Malpua Rabdi Panna Cotta

Diwali brings back so many memories. The aroma of sweets, the earthenware lamps...the smell of fire crackers..new clothes. For me Diwali is about family, togetherness and food that brings us together.

Indian desserts are such a unique presentation of techniques and skills. Caramelizing sugar in chikki (sugar brittle) to frying jalebis and soaking them in syrup, to spongy rasgullas, to shrikhand , to Mysore paak, to ghevar, to kheer, to laddus, to barfis...its unimaginable variety with different techniques. None of this is done using expensive equipment and each of the recipes have a rich history behind it. 

Techniques like candy making, caramelizing, cheese making, clay pot cooking, curdling, creaming, sugar panning, deep frying, ricing, reduction, poaching, parboiling, dredging and infusion are not new to Indian cuisine and specially desserts. 

I usually try and make traditional dessert for Diwali, this time I wanted to try a fusion of an Indian classic - malpua. Malpua is a cross between a syrupy doughnut and a pancake. It is shallow fried pancake soaked in sugar syrup with saffron and cardamom flavor. The combination of saffron and cardamom is commonly used in Indian desserts.   I kept the malpua - traditional recipe and made a panna cotta rabri to pair with the malpua - served with a drizzle of saffron syrup. The result : something I fell in love with. For me, gulab jamun is my favorite dessert of all times...I think this is a close contender. 

Holige/Obbattu/Puran Poli - A traditional Indian Dessert

Holige or Bele obbattu or puran poli. Flaky crust and melt in the mouth filling, always served with a dollop of ghee. The caramelized jaggery with lentil gives it it's earthy aroma that makes the dessert.

I do believe the texture of obbattu is slightly different for puran poli - puran poli has a dryer and softer texture, obbattu is more flaky.




This is going to be one long post. If you don't have a cup of coffee with you...this is the moment.

 I admire traditional recipes. Going through my blog last week I realized that even though I cook traditional meals, I don't post as much - working on it in 2016. We do live a fast pace life where we are all running against  time and we are almost always running to keep up. Back in summer the only thing that would take my mind of my to-do list was long nature walks...just made me step back and live in the moment. That was exactly how I felt yesterday, cooking in my kitchen. I was transported back to my childhood, literally lost track of time and for once I was not running. Let's take a step back from easy heat n eat meals to wholesome traditional recipes. It's not just for the palette...wish I can put it into words.

A couple of days ago, Usha, my friend, sent me a pic of banana leaves....well as she expected I called her up to ask her all about it.. Thankfully, she had bought some for me, I don't know how the conversation progressed but we decided to meet up to make some obbattu. It's not that you cannot make it with out banana leaves...but traditionally it is made using it and served in it as well.

We had a blast to say the least, the whole cooking process we were almost on mute and working with our hands, lips  sealed.... our hands kept working and once in a while we exchanged glances with a nod of approval. It's only when the camera came out and I was taking pictures that we were giggling like school girls...I do pretty crazy things while shooting.  I must have shocked or maybe impressed  Usha with my calisthenics skills, standing on tables, almost hanging of the kitchen lamp, getting my sock stuck to the step-stool, just to name a few.

I think I loved the way the obbattu turned out, flakey thin crust and soft and melt in the mouth filling, loved the flaky layers. It's a perfect recipe for a special occasion, worth every ounce of effort. If you do not have 2-3 hours to make this, do not venture into it.

Thanks Usha for all the help.

Badam burfi

You can call it badam burfi or almond fudge. It really melts in your mouth.

Painting by Jaya V Chala 

I grew up with paints, threads, canvas, colored pencils, clay and art books. There were books of art from Rembrandt’s landscapes, Michelangelo sculptures, Leonardo’s inventions, Macchietti’s manneristic style  to the nudes of Sandro Bottecelli. My mother an artist,  spent a good chunk of her day doing embroidery which she calls human moods in thread - portraits done with embroidery as the medium. Mom and dad would discuss her art for hours, even though dad was not an artist, he had a very keen eye, he really helped my mom grown as an artist.

Dad would always tell my mom, “I want people to know me as Jaya’s husband”.   He was her worst critic and her best fan. It was more ‘their’ art than her’s. Many times he would conceptualize and she would be the hand behind his vision.  

