Oats Laddoo

 

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup old fashioned quick oats
1/2 cup peanuts or almonds (can add more)
1/2 cup jaggery (add more if you want more sweet)
8 Cardamom and 1/4 nutmeg (powdered)
1/4 cup melted ghee

Method

Dry roast the oats till you get a nice aroma
Dry roast the peanuts/almonds
Grind to a powder the oats, peanuts and jaggery. Add powdered cardamom and nutmeg. Mix well in a bowl. Add melted ghee and mix well. Add more ghee a teaspoon at a time. Form laddoos and enjoy.
I got like 14 from this mix

Apple Pie Cake (with a crunchy cinnamon sugar topping)

Apple pie is one of those American Desserts that makes you go 'yes please!'. I have always loved apple pie with the flaky crust and the gooey apple cinnamon filling. Well, I had no patience to make the pie crust and I wanted to have an apple pie. What is the next best thing to do? Yes, you try and make a cake that tastes like the apple pie.
While I was looking for pie crust recipes - I had stumbled upon this cake recipe. Something that had been on my mind but never got to the oven. I took inspiration from this recipe at 'Pinch of Yum'
I tweaked the recipe a bit in terms of the sugar I used (used a little less than mentioned) and the amount of apples I used too (used a bit more - just because I did not want to munch on raw apples). I also had an orange sitting on my table, so used the zest and the juice. Was not my intention to change the recipe......... lets just say.....it happened.
We loved the cake. It tasted good warm and cold. And we had it with a side of vanilla ice-cream on one occasion too.

Ingredients

1 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 egg

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour

2 cups chopped apples

1 teaspoon allspice powder

1 teaspoon orange zest

4 tablespoons orange juice

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon butter

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Method

Preheat the oven to 325 F and grease a 9X13 pan. 

Cut the apples into small pieces and add the orange juice to it (this will prevent it from browning). Sieve the flour, allspice powder, baking powder and baking soda together and keep aside. In a bowl, mix the brown sugar, oil, buttermilk and egg. No need to beat the mixture. To this add the vanilla extract and the orange zest and mix well. To this add the dry flour mixture and incorporate the mixture well. Add the chopped apples and incorporate everything well. I used a spatula to do this. Pour the batter into the 9X13 pan and spread it evenly using the spatula. 

Mix together the butter, cinnamon powder and sugar. Using your fingers spread this mixture on top of the batter very evenly. Pop it into the oven.

The recipe said bake for 45 minutes. Insert a toothpick and check for doneness. If it comes out clean, your cake is baked, if not, you need to bake for another 5 to 10 minutes. 

At 45 minutes my cake was still very raw. So, I had to bake for another 10 to 15 minutes. 

Remove from oven and cool a bit. Slice and serve warm with vanilla ice-cream or just like that. 

Chocolate Marble Cake (Hot Milk Cake Method)

Mr. A turned a year older and wiser this Tuesday. As always - his birthday cake is always a new trial. Thankfully it has always been a hit and never a miss. Imagine your birthday cake going bad with no backup. This year Lil Miss A insisted on a chocolate cake - she only wants everything in chocolate flavor. Well, our birthdays are just another day for her to get excited and so we obliged. I had told her that it will not be a full chocolate cake, but will have some vanilla (white) cake too She was excited as long as I promised the frosting was going to be chocolate. Well, this girl sure knows what she wants.
So the search for something new started. I always wanted to bake this old method of baking cake. It was a cake during the depression era - it uses the most basic ingredients - and as described, it is so sweet and soft on its own, that it feels like a rich dessert. I stumbled upon this recipe on pinterest with only a picture of the written recipe (no source) - but, this is such an old recipe that the origin is not known and its simple and common. You will find so many blogs and sites with the same recipe. 

There is something about old recipes that has an old world charm and they are simple and you feel like a part of history. Also, a great tasting dish makes them all the more special.

The cake is a vanilla cake - but, since Lil Miss A wanted it to be a chocolate cake - that is what she got with the addition of the chocolate syrup in half the batter.

Ingredients

For the cake

4 eggs at room temperature
2 cups sugar
2 cups All Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1/4 cup chocolate syrup (I used Hershey's syrup)

For the frosting (ganache)

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
3 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon coconut oil/butter

Method

For the cake

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt and keep aside. In a saucepan, warm the milk and the butter till the butter melts and there are bubbles formed on the side of the milk.
In a big mixing bowl, beat together the sugar and the eggs until they become nice and fluffy. This should take about 10 minutes. It should look like its doubled in size. Add the vanilla extract and mix well. Add the milk and butter mixture and mix well till all is incorporated. Add the flour mixture 1/3 at a time and fold it in. Do not over mix but fold in to get a smooth batter. This batter will be a little more thin than other cake batters.
Grease a bundt pan and add half of the vanilla batter into it. In the other half, add the chocolate syrup and mix well till all is incorporated. Pour this mixture over the vanilla mixture.
Bake it in the preheated oven for 50 minutes to an hour. After 50 minutes check to see if a toothpick inserted comes out clean - if yes, the cake is done - else let it bake for another 5 minutes before checking.
Once done, remove it from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes and then remove from the mold onto a wire rack to cool completely.

