Gulab Jamuns

Going Traditional....

I have to confess...I like traditional sweets, But I am Very picky about where I have a particular Indian sweet from , My Kaju Katli Has to be from MM mithaiwala, my rossogulla has to be fresh and spongy, my carrot halwa has to be mom made and so on and on it goes...(people think i'm impossible, but thats just how i am).
When it comes to gulab jamuns, the traditional way of making gulab jamuns is by addind a little khoya or mawa to the dough, plus some people even add rose water to the syrup. but i don't like them if either of these ingredients are added, and i prefer the modern recipe for this traditional sweet , that is, making the dough with milk powder. 

Ingredients:

8 tbsp milk powder

3 tbsp maida

1 tsp ghee

1/4 tsp soda bicarbonate

milk - as per consistency

for syrup -

2 cups sugar

4 cups water 

Method:

mix milk powder, maida,ghee, and soda bicarbonate, add milk to make shaping consistency. make balls, make sure that the surface of the balls is smooth. fry the balls in ghee.

make sugar syrup, and add balls in warm syrup, cover and keep till the balls are softened.

Golden balls of perfection !!!

chips

Healthy Munchin...

This is not much of a recipe, more of an Idea, but a really good one. you can make baked chips with whatever you want, you can make your classic all time favorite potato chips, the indian favorite banana chips, or healthier versions like sweet potato or tapioca chips.
believe me, your kids will love you, and you will be the cool mom, who makes them Chips...

The recipe that i initially found was for sweet potato chips, and believe me i found them better than potato chips, especially for kids, they are richer in vitamins than the regular potato and because of the slightly sweet taste in them, you actually require no salt or seasoning...(not joking)

Sweet potato crisps

Ingredients:
2 Sweet potatoes,Scrubbed and sliced into small strips with a potato peeler.
Few sprays of olive oil

Method:
Turn the oven to 200°C and line a baking tray with foil.
Pat the sweet potato slices dry with some kitchen paper and arrange on the tray.
Spray with the spray oil and lightly stir to coat all sides.
Spread them out again so they are mainly in contact with the foil.
Bake for 8 - 10  minutes until golden brown, turning once half way through. Keep an eye on them towards the end as they can quickly turn from done to burnt.

You might have to experiment with the temperatures and timings depending on you oven and the type of hips you are making, but once you have perfected that, there is not much effort required for making these

Baked banana chips

Gummy Candy

Who Doesn't love it....

In my world .....everyone loves this, some might act as if they are too old for it, but then quietly sneak a piece when no ones looking, where as others like me are not ashamed of their childish choices when it comes to candy....

I do like gummy candy, but i would never have actually tried it if it wasn't for a packet of lime jelly lying in my kitchen. Someone had given it to me, and lime is not a favored flavor in my house, so i didn't know what to do with the packet or how to use it up.

that was when i came across this recipe, and loved the simplicity of it, i also liked the idea of using fresh fruits n juices (for kids, that's really great)

So this was how i ended up using my packet of lime flavored Jello. And all the kids loved it (I'm like their favorite aunt now)

I don't know where i picked up this recipe, but it was basically the same everywhere, so it really doesn't matter...enjoy !!

Ingredients:

1/3 cup cold water or any fruit juice

1 packet jello (optional)

1 tbsp gelatin (2 tbsp if using juice)

Method:

Put water in a sauce pan, sprinkle the gelatin and jello over it and let it sit for 5 -10 minutes. Simmer over low heat, just until all the ingredients are completely dissolved. Pour into molds and refrigerate for minimum 30 minutes to set. Use un greased molds.

 You can coat the individuals candies with citric acid or granulated sugar.

If using fruit juice, sprinkle 2 tbsp of gelatin over 3 tbsp of water let it sit for 5 -10 minutes, then heat in a microwave for 30 – 45 seconds or until dissolved( can also dissolve over a double boiler). Add the gelatin to the juice, mix well and pour in molds.

Un-mold and Enjoy!!

Millionare's Shortbread Bars

Sweet Somethings.......

