Homemade Candied Orange and Lemon Peels for Christmas Cake
Homemade candied orange and lemon peels for Christmas fruit cake, with a gentle syrup simmer, drying steps and ideas for the leftover citrus syrup.
Soaking Fruits for Christmas Cake
Our Christmas cake preparation begins months before baking day with rum-soaked dried fruits, homemade candied peels and a favourite family ritual.
Christmas Fruit Cake with Rum-Soaked Fruits
My Christmas fruit cake with rum-soaked fruits, dark caramel, walnuts and warm spices, with advance preparations for fruit soaking and candied peels.
Marwai Pundi (Kube Mutli)
Marwai Pundi is one of those combinations where the two parts belong together. Soft steamed rice dumplings, a coconut curry with roasted spices, and marwai bringing their own flavour to the pot. The little dent in each pundi gives the curry somewhere to settle, and that is such a lovely part of eating it.
Khara Kaddi (Bejai-Style Spicy Sticks)
Khara Kaddi is what we call it in both our homes. These spicy, crunchy sticks have always been part of Mom’s Diwali cooking, and they find their place on the Christmas Kuswar platter too. It is lovely when something so familiar carries from one family celebration into another.
Ari tha Unde (Thandhalache Laadu)
If I had to call one sweet the queen of the Kuswar platter, it would be these roasted rice and coconut laadus. Ari tha Unde or Laadu in Tulu, and Thandhalache Laadu in Konkani, they hold a place in both sides of my family.
Kidiyo / Kulkuls (Eggless Christmas Kuswar)
Kidiyo, or kulkuls, have their place on the Mangalorean Christmas Kuswar platter. Those little ridged curls and their crunchy bite are such a familiar part of the season. The name Kidiyo means worms, which makes sense when you look at their shape, though these are much more tempting!
Kokkisan / Roce Cookies (Mangalorean Rose Cookies)
Kokkisan, or roce cookies, are my favourite part of the Christmas platter at my in-laws’ place. Those delicate shapes and that lovely crunch are what I look forward to, and becoming part of the Crasta family has made preparing them even more special to me.
Guliyo (Sweet Rice Marbles for Christmas Kuswar)
There is no keeping a Guliyo thief a secret at home. That hard, crunchy bite can be heard across the room! These tiny sweet rice marbles are a must on the Kuswar platter, and of all the Christmas specials, they are the ones I love making most.
Pork Indad: Mai’s Mangalorean Catholic Recipe
Pork Indad and Sannas for a Mangalorean Easter. Sweet, spicy and the sort of combination that makes a special-occasion meal feel complete.