Melon Colada Mocktail Recipe

Our vegetable and fruit market is being flooded with fully ripened melons and cantaloupes these days. I often buy them fresh and we relish juicy melons a lot. Since Malaysia is a tropical country, these fruits are readily available. 

This mocktail recipe was made and relished very much. Mocktails are well, mock, that is minus alcohol. This is such a refreshing mocktail drink for a hot summer evening. Although, you can add alcohol of your choice to spike it and call it cocktail. 

You can use shaker with ice to make this mocktail. I have blended all in a mixer, which is what I have.

As a thumb rule in Pina colada, white rum is added but you can choose any other liquor as well. I have included papaya as well to make it healthy and filling. This is a kid-friendly recipe.

Melon Colada Mocktail Drink Recipe

Recipe requirements (serves-1)

• 2-3 slices of fully ripened Sunlady melon or cantaloupes
• 1 thin slice of fresh papaya
• 12 tsp of fresh coconut milk
•  3 oz. of sprite
•  ½ tsp of honey as sweetener
• Ice cubes and mint leaves for garnishing

Method

• Pick fully ripened and fresh melon and papaya for better flavour. Use freshly made coconut milk for best flavour, otherwise you can use canned one or coconut cream in place of coconut milk.
• Cut and chop melon and papaya into slices. Pick 2-3 slices or wedges from melon and 1 wedge from papaya. Make a mixture with honey and coconut milk in a blender. Now cool it in fridge. At the time of serving take out and mix it with sprite again in mixer. Sprite itself is sugary, so less honey is added. More over the fully ripened melon and papaya gives a nice sweet flavour. Serve chilled with mint leaves.
• Easy and delicious papaya melon colada is ready. You can spike it with alcohol of your choice (rum/vodka/tequila) if you want a nice cocktail.

Happy Cooking Friends and have a relaxing weekend.

Pan Fried Tofu and English Muffin with Chivda Crisp Mix- When East meets West

This recipe, I owe it to my dear daughter. As she is very fond of having her burgers with potato chips- salty and crunchy bites, which she ardently puts in between her chicken patties and burger buns. She herself started eating burgers made this way, when she saw one of her primary school friend spicing up her mundane school lunches with potato crisps, while we were living in UK.
Both kids had their ways to spice up their burgers. Sometimes  even with French fries layered in between. Sometimes with Thousand Island dressing, sometimes with mayonnaise or Ranch dressing and cheddar slices etc but 'Potato chips' also known as potato crisp over there, wins hands down for both of them.

 I know this seems like a circle, and that is how recipes evolve. Although both kids used to love non-vegetarian meals like with chicken burger, this is my attempt to make it little healthy and vegetarian.

I have used sesame oil to pan fry Tofu. I have also used iron skillet to pan-fry tofu instead of normal coated pans.And I must admit, sesame oil imparts a lovely taste to the overall product. I dint go for potato chips, I had my favourite snack – that famous Chivda crisp mix snack you get in packets in India with peanuts, raisins, cashews and corn flakes-‘chivda-crisp mix’ adds the crunch to this burger/muffin recipe.In Bengal while I was staying in Kolkata , I even had with 'Mukhorochak'.

 English muffin is a staple bread in UK and many use it as breakfast bread with jams, marmalade, bacon, ham and cheddarcheese as well. If you don’t get English muffin, then you can also replace it with normal burger buns. I have blogged about a nice home-made bread recipe way back here - Whole-wheat burger .You can make your own burger bun as well. I have omitted mayonnaise to make it  even more lighter. The layering is such a work of joy, olive oil spread, lettuce, pan fried tofu and tomatoes, perfect blend of sweetness, crunchiness and protein.

Here to the recipe

Pan fried tofu with English muffin and Chivda-Crisp mix

Recipe requirements

• 3-4 whole meal English muffin
• 200 Gms of tofu cut into flat square pieces
• 2-3 tsp of sesame oil for pan frying
• ½ tsp of red pepper powder
• Salt as per taste
• 3-4 tbs of Mayonnaise/Olive oil spread
•  3-4 tsp of sesame oil 
• 1-2 tomato cut into slices
• Lettuce leaves

Method
Cut Tofu Pieces and sprinkle red pepper powder and salt over them.Keep aside for 10 mints.
Heat up an iron skillet for pan frying the Tofu pieces. Add in about 1-2 tsp of sesame oil. Now pan-fry the tofu pieces just to get a nice golden-brown layer.

Now assemble English muffin
Cut the bread into half.

Spread olive oil soft spread over English Muffins.

Now place tomato slices, lettuce leaves and pan fried tofu pieces well stacked over one another.

Add in about a handful of Chivda- crisp Mix or spicy corn mix and cover it with another half of English muffin bread. You can add Mayonnaise in place of olive oil spread.
This is a vegetarian version.You can skip Tofu and Olive Oil Spread altogether and replace it with chicken patties or lamb patties and Mayo.Keema Kabab are also nice variations.

Internet reference:

I just love when few fellow bloggers also think like us and writes about it too here-  Finely Chopped..

Happy Cooking Friends and have a great weekend.

Sponge cake with Chocolate Ganache recipe

I have made this sponge cake way back and it was lying in my draft for a while. So, here it is sponge cake with chocolate ganache. We all like chocolate ganache icing. Do I need to add more about this? Dear daughter made the ganache. Here it is how we made it.

