Rose and Pineapple Cooler

I can live on cool drinks all year long…😉 Being a teetotaller couple, we are constantly looking forward to trying some new flavours of mocktails and coolers…and more often than not we come across great finds👌😚

Speaking of great finds, I also find it interesting to try and make a new flavour combination right in the comfort of my kitchen! Earlier, I have shared the recipe of tropical iced tea which was a total hit! I make it every summer and we can’t get enough of it😀 I keep myself and the hubby hydrated as we sip on some of the most delicious homemade coolers. I have been told by people who have tried my Fruity Green Tea cooler, that it was one of the best ways to enjoy their green tea!

Coming to this gorgeous beauty that has gotten you all parched is my take on two amazing flavours…tropical Pineapple and the very exotic Rose. Rose, on it’s own is very cooling. I have combined it’s flavours with the sweet and slightly tangy juices of local Pineapples and added my twist to it….😁 The resulting cooler/ mocktail is a bit spicy, has the freshness of summer mint and is loaded with ice! Just the thing you need in these sweltering afternoons.

Let’s get started….

Yield: serves 2

Equipment: mortar-pestle, measuring cups/ spoons, mixing spoons, 2 glass/ bottles of your choice to serve the drink.

Ingredients:

1+1/2 cup fresh or canned pineapple juice

4 tsp rose syrup

9-10 fresh mint leaves

1/2 tsp chaat masala (Indian spice mix easily available in Indian Grocery/ Food Stores. If you can’t find chaat Masala, replace this ingredient with some salt and pepper to taste)**

1/4 tsp ginger juice (grate some ginger and squeeze the juice to add to the mocktail)

ice cubes as needed

Method:

Muddle together mint leaves, chaat Masala** and ginger juice together in the mortar-pestle.

Add two tsp rose syrup in each of the 2 serving glasses/ bottles.

Top the rose syrup up with 1-2 tsp of the mint leaves, ginger juice and chaat Masala** mixture.

Add ice cubes. Lastly, pour the Pineapple juice. The flavours will combine on their own, however, you can give them a quick stir. Garnish the drink with a sprig of mint! Enjoy!

Love,

Shreya❤️

Mango Kulfi | How to make Kulhad Kulfi

An Indian dessert that is loved by everyone and I guess there is rarely anyone who’d say no to Kulfi! This luciously creamy, deliciously sweet and chilled dessert is perfect for summers and compliments any Indian meal when looking for that perfect end to your meal 😍👌🏼 Flavour it with whatever takes your fancy! Mangoes….yes that is what I have used here to make it even more irresistible and delicious.

Look at the golden colour..and I have used a bit of freshly pounded cardamom powder to elevate the flavour of Alphonso Mangoes….the King of fruits 😍 and garnished it with some pistachio slivers and homemade dried rose petals (organic) ….this recipe also calls for some fresh, thick cream from full fat milk…yes homemade made fresh cream, it makes the Kulfi even more smooth and the taste is very authentic! But then again, you can always use fresh cream from a tetra pack too😋

Last year I had shared an easy recipe for Kesar Pista Kulfi on the blog and this recipe is another take on that!😀 You can add some chopped pistachios and almonds to this Mango Kulfi recipe and make it a Dry Fruit Mango Kulfi too!

I used kulhad and matkas (Indian earthenware) of different shapes and sizes to set the Kulfi, you can use simple Kulfi or Popsicle moulds as well or simply use little stainless bowl to set them. Although the kulhad and matkas I have here aren’t actually earthenware, they are all made of porcelain.

Common, let’s make Kulfi!

Yield: 5-6 kulfis

Equipment: a heavy bottomed pan, a ladle, measuring cups/ spoons, kulfi moulds/ Popsicle moulds/ small bowls, ice cream sticks etc.

Ingredients:

500 ml milk (I use Amul toned milk – 2%fat)

pulp of 3 nos. medium Alphonso mangoes

1/4 cup warm milk

2+1/2 tbsp cornflour

1+1/4 cup sugar (adjust as per your preference)

1/2 cup cream (I used homemade cream from full fat milk, you can use tetra packed Amul fresh cream as well)

1/2 tsp cardamom pwd

chopped pistachio & dried rose petals to garnish

Method:

Heat 500 ml milk in the pan, let it boil until the milk reduces a little and becomes thick. Keep stirring so that the milk does not stick at the bottom and burn.

Mix cornflour with 1/4 cup warm milk until it’s lump free. Add this mixture to the reduced milk and keep stirring until the cornflour blends properly with the milk. Add sugar, cardamom powder and the mango pulp. Cook for two mins more. Keep it aside to cool for a few mins.

Next, lightly beat the cream. Add the cooled milk and mango mixture to the beaten cream. Beat again for a few mins (I used a electric beater). Fill this mixture into moulds/ matkas/ bowls and keep it in freezer to set for about 7-8 hours or even overnight.

