Category: sugar

Apple – Banana Halwa (Microwave Method):

May 15, 2019

Traditionally halwa making takes a very long process and I have shared the recipe already.  You need a time and patience to attempt. When you make the same halwa with a less effort by using microwave, nothing like it. I do agree with the side effects of using microwave and personally I myself avoid using microwave many times.

This time, I wanted to finish off lot of over ripe bananas as well as tasteless apples and at the same time, I was pressed for time as well. That is how, I opted for this method and here is the procedure. I must tell you that, taste or texture wise there is no change or variation.

Here, I have not removed the outer skin of the apple and it was perfectly blended while cooking.

Ingredients:

Banana – ¾ kg (over ripe one)

Apple – ¾ kg (any variety)

Sugar – 2 cups

Ghee – 4 to 6 tsp

Cardamom – 1 tsp (powdered)

Cashew bits – optional

Method:

-Here I have used my LG Microwave and opted for Gajar halwa under Indian Cooking setting and proceeded. As I write the method, I would mention the timing, so that any one can make this halwa by using any Microwave.

-Chop Banana and apples (with skin) and put it in a glass bowl (microwave safe)

-In LG Microwave, when I opted for microwave IC1 = Gajar halwa and in one cycle it runs for 14 min.

-So, cook for 13 to 14 minutes at first. After first cycle, mix everything properly and keep it for 2nd cycle (again 13 to 14 minutes)

-Remove the bowl, add sugar and mix everything properly and keep it for 3rd cycle (again 13 to 14 Minutes)

-After taking out, add 4 tsp of ghee and mix everything and keep it for 4th cycle (again 13 to 14 minutes)

-Lastly add 2 tsp of ghee and keep it for 5th cycle (again 13 to 14min) and at this time, it appears as non-sticky and turns into a mass like structure.

-Over all it took me 1 hour and 10 minutes but in between my work, I did it whenever I pleased and finishes the work 😀

-Add in roasted cashew bits. If needed, please cook for some more minutes and spread the mixture in a ghee applied plate.

-After it cools down, maybe overnight, cut into pieces and store it in an air tight box. It stays good and shelf life is very long.

Note: You can use only banana as well.

 

Ginger Molasses Cookies:

April 20, 2019

Molasses cookies are chewy compared to any normal cookies. If it is made with wholesome flour with added ginger flavour, there’s nothing like it. It finally transforms into an absolute delicious wholesome snack for small kids or elders. Here is my Healthy, no all-purpose flour Ginger Molasses Cookies.

It is easy to make, with no rolling or freezing. Make the dough, scoop it out, roll this in crystal sugar and bake. That is, it. Stays good for a week or more.

If you want to make a huge batch, follow as it is. Otherwise, please make it half and proceed. Here I have taken multi millet flour (morning porridge powder) and whole wheat powder. You can play with the flour or straight away use All purpose flour or whole wheat flour according to your choice.

Ingredients:

Flour quantity – 4 ½ cup (porridge powder + whole wheat)

Butter – 300 grams (softened)

Brown sugar – 2 cups

Molasses / Jaggery syrup – ½ cup

Eggs – 2

Cooking soda – 4 tsps.

Ginger powder – 1 table spoon

Cinnamon powder – 1 tsp

Chocolate chunks/ chips – as needed (optional)

Salt – 1 tsp

Sugar – to coat

Method:

-Whisk all the dry ingredients (flour, cooking soda, ginger powder, Cinnamon powder, salt, chocolate chips.

-Take a big bowl or a processor, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs one by one and beat.

– Add molasses and beat one more time. Pour mixture of dry ingredients and prepare a dough.

-Place this dough (little sticky dough) in a fridge by closing a cling wrap, for one or two hours.

-Pre heat oven at 170 °C.

-Take out the dough, scoop out, roll the top part in crystal sugar and place it on the butter paper lined cookie tray.

-Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Remove, cool and store it in an air tight bottle.

Note:

-If you don’t have Molasses, please melt half cup of jaggery powder in little water and boil until it is  thick and use it.

You can mix sugar crystals with half tsp of ginger and cinnamon powder to get more flavour.

I have made plain cookies as well as with chocolate chunk and both tastes equally good and stays good for many days.

Balehannina Berati Payasa / Payasam by plantain preserve:

April 7, 2019

First, I want to wish a very very happy “Ugadi” to all my readers.  Ugadi marks the beginning of the new Hindu lunar Calendar, which is based on the change in the moon’s orbit. Ugadi is a Lunar New year for us.

