Lotus seeds or makhanas , as they are called in Hindi, are a wonderful source of protein and the fact that they are low in calories, puts them in the super food category. Since it’s a festive time here in India this pudding was the ideal dish to make . Typically this is made with milk and sugar but I have modified it and used jaggery which gives a very rich flavour and a nice deep colour. While adding jaggery one has to make sure that the pudding has been cooled to a lukewarm stage or else the milk will separate.
Ingredients:
- 2 litres of milk
- 250 GMs lotus seeds
- 250 GMs jaggery
- 1 cup desiccated coconut powder
- 1/2 cup cashews chopped roughly
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 4 tbsps ghee
Method:
Cut the lotus seeds into half. Heat a deep bottom pan and add 2 tbsps ghee and the chopped lotus seeds . Roast them for a few minutes and the milk to it. Allow them to boil together till the milk is reduced to 3/4th of the quantity and the lotus seeds become soft. In a separate pan add the rest of the ghee and roast the cashews and raisins to a golden brown colour. Add the coconut powder to it and fry till the coconut is fragrant and golden in colour and add the mixture to the pudding. Remove the pan from the fire and allow it to cool to a lukewarm temperature. Then add the grated jaggery to the pudding and mix well. Serve warm or cold.