Homemade Badam Milk Mix | Badam Milk Recipe

Badam Milk Mix, a delicious and healthy nut mix that is used to make a healthy drink by mixing it with milk. Badam milk is quite popular throughout India and even considered as a luxurious food because of the addition of almonds which is quite expensive. 

Badam Milk can be made either with the freshly grounded almond paste or with the instant powdered mix. Making badam milk with the freshly grounded almond paste is little time consuming however making and storing this Badam milk power/mix in a container comes handy for making instant Badam milk.

So if you have never tried this homemade badam milk mix then do give a try ! It's so easy to make with a handful of ingredients and the taste and flavor are really amazing and way better than any store bought instant mix.

Almonds

Almonds are the key ingredient in this mix. So use a good quality of almonds for great flavor and richness. In this recipe, i have used cashews in addition to the almonds. In our family, we like the combination of almond and cashew more than the almonds alone.

But it's really a personal choice so you can make this mix only with almonds too. It tastes equally good.

Saffron 

Saffron is the key ingredient for that typical badam milk flavor. So buy a good quality of safron and use it generously. I'm the person who rarely uses saffron in my cooking and rarely buys & stock it in my pantry.  So always skip when the recipe calls for it.

But for this mix, i wouldn't make it without saffron so i highly recommend to use it generously in this recipe.

Sweetener

Today, i have used panam karkandu / Palm sugar candy for the sweetness since i'm giving this to my toddler also. However you can use plain white sugar too. 

Also i have used only 1/3 cup of sugar candy which is very less for the given quantity so you can use up to 1/2 cup of sugar. Keep in mind that you can add more sugar later while making the badam milk too if needed. So keeping the sugar as minimal in the mix would be great.

Other uses of Badam milk mix 

• You can use a couple of tsp of this mix in the pancakes , it would tastes awesome.
• You can also use it in the onion tomato based curries like paneer masala, chickpeas curry. Add a few tsp of this mix in the end of making curries, it gives thickness and richness to the curry and also the mild sweetness balance out the other spices.
• You can use this mix for making Badam kesar kulfi too.

Ok, now let's check out how to make this Badam Milk Mix.

Homemade Badam Milk Mix

Preparation Time : 5 mins | Cooking Time : 10 mins | Serves : 2 
Recipe Category: Health Mix | Recipe Cuisine: Indian
Homemade Badam Milk, Badam milk, Healthy mix Badam Milk Mix, a delicious and healthy nut mix that is used to make a healthy drink by mixing it with milk.

Sandhiya https://www.facebook.com/SandhiyasCookbook https://www.instagram.com/sandhiyascookbook/

Ingredients

Almond - 1/2 cup

Cashew - 1/4 cup

Cardamom - 7

Palm candy sugar / Panam karkandu - 1/3 to 1/2 cup

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Saffron - a big pinch

For Badam Milk

Milk - 1/2 cup

Badam Milk Mix - 1 tbsp

Procedure

First heat a thick bottomed pan, add the almonds and roast till the skin starts to turn brown and then transfer the almonds into the mixie/blender jar.

Next add the cashews and roast till dark spots appear here and there and then transfer the cashews into the mixie/blender jar.

Finally add the cardamom to the pan and roast it for  2-3 mins and then  transfer that into the mixie/blender jar. Let the roasted ingredients cool a bit and then grind into a coarse mixture.

Then add the palm candy, turmeric powder and saffron and grind into a smooth mixture. That's it! Badam Milk Mix is ready. Store it in the airtight container and use as needed.

To make Badam Milk.

Pour the milk in a saucepan, add the Badam milk mix and bring into a boil. Delicious Badam milk is ready. 

Pour into the serving glass and garnish with a few strands of saffron.

Related : How to make Rosemilk at home

Notes:

• Badam milk can be served warm as well as cold. It tastes good either way.
• For 1 cup of milk, you can use up to 2 tbsp of badam mix. 
  
  
  

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Granola, a delicious and healthy breakfast/ snack food made from rolled oats, nuts and dried fruits.The flavor and the taste from the home made granola is really amazing !! Make them in bulk and store them comes handy for breakfast on busy mornings. 

When we were newly married, most of the days, our morning breakfast was some kind of  store bought cereal. Before marriage, ST was so used to having cereals for morning breakfast in the US, so later when i had joined him, i too followed the same because i didn't know anything in cooking back then. Initially i liked it without bothering much about how healthy it is for breakfast and all. Later it's kind of bored and started to make the typical tamilnadu breakfast such as idli/dosa for breakfast. 

Now it's more than 3 years since we bought a pack of cereal from the store. Instead i have been making this granola at home and we liked it so much more than any store bought cereal that we had tried so far. It's such a simple recipe and ready in 20 mins, it can be served with milk  for breakfast or with yogurt as a snack.  Before moving to the recipe, let's answer all the basic questions that might have popped in your head about granola.

Which oats is best for granola?
Old fashioned rolled oats is best for making granola. Don't use the quick 2 mins oats for this recipe

Which oil is best for making granola?
My personal choice is coconut oil. I love the mild coconut flavor in the granola. But you can use the olive oil, canola oil or any flavorless oil also.

