DELICIOUS DATES

Small, brownish, sweety fruits straight from the palm tree –“ THE DATES” is today’s article’s queen – centre core menu.The date fruits are dried and eaten whole as a snack or included in an assortment of desserts.These dates which is full of iron is one of the favorite fruits for many people but it also remains as a boring snack for few others.To be frank even I hate to eat dates as such.But then any raw material can be turned into a good furnished product with perfect amendments done to it.Likewise, in this present world of food cenario, different kinds of desserts, cakes, sweets, ladoos, savories, chocolates, muffins and many more delicacies are being invented and prepared with the dates as the main menu.Many of the regional middle eastern cuisines incorporate dates.

                 

  One of my favorite dishes with dates which I personally experimented and has been quite successful with its taste and appearance is “DATES LADOOS”.The preparation of this sweet is very simple and easy to make with the things that are readily available in all markets.First of all, grind the seedless dates nicely in a mixer and to the dates add the powdered cashew nut, roasted Bengal gram(pottu kadalai), ground nut and grated coconut.While adding the the powders, the ratio of the cashew nut powder must be three times that of other powders so that the sweet gets a flavour of the cashew.And another important point that has to be noted here is that the roasted Bengal gram must be added in a very minimal quantity because its only added to bind all the ingredients together and so its flavour should be very submissive.Last but not the least is the one ingredient which multiplies the sweetness of the dish – sugar is added as the same little quantity of the groundnut powder.Because if more of sugar is added then the dish will become too sweety which will spoil the real essential taste of it.All these ingredirnts are beaten and mixed well into a dough.The dough should be then rolled into small spherical shaped ladoos.While rolling it some amount of ghee should be applied to your hands so that your hands doesn’t get sticky.The ladoos are then overcoated with cashewnut powder and sugar mix.So yes ! the dates ladoos are ready to eat.It binds and brings all the dates and nuts flavours together in the mouth when eaten. And nevertheless, it induces all the nutritional iron and vitamins into the body. So totally a rich, healthy, sweety, innovative, tasty, simple ladoo ! Do try this and have a pleasure eating it. 

                               So basically, if you don’t like some fruit or vegetable, don’t just ignore it. Try to pull in some innovations in cooking and make it interesting to eat. Because, each and every fruit, is unique and has its own nutritive value. Relish your food and Enjoy Eating!!!

-N&N