I made boondhi ladoo for the first time in life. Shape was not perfect but taste wise it was really yummy. My husband enjoyed it very much.

Ingredients:

1.5 cups besan

1 tbsp rice flour

Salt to taste

1 and 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup water

3 cardamon powdered

4 cashews chopped

10 raisins

1 tbsp ghee

Oil for frying

Boondhi ladoo

Method:

• Prepare the batter by mixing besan, rice flour, salt and water.
•  Batter should be of bonda batter consistency.
• Heat the oil for frying boondhis.
• Prepare the boondhis.
• After boondhis are done, prepare the sugar syrup.
• Somewhere between 4-6 mts single thread consistency happens. So watch out closely.
• When the sugar syrup reaches one thread consistency (test by adding a drop of the syrup in cold clear water), turn off the stove and add the cashew, raisins, cardamon powder and boondhi.
• Close the lid after adding last batch of boondhis for 2 mts.
• When it is slightly warm shape into ladoos.

♥ Aparna

This goes to aparna’s sweet celebrations:

http://mydiversekitchen.blogspot.com/2008/10/celebrating-one-year-of-posts-at-my.html

Chicken biryani

Ingredients:

2 pounds chicken with bones (If possible)

4 tbsp curd

1/4 tsp turmeric

1 and 1/2 tbsp chilli powder

1/2 tsp coriander powder

Salt to taste

2 tbsp biryani masala

2 tsp ginger garlic paste

1 tsp shah jeera

3 cardamon

3 cloves

1 inch cinnamon stick

hand full of dry peas soaked overnight and boiled in salt water (optional)

3 cups rice

2 tbsp oil

1 handful of fried onion ( I used store bought)

Few drops of red color mixed in water

6 tbsp of mint leaves

6 tbsp of coriander leaves

3 green chillies slit length wise

Method:

• Marinate the chicken in yogurt, turmeric, chilli powder, coriander powder, biryani masala, ginger garlic paste and salt for 30 mts.
• Wash the rice and soak it for 30 mts.
• Take a big  vessel, fill it with water and boil it.
• Add cardamon, cloves, cinnamon, shah jeera, oil and salt to the water.
• After it comes to boil, add the soaked rice.
• Let it cook for 10 mts exactly. Add peas to the water at this point.
• Drain the rice and keep it aside.
• In the big vessel pour the marinated chicken, spread it so that it will cover the base of the vessel completely.
• On top of chicken spread coriander leaves, mint leaves and green chillies,
• Add rice to it.
• Put color on top only in few places so that rice will look pretty.
• Keep the lid on and keep the heat less than medium.
• It will take app 20-30 mts for it to cook on low heat.
• After about 15 mts keep the heat at minimum and complete your cooking.
• While serving top with fried onion and wedge of lemon.

This goes to srivalli’s rice mela:

http://cooking4allseasons.blogspot.com/2008/10/announcing-rice-mela-celebrating-rice.html

♥ Aparna