Oven Baked Vegetables

D and me wanted to eat something healthy, also a one-meal dish that is easy to make. We thought about making baked vegetables and we came up with a recipe including our own seasonings. The result was extremely tasty and we have been making it two days in a row. The good thing is it can be custom made with your vegetables of choice and you can even add or remove items from our recommended seasoning!

Prep time - less than 5 mins
Baking time - 45 mins

Ingredients :

Vegetables:

Red Potatoes - 4 medium, cut into cubes
Cauliflower - 6-7 , medium size florest
Green bell pepper - 1 medium, cut into 1/2 inch piece
Red onion - 1 medium, cut into thick strips
Sweet corn - 1/2 cup
Tomato - 1 large, cut into big cubes

Seasoning:

Garlic - 3 medium pods, minced
Paprika - 1 tsp [ or as per taste ]
Olive oil - 2 tbsp
Basil (dried) -1 tsp [ or as per taste]
Lime juice - 1/2 tsp
Vinegar - 1/2 tsp
Pepper - 1/2 tsp [ or as per taste]
Salt as per tatse

Procedure :

Whisk together all the ingredients under the "Seasoning" section homogenously.

Wash and cut all the vegetables and keep the vegetables in a colander till all the water drains. Take a big mixing bowl and place all the vegetables in the bowl. Pour the seasoning evenly over the vegetables and mix properly with the help of a wooden spoon. [ we want the vegetables to be properly coated with the seasoning, at the same time vigorous mixing with the spoon might break the cauliflower florets ].

Pre heat the oven at 400 F. Line a baking tray with an aluminium foil and place the vegetables over the foil and bake for 45 mins [ or till the vegetables are fully cooked, I checked this by piercing with a toothpick ]. Once they are cooked, turn on the broil option in your oven for 5 mins to make your veggies crispy and brown.

Stuffed Indian Eggplant / Bhareli Vaangi

Here's another Maharastrian delicacy which R shared with me recently. One of the main ingredients of this recipe is goda masala ( a Maharashtrian spice blend ), I got the masala from R. This masala can also be made at home, the link for the same is here ( I haven't tried to make it). Also in case you don't have small eggplants (Indian eggplants) you can also use regular eggplants cut into cubes, and can also add potatoes to the same.

Prep Time : 20 mins

Cooking time - 35 mins

Ingredients :

Indian eggplants  - 7 small sized

Peanuts - 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp

Sesame seeds - 3 tbsp

Coconut - 3 tbsp, grated

Onion - 1 medium, finely chopped

Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp

Goda masala - 1 tsp

Red chilli powder - 1 tsp [ or as per taste ]

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Jaggery - 3/4 tsp, crushed [ or as per taste ]

Cilantro - 2 tbsp [ for the gravy ] + 2 tbsp [ for garnishing], finely chopped

Salt - as per taste

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Asafoetida - 1/8 tsp

Lemon juice - 1 tsp [ or as per taste]

Oil - 1 tbsp

Procedure :

Wash the eggplants and make 2 vertical slits in each eggplant. Do not slit till the end, stop 1- 1.5 cm before the stem.

Now in a small pan on medium heat, dry roast peanuts, sesame seeds and coconut till they are golden brown. Keep stirring constantly and take care that the coconut doesnt get burnt. Another option is to dry roast each ingredient one by one to make sure of that. Once they turn golden brown , keep aside and cool. Ground into a fine powder once cool.

  

To this powdered mix, add salt and 1/2 tsp of turmeric and give it a good mix. Slowly stuff this mix into each eggplant [ there will be about half of the powdered mix left after the eggplants are stuffed ].  Keep the eggplants and the powdered mix aside.

In a large wok, heat oil on medium . Once hot add the mustard seeds, and once they splutter add asfoetida, onions and remaining turmeric powder. Stir till the onions turn golden brown, add the ginger garlic paste and stir till the raw smell of ginger-garlic goes off. Now add 2 tbsp of chopped cilantro and give a quick mix. Now turn the heat to low and slowly add the stuffed eggplants, sprinkle some water and cover with a lid and cook for 3-4 mins. Open the lid and stir again, sprinkle water if necessary. Keep doing this till the eggplants get half cooked.

