Multigrain Laddu - Happy Vijayadashmi and Shubho Bijoya

 Festivity invokes myriad feelings. The feelings which takes you back to growing up years, recalling the food, laughter and joy shared with friends and family. Even though, we are in midst of a Covid pandemic, the surroundings around us have become somewhat pleasing with beautiful fall colors. Besides that, it brings much relief to us these days, amidst the chaos, we sometimes observe around the globe happening in present time.

And autumn coincides with Dussehra, Bijoyadashmi and Kojagori Lakhsmi pujo, Halloween and then, soon festival of lights- Deepawali. Autumn season imparts a lovely sense of calmness and a festive spirit. May the festive spirit linger on to give us courage and strength to carry on our daily life.

These days, we are mostly confided to home as social gathering is restricted or we have left with limited options, either with morning walks in local parks, occasional local super-market rounds and compulsory school days over here. 

‘Sharadoutsav’ had started couple of days ago and a Bengali in me, was yearning for that ‘Pujo- Pujo’ feeling. So, we caught up with Live telecast of Durga Puja at Belur Math, Kolkata. We missed the Pujo buzz surrounding Pujo pandals this year just like many of you. So, we tried to recreate the atmosphere with home-made Bhog er khichuri, labda and tomato chutney and offered Pushpanjali in home listening to Mantra chanting by Priest, of course there are many videos on YouTube,which came to our aide and also caught up with some other old telecast of local “Sarbojonin” Durga Puja as well. This created a magnificent ambience for us -It says “Something is better than nothing.”. 

Let’s keep our traditions alive in our hearts and try to adjust and live with our ‘new normal’ as of now.

Moving on to our recipe of Multigrain laddus’, I have made these laddus on Shashti and these turned out moist and delicious. I have made whole Wheat Laddus  and Boondi Laddu earlier as well. These laddos are much more flavorful with multigrain. Multigrain atta is easily available everywhere these days, so no need to dry grind all grains in home. This flour mixture of grains had-Oats, Wheat, Maize, Quinoa, Channa, Spelt and Soya. Please read labels if you are allergic to any ingredients before making these laddos. You can create your own version of multigrain flour as well. You need a heavy-duty grinder/mixer for that purpose. 

Now to the recipe.

Multigrain Laddus

Recipe requirements (Makes approx- 16)

• 3-4 cups of multigrain atta/flour
• 1 cup of granulated sugar 
• ¾ cup of desi ghee
• 4-5 cardamom pods

Method

• Put a deep pan on flame. Add 2-3 tbs of ghee to it. Add multigrain flour and roast them for 10-15 mints at medium-low flame, stirring in between.
• Add in sugar and mix well. Add in freshly crushed cardamoms. You can use cardamom powder as well.
• Add ghee slowly and keep mixing. When all the ghee is poured into the flour sugar mixture. Keep stirring, till it starts to collect well.
• Stop stirring and take it off. Let it cool a bit.
• Clean your hands with soap and water. Start shaping laddus with some portions. I have made approx. 16 laddos with this much of quantity.
• Store in cool and dry place. Stays fresh for 3-4 days. Further, if required after 4 days, please put them in refrigerator.

Enjoy festivity and wish you all a very Happy Dussehra and Shubho Bijoya.

Malpoas and Happy Holi

Festivals invokes nostalgia and memories. Holi/Doul Poornima was much awaited in our home. While growing up, I liked the dry colors or ‘Phag’ in Hindi, as Holi falls under Phagun month according to Hindu calendar. I was never a fan of wet Holi and in secondary school, I almost stopped playing with colours. Don’t take me wrong, I like colors, in fact I adore colors, but when it comes to playing with wet colors, I shy away. Anyways, I always liked Phag and those varied colors of phag sold in small packets- red, yellow, green and orange. When splashed in to the air, smell of Phag intoxicated many minds and souls. Those days phag used to have a sweet aroma, or may be my olfactory nerves were much active then. I could smell that beautiful aroma of Phag.One whiff and the entire mind used to get intoxicated with joy and happiness that surrounded those celebrations on every Holi Mornings.

As the day progressed, I would peek inside kitchen to see what is being cooked there. My mother used to make Gujia, namkeen, Dahi vada etc. on every Holi. Sometimes, I would see her make these ‘Bhaja Malpoas’ as well. I also recalled, once we went to meet up our school teacher in the evening. I was in junior school at that time. I would call her madam A, as she reminds me of a famous Hindi poetess. Both share same name. Madam A, was earnestly making fresh batches of ‘bhaja malpoas’ for her school kids and was serving them warm as well. Those days teacher-student relationships were very cordial and they were almost like our guardians. The joy and satisfaction on my mother’s face and my teacher Madam A’s face is incomparable. These ladies have different aura about themselves.