Once the Kulfi has set for 3-4 hours, put an ice cream stick in the centre of each mould if using Popsicle mould or traditional Kulfi mould.

Thaw the frozen Kulfi for a few mins, rub the moulds between your palms, tug on the ice cream stick and unmould it gently. That’s it! Your creamy Kulfi is ready☺️ Look at that texture…..yumm!

Love,

Shreya💗

 

 

Kothmir Wadi | Kothambir Wadi – Maharashtrian Delicacy

I am a proper Mumbai (Bombay) girl…born, raised, educated, worked and then married in Mumbai….when I say home, I always mean Mumbai❤….and saying that obviously means I love…just lurrvvvveeee my Mumbaiya (meaning typical) street food and snacks! The hubby and I visit every happening joint, cafe …etc, etc around our city but having some of the most delicious street food is something we can never give up!

Mumbai isn’t only about Wada Pav and Bombay Pav Bhaji in terms of authentic Maharashtrian snacks. If you have ever been to Maharashtra (any part of the state), you’d be familiar with Kothambir Wadi or Kothmir Wadi (spiced, coriander and chickpea flour nuggets). Kothmir or Kothambir literally means fresh coriander leaves in Marathi and Wadi translates to nuggets. Such an easy language… I am almost too proud that I can speak it rather well…(well, I do make grammatical errors here and there but I never quit speaking the language!) 😃

The flavours are fresh and very earthy, green chillies and ginger along with other spices and ingredients make these Wadis lip smacking. Although, these are available in most local shops that sell Wada Pav or bhajias (batter fried onion or potato fritters), I always wanted to make them at home too. I probably wouldn’t have if my hubby wasn’t so crazy about them…

So I looked up a few recipes and found one which was easy and sounded a whole lot like what we usually got from outside…and they turn out quite good and crisp! I have been making there for over 2 years now…and a glass of hot lemon tea is all that I need to polish these off!

Besides, making them is no big task either….it takes less than 15 mins of prepping and just another 30 minutes of cooking! Glutenfree (uses chick pea flour along with rice flour) and vegan (has no clarified butter or yogurt), one can easily include them in their special diets without any fuss. Serve them with a dip if choice or have them on it’s own…delish!

Let’s begin….

Yield: 16 small Wadis (nuggets) using a square baking tin of 5″X 5″

Equipment: a mixing bowl, a whisk, measuring cups/ spoons, a pressure cooker/ large pot, a small metal plate, a frying pan, baking tin or any vessel to use for steaming the Wadis (nuggets), a sharp knife, a pair of tong.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sifted chick-pea flour (besan) 

2 tbsp sifted rice flour (chawal ka atta)

salt to taste

water as needed

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

a pinch of hing (asafoetida)

2 tsp chopped green chillies

1 tsp ginger paste

1 tsp toasted white sesame seeds

1 tsp lemon juice

1/2 cup finely chopped fresh coriander leaves

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 tbsp flavour less oil (like canola or sunflower)

To pan fry: (optional, have it steamed if you wish to avoid pan frying. Also, deep frying is yet another option but I tend to avoid deep frying)

4 tbsp oil

Method:

In a mixing bowl, add the sifted flours. Season with salt. Add hing at this point. Whisk well and add little water to make a thick batter. Add the ginger paste, lemon juice, chillies, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, oil, toasted sesame seeds and chopped coriander leaves, whisk again. Add the baking soda and mix gently (don’t whisk). Grease the baking tin with some oil. Pour the batter into the greased tin and set it aside.

Heat about 2 cups of water in a large pot or pressure cooker. Keep a metal plate at the bottom of the pot/ cooker to use as a  seperator.

Once the water starts boiling a bit, place the tin with the batter inside the pot/ cooker on the separator plate. Cover with a lid if you are using a pot. In case you are using a pressure cooker, remove the weight (whistle) off the lid and then secure the lid on the pressure cooker.

Cook on low flame for about 15-18 mins. Then turn off the flame  and open the lid carefully. Remove the tin from the pot/ pressure cooker and using a sharp knife check if the batter has cooked, to do that, simply insert the knife in the centre of the tin, if it comes out clean, the batter has cooked (just aswe do for any cake).

Let this cool down completely. Once it has cooled, run the knife on all four sides of the tin and gently unmould it on a chopping board. Using the same sharp knife, cut it into squares. Keep them aside.

This is what it looks like post steaming. Have them just as it is..or pan fry.

To pan fry:

Heat 4 tbsp oil in a frying pan, place the squakes in the pan once the oil is hot, keep turning them around and let them crisp up on all sides. Once done, remove on absorbent kitchen paper. Serve them hot with a dip if your choice!

They keep fresh for a few hours although I have never tried to store them for very long. These make for a great party snack or even as a side dish to go with your meals!

