Low fat Sitaphal Kulfi (Custard apple)

Sitaphal is also known as Sugar apple or Custard apple. They are currently in season here in Mumbai, and you can find them everywhere. But, my family refuses to eat the fruit by itself, so one interesting way to feed them this amazing fruit is using it in kulfi. The version which I have here is an egg-free as well as a low fat one. I know kulfi and low fat actually do not go together, but you will definitely not miss the creaminess here even without the cream. The texture of this is not exactly like a traditional ice-cream but you can also try serving a scoop of this with warm buckwheat waffles. They should pair well.

 

1/2 kg ripe sitaphal

500 ml + 1/4 cup milk

2 tsp corn flour or corn starch

1/4 tsp cardamom powder

1/4 cup granulated sugar

Deseed the sitaphal, which is a tedious process. But an easier way to do it is to scoop out all the pulp and seed into a mixer jar and pulse the mixer in short intervals for a couple of times or so. Remove the paste and strain it to get a smooth seed free pulp.

Meanwhile in a thick bottomed pan add the 500 ml milk and reduce the milk to 2/3^rd of the original quantity. Keep stirring at equal intervals. Add sugar and cardamom powder and stir well to dissolve the sugar. Mix the corn flour with 1/4 cup milk at room temperature. Add this corn flour mixture to the reduced milk with sugar. Let it boil for few minutes till the mixture thickens a little.

Let the mixture cool till room temperature and then add all the sitaphal pulp. Mix well to form a homogenous mixture and pour into moulds. I did not have the kulfi mould and hence used a silicon cupcake liner.

Freeze overnight. Remove the kulfi from the freezer a couple of minutes before serving. Remove from the mould and enjoy.

Eggless Buckwheat Waffles

Buckwheat is not a derivative of wheat, in fact it does not belong to wheat family at all. Buckwheat seeds are eaten as groats or flour; hence it is referred to as a pseudo cereal too. Buckwheat is high in essential nutrients. It is rich in many trace minerals, including manganese, magnesium and copper. It is also a good source of the B vitamins: B6, pantothenic acid, niacin, folate, thiamin and choline. You can read more about buckwheat from here and here. It is also known as ‘kuttu’ locally in Mumbai and used for Hindu fasting meals.

I try and incorporate such healthy ingredients in everyday cooking wherever possible. I am sure there are better and healthier ways to consume this powerhouse. But, till I find more ways to cook this grain I am happy with these waffles. My son too consumed these ‘chocolate waffles’ (for him anything brown is chocolate;) with complete admiration. Here I have topped these waffles with ready to use whipped cream (Result of my impulse grocery shopping). But you can top these waffles with fresh fruit, honey or maple syrup.

The photos were clicked on the dining table itself as Avvi refused to wait longer and hence are not up to mark. But on a good note, I feel so happy when Avvi devours something which I make. I am one satisfied mother.

Dry Ingredients

3/4 cup Buckwheat flour

3/4 cup Maida or All-purpose flour

1 tsp Baking powder

1/2 tsp Salt

3 tbsp powdered sugar
 

Wet Ingredients

1 cup Milk (use non-dairy milk for vegan waffles)

3/4 cup Water

2 tsp Apple cider Vinegar
1/4 cup Oil

½ tsp vanilla extract

 

Take milk in a bowl, add vinegar and set it aside to curdle.

Meanwhile mix buckwheat flour, maida, baking powder, salt and sugar.

To the curdled milk add water and oil and vanilla extract and mix well. Add dry ingredients to wet and make a lump free batter. Adjust water to get pouring consistency if required.

Let the batter rest for 8 to 10 mins.

Meanwhile preheat the waffle iron. Brush the plates with butter and pour a ladle of batter at a time so as to cover the plate.

Cook the waffles according to manufacturer’s directions. Mine were done in about 4 minutes. Enjoy with your favourite topping. Here I have used whipped cream and chocolate syrup, but can use fresh fruits, honey or maple syrup.

 

 

 

 

Eggfree Blueberry Muffins

Yeah, blueberries . . .

Well, you can replace blueberries with chocolate chips or chunks or raisins.

But blueberries are wonderful; I have used frozen blueberries here. I stocked on some wonderful ingredients during my recent trip abroad. Yes, I go grocery shopping on vacations too J. Didn’t I tell you I am different? So, my readers in India may find some ingredients which are not available easily in India for few of my future posts. But I have got to try these, so please bear with me. Where ever possible, I would also give suggestions for substitutes, so that most of my readers can go ahead and enjoy making the recipe as much as I did.

