DESSERTS | Saute Fry N Bake

Cucumber poha

Preparation time : 15 minutes
Cooking time : nil
Serves : 3 members

Description:

Batkals a small Muslim community from the state of Karnataka. I didn’t know such an community existed until my bahu mentioned about them. Wanting to know more about them, I googled to find out their history. It’s said that, The Nawayaths arrived on the West Coast of India from countries including Iraq, Iran, Yemen, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, as traders of spices, leather, jewelry and Arabian horses. They chose to settle there and married into another trading community of India, the Jains, who had been converted to Islam more than 1,000 years before. This led to the emergence of a new community. The people belonging to this community were characterized by facial features typical of Arabs and the fair skin of the Jains. It’s so interesting to know how a community is born. I was so fascinated with my new finding of a community that I never knew before. I grabbed the opportunity to do a batkal special ten recipe feature for a Tamil monthly magazine. That is when I got to know more about them. Their food culture is meat dominated with a lot of local produce like coconut, cucumber and other regional ingredients added to it. This one simple recipe was the best liked by me. It’s fresh, light, aromatic and apt to beat the summer heat.

Recipe

Gord faw / cucumber poha

Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
Poha / Aval	100 grams
Cucumber medium size	1 grated
Coconut grated	100 grams
Sugar	50 to 60 grams
Rose water	few drops
Rose essence	one drop

Method

In a bowl, mix Poha and cucumber. Set aside for ten minutes . Add coconut + sugar and mix well.
Sprinkle rose water + rose essence and mix well. Serve.

lapsi

Preparation time : 10 minutes
Cooking time : 10 minutes
Serves : 4 members

Description

I am sure we all Indians with no difference in caste and creed were die hard fans of the movie hum apke hai kuan. I am no exceptional to this. I really lost count of how many times I must have seen the movie. The [salty] Halwa scene.. one of the most memorable scenes from the film and a classic has always wanted me to try the North Indian version of the halwa. I ask my North Indian friends about this recipe. Each person gave me a recipe that’s a slight variation of its own. I decided to try a recipe to my convenience. As making the halwa, the salt halwa scene was playing in mind. The halwa was made with a big fat smile on my face.All I hoped for was Just a little bit of sparkling romance like Prem and nisha to happen at home after hubby dear would relish the halwa. The results of the halwa look wise was just perfect. The confident me waiting for hubby dears verdict …
He eats it with out uttering a word .. not even knowing it was a new sweet dish served to him ..
well that’s the level of romance that happened.

Ingredients

Ingredients	Qunatity
Wheat semolina	1/2 cup
Sugar	1/2 cup
Ghee	3 tablespoons
Almonds + pistachios	little to garnish
Water	2 cups
Cardamom powder	1/2 teaspoon

Method

Heat ghee in a heavy bottomed vessel. Fry the wheat semolina in low flame for seven minutes making sure the bottom does not burn.
Add water and cook over medium heat for 15-18 minutes until well cooked.
Add sugar and cardamom powder. Mix well and cook further for another seven minutes until the ghee separates.
Garnish with almonds and pistachios. Serve hot.

Notes

The same can be done using jaggery instead of sugar.
Once cooled, to reheat the lapsi. Add 2 tablespoons of milk and re – heat.

Mango parfait

Preparation time : 30 minutes
Cooking time : Nil
Serves : 6 members

Description

Ripe Mango is my favourite fruit and I guess it must be the same with most of us Indians. As I was making this mango parfait i cut open a ripe mango to see its spoilt from inside. This took me back to an incident at boarding school where we were always served a fruit of the season ( watermelon, guava, grapes, mangoes etc ..) after our lunch. On one such lunch afternoon we all get to see ripe whole mangoes served in our plates. We all were excited and smiles. My friend sulu exchanged a small looking ripe mango which was in my other friend Sindhu’s plate with a big ripe mango that was placed in another girls plate beside her’s. Myself and sulu finished our lunch early and were relishing our mango treat for the day. As we were in the verge of finishing our mangoes, Sindhu takes her ripe mango and bites in to see her share is spoilt. It was an “oops” moment where we could not share ours as sulu and myself had just finished our share’s. Sindhu was in fumes as the girl beside her was relishing her mango ( the one that Sindhu had on her plate originally) and was nearly in tears. Sulu and myself didn’t know what to do. Back then it was the worst thing that could happen to one of us but now we talk about it and laugh our guts out. It’s funny to realise , the most heart breaking things back then is nothing at all now. I guess it’s the regular cycle of life which goes on and on ….

Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
Ripe Mango pulp	1 cup
Ripe Mango	2 chopped
Whipped cream	2 cups
Condensed milk	1/4cup
Vanilla essence	1/4 teaspoon
Vanilla sponge cake	1 loaf
Sugar	1/4 cup
White chocolate	1 cup crushed

Method

Mix mango pulp and sugar together.
cut the vanilla cake to round shape that can fit into a pudding glass.
whip cream to stiff peaks. Add condensed milk, vanilla essence, white chocolate and mango pulp. Mix gently.
Place the round vanilla cake in the bottom. Top with chopped mangoes. Then pipe in the whipped cream mix. Once again layer with chopped mangoes and top with whipped cream mix. Do the same to all the whipped cream, chopped mangoes and vanilla cake.
Decorate with chopped mangoes and chill in the refrigerator until to be served.

Apple Rose tart

Preparation time : 40 minutes
Cooking time : 40 minutes
Serves : 5 members

Description:

I get to see an apple tart image on one of a foodie groups that I am a member of which leaves me awe struck to think how on earth do people make such exotic stuff from a home kitchen. My mind goes on to say ” she must be having all the possible high end equipments required for such results “. After a few months time, I get to see a video where they made roses out of apples. It looked so easy and lovely. I immediately tried it out with my regular tart base and the apple rose’s on top. I could not believe that I made these beauties. They looked so very fancy, like what I gazed on from the roads of Paris into all the pastry shops there.( gosh, enough of self praising yourself..he he at times I just have to do it to lift myself more ) well, come on all, give these apple rose tarts a try and lift yourselves too.

Apple Rose tart

Ingredients for the tart

Ingredients	Quantity
Flour	250 gm
Cold butter	100 gm
Sugar	1 tablespoon
Ice water	little
salt	to taste

Filling ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
Apples	2 sliced to thin slices with skin
Sugar	1/2 cup
Melted butter	4 tablespoons
Lime juice	3 tablespoons
Mixed fruit jam	1/4 cup

Method for tart shell

Mix flour, sugar and salt to taste. Rub the cold butter into the flour mix to get a bread crumb consistency. Then sprinkle cold water little by little and bring together to get a dough. Do not knead to much. Cover with cling film and keep in the refrigerator for half an hour.
Roll the pastry dough to an 1/2 inch thick equal circle. Cut out small circles with a round mould. Press down each cut circle into a greased muffin tray to get a cup shape. Place in the refrigerator.
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

Method for filling :

Toss the apple slices over lime juice to avoid de – coloring of the apple slices.
Pour little melted butter and 1/4 cup sugar over the sliced apples and microwave for one minute in a microwave safe vessel.
Mix the remaining butter and sugar together. Apply it over the tart shells in the refrigerator.
Lay 18 slices of microwaved, cooked apple slice over lapping each other. Roll them tightly from one end to the other to get a rose shape.
Place the apple rose over the tart shell in the muffin tray. Do the same to all the apple slices.
Place the muffin tray into the preheated oven and bake for 25 -30 minutes. Remove and cool completely.
Heat the mixed fruit jam in a microwave oven for a minute to melt. Brush the melted jam over the apple roses and Serve.

Dates ksheeram

Preparation time : 5 minutes
Cooking time : 10 minutes
Serves : 3 members

Description

Dates is one dry fruit that has never fancied me ever. I guess the dates pickle is the only one thing I like which is made out of dates but every year I end up having so much of dates in my pantry where I am pushed to try something new to finish them up. So here’s one such try with dates which is a distant cousin of our South Indian payasam. This dessert was rich, creamy and yum that can be made by any one with no high end cooking technique required. It’s these sort of recipes that excite me where even a novice to cooking can pull it of in style. A must try recipe that’s sure for keeps.

Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
Dates	20 seeds removed
Milk	2 cups
Ghee	1 teaspoon
Saffron	1/2 teaspoon
Rice flour	1 teaspoon
Nutmeg powder	1 pinch
Cardamom powder	1/4 teaspoon
Salt	a pinch
Sugar	( optional ) I didn't add

Method

Heat ghee, sauté the pitted dates in it for a minute making sure the bottom does not stick. Remove from heat and keep aside.
Boil milk, Soak saffron in 1/4 cup of boiled milk and keep aside. Dilute the rice flour is 1/4 cup of water. Add it to the boiling milk little by little, stirring all the way to get a thickened milk version.
Add cardamom powder, nutmeg powder, soaked saffron, salt and ghee sautéed dates. Mix gently. Add sugar if required. Serve hot, warm or cold.