Love,

Shreya💖

Adapted from Nisha Madhulika

Eggless Fudge Brownies (Part WholeWheat)

No, these brownies don’t contain strawberries….but I have been throwing these beauties on everything…literally! To my salads…my desserts..my breakfast…I guess my dal tadka is the only thing that is yet to be introduced to them berries 😂😂😂😂😂…. 

Anyways…we love a good brownie..so much less job than doing a proper cake and a lot more chocolatier than a chocolate cake even! It’s gooey and the flavours are so much more intense….if you know what I mean.

The texture of this heavenly slice speaks for itself, doesn’t it!? And …this also has some Wholewheat flour…I mean I always to make a Wholewheat brownie but wasn’t sure if the texture so I tried using APF (maida) and wholewheat in 50:50 ratio. The first attempt was sad… I didn’t like the look of the brownie and neither was flavour sitting right due to the texture!

In my first attempt, I had obviously over beaten the mixture which resulted in really uneven and gritty (read rough) textured brownies. Also, the butter was slightly too warm than necessary and that too was an issue.

So, my second attempt which followed the first one in just 2 days, as I was curious to make it work. And work it did! I kept everything ready as always and kept reminding myself that I need to go slow instead of my quick ways! So, if you do try this recipe please follow the steps carefully. This time I didn’t over beat the mixture and carefully checked the temperature of the butter before proceeding to the subsequent additions.

In my personal opinion, they  could look a little better but working with wholewheat and APF that too with out eggs is a bit difficult for me….needs more practice!

Overall the taste was good and the sweetness just right…I guess that’s what matters the most ☺😁😁

Few things to remember-

Use a good quality cocoa powder in this recipe as that is what adds the real taste.

Line the baking pan well with parchment or baking paper or dust the baking pan carefully with the flour to avoid the brownie to stick to it post baking. There is nothing worse than a good brownie getting ruined because it was sticking to the baking pan.

Never over beat the brownie mixture/ batter. It results in dry brownies.

Never over bake the brownie. That will again make it dry and very crumbly.

Let’s  bake you a brownie!

Yield : 9 large or 12 small square slices

Equipment: baking pan (I used 7″ square pan), parchment paper/ baking paper, measuring cups/ spoons, heat proof bowl (or used stainless steel bowl), a saucepan, large mixing bowl, silicon spatula, a small wired whisk, cooling rack.

Ingredients:

7 tbsp maida (APF)

6tbsp wholewheat flour (I used Aashirwaad select flour)

6+1/2 tbsp cocoa powder (I used Cadbury’s)

7 tbsp butter (unsalted) 

1/2 cup thick yogurt (I used homemade curd which I hung in a muslin cloth for 15 mins to get rid of any water)

4-5 tbsp milk at room temperature (optional, to be used only if the batter gets to thick/ dry)

1 cup powdered sugar (add more or less as per your preference)

1 tsp vanilla extract/ essence

1 tsp baking powder

any nuts or chocolate chips, etc. of your choice can be added to the batter!! 😁

Method:

Line the pan with parchment paper/ baking paper. Alternatively, grease it with some oil and dust it generously with maida (APF). Set it aside.

Pre-heat the oven @180’c.

Heat 1 cup of water in the saucepan, it should not be boiling hot, just gentle bubbles are enough. Place a heatproof or stainless steel bowl on top of the saucepan in such a way that the base of the bowl I’d 2-3 inches above the level of the water below in the pan (method is called bain-mariè).

Add butter in the bowl. Let the butter melt and simultaneously whisk it very gently to give an even texture. Be careful while doing this as the water below must not enter the bowl with the butter.

Once the butter has melted completely, add powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Whisk again. The mixture will first look a little rough but keep whisking gently, it will turn out very smooth. Take the bowl off the saucepan now. Set this bowl aside to cool down for a few minutes.

Then add the yogurt and vanilla extract at this stage. Whisk again and make sure the batter is smooth. Next, seive in the APF and wholewheat flour along with baking powder.

Now keep the whisk aside and use a silicone or wooden spatula and gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Do not over mix. (If you feel the batter is way too thick and dry, add 3-4 tbsp milk in to batter and fold the batter gently. This step is optional, I added 1 tbsp of milk as that much was enough).

Pour the batter into the lined baking pan. Tap the pan a few times on the platform to release any air bubbles. 👆🏼

Bake @180’c for 25-30 mins using just the lower heating elements/ rods. Once it’s ready, do a toothpick test – The test is different here, when the brownie is ready, the toothpick inserted in the centre must come out with some moist batter or crumbs. The toothpick must not come out clean. If it comes out clean, means the brownie has been over cooked.

That is what my brownie looked like just out of the oven 👆🏼

Remove the ready brownie from the oven and set it on the cooling rack for 15 mins. Then place it in the refrigerator for an hour. Then cut in to slices and remove from the pan. (Refrigeration ensures clean slices!)

Wow! I am still drooling at the thought of these….😋😋

If you liked these then you must try Loaded MnM Oreo Bars or Nutties Brownie too!

