Category: Uncategorized

Plum Jam

This recipe is really a cross between plum jam and plum preserves. It still has some of it’s preserve-like plum chunks, but it’s nice and thick and spreads beautifully. It’ paired with pancakes, crepes, icecream topping or can be used in cakes.
Ingredients
Plums : 1 pound (450 gms appx.)
Sugar : 1 cup
Lemon : 1
Cinnamon Powder: 1 tsp
Method
• Wash and Chop plums into small cubes.
• Take a heavy bottomed pan, add chopped deseeded plums, sugar and lemon juice to it.
Put the flame on simmer and stir the plum mix.
• Once when, sugar melts and plums start to soften, add cinnamon powder, this is totally optional, but, I personally love cinnamon flavour in this jam.
• Mix it all and cover the pan with lid and allow it to cook for 5 minutes on medium flame.
• After 5 minutes, stir again. And using the potato masher, roughly mash the plums.
• Cover with lid again and allow it to cook for half an hour, till plums thicken to jam consistency. But, keep stirring the mix after every 5-7 minutes or else the mix would get burned.
• Once the jam is ready, allow it to cool at room temperature.
• When the jam has cooled completely, transfer it to a sterilised glass jar with a tight lid.
• Store it in refrigerator. It is good for consumption till 30 days.
Hope you enjoy this recipe.

Classic Brownies (Eggless)

Oh. So. Chocolatey. This brownie recipe guarantees that you will never go back to a boxed brownie mix. These are eggless yet, gooey. This fudgy and delicious brownie recipe comes together in one bowl in just a few minutes! You’ll love the flavor and texture so be forewarned, it’s best to invite some friends over when you make a batch because portion control is quite difficult around them, or else you would end up eating the whole batch by yourself, the way I do. Guilty.
Let’s get on to the recipe
Ingredients
Butter : 1/2 cup
Chocolate : 1 cup
Caster Sugar : 1 cup
Curd (Thick Hung Curd) : 1 cup
All Purpose Flour : 1/2 cup
Cocoa Powder : 3 tbsp
Baking Powder: 1 tsp
Vanilla Essence : 1 tsp
Method

• Heat butter and chocolate in a heavy bottom pan, to make a smooth chocolate sauce. Keep this at room temperature and allow it to cool down.
• Once the chocolate sauce has come to room temperature, take a bowl and cream together curd and sugar till it becomes light and fluffy. Do it with the help of hand whisker.
• If you are using the home made curd, then, you need to strain out extra water from it by hanging it in a muslin cloth for 5 minutes. Or else, you can use Greek Yogurt, as it is thick enough.
• Add chocolate sauce and vanilla essence to creamed sugar mix. Whisk it for about 1/2 a minute.
• Next add in All Purpose Flour, Cocoa Powder and Baking Powder and fold all the ingredients well. Try using Cut and Fold Method. If you don’t know that, worry not, mix in ingredients with help of spatula, but don’t over do it.
• Line a 8” X 8” square pan with parchment paper and transfer the brownie batter in it.
• Bake it for 35 -40 minutes at 180 degrees in a pre-heated oven.
• Once your brownies are baked, all them to cool at room temperature for about an hour and then refrigerate them for 2 hours. This would give sufficient time for chocolate sauce to set, hence, making it easier for you to cut brownie slices.
• Pro-tip : It’s summer time, temperature is already crossing 40 degrees, so keep brownies in refrigerator in an air tight container. You can always heat them in a microwave before eating.
• Hope you enjoyed the recipe.

Saawan Special : Malpua

Malpua is a traditional North Indian sweet of soft, fluffy and yet crisp pancakes coated with sugar syrup and served with rabri or thickened sweetened milk.
The traditional recipe of Malpua needs overnight fermentation of batter and it is deep fried.
My version is an instant one, it tastes just the same.
Let’s get on to the recipe
Ingredients
Semolina (Suji) : 1/2 cup
Whole Wheat Flour (Aata) : 1/2 cup
All Purpose Flour (Maida) : 1/2 cup
Castor Sugar / Crushed Sugar : 3 tsp
Cardamom Powder : 1/2 tsp
Khoya : 1/2 cup
Milk Powder : 1/2 cup
Milk : 1/2 cup
Fennel Seeds (Saunf) : 1 tsp
Water as required
Ghee for frying

Sugar Syrup

Water : 1 1/2 cup
Sugar : 1 cup
Cardamom Powder : 1/4 tsp
Kesar : few strips
Fennel Seed : 1 tsp
Method
• Sieve Suji, Aata, Maida, Milk Powder and Castor Sugar together.
• Add Cardamom powder, fennel seeds and milk in it.
• Gradually add water to make a smooth batter, like the custard batter or pakora batter.
• Add khoya and mix again.
• Rest the batter for 10 minutes at room temperature.
• If the batter is thick, add more water. It should be of flowing consistency like that of pakora batter.
• Now heat ghee on a flat pan, Pour a deep ladle full of batter in hot oil, and spread it to make pancake about 4” in diameter.
• Let it cook on medium flame, turn the side and fry till it is lightly golden brown.
• Immediately soak the fried Malpua in hot sugar syrup for 10 seconds.
• Serve them hot or cold with rabri.