Now add the remaining powdered sesame - peanut - coconut mix, red chilli powder, goda masala and sprinkle some more water. Mix properly and again cover with the lid and cook for 2-3 mins. Open the lid and stir again , sprinkle water if necessary. Keep repeating this process till the eggplants and masala is completely cooked and you will also get a nice aroma from the gravy. [ Insert a toothpick near the stem of eggplants, if it goes in easily without resistance, the eggplants are done. For the masala, when the oil floats on top of the gravy, the masala is done. Check for both these signs].

Now add in the powdered jaggery and again give a good mix. Turn off the heat and sprinkle lemon juice and garnish with cilantro.
 

Plantain Shammi kabab

This is an oil free adaptation of Sanjay Thumma's Shammi Kabab recipe done by baking instead of shallow frying. We liked its taste and specifically enjoyed the addition of pomegranates, one of our favorite fruits! 

Prep Time - 25 mins
Cooking time - 40 mins

Ingredients :

Plantain / Raw banana - 1, medium
Chana dal - 1/2 cup
Onion - half of a medium sized, finely chopped
Green chillies - 3 [ or as per taste ], finely chopped
Ginger - garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
Mint leaves - 8-9 leaves, finely chopped
Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp [ or as per taste ]
Cilantro - 3-4 sprigs, finely chopped
Cumin seeds - 1tsp
Oil - 1 tsp
Salt - as per taste

For the filling :

Paneer - 1/3 cup , crumbled                                                                                          
Cilantro - 2 -3 sprigs, finely chopped
Onion - 2 tbsp, finely chopped
Pomegranate - 2 -3 tbsp [ or as per taste]
Chaat masala as per taste
Red chilli powder as per taste

Procedure :

Pressure cook the chana dal and plaintain seperately .
Mash the plaintain and keep aside.

In a medium sized wok, heat oil on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add cumin seeds and let them splutter. Add finely chopped onions and stir till they turn transparent. Now add green chillies, ginger garlic paste and turmenric. Stir till the raw smell of ginger garlic goes off. Now add mint leaves, red chilli powder, cumin powder and coriander powder. Give it a good mix and then add the chana dal. Again give a good mix and add the mashed plaintain and chopped cilantro leaves. Mix properly. Turn off the heat and let it cool for a while and mash the plaintain - chana dal mix till you get a homogenous texture ( like a dough ) [ I did this with hands, you can also use a masher ] . Set aside.

Filling :

Mix all the items under " for the filling " section and keep aside.

Assembling the kabab :

Divide the chana dal -plaintain dough into golf  ball size . Smear some water on your palms and flatten each portion into a disc. Place about 1-2 tsp of paneer filling at the center of the disc, close and seal the edges and make into a patty.
[ If the dough feels very tight or cracks develop, dip your finger into water and apply on the cracks and keep working in the same way till you get a smooth surface ]

Preheat the oven at 350 F and grease a baking sheet with oil. Place the kabab on the baking sheet.

Bake for 10 mins [ or until one side turns brown on top ] and flip and bake for another 10 mins till the other side becomes brown in color.

Serve hot with your favorite chutney!

Eggless/ Vegetarian Strawberry Cheesecake With Chocolate Ganache

 We celebrated D's birthday on 10th December with friends. For his special day I decided to make Strawberry Cheesecake with Chocolate Ganache, and this rich festive cake was my way of showing him that he is very special . Thank you for making my every passing day a memorable yesterday !

I had set my eyes on a cheesecake long time back, but all the recipes called for using either eggs or gelatin .
[ Cheesecakes that require baking use eggs, whereas the " no bake " cheesecakes use gelatin to firm them up ]. Us being staunch vegetarians, I decided that I would figure out a way to make my cake egg/gelatin less. Then I stumbled upon Rosemarie Emro's cheesecake recipe called  "I cannot believe it has no eggs cheesecake " [ where she replaces the eggs with condensed milk]. I followed her recipe for a basic cheesecake and then made my own minor changes to it. The resulting cake was super creamy, dense and undoubtedly rich with a slight tart of strawberries and a must try at home.