For the frosting (ganache)

In a bowl add the semi sweet chocolate chips and 2 tablespoons milk and microwave for 30 seconds - stir it well and microwave for another 30 seconds. Add 2/3rd part of the coconut oil and mix well till smooth. Let it cool a bit. In the same manner get the white chocolate ganache made.
Added them both to two ziploc bags and sealed it shut by removing all air. Make a small opening in the tip. Spread the ganache - one at a time on the completely cooled cake. Cut the cake and serve with coffee or tea or just like that.

Banana Bread/Cake with Coconut and Rum

Bananas are something that generally end up getting brown at our home. I still wonder why I get bananas from the store. But, then Lil Miss A will ask for a banana once in a while. If you remember from my earlier posts...... I get barely 4 to 5 bananas when I go to the store and that too once in 2 weeks. And every 2 weeks we end up having banana bread in some way.

This time I tried to make it a fun banana bread for Mr. A and myself. The kid does not like the cake/bread version unless its made with chocolate.
I made use of the coconut rum that was sitting in our small bar. I had got this rum when I had made the Puerto Rican Coconut Rum Cake for last years New Years Eve Party. I will update the recipe here soon.
I think this is our favorite banana bread so far - ofcorse it has rum...... but, you can completely not use it and still make this and enjoy a simple coconut banana bread.

Ingredients

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup coconut rum (totally optional)
3 bananas
1 and 1/2 cup All Purpose Flour/Maida
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup unsweetened coconut shreds

Method

In a big mixing bowl add the oil and sugar and mix it well. Now add the eggs and beat it well for about 5 minutes. To this add the coconut rum and the mashed bananas and mix well. To this add the All Purpose Flour, baking soda, salt and coconut shreds and just fold everything together. You do not want to mix this batter too much or the cake will turn flat.
I baked this cake in a bundt pan (just because I love how the bundt pan shapes the cake). You can bake it in a 9X5 loaf pan too. Bake it in a preheated oven at 350 Fahrenheit for about 50 minutes to an hour. A toothpick inserted should come out clean and your cake is ready. Let it cool before cutting it.

Notes

• The rum will actually cook through and you will not taste it except for the coconut flavor. If you want it to be a boozy cake - use a toothpick and make holes in the cake about 1 inch apart and then add 2 tablespoons on rum all through the cake. This will make it taste and smell of rum too
• If you do not wish to add rum - then add 1/4 cup of milk and 1 tsp of coconut extract or vanilla extract. The cake should still taste great.                          

Easy & Quick Baked Doughnuts with a Chocolate Ganache Glaze

My kiddo whom I lovingly refer to as 'Little Miss A' is a huge huge doughnut lover. She has loved those dunkin doughnuts for a long time. Now, she looks at pictures and asks me to make them at home. Guess, shes just like her Dad - ask mom to make something and she will do it types. No complains there. I love to cook food for these two most important people in my life - and it makes me very happy when I see them savoring every bite. Its like 'Mission Accomplished'
Now, traditional doughnuts are fried and then to top it they also have that sugary glaze - too many calories to indulge in on a regular basis. So, I was very fascinated when I saw these doughnut baking pans. I purchased one to make them for her. I saw quite a few recipes that used cake mix to make these baked doughnuts. I do not use cake mix and hence I kinda put baking these aside. Untill this Monday - 'Little Miss A' just sat breathing down my neck - saying doughnut doughnut since she woke up in the morning. So, the evening was spent in making these yummy fluffy treats.
She was happy - and I got the stamp of approval from her dad too.

Ingredients

For Doughnuts

1 cup All Purpose Flour/Maida

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vinegar

1/4 cup oil (I used canola)

1/4 cup yogurt

1/4 cup water

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence

For Chocolate Ganache Frosting

1/2 cup chocolate chips

2 teaspoons milk

1/2 teaspoon butter

colorfull funfetti for added garnish

Method

To make the Ganache

microwave the chocolate chips, milk and butter in a bowl at 30 second intervals 2 times. Mix well till you get a nice and velvety chocolate sauce. Let this sauce/ganache cool down before you frost the doughnuts.