Sponge Cake with Chocolate Ganache

Recipe requirements

Sponge Cake 

• 2 cups of cake flour/self-rising flour
• 3 free range eggs
• 4 heaped tbs of butter spread
• ½ cup of sunflower oil
• ¾ cup of castor sugar
• ½ tsp of baking powder
• ¼ tsp of baking soda
• 4-5 tbs of thick yogurt
•  1tsp of vanilla essence

Chocolate ganache recipe

• 200 Gms of premium dark chocolate
• 150 ml of double cream
• 2-3 tbs of butter
• 1 tbs of corn syrup

Method

Sponge Cake

• In a big mixing bowl. Sift flour, add in baking soda and baking powder. Mix well.
• Now in a separate bowl, mix together butter, cooking oil and sugar well. 
• Add in eggs, one at a time and whisk in gently or they all are light and fluffy.
• Now add in vanilla essence. Add in plain yogurt and gently fold in.
• Now add the flour mixture from time to time to make the cake batter. 
• Use up all flour mixture to mix in with the above mixture.
• Preheat oven at 175 deg C. 
• Prepare the cake tin. Brush butter evenly and then sprinkle flour to coat it well. 
• Tap the cake tin so that the flour gets distributed evenly.
• Pour the cake batter in to the prepared cake tin with a spoon and spread it evenly.Tap the cake tin gently on the working area so that they spread out evenly.
• Bake the cake in the middle rack for about 30 mints or till the centre of the cake is cooked through well. Check by inserting a toothpick, if it comes out clean cake is baked well.
• Take out the baked cake and let it cool.

Chocolate Ganache icing

• Put cream and butter in a saucepan over low flame and keep stirring in between. Once they are mixed well and warm, add in dark chocolate.
• Keep on stirring until the mixture is smooth and shiny. Take it from the flame once the chocolate is melted and mixed well.Add in corn syrup now.
• Allow it to cool before you put it up on the cake as icing.
•  Enjoy this luscious chocolatey sponge cake. 
• You can use milk chocolate in place of dark chocolate if you need to sweeten your ganache a bit more. You can even whip it up after its get cooled to make a light n fluffy frosting.

And here’s wishing my fellow Indians a very happy Independence day.Happy Cooking.

Instant Rava Onion Uttapam

‘’ What day is it?’’ asked Pooh.

‘’It’s today! ’’ Squealed Piglet.

‘’My favourite day’’ said Pooh…………..

Sometimes life’s greatest truth is revealed in children’s animation films. I have watched ‘Winnie- the Pooh’ several times with my dear daughter, while she still was a toddler. Although she has out grown those cartoon stories now, but some of the contextual scenes are still stuck in my mind. So simple and so profoundly told by Pooh and Piglet. Life’s greatest lesson comes from these innocent cartoons. That’s why I always believe in to nurture the innocent child in all of us. Live for the present day and create your own beautiful moments because you only are responsible for your own happiness.

Breakfast are important part of daily meal plans. And we generally on weekends tend to have more varieties for breakfast than the mundane bread and butter. So some days its rice poha, some days Upma or pancakes, some days various fruit filled crepes etc. And then occasionally these tomato onion Uttapams.I tend to cut out the long process of soaking and fermenting ingredients for uttapams. And these instant Uttapams turn out nice and delicious – no need to soak rice etc and then wait for fermenting process.

This is how we make our instant Uttapams

Instant Rava Uttapam

Recipe requirements (makes 4-5,  5’’ inch Uttapam rounds )

•  2 heaped cups of Rava/sooji/semolina
• ½ cup of plain flour
• 1 tsp of baking soda
•  1 and half cup of yogurt
•  1 tsp of salt or to taste
•  About a cup of water

For the toppings

•  1 large onion
•  1 medium size tomato
•  5-6 green chillies
•  About a cup of chopped coriander leaves
•  Salt as per taste and bit of red pepper powder/black pepper powder
•  Cooking oil to make Uttapams.

Method

•  In a mixing bowl, mix in plain flour and sooji/semolina. Add in baking soda and salt.
• Now add in yogurt and mix with the above, it will form a dough like consistency.
• Now add in a cup of water to make a smooth and lump free batter just like dosa /pancake batter and may be even more water if it is required.
• Now let it rest for about half an hour.
• Meanwhile chop onion, tomato, green chillies and coriander leaves very finely. Add in salt and pepper powder – if using to enhance the hotness level.
• Heat up an iron tava/skillet/griddle. Now drop about 2-3 tsp of cooking oil. Rub this oil very well over the griddle.
• Now give a final mix for the uttapam batter .Drop a ladle full of this batter to the hot griddle.
• Flatten out a bit, but not much, just like a small round similar to pancake- approx. 5’’ inch rounds. The trick is to have a little thick rounds rather than big and thin rounds, so that they puff out well and turn soft also.
• Now immediately put finely chopped onion, tomato, green chillies and coriander leaves over the top of the uttapam. Press it gently with the spatula.Let it cook for about 4-5 mints.
• Flip the side very carefully and now again drop some cooking oil by the sides of uttapams.Cover the uttapamas and cook further for about 6-7 mints at med-low flame. Do not hurry otherwise the middle portions will turn out uncooked.
• Uncover the uttapam and flip the side and cook for 2-3 mints. Shift into the serving plate.
• You can have it with tomato ketchup or more traditionally with coconut chutney. These are absolutely divine straight from the hot tava/griddle. Enjoy your breakfast.

Happy Cooking Friends

Of This and That - Some Musings

This will be my last post for 2016… It’s raining heavily outside, sitting down with my laptop on our dining table, occasionally I glance through my balcony doors to look far ahead, but the visibility is zero. I made a glass of chilled iced lemon tea for myself...Music playing in the back ground, you know those ageless and soul-soothing old Hindi songs – like one from film ‘Anupama’. December makes me feel cold inside, although the temperatures outside will defy all things winter has to offer here. There is nothing as such a typical ‘winter’ in Malaysia – rain and sun-shine all through the year. How I longed for the coldness, winter has to offer and the white snow clad houses and streets, is a forlorn story here.

