Carrot Rolls

Wishing everyone a very very Happy Deepavali - 2012!! I’m thoroughly enojoying reading this book titled "The book of Awesome" by Neil Pasricha. This book was a gift by a dear friend. It reminds us of the little joys that life has to offer, that often go un-noticed. It shows us how we can cash in on these little joys and experience an instant mood uplift. If nothing, it is sure to put a smile on your face. Ask my 7 yr old son, who comes running to snuggle beside me and peek over my shoulder asking ‘what I’m reading about now’, everytime I pick this book up. He enjoys reading it too...The author talks about stuff like, the smell of freshly mowed lawn, someone throwing a blanket on you while you are sleeping, sqeezing the last bit of toothpaste out of a tube, taking your shoes off on a long car ride.. etc., etc., He narrates the whole thing in a very funny way, leading up to the title of the chapter and each chapter ends with the word ‘AWESOME’. You can check it out at his website http://1000awesomethings.com/

Skip to the recipe of Carrot Rolls.

As I was reading the book, I couldn’t help but make my own list of what I think is Awesome.  and then, I thought since I have a food blog, why not also make a list of food related Awesome stuff.... Sharing some of it here :

1. A relaxed morning cup of coffee! I am a night owl and hence, a late riser. I am up and immediately ‘about’. I get caught up in the morning whirlwind of fixing breakfast, packing the lunch box, getting my son ready for school, attending to my daughter... etc., etc.nothing exciting the usual run-of-the-mill. As all this happens, the morning just slips by... I would have had my coffee while standing in-front of the stove, stirring something or cutting stuff on the cutting board or while checking my son’s backpack to see if everything is in place. Every once in a way it so happens that I am up early and everyone else is still sleeping. The house is enveloped in silence. I quietly enter the kitchen, make my coffee and savour every single sip, either gazing out of the patio door, or browsing the internt. Now, I am ready to take on the day! The stillness of the morning, a steaming cuppa joe and your favorite piece of furniture to sink into – AWESOME!

2. No leftovers. It is a perfect ending to any normal day in the kitchen. Everyone has eaten well and all the dishes lay emptied. Everything from the dining table goes into the sink. No leftovers that need to be stuffed into pyrex containers and shoved into the dark confines of the fridge. There is no saying where they’ll go from there. They could remain there unclaimed for days and eventually get discarded OR they could get rescued, reheated and consumed. But with no leftovers, it is Refrigerator Nirvana and I find it just plain – AWESOME!

3. The perfect banana. If you are like me and shop once a week for groceries, then you’ll know what I’m talking about. A lot of planning is needed to buy something as simple as bananas. If they are not ripe enough they leave that awful, weird ‘unripe banana’ taste on your tongue and if they are over ripe, well, you can tell from a mile away. They are smelly and heavily spotted and have a swarm of fruitflies hovering over them. To make the bananas stretch over a week I often buy them greenish yellow in color, hoping they’ll gradually ripen and I’ll get to enjoy them throughout the week. But they gang up on me and reach perfection all at the same time. So, mid-week is like banana fest. I’m going bananas, forcing everyone in the house to eat bananas. But one bite of that sweet, soft fruit is worth the trouble. Getting to eat that perfect banana – AWESOME!

4. Spicy fried food. Need I say anything other than – AWESOME!!??

5. Corn on the Cob. There is something abour cold drizzly days and the smell of corn roasting on the coals. Growing up in Shimoga this is one of the things I did with my friends and cousins. Waiting by the ‘joLad gaaDi’(the corn vendor’s wagon), inhaling the divine smell of the roasting corn, the warmth of the hot coals are some of my most cherished memories. The vendor would slather green chilli paste and lemon juice on to the corn using a brush made of corn husk. Eating the spicy corn, chatting away with loved ones, not a care in the world, hissing while drawing cold air in, so as to tone down the heat, the burning sensation on the lips as the chilli paste starts to kick in – an experience in itself, nothing but AWESOME!

6. Pretty looking, individual servings of Dessert. It is said we eat with our eyes first. If thats true then these score right on! The single serving desserts come in beautiful bowls/cups/ramekins..The attention to detail is exquisite. It is the look, smell and taste all jammed into one cute little package. And the best part – you get to eat it all, no sharing... Isn’t that AWESOME!?

7. Home cooked meal after days of travelling. Travelling, be it for fun or business comes with its own little quirks. Visiting exotic places, always on the move, eating out is all fun while it lasts. But the minute you are back from it all, nothing screams “HOME” like a simple home cooked meal. All the exotic foods you enjoyed are now a mere blur a distant memory on your taste buds, and a blissful calm settles on you. Be it anna-saaru(rice and rasam), daal-chawal(rice and lentils) or plain old curd rice with pickle(or whatever staple you grew up with), you know you have arrived. You are devouring morselfuls of – AWESOME!

8. Tender Coconut Water. You knew it was a bad idea going shopping in the dust and the heat. Arms aching with the weight of the shopping bags, legs hurting with all the walking around, wishing you had parked the car closer, what should you spot but a heap of tender green coconuts nestled under the shade of a makeshift tent of coconut tree leaves. Nature packed, pure, healthy and heavenly tasting it is nectar going down your throat. All the aches and pains miraculously disappear and you are instantly rejuvenated. You are now ready to tackle the rest of the shopping experience-aka “walking in and out of shops, bargaining for stuff you might not buy and carrying bags of stuff you might not use” ;-). Nature’s own energy drink – AWESOME!

9. Food(snacks, fruits, candy, sweets etc.,) from school days. Nerale haNNu(jambul), nellikaayi(gooseberries), maavinkaayi(raw mango), perle kaayi(raw guava), boray hannu(jujube), chikki(peanut-sesame seeds brittle),shunTi peppermint(minty sugary candy)...... these were the wares that vendors would have in their baskets and lure us with, just outside the school gates. They were there waiting for us during recess, lunch break and end of school. They knew we would come and we never disappointed them. The fruits slathered with generous helpings of salt and chilli powder had the power to make or break friendships. Sneaking these munchies into the classroom, sharing, trading... yummmm – AWESOME!

Thats all for now... Will keep adding as I think up more :-)...

Another look at the beauties...
Ingredients :

1 measure Carrot, grated
1/2 measure Khova(also known as Maava), grated if using the khova block. (You can also use khova powder)
1 measure Sugar(Use more or less according to taste)
1/4 measure Milk (Just enough to cook the carrots in)
A couple of Tablespoons of Ghee/Clarified Butter)
1/8th measure Nuts of your choice(I like to use Char-Magaz and broken Cashews)
Cardamom Powder, for flavoring(optional)
1/4 measure dry Coconut Powder

Method :

1. Take the grated Carrot in a heavy bottomed pan. Add the milk and cook it on medium heat until soft and thoroughly cooked.
2. Add the sugar and keep stirring until it thickens and the melted sugar is absorbed.
3. Now add the Khova and Ghee and mix until everything is well combined.
4. Keep stirring until everything forms a lump and you see a shiny coating. That's the sugar, thickening and creating the shine. You dont want too much water content in the mixture. It should be thick enough to hold its shape when rolled.
5. Finally mix in the Nuts and Cardamom Powder, if using. Switch off the heat and let it cool down to just warm, so you can handle it with your bare hands.
6. You can now roll the mixture into any desired shape and set aside. I made some into ping-pong ball sized spheres and also rolled out some to be 2 inch long logs .
7. Spread the dry Coconut Powder in a plate. Roll each carrot ball or log in the coconut powder until it is well coated. Shake off any excess coconut powder and gently roll it in between your palms so the coconut powder sticks to it.
8. Enjoy cold or at room temperature.