On the eve of this festival I made our traditional payasam and enjoyed with my family.

“Berati” is nothing but preserved fruit pulp, which is cooked until it forms into thick mass and usually made when it is in abundance and stored for future use.

How to preserve jackfruit and Banana / Berati is already shared in my blog. 

In Coastal region we love jack and Banana in many forms. Berati Payasa (preserved Banana or Jack)  is one of them.

Now we will see traditionally how it is made:

Ingredients:

Berati / Banana preserve – 1 bowl

Coconut – 1 (To extract milk)

-OR-

Thin coconut milk – 2cups

Thick coconut milk – ½ cup

Salt – ½ tsp

Cardamom powder – ½ tsp

For Seasoning:

Ghee – 1 tbl sp

Thin Coconut slices – 2 tbl sp

Cashew pieces – 2 tbl sp

OR

Toasted black sesame – 1 table spoon

Fresh coconut slices – 1 to 2 table spoons

Method:

  • Take out Berati from your freezer and keep aside for some time to attain room temperature.

  • Slice coconut by using small knife, chop these sliced pieces into small bits.
  • Toast black sesame and keep aside.
  • Take little ghee and fry coconut bits and keep aside.
  • If you want to, you can add ghee roasted cashew bits as well.
  • Grate coconut (coconut should be fresh), put one cup of water and grind this in a mixer jar and extract milk by sieving this ground mixture. This is thick coconut milk and you should keep this separately. We use this at the end stage of Payasa making.
  • Do this procedure a couple of times to get a thin extract and lastly discard coconut fibre.
  • If you are using readymade coconut milk, please skip this step.
  • Now take one thick bottomed vessel, put Berati, thin coconut milk and dissolve Berati and keep this on a gas stove to boil.
  • Usually while making Berati, we put Sugar, so no need of additional sugar.

  • Lastly add thick extract of coconut milk and give one boil. Don’t boil it much. Add Cardamom powder and mix.       
  • Remove from fire and add fried coconut pieces, toasted black sesame or cashew brittles to prepared Payasa.
  • Serve with lunch thali or as a dessert.

NOTE:

  • Traditionally only toasted sesame and coconut bits are added.
  • Vegans can omit ghee and roast all the items, instead of frying.

 

Lemon Bread Roll:

February 5, 2019

Homemade lemon curd is pretty much going with anything. It is perfect for cookies, tarts, bread or bun, or topping with any dessert.

These sweet lemon rolls are packed with delicious flavours with a lemony tinge that pairs well with tea or coffee as a snack option.

If you are a lemon fan like me, this is for you. It is an alternative to the cinnamon roll, a lemon roll!!

The recipe which I follow is easy to make.

To make 8- 10 rolls

For the Dough:

Milk – 1 cup ( I usually take skimmed milk)

Butter – ¼ cup ( 50 grams)

Sugar – ¼ cup

Active dry yeast – ¾  tsp

Flour – 2 ½ cup ( I took a mixture of oats flour + brown rice flour + whole wheat flour, and All-purpose little flour )

Baking powder – ½ tsp

Salt – 1 tsp

Lemon cream cheese filling:

cream cheese or paneer – 1/3 cup

sugar – 2 tbl spoons

hung curd – 2 tbl spoons

fresh lemon juice – 1tsp

all-purpose flour /fine semolina – 2 tbl spoons

homemade lemon curd – 1/4 cup

Method:

First: Bloom the yeast:  In a large glass bowl, add warm milk, sugar, melted butter, and mix. Sprinkle yeast, stir well, close the lid, set aside for 10 minutes or until yeast starts to bloom. (Milk should barely be warm while touching. Otherwise, the yeast would not bloom; instead, it will die)

Second: Prepare a dough: Take whatever flour you are using, combine everything, add to the bloomed yeast and milk mixture. Fold everything together, keep it covered, let it rise in a warm place for another one hr or more until it nearly doubled in size.

Third: Prepare the filling: In a small mixer jar, at first, churn paneer pieces, sugar, hung curd, then add the remaining ingredients and, whip once or twice and keep it ready.

Line your baking tray or grease your muffin tray and keep it ready.

Fourth: Kneading the dough for good 10 minutes: Dust the clean kitchen counter with the flour, Remove the dough from the bowl, start kneading. If needed, add little flour, and adjust the consistency. Until dough does not stick to your hand or surface. Now start kneading the dough by hand until it reaches a silky smooth texture and springs back when poked.

