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น้ำจิ้มไก่ | Thai Sweet Chili Sauce

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Making condiments,  chutneys , sauces is my forte. I love to curate recipes which involve lesser ingredients and time but taste amazing.  Also making these dipping sauces at home means you are not buying that commercial, preservative laden crap. I mean when you can make something easily at home with a foolproof recipe and within your budget why not try it out. This Thai Sweet Chili Sauce I have been making for years, but  have always failed to post it on my blog. I simply blame my laziness (no excuses). But this time when red chilies arrived I bought them in bulk and made this chili sauce for my readers. Good things should always be shared 🙂


This Thai sweet chili sauce is so versatile that you will find reasons to eat it. We love to add it to our salads,add to our sandwiches and I simply spread it over my roti, roll it and enjoy. It has just the right amount of sweetness and hotness. That lingering after taste is to die for. I am sure if you try it you will love it. If you still have more chilies you can always make my Stuffed Chili Pickle and/or make Red Chili Jam. This explains my obsession for red peppers. 


If you try any of any recipes do share the feedback with me by posting a comment below in the comment section. I am elated when you write to me. 

Directions:

1. Wash and chop Fresno chilies. Remove the stem and deseed the chilies and remove the membranes from half of the chilies and retain the seeds from the rest. Adding all the seeds will make it more hot. But if you like it hot you may use the entire seeds.


2. In a large wok add chopped chllies and add Water, White vinegar, Sugar and Salt.





3. Add smashed garlic and grated garlic to the wok.




4. Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer on low heat for 20 minutes till the chilies have gone softer.




5. Turn the flame off and puree everything into a coarse mix. I used immersion blender you can even use a traditional grinder. Remember to puree when the sauce is at room temperature or it can lead to sever accidents.


6. Return the pureed sauce to the stove and simmer for a little longer. In a small bowl add cornflour and 2 tablespoons of water and combine. The slurry should be lump free. Add this cornflour mix to the chill sauce. In a minute you will see the sauce will thicken and in case it doesn’t thicken you can add a little more of this cornflour slurry and achieve the desired consistency.




7. Let it cool down and then transfer it to a glass bottle. Refrigerate till use. This stays good for 6-8 months if refrigerated properly. Enjoy this on your  bread slice, smear on your paranthas, use as a dressing in your salads and basically you wont stop eating and will find innumerable reasons to devour it.

Other Thai recipes you can try are : Thai Green Papaya Salad , Thai Tapioca Coconut Milk Pudding,Homemade Basic Thai Red Curry Paste,Thai Hot & Sour Clear Soup With Rice Noodles

Other Dressings, chutneys and dips you will like to try are: Traditional Mayonnaise Argentine Chimichurri Salsa, Guacamole, Italian Basil Pesto, Muhammara, Parsley Pistachio Pesto, Szechuan Sauce, Eggless Mayonnaise.

น้ำจิ้มไก่ | Thai Sweet Chilli Sauce
 
Recipe Type: Condiments
Cuisine: Thai
Author: Anshu Pande
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 1 jar
Thai Sweet Chilli Sauce is a lip smacking sauce which acts as a versatile condiment for your sandwiches, salad , rolls, dipping sauce etc.
Ingredients
  • 250g Red Fresno Chili Peppers – 50/50 deseeded
  • 2 cups white vinegar
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 6 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon grated ginger
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Instructions
  1. Wash and chop Fresno chilies. Remove the stem and deseed the chillies and remove the membranes from half of the chillies and retain the seeds from the rest. Adding all the seeds will make it more hot. But if you like it hot you may use the entire seeds.
  2. In a large wok add chopped chillies and add Water, White vinegar, Sugar and Salt.
  3. Add smashed garlic and grated garlic to the wok.
  4. Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer on low heat for 20 minutes till the chillies have gone softer.
  5. Turn the flame off and puree everything into a coarse mix. I used immersion blender you can even use a traditional grinder. Remember to puree when the sauce is at room temperature or it can lead to sever accidents.
  6. Return the pureed sauce to the stove and simmer for a little longer. In a small bowl add cornflour and 2 tablespoons of water and combine. The slurry should be lumpfree. Add this cornflour mix to the chilli sauce. In a minute you will see the sauce will thicken and in case it doesn’t thicken you can add a little more of this cornflour slurry and achieve the desired consistency.
  7. Let it cool down and then transfer it to a glass bottle. Refrigerate till use. This stays good for 6-8 months if refrigerated properly. Enjoy this on your bread slice, smear on your paranthas, use as a dressing in your salads and basically you wont stop eating and will find innumerable reasons to devour it.
 