To make the Doughnuts

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Add sugar, salt, flour, baking soda in a mixing bowl. Mix well and let it sit aside.
In another mixing bowl add oil, yogurt, water, egg, vanilla essence, vinegar and mix well till everything is combined. Now add this mixture into the dry mixture and combine everything well. Do not overmix.

Grease your doughnut pan with oil. 

You can use an icing bag, a doughnut pouring bottle, those ketchup bottles you get or just a simple ziploc back (cut a small hole in the corner to pour the batter). Add the batter to the doughnut mould/pan - just fill half of it (as shown in the picture) 

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes till the tops turn a nice golden brown. Remove them from the pan and let them cool on a wire rack. The color should be like its in the picture below.

Dip the doughnut in the ganache and then let ti sit on the wire rack. You can sprinkle some funfetti for added color.
Savor with a cup of coffee or with a glass of milk.

We baked a total of 12 doughnuts with these measurements. If you do not have a doughnut pan - you can make them in a mini muffin pan (they will resemble doughnut holes) or even a cupcake pan (here the baking time may vary - just insert a toothpick and see its baked through in 12 to 15 minutes)

Bread Pudding

I always wondered how this bread pudding tasted - the recipe always made use of stale bread and eggs with milk and spices together baked to a golden brown - served with ice-cream and some kind of sauce....... which was generally a bourbon sauce as bread pudding is a delicacy from the Southern States of America where bourbon and whiskey are loved plenty.
I had tasted this amazing bread pudding at our favorite restaurant "Bubba Gump" and had fallen in love with the bread, nutmeg and cinnamon together with that awesome sauce.
Had been wanting to recreate this dish for a long time - but, never came around to making it. The other day I had baked white bread at home and somehow it was not used up. Home made bread tends to get spoilt in 2 days. Hence had to use it up. That's when the hubby asked me to make this dish.
The recipe is a little bit from here, a little from there. Frankly, its the same recipe if you see it everywhere, just a teaspoon extra of this or a pinch more of that.

Ingredients

7 cups bread - bite size pieces of white bread or baguette
2 tablespoons butter - melted
2 cups milk
2 cups sugar - you can use brown sugar to get that brown color.
1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
1 teaspoon nutmeg powder
1/2 teaspoon allspice powder
4 eggs
1/2 cup black raisins
1/2 cup pecans - chopped

Method

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. On a cookie sheet spread the bread pieces and then cover the bread with the melted butter. Put this cookie sheet int he oven and get the bread a little crisp, say for 10 minutes. In the meantime - in a big mixing bowl take the milk, sugar, spices and eggs and mix well and make it into a custard. Add the raisins and the pecans and then the crisp bread to the mixing bowl and cover the bread with the custard mixture. Take a 13X9 baking dish and grease it. Now add the bread and custard mixture to it. Bake it in 350 degrees Fahrenheit oven for 45 minutes. If the top starts getting brown, just cover it with an aluminum foil and bake for the full 45 minutes.
Serve with vanilla ice-cream and chocolate sauce.

You can just add a bit extra zing to this pudding by soaking the raisins and the pecans in 1/4 cup bourbon for 24 hours (or more) and then use it to make the bread pudding. It will be a slight bit boozy and will have a southern kick to it.

Masala Dudh & Fresh Strawberry PannaCotta (Veg)

Today is Valentines Day - well, its the day of love and hearts - Its a day of red and pink overdose. Come to think of it........ why should we celebrate love only on one day???? Why cannot everyday be a celebration of love???? 

Well, Valentines Day has no particular significance at our place - According to my hubby........ everyday is Valentines Day if we can make it happen - and I agree with him.

Well - everyone was making something special for Valentines Day - and I wanted to try this dessert for ages. So, took the opportunity and made it. Very happy with the way it turned out. Hubby is not a great fan of milk based desserts - the only one he likes is rasgullas. Even he gave me a thumbs-up for this.
I remember as a kid we used to get these packets called 'china grass' - there were various flavors available - pista, chocolate, strawberry, mango. kesar, elaichi and many more. I used to love the milk jelly - yes, thats what we called it.
After I started cooking, I found out that china grass is actually 'agar agar' a veg substitute for gelatin and is used to make vegetarian jelly, pannacotta and many other such desserts. It is actually a seaweed used in Southeast Asian cuisine. That is what I have used in this too. Makes it fully vegetarian.