Mango falooda

Mango falooda

Preparation time : 2 hours
Cooking time : 10 minutes
Serves : 2 to 3 members

Description:

Every month we have a kitty get together here at my place where it’s hosted in different restaurant’s. We ladies , chit chat , have fun and get to be our own selves in the kitty. All our diets are sure thrown into the bin and we hog like gluttons. Once on one such kitty , we all had a mango falooda and the entire gang went bonkers over them. I did save it to my must try Recipe list in mind. At home , the third batch of ripe mangoes arrive from our orchid. With a lot of distribution done to family and friends this time I wanted to make good use of the last third batch in hand. The mango falooda kindled me saying ” hello , I am being saved in your mind for long. Let me out and give a try “. I went through a lot of recipes in the world wide net and came up with one that I thought might be apt for me. Gave it a try and my , my it was so divine oozing with deliciousness. The different layers of flavours and textures is what excites you with a mouth full. Once in a while it’s good to treat yourself as life is to be enjoyed in a thankful way for natures abundance of its sweet ripe mangoes.

Ingredients for the seviyan(vermeil)

Ingredients	Quantity
Cornflour	1/2 cup
Water	1 and 1/2cups
Salt	a pinch
Sugar	2 teaspoons
Yellow food colouring	a pinch
Ice water	1 bottle
Ice cubes	1 tray
Oil	to grease

Method for seviyan

Dilute the cornflour in water making sure no lumps are formed. Add in salt , sugar and yellow food colour. Mix well.
Heat this cornflour mix in medium heat continuously stirring all the way to get a gooey mass of no lump sticky mix.
Grease an iddiappam press with oil. Add the gooey cornflour mix when hot and press the mix into a bowl of ice water mixed with ice cubes. You get thin yellow strands of vermicelli. Keep them in the refrigerator with the bowl of ice water until needed to be used.

Notes

This seviyan can be saved in the refrigerator for three days in ice water and used.

Other ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
Basil seeds	4 tablespoons
Almond gum	1 teaspoon
Ripe Mangoes	4
Milk	1 and a 1/2 cups
Sugar	to taste
Mango jelly	1 /2 packet

Method

Soak basil seeds and almond gum separately in a bowl of water for one hour to bloom .
Prepare Mango jelly according to packet instructions and let it set in the freezer.
peel and chop two ripe mangoes Into tiny squares and keep aside. Peel , chop and purée the remaining two ripe mangoes with sugar to taste with out adding water. Keep aside the mango purée.
Heat the milk and reduce it to half its amount. Cool completely. Add sugar to taste and mix to dissolve. Keep aside.

How to serve

Chill two tall glasses for five minutes in a freezer.
Add 2 tablespoons of soaked basil seeds to the bottom. Top with 3 tablespoons of mango purée gently.
Add 1 tablespoon of soaked almond gum over the mango purée. Pour 1/2 of the milk gently making sure the layers do not get disturbed.
Top with half of the chopped ripe mango pieces.
squeeze out the ice water from the seviyan. Add 1 tablespoon into the milk gently.
Top with cut jelly mango cubes. Garnish with basil seeds and a spring of mint. Chill and serve when needed.

Half and half pudding

Preparation time : 30 minutes + setting time of six hours
Cooking time : 30 seconds
Serves : 5 members

Description

Desserts are the most liked course of a meal by adults and children. When you have a dessert that’s home made and looks top notch it’s always bonus while entertaining guests at home. I some how always had this myth with in my self that desserts and puddings that looked high end were rocket science and it’s not my cup of tea but as I started to experiment on them. I got to know how a few tricks are just enough to make a normal jelly and milk pudding looking out of the world. Well, that’s what I have done here with this half and half pudding. As I served this pudding to my loved ones , I could see each of their faces bloom with a warm smile with a surprise element oozing out of their eyes. The best compliment ever, leaving my heart pumped with pride and joy.

Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
Raspberry jelly	1 packet
Mixed fruits ( apples , pears , bananas , strawberries )	1 cup chopped
Milk	1/2 litre
Sugar	3 tablespoons
Gelatin	2 and 1/2 teaspoon
Vanilla essence	1 teaspoon

Method

Prepare jelly according to packet instructions and keep aside. Take two tall glasses. Pour 4 tablespoons of jelly mix into the tall glasses.
Place it in a slightly slanting manner in the freezer to set for ten minutes. Once set, top with 2 tablespoons of chopped fruits and pour 4 tablespoons of jelly mix over the fruits.
Replace it in the freezer in a slightly slanting manner again for another ten minute to set.
Add 2 tablespoons of water to the gelatin and soak in a microwave safe vessel. Mix milk, sugar and vanilla essence together.
Microwave the soaked gelatin for 30 seconds to dissolve. Cool to room temperature and add to the milk mixture.
Pour the milk mixture over the set jelly fruit later up to 3/4 full of each glass. Place in the freezer straight to set for about 30 minutes. Serve chilled.

Guava shots

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Preparation time : 30 minutes
Cooking time : 2 minutes + setting time in the refrigerator
Serves : 6 members

Description

I see three guavas in my kitchen counter that are super ripe with their skin shrinking and dull. I could hear them say, “hello mam , can you put us to some good use before we die in no style”. It was a lazy day for me. Not wanting to cook much, I just wanted to grind the guava’s to make juice. But when I cut the guavas and got to see it’s pink fleas inside. I wanted to make a dessert but with no high end technical efforts to be put in. I just went with what I thought might work out. Set it in short glasses. The color was so welcoming but looked too pale. I added another layer to add more glamour. It work perfectly both visually and taste wise too. Having my friend and her daughter visit me with out notice. I ended serving then these guava shots that unnamed just as they asked me what it was. They told they will share one but ended up gobbling what was served to them. My friends daughter made sure to get the recipe from me too. I was happy I gave the dull going to die guavas a glamorous stylish death.

Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
Guava	3 chopped that has pink flesh inside
Cream	3 cups
Gelatin	3 tablespoons
Water	1 cup + 1/4 cup
Sugar	1 and 1/2 cups
Vanilla essence	1/4 teaspoon

Method

Grind the chopped guava with 1 cup water to a smooth paste. Strain and keep aside.
Soak gelatin in 1/4 cup water in a microwave safe bowl for five minutes. Then microwave it for 50 seconds to dissolve. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
Blend cream, sugar and vanilla essence together until sugar dissolves. Set aside one cup of the cream mix and place in the refrigerator. Pour the remaining cream mix into the the guava purée and mix well.
Add the cooled gelatin 3/4 th into the guava + cream mix and mix well. Pour into short glasses to 3/4 full evenly. Place in the refrigerator to set for one hour.
Microwave the remaining gelatin for 30 seconds as it would have set by now. Cool to room temperature. Mix the cooled gelatin with the remain one cup cream mixture from the refrigerator.
Spoon one tablespoon of the cream mixture over the set guava shots. Place the shots once again in the refrigerator for another one hour to set. Serve chilled .

Notes

In case you do not get pink flesh guavas add pink food color to the guava purée.

Thai khanom krok

Preparation time : 39 minutes
Cooking time : 5 minutes for each batch cooked
Serves : 8 members

Description

Any holiday destination we go to, I make sure to have a foodie day for myself. The others along with me are welcome to join me always. Two years back on my trip to London it was my day and I choose to visit the borough market in southwark. It is one of the oldest food market’s in London. In the year 2014, it celebrated its 1000 years of existence. I was blown away with the food counters from countries all over the world to their local fresh produce. I felt like a kid in a candy store. My mind had a million things running with in me with excitement taking note of so many new flavor’s, ingredients, and authentic cuisine of many countries. After a long three hour walk through out the entire market, just before we could leave. I was drawn towards a counter from where I could smell a sweet aroma filling the air. Checked to see what it was? Two Asian ladies were busy making something like our Tamil style Kuli paniyaram. I immediately placed an order for one plate. It was piping hot, so had to wait to gobble up a few to know its taste. They were sweet with the flavor of coconut over powering and a crunch from the sweet corn on top. It vanished with a few seconds time. After that it was a forgotten story but I made sure to talk about it when ever I shared my foodie experience in the borough market to friends. This year on my vacation to Bangkok in the floating market, me gazing at things around. I get to see a lady make the same sweet in a boat. I immediately buy two plates this time. I gave one with dad and I was relishing the other plate. Mom was waiting for her share once dad was done with the sweet but dad finished the entire plate leaving mom staring at him with a naive look. I gave her mine and we had a good laugh over this incident. Only then did I get to know this was a Thai dish. I took pictures of this and showed it to our cab driver and told him I want the recipe. He was so sweet to get a hand written note of the recipe in Thai from his wife which he translated to me in English with so much difficulty. I some how managed to take note and tried it out at my home kitchen. I was surprised with the results being pitch perfect just like what I had in London and Bangkok. I am totally in love with my journey of this khanom krok from London to Bangkok to my home kitchen.