But even in those scarcity of true feelings for winter, we created a space in our heart which made us believe, yes believe, that these last few days of 2016, this festive spirit will linger on. We have put up a Christmas tree just like we used to do in UK. 

Warming up our cold hearts, this tree reminded us to believe in everything about life- whatever the challenges, obstacles one may face, believe in yourself – this will pass through. We have made it so far, hopefully we will keep doing so in future as well. In all those challenges, we should not forget about all the blessings which god has bestowed us all. Pause for a moment, take out time from your busy schedules and please count all those blessings. The true spirit of festivals lies there.

The shopping malls are all decked up and busy here with beautiful Christmas decorations and huge Christmas trees and people shopping for their near and dear ones. We usually sit down on those numerous benches inside shopping malls and watch the world go by leisurely. 

There will be people shopping on the likes of Gucci/Prada/MK / Miss Selfridge/ Topshop/Zara and what not, in those numerous shopping malls, during these last few days before Christmas. But to me Christmas, or for that matter any festival, is all about togetherness of family and friends. Gifts are just add-on like cherry on top of an assembled black-forest cake.

Couple of days back, we had a long weekend, so, dear daughter called up her few friends from our residential-complex and had a mini-Christmas snack party. 

The home was filled with the warmth of their girlie-chat, laughter and fun. Time flies and even before I realize, these girls all in pre-teen age are ready to create their own stories, just like we did decades ago.

Since these are holiday time, I thought instead of doing a recipe post, a proper menu post will be more helpful.

The snack- menu had chocolate cupcakes, cucumber and mozzarella cheese sandwich, baked chicken drumsticks and roasted spiced potato wedges with plenty of cold drinks.

There was another platter which we had on Sunday - roasted potato and orange sweet potato, tofu fried rice, baked spicy salmon steak and California rolls (this one is a type of  'Sushi'- store-brought though)…And there was plenty of litchi mock tail as refreshments.

Recipe for Oven- Baked Salmon Steak

Requirements

Salmon steak pieces- 4-5

Spices

½ tsp of turmeric powder

2 tsp of red pepper powder

 2 tsp of coriander powder

1 tsp of cumin powder

½ tsp of cardamom powder

½ tsp of cinnamon powder

 1 tsp of black pepper powder

Salt as per taste

Method

Take all the spices in a big bowl and mix in well.

Now rub spices all over the salmon steak pieces.

Cover and keep it in fridge for about half an hour.

Now preheat an oven at 175 deg C.

Place the salmon steak pieces over a baking tray and put that in the middle rack.

Bake for 30-35 mints. Take out serve hot. These are absolutely delicious.

Roasted spiced potato wedges have the same spices as listed above. The only addition was mustard oil and chili flakes to marinate them well.Bake the potato wedges at 180 Deg C for 40 mints.

Cucumber Mozzarella sandwich- Layer thinly sliced cucumber over buttered sandwich bread and then top it up with grated fresh mozzarella cheese or cheese slices. Press the sandwich and viola ready in jiffy.You can use tomato as well.Tomato and Mozzarella is another great combination.

Tofu Fried Rice

Requirements

 3-4 cups of cooked rice- for 3-4 people
you can use brown rice as well

 200 Gms of extra firm tofu

2 tsp of thick soya sauce

1 tsp of oyster sauce

1 tsp of red pepper powder

1 tsp of black pepper powder

 3 tsp of grated fresh ginger
 1 stick lemon grass

 3-4 tsp of soybean oil/ or sesame oil

Method

In a big wok/fry pan, add in oil. Add in firm tofu pieces and fry them at high heat for about 3-4 mints.

Take out and keep in a separate plate.

Add in grated ginger, cut lemon grass  and any vegetables you would like to add- I have used carrots and tomato finely chopped. Toss well and cook at high heat for 3-4 mints.

Add in all the sauces and spices listed above. Adjust salt.

Add in fried tofu and coat well with spices and sauces.

Now add in cooked rice and mix well. Serve and enjoy.

These recipes can be found in archived posts here…

Nutella-and-chocolate-cupcakes

Baked Chicken - Kalmi Kabab style

Oven-baked chicken-tikka

Some other Christmas recipes

Couscous-and-dried-fruits-stuffed Chicken

Chocolate Swiss-roll-recipe

Apple fritters with toffee-sauce

Black forest cake

Cheesecake recipe

So, here is the end part for this post.

You all have a great festive time.

Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas and have a Happy new year …….

See you all in new year 2017…Welcome 2017....bye –bye 2016…..

Fettuccini with Tofu and Vegetables

It’s December and this means an entire year is wrapping up soon. In 2016, we re-located to Malaysia and which meant whole lot of adjustments. New school and friends for dear daughter and us trying to get a grip of new place. Leaving behind the familiarity of everything in UK and starting all over fresh again, is never an easy task. But so far so good, and yes, it has been a great learning for us. We have slowly started enjoying our weekend outings and this brings us to understand the cultural differences we have over here. In spite of being in the centre of constant changes, we have managed to make few friends over here.

All I can say, a year has made me realize that nothing in this world is permanent, people will come to our lives, impacting us, teaching us valuable things about life and then leave, leaving behind their memories. Life itself is a collage of all great memories- Experience it and treasure it.

I had fettuccini pasta, and thought of using it up with tofu and other vegetables. We like to add lots of veggies to our pasta dishes which gives nice colours and texture.  This can also be made ahead and can be served as cold salad.

