Kaara Boondhi

Besan - 1 cup

Rice Flour - 1/4 cup

Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp

Baking Soda - 1 pinch

Salt

Oil

Cashew - few

Ground Nut - 1/2 cup

Curry Leaves

Garlic - 4 cloves, crushed

Chilli Powder

Salt

In a bowl add Besan along with Rice flour, Chili powder, Soda, and required Salt. Gove a good mix using a spatula. Add 1/2 cup Water and mix the ingredients making sure to break down all the lumps. It should be a smooth thick Batter. After this adding little Water at a time transform into a smooth slightly thicker than Dosa Batter and of pouring consistency.

Heat oil in a large pan. Pour about 1/2 cup of Batter through a perforated ladle. The Batter should drop as small drops in hot Oil. Once the oil stops sizzling and the Boondhi is cooked remove from heat and transfer to a paper lined towel. Once all the Boondhi's are cooked deep fry the Cashews, followed by Ground Nut, Curry Leaves and Garlic cloves. Transfer this along with the Boondhi's. Season the Boondhi with Salt and Chilli Powder. Now add all the fried ingredients together give a good mix. If water is more you will end up with flat Boondhi's. If water is less you will end up with tail Boondhi's. Adjust accordingly.

Kasi Halwa

White Pumpkin – grated 2 cups

Sugar – 1 cup

Ghee – 4 to 5 tablespoons

Cardamom powder – ½ teaspoon

Cashew Nuts – 10 Nos

Saffron – a few strands

Kesar colour – a pinch

Edible camphor (Pachhai Karpooram) – a pinch

Remove the skin and seeds from pumpkin and grate it. The gratings should be 2 cups.

In a kadai add little ghee and fry the cashew nuts and keep aside.

In the same kadai add one tablespoon ghee. Take out a handful of pumpkin gratings and squeeze out the water completely and add to the ghee.

Add all the gratings after squeezing out the water completely. Fry till its water content is absorbed. Add sugar and stir well. Cook till it looks semi solid.

Add ghee little by little stirring the halwa continuously.

Add kesar colour, safron and mix well. When it leaves the sides of the vessel, add cardamom, camphor, fried cashew nuts and mix well. Remove from stove.

Baked Zucchini Sticks

All Purpose Flour - 1 cup

Corn meal - 2 tbsp

Salt

Pepper

Zucchini - 3, cut into sticks

Egg White - 2, beaten

Oil

Preheat oven to 475 F. Line a Cookie sheet with parchment paper and keep aside.

In a bowl combine All Purpose Flour, Cornmeal, Salt and Pepper. Dip each Zucchini sticks in the Egg white followed by the Flour mixture. Arrange the sticks on baking sheet. Drizzle Oil on the Sticks and bake on center rack for 7 minutes. Now turn the Zucchini sticks and drizzle Oil on the other side. Continue to bake until golden and just tender.

This is the healthy version. But if you are anything like me, just deep fry them and enjoy the deliciousness.