 

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American Cuisine

Blueberry Cream Cheese Pound Cake

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Valentine’s Day is around the corner and I am certainly not struck by a cupid 😛 Thankfully! I am simply looking for a reason to bake and try out something new. This Blueberry Cream Cheese Pound Cake has been on my mind for such a long time. The original recipe was with strawberries but I had frozen blueberries in stock so when we got the new pumpkin silicon bundt mould on board in our online store The Gourmet Shop, I had  to bake first before we even sold it 😉


 The inside layer of blueberry compote is to die for and comes out perfect in this mould. You get a balanced taste of extremely rich pound cake with a layer of blueberries. Oh you have to try this. Words cant express how decadent was this cake. If you cant find blueberries you can try this with fresh strawberries. Let me know if you fall in love with this cake once you bake this. True love is in the cake, rest of the things in the world are temporary and immaterial 😛 Therefore, fall in love but with cake, it will never break your heart. 🙂

Directions:

1. For the sauce, in a non stick pan add blueberries, I had frozen one in my freezer so I used them. You can use the fresh ones as well. Add sugar and turn the flame on medium.




2. Add juice of a lemon and cornflour.




3. Keep cooking till the blueberry has released water and become thick like a thick sauce. Turn the flame off and let the sauce come to room temperature.




4. For the cake, preheat your oven at 170 degree Celsius (Learn more about Oven temperature and Conversion) and grease a bundt pan with butter and set aside. I have used the silicon pumpkin bundt pan which is available on my online store ‘The Gourmet Shop’. You can make it yours too just click on the link and place order.

5.In a bowl add All Purpose Flour and baking powder and whisk it well and set aside.





6. In another bowl add butter, at room temperature. Add cream cheese and whisk till it becomes creamy.





7. Add castor sugar and whisk further till sugar is mixed well and everything is creamy.




8. Add eggs and continue to whisk till the batter is airy. Add Vanilla essence and Cream and combine.





9. Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients little by little and whisk till everything is moistened. Do not over beat.




10. In the prepared bundt pan add a layer of batter, about half of it.


11. On top of the batter add the blueberry sauce. Ensure that the sauce doesn’t touch the mould and stays inside only. Because on baking the sauce might leak out.


12. Pour rest of the batter on top of the sauce and cover everything. 




13. Bake in the preheated oven for 50-60 minutes. If at any time the cake starts looking golden from top and still raw from centre just tent it with aluminum foil and continue to bake. Bake till the tooth pick inserted comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let it be in the mould for next ten minutes. Demould the cake and let it come to room temperature on wire rack. Slice and serve with your favourite cup of coffee. 

Other cakes you can enjoy on the secret Ingredient are : Persimmon Buckwheat Gluten Free Cake, Citrusy Sweet Lime Cake, Honey Dates Square, Peach Upside Down Cake, Fresh Apricot and Almond Cake, Mango Vanilla Cake,  Festive Orange Blueberry Pound Cake, Vanilla & Pomegranate Cake,Lemon Cake with Lemon Glaze, Persimmon Rum Cake and Honey Cake

[yumprint-recipe id=’309′]

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Baking

Fresh Strawberry and Yogurt Cake

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I go crazy when I see fresh strawberries in the market. The place I live its not readily available and one has to make an effort, plead the vendor to get it and then regular follow ups. Uff! Probably that’s the reason its a priced ingredient to me and I wish to use it as much I can in my bakes, jams and breads. In the past I have made 3 Ingredient Strawberry Jam, Strawberry Cookies, Strawberry Babka, Italian Foccacia Bread with fresh Strawberries, Tapioca Pudding with Strawberry Preserve. And when I saw some fresh and juicy strawberries I wanted to bake this Fresh Strawberry and Yogurt Cake. The texture and taste of this cake cannot be described in words.


With Valentine’s day around the corner this is the best bake gift you can make for your loved ones. With ageing years I have realised its these small gestures which matter the  most, more than expensive gifts. Well I am no gyani so don’t take me very seriously..hihihi. Just make this cake and relish the season of strawberries.


Directions:
1. Wash and core strawberries and cut them into bite size pieces. Set them aside.


2. Grease a cake pan with oil or butter and preheat your over to 180 degree C. Here I have used Whirlwind silicon cake pan. You can order the same at our online store The Gourmet Shop.