I have tried to re-create those same ‘bhaja malpoas’ in my kitchen as well. I don’t know if this is something to preserve traditions, or remembering and acknowledging my mother’s and Madam A’s contributions in shaping my future and developing memories, but I like to make them once in a while during festivals.

These Bhaja Malpoas makes me feel the comfort of that bygone era. Festivals indeed invokes feelings and nostalgia. Before I jump to recipe, Wishing everyone a very Happy Holi, Doul Poornima.

This is how I made Bhaja Malpoas.

Bhaja Malpoa/ Mini fried pancake

Recipe requirements

• 1 cup of self-rising flour/Maida
• 1 cup of roasted semolina/Sooji
• ¼ cup of sugar
• 3-4 tsp of fennel seeds
• 1 cup of milk or as required to make the batter
• 2 cups of cooking oil
•  2-3 saffron strands (optional)

Method

• In a big mixing bowl, mix in semolina and self-rising flour. The proportions, I generally take equal in quantity.1:1 for semolina and self-rising flour. If you don’t get self-rising flour, use plain flour but add in about a tsp of baking powder.
• In a mortal and pestle, coarsely crush fennel seeds.
• Now add in fennel seeds and sugar to the above. Add whole milk slowly and mixing through, make sure there are no lumps.Add saffron strands if you wish to add.
•  Make a smooth batter not too thick and not too thin, just like a pancake batter, easy to drop in consistency.
• Now in a deep bottomed pan, add in cooking oil. Let it heat up.
• Take about a heaped table spoon of the batter and slowly drop into the hot cooking oil. Let it deep fry for a while. Take them out and drain over kitchen towel.
• This much of the batter made approx. 20-22 medium size malpoas.
• Unlike other malpoa which is khoya based and dipped in sugar syrup, these 'Bhaja Malpoas' are very crunchy when relished warm and hot.
• Store in air tight container stays fresh for 3-4 days.

Happy Cooking Friends and Wishing Everyone - Happy Holi !!

Baked Puff Pastry with Cranberry Sauce

We are into last few days of December and today being Christmas gives me a reason to update the blog.

I have tried some recipes with puff pastry sheets, store bought though in past and they had been a hit with my family. Dear daughter even asks for a repeat of the recipe like this one, every festive season.

These puff pastry with cranberry sauce and topped with cream frosting was again well received at our dinner table. And this version is inspired by Brie and Cranberry puff pastry. I haven’t included brie cheese for this recipe though but still it’s very flavorful.

These looks pretty and with white cream frosting a very delicious combination. Now to the detailed recipe

Baked Puff pastry with Cranberry sauce

Recipe requirements

1 pack puff pastry sheet

½ cup of cranberry sauce

½ tsp of cinnamon powder

Some flour to roll the sheets

Method

Take out the puff pastry sheets and let it thaw for a while.

Then dust off with some flour and roll into a rectangular sheet. Just to even out the surface of the puff pastry sheet.

Cut the sheet into half. Now put cranberry sauce on both the sheets.

Sprinkle cinnamon powder.

Now from one end start rolling towards middle stopping at middle. From the other side start rolling and let it come in touch with the other rolled sides. The puff pastry sheet will look like a log at this stage.

Secure the two sides well with each other. Now cut these rolled puff pastry log sheets into ½ inch thick pieces. From each log at least 5-6 pieces will come out. The shape will be more of a mini palmier.

Now preheat an oven at 160 Deg C. Put them on a floured baking tray for about 15-20 mints or till they come out nice golden in color.

Take out and let it cool off.

Prepare cream frosting

½ cup of double cream

1/4  cup of icing sugar

2 tbs of milk

Method

Mix cream, icing sugar and milk and whip it to make small soft peaks.

Gently put this cream frosting over the cooled puff pastry pieces.

You can refrigerate for 1-2 hrs., before you start consuming them or you can enjoy straight away.

These are delicious as snacks as well.

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. May the festive spirit linger on and creates cherished memories for you and yours. Enjoy and celebrate.

Chocolate Pistachio Oats Bars and Happy Diwali

Festival season brings loads of memories of our childhood days. And being away from home means, it’s even more noticeable and felt. 

