Craving for a cake, but worried about all the calorie intake from butter and sugar and egg yolks. Well, worry no more… The recipe I am going to share today is so healthy that you can have it without having any guilt of cheating on your diet. This cake is filled with goodness of carrot, sweetness of jaggery and has a tinge of cinnamon spice to it.
Ingredients
Whole Wheat Flour : 1 Cup Carrot (grated) : 1 Cup Jaggery Powder/ Shakkar : 3/4 Cup Baking Soda : 1 tsp Baking Powder : 1 tsp Cinnamon Powder : 1 tsp Olive Oil : 1/4 Cup Milk : 1 Cup Vanilla Essence : 1 tsp
Method
• In a bowl, sieve Whole Wheat Flour, Baking Powder, Baking Soda and Cinnamon Powder. • In another bowl, add jaggery powder/shakkar, add oil and vanilla essence to it. Whisk it, till jaggery combines well. • Add dry ingredients to it, and finally add milk to form a batter. • Add a tbsp of whole wheat flour to grated carrots and mix it. Add flour dusted carrots to cake batter and mix well. • Mix the batter using a whisker till everything combines well. Do not over beat it. • Pour the batter in greased and dusted cake tin. • Bake it at 180 degrees for 35 minutes. Check it with a toothpick after 30 minutes, if it comes out clean, let it cook for another 5 minutes or else increase the time.
Serving Tip In a bowl, add 1/2 cup icing sugar, add milk to it, to form a flowing consistency paste. When cake cools down, pour, sugar glaze over it. This would add up to the beauty of Carrot Cake. Hope you enjoyed the recipe!
Famous Gujarati Cuisine It is healthy and tasty. Khandvi’s are super light, a perfect snack for summers. Have them for breakfast or as a tea time munchies. They are super easy to prepare. Perfect snack for everyone, even those who are diet conscious, can munch on these. Let’s get on to the recipe
Ingredients
Gram Flour (Besan) : 1 cup Curd : 1 cup Water : 2 cups Turmeric Powder : 1/2 tsp Salt : 1 tsp Crushed Coconut : 1/2 cup Fresh Coriander Leaves (Chopped) : 1/4 cup Carrot (grated) : 1/4 cup (optional)
• Take a bowl, add gram flour/ besan in it. • Add Turmeric Powder and salt in it. • Add fresh curd, to gram flour. Mix well, so that no lumps are formed. • Add 2 cups of water, little by little, in order to avoid lumps. Mix it well, using a whisker. • Take a pan, put it on low flame. Add gram flour mixture in pan. • Cook it, on low flame for almost 10 minutes. The mixture would become thick. Make sure, you keep stirring it, to prevent it from getting burned. • After cooking it for 10 minutes, pour 2 tbsp of mixture on a greased aluminium plate. Spread it evenly and try to spread the mix as thin as you can. You can use a scraper for it, or back side of your serving spoon. • Likewise, spread mixture on 2-3 plates. All that matters here is, the timing. You have to be super quick while spreading mixture or else, it would become lumpy and would be of no good. • Once you have spread, the mix evenly on plates, let it rest for 5 minutes at room temperature. • Now, garnish it with coriander leaves, grated carrots and coconut powder. • Using a knife, cut 2” wide strips. • Roll the strips, carefully with soft hands and transfer it to serving dish.
Tempering • Take a small wok, add oil in it. When oil is hot, add mustard seeds. Once when mustard seeds starts crackling, add sesame seeds. Turn off the flame. Add, chillies, asafoetida, a pinch of salt and curry leaves. Let curry leaves crackle. Pour, this tempering over rolled khandvi’s. Keep the khandvi’s in refrigerator for half n hour and serve it cold.