Since I was new to making cheesecakes I did some research and would like to share my notes on the same, they are as follows :

1. Springform Pan - Cheesecakes are very soft and somewhat fragile and not the type of cake you can turn out of a pan. This calls for using a springform pan, where you can lift away the sides and leave the cake on pan's base for serving!

2.Avoid overbeating the cream cheese batter as it tends to incorporate air which in turn could cause the cheesecake to crack.

3.For best results pre bake the crumb crust for 10 mins before baking the crust along with the cake.

4.Unmolding the cake - The best way for removing the cake from the springform pan , is by running a blunt knife ( dipped in hot water and wiped before use ) around the cake in an up down motion.

5. Just like baking, cooling ( at room temperature) and the chilling in a refrigerator are important steps in making a cheesecake.

6. The cheesecakes have a tendency to crack, baking the cheesecakes in double boiling method prevents it from cracking and  I followed this method. But since the recipe uses corn starch ( corn starch prevents coagulation , which in turn prevents the cake from cracking ) double boiling is not required.

I hereby present the full recipe

Prep Time : 30 mins
Baking time : 1 hr 30 mins
Inactive setting time : 12 - 18 hrs

Ingredients :

For the Crust :

Chocolate graham crackers - 20 - 25 pieces ( should yield 1.5 cups when crushed into crumbs )
Melted unsalted butter - 1/2 cup
Fine sugar - 2 tbsp

For the Cheesecake Filling :

Regular cream cheese - one 8 ounce package (226 gms)
Low fat cream cheese - two 8 ounce package (= 16 ounces )
Pureed fresh strawberries - 1 cup
Sweetened condensed milk - 1/2 cup
Fine sugar - 1/2 cup
Baking soda - 1/4 tsp
Baking powder - 2 tsp
Cornstarch - 1/4 cups
Lemon juice - 1 tbsp
Grated lemon rind - 1/2 tsp
Vanilla extract - 1 tbsp
Light sour cream - 16 ounces

For the Chocolate Ganache :

Heavy whipping cream - 186 ml
Semi- sweetened chocolate - 8 ounces [ I used Baker's brand ]
Butter - 2 tbsp

One hour prior to preparing : Bring the cream cheese at room temperature by taking it out from refrigerator.

Procedure :

Grease the springform pan with butter. Choose a pan that has sides atleast 3 inches high.

Crust :

In a medium sized bowl break the graham crackers into small pieces using your fingers.  Powder the pieces in a blender. Mix the cracker crumbs with melted butter and sugar until all of the crumbs are uniformly moist. ( I did this with my fingers )  Turn the ingredients into the springform pan.

Use a flat surfaced bowl to pat an even layer of crumbs over the bottom of pan and halfway up the sides.
Its okay if the sides are not perfectly even.

Place the wire rack in the centre slot in the oven and preheat the oven at 350 F. Put the springform pan with the crumb layer in the freezer while you preheat the oven. After 10 mins place the springform pan in the oven and bake for 10 mins. Remove from the oven and set it aside.

Reduce the oven temperature to 325 F. Put a kettle of water on boil. Wrap the bottom and sides of the the springform pan with double layers of aluminum foil.

Cheesecake filling :


In a large bowl , with a handheld electric mixer on low speed, beat all the cream cheese and condensed milk together. Slowly add in sugar, baking soda, baking powder, corn starch , lemon juice, lemon rind and vanilla essence. Mix till you get a homogeneous mixture. Pour in the pureed strawberries and beat until you get a smooth mix.  Mixing of all the ingredients mentioned above should take approx 3 minutes. Do not over beat the mixture. At this stage add sour cream and blend at the lowest speed till you get a smooth mixture. Pour this mixture into the prepared pan. The batter will reach just below the top rim of the pan.

Baking: 

Now place the foil wrapped springform pan on a baking sheet that is large enough to hold the pan with some space around it. Pour enough boiling water around the pan.