Sugar Syrup

• Boil water, sugar, cardamom, fennel seeds and kesar for 5-6 minutes on high flame.

* if you want to prepare Malpua without sugar syrup, then add 1 cup castor sugar in the batter.
* Recipe link for Rabri below
https://rendezvousgalaxy.home.blog/2020/07/07/saawan-special-rabri/

Saawan Special : Rabri

Auspicious month of Shravan or Sawan – the fifth month in the Hindu calendar, is considered to be sacred.
Onset of Monsoon, brings with it a lot of colour, happiness, festivities and food.
One such delicacy which is enjoyed in this month is, Rabri.
Basically rabri is thickened sweetened milk having layers of malai or cream in it. its flavored with cardamoms, saffron with the addition of dry fruits like almonds and pistachios.
It can be served chilled or hot and can be served with a lot other Indian sweets such as Gulab Jamun, Malpua, Shahi Tukda, Falooda, Jalebi…
The recipe is quite simple, all you need is patience.
It tastes best, when cooked at low flame.
Let’s get on to the recipe
Ingredients
Milk (Full Fat) : 3 cups
Sugar : 1/2 cup
Cardamom Powder : 1/2 tsp
Khoya : 150 gms
Paneer/ Cottage Cheese : 100 gms
Custard Powder (Vanilla) : 1 tsp dissolved in 1 tbsp cold milk
Malai/ Heavy Cream : 2 tbsp
Kewra Water : 4-5 drops
Saffron : 7-8 threads
Nuts for garnishing
Method
• Boil milk along with crushed cardamom and saffron
• Then cook it on medium flame till it is slightly thick
• Add sugar, cook for 5 minutes
• Add grated khoya (mava) and grated paneer to it
• Cook it on simmer flame for 15 minutes, keep stirring it occasionally.
• Dilute custard powder in cold milk, make sure it has no lumps, add custard milk to simmering rabri
• Now again, cook for 5 minutes, the mixture would become thick, keep stirring it
• Finally add malai (fresh) or you can use heavy cream. My personal preference here is malai
• Cook for another 4-5 minutes and turn off the flame
• Allow the mixture to cool at room temperature for 10 minutes and add few drops of kewra to it
• Transfer the Rabri in a bowl and garnish it with chopped pistachios and rose petals.
• You can serve it chilled or have it hot.
Hope you enjoyed this recipe.

Oatmeal Cake

Healthy and Delicious Oatmeal Cake
I have so much love for this delicious cake!
It’s in a league of it’s own as far as taste–it’s uniquely delicious, and most people haven’t tried it before and go crazy for it!
What makes it special is, it requires no baking.
It’s low on calories and is full of nutritional value.
Let’s get on to the recipe
Ingredients
Cooking Chocolate (Dark) : 170gm
Coconut Milk : 375gm
Oats : 2 1/2 cups
Sugar : 1 tbsp (optional)
Vanilla Essence : 1 tsp
Method
• Crush Oats in a mixer blender for 10 seconds precisely, to coarsely crush them.
• Dry roast crushed oats in a non-stick pan, till they become golden brown.
• Use a spring pan or a ring mould for preparing this cake, as it would be easier to de-mould it later.
Grease the pan and line it with butter paper or parchment paper.
• Chop cooking chocolate in a heat proof bowl.
I used Morde Dark Chocolate in this recipe.
• In a saucepan, bring coconut milk (unsweetened) to simmer on a medium flame.
Add sugar if you want at this step. Sugar is completely optional, as the only sweetness in this cake would be from the chocolate. So it’s totally up to you, if you want to add sugar or consume it as it is.
I added, brown sugar to simmered milk and allowed it to melt.
• Pour simmered coconut milk over chopped chocolate, and let sit for a minute, to melt chocolate.
With help of a whisker, mix milk and chocolate well to make a smooth ganache.
• Add essence to chocolate ganache.
• Finally, add quick oats, you prepared earlier and mix it well.
• Allow the mixture to cool at room temperature for 10 minutes.
• Transfer mixture to your cake tin, and spread it evenly.
• You can garnish the cake with some chopped nuts or cherries.
• Cover the cake tin with an aluminium foil and keep it in refrigerator for 7-8 hours.
• Touch the cake top once chilled, if it doesn’t stick your finger, then it is set to de-mould or else, allow it to cool for another 2-3 hours.
• You can keep this cake in refrigerator for 5 days in an air tight container.
Hope you enjoyed this recipe.