Craving for the jiggly sweetness of Karachi Halwa? It’s Ramadan time, every year, my father would specially bring Badam Karachi Halwa for me, all the way from Chandni Chowk. Who makes it better than, China Ram Halwaai.. This year, because of lockdown, we couldn’t have our favourite Karachi Halwa, but, where there is will, there’s a way.. So I experimented a bit and am totally impressed with the result I have got. Let’s get on the recipe of Karachi Halwa
Ingredients
Sugar : 1.5 cup Water : 3 cup Custard Powder (vanilla) : 2 cup Ghee : 1/2 cup Cardamom Powder : 1 tsp Nuts : 1/2 cup Saffron Threads : 5-6
Method
• In a bowl, add Custard Powder, add 1 cup water in it and make a fine slurry. Make sure there are no lumps. • Take a pan, add sugar and 2 cups water in it and also add saffron threads. Heat till sugar melts and water comes to a boil. • Turn the flame to low. • Add Custard Slurry to Sugar Syrup. Keep stirring. • When Custard and Sugar Syrup Mix well, turn the flame to medium heat. • Keep stirring as custard may stick to the bottom of pan. You would notice, that the mix is now thickening. Keep stirring, till it becomes dry. • Add 2 spoons of ghee in the mix. Stir it really well. Allow it to cook for 3 minutes. Then, add 2 spoons of ghee again and cook it in similar method. You have to repeat this process, till the ghee is consumed. This would ensure, proper cooking. • Once when ghee is mixed, you would notice, that the mix is becoming transparent. Keep stirring it well. • Add chopped nuts and cardamom powder, mix again. Cook for another 5 minutes, till ghee leaves on sides. Total Cooking Time would be approximately 1/2 hour. You have to stir it vigorously. Trust me, all this hard work is totally worth it • Transfer the Halwa on a greased thali or fudge tray. • Allow it to cool at room temperature for an hour. • You can cut it into pieces and can store in an airtight jar. This Halwa is good for consumption, till 10 days. Hope you enjoy it!
This chocolate cake has been my absolute favourite. Coffee and Chocolate are two such flavours, when added together, they enhance flavour and aroma. Moving on to recipe now..
Ingredients
Whole Wheat Flour : 1 1/2 cup minus 2 tbsp ( I know, this measurement is tricky, but, this just what makes it special) Cocoa Powder : 2 tbsp Brown Sugar : 1 cup Water : 1 cup Olive Oil : 1/2 cup Baking Powder : 2 tsp Vanilla Essence : 1 tsp Nutella : 30 gms Instant Coffee : 2 tbsp
Method
• Warm 2 tbsp water and mix instant coffee powder. • Now in a bowl, sieve Whole Wheat Flour, Baking Powder and Cocoa Powder. • In a big bowl, add sugar, water, coffee mix, oil, Nutella and vanilla essence. Mix it all, till sugar melts. • Add dry ingredients and mix till smooth flowing batter is ready. • Pour batter in a lined baking tin. If you don’t have parchment paper, you can grease your mould and dust it well with cocoa powder. • Garnish your cake with nuts or choco chips. • Bake at 180 degree for 30-35 mins in a preheated oven.
Name a kid who doesn’t love Donuts.. Usually, making donuts need yeast, maida (All Purpose Flour) and eggs. But, being a mother, you would always try to avoid feeding maida to kids, as it’s not very healthy. Here’s this super easy version of Aata Based Donuts (Whole Wheat Flour) , it doesn’t need yeast or eggs. But, tastes so so so good. Try it now, your kids would love it. Even the kid in you would relish this yummy goodness. Moving on to the recipe ..