3. In a bowl add sugar. I have used SOS Organic Khandsari  and butter.  




4. Cream butter and sugar using whisk. You can use electric whisk or handheld whisk.


5. Once they have turned creamy add eggs and whisk it will till it becomes pale yellow in colour.

6. Add juice of lemon and plain yogurt.

.

7. In a separate bowl add all purpose flour and baking soda, Also add salt in case you are using unsalted butter. Add zest of a lemon. Combine this dry mixture well.



 
8. Take a table spoon of dry ingredients and coat the chopped strawberries with the flour so that they do not sink to the bottom of the cake.


9. Add rest of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk till everything is moistened. Do not over mix.

10. Add strawberries and fold them in the batter using a spatula.


11. Pour the batter into the greased mould and bake on 170 degrees for 50-60 minute or until toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.

12. Remove from the oven and let it come to room temperature which should take 15-20 minutes. Only after that remove it from the mould and place on wire rack to cool off completely. You can sprinkle some powdered sugar on top for it to look pretty.

Other Cake recipes with fresh fruit you can try are;  Persimmon Buckwheat Gluten Free Cake, Citrusy Sweet Lime Cake, Honey Dates Square, Peach Upside Down Cake, Fresh Apricot and Almond Cake, Mango Vanilla Cake,  Festive Orange Blueberry Pound Cake, Vanilla & Pomegranate Cake,Lemon Cake with Lemon Glaze, Persimmon Rum Cake, Honey Cake.

Fresh Strawberry and Yogurt Cake
 
Cuisine: Western
Author: Anshu Pande
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 1 cake
Ingredients
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened (2 sticks)
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 225 gms plain thick yogurt
  • 340 gms fresh strawberries diced
Instructions
  1. Wash and core strawberries and cut them into bite size pieces. Set them aside.
  2. Grease a cake pan with oil or butter and preheat your over to 180 degree C. Here I have used Whirlwind silicon cake pan.
  3. In a bowl add sugar. I have used SOS Organic Khandsari and butter.
  4. Cream butter and sugar using whisk. You can use electric whisk or handheld whisk.
  5. Once they have turned creamy add eggs and whisk it will till it becomes pale yellow in colour.
  6. Add juice of lemon and plain yogurt.
  7. In a separate bowl add all purpose flour and baking soda, Also add salt in case you are using unsalted butter. Add zest of a lemon. Combine this dry mixture well.
  8. Take a table spoon of dry ingredients and coat the chopped strawberries with the flour so that they do not sink to the bottom of the cake.
  9. Add rest of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk till everything is moistened. Do not over mix.
  10. Add strawberries and fold them in the batter using a spatula.
  11. Pour the batter into the greased mould and bake on 170 degrees for 50-60 minute or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  12. Remove from the oven and let it come to room temperature which should take 15-20 minutes. Only after that remove it from the mould and place on wire rack to cool off completely. You can sprinkle some powdered sugar on top for it to look pretty.
 
Notes
Adapted from [br]A Spicy Perspective

 

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Baking

Gingersnap Cookie Christmas Tree

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Its time for Christmas and my son is head over heels about the festivity. He wanted to erect a Christmas Tree and was so excited to decorate with his favourite ornaments. I was so thrilled to see him like this. So I decided I will make for him another Christmas tree but this time made up of cookies. I made deliciously crisp and spiced gingersnap cookies and arranged to make a christmas tree. He helped me bake them and also helped in making the tree. It was such a fun loving DIY. He totally liked the idea of dusting it with confectioner’s sugar which represented snow. I guess sometimes you want to become a child with kids. 


I rolled the cookie dough and cut them into star shapes in different sizes. This 5 star cookie cutter set can be found on my online store The Gourmet Shop. If you like this idea and wish to make it with your little ones you can always buy this cookie cutter set from here. You can use any cutout cookie/biscuit recipe for this. I simply love the Ginger Snaps. They are so appropriate for the Holiday season. If you still haven’t tried my Gingerbread man Cookies you must do it now and also this recipe.

Directions:

1. In a bowl add butter at room temperature. Add sugar to it and whisk well till everything becomes creamy and smooth. I have used SOS Organics Khandsari Sugar which is raw and unrefined.