As my mother’s art work hangs proudly in my home today, it is more than just art. I think it represents a part of my childhood. Even though she is the artist but all of us have had our contribution, from color combination to how the hand should be, so many details…I really feel so lucky to have been born in a house that valued art. As kids we were encouraged to participate in local flower shows, art exhibitions and every summer vacation we always made a few paintings.

Not a lot has changed, even though I miss my dad, mom and me still talk a lot about art, her inputs on my photography to my critique about her latest sketch. One thing we never agree on is her dislike for tarnished props :)

The paintings in this post or Goddess Lakshmi and Ganesha is done by her. This post is special for me as my mom’s birthday coincides with Diwali this year. 

I love the excitement and the fervor the festival season brings. I am enjoying all the gorgeous desserts in the blogosphere and must have put on a few pounds just looking at the rich desserts.

I have been planning to make almond burfi for a while, Diwali was the perfect excuse. This recipe is from my husband’s aunt, who is an amazing cook and her desserts are fabulous. This burfi/fudge just melts in your mouth.

Wishing you all a very Happy Diwali. A lot of happiness and a great year ahead. 


Here are some more choices for desserts you might like to make for this Diwali.

Liquid pan

Paan in a glass or a paanshake 

I love the gooey honey clad gulkand wrapped up in betel leaf along with everything else that goes into it. 

Before I was married, I had never tasted paan. It was not something my dad would eat or let us eat. Since we had never tasted it, we did not miss much. Back then, I did not think too highly of paan eaters, probably because by the chauraha (where four streets meet) of our house, we had a paan shop and I would always see loafers standing there, chewing paan and spitting it by the road side. I never really liked the red color it bestowed. North Indian weddings always had a paan counter, my mother would always like to take a spoon of saunf ( fennel seeds), me too. That’s all my tastebuds knew about Indian after mint. 

I think it was sometime after our engagement, my better half asked me if I wanted to eat meetha (sweet) paan after dinner. My response was a no with a hint of displeasure. That did not deter him or maybe he did not take the hint. He order a metha paan and I did take a bite which changed my entire outlook of this poor little harmless betel pocket. I was then told there are several kinds of pan and not all pans are equal.  The one that we usually order is almost like a dessert, with gulkand and some after mint and wrapped in tender betel leaves. 

Gulkand is rose petal jam made from a combination of honey and sugar. It’s aromatic and extremely delicious. 

Kalakhatta sorbet

It’s sweet, spicy, tangy, salty, astringent and will have you wanting for more. There are a very few dishes where you can find all the these taste in one bite ….Kalakhatta, black n tangy …purple as dark as deep darks, the flavor to match the color.






 I found jamun recently in the frozen section of my Indian grocery store, not that I went looking for it, I just saw it in the freezer when I went to pick up some frozen drumsticks. I bought and it has been sitting in my freezer for the last two weeks. I wanted to make  something from it, but the flu season got the better of me. Usually when one is recovering from flu, you expect a good soup or herbal infused tea on the blog - not me, am done with hot beverages, soups… am yearning some good chilled food.

I don’t think we ever bought jamun, it was one of those fruits that was everywhere. My neighbor had a  tree and we always got some from their tree, even our mali (gardner) got us plentiful. But there were no takers, dad loved jamun and the only thing I loved about the fruit was the purple tongue one got after one ate them. He would feast on them, every day when in season and we would wonder what he liked about the astringent taste.

It’s been two decades and as I tasted one from the frozen packet, it flooded me with memories from childhood. I could hear my dad call out my name and ask me to wash some jamun and bring it. I could see myself taste one for the nth time and wonder why I even try….dad, relishing it with classical music on the record changer and newspaper in hand….what was another normal uneventful day, is etched so strongly in my mind. I took another bite and even though it lacked the sharpness of the fresh jamun it had enough punch to bring back some of the most cherished memories of my childhood.

My most obvious choice was kala khatta and as I improvised on the recipe, I decided to make a sorbet  instead of burf ka goal ( ice- cone). I did use a lot of frozen berries, as it’s so easily available and I think it adds enough sourness and sweetness and balances the astringent flavor of the jamun.

If you want to know about the health benefits of jamun, ask my dear friend google and you will be surprised. This rich color is all natural - no artificial flavor or color.

This is a post close to my heart for more than one reason, it’s my monthly mingle with Sophia  and Ilva. Favorite fruit/drink from childhood was the theme for this month.

