Tasty & healthy

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Horse gram kheer

Ingredients:

Horse gram (dried, roasted and coarsely powdered) – ¼ cup; Coconut milk (thick) – 1 cup; Coconut milk (thin) – 2 cups; Jaggery  syrup (filtered) – 1 cup; Cashew nuts – 10; Elaichi powder – 1 tsp; Saffron/Kesar — a few strands soaked in hot milk; Pure ghee – 2 tsp to fry cashew nuts.

Method:  Boil coconut milk and jaggery syrup for 3-4 minutes. Add horse gram powder and stir well to remove lumps. Boil for 3 minutes. Add the thick coconut milk, elaichi powder, cashew nuts and saffron and mix well. Serve hot or cold.

Horse gram halwa

Ingredients: Horse gram powder (roasted) – ¾ cup; Sugar – 1½ cups ;  Pure ghee — ¾ cup ; Unsweetened khova – ½ cup; Mixed nuts (cashew, almond and pista all coarsely crushed) — ½ cup, Elaichi powder – ½ tsp, Saffron/ Kesar — a few strands soaked in hot milk; Water to dissolve the sugar – ½ cup.

Method: Melt the sugar in a broad vessel on medium flame. Add the horse gram powder and stir for 2-3 minutes. Add a teaspoon of ghee and crushed khova. Stir well. When the mixture turns thick, add the remaining ghee. Lower the flame  and stir. Add the crushed nuts, elaichi powder and saffron. Pour this into a ghee-smeared serving bowl.

Horse gram sauce

Ingredients: Dry roasted horse gram powder – ½ cup, Tamarind juice (filtered) – 2 cups, Jaggery – 2 tbsp; Red chilli powder – 1 tbsp; Tomato sauce – ½ cup; Salt to taste: Asafoetida or hing — a pinch (optional).

Method: Boil tamarind juice with jaggery for two minutes. Add the horse gram powder and asafoetida and boil this mixture well for at least 10 minutes. Add salt and tomato puree. Remove from the fire. When cool,  store this in a clean, dry bottle. The sauce will last longer if stored in a refrigerator.