2. Add eggs, Vanilla extract and Molasses and again whisk well.





3. In another bowl add All Purpose Flour,  Nutmeg powder and Cinnamon Powder.





4. Also add ground Black pepper and Baking Soda. Combine everything with a spatula.





5. Now combine wet and the dry ingredients and whisk well till you get a sticky dough.




6. Place a sheet of cling wrap and grease it with melted butter and place the dough on it.




7. Close the cling wrap and place the cookie dough in the refrigerator for at least overnight. 




8. After the cookie dough has rested, sprinkle some flour on the silicon mat or parchment paper and roll the dough into 1/8 inch circle. Cut them into star shape in 5 sizes. Each size should atleast have 2 pieces. 



9. Preheat your oven on 150 degree Celsius (Learn more about Oven Temperature and conversions). Place the cut of cookie on a baking sheet lined with Silicon Mat. It ensures noting sticks to the baking sheet.


10. Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes till it becomes dark in colour. Keep an eye that it should not over bake for it will become black and will taste awful. Let it rest on the cooling rack for 15 minutes only then start arranging it. For arranging a  cookie tree you need whipped cream or royal icing. I had whipped cream on hand so I used that. In case you want to make royal icing you can learn from here .

11. Take a serving plate or board. Put a little whipped cream in the center and place the biggest Star cookie on top of it.




12. Again put little whipped cream on top of the cookie and keep placing 2 more cookies of the same size as shown in the pictures.




13. Now repeat the same process with descending size of cookies. When you feel desired height has been achieved dust the top with some Confectioners Sugar. It will make everything so pretty.




14. You can serve this at your Christmas party and impress your guests. You can make various trees with these cookies, if you are over enthusiastic. 😉

Other festive recipes you can try are Gingerbread Man cookies, Festive Orange Pound Cake with Blueberries, Japanese Sweet Condensed Milk Bread, Greek Melomakarona Cookies.

[yumprint-recipe id=’308′]

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Baking

Japanese Condensed Milk Sweet Bread

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Oh I was going crazy over that half can of condensed milk which I used in the Honey Cake I made last week. Everytime I opened the refrigerator it looked at me with disgust as if I had abandoned it. But honestly I was determined to consume it. I looked for recipe which would give me and the can some sort of salvation. (Ohk today I have totally lost it.. no no I am not drunk just pure sleepy. I dont know what all I am writing kindly bear with me :P) So coming to the topic, I found a recipe which I knew I was gonna try. It ignited that festive fire in me. (awww I can be so good with words.. I am melting :P) .It was a Japanese recipe of a sweet bread which uses condensed milk.


It was a brioche kind of dough which has butter, milk and of course condensed milk. It doesn’t use any egg which makes it perfect for a lot of vegetarian folks. You should try this bread at least once. My husband and my little one finished the entire loaf in half a day. I saved one piece some how and made my son French Toast with it for breakfast and he so wanted more. If you wish to make bread pudding and as I said french toast you should take this as the base  recipe for bread. Enough gyaan now! over to recipe now.

Directions:
1. In a bowl add All purpose Flour and salt .




2. In the same bowl add condensed milk and melted butter




3. In another jar add lukewarm milk and sprinkle instant yeast over it. Also add sugar and give it a stir. After 5-7 minutes you will see the yeast has activated. 





4. Add the activated yeasted milk to the flour mix and combine till it comes together.


5. Bring the dough to a flat counter or your kitchen platform and knead for good 10 minutes till it becomes soft and supple. Read more about Bread baking techniques in “Basic Steps to Bake a Perfect Bread“


6. Transfer the dough to a greased bowl. And cover with a kitchen towel or cling wrap. Let it sit for an hour or so to double up in size.




7.  Punch it down and deflate the dough. Knead for another 5-7 minutes.


8. Grease your bread pan with butter and dust with some flour.


9. For the filling add condensed milk and melted butter in a bowl and set aside.




10. Dust the counter with some flour and roll the dough into a  12×8 inches rectangle.


11. Spread the condensed milk and butter filling with the pastry brush all over the dough surface.

12. Now with the help of a pizza cutter cut the dough into 4-5 long stripes as shown in the image below.


13. Place these stripes on top of each other with filling side up and pile them up.


14. Now further divide the dough into 8 sections making 8 piles of dough.


15. Pick up one pile at a time and start placing it in the prepared bread pan vertically. 


16. Fill the baking pan until all piles are placed inside. Do not fret if their is some empty space in the mould. It will fill on its own once the dough has proofed again. And trust me the spaces in between the piles will also be filled.


17. Top the dough with some sweetened cherries, almond flakes , raisins and even pistachios.


18. Cover the pullman loaf tin with its lid and let it proof for an hour or so or until it has doubled up in size. You can choose to keep it in a warm place.