Banoffee Pudding

Banana + Toffee = Banoffee
One of the heavenly combination.
It’s a super easy dessert, all it takes is a little patience and neat layering.
A rich combination of different textures and flavors, banoffee pudding combines a cookie/biscuit or graham cracker crust with silky dulce de leche, bananas, and homemade whipped cream. I normally have impeccable self control around all the desserts I make, but I literally could not put down my fork with this one. Between the soft, crunchy, creamy, gooey, and sweet– there’s no denying banoffee pudding allures. You’ll be hooked.
Let’s get on to the recipe
Ingredients
Digestive Biscuits : 20 pieces
Butter (Salted) : 100gm
Dulce de Leche : 200 gm
Heavy Cream : 50 gm
Whipped Cream : 150 gm
Banana : 3-4
Vanilla Essence : 1tsp
Caramel Sauce : 3 tbsp (optional)
Method
LAYER 1

• Crush digestive cookies coarsely.
• Add melted butter in it, to get grainy texture.
• Take a dish, layer buttered cookie crumb to it. With help of a spatula, press it hard, so that you get an even layer.
• Refrigerate it for 15 minutes.


LAYER 2

• Microwave Dulce de Leche (toffee) for 30 seconds.
• Add heavy cream to it. I used Amul Cream. This would dilute Dulce de Leche a bit and would enhance its creamy texture.
• Mix it properly, till you get a smooth texture.
• Spread it evenly on the chilled cookie crumb layer.

Dulce de Leche
For those of you, who are wondering where to get it from, you can prepare it at home.
It is caramelised Condensed Milk.
Making it is super simple.
• Take a pressure cooker, put tin of Condensed Milk in it.
• Add water in pressure cooker, fill it with enough water to come up to 2 inches from the top of the can.
• Close the lid of pressure cooker and let it cook on medium flame for 30 minutes.
• After 30 minutes, turn off the flame but do not open the lid of cooker. Allow the steam to further cook condensed milk.
• After 15 minutes, open the cooker and keep can at room temperature to get cooled down.
• Voila! Your Dulce de Leche (toffee) is ready.

LAYER 3

• Peal and chop banana’s into even slices.
• Place banana slices, on the layer of Dulce de Leche.
Make sure, you cover the toffee layer evenly with banana slices.
• Now, you can pour some Caramel Sauce over banana layer, this step is completely optional.
• Caramel Sauces adds more flavour to pudding and also prevents bananas from oxidation.


LAYER 4

• Take chilled whipping cream in a chilled bowl.
Using a chilled bowl, helps cream to whip faster.
• Whip the cream till you get soft peaks.
• Mash 2 bananas with help of a fork. Try to make it as smooth as you can.
• Add vanilla essence and mashed bananas to whipped cream.
• Evenly spread whipped cream on banana layer.
Let it chill for an hour in refrigerator.
• Using a sieve, generously sprinkle cocoa powder on whipped cream.
• Cover the dish with a lid or with foil paper and allow it to chill for 3-4 hours.
• Serve it with love.

Peanut Butter Ice Cream

A Simple Three Ingredient Recipe

Peanut Butter , well, what to say about it…
It’s yum and healthy..
This was just a random experiment of adding two wonderful things together.
Peanut Butter + Ice Cream = Nirvana
I used the chunky Peanut Butter for this one.
Hope you would enjoy it.

Vanilla Khataai

Indian Cookies or Naan Khataai
Delicious, light & crisp eggless cookies made with flour, ghee, cardamom powder and sugar. Nankhatai are traditional Indian shortbread cookies made with simple ingredients available in kitchen.
Simple to make, these can be relished with tea.
There are so many variations of nankhatais and can be made with different flavours.
Here’s my version of it, Vanilla Khataai
Ingredients
All Purpose Flour (Maida) : 1 cup
Custard Powder (Vanilla) : 4 tbsp
Sugar ( Powdered) : 4-5 tbsp
Cardamom Powder (Green) : 1/2 tsp
Ghee : 7 tbsp
Vanilla Essence : 1 tsp
Semolina (Suji) : 4 tbsp
Pistachio for garnishing
Method
• In a bowl, sieve all purpose flour, semolina, custard powder, sugar powder and cardamom powder.
• Add vanilla essence to ghee.
• Add ghee or clarified butter to it, add 1 tbsp ghee at a time, and bind the ingredients into a soft dough.
• Do not knead dough, just bind it together.
• Rest the dough at room temperature for 5 minutes.
• Line a baking tray with butter paper.
• Make lemon sized balls and press them to form cookies.
• With the help of a knife tip, draw criss-cross on the cookies, this would allow them to get baked evenly.
Do it as gently as you can, do not insert it much, just a little criss-cross.
• Garnish cookies with chopped pistachios and cardamom powder and press it lightly.
• Bake khataai at 180 degrees for 12 minutes in pre heated oven.
• Once the timer goes off, let khataai sit in the oven for 10 minutes , this resting period would make khataai crispy.
• Cool the khataai’s at room temperature and then pick them up and store in air tight container.
You can store these for 10 days.
Hope you enjoyed the recipe.