Now to the recipe

 Fettuccini with tofu and vegetables 

Recipe requirements

400 gms of Fettuccini pasta

 400 gms of extra firm tofu

Vegetables of your choice

Carrots

Onions

Tomato

 2-3 tbs of pasta sauce

4 tbs of butter

¼ cup of sour cream

 ¼ cup of parmesan cheese

Salt as per taste

Black pepper as per taste

Method

Take a large pot with ample water. Add in salt to it. Let it come to one boil. Add in dried fettuccini and cook al dente (cooked but still firm).

In a separate fry pan, big enough to hold all the pasta and with vegetables. Add in butter, let it melt and then add chopped vegetables- like onion, carrots and tomato. Add in tofu pieces. Add in pasta sauce.

Stir/fry all for about 4-5 mints. Add in cooked fettuccini with the cooking water. Add in parmesan cheese and sour cream. Mix all the ingredients very well and coat well with sauce. Adjust salt and seasonings- black pepper etc.

Sprinkle some chilli flakes and enjoy.

Happy Cooking Friends and have lovely weekend

Instant Rava Idli - super easy

Sometimes I feel like I am living in a very wrong world. The world where views are biased, people have no morals to fall back and where people take things for granted. They mock or doubt you, if you wear your emotions on your sleeves. And then, even if you happen to tell your true inner feelings, people ridicule you for being over-sensitive. I really don’t know when caring or showing concern to fellow humans became being over sensitive. But this is a modern world we are talking about, someone told me and you should also act modern. I am like if these acts mean modernisation, then probably I am well off, without it.

Well this recipe has nothing to do with being over-sensitive, but yes it’s a very quick way of making idlis, when you are running short of time and patience.

 We were craving for some idlis but I had no time for doing the whole procedure of soaking, grinding and then fermenting. There are plenty of recipes for instant idlis out here in net.But all of them use ENO, I didn’t have at the time of making these idlis, so used baking soda and it still came out fine.

Instant Rava  idli  recipe

Recipe requirements

 2 large cups of semolina/rava

3/4  cup of yogurt

¾ tsp of baking soda

For tempering

2 tbs of chana dal

2 tbs of urid dal

 1 -2 twigs of curry patta

3-4 dry red pepper powder

1-2 tsp of brown mustard seeds

2 tbs of cooking oil

Method

Dry roast rava/semolina in a fry pan. Do not let it burn.

Now take the slightly roasted rava in a separate bowl.

Add in cooking oil to the fry pan.

Now add mustard seeds, urid dal, chana dal, dry red peppers and curry leaves.Let it splutter.

Add in the roasted rava to it and mix well.

Transfer the entire content in a big bowl.

Let it cool.

Now add in yogurt and mix well. Add about a cup of water to it. Adjust salt in the above. Leave it for about an hour.

Add in baking soda just before you will make instant idlis.

Prepare idli stand and scoop the rava mixture in to the slotted space for the idli in idli-stand.

Steam about 20-25 mints or till the idlis are cooked well in a pressure cooker.
take out once they are all done.

Serve with coconut chutney.These are always well recieved by my family whenever we feel like having it for breakfast or quick dinner with sambhar.Here is Lauki and bean sprouts sambhar.

Happy Cooking Friends

Chocolate mice and Happy Diwali

Today is Diwali or should I say Deepawali. And Diwali invokes lots of good old memories- Rangoli decorations, bursting crackers, and eating ‘kheel’ and ‘khilona’ (you know those sugary things moulded into various shapes of animals).Stocking up fire-crackers and drying them in the sun, in case they were still wet somehow (god knows how many times we used to go upstairs to our terrace to check them in between). Putting up light bulbs on terrace or balcony, checking with a tester and feeling elated to become an electrician for the time being, gorging on home-made sweets that our mothers would churn out for these past couple of days. When I look back (yes, I do like to do from time to time. Everyone has their own share of memories. I would say treasure them and re-visit them from time to time, but be ready to make new and fresh memories.) And I have stacks of all those memories, and that includes memories associated with Diwali as well.

Here wishing everyone a very happy Diwali.

Shubh Deepawali everyone.May festival of light brings you loads of happiness, peace and prosperity.

Our residential complex had a Halloween potluck get –together couple of days ago. I happened to make these chocolate mice which was well received by the crowd. Little ones specifically adored these cute, tiny chocolate mice. 

I made about 60 of them and not a single mice was left. So you can imagine how delicious these can be.

Now to the recipe for chocolate mice

 Chocolate mice

Recipe requirements – makes 60 small mice

adapted from here

500 Gms of oats chocolate biscuit crumbs

4 chocolate bars 100 Gms each

5-6 tbs of sour cream (can use thick yogurt as well)

For decorations

  1 cup of chocolate biscuit crumble

Almond flakes about 1 cup for ears or 120 almond flakes

Dragees for eyes – 120

 Carrot thin juliennes for tails- 60

Method

Crush chocolate biscuits in a mixer or with rolling pin. I have used oats and chocolate biscuit to make it healthy. But you can use any other chocolate biscuits.

Melt chocolate bars in microwave for about a mint.

In a big mixing bowl – mix together oats chocolate crumble with melted chocolate. Add in sour cream and bind them well. Check with a tsp of sample and try to roll, if they stick together the mixture is ready to be shaped in like little mice.

Store it in fridge for about an hour. This will help it to help in shaping of mice.

Now take out about a table spoon of the mixture and start shaping in to rounds. Now at one end slightly, mould to a point (the nose) to form mice.

Roll each mice over the biscuit crumble to coat it evenly. 

Now put dragees for eyes. Almond flakes for ears and carrot thin juliennes for the tail. 

You can use strawberry juliennes as well for tails.

Chill at least for about 2-3 hrs or until they are all firm.