Ingredients

9 strawberries

6 tablespoons sugar - divided (add more if you want it more sweet or less if you want it less sweet)

1 cup water

1 & 1/2 cups milk (I used 2%)

1 tablespoon dudh (milk) masala (I used Everest)

7 grams agar-agar flakes

Method

Quarter the strawberries and add 2 tablespoons of sugar to it. Let it sit for about an hour. In the meantime, bring the 1 cup water to a boil and add the agar agar to it. You have to be patient as the agar agar will take some time to get completely dissolved - almost 15 minutes. Once it is dissolved, you will get a nice liquid without any particles. Keep this aside. In another saucepan, add the milk and the remaining 4 tablespoons of  sugar and bring it to a boil. To this, add the dudh masala and let it simmer for about 10 minutes.
Now, back to the strawberries - In the one hour that the strawberries were left with the sugar, they will have released some water and the sugar gets dissolved. Grind this into a fine paste and set aside.
Now divide the agar agar solution into 1/4th cup and 3/4th cup. Add the 1/4th cup to the strawberry mixture and mix well - add the 3/4th cup to the milk mixture and mix well.
Now to assemble them - I had used 4 medium sized ramekins - you can use small ramekins too or you can even use a silicon mold which has those beautiful flower or any other designs. I am still awaiting my silicon mold, thanks to the weather - its taking its own sweet time coming to me. Here is the link - Rose Mold
Add the milk mixture about 1/2 of the ramekin/mold. Let it set for about 15 to 20 minutes at room temperature and then in the refrigerator for about 5 minutes. Now add the strawberry mixture to the top of the milk mixture - just to form a small thin layer, about 1/4th inch. Now let it set in the refrigerator for about 3 to 4 hours.
Before serving, dip the bowl in some hot water, then run a knife along the edge of the pudding/pannacotta and invert onto a plate. And enjoy this yummy goodness.

Patoli inspired Kheer

After moving to the US about 7 years ago - I started missing a lot of things that I had taken for granted while in India - especially the traditional food items. I quickly got around to learning how to cook those delicacies with the help of my Mom and various recipe books that I had got from India.
Patoli - a very traditional konkani dish made with rice and coconut and jaggery that is steamed in turmeric leaves - well, this dish was genuinely missed as I could not find turmeric leaves anywhere here. Finally, one day while surfing the net I saw that turmeric leaves could be grown at home by plating the turmeric roots thats were easily available int eh Indian store here. The wet turmeric root looks very much like ginger root, but is a a bit leaner and does have a strong turmeric aroma to it and is ofcorse yellow.

So, I got those turmeric roots and got a big planter with soil and planted the roots. I was waiting patiently for over 2 months and then finally I saw a tiny shoot appear. And now after about 4 months, I have a turmeric plant at home. The leaves are still not as big as we need them to make patoli............ but, hopefully next year it will happen.
But - what about the craving for patoli..............
Well, I was making Cheppi Kheeri for Janmashtami anyways - thats a rice kheer with milk and turmeric leaves to infuse some aroma and its got no sugar. So just thought of making some sweet kheer also - thus came the Patoli inspired kheer. Its rice, milk, turmeric leaves, jaggery and some coconut. Tasted just like Patoli. 

Ingredients

1/2 cup any aromatic rice (ambemohur, basmati, jasmine) - I used ambemohur
2 cups milk
4 turmeric leaves
1 cup jaggery (you can add more if you want it sweeter)
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder

Method

Wash the rice in water untill you get absolutely clear water. In a saucepan add the rice and the milk and crush the turmeric leaves (leave them whole) - if you can, tie them in a knot before adding to the milk and rice mixture. Cook this mixture on a medium flame untill the rice is cooked fully. Keep stirring occasionally. Once the rice is cooked, add the coconut flakes, jaggery and the cardamom powder and let it simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes. Let it cool down a bit. Before serving, remove the turmeric leaves and serve warm, at room temperature or cold.
If you wish to - you can add some cashew, raisins, almonds etc.

Atte ka Halwa - Karah Prashad

Someone asked about this awesome sweet dish on one of the foodie groups I follow on Facebook - and boy there was a lot of discussion and exchange of recipes for this dish. I started craving for some of it after reading all the posts. 

This is a nice dish just like the sooji ka halwa and is yummy. It is also generally the prasad/prashad that is served at a 'Gurudwara'. A friend's grandmom (we called her Babi) had thought me how to make this a long long time ago - I had made it just once after getting the recipe and never cooked this halwa after that - ofcorse the best stuff was available at the Gurudwara close to home (back in India)

I had forgotten about this yummy stuff - Been over 8 years since I had some of this halwa - Thanks to the question asked by the person on the group and thanks to all the yummy pictures and yummy recipes posted by everyone - I craved for it - I just made it using 'Babi's' recipe. Loved having it after lunch as some dessert.

