5 irresistible sweet dishes you need to try out this winter

Winters are approaching and it is the favorite weather of many people! With no humidity, no sweat to bother and your favorite warm jackets to wear, you can have the best time of your life every winter! Moreover, unlike summers when your appetite remains quite low, winters require one to eat more to maintain warmth in the body.

For all those who love sweet dishes, we have a handful of them that you can easily try out at home and impress close friends and family members. Sweet dishes brought from outside may be good to taste but they come with all sorts of preservatives and impure material which you might not be aware of. So, why not make this winter special in your own way by trying out your hands at some of the seasonal favorite sweet dishes!

1. Gajar ka Halwa

Gajar ka Halwa or Carrot Halwa is a popular sweet dish made of grated carrots and milk. It is popular all over India and is made differently in each part of the country.

Ingredients

1 kilo grated carrots

1 Litre boiled full cream milk

300 grams sugar

2-3 tablespoon ghee/clarified butter

Cashew nuts to garnish

Preparation

1. Grate all the carrots.
2. Heat some ghee in the non-stick kadai/pan
3. Put grated carrots and roast the carrots finely till their color changes.
4. Keep shaking the carrots lest they burn.
5. Boil the milk in a side container
6. Once the carrots are roasted, add boiled milk.
7. Put the lid on the kadai and let the carrots become soft in the milk.
8. Open the lid after about 15 minutes.
9. Keep shaking till the quantity of milk reduces further.
10. Add sugar to the mixture. Also, grate or cut the cashew nuts into half and add it.
11. Keep shaking till the milk dries up and the carrot halwa thickens with it.
12. Serve hot.

Moong dal halwa:

Moong dal halwa is a north Indian recipe mostly tried out on festive occasions. It takes some good amount of time and patience to make but the result is that you cannot stop eating this royal look sweet dish.

Ingredients:

1 cup moong dal

10 tablespoon ghee/clarified butter

1 cup full cream milk

1 cup sugar

4 cardamoms, cashew nuts and raisins to garnish

Preparation

1. Soak moong dal overnight for 4 to 5 hours in water.
2. Drain excess water and then grind it to a smooth paste. If required add some water while grinding so that no lumps remain.
3. Take a muslin cloth. Put the ground moong dal on it. Hold the cloth from all four corners and squeeze out excess water from the ground dal.
4. Now, heat a good quantity of ghee in a non-stick pan.
5. Add the ground moong dal to it, stir and roast it continuously for about 15-20 minutes on a low –medium flame till it seems rough granules have formed.
6. When the raw aroma of the moong dal goes away and the fat separates, add freshly boiled milk to it.
7. Stir well till the liquid gets absorbed.
8. Add the dry fruits for garnishing.

Til ke laddoo:

Sesame seeds are recommended to be eaten in cold weather. Til ke laddoo is a Maharashtrian sweet dish which is easy to make at home.

Ingredients:

1. 1 1/4 cups sesame seeds (til)
2. 1 tbsp ghee
3. 1 1/4 cups roughly chopped sticky jaggery (Gur)
4. 1/4 cup roasted and crushed peanuts
5. 1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder

Preparation:

1. Heat a broad non-stick pan, dry roast the sesame seeds till they change color, while stirring continuously.
2. Now, heat the ghee in a non-stick pan, add jaggery, mix well and cook on a slow flame for about 5 minutes, while stirring continuously.
3.  Add the roasted sesame seeds, peanuts and cardamom powder, mix well and cook on a slow flame for 1 minute, while stirring continuously.
4. Transfer the mixture to a greased plate and allow it cool slightly
5.  Wet your palms with little water, take a small portion of the mixture and shape into a round ball.
6. Make as many laddoos with the remaining mixture.
7. Allow it to cool completely and store in an air-tight container.

Double ka meetha:

Double ka meetha is a Hyderabadi sweet dish made of bread pieces fried in ghee or clarified butter that are sweetened by home-made sweet syrup.  It gives a mouth-watering flavor to normal bread that you cannot resist eating.

Ingredients:

6-dried bread pieces

300 grams sugar

10-12 tablespoon ghee/clarified butter

Preparation:

1. Remove the edges of the bread and cut in even shapes.
2. Heat ghee in a non-stick pan.
3. Shallow fry all the bread pieces till golden brown.
4. Meanwhile, heat water in a side container.
5. Add sugar to it and let it thicken to become a sweet syrup.
6. Put the sweet syrup in on the shallow fried bread pieces taken on a plate.
7. Let them soak for about 15 minutes.
8. Garnish with roasted cashew nuts on each bread piece.
9. Store in the refrigerator if required and while serving you can heat it up.
10. You can also stir and break the pieces while serving to make it like a bread halwa.

Peanut Laddoo:

Peanuts are favourites among youngsters when to be eaten in the form of the salty mixture or in dishes like poha. So, why not try peanut laddoo that is easy to make and do not take much time.

Ingredients:

1 cup peanuts

¾ to 1 cup powdered jaggery

Pinch Cardamom powder

2 teaspoon ghee/clarified butter

Preparation:

1. Dry roast the peanuts so that the outer skin becomes removable.
2. Remove the outer skin of the peanuts and grind them in the mixer as fine as possible.
3. Add powdered jaggery and grind again.
4. Pour the groundnut mixture in a bowl.
5. Add cardamom powder and slight ghee in it.
6. Take some portion of it now and form a round ball.
7. Continue making balls with the rest of the mixture.
8. You can serve it as a snack or have it anytime before or after lunch as well.

Which is your favorite sweet dish? share in the comments below.

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