Looking for something more decadent….try my gooey Brownie Muffins.

Love,

Shreya❤

 

Dum Paneer Kali Mirch – restaurant style

Paneer? Haven’t done that in a while now, have we!? Restaurant Style…under 30 mins? Ring a bell? Yeah…..my Reshmi Paneer is one such dish that fits every bill 😉 Tastes great, easy to make and loved by all!! 

I love paneer (Indian cottage cheese) and often make it at home from scratch using full fat milk (it is very easy) but I stick to  making Paneer only and only when I am out of veggies and need to get my meals ready in a jiffy! Or if I have some guests and I have planned 2-3 main dishes, Paneer is always one of them.

So when I was out of veggies a few days ago, I made some fresh paneer and decided to make Dum Paneer Kali Mirch (juicy, succulent pieces of cottage cheese cooked with assorted spices, fresh yogurt and black peppercorns). Sounds good? Well, it’s much better than good….it tasted just like the ones we get at Restaurants and the spices were all well balanced.

What I love about this dish is the depth of flavour that the crushed black peppercorns give and at the same time the yogurt ensures a luscious creamy gravy to mop up with some crisp and flaky Laccha Paratha 🤗 …however the Paratha that you see in the picture just above has approximately 24 layers… yeah…I do that sometimes..it was so good with the Dum Paneer Kali Mirch! Just add a salad or some raita…and you have a complete for yourself.

If you are wondering what is ‘Dum‘, it is nothing but a process of slow cooking by covering the pot/pan with some aluminium foil or a dough of Wholewheat around the lid so that no steam escapes from the pot/ pan and all the flavours are locked into the dish.

I am planning to make some Paneer Tawa Masala and pair that with these parathas soon…I’ll probably do a 36 layered one this time around👌🏼

Lets get cooking…

Yield: serves 2

Equipment: a pan, measuring cups/ spoons, a ladle, blender.

Ingredients:

W200 gms fresh paneer

1 nos. large onion

a pinch of sugar

5 tbsp oil

2 nos. black cardamom

1″ stick cinnamon

a pinch of asafoetida (hing)

1 tbsp ginger- garlic paste

1 tsp green chilli paste

1 tsp freshly crushed peppercorns

salt to taste

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp coriander powder

3/4 tsp cumin powder

1/2 tsp Garam Masala

5 tbsp thick fresh yogurt

2 tbsp fresh cream (I used Amul)

Chopped coriander leaves to garnish as needed

Method:

Cut the paneer in cubes and set it aside.

Slice the onions roughly. Heat oil in the pan. Once it is hot, add the sliced onions with a pinch of sugar and fry them until they turn golden brown but not burnt.

Remove the onions from the oil and let them cool completely. Once they have cooled down, blend them in a blender until  smooth.

Now, in the same pan which we had used to fry the onions, there is still enough oil. Heat it again, add the cardamom and the cinnamon stick. Let them splatter for a minute. Then add the hing and the onion paste. Cook the onion paste for 3-4 mins. Then add the green chilli paste and ginger-garlic paste. Cook until the raw smell goes away. Then season with salt, add red chilli powder, crushed black peppercorns, coriander powder, cumin powder and Garam Masala. Mix well and cook for 5-6 mins. You can add some water if the spices mixture is sticking to the pan.

Next, add the cubed paneer and the yogurt. Mix well and be careful not to break the paneer. Keep stirring gently and cook them uncovered for 5 mins. Then add the fresh cream and some more water to correct the consistency.

Put a lid and seal with some aluminium foil on all sides. Turn the flame on low and let this cook on ‘Dum’ for about 15-20 mins. Once done, remove the foil, open the lid and garnish with some chopped coriander and serve hot with parathas or Phulkas.😊

Are you drooling yet!? 😋

Love,

Shreya💝

Adapted from NDTV

Matar Kachori | Khasti Matar Kachori

Let’s call it as Kachori Weekends at our place….last weekend it was Aloo ki Kachori and this week, I was keen to make my favourite green peas stuffed Kachoris to devoured with some green Chutney! 👌🏼😁

The market is flooded with fresh, bright green peas. They so sweet and perfect! I have shelled and cleaned about 4-5 kgs of green peas, frozen them in sterilised Ziplock bags to last me for the entire year….more than enough for the two of us! I do this almost every year as I detest the flavour of the store bought frozen peas, they are quite tasteless.

Anyhow, with all the green peas around me got me craving for some Nimona (a gravy made with puréed green peas, very famous in Uttar Pradesh and enjoyed with steamed rice and some ghee) with the onset of the winters in December…..I have made it almost every week. And now, with the winter almost on it’s way out…I wanted to make Matar ki Kachori once, as it’s fried..once is more than enough for the entire season 😂

They turned out so crisp and flaky…just the way I love my kachoris. My Mom’s recipe never fails me….be it her Plyaaz ki Kachori or this …just perfect😋

The stuffing is made with fresh, sweet green peas and some spices tasters tangy, earthy as it uses my home made Garam Masala along with loads of ginger…all the flavours of a perfect Northern winter!  There is no onion or garlic in this recipe. The outer pastry is flaky and very crisp as its fried on slow flame…always fry your kachoris low and slow! They cook well and never turn limp and soggy.