The smaller things which we took granted while growing up, resurfaces with intense feeling of recreating them in my kitchen. My Ma used to make namkins and sweets during festivals and these things which went unnoticed during those days, suddenly makes sense to me now, when I myself have started to make them from scratch these days. The preparation for festivals itself was a daunting affair but a very memorable experience for each one of us. The small nitty-gritty associated with festivals added up to the much-awaited festival days. 

The Diyas, we used to soak in water the night before Deepawali, and then would sundry next day morning, to be preparing them to light up on Deepawali- the ‘Amavasya’ night. The kitchen used to smell of various sweet aromas infused with desi ghee and the atmosphere around our neighborhood was filled with various sweet and savory aromas coming from neighboring kitchens and homes as well. We used to distribute sweets in our neighborhood and would look forward to the various goodies that used to come from our neighbors and well-wishers very eagerly. 

Deepawali is festival of lights, so diyas, candles and light bulbs were part of every homes, that used to celebrate Deepawali. Let me wish everyone a happy Diwali, may festival of light brings good health, happiness and prosperity to you and to your family.
There are loads of other things which suddenly sprung up in my mind, but I will like to reserve those for some other days.

I wanted to make each one of us notice the festivity, so made batches of Besan Laddos and Kaju Katlis and these Chocolate Pistachio Oats bars and send them over to dear daughter’s school friends and better half’s Deepawali celebrations in his office. Soon it will be Halloween as well and schools over here have closed for half term break, much needed solace from daily routine.

Now to the recipe for this post

Chocolate Pistachio Oats bars 

Recipe requirements ( Makes 40 bars approx )

• Quick Oats- 3/4 cup
• 1 bar chocolate ( 150 Gms of 35% chocolate )
• 1 cup of shelled and chopped pistachios+ ¼ cup more for garnishing (finely chopped and crushed) 
• 3/4 cup of flour
• 2 cups of milk powder
• 1 can condensed milk+ 2 tbs of milk
• 3-4 tsp of ghee/clarified butter

Method

• Dry roast flour and oats for about 5-6 mints at medium flame or till the rawness is gone.
• Take out in a separate bowl. Mix together well.
• Now in the same pan, add in chocolate chunks and milk. Melt chocolate at low flame, stirring continuously. Take it off from the flame when some of the chocolate chunks starts to melt. You can microwave it also. Trick is not to burn the chocolate.
• Add in condensed milk now. Mix well and add milk powder as well. Transfer the pan over to flame now.
• Keep on stirring, the mixture will start to become more like a liquid consistency.
• At this time add in flour and oats slowly about half a cup at a time, stirring continuously. Do not stop mixing the mixture.
• Meanwhile grease a tray or plate with about 2 tsp of ghee.I ended up using 2 roasting trays.
• Keep on stirring for about 7-8 mints, the content will start to collect well. Transfer the content to the prepared tin and even out the surface with the help of your hands or spoons.
• Let it cool off a bit before you cut them into squares. Let it cool off and then transfer it to refrigerator. You can directly eat from fridge. These bars will remain fresh for about a week if kept in fridge.

Happy Cooking Friends and Have a Happy Diwali !!

Peach Upside Down Cake

We are embracing colder mornings and evenings last couple of days now, paving up its way for autumn season here. While, I do appreciate every season, as each has its own charm. Autumn is somewhat more colorful and enticing. I got a peek into nature’s cycle with few colorful leaves fallen on my walking trails. I tried to capture with my mobile phone and this is what I got.

 I have completely stopped using DSLR these days and all these food pics that you all keep seeing here are mobile phone camera captures. May be, I am losing the habit of carrying or using DSLR camera these days. I may like to think the quality is passable, as I don’t rely on heavy use of editing software.

 This kills the natural tones and color of that particular shots. 

Although, I can’t imagine completely shunning the use of DSLR cameras, but as of now it’s me, my mobile and my solitudes, that works fine for me.

I want to squeeze in every bit of whatever golden summer days are left over here. I have been buying peaches a lot these days and was thinking of making a cake with them. This cake turned out dense with a nice sweet peachy layer on top-absolutely scrumptious. I have used whole wheat flour with plain flour and am planning to make next batch with whole wheat flour completely. That will make the cake even more dense with a nice textured fruity and peachy cake.

