Dubai Burfi

My friend Uma is the sweetest person and an excellent cook. She is known for making all kinds of delicious desserts and savory dishes. One of her specialities is Dubai burfi. A few months back, when we visited her house, one of her guests asked her to give a demonstration making the burfi. She readily agreed and prepared it, with step by step instructions. My daughter and I daughter took some pictures and filmed the process, and I edited it together to make a full video of Uma's demonstration. Here it is!  

Dubai Burfi prepared by me following the video

Ingredients:

Almonds powdered - 1 cup
Cashew powdered - 1 cup
Walnuts powdered - ½ cup
Milk powder - 2½cups
Sugar - 3½ cups
Ghee - 2 cups
Water - 1½cups
Saffron - ½ tsp
Cardamom powder - 1 tsp

Method:
1.      Powder almonds, cashew and walnuts separately.  To this add the milk powder.
2.      Take a heavy bottom vessel and add sugar and water and let it dissolve.
3.      Add the powdered nuts and milk powder.
4.      Keep stirring continuously. 
5.      Add saffron and cardamom powder.
6.      Keep adding ghee throughout the process gradually.
7.      When the consistency is thick and brown and it leaves the sides of the pan it is ready.
8.      Pour the mixture on a greased plate and spread the mixture.
9.      Cut to desired shapes and store in a container.

Akki Roti

Akki Roti is a rice-based breakfast item unique to the state of Karnataka, India. Ak ki-Rotti means rice-pancake in the native language, Kannada. It is made of rice flour which is mixed with salt and water and kneaded well to make a soft dough. Sliced onions and carrots, chopped coriander leaves and cumin seeds can also be added while kneading the dough for taste. Oil is spread over a griddle and a small amount of the dough is neatly spread over it to resemble a thin pancake (rotti). A small amount of oil is spread over it and the griddle is placed over heat till the rotti turns golden brown. Akki Roti is served hot and is eaten along with chutney. A dash of butter with Akki Rotti is also preferred. This is my favorite dish and my mom prepared it often growing up.


Ingredients:
Rice flour - 3 cups
Carrot  - 1 medium grated
Lilva papdi/avarekai - 1 cup (optional)
Bell pepper  - half diced
Onion - 1 medium chopped
Curry leaves - 2 strings
Coriander leaves - 1/2 bunch chopped
Cumin seeds - 1 tblsp
Green chillies - 4 or 5 chopped
Coconut grated - 1/2 cup fresh or dry
Salt to taste


Hot water - to mix

Method:
1.  Mix rice flour with grated carrots, lilva papdi/avarekai, chopped bell pepper, chopped onion, chopped curry leaves, corriander leaves, cumin seeds, chopped green chillies, grated coconut, chopped corriander leaves, and salt.
2.  Add just enough boiling water to this and knead.
3.  Make it to tennis size balls.
4.  Flatten the dough on a plastic sheet with your hand
5.  Gently transfer the flattened roti to a cast iron griddle or skillet
6.  Add a tsp of oil around it and cover it
7.  Cook on medium flame till done
8.  Serve with chutney.

Mysore Pak - Video Demonstration

Mysore Pak in 20 minutes

Demonstration by Uma

Mysore Pak is a favorite sweet dish of Karnataka, India, usually served as dessert. It is made of generous amounts of ghee (clarified butter), sugar, and chick pea (besan) flour. As per Wikipedia, Mysore Pak was first created in the kitchens of the Mysore Palace by a palace cook named Kakasura Madappa out of the above ingredients. Here is a demonstration by my friend Uma.

Video Demonstration -Part 1

Video Demonstration -Part 2

Ingredients:

1 cup besan

2 cups sugar

2 cups ghee

1 cup water

1. Mix half cup of melted ghee with one cup of besan flour, mix lightly and set aside

2. In a pan, add two cups of sugar and half cup of water.

3. When is dissolves add the besan flour and ghee mixture to pancake dough consistency

4. Add half cup more water to this. Adding water increases the porosity of the Mysore Pak.

6. Keep stirring continuously adding ghee gradually until all the ghee is used

7. When the besan mixture becomes light brown and porus it will leave the sides of the pan

8. Pour the cooked mixture on to a greased plate

9. It will harden in a few minutes.

10. Cut to desired shapes pieces when it is still warm.