Place this whole set up in the centre rack of the preheated oven. Bake for 1 hr and 30 mins .

Its difficult to gauge when a cheesecake is done as it will never appear like its done. Switch off the oven when your cheesecake appears set and the centre is wobbly.

[ The cake would first rise above the rim, then go down and the top layer would appear brown. As soon as you see the above changes in your cheesecake be alert and hit the rim of the springform pan with a big spoon, if the whole cake looks wobbly heat for some more time. Whereas if the sides look set and the centre still looks wobbly ( when you hit the rim slowly with a big spoon ) switch off the oven ]

The whole process took me about 1 hr and 30 mins. This time would vary depending upon the oven capacity.

Let the springform pan sit inside the oven for one more hout after it is switched off. After 1 hour , carefully pull out the set up from the oven. Remove the foil from the sides of springform pan and let the cheesecake come to room temperature.

Once when the cake reaches room temperature, cover it with a saran wrap ( or any plastic wrap ) and refrigerate overnight ( or 6-7 hrs minimum ).

After the cake has been chilled overnight, remove the sides of springform pan by running a blunt knife ( dipped in hot water and wiped) to separate the cake from the side walls of the pan and unlocking it.

Chill it again while you prepare chocolate ganache.

Chocolate Ganache :

 Chop the chocolates as finely possible and place them in a stainless steel bowl.

In a strong bottomed pan, heat butter and whipping cream on medium heat till they start to boil. Switch of the heat and pour the boiling whipped cream - butter mix over the chopped chocolate. Let it rest for 2 mins. Using a whisk mix the chocolate and whipped cream mix till you get a smooth shiny mixture.

Take out your cake from the refrigerator and place it over a butter paper (the ganache might drip). The top layer of the cheesecake might not be even, so to make the top layer smooth spread 2 tbsp of the ganache on the crumbly spots with a rubber spatula. Refrigerate the cake with the crumb coat for 5 mins.
After 5 mins when you take it out , you would have a smooth surface to work on.Now pour the  remaining ganache in the centre and spread quickly with a rubber spatula over the sides of the cake evenly.

Refrigerate the cheesecake with chocolate ganache for 2-3 hrs.[ Refrigerating the cake with the ganache for more than 2-3 hrs might make it dull without glaze, so prepare it just before 2-3 hrs of serving your cake! ]

Happy Birthday again D!

Garlic Bread

I have always tried and wanted to make restaurant style garlic bread. Even though I have made it a number of times, the results were not very satisfactory. D suggested we make it the way described below, apparently he had  tasted something quite similar during a recent trip. This one turned out very much like what we had thought of and we enjoyed it a lot. 

A crispy edge and a warm soft, buttery and cheesy centre - it is this quality of garlic bread that I have been trying to make and it became a success this time. Traditionally a garlic bread is made from French bread / Italian bread, but we prefer Vienna bread which has a crispy crust on the outside and a very soft inside, which turns out to be perfect for garlic bread! Also one of the other important things while making a garlic bread is that the oven in which you plan to bake your garlic bread needs to be really hot, so its better that you preheat your oven 15- 20 mins before you plan to bake it. 

Prep time - 10 -15 mins
Cooking time - 10 - 12 mins

Ingredients :

Vienna bread  loaf- 1 medium sized loaf ( You can also use French / Italian bread loaf )
Garlic pods - 5-6 medium sized pods, minced or very finely chopped
Butter - 1/3 cup [ or more as per taste ]
Mozzarella cheese - 1/2 cup grated [ or more as per taste ]
Dried basil leaves - 1 tsp [ or as per taste ]
Salt - as per taste

For veggie Garlic bread :

Onions - finely chooped
Tomatoes - finely chopped

Procedure :

Pre heat the oven at 400 F.

Take the Vienna bread and carefully slice it into half lengthwise.

Now cut these halves into two half pieces and slit each piece as shown in the picture below , without cutting the edges below. Melt the butter and apply generously over each piece like in the pic below. Place the bread pieces on cookie sheet.