Sweet Potato and Carrot Halwa in Coconut Milk - Indian flavored sweetpotato truffles

Make it vegan or regular. In slow cooker or gas stove….

Rich, aromatic full of flavor, nothing beats a great halwa. I love Indian desserts and this is one of my favorites. It is made from sweet potatoes, carrots and coconut milk - vegan halwa.   The flavors work very well and I love the mild coconut flavor in the halwa. It is a great slow cooker dessert.  It’s halwa but formed as a ladoo ( balls) just to control my portion size ;)

I am an over enthusiastic shopper. No! It’s not handbags, foot wear, make up or dresses….( that too but  not as much). I go berserk in a grocery store - produce section drives me crazy. For one I do not do weekly menu planning - neither do I have a grocery list that is cast in gold. I have a basic list, but it’s always way beyond what’s on the list. For most of my friends going grocery shopping is a chore and a stressful exercise, for me it’s quite the opposite. I even take cell phone pictures of produce - if you follow me on FB or Instagram you know what am talking about. 

A few weeks back I got a huge amount of sweet potatoes ( no kidding!)…the freshness just enticed me. Everything sweet potato was on my mind, pies, curries, soup and even ice cream (am planning that really soon).  Thankfully Sweet potatoes has a long shelf life, I forgot about them and discovered them a couple of days back.  I had originally planned to make an ice cream or a curry, but..I was not in the mood for ice cream in sub zero, horrible, terrible, no good winter day ( ops! I shall reserve this rant for another post) anyway, long story short…I wanted to have a warm dessert - something traditional.  Halwa it was. I used coconut milk instead of milk - loved the flavors. 

There are a lot of ways to serve the halwa - make it into tiny bite size balls (ladoo) and coat them with powdered pistachio or desiccated coconut.  Or just serve in a bowl topped with pistachio. 

Wishing you all a very Happy Diwali with some Gulab Jamun

Happy Diwali !  Diwali brings back so many memories..this is that time of the year I really miss India and miss being a child. Earthen ware lamps, fire crackers and lots n lots of sweets to gorge on…. blissful. One time of the year, where we could be up till 11 playing outside. 

Gulab jamun is one of my favorite dessert and I have not met a person who has not liked jamuns.
Traditionally milk is boiled for hours on and reduced to milk solids, mixed into a dough with all purpose flour, deep fried in pure ghee and soaked in sugar syrup... What's not to like about that. Like is an understatement, bordering around insult. lol ! Seriously you need to taste it to believe me.

If you are into traditional Indian Desserts, here is the list 

Rice Kheer/Pudding 
Mysore Pak 
Instant Milk Peda
Carrot Halwa 
Kaju Katli 
Mishti Doi
Moong Daal Kheer /lentil pudding 
Coconut Burfi 
Karanjikai 
Besan Ladoo
Puri Unde/ Puff rice in sugar syrup

Just to name a few, you can have an endless list of Indian desserts, there are soo many, I can have a blog on Indian desserts and I can blog every day for next decade and still have desserts to blog about, am sure my Indian friends know what am talking about :) For now it’s gulab jamun : a hot favorite in the Jois household.

Indian Rice Pudding/kheer, I was almost going to sell my camera.

If I have anyone to blame it is my friend Sophia. She started my obsession for rice-pudding, last week she shot an amazing (read bold) image of rice pudding. We started talking about rice pudding and realized there is so much common between our cultures and the symbolic meaning of rice, “ we also use rice as a symbol in our tradition (Bulgaria and Greece) and especially on weddings - symbolizes the pure virgin bride that is fertile to bear lots of healthy children and continue the generations of the family…” Rice in India is a symbol of Brahma, the creator and when you think of Brahma you think of purity and white, the use of rice in wedding as a symbol of prosperity and abundance is not new in our culture. 

We had Ilva join us in our madness. I don’t think I even need to introduce Ilva, she’s an amazing photographer and a great friend. She has taught me how to librate my art, not everything you see needs a critique ( I usually get over critical about my work) - enjoy what you create. That’s what I have learnt from her. …Three girls from three different cultures living in different countries as Ilva puts it, “We are all three expats, Sophia is Bulgarian but lives in Australia, Simi is Indian but lives in USA and I’m as you know Swedish and live in Italy” Three different rice pudding, a recipe that has been passed on to all of us. A thread that binds all humanity food and love. I hope you do enjoy our pudding as much as we enjoyed creating it. 