Happy Cooking 

Wish you all a very happy Diwali and a happy Halloween 

Chocolate Bundt Cake recipe- Our way

It was one mundane afternoon, after finishing up cooking and cleaning, I was about to iron some clothes that were drying up, but then ironing clothes is something I really don’t fancy doing on one lazy afternoon. I had my Cous-Cous Upma ( archive post from 2010) for lunch.And as I was about to start ironing the clothes( the picture of ingredients right above the method steps has that iron even which I somehow cropped it out as that would have been embarrassing, now who needs iron as food props, right ?) The most dreadful chore so as to me, I decided, no actually I was craving for some chocolate cake and then recalled dear daughter has made a wish at the breakfast table for chocolate cake also. You know how kids and chocolate are inseparable.
As I was deliberately postponing the inauguration ceremony of my new Bundt pan, I thought may be it’s now time to do so. Here is chocolate Bundt cake recipe made on one mundane afternoon.

I love how freshly brewed coffee smells, kind of a reckoning, brings all senses alive, a sudden kick to wake you up, and perhaps when this is included in chocolate cake, this imparts a lovely aromatic blend and that dark chocolaty color. I took out spreadable butter, yogurt and eggs prior of making this cake and let it rest for a while. Then as it happens while making a cake, rest was done as accordingly.
When I spotted this Bundt pan  in a super-market here, it kind of drew my attention instantaneously.

I liked the delicate pattern of this Bundt cake, although this is a small tin as compared to the standard Bundt tin measurements, but there is this lovely design which makes me more inclined to use it over and over again.

 Although, this chocolate cake that you see now is the first time that I tried the Bundt cake, but since then I have made carrot cake, two batches of chocolate cake and one tutti –fruity cake as well. The base recipe for the cake remains same, like I replace drinking cocoa powder with more flour and shredded carrots or tutti-frutti assortment as the recipe calls for it. But today it is chocolate Bundt cake recipe for you for the time being.

Chocolate Bundt Cake
Recipe requirements
1 ¾ cup of cake flour/self raising flour
¼ cup of good quality cocoa powder
2-3 tbs of yogurt
2 free-range eggs
5-6 heaped tbs of butter spread
1 ½ tsp of instant coffee
¾ tsp of baking soda
½ cup of sugar

Method
Sift cake flour well and then mix in coco powder. Now add in baking soda.
Cream together sugar and spreadable butter well until light and fluffy. You may use vegetable oil as well
Make half a cup of coffee with the amount of coffee powder mentioned.
Now add in egg one at a time mixing through. Add in yogurt, mixing well.
Now in a big mixing bowl, mix in half the amount of flour+ cocoa powder mixture with butter+sugar+egg+yogurt mixture.
Now keep on mixing the rest of dry mixture with wet mixture and lastly freshly brewed coffee until you get a nice gooey chocolaty cake batter.
Prepare the cake tin with spraying some oil, and then dusting off evenly with plain flour.
Preset the oven at about 175 deg C or gas mark 4 .
Pour the prepared cake batter in the floured cake tin. Place the cake tin in the middle rack and then bake for about 30-35 mints. Please check your own oven settings and timing for cake baking. I guess fan assisted oven are slightly different than convectional oven in a standard microwave. Best is to read user manual and then proceed. Always keep an eye on the cake in oven.
Take out when the cake is done and let it cool off.Flip the side upside down with the help of a plate.Dust off extra flour from the top of cake with a brush.Now prepare sugar icing as usual or have it with out that.
I would suggest having it with a scoop of your favorite ice-cream. Delicious.And do you know you can even pack it in your travel-bag as a quick snack.

Edited on 6th Dec 2013
I made this cake yesterday again with few changes as I was running short of self raising flour....
*Used plain flour and then added 1/4 tsp of baking soda and 1/2 tsp of baking powder.Added strong brewed coffee about half a cup* ..
The cake batter was quite on a runny side but it turned out just like fudge cake ..dense and moist,uploading a picture with vanilla caramel ice-cream....now "delicious" is just a word here ....

Happy cooking and baking 

Paneer and Coconut Fried balls and it's seven years of food blogging

We are into November, and November means chilly and cold winter season knocking at our doorsteps, in fact today it is very cold here.And as evenings are early now, we get excuses for having fried stuff with our evening cup of tea -"chai”. These days demand for fritters and fried stuff- “tele bhaja” have gone high on our meal plans. Every season has its own effect on our eating plans or cravings. And with winter season, there are array of glorious cakes and fried stuff waiting to be made and relished. Isn’t?

No doubt, that’s show I tend to put on weight during this season. I know after reading this post, there will be some counter- reactions to go for detoxifying the body. Then there will be people judging me on grounds of my eating plans. But one thing for sure- eat according to your own body requirements and in balanced portions and remember every body is different. God hasn’t made every mould- the one we call our body same, even scientifically it is true, our DNA says so. So, please what works for me, may or may not work for you.

There was beguni as snake I mean as snack couple of days ago and then some fish shami kabab the other day, then it was time for chicken kababs adapted from this recipe as well. But occasionally there are times; we need some food which makes the vegetarian- the ‘shudh shakahari” in me feel happy about it. These paneer-cococnut fritters are great way to include a “niramish” preparation in ones menu. I have always found it very fascinating that vegetarians have so many options to make their fritters- there is possibly every vegetable in this world, that one can create fritters out of - from spinach to, zucchini, brinjal to well I think you can even make fritters out of lentil paste as well. Although this recipe was formulated by sheer checking of the ingredients stocked in the fridge at that time. Open- See-Check-Take out –Arrange-Assemble-Create-Eat. This is the sequence that happened once I opened the fridge door yesterday. I am sure this happens with most of you out there.

