Continued from Diwali Blogging- I and II
It’s not like I’ve been going crazy cleaning and cooking. Nankhatais were made almost 10 days ago. Khajas were made last Sunday. Then there was a big break. My domestic help fell ill and I managed whatever cleaning I could do by myself…I can see all my friends in the US say- No maids here! But the kind of dust that settles on everything that has stayed in one place for more than 5 minutes, is so typically BOMBAY. I often tell DH, if I didn’t move for a couple of hours, I’d be covered with dust myself.
The baked Karanjis took shape 3 days ago and then it was only today that I decided to make the stuff for the finale. Since I’d bought some extra milk for the day, I wanted to make a milk based sweet. I thought – why not Teratti Paal? For all those who aren’t familiar with this one – this recipe has only two ingredients – Milk and Sugar. Milk is boiled and boiled some more (read as atleast 40 minutes per Litre) – to obtain a semi solid consistency after which sugar is mixed in until it melts and the milk and sugar come together as one. Weddings, auspicious occasions, poojas, nothing in my family is complete without this one sweet. Since its got this ‘auspicious’ tag attached to it, I’m always wary of making such stuff and causing some goof up. But today, I had to try this. As usual, called up mom, made a mental note of the process and emptied the milk into my huge non stick wok. Stir, stir, stir, add the sugar, and teratti paal is ready! You really want me to write the ‘recipe’ for you?
Also made a quickie dudhi halwa (bottlegourd fudge) and Gulab Jamun from the Gits pack according to pack instructions. I must tell you that this is the first time ever I tried my hands at these . The balls almost seems like seedai. Or may be like marbles. A quick phone call to my aunt rescued the situation and the jamuns turned out nice and fluffy, floating happily in a saffron-cardamom flavour infused syrup. See them there, and you’ll agree with me 🙂
- Take an absolutely clean kadai / wok. Non stick variety is better. Pour the milk. Bring it to a boil and then keep the flame on minimum. Let the milk simmer for around 25-30 minutes. You cna leave a wooden ladle into the wok, so that the milk does not overflow.
- Please keep stirring off and on, so that as the milk thickens, it does not stick to the bottom.
- After around 25 minutes, you notice that the milk has thickened to a thready consistency. At this point add the sugar and keep stirring. It will take another 15 minutes or so, until the sugar and milk have turned into a semi solid consistency with no liquid floating around.
- Turn off the flame. Mix in a tsp of ghee into the teratti paal and remove it into a bowl / plate.
- The subtle taste of this one is to be experienced. But I shall try and explain. Its rough, granular, mildly fragrant from the milk and sweet of course.
- Recipe for Dudhi Halwa is here.
- In a pan, take a tsp of ghee. Put in the grated dudhi and beetroot. Saute for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the sugar and the milk to the dudhi. Boil them together for around 10 minutes until the dudhi is soft and cooked.
- Put in the khoya, grated nutmeg and keep stirring vigourously until all the water / milk has evaporated. This will take atleast 15 minutes. The fudge will be a pale pink colour and will collect into a ball in the corner of the pan. Take it off the flame.
- Remove it into a deep dish. Flatten well with spatula. Once it has cooled a bit, chill it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Remove and cut into desired shapes.
- This is a very quick and yummy, all Indian dessert. If you don't get Khoya, condensed milk should work fine too. Serve it warm with a scoop of vanilla icecream and your guests will be licking the spoon (and the bowl) clean!.
Here's the list of Diwali goodies -.
Wishing you and your families a wonderfully JOYOUS DIWALI with good health and prosperity.
Tags: South Indian, Tambram cooking, Indian, milk sweet, festival food, teratti paal, karanji, nankhatai, khaja, Saffron Trail, Recipe, Food, Indian food blog, Healthy eating, Healthy living,Mumbai, India.
What a neat spread!Happy Diwali to you and your family!
Looks devine Nandita. Just wanted to wish you a great Diwali. Have fun. On me too!
Happy Diwali N!!:))
Nandita, You have tempted me into making theratti paal…It looks so divine!A very Happy Diwali to u and ur family!
Happy Diwali, Nandita. I loooooove Tiratti pal. Looks delicious !
The sweets look absolutely delicious. And excellent pictures too. Maybe next diwali i will make a bunch of sweets. Happy Diwali!!!!!
Looks delicious Nandita !Happy Diwali !
Oh my!! You went to town, didn’t you?:)So happy to see this gorgeous spread that you have prepared for Deewali, Nandita. Just looking at them makes me happy and hungry.:)Wishing you and family a prosperous and subha Deepavali!Indira
Thanks a LOT dearies for your good wishes – Indira wishing you and Vijay too a happy diwali in your new house and to Kittaya too 🙂
OMG,Nandita, i am dying here looking at ur spread.. what photos.. Wish you and your family a fun time eating the goodies and AVERY HAPPY DIWALI>
Thanks Shaheen – Diwali and Eid all mubarak! Cya around…
Happy Deepavali, Nandita! Looks like you are having a super time!
Happy Diwali. (Check your messages, girl).And you sure went to town! More crunches tomorrow!
Wow, NanditaWhat a variety of sweets! Makes my mouth water .Oh you have a great patient to do the teratti paal.Hope you had a great diwali celebration.
Love all those sweets you made. I have given up trying Indian sweets as none of them turn out good. How did you make the gulab jamuns soft? They look really yum!
I had been waaaaiting for a baked karanji recipe Nandita..and there you are pleasing my soul :-)Loved loved your Diwali posts – from each treat to the cleaning to the teratti pal.Diwali wishes to you and yours dear!
I simply love gulab jamoon… http://aspicytrail.blogspot.com
Hi, I refer to your blog frequently to select recipes to experiment with 🙂 Yesterday I tried teratti paal with full fat milk but for some reason, couldn’t get the milk to thicken, finally a friend suggested adding some lemon juice and that did the trick…
I really love the artistry in your food and how you present it…your dishes are really a treat to the eye!
Hello Nandita, I love the recipes you post on the blog and thanks to you, i have improved as a newbie cook. I plan to try making Deepavali palahaaram over the weekend. I was wondering if i could use saffron instead of nutmeg in the therattipaal or if i can use both in the theratti paal?
Also, would the recipe for doodhi/beetroot halwa remain the same if I avoid the khoya ?
@poornima -it will not taste as good – otherwise you can add some milk powder instead
@Nandita- I do see khoya available in the supermarkets but its sold in 500g. Seems a lil too indulgent :). I think i will binge 😛