19. Once it has proofed and doubled up. Brush it with fresh cream and preheat the oven for 10 minutes on 180 degree Celsius (Learn more about Oven Temperatures and Conversion)




20. Bake without lid at 160 degree Celsius for 20 minutes, then lower the temperature to 150 degree C then bake for 10-12 minutes more, or until the bread is golden. If at any time you feel its browning way too quickly simply tent the bread with aluminum foil loosely and continue to bake. After baking remove the bread tin from the oven and let it come to room temperature before demoulding it. Thereafter, place the bread on a wire rack so that it gets cooled evenly and doesn’t turn soggy. Slice and serve warm with your favourite cup of coffee or tea and enjoy the festival season.

Other festive recipes you can try are: Gingerbread man Cookies, Pomegranate Vanilla Cake, Festive Orange Blueberry Pound Cake

Japanese Condensed Milk Sweet Bread
 
Recipe Type: Baking
Cuisine: International
Author: Anshu Pande
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 1 Loaf
Japanese Condensed Milk bread is a sweet bread which is pillowy and perfect with a cup of coffee. This also makes the best french toast ever.
Ingredients
  • For the Bread Dough:
  • 1 and 1/2 cup all-purpose flour plus 5 tbsp extra
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp instant yeast
  • 2/3 cup warm milk
  • 2 tbsp condensed milk or 37 grams, at room temperature
  • 2 tbsp softened butter or 28 grams
  • Condensed Milk Filling:
  • 2 tbsp softened butter or 28 grams
  • 2 tbsp condensed milk or 37 grams, at room temperature
  • 8-10 pieces maraschino cherries drained
  • 2 tbsp raisins
  • 1 tbsp sliced almonds
  • 1 tbsp sliced pistachios
Instructions
  1. In a bowl add All purpose Flour and salt .
  2. In the same bowl add condensed milk and melted butter
  3. In another jar add lukewarm milk and sprinkle instant yeast over it. Also add sugar and give it a stir. After 5-7 minutes you will see the yeast has activated.
  4. Add the activated yeasted milk to the flour mix and combine till it comes together.
  5. Bring the dough to a flat counter or your kitchen platform and knead for good 10 minutes till it becomes soft and supple.
  6. Transfer the dough to a greased bowl. And cover with a kitchen towel or cling wrap. Let it sit for an hour or so to double up in size.
  7. Punch it down and deflate the dough. Knead for another 5-7 minutes.
  8. Grease your bread pan with butter and dust with some flour.
  9. For the filling add condensed milk and melted butter in a bowl and set aside.
  10. Dust the counter with some flour and roll the dough into a 12×8 inches rectangle.
  11. Spread the condensed milk and butter filling with the pastry brush all over the dough surface.
  12. Now with the help of a pizza cutter cut the dough into 4-5 long stripes as shown in the image below.
  13. Place these stripes on top of each other with filling side up and pile them up.
  14. Now further divide the dough into 8 sections making 8 piles of dough.
  15. Pick up one pile at a time and start placing it in the prepared bread pan vertically.
  16. Fill the baking pan until all piles are placed inside. Do not fret if their is some empty space in the mould. It will fill on its own once the dough has proofed again. And trust me the spaces in between the piles will also be filled.
  17. Top the dough with some sweetened cherries, almond flakes , raisins and even pistachios.
  18. Cover the pullman loaf tin with its lid and let it proof for an hour or so or until it has doubled up in size. You can choose to keep it in a warm place.
  19. Once it has proofed and doubled up. Brush it with fresh cream and preheat the oven for 10 minutes on 180 degree Celsius
  20. Bake without lid at 160 degree Celsius for 20 minutes, then lower the temperature to 150 degree C then bake for 10-12 minutes more, or until the bread is golden. If at any time you feel its browning way too quickly simply tent the bread with aluminum foil loosely and continue to bake. After baking remove the bread tin from the oven and let it come to room temperature before demoulding it. Thereafter, place the bread on a wire rack so that it gets cooled evenly and doesn’t turn soggy. Slice and serve warm with your favourite cup of coffee or tea and enjoy the festival season.
 