You can pair these Matar ki Kachoris with dubkimaar Aloo Tamatar and chutney or just some imli ki chutney…just so yummy👌

Let’s start…

Yield: 9 large kachoris

Equipment: a heavy bottom wok, a slotted ladle, measuring spoons/ cups, rolling board, rolling board, kitchen paper, a small pan, potato masher, mixing bowls.

Ingredients:

For the outer cover:

2+1/2 cup all purpose flour (Maida)

salt to taste

3 tbsp ghee

water as needed

Method:

Take flour in a  mixing bowl, season it with salt. Add ghee and rub it into the flour until the flour resembles bread crumbs. This ensures that the outer cover of the kachori is crisp and flaky. Next, add sufficient water to make a semi stiff dough. Cover the dough and set it aside to let it rest for a minimum of 30 mins.

For the stuffing: 

1 cup fresh green peas

1 nos. boiled potato

salt to taste

2 tsp mustard oil (use any oil as per your preference)

a pinch of hing (asafoetida)

1 tsp finely chopped green chillies

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1 tbsp freshly grated ginger

1 tbsp coriander powder

3/4 tsp red chilli powder

1/4 tsp turmeric powder (optional)

1/2 tsp amchoor powder (dry mango powder)

1/2 tsp Garam Masala

chopped coriander leaves as needed

oil to fry

Method:

Mash the boiled potato and set it aside. Potato is used as a binder, if you wish you can avoid it too.

In a pan, heat oil. Once it’s hot, add hing, cumin seeds and green chillies. Let them splatter around for a minute. Then add the grated ginger. Cook it for a minute.

The washed and dried green peas go in next. Season with salt and cook the peas for a few minutes. Then add the turmeric, red chilli powder, coriander powder, Garam Masala powder. Mix well. Add the mashed potato and mix well with the spices and the peas. Cover and cook for 5-7 minutes or until the peas become mushy.

Add the amchoor powder along with chopped coriander leaves next and mix well. Turn off the flame. Cover the pan with the ready stuffing for a few minutes. Then using a potato masher, mash the peas and potato mixtures well. Let some of the peas stay whole, while roughly mashing the others. That’s done.

Assembling:

Divide the dough which was kept aside into 9 equal sized balls.(I could make 9, if you choose to make smaller Kachoris, you can easily make upto 12 kachoris with this much amount of dough). Flatten each ball of dough to a thickness 2-3 mm and diameter about 3″, add 2-3 tsp of the stuffing. Close the dough ball around stuffing tightly and secure the ends so that the stuffing doesn’t spill out while frying. Flatten out the kachori a bit using a rolling board and pin.

Do the same with all the other 8 dough balls as well. Set them aside. Heat oil to fry in a heavy bottomed wok. Once it hot enough, drop 1-2 kachoris at a time and fry on low flame until golfden and crisp on all sides. Remove from oil and drain excess oil on kitchen papers. Fry them all and the serve these piping hot with sides of your choice.

The stuffing keeps well for 2-3 days in the refrigerator if stored in a glass or porcelain bowl. (I avoid plastic)

I am drooling all over again just as I was typing out this draft 😜 But, seriously, do try this one out soon …..so easy to make and very flavoursome!!! You will be making these again and again.

Love,

Shreya💖

 

Aloo ki Kachori

Winters are the perfect season to devour everything that’s deep fried and spicy😋😋 I can never say no to anything that’s fried even though I keep promising myself to avoid it as far as possible.

These Aloo ki Kachoris are so so delicious…even if I am saying this myself but you truly need to eat these to believe me! 👌🏼😀 They are crispy, flaky and the filling is absolutely lip smacking!

Dont they look tempting….!? I served these for our Saturday brunch and my hubby couldn’t stop raving about them. I was moving a couple of inches aboveboard the ground for the next few hours 😂😂 The thing is has always enjoyed Aloo ki kachori made in one of the shops in some obscure lane in Kanpur….I’ve tasted that too on one of our trips there, I must confess that it was such a treat 😋 I couldn’t stop at one!

So when my hubby wanted me to make some at home a few weeks ago, I asked my Mom for the recipe and kept my fingers crossed that he’d approve of them. I usually make Pyaaz ki Kachori at home for brunches so I knew I’d nail the outer crisp cover…it was the filling that I wished to perfect.

I served them with every kachori’s favourite accompaniment Dubkimaar Aloo Tamatar ka Rassa and some kacchi kairi Wali chutney…will share the recipe today.