What are the nuts taste best with granola?
In today's recipe, i have used almonds alone. But you can use whatever nuts you like.  Almonds, pecans, cashews and walnuts also taste good with granola.

Honey or maple syrup for granola?
Again it's purely a personal choice. I like maple syrup over honey any day. Also i have read that using honey helps to clump the granola together, so if you're into clumpy granola, use honey or half and half of both

How to make clumpy granola ?
Personally i don't like clumpy granola, so haven't tried all those tips available online for making clumpy granola. Like i said before honey helps to make clumpy granola. Another tip is to press the oats well and bake it. Once it's out of the oven, don't stir it immediately, let it cool naturally, all these help to get clumpy granola.

When to add dried fruits in granola?
Add the dried fruits into the granola once it's baked, no need to bake them, it's easily burned in baking. 

What are the other things to add granola?
Seeds can be added in granola. Sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds and sesame seeds are taste great with granola. 
In addition to that coconut flakes or slices can be added. Personally i like to add desiccated unsweetened coconut flakes into my granola. The flavor of coconut goes well with the oats and it's my favorite ingredient in making granola.

Homemade Granola | How to make Granola

Preparation Time : 10 mins | Cooking Time : 20 mins | Serves : 2 
Recipe Category: Breakfast | Recipe Cuisine: Indian
Homemade Granola, How to make granola, Granola with almonds, Granola with coconut, Maple Syrup,Coconut oil Granola, a delicious and healthy breakfast/ snack food made from rolled oats, nuts and dried fruits.The flavor and the taste from the home made granola is really amazing !!.

Sandhiya https://www.facebook.com/SandhiyasCookbook https://www.instagram.com/sandhiyascookbook/

Ingredients
Rolled Oats - 2 cups
Almonds - 3/4 cup
Raisins - 1/2 cup
Desiccated Coconut - 3 tbsp
Coconut Oil - 1/4 cup
Maple Syrup - 1/4 cup
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Vanilla extract - 1/4 tsp

Procedure

First take the coconut oil and maple syrup in a bowl, add salt & vanilla extract into it.Mix it all well together. Then add the oats and almonds(i have chopped them into half). Mix them well until all the oats coated with oil & syrup mixture.Preheat the oven @300 F. Line the baking tray with parchment paper and transfer the oats mixture into it. Spread them evenly as single layer and put it in the oven and bake it for 20-25 mins. Half way through take the tray out and mix it well and press it again and put it back in oven.Once the oats are out of oven, add the raisins and coconut. Mix it well. Let them cool completely and store it in air tight container.Healthy Granola is ready !! 

For more international breakfast recipe, check out here or if you do like pancakes, check out this amazing oats pancakes made from rolled oats.


Notes:

• Other than raisins you can add whatever the dried fruits you like
• Every oven differs slightly and so keep an eye on the oats while baking. 
• When the oats is well toasted, it's crunchy when it's cooled.  
• Instead of using chopped almonds, you can use as it as whole also.
• If you're coconut oil is frozen, put it in a bowl of hot water or microwave it until it's all melted.
• If you're making in large quantity, use large pan or do it in batch for even roasting of oats
• In addition to the vanilla extract,you can add 1/2 tsp of cinnamon flavor also for extra flavor.
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Pistachios Baklava | Turkish Baklava | Baklava recipe

Turkish Baklava, a thin pastry layered with nuts which later baked and soaked in sugar-honey syrup. They are absolutely delicious, delicate pastry with crunchy nuts and oozing syrup,OMG, it's very addictive and i started to crave for some now when i have written those lines., you can't just stop by one for sure. 

If you have already tasted this delicious pastry, i'm sure that you agree with me on how delicious it is. If you haven't, you must try to believe what i'm saying here. I couldn't remember when was the first time that i had tasted this yummy sweet, but whenever i see it at any middle easy grocery store/bakery, never forgot to pick.  

Initially i thought that it  was very difficult to make, later i got to know that it can be made easily with the phyllo sheets available in the frozen section of grocery store. Yep, with store bought phyllo sheets, it seems easier to make than the most of the Indian sweets :-) 

So far i have baked baklava a handful of times, every time it turned out finger licking delicious. More than me, ST is a big fan of baklava, that's rare because in our home, i'm known for sweet tooth :-)

Related: Baked Potato Samosa with Phyllo Sheets

I have read lot of recipes before making them. But i'm not sure which one is traditional and how it's been made in Turkey. From my reading, i have understood that Greeks, Lebanese, Turkish and Armenians have their own style of making them and it's difficult to pin point one particular baklava to one specific region., always there is mix of varieties in every regions. 

So here i'm sharing my favorite way of making them. I love to use pistachios and almonds in my baklava, not only it looks tempting, the combination is so good.