Ingredients

1 cup ghee (clarified butter)
1 cup wheat four (atta)
2 cups hot water
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup chopped almonds (or any other nut of your choice)
1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder

Method

In a karahi or heavy based pot warm the ghee till it melts and forms small bubbles.. Add the wheat flour and mix well on medium low heat. Keep stirring till you get a nice aroma and the flour changes color to a nice caramel one - this would take about 15 minutes.  atta and mix on low heat. Add the water - be very careful as it will sizzle and water bubbles can burn your hand and fingers. Once the water is added, mix the wheat and ghee into it very well so that no lumps are formed. This will slowly start looking less watery and more like a halwa. Now add the sugar and cardamom powder and half of the chopped almonds and mix well till all the sugar is melted. Keep stirring till the halwa leaves the sides of the pan and everything comes together. Remove it into a serving dish and garnish with the balance almonds. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Ananas Bhat (Pineapple Rice)

I love pineapples. There is something about the aroma of this fruit that takes you to a tropical paradise. The sweet and sour notes that tingle your tastebuds and the pale yellow color. Well, I am sure you know that I am a huge pineapple fan.

The other day I had purchased this beautiful huge pineapple from the super-market. Nicely cored and cut into pieces, I savored this yummy fruit continuously for 2 days. My husband is allergic to pineapples and my kiddo is not a fan I guess.

The cut pineapple pieces were just lying in my fridge and I was wondering what to do with them. And, it dawned on me - why not make ananas bhat. My mom had made this once and I had loved it a lot. 

Ingredients

1 cup basmati rice
2 cups pineapple juice (I used fresh juice)
1 cup chopped pineapple pieces
1 cinnamon stick
4 cardamoms
6 cloves
1/4 cup ghee (clarified butter)
1/4 cup of coconut powder (unsweetened)
3/4 cup sugar - if you want it a little more sweeter, you can add 1 cup sugar too
2 tablespoons milk masala
    you can use chopped nuts of your choice too
1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg powder
4 to 5 drops of yellow food color (optional)
few strands of saffron (optional)

Method

Wash the basmati rice well and let it soak in water for about an hour. In a saucepan, add half of the ghee. When it heats up, add the cloves, cinnamon and cardamom and let it infuse the ghee and bring the heat to medium low. Drain the rice and add it to the infused ghee and mix well. Add the pineapple juice, food color and saffron and cover and let it cook on medium low flame untill the rice is nice and fluffy - this will take about half hour. Fluff the cooked rice with a fork and add the pineapple pieces, coconut powder, sugar, milk masala (or chopped nuts), cardamom powder, nutmeg powder and the remaining ghee and mix well. Cover and let it cook on medium low flame for about 15 more minutes.
Savor it warm or at room temperature.

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Sweet Pongal - with rice, quinoa and moong daal

I love sweet pongal - also called sakkarai pongal or chakkari pongal. The velvety mixture sweetened with jaggery and smelling so yumm of ghee (clarified butter), powdered cardamom and nutmeg. 

I visit the local Balaji Temple near home - they have a canteen inside the temple and the pongal there is just divine. I love the pongal and the boondi laddoos they serve there. 

I had made pongal last year during sankranti and it was a little seet for my liking - I guess the jaggery used was a bit too much.

This year I tried my hand at this sweet treat again during Sankranti. I used rice, moong dal and quinoa along with jaggery and ghee to make this. Turned out pretty well.

Ingredients


1/2 cup quinoa
1/2 cup of rice ( I used a mix of surti kolam and ambemohur)
1 cup moong dhal
1 cup jaggery
1/2 cup milk
41/2 cups water
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
1/4 tsp nutmeg powder
1/4 cup ghee (clarified butter)
1/4 cup broken cashews
1/4 cup raisins
a pinch of edible camphor (optional)

Method

Add 1 teaspoon ghee in a frying pan and to this add the moong dal. Roast it on medium flame till the dal turns a golden color and becomes fragrant. Get it off the flame and add this dal to a pressure cooker/pan. Wash the rice and quinoa together. Drain all the water and add this to the moong dal in the pressure cooker/pan. Add 4 cups of water and let it cook for upto 3 whistles. After the pressure is released mash this mixture with the back of a spoon and let it sit aside.
In a saucepan add the jaggery and 1/2 cup water and let the jaggery completely dissolve. To this add the cardamom powder, nutmeg powder and if you are using edible camphor, add that as well. Sieve this mixture and add it to the rice quinoa and dal mixture in the cooker/pan
In a separate pan, heat 2 tablespoons of ghee and roast cashews to golden and add raisins to it and let them puff up. Add this mixture to the rice, quinoa and dal mixture in the pressure cooker/pan.
Add the milk and the remaining ghee and mix well on medium low heat. Keep stirring all the while. Once the pongal gets a velvety texture and it starts to release steam (kinda like boiling), get it off the heat. Pour it into a serving bowl and serve hot, warm or at room temperature

you can make this pongal by replacing the quinoa with broken wheat, brown rice or rolled oats. You can even skip the white rice and replace it with either quinoa, broken wheat, rolled oats or brown rice altogether.