Notes
Recipe adapted from:[br]https://www.womanscribbles.net/japanese-condensed-milk-bread/

 

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American Cuisine

Pumpkin Spiced Latte | Copycat Starbucks Pumpkin Spiced Latte

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Winters is in full swing in this part of the world. To wake up to beautiful views of Himalayan ranges with snow capped mountains is a bliss. Nevertheless, its very important to keep yourself warm. Coffee, Chai and Green Tea keep me company throughout the day. The other day I saw a video of Bigger Bolder Baking where Pumpkin Spiced Latte was being made which is a copycat recipe of Starbucks. I had pumpkin puree in my refrigerator which by the way is a must in this time of the year. I make it at home and it’s just perfect and so versatile. You can also make it at home with those yellow ripe pumpkins with a thick skin. Just follow this recipe. 

I have been infamous for using Pumpkin in a lot of my bakes and other confections. Some of my notorious recipes are Pumpkin Cake Rolls, Pumpkin Pancakes, Pumpkin Buns and Pumpkin Spiced Doughnuts. I also have a recipe of classic Pumpkin Pie in the pipeline. So if you make this pumpkin puree you know what all crazy things you can do. You can sneak this healthy vegetable in your kids food without them knowing and cursing you …hahaha (evil laugh). And even the adults can enjoy this Coffee Latte with the spiced taste of Pumpkin to make the winters more special.

Directions:

1. In a saucepan add brewed coffee, as strong and as light you want. 


2. Add milk and bring it to a simmer.


3. Add Pumpkin Puree.

4. Add pumpkin pie spice. Of course that is also homemade.

5. Add sugar.

6. Mix and simmer till sugar is dissolved.

7. Pour this in serving cups and for added naughtiness top it with some whipped cream and sprinkle some extra pumpkin Pie Spice. 

Other beverages you can enjoy are: Plum Smoothie,  Raw Mango Drink with Mint and Roasted Cumin, Ginger Papaya Mint Smoothie,  Central Himalayan Wild Bayberry Syrup, Litchi Lemonade, Mango Chamomile-Mint Tea Lemonade, Kiwi Chia Pudding, Peach Lemonade, Spiced Mango Lassi, Melon Cucumber and Mint Smoothie, Orange and Blueberry Smoothie.

 

[yumprint-recipe id=’307′] 

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Dessert

Boozy Mocha Mousse | Eggless Chocolate Rum Coffee Mousse

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This eggless chocolate rum coffee mousse has a story behind it like most of my recipes. But this one actually made me realise that life is a celebration and every moment, every occasion should be rejoiced, even if it means intake of some extra calories 😛 So it was late evening and I was trying to find some pictures (all recipes and food around 7000 pictures) which I had transferred to one of the laptops in a jiffy some 20 days back before my bitter half left for a trek. I combed each and every possible place where I could have possibly transferred them. It wasn’t there in our respective laptops, neither in the PC not even in the two portable hard disks. Suddenly I felt sweat rolling down my spine. I knew my one year of hard work went down the drain. I was in tears and ready to explode. 


And then my husband came back from work. I pounced on him with my anxiety. He asked me a few questions and then tried his ways to find the missing pictures. I dont know what magic he did but he found the folders where the pictures were located. Stupid me had copied them to a location which was usually not accessed. I was happy like a little puppy and then my husband suggested I should treat him with something for doing this herculean task (now I am rolling  my eyes that time I was Yes Yes!! :P) I immediately went inside the kitchen and tried my hands on this eggless chocolate rum coffee mousse. It was simply divine and relished by my boys. While the elder one got the kick from the rum the younger one went gaga over the mocha flavour. At the end it was all in all a happy family. You can make this for your loved ones for this festival season. It takes only a few ingredients and also it can be made ahead of time. 

Directions:
1. Chop dark bitter chocolate into small chunks and place them in a microwaveable bowl. 




2. Heat some water and pour over the chocolate chunks! yes yes! trust me on this 🙂


3. Let it sit for a minute and then mix together to see if the chocolate has melted. If it hasn’t you can microwave for 2-5 minutes intermittently so that it melts.




4. At this stage at rum or brandy or any liquor of your choice. You can skip it if you dont like the taste of it. Set aside the chocolate to come to room temperature.

5. In the meanwhile whip chilled whipping cream to stiff peaks. Add instant coffee and whisk well.




 


6. Mix half of the whipped with the melted chocolate and fold with the spatula.

 

7. Then add rest of the whipping cream with chocolate leaving out a little for topping while serving, if you like. You will see the chocolate mixture has become thick and smooth.




8. Divide them into portions in serving bowls. I have used a piping bag to ease out transferring them. It also makes it neat.




9. Pipe it with remaining whipped cream to give a contrast and let it set in the refrigerator for a few hours before serving. This was really amazing which was loved by both my boys.