For plain garlic bread :

Spread the mozzarella cheese over the bread  and top it off with minced garlic, salt and basil leaves.

For veggie garlic bread :

Spread a little amount of mozzarella cheese over the bread. Add the chopped tomatoes and onion and sprinkle more cheese generously. Top it off with minced garlic, salt and basil leaves.

Place the cookie tray in the oven and bake till the cheese melts and the top layer turns golden brown. This would take 10-12 mins approx.

I did not add oregano and chilli flakes while baking. You can add both the seasonings before serving. Serve hot.





Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

Plain strawberries are good, but whats' really good is strawberries dipped in chocolate! In this particular recipe, I have used the Bakers brand of semisweet and white chocolates. One of the challenges here is to get the right kindof strawberries - sweet and plump. Three tips for selecting strawberries - they should be checked for uniformity of the seeds at their base, whether they are bright red (not too much/too little though) and moldfree.

Prep time - 10 mins

Ingredients :

Strawberries - 14, with stems, washed and dried
Semi sweet baking chocolate - 6 ounces [ I used Baker's brand ]

Drizzle (for garnishing and added taste) :

White chocolate baking squares - 2 ounces [ I used Baker's brand ]
Oil - 1/2 tsp

Procedure :

In a small microwaveable bowl, microwave the semi sweet chocolate while stirring at 30 sec intervals till it melts completely. Else melt the chocolates using the double boiling method [ Take a large pan and heat water till it comes to a rolling boil , turn the heat to low. In another bowl place the chocolate squares and place this bowl over the large pan with water. Keep stirring till the chocolate melts ]

Take a plate and cover it with butter paper. Dip the strawberries into the melted chocolates and place over the butter paper. [ If you dont use butter paper the chocolate might get smeared onto the plate.]



In a small microwaveable bowl melt white chocolate, stirring at intervals of 30 seconds. Once its melted add oil and mix again. Drizzle over the chocolate coated strawberries. [ You can also do vice  versa i.e coat the strawberries with white chocolate and drizzle semisweet chocolate ( mixed with oil ) over them].

Let them cool till the chocolate sets , I refrigerated the same to set the chocolate faster.

Chivda

With the blog in mind, I am always on the lookout for new recipes. Lately my good friend R has been quite generous in sharing some very nice Maharashtrian recipes.

This particular one, Chivda, is very easy to make but still is a spicy, crispy and crunchy snack with a very slight tinge of sweetness to it.

The measurement mentioned below for cashew nuts and raisins is as I had used in my recipe, but I would love to add more of nuts and raisins the next time I make them.

Prep time - 10 mins
Cooking time - 8-10 mins

Ingredients:

Thin poha – 3 cups
Oil – 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Cumin Seeds – 1 tsp
Saunf / Fennel seeds – 1.5 tsp
Peanuts – 2 tbsp
Roasted chana dal – 2 tbsp
Cashew nuts – 2 tbsp, broken
Sesame seeds – 3 tbsp
Curry leaves – 5 – 6 leaves
Green chillies – 2, finely chopped
Dry coconut / Khopra – 9- 10 pieces, thinly sliced ( as thin as possible)
Raisins – 2 tbsp
Red chilli powder - ¾ tsp [or as per taste]
Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
Salt – 1.5tsp [ or as per taste ]
Sugar – ¾ tsp[ or as per taste]

[D is not a great fan of sweets so I was very careful about the quantity of sugar to be added].

Procedure :

Take a large pan and dry roast the poha on medium heat for 1-2 mins till the poha turns crispy. Keep stirring constantly. [The poha would turn crispy without a change in color, so take care that you don’t burn them trying to wait till it changes color]. Transfer the contents to another bowl.

In the same large pan (on medium heat) , heat oil. Once hot, add the mustard seeds and wait for them to splutter. Once they splutter add in the cumin seeds and as they sizzle add the saunf / fennel seeds and peanuts. Stir constantly on medium heat for 30- 40 seconds till the peanuts turn golden in color. Now add in the roasted chana dal , cashews and sesame seeds and again keep stirring constantly till the cashews turn golden in color. Just when you see that the cashews are turning golden in color immediately add in the dry khopra, green chillies and curry leaves and stir again. Add in the red chilli powder and turmeric powder, salt and sugar. Give it a quick stir.

