Prasadam Recipes
Prasadam is a type of food that is offered to Hindu deities and then distributed to devotees as a form of blessing. It is considered to be sacred and is often made with simple ingredients such as fruits, grains, and dairy products. Prasadam is believed to have spiritual and healing properties and is an important part of Hindu worship and culture.
Lapsi and Sohari
Lapsi and Suhari is like a sandwich made of roti and a milky, sweet, creamy filling on the inside. I can see why Mother Durga loves it so much, she has good taste
This recipe will make exactly 10 pairs of Lapsi and Suhari.
For the Suhari, you’ll need:
2 cups flour
2 tablespoon ghee/clarified butter
1 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups ghee/clarified butter
For the Lapsi, you’ll need:
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
2 1/2 cups whole milk
1 cup evaporated milk
1 tablespoon ginger
1 teaspoon of cardamom (elychee)
5-6 cloves
2 tablespoon ghee/clarified butter
1 Siliment leaf or West Indian Bay leaf
1 cup of water
Step 1-
Kneading the dough for the Suhari/Roti/Puri.
Mix flour, ghee, sugar and water in a large mixing bowl and knead together to form a nice soft dough.
Now let’s make the Lapsi or the cream filling.
Step 2-
Making the Lapsi:
Combine whole milk, evaporated milk, sugar, 3/4 of the ginger and elychee or cardamom. Now, sift the flour into the mixture and whisk until there are no lumps. You can parch your flour for about 10 mins before doing this step, if you want the lessen the cooking time for the cream. Add the water and whisk into the entire paste.
Step 3:
Cooking the cream:
Put up a large pot (preferably a pot only used for Parsad or prayers desserts) and add the 2 tbsps of ghee/clarified butter. Ensure that your fire is set to LOW heat, you want this to cook low and slow. Once the ghee is nice and hot, tear the siliment or west indian bay leaf and add it to the hot ghee to infuse.
Let the bay leaf fry for about 1 minute and then sift the milk/flour paste into the pot.
Now, add the rest of the GINGER and the CLOVES and keep whisking the mixture in the pot until it resembles pastry cream. Put in that elbow grease, it’s gonna be a while. If you parch the flour before, it literally takes 5 minutes to cook. However, I let mine cook on low heat for about 12-15 minutes until it’s cooked thoroughly. This is how it should look when it’s finished. Set it aside to cool and lets fry up those Suharis or Puris.
Step 4:
Frying the Suhari/Roti/Puri-
Roll out the large dough ball into 20 smaller dough balls.
Now use your hands to spread out the dough balls into flat circles. Use ghee to help you spread it on the surface. Don’t spread it too thin or it will burst. Put the 1 1/2 cups of ghee in a frying pan to heat up on medium-high heat. Once it’s hot, add the Suharis and fry for about 15 seconds on each side. When it’s finished frying, place on a plate with paper towels to drain the excess ghee. When it’s cooled, assemble your Lapsi and Suhari by placing some Lapsi on one Suhari and covering it with another Suhari to make a sandwich.
Finally, when offering to Devi, make 9 Lapsi and Soharis, and add in 3 cloves to each one. This is one of her favorite offerings, make sure to offer it up with love. Some have a custom of marking it with three dots of sindooram, you can do that too.
Sweet Rice Pongal
Now, when making Sweet Rice, you usually do not use sugar when offering it up. Here is how to make it:
1 cup uncooked Jasmine or white rice, rinsed well and drained
5 cups water, or more if required
2 cinnamon sticks (or 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, or to taste)
2-inch piece of ginger, grated, or more to your preference
8 whole cardamom, slightly crushed
1 cup whole milk
1 can evaporated milk
Optional ingredients(use any or all of the following): 8 whole cloves, ½ cup raisins (Do not use any type of essence as they usually contain alcohol!)
In a medium stock pot, add water, rice, cinnamon stick, cloves, and ginger (cardamom and cloves if using). Bring to a boil over high heat uncovered. Once it comes to a boil, immediately reduce the heat to medium. Cook until the rice is cooked but still firm, about 15–20 minutes. If it’s still not soft and tender after that time, add an additional cup of water and continue to cook. Add whole milk and optional ingredients and cook until most of the milk is absorbed (about 5-10 minutes), stirring constantly to prevent sticking. Add evaporated milk and cook, stirring constantly, until that boils down, about 5-10 minutes, maybe more depending on your burner. I recommend cooking on a very low heat until the color begins to darken slightly. This way the flavors develop even further. Always check to make sure the bottom is not burning. Remove the cinnamon stick (and whole cardamoms and cloves if you used those ingredients) before serving.
How to offer this up?:
Put a scooping on to a banana leaf, add one green, peeled, banana on top, and add three dots of sindoor onto it and also put a neem leave on it. This is not to be eaten, rather it is thrown away after the puja. The rest of it though, you can eat it up and add sugar+condensed milk after the puja.
Mohanbhog, aka Parsad or Halwa
Parsad is a smooth, buttery dessert made with parched flour, ghee, milk, and spices.
Ingredients:
-
All purpose flour: Sifted.
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Whole milk: The liquid base of this recipe.
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Ghee: You may also use butter.
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Cinnamon sticks: You can substitute this with 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon.
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Cardamom pods: Added for depth of flavor.
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Raisins: Rinsed
Add flour to melted ghee or butter and mix until combined. Stir continuously until the mixture is loose. -
Continue to cook it until the mixture is slightly brown and the texture begins to change. Cook, stirring constantly to prevent burning until mixture is brown and looks fluffy and a bit grainy but be careful not to burn the flour. -
Then add the hot milk to the parched flour and mix together. It is that easy (a bit messy, but still easy)! Then add in your condensed milk/or sugar to taste. And enjoy!
Coconut Barfi
Ingredients:-
One cup grated coconut
One cup honey
1/4 cup water
Half a tsp cardamom powder
One tsp ghee
Method:- Keep heavy bottomed pan on stove. Add sugar and pour the water. Cook the honey, making it into a syrup. Add the grated coconut and cardamom powder and mix well. Keep mixing till the coconut sticks on the sides. Spread ghee on a tray and pour the coconut. Make the slices immediately and cool it.
Alongside your Lapsi and Sohari, your Valei Pongal, and your fruits, add this to a banana leaf in front of devi. Add a neem leaf on top of each brick of Barfi. Enjoy :)