Here is the recipe for peach upside down cake

Peach Upside Down Cake

Recipe requirements

• 3-4 peaches
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup plain flour
• 1 and half tsp of baking powder
• ½ tsp of baking soda
• ¾ cup of caster sugar
• 3-4 tbs of yogurt
• 1 tsp of vanilla essence
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup spreadable butter
• 3-4 tbs of light muscovado sugar
• 2-3 pinches of salt

Method

• Take out spreadable butter, egg and yogurt and let it all come to the room temperature.
• Peel the skin and destone peaches and slice them neatly.
• Sift flour and add in baking powder, baking soda and salt.
• In a big mixing bowl, cream together spreadable butter and castor sugar. Add in vanilla essence.
• Add in 1 egg at a time, mixing very well. Add in yogurt.
• Now mix this wet mixture with the dry mixture and make a smooth cake batter.
• Preheat oven at 175 deg and prepare the cake tin. Spread some butter on the tin and then flour.
• Arrange peach slices well over the sprinkled muscovado sugar.
• Now pour in the cake batter and tap it gently.
• Put the cake tin in preheated oven and bake it for 40-45 mints or till the middle of the cake comes out clean, when pricked with a toothpick or wooden skewer.
• Take out and cool and flip the sides.Peach upside down cake is ready.Enjoy.

Happy Cooking Friends 

Phirni - a sweet recipe

We were craving for some sweets for a long while. Phirni is rice pudding with a difference, the difference lies that the rice is grounded and then made into a paste unlike normal kheer where rice grains are used. To me taste wise phirni is a smooth and evenly flavoured pudding with kesar and rose essence water.

I was running short of time, so thought of using rice flour, instead of the whole process of soaking rice grains and then grounding it. This saved me some time as well. Rice flour is easily available these days in many supermarkets and every city has their own chain of supermarkets. You can easily spot them in Indian supermarkets here in abroad.

To the recipe now

Phirni- Sweet Recipe

Recipe requirements

4 and half teacups of whole milk

½ cup of rice flour

½ cup of sugar

2-3 pinches of saffron strands

3-4 tbs of rose essence water

2-3 green cardamoms

Method

In a cup of whole milk, dissolve rice flour slowly and if needed add more whole milk to form a lump free smooth mixture. Keep aside.

In a heavy bottom pan, add in rest of the whole milk. Crush some green cardamoms and add in to the simmering milk. Let it come to one boil. Lower the flame and add in sugar. Keep on stirring.

Now add in rice and milk mixture slowly, stirring and mixing well to make sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Phirni requires constant mixing otherwise the pudding will have lumps.

After about 10-15 mints when the sugar has dissolved properly and the milk mixture will start thickening. Take it off from the flame.

Add in rose essence water and stir once again. Garnish with saffron strands.

Set in individual moulds and chill in fridge for 3-4 hrs. Phirni is best enjoyed when it’s chilled.

Garnishing can be any types of nuts as well.

Wishing a very Happy Eid who are celebrating. Enjoy and have fun. Eid Mubarak!!

Sheermal Bread Recipe

I have made these sheermal bread long time back. I almost forgot that I also had taken pictures for blogging as well, until I started clearing my laptop clutter and discarding some old pictures, specifically food related pictures. These popped up in my gallery like hidden gems. I tried to recall when did I make them, but couldn’t recall much except it was on a cold afternoon day. I happened to check the dates and it was almost 2-3 years ago, when we were still in UK. That old, Duh!! I know.

I didn’t post the recipe at that time either. I had roughly written recipe notes somewhere in my word doc as well. Now after all these time, finally sheermal recipe is now being talked about here. I always liked the sweet version of naan more, I mean sheermal more, as being a Bengali, we like everything which is sweet.

This recipe is apt balanced, not way too much sweet and not bland as well for us. This satisfied our cravings for sheermal bread at that time. Although I made it for lunch, actually now I recall it was late breakfast for us, more of a brunch time when we had devoured these beauties. We had it with chicken keema. That was a really very satisfying meal on a cold afternoon day. When eating sheermal, please don’t count your calories, just enjoy the flavours.

Now to the recipe

Sheermal Bread Recipe

 For the Bread

• 3 heaped cups of flour/maida
• 2 tsp of active dry yeast
•  2-3 tbs of oil/desi ghee
• 3 tbs of caster sugar
• 1 egg
•  ½ cup of Milk to knead the dough

Saffron infused sugar syrup

•  2-3 generous pinch of Saffron strands
• 2-3 tbs of sugar
• ¼ cup of milk
•  3-4 tbs of desi ghee/butter for garnishing the bread