Other easy desserts you can try are: No Bake Key lime Pie, Brigadeiros, Coconut Macaroons, Eggless Fresh Peach Cobbler, Besan Rava Laddoo, Sweet Jaggery Carrot Rice Pudding , Gajar Ka Halwa, Kaddu Ka Halwa, Mango Saffron Phirni, Mascarpone Cherry Compote Cheesecake Glasses, Paneer Ki Kheer , Sabudana Kheer, Sooji Halwa , Swang Ke Chawal Ka Halwa, Swang Ke Chawal Ki Phirni, Ragi & Khus Khus Ladoos , Tapioca Coconut Milk Pudding with Strawberry Preserve

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Baking

Whole Wheat Banana Peanut Butter Brownies

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You have old, dying ,neglected bananas? You dont know what to do with them? Don’t worry! I am here to salvage you from this situation. I just realised I am sounding like a Superman or may be Superwoman :B Well last week my husband was going for a treacherous Himalayan Trek and demanded (ohk! politely asked) if I could make him some energy bars and something healthy which he can take along and munch on his way and remain energized. My baker mind went in all directions. I of course could have made him my super yummy Amaranth Granola Bars or Oats and Almonds Energy Bars but then I saw an opportunity to make something new which can be put on the blog. I saw some decaying bananas and I had a huge pack of Peanut Butter and there it was – uber delicious Whole Wheat Banana Peanut Butter Brownies!!


I spent 3 hours thinking what to make for him and 20 minutes to get everything ready. These gooey brownies were so decadent loaded with flavour of chocolate and peanut butter that I made a double batch. Saved half for myself and rest went for trek. These brownies used no eggs and still were sinfully indulgent. My jinx is still intact. I still have a reputation for making healthiest brownies on this planet. If you dont know I have on my blog Whole Wheat Oats & Chocolate Brownies,  Gluten Free Chocolate Ragi Brownies ,Vegan Avocado Chocolate Brownies, Vegan Yellow Zucchini Chocolate Brownies and now these Whole wheat Banana Peanut Butter brownies. I hope someday I can make some unhealthy brownies 😉 But if you ever try these indulgent brownies let me know your feedback. Till next time!

Directions:

1.  Line a 9×9 inch baking pan with some parchment paper and preheat your oven to 180 degree Celsius (Learn more about Oven temperatures and Conversions). 


2. In a bowl add over ripe bananas and mash them well. You can leave them chunky or make them smooth.




2. Add sugar. I have used SOS Organics Khandsari Sugar which is unrefined and makes these brownies more delicious. Whisk well till the sugar is combined with the bananas. 




3.  Add melted butter and vanilla extract. Mix well.


 



4. Add sifted whole wheat flour to the wet ingredients along with unsweetened cocoa powder.




5. Mix everything well till you get an even textured batter.




6. Pour the brownie batter in the prepared pan and even the top with the help of a spatula.




7. Take small scoops of peanut butter and place them all over the brownie batter.




8. Take a toothpick and randomly make swirls so that the peanut butter spreads all over and mixes with the brownie batter and creates a wonderful pattern.


9. Top it with roasted Salted peanuts and bake them in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.


10. Remove from the pan and let it come to room temperature . Slice it into squares and serve.

Other healthy brownies you can try on my blog are: Whole Wheat Oats & Chocolate Brownies,  Gluten Free Chocolate Ragi Brownies ,Vegan Avocado Chocolate Brownies, Vegan Yellow Zucchini Chocolate Brownies

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Baking

Eggless Honey Cake – Indian Bakery Style

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So I was going to meet my dear friend after almost two months. She invited me over lunch, so I decided I should bake something quick for dessert. I was meaning to try this recipe of Eggless Honey cake, which I had found online, for a long time and this seemed to be a perfect occasion. I was not very thrilled on the idea of having an eggless cake though, fearing if the texture might disappoint me. 


I decided to bake in this mould which I had picked from my online baking utility store – The Gourmet Shop. I had never used this mould before and wanted to try baking. To my utter surprise the cake came out absolutely delicious and it looked oh-so- charming!