Gul Poli

The very first Hindu festival in January is Sankranti - also called Pongal, Lohri, Bihu and many other names in various regions around India and also in South East Asia. 

For me Sankranti is always associated with sesame seeds and jaggery - called til & gul respectively in Marathi. The aroma of toasted sesame seeds and then those yummy laddoos.

My Mom always made this gul poli on that day - ofcosre along with various other goodies.

I had to make these gul polis this year. I could not call mom to ask for the recipe as it was pretty late in the night for them and I knew they would be asleep. So, I used my sense of smell and taste and tried to use the proportions just like you would for puran poli and made these polis. They did not turn out like the ones made by mom - but, they were still good. 

Ingredients

For the filling
1 cup sesame seeds
1 cup peanuts
1 tablespoon poppy seeds (khuskhus)
2 tablespoons gram flour (besan)
2 cups jaggery
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

For Dough
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon oil
water to knead

Method

Toast the sesame seeds on medium flame untill you get a nice roasted aroma. Remove on a plate and let it cool. Now toast the peanuts untill you get a nice toasted aroma. Remove any skin on them and let them cool on a plate. Dry roast the gram flour and the poppy seeds for a couple of minutes - be careful not to burn the gram flour. Grind the peanuts, sesame seeds, gram flour and poppy seeds to a fine powder/paste - no need to add water, the oil from the peanuts and the sesame will give it a pasty texture. Remove it into a mixing bowl and add the jaggery and the cardamom powder and nut met powder and mix well. Make about 10 equal sized balls from this mixture.
Mix wheat flour, all purpose flour and salt to taste. Heat the oil in a pan and add it to the flour mixture and carefully mix the oil with the flour - this can be done with a spoon - be careful as the oil i shot. Now add water - start with half a cup of water and knead the flour into a dough. Add more water if required. Consistency of dough should be soft like a regular chapati dough.  Cover the dough with a damp cloth/kitchen tissue and let it sit for 30 minutes. After it has rested, make 10 equal sized balls of the dough and keep aside.

Take one of flour dough rolls and apply dry wheat flour (so that it does not stick to the rolling pin) and roll out into a round about 2 inches in diameter. Add a part of the stuffing to this rolled dough and bring together all the edges so as to cover the filling. press this lightly so that the stuffing goes to all the ends. Now dip it in the dry wheat flour and roll lightly just like a stuffed paratha/chappati - about 6 inches in diameter. Roast on a skillet on medium heat by adding a bit of ghee - turning it a couple of times. The poli is ready when it had nice golden spots on both sides.
Serve this gul poli warm or cold with or without ghee.

Christmas Fruit Cake

I have been wanting to bake this Christmas cake since forever - but, somehow was always scared to cook with rum and was really not sure if I had the patience in me to wait for the cooking time of almost 4 to 5 hours. 

This year - I got over all those fears and decided to bake a Christmas Fruit cake - also called the 'boozy' cake. even before I could look at recipes, we got the darkest rum available in the wine shop and then got some raisins, sultana, dried cherries, tutti fruti and dried cranberries. Mixed them all with the rum and saved it in an airtight container and let it stay there for over 3 months.

Then started looking for recipes. There are a lot of them over there and google threw a wonderful array of amazing recipes for me to look at. I read and read and read and got confused every-time  Finally i stumbled upon the recipe at deliaonline - how to bake a Christmas cake - one of the oldest and the most sought after recipes. So, decided to go ahead and make this one. It was a tad bit tough as the recipe has measurements in grams and ounces - I personally find it easier if the measurements are in cups and spoons - so, started to fist get the conversion of the measurements - then made a few changes, as the fruits were already soaking and were not as mentioned in the recipe - moreover, used rum instead of brandy - used allspice powder instead of the traditional nutmeg and cinnamon powders - did not used blanched almonds, but used slivered almonds inside the cake batter itself. But, overall, we were very very happy with the outcome. It did not feel that 'boozy' - because we baked this cake 2 days before Christmas and it was fed rum for just two days - he he he.
I hope to make this cake for next Christmas atleast a month in advance and feed it with rum for about 15 days atleast.