I always love gifting home made treats to people. Especially for my little nieces and nephews. but the problem with making such edible gifts is that they have to be durable, especially if they have to travel in the Mumbai heat in an auto rickshaw (all types of whipped cream and butter cream turn into liquid by the time you reach your destination).
So i usually prefer making cookies or bars to carry for my nieces or nephews, or to send to any other special friends and family.
So when I wanted to send something special for my sister in law (who is like the biggest fan of my baking), I remembered this recipe that i had checked out a couple of times of joy of baking.
Although it looks a bit tedious, I assure you that the end result is so absolutely delicious, you will be making this recipe again and again and again......
the first time i tried the recipe, the only change i made was to make the caramel by using brown sugar, butter and milk, instead of using condensed milk, as the recipe says, because the end result is the same (and I didn't have enough condensed milk at hand).
The next time i made it i used an oatmeal crust instead of shortbread, and it tasted even better, I guess the oats added a  nice mealy and nutty flavor that complimented the caramel and the chocolate very well.

Ingredients

SHORTBREAD:

3/4 cup (170 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups (210 grams) all purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon salt 

Or 

You can use the oatmeal crust recipe from my Date Squares 

CARAMEL FILLING:

1 - 14 ounce (396 grams) can Dulce de Leche or sweetened condensed milk

or

½ cup brown sugar

2 tbsp butter

3 - 4 tbsp  Milk

CHOCOLATE TOPPING:

6 ounces (170 grams) semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, cut into pieces

1 teaspoon unsalted butter

Ingredients:

Method:

Preheat oven to 180°C and place rack in center of oven.  Grease with butter a 9 x 9 inch (23 x 23 cm) pan.

FOR SHORTBREAD: In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in the vanilla extract.  Add the flour and salt and beat until the dough just comes together.  Press onto the bottom of your greased pan and bake for about 20 minutes, or until pale golden in color. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool while you make the filling.

FOR CARAMEL FILLING: If using Dulce de Leche then simply warm the caramel in the microwave or in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. If using sweetened condensed milk, pour the milk into a heatproof bowl and place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Cover and cook, over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 60 to90 minutes or until the milk has thickened and has turned a caramel color. Remove from heat and beat until smooth.  Pour the caramel over the baked sh+bread and leave to set.

Note: You can also do this step in a microwave oven. Place the sweetened condensed milk in a large microwaveable bowl and cook on medium power for about 4 minutes, stirring halfway through baking time. Reduce the powder to medium-low and continue to cook for another 8 to 12 minutes, or until the milk has thicken and has turned a light caramel color. Remove from microwave and beat until smooth.

Or

Caramelize brown sugar and butter and add milk and cook till thick and sticky.

FOR TOPPING: Melt the chocolate and butter either in the microwave oven or in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. Pour the melted chocolate evenly over the caramel and leave to set. Cut the shortbread into pieces using a sharp knife. 

Store the shortbread in the refrigerator to keep the chocolate nice and firm. 

Yield: 16 - 2 inch (5 cm) squares

Praline Oatmeal cookies

Leftovers are not a bad thing...

Provided you know how to present them, you see the minute you tell people that you have used "left over "something in a recipe, or that you made this so and so treat to finish up something "leftover" from a previous recipe, they become apprehensive about tasting it.

But if you are clever enough to use up your leftovers and not mentioning that tiny detail to your family and friends you become a master chef in their eyes.(and no one is none the wiser).

I pride myself in using leftover ingredients that i had prepared for a certain recipe for some other recipe in innovative ways(hope i don't sound like i'm boasting).

I mean the ideas are endless once you put your head to it.
I can list a number of recipes i just made to finish off leftover somethings...

leftover egg yolks - creme caramel

leftover caramel - millionare's shortbread bars
mint truffles gone to soft - chocolate mint brownies
stale cake - trifle
and so on and on the list goes.
So when i had left over almond pralines after my almond pralines and custard cake, I thought why not put them in some cookies. and whats healthier than some oatmeal cookies.

Ingredients:

1 cup flour

1/2 tsp soda

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 cup oats

1/2 - 3/4th cup chopped almond praline

Method:

Preheat oven to 180 degree centigrade . Mix flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Set aside, beat the butter and sugars, with an electric mixer on medium until light and fluffy; add eggs and vanilla; mix well.

gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until well mixed; stir in the oats and the chopped pralines.

drop rounded tablespoons on a greased baking tray, or parchment paper.

