Go bananas with banana barfi

Overripe bananas barfi

Inspired by a video I watched recently, I made a barfi with overripe bananas that my family considered unfit for consumption. I was amazed to find it so delicious with all its banana taste gone! See the pic above.

We had a friend over on the day I made it. I was quite flattered when he remarked that not only does it taste wonderful, it has a nice, healthy look, similar to the mithai you buy from high-end stores. He said, “From its taste, no one will know that it contains overripe bananas that we usually trash.”

Do try it out. You would love it. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients: 4 overripe bananas (you can use ripe ones too), one cup atta, 1 tablespoonful suji, 4 tablespoons of powdered gur (you can use sugar in place of gur (jaggery), 4 tablespoons of desi ghee

Method:

1. Add 4 tablespoons of water to powdered gur in a bowl. Stir with a spoon and keep aside.

2. Roast the atta in a karahi on medium flame till it changes color and starts emitting a nice aroma. Keep stirring and don’t allow it to burn.

3. Add 2 tablespoons of ghee and keep stirring. When it becomes brown all over, lower the flame and mash the bananas with a fork. Add the mashed bananas to the roasted atta. Keep stirring and mashing the bananas further till the ghee starts appearing on the sides and the atta-bananas mixture stops sticking to the karahi.

4. Now add dissolved gur and the remaining ghee. If required, you can add some more ghee and water. Keep stirring till you get a well roasted mass that no longer sticks to the karahi and ghee appears again on the sides.

5. Grease a plate or container that you want to use to shape the barfi. Spread the roasted mixture on this plate. Wait for an hour or two till it cools down. Cut the mass into pieces. Your bananas barfi is ready! Enjoy!

I look forward to reading your comments.

Just in case you want to see that video that led me to this happy discovery, here is the link. https://youtu.be/R57Fq8S3QaE

Macaroni Kheer

Macaroni kheer

We all love cheese-and-veggies-loaded macaroni. But not many know about macaroni kheer. It tastes heavenly and is so easy to make; gets ready in a jiffy in a pressure cooker.

Here is the recipe.

Ingredients: milk 1 liter, boiled macaroni 1 cup, 5-6 coarsely crushed cashew nuts, 2 split small cardamom, 2 tablespoons butter, 4 tablespoons sugar

Method: Put butter in a pressure cooker and turn on the gas. Add crushed cashew nuts and cardamom. Fry a little. Then add macaroni. Stir. Pour the milk into the cooker. Add sugar and stir again. Place the lid and wait till you get two whistles. Turn off the gas. When the cooker cools down, open it and turn on the gas again on medium. Keep stirring. Once the milk thickens and you get the desired viscosity, turn off the gas. Your macaroni kheer is ready. Enjoy! Do let me know in the comments box how it turned out for you.

Separated Jacks & Jills

Segregated classroom in Afghanistan
Photo source: Google

What a terrible mess Afghanistan has fallen into! Wasting so much energy, money, and time on useless, unproductive activities! Jacks and Jills cannot mingle now and go up the hill together, like they did in the famous Jack-and-Jill nursery rhyme.

The Taliban may argue that Jacks may fall down the hill and break their crowns, but Jills needn’t come tumbling after. They can take rest at home.

In the present century, however, gender-based discrimination and segregation make no sense. They are unnatural. Do you see anything else in the universe being segregated gender wise? Such activities will only hasten Afghanistan’s isolation, both economically and politically. With 50% of the workforce thrown idle and a huge number of the other half with injured limbs, the worst is bound to happen. When will better sense prevail? Only God knows.

Jai Shri Ganesh!

Ganeshji created from Okra (bhindi)

While cutting bhindi (okra) today for dinner, I got this idea. Doesn’t He look cute? Ganeshji made from okra tops! This is my food art, part 2.

My food art, Part 1 is here. Take a look: https://wp.me/p67zXw-3wW

Signatured chutney

Green chutney

Depending on the ingredients you use, you can make a green chutney in so many different ways. I keep experimenting and each time I surprise myself by creating a different flavor that’s so deliciously sensuous. This time, I signed it too with my initials. Try doing it too. You will love it.

Here is one recipe: Just churn a fistful of green mint/coriander with some apple peels (from one apple), ginger, green chillies, 2 tablespoons of salted, roasted groundnuts, lemon juice, a tomato, and 2 ice cubes. Don’t add water, only ice cubes. They will make sure the mixie doesn’t heat up and the flavors are preserved. Apple peels will take care of all the different preferences (e.g, my husband likes sweet-sour-hot chutneys but my father, being diabetic, can’t take sugar and can’t chew an apple).

Moonlight

The moon has always been the same for ages. Hopefully, it will remain the same forever. Only we keep changing. Here are the different pics I clicked in different situations.

A glimmering moon

Natural droppings

Natural Droppings

Single and free!

Maina…going it alone

Jewellery love

My craze for artificial jewellery began in childhood and I am still as crazy about it as ever. Here are some pics.

Monsoon Dragons

Cloudy dragons

It’s monsoon now in Delhi. During dry spells, the clouds and the sun play and create lovely patterns in the sky. It’s interesting to watch the fast changing shapes and sizes of dragons trying to nibble each other.