My friends enjoyed it to the fullest and were raving about it. Ha! what else you need – a coffee, a slice of cake and a pat on your back. 🙂

Directions:
1. Grease a baking pan with oil or butter. I am using a silicon Bundt pan. You can order this same baking bundt pan on our online store The Gourmet Shop. Preheat the oven at 180 degree C (Learn more about Oven temperatures and Conversions)


2. In a large mixing Bowl add All purpose Flour, Baking Powder and Baking soda.





3. Whisk everything together and set aside.


4. In another Mixing Bowl add Condensed Milk and Oil.




5. Add zest of the orange along with Fresh Orange Juice.




6. Add juice of Lemon and Vanilla and whisk until everything is mixed well.




7. Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients little by little and whisk until you get a smooth homogeneous mixture. Do not over mix.




8. Pour this into the greased pan upto 3/4th of its height. Bake in the preheated oven on 180 degree Celsius for 25-30 minutes or until the toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.




9. While its baking you can make the Honey Syrup by adding water and sugar to the saucepan and bring it to a boil. Let the sugar melt and then turn the flame off. Once its lukewarm add honey and mix. Set aside.





10. When the cake has baked remove it from the oven and let it cool down a bit. After 10 minutes remove it from the baking pan and place it to cool down further on a wire rack. You can place a baking tray under the wire rack to stop the honey syrup dripping from flowing.


11. With the help of a toothpick  prick the cake all over the surface and even on the bottom so that the syrup can penetrate inside.


12. Now pour the syrup over the cake slowly. You can turn the cake and repeat the same.




13. You can decorate the cake by loosening the mixed jam in the microwave for a minute and pouring on the cake, This is an optional step but it adds more definition to the cake. And if you like you can sprinkle desiccated coconut on top. I simply played lazy and skipped. 




14. Slice this delicious , moist cake and serve with your favourite cup of coffee or tea.

Other decadent cakes you can try are:  If you are looking for cakes you can try: Persimmon Buckwheat Gluten Free Cake, Citrusy Sweet Lime Cake, Honey Dates Square, Peach Upside Down Cake, Fresh Apricot and Almond Cake, Mango Vanilla Cake,  Festive Orange Blueberry Pound Cake, Vanilla & Pomegranate Cake,Lemon Cake with Lemon Glaze, Persimmon Rum Cake.

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Uncategorized

Eggless Mayonnaise

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Eggless Mayonnaise is a delicious dressing or sauce which can be made with handful ingredients and requires almost no time and effort.   A couple of weeks back I had posted the recipe of homemade Mayonnaise on the blog and to utter astonishment it was a huge hit. I was surprised because it was such a simple recipe. A lot of people tried it and said it tasted way better than store bought and is so easily to whip it together with a handful of ingredients. However, there were many people who requested for an eggless recipe because they were vegetarians and those who even ate eggs were skeptical about consuming raw eggs. Another issue with traditional mayonnaise is that it strongly smells of raw eggs which can be mortifying to a few.  


I promised them I’ll soon post an Eggless Mayonnaise recipe which is as simpler as the egg version. So here I am with my  simple recipe of Eggless Mayonnaise which by the way is as delicious as the egg version. (Sh! can you keep a secret I found this Mayonnaise much better than the eggy Mayo 😛 ). The addition of mustard brings out the  real flavour of mayonnaise therefore, I would recommend adding it. Other substitutions and optional ingredients I have mentioned in the recipe below which will make this simple recipe become much more simpler for you. If you try please send me your honest feedback .

Directions:
1. Add oil and chilled milk in a narrow tall jar. It’s very important to use narrow and tall jar or tumbler for this recipe otherwise the texture won’t come right. Ensure that the milk is really cold for it will help it to prevent it from curdling. I have used rice bran oil for this recipe you can use any flavourless oil but olive oil should be avoided in all circumstances as it leads to bitter taste in the mayonnaise.




2. All add sugar, salt and ground black pepper. If you like you can skip the sugar.





3. Add Lemon juice and white vinegar. You may also use Apple Cider vinegar.




4. Add mustard sauce. You can use creamy or grainy. I like the texture and taste of grainy so I have used that. You can also use ground mustard powder or kasundi if you cant find mustard sauce.


5. Now take a hand blender or immersion or even an electric whisk would work. Whip everything together till you see the mixture has attained mayonnaise like consistency. This will take couple of minutes. You will be astonished how quickly the mixture has turned thick and creamy.





6. If you run a spatula you will see the mixture is super thick.


7. Transfer this to a glass jar with a lid and refrigerate till further use. This stays good for a week if refrigerated properly.

You can also try other sauces, chutneys and dips which are freshly made and have no preservatives: Traditional Mayonnaise Argentine Chimichurri Salsa, Guacamole, Italian Basil Pesto, Muhammara, Parsley Pistachio Pesto, Szechuan Sauce

 

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