Sophia
Ilva

 This post was a cause of a lot of heart burn, ( not from the rice pudding) I visualized the raw rice image as a white on white …little did I know what I was asking for. I would get a yellow overcast or a magenta refection and it was not pure white. Finally, after hours of reading on white balance and experimenting, I got the final image the way I visualized it. See the triptych and you will know what I am talking about. 

Who says white has no color, it’s one of the hardest things I have ever photographed. But loved the outcome. The thought of selling my camera did cross my mind when I was struggling to make this happen. 

You think things would have ended well with the white on white. Not really! It just got worse. I usually visualize my images a day before I shoot, but I think I was thinking am too good for that, watch what happened, I propped all the stuff, took pictures, re- arranged, took pictures, changed prop took pictures, changed direction of light took pictures, changed the complete color palette, took pictures….nothing worked. They were all dull, lifeless lack luster images. By now I had at least a hundred horrible pictures,  since I cannot share hundred here, here are some better ones that were epic fail. (Click more to view). The last image of the first row, was not that bad and I thought it had hope and thankfully am able to post it. It took me eight hours to shoot this post. Was it worth it, every second of it. 

Mango ice-cream

Am not going to buy an ice cream maker, am not going to buy an ice-cream maker, there is really no end to buying and this is one resolution I hope to keep. Unless of course a dear friend will give me a surprise or an early birthday gift. I have a huge love affair with sorbets you can see here, here and here,  I have learnt that you really do not need a fancy devise to make a sorbet. But there comes a time in everyone’s life when there is a calling, an inner strong calling to make your own ice-cream. So, am going to be doing this without an ice-cream maker ( all sympathetic thoughts can be expressed in the comments)  and It’s going to be mango, why mango ? Coz I cannot get a box of ready to eat mango ice-cream here in the US. Much to my dismay it was not disappointing and got a thumbs up from both hubs and finally teen.  There is no case ( in my own mind) for an ice-cream maker. If you are imagining me churning this mix endlessly, to give that smooth creamy texture, am sure to disappoint you. Not much of elbow-grease here.

A lot of people have been asking me about moody photography, maybe this might be a good time to talk about it. It’s uncommon to see an ice-cream shot this way. It’s usually high-key. like this one. Am talking about the over head shot, the first image in this post. First, I was a bit tired of doing high key and we had heavy sheet of dark clouds in the morning (when I shot this). So for me this could be a rainy sultry day, exactly how it was. So I switched from a white background (with white plate) to a deep blue background and a dark charcoal gray plate. It’s minimum styling. I blocked the light and the only source is upper left. A little light did trickle from the left. When I took the shot, it had a better exposure than this one, as I usually watch the histogram before I click the shutter. As I want to gather maximum information. I darkened it in post processing ( using levels). Since it was over head I used f/4 and shutter 1/50sec. It was not a bright morning and I shot it hand held, so I had to pick a shutter that would not show a visible shake.  Hope this helps, if you need any more details, let me know.  I did take more shots with different, colors and props, just to show how the mood changes.

Now back to the ice-cream….

It does not have much of fat, the reason: fat loves me and I don’t appreciate this kind of love.

Mysore Pak

The story of victory of good over evil is an age old story. It's timeless! It's just not the story of Lord Rama and Ravana, it's about the wolves inside us. Am sure you are wondering 'wolves?' A lot of us have heard this story, but just in case you have not.  A Cherokee tells his little grandson that every human has two wolves fighting inside them. One is Evil – It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

“The other is Good – It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.”

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: “Which wolf wins?”

The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.” 

It really is the essence of Diwali! The light of the lamp is such a strong symbol, with so much significance. It's such a beautiful story, every time am upset, hurt or angry, I narrate this story to myself :). As I light the divas (lamps) I hope for a brighter promising tomorrow...

Thanks for the Diwali greetings, am sorry have not been able to respond to some of you, but am going to as soon as am done writing up this post. 

A very Happy Diwali to all my readers! 