Now I had some fresh coconut, which I really didn’t want to make as Narkel Narus, after that cooking spree during Dassehrah and Diwali, we needed a big break from sweety-sweety thingies. And too much of sweets makes me sleepy and dozing off doesn’t help, as there are other chores which needs my attention. Then was paneer- well I don’t need to write much about this one. What was interesting to note is the addition of ajowain seeds/carom seeds and dried basil leaves which I have never used so far in making fritters. These two were like secret ingredients treasured somewhere in the cupboard and lifted up the flavor quotient of this fritter above two levels. Next onwards, I will try to add them in other fritter preparations as well. And "ajowain" as known in Hindi /"jowan" as in Bengali has great digestive properties something which the ‘Ayurveda’ tells us about.

We needed something savory, so here it is paneer coconut fried balls. And this has been our current favourite.And when a kid picks up second helpings, without even asking you, you know it very well, this will be a winner recipe. Make ahead them as a great party appetizer/starter recipe and pop them in preheated oven to re-heat them, serve and enjoy.
Recipe is up here now.
Paneer Coconut Fried balls
Recipe requirements(makes-10-14)

• About 100gms of paneer roughly
• 1 cup of grated fresh coconut
• 1 tsp of ajwain/carom seeds
• 1 tbs of coriander powder
• 2 tsp of cumin powder
• 1 tsp of red pepper powder
• ¼ tsp of fresh and crushed whole black pepper
• ½ tsp of dried basil leaves
• 2 whole-meal bread
• 1 large potato boiled and mashed well
• 2 tsp of fresh grated ginger
• 2 -3 tsp of self raising flour
• 1 tsp of salt or as per taste
• Oil for deep frying

Method

1. Take a big mixing bowl, and grate paneer block finely. Since the one we get over here are solid, so we need to grate it otherwise you can easily make paneer crumbles if the paneer is semi-soft.
2. To that, add in fresh grated coconut or scraped what ever suits you. I generally like to pulse through in mixer-grinder for three- four times which yields an un-even mixture of bits and pieces.And this gives that sweetish coco nutty  bites to the final product what we get after frying them.
3. Now add in all the seasonings- coriander, cumin, black pepper and red pepper powders. Add in dried basil leaves and ajwain seeds/carom and fresh grated ginger.Add in boiled potato.
4. Tear whole wheat bread (as that is what we eat) in to very small pieces, you may replace it with any available bread. Add this to the mixture.
5. Now add in salt, self raising flour- enough to bind the mixture. Knead the mixture well.
6. Divide the mixture in to equal portions and then roll them into small round balls. This much will yield 10-12 small balls.
7. In a fry-pan or kadai , add in oil. Let it heat up properly, check if it’s done by – drop tiny portions from a paneer-coconut balls and watch if it comes to the top , sizzling and floating. You can even check by dropping some cumin seeds in to it.
8. Now at medium flame- gas mark 5 or gas mark 6 , drop these paneer-coconut balls in to the hot oil, fry it slowly to get even brown colour.

Take out and drain over kitchen towel. Serve with ketchup or any other sauce. This goes very well as party starters and plus point is its all vegetarian. So, now you can easily make your vegetarian friends happy. Meat-lovers, please substitute paneer with any type of cooked or minced red-meat or chicken mince.

Please use fresh and home-made spice powders for best results.
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Well last month this blog by yours truly turned seven, and it’s been a lovely journey so far. What started as mere writing down few lines for a recipe-kind of pages of a recipe diary on one fine and  lazy fall afternoon,here that humble ->first post ,  has now become my special world out here. And this occasion comes again on a fall season here. The picture below says it all, isn’t?

A world of sharing, learning, growing, memorizing and noting down snippets from my day-today happenings to my ramblings etc, this blog has evolved also with each passing years.
Thank you all who like to come back here, again and again and also to those who have joined this blog recently in their blog reading subscriptions. To all of you lovely readers-old and new, this blog means nothing if it doesn't have lovely readers like you.
I know there are many silent readers, but please if you have ever tried and liked any recipes, snippets or ramblings from here, now I want to hear your voice.

Let’s hope we continue this journey in discovering ourselves and sharing, learning has no boundaries or inhibitions. We all are evolving and learning irrespective of our age, from one point to other point, let’s keep on joining the dots. Once again Thank you all...........

Happy Cooking Friends

Aamshotto(mango leather)-Chocolate Oreo No bake Cheesecake -Kid Friendly recipe

We are having half-term holidays now, and mothers like me probably are finding it hard to keep their kids engaged with productive activities. Right, well in that case, cooking can be fun as it gives kids options to be creative, imaginative and having ample scope of fun-filled time.

Last Sunday, while I was fixing individual dessert bowls for us – no-bake blueberry cheesecake, my dear daughter liked the thought of having individual bowl of dessert, so each one of us can have our personal choices. And she told me, she will prepare her dessert bowl the way she likes to eat. Well, I don’t see any reasons to stop her, so I gave her full freedom to fix up her own dessert bowl.
And I never realized that, this can be such a scrumptious combination- aam-shoto (mango leather), mascarpone,Oreo and chocolate. I had some of the left-over stock of aam-shoto, which I got it while coming back here from Kolkata, and not to mention we all are having aam-shoto in every possible way and sometimes even as it is. She dry-grinded some Oreo biscuits in a mixer-grinder,as those are her favorite and I just happen to add some oats granola so that it becomes even more filling. Then again with mascarpone cheese, she blended her favorite Oval tine powder which made the cheese+chocolate combination in a more healthy way. Then she began layering all those and ending up with aam-shoto (mango leather).She even clicked both the pictures and here I am doing the last part of writing up the recipe and uploading it to the blog.

Try it in Diwali this year as sweets, and I am sure it’s definitely going to be a crowd pleaser especially with kids; after all it’s a kid –friendly recipe prepared by a kid only.