Ingredients
Whole Wheat Flour (Aata) : 1 cup Powdered Sugar : 1/2 cup Oil : 2 tbsp + more for frying Baking Powder : 1 tsp Baking Soda : 1/2 tsp Curd : 1/3 approximately, to knead dough
SUGARGLAZE Icing Sugar : 1/2 cup Cold Water to make a sugar slurry Sprinkles
CHOCOLATEGLAZE Dark Chocolate : 2 bars Or White Chocolate: 2 bars
Method
• Take a big bowl, add whole wheat flour and powdered sugar, baking powder and baking soda. If you don’t have powdered sugar, simply crush regular sugar in mixer grinder. • Knead a soft dough using curd. Make sure your curd isn’t sour. It is preferable to use fresh curd. • While kneading, if the dough gets too sticky, use about 2 tbsp oil. This would ease the process. • Once your dough is ready, rest it for 2 hours at room temperature. Cover the bowl with a plate. • After 2 hours, your dough would rise, it would be very soft. Knead again, for a minute to bring it together. • Now, you have to roll a thick chapati, using flour. You can roll the dough on a clean kitchen shelf, or a silicon mat. I rolled it on a rolling board (Chakla) • Heat oil in a wide pan, on a medium flame. When oil is hot enough for frying, turn the flame to sim. • To cut the donut, you can use donut cutter. If you don’t have one, use a glass to cut donuts. Use a nozzle or a small cork (any cold drink’s cap) to cut out a hollow in donut. * For reference, check the image above. • Fry one donut at a time, this would give it enough space, to rise up. Do not touch it with laddle. Instead, pour oil on donuts, with help of laddle. • You have to fry them on slow flame, till they become reddish golden. • Keep them on a kitchen towel, to soak extra oil. • Fry all donuts. • Sugar Glaze : Take a bowl, add icing sugar and cold water to make a thick slurry. Pick up a donut, dip it in sugar glaze, rotate your fingers, in order to cover one whole side of donut. And top it up with sprinkles. • Chocolate Glaze : Take a bowl, add chopped chocolate in it. Microwave it for 30 seconds, stir it. It would start melting. Microwave it for another 10 seconds, till it melts completely. Now, dip on side of donut in chocolate glaze, rotating your fingers, to spread glaze evenly. Top it up with sprinkles.
My mother, wanted to have Marble Cake aka Zebra Cake I used this recipe for the first time today, the one which I always use for my Marble Cake is different and requires a lot of stuff. Due to lockdown, some of the ingredients weren’t available, so, I altered the recipe, and made this simpler version which needs only a handful ingredients available at home. This one has, come out beautiful, it is soft and tastes absolute Nirvana Let’s get to the recipe
Ingredients
All Purpose Flour/ Maida : 1 1/2 cup Sugar (Powdered) : 1 cup Oil : 1/4 cup Cocoa Powder : 4 tsp Vanilla Essence : 1/2 tsp Baking Powder : 1 1/4 tsp Milk : 1 cup
Method
• In a bowl, sieve All Purpose Flour. • Add sugar, milk, oil, baking powder and vanilla essence to it. • With the help of a whisker, mix the batter, to remove any lumps. Beat it till you get, Smooth Flowing consistency. • Divide the batter in two equal halves. • In one half, add cocoa powder and mix well. • Take a greased cake pan, line it with parchment paper If you don’t have parchment paper, grease and dust the cake pan with cocoa powder. • Preheat your oven at 180 degree. • Now with help of a serving spoon, pour a heaped spoon of Vanilla Batter in Cake Tin. • In the middle of Vanilla Batter, Pour a heaped spoon of Chocolate Batter. • In middle of Chocolate Batter, Pour Vanilla Batter, and keep repeating the process, till both the batter finish. For reference you can check the image above. • Once when, you have finished pouring the batter, take a toothpick, and try spreading batter, with help of it. • From centre , drag a toothpick to the edge of tin. Clean toothpick, as it would have cake batter on it. Now, from edge of tin, drag toothpick to centre. Or you can simply, swirl around toothpick, to make any design. • Do Not Tap Tin and gently place it in preheated oven. Bake for 30-40 minutes at 180 degree. • After 30 minutes, poke a toothpick in the middle of cake, if it comes out clean, turn off the oven, if not, you can further cook it for 5-10 minutes.
