13 January 2013

Kaaya Halwa / Kerala Banana Halwa - Celebrating 2 years of Blogging

Greetings to all my dear readers!! I am a few days late but I am glad to celebrate my blogs anniversary and New Year with you all. This small space of mine has reached new heights and all this would not have been possible without your support. :) It gives me a real high when someone tells me they read my blog. And what I treasure the most is the people I have met and the new friends I made. I wish to thank each one of you and hope I can live up to your expectations regarding the recipes I post. Really sorry for the delay in between posts. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you will come back soon and often.

So here is my recipe for the celebrations along with a sneak peak into what made my blog popular in the year 2012. 

The recipe for today is quite an easy one. A very country style Kerala dessert. A quick one which can be made to please guests at home.



INGREDIENTS
Recipe source - Vanitha

Nendran Banana - 1 kg
Milk - 1/2 litre
Sugar - 500g
Ghee - 100g
Cardamom powdered - 4 crushed to a powder
Cashew - a few for garnishing
Kismis - a few for garnishing



METHOD
Steam the bananas without peeling the skin in an idly vessel / microwave oven.* see notes
Peel the cooked bananas and grind it to a fine paste along with milk and sugar.
Heat ghee on medium flame in a non stick wok till it melts. Fry the cashews and kismis. Using a slotted spoon remove it and transfer it to a plate lined with kitchen roll.
In the same pan with ghee add the ground mixture and keep stirring.
It has to be stirred till it thickens. The right consistency can be checked by taking a small portion and rolling it in between your thumb and forefinger. It should not stick to your fingers. You should be able to roll it into a ball.
Tip in the cardamom powder. Mix well.
Transfer it to a greased bowl. Garnish with nuts and kismis.


Cooking tips:
1. Use ripe nendran variety bananas only. It should have brownish black spots on it and soft on touch.
2. If you are cooking the banana in a microwave oven, cut off the top and bottom ends and make 3 pieces of each banana. Place it on a microwave safe plate and cook for 2 -3 minutes depending on the ripeness of the banana. You can check in between. If it has become really soft then it is done.
3. If you are steaming it in an idly pot or any wide vessel add about 2 glasses of water. Place the base or a grill with a stand. Once the water starts boiling place the whole bananas on it and close the lid. Steam for 5-10 minutes on high flame till it is soft and well cooked. The cooking time depends on how ripe the bananas are. Remove from steamer and peel off the skin to use.

So here is a sneak peak into the Top 10 Posts in the year 2012. Enjoy!!




























And to top the list the post with maximum page views - 6500 page views is
Easy Kalathappam in a Pressure Cooker



Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year!! Welcoming this new year with smiles on our faces and hopes in our heart. Wishing lots of good food and cheer this year.. :)

39 comments:

  1. Congratulations dear Rinku for having achieved this milestone! U have come a long way and wow its 2 whole years now!! Wishing u all the best for many more years of delicious cooking and sharing the recipes!! Have a wonderful year 2013!!

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    1. Thanks a ton Shir!! Thanks for being there as my best friend and for the constant support & encouragement. Wishing you a very Happy New Year!! May you be blessed with the very best of everything in life. :)

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  2. Congrats on your milestone Rinku...keep up the quality work you do here...Cheers !

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  3. Congrats on your milestone Rinku...keep up the quality work you do here...Cheers !

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  4. Congrats for your milestone.. So yummy! great way to celebrate
    http://www.great-secret-of-life.blogspot.com

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  5. Love the top 10 list..your patthiri looks so soft and fluffy! also like the addition of chocolate leaves on cookies, beautiful. Well done on the milestone and hope to see more from u this year:-)

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    1. Thanks Jehanne..Glad you liked it. Yeah sure.. will try my best to post frequently and quality recipes :)

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  6. Congrats dear....love ur blog and recipes.....

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    1. Thanks Arthy for the continuous support and encouragement. :)

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  7. Congragulations and wishing you and you blog many many more happy years of delicious cooking and blogging.

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    1. Thanks Finla. So glad to have found friends like you in the blogger world. Thanks for all the genuine comments. I really appreciate the time taken to comment on the blog.

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  8. Congrats Rinku, way to go..Happy birthday to ur blog baby.. Halwa looks super rich and delicious.

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    1. Thanks a ton Priya... You have been my support and encouragement since the time I started blogging. Really appreciate it. :)

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  9. wow gud one dear...love the halwa...2012 was sure a hit with all those recipes

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    1. Thanks Biny. Glad you liked it. Hope you continue to enjoy all the recipes I post.

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  10. love this kaya halwa....
    cant wait to try your cauliflower and peas masala and kallumekkaya achar...drooling
    Wishing you all the best

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  11. Congrats on your milestone. Halwa looks simply delicious.
    Deepa

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  12. Congrats Rinku,wishing many more years of blogging..that was a perfect visual treat..Yummy halwa too:)
    Join EP event-Nutmeg OR Parsley @ Chef Mireille's Global Creations

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  13. Congrats...Mmmm! these look so delicious.....

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  14. wonderful collection of recipes.... congratulations!!

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  15. Ur blog is a special place to visit always Rinku - keep going ,congratulations on your second anniversary !!
    and the round up of 10 best posts have made me HUNGRY !! U Rock!! hope u r doing good!

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    1. Thanks Vidya- You are such an inspiration! One of my most loyal friends :)

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  16. congrats....this looks awesome...keep blogging...

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  17. Congrats Rinku...Wish you many more years of successful blogging. I really loved your 2012 recipe round up too...It had made me so hungry

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    1. Thanks Shema..really glad to have met lovely passionate people like you through food blogging.

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  18. Congrats on the 2 years. I wish you more days of happy blogging and cooking. I love your version of nendra halwa. YuM!

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    1. Thanks Vij..its great to know great foodies like you.

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  19. Congrats Rinku. Great way to celebrate the milestone............never heard of banana halwa before. Lovely clicks as always.

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  20. Congrats Rinku. Banana Halwa looks Amazing.

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  21. Congrats and thanks for visiting my blog..Banana halwa looks divine,glad to know you,plz do keep visiting..

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  22. Congrats on this wonderful milestone. I am new to your space and following you.

    BTW the halwa looks so inviting. Wonderful clicks too.

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Thank you for visiting my blog and taking time to appreciate my work. Hope you have found the recipes you have been looking for. In case you face any difficulty writing comments or you would like to know any details about the recipes feel free to write to me at rinkuskitchentreats@gmail.com. I would be delighted to hear from you.
Please note that comments with links or advertisements or rude remarks will be considered spam.
Hope you will join me again in my culiniary journey.
Thanks!
Regards
Rinku