Coming back to these muffins . . . . These are the most awesome muffins I have ever made. I have tried many other versions of eggless vanilla sponge except the one with milk powder. So, I searched for a few recipes and tweaked this recipe for my version from here. I was really blown away with the result . . . the muffins were soft, fluffy and melt in your mouth with hint of berries . . . just amazing. I am sure these will work for you too, give it a try and let me know how it turned out.

Dry Ingredients

1 1/2 cups maida or all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 cup milk powder

3/4 cup powdered sugar

 

Wet Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted white butter, melted (I used homemade butter)

1 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup blueberries (or chocolate chips)

 

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees centigrade.

Dust the blueberries with maida, so that they do not settle at the bottom while baking.

Sieve all the dry ingredients together and mix well.

Add melted butter and vanilla extract to the milk and combine well.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently whisk to get a lump free batter.

Add the blueberries and gently fold into the batter taking care not to smash many.

Scoop out the batter into the cupcake tray lined with liners. Bake for about 18 mins or till the toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Plum Jam

Avvi loves jams and enjoys all the different fruit jams that I keep experimenting with, though strawberry remains an all-time favourite with us. Infact, Avvi prefers jams to ketchup, so we are always stacked with few bottles at home. I believe homemade jams are a better option than the store bought for kids, as we can cut down on additives, artificial colours and flavours.  I too like to fill jam between the cake layers, as it adds a different note to the flavour profile. So, this is a must have in our pantry.

Plum jam is so rich in colour and tastes amazing. It has a bit of tang which we prefer than a totally sweet jam. They are currently in season here in Mumbai and what better way to preserve some plum goodness. This is an absolute no fuss easy recipe without removing the skin or adding pectin.

750 gms Ripe plums

Sugar as mentioned in the recipe

Lemon juice as mentioned in the recipe

 

Wash the plums and pat them dry. Place them in a steel cooker with water just enough to cover the fruit till one fourth level. Do not worry about adding more water. If you add more water you may require boiling the mixture for some extra time, that’s it.

Cook the plums in the pressure cooker for until the one whistle blows and then turn off the heat. Let it cool and the open the cooker.

Remove and deseed the fruits one by one and mash them slightly along with the water it was boiled in. Measure this pulp. I got two and half cups of pulp. Transfer the pulp back to the steel cooker.

For every cup of pulp add a cup of granulated sugar. Add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice for each cup of pulp.

Mix the pulp, sugar and lime juice and turn on the heat. Let the mixture boil and then reduce the heat. Then reduce the heat and keep the mixture bubbly and let it simmer in the open pan. Keep stirring occasionally.

When the mixture starts coating the back of the spoon, take a blob of the mixture in a plate and place it in the freezer for five minutes. If the consistency of the mixture is jam like after five mins in the freezer then your jam is ready.

Pour into sterilised glass containers. You can use the water bath method to can these. I sterilise empty clean bottles in oven at 100 degrees celcius for ten mins. Then pour the hot jam into the jars and close the lids. Keep an inch empty from the brim while filling the jars.

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Masala Peanuts (no frying)

It’s been pouring in Mumbai. I do not enjoy getting wet, but sure like to look out of the window from the comfort and warmth of my house. Add a steaming hot cup of tea with a dash of ginger or lemongrass along with these guilt free peanuts and . . . . the picture almost perfect.

Also, I want to share a secret . . . . I am scared of deep frying. I don’t know if it’s normal but, that’s just me. Last time I deep fried something . . . was almost three years back. But, that does not mean that I do not crave fried food and thankfully I am blessed with two loving mommies who do it for me. Do you too have any such crazy fear?

Masala peanuts are an all-time favourite with my husband, so this one is for him :). They are super easy to make and I like these as it keeps a check on my diet without compromising on the taste buds. Happy rains.

 

1 cup Raw Peanuts

1/2 cup minus 2 tbsp Besan (Chickpea flour)

1 tbsp rice flour

Water as required.

 

Spice mix

Kashmiri red chilli powder as per taste

Salt as per taste

Hint of turmeric powder

3/4 tsp crushed kasuri methi

 

In a bowl add both the flours; besan and rice flour. To this add the spice mix and mix well.

Add water, a tbsp at a time to form a lump free thick batter (almost like a brownie batter).  Be careful as not to make the batter very runny like we normally do it for bhajiyas. Add a tbsp of besan if you feel that the batter is less or is too runny.

Into this batter add the peanuts and coat them well.

Drop the coated peanuts on a parchment lined baking tray, few at a time. Make sure that the peanuts are not dropped as a blob but scattered around in pairs or trios and are in single layer only. Do not overcrowd the tray.

Bake these in a preheated oven at 200 degree Celcius for approximately 15 mins. You may require a couple of minutes extra as each oven temperature varies. Move the peanuts around after 10 mins and keep a close watch.