Method

• Heat up ½ cup of milk for kneading purpose into a lukewarm strength.
• Dissolve saffron in ¼ cup of lukewarm milk and add in caster sugar to the saffron milk. Let it dissolve properly.
• In a big mixing bowl, add in flour, active dry yeast, oil, caster sugar, egg and lukewarm milk. Knead well all till they start to collect well. The dough should be soft and can collect well.
• Leave it to rest for 3-4 hrs or the flour has risen well.
• Knead the dough again for about 5-8 mints and divide the dough into 8-10 small balls.
• Cover the divided dough and let it sit for about half an hour.
• Roll each small balls into rounds with a roller but with gentle hands. The edges ideally should be little thick.
• Brush some melted butter over it and make marks with a fork.
• Set the oven at 175 deg C.
• Line a baking tray with foil. Place 2-3 rounds neatly and bake it for about 8-10 mints each side or they turn out nice fluffy and brown. Half way through take out baking tray, flip the sides of the sheermal bread and again brush with melted butter and put it back into the oven.
• Take out after 8-10 mints and sprinkle saffron infused sugar syrup generously and serve with butter on top.
• You may add toasted sesame seeds and chopped pistachios and almonds as well. I have used some orange colour with saffron syrup to make it look more dramatic, but it’s not that much required, you can skip it altogether.

Delicious sheermal is ready.Happy Cooking Friends.

Brownie- Easy recipe

I am not an ardent fan of brownie, as the amount of butter that goes into making them, makes me queasy. But on a lighter note, I am also not that rigid. I would rather have it as occasional treat than to never have them or never made them reality phase. Dear daughter was craving for these brownies and that’s how it was made and relished.

This is a very basic recipe for brownie. Use of good quality chocolate powder and chocolate chips makes the brownie more flavourful.

Now to the recipe

Brownie

Recipe requirements

• ¾ cup of flour
• ½ cup + 2 tbs of sugar
• 100 Gms of butter
• 1 tsp of baking powder
• 2 eggs
• ¾ cup of Caotina/chocolate powder
• 1 cup of chocolate chips
• 1 tsp of vanilla essence
• ¼ tsp of salt

Method

• Melt butter in Microwave for about 30-40 sec. Take out the bowl and add in chocolate powder and sugar .Melt chocolate chips also in a separate bowl.Mix ingredients of both the bowls very well.
• Now in a separate bowl, add in flour, baking powder and salt. Mix well.
• Add in 1 egg at a time and vanilla essence mixing in very well .Add 2^nd egg also, blending well.
• Now add the chocolate powder,chocolate chips, sugar and butter mixture to the flour mixture.
• Prepare a square baking tray.Pour the brownie batter to the tray.
• Bake brownies at 160 deg C for 30-35 mints or the middle of the brownie cooks through well.
• Take out and cool. Enjoy.

Happy Cooking 

Coconut Cookies

When I was making these coconut cookies, I was just putting up every ingredients as per my instinct. I had about 250 Gms of freshly grated coconut which I wanted to utilize. These cookies turned out nice and brown, after I took them out from oven. These turned little soft after they have cooled,leaving a nice coco nutty flavour and that it almost reminded me of ‘Thekua’ minus the crunchiness of the Thekua.
If I would have deep fried these cookies , I am sure they would have turned out exactly like Thekua.

Anyways since this is a baked version and also I happened to add eggs, I really can’t call it Thekua.
Thekua as you must be knowing is made during ‘Chat’ Puja in Bihar and in Puja ceremonies, all preparations are preferably vegetarian.
This recipe minus eggs and baking agents can still be made into Thekua.

These coconut cookies were more flavourful the next day.I also added bit of pineapple pieces not required though if you want to skip, can do so. If kept outside these remain fresh for 3-4 days, after that the flavour starts to deteriorate, as we have used freshly grated coconut.
If you wish, you can freeze or refrigerate them and use desiccated coconut in place of fresh coconut. This way the shell life may increase. I will suggest try consuming within 2-3 days.

Now to the recipe for these delicious coconut cookies

Coconut Cookies

Recipe requirements

• 1 and half cup of whole meal flour/Atta flour
• 250-300 Gms of fresh grated coconut
• 1 cup of sugar
• ½ cup of oil
• 3 eggs
• 1 and ½ tsp of baking powder
• 1 tsp of baking soda
• ½ tsp of salt

Method

• Whisk in eggs in a bowl well.
• Take all the dry ingredients in a big mixing bowl. Whole meal flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda and mix well.
•  In a separate bowl mix in oil and sugar well. Add in freshly grated coconut.
• Now add egg mixture slowly into the flour bowl and mix. Add in oil, sugar and grated coconut mixture in batches and keep mixing till you use up whole of the content.
• The dough will be collecting well, but still will be semi-soft. Keep this dough in fridge for about 3-4 hrs.
• Take out and divide the dough into 4 portions. Roll each portions to long cylindrical shape and then cut in about a gap of 1 inch.
• Prepare oven. Preheat it at 160 deg C.
• Line a baking paper or foil over baking tray.
• Place the portions at equal distance and gently press them with a fork.
• Bake for about 20-25 mints or till they turn out nice and brown.
• Take out and cool. Enjoy these delicious coconut cookies.