Yield: 8-9 large Kachoris

Equipment: a heavy bottomed wok, rolling pin, rolling board, large mixing bowl, measuring cups/ spoons.

For the outer cover:

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cup Maida (APF)

salt to taste

3 tsp ghee (clarified butter)

water as needed

Method:

In a large bowl, take maida, season with salt. Add the ghee and rub it with the mAida until it resembles bread crumbs. This makes the kachori crispy. Then add little water at a time and make a semi stiff dough. Cover the dough with a kitchen napkin and set aside for 20-30 mins.

For the filling:

Ingredients:

4 nos. large boiled potatoes

salt to taste

chopped green chillies to taste

1 tsp roasted cumin powder

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

a pinch of hing (asafoetida)

2 tsp chopped coriander leaves

1/2 tsp amchur powder

oil to fry the Kachori

Method:

Mash potatoes, add salt, roasted cumin powder, amchur powder, hing, red chilli powder, chillies and coriander leaves. Mix well. Set it aside.

Assembling and Frying the kachori:

Divide the dough in equal sized balls (I made 9). Roll these balls to a flat Roti like shape having a diameter of 3″ or so, stuff with the potato filling. Secure the ball well and flatter the kachori a bit using the rolling pin. Do the same for all the 9 dough balls.

Now heat the oil in a wok til it’s hot enough to fry. Add 1-2 Kachoris at a time and fry them on low flame until golden and crisp on both sides. Don’t fry on high flame as the Kachoris won’t turn crisp.

Serve them piping hot.

Ingredients for Kairi Wali Chutney:

2 bunches fresh coriander

3/4 cup chopped kairi (raw mango)

5-6 cloves garlic

3-4 nos. green chillies

salt to taste

water as needed

Method:

Wash and chop the coriander leaves. Add al, the ingredients in a blender jar and make the Chutney using water as needed. Store the Chutney in a porcelain or glass jar, it will stay fresh for 6-7 days.

Hope you enjoy these🤗

Love,

Shreya💖

 

Chocolate Truffles

Chocolates are the ultimate indulgence for me…food wise! I usually refrain from the temptation and stick to more healthier options if craving desserts. But the festivities do call for something indulgent, don’t you think so?! 😉 Besides, nobody says no to chocolates and as expected, my hubby does love them too☺️

So the last from this Christmas is going to be these delicious, sinful Chocolate Truffles. I can go on eating them all in a go if I weren’t afraid of putting on a pound with each bite😜 nope….can’t take that risk.

Making this recipe doesn’t call for any thermometer or any other fancy gadget. It’s just a bit of eyeballing the situation…and you’re all set. Obviously for that one needs to master the art of making the perfect ganache. I will share exact recipe for the same in grams (use a weighing scale), if you follow the measurements correctly, you will end up with the most luscious and shiny ganache ever. Either use this ganache to fill within a cake or to dress a cake. Make truffles if your like me, or simply pour over favourite Brownie and indulge your tastebuds!

I prefer keeping them simple and hence just rolled these beauties in some good quality unsweetened cocoa powder just before serving.

Here are a few variations you can use to decorate your truffles. 

Funfetti/ sprinkles/ edible shimmer powder: After the ganache balls have set well in the refrigerator, just roll each ball in some funfetti/ sprinkles or edible shimmer powder. It is one of the easiest things to do and kids particularly enjoy them. These are easily available in any store that specialises in bakery and decorative goods. (I personally prefer Arife, as there is a huge variety of each of these things)
Chocolate: This is a very common option, melt some Chocolate chips of a cooking chocolate bar, let it come to room temperature and then dip the set ganache balls in the chocolate and let them set for about 15 mins in the refrigerator.
Nuts: I love the nut encrusted truffles. Crush any nuts of your choice in a bowl (I prefer pistachio for it’s beautiful green and pink hue) and coat the set ganache balls in the crushed nuts. They look pretty and add a whole new flavour dimension. Hazelnut or walnuts too make for an excellent choice.

Now for what you can add within them, in terms of flavour. 

Liquor: Fruity liquor (raspberry, coconut, lemon, strawberry, etc) or even something like rum/ whiskey, etc can be added to the ganache mixture once it has cooled down a bit and just before you begin making the ganache balls. If you add the liquor when the ganache is too hot, the alcohol will evaporate and there won’t be much flavour left behind.
Essence/ extract: Almond extract or the good old vanilla is always such a lovely flavour.

Let’s learn an easy and precise recipe….

Yield: 10 large truffles

Equipment: a saucepan, a heatproof bowl, parchment paper/ baking paper, a small scoop of a tablespoon, measuring spoons/ cups.

Ingredients:

170 gms bittersweet dark Chocolate (morde)

5 tbsp heavy whipping cream

21.26 gms unsalted butter (1.5 tbsp approx)

1/2 tbsp vanilla extract

Cocoa powder as needed to roll these truffles (I used Hershey’s)

Method:

Heat water in a sauce pan, once it’s boiling gently, place a heatproof bowl over the sauce pan in such a way that the bowl does not touch the water below (double boiler).

