Paan Parfait or Paan Bahaar

Bottom layer - Crust. (is optional)
Half a pack of crackers - marie or glucose biscuits work.
2 tbsp melted butter
Crush the crackers in a blender to a coarse powder. You could also put the crackers in a ziploc and crush it with the back of a ladle. add melted butter and mix to make a crumbly mixture. If the mixture seems too dry, add a little more melted butter.
White cream layer
200 ml heavy whipping cream
1/2-3/4 tsp powdered elaichi
1/2 tsp safforn ( around 10-15 strands)
2 tbsp powdered sugar
finely chopped dates (around 7-8)

Take whipping cream in a mixing bowl and beat until it becomes stiff - either with a hand held blender or a stand mixer(usually takes about 5-7 mins with short breaks). Once the cream becomes stiff, fold in all other ingredients and mix lightly with a spatula. do not mix it too rigorously - the cream will end up becoming too firm and hard, if you do. Set aside to chill
Pan Mousse layer
10 beetle leaves
2-3 tbsp saunf
1/4 cup powdered sugar
2- 3 tbsp rose water
2 tbsp heavy whipping cream
a drop of green food color (optional)
200 ml heavy whipping cream
finely powder saunf in a blender. to this the rose water, chopped beetle leaves, powdered sugar, 2 tbsp cream and blend to a smooth paste. make sure not to make this paan paste too watery. take the 200 ml whipping cream in a mixing bowl. beat until stiff either with a hand held blender or a stand mixer(usually takes about 5-7 mins with short breaks). fold in the pan pasteand lightly mix.remember to be very gentle while mixing. do nt mix very rigorously. Your paan mousse layer is now ready. 

 
For Assembling
1.Take an individual dessert container. I ordered mine from amazon. they were disposable and came with lids and spoons.
2.Add a spoon of the cracker mix first. press with the back of a spoon to form a firm base.
3.Next is the white whipped cream layer. add about 2 spoons of this as the next layer. I used a piping bag to add this layer. It can be done with a spoon too, but the chances of touching the edges are higher and the layers can get smudged.
4.Next layer is the Gulkhand. The quantity of gulkhand is personal choice. I added about a tsp of it for each cup. you can either increase or decrease based on your preference.
5.After that is the Desiccated Coconut either sweet or unsweetened, doesnt matter. Since the layer below it is quite sweet already, it doesnt matter if this is sweetened or not. but the coconut definitely adds an amazing nutty flavor. I wouldnt skip this ingredient.
6.Then comes the Paan mousse . Again, about 2 spoons of it. I used piping bags but feel free to just spoon it in.
7.Garnish with Tutti Frutti and Mukhwaas Your Paan Parfait is ready!

Tips:
1. The quantity of each of these layers is personal choice. feel free to add more or less of any of these layers as you please. When i make it the next time, I will probably skip the base cracker layer.... some of my guests loved it and some didnt really care for it. so its a hit or a miss.
2. Since gulkhand is very sweet, I kept the sweetness very low on all the other layers. The combined sweetness turned out perfect.
3. Several people are not used to the distinct rose flavor of the gulkhand. So I chose to let my guests know in advance about it so that they can push the gulkhand aside if they do not relish the rose flavor.
4. garnishing with tutti frutti is also customizable. The kids took a handful extra and added it on top. so it'd be a good idea to serve some extra in a bowl for self serve.
5. green food color is definitely optional. I made the mousse layer without the color first. the taste was great but the color wasn't very pleasant. it was a light greenish brown and not very appetising. So I went ahead and added the color. no change in taste whatsoever.
6. These quantities made about 20 individual desserts for me. the saunf and beetle leaf quantity is critical for flavor. roughly, it took about 1 paan leaf for 2 serves and a little less than a quarter spoon of saunf for every individual cup

Avalakki happaLa

Soak 1 cup poha overnight. I use thick poha. Next morning, squeeze all the water out of the poha and transfer to a mixing bowl.set aside. Pulse 1 cup dry thick poha, without any water, to make dry powder. Add this to the damp poha and mix well. Add salt, cumin, hing, ginger/green chili paste and other spices according to taste. Mix and knead really well to make a dough. It should be slightly firmer than chapati dough.make small balls and press into poori like circles us ing the tortilla press. Arrange on parchment paper/ aluminum foil/ plastic sheets and let dry for about 24 hours. Note: 1.in the first step if all the water is not squeezed out of the poha, you might need more dry poha powder to get the desired consistency. 2. Kneading is the most important part. Take time a knead well for best results. You can even use a food processor for kneading if you are making in larger quantities. 3. Observe that we do not use any oil for this recipe.... Adding oil might give a strange smell when you store. 4. This recipe does not ask for drying in too much heat. I just dried my papads indoor by a window. If there is lot of humidity in the air, its better to dry it outside in the sun. If not, indoors is fine too 5. My papads started cupping and changing shape as they dried.... It might be a good idea to flip them over in-between drying so that they can reverse-cup and stay flat as much as possible 😬.... I don't know if that's really a thing, but definitely no harm in trying

Mosaranna/Curd Rice

          

No South Indian meal is complete without some curd rice at the end. In its simplest form, it is just some rice mixed with a little yogurt and served with some pickle. However, let your imagination flow…. Add whatever you think would taste good – fresh fruits, dry fruits, nuts… anything! Here is how I usually make it.

Ingredients:

1 cup White rice – I like mine to be mushy and well cooked

1 cup Yogurt/Curds

¼ cup Red onions, finely chopped

¼ cup Cucumber, finely chopped

½ cup chopped fresh grapes + pomegranate

3-4 strands Cilantro, finely chopped

Salt as per taste

For Tempering:

2 tsp Oil

1 tsp Mustard

3-4 Curry leaves

1 tsp Chana dal

1 tsp Urad dal

2-3 nos Chilies , Dry red or Green ones- chopped into pieces

1 tsp Ghee

1-2 tbsp raisins + cashews

Method:

1. Mix all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl; Add water to get the desired consistency; adjust ingredients according to taste.
2. Heat ghee in a pan and roast raisins and cashews for a minute or until they turn lightly golden in color; add to the curd rice mixture and mix well.
3. Temper with the mustard, chana dal, ural dal, curry leaves and chilies; Serve chilled towards the end of the meal

Prep Time: About 15-20 mins;

Serves: About 2-3 people;