   

As we are approaching Eid soon, shopping malls are all decked up with lovely Eid decorations.

Grocer stores and super-markets are filled with gift hampers as well. Eid is a major festival and is joyfully celebrated in Malaysia.

Wish you all, who celebrate Eid, a very happy and joyous Eid.Enjoy and celebrate with good food

Eid Mubarak!

French Toast with Strawberry Compote

I have been away from food blogging world for a while now, but that doesn’t mean I was not cooking food or feeding hungry souls in my home. I have tried many local recipes and ingredients during these past days and I have to keep some records for that as well. I may update next couple of blogposts with those ingredients and recipes. But today, I will restrict myself with a delicious breakfast recipe. French toast with strawberry compote. I can’t imagine myself making this on weekdays, as morning is a hurried experience for us. Dear daughter catches her school bus early in the morning and dear husband is also almost rushing through. This scrumptious breakfast needs a relaxing Sunday morning, where one can sit, talk and enjoy the breakfast. Last Sunday made this as our breakfast, thought will share the recipe over here.

I remember a scene in Bollywood film ‘Queen’, where the main lead actress makes French toast for her roommates while holidaying in Amsterdam. And one of them being French himself tells her, well, what she has made has nothing French in it. I know where that was coming from as, French never make their French toast savoury compared to us Indian. French toast for an Indian is mostly savoury served with dollops of tomato ketchup!!  This made me all curious to know the origin of French toast and how it got its name. After many google searches, I came to know that in France it’s known as ‘’ Pain perdu’’ or ‘’Lost bread’’ which is eaten as desserts. This can be accompanied with afternoon tea or an English term for that is ‘High Tea’ snack, but is never made as breakfast. We are grateful to Roman Empire for Colosseum, Pantheon, Spanish steps and Latin language. And to countless inspiration for many Chariot races in Hollywood films ‘ Ben Hur’ for entertainment purposes. I may also like to add French toast to that list as well, as Romans had gigantic appetite for food, three course meal is very Roman. They used to make something very similar dessert with a day old bread or left-over high quality white bread. The first mention about French toast was in a 4^th century Roman cook book written in Latin by Apicius.

From those days to its present form French toast has travelled far across, crossed Atlantic Ocean as well. French Immigrants brought their French toast recipes to America and American coined its name ‘French toast’ and from there no looking back.

Now to the sweet recipe for French toast

French Toast with Strawberry compote

Recipe requirements

For French toast

4-5 whole meal bread slices

1 cup of milk

1 egg

1 tsp of cinnamon powder

2-3 tbs of sugar

Cooking oil to pan –fry toast

Method

Mix in egg, milk, cinnamon powder and sugar in a mixing bowl. Put the bread slices in the mixture and let it sit for 5-10 mints.

Put an iron skillet on flame, add about 2-3 tsp of cooking oil over hot iron skillet. Put bread slices and fry them each side for 3-4 mints at medium flame.

Take out and drain over kitchen towels.

For Strawberry compote

300 Gms of fresh strawberry

3-4 tbs of sugar

½ tsp of lemon juice

2 tsp of olive oil spread

Method

Peel the outer skin of strawberries to get rid of small seeds. Chop strawberry roughly into small pieces.

Now put strawberry and sugar in a pot and keep on cooking. After about 7-8 mints at medium flame, strawberry will start to cook .Take off from the flame when sugar dissolves properly.

Add in lemon juice and olive oil spread and mix well. Let it cool.

Assemble French toast with strawberry compote and ice cream on sides. This is heavenly delicious.

and since its Poila Baishak this weekend ....let me wish all my readers ' Shobho Poila Baishaak'

শুভ পয়লা বৈশাখ। .অনেক শুভেচ্ছা সবাইকে। ...

Peanut Butter Cheesecake with Biscoff

Past couple of days were busy with Durga Puja celebrations at our end. And I find each year it’s the same old story. We prepare ourselves for Puja celebrations and even before we realize it’s almost gone, leaving behind some new memories to look back. Now that the euphoria has subsided and melancholy has set in firmly, we have to keep reminding ourselves ‘’ Ashche bochor abaar hobe’’. This kept echoing in our mind.

Wish you all a very happy Dussehra and Shobo Bijoya.