Place chopped chocolate, cream and butter into the bowl and let these melt slowly.

Once the chocolate has melted into the butter and the cream, take the bowl off the double boiler and gently mix everyt with a silicon spatula for a minute. Do not over mix. Once the mixture comes to room temperature, add vanilla extract, mix and refrigerate for two hours.

If you refrigerated it for longer, then let the ganache become slightly soft before rolling it into balls. I used a tablespoon to measure the ganache and rolled them into balls and the quickly rolled every ball into the cocoa powder. Refrigerate until they need to be served/ packed.

Make sure the ganache is not runny, it needs to be firm when being rolled into balls. Ensure you use a good quality cocoa powder as that adds much flavour. Alternately, roll in icing sugar if you wish to avoid cocoa.

These are so tempting…it’s hard to resist really😜 I’d love these as Christmas gifts too….so I am sure so will your loved ones!

One of the easiest things to make for the last minute prepping…☺️

Love,

Shreya💖

Adapted from my baking addiction

Spiced Orange and Cranberry Cake

Everyone is baking Christmas cakes, some boozy, some not so boozy…filled with nuts, preserved fruits and a whole lot of warm spices. Amazing aromas and delicious tasting cakes sure mean Christmas 😋

A traditional Christmas cake is moist, very moreish, filled with rum or whisky soaked dry fruits and preserved fruit peels. These are soaked for over a month or so in advance to incorporate the flavours of the alcohol into the ingredients. These cakes are often served as a large round cake or even at times as petit fours. They could be served as a naked cake, just dusted with some icing sugar. One could even cover them in marzipan or ice them with whipped cream and then decorate them with Christmas embellishments. They all look so pretty! ☃️🎄

However, I have never baked a boozy cake or even a traditional Christmas cake for that matter. I first thought I’d soak all the  fruit peels and dry fruits in some orange juice with some whole spices but I wasn’t quiet sure when would I get to actually bake the cake. So I changed the plan and this worked out really well.

I decided to bake a warm and hearty Spiced Orange and Cranberry Cake. Some simple and fresh ingredients transformed into this gorgeous cake. I must admit it did turn out better than I had thought. 😊 And the texture was perfect, moist crumb and not very dense.

The addition of Cranberry gives the cake a bit of tartness in every bite that compliments the citrusy notes from the oranges very well. If you wish you omit the Cranberry here, do that or you can replace them with some colourful tutti Frutti or even chopped nuts. I added some warm spices here, feel free to omit them too if you wish. This recipe makes for an excellent summer cake with just the orange flavour or replace Orange juice with some lemon juice.

Let’s start…

Yield: a 7″ round cake.

Equipment: an electric whisk, 7″ cake tin, a large mixing bowl, a medium sized mixing bowl, a silicon spatula, cooling rack, baking paper/ parchment paper, measuring cups/ spoons.

Ingredients:

2 cup all purpose flour (Maida)

1+1/2 cup powdered sugar

4 nos. large eggs

1 stick/ 100 gms unsalted butter @room temperature

1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp ground clove

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 cup milk

3/4 cup fresh orange juice

1/4 cup dried cranberries

icing sugar to dust the cake

Method:

Preheat the oven @180’c. Line the base of the tin with parchment paper/ baking paper and grease and dust the sides well.

In a medium size bowl, seive together the flour, ground nutmeg, ground cloves, ground cinnamon, baking powder and baking soda. Set it aside. Dust the cranberries with some flour and set them aside.

Next, in a large mixing bowl, whisk together the butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy. I used an electric whisk and it took me about 3-4 mins of whisking. Now add one egg at a time and whisk the butter and sugar mixture with the eggs until light and fluffy once again.

Now, add the seived flour mixture and milk in the egg-butter-sugar mixture alternately and fold the mixture with a silicon spatula. Do not mix with a heavy hand else all the air whisked in the eggs will escape. Then add the orange juice and the cranberries. Mix well.

Pour the batter in the tin and bake @ 170’c using the lower heating rods/ coil for 60 mins approximately or until a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Note that every oven works differently so keep an eye on the temperature and the duration of the bake.

I prefer baking my cakes low and slow, low temperature takes longer to bake the cake but ensures it rises well without any cracks on the top.

Once the cake is baked, remove it from the oven and cool it on a rack for 15 mins in the tin, then unmould it and cool it for a further 30 mins. Dust the top with some icing sugar. Slice it and serve. This cake keeps well for 3-4 days in an airtight container.

I used these spices, you can choose any spices of your choice.

Hope you will bake this soon, it’s easy, alcohol free and absolutely delicious! 😀

Love,

Shreya💖

 

Gingerbread Man Cookies (eggless, no molasses)

Christmas 🎄✨is so close and all I think about is what all I wish to bake for it😋 There’s plenty to be done…I have already finished doing a fair bit in whatever little time I have between so many things…I almost thought I’d have to skip it this year!

