One year on…
23 Sep, 2007. 30 Comments. Leave a comment
Forget weight obsessing and savour this Halwa or semolina desert on a special occasion
I’ve just survived the mother of all shit weeks:
- 1 x Indian wedding
- 7 x impossible deadline
- 5 x 12-hour days
- 1 x boozy PR bunny lunch
- 1 x big night out
All of which brings me to a major milestone. Quickindiancooking is one today.
12 months ago, I decided my job, married life, social and family commitments weren’t good enough. What I needed was a passionate mission that could tip me right over the edge.
And quickindiancooking.com was born. Part diary, part mission to get people cooking Indian food, it came with a solemn promise: I would rather eat my shoe than cook a samosa from scratch.
Since then I have blogged about the good, the bad and plain ugly about real Indian food. With the support of committed bloggers (you know who you are Asha, Sandeepa et al) and Indian food lovers.
Without getting sentimental (so not me, darlings) I want to say thank you for reading this, trying my recipes and leaving (mostly) lovely comments. You make it worth every minute!
Finally, because this is a special occasion, I am going to ditch the weight obsessing and cook Halwa, a ghee-laced semolina desert that is served up on special occasions like pujas, religious functions, and weddings back home.
Pure, unadulterated pleasure. A bit like this blog.
150 gm coarse semolina
1 tbsp raisins
2 cardamoms, crushed
200 ml whole milk
2 tbsp ghee
4 tbsp white sugar
In a small pot, heat the ghee over a high flame. When it is very hot, stir in the sugar and wait a few seconds for it to caramelise.
Now add the semolina and stir vigorously to brown it evenly. As it changes from pale cream to a warm toffee colour in about five minutes, mix in the raisins and crushed cardamom.
Immediately after, stir the milk into the semolina evenly. It will develop a soft, spongy texture.
Take it off the heat and leave to cool. Spoon into little bowls, sit back and enjoy.

Congrats on your blogging b’day! Wishign you many many more years of the same. Felt nice readign this write-up.
Happy first anniversary, beautiful photo!:))
Enjoy the sweet stuff.
Congratulations ! 1 year is a great milestone. This is my first time here, love your blog and hope you have more fruitful endeavours.
Congratulations on:
A) Surviving the week
&
B) The milestone.
Using my Sunday afternoon large glass of wine to toast to another year.
Congratulations !!!
I love the chili candle
Sorry to hear about the shitty week, but this post makes up for all of it, eh ?
Hi Mallika!!
Happy Anniversary!! love your picture!! and hey even my blog will complete 1 yr on the 27th!!! gosh!! time flies!!
Happy blogging birthday! I love your blog, and learn a lot here!
I love that dish you have served it in. Happy blogeversary
Hey M, happy anniversary. Your blog’s a delight to spend time in, but you know that!
Happy blogiversary!
happy birthday to a fabulous blog.
Happy one year!
Huge congrats. Truly a great blog!
hey M,
happy burrrrrrrrrday to ur fantastic blog
wow!!!! congratulations!!!
to celebrate i shall cook today
so, when do we see a QIC tv show????
the chilli candle is soooo beautiful!and isnt it a great achievement completing 1 year, congrats!
Happy Birthday!
Happy blogversary. Try to stay sane. And keep spicing up everyone’s lives.
Mallika – happy blog anniversary. We’re glad you started blogging and cheers to many more anniversaries. I love visiting Quick Indian Cooking !
It never occurred to me that your blog was only 1 year old. You have made it feel like it’s ALWAYS been here. I have really enjoyed it ever since I discovered it, and I hope you have many more AWESOME years to come!
Congrats!
congratulations . your baby blog is a year old . u made me a proud grany , keep it up .
What 1 already !!! You are getting old Mallika
A very fitting post and love your blog, writing + food + pic.
BTW what did you do on the Anniv. to get the man sprawled on the sofa with a stuffed ummmmm… nose
Hi there you have a great blog,lovely recipes. Feel free to visit my blog too
Jeena xx
click here for food recipes
OH congratulations Mallika, well done for one whole year of Quick Indian Cooking – that’s quite an achievement. I shall look forward to the next year of your writing and recipes.
Happy Birthday Blog! It’s always a pleasure to read your website and wish I was eating your delectable food.
You’ve been very generous to share your recipes and your family with us. Looking forward to good years ahead.
Hi, I just wanted to say that I discovered your website after I got married 3 months ago. I thought life wasn’t going to be same without mum’s cooking. Thankfully, there was a God listening and bought me to this website! Thank you for your recipies, I have a happy husband and a satisfied belly!
Happy Birthday to Indian Cooking!
Great to have you with us!
Happy Anniversary!
And thank you for the halwa recipe, as I was going to make a special request for it. You mentioned that it’s served up for special occasions, so I feel pretty glutenous saying that I love it for breakfast! I’ll be making some this weekend to warm up our chilly Canadian autumn.
Wow… halwa is my favorite… any type will do.
Here’s couple of halwa recipes I prepared at home:
Besan ka Halwa – http://www.bestofkanchan.com/indian-recipes/besan-ka-halwa/
Sooji ka Halwa – http://www.bestofkanchan.com/indian-recipes/sooji-ka-halwa/
-Kanchan.