Ingredients

1 cup raisins
1 cup sultanas
1 cup dried cherries
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup tutti fruti (fruit peels)
1 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup dark rum
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 teaspoon allspice powder
1 cup unsalted butter
1¼ cups packed brown sugar
4 large eggs, beaten to mix
1 tbsp honey
juice of half lemon
additional rum for 'feeding'

Method

Take the raisins, sultanas, dried cherries, dried cranberries, tutti fruit in a large bowl and mix it with rum. Cover and allow to soak overnight at room temperature - Or as we did, keep it in an airtight container and let it soak for over 3 months.
Line an 9 inch spring-form pan with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 275°F (140°C). Sift the flour, salt and spice together in a large bowl. Cream the butter and sugar together until blended well and the mixture looks light and fluffy. Add the beaten eggs and mix well till its a nice and fluffy mixture.
Stir in the dry ingredients (flour, spice and salt) and mix well till everything is blended together - take care not to over mix or over beat the mixture. Mix in the rum soaked fruits, slivered almonds, honey and the lemon juice and fold everything together.
Spoon the cake mixture into the spring-foam pan and level the surface. Cover the top of the cake with a double square of parchment paper with a 50 cents-size hole in the center (this gives extra protection during the long slow cooking). Place the spring-foam on a cookie sheet and bake the cake on the lowest shelf of the oven for 4½-5 hours. Delia says that sometimes it can take up to ½-¾ hour longer than this, but in any case don't look till at least 4 hours have passed.
Cool the cake in the tin, then remove it to a wire rack to finish cooling. Make small holes in the top and base of the cake with a cocktail stick or small skewer, then spoon over a few teaspoons of rum and cover it fully and let it rest.You can now feed it a few teaspoons of rum everyday until you need to ice it or eat it.

Urd dal & Moong dal Laddoos

Ingredients

1 cup urad dal (split black lentils)
1 cup moong dal
1 3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
pinch of saffron
1 teaspoon cardamom powder
1/4 cup sunflower seeds (you can use pine nuts, broken cashews, slivered almonds)
handful raisins
2 tablespoons ghee (or more - as required)

Method

In a karahi roast the urad dal till it becomes a nice golden color and fragnant. be careful to do so on medium low flame as you do not want burnt dal. Remove it into a plate. Now dry roast the moong dal untill it gets into a nice golden color. Remove it into a plate and let it cool. In the same karahi, dry roast the sunflower seeds or any nuts that you are using.
Grind both the dals in a mixer untill they are a fairly fine powder. Mix both the powders along with the cardamom powder and keep aside.
In a saucepan, add the sugar and water along with the saffron and let it boil untill you get a one strand consistency - you can check this with your fingers (be careful as its very hot) or with a spatula.
Add the ground dal mixture into the sugar syrup along with the nuts and mix well untill there are no lumps. let it stand for about 5 minutes or untill it gets a bit cool so that you can roll the laddoos. When you roll the ladddoos add a raising to each. If the mixture becomes too dry, you can add teaspoon of ghee to get it a little softer.
Store in an airtight container.

This laddoo can be made only with urad dal or only wit moong dal too.

Besan Barfi/Vadi

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups besan
1 cup ghee
2 cups sugar
1 cup water
2 tablespoons rose water
pinch of saffron strands
1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder
1/2 cup chopped almonds

Method

In a karahi add the ghee and fry the besan on a medium low flame till it becomes aromatic be careful not to burn the besan - this is a slow and time consuming process, but well worth it. Once done, get it off the flame and let it cool.
In a sauce pan, add the sugar, rose water and water and bring it to a boil. Boil this mixture till you get a 1 string consistency. check this either with your fingers of with a spatula. To this add the saffron strands and the cardamom powder and mix well. Now add the besan and ghee mixture and mix well so that no lumps are formed.
Take a greased cookie tray and add this mixture to it to form an even layer. Top with chopped almonds and let it cool down completely before you cut it into barfi squares.

Coconut (Narial) Barfi with Nuts

Today is Dussehra / Vijaya Dashmi - A day where good prevails evil - A day when Ravan was killed by Bhagwan Ram to restore peace. Overall a festive say with lots of fun, food, colors, puja's etc etc.

Was wondering what to make for prasad today - and then dear husband asked me to make his favorite Narial Barfi . Just added some toasted and ground nuts to make it a little rich. Turned out to be good. 

Ingredients

2 cups fresh coconut (grated) - I get frozen coconut here and I used 2 cups of that (thawed)
2 cups sugar
1 cup nuts (cashews, almonds, walnuts, pistachios)
1 tablespoon khuskhus (poppy seeds)
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 tablespoon rose water (optional)
pinch of saffron
3 to 4 drops of yellow food color (optional)
1 teaspoon ghee (for greasing the cookie sheet)

Method

Lightly toast the nuts either in the oven or in a karahi. Let them cool and them have them coarsely ground. In a non-stick karahi add the coconut, sugar and the khuskhus and let it cook on a medium flame. Keep stirring continuously as you do not want the sugar and the coconut to get burnt. You will see that the sugar starts to melt and you will get a faint cooked coconut smell. To this add the ground nuts mixture, saffron and the cardamom powder along with the rose water and yellow food color. Mix well. this takes about half hour to 40 minutes - you will see that the mixture leaves the sides of the karahi. Get this mixture off the heat. Pour this hot mixture on a greased cookie sheet or a greased plate and flatten the mixture to get it even on all sides. Cut it into cubes while it is hot. Now let it sit and cool completely. it will get into a nice hard/soft barfi consistency when cool. Remove the cubes from the cookie sheet and relish.