[ Make sure that the heat is on medium as we don’t want to burn any of the seasonings. If not sure add each ingredient one by one (on low heat) while stirring constantly ].

Now add in the roasted poha and mix properly with all the spices and seasonings. Mix till you get an uniform yellow color on the poha . Garnish with chopped cilantro. The chivda can be stored in an air tight container for 2-3 weeks.

My friend R’s serving suggestion – Just before serving Chivda , top it with chopped onions and some more fresh cilantro.

Makhan Peda ~ A birthday treat!!

Its been a while since I last updated my blog and what better way to get back to blogging with a  mouth watering birthday treat  for yours truly by her MIL !

Though at first it looks like gulab jamun, makhan peda goes a step forward with a rich stuffing that consists of dry fruits and melon seeds.

Am definetly looking forward to trying this delicacy by my MIL and would share it on my kronicles !



Tomato Rice / Takkali Saatham

Here is a quick, spicy and tasty comfort dish!



Prep time - less than 5 mins
Cooking time - 15 mins

Ingredients:

Cooked rice - 1.5 cups
Tomatoes - 3 medium sized, chopped
Onion - 1/2 of medium sized, chopped
Ginger - 1.5 tsp, finely chopped
Cilantro - 4 sprigs, finely chopped
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp or as per taste
Green chillies - 2, chopped [ or as per taste ]
Oil - 1 tbsp

Seasoning :

Whole dry red chilli - 2, broken into 2 pieces
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Chana dal - 1 tsp
Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
Cashew nuts - 7-8, broken pieces
Curry leaves - 4 to 5 leaves
Asafoetida - 1/8 tsp

Procedure :

In a large sized pan ( on medium heat ) heat oil. Once hot, add in mustard seeds, once they splutter add cumin seeds and as they sizzle add in red chillies, chana dal and urad dal and stir till the dals turn golden in color. Then add cashew nut pieces, ginger, asafoetida and curry leaves. Stir for few seconds and add in the onions and stir again till the onions turn transparent. Add in the green chillies, red chilli powder and tomatoes and cook till the tomatoes turn real mushy and soft. [ Since we are adding whole dried red chillies, green chillies and red chilli powder, be carefull of how much of each you add. You want it spicy but not too hot!]

Once the tomatoes are mushy add garam masala [ optional ] and turn the heat to low and slowly add the fluffed up rice and salt. Mix nicely. Add  cilantro and mix again. Serve warm with raita and papad.

Greek Salad

D prefers the Greek salad over Ceasers salad mainly due to its rich taste from feta cheese, kalamata olives, grape tomato and ofcourse the awesome but easy to make salad dressing.

Prep time - 10 mins

Ingredients :

Veggies :

Romaine lettuce - 1/2 bunch, torn into small pieces

Cucumbers - 1, medium, sliced along with the skin

Cherry tomatoes - 15 nos

Kalamata olives - 10 nos, pitted

Green bell pepper - 1 medium ,thinly sliced

White onion - 1 medium, sliced [ I did not add this time ]

Feta cheese - 1/4 cup, crumbled

For the dressing :

Extra virgin olive oil - 1 tbsp

Lime juice - 2 tbsp

Oregano - 1 tsp

Salt - as per taste

Gound pepper - 1 tsp or as per taste.

Procedure :

Mix all the contents under the " for the dressing " section in a small bowl. Keep it aside.

Wash all the veggies properly and in a big bowl mix all the veggies and feta cheese. Pour the salad dressing over the veggies and toss the salad.

Serve the greek salad with a pita bread!

Eggless Dates and Walnut Cake

Today Nov 7th is my father in law's birthday and we are celebrating this special occasion with an eggless dates and walnuts cake. Happy birthday Boppi - from D and me. Thank you for all the loving things that you have done for us!