Pistachios Baklava | Turkish Baklava

Preparation Time : 15 mins | Cooking Time : 1 hr | Serves : 6 
Recipe Category: Sweet | Recipe Cuisine: Turkey
Almond, Baklava, Desserts, Middle East, Pistachio, Sugar, Sweet, Turkey Turkish Baklava, a thin pastry layered with nuts which later baked and soaked in sugar-honey syrup.

Sandhiya https://www.facebook.com/SandhiyasCookbook https://www.instagram.com/sandhiyascookbook/

Ingredients
Phyllo sheet - 6
Almond -1/3 cup
Pistachios - 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp
Cardamom - 2 tsp
For Syrup
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Honey - 2 tbsp
Water - 1/4 cup
Lemon zest - 1/2 tsp
Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp 

Procedure

Add the nuts(Almonds & Pistachios ) and cardamom into the blender and blend it coarsely and keep it aside.

Unwrap the phyllo sheets and take the needed 6 sheets and keep the remaining in the refrigerator.

Take one phyllo sheets on the working surface, cover the remaining with damn kitchen cloth, fold into half and brush it with butter all over, again fold into half and brush it with butter all over.

Place that phyllo sheet into buttered baking pan. Do the same for another sheet and place it on the baking pan. Next add half of the nut mixture into the baking pan.

Cover it with two buttered phyllo sheets as we did before and add the remaining nut mixture. 

Cover the top with two buttered phyllo sheets.. Cut them into triangles.

Bake it in the preheated oven for 350F for 50 mins to 1 hr.
In the mean time, add the sugar, honey and 1/4 cup of water into the sauce pan.

Bring into boil and let all the sugar melts. Add the lemon zest and cardamom ,switch off the flame.

Once it's baked, remove from the oven, let it cool for 5 mins and then pour the sugar syrup all over. Let it sit for 2-3 hrs or overnight.

Cut and serve. Delicious Baklava is ready.

Related: Baked Onion Samosa with Phyllo Sheets

Related: More Baking Recipes

Notes:

• Make sure the syrup is also slightly warm when you pour over baklava, if not, reheat for few mins and use it.
• Use sharp knives for perfect cut.
• Soaking time is very important, so let it set for minimum 2 hrs before serving.

Related: Baked Avocado Rolls with Phyllo Sheets

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Badam Katli | Almond Fudge | Sweet Recipe

Badam Katli / Badam Burfi, a delicious fudge made from the almond and sugar. Yep, with only 2 ingredients, you can make this delicious katli and the best part is unlike other sweets, you no need to worry about the sugar consistency!!! 

I have prepared this katli many times and every SINGLE time it turned so perfect and on few times, i had shared it with my friends, they also liked it very much and asked me the recipe and literally amazed by the simplicity of this recipe. 

So if you're beginner in cooking and want to try some simple sweet, i would recommend this Badam Katli next to rava kesari. It's so easy to prepare and hardly within few mins it would be ready too.

And also this would be ideal for gifting on any festive day. Give it a try, i'm sure you would be amazed by its taste!!! With this sweet, i'm wishing all my readers, friends & family a very "Happy New Year!!! " 

Badam Katli

Preparation Time : 10 mins | Cooking Time : 15 mins | Makes : 25 
Recipe Category: Sweet | Recipe Cuisine: Indian
Badam Katli,Almond Fudge,Badam Burfi Badam Katli / Badam Burfi, a delicious fudge made from the almond and sugar.

Sandhiya https://www.facebook.com/SandhiyasCookbook https://www.instagram.com/sandhiyascookbook/

Ingredients
Badam/Almond - 1 cup
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Water - 1/4 cup
Ghee - 1 tsp

Procedure

First let remove the skin of almond, for that, bring a pot of water to boil and add the almond and let it boil for 2 mins.

Remove from the flame and drain the water from almond. Now the skin easily comes off when you rub the almond between your fingers, then place all the almonds on tissue paper to remove the moisture.

Put the almond into mixie jar and grind into coarse mixture.

Now take the sugar and water in a pan and put it on heat, let the sugar dissolves completely and then add the coarse badam powder.

Keep the flame in low and mix it continuously. It slowly starts to become a thick mass.

Once the mixture moves with your spoon, take a pinch of the mixture and roll it, if you can form the ball, then it's ready. Remove the flame.

In a plate, add a tsp of ghee and transfer the badam mixture into it and let it comes to hand bearable temperature, then start kneading the mixture until it becomes smooth and looks like dough.

Place the badam dough in between the parchment paper and roll into desired thickness.

Then cut into desired shape.

Tada, Delicious Badam Katli is ready.

Related:How to make Rasgulla

Notes:

• No need to check the sugar consistency, once the sugar is dissolved, you can add the badam powder.
• Use pulse mode in the mixie to grind the badam into coarse mixture.
• Don't grind the badam for long time, otherwise the oil from badam would come out.
• If the dough is still sticky after kneading, then put it back on heat and stir until it reaches the correct consistency.
• If the dough is dry and couldn't hold the shape, add few tsp of milk and knead it. But that will reduce the self life of katli, so finish it off in few days.
• As this sweet is very rich, i cut into thin slices, but you can cut the katli as per your wish
  

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