Aam-shotto (Mango leather) and Chocolate Oreo no-bake Cheesecake
Recipe requirements(measurements approx and serves 1-2)
Ror the toppings
Aamshoto- mango leather pieces cut into any shapes triangles or squares
2 tsp of oval tine or any other hot chocolate drink powder
2-3 tbs of mascarpone cheese
1 tbs of thick yogurt
2 tsp of icing sugar
For the base
3-4 tbs of oats granola
4-5 Oreo biscuits
2 tsp of butter spread
Method
First, dry grind the oats granola and Oreo in mixer to make even crumbs. Rub in butter spread to the oats Oreo crumble. Keep aside.
Now mix in mascarpone cheese and yogurt with icing sugar and oval tine powder. You may use bourn vita or any other hot chocolate drink powder as well.
Now take a clean dessert bowl, spread the oats+oreo crumble evenly and press it firmly with a spoon.
Scoop out the mascarpone cheese+yogurt+Ovaltine+icing sugar mixture and spread it evenly over the cheesecake base.
Now layers aam-shoto or mango leather and chocolate pieces. Garnish with chocolate shavings. Enjoy the dessert now or if you wish to chill, refrigerate in for 3-4 hrs.

An eazy-peezy no-bake cheesecake is ready.

Happy Cooking Friends

Raspberry Jam

It has been raining here most of the time, making it grey for the time being. But, actually autumn season has turned up showing in with its sure signs of yellowing and falling leaves, and even if it’s raining it still displays out splendid views. Every year this is just like a natural rhythm and cycle, what comes in, must go out as well. And when you walk past the public pathways, it looks absolutely beautiful with falling leaves everywhere, so colorful and vibrant, but here comes rain and it lashes out everything. I would really like to see sun-rays streaming through those beautiful autumn trees, but for that I have to wait some more time I guess. I have also planted some window sill plants – it looks like mint leaves are ready to be used up in cooking, and two garlic pods have also been planted, however I am not sure how they will end up though.

These days mornings are too early for us, as it is completely dark outside, and when I put the kitchen light on, it feels like lighting up a “diya” in complete darkness, first thing that I search out the dip-dip tea –bags in kitchen cupboards to make ginger tea for us. Morning rush-hour becomes hectic there after. But still it has a rhythm of it’s own, cooking and packing lunch-boxes, getting ready to drop dear daughter off to school and we do walk to school everyday, while we get to see many beautiful autumn trees these days and what marvellous views they have.

While we are struggling with patches of rain here, I thought let me add little bit of color to our mundane cooking, so made these raspberry jam- red , vibrant and of course very sweet. And this has been finished up already with in 3-4 days. Actually this is a wish on my daughter’s part to make raspberry jam after I made Red Currant jam last time. And we have been putting up this home-made jam over rotis, paratha and as toppings over biscuits as well, and then of course there is way to use them up over our morning breakfast toast as well.
Sometimes, there is such simplicity of a recipe that there is no need to write instructions for that, but for those who are starting to make home-made jams, this is for you.
Raspberry Jam
Recipe requirements
250 Gms of fresh raspberry
7-10 blackberry
250 Gms of sugar
¼ tsp of lemon juice

Method
Wash and clean raspberry. Pluck out the sad ones.I have used black-berry as well but in very few quantity.
Now put those in saucepan put the heat to medium flame. Sprinkle about a pinch of salt and let it cook well. After about 7-10 mints they will tend to release lots of water.Press them with the help of cooking spatula so that they gets mushy or crushed well.
Now collect them and sieve through well to discard the seeds( since I was working with less quantity , I relied on the tea-strainer, but if you are working with huge quantities, I would suggest to use a good quality strainer ) and collecting all the pulp that is formed. However, if seeds don’t bother you much then proceed to adding sugar now.
Now add in sugar and let it to cook at med-low flame about 15-20 mints. Meanwhile discard any white froth forming from time to time on the top. (Ok, sometimes I tend to make sugar syrup before hand and then add the pureed raspberries, then wait till they gets thickened and mixed up.)
Once it starts to become thick, stop the flame, and then add lemon juice to it, do not cook any further now as lemon juice have been added.Take the saucepan off from the stove-top.Put a thoroughly clean glass jar in pre-heated oven; keep it for 1-2 mints so that the water in that glass jar gets dried up well. This is our quick way of doing sterilization process.
Now pour in the cooked raspberry puree in to the sterilized glass jar. Once it gets cooled,keep in fridge and it stays fresh for 8-10 days if it lasts till then.
Note-
I haven't used pectin as gelling agent for this recipe.

Similarly strawberry jam, apple jam can also be made.

Happy Cooking Friends

Fig and Chocolate Malpoa- Anjeer/Dumur- Chocolate Malpoa and Shubho Bijoya

And then the eternal ‘Anandomoyi” and ‘Karonamoyi” bid adieu to us and left us with more memories to cherish. But then every year it will be same, isn’t it and we all know good things are always momentary but even that, it doesn’t hamper our anticipations about Durga Puja each and every year.”Ashche bochor abaar hobe.”
Here wishing everyone Shubho Bijoyadashmi and happy Dassehra.

Anyhow pandal hopping was out of question here this year, as the distance to travel from one part to other is quite long, so we went to see two Puja Pandals.Here is one from Ealing Durga Puja.And I don’t know what glows more, the radiant face of ma Durga or that age old chandelier, but amidst that back-drop the beauty of eternal diva mesmerized us. We sat there in presence of her and her children’s charming persona which defies every other aspects of life for the time being, and felt blessed, blessed to see her and seek her blessings in real.
And let me convey to you all once again Shubho Bijoyadashmi.May this phase brings peace, good health and prosperity to you all.