Anyhow, this cheesecake recipe, I had made earlier, not during those 4-5 days of Nabaratri.We have started liking biscoff biscuits a lot , with a nice caramel flavour these biscuits are very addictive. So its black tea with biscoff , chocolate shakes with biscoff and so on for us now. I thought to make the crust with these biscuits for our next cheesecake recipe and it really came out so nice and delicious loaded with lots of calories, of course. I needed to at least make peanut butter cheesecake once, so the taste of peanut butter can linger on and gets registered in our mind. And this turned out such a nice combination- peanut butter cheesecake with biscoff- absolutely delicious. My folks liked it, hope yours too. From my kitchen to yours. Peanut butter cheesecake with biscoff.

Now to the recipe

Peanut Butter Cheesecake with Biscoff

Recipe requirements

For the crust

• 2 and half cups of Biscoff biscuit crumbs
• 4-5 tbs of butter

For the filling

• 400 Gms of cream cheese
• 100 gms of peanut butter
• ½ cup of whipped cream
• 6-7 tbs of caster sugar

About 2-3 tbs of Chocolate powder for sprinkling on top

Method

For the crust/base

• Make crumbs of Biscoff biscuit either running through in grinder or pressing with rolling pin. In a big mixing bowl, add these crumbs and butter and mix well.
• Now take 9 inch round baking pan or any other vessel you will be using to make/set cheesecake.
• Rub about a tsp of butter evenly on baking pan and add all the biscuit crumbs, pressing gently to even out the surface.
• Put in to bake for 5 mints at 175 Deg C. Take out and let it cool a bit.

For the peanut butter cheesecake frosting/ filling 

• Now in a separate and clean mixing bowl, add in cream cheese, sugar and peanut butter.
• Mix in whipping cream well or till a soft peak is formed separately.
• Keep on folding cream cheese and peanut butter. You can use mixer as well.
• Now add the whipped cream to the above and gently fold it.
• After the base is cooled, add the cream cheese + peanut butter + whipped cream mixture over the baked crust. Even out the surface with a clean knife.
• Leave the peanut butter cheese cake to cool and set in fridge for about 7-8 hrs or overnight.
• Take out and cut slices and enjoy delicious peanut butter cheesecake.

Wish you all a very happy Dussehra and Shobho Bijoya ...

শুভ বিজয়ার প্রীতি  ও শুভেচ্ছা। .

Kalakand sweet recipe and Sharodiya Shubecha

Festivals without sweets are incomplete .Navaratri has already started and with this the festive season. I have blogged about Kalakand sweet recipe way back .This recipe is version 2.0 with a very minor change. Festivals bring oodles of nostalgic memories with it and most of them leave you overwhelmed like splashing waves. Now, I really don’t want to mention all those memories, it’s there somewhere treasured and always will be. I have written many times about those wonderful memories in past, well those of you who are regular here, know that.

Now moving on to the recipe

Kalakand recipe Version 2.0

Recipe requirements

• 2 litres of whole milk
• 3-4 small lemons
• 1 and half cup of sugar
• 2 tsp of cardamom powder
• Almonds for garnishing

Method

• Kalakand is little time consuming sweet preparation as one needs to make Khoya first and then paneer.
• Put two vessels with milk each containing about a litre of milk on gas. Let the milk come to boil. Lower the flame and add in lemon juice, freshly squeezed to one vessel. Let the milk curdle. Strain out paneer from whey.
• Now put the other vessel with milk on low flame.Add in cardamom powder now. Let it simmer for about 30-35 mints or till it reduces to quarter of its volume. Keep an eye on the milk, keep stirring in between.
• Now keep on stirring the milk and as soon as it starts thickening a bit, add in sugar. Keep on stirring the milk and let the sugar dissolves properly.
• Now crumble paneer well with clean hands and add this crumbled paneer to the above thickened milk. Keep on stirring with a spatula so that it doesn’t stick to the base.
• When you start noticing that the mixture can collect well stop cooking further. It will be little semi-dry and the mixture will collect well leaving the vessel sides easily.
• Grease a plate with some oil. Now take out the mixture on to the plate and spread the khoya+Paneer mixture into the plate evenly.
• Garnish with some almonds .Let it cool and refrigerate to firm up a little bit.
• Serve and enjoy delicious Kalakand.

Some more Puja Recipes I have blooged about in past

Durga Puja recipes....

শারদীয়া শুভেচ্ছা ও প্ৰীতি সবাইকে 

We went to Durga Puja venue here in KL and liked the homely atmosphere. Sharing pic of Durga Puja which is celebrating its 90^th year here in Kuala Lumpur. Sharodiya Shubecha sobaike...