Instant Peda

It's just been a week and it seems like I have not been on the blog for  months. It has been a long week. Phew! Lots of exciting work. That reminds me, I never shared with you guys the pictures of my first onsite photo shoot. This was sometime early May, I was approached by a local Indian restaurant to do a shoot for the launch of their food truck. Here are some of the clicks, nice to see  posters of my photograph used for advertising. Feels good! Am also working with a few authors on an upcoming e-book, some photography for a book cover. Let's see how all that pans out. Sorry guys, if I  sound pompous, I really love sharing my blog adventures with you. Frankly, it feels great to read all the lovely compliments, call me vain but reading your comments gives me the impetus to outdo myself. Believe me when I say this, first thing I do when I get up in the morning : check for your comments :). While we are talking about vanity, I did buy a super cute blue dress, can't wait to wear it. Moving on,  I do have my share of very strong critics, my mother who loves my visuals but will nick pick on minute details and my choice of props, and the grammar police, who is forever after me alias 'finally teen'. I also have my photo clubs, I just love their inputs. The grammar police is the hardest to deal with( rolling eyes). I love exclamation marks, and apparently there are rules,  it's unacceptable to have 3 in a row to have a space before them. If you do see space before exclamation, then you should assume that the grammar police has not come after me yet. ;). Sorry! to all the  grammar sticklers out there (sheepish grin). In a way am glad I do have someone to critique and do some quality control.

Carrot Halwa

Last month when I was in India, I got an email asking me if I would be interested in selling one of my sketches. I almost forgot that I used to do something called sketching, more like doodling. I used to share them on a site called artwanted. I was quite surprised, other than my mother and a few friends...am not so sure I had many fans. Gives a nice ego boost! We need that once in a while. My last post just did that, thanks for all the nice comments and words of encouragement. Really loved it!

I am tempted to share some of my sketches doodling too. I might just have to go look where I have kept them. I had this whole phase with water color too, which was quite a disaster, seriously I have no flair for that medium. I love watercolor but am not sure my hands are made to paint them. I did take some lessons too but my teacher disappeared after a couple of weeks, she said she was going out of town for a few weeks, never called me back. I tried calling her, but her voice mail box was always full. I think my art had something to do with it. Lol!  I remember asking my family for inputs on my watercolor and sometimes that had a hard time figuring out what I had panted. 'finally teen' would be very polite and tell me that she does not like watercolor but prefers pencil as a medium. I did take the hint and quit. We had some good laughs!

Kaju Katli / Cashew Bars

 I have been very privileged to have a mother who is one of the most amazing women. A perfect blend of tradition beliefs  and modern outlook. I have so many memories from my childhood that I can only thank my mother for... She has made those memories so special. My friends would almost always hang out in my houseand there was a constant supply of snacks, meals and desserts. We always shared our secrets, our teen crushes, gossip with her. She has always been there, guiding me just enough, never been a ' helicopter' parent, but always had her eyes on me. Am not so sure if I will ever be as skilled a mother as she is. Among the many roles I play, I have to admit being a mother is the most fullfilling role. I got my mother's day gift and I loved it... 'finally teen' cleaned my car for me, I thought it was so cute. She even sprayed some room freshener in there and it does smell so good. Happy Mother's Day to all the aunts, sisters, girl friends, grandmas and moms and everyone else to loves to mother :)

This recipe is so easy that you will kick yourself for not having tried it before, I did kick myself ;) Thanks to show me the curry for the recipe.

Mishti Doi- a Bengali delicacy

This year I wanted to make something different for Holi... the festival of colors. A very good friend of mine  gifted me this kulad set (small earthenware cups), she carried this from India, in her handbag ...since they are breakable. I know, she's amazing... and just too sweet.

I was almost startled with the ease with which I churned out this bengali delicacy. I was pretty certain I had missed a major step and was subconsciously thinking of way to rework the recipe so the doi does not see itself going down the garbage disposal. The next morning, I rushed to see if the doi had set and was nice and firm...and I could not help myself, tasting a spoonful. I must add that my other half thought I was a bit crazy to taste mishti doi at 6 am... even before my morning cup of coffee (and morning coffee is sacrosanct for me), my repeated plea to have him taste it at 6 am being ignored. I hate being ignored, so I threatened to eat it up myself... still no reaction. Well, I did not eat it all up...and the other half loved it... two thumbs up! Most times I like my food to have its own identity and  ask my family if it tasted different, but this time I was obsessive and I did NOT want it to taste different:
"Is it like misti doi? Is it how misti doi tastes? Did you know it was mishti doi?"
the response:  "YES, simi I know it is misti doi and it tastes awesome." :)))) hehe!

