Bottlegourd (soraikai) Halwa

Ingredients:


Grated bottle gourd - 2 cups

Sugar - 1 cup

Milk - 2 cups

Ghee - 2 tbs

Cashew nuts - 6 nos

Crushed cardamom - a pinch

Raisins - a few


Method:


Peel , wash and grate the bottlegourd and keep it aside.

In a pan heat ghee and roast the cashews and raisins at medium flame. 

Add the grated bottle gourd in the same pan. 

Stirring continuously until the raw smell goes .

Now pour the milk and stir well. 

Cook on medium-high till the milk is nearly absorbed.  

Give frequent stirs 

Now add the sugar. Cook it for 7-8 minutes at medium flame.

When the halwa becomes thick, add the remaining ghee, roasted cashews, 

roasted raisins and crushed cardamom. 

Serve it hot or chilled.
 

Athirasam

Ingredients:

Rice - 1/2 Kg

Jaggery - 500 gm

Oil - as you need 

Method :

Wash and Soak the rice in water for half an hour. 

Drain the water completely and spread the rice in a newspaper and allow ti to dry 75%

Dry grind  the rice and seive for fine powder 

In a pan put the jaggery and add a little water. 

When  jaggery dissolves completely  in water filter the jaggery  syrup from dust 

and  make  thick  syrup.

Combine the rice powder with jaggery syrup and make a dough.

Close the dough with a lid and leave it for one day.

Make small balls in the dough.

Put the ball on a milk cover  and  flattened by hand  like athirasam.

In a pan heat oil at medium heat and fry both sides of the athirasam 

till it comes golden brown in colour.

Now  the delicious  Athirasam is ready to serve...