The peanuts will be slightly soft when removed from the oven, but will firm up once cooled. Let it cool in the tray itself and store in an airtight container.

 

 

Eggless Tutti Frutti Cake

It’s been really long since I posted. Although, there were interesting things that kept me occupied (read vacation), I took a bit too long to get back from my slumber. Blogging is a lot of hard work and I kept finding excuses for myself. Surprisingly during all these times, when I did not post what kept me motivated to get back was steady increase of likes on my Facebook page. Yeah, I have crossed 300 likes on Facebook. This calls for something sweet and here I have a simple vanilla cake decorated with colourful tutti frutti. Use of lemon zest adds freshness to this cake though it can be optional.

I made this cake sometime back, and it was appreciated by everyone. Hope you all enjoy it too.

    

Ingredients

2 cups Maida or All purpose flour

1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp lemon zest

1 cup milk
1 tsp white vinegar
1/2 cup White granulated sugar
1/2 cup Flavourless Oil
1 tsp Vanilla extract

3/4 cup Tutti frutti

Take milk in a bowl and add vinegar to it. Let it sit for 10 to 15 mins till it curdles.

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celcius.

Sift together maida, salt and baking powder and then add lemon zest. Mix well.

Now add sugar, vanilla and oil to the milk and vinegar mixture and beat well till all the sugar dissolves.

Mix dry ingredients into the wet and mix well but gently by hand to form a lump free batter. Lastly coat the tutti frutti in 1 tbsp of maida and mix it with the batter.

Pour the batter in a greased and floured or a parchment lined loaf pan. I used a 9 inch x 5 inch loaf pan.

Bake in a pre-heated oven for 50 to 55 mins till a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let it cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.

Misti Doi Cheesecake (eggless)

I have been baking a lot these days and enjoy experimenting with yeast, but do not blog about it as frequently as I would like  . . . . .  it’s just lazy me. So, I made this last month and was loved by everyone. It’s prefect for a party as it please all age groups and can be should be made in advance. But, the best part is how incredibly easy it is to make . . . . With just 3 ingredients, it is a rather exotic sounding dessert.

I colleague of mine introduced me to Mother Dairy’s Misti Doi and I liked the creamy texture with subtle flavour it offered. Prior to this I have had misti dahi in earthen ware (‘kulhad’ as we call it here) during Durga Puja festivities. It is otherwise hard to find in Mumbai and was really happy to see it. Purist may not be impressed but it worked for me. Soon I was searching recipes to use it in some other form as my husband will not have it as ‘just dahi’. So, google to rescue and I was hooked onto the pictures on this amazing website ‘Passionate about Baking’ and realised that the recipe is eggless too. So, let’s go straight to the recipe.

400 gms Mishti Doi (I used Mother’s Dairy  brand)

400 gms (1 tin) sweetened condensed milk

200ml cream (I used 25% Amul)

Take a muslin cloth and put in all the dahi. Hang it for about an hour to remove whey. Keep the dahi in refrigerator during this time.

Remove the hung curd from the cloth and mix it together with condensed milk and cream till it becomes a homogenous mixture.

Meanwhile preheat the oven to 180 degree centigrade.

Take a 7” diameter loose bottom cake tin and cover it on with aluminium foil on the outside to prevent any leakage. Place this on a cookie tray.

Add the batter to the prepared tin and bake it for 20 minutes. Leave it in the oven itself to cool. When it has completely cooled to room temperature, cover the tin and keep it in the refrigerator overnight.

Demould and garnish with white chocolate shavings.

Coffee n Fig Ice cream

The days are getting hotter and exams are over. It’s time for fun . . . .

This ice-cream is an explosion of flavours. Coffee, figs and chocolate . . . exactly in that order. Fresh figs are still available and so decided to make this creamy luscious and easy recipe adapted from here.

No ice-cream machine.

No churning.

Simple ingredients.

Awesome flavour.

I have used coffee decoction here and strongly recommend it. I had always been an instant coffee girl and found filter coffee bitter (That’s probably one thing which all coffee lovers admire and want in their cuppa . . . . but this is just weird me). But, few years back when we visited Coorg, we came back with a lot of coffee, mainly for friends and had few packets left with us. The coffee was lying in the freezer for a year and then finally I decided to either use it or give it away. The coffee conquered my senses in the very first meeting. The taste was rounded, smooth and the aroma was heavenly . . . I was addicted. But all good things come to an end and till someone gets me my fix from Coorg, I am using coffee from a local brand which is good, but I don’t admire as much as the earlier one.