Though I have made this cake before, the cake turned out real soft this time.I think it mainly happend because :

1. I just used baking soda this time [ last time I added both baking soda and baking powder ].
2. I soaked the dates in milk for an hour. [ I am not sure if this really helped in making the cake soft].

Unlike before I did not add vinegar to this cake.[ Though I was contemplating about adding a tbsp of apple cider vinegar I chose to go ahead without it]. The cake raised close to one and half inches which made it look real sof and fluffy.

Inactive prep time - 30 mins
Active prep time - 10 mins
Baking time - 30 - 40 mins

Ingredients :

All purpose flour - 1 cup
Sugar - 3/4 cup
Dates - 12 ( or upto 18 nos depending on your taste )
Milk - 1 cup
Melted butter - 1/4 cup
Baking soda - 1 tsp
Salt - 1/8 tsp
Walnuts - 2 tbsp, broken

Procedure :

Soak the dates in milk half an hour prior to baking [ If in hurry soak the dates in warm milk for 15 mins. You can completely avoid this step, soaking helps in softening the dates which in turn gets grounded easily in a blender].

Preheat the oven at 350 F and grease a baking pan.

In a big bowl mix all purpose flour, baking soda and salt properly.

In another bowl keep the melted butter ready. Blend together dates, milk and sugar to a smooth paste. Pour and mix this mixture with the butter and mix till you get a homogenous mixture.

Make a small well in the centre of all purpose flour and slowly pour in the dates mixture . Mix properly without any lumps. [ Do not use a hand mixer, just stir everything with a large spoon. Over mixing an eggless batter will cause the cake to deflate after it is baked ].

Add in the broken walnuts and give the batter a final mix. Pour the batter in the baking pan and bake for 30 - 40 mins or till tooth pick inserted comes out clean. The color of the cake depends on the dates used.

Happy Birthday to my Father in law!!!

Ummali - An Egyptian Pudding

Today (Nov 1st) is my SIL’s first wedding anniversary! We would like to wish M and K both on this special day, and hope they have a great day and many more such wonderful years ahead. To celebrate this occasion I made a middle-eastern pastry dish known as ummali and would like to dedicate this to a long lasting relationship filled with love and companionship.

Out of the wide range of Middle Eastern desserts, I zoned in on three – Basbousa, Ummali and Baklava. I chose to make Ummali, mainly for the exotic, coconutty-crunchy-chewy and nutfilled flavor in a mix of baked pastry sheets. It loosely resembles a bread pudding, but is not very sweet and hence we can have it in large serving sizes.

This dish is also popularly known as umali or omali.

Prep time: 10 mins
Total baking time: 30 – 45 mins

Ingredients:

Phyllo pastry sheets – 8 ounces / 227 grams [store bought]
Almonds – 1/4 cup, chopped
Pistachios – 1/4 cup chopped
Raisins - 1/4 cup chopped
Dry coconut flakes – 4 tbsp [or as per taste]
Sweetened condensed milk - 7 ounces/ 198.5 grams
Milk – ¾ cup
Vanilla extract or rose water – 1 tsp [ I used vanilla extract ]

Procedure:

Preheat the oven at 350 F and slightly grease cookie tray with oil.

Line up all the pastry sheets (one over another) on the cookie tray and bake till the sheets puff up and turn golden in color. This should take approx 15 mins and make sure that the sheets don’t burn.

Once they turn golden brown, turn off the oven. Take out from the oven cool and break into pieces.

Grease your baking pan [the one in which you would serve] lightly. Place the pastry pieces into the pan and this would be the first layer.

In a small bowl mix almonds, pistachios, raisins and coconut properly. Sprinkle this mixture evenly over the pastry pieces, thus forming the second layer.

Now, in a small bowl, mix condensed milk, milk and vanilla essence [or rose water] properly. Once mixed properly cook this mix on medium heat for 2-3 minutes stirring continuously. Once hot, pour this mix over the dry fruits evenly. 