The one thing that was on my mind were these gingerbread man cookies!! ☃️☃️ I’ve had these cookie cutters for ages now and i was itching to put them to good use 😂 I mean, I did bake gingread cookies last year too but just regular round ones and hence didn’t even post them on the blog…not to forget, I had baked them for New Years!! Lol!! Well, there’s a good reason being a bit tardy…..will come to that shortly.

Don’t they look crisp, all nice and crunchy!? Well that’s precisely why I didn’t mind waiting for an entire year to share the perfect recipe for an egg free, molasses free version of these cuties. I had tried a couple of recipes last year (I had more time then I guess to keep experimenting)…anyways I didn’t enjoy them as they had egg and also called for molasses. I found all the ingredients easily but maybe it was the flavour that wasn’t quite right. Or maybe it was me..I did something…I don’t know! Those cookies looked great even as a typical round, flat version but obviously they lacked the snap and crunch in every bite.

After hunting for another version which would be eggless and molasses free, I did stumble upon a great keeper of a recipe!

The texture of these gingerbread man cookies is just how it’s supposed to be, crunchy and keeps fresh for upto 2 weeks in an airtight container. They have wonderful snap of them and the aroma…well it’s smells like Holidays in my home 😍 These best part, no electric heater or whisk is needed, no fancy equipments either…just make the dough and roll it out, use a cookie cutter of any shape you like, a star or some Christmas trees or even little mittens if you get hold of them. Bake these and ice them or enjoy them just like that.

Do read the recipe carefully before starting out. Also keep all the ingredients ready on the work surface, it will save you time and you will definitely avoid missing out anything important.

Also note that every oven works differently so please monitor trhe temperature and the baking time as per your oven. 

Yield: 16-18 cookies (I used medium sized cutters and rolled the dough a bit thick)

Equipment: a heavy bottomed saucepan, a wired whisk, measuring cups/ spoons, a large mixing bowl, cling wrap, cookie cutters or knife (if you’re going for simply square or rectangular cookies), baking pan, parchment paper/ baking paper, cooling rack.

Ingredients:

1+1/4 cup all purpose flour (maida)

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/8 cup milk (you may need a bit extra)

2 tbsp corn syrup (use honey if you can’t find corn syrup but I have not tried honey in this recipe so far)

a few golden or silver sprinkles to decorate the gingerbread men cookies (I ran out of icing sugar🙄😑)

Method:

In a large mixing bowl, seive together the flour, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, ground ginger, ground nutmeg and the baking soda. Set these aside.

Now, place butter, corn syrup, milk and sugar in the sauce pan and turn on the heat. Let the butter melt and the sugar dissolve completely on a low flame while stirring it continuously with a wired whisk. Once the sugar has melted, turn off the flame. Let the mixture cool for just 5-7 mins but not more as it thickens because of the corn syrup.

Next, add this butter and sugar mixture into the sieved flour and spices. Mix well using the whisk. The dough will come together very easily, if not add just 1/2 teaspoon of milk and bring the dough together. If needed only then add a few more drops of milk. If you add too much milk, the dough will turn out to be extremely gluelike and won’t hold a good shape. 

Now, wrap the dough in cling film and refrigerate for 10-15 mins. Please do not refrigerate the dough for longer as it will become too hard to roll out.

Preheat the oven @ 180’c.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator, place it between two sheets of cling wrap, dust it with very little flour and roll it out to a thickness of 4 mm approx (I like them thick, you can roll them to a thickness of 3 mm too). Use a cookie cutter or knife to cut them out.

Line a baking pan/ tray with parchment paper or baking paper and place these cookies a little apart from each other on it. Push  the sprinkles in place where you want to make the eyes and smile for the gingerbread man. Or else do an icing later. The sprinkles won’t melt while baking or fall off later.

Tip: roll and cut all the dough at once because this dough gets a bit sticky. If you have a small oven and can bake only 10 cookies at a time, keep the remaining cut out cookies on a plate in the refrigerator until you have to bake them. Please do not freeze the dough, it will become rock hard and will not come to a good texture to roll them later.

Bake the cookies @180’c for 13-14 mins using the lower rod for the first 11 mins and the upper and the lower, both rods for the last 2-3 mins to ensure a good colour. (My cookies cracked a bit as some of the sugar wasn’t melted well , but they still turned out crisp and didn’t spread much).

Keep an eye while baking them. Cool them on a cooling rack. Click here to learn how to make and use eggless royal icing to ice and decorate any cookies.

So it’s the corn syrup that replaces molasses and makes these cookies crisp.

Making this is a lot of fun and you can also include your kids while rolling the dough or icing the cookies later 😚

Love,

Shreya😍

Adapted from art of dessert.