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Bournvita Barfi and Black-Eyed Beans, Sweet Potato And Kale Salad

What’s Cooking? by P.S. Lakshmi Rao

Bournvita Barfi 

1/2 cup bourn vita

2 ½ cups all purpose flour

1 ¼ cups melted ghee

3 cups sugar

1 cup water

1 cup khova (mawa) blend

Method

Blend bournvita in blender until soft.

Heat a four-quart non stick pan on medium low heat and fry 2 ½ cups all purpose flour for five minutes. Divide the fried flour into two bowls. 1 ½ cups flour into one bowl and 1 cup into the other. Mix ¼ cup of melted ghee into1 ½ cups flour. Mix another ¼ cup of ghee plus ½ cup bournvita with the remaining 1 cup flour. Set aside both bowls.

Return the pan to the stove and mix 1 ½ cups sugar with ½ cup water on medium high heat. Add khova and mix until khova is melted. When the syrup starts to bubble reduce the heat to medium low heat. Add the  1 ½ cups flour and ghee mixture into the sugar syrup, mixing briskly to make sure there are no lumps. (Remove the pan from the heat and mix if needed.) Slowly add ¼ cup ghee while mixing on medium low heat until the flour mixture (barfi) loses the glossy texture. Pour the barfi on to a greased cookie sheet and spread it with a rolling pin into half an inch thick sheet. This has to be done quickly.

Return the pan to the stove and make sugar syrup. Add khova. Mix bourn vita mixture into sugar syrup while mixing the other ¼ cup ghee slowly. Prepare bourn vita barfi the same as the flour barfi. When barfi looses the glossy texture quickly pour bourn barfi on top of flour barfi. Let it cool for five minutes before cutting. Cut it into two-inch squares or 1 x 2 inch rectangles.

 Makes 35 to 40 pieces.

 Note: Mix little more ghee if the barfi starts to stick to the pan. If the sugar syrup is too thick it is hard to spread the barfi and it will be crumbly.

 I would like to thank Mr. Kommaraju Ramakrishna (chief cook at  the Hindu Temple of Atlanta) for sharing this recipe.

Black-Eyed Beans, Sweet Potato And Kale Salad

 

½ cup dried black-eyed beans

½ teaspoon salt

3 large sweet potatoes

2 tablespoons oil

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper

1 small bunch kale or 6 cups chopped

2 tablespoons oil

1 small onion chopped

3 garlic cloves finely chopped (optional)

2 tablespoons lemon juice

3 cups cooked quinoa or couscous (cook according to directions)

 Method:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

 Wash beans and soak over night with three cups water.

The next day, wash beans and cook with one cup water and ½ teaspoon salt for five minutes on medium heat. Drain them into a small colander.

Wash and peel sweet potatoes. Cut them into half inch pieces. In a bowl mix them with 2 tablespoons oil, ½ teaspoon salt and pepper. Spread them onto a cookie sheet and bake them for 25 minutes tossing them   around periodically.

Remove kale leaves from the stems. Chop the leaves, wash and squeeze   the water out.

Heat a large pan with 2 tablespoons oil. Add onions and garlic, if using. Fry for two minutes. Add kale and fry for five minutes on medium heat stirring until the moisture evaporates.

 In a large bowl toss together black-eyed beans, sweet potatoes, kale and cooked quinoa or couscous and lemon juice. Add more salt and pepper to taste.

 Variation: Top with croutons for crunchiness.

 Note: This dish is great for ringing in the New Year. There is a southern tradition to eat black-eyed beans for luck and greens for wealth.  It is also good for your health.

 I would like to thank Mrs. Subha Thrivikraman for sharing this recipe.

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1 comment

Sudha October 26, 2019 at 9:10 am

After mixing all the ingredients, how long should we stir before moving tha barfi into plate from pan?

Reply

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