Well, not everything is rocket science and just because it is simple, it does not meant it is not exotic. Happy Holi !!

Mung Daal Kheer / Green Gram Pudding

January 2nd is a special day - after all, it is my dad's birthday!! He loved to celebrate birthdays, and there was always this sparkle in his eyes on those special occasions. As I write this and imagine his smile it almost feels unreal that he is not with us. It has been six years since he passed, but it still feels like yesterday. For a girl, no matter how old she is, there is no man better than her daddy - and this post is dedicated to my favorite man. This is his all time favorite dessert!!

I remember that this was the go-to dessert at home. My sister and I could not see why our dad loved it so much! Can you believe that this is the first time I have made this - and before I set up the dish for a photo shoot, I tasted it, and strangely enough, I loved it!! It not only brought back many memories, but I loved the texture and taste. Maybe - hopefully - I've made it better than mom... She reads my blog - I'm wondering what she'll say to that!! I'll keep you posted.

Coconut Burfi

Sometimes I can be a paradox.  'Why a paradox?'.There are days when I am extravagant with my wants, and days when I am happy being a minimalist. Festivals, especially Indian festivals, bring out the extravagant side of me. I love to get my silver lamps and pooja things out, not to mention my silk saris, our rich meals, and a lot of noise and chaos - the good kind of chaos, where everyone is talking at the same time and you almost need to scream to be heard. ( Yes I like that - sometimes ;)) After the day is done, all you want to do is get out of that sari, get into your old, comfy PJs and sink into bed. Well that's Diwali for me: colorful, noisy, and festive with lots and lots of food.

Thanks for joining me to celebrate the festival of lights!!! Coconut burfi is my favorite  and I just can't have enough of it. What's your favorite ?

Ganesh Chaturthi - Sharing a Tradition

Karanjikai (karjikai)

Besan Ladoo - A classic Indian dessert

'Almost teen' was telling me the other day that she read (or rather tried to read) some classics that have been re-written. And by re-written I don't mean abridged. It really saddened her (and me) that they had mish-mashed the story in a way that the feel of the old classic is lost. Some of her friends did like the new perspective or take to the story, but I think I share her opinion and feel a bit let down. I think I am a bit like that even with my cooking - there are some classic recipes that I will not want to refurbish. It's just not me. Besan Ladoo is definitely a classic for me...and here it is as it should be, simple and age old.

By the way, on a completely different note, 'almost teen' is going to be a teen soon... I can't be calling her 'almost teen' anymore - any recommendations?? Her friends recommend 'finally teen'... I like it - what do you guys think??

Besan Ladoo

Puri Unde - Caramelized rice puffs

I have seen some awesome recipes and some great photography the last few weeks - it's so inspiring!! I have been blog-hopping quite a bit, reading an awesome book about nutrition... I think I am going to do a blog post on it sometime soon. I've been going on long walks, and been spending a lot of time in my yard, which I need to share some pictures of... There's so much to do!!  There has been a lot of cooking and just a little bit of photography going on. My list of to-do items has increased dramatically, and I don't think I am doing anything much about it! :( I need to finish reading the book on food photography and practice what I learned... Thanks to all the awesome bloggers out there, you really push me to new creative heights!!

Things may look easy, but there is always a learning curve... I grew up eating puri unde and never thought of it as an exotic dessert or snack. Thank to Almost-Teen who asked me to make sweet puri unde from rice puffs like her ajji (grandmother) makes. I called my mom for the recipe, and she made it sound so simple! I have never seen my mother struggle with the recipe, and there was no forewarning (cough cough), so I assumed it was easy.

The first time, everything was perfect. The taste, the crunch, everything!

Then we discovered a problem - it did not form balls. I did some 'unde' (ball) trouble shooting, as it was too late to call my mother, but Google did not come to my rescue either! After studying the caramelized rice puffs, I came to the conclusion that there was too little jaggery in the recipe. Here Almost-Teen is complaining that she told me that multiple times... I have to admit it - she did. So we had an action replay with more jaggery, and surprise surprise!! Our Puri Unde became a success. This is an easy recipe but remember no two apples are the same,in this case jaggery, so you might want to make a small batch to ensure that you get the right proportion. Bon Appetit, everyone!!