Holi Special- Besan Laddoo!!

“Out of the numerous options for delicacies, my husband voted for Besan Laddoos for this year’s holi. Hence, the holi challenge for me :)  After taking the expert tips from my mom and aunt, I started with the challenge at 4 in the evening and completed it successfully after continuous efforts of two hours in kitchen. But at the end of the afternoon, I must say it was worth the efforts with loads of appreciations showering and a sweet tooth quench!

One of simplest in ingredients yet tiring recipe for Besan Laddoos require-

Ghee-Sugar-Besan in the ratio of 1:2:4 as in:

1 cup melted Ghee

 2 Cups powdered Sugar

 4 Cups of Besan (chickpea flour)

 4 tbsp suji (Semolina)

20-25 roughly grated almonds

 ½ tsp cardamom powder

6-8 roughly grounded pistachios

Steps-

-      Mix Besan, suji and ghee in a kadai or wok and then roast the mixture on low medium. Keep stirring the mixture continuously to prevent burning of Besan and it has to be done on low-medium to ensure proper roasting of Besan. 

-      When the color changes to light brown and sweet smell of Besan starts coming turn off the stove and keep the mixture for cooling.The oil would start to separate from the besan after roasting.

-      Meanwhile roast the grated almonds and keep aside. Roasted almonds adds crunch to the Laddoos.

-      When the mixture becomes bearably warm, pour the contents in a different bowl and mix in powdered sugar, almonds and cardamom powder preferably by hands. The mixture would become slightly dry yet binding after mixing in powdered sugar and almonds.

-      Now, make small balls of the mixture using fist and keep it in a plate.

-      When the mixture is used, touch the tip of each ball with minimal ghee and then pistachios to garnish.

-      After the Laddoos are cooled down, store it in an air tight container. The ingredients would be sufficient for 20-25 Laddoos depending on the size.

I loved the Laddoos for the presentation as well the taste and also the aroma of the Besan which lingers around the house and the hands which binds it :) 

Cooker Cookies

“Another day of experimentation; this time for the urge to finish off the homemade ghee prepared by my mom-in-law, a couple of months back. With the growing health consciousness; it is a challenge to have the old belly builders – ghee and butter especially as a garnish on parathas or rice. That’s how an opportunity is built for another achievement on the ‘tried’ cookbook. I always wanted to make biscuits as my mom but unfortunately could never do that because of my unconventional microwave :( Recently, while checking one of the blogs on cooking – Simply Spicy I saw the cookies – creamy yellow biscuits yummy…couldn’t hold trying them in my old friend – pressure cooker :) No doubt, the one in the link were straight from the expert’s hands but I think the variation would satisfy the learner’s quest!

Here it goes, I used -

3/4th cup All-purpose flour (Maida)

½ cup melted ghee

½ cup ungrounded sugar

Few cashews and almonds

I started with mixing up flour, ghee and grounded sugar and making dough. I added some flour while kneading to achieve the consistency which is soft yet binding. Once the dough is ready, I kept the salt layered cooker (as in my previous post for chocolate cake) with closed lid without weights for about 5 min. This would preheat the cooker making it ready for baking. I made small flattened discs of the dough placing a cashew or almond in the middle of it. The discs are to be placed in the tin maintaining some distance among them. The tin doesn’t require greasing plus the cookie would inflate a little hence the distance between the two is must.

Place the tin in the cooker and keep it on medium-slow flame for 10-15 min. If the cooker is preheated well for 5 min, around12 min would be sufficient. The discs would still be soft when the lid is opened, here is the note – I too got worried concluding it to be a failed attempt but after 5 min when I thought of tasting it – viola! It solidified on cooling and tasted awesome. I tried in two batches, first one with cashews were a bit over baked (15 min) but the second one with almonds, kept for a little lesser time (12mins) were liked more as they were more crunchy and melting like nankhatai.

Finally, invert the tin on a plate and store the cookies in a tissue paper layered air tight container. Serve it to your loved ones just to have the hidden appreciation in non-stop cookie picking :)

Chocolate Cake Weekend Challenge

“I love experimenting and taking up challenges in the kitchen, despite I am just a year and half old to the regular kitchen work. Weekends are the best time to put all my skills and resources on fire to end up a spelling delicacy. This time was to consume a half Italian dark chocolate bar lying from quite a long time in my refrigerator and p.s. my microwave is a lazy baker. Hence, chocolate cake the grandma way – yes cooker cake was the challenge. Lots of time and efforts and managed to gift a soft and spongy cake to my palette.