Chocolate Sponge Cake

Want to bake a cake for your loved one’s special day?
Always wondering, how to get that perfect sponge?
This recipe has been a favourite, for ages now.
The first time I baked the cake, I used this recipe.
It worked wonder then, it’s great now as well.
I usually don’t bake Sponge Cakes with this recipe, but, yes, when there’s lack of ingredients which I need for my sponge cake, this recipe comes in handy.
It’s easy and delicious , and most of the ingredients are easily available.
Let’s get on to the recipe
Ingredients
All Purpose Flour (Maida) : 150 gm
Cocoa Powder : 25 gm
Butter (salted) : 80 gm
Baking Soda : 1/2 tsp
Baking Powder : 1 tsp
Sugar (Castor/Brown) : 60 gm
Condensed Milk : 5 tbsp
Milk : 125 ml
Vanilla Essence : 1 tsp
Coffee (optional) : 1 tsp
Method
• In a bowl, double sieve All Purpose Flour, Baking Soda, Baking Powder and Cocoa Powder
• Line a 8” pan with parchment paper
• In another bowl, add sugar and butter. Cream it using a whisker, till light and fluffy.
Add coffee powder to it, if you wish. This is totally optional, I usually add it. It gives a nice flavour and aroma to cake.
• Add Condensed Milk to creamed sugar, whisk again.
• Now add, sieved dry ingredients into it.
• Add milk in 3 batches, to form a flowing consistency batter.
• Add Essence in it and mix together.
• Pour batter in lined tin and bake it at 180 degree for 35 minutes in pre- heated oven.
• Once, the cake is nicely baked, take it out of oven and cover it with a clean kitchen towel and let it cool at room temperature for 3-4 hours.
• When the cake has cooled down completely, de mould it.
• Ice the cake using a frosting of your choice.
• The base for a chocolate cake is ready.
Hope, this recipe would be helpful.
Happy Baking

Balushahi

Balushahi is a famous North Indian sweet.
In south India, the same sweet is called as badusha
Crispy, soft and utterly delicious
Well, this is my father’s favourite Indian Sweet and he had been craving for it. So, I decided to make some at home and it came out delicious, in fact, this was more soft then those we get in market.
So, if you like Balushahi or Badusha, read the recipe below.
Ingredients
Flour : 1 1/2 Cup
(All Purpose Flour or Whole Wheat Flour, optional)
Sugar : 2 cups
Baking Soda : 1/2 tsp
Curd : 1/3 cup
Water : 1 cup
Ghee : 1/2 cup
Oil : for frying
Cardamom (Green) : 3-4
Black Pepper Corns : 3-4
Fennel Seeds : 1 tsp
Method
• In a big bowl, add flour.
In this particular recipe, you can choose flour of your choice. Use Aata or Maida, result would be almost similar. All Purpose Flour would be more crisp.
• Add Baking Soda, mix well.
• In this add, Melted Ghee (Clarified Butter) , mix it well, you would get a grainy texture.
• Finally add curd in flour.
• Just bring together, all the ingredients. Don’t knead it, just combine it well.
• Your dough should look grainy and needs to have air pockets, like in the image above.
• Take a pan, add oil to it. You can fry Balushahi in ghee as well. Choice is completely yours.
• Heat the oil on medium flame. Once when it is warm, put the flame on slow.
• Make small (lemon sized) balls of dough. Flatten it a bit with your fingers and with your thumb, make a little depression in the centre of ball.
• Add 2 balls to your oil and fry them on low flame, till they become golden brown.
Letting them cook by themselves on low flame, ensures even cooking.
• Fry all the balls, and keep aside for 2 hours.

SUGAR SYRUP
• In a pan, add Water and sugar, and put it on Medium Flame.
• When sugar starts to melt, add crushed green cardamom, Fennel Seeds and Crushed Black Pepper Corns, this would give a great aroma and taste to sugar syrup.
• Bring sugar syrup to boil, and then let it cook on low flame for another 5-7 minutes.
• Turn off the flame and keep it aside for 1/2 hour
• Add fried and cooled Balushahi in the warm sugar syrup.
• Dip it for 20 seconds and keep it at room temperature.
• Again let it cool for an hour and then store them in air tight container.
Hope you enjoyed this recipe.