooris

1) Make into medium sized or slightly small balls and roll out into small circles.

2) Heat oil in a deep frying pan or kadai.

3) When the oil is sufficiently hot then add one poori at a time and fry gently pressing down with the frying spoon or slotted spoon in a circular motion.

4) Turn over when puffed up and fry the poori till golden brown
 and serve hot hot puri with pickle or kala chana or sooji halwa or potato curry or sukhe aloo !! 

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Happy Cooking & Enjoy !!

How to make Sabudana Vada for fasting(vrat) - Sabudana vada is a crispy yummy snack made by deep-frying spiced sabudana and potato cutlets.. This one recipe is often made during fasting times(vrat).

Sabudana (also known as sago or tapioca) is one of the most common ingredients used for making recipes for vrats during festivals like Navratras.

Sabudana cutlets are also called Sabudana/Tapioca tikki, or sabudana vada is a traditional deep fried snack enjoyed all around the country. Since tapioca is gluten-free, it is commonly consumed during fasting period. 

Be any auspicious occasion, Navratri, Mahashivratri or Ganesh Chaturthi, tapioca is one of the favorites because they are light on the stomach, easy to digest and provides energy.

This is my mom's recipe, she usually made it during navratri fasting times(the Hindu fasting season). And that is what I am going to share with you in this post today. 


*Short Info About Navratri Festival*

Sharing some info about this festival..What is Navratre, what we do during these days and what food items we prepared during navratre fasting times ?

Navratri - This is important festival of Hindus, celebrated with lot of enthusiasm and excitement all across the country. It's a "Nine Days Festival" and it is dedicated to nine forms of Goddess Shakti.

During the festival of Navratri, Goddess Durga is worshiped in nine avatars. Each goddess has a different form and a special significance. Nava Durga, if worshiped with religious fervor during Navaratri, it is believed, lift the divine spirit in us and fill us with renewed happiness.

My Home Mandir

All 9 days fasting is kept during navratri festival. Before starting the festival, we clean our home and temple because Durga Maa is coming into our home...

We do daily worship of Durga Maa (morning and evening)..Before starting pooja we offered new Chunari on Durga Maa and kept Panch Mewa (5 dry fruits) or Mishri( small sugar cubes) or fruits as a prasad.

There are some rules of food items during fasting, which we need to follow it..
*no wheat flour(anaaj), gram flour, semolina 
*no table salt(one special salt is used i.e Sendha Namak[rock salt])
*no pulses/rice (eat only barnyard millet - sama rice)
*no coffee, no outside ice-cream, they have some preservatives
*no tomato, tamarind, chocolates
* No Smoking, Alcohol, Chicken, Eggs and some more which will share with you later...
 
Consume Food Items during fast
 
* Dry Fruits, Fresh fruit salad, juices..if u r drinking juice outside home then make sure they don't add salt in it.
* Sabudana, Rajgira, Sawang rice
* Lemon, Mint leaves, Coriander leaves, sugar, tea,
* homemade ice-cream is allowed
* Potato, curd, radish, carrot

For this Navratri, I made this Pomegranate Granita in which no salt only sugar and water with squeeze of lemon juice in it and its perfect summer treat to coolant our body and perfect party dessert..I really enjoyed it on my first Navratre Fast, So I wanted to share with you all.

No doubt the fried way is more crunchier and munching way of enjoying vadas/cutlets but ya its little more calories than other shallow fried. 

As this is a Navratri recipe, sendha namak is used in making of these Sabudana Tikki's. Peanuts adds a nice crunch to this scrumptious snack recipe. You can also make this delicious snack recipe on special occasions like kitty parties, office pot lucks and even on picnics and road trips.

Sabudana Tikki's can be packed easily and are non-messy. Pair this delicious tea-time recipe with hot piping cup of tea or coffee.

Servings: 10 Vadas
Category: Snacks/Main Food
Cuisine: Indian
Total time + Soaking Time : 40 min [ 5 to 6 hrs soaking ]
Preparation Time : 25 mins
Cook Time : 15 mins

Ingredients :

Soaked Sabudana/Sago - 1 cup
Boiled and mashed potatoes - 2
Finely chopped green chillies - 1 to 2 (optional)
Roasted and coarsely crushed peanuts - 1/2 cup tablespoon
Cumin seeds/ jeera - 1/2 teaspoon
Red chili powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Cumin Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Rock salt (Vrat salt - Saindha namak)
Oil for fry

Preparation Method :

1. Soak 1 cup of Sabudana (Tapioca) in water overnight for 5-6 hours. When they have become soft, drain all the water using a colander.

2. Boil, peel and mash 2 potatoes. Add them to a large mixing container along with the sabudana. Add cumin seeds.

3. Roast and coarsely grind 1/2 cup of peanuts. Add these to the mixture as well.

4. Add Red Chilli Powder, Cumin Powder, and Salt.

5. Mix all the ingredients well.

6. Put 1 drop of oil in your palm, so the sabudana mixture don't stick on it. Divide them into small lemon sized portions and shape them into round flat patties.

7. Fry the patties in medium hot oil till they turn golden brown. Do not set the heat to a high setting, otherwise the vadas will not get cooked properly from the inside. 

Note : If you are a beginner don't put so many tikki's at a time, put 2 or 3 at a time

8. Drain the excess oil on an absorbent paper.

3. Sabudana Vadas are ready. Serve them hot with Curd, Coriander Chutney or Tomato Ketchup.

Also see more No Onion No Garlic recipes during fasting time like Sabudana Khichdi, Aloo Rasedar , Samak Rice Khichdi

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Happy Cooking & Enjoy !!