Fifth: Now it is ready to Roll: Roll the dough into a large rectangle using the hand and the roller. It should be around ½ inch in thickness, roughly 12” by 16” long. Fix the shape of all the corners.

Sixth: Spreading: Drop the filling here and there over the rectangle, spread evenly using a spatula or spoon.

Seventh: Make a log: Start rolling from one end ( longest side); roll up the dough slowly by sealing correctly and tightly. At the other end, seal the edge correctly, place seam side down.

Eighth: Cutting: Cut the log into even pieces using dental floss, twine, or knife. Take a long enough string, keep it at the bottom of the rolled log and pull upwards to get uniform pieces. Place all these pieces in a baking tray. Close the tray with the kitchen towel and leave it to rise. ( mine took hardly 5 minutes)

Ninth: Baking: Preheat the oven to 180°C; if it has risen/ second proof, apply the milk wash and keep it in the pre-heated range. ( I have baked in a mid rack of my oven ) It took me around 35 minutes. Keep an eye after 30 minutes, and when its upper surface turns brown, remove it from the oven.

After taking it out, apply butter over hot rolls to retain moisture. After it cools down, break one by one and serve. I have not used any glaze or cream cheese. It was delicious as it is.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Indian Gooseberry preserve/Amla Jam:

January 18, 2019

Indian gooseberry is a sour and tangy fruit with many medicinal values as it is a rich source of vitamin C, calcium etc. It is known as Nellikai in Kannada, Amla in Hindi. This berry has been used for years in Ayurvedic medicines as well as in Home remedies, because it is rich in antioxidants. I make it a point to store Amla in a couple of forms every year- normally by Sun drying and making a jam instead of doing traditional morabba etc.

Usually early morning, weekly 3 to 4 times I do include this jam in my breakfast. It is very good for hair, skin, eye sight and overall health of a human body.

How I make –

Ingredients: 
Amla/Gooseberry (grated)-1 cup 
Sugar -1 cup 
Water -1 cup 
Red Chilli powder-¼ tsp 
Black pepper powder -¼ tsp 
Kesar – 5 -6 strings 
jeera powder -½ tsp 
Turmeric -¼ tsp 
Salt -As per taste 

Method: 

– Wash, cut open and remove the seeds. Put gooseberry either in food processor or chopper. U will get nice uniform chunks, or you can directly grate it.

-Take one thick bottomed pan, add water, grated amla, sugar. Mix well. Cook in low heat.

-When it is half done, add all the other masalas, salt and cook further.

-When mixture becomes shiny and forms a single thread, when you touch in between your fore finger and thumb.

-Switch off, cool and store it in a glass bottle.

-Stays good for one year, in cool weather like Bangalore.

 

Mangalore Buns:

January 13, 2019

Mangalore Buns is a mildly sweet, deep-fried poori which has a honeycomb texture inside.  It is pure bliss to have this super tasty breakfast occasionally. The main ingredient of this delicacy is Banana and curd. That is the reason it has the fragrance, a little sour, melt-in-a-mouth texture and a sweetish taste.

In Mangalore, each hotel in any nook and corner will offer this super yummy dish throughout the day as a snack. Usually, they serve this with coconut chutney or super thin dhal which is called Thovve.

In our household, we relish this with Thovve. Thovve is nothing but cooked Toor dal boiled with slit green chillies, lots of asafoetida/hing and salt and seasoned with coconut oil or ghee, mustard and curry leaves.

Usually, buns are prepared by using all-purpose flour, but I normally make this by using whole wheat as a healthy choice.

Ingredients:

Whole wheat flour – 3 to 4 cups

Curd – ½ cup

Sugar – 6 to 7 teaspoons

Salt – 1tsp

Cooking soda – 1 teaspoon.

Bananas – 4 (small variety)

Cumin seed – 1 tablespoon.

Coconut oil – 2 teaspoons.

Oil- to fry

Method:

-Take one mixing bowl; pour in curd, sugar, salt, and cooking soda. Mix nicely in a circular motion by using your hand.

-When sugar dissolves, add in bananas and mash or add mashed bananas. Now add cumin.

-Starts making the dough by adding Whole wheat flour or All-purpose flour or half and half, however you prefer.

-Dough should be a little sticky, hope you are clear over here, if not please refer to the above picture and refer to my fingers.

-At this stage, pour in coconut oil and coat this on the outer side of the dough. Now keep this oil-applied dough in a bigger container or in that same vessel by closing the lid.

-It should ferment, rise and becomes double. It will take almost 7 to 8 hours in normal weather. In cold areas, even more, time is needed. I keep it for almost 20 hours rising in Bangalore weather.