Ingredients for the first layer

Ingredients	Quantity
Rice flour	1 cup
Thick coconut milk	1 cup
Cooked rice	4 tablespoons
Grated coconut	1/2 cup
Club soda	1 cup
Sugar	2 tablespoons
Salt	1/2 teaspoon

Method for the first layer

Grind cooked rice + grated coconut and 1/4 cup of club soda to a smooth paste and keep aside.
Mix all the other ingredients mentioned under the first layer together.
Mix in the ground smooth boiled rice paste and keep aside.

Ingredients for the second layer

Ingredients	Quantity
Thick coconut milk	2 cups
Rice flour	4 tablespoons
Sugar	8 tablespoons
Salt	1/4 teaspoon
Green onion	1/4 cup chopped
Sweet corn kernels	1/4 cup boiled

Method for the second layer

Mix all the ingredients together and mix well with no lumps.

How to proceed

Heat a kulipaniyaram pan / appi pan . Grease with oil dipped tissue into all the dents.
Pour around 1 tablespoon of the first layer batter into all the greased dents. Then swirl the pan in clock wise moment making sure the batter in all the dents cover to the top of the dent giving it a half circle cup shape.
Pour 1 teaspoon of second layer mix over into each dent over the first layer.
Sprinkle chopped onion stem greens and cooked sweet corn kernels.
Cover and cook further for five to six minutes until cooked through and has a golden crust on the first layer.
Remove with a spoon and serve hot with two cooked khanom krok paired together.

Edible carrot halwa cups served with ice cream and gulab jamoon

Preparation time : 15 minutes
Cooking time : 30 minutes + 4 hours setting time in the freezer
Serves : 8 members

Description

Combining three classic desserts together to be served as one is what is done here in style. I am sure most of the households in India celebrate festival’s with carrot halwa and gulab jamoon. Here I have made edible cups with the carrot halwa, topped it with a scoop of icecream and garnished it with a mini gulab jamoon. This match made in heaven divine combination is a never fail killer trio. As I was writing the recipe, I had my friends help me out. The entire gang was drooling and excited about it. They still have not got their share. I am yet to treat them. I was not very confident with making the edible cups with carrot halwa but believe me it’s easier to make than to be imagined as a hard task to master.I assure you any where served it will be a super hit. To more edgy recipes that can be done at home in restaurant style.. let’s do a hip hip hurray and celebrate the dessert.

Edible carrot halwa cups served with ice cram and gulab jamoon

Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
Carrots	6 peeled and grated
Ghee	1/2 cup
Sugar	1 cup
Salt	a pinch
Fresh cream	1 teaspoon
Milk Kova	2 tablespoons
Cardamom powder	1/4 teaspoon
Almonds, Cashew nuts and pistachio	few peeled and chopped
Milk	1/4 litter
Vanilla essence	one drop
Mini Gulab jamoon	10
Vanilla flavour ice cream	3 cups

Other things needed

muffin baking tin
Cling film

Method

Heat ghee, add the chopped nuts and fry to golden in colour. Add the grated carrots and milk.
Cook to done. Reduce the moisture by boiling further to get a dry consistency mixture.
Add sugar, cream, milk Kova and cardamom powder. Boil further for 10 to 15 minutes until moist but thick.
Remove from heat and cool completely.
Line each cup cake mould with cling film making sure it is around 1/2 centi meter above the muffin mould so it’s easy for you to lift and peel once the cups are set.
Grease each muffin dent with ghee on top of the cling film.
Drop two tablespoons of cooled carrot halwa into each muffin lined dent.
With your hands press in the bottom and all around in equal thickness to get a cup shape. Place this muffin tin in the freezer for four hours or more to set.
Just before serving, remove the muffin tray from the freezer.
Peel the set cups out of the cling films. Place in a serving plate.
Top with a scoop of ice cream inside the carrot halwa cups. Place a mini gulab jamoon in the centre of the ice cream and serve immediately in style.