Coming back to this ice-cream. Do try this and I am sure you will enjoy it as much as we did.

For ice-cream

1/2 can (200 gms) sweetened condensed milk
1/2 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup fig compote (recipe below)
1/4 cup coffee decoction (at room temperature)
1 cup cold heavy cream (I used 25% Amul)
1/4 cup chocolate chips (can use less, if desired)

For Fig compote

125 gms fresh figs
1-1/2 tbsp unsalted butter
1-1/2 tbsp brown sugar
pinch of salt (I used Fleur de sel)

Make the fig compote first. Chop the figs and add it to thick bottom pan along with sugar. Cook till the figs are mushy and smash them a bit. Remove from heat and add butter. Let it cool completely before you add it to the ice-cream recipe.

In a medium bowl, stir together the sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, fig compote, coffee.

Whip the cream till soft peaks are formed and then fold it with the coffee-fig mixture. Mix well and uniformly. Pour into a loaf pan and sprinkle chocolate chips and lightly mix.

Freeze for at least 8 hours or overnight. Keep the pan at room temperature for 2 mins before scooping out to serve. Enjoy the creamy ice-cream with your loved ones.

 

Eggless Vanilla Cake

Happy New Year to all my Dear Readers,

To welcome this new year, I have an indulgent recipe which is one of my favourites too. A simple recipe which tastes amazing and will add to the celebrations of those special occasions.

The cake is versatile and can be made into cupcakes or can be used for layered cake. I have used cranberries to add that touch of tang in this version but I forgot to mix them with flour and so all of them settled at the bottom. I have earlier tried this cake with strawberry jam sandwiched between layers and topped with fresh cream and it was divine. This recipe is a keeper for sure.I have adapted the recipe from here with few changes (taking cues from the comments section).

I frosted the cake with white ganache and topped it with cranberry heart. Frosting looks rustic and has a homemade charm to it. White chocolate ganache can be trickier than the dark chocolate ganache and it deserves a separate post to explain. Meanwhile, you could use the dark chocolate ganache recipe from here for frosting this wonderful vanilla cake.

Ingredients

3/4 cup + 1 tbsp maida/ all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
200gm sweetened condensed milk (I used Amul)
50 gm butter
1/4 + 1/8 cup milk
2 tbsp dahi/ yogurt
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 150 degree centigrade.

Sieve together maida/ flour, baking powder and soda. In another bowl mix butter and condensed milk till it is combined properly. I used my hand held blender for this.

Add yogurt, milk and vanilla and blend again till a homogenous liquid is formed. Tip in the flour and mix gently with a whisk till all the traces of flour is incorporated. Do not over mix.

Pour the batter in 6” round tin which is greased and floured (I use parchment paper for the bottom to ensure easy release of the cake from the pan) and tap the tin to remove any trapped air. Bake for about 45 to 50 mins or till the toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Let the cake cool for 5 mins in the tin and then transfer it to the cooling rack to cool completely and only then proceed with the frosting.

SELF- SAUCING CHOCOLATE PUDDING

Sweet farewell !!

Ganapati made by Avvi

It time to bid adieu to Mumbai’s favourite lord today. Let’s add something sweet to the festivities around. Trust me, making and sharing this will make the Lord and his devotees happier than the loud Bollywood songs. Celebrations are essentials in life, but we should also be careful that our fun does not ruin others.

With that positive note let me elaborate on this wonderful, warm, chocolatey, gooey goodness which when combined with cold vanilla ice-cream makes you understand the true meaning of the phrase “Made for each other”. Sorry that I completely forgot to take a picture of this cake with ice-cream. This is called as a self-saucing pudding as the sauce is made while the pudding is being baked. It sounds complicated but it’s simple and easy. Recipe adapted from here.

1 cup all-purpose flour/ maida

1.5 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt (omit if using salted butter)

3/4 cup powdered sugar

4 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

3-1/2 tbsp butter (measure before melting)

1/2 cup milk

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 cup boiling water

Preheat the oven to 170 degree Celcius.

Sieve together maida, baking powder and salt. To this add castor sugar and 2 tbsp sifted cocoa powder.

In another bowl mix melted butter and milk. Add vanilla to it and mix.

Meanwhile, in another bowl mix brown sugar and sifted cocoa powder and keep aside.

Fold the sugar + flour mixture in the butter + milk mixture and work gently to just combine the two.

Pour this onto a greased oven proof glass dish approximately 8 inches in diameter (or divide it into 6 nos. greased ramekins). Spread the brown sugar mixture evenly over it and then slowly pour the boiling water over it. Do not mix after pouring water.

Bake for 35-40 mins (or 25 mins if using ramekins). Serve warm with some vanilla ice-cream