-Next day morning, Keep oil in a thick Kadai for heating. When it becomes hot, take the fermented dough and keep it ready.

-Don’t mix or knead the dough. Take a small amount of dough, make this into a ball and roll the ball into discs with thickness as shown, by applying flour while rolling. (please refer to the above picture).

-Check the oil, if it is hot start frying buns.

-Slip the rolled disc into hot oil, when it comes up, immediately starts pressing from the back of the frying spoon. (please refer the picture no. 1) Now disc will fluff (No. 2) and fry nicely on both sides.

-Serve these fluffy and soft buns either with Thovve or coconut chutney.

 

Baked Carrot Halwa:

January 1, 2019

Baked halwa is an experiment to attempt halwa in an easy manner.   This halwa is not a grainy textured one, it is very smooth and flavourful.

I was thinking of trying out carrot halwa by baking and felt like using my regular carrot halwa ratio in this as well to maintain nice colour and flavour by using Delhi Red carrot which is available only during the winter months as well as the regular orange one.

In this recipe, at first, I have cooked the carrot, then pureed and baked. The recipe goes like this –

Ingredients:

Red carrot – 1 kg

Regular carrot – ½ kg

Milk – ½ cup

Sugar – 2 to 3 cups (according to your taste)

Cardamom – 1 tsp

Saffron – 8 – 10 strings (optional)

Salt – one pinch (it really helps in balancing the taste)

Ghee – ½ cup

Slivered almonds – (roasted)

Method:

-Wash, slice the carrots. Take one pressure cooker and cook carrot by adding milk and saffron until 2 to 3 whistles.

-When cooked carrot comes to room temperature, churn it into a puree by adding sugar or you can do it like me.

-Now take this puree, mix in sugar, cook until sugar dissolves and add ghee, salt and cardamom. check the sugar and if needed adjust according to your taste.

-Transfer this mixture into a baking dish and bake this in a pre-heated oven at 180 °C for 40 to 60 minutes or until top layer becomes dark and bubbly.

-Remove from the oven and spread the almond slivers at the top and you can proceed to enjoy as it is or with a scoop of ice cream.

 

 

 

Lemon thumb print cookies:

December 21, 2018

When I have homemade lemon curd, I use it in my baking and enjoy the tangy taste. Usually I make lemon thumb print cookies by using All-purpose flour and now a days, due to my healthy baking concept wanted to use healthy flour. I thought of using my Oats cookies recipe as a base and proceeded. It worked out and I am sharing the procedure of thumb print cookies using lemon curd.  I have already shared my home-made lemon curd recipe as well as oats cookies recipe separately in my blog. Link will be open, if you enter the highlighted words.

Now we will see how I made this.

Ingredients:

Whole wheat flour -1 cup

Powdered oats – 1 cup

Sugar -1 cup

Baking soda -1 tsp.

Vanilla essence – 1 tsp.

Ghee /Clarified butter – ½ cup

Milk – 2 table sp to 3 tbl sp (to bind)

Lemon curd to fill the indent.

Method:

-In a mixer jar, powder oats, measure and keep aside.

-powder sugar and keep aside.

-Now take one mixing bowl, take all the dry ingredients like whole wheat flour, oats powder, sugar powder, baking soda, vanilla essence and mix it thoroughly by using hand ,so that flavor will spread uniformly.                

-Now mix in melted ghee and bind it together. If it is a little dry, add one to two table spoons of milk, if it binds and holds a shape well and good. Otherwise add one more table spoon of milk and make a ball like Chapati dough.               

-Now pre-heat your oven in 170°C. Line the baking tray with butter paper.

-Line your cookie tray with butter paper or aluminium foil and keep it ready.

-Take one small cookie scoop or a Table spoon to shape the dough into semi-circle balls and place at a lined tray.

-Make an indent at the centre, by pressing your index finger.

-Fill the indent with lemon curd.

-Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until base becomes light brown in colour and seeing some cracks around the edges.                  

-Now don’t disturb these beauties and allow them to cool completely. Then you can store this in an airtight container.

 

 

DATE CAKE:

December 7, 2018

I must say, this cake is my Signature dish and very close to my heart. When I was trying my hand in baking, I experienced a lot of failures, but this recipe has uplifted my faith in trying and achieving my goal.

Whenever I made this, everyone liked it for its soft, moist texture. As a little treat to help you relax and settle into Christmas mood, I will share my very easy Date cake recipe with very minimal ingredients. If anyone wants to try their hand at baking, this is just the recipe for you. Just go ahead and try this, you will never regret it.

