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Lavang Lata ( Latika)

Lavang Lata, a sweet for which we were crazy in our childhood. Every time we went to market for some shopping, the desire to eat this sweet used to make us pester our parents until they actualy bought it.  It’s a Bengali sweet however pretty famous in Eastern UP and Bihar too. This sweet is made during festivals like Durga puja, Dipawali or Holi as well as readily available in sweet shops but homemade tastes always better. Lavang Lata is crispy on outer surface and little juicy inside. The outer layer is made using all purpose flour and it is filled with mix of milk mava and nuts. The outer layer is sealed using lavang (clove) which gives a exotic aroma to it. When served warm it tastes awesome. The richness of mava, nuts and ghee give a delicious taste. Indulge at your on risk or ensure you do some good exercise after enjoying it.
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Motichoor Ladoo

Motichoor ladoo is a delicious mouthwatering sweet which is famous in Northern part of India. Ladoo is commonly offered to GOD during worship as well as served on festival or occasions. These ladoos are all time favorite of my kids favorite. The ladoos are made from batter made of besan flour and deep fried in oil/ghee, then simmered in sugar syrup to thicken for final preparation. The laddos are flavored with rose essences and cardamon powder. The most important part of the recipe is the batter consistency and temperature of oil/ghee. Batter consistency should be medium thin so that it easily pass through Jhara. The process is little complex as you need to tap Jhara over the heated oil/ghee pot at a consistent speed to get the boondi shape. To make fine boondi you need Jhara with fine holes.

Motichoor laddo and boondi ladoo are little different with each other as boondis for motichoor is much finer than boondis of boondi ladoo. Preparing these ladoos is a bit time consuming and involved process and requires little practice and patience to get it perfect. I was able to get it right in my second attempt. I prepared these for Diwali and it came out perfect.

 

Rava Halva (Kesari)

Rava Halva (kesari) is a popular delicious Indian sweet made from semolina (rava or sooji) during the festive season or special occasions. Rava Halwa usually served as ‘prasad’ (offering to the GOD). During Navratri festival Halva along with chana fry (sundal) and poori is offered to Goddess Durga and then distributed to the kanya ( young girls). In Northern part of India, it is called as sooji ka halva and In southern India it is called as Rava Kesari. The method of cooking is same for both the recipes. This recipe uses milk however you can use water instead of milk for the halva. Rava Halva can be served as dessert and tastes awesome with mango or red chili pickle. This is super easy recipe with amazing taste.

Tricolor Burfi

Happy Independence Day to all of you!! Burfi is an Indian sweet dish prepared using condensed milk. There are varieties of burfi recipes however this one I made as Independence day special in three colors representing Indian flag. The three layers are prepared separately and then overlapped to make it tricolor. The burfi had a unique taste as it had three different flavors.

Mango Falooda

Falooda is one of the popular cool dessert in India. Mango Falooda is made with milk, mango, home made strawberry jelly, sabja seeds flavored with Rrooh Afza and khus syrup. I have used rose syrup flavored falooda sev, and you can find at any Indian store if you do not want to make it at home. Mango falooda is a refreshing dessert during the summer and really rich. 

Mohanthal

Mohanthal is a traditional Indian  popular sweet dish which is prepared during the festival of Diwali. This delicious sweet, prepared with gram flour, mawa, ghee and sugar. Roasting besan is the most important step to making Mohanthal because if its not roasted well or its burnt, it may spoil your dish. Roasted besan has nice sweet aroma which makes you crave for it, and is the reason why it is one of my personal favorites.