Here it goes,

Requirement:

1 cup all-purpose flour (Maida)

1 tbsp baking powder

1 cup powdered white sugar

Powdered Sugar

Flour and baking powder

 Little below 1 cup butter (unsalted)

50gms Dark Chocolate (un-sweetened 70% chocolate pref.)

Milk

3 eggs

1 tbsp Vanilla essence

Steps for the mixture:

• Mix butter and sugar to a buttery consistency
• Sieve flour and baking powder in a bowl.
• Melt chocolate pieces with 1 tbsp milk in microwave safe bowl for a min and then stirring and microwaving it for 15 seconds. Or a double boiler method can also be followed without milk. 

Melted Chocolate

     
   

• Mix melted chocolate, beaten eggs, vanilla essence and flour-baking powder mixture in the butter-sugar mix.

•  A little milk can be added for maintaining a cluster-free flowing consistency.

 Steps to be followed for baking:

•  Grease the tin with butter and sprinkle some flour on the base of it. I had used the stainless steel tin used for cooking rice in a 5L cooker.

•  Put a steel stand, if you have in the cooker or put a cup full of sand to make insulation for tin. It is necessary to ensure the base of cake is safe from burning.I had used salt as the substitute for sand (p.s. this is the best tip I have known of).

Salt layered on cooker base

 

 

• Place the cooker with lid on for 2 min on high. This is like pre-heating the cooker. Don’t place the weight as we don’t need pressure baking. 
• Pour in the beaten mixture in the greased tin and place it in the cooker and close the lid. 

• Keep it on high for 5 min and then keep it on slow-medium for 35 more minutes. 
• Open after 40 min and prick in the knife to see if it comes out clean and non sticky.
• Cool the tin along with the cooker and invert the cake out on the plate. The cake would leave the sides of the tin and circle the knife around the tin to separate it from the walls  for easy molding out. Sprinkle some powdered sugar for icing, the cake is ready to pound on.

Cake in the baking tin

 

 I bet, oven would fail to give that sponginess and  aroma imbibed from the cooker and not to mention with the melting consistency of the cake and intoxicating dark chocolate tingling the palette…it is nothing but yummy :)

I recommend trying it and assure it wouldn’t be a flop, if the ingredients and steps are followed properly.

Ciao!!

SaasuMa's Khazana..yummy!!

My Saasu Ma was in Hyderabad lately. Her 2 weeks stay was more of cooking classes for me.
As I am a Punjabi by birth; married in Marathi family, it was a challenge for her to change my taste to Marathi Cuisines. Struggling with her Marathi lingos like tikha, kandha, kothambir and batata, I feel-I have satisfied Aayi that now I can very well handle her son's Marathi taste buds.
I will be posting in recipes which are quick and easy for people who couldn't try much hands in kitchen because of studies and work.
These are direct from Aayi's books, tested and tried.

Sengdaana Chutney powder

Required
peanuts- 1 cup
garlic- 5 cloves
curry leaves - 1 stick
salt
red chilli

Procedure
Roast peanuts in a wok without oil;then rub and remove the outer rind..similarly, put the garlic cloves and curry leaves in heated wok.
Put garlic and curry leaves in grinder and juice it for secs and pour in peanuts and atleast 3 tbsps of red chilli and 1-1 1/2 tbsp salt.Grind it coarsely not too fine else it would be sticky as peanuts might lose oil.
Store in airtight container and have it with chapatis, rice and watever u feel like..good for working women who could'nt manage a bhaji in night..can very well go with chutney and roti.
Enjoy :)

Kopra chutney powder

Required
(Dry coconut, mostly available at grocery stores. It is vastly used in Maharastrian and Keralite Cuisines)
grated dry coconut - 1 cup
garlic- 2-3 cloves
Turmeric
salt
red chilli

Procedure
Put garlic in grinder and juice it for secs and pour in grated coconut and atleast 3 tbsps of red chilli, 1/2 tbsp turmeric and 1-1 1/2 tbsp salt.Grind it coarsely.
Store in airtight container and have it with chapatis, rice and watever u feel like..good for working women who could'nt manage a bhaji in night..can very well go with chutney and roti.
Enjoy :)

Coconut Chutney

Required
Fresh Cocounut - remove water and shredded - 1
mustard seeds
green chillies- 4
garlic cloves- 3
turmeric
cumin seeds
salt

Procedure
Grind coconut, green chillies , turmeric and garlic in blender. Then in another pan, put some oil. When the oil is hot, add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. When the fluttering starts, add the blended mixture to the pan. Add salt and mix it properly and take off the heat before it starts boiling.

Serve with dosa, ommlette, wada pav or anything you feel like having it with.

More to come..Toor kandhyacha pattichi bhaji,Toor bhaji,Drumstick toor,Chicken Curry..