Now we will see how to make this,

Ingredients:

Dates – 1 cup

Butter /oil – 1 cup

Sugar – 1 cup

All purpose flour – 2 cups (you can mix whole wheat and all purpose too)

Eggs –  2 (beaten)

Water – 1 cup

Cooking soda – 1 tsp or little less.

Method:

– De-seed the dates and chop it either by using food processor or knife, keep aside.

-Grease the baking tray (you can use bread tin as well). Line this with butter paper, keep it ready.

– Take water in a small bowl and boil. When it starts boiling switch off the gas, add chopped dates, butter, sugar, and cooking soda to boiled water and keep aside at least for 20 min.

– After it cools, add beaten eggs and mix nicely.                          

-Now fold in All-purpose flour, mix gently and pour this batter to greased and lined baking vessel.                                              

-Bake this in a pre- heated oven for 35 -40 min or until done at 180 C.

-If you want to check its doneness, use tooth pick or knife. Insert this, if it comes out clean, remove the tin, keep it outside.

-After some time, remove butter paper and cool further.                  

-When it reaches room temperature, you can slice it or cut according to your wish and enjoy with cup of coffee or tea.

Note: For the Eggless Version, use 1/2 cup of flax gel and you can refer my earlier post for the preparation.

 

 

 

Peek a Boo “Baked Gulab Jamun cheese cake”:

November 29, 2018

Long ago, I mean in and around 2015 I tried the No bake cheese cake with hidden Jamun inside on the event of my hubby’s birthday. I was wondering what to make, and I thought, why not a mix of what he likes? He loves Badam milk and Gulab jamun; so, I thought of combining these two flavours and made a jamun cheese cake and he did wonder about the flavour. The upper layer of almond milk flavour went well with the Gulab jamun and the cheese cake was a very big hit! At that time, my recipes used to publish on Readoo and you can see it over here.

Today, we are celebrating our 20th year of marriage as well as 2nd year of my blogging. So, I thought of improvising my idea and went ahead with the same flavour but baked version as well as non-baked top layer.

To mark the occasion, I made my signature cheese cake flavour with a little additional twist and here is the recipe-

Ingredients:

For the first layer (Crust):

Choice of any crackers biscuits – 1 ½ cup to 2 cups (powdered)

Sugar – 5 to 6 table spoons

Melted butter – 1/3 cup

Gulab Jamuns – Dried (sugar syrup removed)

Method:

-Pre- heat oven at 165°C

-Combine all the ingredients from biscuits powder, sugar and melted butter. It becomes like a wet crumb.

-Take a 9 to 10” spring-form baking dish, press this crumb at the base by using any one of your measuring cups.

-Crumb should be slightly above the base at the edges.

-Before heading towards the second layer, arrange all the Gulab jamuns according to your wish.

For the second layer (Filling):

Cream cheese – 3 tubs (238 grams or 250 grams)

Sugar – 1 ½ cup

Eggs – 4 (separated)

Lemon juice – 1 table spoon

Vanilla extract – 1 tea spoon

Method:

-Mix together Cream cheese, sugar, 4 egg yolks, lemon juice and vanilla.

-In another bowl, beat 4 egg whites until frothy and little stiff as well as creamy.

-Fold egg white with cream cheese and pour the mixture over the first layer/Gulab jamun layer.

-Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until done, in a preheated oven at 165°C.

-When it is done, you will find a raised dome like a structure and 2 to 3 slits at the centre. After switching off the oven, leave the cake inside the oven at least for an hour with the oven door closed.

-After an hour, remove it and chill in the refrigerator by enclosing it in cling wrap, if you are not adding the 3rd layer immediately or proceed for a third layer.

For the 3rd Layer (Glaze):

Milk – 1 ¼ cup

-Veg gelatin -1 tsp

Badam milk – 4 tsps

Custard powder – 1 tsp (vanilla flavour)

Saffron strands – generous amount

Method:

-Dissolve gelatin in ¼ cup of milk.

-Dissolve custard powder, Badam milk powder and add saffron to one cup of milk and start heating.

-When it is hot, add in gelatin added milk and boil for 2 minutes.

-Pour the mixture over the ready cooled cake. When it is set and becomes cool, cover the cling wrap and keep it a refrigerator to cool.

-It needs at least an overnight or 8 hours of cooling. I kept it for 20 hours. It tasted as I was expecting and loved the outcome and it surely made my special day a memorable one.