Phirni (Rice Pudding)

Ingredients

1/4 cup any fragrant rice (basmati would do fine - I used ambemohar)
1/2 gallon milk (whole milk is best - I used fat free milk)
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder
1/4 cup chopped pistachios
1/4 cup golden raisins
1 cinnamon stick
2 whole cloves
pinch of saffron

Method

Wash the rice very well about 4 times. Then let it soak in enough water for about an hour. Drain the water from the rice and coarsely ground the rice in a mixer/grinder. In a saucepan, add the milk and the rice and mix well. to this add the cinnamon stick and the cloves and let the mixture heat on low flame. Let the rice cook fully, you will have to take care to stir the mixture ever so often so as not to burn the milk at the bottom. Once the rice is fully cooked - it takes about 2 to 3 hours (I never said its a quick process), you can discard the cinnamon stick and the cloves. Now add the cardamom powder, the saffron, the pistachios, raisins and the sugar. Mix everything well and let it simmer for about 15 minutes.
Refrigerate the phirni for about 2 to 3 before serving. Ideally, this is served in earthen bowls.

Fried Modak

Ingredients

1 cup fresh grated coconut
1 cup grated jaggery
1 tablespoon moong dal (yellow)
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
1/4 cup ghee
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup wheat flour
2 tablespoons semolina (rave)
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon oil
1/2 cup water (more if required to knead the flour)
Oil for deep frying

Method

In a karahi add the ghee. When it gets hot add the moong dal and let it fry for 2 minutes till it turns golden. Then add the sesame seeds and fry for a few seconds. To this add the coconut and jaggery and mix well. When the jaggery has melted and mixed with the coconut, add cardamom powder and nutmeg powder and mix well and keep it aside to cool.
In a mixing bowl, add the all purpose flour, wheat flour and semolina with salt and knead a dough by adding the 1/2 cup water and 1 tablespoon oil - add more water if required - the dough should be tight.
make small balls of the dough and roll it with a rolling pin into a round puri. Add the coconut mixture to the center of the puri. Bring the edges together and seal it like a modak. Deep fry in oil at medium heat untill golden brown. Drain it on a paper towel. Modaks are ready to eat.
This proportion makes about 18 to 20 modaks.

Banana Bread (with pecans & raisins)

Ingredients


1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup semolina (rava)
1/2 cup Quaker oats
1 packed cup brown sugar
3 Ripe bananas
1 egg OR 1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup butter/vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg powder
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup chopped pecans/walnuts
1/4 cup golden raisins

Method

Mash the bananas in a mixing bowl. To this add the melted butter/vegetable oil and the sugar and mix all well. Then add the egg/milk and mix well with the banana and sugar mixture. Add the vanilla essence, cardamom powder and nutmeg along with the baking powder and baking soda and mix. Now add the whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, semolina and oats (one at a time) and mix everything well. : lastly add the chopped pecans and golden raisins.
Pour this mixture into a greased baking pan - you can use a loaf pan, a square pan, a round pan (I used a bundt pan) - bake in a preheated oven at 350°F for about 50 minutes to an hour. Check the cake by inserting a toothpick in the center - if it comes out clean - the cake/bread is baked.

Boondi Ladoo

Ingredients

1 cup besan
a pinch of eno / baking soda
Ghee for deep frying ( I used a combination of canola oil and ghee)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
4 to 5 saffron strands
14 to 15 raisins
14 to 15 cashews
1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder
4 cloves
1 to 2 drops yellow food color
1 to 2 drops red food color

Method

Mix the besan and eno together - add enough water to make it into a paste - similar to the consistency of bhajiya/pakoda dough or pancake mixture. Divide the mixture into 2 parts - add the yellow food color to one part and add the red food color to the other part and mix well.
Make a sugar syrup of the sugar and water by mixing them together and boiling until you reach a one string consistency. Shut the heat and add cardamom powder and cloves and saffron and let it sit.
Heat oil/ghee - I used a sieve to make boondis. Take a sieve over the oil/ghee and ladel some of the dough mixture into it and let drops falls into the oil/ghee these form the boondis. Boondis should be done in no time about 2 to 3 minutes. Take them out of the oil and put it into the still hot/warm sugar syrup.
Mix this well and keep it aside till the mixture gets lukewarm.
Now make laddos - while doing so add one raisin and 1 cashew to the laddoo.
This mixture should yield about 14 to 15 medium sized ladoos.