Happy Navaratri everyone.Ma Durga bless us all.....Love and Peace to all .....

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.

Blueberry Cake

I have been getting fresh supply of blueberry easily in many super-markets over here, although blueberry is not a local fruit in Malaysia to my best of knowledge. And we do like blueberries a lot, made this cake long ago, but couldn’t post the recipe. So, here it is a simple recipe for blueberry cake.

Blueberry Cake

Recipe requirements

• 2 cups of cake flour
• ¾ tsp of baking soda
• ¼ tsp of baking powder
•  2 tsp of vanilla essence
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup of fine granulated sugar
•  ½ cup of plain yogurt
•  ½ cup of melted butter
• 2 cups of blueberry

Method

• In a big mixing bowl. Sift flour, add in baking soda and baking powder. Mix well.
• Now in a separate bowl, mix together butter and sugar well. Add in eggs, one at a time and whisk in gently.
• 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. Add fresh blueberries and mix gently.
• 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.Tap it gently.
•  Bake the cake in the middle rack for about 25-30 mints or till the center 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. Enjoy blueberry cake or pack some slices in lunch box.

Other Blueberry recipes 

Pancake with blueberry sauce

Banana Blueberry walnut loaf

Eggless Apple blueberry nutmeg cake

Blueberry Muffin

Blueberry Cheesecake- no bake

Happy Cooking Friends 

Easy Blueberry Cheesecake Recipe

We have been craving for some cheesecake for a long while now, so thought of assembling this blueberry cheesecake. Last time when I went for grocery shopping, saw these fresh blueberry and I couldn’t stop myself from buying these little cute blue gems. This recipe is no-bake cheesecake recipe. Although I happened to bake the crust/base only just to firm up a bit, so technically it’s a no-bake cheesecake recipe. I had chocolate biscuits, which I end up using for the base. Another great substitute can be Oreo biscuits as base and who doesn’t like Oreos. Traditional cheesecake is made with any salty biscuit or crackers. There are many variations, you can even use strawberry in place of blueberry with this same recipe to make Strawberry Cheesecake.

Now to the recipe

Easy Blueberry Cheesecake

Recipe requirements

For the crust

2 and half cups of chocolate biscuits crumbs/ Graham Crackers crumbs

4-5 tbs of butter

For the filling

400 Gms of cream cheese

200 ml of whipping cream

3 tsp of agar-agar powder

100 Gms of blueberry

5-6 tbs of caster sugar

For the top glaze

2 tsp of agar – agar powder

5-6  heaped tbs of sugar

1 cup of blueberry

Method

For the crust/base

• Make crumbs of chocolate biscuits either running through in grinder or pressing with rolling pin. In a big mixing bowl, add these crumbs and butter and mix well.
• Now take 9 inch round baking pan or any other vessel you will be using to make/set cheesecake.
• Rub about a tsp of butter evenly on baking pan and add all the biscuit crumbs, pressing gently to even out the surface. TIP- you can use Oreo biscuit crumbs as well for a delicious base.
• Put in to bake for 5 mints at 175 Deg C. Take out and let it cool a bit.

For the cheesecake frosting

• Now in a separate and clean mixing bowl, add in cream cheese, whipping cream reserving about 50 ml of cream. In a separate cup take this 50 ml cream and add in agar-agar powder. Microwave it for about 30 sec. We require lukewarm cream, just enough to dissolve the agar –agar powder. Let it come to room temperature and cool a bit.
• Keep on folding cream cheese and whipping cream. You can use mixer as well. Now add in blueberry if you like chunks in the top frosting of cheesecake, otherwise you may skip. Add in the agar-agar and cream mixture and slowly mix in all. TIP- you can use Greek style thick yogurt in place of cream cheese to make it lighter, the taste will be little different, but will be less in calories.

For the top blueberry glaze

• Meanwhile make the blueberry top glaze. Put a melting pot on cooking and add in blueberries and sugar and let it cook for about 7-10 mints. Crush blueberries with spatula and add in agar-agar powder. Cook further 2-3 mints and take out. Let it come to room temperature.
• After the base is cooled, add the cream cheese +whipped cream mixture over the baked crust. Even out the surface with a clean knife.
• Now add the blueberry top glaze, even out the surface and let it set and cool a bit.
• Leave the blueberry cheese cake to cool and set in fridge for about 7-8 hrs or overnight.
• Take out and cut slices and enjoy delicious blueberry cheesecake.

Wish you all a very Happy Holi. हैप्पी  होली !

May festival of colours bring you loads of happiness and enjoyment in your life.