“Ab ye kya bnaya hai… naam bhi nahin suna” If you are not familiar with Brigadeiro Truffles, this is a traditional Brazilian Dessert which is made with condensed milk. Super easy to make, these Truffles would be loved by every chocolate lover. Try them once, and you would always have a stock full of these in your refrigerator. Fun Tip : Involve your kids to help you make these. Let’s get on the recipe.
Ingredients
Condensed Milk : 1 can Cocoa Powder (unsweetened) : 1/4 cup Salted Butter : 1 tbsp (15 gms)
• Take a non-stick pan, add butter, condensed milk and cocoa powder. • Put the flame on Medium heat. • Keep stirring the mixture to remove any lumps. • Cook for about 6-8 minutes, keep stirring or else the mixture would get burned. • You would notice, that the mixture is getting thick. • Once when, the mixture starts leaving pan while stirring, it is done, turn off the flame. Do not overcook. • Take a greased plate, and transfer mixture on that. Spread it a bit. Allow mixture to cool at room temperature for 1/2 hour. • Call your kids, and it’s time to involve them for a fun activity. Grease your palms with butter, take a small amount of mixture and roll into a ball. • Now roll the balls into your favourite topping, so that the topping sticks on it completely. Won’t your kids, love decorating balls??? • Refrigerate these balls and you can store them for a week.
The perfect breakfast option. These Whole Wheat Pancakes aren’t just delicious, but are healthy too. No maida. No Butter. Filled with goodness of brown sugar and olive oil. Time to make breakfast, yummilcious. You can have them with your favourite topping.
Ingredients
Whole Wheat Flour : 1 cup Cornflour : 2 tbsp Baking Powder : 1 1/2 tsp Sugar : 2 tbsp Salt : 1/2 tsp Olive Oil : 2 tbsp Milk (Warm) : 1 1/2 cup Vanilla Essence : 1/2 tsp *Water if needed to adjust consistency of batter
Method
• In a bowl, add Whole Wheat Flour, Cornflour, Baking Powder, Salt and mix well. • In a separate bowl, add sugar, oil, milk and vanilla essence and whisk together till sugar melts completely. • Make a Well in centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. • Beat the mixture lightly, making sure to not overbeat the batter. If batter is stiff, add water to adjust it in thick flowing consistency. • Brush pre-heated waffle machine with oil. Pour batter in middle of machine and spread evenly. • Cook waffles until done. It would take about 2 minutes. • Pre-heat the oven and pour 1 ladle full of prepared batter in a waffle mould and spread evenly. Cook in preheated oven at 180 degree for 20 minutes or till waffle is golden brown. • You can serve the Waffles with jam, fresh fruits, maple syrup, whipped cream, ice cream, nutella or butter.
Gulaab Jamuns made from Marie Gold Cookies. Yes, you read it right… this recipe is super simple and doesn’t need much ingredients. From a 10₹ pack of Marie Gold Cookies, you can make 10-12 Gulaab Jamuns. These Gulaab Jamuns are super soft and tastes exactly like those made with khoya and maida. Let’s get on to the recipe.
Ingredients
Marie Gold Cookies : 80gm pack – 10₹ Desiccated Coconut : 1/4 cup Baking Soda : 1/2 of 1/8 tsp (I would share a picture) Milk : 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp Sugar : 1 1/2 cup Water : 1 cup Green Cardamom : 2 Saffron : 4-5 threads Oil/ Ghee : for frying Gulaab Jamun
Method
Sugar Syrup • Take a heavy bottomed pan, add water and sugar in it. • Let sugar melt, add green cardamom and saffron threads. • Let it cook on medium flame for 5-7 mins. • Your syrup, should not be very thick, but it should be sticky like oil. Turn of the flame.
