Moves like jaggery

Til ke ladoo
Ingredients:

• Sesame seeds (til) lightly (roasted) 2 cups l Jaggery (gur) grated 2 cup l Green cardamom powder 1/4 tsp

Method:

• Grated jaggery is finely mixed with pure ghee and heated at a low flame, let it melt and form semi liquid and then cool. Mix it with roasted sesame seeds.
• Add ¼ tsp green cardamom powder to the mix. Roll the mix into lemon size ladoos.

— Recipe courtesy Maharaj Jodharam Choudhary, corporate chef, Khandani Rajdhani

Wheat and jaggery animal cookies
Ingredients:

• 1 cup wheat flour l 1/2 cup grated jaggery l 100 gm, cold, unsalted butter
• 1/2 tsp cardamom powder l 1/4 tsp cinnamon powder l 1 tsp baking powder l 2 tbsp milk l A pinch of salt (not needed if you have salted butter.)

Method:

• Chop butter into small pieces into a mixing bowl.
• Sieve in wheat flour, salt and incorporate butter and dry ingredients together with your hands quickly. The mixture should resemble bread crumbs.
• Add jaggery, cinnamon and cardamom powder. Mix.
• Bring dough together, add a bit of milk. Combine well for a pliable dough.
• Chill for 15 minutes.
• Dust your work area with flour, roll dough into medium thickness.
• Using cute animal cookie cutters, cut out shapes and place on a greased baking tray.
• Bake cookies at 160-180 for 15-20 minutes, until sides turn light golden brown.
• Cool cookies on a wire rack, store in an airtight container.

— Recipe courtesy Gaurav Saria, Chef Patron, Tea Master at infinitea

Vella (Jaggery) Sevai
Ingredients:

• Idiyappam (a plate)
• 5 tsp powdered jaggery
• 1/2 tsp cardamom powder

Method:

• In a capacious pan, add 1/4 cup water and jaggery powder (as per prescribed quantities). l Sprinkle some cardamom powder.
• Let this solution boil until a thick jaggery paste is formed. Now, take a bowl and sift idiyappam strands until loose. Remove and strain it. Mix this with the jaggery paste. Then again, put it back in the stove and allow it to boil until a uniform consistency is reached. Keep it aside for a couple of minutes. Serve hot.

Gud Ka Halwa
Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 tbsp ghee
• 1 cup semolina, soaked in water
• 50 gm gud soaked in 1 cup water
• 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
• Saffron, a pinch
• 50 gm sliced pistachio
• 4 tbsp shakkar
• Soak semolina in water for 20 minutes. Heat ghee in a heavy bottomed vessel, add the semolina and roast till it turns brown.
• Add jaggery water and cardamom powder, saffron, green pista, almonds, brown sugar and continue stirring till the halwa reaches desired consistency.
• Serve hot.

— Recipe courtesy Chef Arun Basnet, sous chef at Movenpick Hotel Spa Bangalore

Almond and jaggery praline squares
Ingredients:

• 1 cup toasted and chunkily chopped almonds
• 3/4 cup jaggery, grated
• 1 tbsp neutral oil + for greasing plate.

Method:

• Roast almonds in an oven at 160 degrees C, for 10-15 minutes, until a beautiful nutty aroma emanates. Chop into 5 mm discs once cooled.
• Grease a rolling pin and silicon sheet/heat proof surface with oil.
• Heat 1 tbsp oil in a heavy bottomed pan over low heat, add jaggery and stir.
• Once dissolved, cook for 4-5 minutes on a low flame.
• Check jaggery syrup to see if it has reached hard ball stage. You can do this by dropping a drop of it into a bowl of room temperature water. If it retains shape, you are good to go, else keep cooking.
• Turn off flame and add chopped almonds and stir, so they are coated evenly.
• Carefully pour over greased surface.
• With a rolling pin, roll mixture with even thickness of 6-7 mm.
• Cut into 2 inch squares while the mixture is still hot.

— Recipe courtesy Gaurav Saria, Chef Patron, Tea Master at infinitea