Again preheat the oven at 350 F and place the pan in the oven and bake for 20 mins or till the layers become firm. Once the layers firm up, turn off the oven and set in broiler mode for 2-3 mins [or till the top layer becomes slightly brown]. Make sure that that the top layer does not get burnt. 

Ummali is a wholesome dessert by itself. You may also serve it with fruits or even ice cream !

Happy Wedding Anniversary!

Vegetable Biryani - 2

It was weekend time and I was in mood to cook something special. For a long time I wanted to try Chef Sanjay Thumma's ( vahrevah.com ) version of vegetable biryani. It was definetly easier than the previous version I had tried and the end result was also really delicious and satisfying.

  

Though both the recipes are similar, this biryani had these changes : 

1. I got readymade biryani masala from Indian store and used 3/4th packet [ for 2 cups basmati rice and 2 and 1/2 cups of vegetables ].

2. Instead of baking for 45 mins I cooked it in double boiling method.

Also for garnishing , I used fried breads ( pan fried ) which really enhanced the taste further. 

The biryani turned out tasty and the vegetable and rice were cooked to perfection!

  

I definetly would want to do repeat this wholesome dish on more occasions.For the complete recipe click here.

Eggless Cherry Chocolate Cake ( Melted Chocolate )

Today 27th October is my inlaws' 30th Wedding Anniversary and we celebrated this special occasion with a decadant chocolate cake. Both D and me would like to convey our heartfelt wishes for a very Happy Wedding Anniversary. We wish many many more years of companionship, to you Amma and Appa.

Sometime back, I got a cherry chocalate cake (this was not eggless) from store. I liked this combination, but never got a chance to research on how this is made. Recently I went through some websites that suggested making cakes (not this particular one) using melted chocolate. So I came up with this recipe, an eggless one, made with melted dark chocolate and cherries. It turned out really rich, and I simply loved this chocolate-cherry combination. D's reaction to this cake was... Goooood!

 
Prep time - 30 mins
Baking time - 40 - 50 mins

Ingredients :

All purpose flour - 2 cups
Dark chocolate bar - 16 oz / 454 gms [ I used Hershey's dark chocolate ]
Maraschino Cherries - 16 oz / 454 gms
Baking powder - 2 tsp
Baking soda - 1 tsp
Apple cider vinegar - 2 tbsp
Vanilla essence - 2 tsp
Walnuts - 3 to 4 tbsp, roughly crushed
Butter - 1/3 cup [ recommended 1/2 cup ]
Powdered sugar - 1/2 cup [ or as per taste ][ I used fine sugar]
Salt - 1/8 tsp
Milk - 1/4 cup

Procedure :   

Wash maraschino cherries in water thoroughly. De-seed them ( if required ) and break them into small pieces.

Mix all purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt and mix properly. Keep aside.

Melt butter and add in the sugar, apple cider vinegar, vanilla essence and mix properly. Keep aside.

At this stage break the dark chocolate into small pieces.

Transfer into a microwaveable bowl and microwave it at short intervals of 20 seconds, ( stirring every 20 second ). In exactly 1 minute I had the melted chocolate without any lumps.

 

Slowly mix this melted chocolate with the butter - sugar mixture and whisk / stir till the melted chocolate gets fully incorporated into the butter. Add this chocolate mix into the flour and mix properly without any lumps.

 

[ Do not use a hand mixer, just stir everything with a large spoon. Over mixing an eggless batter will cause the cake to deflate after it is baked ].

Add milk if you feel that your batter is too thick and mix properly. At this stage add in the cherries and walnuts and mix slowly and properly. [ Keep a few cherries aside for decoration ].

Pre heat the oven at 350 F and grease the baking pan with oil. Pour the batter into the baking pan and decorate with the remaining cherries.

Bake for 40 - 50 mins or till the tooth pick inserted comes out clean.

 

 

  

Flip the cake after 10 mins while the cake pan is still warm . The chocolate cherry cake is ready !

Happy Anniversary  to Amma and Appa!!!

Note - The cake was a bit crumbly, so I would suggest adding 1/2 cup or more butter instead of just 1/3 cup.