Meanwhile I did make some fresh home-made rashogoallas yesterday and darbesh for bijoyadashmi, but then I think there are many types of sweet  recipes out here in internet and more –or less sweet-making is an art and comes with little patience and many practices.However, if you like to experiment with some foods, then here is fig and chocolate malopoas for you. We all have sweet tooth, and with malpoa it’s even better.
We are getting lots of Turkey figs here in UK, so thought of using it more and accustomed to our Indian meals. Figs as we know them by the name of “dumur” in Bengali and “anjeer” in Hindi are healthy fruits. One can even eat figs whole, once they are ripened or make a fig curry with the green ones.
Since figs are in this season, I tried to include this fruit as much as I can; I also made a fig, apple and pineapple chutney - Dumur/appel and anarosh'er chutney with it.

There is no rocket science to that recipe, it’s simple with tempering of shorshe/mustard seeds +1 whole dry red chilly in mustard oil. Add all the cut fruit pieces of figs+apple+pineapple+purple onion+raisins+cashews. Stir/fry them for about a minute and then add in a tsp of vinegar with sugar to taste and let it simmer for sometimes till all the fruits are cooked well and becomes mushy. Store in refrigerator once it gets cooled and it stays fresh for 7-10 days or may be even more.
Here is fig malpoa or Dumur diye Malpoa for you all from our kitchen. And then dear daughter asked can we have chocolate malpoas, and when kids make wishes can we say no that. I don’t know what goes in the mind of kids; they want everything made of chocolate. God knows someday they will ask chocolate korola-bitter gourd coated with chocolate, and I may surrender to that even.

But for the time-being, dear daughter is satisfied with her share of chocolate glazed + aamsotto malpoas, as she suggested this reminds her of Krispy –cream chocolate doughnuts, to that I don’t know what should I interpret – it being as compliment or need to improve a bit so that it ends up being replica of doughnuts, as in doughnuts fennel seeds are not added which is somewhat, is the key of making malpoas. And these home-made doughnuts are fresh that we know for sure and also what goes into making it.
To the recipe now
Fig and Chocolate Malpoa 
(Dumur diye Malpoa)
Makes 10-12 approx
Recipe requirements

• 4-5 figs-poached
• ½  cup very fine semolina/sooji
• ¾ cup of self raising flour
• 5-6 tbs of whole milk powder
• 120 gms of evaporated milk ( ¾ portion of small evaporated milk can)
• 1 tsp of fennel seeds
• 2 small and green cardamom crushed
• Raisins (optional)
• 1 cup of cooking oil for frying purpose
• For chocolate glaze/icing
• 2-3 tbs of chocolate powder
• 5-6 tbs of icing sugar
• 1 tbs of butter
• ¼ tsp of lemon juice
• For sugar syrup
•       1 and ½ cup of sugar
•       ½ cup of water
•     1 green cardamom crushed

Method

1. Wash and clean figs well and then poach them in ample water. Take them out after 7-10 mints and pass the pulp from sieve to collect the fig puree/anjeer/Dumur puree. Figs have small seeds, and it’s quite difficult to get rid of them, unless they don’t bother you much, you can use whole of the poached figs in making malpoas.
2. Now take a big mixing bowl.Since we are using self raising flour there is no need to add baking soda or any kind of raising agent. Mix very fine semolina well. It would be nice if you can soak up semolina in lukewarm water fro about 10-15 mints so that they become soft.
3. In a separate bowl mix in whole milk powder and evaporated milk.Mix them well until they become sticky. This forms our “instant khoya”- however if you have fresh khoya then replace instant khoya with this.
4. Mix in all and add in fennel seeds and raisins if you are keen to use them. Just crush fennel seeds over cooking board with rolling pins, this way they impart lovely flavor.Do same with green cardamoms and add them to the flour mixture.Mix khoya with the flour mixture and then add in rest of the evaporated milk, just enough to make a smooth batter.
5. Keep this mixture aside for half an hour to develop lovely texture and flavor.
6. Meanwhile the batter of malpoas are resting we will prepare the sugar syrup and chocolate glaze.
7. Dissolve about 1 -1 ½  cups of sugar in ½ cup of water, add in one crushed cardamom. And make the sugar syrup.
8. Now make chocolate glaze- for this mix in 2-3 tbs of chocolate powder with 5-6 tbs of icing sugar+1 tbs of butter.Mix in well and then put this mixture to microwave cooking for just to melt the sugar>take out and then mix in well.Add in ¼ tsp of lemon juice.After adding lemon juice don’t cook it.Tis chocolate glaze gets solidify easily , so make the glaze ,when all the malopoas are ready after they have dunked in sugar suyrup and are cooled off ,not before that.
9. Now heat up a deep bottom fry pan, add in cooking oil. Let it heat up properly, check the hotness of oil , drop some fennel seeds, if it sizzles then the oil is heated enough to make the malpoa.
10. We will deep fry them, slowly at low flame so that they evenly get cooked. Please do not hurry this process as the middle of the malpoa won’t cook well.
11. Gently drop in the mixture with the help of a large spoon. Turn the sides after 3 -4 mints and keep on frying them. When they turn deep brown in color, remove them and drain over kitchen towels, this way they absorb all the excess oil.
12. Now drop them in sugar surup, while the syrup should be left on cooking at very low flame. After 2-3 mints remove them, place them over a serving plate to cool off. Once all the malpoas are done like this way, let them cool off.
13. Now put the chocolate glaze over them, I have done the glaze with half of them and left other batch plain. Both the way it tasted wonderful.

And with this here is Bijoya platter for you all ....

Happy Cooking and Shubho Bijoyadashmi