Bake for 10 - 12 minutes or until lightly browned.

I covered some of the cookies with some melted chocolate, but that's your choice; they taste great just as it is too..

Seviyan barfii

Trial and Error..

Thats what comes to my mind whenever I think of this yummy dessert. One of my cousins once brought a box of these barfis to our house and one bite of it was enough for us to start guessing the recipe, so that we could recreate it later. And as soon as She got the time, My Mom along with her two helpers (me and my sister) tried cooking up a batch that would be similar to the orignal barfi that we had got.
What mummy concluded after tasting the crisp, n crunchy barfi was that, it had three main ingredients - seviyan, condensed milk and nuts.
The First batch - It was not at all the same, it stuck to our hands..and we couldn't even get out proper pieces.
Second Batch - we decided to increase the amount of vermicelli and roast the quite a lot and with a little ghee. But the result was still not perfect - it was still lacking in the crunchiness
TADAA.. THE THIRD BATCH - This one was perfect and it became a frequently mad edessert in our house, the only difference in this batch was that after spreading it on a tray, mummy put it in the oven for a bit to crisp up the top, and it turned out perfect....

Ingredients:
150 - 200 g seviyan (vermicelli)
1 can of sweetened condensed milk (400g)
2 tbsp ghee
100 g mixed nuts (almonds, pistachios, cashews or walnuts), you can toast the nuts a bit if you want.

Method:
Prepare a tray by lining with foil and grease with a little ghee.
Dry roast the vermicelli till a little fragrant. then add ghee and roast for a few minutes. the vermicelli should be golden brown and fragrant. add the condensed milk and chopped nuts. Mix till all of the vermicelli is coated with condensed milk.
transfer into lined tray immediately, and flatten with the backside of a bowl or the underside of a glass.
score with a knife into diamonds or squares.
bake the barfi in the oven for 10 - 15 minutes at 160 degrees Celsius. to crisp up  the top, and make it nice and crunchy. (you can skip this step if you like it softer)
Let cool and separate the pieces.

Perfect to carry as a gift for your friends and family

crisped to golden perfection

Marble Cake

Perfect tea time accompaniment...

Its amazing how something so simple, can look so sophisticating. When i was a child it always used to fascinate me that how can two flavors be baked in a single cake with such beautiful designs ( I also used to try fist eating all the white cake parts and then the chocolate parts from the slice).

I always used to love a slice of marble cake either with tea in the evening or in the lunch box, or a late night snack. We used to get this lovely slabs of freshly baked marble cake at the bakery which would get over in no time at all.

Its one of those things that makes you realize that beautiful things don't always need a lot of effort, its more about the technique and the thought behind it.

A marble cake is a basic white cake, with cocoa powder mixed with some of the batter and then swirled in. the technique is the same as chocolate swirl cake

i also tried this coffee swirl cake with the same technique.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup ground oats
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 cup plain, yogurt
25 g cocoa powder
2 tbsp milk

OR

2 tbsp butter, room temperature
2 1/2 tsp instant coffee granules
1/2 tsp cocoa powder
1/4 cup brown sugar


Method:
Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Grease and flour a 10-inch bundt pan.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in eggs, one at a time, followed by vanilla extract.
Stir in half of the flour mixture, followed by the yogurt (or sour cream), then stir in remaining flour mixture. Batter will be thick.
In a seperate bowl dissolve the cocoa powder in the milk, and then mix it with half or 1/3 of the cake batter.

OR


In a small bowl, beat together butter, instant coffee/espresso, cocoa powder and brown sugar until well combined. Mixture will be crumbly. add 3 - 4 tbsp of the batter to this mixture

Spread half of the cake batter into prepared pan. Spread the chocolate or coffee batter in the center of the layer of cake batter (doesn't need to be neat), then top with remaining cake batter, spreading it evenly to cover the chocolate or coffee mixture. swirl with a knife or a wooden skewer.

Bake for 45-50 minutes, until the cake springs back when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Allow cake to cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Plain Marble cake

Coffee swirl cake

If you have more time on hand or if you are feeling more adventurous, you can even try piping a design with the brown colour batter on the base. although my first try din't turn out rite, i guess it was because of the brown sugar in my coffee batter...maybe next time

Failed attempt at making hearts