Gulab Jamun Balls •Crush 1 pack of Marie Gold Cookies in a blender to make a fine crumb. • Sieve cookie crumb in a bowl. • Add desiccated coconut to cookie crumb. • Add baking soda, I have mentioned, how you have to measure your baking soda. It is approximately 2 chutki, for those of you who don’t have measuring spoons. • Add milk gradually to the mix and knead a dough. You don’t have to press the dough hard. Just combine it together and it’s good to go. • Make 10-12 balls, grease your palms with oil, and start rolling the dough, till you make creaseless balls. • It is important that the balls should not have any crack, or else, the Gulaab Jamuns would burst open while frying. • Take oil in a pan for frying the balls, when the oil is medium hot, add balls. To ensure that the balls don’t break, add 4 balls at a time. • When the colour of the balls, starts changing, put your flame on low. This would allow your Gulaab Jamuns to cook properly from inside too. • When the Gulaab Jamuns are golden brown or slightly darker (you can adjust the colour to your wish) , you have to dip them in Sugar Syrup. • When you add hot Gulaab Jamuns in Sugar Syrup, make sure, Syrup is warm. • Add Gulaab Jamuns in Syrup immediately after frying. Then add the next batch and fry them. This step is really important. • After you have soaked all the Gulaab Jamuns in the Sugar Syrup, Keep a griddle/ tava on high flame. • When griddle is hot, Keep the Sugar Syrup Wok on top of it and cover with lid. As shown in picture above. • Bring the Sugar Syrup to boil. This would ensure that, the balls soak in enough syrup. I could have directly kept the wok on flame, but, that would have removed skin of some Gulaab Jamuns. This is why, I avoid, direct heat. • Turn off the gas, when Sugar Syrup Boil. • Let the Gulaab Jamuns rest in Syrup for 2 hours, before serving them. You can garnish them with nuts of your choice.
Mother’s Day Special My mother really likes cheesecake, actually, who doesn’t!! It is sweet with a balanced tang, soft and creamy. During lockdown, it was just not possible to get my hands on Cream Cheese ( My personal favourite is, Philadelphia Cream Cheese). So, I decided to curate a recipe, with home made cheesecake. Adding the link to my previous blog, Homemade Cream Cheese https://rendezvousgalaxy.home.blog/2020/05/09/cream-cheese/
Ingredients
Cheesecake is divided into three layers : Crust, Cream, Topping
Crust : • Add Cookies in a blender and blend it till nicely crushed. • Add Melted Butter in the cookie crumb and mix well. You would get grainy texture. • Usually cheesecake’s are made in Spring Pan, and if you don’t have it, you can make it in a glass dish. Grease glass dish with butter. • Make a firm layer of cookie crumb. Press it evenly. Make sure, all your sides are equal. You can press it with backside of a bowl. This would make it firm. • Keep the dish in freezer for 15 mins.
Cream : • Whip heavy cream ( if not available, you can use Amul Cream) till you get stiff peaks. • Take Mango Pulp and blend it into a fine paste. Take a non stick pan, add mango paste to it, add sugar, cook it till it becomes a little transparent. Let it cool. • Take a big bowl, add room temperatured Cream Cheese and Mango Purée. Mix it all well. Make sure there are no lumps. • Add whipped cream to the mixture, and combine it all well. Usually, we need to add, Gelatine or Agar Agar in cream to set it firm. But, it would be really hard to get your hands on them, during lockdown. • If you have Gelatine, you have to take 6 sheets of Gelatine and soak them in 1/2 cup water. Set it aside for 10 mins to let it bloom. Then you have to add it to warm mango purée, and mix it really fast with the rest of cream, as it starts setting fast. • Take out the glass dish from freezer and pour cream into it. Spread it evenly. Try avoiding any gaps between crust and cream layer. • Cover the dish with aluminium foil and set it in fridge for 4 hours.
Topping • Make a mango purée, like you did for the cream. Allow it to cool at room temperature. • Once when your Cream layer is set. Pour Mango Purée on top of it and cover it neatly. • Again, cover your cheesecake with aluminium foil and let it set overnight in fridge. • Serve it chilled.
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